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The Federal High
Court Abuja’s injunction restraining both the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from
recognising the Joju Fadairo led party congresses in the Ogun State
Chapter of the party is now unsettling the faction on what the next
step should be.

According to the
Chairman of one of the factions, Dayo Soremi, the Mr Fadairo led
group’s claim to have secured the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) nomination form to field its gubernatorial candidate,
Gboyega Isiaka, was all a ruse.

“Our attention has
been drawn to some media reports claiming that the dissolved state
executive committee of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun
State has been recognised as a legitimate body by the national
secretariat of our great party. This followed claims that a puppet of
Ogun State Governor, Gbenga Daniel, has been given the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) nomination form by the PDP
National Secretariat.”

“We affirm that
this cannot be true as our great party respects the rule of law and
will not be part of a sinister plot to enthrone impunity as a way of
life in conducting the affairs of the PDP” he stressed.

“To be sure, a
Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, has already stopped whatever
charade the Joju Fadairo led dissolved executive committee did in terms
of congresses/primaries. Both the PDP National Secretariat and INEC
were restrained from relating with the illegal Fadairo group,” Mr
Soremi said.

Solution

The ugly
development according to further findings has forced Mr Daniel, who is
the leader of the faction to abruptly cut short his trip to China and
return to the country over the weekend, apparently to find a way out of
the problem. Ironically, Mr Soremi and his group at the weekend threw a
lavish party tagged, ‘victory over our enemy.’ The party was sponsored
by the millionaire financier of the Omo-Ilu Foundation, an apex body of
the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Buruji Kashamu and held at his
Ijebu-Igbo palatial residence.

It would be
recalled that, the factional governorship candidate of the party, under
the Daniel group, Gboyega Isiaka was reported to have collected the
party nomination forms, which include the Senatorial nomination of Mr
Daniel and others from their group which were allegedly brought to the
Abeokuta party headquarters.

But barely 24 hours
after, came the controversial Federal High Court injunction, rasing
panic in the group, becoming a subject of gossip in the town.

However, in a
related development, the faction of the party which produced Tunji
Olurin as the party governorship candidate, announced that, it had
earlier collected their own nomination forms earlier before the Mr
Daniel group collected theirs, as claimed by them, stressing that, the
group the claim that the group collected forms was a mere propaganda.
Further findings however revealed that, Mr Daniel’s camp is now making
effort to ensure that the injunction is reversed, before the situation
gets out of hand. The case had been adjourned to February 8, 2011,
while the submission of nomination closes before the hearing date of
the case.

Opposition reacts

The Media Officer
to Mr Isiaka, (governorship candidate from the Mr Daniel’s group),
Bolaji Adeniji while reacting said, “Mr Olurin’s claim is false. It is
clear to say that it is a false, totally untrue and a deliberately
orchestrated subterfuge sold to confuse the party and unsuspecting
public.

“How can he claim to have a form, when did he get the form? Gboyega
Isiaka went to the party office based on the submission of his name by
the party to the INEC. He was received by Uche Secondus. He got the
forms in public, in the full glare of the press and party officials.
This was reported in the media the day after. How can someone now claim
to have a form 48 hours later. Who saw him, who witnessed it, who has
seen the form? So Olurin’s claim is a ruse that cant fly. The party and
INEC will decide the authentic candidate, which is Gboyega Nasir
Isiaka.” He said.

U.S. President
Barack Obama urged Americans to “win the future” this week, while
moving ahead in the effort to do that himself as well.

Obama delivered the
State of the Union address, an annual constitutional obligation which
has become an opportunity for the White House to praise its
accomplishments and sketch-out its plans.

In that ritual
speech to lawmakers, judges,ambassadors and guests, Obama advanced a
range of initiatives but passed-over one crucial item on his personal
agenda: beginning his campaign for re-election.

Americans voted
just a few months ago in Congressional elections that punished Obama’s
Democratic Party. His own job will be on the line the next time they go
to the polls, in November of 2012.

Despite the severe ‘shellacking’ that even he concedes he suffered in the November, his prospects are now looking up.

With the American
economy continuing to recover from recession and unemployment slowly
reducing, Obama is rising in public opinion polls. In some respects,
he’s doing better than even some of his supporters’ say they’d
expect.“Right now, you have the president with 55 percent job approval
at nine percent unemployment, which is quite frankly fairly
remarkable,” said Democratic pollster Cornell Belcher. “The policies
are working and I think the Americans are feeling it.” Obama has
started staffing his re-election headquarters in his hometown, Chicago,
and has shuffled his White House staff as well.

His potential
Republican opponents aren’t moving quite as fast. Former
vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin continues to be the most
prominent potential figure in the race, but she hasn’t said publicly
whether she’ll run.Recent public opinion polls put Obama ahead of her
and every other potential candidate the Republicans are likely to put
forward.

But the race hasn’t
really begun and it promises to challenge the president. Republicans
now control the House of Representatives and are planning a series of
confrontations over the Obama administration’s policies and
practices.Unemployment is still high and government spending is still
setting records. Both are serious problems for Obama’s prospects.

“He’s not a new
president anymore,” said former Republican White House aide Ari
Fleischer. “It’s time to judge him on results.” Americans seem to be
doing that and increasingly, they are once again rallying behind Barack
Obama.

Jonathan Mann
presents Political Mann on CNN International each Friday at 18:30
(CAT), Saturday at 3pm and 9pm (CAT), and Sunday at 10am (CAT).

The Independent
National Electoral commission has spent about N34.4 billion on
importation of 132,000 units of data capturing machine for the 2011
voter registration exercise but Mohammed Abubakar, Minister of Science
and Technology said Nigeria may not have to spend that much again on
elections as local technologies for the same purpose are now available.

Mr Abubakar said
that “the electronic voting machine developed by the Nigeria
Communication Satellite Limited, NIGCOMSAT, can assist the nation in
biometric registration for election” and that by 2015 it will be ready
for use at the election.

The minister told
journalists in Abuja that the technology would have been used for 2011
voter registration exercise but for some logistics that are not in
place.“We have developed that capacity (production of electronic voting
machine),” he said. “There was no time for experiment and we did want
to take chances with this present voter registration, that is why we
are postponing the use of these indigenous voting machines till 2015.
Nigerian scientists and engineers have really done well with this new
feat.”

He equally stated
that there is need for the private sector to partner with the research
institutes of the ministry to commercialise their research outputs
since their mandate as a ministry ends in production of prototypes.
“Private sector has to come in. They prefer to import. We need
entrepreneurs to support us with funds so that we can meet
international standards. Nigerian scientists are coming up with
interesting research and development results,” he said.

Attahiru Jega,
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission had earlier
paid a visit to the NIGCOMSAT office where he inspected the products
and pledged his commission’s collaboration with the company.According
to Mr Jega, “INEC will partner with all stakeholders including
NIGCOMSAT to enable the nation have a credible election in 2011. I am
very pleased and I want to assure you that in whatever way we can work
together, in the interest of this country, we will be willing to do
so.”

Timasaniyi Ahmed-Rufai, Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT said that
apart from the electronic voting machine, the company has network
supporting video and voice polling that will help INEC to monitor the
election both from states, councils and INEC Headquarters.“While the
local government elections could be monitored in the state headquarters
through cameras strategically planted at the polling units, INEC
Headquarters will also be able to monitor through satellite device that
will help beam the activities of the states and local councils to the
headquarters directly.“NIGCOMSAT will be able to assist the commission
on the e-register process if given the mandate to do so,” he said.

Two weeks after he
lost his bid to contest the presidency on the platform of the
opposition All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), billionaire businessman,
Harry Akande, resigned from the party in a letter dated January 28,
2011 to the ANPP national chairman, Ogbonnaya Onu.

The letter reads:
“This is to officially notify you of my resignation as a member of All
Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) with effect from Friday, January 28, 2011.
This decision was borne out of my desire to advance my commitment and
resolution of making Nigeria a better country for the common man.
Therefore, accept my exit from the party in high esteem while wishing
ANPP the best of luck in its future political ambitions in our dear
country.

“Once again, extend
my sincere appreciation to all members for their cooperation for the 12
years of being a loyal member, as well as serving as the pioneer
chairman of the board of trustees of the party.”

Copies of the
letter were sent to the national secretary of the party, the deputy
chairmen in the south and north as well as the board of trustees
chairman.

Next move

Although Mr. Akande
did not state which party he was moving to, our investigations revealed
that he might be on his way to the Congress for Progressive Change
(CPC). He allegedly held discussions with the presidential candidate of
the CPC, Muhammadu Buhari, sometime last year on his (Akande) political
future. Mr. Akande, an indigene of Ibadan in Oyo State, was a
foundation member of the ANPP. However, his plans to contest the
presidency under the banner of the party did not materialize on two
occasions. On January 16, he lost the party’s presidential primary
election to the Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau. Mr. Akande
secured 708 out of the 5,315 votes cast during the party’s national
convention. Last September, Mr. Akande’s ambition to become the
national chairman of the ANPP also crashed at the party’s national
convention in Abuja. He lost to Mr. Onu by 1,479 votes to 3,945.

The Conference of
Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has asked the leadership of the Action
Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC)
to come to an agreement in their ongoing alliance talks to present a
common presidential candidate for the April 9 elections. As the
deadline for political parties to submit their candidates to the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) expires today, the
group said it is making the call because the alliance is the surest way
to vote out the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from power.

Both parties have,
in the past months, been discussing the possibility of presenting a
common presidential candidate for the elections. However, the
discussions are yet to come to fruition following an alleged insistence
by ACN chieftain and former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, to be
running mate to Muhammadu Buhari of the CPC, rumoured to be the
favourite joint presidential candidate of the alliance.

Another problem confronting the parties is: which platform will the candidates use for the presidential contest?

“We challenge Major
General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other
leadership of the various progressive political parties to close ranks
and present Nigerians with an alternative common presidential candidate
platform on or before the close of substitutions of candidates in
February 2011,” the CNPP said in a statement signed by its
spokesperson, Osita Okechukwu, in Abuja.

Distinct position

The CNPP said that
it is of the view that Nigerians are fed up with the failure of PDP to
provide electricity, to fix roads and to provide employment in the past
decade, adding that the people are not ready to reward the ruling party
for poor leadership, failed promises and pervasive corruption.

The national consensus, according to the CNPP, is that it will be a
gratuitous insult to allow PDP to actualize its “dream of ruling
Nigeria for 60 years in the midst of glaring failure of leadership,
squandermania, food-is-ready economic policy and gross incapacity to
provide security in the land”.

Bauchi State Deputy
Governor, Babayo Garba Gamawa has won the Bauchi North Senatorial
re-run primary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Mr Gamawa, who
won 1,407 out of a total of 1517 votes, defeated his only opponent,
Aminu Yapeco who got a total of 99 votes to become the party’s
senatorial candidate, while 11 of the votes were invalid.

Speaking to
Journalists shortly after being declared winner of the PDP re-run
primary election which took place over the weekend in Azare, Mr Gamawa
said he was happy and grateful to the delegates for finding him worthy
to represent them and the entire senatorial zone.

He called on his
opponent and all the people of the zone to be united and work
harmoniously in achieving the vision of the party and that of the
region pointing out that “it is only when there is unity and
cooperation in the region that there can be development.”

He also appealed to
the people to help in making the 2011 general elections a success by
ensuring that they register during the on-going voter registration
exercise.

The former Speaker
of the State House of Assembly and presently deputy governor of the
state, said that one of his major priorities if elected as senator will
be to “make a good representation by ensuring that the people enjoy the
dividends of democracy to the electorate while in the senate. I will
make laws that will make Nigerians live in peace and have love for one
another.”

In the earlier primary election of the party before the call for a
re-run in some states, Mr Gamawa won with a total of 2,632 votes ahead
of Mr Yapeco who got only 37, but was cancelled due to petitions sent
by the latter’s camp alleging several irregularities.

Bauchi State
Governor, Isa Yuguda, has sworn in Ibrahim Mohammed Zango as the new
chief judge of the Bauchi State High Court. Speaking at the ceremony
which took place at the Government House, Bauchi, the governor stated
that the constitutional role bestowed on the judiciary is to allow
peace, order, and harmony to reign supreme and form the foundation for
enduring democracy. He further said that it was for this reason that
the 1999 constitution not only made the judiciary its own guardian, but
also made it the arbiter of all disputes brought before it.

He observed that
for the nation’s nascent democracy to succeed there was a need for a
strong and independent judiciary, assuring listeners that his
government would continue to respect the rule of law and due process in
all its transactions.

Mr. Yuguda who
described as cordial and harmonious the relationship between the three
arms of government in the state, said everything possible was being
done to provide a conducive working environment for members of the
judiciary to discharge their constitutional duties in the
administration of justice.

He enjoined the new
chief judge to continue to build on the robust and dynamic foundation
which has been laid by his predecessors and make the court truly a
bastion of democracy in the country.

Earlier, in a
valedictory court session in honor of the retiring chief judge, Sabo
Suleiman Darazo, the State Commissioner for Justice, Al-Mustapha
Suleiman Hassan noted that Mr. Darazo had served the state very well
and to the best of his ability.

He explained that
the retiring chief judge had a reputation for resolutely insisting on
due process while displaying empathy and accommodation where it was
most needed as he also worked with other arms of government to
stabilize the young and nascent democracy without compromising the
independence of the judiciary.

Mr. Darazo who was retiring together with a judge of the Bauchi High
Court, Bala Umar, expressed his gratitude that they were leaving behind
a dedicated team under the leadership of the new chief judge. Mr.
Darazo retired after working for 65 years and serving at the high court
in the state for 20 years.

About 169 bags of
fertilizer earlier declared missing by the Edo State Ministry of
Agriculture and Natural Resources have been recovered. This was
revealed in the handover notes by the former Commissioner for
Agriculture, Tunde Lakoju, who quit the state’s cabinet last week.

The fertilizer,
which was sent from Abuja last year and stored in the ministry’s
warehouse, was designated for distribution to farmers to boost food
production in the state.

The fertilizer was
declared missing earlier in the month and according to Mr. Lakoju’s
letter, “competent sources said that the stolen fertilizer was
allegedly diverted by officials of the warehouse and taken to the open
market and sold at N602,350.00.”

The letter further
revealed that interrogation of the warehouse officials revealed that a
retired storekeeper simply identified as Mr. Usiomoifo was responsible
for the missing bags of fertilizer. Mr. Usiomoifo was said to have
denied any knowledge of the fertilizer which went missing while he was
on duty. The ministry then decided to deduct the financial worth of the
fertilizer from the gratuity due Mr. Usiomoifo. The letter did not
indicate whether the accused would be prosecuted.

Commenting on why
this revelation was just coming out, Peter Okhiria, the chief press
secretary to the state governor said: “The reason why the commissioner
left the information till he resigned from the government was best
known to him.”

Meanwhile, the Edo State government may only be able to pay for
about 8,000 metric tons or about 140 trucks of assorted fertilizer, out
of the 12,600 metric tons or 420 trucks allocated to it by the federal
government for the current farming season. Government sources confirmed
that the dwindling financial resources of the state might be
responsible for the shortfall. This, they alleged, has also affected
its capacity to access the N1billion agricultural loan which it
announced it was taking in 2010 to improve food production.