Sunday, August 29, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Governors fooling themselves
By Jide Ajani, Dayo Benson & Henry Umoru
CALABAR—CROSS River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, said yesterday, that all the 28 governors of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were behind the President and would carry on with their support if he decides to contest next year’s presidential polls.
This came just as President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to meet state governors in Lagos today in continuation of his consultations on his political future.
Meantime, the PDP Governors’ meeting for the purpose of picking a consensus presidential candidate for next year’s elections ended in a deadlock, yesterday, as the governors were split over the choice of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Speaking in Calabar yesterday when he granted audience to a select group of journalists, Imoke said it had become imperative for the governors to back Jonathan because as the leader of the country, he needs all the support he could get to succeed.
He said that as Chairman of the South South Governors Forum, he owed the region a duty to project Jonathan to the country and work for his success at all times.
He said though the PDP has agreed to retain the zoning formula, the party had also agreed to allow Jonathan to contest, adding that they would do everything possible to support the President.
Imoke said the support of the governors was very crucial if the country’s democracy was to make a headway, stressing that it was wrong for Nigerians to assume that the governors had become too powerful now.
He said the alleged influence of the governors played a stabilising factor for the country during the illness of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and the subsequent emergence of Jonathan as acting president in February this year.
Imoke said: “Our influence did not start today. It was not by accident. If you look at what happened in 2003 and 2007, the governors were very visible in political activities of the country. In fact in 2007, governors emerged both as the President and Vice President. So if you consider the crucial role we play in the sustenance of this democracy, you won’t say we are too powerful.”
On whether the President should sign the amended constitution before it becomes operational, Imoke urged Nigerians to savour the joy of achieving a huge feat by the amendment process, saying the country should not dissipate energy on technicalities which might later overcome the success recorded.
PDP govs split over Jonathan
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors’ meeting for the purpose of picking a consensus presidential candidate for next year’s elections ended in a deadlock, yesterday, as the governors were split over the choice of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Vanguard gathered that the meeting, which lasted more than four hours, became very stormy between those in support of Jonathan, who were in the majority, and those who were opposed to him
The meeting which was held at the Kwara State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, was billed to commence at 8.00 pm, but did not start until 9.00 p.m, Tuesday night and ended 1.15 a.m, yesterday, with the Chairman, Governors’ Forum and the Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, presiding.
It was gathered that the governors had earlier discussed with President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday, and that the President informed them that he would be seeking the party’s nomination.
Thereafter, the governors returned to the Asokoro meeting to take a position.
Vanguard learnt that while the governors were meeting, the National Chairman of PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, also held an all night meeting with the 36 states’ chairmen and that of the Federal Capital Territory.
It was understood that the meeting was designed by the chairman to reach out to all stakeholders ahead of the elections, especially before the leadership of the party issued guidelines for the primaries.
A source told Vanguard that the meeting which ended at 1.00 a..m, yesterday, was part of the chairman’s consultative meetings with the leaders on how to arrive at decisions that would be favourable to all members of the party across the country. The meeting took place at the National Secretariat of the Party, Wadata Plaza.
Vanguard gathered that at the PDP governors’ meeting, all the South South governors spoke in favour of President Goodluck Jonathan contesting, just as the Southwest governors also spoke solidly in favour of Jonathan contesting the 2011 presidential election.
The source said the President faced very strong opposition from the Northern governors, where the ten governors that had earlier insisted that zoning should be retained, maintained their position at the meeting. It was gathered that as the meeting progressed, it got to a point that the PDP governors asked their Chairman, Dr. Bukola Saraki, to tell them whether he had an interest in contesting to become the presidential candidate of the party.
The source said that when Saraki failed to give the governors an answer on whether he was contesting for the Presidency, he was then asked to state his position because of his opposition to the presidential aspiration of President Jonathan.
Governors in support of Jonathan
Those who championed the presidency of Jonathan in 2011 at the meeting were Governors Jonah Jang of Plateau, and Gabriel Suswam of Benue State.
Opposing governors
Those who were opposed to Jonathan’s presidential aspiration were Governors of Kebbi, Zamfara, Bauchi and Katsina states. It was gathered at the meeting that these governors were at the forefront of those opposing the presidential aspiration of Jonathan, even as the source said: “This is understandable, because they were the same group that insisted on zoning when we met to take a position on the same matter in Kaduna last month.”
At the end of the meeting, the governors left, just as the governors of Rivers, Kwara, Bauchi and Delta began another meeting which lasted for thirty minutes. At the end of the meeting, the Delta State governor left at 1.15 a.m, while his Bauchi State counterpart came out at 1.45am.
Chairman of the Governors’ Forum and Kwara State governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who left the venue of the meeting at about 2.00 a.m, refused to speak to the waiting journalists.
It was gathered that the governors’ inability to arrive at a compromise following a very strong division among them, made it impossible for the governors to issue a communiqué on the meeting.
Governors that attended the meeting
Present at the meeting were governors of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Akpabio; Isa Yuguda of Bauchi; Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa; Gabriel Suswam of Delta; Liyel Imoke of Cross River; Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta; and Martin Elechi of Ebonyi. The others were Segun Oni of Ekiti; Sullivan Chime of Enugu; Ikedi Ohakim of Imo; Sule Lamido of Jigawa; Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa of Kaduna and Ibrahim Shema of Katsina.
CALABAR—CROSS River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, said yesterday, that all the 28 governors of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were behind the President and would carry on with their support if he decides to contest next year’s presidential polls.
This came just as President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to meet state governors in Lagos today in continuation of his consultations on his political future.
Meantime, the PDP Governors’ meeting for the purpose of picking a consensus presidential candidate for next year’s elections ended in a deadlock, yesterday, as the governors were split over the choice of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Speaking in Calabar yesterday when he granted audience to a select group of journalists, Imoke said it had become imperative for the governors to back Jonathan because as the leader of the country, he needs all the support he could get to succeed.
He said that as Chairman of the South South Governors Forum, he owed the region a duty to project Jonathan to the country and work for his success at all times.
He said though the PDP has agreed to retain the zoning formula, the party had also agreed to allow Jonathan to contest, adding that they would do everything possible to support the President.
Imoke said the support of the governors was very crucial if the country’s democracy was to make a headway, stressing that it was wrong for Nigerians to assume that the governors had become too powerful now.
He said the alleged influence of the governors played a stabilising factor for the country during the illness of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and the subsequent emergence of Jonathan as acting president in February this year.
Imoke said: “Our influence did not start today. It was not by accident. If you look at what happened in 2003 and 2007, the governors were very visible in political activities of the country. In fact in 2007, governors emerged both as the President and Vice President. So if you consider the crucial role we play in the sustenance of this democracy, you won’t say we are too powerful.”
On whether the President should sign the amended constitution before it becomes operational, Imoke urged Nigerians to savour the joy of achieving a huge feat by the amendment process, saying the country should not dissipate energy on technicalities which might later overcome the success recorded.
PDP govs split over Jonathan
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors’ meeting for the purpose of picking a consensus presidential candidate for next year’s elections ended in a deadlock, yesterday, as the governors were split over the choice of President Goodluck Jonathan.
Vanguard gathered that the meeting, which lasted more than four hours, became very stormy between those in support of Jonathan, who were in the majority, and those who were opposed to him
The meeting which was held at the Kwara State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, was billed to commence at 8.00 pm, but did not start until 9.00 p.m, Tuesday night and ended 1.15 a.m, yesterday, with the Chairman, Governors’ Forum and the Kwara State Governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, presiding.
It was gathered that the governors had earlier discussed with President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday, and that the President informed them that he would be seeking the party’s nomination.
Thereafter, the governors returned to the Asokoro meeting to take a position.
Vanguard learnt that while the governors were meeting, the National Chairman of PDP, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, also held an all night meeting with the 36 states’ chairmen and that of the Federal Capital Territory.
It was understood that the meeting was designed by the chairman to reach out to all stakeholders ahead of the elections, especially before the leadership of the party issued guidelines for the primaries.
A source told Vanguard that the meeting which ended at 1.00 a..m, yesterday, was part of the chairman’s consultative meetings with the leaders on how to arrive at decisions that would be favourable to all members of the party across the country. The meeting took place at the National Secretariat of the Party, Wadata Plaza.
Vanguard gathered that at the PDP governors’ meeting, all the South South governors spoke in favour of President Goodluck Jonathan contesting, just as the Southwest governors also spoke solidly in favour of Jonathan contesting the 2011 presidential election.
The source said the President faced very strong opposition from the Northern governors, where the ten governors that had earlier insisted that zoning should be retained, maintained their position at the meeting. It was gathered that as the meeting progressed, it got to a point that the PDP governors asked their Chairman, Dr. Bukola Saraki, to tell them whether he had an interest in contesting to become the presidential candidate of the party.
The source said that when Saraki failed to give the governors an answer on whether he was contesting for the Presidency, he was then asked to state his position because of his opposition to the presidential aspiration of President Jonathan.
Governors in support of Jonathan
Those who championed the presidency of Jonathan in 2011 at the meeting were Governors Jonah Jang of Plateau, and Gabriel Suswam of Benue State.
Opposing governors
Those who were opposed to Jonathan’s presidential aspiration were Governors of Kebbi, Zamfara, Bauchi and Katsina states. It was gathered at the meeting that these governors were at the forefront of those opposing the presidential aspiration of Jonathan, even as the source said: “This is understandable, because they were the same group that insisted on zoning when we met to take a position on the same matter in Kaduna last month.”
At the end of the meeting, the governors left, just as the governors of Rivers, Kwara, Bauchi and Delta began another meeting which lasted for thirty minutes. At the end of the meeting, the Delta State governor left at 1.15 a.m, while his Bauchi State counterpart came out at 1.45am.
Chairman of the Governors’ Forum and Kwara State governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, who left the venue of the meeting at about 2.00 a.m, refused to speak to the waiting journalists.
It was gathered that the governors’ inability to arrive at a compromise following a very strong division among them, made it impossible for the governors to issue a communiqué on the meeting.
Governors that attended the meeting
Present at the meeting were governors of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Akpabio; Isa Yuguda of Bauchi; Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa; Gabriel Suswam of Delta; Liyel Imoke of Cross River; Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta; and Martin Elechi of Ebonyi. The others were Segun Oni of Ekiti; Sullivan Chime of Enugu; Ikedi Ohakim of Imo; Sule Lamido of Jigawa; Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa of Kaduna and Ibrahim Shema of Katsina.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Abacha "go to hell"
The Correspondents' Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kano State chapter, on Wednesday rejected a consignment of rice allocated to it by Mohammed Abacha's Campaign Organisation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Abacha is believed to be one of the four applicants for the Governorship of Kano state on the platform of the Peoples' Democratic Party.
The journalists returned the five bags given by Ibrahim Ado Gwagwarwa, director of publicity of the organisation and thanked him, after a decision which its members unanimously agreed to.
In his response, Mr Gwagwarwa, a former director of press to former Kano State governor, Rabi'u Kwankwaso, expressed dismay at the reporters' action, saying it showed their ‘lack of appreciation' towards the gesture.
He explained that the gift was of his own volition, as the chapel was not one of those listed as beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, each of the 50-kg bags of the rice carried the PDP logo and the following phrases: ‘Ramadan Kareem', ‘Compliments of Alhaji Mohammed Abacha'.
The other candidates jostling for the party's flag are: House of Representatives member, Faruk Lawan, Sen.Mohammed Bello, and former military administrator of Niger and Plateau states, Habibu Shu'aibu.
Back
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Abacha is believed to be one of the four applicants for the Governorship of Kano state on the platform of the Peoples' Democratic Party.
The journalists returned the five bags given by Ibrahim Ado Gwagwarwa, director of publicity of the organisation and thanked him, after a decision which its members unanimously agreed to.
In his response, Mr Gwagwarwa, a former director of press to former Kano State governor, Rabi'u Kwankwaso, expressed dismay at the reporters' action, saying it showed their ‘lack of appreciation' towards the gesture.
He explained that the gift was of his own volition, as the chapel was not one of those listed as beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, each of the 50-kg bags of the rice carried the PDP logo and the following phrases: ‘Ramadan Kareem', ‘Compliments of Alhaji Mohammed Abacha'.
The other candidates jostling for the party's flag are: House of Representatives member, Faruk Lawan, Sen.Mohammed Bello, and former military administrator of Niger and Plateau states, Habibu Shu'aibu.
Back
First lady scolds Rivers State Governor
In the Nigeria constitution, there is no place for the first ladies of the federation neither is there no place for their counterparts in the state as there are none for the first men. THE First Lady’s two-day visit to Rivers State ended in a fiasco Tuesday.
All was well, until Dame Patience Jonathan and her chief host, Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi got to Okrika – the First Lady’s home town.
The governor was explaining by video his school project in Okrika, saying there must be demolition of some buildings to have space for the schools.
Mrs Jonathan cut in, grabbed the microphone and said the governor should reconsider the way he was going about the demolition.
An attempt by Amaechi to explain the situation sent the First Lady boiling.
She shouted at Amaechi: "Listen!, you must listen to me!"
The governor was embarrassed, like a scolded school pupil. The audience hailed Mrs Jonathan, goading the First Lady on.
The President’s wife, however, described land as a serious issue in Okrika and told Amaechi to always avoid "must" when talking about waterfronts’ demolition.
The governor never mentioned "waterfronts", but Mrs. Jonathan went on: "I want you to get me clear. I am from here (Okrika). I know the problems of my people. So, I know what I am talking. I do not want us to go into crises. We are preaching peace and we must maintain peace at any time.
"But what I am telling you is that you always say you must demolish. That word ‘must, you use is not good. It is by pleading. You appeal to the owners of the compound, because they will not go into exile. Land is a serious issue."
Downcast, Amaechi shunned a reception organised for the First Lady. The reception was, however, not on the programme.
Mrs Jonathan hurriedly left for Abuja. Her planned visit to Port Harcourt prisons, where the Chief Judge, Justice Iche Ndu, was expected to release some prisoners, was cancelled. So was her visit to the new Model Secondary School at Ebubu-Eleme, among others.
A civic reception in honour of the President’s wife was held at the Sharks Stadium, Port Harcourt on Monday. Her pet programme, Women for Change Initiative (WFCI), was launched.
This was followed by a state banquet/Award Night at the Government House, Port Harcourt, where the former Miss World, Agbani Darego, who hails from the state, and some women were honoured for their outstanding contributions to society.
All was well, until Dame Patience Jonathan and her chief host, Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi got to Okrika – the First Lady’s home town.
The governor was explaining by video his school project in Okrika, saying there must be demolition of some buildings to have space for the schools.
Mrs Jonathan cut in, grabbed the microphone and said the governor should reconsider the way he was going about the demolition.
An attempt by Amaechi to explain the situation sent the First Lady boiling.
She shouted at Amaechi: "Listen!, you must listen to me!"
The governor was embarrassed, like a scolded school pupil. The audience hailed Mrs Jonathan, goading the First Lady on.
The President’s wife, however, described land as a serious issue in Okrika and told Amaechi to always avoid "must" when talking about waterfronts’ demolition.
The governor never mentioned "waterfronts", but Mrs. Jonathan went on: "I want you to get me clear. I am from here (Okrika). I know the problems of my people. So, I know what I am talking. I do not want us to go into crises. We are preaching peace and we must maintain peace at any time.
"But what I am telling you is that you always say you must demolish. That word ‘must, you use is not good. It is by pleading. You appeal to the owners of the compound, because they will not go into exile. Land is a serious issue."
Downcast, Amaechi shunned a reception organised for the First Lady. The reception was, however, not on the programme.
Mrs Jonathan hurriedly left for Abuja. Her planned visit to Port Harcourt prisons, where the Chief Judge, Justice Iche Ndu, was expected to release some prisoners, was cancelled. So was her visit to the new Model Secondary School at Ebubu-Eleme, among others.
A civic reception in honour of the President’s wife was held at the Sharks Stadium, Port Harcourt on Monday. Her pet programme, Women for Change Initiative (WFCI), was launched.
This was followed by a state banquet/Award Night at the Government House, Port Harcourt, where the former Miss World, Agbani Darego, who hails from the state, and some women were honoured for their outstanding contributions to society.
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