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The Presidential
Campaign Council (PCC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said
yesterday it is still weighing the option of its candidate, President
Goodluck Jonathan, participating in a presidential debate.

The director of
media and publicity of the PCC, Abba Dabo, in a chat with journalists
in Abuja, explained that the body has not made up its mind because of
several requests by the sponsors, some of which he said are not vibrant.

He said over five
different organisations have approached the council for debate and that
some of them merely want only four presidential candidates to
participate.

He listed some of
those that have approached the council to include NN24, Channels TV,
and Nigerian Presidential Debate Council (in collaboration with the
Nigeria Union of Journalists.

“Some of them said
only four candidates and we say why. What criteria are you using? Why
not all the candidates? Why do you think this one is important and not
the other one? Again, some of them don’t have the reach. But we are
still looking at the format the debate will take,” Mr. Dabo said.

The PCC spokesman
also denounced the presidential candidate of the Congress for
Progressive Change (CPC), Muhammadu Buhari, for asking Nigerians to
lynch anyone who attempts to rig the forthcoming elections.

Stating that though
Mr. Jonathan has already responded to Mr. Buhari’s call, the council
spokesman said there are other ways to check rigging without
necessarily taking people’s lives.

Not to die for

He said the PDP
will not be involved in the rigging of election, but that the party and
the council felt the CPC candidate has no right to incite Nigerians.

“He is contesting
to be the president, most likely he is not going to win. Nobody in this
country should incite the electorate to kill.

“That is why in
contrast to what he said, the president said his wanting to be the
president is not worth the blood of any Nigerian. It is an attitudinal
thing. We feel very, very strongly about people of his calibre inciting
Nigerians to do that, especially in an atmosphere like this.

“A little spark is
all it takes to cause a mayhem. It is something that had to be brought
to his attention so that it is not repeated. I understand prominent
Nigerians have approached him to say they were really not happy with
what he is doing,” Mr. Dabo said.

He, however,
advised Nigerians to protect their votes after casting them, since,
according to him, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
has made enough arrangement to ensure that the elections are
transparent.

“Everybody should
vote and make sure that your vote is protected, but it doesn’t mean
kill. There are enough sanctions; there are enough arrangements made by
INEC to ensure that these things are free and fair. People who are
going to win are going to win fairly and squarely,” Mr. Dabo stated.

Mr. Dabo also
condemned the Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, for organising
counter rallies when Mr. Jonathan and the PDP presidential campaign
train came to Lagos State.

“Look at what happened in Lagos for instance. They knew the
president was going to come in and have his campaign, but Fashola
mobilised and had four counter campaign rallies. I cannot understand
how a commissioner of police would allow that. Why don’t you wait till
the president has gone? It is just to cause confusion,” he further said.

Th e p r e s i d e n t i a l cndidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria in the forthcoming general elections, Nuhu Ribadu, has promised that if elected as president, his administration will ensure that the north-east sub-region gets its fair share of federal presence, assuring that the issue of oil exploration in the region will be revisited. Mr. Ribadu who was in Bauchi for the presidential campaign and flag-off of the north-east zonal rally of the party, declared that Nigerians are tired of the negative rule of the PDP and will flush it out in the next general election, expressing optimism that his party will form the next government at all levels in the country.

On the issue of corruption, the ACN presidential candidate also said that his administration will fight corruption among all Nigerians, no matter their status in the society. He stressed that Nigeria has enough resources to go round everybody but a privileged few have made all the available resources theirs to the detriment of the majority who are poor. He then called on Nigerians to vote for all the candidates of the ACN at all levels in order to have good governance that will be responsible to all in terms of revenue sharing anddevelopment plans.

In his address, former Lagos State governor, Ahmed Tinubu, assured that the ACN is ready to fight the PDP for the control of the country becauseaccording to him, “People are desirous of change and it is only ACN that can give them the required quality leadership that will bring about positive developmental change in the country”. The national chairman of the party, Bisi Akande, while presenting the party’s flag to all the candidates in the north-east zone, called on the electorate to vote for them in order to bring about positive change in the zone stressing that the PDP has failed to deliver to Nigerians the desired dividends of democracy in the last 12 years of its being inpower.

The Ogun State
governorship candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party {PDP}, Tunji
Olurin yesterday said the defection of supporters of the state
governor, Gbenga Daniel to another political party, marked an end to
the political relevance of Mr Daniel.

Mr Olurin, said at
a press conference in Abeokuta, where he was formally introduced to the
general public by the party Chairman, Dayo Soremi, that the movement of
Daniel’s political machinery to Peoples Party of Nigeria is “confusion
per excellence.” He said the decision of Mr Daniel to remain in the PDP
while his supporters move to a rival party proves that the governor is
in a quandary. “Since Mr Daniel is still in PDP and his structure in
another party, it’s a dilemma for him, where is his exco? Its all
confusion per excellence,” he said.

The governorship
candidate said he will declare his assets before taking over as
governor if he wins the April elections. Mr Olurin insisted that it was
Mr Daniel who begged him to contest the governorship race, pleading
with him for two years.

“Gbenga Daniel
brought me out. He can’t deny that. He pressurized me for two years,
saying after assessing me, he found out that I have the experience.

After the Abuja
judgement, I was the first to write Daniel extending my hands of
fellowship, asking him to join me to move Ogun State forward,’ the PDP
flagbearer said at the crowded conference.

His own man

On insinuations
that he may be under the control of some people if he wins, Mr Olurin
said he was not a novice considering that he had governed two states
during his career in the military. He argued that if he could be in
charge of troops from seven nations as ECOMOG Commander, it was
ridiculous to expect him to be under the sway of anyone when he becomes
governor of a state.

‘Don’t underrate my intelligence. This would not be my first
assignment. I was ECOMOG Commander with seven nations under me, I was
never teleguided, but was in the forefront of war,” he said. “I have my
own mind. Be assured that nobody can push me around. I can’t be
teleguided. I ruled Oyo State, which is three times bigger than Ogun
and nobody teleguided me. I was in Ekiti and my records are still
there.”

A House of
Representatives member from Ogun State, Kayode Amusan, yesterday said
some people are trying to assassinate him. Mr Amusan’s allegation came
following an attack on his vehicle by suspected killers, who eventually
shot dead his police orderly in the Mowe axis of the Lagos-Sagamu
Expressway.

But the Ogun State
Police Command in a swift reaction through the Public Relations
Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said it was an armed robbery attack and an
assassination attempt as alleged by Mr. Amusan.

The lawmaker, while
narrating the incident to newsmen in Abeokuta, said “It was an
assassination attempt on my person by suspected assassins sponsored by
powerful persons in Ogun State, it was providence that saved me from
being killed when the Hilux Pick-Up van was stormed in a savage attack
by yet to be identified gunmen,” he said.

He said he was away
to the Southeastern part of the country for an important trip when the
attackers struck, but explained that information at his disposal had it
that the assailants accosted his pilot vehicle, thinking he was inside
and were demanding from the victims, his whereabouts.

“They thought I was
inside the car. They were asking them where is your Oga? They shot one,
tied his hand and from Mowe, they carried him and dropped him in
Obadaoko. I have a premonition that some people are trailing me,” Mr
Amusan said.

Earlier warnings

The lawmaker who is
now seeking for a return to the lower house added that prior to the
attack, he had received telephone calls from many people, all warning
him to beef up his security as he has been marked for “elimination” by
those not favourably disposed to his recent political ambition to go to
the Senate.

However, Muyiwa
Adejobi, the police image-maker while denying the allegation said “It
is a lie, Amusan was not even inside the Hilux car with registration
number XA 608KJA which was snatched by armed robbers.” “Robbers came to
attack the vehicle, whose occupant was one Raphael Bell and other
occupants, the man was shot by the robbers, as well as another person
who was killed by them and we got to know later was a policeman.” He
said the robbers snatched the vehicle and the police are still trying
to recover it. “I want to tell you that, it was never a case of
assassination as being painted by Amusan, we should not politicise all
issues. Amusan has no connection over the incident.

So am surprised that he now came out to say he was to be assassinated that is not correct and it’s a lie,” Mr Adejobi said.

The Senate on Tuesday deferred passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) by one week, following its failure to form a quorum.

Only 23 senators –
10 short of required minimum – attended Tuesday’s sitting presided over
by the deputy Senate president, Ike Ekwerenmadu.

The PIB was, however, not also properly signed by all four committees that participated in reviewing it.

Chairman of the
Senate joint committee on the draft law, Lee Maeba, presented the
report of the committee which recommended its passage without the
signature of the Senate committee on gas, headed by Osita Izunaso.

Mr. Maeba said his
committee submitted the edited copy of the bill last December, but it
has been held back by the refusal of some participating committees to
sign.

“We asked Senator
Osita to bring the signatures, since December; he continued saying he
will bring it, but we have not seen it,” Mr. Maeba said.

Though the Senate
passed three other bills without quorum, Mr. Ekweremadu ruled that the
bill be shelved till Tuesday 15 March, 2010, to allow for the inclusion
of signatures of the members of the Senate committee on gas.

He also cited poor attendance and lack of update on the provisions of the bill as reasons for the postponement of the passage.

The bill, which was
introduced into both chambers of the assembly in December 2008, has
suffered series of delays due to disagreements on its provisions by
various parties.

Host communities,
indigenous oil companies, and federal lawmakers from the oil producing
Niger Delta had, during the public hearing on the bill, insisted they
will not support it unless some sections were amended to favour the
communities.

Other industry relevant groups have also raised some serious concerns over the bill through its period of legislation.

It is, however, not clear if the issues raised by the various interest groups were addressed in the bill.

Yesterday, some
members of the House of Representatives accused the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) of frustrating their efforts on PIB by
tendering different versions of the bill and yet proposing another
amendment.

Chairman of the
House committee on gas resources, Igo Aguma, said the NNPC is seeking
to create the impression that the bill is unduly delayed at the
National Assembly while it was working to undermine the work of the
lawmakers.

“Charlatans”

The deputy Senate
president said his colleagues will not be “blackmailed” into passing
the bill. He described those who had protested the delay in passing the
bill to the National Assembly the previous day as “charlatans.”

The coordinator of
the protesters, David Ugolor, while reacting to the comments of the
deputy Senate President, however, said it was “shameless and
disgraceful for a legislator to describe peaceful protesters as
charlatans.”

“For the Deputy
Senate President to call civil society groups that came here yesterday
(Monday) to protest without any violence as charlatans is very
disgraceful. Do you know that to access these Senators is very
difficult? We resist any effort to frustrate the passage of the bill
because its passage will benefit Nigerians,” Mr. Ugolor said.

The report presented by Mr. Maeba listed the benefits of PIB to the Nigerian economy and the petroleum industry.

These include: “A strong and virile regulatory framework for overall
efficiency of the petroleum industry; maximisation of the benefits of
exploitation of Nigerian petroleum resources through increase in
government revenue; overcoming government’s cash call problems; and
promotion of availability of gas for electricity production.”

The movement of
Gbenga Daniel’s supporters to the People’s Party of Nigeria (PPN) with
the aim of contesting in the forthcoming elections in Ogun State may
end up being a futile mission. Investigations have revealed that the
party has submitted the names of all its candidates for the election
hence, there is no vacant position for the defecting members. The group
had on Sunday left the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following
the Federal Court judgment which nullified its list of candidates and
upheld the list of former President Olusegun Obasanjo which produced
Tunji Olurin as the party’s governorship flag bearer.

The governorship
candidate of Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) in the INEC released list
is Enisenyin Ayodeji Rasaq and his running mate is Durojaiye Omowunmi
Comfort. This is contrary to the group’s desire to field Isiaka Gboyega
as the governorship candidate. The INEC approved list shows that the
party has candidates in all the three senatorial districts, eight
candidates for House of Representatives and fifteen House of Assembly
Candidates. This has left members of Mr Daniel’s faction in confusion.

Substitution of candidates

While reacting to
whether there is a list of substitutes from INEC, the Administrative
Secretary of INEC in the state, Ebenezer Fakorode, said, “I have not
gotten any list, we have not gotten any other than the one we got three
weeks ago.” When asked if INEC is expecting a new list, Mr Fakorode
said, “I don’t know, nobody told us anything at Abuja. No information
rather than the one we have three weeks ago. I am a civil servant, I
don’t know anything.” But the State Publicity Secretary of PPN, Raheem
Ajayi, said, “We have done the substitution before the end of deadline
given by INEC,” arguing that it is the function of the electoral body
to bring out and publish list of candidates.

Mr Ajayi who
doubles as Mr Daniel’s Special Adviser on Youth and Sports said “I can
tell you that, they (INEC) have given us acknowledgement,” recalling
that the earlier injunction gotten by the Olurin group was ‘like a
judgment, hence we have to be proactive and swung into action to
perfect our defection before now.’

New posters with PPN logo

Meanwhile, the group has commenced production of new posters with PPN logo to project the party in the state.

NEXT gathered that
the candidates are now working round the clock individually and
collectively for mass production of their posters which is expected to
be pasted all over the state. Similarly, the party has established a
secretariat which is located at 77a Vaughan Street, Adedotun in
Abeokuta.

The building which
is also residential had the party’s flag hoisted in front of it, the
state chairman of the party, Rasaq Eyiowuawi gave assurance of a speedy
transformation of the secretariat.

Mr Ajayi said events of the past weeks in Ogun State have shown that the PDP in the state is dysfunctional.

Fourteen political
parties, including the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), have
rejected a new set of guidelines on the conduct of political parties
during elections, issued yesterday by the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja. The new rules are designed to
encourage political parties to respect electoral laws, while
maintaining only the legally allowable financing window for their
campaigns, INEC said.

Of the 63
registered political parties yesterday, some 47 signed the document — a
review of the code of conduct used in 2007; thus accepting to live with
a new era of “civility and tolerance in politics” as described by the
commission’s chairperson, Attahiru Jega.

Rebels with a cause

But notably,
officials of the PDP, the African Renaissance Party (ARP) and 12 other
parties withheld their signatures to the document, protesting some of
the provisions in a move that is certain to exacerbate concerns over
the approaching elections and the primacy of the electoral body over
parties. The Action Alliance (AA) and Alliance for Democracy (AD) were
disallowed from participating due to legal crisis over positions in the
party. The PDP said INEC had violated an agreement reached with
political parties that some sections of the document would be amended
before the signing ceremony to allow the PDP, as the ruling party
holding 28 states, more representation on a committee of party
chairpersons stipulated in the document. Other parties, including the
Labour Party, the National Democratic Party and the ARP, described the
document as “vexatious and unnecessary,” since requirements on ethics
during polls have been stated in the Electoral Act. The LP and the NCP
however later signed and adopted the document.

“We signed a
similar document in 2007, and the document burned our fingers,” said
Dan Iwanyanwu, the national chairman of the Labour Party. “Under
(Maurice) Iwu, INEC did not keep its side of the bargain. The document
says no party should announce elections result, but they allowed that.”
The NCP chairman, Chudi Chukwani, said remarks made by judges in past
election lawsuits underscored the fact that instead of the political
parties, the problems with the elections in Nigeria lies with the
electoral body.

‘Unfair decisions’

Many opposition
political parties accused the commission of being impartial in the
past, alleging that Nigerians are already witnessing a repeat of unfair
decisions by INEC with the controversial substitution and replacement
of names of candidates for the elections. They told Mr. Jega that while
he may be pursuing true reforms, the situation in the states call for
greater attention and advised him to organize a forum where their
‘findings” from the field could be discussed. The allegations, coming
three weeks to the elections, reinforce growing concerns about the
capacity of the commission to reassure the political class about its
fairness. For instance, while the code of conduct has named a committee
of chairpersons of all political parties to promote fairness and equal
opportunity, the PDP said a sub-committee should also be named that
will take into consideration the numerical strength of each party at
the leadership position.

“The composition of the executive should reflect fairness. There
should be a sub-committee, a steering committee in which the
composition will be constituted with regards to the number of offices
held by the parties,” said the national secretary of the PDP, Abubakar
Baraje after announcing the party’s decision to shun the signing of the
code of conduct. He said chances are that the party will eventually
sign if “we are allowed to make some inputs.” “There are some areas we
are not comfortable with.

That does not mean that the PDP is not
working with INEC or other parties. Sure, if I’m given an opportunity
to make my input, then we can sign it. That’s the mandate of my party,”
he said. Mr. Jega played down the boycott, saying the signing was
optional and again, by the agreement reached with all the parties
earlier, the document would come into force one assented to by 50
percent or more parties. With 47, they got about 75 percent.

It isn’t exactly Tunisia, Egypt or Libya, but Americans are
watching an uprising of their own unfold and wondering if it’s going to set the
tone for a lot more trouble ahead.

“These passions are going to run so hot that we don’t know
where they’re going to come out and we run the risk of something tragic
happening here,” said Dale Schultz, a Republican lawmaker in the normally
serene state of Wisconsin.

In normal times, Wisconsin may be best known for its popular
cheddar, passionate football fans and people who combine the two – attending
sporting events in elaborate hats shaped like enormous wedges of cheese.

But like many other U.S. states, Wisconsin is short of money.
So its governor has introduced legislation to reduce benefits for public
employees and curtail their bargaining rights in future negotiations with the
state.

Thousands of irate workers took to the streets and occupied the
building that houses the Wisconsin legislature. Media reports said that
supporters around the country and even around the world called in orders to a
local pizza delivery restaurant to help keep them well fed.

A photo purported to be from Cairo’s Tahrir Square became an
online hit, with the image of a protester displaying a sign that reads: “Egypt
supports Wisconsin.” Lawmakers from the union-friendly Democratic Party fled to
neighbouring states to deny the Republican governor the quorum he needs to get
his plan approved.

The drama wasn’t just a modest domestic version of the
incomparably more serious uprisings in the Middle East. It was a signal to
Americans that the painful budget cuts familiar to people in many nations are
about to hit them too.

Lawmakers in Washington are fighting over how to reduce federal
government spending.

State and city governments across the country are in much bigger
trouble because they can’t borrow to cover their budgets as easily as Uncle
Sam.

Public payrolls are an obvious place to look for savings but
there is a broad consensus that all kinds of cuts are coming.

There will probably be plenty of anger ahead, even after Libya,
Tunisia and Egypt have settled down.

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).

Kayode Fayemi,
Ekiti State governor, on Monday appealed to the federal government for
the speedy execution and completion of the proposed housing scheme for
all teachers in the state. The governor was speaking during the signing
and presentation of certificates of occupancy to the delegation of the
Federal Ministry of Education who visited his office in Ado Ekiti for
the takeoff of the Housing for All Teachers (HAT) Scheme. Mr. Fayemi,
who commended the federal government for the initiative, advised that
the prompt completion of the project would motivate teachers to take
jobs in towns like Aramoko, Ikere and Otun Ekiti in
Ekiti Central, South and North Senatorial Districts of the state.

Reward on earth

Mr. Fayemi said
that teachers constituted a significant percentage of the workforce in
the state and that they remained one of the potent forces that had
propelled the civil service, as well as the economy of the state.

“It must be
demonstrated by government at all levels that it is not a curse to be a
teacher but a pride. Their well being must be a topmost priority, so
that they can realize that they can also get their benefits here on
earth,” Mr. Fayemi said. The governor appealed to the Federal Ministry
of Education to make all logistics that would facilitate the smooth
takeoff of the project in the state.

“I am not from any
of the three towns suggested to the federal government for the takeoff
of the project. I don’t believe in that and I will never encourage it,
because that is not how government operates,” he said.

The officer in charge of HAT in the state, Sally Aguta, said
education remained the most effective weapon to drive away illiteracy
and poverty in any developing nation and that it should not be treated
with levity.

NEXT is the only organization in Nigeria with the full wikileaks cable on Nigeria. This is the timeline of the worldwide exclusive revelations

March 6, 2011

‘Jonathan voted four times in 2007’

Wikileaks CABLE: ‘Jonathan voted four times in 2007’

The ugly truth