Nigeria Content Online

The Independent
National Electoral Commission has no plans yet to penalize any
political party on grounds of breaching sections of the Electoral Act,
a senior official of the commission told NEXT yesterday. With the
parties’ nominations at the state and federal levels in progress, and
the presidential primaries of the major parties days away, concerns
over adherence to the Electoral Act, by political parties have kindled
fresh debates.

In choosing flag
bearers, mainly for the presidential contest, the new amended Act
provides parties with options between direct and indirect primaries,
allowing their members to vote for each aspirant nationwide, or poll
through delegates at state congresses and later, convention, in an
effort to clamp down on the illegal consensus candidates. As of yet,
almost every party is opting for the second alternative for its
primaries — the delegate option.

Analysts have
warned of a ploy by the political parties to systematically disregard
the law governing the emergence of presidential flag bearers, by
passing a consensus arrangement for an indirect primary, citing the
emergence of the former military ruler, Mohammadu Buhari of the
Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

They have called
for sanctions against such breaches, leading to speculations that Mr
Buhari’s choice maybe refused recognition by the electoral body.

“The position of
the law are very clear on the issue and what I know will/is happening
is that the political parties are going to hold primaries that will be
skewed to the advantages of some individuals, and they will insist to
INEC that they have held their primaries,” a former chairman of the
Nigerian Bar Association, Rotimi Akeredolu, said last week.

In an interview
with NEXT over the weekend, INEC acknowledged a “few” lapses in the
processes already held. Kayode Idowu, the media aide to the chairman,
Attahiru Jega said: “At the policy level, we are aware that there are
lots of lapses,” adding that the leadership of INEC has encouraged
officials of the commission concerned to point out those lapses and
draw the attention of the parties concerned to those errors. But a
senior official of the commission, who is knowledgeable about political
parties’ internal processes, said so far, the electoral body is
satisfied with the conduct of the parties with respect to laid down
rules.

“The CPC followed the Electoral Act and held congresses before the
convention, so we have no problem,” the official, who declined to be
named since there was no authorization for the remark. “However, they
are human beings, and we must expect some mistakes which we promptly
bring to their attention.” The early breach noticed, according to the
official, was that many of the parties insisted on staging consensus
primaries, which will lead to selected, rather than elected candidates,
against the Electoral Act. That plan was overruled by the commission,
the official added.

One month after
primary and secondary health care services in Akwa Ibom State came to a
halt, the situation remains so with the state government not making
little or no effort to resolve the crisis.

On December 8,
2010, all the health workers of government owned hospitals, including
all pharmacists, nurses, midwives, laboratory technicians, and
administrative personnel, embarked on an industrial action demanding
for the implementation of a salary structure approved by the National
Salary Income and Wages Commission late in 2009.

The Akwa Ibom State
chairman of the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives
(NANNM), Udeme Ottong, said that the Godswill Akpabio led government
has refused to approve the new salary structure, the Consolidated
Health Salary Structure (CONHESS), after many months of negotiations.

“The CONHESS was
approved since December 2009. The strike started in June 2010. We
eventually suspended that strike in August because of the intervention
of his Excellency. He set up a committee to look into the matter. The
report was supposed to be ready in three weeks but the committee
eventually sent that report in October to the state executive council.
Since then, the state executives have refused to sign that document,”
Mr Ottong said in a telephone interview with NEXT yesterday.

He continued that
his association as well as the other health workers’ associations
embarked on the strike action after sending notices to the state
government without getting any response.

No medical services

The state chairman
of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Etiobong Etukumana, insists
that medical doctors in the state, who are still officially on duty,
are rendering health services to patients in the various clinics and
hospitals.

“All I can tell you is that my doctors are working to the best of their abilities,” Mr Etukumana said.

However, a Chief
Nursing Officer in one of the General Hospitals in the state, who asked
not to be named, told NEXT that no health services are being rendered
in any of the government owned hospitals in the state as it is
impossible for the doctors to work on their own.

“All the health
workers except the doctors are on strike and the doctors cannot work by
themselves. For example, the staff in charge of the medical records
have locked up the records office. The lab is locked. The pharmacy is
closed. The OPD [Outpatient Department] is not open because the nurses
are not available. So virtually everything is at a standstill,” she
said.

Government’s response

While he remained
unwilling to say when the state hospitals will be functional again, the
Akwa Ibom State commissioner for information, Aniekan Umanah, said the
state is currently carrying on several social services and cannot be
expected to yield to demands by every labour group.

“There is no salary
structure that is cast in iron. It is relative to the resources
available for social services. The state is already carrying out
several services such as the free education. The health workers should
show interests in the overall wellbeing of the state,” he said.

Mr Umanah said also that he hoped that the issue will soon be resolved.

“I am telling you that it will soon be resolved. I know that the
people in charge are discussing with the labour unions,” he said.

Banks and other
businesses were completely closed in the Jos and Bukuru metropolis
following the tension generated by Sunday’s burning of houses in an
alleged conflict in Angwan Doki and Kwata general areas of Bukuru in
Jos South Local Government Area. As early as 7:00am Monday, reports
made the rounds especially via text messages that there was another
crisis at the Bauchi Road and Laranto areas of Jos on Sunday night, and
it took intense shooting in the air to quell the situation by the
special task force officers. The text message alerts led to fear that a
renewed crisis might have sparked and degenerated into another
bloodbath, thus causing most workers and business owners to stay at
home. The Igbo community in Jos also directed that all its members stay
at home Monday, and not open for any business to protest the alleged
killing of their members allegedly by Hausa/Fulani Muslim youths, and
also the burning of a Yola-bound Marcopolo luxury bus at Zololo
junction last Saturday.

Frightened moves

An outbreak of
fresh violence in Anglo Jos and Kufan areas on Monday about 10am fueled
the crisis which saw houses going up in flames and led to barricades of
roads and arrests of youth in different parts of the town as
communities resorted to complement state security with self defense.
Meanwhile, the Special Task Force on Monday morning paraded four men
arrested in connection with the Sunday disturbances in Angwan Doki and
Kwata General in Bukuru. According to Charles Ekeocha, spokesperson of
the task force, the four arrested are Ubale Dauda, Ado Hassan, and Sani
Gambo. Mr Ekeocha named the fourth as Young Nwaogazi.

The Joint Task
Force said: “The suspects are under preliminary investigation before
they will be handed over to the Nigeria Police.”

The statement added
further that “The commander of the STF led the two separate operations
that brought the situation under control,” concluding that “aggression
patrol has been intensified and the situation is being monitored
closely.”

The items recovered included two pistols with magazines, one
locally-made single barrel, one Russian double barrel, nine knives, tw
spears, and several other high capacity ammunitions.

It was two to one
victory for former vice president, Abubakar Atiku, and President
Goodluck Jonathan, as an Abuja High Court yesterday gave two judgments
in favour of Mr. Abubakar and one judgment in favour of Mr. Jonathan.

The judgement was
delivered on the issues of whether or not they are qualified to contest
the presidential primary election billed to take place January 13,
2011, under the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ishaq Bello, the
presiding Judge, delivering judgment in the three different suits on
Monday, dismissed the suit filed by Sadiq Aliyu Jada, praying the court
to nullify the waiver granted Mr. Abubakar’s return to the party by its
national leadership, and for an order of injunction restraining the PDP
and other defendants in the suit from taking steps or further actions
towards recognising, screening, clearing, attending to and/or
considering him for the purposes of aspiring, contesting or standing
for election for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria or for any office whatsoever on the party’s platform.

Mr. Bello said that
the plaintiff has no locus standi (legal right) to institute the suit,
stressing that mere membership of the party does not in any way confer
legal right on Mr. Jada to institute the action, describing him “as
meddlesome interloper and a mere busy-body who will not mind his own
business but other people’s business,” and dismissed the suit.

Defendants in the
suit are the PDP national chairman, Okwesileze Nwodo, Abubakar Kawu
Baraje, the party’s national secretary, and former vice president,
Atiku Abubakar.

Also delivering
judgment in a suit filed by Atiku’s associates, Yahaya Kwande, Dubem
Onyia, and Lawal Kaita, asking the court to stop PDP and the INEC from
fielding and accepting Mr. Jonathan as the party’s presidential
candidate in the April 2011 presidential election, Mr. Bello dismissed
the suit on the ground that PDP has a zoning arrangement. According to
him, section 87 of the electoral act provides that only political party
candidates can seek redress or sue after the primaries, and dismissed
the suit, thereby paving way for Mr. Jonathan to contest the primaries.

Mr. Bello, however, said that the suit seeking to stop Mr. Jonathan
from contesting the said poll is different from an earlier suit filed
by Sani Aminu Dutsinma, who is also seeking to stop him based on the
issue of zoning, pointing out that the plaintiffs in both suits have
different characteristics, but also held that the plaintiffs are card
and financial members of the PDP and as such, have the locus standi to
seek redress in a court of law.

Edo State chapter
of Action Congress of Nigeria is again passing through some trying
times as over 1000 female members of the party in Ekpoma protested the
stabbing to death over the weekend of one of their members, Josephine
Abhulimen.

Mrs. Abhulimen was
allegedly attacked and killed on the night of 7th January 2011, by
unknown assassins who stabbed her to death after several attempts to
shoot her failed. Police authorities confirmed that they found her dead
in a pool of her own blood at her residence in Ukpenu quarters of
Ekpoma.

The frontline
female politician was recently appointed a supervisory councilor in the
Esan West local government council under controversial circumstances.
She is believed to have met her death over political differences.

The protesters, who
were led by Mrs. Esther Abuedefe, marched in their hundreds through the
major streets in the town, dressed in tattered clothes, carrying leaves
and chanting curses on those behind the killing of the politician. They
said that they are afraid that those among them seeking political
positions could also meet a similar fate.

She said this is
because the development may force their spouses to ban them from
participating in the political process to help enthrone transparent and
accountable leadership in the country, on account of insecurity of life.

The women said that God and the ancestors in Ekpoma will not forgive
the murder of Mrs. Abhulimen whom they described as a person who would
not hurt a fly. They, therefore, called on the police to fish out her
killers.

Attahiru Jega,
chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission says INEC’s request
for the closure of schools during voter registration is to ensure
greater security for students. Mr Jega told journalists in Abuja on
Monday that there was a likelihood of complications if schools were
allowed to be on during the exercise.

“Initially, we
thought we could manage under the circumstances but it became very
clear that the way we are mobilising for the voter registration and the
way people are responding, we need to take extra measures in order to
secure the pupils,” he said.

Mr Jega added that
the move was also to ensure that there was no breach in terms of
security and movement of INEC personnel and equipment for the conduct
of the exercise. According to him, 70 per cent of primary and secondary
schools to be used across the country for the exercise will also serve
as stores for the equipment and camps for INEC personnel. He explained
that with about three to 10 polling units in each school, where the
exercise would take place, “there may be possible disruption of school
activities because thousands of people will be going in to be
registered. So we felt that in order to avoid this disruption, it is
better that schools are closed during this period,” he said.

The INEC boss
pleaded with state governors and parents to see reasons with the
commission’s request, adding that it was in the interest of the nation
and the security of the students.

“We have written to
all state governors explaining reasons for the request and urging them
to facilitate compliance,” Mr Jega said.

He further
explained that there would be a difference if private schools were
allowed to remain open and “it does not allow for equity.” He also said
that “closing the school system does not mean that the students will
lose the period. That is why we think it is easier to close all the
schools the same time and re-open them about the same time so that they
can all catch up in terms of the curriculum and the syllabus.”

He added that in
order to ensure that there was no disequilibrium, it stood to reason
that if INEC was advising for the closure of 70 per cent of the
schools, “we may as well close all the schools for the duration.”

The INEC boss,
however, noted that the commission was working closely with security
agencies to ensure that the exercise was successful. The minister of
state for education, Kenneth Gbagi, said that the move was taken as a
preemptive measure to safeguard pupils and ensure that none of them
were involved in any accident.

“Their safety was the basis of government acceding to INEC’s request that schools be closed for the exercise,” Mr Gbagi added.

Voter registration is to commence on Jan. 15 and end on Jan. 29.

Last weekend’s senatorial primaries of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra State were marred by violence and chaos.

The primaries,
which were supposed to take place in one venue, ended up taking place
in three different venues with conflicting results; and consequently
three candidates are claiming victory in the exercise. The three
candidates are Annie Okonkwo, a serving senator; Chukwudi Offodile, a
former member of the federal house; and another former federal
lawmaker, Jerry Ugokwe. Two of the gladiators would later confront each
other at Emmaus House in Awka which was designated as the official
venue for the primaries, a venue which remained deserted for most of
the day as the candidates were apparently conducting their own
primaries at different venues. When action finally shifted to the main
venue Messrs Okonkwo and Offodile almost engaged each other in a brawl
following the insistence by the latter that the electoral panel must
produce the list of delegates.

Before then, Mr
Offodile and his group were reported to have forced their way into the
venue by firing gunshots into the air despite the presence of police
officers when they discovered the gate was locked. “They didn’t want to
produce the delegates list but had to when we insisted,” said Mr
Offodile. He later told journalists that he was the winner of the
primaries and brandished a result sheet which he said proved he won. “I
have the result here,” he said. “The election was successful and I won
convincingly and I hope to represent Anambra Central senatorial zone in
the next National Assembly.”

Dora Akunyili’s shortcut

Mr Offodile also
warned that Dora Akunyili, former Information Minister and senate
candidate under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), would have
an easy ride to the senate if Mr Okonkwo was fielded by the PDP as its
nominee. According to him, every other candidate was qualified except
Mr Okonkwo.

Reacting, Mr
Okonkwo said he was the winner of the primaries for Anambra Central and
that it was not surprising as he controlled the highest number of
delegates. He described the claims and actions of Mr Offodile as
rascally and said he was never prepared for the election. “I control
70% of the delegates and none of the other people making noise was
prepared for the election,” he said. “I won the election overwhelmingly
by more than 80 to 85%. Anybody who claims he won it is a fraudster.”

He also warned that any attempt to replace him with any other
candidate would result in defeat for the party, even as he expressed no
fear for Mrs Akunyili’s candidacy, describing her choice as “a minus
for APGA and its greatest mistake.”

Presidential aspirants on the platform of the All
Nigeria Peoples Party (ANNP) will, on Thursday, be screened by a
committee set up by the party to ascertain their eligibility to run for
the position on Thursday. The aspirants are Governor Ibrahim Shekarau
of Kano State, Harry Akande, former chairman of the ANPP Board of
Trustees, and Bashir Tofa, former presidential candidate of the defunct
National Republican Convention (NRC).

Already, governorship and House of Representatives
aspirants were screened yesterday while those contesting senatorial
elections will be screened today. Meanwhile, Mr Shekarau has asked the
party leadership to conduct a transparent and credible convention to
produce its presidential candidate.

Speaking at the party’s national headquarters in
Abuja after submitting his nomination form, the governor also pledged
that he and his supporters will abide by the party’s rules and also
accept the outcome of the presidential primary election whichever way
it goes.

“I will abide by all the rules and regulations
governing the campaign and conduct during the convention. I am assuring
my party leadership that we shall offer all necessary support for the
party to conduct the best convention in the country. I am ready to
accept the outcome in good faith and help the party move forward,” he
stated.

Mr Shekarau said he is the best aspirant among the
lot, noting that he will give the candidate of the People’s Democratic
Party (PDP) a good fight if given the ticket.

He said he is not afraid of the incumbency factor, saying only the people decide the fate of candidates.

Besides, the presidential hopeful argued that his
performance in Kano State will speak for him, adding that before he
came on board, the state had virtually nothing to show for its eight
years of rule other than woes and misery as well as insecurity.

The national chairman, Ogbonnaya Onu said all the
aspirants on the platform of the party are reliable and loyal and will
not go against the rule to cause disaffection or confusion during the
convention.

According to him, there must be peaceful change of
government in 2011 because the PDP administration in the past 12 years
had nothing to show.

“Nigerians are no longer proud of their country because the situation has gone from bad to worse,” he added.

Mr Onu stated that the ANPP was ready to take over and has been
doing everything possible to realise this “because the party was not
formed to serve as opposition but to rule and the time is now, 2011 is
our time, people are yearning for a change and we are ready to take
over.”

A Federal High
Court sitting in Lagos, yesterday, ordered that the planned election
into the Nigerian Premier League (NPL) Board, scheduled for January 12,
2011, be put on hold, and parties to maintain the status quo pending
the hearing of the motion.

The presiding
Judge, Okechukwu Okeke, gave the order following a motion filed by
sacked Chairman of the league, Davidson Owumi, on his removal during
the Annual General Assembly of the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF),
held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on December 29, 2010. The motion, dated
January 4, 2011, was borne out of an earlier suit filed by a
Lagos-based lawyer, Jiti Ogunye, against the NFF and 10 others. Mr
Owumi is praying the court for an order of interlocutory injunction
restraining the NFF and other defendants, whether by themselves, their
servants, agents and or privies, from implementing and/or enforcing the
Akin Ibidapo-Obe Arbitration Panel report.

The applicant
further prayed the court for an interlocutory injunction restraining
the two organizations from implementing the decision reached at their
General Assembly in Uyo annulling his election as chairman of the
league. Mr Owumi, in an affidavit deposed by his counsel, Yomi Obafemi,
urged the court to determine whether members of the NFF Board and its
chairman can carry out and or discharge the duties and functions of
that office by merit of the election of August 26, 2010, which was
annulled by Okon Abang, of the Federal High Court. He is also asking
the court to determine whether the decision of the NFF and its chairman
during its general assembly, to annul his election as chairman of the
league, as well as directing the Board to conduct a fresh election
within 14 days, while the suit is pending, is an affront to the majesty
and integrity of the court.

‘Don’t recognise them’

In the substantive
suit, Mr Ogunye is asking the court to grant him six orders, among
which include an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the
officers and members of NFF and Aminu Magari, its Chairman, and other
executive members from “further conducting, parading, addressing or
describing themselves as duly elected members and officers of the
Governing Board (Executive Committee) and Congress of NFF pending the
hearing and determination of the substantive Originating Summons
herein.” According to him, this is necessary due to the elections
purportedly conducted into the said committee and congress on August
26, 2010, which he regards as illegal.

Mr Ogunye argued
that the order, made on September 6, 2010, by Mr Abang of the Federal
High Court, Lagos, in Suit No FHC/L/CS/962/10 (The Registered Trustees
of the National Association of Nigeria Footballers, NANF v Nigerian
Football Association, NFA & 7 Ors), which annulled the elections on
NFF conducted on August 26, 2010, is upon the discontinuance of the
suit, “being impudently disobeyed by the board and congress of the NFF.”

He averred that the
members have reinstated themselves into office and are now discharging
the functions and duties of the offices, pursuant to the purported
mandate they obtained in the said annulled election. He argued that the
actions of the NFF violate the provisions of the Constitution of
Nigeria; are an assault on the integrity of the Federal High Court and
the sanctity of its orders; subvert the rule of law; negate the orderly
administration of justice in the country; impact negatively on its law
practice; and adversely affect the faith of his clients and prospective
clients in the inviolability of the orders of courts.

The matter has been adjourned till January 17, 2011.

Several flights within the country were, over the weekend, cancelled following the harsh weather effects of the harmattan on air-to-ground visibility to local pilots.
With various domestic airlines rescheduling and cancelling some of their flights in a bid to heed to the recent warning from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on the hazardous effects of the prevalent harmattan haze on aircraft, hundreds of domestic travellers were seen at both domestic terminals of the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, hoping to embark on trips to their destinations.
At the Murtala Muhamed Airport 2 (MMA2), on Saturday, passengers of IRS Airlines, from Lagos to Abuja, and those of Aero Contractors, from Lagos to Benin, were seen sitting at the terminal with their luggage as their flights were cancelled. Flights of Air Nigeria, from Lagos to Benin, Maiduguri and Kano were also delayed. Passengers of Arik Air, at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), were asked to sit tight in anticipation of a favourable weather that will enable flight services. “I have been waiting here since morning for my flight with Virgin Nigeria to Benin and am yet to get the latest information though we were told earlier that when there is a fair weather we would be able to travel,” said a traveller at MMA2 who gave his name as Mr Okiro.
The dangers
The country’s civil aviation authority had outlined the dangerous consequences of the prevalent weather to include damages on aircraft, and loss of lives and property, hence mandating all pilots, airline engineers and various service providers in the sector to ensure that they abide by the prescribed rules guiding flight operations during the period. “All pilots shall obtain adequate departure, en-route and destination weather information, and briefing from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency prior to flight operations,” said Harold Demuren, the Director General of the agency.
“Pilots shall recognise harmattan haze as a hazard and exercise maximum restraint when the condition is observed or forecasted.”
When contacted, a ticketing and reservation officer with IRS Airlines, who did not want to be named, said that most of the travellers who requested for a refund were given back their fares. “As a result of the cancellation, which was necessitated by the harmattan, we had to return the fares of those of our passengers who insisted on collecting their money back,” he said.