PDP Accuses Jega of Holding Secret Meetings with APC in Dubai

•   Says Obasanjo’s endorsement of Buhari is unfortunate, his opinion

By Chuks OkochaRipples of the rescheduling of the general elections have continued, with the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday accusing the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, of holding secret meetings with the main opposition  party All Progressives Congress (APC), in Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE).

PDP also raised three questions for the INEC chairman on the one-sided distribution of the permanent voters’ cards (PVCs), which the ruling party said was skewed in favour of the APC and against states perceived to be pro-President Goodluck Jonathan.

PDP also described as fairy tales the concept of an interim government, dismissing it as part of the APC propaganda and unnecessary alarm raised by opposition, which it said have become the hallmark of APC at spreading false information.

Addressing a press conference yesterday on the rescheduling of the general elections, the Director of the PDP presidential campaign organisation, Femi Fani Kayode, said: “Pieces of information at our disposal have shown that Jega has had meetings with APC stalwarts in Dubai and other cities in the world to perfect this wanton conspiracy against 23 million eligible voters.

“Besides, we have information that the PVCs that Nigerians are scrambling for are not in Nigeria and will not arrive before the elections. These PVCs are still in China and Jega has strategically delayed their arrival to suit his electioneering permutations.”

Putting Jega on the hot seat, Fani-Kayode demanded to know: “Can Jega show Nigerians proof that the Chinese company printing the PVCs has been paid in full by disclosing the total contract sum and the amount paid to date?

“Can Prof Jega show proof of arrival or expected date of arrival of all PVCs for the elections? Can Jega tell Nigerians how he could have distributed 23 million PVCs within five days to the election if there hadn’t been a postponement?”

The  PDP campaign spokesman also asked: “Could this be why Jega has refused to allow citizens use their temporary voter cards despite pleas from the National Assembly and well-meaning Nigerians?

“Does it make sense to disenfranchise 23 million citizens (a third of the eligible voters) because INEC says it wants to avoid rigging? The 2011 elections were adjudged the most transparent by Nigerians, the international community and the INEC chairman himself, said so without the use of PVCs.  So what has changed?

“Is this why APC leaders and members insisted on the non-postponement of the elections even when they knew that 23 million Nigerians may not vote? Did they know something we did not know?

“Jega said on national television on January 23, that INEC was doing everything possible to ensure that before the end of January, all the cards have been produced and made available. That deadline has come and gone and we still do not have the PVCs. Is he being sincere?

“We hereby challenge him to be honourable and transparent.  He should publish accurate information on the state of PVCs: how many PVCs are in the country?  Where are they located state by state? When would others arrive from China? How does he plan to distribute them before elections?

“Jega should respond to these allegations of partisanship and ineptitude, and live up to his responsibilities as an independent election umpire. If he refuses to do so, we may end up losing confidence in him.”

In view of this, the PDP campaign organisation asked, “Why are the PVCs collection rates in the North-central, South-south, South-west and South-east much lower with the highest being 57 per cent? Is it because these geo-political zones may be pro-Jonathan?

“Why does the North-west zone which includes Katsina (Buhari’s home state) have the highest collection rate of 80 per cent ? How come the North-east also has a 75 per cent collection rate when, in fact, three states in this zone-Adamawa, Borno and Yobe have been under the attack of Boko Haram insurgents, a development that has led to the displacement of many residents?  Did the internally displaced persons go back there to collect their PVCs?

“Why is it that North-central zone, which includes states like Plateau and Benue that traditionally vote PDP, have a collection rate of 48 per cent when North-east and North-west have between 75 and 80 per cent collection rates?

“INEC would have us believe that as far back as January 2014, the PVC distribution would be done in phases:

“Phase 1, according to the commission, commenced May 2014 in 10 states-Taraba, Gombe, Zamfara, Kebbi, Benue, Kogi, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa.

“Phase 2 covered Yobe, Bauchi (North-east) Jigawa, Sokoto (North-west), the Federal Capital Territory, Kwara (North-central), Anambra, Ebonyi (South-east), Ondo, Oyo (South-west), Delta and Cross River (South-south).

“Phase 3 kicked off in November and involved 13 states – Lagos, Kano, Rivers, Adamawa, Borno, Edo, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, and Plateau.

“Can Jega explain to Nigerians how Kano, Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna and Katsina, which were slated for Phase 3 and actually kicked off in November 2014, have achieved a 75-80 per cent PVC collection rate whilst many states slated under Phases 1 and 2 and even some others in Phase 3 are still in the 40-50 per cent  collection rate?”

When contacted on the allegations against the INEC chairman, his Chief Press Secretary Idowu Kayode, said: “INEC does not join issues with political parties. INEC is a dispassionate umpire.”

Also, Fani-Kayode dismissed allegations of a plot to set up an interim government as a fairy tale from the APC, insisting that the concept was unknown to the Nigerian constitution.

He described it as part of APC’s illusion and fear of defeat.

Fani-Kayode also dismissed the endorsement of former President Olusegun Obasanjo of the presidential candidate of APC, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), as his personal view, stating that PDP will meet Obasanjo and others in the field during the presidential election.

“He is entitled to his views. It is about one man, one vote. It is unfortunate because Obasanjo knows who Buhari is and still endorsed him. But we wish him well; we will meet in the field.”

Fani-Kayode further described allegations that the PDP was buying PVCs at N10,000 each as a tissue of lies, stating, “There is no way PVCs can be used without a thumb print.”

THISDAY

Is The Party Over For PDP

BY WAZIRI ADO

This is self-evident: the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in this general election, is fighting the political battle of its life. For the first time since 1998/1999, the political behemoth of our clime and time is clearly flustered, rattled to its core. With cultivated calm giving way to undisguised panic and supreme confidence displaced by anger, frustration and desperation, PDP has launched a scorched-earth campaign that makes it look more like a despairing challenger than the surefooted ruling party that we used to know.
When PDP was in its prime, its chieftains used to boast about how they would be in power for at least 60 years. They bragged about how PDP would become Nigeria’s PRI, the Partido Revolucionario Institucional, the political party that once ruled Mexico for 71 years at a stretch. The reference to PRI was not totally self-indulgent. In ideology, outlook and in the eagerness to press state apparatuses to political advantage, PDP seemed patterned after the Mexican party.
For one, PRI and PDP share the same colours, arranged in the same order: green, white and red. PRI was the archetypal state party, with totalising influence that made the Peruvian writer and Nobel laureate, Mario Vargas Llosa, describe it as the ‘perfect dictatorship’ and with election results that, in PRI’s heydays, implausibly hovered between 80 and 100 per cent of total votes cast! At some point, PDP was beginning to grow into the PRI profile, with control of the presidency and of more than two-thirds of the states, and with a near absolute majority in the National Assembly in a country which at a time had about 50 political parties.
Until the year 2000, PRI had won 12 presidential elections in a row and PDP, its self-adopted Nigerian offspring, seemed similarly unstoppable. But not anymore. For the first time in its 17-year history, PDP stands a very good chance of not winning the presidential poll. With good luck, PDP may still survive this scare. But even if it does, and except the opposition collapses after the election, it is not inconceivable that the party’s days of unchallenged dominance are surely numbered.
At the moment, PDP has found itself in a very strange and unusual place. And because this once undisputed and undefeated champion is not used to being challenged punch-for-punch, it is fighting badly, appearing frantic, coming across as seriously desperate, and looking mortally scared. How did the almighty PDP come to this pass?
I think three factors have conspired to put PDP on the ropes. Before going into that, let me say that despite misgivings against PDP, the party has made some contributions to political development in Nigeria. I will mention two not-so-obvious areas. More than we give it credit for, PDP has served as a stabilising and unifying force in the country both on account of its size and its spread. The founders of PDP had envisioned a big party, broad enough to blur our fault-lines, expansive enough to house different political tendencies, and strong enough to square up to any destabilising force, including the military. Even when it sometimes poses risks to the polity and has recently lapsed into divisive politics, PDP has largely delivered on this score.
PDP’s other important contribution is that, at different times, it has provided opposition to itself, thereby sparing the country the possible dictatorial excesses of a dominant party in a multi-party democracy. Even when other factors are at play, a PDP-dominated federal legislature has not shied from checking the executive from same party and indeed played a major part in truncating President Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure-elongation agenda. By allowing internal dissent, PDP is perhaps more democratic than the other parties and has, in this way at least, helped in strengthening our democracy.
That said, let’s return to why PDP is not approaching this election with the usual certainty. The first reason is the gradual but consistent weakening of PDP from within and outside. Partly on account of being a big tent, PDP has always been a house divided against itself, weakened by intense contestations for control and positions, and with limited investment in genuine reconciliation. From the outside, PDP has had a terrible image for a long time. Whether fairly or unfairly, PDP has been twinned with all that ails our democracy: underperformance, impunity, corruption, rigging etc. As said above, this could be an unfair association, but PDP has done little to change this widespread negative perception.
But the combination of internal dissension and unflattering public perception has rendered the party vulnerable over time. A major marker of this vulnerability was in 2011 when the strategists of President Goodluck Jonathan had to distance the candidate from his own party and had to creatively market him as different from and better than his party. That delicate distancing worked magic but this was also an acknowledgement that PDP had more or less become damaged goods in popular imagination. This should have worried the PDP chieftains and pointed them towards critical post-election work. It is not clear anyone paid much attention to this critical task.
This leads us to the second factor that has put PDP at risk: the diminution of the Jonathan mystique. Jonathan’s capacity to compensate for PDP’s perceived deficits has been diminished because Jonathan, in a strange proclivity for scoring own goals, has consistently eroded his own fanatical base in the last four years. At the moment, the bad-party/good-candidate narrative has lost its sheen. A sizeable number of those who ecstatically bought into the “breath-of-fresh-air” line in 2011 started feeling deceived six months down the line and remain disappointed and are either on the fence or have switched allegiance.
For this group, and even some neutrals, there is a long list of disappointments, including: the manner in which subsidy on petrol was removed on 1st January 2012, the demonization of the Occupy Nigeria movement, the handling of the NIS recruitment tragedy, the ‘I don’t-give-a-damn’ and ‘stealing-is-not-corruption’ statements, the state pardon of Chief Diepreye Alamieyesiegha, the subsidy scandals, the bullet-proof cars, the unaccounted oil money, the embarrassing gaffes from the first family, the interference in the Governors’ Forum election, the growing state of insecurity, the handling of the case of the abducted Chibok girls and the harassment of and attack on the #BringBackOurGirls campaigners etc. Overtime, all these have calcified into overwhelming negative emotions that put the 2015-Jonathan in a weaker stead than the 2011-Jonathan, coincidentally at a time the predicted fracturing of his party has come to pass.
The last factor that has put PDP in a strange spot is the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and of General Muhammadu Buhari as its standard-bearer. APC has reasonable national spread and strong political structures in zones with high percentage of registered voters. Buhari, whose massive following had been restricted to just the north, is now enjoying some serious look-in in some areas and among demographic groups previously uninterested in him. The convergence of these two developments has significantly altered the field of play and provided a viable alternative to politicians looking for a new home and to voters fatigued with PDP’s 16-year rule or disenchanted with Jonathan.
In sum, PDP’s previous competitive advantage is now threatened by the coming together of a weakened and depleted party, a diminished incumbent and a formidable opposition. The behemoth has tried to fight back in different ways, some reasonable, some wrong-headed. Initially, it re-organised, embarked on reconciliation and counter-poaching, took the battle to APC’s strongholds and commenced aggressive marketing of the achievements of its candidate. And for a while, it worked and PDP regained some lost ground. But PDP also expected and even predicted APC to fracture after its presidential primaries. That did not happen.
PDP’s reaction to the failure of APC to fall apart and the emergence of Buhari (who gained extra bounce by picking Professor Yemi Osinbajo as his running mate) is to go on a feverish attack, hoping that something will stick. That may well happen and that may well change the tide. But my sense is that despite all the aggressive investments in history lessons, gratuitous insults, ethnic/religious profiling, morbid obsessions and threats of fire and brimstone, most people are looking at the two candidates comparatively, not idealistically, and have made up their minds on who they think will better serve them. I may be wrong.
What is beyond doubts, however, is that for the first time in 16 years, PDP has an equal chance of winning or losing the presidential election. If it wins, it should congratulate itself, embark on aggressive PR offensive, re-organise and take a cue from PRI on how to prepare for eventualities. PRI’s winning margin declined from 74 per cent in 1982 to 50.7 per cent in 1988, and further plunged to 48.6 per cent in 1994. The party got the message of an approaching end and launched a series of political reforms that opened up the system to ensure that a new ruling party would not be able to unfairly lock out the opposition for decades. PRI eventually lost power in 2000, but was back in 2012 after two election cycles.
If PDP loses this election, it should be both proud and gracious. Proud of having been the dominant party for 16 years and of its contributions to democratisation and development in the country. Gracious by reining in its present desperate impulses and not succumbing to the temptation to pull down the whole house. As the party that has benefited the most from this democratic experiment, PDP should be interested in sustaining it. It should know that even in the best of times, no party lasts forever. It should therefore be ready for the end, and when the inevitable happens, it should exit the stage with a smile and a raised shin. Like PRI, it should provide robust opposition, not hitch on the new wagon, and re-strategize for a comeback. Our democracy will be the better for it.

Culled from THISDAY

Revealed: How PDP chiefs forged Buhari document

APC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, GEN. MUHAMMADU BUHARI (R) DISCUSSING WITH THE RUNNING MATE, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, AT APC PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN RALLY IN PORTHARCOURT, RIVERS ON TUESDAY

Blogger accuses Fani-Kayode of doctoring mail

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders seem to be hanging on tenaciously to their puerile stand that All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari has not come clean on its academic qualifications.

It emerged yesterday that the PDP Presidential Campaign Council manipulated a Cambridge University e-mail to justify its claim that Gen. Buhari’s West African School Certificate’s statement of result was forged.

PDP Campaign Council spokesman Femi Fani-Kayode has been accused of doctoring an e-mail from Cambridge.

An accountant and blogger, Mr. Suraj Oyewale, claimed in a message published by Premium Times that the e-mail received from Cambridge by his friend, Sodiq Alabi, was doctored by Fani-Kayode to achieve another purpose. Fani-Kayode has not disputed this claim.

Oyewole said: “The controversy over the secondary school results of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, continues as the  University of Cambridge has said that Hausa Language, which is one of the subjects listed by Buhari, was not offered in its examinations in 1961.

“The disclosure was contained in a statement from the office of the Director of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation claiming it came through an e-mail dated Thursday, January 22, 2015 from the institution’s Archives Delivery Service Officer, Jacky Emerson, to one SODIQ ALABI who requested for confirmation if the examination body offered Hausa Language in the 1961 West African Certificate Examination it organised.

“Emerson, in his one-sentence reply, said: “According to the Regulations for 1961, African Language papers, including those for Hausa, WERE NOT included for West African School Certificate.

“This development may have further cast doubts on the certificate which is purported to be General Buhari’s.  He is yet to react to the assertion by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation that the document (the published certificate) was forged and illegally procured.” (Capitalizations mine)

Sodiq was shocked such falsehood was attributed to him by Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode and wanted misrepresentation.

“Sodiq Alabi (sodiqalabi@ hotmail.com) had written an email to Cambridge Assessment, the brand name of University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicates, on January 22, 2015, 13.31 hours, to confirm whether Hausa was truly offered by it in 1961 examinations. By 4.10pm same day, Jacky Emerson (archives@ cambridgeassessment.org.uk), Archive Services Delivery officer of Cambridge Assessment, replied thus: “Dear Sodiq Alabi, According to the Regulations of 1961, African Language papers, WERE SET for West Africa School Certificate.”

“A screenshot of this email exchange was shared with us on Facebook by Sodiq and it went viral on the internet.

“The email triggered other Nigerians to send emails to Cambridge Assessment for independent confirmation and the school came out with a statement on its website the next day. In the release titled, ‘Statement in response to Nigerian Presidential election enquiries”, the school stated, ‘The organisation also confirmed that according to the Regulations for 1961, African Language papers, including those for Hausa, WERE SET for the West African School Certificate.” Here is the link to the Cambridge Assessment website where this confirmation was published: http://cambridgeassessment.org.uk/news/statement-in-response-to-nigerian-presidential-election-enquiries/.

“It is however surprising that Femi Fani-Kayode went ahead to alter the content of Sodiq’s email in his press statement to, ‘According to the Regulations for 1961, African Language papers, including those for Hausa, WERE NOT included for West African School Certificate.’, and still quoted the email as the source.

“It is very unfortunate that this is the man speaking for the President’s re-election campaign. How do we believe every other ‘fact’ he has quoted has not been altered as well? It is a shame.

He added: “This is not the first time President Jonathan’s men are forging or altering documents to demonise anyone perceived as the President’s ‘enemy’. His New Media Assistant, Reno Omokri, was also busted in February, last year, when he hid under a pseudonym, Wendel Simlin, to send false but damaging reports to newspapers to demonise the then just suspended Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. A dig into the source of the computer used in typing the document showed it was a certain Reno Omokri that authored it!”

APC: Jonathan, PDP are Terrified of Feb Elections

National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Muhammed

•   Calls for probe of attacks on president’s convoy
•   INEC to release full list of guber candidates tuesday

Olawale Olaleye in Lagos, Chuks Okocha and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday at a news conference in Lagos said President Goodluck Jonathan and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are terrified of the outcome of next month’s presidential election, hence their attempt to scuttle the general election in its entirety.

APC said despite local and international concerns, the Jonathan administration has continued to pursue a clearly thought-out agenda to scuttle next month’s general election, using a two-pronged approach.

“All in all, these arguments against election postponement are a smokescreen. The truth is that the forthcoming elections terrify the PDP and the Jonathan administration to such an extent that they are looking for ways to postpone or scuttle the polls,” APC said.

APC, however, insisted that the February dates for the elections were sacrosanct and must hold as scheduled, saying it was more comfortable with the assurances of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, that the commission is ready for the elections as scheduled, than the alarm raised by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), calling for a postponement.

National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, who briefed journalists, said the APC had on January 22 rejected the call by Dasuki for the postponement of the elections, ostensibly to give more time for INEC to distribute permanent voters’ cards (PVCs).

But APC said: “In spite of this, we have noted with dismay that the Jonathan administration has continued to pursue the plot to shift the elections.

“That plot in itself is one of a two-pronged approach being pursued by the administration to either shift or scuttle the elections, which are scheduled for February 14th and 28th.

“The other is the campaign for an interim government. It is important to state here that for the APC as a party, both options represent the Devil’s Alternative (apologies to British writer Frederick Forsyth, who has a book by the same title), and are totally, absolutely unacceptable to us under any circumstance.”

The APC noted that “when President Goodluck Jonathan met with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday, the president said he told the visiting US top diplomat that the ‘May 29th handover date was sacrosanct’.

“We say this is not reassuring enough, and that for us, the February 14th and 28th dates for the elections are as sacrosanct as the handover date of May 29th.”

The APC, which insisted that the only institution with the right to express reservations or misgivings about the state of preparations for the elections is INEC, added: “We are more assured by the call made by Mr. Kerry, that the elections should be held on time as scheduled. Nothing short of that will be acceptable to our party.

“We are also satisfied with the assurance by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that it is ready for the elections. The electoral body has also said it will continue with PVC distribution until the eve of the elections. Therefore, the orchestrated campaign about INEC not being ready for the elections is sheer baloney!

“Now, make no mistakes about it, we are aware of the limitless capacity of the PDP and the Jonathan administration for anti-democratic and desperate actions in pursuit of selfish motives that have nothing to do with the interest of the good people of Nigeria.

“We are aware of the clandestine moves, including reaching out to various interest groups and hiring talking heads to make the television rounds, being made by the administration to get the elections shifted.

“The Jonathan administration’s apologists are hiding under the facade that millions of Nigerians will be disenfranchised if the elections should proceed as scheduled.

“Again, they are using the terror attacks in some parts of the North to advance their election shift argument. We sincerely hope the recent escalation of Boko Haram attacks, and the siege on Maiduguri on Sunday, a day after President Jonathan campaigned in the city, are not connected to this sophistry.

“If indeed the Jonathan administration is genuinely concerned that many Nigerians have not received their PVCs, let it declare a three-day public holiday to give working Nigerians the opportunity to collect their PVCs.

“Let the government work with INEC to ensure that the PVCs are distributed at the polling units. If these steps are followed, within five days, the distribution would have been completed.”
Concluding, the APC spokesman said: “Let me summarise the stand of our party, the APC, regarding next month’s general election: APC is ready for the elections, and under no circumstances will we accept a postponement.

“For us, February 14th and 28th are as sacrosanct as May 29th, the handover date. The government has had four years to prepare, and the dates for the elections were announced over a year ago, therefore there is no going back now.

“We note that the PDP has also said it is ready for the polls. That is good news. Let them now end their clandestine push for either a postponement or the formation of an interim government, stop engaging in scare and scandal mongering and dwell on issues ahead of the polls.

“We are satisfied with the assurances by INEC that it is ready for the polls, and we call on the Jonathan administration to give the electoral body all the support and resources it requires to organise successful elections.

“Any postponement of the elections will mean that INEC is not independent and that it is being dictated to by the federal government, a position that will hurt the credibility of the electoral umpire.

“Finally, any postponement on the basis of the insurgency in the North-east will represent a victory for the terrorist group Boko Haram, and will create a constitutional logjam that will take Nigeria back to 1993. Believe me, we have travelled that route before and it was not pleasant.”

APC also called on the Inspector-General of Police (IG) to urgently institute a probe into the stoning of President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign train in Bauchi and Katsina States last week.

The party said its decision to ask for the probe followed the revelation by a top PDP member that the attack was indeed stage managed by unnamed PDP stalwarts.

In a statement on Monday by the party’s spokesman, it said the investigation was necessary in view of the criminal nature of the attacks, and the attempt to shift the blame to the APC.

“We stand by our earlier statement in which we pointedly accused the PDP of sponsoring the attacks on President Jonathan in Katsina and Bauchi as part of its devilish plan to demonise the opposition and force a postponement of next month’s general election, and we are glad we have been proved right,” Mohammed said.

“We will like to quote what Governor Isa Yuguda said on the Hausa Service of the BBC as reported by Daily Trust and other media outlets on Sunday: ‘I am sure and let the world know that the people who did this thing were PDP members and those politicians in Abuja were the ones behind it; they were not APC members.

“They found these youths on the road and gave them brooms and they instructed them that when the president was passing they should raise the brooms and pelt them at him’,” APC said.
The party said it was now apparent that the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation was out of tune with developments within its own party, hence its spokesman considers the APC’s statement that the attack was orchestrated by the PDP as “absurd and reckless”, without a shred of evidence to support this specious argument.

Meanwhile, the clamour for the postponement of the elections appears to be getting some support from civil society groups, as the Nigerian Hopes Alive Project yesterday blocked the office of INEC in Abuja demanding members of the extension of both the Presidential and National Assembly elections slated for February 14 by 60 days.

They also demanded that the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections slated for February 28 be extended by two months.

For hours, members of the group in their white vests and green face caps blocked all entrances leading to Zambesi Crescent that leads to INEC’s office.

As a result, other establishments such as Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), West African Examination Council (WAEC), the Veterinary Council and National Medical Council (NMC) were blocked by the protesting civil society organisation.

Its members chanted slogans like: “Why Nigerians want a 60 day extension”, “INEC has not produced all the PVCs”, “Those produced have not been adequately distributed”, Section 135 (3) of the 1999 constitution allows for the extension” and “Please support this call to save our nation from imminent disaster”.

Speaking to THISDAY, the coordinator of the group, Mrs. Ifeanyinwa Nwagbo, said the extension of the next month general election would be the most necessary thing to do, as it would help reduce violence on election day.

She said: “Imagine that INEC in the last eight months commenced the distribution of the permanent voters’ cards and within the eight months has only succeeded in distributing 38 million cards out of the 68 million eligible voters.

“What magic would INEC do to distribute 30 million PVCs between now and the presidential election, which is less than 16 days?

“What magic can it perform, when it is not sure that all the PVCs will be received from the manufacturers?

“Our demand is clear, extend the general election by 60 days. It is still within the constitution. The United States should not tell us what to do, because if it is in their country; they know what to do and do it right.

“It is still within the constitution to extend it and save the nation from imminent disaster. If eligible voters go to the polling stations and see their names, but they were not allowed to vote, do you know the level of violence it would cause? We are saying that a stitch in time saves  more than nine.”

As the protesters refused to disperse and the traffic situation was becoming chaotic, the security officials in INEC took the leaders of the group to meet with members of the Election Management Body (EMB).

However, Jega and his national commissioners were holding a meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) from the 36 states and FCT.

At the meeting, Jega told the RECs that the meeting was necessary, as it would help the commission to put heads together on the general election.

According to the INEC chairman, “We have to have this meeting because it is important as we approach the 2015 elections, so that we can take stock as we prepare adequately for the very daunting and challenging task ahead.

“As we approach the elections, obviously all sort of things are going to happen, politicians are very busy with their campaigns and quite often the commission gets dragged into the politicisation of the campaigns.”

He informed the commissioners and RECs to remain focused and to busy themselves by ensuring that the 2015 elections are remarkably much better than the 2011 general election.

“We have to continue to ensure that whatever we do, we remain impartial and non-partisan and we must create a level playing field for all political parties, candidates and contestants.
“We need to ensure that we are ready to conduct, free fair and credible elections in the 2015.

“We also need to assure ourselves that indeed we are ready for the business ahead of us,” he said.

Also, in an INEC bulletin made available to journalists, the commission announced the rejection of governorship candidates submitted by political parties.

INEC is expected to publish the list of all the governorship candidates of all the political parties contesting the February 28 election today.

According to the INEC bulletin, “The parties and affected states are: Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) in Delta State; Labour Party (LP) in Niger State; New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Ogun State; Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in Oyo State; United Democratic Party in Rivers State; and Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) in Sokoto and Zamfara States, respectively.”

The commission’s decision was contained in a Decision Extract signed by the Director in the commission’s secretariat, Ishiaku A. Gali.

It said the commission had also approved that the House of Representatives election in Ado/Opoku/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency of Benue State, being uncontested, the nominated candidate should be declared elected on the day of the election by the Returning Officer.

THISDAY

PDP wants justice ministry to sue Buhari for perjury

The Peoples Democratic Party has said it is not satisfied with the credentials of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, and has threatened to contest the authenticity of his academic results.

A top party official, who spoke with Saturday PUNCH on Thursday, said the ruling party would investigate Buhari’s statement of results issued on Wednesday by the Katsina State Ministry of Education.

The statement of result and the confidential result sheet by the University of Cambridge were both dated January 21, stamped and signed by the Principal and Examination Officer, Government College, Katsina (formerly Provincial Secondary School).

In the result sheet, Buhari’s name was the second among the 17 candidates that sat for the Cambridge/ West African School Certificate Examination in 1961.

But the party source who does not want to be named, said, “The plan of the PDP is to contest Buhari’s academic qualification on two fronts.

“We will first contest the APC presidential candidate’s credentials by writing to all the institutions he attended for the verification of his certificates. We already have individuals in our party that are doing that.

“On the other hand, the ruling party will prevail on the Ministry of Justice to sue the former head of state for perjury.”

The party official said Buhari had, in the affidavit submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, claimed that his certificates were with the military, but the Nigerian Army denied that it had the ex-head of state’s certificates in its custody.

“This means he (Buhari) lied on oath when he said his credentials were with the army. We are not going to take this from him at all. It is the job of the Ministry of Justice to look into this case of perjury and we are going to remind them.”

Buhari had defened the affidavit he submitted by saying, “I had assumed all along that all my records were in the custody of the Secretary of the Nigerian Army. Much to my surprise, we are now told that although a record of the result is available, there are no copies of the certificates in my personal file.”

He said that was why he requested his old school to release his result.

The Director of Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, also said a perjury case should be launched against the APC candidate.

Fani-Kayode urged Buhari to submit himself to the police to answer charges of perjury.

He said, “If they fail to come forward voluntarily, we hereby call on the police and other security agencies to seek them out, find them, arrest them, interrogate them and prosecute them in accordance with the laws of the land.”

Repeated calls to the mobile telephone number of the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Olisa Metuh, indicated that it was switched off.

A text message sent to him had yet to be responded to as of the time of filing this report at 6:03pm on Friday.

Attempts by our correspondent to also reach the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, for his comment on Thursday, was unsuccessful as his phone was switched off.

The minister had also not responded to a text message inquiry on the issue.

The police however told one of our correspondents they would investigate the allegation of perjury against Buhari if there is a complaint to the force against him.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said, “There is no complaint before the police on the perjury allegation but if there is, we will investigate it.”.

In his reaction, the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Lai Mohammed, said the party was not surprised that the PDP wants to contest Buhari’s school records because it is afraid that President Jonathan might lose the election.

He said, “Let them go to court. The truth is that they are not ready for the election. They are making all these excuses because they are terrified they would lose the election.”

PUNCH

PDP loses 30,000 members to APC in Sokoto

Written by Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto

About 30,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) yesterday defected to the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Sokoto state.

Speaking at a reception for the new members,  Governor Aliyu Wamakko  said it was an indication that the party’s manifesto driven by a purposeful leadership had what Nigerians and Sokoto people desire.

“The wind of change is a wind for victory for those who wish the state and country well.

“Infact, I will not be surprised this is coming a day after our presidential campaign rally took place on our soil here in Sokoto”, he said.

Wamakko further said: “The APC has come to stay, and this is a signal to the opposition that our party is determined and moving from strength to strength.

“Today, we have almost all the political allies of former governor  Bafarawa in our fold. It is enough to give our opponents an indication of good omen coming our way.”

Wamakko urged the people of the state not to be destracted from their focus for the APC which is hopeful of clinching all elective positions in the state.

Also a chieftain of the party, Alhaji Umaru Kawabo,  said there was no alternative to change, saying “that the APC has all that is needed to win elections. This is the begining of the series of expected defections into the party”, he mentioned.

A Sokoto community leader and APC active member, Mr. Okoro, said he was convinced that the wind of change was imminent and the solutions to the problems of Nigeria would come from the APC.

“Jonathan’s government cannot guarantee our yearnings and expectations.

“We are seeing what Wamakko is doing in the state. We believe that the APC presidential candidate is patriotic and committed to the course of the commoner.

“Buhari is a man of the people  from what we saw yesterday. He will bring hope to Nigerians and Sokoto State”, he said.

Earlier, Honourable Murtala Madugu, who spoke on behalf of the defectors, said the PDP was in confusion, adding that “it has  refused to see the phenomenal strides by Wamakko in the state. Instead of praising him, they are all abusing him. This is why we dumped the party for the APC”.

Member of Jonathan Campaign Committee Decamps to APC

A member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bayelsa Presidential Campaign Committee, Senator Felix Oboro, in a surprise move, on Friday decamped to opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), a move that has further polarised the PDP in the state.

Senator Oboro, former Nigeria ambassador to Venezuela, was supposed to be a member of the presidential campaign committee that were sworn in by Governor Seriake Dickson, but he was conspicuously absent.

At the formal welcoming of the Senator who was a founding father of Bayelsa State, the APC state leader, Chief Timipre Sylva cried that, with leading political leaders from the state like Oboro leaving the PDP in droves, the PDP was gradually heading for collapse.

Sylva who was once again ushered to the state capital amidst jubilations by Bayelsans, lamented that besides insecurity that was pervading the country, the level of unemployment and poverty was increasing.

He insisted that the nation was in dire straight, only serious minded people were needed to pilot the affairs of the country.

“At a time like this, we need serious men and women at the helm of national affairs. That is why we need Gen. Buhari to fix the country.”

Oboro, one of the founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party in Bayelsa State lamented that the last national and state assembly selection exercises in the PDP destroyed the cohesion of the party throughout the country.

Advancing reasons for his quitting the PDP, Oboro, who was the pioneer Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government at the inception of democratic rule in the state before he resigned his appointment for personal reasons said: “since Dr. Jonathan became President and leader of the PDP nationwide, there has never been any genuine congress in any part of the PDP states to elect candidates to represent the party in any election.”

He said though the selection of persons as candidates had been the norm in the place of nomination congresses in the state, “the last national and state assembly selection exercises have destroyed the cohesion of the party throughout the country.”

His words: “The problem of our country now is corruption, insecurity and economic downturn. Everybody’s concern is who among our political leaders particularly Gen Buhari and President Jonathan who are the flag bearers of the two major parties, has the credentials to wipe out the above vices. The answer from 90 per cent of the states is Gen Buhari.

“Under President Jonathan, even a simple thing like internal democracy in his party had been destroyed because he too ascended the governorship position through unholy harmonisation and not democracy”.

“As for corruption, insecurity and economic downturn, Jonathan’s six years as President is the cause of these problems the country is talking about.

Ironically Jonathan himself agrees that these are real problems of the country, when he is still at the helm of affairs.

“I would like to appeal to my Ijaw people in Bayelsa State to understand the clear handwriting on the wall and we should all educate our people to tow the popular reasonable line.

“Our people must join the mainstream and we should not allow our state to be ostracised. Dr Jonathan has no regard for Ijaw people. He has not shown any pride of being an Ijaw man. The little dividend of democracy he had brought to the state is for his community, Otuoke.

“The only way to peaceful change now is for all Ijaw people to obtain their permanent voters card and cast their votes. We should do everything possible to avoid our youths going back to the creeks. After all, some of our leaders are not appreciating the sacrifices of our youths.

“Otherwise how can President Jonathan publicly express joy that Henry Okah- an Ijaw man from Amassoma is languishing in a South African prison because MEND attempted to “assassinate” him- an allegation no true Ijaw man will believe.

“President Jonathan made his allegation in the opening of his campaign in Lagos. If the President says MEND did not support him does he mean he became president on his personal merit?

“The blood Ijaw youths shed to attract the attention of other Nigerians to consider Dr. Jonathan from our state to be President is not appreciated by the President.

“Since he was imposed on the people of Bayelsa to be governor by persons outside the Ijaw tribe, President Jonathan’s loyalty is to the few persons that imposed him. President Jonathan does not see any reason to apologise to the people of Bayelsa State for his neglect of the state.

“Therefore any vote for him by Bayelsans is a wasted vote as he can never appreciate us, even in the unlikely event that he wins the presidential election on the 14th of February 2015.

THISDAY

“In view of the above reasons, I do not see any rational ground being in PDP even though I was one of those instrumental in positioning his luck from Deputy Governor to President. Therefore, I have decided to declare for the APC and work with reasonable politicians to effect a change of leadership in our country.”

One person dies as PDP, APC supporters clash in Kano

Spokesman of Kano Police Command, ASP Magaji Musa Majia has confirmed the death of one person and burning of five vehicles when political thugs loyal to the All Progressive Congress, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, clashed at Hotoro quarters on Wednesday.

 

The incident reportedly occurred at noon when President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s campaign rally was on at Polo Ground and General Muhammad Buhari was addressing a World Press Conference on the issue bordering on his WASCE certificate at Government House.

 

Although the Hotoro Quarters is located far away from the venue of the PDP rally, the political thugs just couldn’t stand each other.

 

Musa Majia says the police are investigating the incident to ascertain the remote and immediate cause.

YNAIJA

PDP, APC Condemn Attack on Jonathan’s Convoy in Katsina

Asari-Dokubo: We’ll retaliate attack on the president

By Chuks Okocha and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation (PCO), wednesday condemned the attack on the convoy of President Goodluck Jonathan in Katsina State by suspected members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stating that the PDP would hold both the APC and its presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, responsible should any harm come to the president.

Addressing a press conference wednesday, the PDP PCO Director of Media and Publicity, Femi Fani-Kayode, said a group of broom-wielding vandals, chanting “sai Buhari”, hurled stones at the convoy of the president, who is the presidential candidate of the PDP in the February 14 election.

Also, the PDP added its voice to the condemnation of the attack on President Jonathan’s convoy by supporters of the APC and Buhari in Katsina.

According to  Fani-Kayode, “We consider that action despicable, barbaric, shameful and highly reprehensible. It shows very clearly the violent nature, disposition and character of those individuals that were involved and the presidential candidate that they support.

“The Katsina show of shame was the first case of violence unleashed on our candidate by supporters of Buhari, after the signing of the historic Abuja Accord by the presidential candidates of all the parties participating in the election. The purpose of that accord was to discourage violence before, during and after the election.”

Further expressing disgust over the incident, Fani-Kayode said, “The laudable intention of the Peace Accord has now been irresponsibly violated by a group of miscreants and vandals whose leader has proved to be wholly incapable of keeping them in check and restraining them from indulging in violence.  It is worrisome that this kind of violent reaction would manifest when the election has not held and their candidate has not yet lost.

Also, the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, however commended Nigerians, especially the huge crowd that attended the party’s rallies in  Zamfara State and other states in the northern part of the country.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, in a statement yesterday, said “the attack is a clear indication that the

APC is not ready to shift from its desire to attain power through violence despite signing a peace pact a week ago in Abuja”, stating that the PDP would “no longer tolerate such acts of violence on any of its members.”

“This brazen attack on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and our presidential candidate clearly shows that the APC was never committed to the spirit and letters of the Abuja peace accord which they signed in the presence of prominent Nigerians and international personalities.

“It is unfortunate that while the PDP and other parties are busy ensuring that their members and supporters remain committed to a  peaceful electioneering, the APC has been hatching plots to unleash violence on our candidates and members.

In the same vein, the National Chairman of the PDP, Adamu Muazu, said that despite the propaganda against the president, the important thing is that Nigerians have used the turn out in to the party’s rallies in the northern part of Nigeria as a sign of appreciation to President Jonathan’s administration.

On its part, APC has strongly condemned the reported stoning of the campaign convoy of President Goodluck Jonathan in Katsina State on Tuesday, saying violence of any kind is totally unacceptable to the party.

In a statement issued yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said President Jonathan should be free to campaign anywhere in the country without hinderance.

It said even though the attack on the President’s convoy took place a day after the provocative death-wish-for-Buhari newspaper advertorial that was put out in the name of the President, nothing justifies the stoning of the President’s comvoy anywhere in the country.

APC restated its commitment to a continuous enlightenment of its members and supporters to eschew violence before, during and after next month’s general election, and urged other parties to follow suit.

‘’We consider election as a celebration of democracy, not a do-or-die affair. Whether or not one agrees with the campaign message of any party, engaging in violence negates the very essence of democracy and should be condemned by all,’’ the party said.

However, the leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteers Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, has threatened that the people of the South-south would  retaliate the reported attack on the convoy of the president.

Asari-Dokubo criticised  President Jonathan for signing a non-violence pact with Buhari, and alerted non- indegenes living in the far North, especially Igbo traders to be weary of the antics of those that are preparing the stage for post election violence.

Asari-Dokubo, who addressed journalists yesterday in Abuja said the attack on the person of the president was a premeditated act by the supporters of the APC.

The NDPVF leader said the attack and probably other subsequents ones are meant to serve as a prelude  to a full-scale post-election violence by the opposition party if it loses the February 14 presidential election.

He accused the opposition of preparing ground for violence if they loose the election in concert with some foreign posers and when they do that we are going to respond proportionally.

He dismissed Buhari recant on violence when indeed those who alway stone or burn party vehicles and main people normally shout praise of his name.

“The people in Katsina who did not hold their children from wrecking havoc on the President’s convoy  should also know that we will not hold our own kids.

“For every action, there would be an opposite and equal reaction. I knew that the signing of the accord was useless and  the President subjected himself to signing such an accord, for me, it was out of place. The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of a country, but the president is a humble person, he does things that even surprise some of us and make us sometimes to be very angry.

“To be very frank, on that day they were signing the accord, I was very angry, signing with who? The president has sworn to protect the lives of every Nigerians, so why would he after taking a constitutional oath, subjected himself to another oath that would be stronger than the oath he took when he took office after being elected voluntarily by the people of Nigeria”

“There is an establishment pattern of pre and post election violence in the North. In the 50s when Awolowo was campaigning in the North he went with helicopter and he was mobbed. People said he was flying over there houses and peeping on their wives. That has continued and everywhere in the country people say leave them alone, we don’t want any trouble but the rule of the game has changed.

He said Buhari’s statements concerning the peace accord was meant to deceive Nigerians, saying Nigerians should not believe him.

“What happened in Katsina is not a surprise and we are putting the world on notice over the stoning of President Jonathan in Katsina because we are going to respond. If you slice our throat, we will slice your throat, they stoned the President, you will hear from us.

According to Dokubo, groups in Niger Delta will respond proportionately as it would  not fold its arms and allow the President be killed.

He advised  all Igbo people who are still doing business in the far north to take heed now and move back home, so as to avoid the likely violence that may follow the defeat of Buhari in the February election.

“Nothing will happen anywhere in the country if they do not initiate it. Why did they stone the president? Do you expect us to keep quiet so that they will kill President Jonathan. Because they believe that they have devine right to rule over us and we will be slave, but we reject it in its entirety because they are never our masters.

“We will ensure a balance of terror, no one person should have the monopoly to unleash terror. Violence begets violence,” he said.

Speaking on great strides made by Jonathan, he said the president initiated the idea of taking all the Almajiris from the streets and putting them back into the schools through the Almagiri Schools System.

He said a vote for Buhari is a vote for retrogression. He said the Ijaw people have gone under water to campaign for Jonathan’s re-election and I can assure you that he will win Buhari with a landslide. Jonathan will win and win convincingly.

On insecurity, he said, there is an open support for Boko Haram by the northern establishment, adding that the reason the dreaded sect has continued their heinous actions is due to the support they get from some northern leaders.

He said there is no way things will be happening in a neighbourhood and people living there will not know.

He insisted that under a situation where the people aid and abet the terrorists, it will be difficult to end the insurgency.

The insecurity problem in the northeast can only be solved if the people are ready to cooperate with the armed forces.

This man committed the worst offences, this man who never passed any exams went and overthrew the democratically elected government of President Shehu Shagari.

On whether he supports the postponement of the election, he said the argument for such proposal should not be because of the threat of violence but due the non readiness of INEC.

He however said his group is not calling for the postponement of the general election because “we are very sure of winning. But if the election is organised with the PVCs,  then I can tell you that INEC is not ready.

Dokubo who rejected the appellation, Militant, said he has never been one but remains a royalty from the Kalabari Kingdom in Rivers State.

Speaking on what he thinks can bring about peace before and after the election, Dokubo said nothing will happen if the northerners do not engineer violence, adding that anything contrary, he and his people will not fold their arms.

“The question is not for me, it for Buhari, Shakau and others who can not stop their people from stoning Jonathan when he visited Kastina.”

THISDAY

Jonathan Visits Emir of Kano, Excited over Crowd at Rally

Without Buhari APC is nothing, says Lamido

One killed, five vehicles destroyed in APC, PDP supporters’ clash

Ibrahim Garba in Kano, Jaiyeola Andrews and Yajubu Abdullahi in Dutse

 

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s campaign train wednesday berthed in the populous city of Kano, where he paid a courtesy call on the Emir of Kano and former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Malam Muhammadu Sanusi (II).

 

Jonathan, who immediately after his arrival at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport proceeded to the emir’s place, expressed gratitude for the warm reception accorded him and his entourage.

 

He also condoled the emir on the death of the late emir, Alhaji Ado Bayero, saying, “I am condoling you and the emirate over the death of the late emir. I am also congratulating you for this position as the Emir of Kano, being my first time to visit Kano since you assumed the throne.”

 

Also soliciting the support of the emir with whom he had a fractious relationship when he was in charge of the CBN and later fired, Jonathan added, “I am here to seek your royal blessing and to reassure the people of Kano that PDP is totally committed to developing the country.”

 

In his response, Sanusi said the emirate has no political affiliation with any of the parties, stressing that its major concern was sustainable peace and the security of lives and property in the state.

 

Sanusi said the emirate was praying for the peaceful conduct of next month’s general election and appealed to the electorate to eschew any form of violence, while also urging the government to redouble its efforts at overcoming the security challenges facing the country.

 

He called on politicians to conduct their business in peace and avoid bloodshed, noting that democracy was all about choice.

Sanusi appealed to the electorate to accept the verdict of the election and rally round whoever emerges the winner.

 

He expressed delight that government was doing all that was necessary to provide permanent voters’ cards (PVC) so that all eligible Nigerians could exercise their franchise.

 

During the campaign rally held at the Kano polo ground, the president could not hide his feelings at the mammoth crowd that received him and promised to boost economic growth in Kano through intervention programmes in education, agriculture, commerce and industry.

 

Addressing the people at the rally, Jonathan expressed his appreciation for the warm reception by the people of Kano, saying, “This crowd that has come to receive us just before prayer time is overwhelming.

 

“Let me use this occasion to appreciate the northern youths for donating N2 million personally and on behalf of the vice-president to our nomination forms. The donation was made in Kano and we have to use this opportunity to thank all of you for that.

 

“Let us use this opportunity to also express our condolences to you for the death of our former emir, Ado Bayero, and also to congratulate you for successfully crowning the next emir of this great city and this emirate. “At this occasion, let us remember some of our great sons and daughters that worked very hard to lead this country. One is the great Murtala Muhammad, Malam Aminu Kano and other great leaders who worked tirelessly for Nigeria.”

 

Jonathan informed the crowd that the cornerstone of his campaign in Kano was the basic empowerment of the youths and women in the commercial nerve centre of the North.

 

He also acknowledged the role being played by Kano in commerce and industry, assuring that his administration would work with the people of the state to enhance agriculture value chain to give more priority to processing and export.

 

“When you are in Kano, you remember what people want. Kano is known for education, it is known for agriculture, it is known for commerce and industry, and that is why this present administration will work with you, work with the governor that is coming to make sure that we don’t just produce food, but we process the food and export and that is why we are working very hard.

 

“You would remember that owing to our agricultural programme, we are producing rice and we will soon export rice from Kano.”

He also spoke of the efforts of his administration to eradicate polio in Kano, promising that it will be sustained to ensure that the virus does not resurface.

“I promised that within this administration’s period, Nigeria will surely eradicate polio and as I am telling you now, in 2014, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared India free of Polio, they declared Bangladesh free of polio

 

“We would also have been declared free last year but because of our challenges this was postponed. But let me reassure you that Insha Allah, this year, the World Health Organisation will declare Nigeria Polio-free.”

 

Jonathan promised to work with the people of Kano in order to encourage micro and small medium scale enterprises that would make young people to follow in the footsteps of the Aliko Dangotes of this world.

 

While speaking at the rally, Vice-President Namadi Sambo debunked claims that the Jonathan administration was anti-North, insisting that most important appointments in the presidency and the security agencies favoured the North, just as he appealed to Kano residents and other states in the region to cast their votes for the president.

 

The PDP National Chairman, Adamu Muazu, also presented the PDP governorship candidate Salihu Sagiir Takai and his running mate Abba Risqua Murtala to the people.

 

Among those on the campaign train were Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido; Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio; Director-General of the Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Senator Ahmadu Ali; Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali; Minister of Special Duties, Taminu Turaki; wife of the Vice-President, Amina Sambo; and Senate Chief Whip, Senator Bello Hayatu Gwarzo, among others.

 

After the Kano rally, the PDP campaign train proceeded to Dutse, the capital of Jigawa State, where the president said the crowd was not about intimidation as it was being projected by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).

Jonathan, who spoke at Aminu Kano Square, said the philosophy of great Nigerian leaders like Amino Kano, Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa, kicked against intimidation.

 

According to Jonathan, the PDP is a party that promotes unity and will never allow the country to disintegrate.

He stressed that all the states airports were built by PDP-led governments, adding, “The federal government has also established 14 universities and one international airport within this period.”

 

He urged Nigerians to ignore those who accuse the PDP of doing nothing.

“Leadership is not about intimidating people, it is not about threatening people. One thing about democracy is that people should be free. Freedom is the hallmark of democracy – a democracy where you are not free, a democracy where you live in bondage that is no democracy. Nigerians will never be in bondage, this country must be united,” he stressed.

 

He assured the people of Jigawa that his government will crush terrorism in the country.

“We have challenges of terrorism just like other countries have. But surely, we will crush this terrorism, as nobody can separate us, nobody can disintegrate this country. This country must continue to be united and nobody will allow anybody to do otherwise.”

 

On development initiatives for the state, he said: “What we want to do as the central government is to work with your incoming government just like we worked with Sule Lamido to make sure that we encourage our farmers to get fertilisers and soft loans to enable them fend for themselves and train their children.

 

“What we will do with incoming government is to create an environment for micro and medium scale enterprises for our young people to become the next set of millionaires in this country, for our young ones to create jobs for themselves, for our young people to create wealth.

 

“We don’t want a situation where our children will be beggers, where our children will be at home. We want to make sure that all Nigerian children have the opportunity which most of us had.

 

“We must give that opportunity to every Nigerian child and that is why we came up with the concept of Almajari education.”

He thanked the crowd for supporting PDP and asked them to vote for the party so it will continue working with the government of Jigawa State and see it from strength to strength.

 

In his remarks, the Governor of Jigawa, Sule Lamido, welcomed Jonathan to the state, saying PDP is a family of Nigerians that believe in unity and cares for the Nigerian people.

 

He decried a situation where those who do not support Buhari in the North are being vilified, noting that the only thing the APC has going for it in the North is Buhari’s popularity, saying that is not democracy.

 

“This is the arena of liberty and freedom where the people were freed by Aminu Kano with the philosophy of knowledge, not ignorance. We are today going through our political life where If you don’t say Buhari in the North you are called pagan, a pastor.

 

“The North that was liberated, today they are insulting us. Call me anything you want I will stand by my beliefs. I am a Fulani man and we don’t fear anybody.

 

“Today in the North, if you say anything against Buhari you are vilified. My worry is that the fear of Buhari is the beginning of wisdom, as today the fear of Buhari is the failure of Buhari. You must be a human being before you are an Ijaw or Northerner.

 

“So humanity is our concern. Hunger does not respect ethnicity or religion, so Nigerians deserve good leadership,” Lamido said.

The governor urged Nigerians to stand up against blackmail and intimidation, stressing, “There will be Nigeria after Jonathan and Buhari.”

 

He advised the president to create a team of “first 11”, not a captain of first 11, adding that democracy was about freedom of choice, and “if you can’t choose then there is no democracy”.

 

Meanwhile, one person was killed and five vehicles destroyed yesterday in the Hotoro area of Kano city following a clash between supporters of the PDP and APC.

 

The clashed started when the PDP supporters were travelling from Rano Local Government Area to attend the president’s campaign rally in the state capital.

 

There were said to have clashed with some APC supporters leading to the death of one person.

 

The violent encounter also resulted in the burning of five vehicles belonging to the PDP supporters in Hotoro.

 

Police spokesman in the state, Assistant Superintendent of police (ASP) Musa Magaji Majia, confirmed the incident, saying the command had commenced investigations to unravel the cause of the incident.

 

Majia urged politicians to warn their supporters against taking laws into their hands in order to ensure peace in the state.

 

THISDAY gathered that the quick intervention of the security agents saved the situation from spreading to other parts of the city.

 

THISDAY