...towards a better life for the peopleVOL. 25: NO. 62354

ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.comWEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

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Mr & Mrs

N150

P.41P.17

COLUMNISTS: Petroleumscarcityagain?

Nigeria,a taleof twocities P.19

Say INEC chairman not a civil servantWarn against further postponement of polls

Continues on page 5

Is my lovefor himdying?

See Pull-out inside

Enugucommunitythreatens toboycottelections overpoor state ofschools

STRUGGLES OF JAMB EXAM APPLICANTSUTME applicants queueing to print slips of their examinationcentres at the JAMB office in Dutse, Jigawa State, yesterday. BELOW: Some of the applicants struggling to get their slips printedin Abuja, as an applicant displays his slip after hours of struggle. Photos: Gbemiga Olamikan/NAN.

Shopriteadvert:See pages 31-34

Real causes of fuelcrisis, by Okonjo-Iweala

>>9

By EmmanOvuakporie, Levinus

Nwabughiogu &Jude Opara

A B U J A T H EHouse ofR e p r e s e n t a t i v e s ,yesterday, warnedPresident GoodluckJonathan againstremoving the chairmanof Independent NationalElectoral Commission(INEC), ProfessorAttahiru Jega, saying hisremoval could derail thenation's democracy.

The House has,therefore, resolved tosubject anyone involvedin moves to remove Jegato judicial prosecution inNigeria or at theInternational Criminal

>>8

2015 PRESIDENCY:Appeal court clearsJonathan for re-election

The Stephen Keshi Debate... see Back Page

Let Jega be, Repswarn Jonathan

CMYK

CMYK

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Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015 3

CMYK

CMYK

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POCKET CARTOONVanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 20155

TAKE HEARTBY ELLA RANDLE

Let Jega be, Reps warnJonathan

Continues from Page 1

Place all of your feelings outside of yourself andyou will be renewed Lao Tzu

So many of us are afraid of ourselves, of our owntruth, and our feelings most of all. We talk abouthow great the concepts of life and love are, but thenwe hide from both every day. We hide from ourtruest feelings. Because the truth is life and lovehurt sometimes, and the feelings this brings disturbsus.

Pain is meant to wake us up. Yet we try to hideour pain. Pain is a feeling. Your feelings are a partof you your own reality. If you feel ashamed ofthem, and hide them, youre letting the lies ofinsecurity destroy your reality. You should stand upfor your right to feel pain to endure it to ownyour scars to deal with the realities of life andlove, as you grow into the strongest, wisest, truestversion of yourself.

SYMPATHY VISITFrom left: Former Chairman, Ibadan North EastLocal Government, Gbenga Adewusi; Accord Party governorship candidatein Oyo State, Senator Rashidi Ladoja and former President OlusegunObasanjo during a sympathy visit to victims of last Sunday's Accord Partycampaign rally in Ibadan. Photo: Dare Fasube.

Court, ICC.President Jonathan

has, however, insistedthat there was no suchplan to remove the INECchairman ahead of thegeneral electionsscheduled for March 28and April 11.

Speaking in aninterview on Al-JazeeraEnglish on Monday,President Jonathan hadsaid: INEC is a verysensitive body. For me tochange INEC chairman,Nigerians will askquestions. So, youcannot wake up andchange INECchairman.

He said that he hadnever raised theprospect of a change inthe leadership of thecommission with anyhuman being on earth.

The House resolutionthat was pushed throughby the All ProgressivesCongress, APC, majoritywas despite strongobjections by the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP,caucus in the chamber.

Meanwhile, allegedplots to recruit Resident

Electoral Commission-ers, RECs, to instigate ano-confidence motionagainst Jega today cameunstuck after a meetingof the RECs scheduledfor today was shifted.The meeting, Vanguardgathered, would nowhold next week.

The House resolutioncame as Speaker AminuTambuwal told a civilrights group that anypremature removal ofJega could derail thecountrys democracy.

The motion to sanctionanyone involved in thealleged plot toprematurely nudge Jegaout from the countryselection managementbody was brought to theHouse floor by Rep. AliAhmed (APC,Kwara).

Moving the motiontitled: Threat to furthertamper with the statusquo arrangement for the2015 general elections,Ahmed noted that theinitial postponement ofthe general elections forthe six weeks due to thesecurity concerns relatedto the Boko Haraminsurgency has furtherheightened the tempo forpre-election violence.

He stated that therewere already threats andinsinuations aboutfurther alterations to thestatus quo arrangementsand regulations for theelections, arguing thatany alteration in thestatus quo arrangementsin whatever form at thiscrucial stage wouldinvariably lead to furtherpostponement of thedates of the elections.

According to him, thethreat to tamper withthe status quo may takeseveral forms includingbut not limited to illegalremoval of the currentINEC chairman.

He further submittedthat there is alreadydocumented evidencefrom several sources thatany change in status quoarrangements, especiallyremoval of the INECchairman, presents apossibility of violenceand would occasion thesowing of seeds of majorcrises.

Ahmed reminded theHouse that civil societyorganizations and somenotable Nigerians havealready sounded a noteof warning, andthreatened ashowdown should theFederal Government goahead to remove Jega.

Quoting Section 157(1)of the 1999 Constitution,he said that Jega couldonly be removed fromoffice on only twogrounds based on hisinability to discharge thefunctions of the office orfor misconduct asdetermined by two-thirdsmajority of the Senate.

His prayersHe thus prayed the

House to urge thepolitical class,government of theFederation, states andsecurity agencies to heedthe warning of imminent

and present danger as-sociated with any inter-ference with the existingschedules of the generalelections and also holdpersonally accountable,at domestic judicial fo-rum or at the Interna-tional Criminal Court,any person or organiza-tion that foists on INECany decision or actionwhatever, including un-constitutional attempt toremove the current chair-man, that has the effectof making it impractica-ble for the elections tohold on March 28,andApril 11, 2015.

PDP kicksHardly had Ahmed

finished than the deputyleader of the PDPcaucus, Rep. Leo Ogorraised a point of orderbased on House Order 62which states: Nodilatory motion shall beentertained by theSpeaker.

Ogor said that themotion thrived onspeculations, saying thathe failed to establish orproperly situate theprinciple of the motion.Nobody is interested inrumour, Ogor said as heurged the speaker todismiss the motion.

His submissionreceived spontaneousjeers from manymembers of the House,prompting Tambuwal,who presided, to hit thegavel repeatedly in hiseffort to regain theattention of members.

Turning to Ogor,Tambuwal said: Thankyou, but unfortunately, Ihave to overrule you.With the ruling,Tambuwal proceeded toput the question with theayes drowning the nays.

APC caucus leaderreacts

Following the debate,leader of the APC Housecaucus, Rep. FemiGbajabiamila toldVanguard that theappointment of the INECchairman could only beterminated by a two-thirdvote of the Senate,stressing that Section171 was clear on who acivil servant was.

Personally, I do notconsider the chairman ofINEC as a civil servantsubject to our civilservice rules, same wayI am not a civil servant.

Speaking whilereceiving a delegation ofthe Nigeria Civil SocietySituation Room, NCS-SR, after yesterday sHouse session,Tambuwal said anyattempt to remove Jegawould be unlawful andcould derail the nationsdemocracy.

He explained thatthose plotting Jegasremoval are only playinga script that Nigeriansare familiar with. Whenthe Emir of Kano,Muhammad Sanusi II,

whose removal he ex-plained precipitated thecurrent economic woesbeing experienced in thenation, I had cause tocondemn the act. Thosecontemplating Jegas re-moval are acting alongthe same line.

But Jega is not a civilservant. We should becareful. We shouldntsend the wrong signal tothe people of Nigeria,the speaker appealed.

Kicking against theveiled declaration of warand the indications fromunknown quarters thatan interim government isin the offing, Tambuwalobserved that signs areominous that if we arenot careful, the dark dayswill return to Nigeria.

There is no interimgovernment in theconstitution. Thosetalking about interimgovernment, are theyplanning a coup? It isoutside the Constitution,and I dont know why oursecurity agencies arecondoning it? It is atreasonable offence. Weshould respect thewishes of the people andthe will of God.

It is very clear thatcertain individuals arenot interested in a freeand fair electoralprocess, he added.

We should alwaysremember that powerbelongs to God, and Hegives it as He wills. Weshould appreciate thatnot up to 10 per cent ofus (Nigerians) arepoliticians. What thenhappens to theremaining 90 per cent? Ifyou do what pleases youand at the end of the daycrises break out, whathappens, he asked.

Tambuwal also had aword of caution for theelectronic media whichbeam sponsoredadvertisements attackingsome members of theopposition politicalparties. Some of theadverts are well over andabove board, he pointedout, wondering whetherleaders of suchorganisations ever thinkabout the future.

Earlier, ClementNwankwo of the NCS-SR said the group wasworried about theeconomic crisis in the

country, the fate of theconstitution and theforthcoming generalelections.

We are making thepoint that the dates of theelections are so close tothe handover dates, so itwill be intolerable topostpone the electionsagain.

He also criticised theidea of foisting aninterim government onthe nation and thesuggestions that Jegashould proceed onterminal leave. He citedsections 156-7 of the1999 Constitution (asamended) to back hisargument.

Meanwhile, today sscheduled meeting of thecountry s RECs withJega in Abuja has beenshifted to next week. Theshift, Vanguard learned,was to enable the RECsprepare for and monitorSaturdays test run of thecard readers to be usedfor the election.

Chief Press Secretary tothe INEC chairman,Kayode Idowu toldVanguard that since thecommission had alreadyplanned to carry out amock election, where thecard readers would beused, it was decided thatthe RECs meeting be putoff till after that exercise.

As you already know,this weekend we aregoing to 12 states todemonstrate how theCard Reader works. Wehave chosen two statesfrom each of thegeopolitical zones; wewill be at any ward theREC of the state willselect for the exercise. Itis on that strength thatthe RECs meeting wasshifted.

Todays meeting was toevaluate the preparationof the commission aheadof the March 28 andApril 11 polls with aspecial focus on thedistribution of thePermanent Voter Cards(PVCs) across thecountry.

6Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

4 cultistsrape18-yr-oldgirl

By SamuelOyadongha

YENAGOAFOURpersons, suspected tobe cultists, yesterday atgunpoint, allegedly rapedan 18-year-old girl alongGwegwe area of YenagoaLocal Government Area,Bayelsa State.

The victim (nameswithheld) was attacked atabout 11pm, whilereturning from a visit inthe area.

The suspected rapistswere said to have gaggedtheir victim and draggedher into a lonely structurein the area, where shewas raped and thenabandoned.

Police Public RelationsOfficer, Asinim Butswat,said the victim identifiedone of the suspects andreported to the AreaDivision of Police, addingthat he had been arrested,while search for the othersuspects continues.

A B R A KA D E LTAState University,DELSU, Abraka, hasdismissed a deceasedlecturer of the Departmentof Theatre Arts, Mr.Ifeanyi Ogu-Raphael, foralleged professionalmisconduct.

The late Ogu-Raphael,who died in September2014, was a complainantin a case of alleged felony,stealing and assaultagainst three formerstudents of the universityand was dismissed alongwith two lecturers foroffences the institutiondescribed as grossmisconduct.

Vanguard gathered thatthe sack of the late lecturerand two others wasconsidered andrecommended at the 90thregular meeting of theschools GoverningCouncil.

However, regarding hissack as unjustified, aformer counsel to thedeceased lecturer, whospoke on condition ofanonymity, described hissack as a ploy by theuniversity to avoid payinghis family hisentitlements.

DELSU sacksdead lecturer

By Perez Brisibe

ENUGUA pregnantwoman, Mrs MercyChintua, has been arrested byoperatives of Enugu StatePolice Command overallegation of assault on herneighbour, whom she saidspied on her while she was

Pregnant woman assaults neighbourfor peeping on her during bath

taking her bath.The suspect, who resides at

Akwuke, Awkunanaw axis ofEnugu State, had allegedlypoured hot water on the victim,Emmanuel Anyebe, forallegedly peeping on herwhile she was having her bathon February 23.

Confirming the incident,

Police Public Relations Officer,PPRO, Mr. Ebere Amaraizusaid: Mercy poured hot wateron the victim as he was goingto have his bath. She allegedthat the victim was peepinginto the bathroom, while shewas having her bath.

The hot water inflictedserious body burns on the

victim. As a result of theinjuries sustained from the act,he was unconscious and wasrushed to a nearby hospital.

The victim has denied everpeeping on the woman duringher bath.

The suspect has pleaded forleniency, ascribing her actionsto demonic spirits in her.

By Francis Igata

Strandedcommutersstruggling toboard a taxi atAleita Bus Stop onAirport Road, aspetrol scarcitypersists in Abuja,yesterday. NANPHOTO.

MAKURDIA four-year-old boy was, last Sundaynight, was burnt to death in abloody communal crisis thaterupted between indigenes andsettlers at Abinsi in Guma LocalGovernment Area of BenueState.

The crisis left many with lifethreatening matchet cuts, whileseveral houses, huts andfarmland were also razed by thefeuding parties.

Vanguard gathered from areliable source that there hadbeen bottled up anger andtension in the community,which is a few kilometres fromMakurdi town, in the last fewweeks, following several yearsof unending disputes over landownership.

Father of the deceased, Mr.Akpera Jime, told reporters thatsome youths, numbering over10, on Sunday night, stormedhis community burning housesand farmland.

Some of us were lucky tohave escaped, while my four-year-old boy was burnt insideone of our houses beyondrecognition, he said.

He added that his 31-year-oldson, Terna, who was attackedwith a machete, was receivingtreatment at a private hospital.

When contacted, the clanhead of Abinsi, ChiefChristopher Abaki, whoconfirmed the incident, said thecrisis had been brought undercontrol, following thedeployment of securitypersonnel in the area.

The State Police PublicRelations Officer, PPRO,Assistant Superintendent,Austin Ezeani, said men of theMobile Police Force had beendeployed in the area on theorders of the Commissioner ofPolice, Mr. Hyacinth Dagala, to

ensure that peace returned tothe affected communities.

Ezeani said the Police wereinvestigating the crisis, butcautioned youths in the stateagainst taking up arms againsteach other no matter the levelof provocation.

4-yr-old boy burnt to death, asindigenes, settlers clash in Benue

By Peter Duru

BENINTWO suspectedarmed robbers, who weresaid to have allegedly invadedthe Bishops Court at St JamesCathedral in Igarra, Akoko-EdoLocal Government Area of EdoState were shot dead by thePolice, Monday.

The suspects were shot in anattempt to escape while beinginterrogated by the police, evenas a third suspect, who was saidto have been the informant thatled to the robbery, is said to bein police custody for furtherinterrogation.

The main suspect (nameswithheld) is a close confidant ofthe Bishop and had been anadopted son of the Bishop, RtRev Jolly Oyekpen, and hisfamily.

He was said to have informedhis other two accomplices aboutN954,000 at the Bishop's Court,

which Vanguard was informedwas meant to be deposited inthe bank.

One of the suspects is said tobe from Delta State, but a farmerin neighbouring Owan com-munity, while the other hailsfrom Jattu in Etsako West LocalGovernment Area of the state.

They were said to havestormed the premises in theearly hours of Monday andcarted away the money andsome other valuables, such asmobile phones.

Vanguard learned that themain suspect had confessed tothe police that he actually gaveinformation about the money tohis late friends.

The two dead suspects weresaid to have met their waterlooin nearby Ikpeshi, where thepolice, through the principalsuspect, called on the two tocome for another deal of N2million.

On arrival, they were said tohave sensed danger andwanted to escape when policeopened fire on them.

One of the suspects reportedlydied on the spot, while theother died later.

It was gathered that theprincipal suspects share of theloot was N300,000 and hadreportedly spent N20,000 of theamount before he was arrested.

He was said to have also beenplanning his marriage, whichdate had already been fixed forlater in the year.

A senior police officer at IgarraPolice Station said the case hadbeen transferred to the StateCriminal InvestigationDepartment, SCID, in Benin.

Police spokesman in EdoState, Joseph Edoighiawerie,said: I am not in the office rightnow, but once I get back to theoffice, I will get details and getback to you.

Police kill two church robbers in EdoBy Simon Ebegbulem

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 20157

Bus driveraccused ofkillingpedestrian

THE police in Lagoshave charged a masstransit bus driver, AdewaleHassan, before an Oshodimagistrates court forallegedly crushing anemployee of OK Foods,Titus Lorungwen, to death.

Hassan, 30, with anunknown address, wassaid to have committed theoffence at InternationalAirport Road, AfariogunJunction, Oshodi.

According to the charge,the accused crushedLorungwen, 33, to deathwhile driving the masstransit bus with numberplate KJA 724 XN on thepublic highway.

However, when theoffence was read to theaccused, he pleaded notguilty to the one-countcharge preferred againsthim by the police.

Magistrate AkeemFashola granted theaccused N50,000 bail withtwo sureties, who wouldhave paid tax for a periodof three years, andadjourned the matter toMarch 31.

By BartholomewMadukwe & Victor

Ogunsola

LAGOSACTIVITIES at IgbosereMagistrates Court were,yesterday afternoon,paralyzed as Court 13 inthe building was gutted byfire after an air conditionerin the courtroom sparked afire, which extended to acabinet in the courtroom.

The incident was said tohave occurred 20 minutesafter the Chief Judge ofLagos State, JusticeOlufunmilayo Atilade, andher entourage paid acourtesy visit to the court.

Lagos State AttorneyGeneral andCommissioner for Justice,Mr. Ade Ipaye, who paid acourtesy visit to the courtsaid other courts in thebuilding were not affectedand that nothing got burnt,adding that other courtswill resume tomorrow.

What we need to do isjust to clean up the courtand fire fighters powderthat was used to put out thefire, Ipaye said.

Fire groundsactivities atLagos court

By Onozure Dania

PALPABLE fear has grippedresidents of Alaba,Mosafejo, Apasa and Ojo Roadin Amukoko-Ajegunle areas ofLagos, as hoodlums battling forsupremacy engagedthemselves in a free-for-all,leaving five persons dead,while many others sustainedinjuries.

Vanguard gathered that arenewed clash among Apasa,Alaba and Amukoko boys, whohad been in a protracted battleover the control of motor andtricycle parks in the area,started last Saturday on ApasaStreet.

Eyewitness told Vanguardthat the hoodlums, who werearmed with sophisticated rifles,pistols and machetes, alsodestroyed property worthmillions of naira.

An eyewitness, who identifiedhimself simply as Ojo, saidsome Alaba boys first attackedApasa on Saturday evening.

He said: They sent peoplerunning in different directionsand looted some shops androbbed some innocent passers-by. They also destroyed somevehicles moving to Mosafejoarea where they perpetratedsimilar acts.

5 killed as hoodlums clash in LagosThe next day, some Asapa

boys teamed up with Mosafejoboys to attack Alaba and killed

five of its boys.Resident of these areas have

blamed the continued hostilities

by the hoodlums on politiciansin the area, who engaged theirservices for political ends.

By Ifeanyi Okolie

UMUAHIAGOODS andproperty worth millions ofnaira were completely razedduring an early morninginferno, yesterday, which guttedthe shopping complex of PoliceOfficers Wives Association,POWA, on Bende Road,Umuahia, Abia State.

This came on a day a powergenerating set belonging toUghelli market branch ofECOBANK, Delta State,exploded and the ensuing fireengulfed the entire top floor ofa two-story building housing ashopping mall and someresidential apartments.

No life was lost in the POWAfire, which started in one of theshops upstairs in the one-storeycomplex, located close UmuahiaPolice Area Command andCentral Police Station.

A shop owner in the complex

said he was alerted at about3am by another shop owner,when the fire began.

He, however, regretted thatthe fire fighters that came hadnot stayed up to two minutesbefore complaining about a faultin their vehicle and left with apromise to return, but never did.

All the 22 shops locatedupstairs were completelydestroyed, while two shopswere affected down stairs.

In the Ughelli incident, thepower generating set of thebank exploded in flames at

about 1:30pm and engulfed theentire top floor of a two-storybuilding housing a shoppingmall and some residentialapartments.

It took the intervention ofyouths and the combined effortsof TRANSCORP-Ughelli PowerPlc and Ughelli Command ofthe fire service to prevent thefire from enveloping the bankand spreading to otheradjourning buildings.

Property worth millions ofnaira were also destroyed in theinferno.

Fire guts POWA shops in Aba,2-storey buiding in Delta

By Anayo Okoli &Brisibe Perez

LAGOS State PoliceCommand has arrestedthree suspected members of afive-man armed robbery gangterrorizing residents andcommuters along Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

The suspect, identified as AliuAbubakar, Anas Mohammedand Ali Adamu, were arrestedat Okokomaiko area of Lagosafter successfully carrying outa robbery operation at CassidyBus Stop.

It was gathered that at about5am on February 21, a five-manarmed robbery gang attacked atruck driver, Monday Ogbe, andhis conductor, while they wereoff-loading goods theytransported from Benue State toLagos.

It was learned that the victims,

Police nab 3 suspectedrobbers in Lagos

By Esther Onyegbula who were robbed at gunpoint,later reported the case at OkokoDivisional Police Station atabout 7:30 am.

When the victim went back tothe crime scene afterwards, herecognized one of the robbers,alerted the police and thesuspect was arrested.

The suspect, identified as AliuAbubarkar, took the police totheir hide out, where the otherswere arrested.

A locally-made pistol, livecartridges and three macheteswhere recovered from theirhide-out.

One of the suspects, 22-year-old Abubakar, who hasdeformities on both hands, said:I spent 15 months in KirikiriPrison for robbery and wasreleased in 2013. Despite thesedeformities, I have participatedin over 10 robberies.

L A G O S P O L I C Eyesterday charged a 27-year-old sales representative,Biola David, before a TinubuMagistrates Court sitting inLagos Island for allegedlystealing money and goods worthN286,500 from his employer.

The defendant is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy andstealing preferred against himby the police.

The prosecutor, SergeantDaniel Ighodalo, told the court

that the defendant, who was asales representative, stoleN244,500 cash and threeMichael Kors wrist watchesvalued at N42,000, property ofhis employer, one OluwatoyinKowobari.

However, the defendantdenied the charge broughtagainst him.

Magistrate O. M. Ajayiadmitted the defendant to bailin the sum of N50,000, with tworesponsible sureties in like sumand adjourned to March 2, formention.

Sales rep accused of theftBy Onozure Dania

Queueing for fuel in Maryland, Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO:Kehinde Gbadamosi.

LEFT: In search of petrol in Abuja, yesterday. NAN PHOTO.

8Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

2015 PRESIDENCY: Appeal Court clearsJonathan for re-election

MEETING: From left: Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State; PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, National Chairman, Adamu Muazu; Akwa Ibom PDP governorshipcandidate, Emmanuel Udom; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, AnyimPius Anyim and the Bauchi State PDP governorship candidate, Muhammad Jatau after ameeting between the leadership and governorship candidates of the ruling PDP at the StateHouse, Aso Villa, Abuja. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida.

WAR AGAINST TERROR: Military'll avoid humanrights abuses in its operations Jonathan

By Ben Agande

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri The words of the constitutionbest convey the mind of theframers. A court of law is boundto consider in its entirety, therelevant portions of theconstitution in order to arriveat a logical conclusion.

When relevant provisionsare read together, the wordsused, if plain andunambiguous, must be giventheir clear meaning.

In the instant appeal, it isnot controverted that the oaththe 1st Respondent took in 2007as a result of the joint electionhe had with late PresidentYarAdua, was the oath for anelected Vice President as it wasYar Adua that took oath ofpresidency.

On May 6, 2010 the 1stRespondent who was then theVice President, took oath ofpresidency by virtue of section146(1) of the constitution tocomplete the un-expired tenureof Yaradua.

Section 137(1)(b)disqualifies a person fromstanding for election for officeof president if he had beenelected into the office for twoprevious elections. So theoperative word is election. Thedisqualification is to stop theperson from participating inelection again if he has beenso elected twice.

So the word election usedin section 137(1) (b) of the 1999constitution when given itsordinary grammatical meaning,connotes a process wherevoting is employed to choose aperson for the post ofpresidency.

Primary election,nomination, voting, collatingand announcement of resultmust of necessity take place.That is the mode prescribed inthe constitution for the electionof a president into office. Thisdid not take place when the 1stRespondent took oath in 2010.

Stepping in of the VicePresident after the death of thePresident cannot be deemed anelection, especially for thepurpose of taking away a rightthat has been constitutionallyvested.

All the aforementionedprocesses, starting with partyprimaries, can be challengedin the court of law and if itsucceed, the outcome of anelection annulled. However, ifthe Vice President succeeds aPresident that has died, suchcannot be challenged in courtas it is a constitutionalrequirement.

The process that producedthe 1st Respondent asPresident in 2010, was not anelection as no single vote wascast. This was dramaticallydifferent from what happenedin 2011 when he wasnominated, elected and

declared winner. That was thefirst election he took and hisfirst election as a President.

The court said the case ofJonathans tenure wasdifferent from that of Marwavs Nyako and the fivegovernors that were sacked bythe Supreme Court, as thegovernors emerged throughelections.

It observed that thoughformer President OlusegunObasanjo previously served

ABUJA THE Court ofAppeal sitting in Abuja,yesterday, cleared the legalcoast for President GoodluckJonathan to seek a re-electionon March 28.

In a unanimous judgment,yesterday, a five-man panelof justices of the appellatecourt held that Jonathan waslegally qualified to run for asecond term in office.

The appellate court panelsaid the raging contentionthat under section 135(2) ofthe 1999 Constitution, asamended, PresidentJonathan is not eligible topartake in the forthcomingpresidential election havingalready taken the oath ofoffice and oath of allegiancefor the office of thepresidency twice, was notfounded in law.

It maintained that the firstoath Jonathan took on May6, 2010 was only to enablehim to complete the un-expired tenure of latePresident Umaru MusaYar adua as stipulated inSection 146(1) of theconstitution, saying his firsttenure as substantivePresident of Nigeriacommenced on May 29,2011, when he wasadministered the second oathof office.

Justice Abubakar Yahaya,who delivered the leadjudgment, stressed thatJonathan had only beenelected President once,adding that for him to bedisqualified from theimpending poll, it must beproved that the initial oath hetook in 2010 was a fallout ofan election.

Consequently, theappellate court, whiledismissing the appeal lodgedagainst President Jonathanby a chieftain of the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, MrCyriacus Njoku, affirmed aprevious verdict delivered byJustice Mudashiru Oniyangiof the FCT High Court onMarch 1, 2013 .

The panel held that Njokusappeal lacks merit, even asit directed him to pay a costof N50,000 toPresidentJonathan and the PDP, whohe had cited as 1st and 2nddefendants in the suit.

According to JusticeYahaya, our constitution isthe grundnorm and it issacrosanct. The 1999constitution is the foundationupon which the democracywe practice is anchored. It is,therefore, a document thatmust be respected,appreciated and obeyed byall of us.

as a Head of State in 1976,only the oath he took in 1999and 2003 is recognised in theeyes of the law.

As far as previous electionsare an issue, the 1st defendantis not disqualified andconsequently, he is qualified tostand election for the office ofpresidency, the appellatecourt held.

Njoku who is a registeredmember of the PDP in Zubaward, Abuja, had earlier gonebefore the lower court, urging

it to, among other things,determine whether section135(2) of the Constitution,which specifies a period offour years in office for thePresident, is only availableor applicable to a personelected on the basis of anactual election or includesone in which a personassumes the position ofPresident by operation oflaw, as in the case of Dr.Goodluck Jonathan.

ABUJA PRESIDENTGoodluck Jonathan hasassured that the Nigerianmilitary would take everyprecaution to avoid collateraldamage to lives andproperties of civilians as itintensifies its ongoingoffensive against BokoHaram.

Jonathan gave thecommitment, yesterday whenhe received in audience thenew South KoreanAmbassador to Nigeria, Mr.Noh Kyu-Duk.

According to Jonathan,everything possible wasbeing done by the military toavoid human rights violationsin the theatre of operations inthe North Eastern states.

He said: We are sticking tointernational best practices inprosecuting the war againstterrorism and doing our bestto ensure that we dont have

cases of human rights abusesin the North-East.

We are consistentlymonitoring the situation andhave investigated previousreports of such abuse whichwere mostly blown out ofproportion for politicalreasons.

Our military has areputation for discipline andwe have insisted on thatdiscipline and control for thesafety of civilians in the North-East.

The purpose of the entireoperation is to save our peoplefrom the brutal tyranny of BokoHaram, so we cannot toleratehuman rights abuses orwillfully impose furthersuffering on them.

The President also told Mr.Kyu-Duk that Nigerias entiresecurity architecture was beingreviewed, restructured andstrengthened to ensure greatersafety for Nigerians and foreignworkers in all parts of the

country.He said: We are inviting all

our friends in the internationalcommunity, particularly thosethat are more technologicallyadvanced, to complement ourefforts to build a more secureand prosperous country inwhich our people andforeigners can live in peaceand safety.

The President urged Mr.Kyu-Duk and his Indonesiancounterpart, Mr. HarryPurwanto, who was also at thePresidential Villa to presenthis letters of credence, to workfor the strengthening ofexisting trade and economicrelations between Nigeria andtheir countries.

The new ambassadorsthanked Jonathan forreceiving them and assuredhim that they will do their bestto promote stronger economicand cultural relations betweentheir countries and Nigeriaduring their tenure in Abuja.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 20159

Real causes of fuel scarcity, by Okonjo-IwealaFG meets marketers today, to pay interest, forex differentialsScarcity worsens as transporters hike fares by 100%Things are getting back to normalNNPCDPR warns fuel station owners

By Emma Ujah, AbujaBureau Chief & Michael

Eboh

ABUJA PRESIDENTGoodluck Jonathan,yesterday, directed the Ministerof Finance and CoordinatingMinister of the Economy, Dr.Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to paywith immediate effect alloutstanding monies owed to oilmarketers so as to end thecurrent gruelling fuel scarcitythat has crippled the nation andcaused untold hardship tomillions of people.

This came as the fuel scarcityin Abuja and other citiesworsened further, yesterday,despite assurances from theFederal Government ofimproved supply, as motoristsexperienced increaseddifficulties in their quest topurchase Premium Motor Spirit,PMS, from petrol stations.

The President who restated hiscommitment to Nigerians inAbuja, yesterday, said the publicneed not bear the burden ofneedless bureaucracy as ispresently the case, and that theydont need excuses but solutionswhich must be provided.

Consequently, petroleummarketers are, therefore, meetingFederal Government officialstoday with a view to resolvingall outstanding issues leading tothe current fuel crisis.

FG, marketersmeet today

Okonjo-Iweala who spoke tojournalists in Abuja, said thequeues were due more topipeline vandalism and logisticsand not payment of claims tomarketers.

Her words: Government isvery concerned about the fuelqueues which have appeared inLagos, Abuja and other parts ofthe country. As Nigerians canattest, the Petroleum Ministryand Nigerian NationalPetroleum Corporation, NNPC,have worked very hard to giveout the message that there is noneed for panic buying and thatit is trying to reduce the queuesto the barest minimum.

We are working with them andin fact, the marketers are comingto meet with us tomorrow(today). We have also agreed topay the interest rate and foreignexchange differentials.

Tomorrow (today) we will bemaking part of that paymentwhen the marketers are here andon the outstanding balance, wewill be issuing SDN (SovereignDebt Notes) to them so that thebanks will know that thegovernment has undertaken theobligations.

According to the minister, theGovernor of the Central Bank ofNigeria, CBN, Mr. GodwinEmefiele, has also spoken withthe banks so that all marketerswho want to open Letters of

LETTER OF CREDENCE: President Goodluck Jonathan (middle) introducing theForeign Affairs Minister, Amb. Aminu Wali (left) to Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria,Harry Purwanto after presenting his Letter of Credence to the President at the State House,Abuja, yesterday.

Credit could do so, adding: Wehave cleared with the marketersthat this is how we will go aboutit.

Scarcity not about paymentissuesOkonjo-Iweala

Okonjo-Iweala said lastDecember, the government paidN320.8 billion debt owed marketers.The money, she revealed, camefrom Excess Crude Account, whichshe said shows the seriousnesswith which the government takesissues about payments tomarketers.

She insisted that the current fuelcrisis was not over payments tomarketers, adding: I want toemphasize that contrary to someunfounded speculations, thequeues are not caused by paymentissues. As you know, we paid themarketers a total of N320.8 billionfrom the Excess Crude account intwo instalments in December lastyear.

This underscores the fact that weare taking payment of marketersvery seriously indeed. Weve beenin constant touch and talking withthe marketers and a week ago wereached an agreement with themon their core concerns which wehave addressed.

The minister commendedmembers of the Major OilMarketers Assoaiciation ofNigerian, MOMAN, who shedescribed as very cooperative andurged Nigerians to question themotive of others who even refusedto open Letters of Credit, LCs.

She said: It is clear that whilethe union and most members havebeen cooperative, some of theirmembers are not. Some of thesepeople have even refused to openLCs to facilitate their payments.

"We salute the union and themembers who are working hard toend this unfortunate situation. Asfor those who are working in theother direction, Nigerians shouldask them what their motives are.

Transporters hikefares by 100%

Meanwhile, transporters havehiked their fares by over 100 percent, as the fares within a shortdistance of Abuja city centre whichused to cost N50 were increased toN100, while some charge N150.

Also, large numbers ofcommuters were stranded at busstops and parks across the FCT, asonly a few vehicles were seen onthe roads.

Major roads in the FCT, especiallytraffic-prone areas, were virtuallyfree, as the roads were almostdeserted due to the fact that a largenumber of vehicles were parked atpetrol stations hoping to get fuelwhile others left their vehicles athome after having run out of thecommodity.

Sharp practicesat petrol stations

The situation also gave rise to

sharp practices at petrol stations,despite warning by the DPR, assome stations used theopportunity to hike the price ofthe product, while some othersresorted to manipulating theirpump volume and extorting extracash from motorists beforeallowing them gain entrance intothe stations.

A chaotic scene was recordedin almost all the petrol stationsacross the FCT, with soldiers andother law enforcement agentsdeployed to some stations tomaintain law and order,

When Vanguard visited Totalpetrol station opposite theNigeria Police Headquarters,Abuja, which was dispensing thecommodity slowly, a huge crowdof motorists were struggling tobuy the product.

Other petrol stations that wereselling amidst long queues ofmotorists include: OandoMabushi;Forte Oil oppositeTranscorp Hilton; MRS, KubwaExpressway;NNPC MegaStations, Gwarinpa and KubwaExpressway among others.

Things are getting back tonormal NNPC

This was in spite of assurancesby the Department of PetroleumResources, DPR, the NigerianNational Petroleum Corporation,NNPC, Petroleum ProductsPricing and Regulatory Agency,PPPRA and the Pipeline Productsand Marketing Company,PPMC, of a reduction of fuelqueues following increase inproducts supply.

Group Managing Director of

the NNPC, Mr. Joseph Dawha,had on Monday assuredNigerians that the fuel scarcitysituation will ease by yesterday,stating that the corporation isworking hard to ensure that thecrisis is nipped in the bud.

He maintained that things aregradually returning to normal andit is hoped that within the nexttwo days, the situation willnormalise.

He further stated that it isworking with the PPMC, thePPPRA and the DPR, to ensurethe increased supply of theproduct across the country.

He said: Things are gettingback to normal. The stations wejust visited have confirmed theavailability of products. Thequeues are disappearing andsupply is improving, by tomorrowand day after tomorrow,everything will go back to normal.

Speaking in the same vein,Haruna Momoh, ManagingDirector of the PPMC, lamentedthe absence of effective pipelinenetwork, due to the continuousvandalisation of pipeline acrossthe country, saying it is a majorchallenge to fuel distributionacross the country.

He, however, assured that thefuel situation will normalise in thenext few days as, according tohim, supply is improving with thearrival of a number of fuel vesselsover the weekend, while morevessels are expected to arrive inthe next couple of days.

He further stated that thePPMC is expanding its depotacross the country, adding that itis commissioning two of thedepots in a few days time.

He saisd: Despite theincrease in our depots, we haveto make sure that our pipelineswork. When they work, fueldistribution across the countrywill be much easier.

He advised Nigerians not toengage in panic buying,saying that the situation hasbeen brought under control.

DPR warnsfuel station owners

Also speaking, Mr. GeorgeOsahon, Director of the DPR,threatened to deploy lawenforcement agents to petrolstations found to be hoardingfuel across the country andcompel them to sell tomotorists at the regulatedprice.

He also disclosed that theDPR will not hesitate tosanction any marketer foundengaging in sharp practices,especially in the hoarding ofthe product and inmanipulation of prices.

He said: We are going tomake sure that those peoplewho are possibly hoardingfuel, dont hoard fuel. We willtry as much as possible tominimise the number ofpetrol stations to shut down.

"For anybody who hoards,we will get law enforcementagency to go in there andmake sure that they are forcedto sell and sell at regulatedprices. And we are doing thatin filling stations across thecountry to ensure this crisiseases off as soon aspossible.

10 Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

SYNAGOGUE: Can coroner be sued or not?

By Abdulwahab Abdulah,Bartholomew Madukwe &

Victor Ogunsola

NAFDAC declares drug counterfeit kingpin wantedBy Chioma Obinna

Agbaje, Ambode,Akele, others forLagos gov genderdialogue

HANDOVER: From left: Chief Sulaiman Adeyemi, Babaloja-General, Ketu Market, Mr.Afolabi Kazeem, Executive Secretary, Ikosi-Isheri Local Council Development Area, LCDA,Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, Chief Kelvin Nwaoha, Leader, Igbo communityin Agiliti and Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, duringthe official handing over of Maidan, Aina, Agiliti roads in Kosofe Local Government Area,Lagos State, yesterday. Photo: Bunmi Azeez.

LAGOSA Lagos State HighCourt in Ikeja, yesterday, askedparties before Coroner's Inquestinvestigating the September 12,2014 building collapse at theSynagogue Church Of All Nations,to canvass arguments on whetherthe coroner was a juristic personthat can be sued or can sue.

The judge, Justice LateefaOkunnu, made the request afternoting that the issue of juristicperson needed to be addressedin the court, before her ruling onan application by the churchagainst the coroners inquestinvestigating its collapsedbuilding.

The suit was instituted againstthe Lagos State Coroner's Courtsitting in Ikeja, and the Coronerjudge, Chief Magistrate OyetadeKomolafe.

The judge directed parties tocanvass arguments on the issue atthe next adjournment date to assistthe court in its ruling.

The coroner's inquest was set upby the Lagos State Government toinvestigate the September 12, 2014building collapse at SCOAN thatkilled 116 people.

In the suit before JusticeOkunnu, the church wants thecourt to stay further proceedingsof the inquest and suspend furtheractions on the invitation of thechurchs General Overseer,Prophet Temitope Joshua, toappear to give evidence before it,pending the determination of itssuit against Magistrate Komolafe.

The church, alongside itsfounder, had also prayed Justice

Okunnu for an order ofprohibition, against theCoroners Court of Lagos Stateand the presiding MagistrateKomolafe from exceeding theirjurisdiction in the conduct ofcoroners inquest into the deathof unknown persons in thecollapsed building within thepremises of the church onSeptember 12, 2014.

The church also want theLagos High Court to issue, An

order of Certiorari to bring thecourt for the purpose of quashingthe 1st and 2nd respondents inthe conduct of the coronersinquest into the death ofunknown persons in theSynagogue Church of AllNations, Ikotun Egbe, Lagos onSeptember 12, 2014 in suitnumber CR/AL/01/2014concerning matters, issues andcircumstances other than whatdirectly caused the death of the

victims and the manner of theirdeath for having been conductedwithout or in excess of the statutoryjurisdiction of the 1st and 2ndrespondents.

A declaration that the decisionof the coroner to summon theapplicants to give evidence at atime when no materials wereplaced before the coroner againstthe applicants is a breach of theapplicants right to fairhearing.

LAGOSNATIONAL Agencyfor Food and DrugAdministration and Control,NAFDAC, yesterday, declared asuspected drug counterfeit kingpinwanted over various offences,including attempted murder of apolice officer and importation of 15container loads of fake andcounterfeit pharmaceuticalproducts into the country.

The alleged counterfeit kingpinidentified as Mr. Kenneth Okereke,is said to be on the wanted list ofNAFDAC for some time.

It was gathered that efforts by theagencys task force to arrest himrecently proved abortive as thesuspect allegedly attempted to runover one of the police officers withhis vehicle, leaving the officerwounded.

Briefing newsmen on the failedarrest during the parade of threeothers arrested by the agency overforgery of NAFDAC, Customs,Banks and Immigrationdocuments, the Director General ofNAFDAC, Professor Paul Orhii,said presently, three warehouses

of the counterfeiter on the- runhousing over 15 container loadsof fake drugs, valued at N1billion have been visited by theagency.

Orhii, who described the feat

attained by the officials of theagency as the final push towardsachieving the presidential dec-laration of zero tolerance for fakedrugs, listed some of the medi-cines discovered amongst sev-

eral others to include; Tarivid200mg tablet, Augmetin tablet,Proviron, Novasc, glucophage,GSK hologram, halfan, ciprotabamongst others.

By Morenike Taire

L A G O S GOVERNORSHIPcandidates of the PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, JimiAgbaje, and his AllProgressive Congress, APCcounterpart, AkinwunmiAmbode will today fieldquestions from the women ofLagos State at the first Lagosgovernorship GenderDialogue holding at theSheraton Hotel, Ikeja.

They will be joined bygubernatorial flag bearers ofthe National Conscience Party,NCP, Ayodele Akele; KOWAParty, Victor Adeniji; andAlliance for Democracy, AD,Bolaji Ogunseye.

The first Lagos gubernatorialgender dialogue is aninitiative of VanguardNewspapers, the WomenAdvocates Research andDocumentation Centre,WARDC, in collaboration withSilverbird.

The dialogue, which willhave in attendance theNigerian Civil Society,members of the DiplomaticCorp and media, will tacklethe candidates on theirpolicies regarding genderrelated issues, such as health,education, poverty alleviation,decision making,environment, disability,among others.

Judge tasks parties ahead of ruling

Many corruption allegations against mygovernment are politically motivated Jonathan

By Emmanuel Aziken,Political Editor

PRESIDENT GoodluckJonathan has berated internaland external criticisms of hisadministration as corrupt assertingthat a significant proportion of theallegations has been politicallymotivated.In an interview broadcast onMonday on the English languagechannel of Al Jazeera, PresidentJonathan cited the claim of missingoil funds raised by the erstwhilegovernor of the Central Bank ofNigeria, CBN, and now Emir ofKano, Alhaji Lamido Sanusi as oneof the politically motivatedallegations of corruption directed

at his government.President Jonathan had at the

height of the allegations directed aforensic audit of the transactions bythe international accounting firm,Pricewaterhouse Copper.

Few months before he left officeSanusi had alleged that $49 billionwas missing from the nations oilreceipts an amount that hesubsequently put down to $20 billionbut which finance minister, Dr.Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala initiallyalleged to be between $10 billionand $12 billion. Speaking on theissue of corruption in the country,President Jonathan told Al Jazeera:

Yes, people talk about corruptionnow, because it has become apolitical issue and when youpromote something to the level of

politics, normally it is blown out ofproportion, President Jonathan said.

Yes, we have corruption cases, nodoubt about that. Yes, we have casesof people stealing, no doubt aboutthat. I always said call a thief a thief. Iam not saying that in Nigeria we donot have these elements of corruptionor stealing."

While giving the example of theissues raised by the former CBNgovernor, he said:

If you start from my former CBNgovernor, who said initially that$49.8billion was missing. $49.8billionis a lot of money. What is the budgetof this country for Gods sake? Ourfederal budget has been three pointsomething trillion, and thats roughlyon the average $18 to $20 billion ayear."

UN, AU to deploy8,700 troops tofight Boko Haram

MR Mohamed IbnChambas, SpecialRepresentative of the UnitedNations Secretary-Generalfor West Africa, has an-nounced plans by the UNand the African Union, AU,to deploy 8,700 troops tofight Boko Haram insur-gency.

Chambas said on Tuesdayin Lagos that the troopswould be properly equippedto combat all forms of BokoHaram insurgency in Westand Central Africa.

The special representativesaid the UN, AU and inter-national partners met lastmonth at two separate meet-ings to deliberate on themodalities for creating amulti-national joint taskforce.

Chambas added that thetaskforce would be consti-tuted with the contribution oftroops from four countries.

One of the top priorities ofthe UN today is the fightagainst Boko Haram. BokoHaram is not just a problemin Nigeria but has become aninternational concern. As weall know today, Boko Haramhas also taken its atrocities toCameroon, Niger and Chad."

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015 11

JONATHAN: S-West APC faults Yorubaleaders on endorsement

By Ola Ajayi

ALLEGED DEFAMATORY COMMENTS: Osinbajo demands N2bndamages from Fani-Kayode

IBADANALL ProgressivesCongress, APC, in the SouthWest zone has described therecent post-national conferencesummit where some Yorubaleaders endorsed PresidentGoodluck Jonathans secondterm ambition as an assemblageof strange bedfellows who lackedthe political aura to sell thecandidacy of the President toreasonable people in the zone.

South-West APC Director ofMedia and Publicity, Mr. AyoAfolabi, said the self-acclaimedYoruba leaders were in theminority and that was why,despite purporting to be actingin Yoruba interest, they held aconference that was not openedto the public.

It said the fact that it was thosecaliber of people that werepromoting the Jonathancandidacy in South-West hadshown how unpopular thePresident is in the region.

According to the party, It isinsulting and delusional for thosechampioning Jonathans causein the South-West to think theycan decide for Yoruba peoplebehind closed doors. The party

said that Tony Uranta and PeterObi attending a Yoruba summitin supervisory role from thepresidency is another addition onthe list of insults to the pedigreeof Yoruba nation from Jonathansadministration and why he will berejected at the polls on March 28."

The party maintained that

Yoruba people cannot be fooledknowing that some of those whodubbed President Jonathan abribe giver when an allegationof $50,000 bribe was made bythe Save Nigeria Group are theones now championingJonathan's candidacy.

Jonathan candidacy is

unsellable because when ourmembers joined all Nigerians toprotest and forced thepronouncement of Dr. Jonathanas the Acting President in 2010,we were not just fighting againstthe cabal, we were sending astrong message that we are tiredof the imperial and high-handedgovernance culture of the PDP-led federal government.

BENIN CITYTHECentral Bank ofNigeria, CBN, has beencommended for its efforts tofoster a friendlyatmosphere for small andmedium scale enterpriseswith the introduction of theN220 billion Micro, Smalland Medium ScaleEnterprises scheme formicro finance banksoperating in the country.

The Managing Director ofthe Lift Above PovertyOrganisation, LAPO, a NoneGovernmental Organization,Mr Godwin Ehigiamusoe,who gave the commendationat a lecture/send off party inhonour of staff, AghareseAikephiomwan Osifo, saidLAPO Microfinance Bankhas repositioned the micro,small and medium enterprisesby ensuring that, "micro-finance as a term no longersound esoteric in the ears ofthe public."

He said the growth andawareness of theMicrofinance banks in thecountry have been improvedupon by the CBN, productand schemes, which providethe lowest lending interest rate formicro businesses at nine percent permonth, noting that the interest rateby the CBN is to ensure,"empowerment for household tocommunity level and eventually tothe political space."

CBN laudedon creditfacilities tomicro-financefirms

L A G O S V I C EP R E S I D E N T I A Lcandidate of the All ProgressivesCongress, Professor YemiOsinbajo has demanded N2billion as damages from thepresidential spokesman of thePeoples Democratic Party, PDP,Mr Femi Fani-Kayode foralleged publication anddissemination of defamatorystatements against him.

Professor Osinbajo is alsoasking for immediate retractionwithin seven days of theoffensive and derogatorypublication as well as apologyon four TV channels and fournational newspapers circulatingin all parts of Nigeria.

In a letter addressed to MrFani-Kayode by Lagos lawyer,Mr Femi Falana, SAN, on behalf

of Osinbajo, he is complaining ofa statement made by the PDPpresidential spokesman whichwas broadcast on Channels TVand published in severalnewspapers alleging thatOsinbajo made a secret oath withSenator Bola Tinubu to be hissurrogate as Vice President for aperiod of six months to be followedby his resignation.

According to the statement, thedirect meaning of the falsedefamatory statements is thatProfessor Osinbajo is deceitful andthat his characterisation ofOsinbajo as a stoogesuggeststhat he is complicit in a fraudagainst the Nigerian people.

Professor Osinbajo isparticipating in a device thatconstitutes subterfuge and lacksintegrity, in concert with others who

you also characterise as evil, insensitive,wicked, selfish and desperate.

Professor Osinbajo, who is a pastor,professor of law and Senior Advocate ofNigeria has engaged in conduct that isincompatible with his faith, role/ethicsas a senior and respected lawyer

We therefore demand immediateretraction of the offensive andderogatory publication and apology onfour TV channels and four nationalnewspapers circulating in all parts ofNigeria and damages in the sum of N2billion.

VISIT: Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal (right), Mr. FestusOkoye (left) and Mr. Clem Nwankwo, during a visit by members of the Civil Society SituationRoom, at the National Assembly, yesterdaday.

....As Fani-Kayode demands N5bn from Lai Mohammed

By Henry Umoru

ABUJADIRECTOR,Media and Publicity ofPeoples Democratic Party, PDP,Presidential CampaignOrganisation, PDPPCO,Chief Femi Fani- Kayode hasindicated his intention to suethe National PublicitySecretary of the AllProgressives Congress, APC,

Alhaji Lai Mohammed overalleged defamatorypublication.

In a three-page letter by hislawyers, Ahmed Raji andCompany, dated March 3,2015, Fani-Kayode whodescribed the allegedstatements by LaiMohammed as libellousagainst him, published in the

n e w s p a p e r s ,h o w e v e r ,demanded aretraction of thesaid statement aswell as an apologyto him within seven

days of the receipt of hisletter.

The letter also demandedN5 billion as cost fordamages done to Fani-Kayodes reputation.

Fani-Kayode, whocomplained against thecontent of the report, titled:Were concerned about Fani-Kayodes mental status andthe innuendoes contained init, said every allegationagainst him in the saidpublication was false anddefamatory of his person andcharacter.

12Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

Why I concentrated devt in Asaba, by UduaghanBy Emma Amaize

I won't betrayUrhobo nation,Agoda assures

Wike vows to end Rivers, Bayelsa conflictover Soku oil wells

Emerhor faults call for Jegasremoval

By Godwin Oghre

Nigeriansneed problemsolvingpresidentPETERSIDE

LP candidateassures DeltaEthiope Eastof qualityrepresentation

ASABAGOVERNOREmmanuel Uduaghanof Delta State, yesterday,explained why hisadministration built theInternational Airport, ultra-modern Government Houseand other developmentprojects in Asaba, the statecapital.

Speaking at the flag-off of 64township roads in Asaba, hesaid: Asaba is the capital ofDelta State and it is the mirrorwith which many people lookat us and they can go awaywith a wrong impression ifthey see the town asundeveloped.

He said some top persons inthe state questioned him onwhy he was paying moreattention to the growth ofAsaba, but he told them he hadno regrets for his actionbecause God has made Asabathe capital of the state and itmust be developed to theglory of all Deltans.

His words: God has givenus a capital that is blessed.Asaba is blessed, we have tolive in unity. Last weekend,the President, Dr GoodluckJonathan, came and whenpeople saw the presidentiallodge where he stayed, they

were impressed and said it isone of the best in the country.

The governor said thatcontracts were awarded forover156 roads in Asaba, out ofwhich 64 had been completedand 75 were at various stagesof completion.

He assured that more would

be completed andcommissioned before heleaves office.

Uduaghan assured that thetwo flyover projects in Warriand Asaba will be completed.

He said one of thechallenges facing Asaba wasflooding, caused by

indiscriminate building ofhouses which block waterchannels, especially on Asaba-Okpanam Road.

According to him, We havestarted addressing the problemand wherever we stop, theincoming government will startfrom there.

RIVERS State PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP,governorship candidate, MrNyesom Wike, has said that hehas obtained a firm promisefrom President GoodluckJonathan that a politicalsolution will be reached on thelingering Soku oil well conflictbetween Rivers and BayelsaStates.

Wike assured the people ofSoku that he has the politicalwill and capacity to resolve theSoku oil wells conflict to thebenefit of the people of RiversState.

He spoke, yesterday, whenhe led Minister of Sports, Dr.Tammy Danagogo, hisrunning mate, Dr. IpaliboBanigo and top members ofthe Rivers State PDPCampaign Council to Soku tomeet with traditional rulersand also address the Oceaniacommunities at a grandgovernorship campaign rally.

Wike told the Oceaniatraditional rulers that heinformed President Jonathanon Monday evening duringthe meeting the President heldwith PDP governorshipcandidates that he would bevisiting Soku and thePresident gave him a messagefor the people of the area.

He said: President Jonath-an asked me to say directly toyou that he is an Ijaw son, heis your brother and therefore,you should not allow peopleto carry false propaganda todivide two brothers. He hasasked me to tell you that it isnot correct to say that he tookSoku oil wells and gave themto Bayelsa State. PresidentJonathan asked me to tell youthat the Soku Oil well conflictstarted earlier betweenBayelsa and Rivers State, but

that it will be resolved politi-cally.

Speaking further, Wike said:We have the political will andcapacity to resolve this conflict.I will not be a party to cedingany part of Rivers State toanother state.

He berated the outgoing AllProgressives Congress, APC,administration for abandoningthe oil bearing Oceaniacommunities, leaving themwith no projects while topRivers government officialscorruptly enriched themselvesat the expense of the people.

THE Otega EmerhorCampaign Organisationhas faulted the call by someNigerians and some membersof Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, for the removal orresignation of the Chairman ofthe Independent NationalElectoral Commission, INEC,Professor Attahiru Jega.

In a statement by its Directorof Publicity, Dr. FredOghenesivbe, the EmerhorOrganisation wondered whyany sensible person will callfor the removal of Jega at thiscritical time. Such a call, the

statement said, was an invita-tion to anarchy.

Surprisingly, none of thesepeople has come up with anyconcrete reason to warrant suchan action, it said.

On the permanent voterscards, PVCs, distribution,Oghenesivbe said availablestatistics showed that theSouth-West, an All ProgressivesCongress, APC, stronghold,has the lowest percentage of63.20 per cent distribution, withOgun State having the leastwith 40.86 per cent distributionamong the 36 states.

By Gbenga Oke

GOVERNORSHIPcandidate of AllProgressives Congress,APC, in Rivers State, Dr.Dakuku Peterside, has saidthat Nigeria desperatelyneeds a president with astrong character andbearing to lead the country.

He also said that thepresidential candidate ofAPC, GeneralMuhammadu Buhari,remains the only optionviable for Nigeria to moveforward.

Speaking during aninteractive session in PortHarcourt, Petersidedescribed Buhari as atransparent andexperienced leader, just ashe called on the people ofthe South-South region todiscountenance attempts toportray Buhari as areligious bigot.

He said: Only very fewpersons in Nigeria todaycan deny the fact that thecountry is faced withmultifaceted challenges inthe areas of security, power,education, employment,corruption and manyothers, and it is only afocused governmentheaded by an enigmaticleader like Buhari that canaddress the nations manychallenges."

THE candidate ofLabour Party torepresent Ethiope Eastconstituency at the DeltaState House of Assembly,Chief Evans Ivwurie, hasassured the people of thelocal government area ofquality representation ifgiven the mandate torepresent them.

Ivwurie, whileaddressing the people ofEthiope East at Otorho-Agbon, said he indicatedinterest to contest for theposition after seeing thesuffering being meted onthe electorate by therepresentatives theythought would transformtheir lives.

He said that he cameto make a differenceamong the people ofEthiope East.

OKPARATHE AllP r o g r e s s i v e sCongress, APC, senatorialcandidate for Delta Centralsenatorial district in theforth coming generalelections in Delta State,Halims Agoda, haspromised the Urhobonation of quality andeffective representation atthe Senate, if elected onMarch 28.

He also promised that hewill neither disappoint norbetray the Urhobo nation atthe National Assembly ashe has never betrayedthem before now while hewas in the state House ofAssembly and the House ofRepresentatives, between1991 to 2011.

Agoda, who made thepledge during hisconsultation visit to thePresident General, Dr PeterObakponovwe and peopleof Okpara Inland inEthiope East LocalGovernment Area of thestate, said he was the onlycandidate among the threecurrently jostling for theposition, who has servedthe people, both at the stateHouse of Assembly and theHouse of Representatives.

MEETING THE PRESIDENT: President Goodluck Jonathan (right) with youths of Move OnNigeria, an NGO, who signed a giant card expressing solidarity for Nigeria's military in theiroperation against insurgency, on Sunday.

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 201513

CMYK

Benin Forum to meet on endorsement ofpresidential candidate

By Simon Ebegbulem

Ijaws in Edodrum upsupport forJonathan

Buhari'll turn Nigeria's misfortunes aroundAMAECHI

No project was abandoned byAmaechi, says Peterside

By Egufe Yafugborhi

By Jimitota Onoyume &Davies Iheamnachor

Odibo, bestUdu materialfor DTHA MONARCH

NSCDC nabstwo trailerloads ofcondensate,diesel in Delta

WITH few weeks to thepresidential election,Governor Rotimi Amaechi ofRivers State has again assuredthat the All ProgressivesCongress, APC, under Gen.Muhammadu Buhari will turnthe countrys misfortunes aroundif elected.

He noted that the currentchallenges plaguing the countrywould adequately be addressedwith the needed political will topositively turn around thecountrys wheel of development.

Amaechi spoke in Degema,Obonoma and Abonnemacommunities in Degema andAkuku-Toru Local GovernmentAreas of the state during APC'sward to ward campaign.

He criticised PresidentGoodluck Jonathan for not takingdecisive action on the recent tragicshooting that disrupted the APCrally in Okirika, Rivers State.

He said: This election is notabout brother, it is about yourstomach. If dollar likes, it can getto N300 or N400 to a dollar, thePresident can afford it but youcant afford it. Now they triedeverything possible to stop thedollar from losing control. They

couldnt because the economy willdetermine whether the dollar willlose control or not and theeconomy has done that already.

Another one is fuel. They havedone everything possible to payfor fuel. They cant pay. Themoney is not there. Now, there isfuel crisis. If they win, they willabandon you completely becausethey have no solution to theproblems.

The first solution to theproblems is a new government.Are we going to win? The answeris yes. We have not startedcampaign. We will start campaignby the end of this week. We willsee the crowd again that willfrighten the president. Nigerianswant change. Things have got tochange.

He decried the poor state of thefederal road in Kalabari area,

assuring that Buhari, when elect-ed president, will fix the road andbring other democratic dividendsto the state.

See your road. Two years ago,I sat with the president andKalabari chiefs and I said, Allowme take this road. The presidentsaid no. You can see the road.Next rainy season, you cannotdrive into this place unless youchange the President and if youchange the President, then thenew President can fix the road."

BOOK PRESENTATION: From Left Engr. Adeleke Olarewaju, chief launcher; GovernorEmmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State and Prof. Sam Oyovbaire during the book presentation/launch on Obstetric Ultrasonography: Basic Principles and Techniques, by Dr. Festus Ossai,in honour of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa,PDP Delta State governorship candidate, in Asabayesterday. Photo: Nath Onojake.

BENINFOLLOWINGwhat it described asunauthorised statementreleased by the Secretary of theBenin Forum, Mr. HenryOgbodu, SAN, there areindications that the leadershipof the forum may hold anemergency meeting this weekto discuss the brewing crisis inthe group which is theumbrella body of all Binis.

Vanguard gathered that themeeting became inevitableafter majority of the members,including the Chairman of theForum, Chief David Edebiri,said a statement by theSecretary of the Forum was notauthorised.

The Secretary of the forum,Mr Ogbodu, in a statement,had said that the commentsmade by the Esogban of BeninKingdom and Chairman of theForum, Chief Edebiri thatBinis will not vote for PresidentGoodluck Jonathan, were theirpersonal opinion and not thatof the forum.

Noting that the forum was nota political platform forendorsing any presidential

candidate, Ogbodu said thatif at all the Forum was toendorse any presidentialcandidate, it should bePresident Jonathan, whom theOba of Benin had earlierendorsed through the CrownPrince of Benin, when hevisited the President in Abuja,last year.

However, a top member of

the Forum told Vanguard:Many of us were shocked byOgbodus statement and moreso when we found out that theChairman of the Forum, whomthe Oba appointed, ChiefEdebiri, was not also aware ofthe statement. That means,some people want to use himto destroy the forum, and thatwill not work."

PORT HARCOURTG O V E R N O R S H I Pcandidate of All ProgressivesCongress, APC, in Rivers State,Dr Dakuku Peterside, hasdismissed as untrue allegationsin some quarters that therewere several abandonedprojects of Governor RotimiAmaechis administration in thestate.

Peterside, who spoke in BodoCity, Gokhana LocalGovernment Area, said workwas still ongoing in alluncompleted projects initiatedby Governor Amaechi.

According to him, the state

government had not abandonedany project it started, addingthat if elected, he will sustainthe success of the governor.

He appealed to the people tovote for General MuhamaduBuhari (rtd), assuring that hewill complete the Trans-Bodo-Bonny Road.

In a related development,Peterside enjoined the peopleof the state to ensure they electGod fearing leaders.

Speaking at a dinnerorganised by InternationalMinisters Network, a non-denominational Christiangroup in Port Harcourt, heurged church leaders to guidetheir members to vote wisely.

By GabrielEnogholase

BENINAHEAD ofthe March 28presidential election, theIjaws of Edo State aredrumming up support forthe re-election of PresidentGoodluck Jonathan,saying that the Presidenthas performed welldespite the challengesfacing the country.

The Ijaws, who visitedover 40 Ijaw communitiesin Ovia South-West andOvia North-East LocalGovernment Areas of thestate to sensitise theirkinsmen on why theyshould vote for PresidentJonathan, said that theywere not supporting himbecause he is an Ijaw,but for his developmentalstrides with a lot ofprojects across thecountry.

By Festus Ahon

ASABAMEN ofthe Nigeria Securityand Civil Defence Corps,NSCDC, have arrestedeight persons with twotrailers loaded withsubstance suspected to becondensate and diesel inDelta State.

Parading the suspects inAsaba, state Commandantof NSCDC, ClementAdesuyi named thesuspects to include SalisuMohammed, AdamuSeidu, Sylvester Irabor andfive others, who were intheir custody, adding thatMohammed, 26, who hailsfrom Yobe State, was thedriver of one of the trailerswith registration numberKano XA 611 KUR loadedwith 125 drums of thecondensate, while Irabor,28, from Edo State drove theother trailer load of 33,000litres of diesel.

WARRITHE Ovieof Udu Kingdom,HRM Owhorhu I, hasdescribed PeoplesDemocratic Party, PDP, flagbearer for Udu constituencyin the Delta State House ofAssembly, Elegbete MosesOdibo, as the best materialto occupy the seat in thecoming elections.

The Udu monarch, whilereceiving Odibo and hiscampaign team, who visitedhis palace at Aladja, as partof his ongoing campaign,called on all Udu people togive their support to thePDP candidate to ensurethat he wins the election.

Owhoru I, who noted thatthe primary business of theHouse was lawmaking,noted that Odibo, being theonly lawyer among thecandidates, stood a betterchance to represent Udu.

He said: The only thingwe ask of Elegbete Odibois that he must not forgetthe people when he gets toAsaba. In and outsidegovernment, Odibo hasworked for Udu. I knowhow much he has helpedto facilitate the process ofgetting DSC on its feet inthe past with good results.He will do well if voted.

CMYK

14 Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015 15

CMYK

16 Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

VISIT: From left: Deputy Comptroller-General (DCG) of Customs, Trade and Tariff, Mr AkinadeAdewuyi; DCG, Human Resources, Mr Ibrahim Mera; Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), Mr Ima Niboro; Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi; DCG,Enforcement, Investigation and Inspection, Mr Tahir Musa and Special Assistant to NAN ManagingDirector, Mr Obiora Chukwumba, during a courtesy visit to CGC's office in Abuja yesterday.

Why we rejected Elechi's gov candidate,by PDP Council of Elders

Go into politics now, MethodistArchbishop charges Christians

FG commissions N31bnEnugu-Abakaliki-Ogoja-Ikom-Mfum road

By Francis Igata

ENUGUTHE FederalGovernment yesterday,commissioned the 240km Enu-gu-Abakakiliki-Ogoja-Ikom-Mfum Trans-Africa Highway-which cost N31 billion.

Performing the commission-ing at Kilometre 6, Enugu-Abakiliki expressway, Presi-dent Goodluck Jonathan, whowas represented by the Min-ister of Work, Mr. Mike Onole-memen, revealed that the roadproject was consistent with theefforts of his transformationagenda towards free flow ofpersons and goods in thecountry.

His words: This all impor-tant project that links Nigeriato Cameroon starting fromEnugu-Abakiliki-Ojoja-Ikom-Mfum is part of the Trans-Af-rica Highway project.

As part of the confidencebuilding mechanism betweenNigeria and Cameroon, afterthe Bakassi Peninsula saga, theWorld Bank and Africa Devel-opment Bank collaborated withthe Government of Nigeria,Cameroon to ensure that partof the Trans-Africa Highwaybetween Nigeria and Cam-eroon was rehabilitated.

The road had been in a verybad shape, so we got a softIDA facility for its fundingfrom the banks I mentioned.The road was executed at atotal cost of N31 billion. It was

flag-off in 2012.Social infrastructures were

built as part of the main roadwork contract. Under this ar-rangement, 36 boreholes/hand pumps,3 agriculturalproduce drying platforms,fourCassava processing mills, onerice processing mill,5 palm oilprocessing mills were built forcommunities along the mainroad corridors.

Other are eight new class-room blocks and renovation ofexisting primary schools, twotown halls, eight access roadand culverts linking commu-nities and one dispensary.

By Austin Ogwuda Ezea, who visited him inEnugu to acquaint him on hisvision to govern the state.

He said: Todays church ispolitically aware. We go out ofour way to encourage Christiansto go into politics. We have tobe part of how our people aregoverned. If we pray and wedont get involved, we will bedestroying our prayers.

Earlier, the APC governorshipcandidate lamented that thepeople of Enugu State were nothaving the best of democracydividends.

He particularly expressedconcern about the fate ofstudents in Enugu, saying theywere yet to embrace e-learningand wondered how students inEnugu could compete with theirpeers in other states.

By Peter Okutu

A B A K A L I K I T H EEbonyi State Council ofElders of Peoples DemocraticParty, PDP, yesterdayemphasized that the reason itdecided to reject GovernorMartin Elechis governorshipcandidate was because of hisautocratic disposition towardsissues affecting the state.

According to the Elders, thegovernor unilaterally nominatedProf. Onyebuchi Chukwu as hispreferred candidate for the PDPgovernorship ticket withoutconsulting the elders as was

done in 2007 before heemerged governor on theplatform of the PDP.

Briefing newsmen at the endof its meeting in Abakaliki, thechairman, Council of Elders ofEbonyi State PDP, AmbassadorFranklin Ogbuewu, stated thatefforts made by the Council tomake the governor democratizethe transition process wasrebuffed by him as the Councilhad no other choice than to backa candidate different from his.

Ogbuewu stressed thatbetween August and Novemberlast year, each member of thecouncil participated in variousfora where Governor Elechicanvassed support for powershift from Ebonyi Central toSouth senatorial zone of the state.

According to him, it is notthe right of the governor tofurther back a candidate ( SirEdward Nkwegu) from theold Abakaliki bloc which hadalready produced a governor

for 16 years.If the governor was properly

and wisely advised, he ought tohave a clean break and join theLabour party.

His manipulative claim to re-main in the PDP while the entirestructures of his government andall the expenditure of that gov-ernment go to the Labour partyare totally unacceptable to thiscouncil and to the generality ofEbonyi people.

The attacks by Governor

Elechi on prominent sons of thestate, such as Secretary to the Gov-ernment of the Federation, SGF,Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, theformer Minister and Ambassadorof Nigeria, Chief Franklin Og-buewu, and former INEC Com-missioner, Chief Fidelis Nwank-wo, stand condemned by thiscouncil and we caution ourgovernor to desist from state-ments capable of maligning,tarnishing or defaming law-abiding citizens whose interestshe was elected to serve, Am-bassador Ogbuewu said.

TRADE Union Congressof Nigeria, TUC, yesterdayexpressed shock over the re-emergence of fuel scarcity andqueues nationwide, saying allstakeholders must ensure thatnormalcy returned immediately.

In a statement signed by the

President and Secretary, BobboiKaigama and Musa Lawal, re-spectively, TUC said it wasshocked at the return of fuel scar-city and unbearable queues na-tionwide.

The statement read: It is oneunpleasant development that hascut short the joy we had when theprice of Premium Motor Spirit,otherwise known as fuel, was re-duced by the Federal Govern-ment in January, 2015.

It is bad enough that themasses are meant to go throughthese needless pains again butworst that instead of the lead-ership and stakeholders risingup and facing the challengefrontally they are busy castingaspersions and playing theblame game again.

The Congress finds it very dif-ficult to describe things happen-ing on the eve of the 2015 gener-al elections. It has indeed becomean onerous task to explain be-cause instead of politicians ad-dressing issues and how they in-tend to help the economy to dobetter they are busy dwelling onpersonalities.

Sometimes we wonder if ourpoliticians are bothered by thecurrent price of crude in the in-ternational market as against whatit was sold for few months ago!Could it be that politicians haveforgotten that oil is the mainstayof the economy for now?

TUC decries return of fuel scarcityBy Victor Ahiuma-Young

E N U G U T H EM e t h o d i s tArchbishop of Enugu, HisGrace Christopher NwekeEdeh, has said it was no longerfashionable for the church tosit on the fence while some badpoliticians mess up the destinyof their members and thenation at large.

He has, therefore, advisedthat church leaders shouldencourage their flock to breakthe jinx and let their membersparticipate in active politics.

He stated this whileresponding to remarks madeby the All ProgressivesCongress, APC,governorship candidate inEnugu State, Mr. Okechukwu

Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard,Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015 1717171717

Tabia Princewill is astrategic communicationsconsultant and publicpolicy analyst. She is alsothe co-host and executiveproducer of a talk show,WALK THE TALK whichairs on Channels TV.

tprincewill@yahoo.co.uk

Nigeria, a tale of two citiesNigeria, a tale of two citiesNigeria, a tale of two citiesNigeria, a tale of two citiesNigeria, a tale of two cities

THE name makes somecringe in anticipation,others wonder aloud: whenwill PDP stop waging a waragainst itself and rectify themess it has made in the courtof public opinion?First, Buhari was the enemy.When Nigerians didnt bitelisten to your staff, e.g. cook,driver etc. talk about him andyou will understand my pointabout perception and firstimpressions, the man toohonest is a common phraseone hearsthe enemybecame Bola Tinubu.So, Fayose asks Nigerians tosave Buhari from Tinubu. As I

GoGoGoGoGovvvvvernor Fernor Fernor Fernor Fernor Faaaaayyyyyoseoseoseoseoseheard someone say, but whoneeds saving from who?

THE tide is beginning to turn: the whole worldcould not be going one waywhile Nigeria persists ingoing the other. Corruptionhas become the byword for thiselection as Nigerians begin torealise its very real cost andimplication on their everydaylives.

Indeed, Nigerians cannotcontinue to accept a system ofwastefulness and recklessspending in lean times. So itseems that even the embattledPDP is forced to agree as theparty spokesman, OlisaMetuh, recently called onparty officials and public officeholders to be ready to makesacrifices as the party vowsto work harder at ensuringprudent management ofresources and less leakages.

This statement in itself is anindictment of the sorry state ofaffairs in Nigeria today. Byand large, PDP currentlysuffers from a serious imageproblem which the APC as theopposition, has been smart tocapitalise on, doubled by itschoice of a presidentialcandidate who appears to theelectorate as one of the fewmorally upright andincorruptible politicians leftstanding.

Comments onsocial media

Proof of this is that thecampaigns which attempted tonegatively paint GeneralBuharis time in office asdubious or corrupt did nottrend or hold any real tractionwith the electorate, ifcomments on social media areanything to go by.

Which would perhapsexplain the efforts to drawnegative attention to theGenerals person, which inmany ways, reminds one ofRepublican fielded attacksagainst Obama, a democrat,who was criticised for beingborn in Hawaii (which, mindyou, is still an American state),then for being a Muslim(which as it turns out he isntbut the idea is still irrelevantas it doesnt make him anymore or less capable),controversies many foundeither senseless or laughable.So, what is it withConservatives and smeartactics?

Conservatives and imageproblems: Conservativesaround the world generallysuffer from image problems;they are seen as being pro-rich, pro-big business ratherthan pro-people.

This was a huge issue afterthe Thatcher era in Britainwhere economic crisisbolstered support for Labourwhich cruised to power on aproletariat loving wave.Even today, David Cameronsgovernment is seen as sellingout to the super-rich andaiding corporate criminals andtax-dodgers (it would beinteresting to find out howmany party donors in Nigeriaactually pay taxes).

Despite it all, they, like anyother political party (except

perhaps in Nigeria) areaccountable to their electoratewho can vote them in or out(which has been done over theyears without politiciansthreatening war, thunder andbrimstone should any oneperson loose). Smear tactics ina two party democracy oftenappear in times of desperation.But even at that, in modernsocieties, there aregovernment agencies thatsupervise communicationsand advertorials, who can

sanction brands or individualswho make offensive statements(such as wishing death on aperson or candidate). So whatmakes the Nigerian situationso different you might ask?

Difference between theConservatives & Progressives:Let us begin with the fact thatdespite all protests to thecontrary, our party system isstill not built on much ideology.What are the fundamentalideological differencesbetween PDP and APC?

The PDP identifies itself asa conservative party while theAPC calls itself progressive. Iwould like to briefly discusswhat these words mean in theinternational context beforecoming to what they meancloser to home.

Economic liberalism, a freemarket approach to publicservices,are some of the wordsused to describe conservativeswhile social democrats favourthe welfare state, governmentintervention and povertyreduction programmes.

You can guess which modelhistorically works best for afledgling economy and abudding democracy. However,due to our indebtedness to theIMF and obsession withmindlessly copyingWesterners (whose economiesand societies mind you, allstarted out with interventionistand protectionist policies tohelp them grow to where theyare today) we refuse to tailorour initiatives and actions tothe realities on ground.

The APC in its manifestomentions a lot of humancapital development

initiatives while the GoodluckNigeria campaign focusesmostly on public infrastructureachievements (trains, schoolsetc.), agricultural reforms andthe like. However, even ourpolicy and communicationsstrategists might just bemissing the point entirely. Yousee, investing in humanbeings does not make one aprogressive: ALLgovernments (evenautocracies) invest in theircitizens to survive andbuilding infrastructure iscommonplace, that it is toutedas an achievement by anyonepoints to the mediocrity of oursystem rather than itsprogress.

Humanisttendencies

Despite all this, APCs publicpersona, whether true or false,is one of humanist tendenciesand social succour, the missinglink today between the PDPand electoral victory.

Indeed, the measure of goodgovernance is in the quality oflife: how do students fare inpublic education? As I oftensay, it is not about thehospitals, stadiums orclassrooms one builds, it isabout the individuals who aremeant to use them. How

difficult is it for them to get agood job?

What are a childs prospectsfor social mobility? Cancitizens easily transportthemselves from one region toanother? How accessible andaffordable is public healthcareto the average man or woman?These are the questions thatcan either save or indict thePDP or any incomingadministration. In truth, thiselection is not about policy,which the average voter,unfortunately, has littleknowledge of as both partieshave failed over the years toprepare them for such loftybut crucial conversations. It isa referendum on candidatespublic personas andperceptions, which mostNigerians take as a symbol ofthe battle for this countryssoul and values.

Nigeria today truly is a taleof two cities, of two competingnarratives. The Spartan,disciplined soldier vs. whatsome would call a shoelessprodigy who becamepresident against all odds.The best government housesand presidential lodges are inPDP states, said thePresident at a youth event inLagos on Sunday.

The war is indeed one ofperception and many wish thePresidents aides wouldinform him of this. FormerFrench President Sarkozy wasnicknamed the bling blingpresident and lost his re-election bid due to publicperception, not just theeconomic downturn.

It is ironic that thePresidents humblebackground has not helped theperception of him, due in partto the people around him andNigerians feel cheated, takenfor granted, especially whenso many supported him whenthe cabal as he called it,refused to let him take overfrom YarAdua.

In life, it seems, nothing iscertain except death andcorruption.

I ADMIRE him a lot. Hesnot a core politician yethes slugging it out with thebest and worst of them. Butthe JK I know and trust issomewhat at odds with thecomments making the roundsabout his asking who is more

Uncle Jimi, omoluabi ekoUncle Jimi, omoluabi ekoUncle Jimi, omoluabi ekoUncle Jimi, omoluabi ekoUncle Jimi, omoluabi ekohandsome between Buhariand Jonathan.Being a conservative is trickyenough: one must remaincurrent, something the PDPhas struggled to do, and so,without embracing socialmedia and best practices inpolitical communications,the PDP is losing the publicperception war to theironically youth friendlyAPC and its 72 year oldcandidate. Food for thought.

*Ekiti State Governor, AyoFayose

*PDP Lagos Stategovernorship candidate,Jimi Agbaje.

It is ironic that thePresidents humblebackground has nothelped the perceptionof him, due in part tothe people aroundhim and Nigeriansfeel cheated, takenfor granted,especially when somany supported himwhen the cabal ashe called it, refused tolet him take overfrom YarAdua

CMYK

OPINION

18 Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2015

Let Nigeria beBy Eddie Mbadiwe

Hon. Mbadiwe, wrote from Abuja.

THE drumbeats reminiscent of thoseheard before the civil war are againthreatening, discordant and sometimesfrightening. One sometimes cannotdecipher whether we are preparing for anelection or a war.On the day Professor Jega announced thispostponement the countdown started. It isnow a matter of a few short weeks and thebring back chibok campaign is countingin days.At amalgamation in 1914, the Britishcolonial government in their wisdom butmore importantly for administrativeconvenience merged the Northern andSouthern Protectorate with the nameNigeria.Unfortunately, this merger did not lead tofusion nor even cohesion among the over 200ethnic nationalities speaking more than 260languages that occupy this God-given landspace.Be that as it may, Nigeria is not the onlyamalgam nation state in existence. Thereare many and examples include GreatBritain where the English, Scots, Welsh andIrish have worked out a modus vivendi tosustain a rocky four prolonged marriage.Canada and Sudan are other exampleswhere internal cold war exists among thenationalities, but the ceasefire continues toendure. Their understanding seems to bethat as long as the centre holds, LET THEIRCOUNTRIES BE.All nations, incl