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Ogun State
Governor, Gbenga Daniel yesterday warned of collapse of the Peoples
Democratic Party {PDP} in the South-west of the country as a result of
the incessant internal wranglings within the ruling party, especially
following loss of two states of Ekiti and Ondo.

Mr Daniel made the
prediction at the second stakeholders meeting and inauguration of
Coordinators of the Goodluck Jonathan Presidential Campaign, held at
his Aseludero Private Residence in Sagamu, Addressing the meeting,
which comprises the Jonathan South-West Campaign team,

Daniel said the only way out is for the party to put its house in order.

“We must tell
ourselves the truth, we have not managed our victory well,” he said.
“The capacity of our party to manage crisis is nil.” The governor, who
is the South-west Coordinator for the campaign team, linked the fear of
winning next elections to the loss of Ondo and Ekiti states to the
opposition.

Scary news

Lamenting the
ouster of Segun Oni by the court ruling, Mr Daniel frankly declared,
“The worst came recently when we legally lost Ekiti.

What happened in
Ekiti State is a shame for all of us, nobody expected it” adding that
for those in Osun State, “what I am hearing is scary.”

Admitting that the party has challenges and hurdles to cross to win
impressively in the forthcoming elections, the governor said: “We must
not take things for granted, what we have in our hand is major. If we
should again lose Osun, PDP is gone. If we are not careful, that may be
the end of our party. He then appealed to all stakeholders to take a
second look at the problems and find ways of resolving the internal
wrangling.

The Senate on
Thursday received the report of its ad hoc committee on constitution
review on the second amendment to the constitution.

The report is based on the public hearing organised by the Senate on the bill three days earlier.

The bill was read
for the first time the week before and according to the deputy Senate
president, Ike Ekweremadu, the bill is in consonance with the new dates
demanded by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for
adjustment to the election time frame.

The bill sent from
the president proposed that election be held not earlier than 90 days
and not later than 30 days before the end of tenure of the running
office, as against the prevailing constitutional provisions of not
earlier than 150 days and not later than 120 days.

Although the
contents of the report are yet to be made known, indications have
emerged that the Senate may have proposed a wider time line.

“We are hoping that
if we give them not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days,
it will give them the scope of time they need,” Ayogu Eze, the Senate
spokesman told reporters the previous day.

“They (INEC) do not
even need to change the law after this particular year when they are
through in this next election. If they have time, they can start early
because they now have enough time to start and fix election. So, we
have given them enough scope within 150 days and 30 days. And I want to
assure Nigerians that that will be delivered timely,” Mr. Eze added.

The bill comprises
of 10 clauses dealing with time frame for elections and matters
surrounding which court will be the final court of hearing for election
petitions concerning governorship elections.

With the current
development, voting on the bill is expected to hold on next Tuesday and
thereafter, an accelerated hearing in the House of Representatives and
the state Houses of Assembly is expected to follow.

“Nigerians should
not be very anxious about whether we will meet the time frame to make
all the necessary amendment both in the Constitution and the electoral
act.

“We have enough
time … but I believe it will not go beyond Tuesday this time around,
and that is really the crucial thing that INEC needs to give them that
breath of time,” Mr. Eze said.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has promised
to review the school fees paid by part time students of the Ambrose
Alli University, Ekpoma. He also promised to hold a dialogue with full
time students over their fees after getting the facts on how much the
school earns and how much will be needed as subvention from the state
government to take the school to an enviable height.

Mr Oshiomhole, said this when he visited the
institution yesterday. He said he has agonised over what to do about
the institution as several efforts to get information on how it is run
in order to plan for the future has failed.

The governor’s presence in the institution was
greeted by the students with calls for reduction in their school fees.
He advised the students to nominate their representatives to air their
grievances and, one after the other, they came to say their schools
fees were on the high side. They said they were not consulted before
the increase was made and many of them were finding difficult to pay
the new fees.

Mr Oshiomhole said he visited the school to talk
directly with the students to hear their concerns and share views as
they have a right to know what is happening in their institution.

“The University was receiving a subvention of N150
million monthly, which was increased to an average of N205 million
monthly since we came on board,” he said.

He said the management of the school was requesting
for N310 million as monthly subvention, in addition to maintaining the
current school fees. “Up till now they have not been able to tell me
how many students are in the school, how much the school earns and what
it is spent on,” he said.

He said he asked the management of the school about
three times how much the school earns, and each time he was given a
different figure. The subvention to the university shocked the
students, who started leaving the hall in droves especially after the
governor had addressed their concerns on the school fees.

The governor however noted that the problems of the school were
beyond school fees, and promised to build two new hostels for the
institution and provide the school with two 42-seater buses to ease the
problem of transportation.

The Goodluck/Sambo
Presidential Campaign Organisation, on Thursday, accused the leader of
the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF), Adamu Ciroma of playing divisive politics.

The organisation,
in a statement in Abuja last night, said Mr Ciroma, whose group is
demanding the retention of the zoning arrangement of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), said rather than help to build the country, he
is playing up ethnic and regional sentiments that no longer exist.

It added that it
had been reluctant to attack the NPLF leader because of its respect for
him but it would no longer do so because of the divisive role he had
adopted.

Mr Ciroma, a former
finance minister, had during an interview two days ago with Voice of
America (Hausa Service), vowed that the north would frustrate Goodluck
Jonathan’s ambition to succeed himself next year. He insisted that it
was the turn of the north to produce the next president in accordance
with the zoning arrangement of the ruling party.

“The Goodluck/Sambo
Presidential Campaign Organisation has been reluctant to take on Mallam
Adamu Ciroma, as he leads the charge against the legitimate aspiration
of President Goodluck Jonathan to seek his party’s nomination to
contest the 2011 presidential elections,” the organisation’s
spokesperson, Sully Abu, said.

“This reluctance
has derived from our utmost respect for him as an elder statesman, a
party grandee and a man to whom this country has given a lot. The least
the people of Nigeria expect from a man of his status is to help build
the country and help repair any ethnic and sectional fault-lines that
may exist. But alas, Mallam Adamu Ciroma has taken on a rather divisive
role. Insisting that he is speaking for the North he has been playing
the politics of division and in a way which would not edify the
country’s unity.”

Arrogant few

The organisation
said Mr Ciroma’s insistence that the north should produce Mr Jonathan’s
successor flies in the face of overwhelming evidence of the yearning of
all Nigerians including the NPLF leader, to see change in the way the
country is governed and especially in their material condition.

It noted that
“indeed, every available indication is that our people are sick to
death with the divisive politics of yesterday and those who have been
responsible for the country’s underdevelopment and regression. No one
should delude himself that he is speaking for the north or any other
part of the country for that matter unless they are willing to go along
with the people’s yearning for change, fundamental change.”

On the zoning
formula, the organisation argued that going by the circumstances of Mr
Jonathan’s ascension to the Presidency and his ambition, the president
is entitled to contest just as other applicant, adding that any loyal
party man should have the discipline to abide by the decision of the
party.

The campaign outfit
of the president also said that it recognises the last ditch ambition
of some applicants for whom 2011 represents a last chance to fulfil
their dream, stressing that such desperation should not be equated with
the interest of our people.

“It is Almighty God speaking through the people who will determine
the future of Nigeria and President Jonathan and not the arrogant few
who seek to play God,” the organisation said.

The Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), said it is alarmed by the series
of bomb threats to senior officials and its offices in a manner similar
to the independence day bomb blasts in Abuja.

The spokesman of
the anti-graft agency Femi Babafemi, who said this at a press briefing
on Thursday, condemned the threats issued against its officers,
including the agency’s chairperson, Farida Waziri, and warned that
masterminds of these threats will be treated strictly as terrorists.

Mr Babafemi said
an unidentifiable group had on October 20 sent text messages to the
telephone numbers of some media executives warning of impending bomb
attack on the EFCC and its top officials. The contents of some of the
text messages, which he claimed were “written in poorly-worded English
language” read; “we want to inform innocent ones to vacate EFCC
building, NASS, and some other commissions in FCT.” “Farida is not
fighting corruption but wickeding poor masses for nothing.” “We know
that Jonathan cannot understand what we mean because he don’t know the
cost of garri in the market now. We must pick her life or death even
those big officers she is using against us else she is removed. We are
ready now”.

Mr Babafemi noted
that the group threatened to bomb the EFCC on November 6, accusing the
Commission of “disorganizing banks, firms, coys, REA and block their
account since 2008.” “On November 6 FCT will smoke, big and small will
run and vacate”.

He said the agency
will seriously address the succession of threats, “the Commission and
its officials are already used to the daily threats coming from those
that are scared of facing the consequence of their actions. But the
latest dimension to it is what the Commission is taking seriously and
determined to track down those behind them and smoke them out”

While adding that
“we will do everything needed to protect our officials and offices,” he
also warned that “the disgruntled elements, hiding under the cover of
some public establishments, to act as agents of terrorists to fight a
battle they cannot win …will soon be unveiled and their troubles
compounded.”

EFCC’s officials have come under severe attacks, even assassination
in recent times with the murder of the head of the forensic unit in
Kaduna State in September and the attack on some agents of the
commission in South East Nigeria.

CBN governor, Lamido Sanusi, yesterday
in Abuja, warned that more chief executive officers (CEOs) of banks
will join Cecilia Ibru, former Oceanic Bank CEO, in jail.

Mr. Sanusi said this during a breakfast meeting of financial regulators in Nigeria at the 16th Economic Summit in Abuja.

He was reacting to a suggestion that
justice and fair play were not applied in the sacking of some of the
former bank CEOs, and dismissed insinuations that the banking reforms
were biased.

“There was a reason for every action taken. The reforms carried out in the banking sector were not a northern agenda,” he said.

He further revealed that five banks will soon get new owners, if conclusions in the processes were completely carried out.

Integrity in finance

Other speakers also emphasised the need
for honesty in the financial industry. Arunmah Oteh, director general
of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), called for high levels
of integrity in the capital market, to restore confidence amongst
investors.

She said following scandalous reports
of share manipulation under the previous SEC boss, the commission now
cooperates with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and
the Central Bank to check wrongdoings in the financial market.

Fola Daniel, commissioner of insurance
at the National Insurance Commission, said that his organisation had
installed measures like the proper monitoring of insurance companies,
in a bid not to experience what happened in the banking sector.

He also said that they have tried to create awareness in order to
change the wrong perception about the insurance industry in Nigeria.

The President of Christian Association of Nigeria
(CAN) and the Sultan of Sokoto have been made permanent Heads of the
Federal Government delegation during Christian and Muslim pilgrimages.

President Goodluck Jonathan announced the decision on
Thursday at the inauguration of the headquarters of the Nigerian
Christian Pilgrims Commission, in Abuja. He said government decided to
stop the nomination of ad-hoc heads to pave way for continuity and
efficiency.

“We have resolved that head of federal government
delegation to Isreal and Rome will henceforth be the President of CAN,”
he said. “Now, we want to make it permanent and we are doing the same
thing for hajj. The spiritual head of the Muslims who is the Sultan of
Sokoto will continue to be the Amir Hajj. Any year he is not able to
go, he will recommend the head. We want to institutionalise it so that
we can have proper record”.

Mr Jonathan, who said government had resolved to
work closely with religious organisations to strengthen the education
sector and bring it back from its lost glory, said one of the greatest
challenges of the sector is the lack of morals and values in children,
contributing to mass failure in general examinations.

Back to the old system

He also said government was prepared to revert to the
old system where religious bodies played vital roles in the education
system and inculcated moral values and discipline in children.

Mr Jonathan, who dedicated the building to the ‘peace
and stability in Nigeria and to the goodwill of every Nigerian,
irrespective of religious affiliation,’ urged the leadership of the
Commission to look for ways to generate funds to assist the less
privileged to pay their way to pilgrimages.

The President, and governors of Gombe, Rivers, Benue,
Enugu and Kaduna states were honoured for the roles they have played in
assisting the Commission and pilgrims in general.

The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Kennedy
Okpara said the 2010 pilgrimage activities would commence on Oct. 28
and end in December.

He thanked the President, the awardees and others who had
contributed significantly to the success of the Commission since
inception in 2007.

An attempt by the Presidency to ensure that political appointees
vote as delegates in political party primaries was turned down on Wednesday by
the Senate.

In the Electoral Act sent to the lawmakers some weeks ago, the
Presidency made efforts to amend the laws in a way that will enable political
office holders and their aides to participate as delegates at the party
primaries. The bill also tried to vest the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) with the power to determine the sequence of elections.

The lawmakers however said the rejection of the bill will not
have any adverse effect on the new time-line requested by INEC as it is a
constitutional matter.

Toxic bill

The bill met with stiff opposition from senators who shouted it
down. The debate almost turned rowdy as lawmakers dismissed the clause which
sought to overturn the proposal banning political appointees from voting as
undemocratic and “toxic”. “This bill is entirely killing all the work we have
done throughout last year and which Nigerians are happy with,” Kabiru Gaya
(ANPP Kano State) said. “This bill should be thrown away.” The most contentious
part of the bill was the one seeking to amend Section 87(7) by proposing that
political parties which adopt the system of indirect primaries for choosing
candidates, shall stipulate in their constitutions or guidelines those who will
be delegates at congresses or conventions.

The amendment would have allowed political parties to change at
will the rules governing procedures for primaries by issuing new guidelines
rather than relying on the provisions of the current 2010 Electoral Act which
analysts say will enshrine internal democracy in political parties.

The bill also proposed that Section 87(8) of the Electoral Act
2010 be deleted. That section provides that no political appointee at any level
shall be a voting delegate at the convention or congress of any political party
for the purpose of nomination of candidates for any election.

Section 87(8) is viewed as revolutionary because it prevents the
president and governors from inundating political party congresses with
ministers, special advisers, commissioners and other political appointees who
will normally vote for their bosses or the candidates their leaders choose.

“For the party to decide the delegate is simply undemocratic,”
Mr. Gaya said.

“This should not be accepted,” Kanti Bello (PDP Katsina State)
also said.

Various senators argued along this same line. They called for
the rejection of the bill in its entirety saying any further debate was a waste
of time. The bill was thrown out 17 minutes after debates commenced on it.

Even though the Senate president and his deputy appealed to the
senators to let the senate use the template offered by the bill to introduce
other valid amendments to the electoral act, the senators were too keyed up to
allow debates.

2011 elections on course

The senators said discarding the bill will not stop the conduct
of credible elections next year since the timeline requested by INEC has been
accommodated in the ongoing constitution review.

Voting on the constitution review could however not continue on
Wednesday as anticipated by the Senate. However, Ayogu Eze, the senate
spokesman said the voting will take place on or before Tuesday next week.

Victor Ndoma-Egba (PDP Cross River State) and Mr. Eze hinted
that the Senate is working on an in-house bill that will accommodate the
necessary changes the constitution review will cause on the electoral act.

Having been rejected by the Senate, the electoral bill
automatically dies without any discussion in the House of Representatives since
the law requires both chambers to agree on every bill before it can become law.

The Presidency cannot also return the bill until six months have
elapsed.

Local government chairmen in Ekiti State have faulted reports
that they have abandoned their duty posts since last Friday’s Appeal Court
judgment that sacked the former governor of the state, Segun Oni.

Gbenga Ogunleye, the spokesperson of the council bosses’ union,
the Association of the Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), said the local
officials have no reason to abandon their duty posts as a result of the
judgment that Kayode Fayemi was the duly elected governor of the state, because
there was no law barring them from performing their statutory roles as council
chairmen.

Mr Ogunleye said at no time did the chairmen run away from their
respective councils. “All the 16 council chairmen have been performing their
roles as recommended by law and there is no law restraining them from
discharging their duties,” he said.

‘Tissue of lies’

He also faulted allegations that ALGON members have been
perpetrating fraud since the judgment was handed down by the court, saying the
allegation was a tissue of lies designed to dent the reputations of members.

“It would be a great disservice to the people of the state if the
council chairmen engage in any form of corruption as a result of change of
government,” he said. “Ekiti speaks the same dialect and this makes us unique
in this country, so we cannot because of a change of government involve
ourselves in any corrupt practices because we are one and we will continue to
be so.”

The ALGON spokesperson, who is the chairman of Ekiti West Local
Government, said his colleagues shall continue to perform their duties in
accordance with the will of the people and the provision of the law, in
peaceful coexistence with the new government.

He also lauded the quick response of Mr Fayemi to the rumour that the state
government has not taken any position in respect of the status of the local
government chairmen. The 16 local government chairmen, who are all members of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), were elected in December 2008 by the State
Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) in an election that was boycotted by
the Action Congress of Nigeria, which was the opposition party at the time.

The Chief Judge of
the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Lawal Gummi, said on
Tuesday that the relevance of the judiciary to society is predicated
upon its ability to meet public expectations in the discharge of its
constitutional duties.

Justice Gummi, who
said this at the commencement of the 2009/2010 legal year, noted that,
of the three arms of government, it is only the judiciary that is
tasked with guarding the constitution.

“The public looks
up to us in times of doubt, weakness and crisis,” he said. “The
judiciary has always been seen as the harbinger of hope, and a
repository of trust and confidence. We cannot shirk from our
responsibility of providing the much needed assurance, strength and
guidance for the society.” He, however, admitted that the arm faced
several challenges, including poor remuneration, which has led to
several strikes by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).

Mr Gummi called on all relevant authorities to expedite action on the new salary structure approved for judiciary staff.

“The best incentive for efficient performance is good remuneration,” he said.