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The Action Alliance
(AA) in Oyo State on Tuesday protested against the exclusion of its
logo from the list of political parties which appeared on ballot papers
in the last elections.

The Oyo State
chairman of the party, Babatunde Anifowose-Kelani, who led some other
party officials to address a press conference at their Ibadan office
yesterday, sought the support of all Nigerians to fight the alleged
injustice.

In a speech
presented to the press, the party chairman accused the hierarchies of
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of conniving with
some expelled members of the party to ensure that the AA was not
registered by the electoral body.

According to him,
despite fulfilling all the laid down rules of the electoral act on
party participation in elections at record time, the INEC still denied
them the right to be part of the April poll.

“The nominations
were concluded but when it was time for submission, INEC refused to
accept the completed forms it gave out to us earlier on a trump-up
excuse that there existed a crack in our national exco.

“It was, however,
discovered that INEC was acting out a script by a cabal within the
commission. They sponsored non-members to camouflage as national
officers of AA so as to make it look as if there was a crack.

“We tried to make
them see the truth that we have no crack in our party but they would
not listen. Investigation has, however, revealed that some charlatans
within INEC are conniving with some powerful but disgruntled
politicians who were members of our party up till 2006 to get Action
Alliance deregistered so as to ensure their illicit activities while in
AA is covered up,” he alleged.

Mr Anifowose-Kelani
further alleged that all court orders the party obtained and served on
the electoral body with respect to the attempts to deny them
participation were ignored.

He said as far as he and the party are concerned, there were not elections in Oyo State.

According to the
chairman, Oyo is the strongest base of the AA, adding that they fielded
candidates in almost all the electives post available in the state.

But to his
consternation, the logo of the party was missing in the ballot papers
for the elections, except that of the state House of Assembly.

Against the constitution

Mr Anifowose-Kelani
said the case of the systemic exclusion from the elections was already
in court and would be followed to a ‘logical conclusion’.

He also debunked
the rumour that the state leadership had collected money from some
individuals to play spoilers role in the victory of the Action Congress
of Nigeria (ACN) in the elections.

“It is not true
that we collected money for this struggle. We were already in court
before the elections were conducted. It is not that we are just
starting now. I even expect the beneficiary of this injustice to join
in this crusade because it could be their turn tomorrow,” he said.

The Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Attahiru Jega says the
inspiring leadership of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) had
shamed those he described as “unscrupulous persons” who wanted to
derail the April 2011 general elections.

Mr Jega made the remarks in a letter of appreciation, dated April 27, to Maharazu Tsiga, the NYSC director-general.

“It is clear that
but for the inspiring leadership of the patriotic men and women of the
corps, the designs by the unscrupulous persons to derail the elections,
by intimidating and scaring away the corps members, would have been
realised,” he stated.

The letter said
history would bear witness that the unyielding commitment to the
survival of the nation’s democracy inspired the corps members.

It added that the corps members defied reckless purveyors of violence to render selfless service as INEC ad hoc staff.

“It is, therefore,
beyond a shadow of doubt that Gen Tsiga, along with the entire staff
and membership of the NYSC, has demonstrated this virtue to the highest
degree.

“I am certain that
the history of our democracy will not be complete without a mention of
the laudable role you and your organisation have played,” the letter
further stated.

The INEC boss
expressed regret over the violence, which affected some corps members,
and expressed heartfelt condolences to those who lost loved ones to it.

The letter described them as “martyrs of our democratic aspiration as a country.”

The governorship flag bearer of the All Progressives Grand
Alliance (APGA), in Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has alleged that there are
plans to rig next Friday’s supplementary governorship election in the state.

Mr Okorocha who made the disclosure in a news briefing in
Owerri, the Imo State capital, hinged his allegations on video clips obtained
with spywares deployed into the field by his party.

In the recording which had vivid pictures of some government
officials addressing observers and another tearing up ballot papers voted
against the PDP in Nkwerre council area of the state, Mr Okorocha lamented the
inaction of the law enforcement agencies in the state.

The evidence

Another clip from Oguta council area showed where some hoodlums
held youth corps members hostage in a bush while thumb-printing of the ballot
papers went on.

Mr Okorocha who was flanked by Martin Agbaso, the zonal vice
chairman of APGA, Chris Ejike Uche and his deputy, Mr Jude Agbaso also
displayed fully thumb-printed fake ballot papers recovered last Sunday by
soldiers.

Lamenting the desperation to rig the Friday supplementary
election by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the APGA governorship
candidate, while noting his party’s preparedness for the election listed
conditions for their participation in the supplementary poll on Friday.

Mr Okorocha demanded that the Resident Electoral Commissioner
(REC) in the state, Selina Oko should be removed and Austin Okojie, one of the
four RECs deployed for the make-up election, dropped for his role in the
subversion of APGA’s mandate to govern Imo State in 2007.

He also demanded that no staff of the Federal University of
Technology, Owerri (FUTO) recruited as INEC adhoc staff should take part in the
collation of the Friday election result.

The Senate will today resume to a pile of significant bills that may suffer huge setbacks if not passed within the month.

The 2011
Appropriation Bill, the Petroleum Industry Bill and the Freedom of
information Bill are expected to top the agenda. However, bills like
the Anti Money Laundering bill and Anti Terrorism bill, which is
awaiting passage by the House of Reps and subsequent harmonisation, may
have to be carried over to the next session of the assembly.

According to the
spokesperson for the senate, Ayogu Eze, the senate will give top
priority to “working out the details of the 2011 budget and sending it
for presidential assent.”

The 2011 budget was passed shortly before the lawmakers went on the election break but its details have not been sorted.

Mr Eze added that the senate would also focus on the FOI bill which was also passed by both chambers before the election break.

“The FOI bill will equally be given accelerated treatment in harmonising the two versions passed by both chambers,” he said.

The bulky
Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which the senate dumped after a pressure
group called for its accelerated passages would also receive attention,
according Mr Eze.

He said the PIB
will equally receive urgent attention considering its overall short and
long term impact on the Nigerian economy.

The decision of
the senate to consider the PIB, Mr Eze said, is “considering too that
those campaigning for it (to be passed) have changed tactic from
blackmail to civilised messages which appeal to the conscience of all
concerned.

“The point we have
been trying to make is that no one loves Nigeria more than the
legislators. We are equally patriotic and committed to policies and
laws that will promote Nigeria’s growth for today and tomorrow,” the
senate spokesman added.

A couple of other
equally important bills may however not be passed in this session of
the senate. The Anti Money Laundering Bill and Anti Terrorism bill
which has been passed by senate may have to wait for a fresh start in
the incoming session of the National Assembly as it does not appear in
the priority list of the senate. Although it has been passed by the
senate, it has not been passed by the House of Reps. The senate,
however, still has a role to play in its final harmonization and
passage.

President Goodluck
Jonathan has directed all security agencies in the country to remain on
full alert, especially in identified flashpoints across the country, to
thwart any further attempt to breach the peace of the country.

The President, who
is currently on a seven-day working retreat at the Obudu mountain
resort, also said he is determined to move Nigeria further along the
path of democratic consolidation in the next four years to build on the
gains of the 2011 general election.

Some states of the
federation, especially in the northern parts of the country, erupted
into violence after the presidential elections won by Mr Jonathan.

Although there is
no official figure for the number of casualties, it is believed that
hundreds of people were killed and properties worth millions of naira
must were destroyed in the riots.

States like Borno
and Kaduna have also witnessed frequent deadly detonation of bombs by
suspected members of the Boko Haram group, which had claimed
responsibility for some attacks on government officials in recent
months.

The spokesperson
for the President, Ima Niboro, said yesterday that the president
thanked all political stakeholders and Nigerians for the success of the
just concluded election and reiterated that he is “committed to working
with all stakeholders to address any observed weaknesses which persist
in the country’s electoral system”.

Mr. Jonathan has
also urged winners in the elections to be magnanimous in victory and to
commit themselves to good governance for all their constituents without
discrimination. He urged them not to engage their predecessors in
“unnecessary battles, which may turn out as counterproductive”.

He also sympathised
with those who lost elections and advised them to gallantly concede
defeat and congratulate the victors. He advised them to refrain from
taking laws into their own hands but to “take the legal route where
they feel dissatisfied with the outcome of the process”.

Appreciation to all

With the 2011
general elections all but concluded, except for the supplementary
elections scheduled to hold in parts of Imo State on Friday, Mr. Niboro
said the President thanks all Nigerians and friends of Nigeria who have
contributed to the delivery of the free, fair and credible elections
promised by his administration.

“He expressed appreciation to the Chairman, commissioners, permanent
and ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC), especially members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)
some of whom sadly lost their lives in patriotic service to the
country, the national security services, local and international
observer groups as well as millions of Nigerians who trooped out thrice
in the month of April to peacefully vote for leaders of their choice,”
Mr Niboro said.

Today, most women and men discuss issues of violence in other
people’s relationships without knowing or identifying similar traits within
their own bad relationships, let alone getting out of them. Violence in
whatever form, within or outside the home, has its implications on personal
development, and addressing violence in its earlier stages reduces its
re-occurrence.

However, the fact that not all people can identify violence at
an early stage is a problem. Interactions with women who survived violent
relationships have revealed that when their abuse started, most of them were
silent about it because they did not recognise or see the signs as something to
worry about.

Recognise the signs

As individuals, we need to check this list to be sure we are
safe from abusive relationships. If you are in a relationship where your
partner calls you names; insults you or talks continuously about your
weaknesses; does not trust you and acts envious or possessive all the time;
tries to isolate you from family or friends; monitors where you go, who you
call and whom you associate with; does not want you to work, controls your
finances or refuses to share money; punishes you by withholding affection;
expects you to ask permission; threatens to hurt you, the children, your family
or your pets; or humiliates you in any way, then you are in an abusive
relationship.

It is worse when your partner has ever: damaged property when
angry (thrown objects like bottles, punched walls, broken glasses); pushed,
slapped, bitten, kicked or choked you; abandoned you in a dangerous or
unfamiliar place; scared you by driving recklessly; used a weapon to threaten
or hurt you; forced you to leave your home; and locked you out. Similarly, you
can be sure you are in an abusive relationship if your partner has trapped you
in your home or kept you from leaving; stopped you from making calls to the
police or seeking medical attention; hurt your children; or used physical force
in sexual situations.

Take action

The list above is not exhaustive as there may be several other
signs not mentioned here. But the reality is that in whatever form it comes,
abuse is dangerous and a red alert to immediately seek help or intervention to
break the silence. Talking to someone about it does not mean you are weak. It
only means you are empowered, courageous and can take control of your own life,
which no one else owns but you. You are responsible for all the consequences
thereafter.

Beyond the pain that comes with abuse – psychologically, physically,
socially, and economically – it has its untold strain on the human resources
much needed for one’s development, because only a sound mind can make
meaningful contributions to any process.

As citizens of the world, as declared in the 1948 Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, protection and freedom from pain is a universal right and should
not be denied anyone under any circumstance. Therefore, now is the time to say
no to all forms of abusive relationships within the home, in offices, and any
other space – public, local and international.

The Edo State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA)
yesterday announced the abduction of yet another of its members. According to
the association, Paul Oriaifo was on Sunday morning abducted by suspected
kidnappers in Ekpoma.

Just last week, a member of the association and former Permanent
Secretary, Edo State Ministry of Health, Momoh Daudu was kidnapped.

The NMA yesterday lamented the poor state of security in the
state just as it said security agencies in the state were not making use of
intelligence information available to curb crime.

The association recalled that the closure of banks in Edo
Central in the last three weeks over incessant robbery incidents had created
lots of hardship for the people in the area, as banks have refused to open for
business since the last two weeks due to almost daily occurrence of robbery. A
statement jointly signed by the state chairman of the association, Philip
Ugbodaga, its Secretary, Emmanuel Ighodaro and its Public Relations Officer,
Kennedy Alohan, called for an overhaul of the security apparatus in the state
for efficiency.

Unconditional release

“The NMA, Edo State branch is extremely concerned that
kidnapping is still a prevalent and thriving business in Nigeria. Despite the
often trumpeted resolve by both the state and federal government to tackle this
emerging threat to free movement and to humanity, very little is being done in
that regard. The inability to curb this menace is a failure of intelligence
gathering.

“While we join the rest of the world to celebrate the killing this morning
of Osama Bin Laden as a result of sound intelligence network, we recommend
undercover intelligence operations by the various security agencies to deal
with the problem of kidnapping. We have gotten to a breaking point. Medical
personnel are now unable to differentiate between abductors and genuine
patients making it difficult for doctors to undertake their humane duty to save
lives. If this problem is not curbed fast, the effect on society will be
devastating.”

The group stated further that “The abductors of Dr Paul Oriaifo are
demanding six million naira. Neither the NMA nor the family is prepared to
negotiate any payment of ransom for his release. We demand his unconditional
release and hereby charge the security agencies to do all that is necessary to
get him freed.”

The Speaker of the
Bauchi State House of Assembly, Abubakar Ahmed Faggo of the PDP, has
lost his re-election campaign to represent the Shira constituency in
the Bauchi State House of Assembly. He was defeated by a retired
primary school teacher, Awwal Hassan of the Congress for Progressive
Change (CPC).

This was contained
in a statement signed by the state administrative secretary of the
Independent National Electoral Commission in Bauchi, Aminu Adamu Bello,
which contained the list of successful candidates for the
constituencies in the state.

According to the
statement, the result of 27 out of the 31 state constituencies showed
that the PDP won 22 seats while the CPC opposition won five seats. Bye
elections will be conducted for the remaining four constituencies on
May 5. The cancelled gubernatorial elections in Ningi and Misau local
government areas due to irregularities affected the constituencies.

Speaking to NEXT,
the retired primary school teacher thanked God and his students and the
people of his constituency that came out en masse to vote for him, and
pledged to work hard in order to develop their constituency.

The PDP won in Pali, Duguri/Gwana, Kirfi, Zungur/Galambi, Dass,
Lere/Bula, Bogoro, Warji, Dambam/Dagauda/Jalam, Darazo, Sade, Ganjuwa
East, Ganjuwa West, Katagum, Sakwa, Jama’are, Itas Gadau, Disina,
Giade, Madara/Chinade, Udubo and Gamawa state constituencies. The CPC
won in Azare, Shira, Toro/Jama’a, Bauchi and Lame constituencies while
the bye elections will be held in Ningi, Burra, Chiroma and Hardawa
state constituencies.

Delta State governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan yesterday solicited the cooperation of various ethnic groups and opposition politicians in the state, saying he needs their support in his quest to move the state forward. Speaking at the thanksgiving service to mark his victory at the April 26 poll, at the Words of Life Bible Church in Warri, the governor stated that the time has come for all hands to be on deck to ensure even development of the state. He decried the prevalence of hatred and pledged to reach out to the various factions, not only in his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but in opposition parties to mend fences with them all. “It is time to build an egalitarian state for the betterment of all citizens of the state,” he said.

Diabolic solution

The governor said his opponents even had to resort to diabolical means in a desperate bid to unseat him at some point, but that these did not work. He appealed to his detractors to have a change of heart as he is not a perfect person, saying he was not the architect of some of the problems of the state. He also advised the people against engaging in actions that could plunge the state into another round of crisis, noting that no meaningful development could be achieved in an atmosphere of rancour and insecurity. He promised to formulate policies that would ensure the empowerment of youth. “This government is about the youth. The biggest challenge is youth employment. Government will formulate more programmes to engage the youth,” he said.

National President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ayo Oritsejafor, who ministered at the event, said it was God who made Mr Uduaghan’s victory possible. He however admonished the governor to extend a hand of fellowship to his opponents who lost out in the race. “You should find ways to reach to those who did not win,” he said.

The outgoing Kwara State governor and senator-elect, Bukola Saraki, and his Gombe State counterpart, Danjume Goje, may be heading for a battle with the Senate President, David Mark, as they have reportedly shown interest in occupying the number three position.

Both governors were elected senators on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the April 9 parliamentary elections to represent Kwara Central senatorial district and Gombe Central senatorial district respectively. Mr Mark, also of the PDP, was re-elected to represent Benue South senatorial district for the fourth time since the return of democracy in 1999.

It was learnt that both Mr Saraki and Mr Goje are already positioning themselves for the job even though the party’s hierarchy is yet to meet to decide the zoning formula for the next dispensation. The party, reports say, is billed to meet soon to decide on the zoning of the offices of the presiding officers of the Senate and the House of Representatives as well as other principal offices. According to the current formula, the North-Central produced the senate president while the office of the deputy senate president was produced by the South-East. In the House of Representatives, the speaker is produced by the South-West zone while his deputy is from the North-East zone.

However, the results of the recent elections may have made it inevitable for the re-zoning of the offices. Bode Olajumoke and Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, both from the South-West zone, who had shown interest in the position before the elections, lost their seats to their Labour Party (LP) and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) challengers in the April 9 parliamentary polls.

At the height of the PDP zoning controversy last year, President Goodluck Jonathan had said that the National Assembly offices are only zoned by the party after the election of the president and vice president.

“The office of the President and other elective offices like the senate presidency, speaker and National Assembly officers, the PDP has reasonable control as long as we are in the majority. Those offices could be zoned. But before you zone those offices, the president and the vice president would have first emerged,” Mr Jonathan said.

Going by the result of the elections, the ruling party has the majority of the senators-elect with over 60 of them while the Action Congress of Nigeria, which came second, has about 14. The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has six senators-elect, All Nigeria Peoples Party 7, the Democratic Peoples Party 1, LP 3 and All Progressives Grand Alliance 1. The PDP also won majority of the seats in the House of Representatives.

All eyes on North-Central

Both Mr Jonathan and his deputy, Namadi Sambo, both of whom were elected on April 16, are from the South-South and North-West zones. This therefore rules out the two zones from presenting candidates for the four presiding offices of the two chambers of the National Assembly – senate president, deputy senate president, speaker and deputy speaker.

Already, members of the party from the north central zone have commenced intense lobbying of the PDP leadership and some hawks in the presidency to retain the zoning of the senate presidency while those from North-East are demanding that it should be shifted to the zone.

The North-Central zone is anchoring its demand on the fact that the PDP controls five of the six states in the zone. The states are Benue, Plateau, Kogi, Niger and Kwara. The party lost Nasarawa to the CPC. Besides, out of the four zones, it produced the largest number of PDP senators, followed closely by the South-East.

Only four out of the six states in the North-East zone are controlled by the PDP. They are Taraba, Bauchi, Adamawa and Gombe. Borno State and Yobe were retained by the ANPP.

The South-West zone is not in contention for the position because the PDP won only one senatorial seat in the zone.

A source said the senate president has been lobbying the lawmakers from his zone to have another shot at the senate presidency just as he is said to have promised them juicy committees. Thus, if it is zoned to the North-Central, Mr Mark may have secured an easy victory. Other senators who were re-elected from the North-Central zone include Smart Adeyemi (Kogi), Zainab Kure (Niger), Dahiru Kuta (Niger) and Sule Ajibola (Kwara) have not shown interest in the position because it is not clear if the PDP will retain the position in the zone.

Mr Adeyemi did not respond to text messages yesterday on the issue. Kola Ologbondiyan, the special adviser to the senate president on media, confirmed yesterday that Mr Mark is interested in retaining his position but did not however say, if Mr Mark has been meeting with senators or if he has pledged anything to them.

However, should Goje and Saraki eventually join the race, they might face a tough battle because they are new senators. But an aide of Mr Saraki, said yesterday, “I am not aware of this plot that you are talking about. The man (Saraki) is even out of town.”