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One of presidential
aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sarah Jibril, has
asked a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, to stop the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting the nomination of
Atiku Abubakar as PDP’s presidential aspirant for the April 2011
general election.

Mrs. Jibril, in a
motion she filed, is seeking an order of interlocutory injunction
restraining the PDP and INEC, their agents or privies, from processing
or considering Mr. Abubakar’s application as the party’s aspirant for
the presidential election because of his reportedly being the consensus
candidate of all the PDP presidential aspirants from the North.

Specifically, Mrs.
Jibril, the only female PDP aspirant, said Mr. Abubakar is not the
consensus candidate of the north and that she, being an aspirant, was
not consulted nor called to any meeting where the alleged adoption of
Mr. Abubakar was decided upon. She therefore, seeks an injunction
restraining defendants in the suit from accepting his candidacy,
pending the determination of the substantive suit where she is
challenging his nomination as the North’s consensus candidate.

Defendants in the
suit are the PDP; its national chairman, Okwesilieze Nwodo; INEC; its
chairman, Attahiru Jega; the chairman of the Northern Political Leaders
Forum, Adamu Ciroma; and former vice president, Atiku Abubakar.

In addition, she
wants the court to restrain the PDP and Mr. Nwodo from presenting Mr.
Abubakar to INEC as PDP’s presidential aspirant for the 2011 general
election pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Claims of discrimination

In an affidavit in
support ot the motion, she said she is the most qualified PDP
presidential aspirant, as she has intimidating resume and better
qualifications than all the other aspirants from the north put together
and that she never had any criminal records or any case of fraud
against her.

Furthermore, she
said she was never invited to be heard, like other
co-aspirants/contestants considered by the Northern Political Leaders
Forum, and that all her efforts to reach the forum was rebuffed.

“I was never
invited nor considered for presentation as the consensus candidate of
the 19 Northern states under the platform of the 1st defendant (PDP),
despite the fact that I am a known presidential aspirant from one of
the Northern states under the platform of the 1st defendant,” she said.

She alleged
discrimination against her by the Adamu Ciroma-led forum on the bases
of her sex and religion, which she noted was a violation of her
constitutional right to fair hearing and constitutional right not to be
discriminated against on the bases of sex and religion.

Mrs. Jibril said
the former vice president’s nomination as a consensus candidate for the
presidency of the PDP will put her in a politically disadvantaged
position and unequal playing ground with Mr. Abubakar during the
conduct of PDP’s presidential primaries slated for January 13, 2011.

In an affidavit of urgency in support of her motion, she said,
“except the reliefs being sought in this application are urgently
granted, I will suffer irreparable loss that cannot be compensated in
financial terms on the 13th January, 2011 when the 1st defendant will
conduct its presidential primaries for all her presidential aspirants.”

The presidential candidate of the Congress for
Progress Change, former military head of state, Muhammadu Buhari, has
called on supporters of the CPC to stand firm in order to ensure the
victory of the party during the presidential election. Mr Buhari, who
gave the charge last weekend while addressing his supporters at the
parade ground in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, emphasized the need
for people to come out en masse to register during the forthcoming
voter registration exercise.

According to him, the voter’s card is
their power without which they would not be able to vote. He further
revealed that if elected, he would give top priority to security
challenges bedeviling the country as well as use the nation’s resources
to better the lives of the people. On his part, a gubernatorial
aspirant of the party in the state, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, who dumped
the PDP last week for the CPC, described the former head of state as
someone who had a good record and thanked supporters of the party for
coming out in large numbers to receive him. He urged the party members
to maintain the tempo.

Royal blessing

Earlier, Mr Buhari who paid a courtesy visit to the
Emir of Lafia, Isa Mustapha Agwai, said he was in the palace to receive
his royal blessing. The Emir thanked the candidate for the visit and
prayed that God bless the nation with visionary leaders that would take
the country to greater heights. Also speaking, Mohammed Mainoma, a
lecturer at the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, stressed how the poor
suffer in Nigeria and explained that it was high time the nation got
good leaders who had the interests of the people at heart. The
highlight of the visit was the presentation of the party’s card to Mr
Al-Makura as a member of the party by Mr Buhari.

The mininster of
transport, Yusuf Suleiman, has expressed optimism that people would
vote massively for President Goodluck Jonathan in the elections. The
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Yusuf who made this known
in Gwadabawa on Saturday said that Nigerians were satisfied with the
performance of Mr Jonathan.

As the PDP
presidential primaries draw near, the minister urged PDP supporters to
remain committed to the ideals of the party. He said the PDP would
continue to lay emphasis on social development and peace in the
country. The minister also expressed his confidence in the ability of
the INEC chairman, Altahiru Jega, to conduct a free, fair and
transparent election.

Babayo Gamawa,
deputy governor of Bauchi State, has been elected the PDP candidate for
the Bauchi North senatorial district. Announcing the results of the
primary elections in Azare, the returning officer, Sambo Raja, said
that Mr. Gamawa polled 1,862 votes to defeat his opponent, Aminu
Ahmed-Yapeco, with 37 votes.

“I declare Alhaji Babayo Garba Gamawa, who scored 1,862 votes, the winner of the election,” he said.

Reacting to his
victory, Mr. Gamawa thanked the voters for conducting themselves
peacefully during the election. The three other aspirants, former
members of the House of Representatives – Hamisu Shira, Modibbo Ahmed,
and Faruk Mustapha – boycotted the election.

Isyaku Maigoro, the
Independent National Electoral Commission Resident Commissioner in
Ekiti State, revealed that the Commission had received 1,576 Direct
Data Capture Machines for the voter registration.

Mr Maigoro while
speaking in Ado-Ekiti said that the commission is still expecting 784
machines, he also informed that ,177 electric generators will be
purchased by the commission, and distributed to each of the 177
political wards before the beginning of the registration on January 15.

He said that the commission had begun the training for 4,390 NYSC
members to be used as Assistant Registration Officers and Registration
Area Centre Officers.He charged the corps members to be committed to
the exercise and warned that any staff of the commission who engaged in
sharp practice, would be punished.

Twelve of the 32
members of the Rivers House of Assembly sailed through the PDP
primaries held on Jan. 5 in the 23 local government areas of the state.
The state chairman of the party, Godspower Ake, told the News Agency of
Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt that the remaining tickets were won by
other members of the party elected by their constituents. He said that
in spite of little misunderstandings and arguments at the polling
centres, the primaries were successfully held and candidates for the
party elected for the April election. He said the exercise in some
areas was cancelled and later held again. Returning officers for the
National Assembly primaries had been told not to favour anybody or rig
elections in their areas.

Following the
recent bomb blasts at Mogadishu Barracks in Abuja on January 1,
security at the Army Barracks Mammy Market in Onitsha has been beefed
up. The 302 Artillery Regiment and 14 Field Engineers, Onitsha, is the
only military barracks in Anambra.

A correspondent of
the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who visited the Mammy Market on
Saturday learnt that new security measures had been put in place to
monitor movements at night. According to a trader who pleaded
anonymity, the market now closes at 9pm as against 10pm and “there has
been increased patrol in the market after the 9pm deadline. The ongoing
perimeter fencing of the barracks has been fastened to ensure quick
completion and comprehensive policing of the entire barracks.”

When NAN contacted the acting commander of the 302 Artillery
Regiment, I. Akpan, a Lieutenant, he said he could only talk on the
directive from the Army headquarters.

Uche Chukwumerije, a senator and former
information minister, said in Ohafia, Abia State, that the cost of the
election on aspirants was assuming an alarming dimension.

“I have said it before and I am
reiterating it again. The cost of election on aspirants must be
addressed if our democracy must remain relevant. No meaningful election
and democracy can stand if the aspirant cannot bear the cost of
presenting himself and contesting the poll,” he said.

Mr. Chukwumerije, who was speaking after winning the Abia PDP
senatorial primaries, noted that no poor man can contest election in the
country.

Lawmakers who were
elected back in November officially entered Congress, with the new
Republican majority in the House of Representatives gunning immediately
for President Barack Obama’s signal achievement — the overhaul of the
U.S. healthcare system.

“I and a lot of my
fellow freshmen ran on repealing Obamacare,” said Republican
Congressman Joe Walsh. “The folks in my district told me month after
month they wanted this thing repealed.” The health plan aims to provide
medical insurance to nearly all Americans. Republicans consider it a
complicated and costly burden on the country — but their battle to kill
it probably won’t draw blood.

They do control
the House and have scheduled a repeal vote for Wednesday. But the Senate
and White House remain in Democratic hands. No law can be passed or
repealed without their approval.

Obama suggests
that the Republicans will simply try to impress their supporters with
the effort and then abandon it “I think that there’s going to be
politics,” he said. “That’s what happens in Washington.” But the
Republicans have other ways to oppose and annoy the administration. In
the weeks to come, they plan a wide range of investigations, exercising
American lawmakers’ traditional role of overseeing government
operations, with the traditional accompanying opportunities to embarrass
the party in power.

One committee of
House lawmakers has already announced plans for public hearings on no
less than six separate issues. There’s no telling how many more
committees will come forward with their own ambitious agenda.

But the biggest
minefield of all could be a vote on whether the U.S. government can keep
borrowing money above its currently approved “debt ceiling.” The
Congress has only authorized total borrowing of up to $14.3 trillion.

The government’s mounting debts are already approaching $14 trillion and will grow more in the months to come.

Republicans who want to shrink the government and reduce its spending have suggested they’d vote against additional borrowing.

Administration officials say the unprecedented prospect of Washington
running out of money would rattle financial markets worldwide. The
Republicans and Democrats can obviously avoid conflict if they want to.
But the prospects aren’t entirely promising. It does look like war — and
the shooting is about to begin.

The former Nigerian
ambassador to South Africa, Buba Marwa, yesterday announced his
defection to the opposition Congress for Progressive Change in his
quest to contest the Adamawa governorship elections. The politician
had, last week, announced his exit from the PDP, saying he would be
seeking another party’s platform to realize his aspirations. Mr Marwa,
who arrived in Yola at about 6pm yesterday night, drove straight to the
CPC state party secretariat to formally join the party. After about two
hours, the state party chairman, Ibrahim Mohammed Waziri, told the
press that Mr Marwa had obtained a membership form and was subsequently
screened by the party screening committee as a gubernatorial aspirant.

Mr Waziri, in an
apparent response to the significance of Mr Marwa’s membership of the
CPC, said it presents “opportunity and possibilities of taking over
government within a very short time. There’s no problem. Our party is
very formidable and well positioned to take over power in 2011 in
Adamawa State.”

Mr Marwa’s
defection from the PDP comes on the heels of the cancellation of the
December 28 ward congresses which he insisted was properly conducted.
Although both Mr Marwa and the incumbent governor, Murtala Nyako,
agreed that the congress conducted on December 28 was satisfactory but
the national headquarters of the party cancelled the ward congress
which Mr Marwa now claims was to shortchange him and give Mr Nyako
undue advantage.

An earlier attempt
by the former ambassador to join the Action Congress of Nigeria was
unsuccessful as both sides could not reach an agreement.

No blame on Jos

But speaking after
his presentation by the CPC party officials, Mr Marwa said he would go
into the primaries with other aspirants, confident in his credentials.
Meanwhile, the CPC has debunked the allegation that the violence in Jos
was due to the crisis that erupted during its ward congresses last
Saturday. The party, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Aghanya
Dennis, however said the CPC has always conducted its affairs in most
orderly manner.

The party also called on the security agencies to review its tactics.

“Leadership of our party should also share in the blame. A political
party should at all times be on its toes attending to all
misunderstanding emanating within its membership at all levels quite on
time before it generates into a monster that may be capable of
consuming the party,” Mr Aghanya said. “The problem in Jos should not
be linked to the CPC because of the crisis within, if there was any at
all, but to the lapses on the part of our security agencies.”