Saudi Arabia publicly flogged liberal blogger and activist accused of ‘insulting Islam’

Amnesty says Badawi is due to receive 50 lashes every Friday for 20 weeks

Saudi Arabia has publicly flogged liberal blogger and activist Raif Badawi, who was accused of insulting Islam.

Amnesty International confirmed toThe Independentthat Badawi, who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes, received the first round of 50 in a public flogging after Friday prayers, which it says continue every Friday for 20 weeks.

Amnesty says Badawi, who started the “Free Saudi Liberals” website, was arrested in June 2012 for creating an online forum for public debate and over accusations that he insulted Islam. His website has also been shut down.

Badawi was originally sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes in July last year, but an appeals court overturned the sentence and ordered a retrial – which then earned him a more severe sentence of 1,000 lashes and ten years in prison.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki had earlier joined world-wide calls for the inhumane punishment not to be carried out and said the US was “greatly concerned” by reports of the inhumane punishment.

Ms Paski said: “The United States government calls on Saudi authorities to cancel this brutal punishment and to review Badawi’s case and sentence.”

Badawi’s lawyer, human rights activist Waleed Abu al-Khair, has also been jailed for 15 years after being charged with “undermining the regime and officials”, “inciting public opinion” and “insulting the judiciary”.

“Flogging and other forms of corporal punishment are prohibited under international law, which prohibits torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” he said.

“It is horrifying to think that such a vicious and cruel punishment should be imposed on someone who is guilty of nothing more than daring to create a public forum for discussion and peacefully exercising the right to freedom of expression.”

Independent UK

Lagos pupils to pay a whopping N10,000 for admission tests

The Lagos State Government has said that parents and guardians would pay N10,000 to register their wards for computer-based test for 2015/2016 admissions into junior secondary schools.
About 30 candidates will participate in the pilot scheme of the CBT for the 2015/2016 admission process.
This was contained in a statement released by the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, announcing the commencement of the sale of application forms to pupils on Thursday.
Oladunjoye said two versions of the screening tests – computer-based and pencil-based – would be adopted this year.

She added that parents and guardians were expected to pay N10,000 to designated banks, after which candidates would be registered through a customised compact disc issued by the State Examination Board.

The commissioner pointed out that the registration of candidates could be done through a customised CD that would be issued to candidates after confirmation of payment at any branch of Fidelity Bank (account number 5030000739, Agency Code 4280011 and Revenue Code 40200045); Skye Bank (account number 1770602459, Agency Code 280011 and Revenue Code 40200045); and FCMB (account number 0135582205, Agency Code 4280011 and Revenue Code 40200045).

The sale of forms will close on April 3rd.
Oladunjoye said the tests were the only yardsticks for admission into the 15 model colleges/upgraded secondary schools in the state.

She also noted that while the screening test would hold on Saturday, May 9, 2015 at various designated centres, the pilot scheme of the CBT would hold at the I.C.T/ Computer Centre of the State Examinations Board, Agege.

Gov. Dickson blasts Seibarugu, Kuku and others. As relationship with Jonathan sours

Cracks in the relationship between the Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson and President Goodluck Jonathan on one hand, and the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, on the other hand, deepened on Thursday.

Dickson berated their loyalists led by a former deputy governor of the state, Werinipre Seibarugu, and former Special Adviser on Special Projects, Remi Kuku, for allegedly sowing seeds of discord in the PDP family in the state.
The governor’s attack on Seibarugu, Kuku, and other loyalists of Jonathan was coming barely five weeks to the February 14 presidential election.

Jonathan’s loyalists and supporters in the state now operate under the aegis of the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) under the chairmanship of Seibarugu.

Kuku is the Deputy National Co-ordinator of the First Lady’s non-governmental organisation, Women for Change and Development Initiative (W4CDI).

Last Monday, Dickson sacked Kuku and the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Marie Ebikake, from his cabinet in very controversial circumstances.
The governor, who spoke through a statement on Thursday in Yenagoa signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Iworsio-Markson, accused the former deputy governor, Kuku and “their cohorts” for creating political divisions in the state, especially among the women.

He flayed them for engaging in divisive tendencies to “mostly to serve their own selfish interest and personal aggrandizement other than the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, TAN”.

He described them as “some desperate and self-seeking politicians promoting the politics of disaffection and needless divisions in the state”.
He also described “their antics as childish and most deplorable, especially, for people claiming to be working for the success of the PDP”.

“While operating under the aegis of the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, TAN, they rallied senior members of the previous administration in the State to engage and promote the politics of subversion and needless divisions amongst the women and other groups, who were mobilized to attend and honour the President on the occasion of the traditional marriage of his niece.

“Mrs. Kuku did not only create division among the women, but displayed total disrespect for senior officials of the Bayelsa State Government by her actions and this can no longer be condoned in a disciplined set up like the restoration government”, Dickson said.
He warned them and their fellow politicians to desist “from every form of subversive and divisive tendencies, capable of threatening the existing peaceful, harmonious, united and conducive environment created by his administration”.

The governor cautioned that while politicians and groups were free to set up campaign structures to promote their personal, political aspirations and canvas for votes from the electorates, they must do so within the confines of the law.
Dickson, according to the statement, called on the security agencies to be at alert in order to nip in the bud any attempt by Werinipre, Kuku and “their cohorts” to cause trouble in the state.

“It is worthy of note that since the commencement of the Governor Dickson-led restoration government, the administration has strived to galvanize and mobilize the state to function as a single unified and progressive entity, one with visible and distinctive landmarks of solid development in virtually all sectors of the state’s economy.

“All of these were done despite the subversive and unpatriotic tendencies of those who do not mean well for the state, coupled with the dangerous propaganda and blackmail of the opposition.
“Of recent, these subversive tendencies have almost been taken to a treasonable level”, the statement added.

It continued: “To this end, we wish to state as follows: That there is a lawfully and legitimately constituted government in place with a mandate to ensure and provide for the security, safety and stability of the state, and as such, we will not condone or allow anybody, no matter how highly placed, to get away with acts of subversion.

“As our government has shown since inception, we allow room for political opposition to thrive, but we have always insisted that, those who engage in opposition politics must do so, within the confines of the law.

“We, therefore, call on citizens of our state to be weary of the divisive and subversive tendencies of some persons, who have all in the name of politics, set out to create and carry actions, that are intended to cause divisions in our state.

“Finally, we want to sound a clear note of warning to all, that in the interest of peace, even as the elections draw near, that this state is bigger than every one of us and nobody, no matter how highly placed, will be spared from facing the wrath of the law, if found wanting”, the statement added.

Yaya Toure is Africa’s best again

The Ivory Coast and Manchester City player became the first African to win the award in four straight years.
Nigerians who were full of expectations were compensated with the Woman Player of the Year award which went expectedly to Asisat Oshoala. She was the Highest Goal Scorer and Most Valuable Player at the 2014 FIFA U20 championship held in Canada. The Rivers Angels player was also the MVP of the African Women Championship in Namibia last year.

African Player of the Year (Based in Africa) was won by Firmin Mubele Ndombe of the DR Congo.
Algeria won the National Team of the Year (Men). The North Africans were clearly the best African team at the 2014 World Cup after the Nigerian and Ghanaian teams were consumed by fights over dollars.
Super Falcons beat the Falconets and Cameroon to win the Team of the Year (Women).

The Club of the Year award went Es Setif of Algeria.

The CAF Fair Play Award renamed after Late Cameroonian Albert Ebosse is not up for grabs this year till next edition. The Most Promising Talent award was won by Yacine Brahimi of Algeria. He was ahead of Cameroon duo of Clinton N’jie and Vincent Aboubakar.

Kheireddine Madoui of Algeria’s ES Setif was named the Coach of the Year while Papa Bakary Gassama was voted as the Referee of the Year.
African Legend award was shared by Cameroon’s Oryx Club Class of 1964 and Stade Malien of Mali.

Nigeria pair Vincent Enyeama and Ahmed Musa made the African team XI. Moise Katumbi of DR Congo and owner of TP Mazembe got the African Football Leader award while CAF Platinum award went to Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan and Ghana FA president Kwesi Nyantakyi.

African Player of the Year – Based in Africa
Ndombe Mubele (DR Congo and AS Vita)

Women’s Player of the Year
Asisat Oshoala

Youth Player of the Year
Asisat Oshoala

Most Promising Talent
Yacine Brahimi

Coach of the Year
Kheireddine Madoui (ES Setif)

National Team of the Year
Algeria

Women’s National Team of the Year
Nigeria

Club of the Year
ES Setif

Referee of the Year
Papa Bakary Gassama (Gambia)

I won’t fight graft by putting people in crates –Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan began his re-election campaign in Lagos on Thursday, saying he would not fight corruption by arresting and putting people in crates.

Jonathan, in his 33-minute speech that centered more on responses to criticisms of his administration by some prominent Nigerians and the opposition, faulted a recent statement credited to the APC presidential candidate, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, that he would send corrupt Nigerians to jail.
Although he did not mention names, he was indirectly making reference to Buhari’s role in the 1984 botched attempt to smuggle a former Transport minister, the late Umaru Dikko, to Nigeria.

He said, “They said they will start fighting corruption after they have crossed the bridge. And only two days ago, somebody stood in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and said he would catch people that steal and throw them in Kirikiri(Prisons).
“I agree that we must stop corruption but I will not do so by catching people and putting them in crates and jailing or killing them. We can’t stop corruption that way.”

The President told the PDP chiefs, members and supporters at the carnival-like event that held at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos that “the same mouth says something from the right and the left, making contradictory statements.”
Raising his voice, he asked rhetorically,“ Can you trust such a man ? Are they not deceiving you?
“They want power by all means. All they want to use power for is to lock up and imprison their enemies,” he claimed, eliciting thunderous applause from the gathering.

The President also said that if Buhari had effectively fought corruption between 1983 and 1985 when he was Head of State, Nigeria would not be grappling with graft today.
He argued that the kind of anti-graft war the APC presidential candidate was advocating had no place in today’s democracy.
The President said that instead of fighting corruption by making arrests, he would structure Nigeria in such a way that people holding public offices would no longer have direct access to funds.
Jonathan added that his administration had curbed corruption in the civil service and the agricultural sector through the computerisation of payment system.

The President, however, explained that the system caused the delay in paying federal civil servants December salaries.
He said, “I apologise to those families that suffered because I believe that for you to fight corruption, you must take some measures such as establishing institutions. You don’t just wake up, enter the streets and start arresting people and showing them on television sets and saying you are fighting corruption.
“If they had succeeded in fighting corruption, corruption would not have been with us today. If they had set up structures to manage resources, in this ICT era, we would not have been talking about corruption today.
“What happened on the issue of civil servants is something known as IPIS which is a software for protecting salaries. Sometimes people steal salaries in some Federal Government agencies and ministries. They tried to divert funds meant for some allowances but since the system is scientific, it shut down. This is the only way that you can prevent corruption.

“I served in Bayelsa State as deputy governor and governor for eight years and then vice president and president for another four years. Within these periods, fertiliser distribution was an area where both the federal and state governments spent billions of naira. Less than 10 per cent of the product got to farmers while the rest was stolen and sent out of the country. Even the 10 per cent was sometimes adulterated.

“What did we do? We assembled some young Nigerians that are IT gurus and developed what we call the Electronic Wallet. Through the wallet, farmers got fertiliser directly and nobody is cheating the government again. Is that not a way to stop corruption?

“If somebody tells you that the best way to fight corruption is to come and arrest your mother and father and show them on television, will that stop corruption? In fact, it will even encourage corruption. We are shooting armed robbers but is that stopping them? So, arresting people and showing them on television sets will do nothing. We must set up institutions and strengthen them in order to prevent people from stealing public money. That is what we are working on and we are succeeding.”
Although Jonathan was also short of mentioning names , he said that Nigeria would become a jungle if some people who did not believe in the rule of law were allowed to take over governance.

He said, “They say the government is weak and have no plan. They say we are weak because they took our fathers, mothers and uncles and drugged and put them in crates before flying them to Nigeria. They were intercepted mid-air by superior powers.
“That even blocked Nigerians from even going to Britain at a time. The relationship between Nigeria and Britain went sour and the whole world isolated Nigeria . They say that is the way to fight corruption. So the moment I suspect your uncle (of corruption), I can crate him and send them to Kirikiri (prisons).

“Is that the way to stop corruption? I served with (former President Umaru)Yar’Adua and he stood by due process and I also stand by due process.
“Any country that does not obey the rule of law is a jungle. Do you want Nigeria to be a jungle ? “Immediately I suspect you of doing something wrong, I will call the police and the army and throw you into jail. Is that the kind of country you want? They said to be strong is to jail people indiscriminately for 300 years. Is that the way to go? A country is like an industry, it must be managed properly by people who have grey and white matters upstairs.”

He said the APC was not a democratic party as the Department of State Service had exposed its plan to clone Permanent Voter Cards in order to rig the general elections.
Jonathan warned that a vote for the APC was a vote for backwardness.
In the area of insecurity, Jonathan said Buhari could not tackle the problem because he contributed to it by failing to invest in the military when he was head of state.
He said, “They talked about insecurity. Are Nigerians in the armed forces weak? The problem is that we don’t have platforms (equipment) and somebody who wakes up and tells young people that they want to fight insecurity, ask him: Did he buy one rifle for a Nigerian soldier?

“These people did not buy anything; they refused to equip the military and there were no helicopters; nothing. Ask them what they did with their defence budgets and the whole time they could not equip the military.”
The President said $10bn was not enough to buy equipment for the military as it usually took years to boost its capacity. He, however, said he had been able to curb corruption in the armed forces by eliminating middlemen in the purchase of arms.
He said, “No country equips its military overnight . Armed forces are built over the years because even if you spend $10bn today, you cannot equip the Air Force, the Navy and the Army. They refused to build their capacity, they instigated crisis and now they are telling you they can fight insecurity.

“They said the military is corrupt. When this insecurity started, we had nothing so to tackle it very quickly, we used vendors to get equipment. But now, we are doing government to government arrangement and so there is nothing like corruption anymore. Is that not the way to fight corruption? You must prevent people from touching public money.”
Jonathan said since his generation had failed Nigeria, it was important for the youths to vote for those who would invest in their future.
He said it was his dream for the next generation of Nigerians to fly to the moon.

He said, “Those of my age and above are finished; we are gone. That is why I am addressing those of you that are voting for the first time. We believe it is you that will take us to the moon. My generation has failed, we couldn’t take Nigeria to the moon.
“Look at what India is doing? I said for us to get to the moon, our first class graduates should be sent to the best 25 universities in the world for postgraduate studies.

“ So you must vote wisely. They will build prisons for you but I will build universities for you. I will build primary schools and secondary schools .”
He said the APC was not on a mission to fight corruption but to jail their enemies. He, therefore, urged Nigerians not to vote for the party.

Jonathan laughed at the reported endorsement of Buhari by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta.
He said it was unfortunate that the group which was responsible for killing Nigerians on October 1, 2010 was the one identifying with the APC.
He also alleged that MEND jailed leader, Henry Okah, was paid to kill him in 2010.

Earlier, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, said the alleged missing money from the treasury was a propaganda tool created by the APC.
Akpabio said, “We (governors) were the ones that told Mr. President that we should share the 55bn. We said we could not be saving while our people are hungry. Will you be saving when your child is in the hospital?

“If your child dies, wouldn’t you be a fool? The money was shared by the three tiers of government so no money is missing.”
He did not say if the money was in naira or dollars.

Punch

Jonathan, a divisive leader – APC

APC

The All Progressives Congress has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to stop bemoaning the widening ethno-religious gap among Nigerians, saying the President was Nigeria’s most divisive leader.
The opposition party said that the citizens were today more divided along religions and ethnic lines than ever before.

The party said this in reaction to comments by Jonathan, at a meeting with members of the Northern Elders Council in Abuja, that some of our elder statesmen had been making inciting and divisive statements capable of polarising Nigerians along ethnic and religious lines.

The APC’s reaction was contained in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in Abuja on Thursday.
Part of the statement read, “Mr. President, there is no point being sanctimonious about an issue for which you bear the most responsibility.

“You are the most divisive leader in the history of Nigeria, having ceaselessly exploited the country’s fault lines for political gains.

“Where was President Jonathan when his spokespersons and party members sought to portray all adherents of a particular faith as terrorists?”

The APC said Jonathan was the country’s first leader to turn the house of worship to a political arena, using the pulpit to make political and policy statements and making a show of what should ordinarily be a very personal religious affair.

It added that the President’s “belated lamentation is aimed at pulling the wool over the eyes of Nigerians with a view to extracting undeserved political gains, especially a few weeks before next month’s elections.”

The party wondered where the President was when his spokespersons and party members sought to pit Christians against Muslims by labelling the country’s main opposition party, the APC, an Islamic Party.

Punch

Bayelsa owes varsity lecturers 15 months’ salaries

Graduateassistant lecturers in the Bayelsa State-owned Niger Delta University (NDU), Wilberforce Island, have not been paid their salaries for 15 months.

Daily Independentgathered that some professors who are on sabbatical at the university have also not been paid their allowances for the same number of months.
The professors were formally engaged “to assist the university in teaching and research.”

It was learnt that the affected graduate assistant lecturers were duly employed by the NDU authorities in October 2013 to meet the manpower needs of the institution.

The National Universities Commission (NUC) had in 2012 withdrawn accreditation for five courses of study, including Law, at the university, citing lack of qualified academic staff and adequate infrastructure.

The NUC also placed 22 other programmes of the school on suspension pending when its management would fulfill the requirements to run such courses.

Sources said all entreaties to Governor Seriake Dickson by the unpaid teachers, the school’s Governing Council and the NDU chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), to pay the salaries and allowances, met a brick wall.

The governor was said to have complained that the Governing Council did not inform his office before issuing appointment letters to the lecturers.
“In August last year, the graduate assistants wrote to the governor and appealed to him to pay them their salaries but he refused,” a source who pleaded for anonymity said.

“Even cries by these graduate assistants that they are battling with rough condition of working without salaries which have brought them untold hardship did not move the governor,” he said.
He said the graduate assistants had been working in spite of Dickson’s hard-line posture.

Dickson had during his tour to the university in March last year lamented the N6billion annual recurrent expenditure of the NDU.

He also complained that the school’s N500 million monthly recurrent expenditure was not also sustainable, asking the institution’s authorities to “re-order your priorities.”

NDU’s chairman of ASUU, Beke Sese, confirmed that the graduate assistants and the professors on sabbatical had not been paid their emoluments.
He described the development as sad, saying the university did no wrong for “deciding to retain bright alumni to encourage growth of manpower.”

Sese said interventions by the academic body, including meetings with the Governor’s Special Adviser on Treasury Matters, Timipre Seipulo, did not yield positive result.

Daily Independent

PVCs: INEC denies plot to favour North over South

Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has dismissed insinuation that it is conspiring with some district heads in northern Nigeria to shortchange southerners during next month’s general elections.
Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Kayode Idowu, disclosed this in a statement yesterday.

He urged stakeholders to stop alleging all manner of “conspiracies” in the operations of INEC, including the allegation that “District Heads (in the North) were allowed to collect PVCs on behalf of prospective voters.”

He cited a news report which provided statistics about the collection rate of Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs across 28 states of the federation, but which proceeded to infer a conclusive regional design of higher collection rate in one section of the country than the other.

“Consequently, the story was deliberately mute on, or simply ignored the fact that…distribution of PVCs continued at local government offices of INEC at the end of the three-day exercise at polling units.”

He added that differences in turnout by people for their PVCs was not the making of INEC, since the commission had put in place similar procedure across the country to guarantee equal access to persons wanting to collect their cards.

Idowu said rather than concoct conspiracy theories about INEC, a desire for public good should have motivated such speculators in the media to encourage persons in areas where collection rate is relatively low to urgently go and pick their PVCs.

MEND’s Okah hired to assassinate me, says Jonathan.

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said that he is not surprised that the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, did not support him because its leader, Henry Okar had planned to assassinate him in 2010.

Jonathan, who kicked off his campaign for re-election for another term in Lagos, alleged that some Nigerians had hired the Niger Delta militants to kill him.
According to the President, the same person who tried to kill him in 2010 could not have suddenly turned around to support him in 2015.

He said: “I read in a paper, was it yesterday, the headline of one paper said ‘MEND dumped Jonathan’. Did you read it? I am from Niger Delta; the leader of MEND, one Orkar is in South Africa prison. Why is Orkar in South Africa prison?
South Africa is not Nigeria where you would say President manipulated it. Orkar is in South Africa because on 1stOctober 2010, when we were to celebrate our independence; 50th independence, Orkar was procured by some Nigerians to assassinate me. And Orkar bombed Abuja.

“The attempt was to assassinate me. Intelligence investigation from South
Africa and Nigeria said that he planned to assassinate me and he is now in jail in South Africa.
“And they now say MEND dumped Jonathan; Orkar that wanted to assassinate Jonathan would he support Jonathan?

“And I am told that Orkar is supporting some people. Orkar that is in South Africa prison for killing Nigerians is endorsing some people. Is that the country you want to live in? Count me out”.
Jonathan also said that he would present the resolution of last year’s national conference to the next National Assembly.

He said that his administration approved the conference with the aim of moving Nigeria forward and would want the report to be well applied.
Jonathan said that his administration refused to hand over the resolution of the conference to the present National Assembly so that it will not be dumped somewhere.

“We didn’t present the document to this National Assembly because of the controversy we have with the members. You know how chaotic this National Assembly is. If we bring this good document to them, they will dump it.

“If you mean well for this country, vote for those who will discuss this document and the country will move forward. If you vote PDP enmasse to the National Assembly and the Presidency, we will adopt that document so that this country will move forward,” he said.
Jonathan took time to explain what his administration had done to tackle the problems of corruption and what he would do if voted back to office.

He noted that Nigeria was no longer prepared to live in the past as he was prepared to move the country forward through new initiatives and innovative programs for the youths, saying that his second term would be for the youths and women.
Jonathan took past leaders to task on security, saying that they ruled without equipping the military.

“All of them, including the General, who is boasting that he would fight security, did not purchase a single riffle for the military when they were there and this is why I want you and all Nigerians to ask them what they have done with the huge amount of money they voted for defence when they were ruling the country,” he said.

He argued that his administration met unequipped armed forces, which had no air fighters and good equipment, saying that the challenges now, has made his administration to start procuring proper equipment for the military.

“No country equips its army overnight because what they use is expensive. Armed Forces capacity is build over the years. Even if you spend $10bn today, you cannot equip the air force, army and navy. The capacity is built over the time. “They talk about insecurity; that they will fight insecurity but we asked, are our armed forces weak; are Nigerians in the armed forces weak? If there is problem, what is the cause of the problem? It is because they don’t have platform.

“He (Buhari) said he want to fight
Insecurity, when he was the Head of Government, did he buy one rifle for the Nigerian soldiers. These people didn’t buy anything. They refused to equip them. Asked them what they did with the defense budget,” he said.

On the allegation that his government has no plan for the country, the president pointed out that several programmes and projects have been initiated since he came to power in 2011.

He listed the reactivation of Egbin power plant, rehabilitation of roads, re-equipping the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, for effective rail system, privatisation of the National Electric Power Authority, NEPA, and industrialisation policy of government, which deals with empowerment of the youths to be self reliant as some of the successes recorded by his government. He argued that through the proper planning of government, the nation is now producing young and promising entrepreneurs.

The Vice president, Namadi Sambo in his speech called on Lagosians to vote enmass for the PDP to ensure the re-election of the president.

“The president and I, thank you for your contributions so far. I want to assure you that when we are back in office, we will continue with our transformation agenda on education, job creation, youth empowerment, provision of adequate infrastructure and all the good things that would make life better for our people,” he said.

The National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, assured that, if PDP comes back to power, it is going to do more than it is doing now.

National Mirror

Jonathan to Buhari: Don’t rely on MEND’s endorsement

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday maintained that the people of the Niger Delta are with him on the forthcoming Presidential election.

He was reacting to the statement by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) endorsing the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.
Jonathan cautioned Buhari not to rely on such endorsement.

A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati reads: “We have noted with amusement, the vituperations against President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan by the renegade faction of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) headed by the convicted terrorist, Henry Okah in a statement issued to endorse the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

“While we thank all people of the Niger Delta, including the former militants whom MEND claims to represent who have already disassociated themselves from the statement issued by the faceless Jomo Gbomo and reaffirmed their unflinching support for President Jonathan’s re-election, we will like to state that the latest assault on the President by Henry Okah and his stooges did not come as a surprise to us at all.

“It was very much to be expected, coming as it did from an individual and group who have never hidden their vengeful personal animosity against the President and who have even gone to the extent of launching murderous assaults on venues at which the President was present on two occasions.

“It is most regrettable indeed that rather than show remorse for the terrorist acts against his fatherland for which he is now rightly serving a term of imprisonment in South Africa, Henry Okah continues to pursue a pointless personal vendetta against President Jonathan who continues to advance and protect the interests of the people of the Niger Delta which Okah and his group threatened with their misguided actions.”

It added: “The vituperations against President Jonathan in the MEND statement endorsing Gen. Buhari are mischievous, baseless and deliberately styled to denigrate the good works of the President.”

The statement noted that President Jonathan played a significant role in ending the militancy and insurgency in the Niger Delta.

It said that under Jonathan the destruction of oil facilities and the incessant kidnapping and killing of expatriates in the Niger Delta waterways have become a thing of the past.

“The attempt by Jomo Gbomo’s MEND to rewrite history by tarnishing the person of President Jonathan for selfish, pecuniary and political gains will amount to an exercise in futility.”

“All patriotic and right-thinking Nigerians must consider an endorsement from a convicted criminal and his group who harbor evil intentions against the unity and progress of their country as a poisoned chalice.
“President Jonathan would never have accepted such an endorsement from terrorists and renegades.

“The President therefore advises Gen. Buhari not to place any stock on his purported endorsement by the renegade faction of MEND which is led by a convicted and unrepentant terrorist with whom no leader who truly means well for Nigeria should be associated,” it stated.