News
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir will visit Egypt on Monday to discuss issues of common interest between the two countries during a bilateral summit with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
In a statement to Al-Masry Al-Youm on Saturday, Sudan’s ambassador to Egypt Abdel Mohamoud Abdel al-Halim said that Bashir’s one-day-visit to Cairo comes within the framework of continuous communication between the two leaderships to follow up on the discussions held during a recent meeting between the presidents in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
He added that the meeting will discuss efforts to resolve the outstanding issues between the two sides and to consolidate bilateral relations.
For his part, Tariq Radwan, Chairman of the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the visit gives a strong signal that the two countries have a desire to overcome their differences, and thanks to their brotherly relations, those differences have started to fade.
Radwan also said that President Sisi has more than once stressed that Egypt has strong relations with Sudan and that the two presidents have been able to quell the diplomatic crisis that emerged in the wake of the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
Egypt relations with Sudan soured in January after negotiations on the impact of the GERD stalled.
Sudan recalled its ambassador to Cairo on January 5 following news reports in Ethiopia claiming that Egypt was seeking to exclude Sudan from the tripartite negotiations over the impacts of the GERD.
Another source of tensions between Egypt and Sudan is the dispute over the Halayeb and Shalateen region. Sudan accuses Egypt of occupying the territory, while Egypt says it is rightfully under its sovereignty.
Sudan’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Ghandour has said that Egypt and Sudan agreed not to escalate the dispute regarding the Halayeb and Shalateen area, instead leaving the matter to the presidents of the two countries.
Sisi and Bashir met on January 27 in the Ethiopian capital on the sidelines of an African Union summit held there at the time.
Halim said that the meeting served as “the basis for a new page that we hope will be based on transparency […] and based on mutual respect and common interests, because what connects the two countries is greater than my words.”
Egypt Independent
Russians voted in a presidential election on Sunday set to give Vladimir Putin a runaway victory, the only possible blemish for the Kremlin being if large numbers of voters do not bother taking part because the result is so predictable.
Opinion polls give Putin, the incumbent, support of around 70 percent, or nearly 10 times the backing of his nearest challenger. Another term will take him to nearly a quarter century in power — a longevity among Kremlin leaders second only to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
Putin’s opponents alleged officials were trying to inflate the turnout.
Many voters credit Putin, a 65-year-old former KGB spy, with standing up for Russia’s interests in a hostile outside world, even though the cost is confrontation with the West.
A row with Britain over allegations the Kremlin used a nerve toxin to poison a Russian double agent in a sleepy English town — denied by Moscow — has not dented his standing.
The majority of voters see no viable alternative to Putin: he has total dominance of the political scene and the state-run television, where most people get their news, gives lavish coverage of Putin and little airtime to his rivals.
Galina Zhukova, a pensioner, came to polling station number 1512 in Zelenodolsk, about 800 km (500 miles) east of Moscow, with her husband, Alexei. They arrived soon after the doors opened.
“We voted for Putin. Things are all right for us,” said Alexei. “And there’s no one else to vote for,” said Galina.
A day of voting across Russia’s 11 time zones began at 2000 GMT on Saturday on Russia’s eastern edge, in the Pacific coast city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
There, voters were handed small plastic flags with the slogan: “I love Kamchatka. We are the first.”
Voting will run until polls close at the westernmost point of Russia, the Kaliningrad region on the Baltic Sea, at 1800 GMT on Sunday.
A March 9 survey by state-run pollster VTsIOM gave Putin, who was first elected president in 2000, support of 69 percent. His nearest rival Pavel Grudinin, the Communist Party’s candidate, is on just 7 percent.
The first politician in years to challenge the Kremlin’s grip on power, Alexei Navalny, is barred from the race because of a corruption conviction he says was fabricated by the Kremlin.
He is calling for a boycott of the election, saying it is an undemocratic farce, and deploying supporters to collect evidence of anyone rigging the ballot to inflate turnout and support for Putin. The Kremlin and election officials say any fraud will be stamped out.
In an address to the nation broadcast on national television on Friday, Putin said voters held the fate of the country in their hands and urged them to vote.
A low turnout would diminish Putin’s authority in his next term, which, under the constitution, has to be his last.
“There is no intrigue. I do not see any point for me in going to the election,” said Alexei Khvorostov, a resident of Krasnodar, in southern Russia.
Yevgeny Roizman, a Kremlin opponent who is mayor of the industrial city of Yekaterinburg, said officials were using bribes and inducements to persuade people to vote.
“They’re herding the whole country to the polling stations,” Roizman, a rare example of an elected official opposed to the Kremlin, said in a video blog. “It’s degrading... We’re not sheep.”
In the Khabarovsk region, on Russia’s Pacific coast, officials delivered supplies of eggs, tinned peas and frozen pike to polling stations. It will be sold to voters at a discount of between 10 and 30 percent compared to prices in local shops.
“By doing this we hope to attract voters to the polling stations and we think we can increase turnout,” said Nikolai Kretsu, chairman of the consumer market committee in the regional administration.
“The second objective is to strengthen allegiance toward the authorities.”
Reuters
President Muhammadu Buhari cancelled his trip to Rwanda for the signing of the Continental Free Trade Area framework in order to allow more time for input from more Nigerian stakeholders.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tope Adeleye Elias-Fatile, explained this in a statement on Sunday.
Buhari had earlier been scheduled to leave for Kigali on Monday for an extraordinary meeting of the African Union Heads of State and Government billed to hold Tuesday for the signing of the AfCFTA agreement.
Some of his advance team members were in Kigali when the news of the cancelation of the trip broke; while others, comprising protocol staff, security officers and journalists were yesterday recalled from Murtala International Airport, Lagos, where they were to take off.
The Federal Executive Council had Wednesday given President Buhari the go-ahead to sign the framework agreement for the AfCFTA.
The council had also approved that Nigeria express her interest in hosting the secretariat of the AfCFTA.
Meanwhile, the organized labour, through the Nigeria Labour Congress, had last weekend pleaded with Buhari not to sign the CFTA, warning that it would destroy Nigeria's economy.
It had described the proposed signing of the CFTA as "a renewed, extremely dangerous and radioactive neoliberal policy initiative being driven by the Ministry of Trade and Investment that seeks to open our seaports, airports and other businesses to unbridled foreign interference never before witnessed in the history of the country.
"This policy initiative, for instance, will make it possible for a foreign airline to directly do local scheduled flights without employing Nigerians. Owing to the sensitivity of this policy or its possible fall-outs on our economy, those driving it were directed to consult the Nigerian local business community and organised labour.
“However, we at the organised labour were not consulted. Information reaching us suggests that the relevant business community has not been consulted. The drivers of this policy initiative, without consulting the relevant stake holders for possible impact assessment, have perfected a document which President Muhammadu Buhari will sign at Kigali on March 21, 2018. We, at the NEC, are shocked by the sheer impunity or blatant lack of consultation in the process that has led to this.”
Daily Trust
In an audacious move, the Nigeria Police on Saturday refuted claims by Presidency officials that President Muhammadu Buhari had queried the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, for his alleged disobedience to a presidential directive ordering him to relocate to Benue State in the aftermath of the New Year day massacre in the state.
“The IGP was not queried,” Jimoh Moshood, newly promoted Assistant Commissioner of Police and Force Public Relations Officer, said firmly to THISDAY on phone, adding: “There is very clear issue on that, that he was not queried by the President.”
But the president was told by the Benue State Governor, Dr. Samuel Ortom, and elders of the state during his condolence visit to Makurdi, the state capital, last week, that the police boss disobeyed his directive, saying Idris never spent a night in the state.
Rather, the IGP was said to have spent only a day in Benue, relocating to neighbouring Nasarawa State, from where he subsequently returned to Abuja.
“I did not know that the IG did not stay in the state. I am getting to know this at this meeting. I am quite surprised,” a visibly embarrassed Buhari told his distraught hosts, who were on the boil for what they called less than caring attitude of the president that was visiting the state more than two months after the incident.
Buhari’s comment attracted severe criticisms from many Nigerians who felt that the president was not in charge of his responsibilities, giving room for the disobedience of his orders by his appointees, like the IGP.
Many Nigerians had also called on the president to sack the IGP following the revelation.
Last Tuesday, Idris was an early morning caller at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where presidential spokespersons said he was queried over his alleged disobedience to the presidential order to relocate to Benue State.
“Pres @MBuhari today summoned the Inspector-General of Police to explain his flouting of the presidential order to remain in Benue State. The President has also asked for a comprehensive report on Police Operations in the affected States, after which further decisions will be made. We would like to restate our determination to ensure that the attacks and killings are brought to an end, and perpetrators brought to justice,” an official twitter handle of the president read.
Relying on this twit many Nigerians believed that the IGP had been queried and that he was preparing his response.
However, on Saturday when THISDAY asked the police spokesperson for an update on the presumed query, he rebutted the claim.
“Anybody that said the IGP was queried by the president should bring the copy of the query, let us display it,” Moshood said.
He argued that those speculating that the IGP had been queried by the president were angling to cause disharmony and disaffection, with the intension to distort facts.
Moshood told THISDAY that since the presidential visit to the state, security of lives and property of the people had improved.
ThisDay
The Commissioner of Police in Abia State, Mr. Anthony Ogbizi, tells OGBONNAYA IKOKWU how he confronted the security challenges in the state, including the activities of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, farmers/herdsmen crisis, kidnapping and armed robbery.
You were posted to Abia at the peak of the IPOB activities. Can you recall the situation which you met on the ground?
I was in the Special Fraud Unity for about one year before I was transferred to the Railway Police Command Headquarters in Lagos. It was from the Railway Command that I was posted to the Abia Command as the Commissioner of Police on September 11, 2017 and I reported here on September 14, 2017. I actually came when the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra were at its peak. The fundamental challenge I met on the ground was the activities of IPOB. I came at a time when there was near collapse of law and order. There were targeted killings, burning of properties, particularly motor vehicles, burning of police station and killing of police officers. We lost a police officer; an assistance superintendent of police and one other officer was injured in Aba when I came. IPOB members had taken the law into their own hands by engaging the law enforcement agencies violently, using petrol bombs and other offensive weapons. In fact, they were law unto themselves.
As a police officer, my fundamental responsibility is maintenance of law and order. I was aware of IPOB activities in the state. However, the magnitude of my findings on resumption showed that I underestimated the situation that I met on the ground. Notwithstanding the magnitude of the problems, I hit the ground running. We started confronting the problems head-on and with the push from our sister agency, the army, we were able to calm the situation within days.
What specific measures did you put in place to tackle the menace?
Our main task was to deal with the hoodlums who took the law into their own hands by harassing innocent citizens, to the extent of going into stealing, vandalising public properties and burgling peoples’ shops. Many people were even forced to desert their homes in Afara Ukwu, Umuahia, when they could no longer cope with the activities of IPOB members. We had the problem of people being intimidated and assaulted. There was total breakdown of law and order with lots of deaths being recorded on daily basis while properties were either destroyed or stolen. The movement of law-abiding citizens was restricted. So, the task before us was to restore peace and win the confidence of the law-abiding citizens.
Can you recall a major confrontation between your officers and IPOB members?
IPOB had already declared certain places as Biafra Republic and named a particular community as the headquarters. Nobody dared go there. One of such places happened to be where the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, the Commissioner of Police and other top government officials live. For the police to enter such a place, we had to confront them in places like Afara Ukwu, Ariaria, and Powerline. It even got to a point where they were collecting revenue from the people. In fact, they went ahead to declare the whole of the South-East as Biafra land. So, there was a serious confrontation with them in which we lost a police officer. They were not in any way provoked, but because the police station was just close to Ariaria, the IPOB boys went there on rampage, looted the offices, killed a police officer and burnt the station.
Did you at any time recover weapons from IPOB members?
We recovered weapons like petrol bomb, rifles and other weapons. We also recovered their insignias; we got a lot of information concerning the military wing of IPOB that they were training and teaching their members military tactics.
Nnamdi Kanu was charged to court; he still has a case in court. He was granted bail by the court, but we heard that he jumped bail. The sureties, who secured the bail conditions for Nnamdi Kanu, should tell us his whereabouts.
His parents were also not in the palace. As the chief law enforcer in the state, where are they now?
As for Nnamdi Kanu’s parents, they have the right to live anywhere they want. Nobody stopped them from going back to their house, but if they decide to live elsewhere, it is their choice. None of them is in the custody of the police; so, we are not in a position to say where they are.
How have you been handling kidnapping activities in Aba since you came to the state?
The moment we decapitated IPOB, the next challenge we faced was other serious crimes like kidnapping, armed robbery, drug dealings, child trafficking and cultism. What we did was to look at their modes of operation and we designed the strategies to stop those heinous crimes. We redesigned the security architecture of the state. If you move around now, you see nipping points all over. We created and deployed nipping squads to isolated areas were these kidnappers used to operate freely. The Divisional Police Officers, who were not performing, were redeployed and we replaced them with those who were bold and committed to duty. Within the space of three weeks, incidences of kidnappings reduced and lots of arrests were made. Lots of interceptions of child trafficking syndicates were also made. We arrested many robbers and it reduced the robbery incidences to a great level.
Another strategy was that we took the war to the criminals’ hideouts. We developed local intelligence, which means we earned the confidence of the public. I have learnt something and that is once you win the confidence of the public and they know that you are committed and determined to doing the right thing, they can help you by giving you information. That strategy has helped us a lot, such that even from my office, I can call a DPO in Aba to move to a scene of an incident because of information given to us from members of the public.
How did your men unmask the activities of a criminal gang in a three-bedroom flat somewhere in the Ogor Hill area of Aba?
I must thank the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, because he deployed an intelligence response team, and when the operatives came, we added a few trusted local officers to them, particularly those from one division in Aba and the DPO. We also got some officers from our crime squad here included in the IG response squad and they did a marvellous job.
They met heavy fire from the kidnappers, but they overpowered the hoodlums, and in fact, the squads discovered where kidnappers hid their arms in a tank carefully constructed under a car. Over nine notorious kidnap suspects were arrested and the victims, including a 78-year-old man, were rescued. However, the old man died in the hospital because he was denied his drugs for one week.
The Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway used to be a very notorious point and what I did was to deploy a fearless police officer there and we made a shocking discovery there. Most of the kidnapers were living in the midst of the people in the communities. Acting on intelligence, we arrested about seven of them in a forest, while we are still looking for those who escaped. That explains why that area is still calm till today.
Did you undergo any special training on how to tackle certain crimes?
I’ve spent 32 years in the police. My policy is that I must attend to any visitor who comes to me, irrespective of their class. That is how we gather intelligence. I have been AC operations in Delta State. I have been in the investigation (unit). I have been a DPO in the most challenging areas; so, the training and experience gathered over the time are what I am working with. I’m grateful to the IG because often, he brings his wealth of experience to bear by giving us the needed manpower and materials to confront challenging situations at any given time. He sent two units of the mobile police to me at that time, which helped us to beef up the nipping points. The local police officers here know that I will be serious with them if they fail in any operation; thus, they also became serious by following instructions.
How have you been managing the farmers/herdsmen crisis in the state?
The IG has been helpful too; he gave us two units of mobile police officers and directed us on how to deploy them. If I go outside that directive, I will have myself to blame, so I deploy the mobile police officers to the appropriate command. For example, Ohafia Command has a unit and also the Bende Command. Governor Okezie Ikpeazu also constituted the farmers/herdsmen committee, of which I’m the chairman and members of the committee are drawn from the stakeholders — government officials, the military and other security services, the traditional rulers, religious leaders, the farmers and herdsmen and even members of the state House of Assembly. Within the period since I came here, we have held meetings, about six times, with the members of the committee and chairmen of various local government areas. We have spelt out the need to maintain peace and control the movement of cows in the state. We also spelt out the legal implication of people taking the law into their own hands during the time of crisis.
How do you ensure regular training for your officers in the command?
I am conscious of our perception before the public, which is why we do not joke with the training of officers in the command. I commend and encourage those who behaved well and I equally discipline those who misbehave at any time. We hold lectures and training for our officers to encourage them to conduct themselves within the ambit of the law. Just as we do not play with their welfare, we don’t also bat an eyelid when it comes to the discipline of officers.
We had training about human rights and anti-corruption last week. It is about policing in a democracy. The Centre for Civil Society and Justice, an umbrella body of various civil society and human rights groups in the country, organised the training.
The IG wants it to sink into the minds of all of us that we can’t abuse the rights of citizens, extort them, collect bribes from them and citizens are encouraged to report any police officer involved in any of these to the Commissioner of Police.
Punch
Academic Staff Union (ASUU) of IBB University Lapai, says it has commenced an indefinite strike, due to the nonpayment of its N500 million outstanding allowances by the Niger state government.
Dr Salahu Lawal, ASSU Chairman, IBB University Chapter, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview in Lapai on Saturday that the decision was taken after the expiration of the week-long warning strike embarked by the union on March 7.
He said that the chapter executives were invited by the state government over the issue but they were unwilling to pay the allowances that had accrued since 2009.
“Niger state government begged us that it will pay N350 million while we forfeit N150 million; we cannot afford such a loss, it is huge.
“This is the money we worked for and it has to be paid us in full; actually, they wanted to pay us but they insisted in paying N350 million; that is a breach and we are not going to take it.
“This money we are asking for is accrued money from our allowances, this money we earned it, we are not begging for it.
“They said they do not have money to clear the backlog, we are not going to accept their offer. They want us to forfeit part of the money, we cannot because some of our members died while waiting for this money.
"I am sure if they had paid this money, some of them would have used it for their medical care and may not have died,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Jide Orintunsin, Senior Media Assistant to Gov. Abubakar Bello, said that the debt was not incurred by the present administration rather; it was inherited from the previous administration.
According to him, members of the union were not being reasonable in view of the financial challenges of the administration was dealing with.
“We have many competing issues jostling for financial attention, these issues are many and we are trying to do something with the little resources we have.
“We will pay but in phases, they should bear with us and accept in good faith what we are willing to pay now,” he said.
NAN
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is under massive pressure to change its name as alliance talks intensify between it and some other parties, the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) and key political figures ahead of the 2019 elections.
The alliance is aimed at denying President Muhammadu Buhari a second term in office.
The participating groups say a change of name by the PDP is desirable to give everyone a sense of belonging.
But with 13 states under its control, the former ruling party does not want merger, preferring only collaboration that will unite all opposition parties, groups and political leaders.
Nonetheless, the PDP plans to raise a committee soon to work out modalities for coalition with other parties and interest groups like ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s CNM.
Some elders and governors elected on the platform of the party have also initiated moves to curb the influence of Governors Nyesom Wike and Ayo Fayose on the party such that the other groups will not be scared away from working with the PDP.
Highly placed party sources said last night that ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Governor Sule Lamido, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo are leading the search chart of PDP.
The party is not relenting in wooing Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and Senate President Bukola Saraki back to its fold.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) is not less busy.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s strategists and some APC leaders are understood to be working on the possibility of reaching what a source called an “accord concordiale” with some PDP governors and respected leaders of the party during the 2019 polls.
One of the leaders that Buhari’s strategists are mounting pressure on is ex-Governor Ibrahim Shekarau whose return to APC is believed can whittle down the influence of Kwankwanso in Kano.
Investigation by our correspondent revealed that PDP leaders are anchoring their plan to oust the APC from power on propaganda and forging a grand coalition against the ruling party.
The coalition part of the plan has seen the party reach out to other opposition parties, the CNM and some key political figures in the six geopolitical zones who are against Buhari’s re-election.
However, it was gathered that the PDP is finding it difficult to rally international support against Buhari, whose integrity is still being trusted by world leaders.
The party is counting solely on ex-President Obasanjo to do the ‘damage’ but the one-man international campaign against the President does not seem to be having the expected result yet.
Findings revealed that a recurring issue in the ongoing secret talks, covert negotiation and lobbying by PDP, is the demand by affected parties, groups and leaders that it should change its name.
Giving an insight into the development so far, one of the sources said:”These opposition parties, some leaders of the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) and some key political figures in all the six geopolitical zones are asking PDP to change its name in order to enable more Nigerians identify with it.
“Those interested in the coalition with PDP said the party’s name has been battered because of alleged massive corruption when it was in power for 16 years. They said the electorate might not want to associate with it.
“A few other parties do not want to lose their identities. They want a sort of merger like the case with APC.
“In fact, Obasanjo’s CNM would have loved to identify with PDP but the hijack of the party by some governors at the last national convention foreclosed a wholesale adoption of the opposition party. The CNM would prefer a change of name by PDP for effective coalition against APC.”
The source said the PDP has made it clear to those interested in working with it that it will not change its name or symbol.
The party believes that any change in its identity is an easy technical way of killing it for a new set of ownership.”
A PDP leader said: “The National Working Committee sees the demand for either merger or a change of name as a booby trap to kill PDP by some forces.
“The timeline does not favour a change of name or merger. It is like starting afresh.
“Why should PDP which has about 13 governors lose its name? We believe our party is in a position of strength and should be allowed to enjoy the privilege in a coalition.
“If we go for another name, won’t they say the same people in PDP are in the new party like the case now with the Social Democratic Party?
“You don’t change a party’s name on the basis of losing election
“We are also suspecting that some of those who left the party are plotting to return to PDP through the backdoor. This is why they are giving this condition of change of name.”
The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbodiyan said yesterday that the challenge before the party is “not about the name, it is a perception issue.”
The party has no image challenge, he said when contacted.
He added: “We would allow Nigerians to choose our candidate for 2019 presidential poll; we will not interfere with the process.
“At the end of the day, we will ensure the emergence of a credible candidate who will accord priority to national unity and development and the reshaping of the nation’s economy.”
PDP to raise committee to work out modalities for coalition
In spite of the tethering challenge, it was learnt that the PDP will soon raise a committee to “work out modalities for coalition with parties and groups.”
A member of the Board of Trustees of PDP said: “We are interested in coalition; we will soon inaugurate a committee on how to go about it, what we should offer and what we should reject.
“So far, it is clear that unless we team up with Nigerians and groups of like minds, it will be difficult for PDP to defeat APC alone.”
The source also confirmed that the party might still need to “do more work internally” by checkmating some of its leaders like Governors Nyesom Wike and Ayo Fayose.
“We are aware that we have internal challenge especially the overbearing influence of some leaders like Governors Nyesom Wike and Ayo Fayose. They operate as if they own PDP,” he said.
“Some elements in CNM and a few incoming coalition partners have also told us to return PDP to its democratic structure instead of allowing Wike and Fayose to be behaving as if they have the party in their pockets.
“At a point, we will all mobilize support for the party leadership to assert itself. We know some PDP governors are equally uncomfortable with Wike and Fayose’s attitude. You will see what will happen soon. We want to win in 2019, we won’t bow to the whims and caprices of some party leaders.
“By the time we enter into negotiation stage with groups and individuals, the overriding interest of the party will take the centre stage.”
What party has in stock for Saraki, Tambuwal
The source said the PDP is “ready to bend backwards for the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki if he is ready to defect to APC.”
Saraki, according to him, has been “advised to forego his presidential ambition” and PDP “won’t mind returning him as the President of the Senate because the performance of the 8th Senate, which he is heading, has been outstanding in terms of bills already passed.
“You can see why PDP is giving him a major backing. But we have not got any commitment from him.”
Saraki has however not shown any sign of defection from PDP to APC in spite of the fact that the main opposition party is his major pillar of survival in the Senate.
The source ruled out the possibility of the party giving its presidential ticket to Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State who is being actively wooed by some PDP governors.
The source said the best the PDP can offer Tambuwal is re-election ticket as governor.
“Except for a few governors who wanted us to woo Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal from APC based on his democratic credentials, most of our leaders and governors are not keen on him because of his likely imposition by some PDP leaders,” he said.
“We are open to Tambuwal but let him go and seek re-election as governor on the platform of PDP if he is fed up with APC.
“Tambuwal is a presidential material for the future even though Wike will not want to hear this from our governors and leaders.”
Search for credible presidential flag bearer intensified
Party leaders and governors are gauging the mood of political leaders across the six geopolitical zones on a credible PDP presidential candidate.
A member of the National Caucus of party named ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Governor Sule Lamido, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, and Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo as those currently topping the search chart.
But he said Atiku has an edge on account of his “solid and enduring structure,” and a major obstacle: Ex-President Obasanjo.
His words: “His only problem is ex-President Obasanjo who might fight him to a standstill. The alternative is for Atiku to eat his vomit and beg the ex-President.
“We underrated Lamido until our leaders went for a rally in Jigawa during the week.
“The rally was an eye opener that this 2019 poll is going to be tough. The performance of Dankwambo has been appreciable too. He has age and vision on his side as well.
APC working on its own strategy
Strategists of President Buhari and the APC are not sleeping either.
An APC source said: “One of the windows being explored is the ongoing reconciliation being coordinated by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. We know that the President and the party would have to shift grounds to reunify some APC leaders.
“The outcome of the reconciliation will determine many things.
“We have also identified fluid states and tough election battlefields and how to make amends. Along the line, some PDP governors and leaders have faith in President Buhari’s aspiration for a second term and we are trying to consolidate on this.
“It will be akin to what the famous politician, the late Chief K.O. Mbadiwe described as ‘accord concordiale.’
“Even within the APC, some strategists have identified those who may glorify PDP by defecting to the opposition. In such states, we are working on Plan B in the light of the vote margins between PDP and APC in the affected states during the 2015 general elections.
“One of the PDP top shots, which the APC has extended its olive branch to, is ex-Governor Ibrahim Shekarau (of Kano) who had always been an ally of the President until the two leaders had a political disagreement (not personal problem).
“The strategists of the President are prevailing on Shekarau to forgive and forget. He is yet to respond to overtures from these strategists. If he does, Kano will become winnable without Kwankwanso.”
Responding to a question, the source added: “We know that the headache of PDP is getting a credible candidate like President Buhari. We are awaiting their choice or any party’s choice in order to define the battle.”
The Nation
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo; the immediate past Governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and some political parties have been meeting as part of moves to strategise for the 2019 elections, The PUNCH has learnt.
In one of such meetings, which held at Protea Hotel, located at 42/44 Isaac John Street, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, Obasanjo was said to have met with 35 political parties under the aegis of the Coalition for New Nigeria.
Others at the meeting included the Co-Chairmen of the Nigerian Intervention Movement, Mr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), and Dr. Jhalil Tafawa-Balewa, one of the children of Nigeria’s post-independence first Prime Minister, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa.
A former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke; a former Governor Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; and a former Special Adviser to Obasanjo, who is the spokesman for the CNM, Mr. Akin Osuntokun, also attended the strategic meeting.
Some of the political parties represented at the meeting included the Social Democratic Party, Labour Party, Alliance for Democracy, Democratic People’s Congress, Action Alliance, Progressives People’s Alliance, Democratic Alternative and National Conscience Party.
Others, who attended the Lagos meeting, were Mr. Kenneth Udete, who represented Action Alliance Party; and Mr. Okey Chukwuendu, who represented the All Grand Alliance Party.
A source, who attended the meeting, told our correspondent that Obasanjo emphasised the need to work together ahead of the 2019 general elections.
The source, who is close to Obasanjo, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the coming together of the various interest groups and individuals had become necessary as that was seen as the only way to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2019 elections.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said, “The meeting was summoned by Obasanjo. He noted that both the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party have failed Nigeria and there is a need to come together. He said his association, Coalition for Nigeria Movement, and the NIM should form a merger.”
When asked why Kwankwaso was invited to the meeting despite being a member of the ruling APC, the source noted that Kwankwaso had always been an Obasanjo loyalist.
“Have you forgotten that Kwankwaso was appointed the Minister of Defence by President Obasanjo in 2003? The former governor was not invited because of his ties with the APC but because he also has a huge movement known as the Kwankwasiya in Kano and its environs. Kano is a very strategic state,” the source, a top member of one of the groups, stated.
“The meeting is not just a political one but an attempt to come up with a unified ideology and strategy for 2019.”
The source explained that Obasanjo stressed the need for the parties present to prove to Nigerians that they were different from the APC and the PDP, saying Nigerians were tired of the two parties.
When asked why the meeting was kept secret for so long, the source said Obasanjo insisted that such strategic sessions remained clandestine.
When contacted on the telephone on Saturday, Agbakoba confirmed the meetings with Obasanjo.
Agbakoba, who is a co-chairman of the NIM, said the meetings would continue to hold.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria stated, “What I can say is yes, that is true. We are exploring the option of working together and those conversations are still ongoing and we have a mutually-agreed agenda that we will have to make an impact in 2019.
“And that we will not be supporting the APC or the PDP. We have agreed on that but we have not agreed on who the candidate would be and other minute details.”
When asked if the presence of old politicians like Kwankwaso and Oyinlola in the meetings would not undermine the quest for change, Agbakoba said NIM would be circumspect.
The former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, added, “I can confirm that Kwankwaso was there and Oyinlola was there, but for us, our concern is that Nigerians need to see a new political plan and we told them in clear terms that if we are to work together, it would present a challenge if the Nigerian voting population see the same old people and then there would be no change. So, that’s where we are.
“It will be difficult in my view for us to be supporting the same old people who left the PDP and went to the APC to come and join us. It will be very difficult.”
Attempts to get a response from Kwankwaso about the meetings were futile.
Calls to the mobile of his spokesperson, Rabiu Bichi, were not returned while a response to a text message sent to him on the subject was still being awaited as of the time of filing this report on Saturday night.
Attempts to speak with Osuntokun proved abortive as he neither returned calls to his mobile on Saturday nor responded to a text message sent to his telephone.
Efforts to get Oyinlola to speak on this were unsuccessful. Calls to the former governor’s phone rang out several times while he had yet to respond to the text message sent to him on the same issue as of the time of filing this report.
Punch
The President of the Senate Dr. Bukola Saraki has expressed sadness over the death of Sen. Ali Wakili who was the chairman of the Senate committee on Poverty Alleviation.
Wakili died at the age of 58 and his death has been confirmed by Saraki in a series of tweets to mourn his deceased colleague.
The President of the Senate Dr Bukola Saraki said that he was saddened to hear the news of the demise of Wakili.
President of the Senate Dr Bukola Saraki sad over death of Sen Ali Wakili
Saraki who was on his way to the family house of the Vice President to felicitate with them on the wedding of his daughter, said that he was now on his way to the family House of the Wakili’s to commiserate with them on the passing of the senator.
Saraki wrote on twitter:
Enroute to celebrate with Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and family on their daughter’s wedding, I just heard about the passing of my friend and colleague, Senator Ali Wakili. I am on my way to the Wakili house to pay my respects to his family.
Inalilahi wa Ina Ilaehi Rajiun. It is the Almighty Allah (SWT) that gives life, and it his Him that takes it away. I pray that the Almighty Allah grants the dear departed Senator a place in Al Jannah Firdaus.
Wakili, a member of the All Progressives Congress, representing Bauchi south, was educated at Government Secondary School in Damaturu. He also went to Bauchi School of Arts and Science and Bayero University, in Kano, where he passed out with a Bachelor of Arts in 1982.
He was a retired controller of Customs before he joined politics.
The Group Managing Director (GMD), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr Maikanti Baru, yesterday assured that the era of fuel scarcity is gone for good.
Receiving the Man of the Year Award from Nigeria NewsDirect newspaper, the NNPC GMD said that the corporation had learnt a great lesson during the recent fuel scarcity in the country.
“We have actualized the lessons learnt, part of which is to ensure that at any point in time, there should be sufficient products available for distribution across the country.
“Most of our PPMC depots in Ejigbo, Mosinmi, Ibadan and other parts of the nation have sufficient product for distribution now.
‘NNPC is discussing with security operatives to stop smuggling of petrol products across our borders.
“We are working alongside with them to ensure safety of our pipelines because we still have some areas in which vandals still disrupt our pipelines,” he said.
Baru said he dedicated the Man of the Year award to all staff of the corporation.
Also speaking, Dr Diran Fawibe, Chairman, International Energy Services, urged NNPC to ensure that the nation’s refineries worked to its full capacity.
According to Fawibe, the oil and gas sector is a major sustainer of the nation’s economy.
Earlier in his welcome address, Dr Samuel Ibiyemi, Publisher, Nigeria NewsDirect, said that the award was in recognition of the good work of distinguished Nigerians to the country’s growth.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), others that received awards include the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Raji Fashola and CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele.
The Nation
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Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Speaker, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, have jointly reacted to withholding of assent by President Muhammadu Buhari on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
Recall that Buhari on Tuesday turned down the amended Electoral Act bill in letters addressed to Saraki and Dogara.
Yusuph Olaniyonu and Turaki Hassan, Special Advisers (Media) to Senate President and Speaker, in a statement on Saturday stated that the two leaders and chambers were not on collision course over the matter.
“The Senate President and the Speaker, as heads of the two chambers of the National Assembly and representing the views of their colleagues, will want everybody to know that they are on the same page on what is the appropriate reaction to the President’s withholding of assent on the Electoral Act amendment bill.
“There is no disagreement between the two chambers as well as their presiding officers. The leadership of the two chambers constantly hold discussions and are in agreement on what to do, how to do it, when to do it and why it must be done.
“The issue at stake is not personal. It is about deepening democracy. It is about improving our democracy and the National Assembly is on firm constitutional and legal grounds to amend the law as well as take decisions in the manner they have been responding.
“We see that story and the insinuations contained in it as mere distraction and unnecessary misrepresentation aimed at creating division in the Federal Legislature. The Senate President, Speaker and their colleagues urge members of the public to discountenance the report”, the statement read.
DailyPost
The N-power scheme of the federal government became a political rallying point on Saturday as beneficiaries, split into pro- governor Ayo Fayose and pro-President Muhammadu Buhari camps, clashed.
About 3,000 beneficiaries used the accreditation exercise which held at the AB Event Center, Ado Ekiti, to vent their different political leanings despite the fact that the scheme was powered by the APC-led government.
While a faction staged a rally supporting the Ekiti State deputy governor, Kolapo Olusola, who is of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the July 14 election, the other faction demonstrated in support for the All Progressives Congress(APC) and President Buhari.
In what appeared to be premeditated, both groups thronged the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital in the early hours of the morning holding placards with inscriptions in support of either the president or the governor.
The placards, which identified them with the group they belonged, either promoted President Buhari, appreciating his gesture for the scheme, or showed support for Mr. Fayose and his deputy, Olusola Eleka.
The situation almost degenerated into a fight but for the timely intervention of security operatives.
The beneficiaries later marched from the front of hospital in Adebayo area of Ado Ekiti to the AB event centre.
Another drama occurred at the accreditation centre when officials of N-Power wanted to prevent those loyal to Mr. Fayose from entering the venue, but could not because they were overwhelmed by the crowd.
Ajibade Segun, a pro-Fayose N-Power beneficiary, explained the reason for rally.
“A few months ago, Mr. Governor, His Excellency, Dr. Peter Ayodele Fayose invited us to the government house and promised those of us who are N-Power beneficiaries in Ekiti that we would get permanent employment from the state government,” he said.
“This is why we are happy and we are now coming out to campaign for the Deputy governor Olusola Kolapo Eleka. We are here supporting the continuity agenda of his Excellency Dr. Peter Ayodele Fayose and supporting Olusola Eleka for governor in July 14.
“To the president we are saying that we don’t want just a temporary relief in the name of N-Power from massive unemployment in Nigeria, we want permanent employment. We also want the number of beneficiaries of the N-Power in Ekiti to be more than what we have presently. But most importantly, we want a permanent job like the governor has promised to give a good number of us.”
The PDP in Ekiti is currently embroiled in a controversy over the Mr. Fayose’s endorsement of his deputy to take over from him as the governor of the state, a stance many other aspirants are unhappy with.
Speaking on behalf of the pro- Buhari group, Adeosun Peter, said they were out to show “appreciation for what the President had done for them”.
“I want the people of Nigeria to know that we are not campaigning for Fayose or Eleka. It is Buhari that we know because he is the one who is feeding us. We have the banners bearing the image of Buhari and we are thanking him for this gesture,” he said.
“Thirty thousand naira for each of the beneficiaries every month is not ‘a small money’. In 12 months, we know what that money amounts to,” he added.
“The beneficiaries of N-power in Ekiti in this first tranche are 3,400, and 8,337 will benefit in the second tranche, those of us here now are more than 3,000 that have come for accreditation today.”
A former lawmaker, Senator Olurunnimbe Mamora, has rejected his appointment as the Chairman of the Abuja Investment and Infrastructure Centre.
Mamora, who was the Deputy Director-General of the Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation during the 2015 presidential election, was nominated for the job by the President.
However, it was learnt that during the inauguration of the board of the AIIC a few weeks ago, a governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress in the 2016 Ondo State governorship election, Mrs. Jumoke Ajasin-Anifowoshe, was named the chairman.
Ajasin-Anifowose, who is the daughter of the first Governor of the old Ondo State, Adekunle Ajasin, was sworn in by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Alhaji Muhammad Bello.
Investigations by our correspondent showed that the ex-lawmaker rejected the appointment.
A reliable source told our correspondent that Mamora had met with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, and expressed his displeasure with the appointment.
The source said Mamora, a former Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker and senator who represented Lagos-East senatorial district from 2003 to 2011, felt the appointment, which is the equivalent of a state parastatal, was not befitting.
He argued that people who never participated in the process that brought Buhari to power were occupying the front seats of government.
The source added that Mamora was listed to be the Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian Ports Authority in 2016 but was edged out by some powerful people in the system.
The source added that Mamora was also nominated as an ambassador in late 2016 but his name was suddenly withdrawn for unknown reasons and was not even contacted before his name was dropped.
Attempts to speak with Mamora proved abortive as repeated calls to his phone were not responded to while a text message sent to his mobile was not replied to as of press time.
Punch
Russians began voting in a presidential election on Sunday set to give Vladimir Putin a commanding victory that could only be blemished if large numbers do not bother taking part because the result is so predictable.
On Russia’s eastern edge, in the Pacific coast city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, polling stations opened at 2000 hrs GMT, and voting across the vast country will run until polls close at the westernmost point, the Kaliningrad region, 22 hours later.
Opinion polls give Putin, the incumbent, support of around 70 percent, or nearly 10 times the backing of his nearest challenger. Another term will take him to nearly a quarter century in power — a longevity among Kremlin leaders second only to Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
Many voters credit Putin, a 65-year-old former KGB spy, with standing up for Russia’s interests in a hostile world, even though the cost is confrontation with the West.
Vladimir Putin: expected to win the polls in a landslide
A row with Britain over allegations the Kremlin used a nerve toxin to poison a Russian double agent in a sleepy English town — denied by Moscow — has not dented his standing.
The majority of voters see no viable alternative to Putin: he has total dominance of the political scene and the state-run television, where most people get their news, gives lavish coverage of Putin and little airtime to his rivals.
“He (Putin) is our president. We take pride in him,” said Marianna Shanina, a resident of the Crimea region. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine four years ago, earning Putin admiration from many Russians and condemnation from the West.
“We wish him victory at the election. Our whole family will vote for Putin. Putin! Good health to you, beloved president!,” Shanina said at a Putin election rally.
The first politician in years to challenge the Kremlin’s grip on power, Alexei Navalny, is barred from the race because of a corruption conviction he says was fabricated by the Kremlin.
He is calling for a boycott of the election, saying it is an undemocratic farce, and deploying supporters to collect evidence of anyone rigging the ballot to inflate turnout and support for Putin. The Kremlin and election officials say any fraud will be stamped out.
Kremlin officials privately acknowledge a worry that some of Russia’s 110 million eligible voters will not bother casting ballots because they believe Putin is a shoo-in. A low turnout would diminish his authority in his next term, which, under the constitution, has to be his last.
“There is no intrigue. I do not see any point for me in going to the election,” said Alexei Khvorostov, a resident of Krasnodar, in southern Russia.
In an address to the nation broadcast on national television on Friday, Putin said voters held the fate of the country in their hands.
“I therefore ask you to come to the polling stations on Sunday, use your right to choose a future for the great Russia that we love.”
In Khabarovsk region, on Russia’s Pacific coast, local officials delivered supplies of eggs, tinned peas, and frozen pike to polling stations. It will be sold to voters on polling day at a discount of between 10 and 30 percent compared to prices in local shops.
“By doing this we hope to attract voters to the polling stations and we think we can increase turnout,” said Nikolai Kretsu, chairman of the consumer market committee in the regional administration. “The second objective is to strengthen allegiance towards the authorities.”
NAN