INEC declares presidential election results on Monday

<img src=" http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRiyeLovYVT-YoteA5IfoN7veECA_dtGv_z6RZ6BXFr6p7dahMDb6eIjzEb "><br />The Independent National Electoral Commission has said that<br />despite the extension of the Saturday’s elections till Sunday in<br />some parts of the country, the complete results of the<br />presidential poll will be declared on Monday.<br />INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, who gave this assurance<br />on Sunday, however, said as of Sunday evening, results of the<br />polls had only been completely collated in two states, one of<br />which was Ekiti.<br />He maintained that the commission would declare the results<br />of the presidential election within 48 hours after the conduct<br />of the polls as it did in 2011.<br />He said this while addressing journalists in company with<br />some of the INEC commissioners on the update on the<br />conduct of the elections so far at the International Conference<br />Centre, Abuja, venue of the National Collation Centre of the<br />elections.<br />He said, “Some people assume that when I said 48 hours, it<br />starts from the morning the elections commenced. It is 48<br />hours after elections have ended, like yesterday.<br />“You start counting 48 hours from yesterday (Saturday), when<br />substantial majority of the polling units ended elections.”<br />He expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the Saturday’s<br />polls, which he said held in a substantial number of polling<br />units across the country, including the troubled North-East<br />region, where he said Internally Displaced Persons were able<br />to vote in three states of Adamawa, Yobe and Borno.<br />“We are pleased that the elections went on smoothly in a<br />substantial number of Polling Units across the country,<br />including the North East where the commission was also able<br />to conduct voting for Internally Displaced Persons in the three<br />states of Adamawa, Yobe and Borno,” he said.<br />He also debunked speculation that the resort to manual<br />accreditation in some polling units, where the card reader<br />machines failed, could undermine the credibility of the<br />election.<br />According to him, out of more that 150,000 card readers used<br />for the conduct of the polls on Saturday, only 300 of them<br />failed, representing only about 0.25 per cent of the total<br />number of machines.<br />“It is also gratifying to not that the card readers worked well<br />in the majority of polling units, even though there were areas<br />where difficulties experienced necessitated additional<br />guidelines to allow for manual accreditation of voters, as<br />announced yesterday (Saturday),” he said.<br />He said the resort to manual accreditation occurred in some<br />polling units in nine states which are Osun, Kebbi, Ekiti,<br />Adamawa, Borno, Jigawa, Anambra, Akwa Ibom and Ebonyi.”

INEC declares presidential election results on Monday

The Independent National Electoral Commission has said that despite the extension of the Saturday’s elections till Sunday in some parts of t...

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Buhari thrashes Jonathan in Ogun, wins 12 LGs

<img src=" http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT0vramecq6CgeZ0kceVEcd_pMR4SOtuls_uq9ztERpuenSEUpAXmLFaA "><br />The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress,<br />Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), defeated the candidate<br />of the Peoples Democratic Party, President Goodluck<br />Jonathan, who is seeking re-election, in Ogun State<br />So far, the APC has won in 12 local government areas of the<br />state, while PDP has emerged winner in seven LGs.<br />There are 20 local governments in Ogun State. As of the time<br />of filing this report at 8.02pm, result from the last local<br />government, Ipokia, was still being expected.<br />Buhari won in Ifo, Odogbolu, Egbado North, Egbado South,<br />Abeokuta South, Abeokuta North, Ijebu North East, Obafemi/<br />Owode, Ewekoro, Ijebu Ode, Ado-Odo/Ota and Odeda.<br />Jonathan won in Imeko Afon, Sagamu, Remo North, Ogun<br />Waterside, Ijebu East and Ijebu North.<br />The LGs, where the APC recorded huge votes,are Ifo, Abeokuta<br />South, Ado Odo-Ota, Abeokuta North, Odeda, Obafemi-Owode<br />and Ewekoro.<br />The PDP also proved its mettle in Imeko Afon, Buruji<br />Kashamu’s stronghold, Ijebu North, and Sagamu.<br />The local government areas, where both candidates ran neck-<br />to-neck, are Ijebu North East, Ogun Waterside and Odogbolu<br />LGs.

Buhari thrashes Jonathan in Ogun, wins 12 LGs

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), defeated the candidate of the Peoples Democ...

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Soldiers battle gunmen in Bauchi

<img src=" http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT1Vdw_ANa6jcCll0hl36KBQMj2r0hE1NwL4PCtOCAxOCMv_Cd6Q68QOqk "><br />Nigerian troops on Sunday engaged gunmen in fierce battle in<br />Dungulbe village, seven kilometres from Bauchi, the Bauchi<br />State Capital.<br />Reliable security sources and villagers confirmed the fighting.<br />A soldier, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told newsmen<br />that fighter jets had been drafted to support the troops to<br />repel the hoodlums.<br />“The fighter jets are pounding the enemy position while the<br />ground troops are engaging them,” the soldier said.<br />There was no clear information on casualties on both sides<br />but villagers said the soldiers pushed the gunmen into the<br />bush near Jitar village.

Soldiers battle gunmen in Bauchi

Nigerian troops on Sunday engaged gunmen in fierce battle in Dungulbe village, seven kilometres from Bauchi, the Bauchi State Capital. Relia...

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DSS, others bar journalists from collation centres in Imo

<img src=" http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSWn6XJJ1QxAvaBn8SZK-XenmcXqRZYXZOHpEkoU-Qwqe-gI8z8zeOWwZE "><br />There was mild tension in parts of in Imo State on Sunday as<br />armed security personnel, including men of the Department of<br />State Security, the Police and the Army barred journalists from<br />collation centres in the state.<br />At the collation Centre in Owerri Municipal Council Secretariat,<br />journalists were turned back from the gate by stern looking<br />security operatives who could not give reasons for the action.<br />The anxious journalists who were at the centres to get the<br />results of the National Assembly and Presidential election<br />results were told to return home and wait until the results<br />were announced.<br />All efforts to reach the Resident Electoral Commissioner,<br />George Ada, were abortive as his phone was switched off.<br />Meanwhile elections were conducted yesterday in the polling<br />units where the exercise could not hold yesterday as a result<br />of non availability of voting materials.<br />It will be recalled that many supporters of the All Progressives<br />Congress were arrested and manhandled by security<br />operatives at the alleged instance of the People’s Democratic<br />Party.

DSS, others bar journalists from collation centres in Imo

There was mild tension in parts of in Imo State on Sunday as armed security personnel, including men of the Department of State Security, th...

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Be patient, vigilant, Buhari tells Nigerians

<img src=" http://punch.cdn.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Maj-Gen.-Mohammadu-Buhari1-360x225.jpg "><br />Maj-Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (retd.)<br />The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress ,<br />Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has appealed to<br />Nigerians to be patient as the Independent National Electoral<br />Commission collates Saturday’s Presidential election results.<br />The APC candidate, who is contesting the poll for the fourth<br />time, gave the charge on his official Twitter page on Sunday<br />evening.<br />He urged his supporters to be vigilant.<br />He said, “Fellow Nigerians, I urge you to exercise patience and<br />vigilance as we wait for all results to be announced.”<br />Fellow Nigerians, I urge you to exercise patience and<br />vigilance as we wait for all results to be announced<br />— Muhammadu Buhari (@ThisIsBuhari) March 29, 2015

Be patient, vigilant, Buhari tells Nigerians

Maj-Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (retd.) The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress , Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has appea...

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Gunmen attack Bauchi voters, police stations

<img src=" http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSWn6XJJ1QxAvaBn8SZK-XenmcXqRZYXZOHpEkoU-Qwqe-gI8z8zeOWwZE "><br />An unspecified number of gunmen in a convoy of about 10<br />vehicles on Sunday stormed many polling units in Kirfi and<br />Alkaleri Local Government Areas of Bauchi State and<br />destroyed many electoral materials.<br />Police Public Relations Officer, Haruna Mohammed, stated this<br />in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday in<br />Bauchi.<br />Mohammed said the gunmen also attacked two Police<br />Stations in the two councils.<br />The PPRO said, “You may recall that on the 28/3/2015<br />(Saturday) at about 2.30pm, unknown gunmen in about six<br />vehicles attacked a polling unit at Yautara Ward in Darazo<br />LGA and set ablaze electoral materials.<br />“Combined security forces, comprising the police and Army,<br />forced the hoodlums to abandon their mission and escaped<br />into the bush.<br />“However, today, 29/3/2015 (Sunday) at about 0025hrs<br />(12.25am), hoodlums further attacked Kirfi and Alkaleri<br />Divisional Police Headquarters, but were repelled and pursued<br />towards Dindima Town along Bauchi Gombe Road.”<br />The Police Spokesman said operations were still ongoing,<br />adding that the areas had been cordoned off by a combined<br />team of security forces with efforts being intensified to restore<br />normalcy in the area.<br />He said, “Members of the public are urged to remain calm and<br />disregard rumour from mischief makers.”

Gunmen attack Bauchi voters, police stations

An unspecified number of gunmen in a convoy of about 10 vehicles on Sunday stormed many polling units in Kirfi and Alkaleri Local Government...

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Tension heightens between Rivers APC protesters, police

<img src=" http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR4amDwfk-HeT0tvihf3T43ny7XmR27ZHxhqPcnukiMej_YEcpuHPaCashe "><br />Policemen fired gunshots at INEC office on Aba Road, Port<br />Harcourt, capital of Rivers State, around on Sunday as the<br />protest against Saturday’s elections in the state began to<br />heightened.<br />The incident happened after APC supporters surrounded an<br />SUV in front of the Commission’s office, believed to have the<br />PDP governorship candidate in the state, Nyesom Wike, inside<br />it.<br />After appealing in vain to the APC supporters to clear the way,<br />the SUV forced its way through the angry mob, who stoned<br />and hit it the various objects.<br />They attacked several vehicles moving in and out of the area<br />carrying electoral materials.<br />More tanks and heavily-armed security officers have been<br />moved into the area.<br />Tension remains high in the area.<br />INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, just announced that the<br />commission’s office in Port Harcourt had been set on fire.

Tension heightens between Rivers APC protesters, police

Policemen fired gunshots at INEC office on Aba Road, Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State, around on Sunday as the protest against Saturda...

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Boko Haram attacks polling units in Yobe and Borno states

<img src=" https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_Erzle77hv082M1JAUTVGVakAWzReVD8oy5RuZmOuKIuNN8H3y3SVI7zKk3ID8N2iTvUroyB3Bi-2V7ozkZZcixCkkVrn5Dh_5_iJ1EM1vR-EKwBMlG-4d-2L9MBZd_KvLSFgzr1dy41/s1600/1.png "><br /><img src=" https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HsoddxoQ-cLsNO7ZhVc1QQWqdiz3Tn_-5-ZbTYjHav7n7On0CR-4XrG3BoiBOg5zlhimyEwCzmg83qnbKFWu08VmKEQpMSnPZ_CWrhFdloI6L0tcLvt0d0xIWVe2-HhJC4F-5dYCDU1y/s1600/3.png "><br />More reports of Boko Haram attacks in the North...

Boko Haram attacks polling units in Yobe and Borno states

More reports of Boko Haram attacks in the North...

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Police arrest man with snatched 300 PVC, others in Ebonyi

<img src=" http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZQBZ8zKVTz5zR0yV_5klY65Xwv0tR6SJWV7YHwDsjurdJmVwaJOD6so_2 "><br />ABAKALIKI- MIDDLE aged man, Ozemena Odeta among others<br />have been arrested at Ekawoke Ward in Ikwo local government<br />area of the state while distributing Permanent Voters Cards,<br />PVC allegedly snatched from Independent National Electoral<br />Commission, INEC staff during the last distribution exercise in<br />the area.<br />Addressing newsmen immediately after his accreditation, the<br />state Deputy Coordinator, Goodluck/Sambo Presidential<br />Campaign Organization, Ambassador Franklin Ogbuewu stated<br />that the suspect disappeared from the community after<br />stealing the cards but resurfaced during the election.<br />He noted that the suspect was arrested by the police when he<br />was allegedly distributing the PVC to voters who agreed to<br />vote the candidate of his choice.<br />According to Ogbuewu, the reports reaching him from different<br />parts of the state has it that the Card Reader failed to<br />authenticate most voters.<br />“I want to inform you that the person that snatched about 300<br />PVCs from INEC staff during the last distribution exercise has<br />been arrested by the police; you see immediately after the<br />theft, the guy disappeared from the community but resurfaced<br />during the election”.<br />A police source which further confirmed the development<br />added that the police in the area had commenced<br />investigation into the matter to ascertain the involvement of<br />any other suspects

Police arrest man with snatched 300 PVC, others in Ebonyi

ABAKALIKI- MIDDLE aged man, Ozemena Odeta among others have been arrested at Ekawoke Ward in Ikwo local government area of the state while d...

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Taraba PDP chairman, 700 others denied voting

<img src=" http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS4C4kn5MfvkPCV3NkVprI1gTURJ-QWIpt9fcKWgPoapwuiUf0k1RSX8No "><br />The chairman Peoples Democratic Party Taraba state chapter<br />Hon. Victor Bala Kona and 700 others were denied been<br />participated in the presidential and National Assembly<br />election.<br />Victor Bala and the 700 others were denied participation in the<br />election by INEC for not having their names on the voters<br />register even though they were with their PVCs.<br />The Electoral officer of Ardo-Kola local government area,<br />where Victor Bala and the 700 others came from, Mallam<br />Garba Inua confirmed the incident to Vanguard, he also said<br />the hitches occured in three other polling units of the local<br />government.<br />Bala Kona while briefing journalist at his house in Sunkani<br />said he was protesting along side the 700 others for been<br />disfranchised by INEC in an election that matters so much to<br />Nigeria.<br />He stated that after visiting INEC office in Ardo-Kola he also<br />proceeded to Jalingo the state capital to meet with the INEC<br />resident commissioner to register his protest.<br />“I went to REC at Jalingo office of INEC and he has taken the<br />responsibility because there it was confirmed that my PVC is<br />INEC own”<br />“I have to rush back home and calm the situation here<br />because the tension was getting tensed up”<br />“Am disappointed and my people are disappointed with the<br />way we were denied of our civil responsibility”<br />He call on the INEC to find a way for giving him and the 700<br />others who he claimed they were his relatives to vote for the<br />elections.

Taraba PDP chairman, 700 others denied voting

The chairman Peoples Democratic Party Taraba state chapter Hon. Victor Bala Kona and 700 others were denied been participated in the preside...

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INEC official, one other killed in Benue

<img src=" http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT4huzg26zH6AbBE7Bv4xYmnKq47MZdke0w9x4FjVytd9TC_B_bR2t7xTZu "><br />MAKURD – A female adhoc staff of the Independent National<br />Electoral Commission, INEC, (name withheld) and a<br />commercial motorbike operator were reportedly killed on<br />Saturday morning, along the Obussa-Ebonyi road, in Oju local<br />government area of Benue state.<br />Vanguard learnt that the INEC staff had boarded the motorbike<br />to Oju town where she was posted for election duties when<br />she, alongside the bike operator, met their untimely death.<br />According to the source,”they were riding on top speed at<br />about 7:45 when the front part of the motorbike suddenly<br />pulled of leading to the fatal accident and the instant death of<br />the INEC staff.<br />“Though the bike rider survived after sustaining seriously<br />injuries he later died before receiving medical attention.”<br />Reacting to the development, the Public Relations Officer, PRO,<br />of INEC in Benue state, Mr. Louis Ochai confirmed that the<br />deceased official was an adhoc staff who was moving to her<br />place of assignment when the accident occurred.<br />“We have already sent people there to give us a detailed<br />report on the matter for further action.<br />When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO,<br />Assistant Superintendent, ASP, Austin Ezeani who confirmed<br />the incident said the victims were on election duty when they<br />met their untimely death.<br />“I also want to state that aside this accident, we have not<br />recorded any ugly incidents in the state, so far it has been a<br />peaceful exercise in Benue state.”Ezeani said.

INEC official, one other killed in Benue

MAKURD – A female adhoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, (name withheld) and a commercial motorbike operator we...

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Explosion: NYSC urges corps members to remain calm

<img src=" http://cdn1.vanguardngr.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/300x203xVOTERS-300x203.jpg.pagespeed.ic.yDWrq96sd_.webp "><br />The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has urged corps<br />members participating in the Presidential and National<br />Assembly elections in Enugu State to remain calm as their<br />safety had been guaranteed.<br />The Director of Corps Mobilisation, Mr Anthony Ani, made the<br />call in Enugu on Saturday in an interview with the newsmen<br />while reacting to the car bomb blast in the state capital.<br />Ani said that security agents had beefed up security in and<br />around the state to forestall further incidents. “I am urging<br />corps members in the state to be calm and careful as security<br />agents have assured us of your safety. “Do not be<br />discouraged. We are monitoring the situation and everything is<br />on course. I am impressed with the performance of corps<br />members in the election.’’<br />Ani, who is in Enugu to monitor the elections, expressed<br />satisfaction with the peaceful conduct in the state in spite of<br />the bomb blast. The director, however, decried poor<br />performance of the card readers and urged INEC to improve<br />on it.

Explosion: NYSC urges corps members to remain calm

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has urged corps members participating in the Presidential and National Assembly elections in Enugu S...

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Voting starts

<img src=" http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR54w_wSBHkTMZXrK_BtZa5d_Y4NS7qJpNBB-QWno-J-miNmjp1RKk6CYo "><br />1:30pm – Senate President, Senator David Mark, cast his vote<br />on Saturday, at about1:30pm , at the Otukpo Club Township<br />Ward One polling Unit in Otukpo<br />2: 33 -Voting started in Alimosho in ward D unit 44 in Lagos<br />at 2:33pm<br />Kogi State dep gov, Yomi Awoniyi, cast his votes at Ileteju 11<br />in Mopa, Kogi State.<br />Eligible voters on queue in Goni Gashiya of Bulunkutu Area,<br />Jere council area of Borno state.<br />Bayelsa Deputy Gov, Rear Admiral John Gboribiogha Jonah<br />cast his vote in Nembe<br />Has voting started in your polling unit ?

Voting starts

1:30pm – Senate President, Senator David Mark, cast his vote on Saturday, at about1:30pm , at the Otukpo Club Township Ward One polling Unit...

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INEC restores website

<img src=" http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR364Uko0MmwymX8i18E5NNVnpYLTTl4srNI2knFs0coEDgiJC5_MADzzQ "><br />The website of the Independent National Electoral Commission<br />has been restored after it was hacked by Nigerian Cyber Army<br />earlier in the day.<br />It will be recalled that the website of the Independent National<br />Electoral Commission was hacked by a group that parade<br />itself as Nigerian Cyber Army. The hacking was confirmed by<br />INEC on its Twitter handle, @inecnigeria

INEC restores website

The website of the Independent National Electoral Commission has been restored after it was hacked by Nigerian Cyber Army earlier in the day...

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INEC suspends election in Delta community over insecurity

<img src=" http://www.informationng.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/jegaimages11.jpg "><br />The Independent National Electoral Commission has<br />suspended election in Udu Local Government Area of Delta<br />State after the police said they could not guarantee security in<br />the area.<br />The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Anidi Ikowak, said<br />in Agbor that some stakeholders in the area did not allow<br />electoral officers to move voting materials to polling units.<br />He said the initial complaint was that they wanted to see the<br />constituency collation form.<br />He said, “But even when the form was brought, they did not<br />still want the materials moved.<br />“So the police had to advise that for security reasons, the<br />election should be suspended.”

INEC suspends election in Delta community over insecurity

The Independent National Electoral Commission has suspended election in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State after the police said they ...

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Unknown group hacks INEC website

<img src=" http://media.premiumtimesng.com/wp-content/files/2015/03/762x334xinec-site-e1427542477508.png.pagespeed.ic.T_Tcs8MkqZ.webp "><br />The Independent National Electoral Commission’s website,<br />inecnigeria.org, has been hacked by an unknown group.<br />On the website, the group, which displayed an election cartoon<br />of President Goodluck Jonathan and General Muhammadu<br />Buhari, identified itself as the Nigerian Cyber Army.<br />The INEC in its Twitter handle, @INECNIGERIA, confirmed the<br />hacking, adding that it was working to rectify it.<br />Details later…

Unknown group hacks INEC website

The Independent National Electoral Commission’s website, inecnigeria.org, has been hacked by an unknown group. On the website, the group, wh...

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Hoodlums shoot at police, soldiers escorting Corps members

<img src=" http://punch.cdn.ng/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Buhari-vs-Jonathan-360x238.jpg "><br />Dear Ladies & Gentlemen,<br />Thank you for your interest in advertising on the Nairaland<br />Forum!<br />Nairaland runs a Targeted Ad Platform with which any<br />Nairaland member can place adverts on the sections of<br />Nairaland where the people he/she wants to reach are most<br />likely to be found (for example, a political party could place<br />ads on the politics section with it).<br />To place ads on Nairaland, the first step is to get your ad<br />banner designed by a good graphic designer. Your ad banner<br />must be borderless, 318 pixels wide, 106 pixels tall, less than<br />30kb in size, and in the PNG or JPG format. Once it's ready,<br />go to www.nairaland.com/campaign and click (Upload Ad) to<br />upload your banner ad and landing page , and wait for<br />approval. (Your ad might not be approved if it's deceptive or<br />illegal or morally questionable in some way).<br />After your ad is approved, we will provide you with information<br />about how to purchase advertising credits so you can freely<br />place your ads on any section of Nairaland - including the<br />home page - without any restriction at all (our system is<br />extremely simple by design).<br />Please see our Estimated Advertising Rates to find out how<br />much it'll cost to advertise on the various sections of<br />Nairaland on the long run (prices on the short term are<br />strongly correlated with traffic levels). Billing takes place every<br />few minutes and you will get detailed reports on unique clicks<br />and views and charges for each ad/section and for your entire<br />account over various time periods.<br />We look forward to doing business with you!<br />Best regards,<br />Seun Osewa.

Hoodlums shoot at police, soldiers escorting Corps members

Dear Ladies & Gentlemen, Thank you for your interest in advertising on the Nairaland Forum! Nairaland runs a Targeted Ad Platform with w...

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Explosion rocks Anambra polling unit

Less than an hour that a bomb exploded at a polling unit in<br />Enugu, a similar incident has occurred in Awka, Anambra<br />State.<br />The Anambra explosion took place at Atom a polling unit at<br />Umuokpara Primary School, Awka ward one.<br />Details later…<br /><img src=" http://www.punchng.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/President-Goodluck-Jonathan-Maj.Gen_.-Muhammadu-Buhari-retd.-150x150.jpg "><br />

Explosion rocks Anambra polling unit

Less than an hour that a bomb exploded at a polling unit in Enugu, a similar incident has occurred in Awka, Anambra State. The Anambra explo...

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Who becomes Nigeria’s first lady: extrovert patience or introvert Aisha?

<img src=" http://punch.cdn.ng/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Patience-Jonathan-and-Aisha-Buhari-360x218.jpg "><br />Patience Jonathan and Aisha Buhari<br />The Nigerian constitution does not recognise the office of the<br />First Lady which is a title for the spouse of the head of state<br />or president of Nigeria. However, the office has remained one<br />of the most funded and staffed since independence and the<br />First Lady is addressed by the title Her Excellency.<br />Nigeria has had several first ladies since independence but the<br />late Maryam Babangida, wife of Nigeria’s military president<br />from 1985 to 1993, General Ibrahim Babagida, began the<br />trend.<br />As first lady, she launched many programmes to improve the<br />lives of women. The “Maryam Phenomenon” became a<br />celebrity and “an icon of beauty, fashion and style,” a position<br />she retained after her husband’s fall from power.<br />When her husband became Head of State in 1985, Maryam<br />Babangida moved into Dodan Barracks in Lagos. She was said<br />to have arranged for considerable renovations to make the<br />rooms more suitable for formal receptions. As First Lady of<br />Nigeria between 1985 and 1993, she turned the ceremonial<br />post into a champion for women’s rural development. She<br />founded the Better Life Programme for Rural Women in 1987,<br />which launched co-operatives, cottage industries, farms and<br />gardens, shops and markets, women’s centres and social<br />welfare programmes. The Maryam Babangida National Centre<br />for Women Development was established in 1993 for research,<br />training, and to mobilise women towards self-emancipation.<br />She also established a glamorous persona. Talking about the<br />opening of the seven-day Better Life Fair in 1990, one<br />journalist said “She was like a Roman empress on a throne,<br />regal and resplendent in a stone-studded flowing outfit that<br />defied description…” Women responded to her as a role model,<br />and her appeal lasted long after her husband fell from power.<br />But the current First Lady in the person of Dame Patience<br />Faka Jonathan is one woman who shares the political space<br />equally with her husband, regardless of what the constitution<br />says about her office.<br />If her husband is re-elected, Nigerians may not see much<br />difference from what Mrs. Jonathan has done as their First<br />Lady for the past six years. But if General Muhammadu Buhari<br />of the All Progressives Congress gains the upper hand, then<br />Nigerians would then have a new experience with Mrs. Aisha<br />Buhari as the First Lady.<br />Dame Jonathan is reputed as a woman who holds court,<br />summoning ministers, even governors for meetings. Dame<br />Jonathan is not your regular first lady that is content with the<br />glamour of office; she is as active, if not more, than her<br />husband in the politics and politicking of the Peoples<br />Democratic Party of Nigeria.<br />With her influence, so many people have been appointed<br />ministers, permanent secretaries, ambassadors, name it. In<br />fact, through her, many governorship candidates have received<br />endorsement to contest in their home states.<br />Mr. Evans Bipi, a member representing Ogu Bolo State<br />Constituency in the Rivers State House of Assembly, described<br />the first lady as his Jesus Christ. When he was asked why he<br />calls her mummy even when he was no way related to her nor<br />come from her local government, he said, “Have you forgotten<br />that she is from Okrika? So, whoever attains the position of<br />the First Lady, what would you call the person? You call her<br />mummy. She is the mother of the nation and she is the<br />mouthpiece of Okrika people. She is the mother of Okrika<br />people. So, every Okrika person calls her mummy. Ogu Bolo is<br />Okrika. They are all Okrika people. It is like Ikwerre and Obio/<br />Akpor; they are all Ikwerre. It is only the local government<br />area that split them. So, as an Okrika woman, who has risen<br />up to that position, everybody calls her mummy.”<br />He also justified why he called her his Jesus Christ on earth,<br />“Let me say this. Man is God to man; it is in the Bible. You<br />must not see God; you will see God through somebody. God<br />said, see me through Jesus Christ. That is why we are seeing<br />God through Jesus Christ. This woman (Patience Jonathan) is<br />everything in my life. She made me what I am today.<br />Politically and otherwise; I can say it anywhere. I can say she<br />is my Jesus Christ because she has made me who I am<br />today. That is the truth and I can defend that anywhere.<br />“Babangida’s wife was from Delta State. Her people called her<br />mummy. Yar’Adua’s wife is from Katsina, all the people from<br />Katsina call her mummy. Even Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s<br />wife, the people call her mummy. When a woman attains such<br />level, everybody calls her mummy. It is a form of respect. But<br />to me, my mummy (Patience Jonathan) is special because she<br />brought me up to this level.”<br />His testimony is not different from that of her other<br />beneficiaries and she wields enormous power.<br />On her own, she anointed Nyeson Wike, the present<br />governorship candidate of the PDP in her home state, Rivers,<br />to dislodge Rotimi Amaechi, after falling out with the<br />governor. Because of the respect the Bayelsa State Governor,<br />Mr. Henry Seriake Dickson had for her, he made her a<br />permanent secretary in July 2012 even after a long time<br />absence from work. But when she fell out with the governor,<br />she resigned from the office to show her annoyance. She then<br />handpicked the Special Assistant to the President on Domestic<br />Matters, Mr. Waripamowei Dudafa to take over from Dickson<br />in 2016 irrespective of the governor’s aspiration for a re-<br />election.<br />The likes of Chief Christopher Alao-Akala, a former governor<br />and deputy governor of Oyo State, would not forget in a hurry<br />the role Dame Jonathan played in the politics of the PDP in<br />Oyo State when she summoned their leaders and advised<br />them to make the former governor of the state, Chief Rashidi<br />Ladoja, the PDP flag bearer, even after the latter had since left<br />the party and become the founder of Accord Party. Akala is<br />today the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Oyo<br />State.<br />She is a woman who makes no pretence about her views.<br />After a long absence from the country amidst speculations<br />that she was down at a German hospital, the presidency and<br />her office kept on assuring the citizens that she had merely<br />travelled to rest after the rigours of the 2011 elections and<br />hosting of the African First Ladies Summit.<br />But on February 17, 2013, she came out to tell the stunning<br />story of how she rose from death after being dead for a week<br />during a thanksgiving service in Abuja. She debunked the<br />stories dished out from her husband’s office completely<br />without scruples.<br />Punctuating her testimony with praise songs, Patience, who<br />refused to read from a speech prepared for her, narrated to the<br />congregation how she underwent nine surgeries within one<br />month in London.<br />“It was not an easy experience for me. I actually died; I<br />passed out for more than a week. My intestine and tummy<br />were opened.<br />“I am not Lazarus but my experience was similar to his own.<br />My doctors said all hope was lost.<br />“People are always afraid of operation (surgery) but in my<br />own case, while my travail lasted, I was begging for it<br />(surgery) after the third operation because I was going to the<br />theatre every day.<br />“It was God who saw me through. I did eight or nine<br />operations within one month. It was not an easy one.”<br />When the Chibok girls were abducted by the dreaded Boko<br />Haram terrorists, Dame Patience beat her husband to take<br />action by summoning to Aso Rock those she believed could<br />explain what happened.<br />The video recording of the meeting in Abuja went viral and<br />trended so much, particularly the part where she discarded the<br />English language for her preferred pidgin and launched into a<br />tirade against the principal of the school and the Borno State<br />governor and his wife.<br />That was where she asked the principal, ‘Na only you waka<br />come?’ She broke down in tears and told the state governor<br />and those who wanted to rubbish her husband’s government<br />that, ‘There’s God o.’<br />Dame Patience Jonathan is more at home in her native<br />language and pidgin English, irrespective of the occasion.<br />Yet, the First Lady was sufficiently educated.<br />Born in Port Harcourt, she earned her school certificate in<br />1976, and passed the West African School Certificate<br />Examination in 1980. In 1989, she obtained the National<br />Certificate of Education in Mathematics and Biology from the<br />Rivers State College of Arts and Science, Port Harcourt. She<br />then proceeded to the University of Port Harcourt and studied<br />for a B.Ed in Biology and Psychology.<br />For Mrs. Aishat Buhari, wife of the presidential candidate of<br />the APC, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), the office of<br />the First Lady could turn out to be a completely different<br />experience if her husband wins the election and becomes the<br />president.<br />When her husband became the head of state in the 80s, she<br />had not yet appeared in the picture as she was said to have<br />got married to the General in 1989. At a time during the<br />electioneering, the ruling PDP made it an issue that Maj.-<br />Gen.Buhari might not have a place for a woman in public life.<br />As a former head of state, his then wife remained anonymous<br />throughout.<br />And when he started the current campaign, there was no sign<br />of a woman with him, creating the fear that he might not be<br />women friendly. That was when the picture of his wife<br />appeared on the social media and she turned out to be a<br />stunning beauty.<br />The opposition was still not satisfied. In fact, critics concluded<br />that the General must be less enamoured with women by<br />refusing to pose for pictures with his family.<br />When Buhari’s campaign train hit Abeokuta, Ogun State, early<br />this year, the major highlight was the unveiling of his wife. In<br />fact, both Buhari and his running mate, Professor Yemi<br />Osinbajo, used the occasion to pose with their wives and with<br />the way the pictures trended on the social media, many<br />Nigerians were impressed by the images of the potential First<br />Lady and her deputy.<br />Of course, all the major newspapers splashed the pictures on<br />their front pages the following day.<br />Aishat Buhari was drawn out to the public glare and as such,<br />observers are still trying to assess her to see the kind of First<br />Lady she will turn out to be if her husband is victorious at the<br />polls.<br />One thing is sure though, Maj.-Gen. Buhari has a softer side<br />represented by his gorgeous wife, Aisha.<br />Mrs. Buhari obtained a diploma in Beauty Therapy at Carlton<br />Institute of Beauty Therapy Windsor in United Kingdom; she<br />also obtained a certificate course in French Beauty School,<br />Esthetique Academie Dubai. She is also a member of UK’s<br />Vocational Training and Charitable Trust and the International<br />Health and Beauty Council.<br />Aisha also holds National Certificate in Education, a Bachelor<br />of Arts Degree at Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma and Masters<br />in International Affairs and Strategic Studies from Nigerian<br />Defence Academy, Kaduna. She is the founder/Managing<br />Director of Hanzy Spa and Principal of Hanzy Beauty Institute.<br />Though Aisha has managed to limit her public gaffes, what<br />she said about Edo women has drawn the wrath of the people<br />of the area. Aisha had said that if her husband is elected, he<br />would make sure that there were enough jobs so that young<br />women from Edo State would no longer take to prostitution.<br />The women group in the state took her up on this. She must<br />have learnt some lessons from the criticisms that trailed her<br />comments.<br />Nevertheless, she has said, “For me, I will perform my duties<br />and role as the wife of the President of Nigeria traditionally.”

Who becomes Nigeria’s first lady: extrovert patience or introvert Aisha?

Patience Jonathan and Aisha Buhari The Nigerian constitution does not recognise the office of the First Lady which is a title for the spouse...

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na wa o monkey theft

<img src=" http://punch.cdn.ng/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/The-suspect-360x405.jpg " /><br /> The suspect<br /> The police in Lagos State have arrested a 27-year-old robbery<br /> suspect, Mohammed Nafiu, who specialised in using monkeys<br /> and snakes to dispossess people of their money and<br /> valuables.<br /> One of the monkeys was also arrested and is presently in<br /> police custody.<br /> Nafiu told the police that apart from the conventional tool<br /> (gun) used by most robbers, the sight of a snake or monkey<br /> unsettles and scares people. He said he was able to<br /> dispossess his victims of their valuables when confronted with<br /> these animals, especially fully grown ones.<br /> The Kano State-born Nafiu, and his accomplice, Nura, who is<br /> still at large, said they initiated this method of robbery<br /> operation some years ago.<br /> “We trained the animals to obey our instructions. On a single<br /> command, the animals attack whoever we want to rob and we<br /> are able to take whatever valuable they have on them,<br /> especially money,” Nafiu said.<br /> Nafiu, who is married with three children, was a farmer and<br /> native drug vendor until he came to Lagos about 10 years<br /> ago.<br /> “I learnt there were many Hausa people in Lagos, so I decided<br /> to come with my monkey which I had been using for monkey<br /> shows in Kano,” he said.<br /> A police source said on the day Nafiu was arrested, he and his<br /> accomplice had two monkeys in their Nissan Primera and<br /> were trailing a man who had just come out of a popular bank<br /> in Ogba area of the state. The man was said to be holding a<br /> nylon bag containing money.<br /> On sighting their next victim, they quickly went after him,<br /> unleashed their two monkeys on him and dispossessed him of<br /> N230,000 cash.<br /> Nafiu said, “When we attacked the man, he was overcome<br /> with fear, so we collected the money from him. As we were<br /> about leaving, having realised what was happening, people<br /> started throwing stones and several objects at us. Nobody<br /> could move near because they were also afraid of the monkey.<br /> Only Nura could escape. When the stoning became too severe,<br /> I could not escape and eventually, police came and arrested<br /> me and my monkey.”<br /> He said he could have released the monkey to protect himself,<br /> but he was afraid that the monkey would injure a lot of<br /> people. “I had to endure the attack because of this. I felt safer<br /> in the hands of the police than being stoned to death right<br /> there,” he added.<br /> He explained that while Nura was escaping with the money,<br /> the victim was chasing him, but that in order to stop the man,<br /> he took part of the money and threw back the remaining at<br /> him so he could get busy picking the few naira notes while he<br /> escaped.<br /> Nafiu admitted that he had been using the monkey to rob for<br /> some years and that it had injured a lot of people including<br /> himself. He showed scratches on his hands which he said<br /> were from the animal’s teeth and nails.<br /> “I have made a lot of money using this strategy but this<br /> N230,000 was the highest amount I ever got from a single<br /> operation. And now I regret what I have done. If I can be set<br /> free, I won’t do such again,” the suspect said.<br /> But a police source pointed out that another person had<br /> reported to the police that the same gang (Nafiu and Nura)<br /> once attacked him with a “big” snake and dispossessed him of<br /> some money.<br /> “Nafiu admitted that they had two snakes and two baboons,<br /> which they used to scare and harass their victims. One of the<br /> monkeys has been arrested and we are still trailing the other<br /> suspect and the other animals,” the source said.<br /> As of the time of filing this report, Police Public Relations<br /> Officer, Lagos State Command, Mr. Kenneth Nwosu, had yet to<br /> reply the message our correspondent sent to him.

na wa o monkey theft

The suspect The police in Lagos State have arrested a 27-year-old robbery suspect, Mohammed Nafiu, who specialised in using monkeys and ...

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Robbers operate haulage business, steal multi-million naira goods

<img src=" http://punch.cdn.ng/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Suspects-360x312.jpg "><br />The suspects<br />Twenty-eight-year-old Emeka Nathaniel, a truck driver who<br />specialised in interstate and intrastate haulage of goods had<br />hoped to get his usual service fee of between N200,000 and<br />N350,000 (depending on how large the cargo is) when he was<br />contacted by one of the clearing and forwarding agents who<br />gave him such businesses.<br />Price was agreed and there and then, 222 large Jumbo tyres<br />used by trailers were loaded into his truck. In total, N11m<br />worth of tyres were handed over to Nathaniel, whom the<br />contractor believed could not possibly do anything shady with<br />the goods. Destination was a warehouse at Kirikiri area of<br />Lagos.<br />But by nightfall on February 27, 2015, Nathaniel had<br />disappeared with the goods.<br />Operatives of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad,<br />Department of Investigation (Annex), Adeniji-Adele in Lagos,<br />who had been tipped off many days later about a shady<br />business going on at a warehouse in Ikeja area of the state,<br />stormed the place and succeeded in recovering the entire<br />goods.<br />A police source involved in the investigations at the FSARS,<br />told our correspondent that when Nathaniel who drove the<br />truck was arrested along with his conductor, 32-year-old<br />Haruna Saidu, information emerged about how they met a<br />member of a syndicate who specialised in diverting goods and<br />selling them off.<br />“Recent cases have shown that the operations of this<br />syndicate have become common in Lagos now. They are on<br />the prowl around the Nigerian Port in Apapa and other parts of<br />Lagos. The members target those who need haulage services<br />to transport their goods from one part of the country to<br />another. They simply take the goods, collect the transport fee<br />and disappear with the loads,” the police officer said.<br />The member of the syndicate, Azubuike Olumba, promised<br />Nathaniel an offer he could not resist.<br />“He promised that I would be paid N8m as soon as I delivered<br />the goods at Ikeja,” Nathaniel told the police.<br />However, Saidu (conductor) still thought they were indeed<br />going to deliver the goods at Kirikiri until they started to<br />unload the goods at Ikeja.<br />“He said when he queried his driver why they were unloading<br />the goods at the wrong destination, the driver quickly gave<br />him N150,000 to keep him quiet. Nathaniel still believed he<br />was getting N8m out of the deal,” the police investigator in<br />charge of the case said.<br />Saturday PUNCH learnt that as soon as the truck disappeared<br />and the owner of the goods learnt that it had not arrived at<br />the delivery point as scheduled, he reported at the Area B<br />Police Command in Apapa. But the police at the station had<br />no clue. Soon, the owner of the tyres lost all hope that the<br />goods would ever be found until he got a call from FSARS<br />operatives.<br />Four other suspects are in custody over the robbery – Kelechi<br />Igbokwe (43) and Peter Eigbogbo (46), who escorted the<br />vehicle to Ikeja and two potential buyers – Eze John and<br />Kennedy Okoye who were tyre traders called in to buy some of<br />the goods.<br />Saturday PUNCH learnt that after a successful operation, the<br />robbers destroy their number plate and repaint the vehicle.<br />The police eventually traced the truck to the office of the<br />Lagos State Traffic Management Authority.<br />“The suspects parked the vehicle at Mile 12, having removed<br />the number plate and left it there. LASTMA officials who saw<br />it there later impounded it and towed it to their office,” the<br />police said.<br />Meanwhile, operatives of FSARS also recently apprehended<br />another cartel with a similar modus operandi.<br />On January 9, 2015, 37-year-old Taye Adejumo, an Oyo State<br />transporter, who runs a supposed haulage business, took<br />delivery of 1,200 30-litre kegs of vegetable oil, which he was<br />supposed to deliver in Abuja.<br />The vegetable oil was worth N7m.<br />But unknown to the contractor, through whom Adejumo got<br />the transaction, the N250,000 haulage fee, was never his<br />target.<br />In fact, according to the police, Adejumo bought his DAF 85<br />truck solely for stealing and diverting goods.<br />That day, rather than proceed to Abuja and collect the<br />N120,000 outstanding part of his fee, Adejumo, who believed<br />he could become a millionaire from the venture, colluded with<br />his driver, 34-year-old Taoreed Kasali, and his conductor, 39-<br />year-old Ibrahim Saheed, and diverted the goods to Ikorodu,<br />where they began to sell the oil to traders at cheaper price.<br />With the help of an accomplice who posed as sales agent of<br />the company that manufactures the oil, the robbers<br />successfully sold N4.5m worth of the oil to unsuspecting<br />traders at Ikorodu Market who believed they were lucky to get<br />the product cheaply.<br />Adejumo said when he started the business of diverting<br />goods, he started with fuel.<br />He told the police that he successfully diverted and sold off a<br />tanker-load of fuel. But after many months of investigations<br />by the police, he was caught and he was forced to pay back<br />the worth of the fuel to the owner.<br />“At the time, I was still renting the tanker I used to transport<br />the oil. I paid N600,000 to the man I rented the tanker from<br />but made millions of naira from the business until I was<br />arrested at Sagamu. After I paid off the money to the owner of<br />the oil and I was released, I later bought my own truck for the<br />purpose of diverting goods,” he said.<br />He explained that each of the kegs of vegetable oil he diverted<br />was supposed to be sold for about N5,850 but they sold it for<br />N5,500 and after making about N4.5m, he paid Kasali<br />N350,000 and Saheed N280,000.<br />“After we caught them, only 182 of the 1,200 kegs of<br />vegetable oil could be recovered along with about N1m,” one<br />of the police investigators in charge of the case told Saturday<br />PUNCH.<br />Spokesperson of the FSARS, Mr. Lekan Ogundare, a deputy<br />superintendent of police, said these cases should serve as a<br />lesson for businessmen not to patronise roadside haulage<br />businesses.<br />“We would advise Nigerians to ensure that anytime they hand<br />over their goods to any haulage service, there should be<br />proper documentation about the identity of the haulage<br />company and about the chain of custody of the goods. This<br />would allow them to have enough information to work on in<br />the eventuality of a problem as we have seen in these cases,”<br />Ogundare said.

Robbers operate haulage business, steal multi-million naira goods

The suspects Twenty-eight-year-old Emeka Nathaniel, a truck driver who specialised in interstate and intrastate haulage of goods had hoped t...

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Death toll in Owo bank robbery hits 20

<img src=" http://punch.cdn.ng/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Premises-of-the-robbed-banks-360x270.jpg "><br />Premises of the robbed banks | credits: Tunde Ajaja<br />No fewer than 20 persons have lost their lives in the bank<br />robbery operation that engulfed Owo town in Ondo State, on<br />Thursday.<br />A reliable source at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, who<br />pleaded anonymity, said 18 corpses were brought to the<br />hospital at about 8:20pm on Thursday, while additional two<br />were brought in on Friday morning.<br />“Now as I speak to you, we have 20 corpses in the morgue.<br />We received 18 bodies last night and additional two this<br />morning. They were all casualties of the robbery incident that<br />happened the previous night. We also have about 25 people,<br />with varying degree of injuries, receiving treatment in the<br />emergency ward.<br />Armed robbers at about 5pm on Thursday attacked four<br />banks, namely, Wema Bank, Ecobank, First Bank and Skye<br />bank. Eyewitness accounts put the number of the hoodlums<br />that carried out the operation at about 40 and that they<br />arrived in about ten vehicles.<br />When Saturday Punch visited the community on Friday, there<br />was an uneasy calm as the residents, in clusters, lined major<br />roads in the ancient town discussing and analysing the<br />tragedy that had befallen them the previous night. None of the<br />banks opened for operation, but our correspondent learnt that<br />the staff were in the bank trying to put things in order.<br />It was learnt that the branch manager of Wema Bank, a staff<br />and a security officer attached to the bank were killed in the<br />premises. There were still splashes of blood on the floor of the<br />pavement at the frontage of the bank as of Friday morning.<br />There was also an abandoned Mercedes Benz E320 4MATIC<br />wagon, with registration number APP 574 DG. Also, the only<br />security door at the entrance of the bank was blown open.<br />An eye witness, who identified himself simply as Seun, said<br />the manager was instructed to fill one of the vehicles with<br />cash, and that after obeying the directive, he and two others<br />were shot outside the banking hall.<br />“After filling their vehicle with cash inside, they told him to<br />drive the car out of the park, and they shot him. They also<br />shot another staff, popularly known as Wale and then a<br />security guard. Adjacent the bank, two brothers, one of whom<br />was selling cassette, were killed. Those robbers went away<br />with a lot of money,” he said.<br />At Skye Bank, many payment tellers and office files littered the<br />entrance while a pungent smell of fire still engulfed the area.<br />The security door at the entrance was also blown open while<br />gunshots pierced the glass windows on the first floor. Part of<br />the building was also burnt. It was leant that huge sum of<br />money was also carted away.<br />At the Ecobank located at Mobil roundabout, our<br />correspondent found that gun bullets shattered the glass walls<br />at the entrance of the bank while one of the two security<br />doors was blown open by the robbers. A source, who pleaded<br />anonymity, said the bank had closed for operations and that<br />they were busy balancing their accounts when the incident<br />happened.<br />“It was around 5:14pm. They stationed one person outside<br />while two others were carrying out the operation inside. They<br />made away with a lot of money but they didn’t kill anyone,”<br />the source said.<br />[/media-credit] Premises of the robbed banks<br />At First Bank, gunshots also shattered the glass walls while<br />the security door was also blown open. It was leant that the<br />robbers made away with bags of cash, while killing two<br />persons, including a man using the ATM and a small boy who<br />was found stealing a glance at them.<br />As if these were not enough, two armoured tanks belonging to<br />the police were also attacked with traces of gunshots on one<br />of them with registration number NPF5234C, which was also<br />driven into a gutter in front of the PHCN office in the area. A<br />bus belonging to the PHCN also had its rear glass shattered<br />while a few bullets decorated pierced the glass window of the<br />three-storey building.<br />It was gathered that the Nigeria Police Medical Services, Area<br />Command headquarters, was also attacked by the robbers<br />and that about four policemen were killed while the mobile<br />phones of others were seized.<br />A resident, Mr. Tunji Olude, told Saturday Punch that it took<br />the efforts of some soldiers to mount a barricade at the exit<br />point of the robbers, where about five of the robbers were<br />killed and two were arrested.<br />Reacting to the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in<br />Ondo State, Mr. Wole Ogodo, confirmed the incident, saying<br />two of the robbers were arrested. He added that the<br />commissioner of police would later in the day brief the press<br />on the incident.

Death toll in Owo bank robbery hits 20

Premises of the robbed banks | credits: Tunde Ajaja No fewer than 20 persons have lost their lives in the bank robbery operation that engulf...

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Voters should avoid violence at polling units –Oyetibo

<img src=" http://punch.cdn.ng/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Mr-Tayo-Oyetibo-360x225.jpg "><br />Mr. Tayo Oyetibo<br />A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Tayo Oyetibo, tells FISAYO<br />FALODI in this interview why arms-bearing policemen should<br />stay off the polling units on election days among other issues<br />Are you satisfied with the level of preparation by the<br />Independent National Electoral Commission for the general<br />elections?<br />We may not know until the election day (today). There are<br />sensitive and non-sensitive materials that must have to be<br />distributed. So, one may not have information on the level of<br />the INEC’s preparedness until the elections are conducted<br />because it will be presumptuous now to say INEC is not<br />prepared. INEC does not have any excuse not to conduct the<br />election properly on March 28 because the electoral<br />commission has been given enough time to prepare. It was<br />clear enough that INEC could not have successfully conducted<br />the election on February 14. So, the claim that INEC was<br />ready then had been proved to be wrong; the commission was<br />not ready then because about 30 million Nigerians had yet to<br />collect their PVCs. An election in which 30 million people<br />would have been disenfranchised would not have been<br />considered as valid. If for example the election had been<br />conducted on February 14 and one of the candidates emerged<br />as winner with one million votes over the other, the loser<br />would have lodged a complaint that if the remaining 30 million<br />PVCs had been distributed, he would have won. This is a valid<br />ground to challenge the result of the election. But in a<br />situation whereby INEC has distributed substantial number of<br />PVCs and what we have now are people who have not come<br />forward to collect their PVCs, nobody can be blamed for that.<br />INEC can take the census of those whose PVCs are not ready<br />but have their TVCs and allow them to vote.<br />The Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Abba Suleiman, said<br />recently that the police would use fire arms with caution<br />because it is believed that the election may be tension-<br />soaked. How do you react to this?<br />Why should tension rise? Voters should come to polling<br />booths, do their accreditation and step aside. When it is time<br />for voting, they should go back to the polling booths to cast<br />their ballots. If these procedures are followed, there will be no<br />need for tension to rise; though that is one of the reasons<br />security agencies are well represented at each polling booth to<br />take out those who may want to cause problem.<br />What about the use of firearms?<br />A policeman without firearm is like a civilian, but those who<br />bear firearms should stay away from the voting process. They<br />should only be invited when there is crisis. We cannot rule out<br />the fact that policemen need firearms to deal with some<br />peculiar situations. The level of response by the police will<br />have to be determined by the situation. Any attempt to<br />completely keep away arms-bearing policemen from election<br />may be dangerous because you can only use armed policemen<br />to tackle armed thugs. But the police must be kept away from<br />the polling booths; they have no business at the polling<br />booths. They must be kept at strategic locations in case there<br />is need for their services.<br />Some people have expressed the fear that voters with genuine<br />PVCs may be disenfranchised because the result of the mock<br />test carried out recently on the card readers was not reliable.<br />How do you react to this?<br />INEC should have a ‘plan B.’ For example, if a voter has<br />genuine PVC and the card reader cannot read the card, the<br />voter should not be denied his or her right to vote. In such a<br />situation, INEC should fall back to manual system of<br />accreditation.<br />As a lawyer, what do you think voters whose eligibility to<br />vote is questioned by INEC officers can do?<br />Electoral officers have no power to challenge voters’ right to<br />vote. The electoral officers are to ensure that the cards voters<br />are bringing to the polling booths are genuine. But if it is<br />proved that the cards voters are bringing are not genuine, the<br />voters should re-examine themselves. In case the PVCs are<br />genuine, it then means that the card reader is faulty. That is<br />why INEC needs to provide an alternative way of accrediting<br />voters with genuine PVCs.<br />What do you think will happen if INEC fails to provide<br />alternative way of accrediting voters in case the card reader<br />fails?<br />It may be an invitation to crisis. I do not see any reason why<br />a voter with genuine PVC arrives at the polling unit at the<br />appointed time and is prevented from voting. Such a situation<br />can lead to crisis. So, INEC should ensure that such a<br />situation does not arise.<br />In previous elections in Nigeria, it was alleged that<br />politicians used money and other gifts or sometimes used<br />force to influence voters’ decision. How can this practice be<br />prevented now?<br />There is abject poverty in the country. As a matter of fact,<br />voters should know that a politician who offers them money<br />to vote for him will steal public fund to recoup his money. I<br />believe any contestant who offers money to potential voters to<br />be able to secure votes is likely to dip his hands into the<br />public fund in order to recoup his investment; that is why we<br />have been emphasising that those who give money to secure<br />votes, if they are caught, should be disqualified. If they are not<br />caught, those who collect the money should not vote for them<br />because they are voting against their conscience. The moment<br />voters collect money from politicians before voting, the<br />politicians become unaccountable to the people.<br />Politicians have, on many occasions, asked their supporters<br />to vote and ensure that their votes count. Can voters use<br />force to defend their ballots even if it is clear that the votes<br />are being stolen?<br />Two wrongs do not make a right. Voters cannot resort to<br />force to ensure that their votes count. If it is obvious that<br />there are issues, voters can lodge complaints to the<br />appropriate authority for immediate action. But it will not be<br />right to use violence to correct perceived irregularity at any<br />polling unit.<br />Do you support suggestion that policemen that will be<br />deployed in supervising the election should be subjected to<br />psychiatric test?<br />The police authorities should have a way of profiling the<br />policemen that are being used for election duty because if a<br />policeman is not mentally sick and is allowed to bear arms in<br />the midst of a crowd; and he is not trained in crowd control<br />technique, he may misuse the arms. I will not go as far as<br />saying they should be subjected to psychiatric test, but they<br />could be profiled and put through a special induction course<br />to ensure incident relating to accidental discharge is<br />prevented.<br />What appropriate measure do you recommend to the police<br />authorities in selecting policemen for the election<br />supervision?<br />Experience is very important in this area. The police<br />authorities should find out whether such policemen have<br />participated in similar exercise in the past and there was no<br />report of misconduct against them. Secondly, there should<br />have been a short and serious programme before the day of<br />the election to educate them on the limit of their involvement<br />in the poll. Those who will carry arms should also be trained<br />specifically that they are not supposed to harass or intimidate<br />voters. They should know that they are not supposed to<br />interfere in the voting process; their major duty is to promote<br />law and order. They can only be called for intervention if there<br />is crisis.<br />All security agents, including the para-military will be<br />represented in the supervision of the election. Don’t you<br />foresee conflict of interest among them?<br />It depends. When you have interplay of security agencies,<br />there will be a leader and the leader would have been given<br />operational guidelines. So, all other security personnel<br />operating under the leader would have been subjected to<br />induction course specifically set up for the purpose of<br />achieving a common objective. For example, if a unit is being<br />led by a policeman or a soldier, it is the duty of all the men<br />belonging to the unit to obey the directive of the unit’s leader.<br />All the security personnel that will be involved in the election<br />supervision are on special duty, so, the security personnel are<br />not going to impose the code of their particular agencies on<br />the other agencies that are participating in the exercise for the<br />purpose of ensuring peace.<br />How then do you advise security personnel for effective<br />service delivery?<br />They should keep their distance from the voting process; they<br />should be attentive and be at alert as well as ensure that their<br />arms are not handled recklessly so as to prevent accidental<br />discharge. Even if there is a little disturbance, it is a not<br />enough for arms-bearing policemen to come to the area at<br />that stage. Those without arms could intervene first. It is<br />when the disturbance is beyond the capacity of the non-<br />armbearing officers that his counterparts with arms can be<br />called upon.<br />It appears that INEC has not made special provision for the<br />physically-challenged persons. Who do you think should be<br />responsible for assisting them while casting their ballots?<br />It is a very sad situation in the country. The situation is not<br />peculiar to INEC; Nigeria has not done well for the physically-<br />challenged persons. If INEC can make provision for them, it<br />will be okay. Every aspect of our nation has failed in taking<br />the physically-challenged into consideration. In some<br />countries, there are public transport firms that will lower the<br />steps of their vehicles to make them accessible to the<br />physically-challenged persons, but we don’t have such facility<br />in Nigeria.

Voters should avoid violence at polling units –Oyetibo

Mr. Tayo Oyetibo A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Tayo Oyetibo, tells FISAYO FALODI in this interview why arms-bearing policemen should sta...

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Long, tortuous road to Aso Rock

<img src=" http://punch.cdn.ng/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/President-Goodluck-Jonathan-Maj.Gen_.-Muhammadu-Buhari-retd.-360x213.jpg "><br />President Goodluck Jonathan, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari<br />(retd.)<br />Ahead of today’s presidential election, it has been a busy<br />period for the two leading political parties – Peoples<br />Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress. ERIC<br />DUMO in this piece examines the major highlights leading into<br />the contest<br />Today is the day of reckoning for the Peoples Democratic<br />Party presidential candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and that<br />of the All Progressives Congress, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari<br />(retd.), as they test their popularity and acceptance among<br />the people of Nigeria.<br />Described as the most important poll in the country’s history<br />by events watchers, today’s contest is between a man who<br />has performed creditably well, according to his supporters,<br />and another whose record as a military Head of State between<br />December 1983 and August 1985 is paving way for and also<br />haunting in similar measure.<br />While Jonathan, the incumbent, whose message of<br />transformation and continuity has been marred with<br />accusation of underperformance by a host of critics – local<br />and international, Buhari, who clamours for change on the<br />heels of his prudent and strong disciplinary regime, is battling<br />to convince critics that he is far from the religious extremist<br />and ruthless leader he has been painted to be.<br />For both men, it has been a very hectic marketing campaign<br />to sell themselves to a disillusioned electorate grappling with<br />social and economic challenges on several fronts.<br />After both emerging their respective parties’ candidates late<br />last year, Jonathan and Buhari quickly turned on the heat on<br />each other in attempts to win over more converts. It was the<br />beginning of a long battle on the pages of newspapers, the<br />airwaves, Internet and other publicity platforms across the<br />country.<br />In a front page advertisement on some notable newspapers on<br />January 19, Nigerians were asked to choose between life and<br />death in either voting for a fit and healthy Jonathan or a<br />Buhari who is not “so fit” to face the rigour of the office of the<br />President. The advert, sponsored by Ekiti State Governor, Mr.<br />Ayodele Fayose, insinuated that if elected into power, the<br />retired general could kick the bucket like some Northern former<br />Nigerian leaders who were either killed or were consumed by<br />natural forces while in office.<br />The publication provoked not just the Buhari camp but many<br />Nigerians who felt it was a distasteful way to rubbish and<br />wish an opponent in a major battle death.<br />Reacting, the APC campaign organisation, in a statement<br />signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba<br />Shehu, said, “This is the height of desperate tactics by the<br />PDP, which is capable of degenerating into unnecessary<br />bloodshed and destruction. They are choosing death for us.<br />This is not politics. We are therefore asking our supporters to<br />stay calm and be law-abiding.”<br />The party further alleged that the entire scenario was a ploy<br />to eliminate Buhari before or after today’s election.<br />As if that was not enough, words started going round that the<br />retired General had gone in search of medical help in the<br />United Kingdom and not on a working visit to the Royal<br />Institute of International Affair, Chatham House, London, as<br />claimed by the APC. What started as mere talk soon grew into<br />a full-blown verbal war with Fayose accusing the opposition<br />of hiding the truth about Buhari’s health from the world.<br />Fayose had through his Special Assistant on Public<br />Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said, “The<br />truth is that Buhari travelled out to seek medicare in the<br />United States. If the APC people are saying otherwise, let<br />them publish the picture of Buhari boarding the plane and<br />granting interview to aviation correspondents at the Abuja<br />Airport.<br />“While I am happy that the APC people that are packaging<br />Buhari finally hearkened to my plea that they should allow him<br />seek medical care abroad, I must say that it was evil for the<br />APC to have lied that Buhari travelled on a working visit.<br />“These APC political merchants should say the truth and save<br />Nigeria from the possibility of another Yar’Adua experience.<br />They should tell Nigerians that Buhari is actually sick and lack<br />capacity to rule Nigeria and that they are only packaging him,<br />hoping that he will become incapacitated if he becomes<br />president so that they can take over power by proxy.”<br />Buhari, who spoke later at Chatham House in a paper entitled<br />“Prospects for Democratic Consolidation in Africa: Nigeria’s<br />Transition,” said that he wanted to be president “because the<br />work of making Nigeria great is not yet done.”<br />Apart from the controversy generated by Buhari’s health and<br />trip to Chatham House, other events also heated things up on<br />the road to today’s election for both men.<br />Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, once a staunch ally of<br />Jonathan but now a major backer of the 72-year-old former<br />military Head of State, alleged that Jonathan gave pastors<br />across the country about N6bn to vote against the APC’s<br />candidate. Though the Presidency and PDP quickly dismissed<br />the allegation, a Borno State-based clergy, Kallamu Musa-<br />Dikwa, soon revealed that the money was actually N7bn and<br />not N6bn as initially claimed by Amaechi.<br />Musa-Dikwa, who is the Executive Director, Voice of Northern<br />Christian Movement, told journalists in Kaduna that the money<br />was channelled through the Christian Association of Nigeria.<br />He said CAN got N7bn on January 26, 2015 and disbursed<br />N3m to each state chairmen of the association across the<br />country. Though the allegation has yet to be proven, it<br />remains one of the most scandalous episodes and major<br />highlights leading into today’s battle.<br />In an attempt to sell his candidacy across the country,<br />Jonathan embarked on a nationwide consultation of prominent<br />traditional rulers. Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi; Ooni of Ile-Ife,<br />Oba Okunade Sijuwade; Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi<br />and Oba of Lagos, Rilwanu Akiolu, were among those visited<br />by the President.<br />Jonathan described the visits as private. The move, no doubt,<br />charged up the atmosphere with news emerging shortly after<br />that large sums in foreign currencies were doled out to the<br />monarchs. Events preceding today’s election were<br />characterised with hate campaigns, mudslinging with many<br />analysts concluding that the political campaigns were the<br />dirtiest and most indecent in Nigeria’s history. There are<br />diverse accusation and counter-accusations.<br />For instance, a former Governor of Lagos State and leader of<br />the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, claimed that Jonathan had<br />promised him a vice-presidential slot in an interim government<br />arrangement, if he stopped supporting Buhari.<br />In a swift reaction, Jonathan denied meeting and offering<br />Tinubu any such role, describing the allegation as baseless<br />and false.<br />Issues surrounding Buhari’s certificate also added interesting<br />side attractions in the build up to the poll. While the former<br />Head of State insisted that his certificates were with the<br />military, the Presidency and PDP claimed otherwise. It took<br />weeks of accusation and counter-accusations before the APC<br />candidate finally obtained a copy of his result from Cambridge<br />and showed the world. Even after that, there were doubts over<br />its originality. The matter, which has yet to fully subside,<br />remains one of the major high points leading into today’s<br />presidential election. It adds to a long list that has combined<br />to provide tension and entertainment weeks ahead of the epic<br />battle.<br />Not only that, the APC candidate refused to participate in a<br />national debate claiming the PDP planned to use the debate<br />against him.

Long, tortuous road to Aso Rock

President Goodluck Jonathan, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) Ahead of today’s presidential election, it has been a busy period for the two...

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Poll: All eyes on the North-East

<img src=" http://punch.cdn.ng/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Air-Marshal-Alex-Badeh-360x225.jpg "><br />Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh | credits:<br />http://www.mydailynewswatchng.com<br />The much-awaited presidential election holds today amid<br />threat by the leader of the violent Boko Haram sect, Abubakar<br />Shekau, to disrupt the poll in the troubled North-East, FISAYO<br />FALODI writes<br />Today’s presidential election has been described by some<br />observers as a major exercise that will determine the<br />continued existence of Nigeria as a country.<br />The observers believe that the torrent of the challenges,<br />especially the insecurity confronting the country’s North-<br />eastern states of Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe is a potential<br />threat to Nigeria’s survival after the presidential election.<br />A former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Walter<br />Carrington, stressed this point not long ago when he said that<br />if Nigeria could conduct free and fair elections, tackle<br />corruption and bring the ongoing war against insurgency to an<br />end, the country would realise its potential.<br />Over 13,000 Nigerians were said to have been killed and over<br />one million people displaced from their homes since the Boko<br />Haram sect began its violent attacks on the country six years<br />ago.<br />As eligible voters, however, file out today to participate in the<br />process that will lead to the emergence of a new president,<br />the observers have raised concern over the fate of the<br />residents of the violent-hit North-Eastern states of Borno,<br />Adamawa and Yobe.<br />Though it was said that the military has recorded appreciable<br />success in the fight to contain the activities of the Boko<br />Haram sect with the recovery of no fewer than 36 towns<br />hitherto taken over by the terror group from it, observers said<br />the recent threat by the sect leader, Abubakar Shekau, to<br />disrupt today’s poll because “it is un-Islamic” should not be<br />taken with kid gloves.<br />Shekau, who in a video released recently, had said, “This<br />election will not be held even if we are dead. Even if we are<br />not alive, Allah will never allow you to do it.<br />“Allah will not leave you to proceed with these elections even<br />after us, because you are saying that authority is from people<br />to people, which means that people should rule each other,<br />but Allah says that the authority is only to him, only his rule<br />is the one which applies on this land.<br />“And finally we say that these elections that you are planning<br />to do, will not happen in peace, even if that costs us our<br />lives.”<br />But the observers said the recovery of the towns might have<br />weakened the activities of the terror group, the military should<br />ensure that the insurgents were prevented from carrying out<br />their threat in order to ensure that the electorate cast their<br />votes without fear or favour.<br />A former Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abubakar Tsav, in an<br />interview with Saturday PUNCH tasked the security personnel<br />mobilised to the North-East to make two issues their focal<br />points – ensure the safety of voters and the electoral officers<br />and protect other residents from being attacked by insurgents.<br />Tsav said, “If elections could be successfully conducted in<br />countries that had one time or the other been hit by violence,<br />the people of the three states under the Boko Haram siege<br />should be protected to freely participate in the election as<br />soldiers have told Nigerians that they had liberated the<br />troubled region from terrorists.”<br />He also asked the security agents to frustrate Shekau’s threat<br />to disrupt the poll.<br />A former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Alani Akinrinade, saw the<br />conduct of the poll as an exercise that must not be allowed to<br />be disrupted by any terror leader or group.<br />He said though the terror leader had served notice to disrupt<br />the poll, the nation’s Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces<br />must equally rise up to prove to him that the collective<br />interest of Nigeria is superior to the parochial interest of an<br />individual.<br />Akinrinade said, “Shekau might have served a notice to cause<br />trouble on the election day, the Commander in Chief of the<br />Armed Forces should serve him a notice that democracy is<br />superior to the violence the terror leader is promoting.<br />“The Commander in Chief should let him realise that we intend<br />to have the election on Saturday (today) and that he should<br />do everything humanly possible to ensure that the threat is<br />frustrated.”<br />The insecurity caused by the Boko Haram sect in the North-<br />eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa was cited as the<br />major reason behind the postponement of the general<br />elections from February 14 and February 28 to today and April<br />11.<br />The presidential election is majorly between the Peoples<br />Democratic Party candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, and that<br />of the All Progressives Congress, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari<br />(retd), though there are other less popular presidential<br />candidates.<br />However, the urge to conduct the election in the troubled<br />region by the Independent National Electoral Commission was<br />believed to have been spurred by the headway the military is<br />making in the battle against insurgency.<br />INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, stressed this belief when<br />he said recently at a forum organised in Abuja by the African<br />Policy Research Institute that the commission was working<br />hard to limit the number of Nigerians that might be<br />disenfranchised as a result of the insurgency.<br />The INEC boss buttressed his point by saying that the<br />electoral body had received adequate assurance that security<br />would be provided for the March 28 and April 11 elections in<br />every part of the country.<br />“We are getting over 700,000 ad-hoc staff and we cannot put<br />the lives of 700,000 people at risk. We have received full<br />assurances that security will be provided for the elections,” he<br />said.<br />The assurance of the security agencies gave the Internally<br />Displaced Persons in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states the<br />opportunity to participate in the poll through the special<br />polling centres created for them.<br />According to Jega, arrangements have been made in the three<br />states to ensure that the IDPs vote.<br />He had said, “When the methodology for the IDPs was<br />designed, it showed that there were fewer people in camps<br />and more outside and so it was recommended that voting<br />centres for IDPs should be outside the camps, while in Borno<br />State, it was recommended that the voting centre should be<br />inside the camps.<br />“This makes it easier for us because my team has made an<br />assessment to know those that have collected their PVCs. The<br />polling unit will be set up in accordance to the local<br />government that corresponds with the number of people in the<br />camps.”<br />To achieve the objective, INEC raised a task force chaired by<br />the National Commissioner, Mrs. Thelma Iremiren, to get the<br />IDPs exercise their civic responsibility. Members of the task<br />force include Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states Resident<br />Electoral Commissioners.<br />Specifically, the terms of reference of the task force are to<br />examine the legal, political, security and administrative<br />challenges in achieving IDP voting during the general election;<br />evaluate the standards and recommendations emerging from<br />conferences and workshops by international and local<br />agencies on IDP voting, and determine their applicability to<br />Nigeria for the polls.<br />Others are reviewing the experiences of other jurisdictions in<br />dealing with the challenges of IDP voting; evaluating the<br />adequacy of existing electoral legal framework for resolving<br />the challenges of IDP voting; determining what the<br />commission can do to ensure that IDPs are not<br />disenfranchised, if the existing legal framework is inadequate<br />and determining the scope of IDP participation that is<br />practicable in the general election.<br />But residents of Madagali and Michika towns in Adamawa<br />State are not likely to vote in today’s election despite the<br />efforts made by relevant stakeholders to ensure that all<br />eligible voters participate in the exercise.<br />INEC said it would not deploy its staff to conduct elections in<br />the two towns because it had yet to get clearance from<br />security operatives. But INEC’s position differs from claims by<br />some groups identified as Michika elders that Madagali and<br />Michika are safe for elections.<br />An expert in security management, Dr. Ona Ekhomu, believes<br />that no matter the number of measures put in place, the<br />terrorists might still carry out their threat because they are<br />ready to die.<br />“The fact of the matter is that terrorists are going to strike on<br />the election day no matter what anybody does to prevent the<br />attack. The terrorists are going to attack voting venues with<br />the use of improvised explosive devices, especially where<br />there is large number of voters,” he said.<br />According to him, the relative success being recorded by the<br />military in the anti-terror war is not enough to guarantee that<br />election should hold in the troubled parts of the country.<br />Ekhomu said, “The terrorists have become a full grown threat<br />to the nation’s security; they are not going to do anything<br />less than carrying out Shekau’s threat to disrupt the election.<br />“It is rather fool hardy for INEC to contemplate having election<br />in the troubled states; it demonstrates some measure of<br />insensitivity on the part of the electoral body that it must hold<br />election in those states when all is not going to be well with<br />them in terms of security.”<br />He also flayed the idea of creating special polling units for the<br />IDPs. Ekhomu compared a situation in which the IDPs were<br />asked to vote at the special polling centres with asking a<br />resident of Edo State to leave his ward without fault of his<br />own to travel many kilometres to Lekki area of Lagos State to<br />exercise his civic responsibility.<br />“It is electoral fraud on the part of INEC to ask the IDPs to<br />vote outside their wards or local government areas. Special<br />polling centre does not exist in the Electoral Law,” he said.<br />In spite of his opposition to the conduct of the election in the<br />troubled states, Ekhomu wants the security personnel<br />deployed in preventing breakdown of law and order to be more<br />vigilant.<br />He also expressed fear that states such as Bauchi, Gombe<br />and Kano that have had fair share of the Boko Haram attacks<br />in the past are not immune from any possible strike by the<br />terror group.

Poll: All eyes on the North-East

Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh | credits: http://www.mydailynewswatchng.com The much-awaited presidential election holds tod...

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Everybody is in politics for selfish interests–Adams, OPC National Coordinator

<img src=" http://punch.cdn.ng/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Gani-Adams-360x360.jpg "><br />Gani Adams<br />In this interview with ADEOLA BALOGUN and GBENRO<br />ADEOYE, the National Coordinator of a pan-Yoruba group,<br />Oodua Peoples Congress, Chief Gani Adams, talks about<br />politics and the contract secured by the group to guard oil<br />installations and pipelines in South West Nigeria<br />You used to accuse Dr. Frederick Fasehun of running after<br />politics but since you returned from the confab, you’ve also<br />become a politician.<br />We have had our own impact in most of the politics being<br />done in Nigeria. In 2003, we contributed to politics. As a<br />matter of fact, we supported (Asiwaju Bola) Tinubu (a<br />chieftain of the All Progressives Congress) in his bid to<br />become governor at the time. Then, the Peoples Democratic<br />Party wanted to take over the South West and we realised<br />that he was our ally. I was the one who went to Ibadan to<br />seek Baba Adewale Thompson’s support. That was when I<br />connected Baba Thompson to Rauf Aregbesola (now Osun<br />State Governor). I played a lot of roles for them to succeed in<br />2003. When you have followers, you may not be fully partisan,<br />but you will have a role to play to elect a leader. When you’re<br />talking of power, if you don’t know the essence, your enemy<br />will come from the back door to use it against you. Also in<br />2007, we played a role. In 2011, we also played a role but<br />now, you can’t expect us to continue that way in 2015. As an<br />organisation, there will always be some changes in pattern<br />and strategy at certain levels. We realised that if we kept<br />quiet, we wouldn’t be able to inform Nigerians about the<br />candidate of our choice. Some parties that don’t believe in us<br />or love us will go behind us to hijack our grassroots structure.<br />Inasmuch as we didn’t tell the world where we were going,<br />our grassroots people would not be punished because they<br />would say they didn’t know the direction we wanted them to<br />go. That’s one of the reasons why we have been making<br />political statements than in previous years. It’s not as if we<br />have joined any party. Even now that we are supporting<br />President Goodluck Jonathan, have you ever seen me at a<br />PDP rally? I select whoever I want to support based on the<br />individual and not his party. For example, I’m a friend of<br />Aregbesola, the Osun State Governor, but I may not be a good<br />friend to his boss, Tinubu.<br />Then why did you fall out with Tinubu if you helped him in<br />2003 as you said?<br />Before 2003, we saw Tinubu as a Yoruba hero and we thought<br />that he would be a future Yoruba leader if Yoruba people<br />could groom him. We dissipated all our resources. In the<br />process, he helped us too. Anytime Olusegun Obasanjo<br />(former Nigerian President) wanted to hit us, he would lend<br />his voice and he also refused to say any negative thing about<br />us. But we contributed a lot. In the process of supporting him,<br />we paid the price because one of the reasons that PDP took<br />us as its staunch enemy was because the party members felt<br />Gani Adams and Tinubu were inseparable. So, most of our<br />arrests at the time were politically motivated. They felt by<br />arresting us, they would clip the militant wing of Tinubu so<br />that they could get to him. I remember vividly in 2005, when<br />people went to Obasanjo to ask ‘why are you detaining this<br />boy? The crisis that occurred at Iyana-Ipaja had nothing to do<br />with Oodua Peoples Congress and a Lagos court had freed<br />them, why then did you arrest them?’ He said, ‘I want to clip<br />his wings.’ He said he didn’t know what was wrong with me.<br />At the time, I had only one house, so he felt why was I<br />supporting Tinubu and not him? He wondered how much<br />Tinubu could be giving to me that he couldn’t do 10 times. So<br />that was one of the reasons Obasanjo kept me in detention in<br />2005. His plan was to keep me there until the end of the<br />election in 2007 but miraculously, there was a court<br />judgement on December 19, 2006. So we just saw a certain<br />change of attitude in Tinubu; he didn’t want to empower us.<br />Anytime we had a programme and we sent him a proposal, he<br />had a nonchalant attitude to it. When we wanted to see him,<br />he started closing his doors. And I’m not a politician or a<br />regular visitor to the government house. I may not see the<br />governor of the state I live in for two years because I’m not a<br />contractor, but we realised that if we suffered for them to get<br />a mandate, by the time they were sharing positions, they<br />would not take us into consideration. Although I may not need<br />an appointment but I have some of my friends or followers<br />that say ‘ oga , if there is a political position, please kindly give<br />to us.’ I remember we supported Olusegun Agagu (a former<br />Ondo State Governor) and he promised to give me a position<br />as special adviser if he won for second term. I was in Brasil<br />when he was being sworn in in 2005. His brother called and<br />asked for the CV of the representative I wanted for the<br />appointment. I sent the CV of one of my friends who was not<br />even a member of the OPC. Something similar happened in<br />Gbenga Daniel’s government too. But no matter what you do<br />for Tinubu, he will not empower you or give you the benefit of<br />your struggle. There was an election period, I think 2007, we<br />sent a proposal to him. Politics is about local interest. If<br />anyone says he’s in politics without thinking of his interest,<br />he’s a liar and a product of deceit. If you want to be in any<br />party, the first thing you ask is which position in the executive<br />will you give me? When you get an executive position, if you<br />win the election, how many commissioners will you give me?<br />That’s why any politician who is intelligent will negotiate. So<br />we wrote a proposal saying, if you win this election, give us a<br />commissioner, special assistant or adviser. He threw the<br />proposal away. He would only call you to go and support his<br />party. So we realised that he was not keen to support this<br />organisation anymore. We got information authoritatively that<br />his late mother told him not to empower our group because<br />the group would go to a higher place in future. Yes, quote me.<br />About the national conference, you and some others have<br />been supporting President Jonathan because you believe the<br />confab report will be implemented. If he has not done it all<br />this while, why will he do it if he wins the election?<br />Did you expect any sitting president to implement anything<br />while we were in the peak of electioneering in August? We<br />finished the national conference in August, 2014 and the<br />political campaigns started in October. Some of the politicians<br />had been tactically campaigning since July. Even majority of<br />the people at the conference were politicians who had to go to<br />their various communities to prepare for 2015 elections. So it<br />was not easy to agitate for implementation at the time<br />because most of the members of the National Assembly were<br />concentrating on how to win back their tickets at the<br />primaries. The President wanted a second term so that period<br />was close to the beginning of the campaigns. So we relaxed<br />to see who would win the election and implement the report<br />of the conference. We felt Jonathan was the one who<br />organised the conference despite some impediments on his<br />way. You know when Jonathan was about to organise the<br />conference, Tinubu described it as diversionary tactics. While<br />returning from the United Kingdom, without consulting the<br />stakeholders in Yoruba land, he organised a press conference<br />and started knocking and kicking against what Mr. President<br />said. Gen Muhammadu Buhari also kicked against it. A lot of<br />people said N7bn was too much to spend on it. How much is<br />the National Assembly spending in three months and we are<br />talking of people that would produce a document to move this<br />country forward and bring us out of insecurity and crisis? So<br />with everything, we felt Tinubu was no longer part of us.<br />Immediately Jonathan started his campaign, he said he would<br />implement the report of the National Conference. Who do you<br />want me to support?<br />Before now, pan-Yoruba groups have accused the President<br />of not doing enough for the South West. But he has<br />practically relocated here since the postponement of the<br />elections, don’t you think this is all a political trick?<br />Who said he didn’t do anything for Yoruba people in six<br />years? What did Obasanjo do as President for eight years?<br />This man gave us a sea port in Badagry. Do you know that a<br />sea port will be constructed in Badagry and it will be the<br />largest in Africa? He gave us an airport in Lekki, another sea<br />port in Lekki, a free trade centre with the collaboration of<br />Lagos State in Lekki, Lagos-Ibadan Road is being constructed<br />and Sagamu to Benin Road also. He said he injected more<br />than N20bn into the infrastructure and he gave us a<br />university. Although, getting one university out of 12 is not<br />okay but most of the private universities are in this region. He<br />gave Ondo State another polytechnic. Most of the governors<br />benefited from this man but they wouldn’t tell you. Governor<br />Babatunde Fashola (of Lagos State) and the President were in<br />good terms until a year to the elections. There was nothing<br />Governor Fashola wanted from Mr. President that was not<br />given to him, underneath. Apart from playing politics, he gave<br />Governor Ibikunle Amosun Commander of the Order of Niger,<br />even as an opposition governor. The only person I know he<br />has problem with is Aregbesola. I know they are not on good<br />terms. Dr. Kayode Fayemi (former Governor of Ekiti State)<br />knew his way with Jonathan when he was governor. He was a<br />product of the villa. He was one of the technocrats they<br />normally used in the villa. Even when Obasanjo was there, he<br />wrote speeches for him and worked as a research person.<br />Truly, we were one of the people who criticised President<br />Jonathan at that time. We told him we needed the position of<br />Chief of Staff and he gave it to Yoruba. He removed the man<br />from Edo State. We have some Yoruba people in very good<br />positions in government. But you won’t know them. They<br />won’t show themselves. When you go to them and speak<br />Yoruba to them, they will speak English to you. So, sometimes<br />you will be reluctant to fight for them because if they become<br />ministers, are they useful to you? But because of parity, we<br />insist that there must not be disparity in appointments. Now<br />people will blame me for not supporting Tinubu, did Tinubu tell<br />me when he was endorsing Buhari as his candidate? Did he<br />consult me? Have I had interactions with him in the last three<br />years? He underrated me because I shied away from politics.<br />He underrated my charisma and strength.<br />At a time, you and Dr. Fasheun fell apart but it seems you<br />are back together because of Jonathan.<br />No, it does not mean that we have come together. We have a<br />common interest. We can come together when something<br />happens or when we are sensitising people about the National<br />Conference and after that, everybody will go back to his base.<br />That does not mean that we are together as one. Dr. Fasehun<br />is a person that will be very difficult for me to deal with. He’s<br />a father to me but we don’t share the same spirit.<br />Before, you accused him of going into politics because of<br />pipeline security contract. So, you’ve schemed for your share<br />of the contract now?<br />No, mine is quite different. It’s different from partisan politics.<br />He has involved himself in full partisan politics by resuscitating<br />the Unity Party of Nigeria and being the Chairman of the<br />party. I still remain nonpartisan in politics and the<br />organisation does not belong to any political party. But as<br />human beings, we are political animals. My opinion matters in<br />this society. Even if I don’t want to talk about politics, the<br />media will ask me. It started on my way to Cyprus. I was<br />asked who I would support and two days before then, we had<br />decided that we would vote for Jonathan. So I said that we<br />would vote for Jonathan. On getting to Turkey, on my way to<br />Cyprus, the internet and the newspapers had reflected that<br />Gani Adams was supporting Jonathan. By the time I returned<br />from the trip, the heat was on and I started responding. I<br />don’t need to lie.<br />People say the protest you recently led in Lagos was to<br />justify the money given to you by President Jonathan.<br />Is it people that are saying that or the All Progressives<br />Congress? It’s not people, we should not deceive ourselves.<br />When we were to organise a protest the next day, you sent a<br />press release that we got a pipeline contract of N9bn. What is<br />the meaning of that? We got the contract truly. And the<br />contract had been in the process. We had sent the proposal<br />but the issue was heated at the time. You know Yorubas;<br />most of the rich people would not want you to eat. We<br />wanted to get the contract to empower our followers who<br />don’t have jobs. It’s not about the money, it’s about giving<br />jobs to our followers. I said on a radio programme that we are<br />ready to give 10-15 per cent of the strength of the job to non-<br />OPC members. By the time they realised that Dr. Fasehun was<br />talking about the matter, Mr. Wale Oshun of Afenifere Renewal<br />Group spoke to Sahara Reporters that Dr. Fasehun had got a<br />contract of N9bn, a pipeline contract. The second day, Lai<br />Mohammed issued a press statement. Obasanjo issued his<br />own statement too. So I kept quiet. The file was given to the<br />Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and it started the<br />processing. The processing was on and most of the people<br />involved in it couldn’t renew their contracts, so it was put on<br />hold. Now NNPC has realised that the damage it was<br />recording was huge. How much will they pay us to secure the<br />pipelines? It’s not up to one per cent of the money they are<br />losing. It will give jobs to almost 30,000 people in the South.<br />And people are dying daily at Arepo, Akute, and other places in<br />Ogun State. Most of the pipes have been damaged and are<br />wasting fuel. So that was one of the reasons the process was<br />activated and they now approved the contract. I was not in<br />the country and didn’t even know that the contract would be<br />awarded again.<br />Don’t you think it’s a strange coincidence that the contract<br />was awarded by the President at the time the elections are<br />about to hold?<br />Whether it’s a strange coincidence or not, empowerment is<br />empowerment. We are citizens of this country. I have paid my<br />dues and I never got this opportunity in my life. I had never<br />got a job from the government. When your brother fails to give<br />you a job and somebody from South South gives you a job,<br />then your brother should be ashamed. The budget of Lagos<br />State is a lot and we never benefited any kobo from the Lagos<br />State Government; meanwhile, our presence here is a security<br />advantage to the state. Ogun State, instead of recruiting our<br />members, went and recruited people who are non-OPC<br />members as vigilantes. The Lagos State Government created<br />Neighbourhood Watch to frustrate our goal but God did not<br />allow it to work. You did not empower us and somebody does<br />that and you say it’s strange. What is our Yoruba people<br />doing to support OPC? We have lost about 7,000 members to<br />this struggle. Many people have been handicapped, lost legs,<br />arms, some are in detention and some have been frustrated.<br />The Niger Delta people have been gaining amnesty for the<br />past four years with billions of naira- and we refused to join<br />amnesty because we believe we didn’t commit any offence.<br />Now this is not amnesty, it is about a job we have been doing<br />free of charge and by getting peanuts on the streets.<br />Somebody says he will give about 5,000 youths jobs with the<br />least paid getting N50,000 a month. The supervisor should not<br />get anything less than N70,000; that was the standard NNPC<br />gave us. We can’t throw that opportunity away.<br />So how much is the worth of the pipeline security contract<br />given to you by the government?<br />The figure APC has been brandishing is a lie. But the worth of<br />the contract is not meant for public consumption. It’s after<br />three months that we will get to know the full package<br />because there are many things involved: the vehicles to be<br />used and so on. But I cannot tell you the worth of the<br />contract since I’m not the only one involved.<br />During your protest, you claimed to be calling for the removal<br />of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral<br />Commission but your men were armed. How do you relate the<br />two?<br />That is why I showed you the picture. There was nothing like<br />arms. The problem with APC is that they are jittery. I told<br />them that we have six million members. I got it from reliable<br />source that Tinubu told some members of the APC that ‘it’s a<br />lie, Gani does not have up to that number in OPC.’ The protest<br />was because of the shortage of Permanent Voter Cards.<br />So why destroy APC banners in the process?<br />Wait. The reason was about PVCs. We still have almost five<br />million PVCs not yet given to their owners in the South West,<br />South South and South East. In my house, we have about 20<br />persons who have not got their PVCs and election is just a<br />few days to go. Secondly, there is the issue of registration of<br />underage persons in the north and thirdly, the 30,000 polling<br />units that were illegally created by INEC Chairman, Attahiru<br />Jega despite criticisms. Those were the main reasons for the<br />protests and we started from Toll gate peacefully. The protest<br />lasted for four and a half hours. We provided more than 1,200<br />security men and we contacted the police. I called the police<br />commissioner about it and explained to him. He said he hoped<br />there would not be any problem and I said no. He linked me<br />up with the Deputy Commissioner of Police, who said he<br />would provide us with 16 patrol vehicles because he didn’t<br />want any trouble as elections were approaching. I said six or<br />seven would be okay. But that we needed police presence<br />there so that they would attest to anything we would do<br />there. And they were in the front, in the middle and in the<br />back. No crisis, nothing. Nobody touched the billboard of APC.<br />We have pictures that say otherwise.<br />Wait. The picture on the website is not from the scene of the<br />protest. Look at the picture. If somebody vandalised the<br />billboard, he’s not our member. Look at the picture of the<br />crowd at the protest, how can you see another picture where<br />one person was hitting a billboard? There was no space for<br />that. When our people moved to other roads, we had to be<br />pushing them back. The crowd was too much; about 200,000<br />people. All these things you see are fabricated. They are all<br />fallacy. There was nothing like a gun (there). Nothing like that<br />can happen in my presence. It’s not in our culture for the past<br />12 years. You will be dealt with if you’re caught brandishing a<br />gun. What is the monitoring committee of our group doing?<br />There is a code of conduct. When there was no war, why<br />should we hold guns? All the pictures are fallacies and were<br />meant to discredit the purpose of the protest. And I wonder<br />why APC has been defending Jega. Let Jega defend himself.<br />Jega has said it will be a disservice for him to leave. I’m<br />saying it will be a disservice for him to create 30,000<br />additional polling units for the North as against the South.<br />Is it a coincidence too that the Movement for the<br />Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra held a similar<br />protest in the South East, calling for Jega’s sack some days<br />before OPC held its own in the South West?<br />When last did you see me and Chief Ralph Uwazurike<br />together? It’s been a long time. I saw him three or four years<br />ago. He’s my friend. He’s somebody who believes in justice.<br />He will not sit down at home and allow 30,000 units to be<br />created by INEC in the North. It’s the beginning of rigging.<br />You may take it as a coincidence but it’s the beginning of<br />rigging. It depends on how passionate you take the elections.<br />Some of you journalists just want the election to hold and are<br />not interested in seeing the nitty-gritty of the election. At the<br />end of the day, there may be crisis and you will be selling your<br />newspapers because of the crisis. But we freedom fighters<br />who want change will be detained. The issue is that I don’t<br />know the source of Uwazurike’s move but if you have been<br />following me for the past few months, you will know that I’ve<br />been criticising Jega on the issue of PVCs. And what triggered<br />this protest was the statement of Arewa Consultative Forum.<br />It gave the idea that it was backing Jega on illegality. So we<br />decided to protest.<br />Even before the protest, we already heard that President<br />Jonathan would use groups like OPC, MASSOB against INEC<br />and APC and it came to pass.<br />Did Tinubu not relate with us before? Was he not close to<br />Asari Dokubo before? Dokubo normally went to ACN rallies.<br />Does Tinubu want to tell me that Henry Okar has not visited<br />him at Bourdillon (his residence) before? Was I not close to<br />him before? But now that he has made money, he’s so<br />arrogant to relate with his old friends and Jonathan hijacked<br />that. Jonathan came to South West relating with kings one<br />after the other. You sit down in Bourdillon, issuing statements.<br />In politics, you don’t believe you have won. Elections have not<br />come, you thought you had won. You are assessing your<br />winning process through the Internet, through some people<br />who don’t even have PVCs. They will just be editors on their<br />own. We have many editors in Nigeria now. When you have<br />your phone, you are the editor of your Facebook page. So you<br />believe all these internet parasites that will say Sai Buhari.<br />Jonathan got in touch with YCE, Afenifere and most of the<br />civil society groups. And most of them said they would<br />support him because of his promise to implement the report<br />of the confab. They say Yoruba people are good fighters but<br />not good at negotiating. Now, we are negotiating. We will give<br />you power and you will implement the outcome of our<br />National Conference.<br />Speaking of negotiation, earlier you said people are in politics<br />for their interests and that Tinubu did not give you positions<br />in his government. Have you negotiated ministerial or senior<br />advisory roles with Jonathan?<br />No, we don’t go to that level. When Nigeria is being<br />restructured, there will be less concentration at the centre.<br />That is our position. If we have true federalism, some of our<br />politicians will prefer to be governors than to be the president.<br />It’s not as if the president will not be powerful but the<br />resources you will spend to be the president will be too much.<br />You will concentrate on becoming a senator or a member of<br />the state House of Assembly because most of the states will<br />be buoyant and highly economically independent. So all this<br />will change with the implementation. There will be less<br />attention on the Federal Government and more on the state<br />level of governance.<br />You have confirmed that you got a pipeline security contract<br />but you have not said anything about allegations that you<br />collected billions of Naira from President Jonathan when you<br />met him in Marina, Lagos, for mobilisation?<br />Did Jonathan have a bank in Marina that was printing money<br />for everybody? Do you know how many people go to Marina<br />to see him? It wasn’t about collecting money. That was not<br />the first time I would see him. I see him virtually every six<br />months. If I want to see him almost every month, I would see<br />him. But what he requested for which I have done was to see<br />the leaders of the group to appreciate their support because<br />we stood by him in 2011. And I took about 50 of our leaders<br />there. He spoke to them and said he was not campaigning<br />but only wanted to thank them. You know politicians and their<br />tactics. We knew it was politics. We spoke for about 45<br />minutes or one hour and he shook our hands. That was what<br />impressed the leaders of the organisation- the presidential<br />handshake. Most of them are not poor, they may not be<br />multimillionaires but they are okay in their own right. But for<br />the recognition the president accorded them, they were highly<br />impressed. So it is not about money at the Marina. If the<br />president wants to give you money, is it until you go to<br />Marina? Are they not transferring money? I have been in<br />touch with him since he was the Vice President. It’s not until<br />I go to him and he gives me $100,000 (N20m), how much is<br />that? It’s about relationship. Even if he wants to give you<br />money, it won’t be on that day; there were lots of people<br />there on that day. Jonathan is a smart person, people think<br />he doesn’t know what he’s doing. He knows what to do at<br />the right time.

Everybody is in politics for selfish interests–Adams, OPC National Coordinator

Gani Adams In this interview with ADEOLA BALOGUN and GBENRO ADEOYE, the National Coordinator of a pan-Yoruba group, Oodua Peoples Congress, ...

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