Abia North Rerun: Nat. Assembly Deletes Ohuabunwa; We’ve Confidence in Kalu, Electorates

Abia North Rerun: Nat. Assembly Deletes Ohuabunwa; We’ve Confidence in Kalu, Electorates 


The management of National Assembly has finally deleted the bio-data and photographs of former Senate President, David Mark and eight other senators from its website, our correspondents report. Twice, our correspondents had reported that Mark and 11 other senators that were sacked from the senate last year by the Court of Appeal were being paraded as serving lawmakers on the website of the National Assembly.

Mark had been at the National Assembly since 1999, representing Benue South Senatorial District until November last year when his election was nullified. He was Senate President from 2007 until his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost control of the senate in 2015. Checks on the website of the National Assembly yesterday showed that the bio-data and photograph of Mark who is set to contest with Daniel Onjeh, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the February 18 re-un election has been removed. Also, the photographs and bio-data of Uche Lilian Ekwunife who was also sacked late last year have been deleted on the website. Until last weekend, she was being paraded as a serving senator representing Anambra central on the website of the National Assembly.

Others that were expunged from the website are: George Thompson Sekibo(PDP, Rivers East), Olaka Johnson Nwogu(PDP, Rivers South-East), Osinakachukwu Ideozu(PDP, Rivers West), Abdulrahman Abubakar(APC, Kogi east), and Mao Ohuabunwa (PDP, Abia North).

However, Nneji Athan Achonu (PDP, Imo North), Mohammed Abdulsalami Ohiare(APC, Kogi Central) and Ighoyota Amori(PDP) Delta central) who were also sacked last year are still serving senators on the website. While the pictures and bio-data of Achonu and Ohiare are still on the website, only the bio-data of Amori was seen there yesterday.

Meanwhile, the bio-data of Abubakar Yusuf Abubakar who replaced Abba Marafa Bashir of the Taraba Central senatorial district in the senate has been uploaded. Our correspondents observed that his picture is yet to adorn the website.

Meanwhile, indigenes of Bende Lo­cal Government Area of Abia State came out in large numbers in a carnival-like event on Saturday to show solidarity to former gover­nor of Abia State and Pro­gressive Peoples’Alliance (PPA) candidate for Abia North senatorial re-run poll, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu.

Speaking on behalf of the organisers of the event held at Onu Ibina Hall, Igbere, Mazi Paul Uche expressed confidence in the candida­ture of the businessman-cum-politician, and noted that it would be in the inter­est of Ndigbo to have him in the Red Chamber. He added that Kalu is a patriot­ic nationalist who believes in a fair and just society.

“The forthcoming re-run election for Abia North senatorial district is a rare opportunity for us to correct the imbalance in our zone.

“Kalu has the skills and wherewithal to bring the desired change to the re­gion.
“He would use his vast contacts and political clout to ensure quality represen­tation which will lead to the execution of Federal Gov­ernment and other projects across Arochukwu, Bende, Ohafia, Umunneochi and Isiukwuato local govern­ment areas.

“In the past eight years, our roads, hospitals and other social amenities have been abandoned because our representatives at the National Assembly have placed personal interests above the collective needs of the people.

“The time is now to bring on board a charismatic and experienced public servant in the person of Kalu to draw the attention of con­cerned authorities to the marginalisation of the re­gion in terms of infrastruc­ture.
“We call on youths, el­ders, students, artisans, traders, traditional rul­ers and chiefs, religious leaders, among others, to come out en masse to cast their votes for the people’s choice, Kalu, on the elec­tion day. We have undis­puted confidence in the PPA candidate,” Uche con­cluded.

Speaking earlier, a for­mer chairman of Bende Lo­cal Government, Benjamin Kalu, who represented the front-line politician at the event, reaffirmed Kalu’s commitment and passion for humanity.

He noted that Kalu’s milk of human kindness transcends the political circle and added that his philanthropic gestures have impacted lives positively beyond the South East .

Kalu said the event has heralded a new begin­ning in the history of Abia North.
The show of love and support as demonstrated today was not only encour­aging but also a challenge for the former governor to do more.

“As a generous person, he will continue to expand his scope of charitable ac­tivities in the interest of the masses. It was our collec­tive decision to present a notable figure to represent us at the National Assem­bly.
“Kalu has performed well in all spheres of life and he remains the best choice for Abia North.”

The former chairman seized the occasion to cau­tion youths against violence before, during and after the rerun poll and noted that law-enforcement agencies will apprehend violators of the electoral act.

He also urged the elec­torate to cast their votes for the PPA candidate at the forthcoming re-run election scheduled for March 5.

#Dasukigate: Indicted Army Officers Lament Unfair Treatment

Following the ongoing investigation into the $2.1 billion arms procurement fund, some of the Army officers indicted in the scam have cried foul.

Former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh and others indicted in the $2.1 billion arms scam will be interrogated in batches.

The officers alleged that they were not allowed to appear before the Special Investigative Committee (SIC) before being referred to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Meanwhile, the EFCC has gathered a team to interrogate the indicted officers in the shady arms deal. Those to be interrogated are a former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, and 17 others, including 11 senior military officers.

The list of military officers to be quizzed also includes two former Chiefs of Air Staff, Air Marshals M.D. Umar and A.N. Amosu (rtd). Others to be grilled are 22 companies traced to associates and relatives of some of the suspects.

Also to be questioned are: AVM A. M. Mamu (the Chief of Administration); AVM O.T. Oguntoyinbo (former Director of Production, Defence Headquarters);  AVM R.A. Ojuawo (Air Officer Tactical Air Command, Makurdi;  AVM J.B. Adigun (former Chief of Accounts and Budgeting in NAF); and AVM JA Kayode-Beckley (Director, Armament Research in Air Force Research and Development Centre); AVM T Omenyi (MD, NAF Holdings) four top officers at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Air Cdre A.O. Ogunjobi; Air Cdre G.M.D Gwani; Air Cdre S.O. Makinde; Air Cdre A.Y. Lassa and Col. N. Ashinze , who was the Special Military Assistant to the ex-National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.). Col. Ashinze is in the EFCC’s custody.

The Nation reports that a source within the anti-graft agency disclosed that the officers would be quizzed in batches.

The anti-graft agency has quizzed Alex Badeh Jr., son of the former Chief of Defence Staff, in connection with the arms scandal.

“We are going ahead with the interrogation of some former and serving military officers as recommended. There is no going back on this. We have a team ready to interact with these officers and about 22 companies. But we will conduct the interrogation in batches.

“Very soon, we will invite these officers. We have a schedule of how we will conduct our findings,” the source said.

The source also confirmed that some serving and former military chiefs have raised issues on why they were referred to the EFCC because the sic had not invited them.

“We were surprised that the EFCC has been mandated to interact with some of us when we were never invited by the sic which made the recommendation to the Presidency.

“This is an area we want the President and Commander-In-Chief, HE Muhammadu Buhari, to look at. The sic did some preliminary work for EFCC to act upon. But we were not asked to appear. We are not afraid of accounting for our tenure but due process must be followed,” the source said.
However, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, who was the former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has denied ever receiving any invitation from the EFCC contrary to reports.
Muazu’s aide, who spoke on behalf of his boss, said: “Contrary to what is being reported, Mu’azu is yet to receive any invitation from the EFCC or any agency.

“The ex-PDP National Chairman is also not aware of any allegation against him. Yet we read of N500 million and some ambiguous figures on a daily basis. Some even alleged that the former governor is on the run, which is not true. Mu’azu was a party leader and he did not go beyond his bound while leading the PDP.”

In a related development, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, may risk arrest as the House of Representatives Ad-hoc committee, investigating sharp practices in the collection and management of non-oil revenue remittances by ministries, departments and agencies is irked over failure of honouring invitation.

Meanwhile, Dasuki has filed a suit against the federal government before the ECOWAS court in Abuja over his continued detention. In the suit filed by his lawyer, Robert Emukpoeruo, Dasuki wants the court to declare among other things that his continued detention after having been granted bail by three different courts and met the conditions for his release, was “unlawful, arbitrary and an egregious violation” of his human rights.

Kanu’s Son Receives a Name

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu has finally given the name to his handsome son.

Nnabuikem Kanu, the son of the Biafra leader

The son of the Biafra leader, who is currently in custody, will be called Nnabuikem.
Nnabuikem literally means ‘God is my strength’.

Her husband was in mid-October 2015 arrested in Nigeria by the country’s secret police, charged to court where he was granted bail and still remains in DSS custody after meeting all bail conditions.
Pro-Biafrans are campaigning for the independence of the territories that constituted the Biafran Republic, established during the civil war in Nigeria which was previously headed by Ojukwu.

IPOB supporters have held a series of protests across the country in recent months to demand Kanu’s release and voice their calls for a breakaway state for the southeastern Igbo people.
Meanwhile, the court recently ordered that Kanu be remanded in prison custody until a bail application is heard on January 25.


Uchechi Okwu Kanu delivered a bouncing baby boy on January 5.

BEFORE APC CONVERTS BUHARI TO A THIEF

BEFORE APC CONVERTS BUHARI TO A THIEF

The most consequential Nigerian political news of last week slipped under the radar.

Here it is; the executive of the ruling All Progressives Congress huddled together with President Muhammadu Buhari in the State House. They reported their Party’s cash crunch and implored President Buhari to start funding the Party!

A cartoon buff who encounters the story is sure to instantly conceive a drawing idea: APC Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, and the dozen plus company on their knees, desperate suppliants, praying a throne-seated Buhari to give them this day a character after the image and likeness of Sambo Dasuki!

Newspaper reports say it was a closed door meeting. But it doesn’t take a giant leap of imagination to surmise that Oyegun presented the plea in the standard way Nigerians make request of their ruler. He must have delivered it like sandwich.

Buhari would have been repulsed if Oyegun had gone straight to the point. “Mr. President, your party and our party, the All Progressives Congress, desires you to officially approve that the party be a parasite on the national treasury!’’

 

Oyegun, former Governor and a man of gray hairs, knows better than to breach cultural protocol. He could not have dared to beseech the president without first performing the foreplay of flattery to make the ruler attentive, receptive and disposed to granting the yet-to-be named favor.

 

And so, Oyegun may have cherry picked some positive developments attributable to Buhari’s tenure, exaggerated their significance and declared that Buhari has wrought more feats than other Nigerian leaders living or dead. Then, Oyegun would sneak in the request wrapped with euphemism. And then, Oyegun would end by praising Buhari again, smiling with the fakest authentic smile his facial muscles can be mobilized to contrive!

 

Thankfully, Oyegun’s hypnosis failed. President Buhari rejected the poisonous pitch. Buhari refused to commit himself to being the party’s financier. Buhari asked Oyegun to search for clean ways of funding the party’s operations.

 

Ordinarily, Oyegun and co should have known that no other answer was possible in the circumstances. Even if Buhari was not a strict ascetic, even if he was not a man of lean taste, even if it would have been out of character for him to accede to their demand, that proposition was against the spirit of the times.

This is a season when the whole nation is still reeling from the revelations of how President Goodluck Jonathan underwrote the prodigal politics of the Peoples Democratic Party. People are outraged that a leader and a political party that were elected to govern worked hard to bankrupt the country. The anti-graft agencies are still wrestling with the impossible arithmetic of summing up the heists of the Jonathan days.

So weird is the miasma of the disclosures from the state-sanctioned vampire politics of the PDP that Chukwuma Soludo, former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, felicitously compared the scale of Jonathan era looting of the Nigerian treasury to the apocryphal story of Africa’s first class buffoon, Idi Amin, ordering the Ugandan mint to print him money to spend!

It’s probably the most inappropriate time for Oyegun and his cohorts could have chosen to ask Buhari to license APC to continue the thievery of PDP!

 

Oyegun, former governor and a man of gray hairs, is the face of a new party that marketed itself as a corrective savior. APC’s motto was, and still is, ‘’CHANGE’’. Last year, he sold that theme of CHANGE to the constituency of disenchanted voters. He repeated countless times that the CHANGE APC was offering is the alternative reality the Nigerian people deserve.

 

While stumping for Buhari and other candidates of APC, Oyegun rhapsodizes that the putative difference between the philosophies of APC and the PDP was the reason the electorate should break up with the party that has mis-governed Nigeria for 16 years. He told the rallies that a new future was at the fingertips of Nigerians. They could recreate their future by deploying their thumbprint.

 

After APC won the presidency and the governorship of a majority of States in Nigeria, Oyegun promised that his party would wear power responsibly. APC would be a governing party. Not a ruling party.

Nobody knew that given the opportunity of an audience with President Buhari behind closed doors, Oyegun, former governor and a man of gray hairs, would not advance the leader of Africa’s most populous country constructive counsel or a policy proposal. Oyegun would, instead, urge Buhari to destroy Nigeria. Oyegun would advise Buhari to unleash APC on the treasury–to calamitous effect!

 

It should have been obvious to the Oyegun delegation that Buhari would disappoint them. Buhari, a man who owes both his public persona and very human essence to a claim to rigid integrity, cannot be swayed to replicate the fraud of feeding the ‘’party in power’’ on the national treasury. The tiniest credible leak of such arrangement would precipitate a spate of events that would erase Buhari’s very existence!

 

Oyegun and the adults he took on that shameful mission know this. But it seems that they were deceived by their own optimism. Buhari might indulge them if they tried. And they would experience fairy tale enrichment like Anthony Anenih, Olisa Metuh, Haliru Bello, Jim Nwobodo, Olabode George, Attahiru Bafarawa, and others.

 

Or probably, Oyegun and his associates were, indeed, cognizant of the irredeemable foolishness of their agenda but had, nevertheless, collectively decided to push it. Maybe they had hoped that their sheer number would exert a magical effect on Buhari.

 

Oyegun probably curses his stars. He is the chairman of the wrong ruling party. If he had been the chairman of the PDP in the days of Jonathan, Oyegun would not have to cry for funds, like a baby cries for its feeding bottle. Oyegun would be in have been in Jonathan’s bosom, sucking nourishment non-stop!

Consider the request one more time.

 

Oyegun and his team had not asked Buhari to make a one-off intervention to help APC address a financial emergency. They did not ask him for a one-time bailout. They had asked him for perpetual funding. Feed us money every day.

 

In a manner of speaking, they asked Buhari to construct a pipeline of petro-cash, stretching from the presidency to APC national secretariat. He would build the conduit and maintain the flow. Money must be ever surging at the right velocity. So that Oyegun, other officials and chieftains of the party may be protected from lack. So that they may be eternally happy. So that the may remain loyal to the source!

 

Now, how does Oyegun expect Buhari to conjure the windfall to foot the party’s bills day by day, week by week, and month by month and year by year? From Buhari’s private bank? From Buhari’s half-presidential salary? Through some money ritual?

 

Oyegun, without a doubt, presumes that President Buhari sits atop Nigeria’s riches. Buhari has the carte blanche to spend taxpayers’ money as he pleases. Oyegun also believes that it is right for the leader of a democratic nation to channel the resources of the entire citizenry to the mundane affairs of the one political party of his preference.

 

Thus, Oyegun might be said to be blissfully unaware that he was a tempter, prodding Buhari to felony. Never mind that Oyegun has authored and signed about ten press statements, disparaging PDP and its leaders for robbing Nigeria and Nigerians under the pretext of doing the duty of governance.

 

Oyegun believes his party is entitled to its own spoil time. CHANGE to Oyegun means a set of would-be thieves displacing the old occupying gang. And the new thieves stealing with the old thieves’ playbook!

Oyegun’s concept of a political party is flawed. His idea of a ruling party is one that wins power as a means to hijacking the national treasury. His interpretation of the party in power is the party in money!

And, it may well be that Oyegun’s vision is to make APC overtake PDP in infamy!

 

Now, why did the APC turn to Buhari for funding? Is he the party’s benefactor of first resort? Is the party Buhari’s private concern? Is Buhari the only member of the party?

 

By asking him to assume the obligation of financing the party singlehandedly, though his total legitimate earnings as head of state would prove grossly insufficient, isn’t the APC goading Buhari to rob the country to pay the party?

 

It looks yesterday when APC conducted a nationwide registration of its members. While the exercise progressed, the party announced that it was close to capturing the particulars of 25 million people in its digital register!

 

The natural question to ask is, where are the million members APC had touted. Have they all vanished from our shores? Or are they so small in number their dues can’t fund the party?

 

Before Oyegun and his vanguard of august beggars destroy Buhari, I am constrained to advise that Oyegun and APC executive stay away from the Villa and look elsewhere for funds. If they are incapable of enhancing the President’s ability to govern whenever they engage him, they should not inflict themselves on precious presidential time. They should not convert Buhari to thievery.

 

Instead of pestering Buhari to gift APC a Dasuki-like ATM, Oyegun should ask Google how political parties of advanced democracies fund themselves!

I Am Not A Nigerian – Adebayor

Niger Republic striker at the ongoing African Nations Championship, Zakary Adebayor, has disclosed to journalists that he is not a Nigerian, adding that the media should desist from linking him to the country.

Zakary Adebayor

In a chat with CompleteSports at his team’s Gorilla Hotel, Adebayor revealed that he was born and bred in Niger Republic.

Rumours were spread in some quarters that Adebayor’s grandparents were Nigerians, but migrated to the neighbouring country to seek greener pastures in the 70s.

“I am from Niger Republic and people should stop this controversy of linking me with Nigeria.
“Fine I know Adebayor is a Nigerian name but I am from Niger Republic and I am happy to play for Mena,” he stated.

He was also of the opinion that Sunday Oliseh’s boys at the tournament are very good and could possibly lift the trophy in Rwanda.

“The Nigerian team is a good side and I think they can win the tournament.
“But Niger can still qualify from the group if we can beat Tunisia, which I think is not impossible to achieve if we work very hard,” he added.

Bishop Kukah Speaks On Buhari’s Fight Against Corruption

Bishop Matthew Kukah of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto state has called on the federal government not to place the inefficiency in the fight against corruption on the church.

“Nigeria is governed by rules and regulations and constitution, it is not the business of the church to catch thieves and set up court.”

The bishop made the call speaking at the national grand finale celebration of the Year for Consecrated Life at the weekend in Abuja.

“Nigeria is governed by rules and regulations and constitution, it is not the business of the church to catch thieves and set up court. It is the responsibility of the state but often you mistake the inefficiency and ineptitude of the state for the failure of religion. What you should be saying is: what will the state be without religion? So if there are thieves walking the street free, you ask the state and the court not the church.

“People should not mistake the responsibility of the state for the church. The church cannot send you to prison because you did not come to church but the state can punish you for stealing,” he stressed.
The cleric also called on consecrated people to emulate the life of Jesus Christ and stressed that for church every human was its concern.

“The challenge for us is to look closely to our Christian responsibilities, our cardinal principle is love and it comes through service. What we are talking about is the extent to which consecrated life, you are called upon to be the light and salt of the world,” he added.

A few weeks ago, Bishop Kukah sent a strong message to churches in the country that are being run with billions of Naira.

He accused the catholic churches of sometimes trying to make profit from religiosity and urged them to desist from seeing themselves as business ventures.

Speaking earlier about Buhari’s fight against corruption, the cleric had described it as a noble one but noted that battling corruption alone might not guarantee Nigeria as a stable nation.

Crisis as Tinubu turns against Buhari, See proof

The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, has opened another can of worm to the drama that has trailed the 2016 budget.

While expressing disappointments over the controversy that has trailed the alleged “missing budget”, Tinubu took a swipe at President Muhammadu Buhari when he described the scenario as embarrassing and a mark of unseriousness on the entire leadership of the Nation.

The APC National leader and publisher of The Nation Newspapers stated this in an editorial titled “Missing Budget” published on January 25, 2016. He  insisted that Buhari’s correctional letter submitted to the National Assembly was not enough, adding that he should swallow his pride and apologize to Nigerians.

“It is clear from the foregoing that the Senate did not cry wolf where there was none. Indeed, not only was there substance to the charge that the presidency was up to some mischief, it tried valiantly to cast the National Assembly as the unserious party.
“To that extent, the presidency stands rightly accused of bad faith in addition to the grave charge of dereliction of duty,” the APC chieftain posited.

Few days after Buhari presented the 2016 Appropriation bill of N6.08 trillion to the joint session of the National Assembly, the APC had described the budgetary figures as “curious” and “padded”, adding that the budgetary proposal lacked any traits of change.
On the heel of the missing budget that engulfed the nation, Buhari had on January 19, 2016 regretted the confusion the ‘missing 2016 budget’ had caused in the polity and urged the National Assembly to work with the corrected version.
Following the receipt of the President’s letter, the Senate adopted a motion reversing its earlier decision that it would only work on the document presented by Buhari on December 22 2015 and resolved that it would now consider the corrected version.

Reacting, Tinubu said: “The question of course remains: why will the President choose to lay a document he acknowledged as flawed before the National Assembly? Why seek to cure the defects identified by a method so clearly at variance with these provisions of the law?
“A

“… The missing budget is a shame and embarrassment that had lingered for the whole of the fortnight, something that had cast the entire leadership of the nation as unserious,” Tinubu had stated.