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The African Action Congress (AAC) has called for inclusion in the presidential debate being organised by the Nigerian Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON).

As earlier reported by Saharareporters, NEDG and BON confirmed pn Tuesday evening that only five political parties would participate in its scheduled presidential debate. See Also Elections JUST IN: NEDG, BON Pick Only Five Political Parties For Presidential Debate 0 Comments 5 Hours Ago

The parties are Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Young Progressives Party (YPP).

However, the AAC has questioned the decision to include only five political parties, excluding Omoyele Sowore and Dr. Rabiu Ahmed Rufai, the AAC presidential and vice-presidential candidates, respectively.

A statement by Dr. Malcolm Fabiyi, Director-General of the TakeItBack Movement/Sowore 2019 Campaign, issued on Tuesday, read: "We demand to know the criteria that were used for selecting the parties that will participate in the debates.

"The AAC is one of the three largest parties in Nigeria. In fact, we were within the top three parties in the online poll that was organised by Channels TV to determine the participants in the presidential debates. We demand that the unaltered results of that poll be published.

"It is unconscionable that our candidates will be left out of the VP and Presidential debates when smaller political parties that fared worse in the polls, and do not have the reach or strength that our party commands across the country, were included.

"We also note that our presidential candidate has won every major independent and objective poll against the candidates from the alternative parties. Yet somehow, those parties made it to the debates while our candidates did not.

"We demand that NEDG and BON publicly declare the criteria that were used for selecting the participants. Any debate about Nigeria’s future and the 2019 elections that does not include the AAC is a farce. Nigerians cannot be fooled.

“We expect that this grave injustice will be rectified immediately, ahead of the VP debates on December 14. Nigerians must not be cheated out of a robust debate about our nation’s future. Nigeria MUST progress."

Similarly, Sowore, the AAC presidential candidate, blasted the organisers of the debate, tweeting: “First they excluded @aacparty from the signing of Peace Agreement &Memorandum of understanding by presidential candidates & party chairmen in Abuja today, just emerged also they don’t want me to participate in the presidential debates, they claim I am out of control and may spill what I know about these oldies publicly during debates. These old guards still don’t get it!”

He condemned the organizers for presenting to Nigerians a streamlined number of political parties, thereby denying access to others as guaranteed by the Nigerian Media Code of Election Coverage, which states that “the government shall abide by institutional, regulatory and legal frameworks requiring equitable access to State media by parties and candidates contesting elections”. The code, which was adopted on October 30, 2014, binds all media organisations, including BON.

Some Nigerians have reacted to the exclusion, including #EndSars movement convener, @Segalink tweeting: “They made a mistake with the listing. It would have been more interesting to have @YeleSowore included in this. There are five here and it could very well have been six. One will certainly be absent.”

@Alatenumo tweeted “I expected @obyzeks and @feladurotoye and Kingsley to Speak out and ask for Yele’s inclusion. Injustice happens when men and women of goodwill stay silent.”

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‘We’re One of The Largest Parties’ — Sowore's AAC Kicks Against Exclusion From Presidential Debate

The parties are Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Young Progressives Party (YPP).

@Alatenumo tweeted “I expected @obyzeks and @feladurotoye and Kingsley to Speak out and ask for Yele’s inclusion. Injustice happens when men and women of goodwill stay silent.”

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‘We’re One of The Largest Parties’ — Sowore's AAC Kicks Against Exclusion From Presidential Debate

The parties are Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Young Progressives Party (YPP).

@Alatenumo tweeted “I expected @obyzeks and @feladurotoye and Kingsley to Speak out and ask for Yele’s inclusion. Injustice happens when men and women of goodwill stay silent.”

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JUST IN: NEDG, BON Pick Only Five Political Parties For Presidential Debate

The Nigerian Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) have released the names of five political parties expected to participate in the vice-presidential and presidential debates in the lead-up to the 2019 general election.

A statement by Eddi Emesiri, NEDG Executive Secretary, revealed the participating political parties as Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Young Progressives Party (YPP).

In the order listed above, the five presidential candidates are Oby Ezekwesili, Fela Durotoye, Muhammdu Buhari, Atiku Abubakar and Kingsley Moghalu.

The vice-presidential debate will hold from 7pm at the congress hall of the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja on Friday, December 14, 2018, while the presidential debate is scheduled to hold on Saturday, January 19, 2019.

In 2015, Buhari failed to attend the NEDG debate (pictured), even though then incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan participated.

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Buhari Won’t Sign Electoral Act Because He Wants To Rig The Elections, Claims Wike

Nyesom Wike, Governor of Rivers State, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of intentionally delaying assent to the amended Electoral Act.

He stated this on Tuesday at the Government House in Port Harcourt, during the visit of the Anglican Bishop of Niger Delta North, Right Reverend Wisdom Ihunwo.

According to a statement by Simeon Nwakaudu, Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor on Electronic Media, Wike noted that the President's refusal to sign the amended bill is a threat to Nigeria's peaceful coexistence after the 2019 elections.

Speaking on the refusal of Buhari to give assent to the bill, Wike said: "This present administration does not want the existence of one Nigeria. We don't know if there will be Nigeria after the 2019 general election.

"The National Assembly tried to cure the defects of the Electoral Act that led to controversies during the 2015 elections. After the passage, the President kept on giving countless excuses why he wouldn't sign the amended Electoral Act.

"The whole essence of not signing the Electoral Act is to rig the 2019 general election. And in the plot to rig the 2019 elections, Rivers State comes first and Akwa Ibom State is the second on their list.

"Now, they don't want to use the smart card readers because they want to sit down and write results. It is painful that the President that says he is fighting corruption is leaving room for the rigging of the 2019 polls. There is no corruption worse than rigging. The President cannot set this country on fire."

He called on Nigerians to rise to the defence of democracy, just as he urged the church to work with well-meaning Nigerians to resist attempts to rig the 2019 elections.

In his remarks, Bishop Wisdom Ihunwo lauded Wike's achievements in the state.

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Buhari Won’t Sign Electoral Act Because He Wants To Rig The Elections, Claims Wike

Nyesom Wike, Governor of Rivers State, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of intentionally delaying assent to the amended Electoral Act.

He stated this on Tuesday at the Government House in Port Harcourt, during the visit of the Anglican Bishop of Niger Delta North, Right Reverend Wisdom Ihunwo.

He called on Nigerians to rise to the defence of democracy, just as he urged the church to work with well-meaning Nigerians to resist attempts to rig the 2019 elections.

In his remarks, Bishop Wisdom Ihunwo lauded Wike's achievements in the state.

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APC Urges Aggrieved Aspirants To Emulate Ambode

All Progressives Congress (APC) National Peace and Reconciliation Committee has urged aggrieved aspirants of the party to learn from the spirit of sportsmanship displayed by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, after the governorship primaries.

The committee was in Ado-Ekiti yesterday to reconcile aggrieved aspirants from Ondo and Ekiti states.

Chairman of the committee in South West, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State, along with and Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna, pleaded with the hurt aspirants to put the interest of the party at heart and embrace the peace initiative of the party.

Other members of the committee include the managing director of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dakuku Peterside; former Ekiti State deputy governor, Prof. Modupe Adelabu; and Hajia Seida Usman-Bugaje.

They stressed the need for politicians to eschew bitterness and work for the party’s unity ahead of 2019.

While interfacing with aggrieved aspirants from the two states, Shettima commended Ambode on how he handled the outcome of the primary in Lagos, urging the aspirants to view life from that perspective.

“Since 1999, Governor Ambode, who is also a member of this committee, I don’t think any Nigerian politician has demonstrated his level of courage in the way he handled the outcome governorship primaries in Lagos.

“He is a governor who has worked exceptionally, but, as I said, politics sometimes comes with unpredictable outcomes. Our courage in reacting to situations like Governor Ambode is what separates men from boys.

“I think anyone unhappy with the outcome of the APC primaries should draw inspiration from Governor Ambode,” he advised.

Governor el-Rufai expressed joy that the crisis in Ekiti was not as huge and convoluted like that of Ondo, expressing fear that lack of unity might cost the party Ondo.

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Father Kills All His Four Children In Rivers, Sets Self And House Ablaze

Achibong Patrick, 36, a native of Akwa-Ibom and a father of four, has strangled all his children to death.

Patrick also hanged himself to death and set ablaze his home in Alesa, Eleme Local Government of Rivers State

The motive behind the horror incident is yet unknown but neighbours woke up on Tuesday to witness the hideous story of an entire family wipe out, save Patrick’s wife.

Confirming the ugly development to SaharaReporters, Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, Nnamdi Omoni, said the children were aged five, six and eight, and were “strangled to death by their father, who also hanged himself and set the house on fire.

“Their corpses have been evacuated and deposited at the morgue, while investigations continue to unravel the mysteries behind the unfortunate incident,” Omoni added.

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Déjà Vu: I Fear It Will Be Unto Buhari As It Was Unto Jonathan In 2015 By Fredrick Nwabufo

Fredrick Nwabufo

There is a grand conspiracy. A plot hatched in the pits of despair and agony. There are three conspirators involved in this plot – the Nigerian people, top business executives and the international community.

In this thrilling “scheme”, the Nigerian people are providing the hammer and the nail; business executives are providing the brick and mortar, while the international community is providing the moral and logistics support to seal the fate of an incumbent president.

This is a grand conspiracy!

But why?

The mass movement against President Buhari was expected. Nigerians are easy to please, but they are deficient of patience for incompetence. No doubt, the “locus classicus” of the Buhari administration is arrogant incompetence. It is “generally agreed” that the government is rudderless. Even Aisha Buhari, wife of the president, attests to this. The government has failed on all counts, and has even worsened the yoke of citizens. The economy is floundering, the naira is tottering on the brink of further depreciation and external debts are piling up. 30 million Nigerians are unemployed and 13.5 million children are out of school. And there is no hope on the horizon.

Nigerians are dissipated; after expending so much hope and promise on the current government, they are now at their wit’s end. They want a breath of fresh air.

Also, businesses have not been impermeable to the Buhari hex. Companies are folding up; many of them are laying off staff and many more of them cannot pay salaries. Some top business executives say “Buhari is not good for business”. This has become a code phrase in the business circle.

An influential real estate developer in Abuja told me that the second coming of Buhari disrupted the market negatively, and that the sector has remained in suspended gloom since his administration.

As it is, the international community now longs for a Nigeria without Buhari as president.

In November, Priti Patel, a member of the UK parliament and former secretary of state for International Development, asked investors to be wary of investing in Nigeria. The lawmaker cited specifically the flagrant disobedience of court orders by the administration as the reason for her charge.

She also described the pretend fight against corruption as a “smokescreen”.

Hear her and be shocked:

However, the Nigerian government has continued to flout international law and convention, and it refuses to respect the various court decisions.

Investors must consider this long-running scandal and weigh this obstinance against Nigeria’s mishandled economic potential.

Let us not forget that Nigeria is the only member of OPEC that is dependent upon petrol imports to keep the country going. Nigeria is ranked 145th in the world for its ease of doing business, which demonstrates the risks of investment into Nigeria.

Despite the President’s public anti-corruption platform, Transparency International has not seen any reduction in corruption since Buhari took office. In fact, the precise opposite has happened, with Nigeria falling 12 places between the 2016 and 2017 rankings.

President Buhari currently faces serious allegations, which include staging show trials of opponents of a regime that is accused of corruption and graft, while simultaneously shielding his own party members and inner circle.

We should all welcome international efforts to attract international investment into developing economies. However, to do this successfully Nigeria must seriously tackle corruption, rather than use it as a smokescreen. It must honour its obligations to companies like P&ID. Until then, investors inevitably will be very wary of investing in Nigeria.

Just yesterday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) alleged that Nigerian security forces committed crimes against humanity. I fear some people may even go to jail. The intractable herdsmen killings, which some top officials in the West believe this administration has deliberately allowed to fester, and gross human rights violations, which are all documented by Amnesty International, are some of the grouse of the international community against President Buhari.

But how does one expend all goodwill in three years?

Really, the 2019 presidential election is between the Nigerian people and Buhari.

Déjà vu!

Fredrick is a media personality. He can be reached on Facebook: Fredrick Nwabufo; Twitter: @FredrickNwabufo

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Buhari’s Economic Adviser Threatens To Sue Newspaper But Fails To Answer The N172m Question

Dr. Adeyemi Dipeolu, an economic adviser in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, is threatening legal action against the International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), over the occupier of the Office of Chief Economic Adviser to the President (OCEAP).

The Genesis

The story began with the paper’s interest in the budgetary allocations to the OCEAP, and whether the funds were utilized for the specified purposes.

The OCEAP had received a sum of N34 million in 2017 to fund research studies on the economy, but it has so far failed to make this research available.

In 2016, the office requested for a capital allocation of N78 million, out of which N47.8 million was budgeted for research and allocation. In 2018, the office’s capital allocation is N60 million, from which N19.9 million is budgeted for research and the rest for purchase of vehicles, computers, office furniture and so on.

Conversely, in the 2017 budget, the total capital cost for the office was N60 million, with every penny going into research and development. The budget had specifically stated the project title as: “Provision of evidence-based research studies on all aspects of the Nigerian economy that will help Mr. President in formulating sound strategies and policies.”

A document obtained from the office of the Accountant-General of the Federation stated cash releases to all government bodies, with N35 million given to OCEAP as part of the first batch of releases. However, more than six months since the 2017 budget implementation period ended and over a year since money was released for the research project, the studies are nowhere to be found.

The Confusion

When ICIR contacted Dipeolu for explanations regarding the funds, he did not expressly state at first that he wasn’t the CEAP. But he did say that the budget item ‘OCEAP85893258’, about which clarification was being sought, was “not under the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters in the Office of the Vice President”.

But when asked to name the CEAP or the official acting in that capacity, Garba Shehu, President Muhammadu Buhari’s official spokesman, had just one answer for the paper: “Dr. Adeyemi Dipeolu.”

Shehu’s answer looked the more plausible of the two, given that the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), the government-owned broadcaster, had reported on August 10, 2016, that Buhari swore in Dipeolu as “Special Adviser on Economic Matters”.

Although NTA had said that “Dipeolu will continue his work under the Office of the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo”, it added that Osinbajo was the “principal economy architect”. So, if Osinbajo is the principal economy architect of this Federal Government and Dipeolu works with Osinbajo, who then is the President’s Chief Economic Adviser? Dipeolu, of course.

To Laolu Akande, the VP’s spokesman, the matter is not that straightforward. “You are saying because Mr Shehu told you that Dr Dipeolu is the ‘Chief Economic Adviser’ when his title says he is a ‘Special Adviser. So, if somebody told you too that I’m the Minister for Information, you’ll just believe it because he said it,” Akande had told the paper.

But there’s another question Akande may want to consider: If the President’s spokesman tells a journalist a thing, and the Vice President’s spokesman tells the same journalist another thing, who of the two is the journalist expected to believe?

Denial Without Clarification

Dipeolu has threatened legal action against the paper for holding him responsible for the funds. A letter from his lawyers to the paper, obtained by SaharaReporters, reads: "We act as Solicitors to Dr. Adeyemi Dipeolu ('our client") who is the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters in the Office of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Instructions at our disposal show that on 17th of October. 2018, your organization published a defamatory article which referred to the person of our client.

“In the said article, it was falsely stated that our Client in his official capacity received the sum of N34.000.000 (Thirty-Four Million Naira) in 2017 to fund research studies on the economy but failed to make the report of the research available to appropriate authorities. For the avoidance of doubt. our Client is the Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters and his role is performed within the Office of the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He does not function out of the Office of National Chief Economic Adviser to the President neither is he privy to the budget or any other operational matter relating to this office.

“The said publication which is available online has been read by many of the members of our client's family, friends and associates. The publication conveys the wrong impression that our client who is a Government official collected money from Government treasury and failed to utilize public funds for the official purpose. Our client. since the publication has been queried by family members. friends and colleagues on why he failed to utilize public funds for the purpose the funds were earmarked. The publication has no doubt diminished our client's reputation in the eyes of right thinking members of the society, who came across same. In a Tweet headed “Criminals in APC Government", our client features as a criminal in Government.

“We note that our client's request that the story “be pulled down" by your organization has failed to attract positive response. We categorically assert that our client is not the occupier of the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to President. We further assert that our client did not collect the sum of N34.000.000 (Thirty-Four Million Nalra) or any sum of money for the purpose of evidence-based research. The publication consequently remains false and defamatory.”

He is demanding a retraction of the said publication, an unconditional apology “to be published in your organization's website and print media” and immediate pulling down/removal of the publication from the ICIR website within seven days, without which court proceedings would be instituted against the paper.

While Dipeolu’s grievances may or may not be an issue to be decided by the court, there is a more important matter that he, Osinbajo, Buhari or anyone else in government must answer: If Dipeolu is not the CEAP, then who is? Who is that person that should be held responsible for the hundreds of millions of naira released, without accountability, to the OCEAP since 2017?

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Court Grants Bail To Sowore’s Party Members Arrested For Pasting Posters

The six supporters of the African Action Congress (AAC) arrested and charged to court in a case between them and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, have been granted bail at a magistrate court in the Samuel Ilori Courthouse, Lagos.

The six were arrested by officers of the Area F Division Ikeja, on Sunday.

A statement by Chike Oti, Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, had accused them of “tearing posters of other political parties and replacing them with that of the African Action Congress".

They were charged to court on Monday.

The arrest of the AAC supporters led to a peaceful protest at the Area F Police station in Ikeja on Monday, as civil society organisations referred to the action by the Police as "political witch-hunting".

The protest, however, took a different dimension as policemen fired teargas canisters at the protesters, injuring a lady identified as Annabelle Oko-Oboh, and arresting 10 others.

Meanwhile, in court, the six persons accused of tearing posters pleaded not guilty to the three-count charge levelled against them by the Commissioner of Police, which are “conspiracy to commit felony to with criminal damage to property, criminal damage to property of Jimi Agbaje by tearing up his campaign posters on Awolowo House Fence, and breach of peace by tearing campaign posters of other political parties and replacing them with AAC presidential campaign posters”.

Taiwo Olawale of Falana and Falana Chambers, who represented the accused, told the court that “members of the AAC with Omoyele Sowore as their presidential candidate’s only crime was pasting posters at night".

"My Lord, because the party is not a major party, the Police are using the instrument of the state to harass them," Olawale added.

Raising his objection, representative of the Commissioner of Police, Inspector D. Raphael, told the magistrate that the suspects were "indeed caught in a criminal act which will be determined in trial”.

After hearing statements from both the prosecuting and defence counsels, Magistrate B.O. Osunsanmi gave her ruling, stating thus: “This court is not ready for any trial. This is a bailable offence. I hereby grant bail in the sum of N50,000 each with one responsible surety.”

Speaking after the court’s decision, Defence Counsel Taiwo Olawale said: “The court in its wisdom has determined the offence that the Police is alleging is bailable and we will perfect their bail conditions.
“The ruling party is always in the habit of oppressing the opposition. They know the power and cadre of Mr. Sowore and what he can do and that is why the Federal Government is coming with all this."

The prosecuting counsel, however, declined to comment after the hearing. The Commissioner of Police could also not be reached for comments.

Speaking on the incident, Omoyele Sowore, the AAC presidential candidate, called out the CP on his Facebook page saying: “Lagos Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, hasn’t learnt from history. Police officers doing dirty jobs for parties in power will ultimately end in ignominy!”

The case has been adjourned till February 4, 2019.

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Delta Assembly Slams Fresh Three-Month Suspension On Ex-Speaker Igbuya for ‘Embezzling’ N35.5m

Delta State House of Assembly has again slammed the member representing Sapele constituency in the State Assembly and immediate past Speaker, Monday Igbuya, with another round of three-month suspension for allegedly embezzling the sum of N35.5 million belonging to the house.

It would be recalled that sometime in September, the Delta State House of Assembly had slammed the former Speaker with three-month suspension over alleged financial embezzlement while in office. A probe committee was set up during its executive session in October 2017, with a charge to submit its report in February 2018.

The suspension of Igbuya followed the presentation of a report by the ad hoc committee constituted to investigate his alleged financial recklessness, which was considered and adopted at Tuesday's plenary of the house presided over by the current Speaker, Sheriff Oborevwori,

Presenting the report of the ad hoc committee, the Chairman and Deputy Majority Leader of the House, Oboro Preyor, said that in line with the principles of natural justice and fair hearing as enshrined in Section 36 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), Igbuya was invited to appear before the committee on September 28.

He said the former Speaker did not attend the meeting, prompting the committee to adjourn to October 10, with a second letter of invitation dispatched to the official residence (as was the first letter) of Igbuya, who again compelled the committee to further adjourn its proceedings till October 17 due to his absence.

Preyor said a third letter of invitation was dispatched to former speaker's home and a copy copiously pasted on the entrance to his apartment, which was followed up by a text message to his telephone line, but to the chagrin of the committee, Igbuya once again ignored the invitation without giving an explanation for his continuous absence.

“At this point, it became crystal clear to the committee that it was a deliberate attempt on the part of the former Speaker to frustrate the work of the committee,” he said.

“Therefore, having satisfied the requirements of natural justice and the constitution by affording the Speaker the opportunity to tell his side of the story, which he has neglected or refused to avail himself of, the committee thus decided to proceed with its work."

He said the committee took a holistic review of the period during which Igbuya served as Speaker of the house, and sought testimonies from lawmakers who had useful information that could assist the committee in serving the cause of justice.

He added that during investigation, the committee discovered that between April 2016 and May 10, 2017, Igbuya operated as a Chief Executive Officer and as such ran the financial affairs of the house without recourse to due process.

The committee, he said also found that the former Speaker unilaterally withheld the legitimate earnings of seven honorable members of the house and there was no record to show that the monies withheld were paid back to the House of Assembly account.

After considering all the issues and findings raised by the committee, the house resolved that all financial entitlements of Igbuya be withheld forthwith and paid into the coffers of the House until such a time that he can offset the monies he unlawfully withheld from his colleagues and the sum of N35, 536, 370 that accrued to the house, which could not be unaccounted for during his regime as Speaker.

The house further resolved that Igbuya remains suspended for the period of another three months, making it a period of six months in all when he former Speaker will be absent from house plenaries without entitlements and other allowances.

Igbuya, formerly of the Peoples Democratic Party (PPDP), is now the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives candidate for the Sapele, Okpe and Uvwie Federal Constituency in the 2019 general election.
He was impeached by 22 of the 29 members of the House during plenary in May 2017, and was immediately replaced with the member representing Okpe constituency, Oborevwori.

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Immigration Arrests Foreigners Over Possession Of PVCs

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has disclosed that it has arrested non-Nigerians for being in possession of permanent voter’s cards (PVCs). NIS comptroller general, Muhammad Babandede, who stated this at the 2018 NIS award presentation yesterday in Abuja, revealed that the service had retrieved over 700 PVCs from foreigners living in the country.

LEADERSHIP Sunday also learnt exclusively that over 323 national identity slips had also been seized from foreigners in the last six months.

An inside source who pleaded not to be named also revealed that about 1,729 irregular migrants were also repatriated between the second and third quarter of the year.

LEADERSHIP Sunday reports that only Nigerian citizens are eligible to vote in elections in the country.

The immigration boss also warned politicians against engaging in “political smear campaign,” even as he gave assurance that his agency was fully involved in the election process to ensure that no foreigner votes during the forthcoming 2019 general elections.

Babandede made the disclosure while responding to questions bordering on the alleged importation of a crowd by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Niger Republic to boost its support strength in Sokoto.

He said, “This year, we have retrieved over 700 voter’s cards from non-Nigerians. We promise that we will stop at nothing to ensure that non- Nigerians do not participate in the 2019 general elections.

“We will make sure that they don’t vote and they are not voted for. During the election, we will ensure the borders are secured so that nobody can enter the country.”

The NIS boss added that the service had built the capacity of personnel and improved on structures which had contributed to Nigeria’s security and prosperity.

LEADERSHIP Sunday recalls that Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai had accused the PDP of importing foreigners from Niger Republic to its Sokoto rally, a development which led to his political rivals advising him to also import a crowd from Sudan for his campaigns .

The allegation sparked a protest in Sokoto State as youths from the state gave the NIS a 24-hour ultimatum to respond to el-Rufai’s allegation.

We need collective effort to forestall future occurrence – INEC

However, in its reaction, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) called for collaboration among security agencies and Nigerians to tackle the problem of foreigners having voter’s cards.

The chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, Rotimi Lawrence Oyekanmi, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the electoral commission had earlier visited the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Abuja some months to ask for help in identifying foreign nationals who are in possession of PVCs.

He said it was part of the Commission’s responsibilities to clean up the voter register by identifying ineligible persons who might be on it.

“On that occasion, the NIS informed the Commission that it had actually identified about 300 foreign nationals with Nigeria’s PVCs and had recovered the cards from them.”

Explaining how these PVCs would have gotten into the hands of foreigners when many Nigerians are having trouble getting theirs, Oyekanmi said:“There are many foreign nationals from neighbouring countries living in Nigeria and vice versa. Some of these foreign nationals bear names similar to those of Nigerians.

“For instance, nationals in some parts of Niger Republic bear similar names with northern Nigerians and a few of them could have knowingly or unknowingly taken advantage of one of two loopholes to register in the past.

“Ordinarily, no INEC official will register a foreign national, but in a few cases where this might have happened in the past, the facts were not visible.

“However, the important thing is that the relevant agencies are now measuring up to ensure that non-Nigerians do not flout our laws by attempting to participate in the electoral process.”

Speaking on preventive measures INEC will adopt to ensure such PVCs are not used for the 2019 polls, the commission said it requires the collaborative effort of all agencies and Nigerians.

“One of the measures the Commission has taken is to approach the NIS as I explained earlier, but the Commission cannot prevent a PVC legitimately obtained from being used.

If for instance, a non-Nigerian bears the name, Mohammed Yusuf, and presents himself as a Nigerian to INEC officials during the CVR exercise with a form of acceptable identification, there is no way of finding out that he is not a Nigerian unless somebody alerts the Commission to that effect. “Therefore, collective efforts are necessary to prevent such things.

That was why the Commission displayed the voter register throughout the country for one week recently, for claims and objections, so that Nigerians can look at it and draw its attention to names of deceased or underage persons and foreign nationals that should not be on the voter register.

“An agency like the NIS has been helpful in this regard, and once such names are identified and checks carried out, they will be removed from the register. We appeal to Nigerians to help the Commission clean up the voter register,” Oyekanmi said. …

Immigration Has Vindicated Us – PDP

On its part, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said yesterday that the recovery of PVCs from foreigners had vindicated its position that INEC must allow stakeholders participate in the review of the voter register. The national publicity secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, who dismissed the review of the voter register by INEC, told LEADERSHIP Sunday that the refusal of the Commission to objectively sanitise the voter registers shows that it has no plan in place to conduct free and fair elections in 2019.

He said, “It is a vindication of our position on INEC. We have repeatedly said INEC has been registering underage persons and aliens. We have challenged them to review the register and also allow stakeholders to participate in the review.

“So INEC said they have reviewed their register and that they came up with a certain number of people, which we challenged because stakeholders were not allowed to participate in that process.”

Attempts to reach the All Progressives Congress (APC) for reaction were abortive as several calls placed to the spokespersons of the party, Lanre Issa-Onilu and Yekini Nabena, were not returned just as text messages sent to them were also not responded to.

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Gnassingbé’s Forces Kill Three Togolese Civilians During Protests Against Tenure Elongation

At least three people, including an 11-year-old, were killed on Saturday in civilian protests against plans by the Togolese government to elongate its tenure through the backdoor.

Faure Gnassingbé has been President of Togo since 2005, taking over from his father Gnassingbé Eyadéma, who had just died aged 69 after being President for the 38 years between 1967 and 2005.

This means the Gnassingbés have ruled Togo for a combined 51 years already. The latest attempt to illegally elongate Faure’s tenure has sparked protests in parts of the West African country, which government forces have tried to quell by shooting at civilians.

A Togolese who witnessed the protests told SaharaReporters about the anguish of the people.

“Today has been a very chaotic day filled with lot of violence in Togo. I am devastated as I am writing this now,” she said in an email to SaharaReporters.

“The regime deployed heavy military forces against civilians protesting against their plans to hold rushed legislative elections on December 20th, which will help them consolidate power and pass a constitution that will let the President seek a fourth term come 2020.

“The opposition is boycotting the elections and called for massive street protests all over the country. The regime banned the protests violating our constitution which guarantees freedom of association.

“They have been shooting live bullets at civilians wounding dozens and killing three today, including an 11 years old boy. We have information that the upcoming days will get worse if the regime doesn’t stop the violence and I am very concerned for Togo.

“We have also been informed the regime plans to arrest the leaders of the opposition parties who called for the protests and if that happens, the country will fall in a severe crisis. This is December where families are meant to come together to celebrate the end of the year but in my country families are mourning their children killed by a bloodthirsty regime that has been imposing themselves on us for 51 years. It hurts so much and no matter how hard I try, I can neither help the tears nor contain the anger.”

Before taking over power in 2005, Faure, 52, was appointed by his dad as Minister of Equipment, Mines, Posts, and Telecommunications between 2003 to 2005.

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National Assembly CCTV Down As Bandits Loot Journalists’ Cars

The Nigerian National Assembly

The Nigerian National Assembly thesheet.ng

Thieves are vandalising cars and stealing their batteries on the premises of the National Assembly, SUNDAY PUNCH can authoritatively report.

Several cars have been vandalised in recent times, including that of our correspondent.

Our correspondent had parked his Honda CR-V car at a park close to the Annex building at about 11.30am but discovered at about 6pm that its battery had been stolen, with the bonnet left half opened.

The incident was reported at the Crime Office of the National Assembly Division of the Nigeria Police on Thursday morning, where our correspondent was told that several similar cases of vandalism and theft had been reported at the unit.

In spite of lodging the complaint, none of the officers on duty requested our correspondent to lead them to the vehicle for inspection.

Several National Assembly workers and journalists, who spoke on the issue, lamented the security lapses in and around the complex.

A victim, Mr Okechukwu Jombo, who is a reporter with the Nigerian Pilot, said his car’s battery was stolen on the premises earlier in the year.

“They did it to me too early this year, around March. I parked at the main park behind the building. There is a cameraman at the House of Representatives, they took his own too. We were many during that period. It was a very rampant thing,” he said.

Another victim, Mr Mudashiru Atanda, a photojournalist with The SUN, narrating his ordeal, said, “It was a Friday; I had parked inside at the car park behind the main building. When it was time to go to the mosque for the Juma’at prayer, I entered into the car, thinking I would have a smooth ride to the mosque. As I got close to the car, I saw that the bonnet was not firmly locked. I thought I did not lock it well. I lifted it with the intention of locking it only to discover that the battery had been stolen.”

Atanda lamented that no arrests had been made since the incident occurred in 2016.

Another photojournalist with THISDAY, Mr Julius Atoi, said his Honda Accord car was broken into at the first car park close to the second security gate while the National Assembly was on an annual recess between July and October.

Narrating a similar experience with our correspondent on Friday, Mr Ezekiel Dike, a cameraman with the Nigerian Television Authority, said the battery of his Honda Accord was stolen from the car in September 2017 at the same car park.

He said, “I reported (the theft). I went to the police station on the premises. They asked if I suspected anybody. I said I could not have suspected anybody when I was covering the plenary at the chamber. They did not follow the matter up. Each time I went there, they did not give me attention. So, I let go.

“We were about three whose car batteries were stolen that same day. There was a man (victim) who came for a public hearing; he came in a Ford SUV.”

Our correspondent observed that security men at the gates did not inspect cars going into the complex but only demanded personal identities, especially of persons not known to them.

It was further observed that no checks were conducted on cars leaving the premises.

At the general car park outside the second gate, it was observed that while a pass was issued to every car going in, the security men closed much early, allowing some car owners to go away with the pass as there was no one to take it from them.

Several users of the park, who spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH, warned that any pass not retrieved could be used to steal cars from the park.

A security operative blamed the lapses on the malfunctioning Closed Circuit Television cameras around the parks, adding that several cases had been reported but nobody had been arrested.

The security man, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “We have been receiving such complaints.

“If the CCTVs are functioning, it is just to play back the tape and see the thief. That is one major problem that we have. The CCTVs are not working.”

A senior police officer, deployed in the National Assembly, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, lamented that efforts to get the National Assembly leadership to fix the CCTVs in and around the complex had failed.

The Sergeant-at-Arms of the National Assembly, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Sani (retd.), could not be reached as several calls made to his telephone line on Friday were not returned.

Sani had yet to reply a text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report on Saturday.

When contacted on the incidents, the Divisional Police Officer, National Assembly Complex, Mr Abdullahi Sambo, a Superintendent of Police, referred our correspondent to the Police Public Relations Officer, Federal Capital Territory Command.

The PPRO, Mr Anjuguri Manzah, who was asked what was being done to address the ugly development, said, “I can’t answer you now…you have to give me time to speak with him (Sambo) first.”

Nigerians were shocked on April 18, 2018, when unknown men in a convoy of cars and pick-up vans stormed the Senate chamber while plenary was ongoing, snatched the mace and made away with it.

The legislature’s symbol of authority was only recovered several kilometres away, according to the police, where the invaders dumped it.

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2019: North Will Not Vote On Sentiment, Says Elders’ Forum

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has said the 2019 presidential election will be won and lost based on the capacity, performance and incompetence of the candidates rather than sentiments as was the case in 2015. According to the forum, the ideal Nigerian president should be a patriot, committed nationalist, bridge-builder and unifier of all Nigerians, irrespective of tongue, tribe and religion. Speaking with journalists in his Arewa Farms in Zaria yesterday, convener of the forum, Prof Ango Abdullahi, also revealed that power brokers in the North will not support President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election in the 2019 polls because he has woefully failed to address abject poverty and underdevelopment in the region. He said, “No one should take the North for granted, and it is not for sale. The North will no longer vote based on sentiments. It will resist shedding its blood for any candidate, and will critically scrutinise all politicians who have betrayed the hopes and mandates of our people. “They should be prepared to suffer rejection, in the same manner the votes of the North rejected the attempt to continue with impunity, corruption and indifference of the Jonathan administration,” Prof Ango warned”. On the kind of presidential candidate Nigerians should vote for in 2019, Abdullahi who will clock 80 years on December 13, 2018 said, “The ideal presidential candidate for 2019 should be a patriot, a committed nationalist, a bridge-builder and unifier of all Nigerians. “He must believe in, and must have demonstrated in practical terms, a strong commitment to the principles of our common humanity and the transformation of our diversity into sources of strength. “He must inspire, by personal disposition, the confidence and trust of all Nigerians that they can expect fair and just treatment and leadership that is inclusive of all sections and interest”. On why the forum are against Buhari’s re-election, Abdullahi stated categorically that President Buhari has fallen short of the expectations of Nigerians, especially the Northern elite on whose back he rode to power in 2015 after 12 years of failed attempts. He said, “It is unfortunate that most supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari, including the president himself, think that he won the 2015 presidency because of what they described as ‘Buhari Magic.’ If Buhari had any magic at all, how come he could not win the presidency in 2003, 2007 and 2011? For 12 years, he failed to make it to Aso Rock, until we rallied round him and helped him to power in 2015. “I, Prof Ango Abdullahi, stuck out my neck for Buhari’s cause. I was nearly killed for my support for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015. I was attacked in Bauchi and nearly got killed. There were 11 bullet holes in my Jeep. The Late Maitama Sule, I and other Northern elders of like minds tried to advise him, but he arrogantly ignored us. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed was the one who took our advisory letter to him. And even after he followed up with another copy of the letter after the President claimed to have forgotten receiving any such letter, we never got any response from till date”. Abdullahi said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost the 2015 general elections basically because its leadership reneged on the agreement of eight-year tenure for the South and eight years for the North. He continued: “Former President Olusegun Obasanjo served eight years; and then it was the turn of the North. He made an attempt at a third term, but we fought him vehemently and he failed. He then brought Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. He spent three years in office and died. Initially, we didn’t want his choice, but the late Sunday Awoniyi pleaded with us to give Yar’Adua a chance and we rallied round him. “The Constitution says the vice president should step and complete the tenure in the event that the president dies. Ideally, the PDP leadership need not argue that it was indeed the turn of the North. “And then Goodluck Jonathan was allowed to contest the 2011 presidential election. The argument was that it was about Nigerian president and not a Northern president. There was no quarrel. But when towards the end of Jonathan’s first tenure he said he was not aware of any power shift in the PDP, it became a serious problem. And this was what eventually led to the defeat of the party in 2015”. Abdullahi further maintained that the Northern elite believe that only the candidate that can measure up and is clearly capable of meeting the very high demands of leadership with personal integrity, unblemished record of selfless service, sound health and commitment to Nigeria’s unity and survival should be trusted with the leadership of the country in 2015. He lamented that under President Buhari, Nigeria’s economy is characterised by significant loss of output, massive youth unemployment, a rising level of poverty, instability and irregular migration of skilled and unskilled labour, a situation he described as a national embarrassment and a disgrace to a country that is endowed with abundant resources. He said another four years of Buhari administration would be catastrophic with the current government’s unprecedented incompetence and enthronement of mediocrity in dealing with the horrendous spate of killings and general insecurity across the country. He warned that no Northern politician, including the president who is seeking re-election, should expect to be voted in the 2019 general election unless they demonstrate a willingness to champion a massive assault on poverty and underdevelopment in the North. “All political office holders from the North are, hereby, served notice that they have failed the test to lead the region towards economic recovery and growth”, he added. Our sister publication, LEADERSHIP, had reported last Wednesday that members of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) on Tuesday sang discordant tunes on the re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari. While some members, led by zonal conveners, Sani Zangon Daura (Danmasanin Daura) and Maj-Gen Paul Tarfa; and director of Logistics, Capt Bashir Sodangi, had dismissed claims of a search for President Buhari’s replacement in the North and threw their weight behind his second term bid, others on the side of the convener of the forum, Prof Abdullahi, vehemently opposed the president’s re-election.

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Atiku Campaign: How Jonathan, Others Prevailed On Wike Not To Resign

The threat by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike to resign as the South South Coordinator of Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Council has, once again brought to the fore, pains still stemming from unhealed wounds in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In fact, had Wike not been pacified to back down from his planned resignation by critical stakeholders within the party, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, the party’s plans of reclaiming the Presidency, which it lost to the All Progressives Congress (APC) would have received a jolt of seismic proportions.

In the build-up to the party’s presidential primary, a powerful blog within the party had plotted to relocate the convention venue from Port Harcourt to elsewhere in the South South, due to Wike’s perceived support for Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal.

Pronto, the governor vehemently warned that there would be consequences if the PDP succumbs to pressures from some undisclosed presidential aspirants to move the convention away from Port Harcourt.

He further threatened that Rivers State delegates would teach the party a bitter lesson if it allowed desperate presidential aspirants to scuttle the hosting of the primary in Port Harcourt.

“Let me warn the party, if you dare, Rivers State will teach the party a lesson. Those days have passed when they took Rivers State for granted. Nobody can use and dump Rivers State. No presidential aspirant can use and dump Rivers State. We never lobbied for it; we never asked for it; but it will boost the economy of the state, and people will make money. Those who are against Rivers people making money to improve their businesses will not get our support.”

Because the party did not have the luxury of time, critical stakeholders waded in swiftly to douse the tension, which the governor’s outburst generated.

Wike’s support for Tambuwal also fuelled speculation that he might be nurturing a vice presidential ambition, as he had earlier claimed that some presidential aspirants who sought his support had offered him the position of Vice President in the course of political consultations, which he said he declined.

“There are aspirants who have promised me the position of the Vice President, but I said I will not seek the position. Not even in the dream will I seek that position at this point. I am a first term governor and the National Chairman of the PDP is from my State and the South South. These are mere allegations (angling for the Vice President) because you know that people can carry rumour. But everything that I will do will be in the interest of Rivers State. Nobody can use Rivers State as a tool. They did that in the past, but not anymore.”

Amid the intrigues, Wike had his way as the PDP presidential primary eventually held in Port Harcourt. However, Wike, who had overtly and covertly thrown his political weight behind Tambuwal, could not thwart the formidable political machinery of Atiku, who eventually won the keenly contested presidential primary.

The Guardian gathered that while the deep cut inflicted on Wike during the primary still festers, some strategic appointments made into the PDP national campaign council have also not gone down well with the governor and his supporters who feel that certain forces within the party were methodically crafting a new political hegemony.

A source within the party told The Guardian that Wike felt marginalised, belittled and undermined by Atiku’s coterie, who have not been taking his supporters views into account, while formulating plans for the party’s future, particularly as it concerns the forthcoming general elections. According to him, Wike felt he was losing his ability to influence the direction of things in the party.

It was also gathered that before Wike voiced out his grievances to some party members, he had reckoned that the party was gradually turning out of gear and giving less recognition to him and others, who had worked tirelessly to bring the party back from the brink; and still working with same zeal to retake power from the ruling APC.

However, before Wike could formally tender his resignation as zonal coordinator, an emergency meeting held between him and top leaders of the party, including Jonathan, in order to prevent friction within the party that could precipitate PDP’s loss of Rivers State in 2019.

“The issues are largely political and several persons had intervened to douse tension. He did not resign formally; he just said he was not doing the job again because he thinks they were not treating him and Tambuwal right. But Tambuwal, who is the Coordinator of North West, was the first to mount pressure on him to rescind the decision at this point. Obviously, he has some unresolved grievances that require him to sit down and discuss with leadership of the party for amicable resolutions to be reached,” a source in the party said.

A source in Atiku’s camp, told The Guardian that the PDP presidential candidate himself met privately with Wike all in a bid to manage the conflict and prevent it from creating tension and instability within the party only weeks to the general elections.

“I must say that it was extremely important that the national leadership of the PDP, including President Jonathan, got involved and resolved the issues at stake. Atiku met with him because he has to. Everybody is important in this business. The issue is that at least they discussed. They met with Tambuwal too and even President Goodluck Jonathan met with him,” he said.

A political analyst, Ross Alabo George, observed that when politicians feel aggrieved sometimes, the often resort to threats to force attention.

According to him, Wike has successfully deployed this strategy in his political exploits, stressing that Atiku’s group may not have reached out to a lot of the South East and South South governors properly.

He said that Atiku group is made up of very experienced and seasoned politicians and they have basically tried to run the system using their vast experience, without giving due recognition to Wike and others.

“Wike had control over the party, but now the Atiku structure seems to have taken over and I think Wike is not happy.

But I think Wike understands the consequences of pulling out from the Atiku structure completely. I don’t think he will do that. I think what he has done is to force them to the table. He needs the party because the people that will back him when things begin to go wrong in Rivers State are there. Of course, there is a plan to rig the election in Rivers State. The people that will fight for him when security agencies barricade his house; when his movement will be restricted are in the party. He will need the voices of these seasoned politicians nationwide to speak for him. He needs the party’s structure around the country; he needs the contact that the party has and so on,” he said.

George insists that Wike could not actually attempt to defy and refuse to tow the party’s line at this point, particularly as the crucial 2019 general election draws near, adding that both Wike and the party desperately need each other at this point.

Another political observer, Robinson Sibe said the fact that both Atiku’s group and Wike’s supporters have not come out to refute the claim that the governor had threatened to resign is an indication of some unresolved issues.

He also reckoned that it would be politically unwise to sow a seed of discord within the party ahead of the 2019 general elections.

“Both parties need each other parties seriously right now because you need national coverage from your party, and party structure to guide you and see you through, especially if the opposition wants to rig you out. But I believe that what is happening is a move to draw attention to his grievances as somebody who was relatively in charge of the party, and suddenly things began to slip away from him. It is possible that this is his line of thinking. It is also possible that his people are being victimised, just as it is possible that the people who are supporting him are not carried along in terms of appointments into the campaign council. There were very strong sentiments that characterised the party primary and I thought they would find ways to kill those sentiments.,” he said.

Meanwhile, a pro-Wike group, the Grassroots Development Initiatives (GDI) has declared its readiness to carry out door-to-door campaign to convince the electorate to see reasons why it should vote for both Atiku as President, and for Governor Wike.

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