He equally accused PDP of suffering from selective amnesia by its claim that he(Tinubu) endorsed Goodluck Jonathan’s presidential win as free and fair.

According to Tinubu, “the federal ruling party should address the challenge Gen. Buhari has thrown: organise a free, fair and transparent election and everything would be well. But try and skew the vote, and face sure disaster.”

Reacting to Olisa Metuh, the PDP national publicity secretary’s claim that Tinubu endorsed President Jonathan’s election at a lecture he gave at Chatham House, London, Sunday Dare, Tinubu’s special adviser on Media, accused the PDP of wilful mischief, as Tinubu’s statement was “deliberately” quoted out of context.

Mr. Metuh was reacting to the ACN support for Gen. Buhari’s warning that dire consequences awaited the polity if elections were rigged in 2015.

But putting the records straight, Dare insisted that though Tinubu said he thought Jonathan won the election, his tally was exaggerated, thus casting a slur on the integrity of his victory.

Tinubu was said to have declared in the Chatham House speech, on 18 July 2011: “I believe Jonathan won the election but that the returns attributed to him in some parts of the country obviously appeared exaggerated. Thus, celebrating the election as free and fair might lead to INEC beating its chest and might short-circuit the process of fundamental electoral reform. We must not relent in our struggle for fundamental reforms.”
The rest of the statement today reads that:”In that same speech, Asiwaju Tinubu had warned about the danger of draping the 2011 elections in qualities they did not deserve, adding that such false hope could come back to haunt Nigeria, if future elections were not improved upon, saying that by then, the damage might even be beyond the judiciary to fix.

“Again, direct quotes from the speech: “The negative consequence of this inflated measure is that the bar has been set too low for the conduct of subsequent elections. Those in power now believe they will not have to improve the process. This would be a gross miscalculation of the public mood. Should subsequent elections be of the same uneven quality, I fear a backlash that cannot simply be contained by resort to the judiciary for resolution.”

The statement “wondered how all these were different from what Gen. Buhari said; and how a party out of touch with reality and just throwing political tantrums, could claim Tinubu’s analysis of the 2011 elections amounted to endorsing Jonathan’s elections.”

“But even on the so-called international observers’ endorsement, Tinubu had warned, in this same speech, that such endorsement was hasty, misleading and did not represent the true picture of the situation.

“The 2011 elections were not of the high quality the government and many international observers proclaimed. In a way, international observers have done Nigeria a disservice that will become apparent in the future. The observers did not see what took place before Election Day or what happened in rural Nigeria. More importantly, most observers ended their day as the sun set and the polling stations closed,” Tinubu had said. “They ended their watch just as the agents of malpractice would begin their craft. Observers made a broad final conclusion based on a thin filament of information. They judged a complicated play solely by viewing one of its several acts”,it added.

It cautioned PDP against muddling up facts for political mischief and counselled it to devote more time to reading the full Chatham House speech, instead of quoting it out of context to confuse and confound unsuspecting Nigerians.

He gave the warning today in a paper entitled, “Towards Enthroning and Sustaining Democratic Practices and Ethos In Our Polity,” delivered at the 2012 law week organized by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Kaduna branch. The former governor said many Nigerians are daily losing hope in civilian rule because majority of the people are denied their rights to have a say on national issues by the nation’s political leaders.

He said the only way to avert a military takeover or violent revolution is for the current national leadership to organize Sovereign National Conference which possesses lesser risks than the danger the present situation portends.

He regretted that the country is currently under dictatorship rather than democratic governance, stressing that the political system in the present circumstance is a mere semblance of democracy.

In his words: “We must remember that because of the continuing negative state of the nation, the regimes of Abacha, Babangida and Obasanjo conducted and controlled national conferences in their own individual styles with only marginal role for the sovereign people of Nigeria. They failed to correct anything.

“If the national conferences to be established, conducted and controlled by the sovereign people of Nigeria cannot hold, then Nigeria runs the risk of undemocratic forces taking over political power as happened many times in the past, or even a social revolution qualitatively superior and more effective than the present Arab spring in the form of Sovereign National Conference which must proceed with a revolutionary struggle to establish a new reality of power to replace the existing one and establish an interim administration to conduct, direct and control the conference which can review and renew Nigeria.

“Only the people of Nigeria are sovereign and they can assert their sovereignty when there is no peaceful alternative. The sovereign people of Nigeria constitute all Nigerians aged 18 years and above who are registered voters and are entitled to be registered as voters.

“There are risks in both National conferences and Sovereign National Conference, but the risks of continuing like this and the political adventure involved are greater.

“Those who realize the risks and fear them and still want the National conferences or the Sovereign National Conference must be good in reducing or even eliminating the risks. That is what other leaders in other countries that achieved or are achieving greatness did and are doing.

“Why should Nigeria be different and pathetic? The present work of amending the 1999 constitution by the National Assembly lacks credibility and the possibility of solving the problems of the negative state of the nation.

“A big and complex third world country like Nigeria cannot afford to rely on the unconstitutional leading role of the private sector to even reach the take-off stage of economic development because of the particular character of the Nigerian private enterprise such as inexperience, immorality, greed and parasitism.

“During the colonial rule of Britain in Nigeria and the first Republic, because of the leading role of public interest, there was more nationalism, patriotism, credibility, quality leadership, and performance even though resources were meager and the system controlling all developments was colonial, semi-feudal, and conservative. The ruling classes consciously protected the system that gave birth to and sustain them unlike the present bourgeois ruling class.

“What we have in Nigeria has nothing to do with democracy. It is a combination of narrow self interest, dictatorship and anarchy.We have civilian rule instead of military rule, and it is this civilian rule which we wrongly call and regard as democracy.As preferable as civilian rule is, it is not democracy because it can be more irrelevant and dictatorial than military rule.

“If democracy cannot be achieved under the present circumstances of Nigeria because of the dictotarial control by and resistance of the revolutionary and corrupt ruling class which is leading the country to failure and destruction, then the only peaceful alternative for bringing about correctims and desired changes is for the Sovereign people of Nigeria to assert themselves and conduct a National conference with the active and patriotic support of all the three arms of government who are now aware of the desperate state of the nation and their failure to cope and avoid class suicide.”

First, GMB has been out of office as Head of Government for about 28 years, yet his relevance to the Nigerian nation is something firmly acknowledged by a broad spectrum of Nigerians, including his adversaries. As Head of State, his Oil Minister was Professor Tam David-West, a Kalabari man in Rivers state. As a Leader, he created the ambience for his ministers to work unobtrusively and devoid of executive meddlesomeness. But what do we find with Dr Goodluck Jonathan? All the appointees as Oil ministers in his two-year reign thus far as President of Nigeria have been Nigerians of Ijaw extraction, like himself!

Second, in October 1, 2010, there was a bomb blast during the year’s independence anniversary celebrations, with attendant deaths of many Nigerians. Without waiting for any preliminary report from the Security Agencies, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, as President, told a traumatized Nation, “it is not MEND!” Meanwhile, MEND is the name for the militant group from Dr Good-luck Jonathan’s ethnic extraction that had in the immediate past waged relentless and potent insurgency against the Nigerian state but had been placated with more slice of the Nation’s resources ceded to the region. Indeed, MEND impugned the President’s statement and admitted responsibility.

Third, so far as President of Nigeria, Dr Good-luck Jonathan has shown very generous affinity for Nigerians of Ijaw stock in terms of appointments and promotions in the Federal Public sector. There is a marked lopsidedness that smacks of clannishness and ethnocentrism by the President!

On Corruption and sleazy tendency, the Jonathan administration transcends all others before it! Nigerians are still befuddled by the impeachable show of arbitrariness by the regime in expending N2.67Trillion on fuel subsidy instead of the appropriated N240Billion in the 2011 appropriation act. As expected, the regime has attempted all manner of subterfuge to give Executive cover for the indicted people in the scam, who were the bank-rollers of the President’s electioneering campaign. Could it be that the missing money was funneled deliberately to the Jonathan Presidential Campaigns, with the acquiescence of the President?

GMB was quoted as saying that the Jonathan-led Federal Government is the greatest Boko-Haram. Understandably, this elicited awful response from the President. In a jejune, puerile, and very pedestrian communication, the presidential spokesman defined Boko-Haram as “Western education is sin” and went on to posit the administration’s investment in Education. How awkwardly inane could that be?!

It is common knowledge that Boko-Haram has become the euphemism for subtlety in devious schemes that cause mass killings of the innocents! As GMB aptly stated, Boko Haram has three variants, with varying degrees of severity and murderous content: the original Boko-haram that seeks to avenge the extra-judicial killing of its Leader by the Nigeria Police; the Boko Haram that pursues criminality for monetary gains and of course, the Political Boko-haram that is bent on setting the stage for ethno-religious pogrom in the Nigerian nation. It is the Political Boko Haram, with its extremely lethal content, that the Jonathan-led Federal Government represents!

 In January 2012, Dr Good-luck Jonathan told a bewildered nation, still smarting from murderous Bombings, that his government has been infiltrated by Boko Haram.

In February 2012, a serving PDP senator from Borno South (Mohammed Ali Ndume) was arrested for being a member of Boko Haram.

In March 2012, Ndume deposed to an affidavit before a Federal High Court wherein he stated that Vice-President Namadi Sambo was aware of his activities with Boko Haram.

In April 2012, General Andrew Owoeye Azazi , the National Security Adviser, averred that there was indisputable proof that Boko Haram is PDP. As things stand, President Good-luck Jonathan is the national leader of PDP.
       In April 2012, Henry Okah (while standing trial on Terrorism charges) deposed to an affidavit before a South African court that President Good-luck Jonathan was the sponsor of the October 1, 2010 bombing at Eagle square. It is on record that as governor of a Niger-delta state, Dr Good-luck Jonathan (together with his brother governors) had used the MEND to command the attention of the Nigerian state.

       As a Party, we are aware of the role played by Jonathan’s PDP in the way the People’s post-electoral angst (at the subversion of their electoral will) was turned into murderous ethno-religious mayhem.

·    We are also aware about how the Jonathan administration has consistently used the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) under the leadership of his fellow Niger-delta Nigerian, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, to demonize GMB in the despicable attempt to veil the murderous intent of the administration.

Meanwhile, with the hullaballoo that Dr Jonathan and his PDP elements have unwittingly caused within the Polity, should it be interpreted that there is a real effort towards ensuring that the 2015 election is also rigged as before in giving vim to the PDP Leaders’ claim of ruling Nigeria for 60 years? As a Nation, we are witnesses to the manner in which rigged elections have foisted on the Nation cluelessness in governance and rapacious impudence; it is indeed a dreary road to tread.

We insist that it is never ignoble to lose elections because President Abraham Lincoln, before being reputed to be the best American President that ever existed, was known to have lost elections several times. GMB, though lost Presidential elections three times to the rigging collusion of the Nigerian presidency and the electoral umpire, took the loss each time (like Abraham Lincoln) with equanimity!

In the meantime, we shall continue to trumpet the sterling qualities of the Buhari brand which is still a rarity among the Political players in our nation’s season of anomie. We stand unwaveringly by the statement credited to GMB!

God bless Nigeria.

 
Rotimi Fashakin (Engr.)

National Publicity Secretary, CPC

(Wednesday, 16th May, 2012).

To avoid the escape of Babalakin who is the Chairman of Bi-Courteney Group, the concessionaire company that manages the Lagos airport(MMA2) and the dilapidated Lagos-Ibadan expressway,the lawyer turned businessman was again invited to the Abuja office of the EFCC last Wednesday, May 9 2012 where he was detained from 10am till about 5pm local time during which his travel documents were retrieved from him.

A top member of the team investigating the businessman told ireports-ng.com that”we invited him because we have gotten to a critical point of blocking all loopholes in the investigation and filing charges against the accused. Yes, he was detained for some hours because he was relying on some contacts in the presidency and didn’t want to cooperate. We needed to get his international travel passport as well as take his photograph for forensic purposes but he initially refused to cooperate.It is a standard practice to write the offence of such people on a piece of paper which they will hold on their chest while we take their photographs just as it was done in the Ibori picture released to the press by London police but he took offence. He eventually submitted himself for the photo session when it dawned on him he was going to sleep in the cell.”

Justifying while Babalakin was invited for another round of interrogation, our source who is very close to the agency’s chief executive, Ibrahim Lamorde disclosed that “we reviewed his past statements and felt like asking him more questions based on legal advice from our legal team that will prosecute the case.”

The source who claimed he was not mandated to speak on record on the case because of the enormous pressure from the National Security Adviser, NSA, General Andrew Owoeye Azazi on his boss,Lamorde to drop the case assured that the EFCC boss was ready to damn all consequences, prove a point and “file the matter in court any moment from now.”

ireports-ng.com had in an exclusive report on February 22, 2012 broken the news on the arrest and detention of Babalakin. According to the report then, “Babalakin was arrested in Lagos on Saturday and detained at the agency’s facility located off Awolowo road, Ikoyi, Lagos where he was interrogated till the following day, Sunday. A source in the team of operatives that quizzed Babalakin said the lawyer turned businessman was interrogated for allegedly providing his company bank accounts through which Ibori transferred over N1.6 billion to offshore accounts.

“The funds were said to have been moved from Delta state government accounts through companies owned by Babalakin under the guise of purchasing a jet which was never bought. The senior lawyer turned businessman is the Chairman of Bi-Courteny Aviation which owns the terminal two of the Lagos airport, Ikeja.

“The latest information linking Babalakin to funds stolen by Ibori was said to have been provided by the Met Police in London which wants more evidence to prosecute Ibori over money laundering charges in a Southwark court. Ibori’s wife,Nkoyo; his sister,Christie; his mistress, Udoamaka and lawyer have already been convicted and serving various jail terms in the UK.

“Though Babalakin has been granted administrative bail on Sunday, there are indications that he may be invited for further questioning if the Met Police that needs his statement is not satisfied with the information already obtained from him.”

The latest development has therefore confirmed that initial report on the case.

The NLC in a statement released today by its acting general secretary, Comrade Owei Lakemfa asked President Goodluck Jonathan to call members of his cabinet funding the plot to order.

According to the union, ” These hawks in government who see the NLC as being too powerful and capable of checkmating undemocratic and unpatriotic moves by the political class, have come to the conclussion that the best way out is to engineer internal ‘disagreements’ in the NLC, and hiding under this guise, to register a new labour centre which they hope will support anti-people policies and cause distractions in the Labour Movement. These government agents have even fixed July 2012 as the registration date of their proposed new labour centre.”

Labour said the same agents are also responsible for the anti-labour bill currently before the National Assembly, adding that these agents of destabilisation fail to realise that the NLC is a major buffer against any unconstitutional or anti democratic bid for power in the country.

“They do not recognize the fact that when the chips are down, it is the NLC, and not the political parties that is capable of mobilizing and getting tens of millions of Nigerians on the streets to defend our democratic project. The NLC advises the trade unionists who have enlisted for this anti- people project, and those being enticed to join them, to retrace their steps as the Congress will not allow the ranks of the working people to be split. The NLC and its allies put the working people on the alert for a struggle to stop this move”, the statement added..

The NLC also called on President Jonathan to stop his officials who are engaged in renewed media campaigns to further increase the price of fuel under the guise of a nebulous deregulation policy, which it stated that the House of Representatives has exposed as being fraudulent.

It added that the continuous waste of public funds on media campaigns, the enticement of youths and so called Town Hall meetings to mislead Nigerians to support another round of fuel price hike was a criminal enterprise.

“With the serious security challenges in the country, the heating up of the polity by politicians and rising poverty in the land, the NLC calls on President Jonathan to call the agents of his government to order on the twin issues of trying to break up the NLC by fiat and increasing fuel prIce. These are unnecessary battles which the government cannot win”,labour warned.

A resident told ireports-ng.com on the phone that the assailants came on a motorbike, fired sporadic gunshots that made residents run for cover. The source said the armed men only left the area after ensuring that their targets were confirmed dead.

Multiple sources which later spoke to our correspondent in Kano confirmed that the attack at the Tukuntawa quarters , which is located in the Sharada Industrial Area in the state capital took place shortly before the commencement of the curfew imposed on motorbikes in the state.

The armed men were said to have escaped on motorbikes soon after killing their victims and the arrival of security operatives invited to the scene.

Security men attached to the Joint Security Task Force in the state have since cordoned off the area while all abandoned security check points have been immediately restored.

An airport source told ireports-ng.com a few minutes ago that the bomb was discovered after passengers who just arrived the airport had cpmpleted their arrival formalities, headed to the baggage reclaim section and retrieved their bags,leaving a particular bag untouched.

This immediately created a panic while officials of the police anti-bomb squad attached to the airport terminal were alerted at about 10pm local time.

After scanning the bag with their equipment, the security agents which immediately cordoned off the area concluded that the luggage was laden with explosives and went ahead to defuse it before doing great damage.

Speaking at plenary today, after a two week leave of medical absence, the Senate President decried Nigeria’s level of insecurity, warning that such must not be politicised.

According to him “It is, however, imperative to raise a few topical issues that concern our nation today. First is the security challenge. The current level of insecurity in the country is unacceptable and something must be done to improve it and very quickly too.

“Clearly, the terrorists have declared war on Nigeria and Nigerians. Escalating acts of terror not only threaten our unity as a nation but challenge the very human values we all believe in. Inspite of all these bombings, we should not despair or be disillusioned. We shall overcome through our collective determination.

“This is the time for concerted action by all Nigerians; ethnicity, political affiliation, religious belief notwithstanding. We have a real problem on our hands and we must handle it with the seriousness it deserves and we should never politicise it.

“Divisive statements or finger pointing are not helpful. Attempts to apportion blame for failures at this time of the burgeoning terror threats will not lead to any practical and long lasting solution. The primary responsibility of tackling this challenge lies with the Government but that notwithstanding, we all have roles to play.”

While tasking the nation’s security agencies to be proactive in their efforts, Mark said preventing terrorists attacks is more result oriented than running after the perpetrators.

“Let me also say without mincing words that the security agencies must intensify their pre-operational responsibilities, roles and actions and improve their operational capabilities. Their major task must be to thwart and prevent these bombings.

“Having said this I would like to add that these misguided groups are our brothers and sisters; Government must therefore explore all avenues to discuss with them.

“On the other hand, those who are aggrieved must find a better way to express their grievances. It is in the national interest that there is peace and security particularly if we want the transformation agenda to succeed”, he declared.

The Senate President charged the senate’s 56 standing committees to take their oversight functions over ministries, departments and agencies seriously as well as monitor the level of capital budget implementation in the new budget.

She told the  House of Representatives Ad-Hoc committee probing the near collapse of Capital Market that Oteh was covering up her low understanding of the capital market with her rough ride even as she insisted that she legally remains the DG of NSE.

Oteh had on Monday while addressing the Committee reeled out how Onyiuke’s financial recklessness contributed in no small measure to the near crash of the market. She said the report of the Risk and Disciplinary committee showed how the ex-NSE boss spent a whooping N180 million to buy Rolex wrist watches, N1.3 billion on foreign trips among others.

Meanwhile, the stage appears set again for another round of war between the mudslinging SEC DG and House of Reps panel as the Chairman of the newly constituted panel, Hon Ibrahim Tukur El-Sudi today accused Oteh of arrogance and trying to sabotage the work of the new panel. He therefore summoned her to appear before it tomorrow  or face arrest.

El-Sudi was reacting to a letter by Oteh requesting the committee to allow her respond to their questions in writing rather than appear before it today adding that she needed to attend the National Economic Management Team(NEMT)meeting chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan.

”I write to inform you that I am unable to attended the public hearing today because I will be attending the National Economic Management Team meeting chaired by the President, His Excellency Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan(GCFR)”, she had stated in her letter.
 But the committee chairman dismissed the letter insisting that Oteh must appear before it and clear some grey areas regarding her handling of the recovery effort of the market. He  claimed that the DG’s letter had an aura of arrogance, an affront he said would not be permitted.

“Arunma Oteh is hereby ordered to appear before this committee by 10am tomorrow. she should come with all relevant materials, otherwise we will invoke relevant provisions”, El-Sudi had declared.

While trying to explain her role in the poor shape of the capital market, Onyiuke accused Oteh of willfully engaging in baseless allegations just to cover up her inefficiency. Although she admitted that her regime bought some wrist watches she said that they were used for the long service award organized by NSE.

His words:”Last week, they succeed in killing three Journalist. Last night, they killed Olaitan. Let me be clear they cannot kill my fighting spirit. We submitted a petition to the Commissioner of Police in which we informed him of the meetings held at the residence of the godfather where they took a critical evaluation of the forthcoming election and they agreed it is impossible for them to win.

” They also resolved at the meeting presided over by the godfather to intimidate my person and if possible to eliminate me. At that meeting, they said they will kill under the guise of armed robbery, many of my personal staff and key leaders to pretend as if they are victim of kidnapping. I also informed the police they resolved that weeks before the election, they will detonate bombs in parts of the state in order to scare people away from going to vote. What is our crime. Our crime is that we have mobilised our people, we have deployed public resources for the public good and the godfather is angry. We have no apology for the stand we have taken and we will not slow down. The blood of this young men will fire me on to fight and defeat the godfather. There is no going back. They have killed my son. They have killed my brother, they have killed my people but they cannot kill my spirit. I ask you the police if they do not find the killers, if they do not do proper investigation on the killing of those Journalists and of Olaitan last night, as the Governor of Edo State, I will convert the leadership of my people to find solution to security. They must not fight like coward. They should stand.

“Last night like coward, they shot Olaitan in the chest, head and belly to make sure he never survives. Why will a man in his eighties seat over the death of young children? Why will an old man who has children and grand children supervise the killings of young people?, why will Airhiavbere who wishes to rule Edo State instigate tribalism. I want to serve them notice I have the capacity and the men if they do not behave, we can stop them from coming to Edo State. Let me say I have not come to cry today the blood of those young men will whet my appetite for justice because their plan is to postpone again for the second time our campaign. Tomorrow we will go ahead because Olaitan in his lifetime was a fighter. We met in the field of struggle not on the dinning table. I ask you not to be afraid, not to be intimidated. Don’t give up.

“If anything, we should be more resolved. The godfather is finished nobody can rescue him. Any old man that kill will have death awaiting him. Every old man that kills will have death awaiting his children. Every old man that kills will be in perpetual hell fire as revealed in the holy document. In the name of politics, these people are bringing violence to our community. They are killing, they are maiming and they are planning more. You will recall in 2007, we lost three young men who were killed. At the state house of assembly, they planted a bomb which was meant to killed ACN members in the House but thank God that bomb did not explode. You also recalled they used matchet and shelltox to kill and attack ACN lawmakers. In all of these, the Police has not done justice. Those who tried to kill those Honourable members, nothing has happened to them.

“Those who plotted the killing of those Journalists are busy paying condolence visit. It is not how long I live that matters but what I should be remembered for. We will fight and not give up. I want to send a warning to Chief Anenih if he does not change his ways he will not be able to live in any parts of Edo State. I want to serve notice to Airhiavbere, Dan Orbih that if they insist on violence, violence will consume them. They have engaged in series of acts of provocation. They decided to go and locate Airhiavbere office in clear violation of all rules regulating partisan contest and electioneering. This afternoon, don’t join me to cry. We will not cry. Rather we will be resolute that the godfather is dead, he cannot be resurrected. All the evil plan he is planning will befall him and his family. We will not plot evil.

“All my life, I have never killed. I will not be desperate. Those who are bathing in the blood of innocent people will not go scot free. I am giving the Police 14 days from today to produce the killers of Olaitan and to establish those responsible for the killing of those Journalists. If they do not do that as the Chief Security Officer of this state, I reserve all my options. This country will either fail or stand. Nobody can intimidate me. Even out of power I was not intimidated, he should repent. I ask you to go home and not take laws into your hands. Resist the temptation to fight them today. We are giving the police today. They must produce those killers. They will not die in vain. Go back peacefully. They do evil at night but we do good at night. Nobody has monopoly of evil and violence. Go back home peacefully, tomorrow mobilize we will still do the rally as planned. Every week, they will create a situation where we will postpone our rally. The best tribute we can give to Olaitan is not to give up, it is not to surrender. We have already conquered, them we will consolidate. Anenih belongs to the past whether he likes it or not. Airhiavbere is not in this world. Dan Orbih is a failed guy. We will not dance naked with them. They do not have monopoly of violence.”

Tony Anenih

Olaitan Oyerinde