All Progressives Congress (APC): Arrest of Kano legislators: Clear case of politica...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Arrest of Kano legislators: Clear case of politica...: Arrest of Kano legislators: Clear case of political vendetta by a desperate govt - APC The All Progressives Congress (APC) has d...

Arrest of Kano legislators: Clear case of political vendetta by a desperate govt - APC

Arrest of Kano legislators: Clear case of political vendetta by a desperate govt - APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the arrest of the Speaker, Clerk and nine members of the Kano State Legislature by the EFCC as an undisguised case of political vendetta by a hurting presidency, whose target is actually

the State Governor.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party saidsince the arrest of the lawmakers for carrying out their statutory duty of approving a budget cannot be justified by any law,it is clear to all discerning Nigerians that the only motive can only be to harass and intimidate the lawmakers of a state thatrecently escaped from the hell-hole called the PDP to join the APC.

It said the politically-motivated arrest also undoubtedly marked the beginning of the long-expected series of persecution by a desperate Federal Government, against APC states, in particular those states that have recently ducked from the cascading PDP plague.

APC therefore called for the immediate release of the legislators by the malleable EFCC, which has suddenly found enough resources from its dried-up coffers to go after innocent men, when the same commission has looked the other away while monumental corruption stalked the land, whether it is the Oduahgate, the fuel subsidy scam or the SURE-P heist, just to list a few.

''Nowhere in the world are lawmakers arrested for carrying out their constitutional-mandated role of approving a budget. The world must be having a good laugh at the lack of ingenuity by a government that is so eager to extract a pound of flesh from supposed political enemies that it would orchestrate arrests for offences unknown to law.

''The allegation that Gov. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s supplementary budget was meant to cover-up a dubious transaction due to a budget review request to the State Assembly to the value of 28 billion Naira, from the initial budget of 24 billion Naira, is as spurious as it is laughable, just as the EFCC’s claim that the arrest followed a petition by a stakeholder in the state is questionable.

''The tragedy of the unfolding scenario, which will surely extend to other APC states in the days ahead, is that a democratically-elected government is toeing the well-worn vindictive path of a military dictatorship by harassing and intimidating supposed opponents and stifling the opposition. The Gestapo-style siege on the Kano House of Assembly is a throwback to what Nigerians thought was a bygone era of military dictatorship. We hate to say it, but we have been proven right in our warning in October 2013 that the President was using Rivers State to test-run fascism. Now, he seems ready to roll,'' the party said.

It vowed to use all constitutional means to resist any attempt to use the institutions of state against the opposition; to use trumped-up charges to victimize perceived political opponents, and to curtail the citizens' constitutionally-sanctioned right of free association

''From the moment Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was dragged before the Code of Conduct Tribunal over a case that lacked merit in every sense to the arrest of Sule Lamido's sons and the grounding of Gov. Chibuike Amaechi's plane, the Jonathan Administration has not relented in its search for any crude measure to badger the opposition and perceived opponents to submission.

''But if history is any guide, no force is good enough to stop an idea whose time has come and, for us at the APC, the cheap shots from a diminished presidency and the evil machinations of a crumbling behemoth called the PDP can only serve to strengthen our resolve to rescue Nigeria from the clutches of both entities, which are steeped in medieval tactics of coercion, even as governance has suffered a crushing neglect,'' APC said

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to National Assembly: Impeach Pres Jonathan be...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to National Assembly: Impeach Pres Jonathan be...: APC to National Assembly: Impeach Pres Jonathan before he crashes Nigeria The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the National As...

APC to National Assembly: Impeach Pres Jonathan before he crashes Nigeria

APC to National Assembly: Impeach Pres Jonathan before he crashes Nigeria

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the National Assembly to rise beyond partisanship and save Nigeria from imminent collapse by immediately kick-starting the process of impeaching President Goodluck Jonathan for gross misconduct.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said it is issuing this call with a high sense of responsibility and the strong belief that the impeachment of the President is a legitimate constitutional option available to the National Assembly not only to protect the nation's democracy but also to ensure the country's unity.

''Our country is drifting dangerously and our people are divided now perhaps more than at any other point in our history, with the exception of the civil war period. There is a total failure of leadership, even as insecurity, unprecedented corruption, palpable impunity, massive unemployment and hunger stalk the land.

''Since the raison d'etre of any government is the security and welfare of the citizenry, and the present administration has failed to live up to the justification of its existence, there can be no other definition of gross misconduct than that.

''Therefore, the time has come for the head of that government, on whose desk the buck stops, to be removed through the provisions stipulated in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is the patriotic thing to do,'' it said.

APC warned that if the National Assembly fails to act and do so very fast, it will share with the clueless and feckless Jonathan Administration the eternal blame for bringing to naught the hard work of the nation's heroes past and for crashing and dashing the hopes of millions of Nigerians, especially the youth who are the leaders of tomorrow.

The party said it is necessary for anyone who may say the call for the impeachment of President Jonathan is outlandish to remember that all it takes to torpedo this democracy is for this increasingly-paranoid government to get a pliant Judge to put a judicial stamp on just one of its litany of illegalities, thus setting the country ablaze, adding: ''And there are many such Judges as we can see by some recent events, despite our warnings that the efforts of the current CJN to clean up the judiciary must not be sabotaged by a few pliant Judges.''

''One such scenario is the present challenge in court by the PDP of the defection to the APC of five state governors. The PDP has gone to court fully aware of the ruling of the Supreme Court after the party (PDP) attempted to make then Vice President Atiku Abubakar to lose his seat and to also strip him of his privileges following his defection to the ACN.

''What then can be the sole motive behind the PDP's action: To plunge Nigerian into chaos! This is why we issued a strong warning in our statement of Dec. 5th thus: 'We wish to state unequivocally that should the PDP go ahead with this plan, there will be widespread repercussions as the APC has resolved that henceforth, every act of impunity of the PDP and the Presidency will be met with stiff resistance in the form of a vociferous telegraphing of people power, the likes of which have not been witnessed in these parts'.

''We reiterate those words today, and make bold to say that not even the revelation by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, that snipers are being trained secretly and that 1,000 people have been placed on political watch, will deter us from saving this democracy, which was watered by the sweat and blood of many patriots, long before this generation of opportunists stormed the political scene,'' it said.

APC said while Nigerians are very much aware of the failings of this government in all sectors, it is important to remind them that the government has in particular not been up to scratch in fighting corruption, which is the fastest way to bring a nation to its knees; Insecurity, which has worsened so much that even those saddled with the security of protecting the nation are being attacked and killed at will; Impunity, which is best exemplified in Rivers State where a Commissioner of Police no longer takes orders from the Inspector General.

The party said the government has also failed to provide jobs for Nigerian youths, even as it daily reels out phantom figures of economic growth that only serve to keep the so-called Ivy League-trained officials in charge of the economy on their jobs; And that electricity generation has so plummeted that many will celebrate the forthcoming Yuletide in darkness.

''The talk out there now is that Nigeria has never had it so bad. But the government may not know because it has distanced itself from the people. Therefore, for embracing corruption so much and providing succour to corrupt public officials; for threatening the country's fragile unity through divisive policies and politics, for frittering away the nation's resources through unprecedented cronyism and clannishness, and for a total failure of leadership, this President deserves to be slammed with the cudgel of impeachment,'' it said.

All Progressives Congress (APC): Obj letter: APC warns Jonathan to heed wise counse...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Obj letter: APC warns Jonathan to heed wise counse...: APC to Jonathan: Don't take Nigeria back to Abacha days The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the Jonathan administration ...

Obj letter: APC warns Jonathan to heed wise counsel and save Nigeria from drifting to the brinks of precipice.

APC to Jonathan: Don't take Nigeria back to Abacha days

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged the Jonathan administration not to take Nigeria back to the dreaded and calamitous days of the late Gen. Sani Abacha, when perceived opponents of the government were targets of rampaging murderous gangs and Nigeria was turned to a pariah nation through unbridled human rights abuses.

In a statement issued in Osogbo on Friday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party expressed serious concern over the allegations that the Jonathan administration is training snipers at the same facility where the Abacha killer squad was trained; talks of abuse and misuse of the military and other security apparatus for personal and political interest as well as the reported placing of 1,000 people under a 'political watch-list'

It said the party is constrained to take the allegations very seriously because it emanated from no less a personality than former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in an open letter he wrote to his fellow party man, President Jonathan, which has now been widely circulated in the traditional and Social Media..

''All Nigerians must be worried by these weighty allegations, coming less than 15 years after the long-suffering people had collectively vowed 'never again' to a regime like Abacha's that sent many innocent souls to their early graves and dispatched many citizens into forced exile for merely holding views that were opposed to that of the late dictator's government.

''We are therefore compelled to call on President Jonathan to urgently address these allegations, which have already sent jitters down the spines of Nigerians, especially those who hold views that are diametrically opposed to the administration's. The allegations cannot and must not be swept under the carpet, otherwise Nigerians will know who to hold responsible if perceived opponents of the administration come to any harm,'' APC said.

The party however expressed total satisfaction that more and more people within the ruling PDP are now coming to terms with the real dangers facing the country under their party which, despite being in power at the centre since Nigeria's return to democratic rule in 1999, has only succeeded in putting the country in reverse gear and is now threatening its fledgling democracy, following its (PDP's) implosion.

''We are not concerned by the dirty politics in the PDP and the glaring fact that the behemoth is sinking fast. What bothers us is the impact that the death throes of this rudderless party will have on our fragile polity.

''We in the opposition have shouted ourselves hoarse about the failings of the successive PDP administrations, especially the Jonathan government, in critical sectors of the economy, in particular the worsening unemployment that has put the nation on tenterhooks

''We have said the Boko Haram crisis cannot be resolved by military onslaught alone and that it must be tackled from its roots; that corruption has reached an unprecedented level; that the investments by the oil majors in that sector have dwindled dangerously; that the discovery of Shale oil in the US threatens our economy; and that the government must move fast to check the unprecedented high cases of crude oil theft.

''We have also issued numerous interventions on the victimization of perceived political opponents of President Jonathan, citing the case of Gov. Chibuike Amaechi as a reference point; that the Jonathan administration has taken Nigerians for granted by ignoring monumental cases of corruption and even embracing known corrupt officials as long as their deep pockets can benefit the President's political machinery, and that the National Conference will not serve any purpose since it was conceived as a political gimmick rather than a genuine effort to help lift our country.

''Our party is delighted that these same issues were raised in the letter by President Jonathan's estranged political Godfather, his very own party man. We recall that a few days earlier, another top PDP bigwig and the nation's number four citizen, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, had lampooned the Jonathan administration's apathetic fight against corruption.

''Because truth is constant, gradually but surely, people are rising above partisanship to join those of us who have been warning, ceaselessly, that the ship of state is heading for the rocks because the Captain has decided to ignore the radar and steer the ship blindly even in turbulent waters. This jettisoning of partisanship and the coming out of heads that have been buried in the sand for so long represent a good omen for Nigeria,'' it said.

All Progressives Congress (APC): Court ruling on Rivers House of Assembly: APC vows...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Court ruling on Rivers House of Assembly: APC vows...: Court ruling on Rivers House of Assembly: APC vows to resist any unconstitutional action The All Progressives Congress (APC) has str...

Court ruling on Rivers House of Assembly: APC vows to resist any unconstitutional action

Court ruling on Rivers House of Assembly: APC vows to resist any unconstitutional action

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly warned against any reliance on Wednesday's judgement of a federal high court, nullifying the takeover by the National Assembly of the functions of the Rivers House of Assembly, to perpetrate any mayhem or unconstitutional acts in Rivers State.

In a statement issued in Osogbo on Thursday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also warned the police and other security agencies not to provide cover for renegades to engage in any illegality, saying their role must be to ensure the safety and security of all legislators if and when the house decides to sit.

It said there is no doubt that the six legislators opposed to Gov. Chibuike Amaechi will try to hide under the cover of the judgement to convene the Assembly with the sole purpose of removing the Speaker as a prelude to impeaching the State Governor, but warned that any such act will constitute an illegality and trigger a cataclysmic reaction, the end result of which no one can predict.

''The six legislators opposed to Gov. Amaechi do not and cannot form a quorum (9 members) that will even allow the House to convene legally, not to talk of at least 20 members - representing two third majority - that can constitutionally impeach the Speaker. In a house of 32 members, there is no way six members can be more than 26, even under the warped arithmetic which the Jonathan Administration has been conjuring in recent times to back the losing faction of the Nigerian Governors' Forum.

''However, we are aware that the renegade legislators, with the clear backing of President Goodluck Jonathan, have nothing but disdain for constitutionality and the rule of law, hence will have no qualms about carrying out any act of impunity.

''We are therefore constrained to warn, in the strongest possible terms, that we in the APC will take any impunity in Rivers as an impunity to all, and will vehemently resist such with a spontaneous explosion of people power not only in states under our control but across the country,'' APC said.

Urging the police not to allow themselves to be used to perpetrate violence and chaos, the party said already, the Police Commissioner in Rivers has ordered that all roads leading to the House of Assembly complex in Port Harcourt be barricaded, perhaps as a prelude to escorting the renegade members to convene to illegally remove the Speaker.

To President Jonathan, APC said he must not allow personal and partisan considerations to blot out his responsibility as the father of the nation and put in jeopardy his constitutional role of ensuring the country's unity.

''We are aware of the letter to President Jonathan by former President Olusegun Obasanjo virtually accusing the President of destroying the same nation he was elected to preside over and uplift. We hope he will not allow Obasanjo's prognosis about him to come true so soon by backing any move that can plunge Nigeria into chaos.

''This is because we in the APC have resolved never to sit by and allow anyone, no matter how highly placed, to engage in actions that will make our country a laughing stock and a pariah in the comity of nations. Therefore, there will be no peace anywhere in the country if this Federal Government supports the perpetration of impunity in Rivers. This is not a threat, but the sure consequences of any acts of impunity,'' it said

The party called on all people of goodwill, especially past leaders, to prevail on President Jonathan to back off the renegade MPs who are hell bent on causing mayhem in Rivers.

Meanwhile, the party has described Wednesday's court ruling as bizarre and alarming, against the background of the massive mayhem that was unleashed in the Rivers House of Assembly last July.

It wondered why the court will say there were no facts that the House of Assembly could not carry out its functions, with the Mace as well as several heads broken and the hallowed chambers desecrated by a free-for-all that was watched all around the world.

''What else must occur before the stipulated conditions can prevail for the National Assembly to take over the functions of the Rivers House of Assembly? Is it when MPs are slaughtered like rams that such a condition will be deemed to have prevailed?

''We are astonished and concerned by this court ruling, especially coming shortly after we warned the judiciary not to allow itself to be used by unscrupulous people to reverse the gains that have been recorded under the present Chief Justice of Nigeria, who has embarked on determined and sincere efforts to clean up the judiciary,'' APC said.

All Progressives Congress (APC): President Jonathan using Ecological Fund to dispen...

All Progressives Congress (APC): President Jonathan using Ecological Fund to dispen...: President Jonathan using Ecological Fund to dispense favour to cronies - APC The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused Pr...

President Jonathan using Ecological Fund to dispense favour to cronies - APC

President Jonathan using Ecological Fund to dispense favour to cronies - APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of using the Ecological Fund, set up to address the country's serious ecological problems, as a tool to further divide the ranks of the nation's Governors and solidify his reputation as a partisan and sectional leader.

In a statement issued in Oyo on Wednesday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said President Jonathan's decision to grant 2 billion Naira each to 17 states, none of which belongs to the main opposition APC and all of which are controlled by Governors deemed to be Jonathan's supporters, negates what he should be: The leader of the whole nation!

It wondered what kind of coincidence would exclude all the APC-controlled states from being considered for receiving assistance from the Ecological Fund, ''when we have it on good authority that our Governors even sought suchassistance''.

''The 2 billion naira assistance was given to Abia, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Gombe, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Ondo, Plateau, Ebonyi, Delta, Enugu and Taraba States.

''Before then, 5 billion Naira had been given to Akwa Ibom State ostensibly for 'urgent matters' while 8 billion Naira was given to Anambra for the 'maintenance of the Niger bridge', in reality perhaps a slush fund for the stolen gubernatorial election in the state.

''To the best of our knowledge, even if 8 billion naira is not enough to construct a second Niger bridge, it will go a long way.

We are yet to see any maintenance to justify such a huge fund that was given for that purpose, further confirming our fearson what the real purpose of that money might have been.

''It is sad that a President whose divisive politics helped to break the ranks of the nation's State Governors has now graduatedto using funds from the Federation Account to dispense favours to Governors he perceive to be his cronies. 

''This is the tragedy of a President who was elected on a pan-Nigerian mandate but has now turned himself to a sectional, partisan and most divisive leader in the country's history,'' APC said.

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC hails House of Reps Speaker's patriotic stand ...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC hails House of Reps Speaker's patriotic stand ...: APC hails House of Reps Speaker's patriotic stand against corruption The All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended the Speak...

APC hails House of Reps Speaker's patriotic stand against corruption

APC hails House of Reps Speaker's patriotic stand against corruption

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, for his patriotism and dedication to the nation, following his principled stand on the Jonathan Administration's tepid fight against corruption.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the Speaker exhibited a leadership trait that is rare in these parts by shunning partisanship to say that the President's body language does not indicate that he has the political will to fight corruption in the country.

''Hon. Tambuwal and President Jonathan belong to the same political party, but this did not deter the Speaker from rising above crass partisanship when the issue involved bothers on national interest. This is the stuff of good leadership.

''Hon. Tambuwal has shown that he is indeed the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives and that the entire country is his constituency, unlike President Jonathan who has transformed himself to a PDP and a sectional leader by viewing serious issues of national importance from the prism of partisanship and sectionalism,'' it said, expressing the hope that other Nigerians will emulate the Speaker.

APC said the party was delighted to be in the same company with the Speaker over the criticism of President Jonathan's nonchalant stand on corruption, which has eaten deeper into the national fabric under the present administration, adding: ''We have raised the same issues raised by the Hon. Speaker several times in our regular intervention, but the administration has dismissed our concerns on the altar of partisanship.

''However, now that no less a personality than the country's number four citizen and a top member of the PDP is the one raising the issue, and coming against the background of Nigeria's slide in the 2013 rankings released recently by the global anti-corruption body Transparency International, we hope the administration will realize that it has only been paying a lip service to the anti-graft battle, and perhaps make amends,'' the party said.

It said the Speaker was totally right in talking about the President's body language, which is a reflection of the deceptive actions he (President Jonathan) has taken time and again over very serious issues of corruption, including the monumental fuel subsidy scam, the pension scam, the fraud involving the excess crude account, the Sure-P scandal and Oduahgate.

''These are slam dunk corruption cases that should have been handed over to the anti-corruption agencies for summary disposal. Instead, the President - thinking Nigerians will merely scream and forget after some tome - engages in his usual distracting method o#f setting up committees, the report of which he will then put away to gather dust....until another corruption case rears its ugly head.

''Nigerians are not stupid and they understand very clearly that the President is shielding corrupt people, as long as they are willing and able to contribute massively, from their ill-gotten funds, to his (President's) campaign slush funds. Now that a person of the caliber of the Speaker of the House of Representatives has added his voice to this burning issue, the die is cast for Mr. President: He can either move to redeem the image of his administration or continue to swim in the ocean of
corruption,'' APC said.

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to FG: Take responsibility for mishandling ASU...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to FG: Take responsibility for mishandling ASU...: APC to FG: Take responsibility for mishandling ASUU strike The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the PDP-led federal government...

APC to FG: Take responsibility for mishandling ASUU strike

APC to FG: Take responsibility for mishandling ASUU strike

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the PDP-led federal government to take responsibility for mishandling the lingering ASUU strike, instead of accusing the opposition of seeking to capitalize on it to win the 2015 election.

In a statement issued in Ilorin on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also said there is no point offering any alternative solution to the strike when it is glaring to all that all the FG needs to do to end the logjam is to honour the agreement it willingly signed with the union in 2009.

It accused Minister of Information Labaran Maku of insulting the intelligence of the striking lecturers by suggesting that they are being manipulated by the APC, wondering what more blunders the FG will commit before the strike is over.

APC said the litany of blunders committed by the FG include reneging on the pact it signed with ASUU, failing to think out of the box to end the strike and finally nailing its own coffin by threatening to sack the lecturers for daring to demand the pact's implementation, an unforced error that has now backfired on the government which is looking for a face-saving measure.

''To the waffling and dishonourable FG, we say the APC does not need ASUU strike to win the 2015 election when the PDP and the government which the party sired at the centre have done everything there is to do to lose the election. The biggest obstacle to PDP's victory in 2015 is the PDP itself.

''Apart from being incompetent, this administration has succeeded in shooting itself in the foot time and again. A government that is swimming in corruption cannot expect to win the hearts and minds of Nigerians, who know first hand what corruption has done to the country. A government that has no clue regarding the provision of world-class infrastructure cannot expect to win the votes of the citizenry. A government that has further plunged the nation into darkness in the name of privatizing
the power sector has already received a vote of no confidence from the people,'' the party said.

It advised Mr. Maku to save the energy he is using to disparage the APC because he will need it to explain to an incredulous nation why a Minister serving in the same cabinet with him has continued to strut around despite being immersed in monumental corruption; why Nigeria's rating by the global anti-corruption body Transparency International has fallen drastically despite the claim by the FG that it is fighting corruption and why Sure-P that is expected to help ameliorate the sufferings imposed on Nigerians by the FG has now become a source of monumental corruption and slush funds for 2015.

''Mr Maku should also explain to Nigerians why the administration he is serving has squirreled out 5 billion dollars from the Excess Crude Account, only to deny such, and why a government that has no answer to the shortage of university teachers is issuing a sack threat to the few who have braved the odds to take up the onerous task of developing our youths,'' APC said

APC condemns Maiduguri attack, seeks new strategy to curtail Boko Haram

APC condemns Maiduguri attack, seeks new strategy to curtail Boko Haram

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned Monday's deadly attack on military and other facilities in Maiduguri, saying it is shocked and saddened by the enormity of the attack as well as the deaths of innocent civilians.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the attacks on Nigerian Air Force planes and helicopters at the NAF base in the city was particularly disturbing, considering the hitherto effective use of aerial attacks against Boko Haram, which is widely believed to have carried out the attacks.

It said nothing in the world can justify such deadly attacks on the military and the collateral deaths and damages inflicted on civilians.

APC however called for a renewed strategy to combat the sect, which seems to retain the capacity to carry out such a massive attack in a major city, despite the successes which the military said it had recorded against it since the declaration of a state of emergency in three states last May.

The party said such a strategy must place a great emphasis on the gathering of intelligence through which such attacks can be nipped in the bud, adding that failure of intelligence, more than anything else, made Monday's attack possible.

It called for a probe into how hundreds of attackers could so easily infiltrate military facilities, which are believed to be highly secured.

''The probe must unravel why the security personnel in the city in general and the military installations in particular were apparently caught unawares by the attackers, who were reported by some newspapers to number as many as 500, riding in trucks and motorcycles.

''If military installations in a major city can be so easily overrun by a band of marauders, then no one and no facilities are safe. That's is why the government and the military must work hand in hand to unravel why such a massive attack on military installations was possible in the first instance,'' APC said.

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC slams FG for sack threat against university le...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC slams FG for sack threat against university le...: APC slams FG for sack threat against university lecturers The All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed the Federal Government for...

APC slams FG for sack threat against university lecturers

APC slams FG for sack threat against university lecturers

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed the Federal Government for issuing a sack threat against striking university teachers, saying the resort to such military-era tactics reflects the FG's poverty of ideas in resolving the prolonged ASUU strike.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party in particular criticized the Supervising Minister of Education, Mr. Nyesom Wike, for the way he talked down on the striking teachers, while issuing the ill-advised, go-back-to-work-or-be-sacked threat.

''Wike's language was crude, his presentation was rude and his threat was demeaning and counter-productive. We believe his lack of finesse and the inability to think out of the box in handling the whole strike issue will not bode well for a quick resolution of the crisis.

''We also disagree with the Minister's inference that the lecturers should automatically call off the strike because the President intervened and sat for long hours with them. It is this unnecessary deification of a democratically-elected President that has almost turned this President into an Emperor. What is the big deal in President Jonathan sitting with ASUU members, his former colleagues for that matter?  What is a President elected to do if not to solve problems?'' it queried.

APC said it is unfortunate that Wike can be threatening to sack university teachers at a time there is a shortfall of 60,000 lecturers in Nigerian universities, adding that the threat itself has shown that the FG does not understand the enormity of the problems facing public universities in particular and the education sector in general.

''The poor remuneration of university teachers and the inadequate facilities for teaching and learning in our public universities have combined to trigger a brain drain in the institutions. The pauperization and frustration of the teachers through the non-implementation of the pacts aimed at ameliorating the situation have discouraged those who may want to become university teachers. Yet, the few who have defied the odds to take to this noble path of helping to mold our future leaders are being threatened with dismissal. This betrays a painful lack of understanding of the long and tortuous path it takes to produce a university teacher.

''It also shows that the so-called Supervising Minister of Education is not better than the misguided market women who, having being hired and paid to protest against ASUU, threatened to invade the universities to chase out the lecturers if they won't call off the strike.

''This is what a country gets when it puts round pegs in square holes. It is not everyone who can mobilize campaign funds for the President or organize thugs during an election who should be rewarded with a ministerial post, not to talk of being given such a sensitive ministry as that of education, which is directly responsible for the future of our youth and of course our country. No one who knows the value of education will toe the path taken by Wike in issuing his empty threat,'' the party said.

It said ASUU was right in demanding certain benchmarks, including the non-victimization clause and the need for a senior government official, like the Attorney-General, to sign the agreement, before calling off its strike, in view of the fact that the FG has a history of reneging on its agreements.

''Yes, our party is eager for this prolonged strike to end so that our youths who have been marooned at home for five months can resume their academic pursuit. Yes, we believe this strike has gone on for way too long, and that it will impact negatively on our country's development in the long run. But we believe the issues at stake must be resolved once and for all, so that we won't have a repeat of these recurring strikes.

''The onus rests on the FG to work with ASUU to resolve this lingering crisis. President Jonathan should get off his high horse, roll up his sleeves as Presidents elsewhere do and tackle squarely what has now become one of the biggest challenges facing his administration.

''However, if the Jonathan administration has run out of ideas, as we now fear it has, going by the infantile threats being issued by it, then let it hands off the negotiations and allow other stakeholders to find a way out. We are all stakeholders in the education of our youths,'' APC said.

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to Nigeria Police, Don't try to disrupt our pr...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to Nigeria Police, Don't try to disrupt our pr...: Election crisis: APC leadership to march on INEC, warns police against stopping it The All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced ...

APC to Nigeria Police, Don't try to disrupt our protest march to INEC Hqtrs

Election crisis: APC leadership to march on INEC, warns police against stopping it

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced it will stage a peaceful procession to INEC headquarters in Abuja on Thursday to register its disapproval of the Commission's string of failures in conducting recent elections, including the Delta Central Senatorial District bye-election and the 'inconclusive' Anambra Governorship poll.

In a statement issued by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party vowed to proceed with the march, despite the illegal move by the police to stop it.

''We are doing this as a patriotic service to the nation because INEC as presently constituted is not capable of organizing a free and fair election again in Nigeria. If the Commission is not checked, its
incompetence and conniving acts could plunge the country into chaos of unimaginable proportions,'' it said.

APC explained that ahead of the march, it wrote a letter to the FCT police command to inform it of the planned procession and to request for police escort to forestall a possible hijacking of the march by sponsored hoodlums.

''To our dismay, however, the FCT Police Commissioner did not only turn down our request for police escort but also cheekily advised us to restrict our activity to holding a press conference within our party headquarters to convey our grievances to INEC .

''We reject this very patronizing directive from the partisan FCT police command and hereby states that in exercise of our constitutional rights, the leadership of the APC will go ahead with its planned peaceful procession on Thursday, the 28th of November, to express our dissatisfaction with the corruption-ridden INEC and to pass a vote of no confidence on the Commission,'' the party said.

It said the police should not mistake its letter to the security agency as a request for permission to stage the procession, since the law has said no such permission is required.

''When we wrote this letter, we were quite aware of the ruling of the Appeal Court affirming the decision of Justice Chinyere of the Abuja Federal High Court the in the case of All Nigeria Peoples Party v Inspector General of Police (2006) CHR 181 which said, inter alia: 'If as speculated by law enforcement agents that breach of the peace would occur, our Criminal Code has made adequate provisions for sanctions against breakdown of law and under so that the requirement of a permit
as a conditionality to holding meetings and rallies can no longer be justified in a democratic society.'

''Being mindful of the position of the law on this issue but as a law abiding and a patriotic political party, we nonetheless in our said letter asked the police to provide us with escort during the
procession, in line with international best practices. That the police turned down this request speaks volumes about its disdain for the rule of law.

''We will not be deterred by the blatantly-partisan police, who have missed another great opportunity to affirm their neutrality and respect for the rule of law. We will use this march to prove the point
that we shall not condone a Police Command, however partisan or corrupt, abridging our constitutional rights.

''While we shall do all in our powers to make Thursday's procession to INEC as peaceful as possible, Nigerians and the entire world should hold the FCT police command responsible for any breakdown of law and order that may be occasioned by their unprofessional, partisan and illegal action,'' the APC said.

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to INEC: We have provided substantial evidence...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to INEC: We have provided substantial evidence...: APC to INEC: We have provided substantial evidence to warrant cancellation of Anambra poll The All Progressives Congress (APC) has sa...

APC to INEC: We have provided substantial evidence to warrant cancellation of Anambra poll

APC to INEC: We have provided substantial evidence to warrant cancellation of Anambra poll

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said there is enough weighty, compelling and substantial evidence for INEC to cancel the Nov. 16th governorship election in Anambra, rather than order the conduct of 'supplementary election' for what is nothing but an irredeemable poll.

''Our party has provided incontrovertible and more than substantial evidence to show that what took place on Nov. 16th is a parody of election the  party said in a statement issued in Lagos on
Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

''What other evidence can be more substantial than the fact that INEC, in conducting the Nov. 16th election, failed to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act? What other evidence can be more compelling than the INEC Chairman's admission of compromise by a top official of the commission? If Jega's statement that the election fell short of what the commission had expected and prepared for, what else could be more substantial?'' it queried.

APC said that, for the umpteenth time and so that Nigerians can understand the absurdity of Jega's contradictory stance on the ill-fated election, the party has decided to list its reasons for demanding the cancellation of the caricature election.

- Prof Jega's unforced admission that a senior official of the Commission has been financially induced to compromise the election in the Idemili North Local Government Area which has over 173,000 registered voters. This is very serious because this Local Government is the stronghold of the APC candidate, Senator Chris Ngige, and the fact that in the 2011 Senatorial Election Senator, Ngige scored over 80% of all votes cast in the Local Government.

- The decision to use the students of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, in direct violation of INEC guidelines, as Presiding Officers for the election instead of the trained ad hoc staff; and the use of the Staff of the university as Supervising Presiding Officers even though the running mate of the APGA candidate was until his nomination a professor in the same institution.

- The fact that electoral materials meant for the known strongholds of the APC candidate were deliberately sent to wrong wards or polling units, thereby creating confusion and frustration. By the time the materials were re-directed to the correct areas (if at all), many voters had left in frustration.

- Voters' registers, especially in known APC strongholds, were tampered with to remove the names of many registered voters, thereby disenfranchising them

- Result sheets were not supplied in many polling booths, especially in known strongholds of the APC

- Collation of results was not done at polling booth units or wards.

- Only 4,604 agent tags were given to the APC despite the fact that the party sent to INEC the names and pictures of over 6,500 agents, after INEC created an additional 1,903 voting points. The 4,604 agent tags were delivered to APC only at 3pm on Friday the 15th of November 2013, in contrast to APGA that received over 6,500 agent tags from INEC at least 3 days before election.

- Senator Chris Ngige, the APC candidate, complained in writing to INEC that Prof. Chukwuemeka Onukogu should not be allowed to conduct the November 16th election given his bias and animosity towards him (Ngige). The same Onukogu was the Resident Electoral Commission during the 2011 Anambra Election, during which his bias and animosity showed through when it took the courts to reclaim two house of assembly seats that he (Onukogu) unlawfully took away from the defunct ACN on which platform Ngige contested and subsequently won the election as a Senator.

The party said if the reasons listed above were not considered substantial enough, then one is left with no choice but to conclude that either Prof. Jega is decidedly being naive about the extent and scope of the multi-layer rigging perpetrated under his nose on Nov. 16th or he has chosen to align with election marauders who are acting the larger script of the presidency/PDP.

''Either way, the buck stops on Prof. Jega's desk and he bears the ultimate responsibility for the failure of the Nov. 16th election. Therefore, he must summon the courage to ameliorate the situation by ordering a fresh election. Failure to do that will mean that he has simply abdicated his responsibility and ruined the people's confidence in the ability of the commission he heads to remain an unbiased umpire,'' it said.

In spite of the brazen manner in which voters in Anambra State have been robbed of their franchise and the increasingly-apparent colluding stance of INEC, APC appealed to its supporters to remain calm and law abiding, as the leadership of the party will explore all constitutional and legal avenues to ensure that justice is done in this matter.

APC rejects supplementary election in Anambra

APC rejects supplementary election in Anambra

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected Friday's announcement by INEC to hold supplementary election in Anambra State on Nov. 30th.

"We will not be a party to what is obviously a travesty of election by a self-discredited and conniving electoral umpire," the party said in a statement issued in Lagos on Friday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

It expressed absolute shock and incredulity that INEC could even talk of organizing a supplementary election, despite the weight of credible evidence presented by the party as well as election monitors/observers that what transpired on Nov. 16th was nothing but a sham.

"This announcement has confirmed our worst fears that INEC is working in cahoots with the PDP and the presidency to ensure that no election ever counts in Nigeria.

"The INEC Chairman himself was the first to admit that a senior official of the commission compromised the election in one local government in Anambra.

"We on our own part were able to establish that materials meant for several LGs that were the strongholds of our candidate were diverted; that out of the about 1.7 million registered voters in Anambra, only a little over 400,000 were accredited to vote; and that the voters' register was apparently tampered with to remove many names and disenfranchise thousands of voters.
''Yet, the same electoral body that admitted that the election was compromised has turned around to validate it by its decision to organize supplementary election instead of cancelling the parody of election and holding a fresh one. This is a sad day indeed,'' APC said.

The party said it is now obvious that Nigerians cannot count on INEC to organize a free, fair and credible election anywhere in the country, hence Nigerians must now take their fate in their own hands to ensure that the principle of one man, one vote is sacrosanct.

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC decries continued detention of certified elect...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC decries continued detention of certified elect...: APC decries continued detention of certified election observers. The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as totally inexplica...

APC decries continued detention of certified election observers.

APC decries continued detention of certified election observers.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as totally inexplicable and unjustifiable the continued detention of the 182 election Observers who were illegally arrested in Imo State two days before last Saturday's governorship election in Anambra State, even after INEC has publicly said they are duly certified election Observers.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party expressed shock at the brazen contempt of court displayed by the police when the Observers were brought before a Magistrate on Monday.

It said even though the charges of conspiracy to commit misdemeanor, unlawful assembly and conduct likely to breach peace were bailable, the police acted in such an irresponsible, unlawful and contemptuous manner just to ensure the suspects were not granted bail.

''Having brought the alleged suspects before a Magistrate, one would have expected that the Imo police command will allow the judicial process to follow its due course. Rather, men and officers of the police command acted in a manner
that tainted the entire Nigeria police and called to question their motive for arresting the innocent Observers in the first instance

''Just before the case was called, the police suddenly seized and took away some of the suspects. When this came to the knowledge of the lawyers representing the Observers, they raised it with the presiding Magistrates, who ruled that the court will stand the matter down for two hours so that the remaining suspects could be produced before the court.

''Shockingly, the Officer in Charge (Legal) - acting on 'orders from above' - brought out his gun and ordered equally gun-wielding men to forcefully return all the accused to the police cell, and right in the presence of the presiding Magistrate and other lawyers, the suspects were taken away and were never returned, forcing the Magistrate to adjourn the case to Dec. 6th.

''Ultimately, the police that is a creation of the law succeeded in thwarting the cause of justice. It is a shame that the police decided to bring the hallowed chamber of the Magistrate court and indeed the entire judiciary into ridicule with a view to denying the suspects their right to being granted bail.

''It is clear that the Gestapo style exhibited by the police, acting on the ever-nebulous 'orders from above', was done so they can continue to detain, intimidate and harass the Observers, whose only offence is that they are from Osun State, perceived by the PDP as an enemy state,'' APC said.

The party called on the police hierarchy, if it has any honour left, to sanction the officer and men involved in the contempt of court and perversion of justice, to serve as a warning to other policemen who are bent on turning Nigeria to a Banana Republic.

Alh Lai Mohammed
NPS APC. Nov 20, 2013.

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to INEC: You don't need court order to cancel ...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to INEC: You don't need court order to cancel ...: APC to INEC: You don't need court order to cancel tainted Anambra poll The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused INEC of be...

APC to INEC: You don't need court order to cancel tainted Anambra poll

APC to INEC: You don't need court order to cancel tainted Anambra poll

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused INEC of being economical with the truth by saying only the courts can order the cancellation of last Saturday's governorship election in Anambra, in which about 1.3 million of the 1.7 million registered voters were unable to exercise their franchise.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party reminded INEC that it did not wait for a court order to cancel the National Assembly elections in 2011, when it was obvious that many voters across the country could not vote due to the late arrival or non-delivery of voting materials.

''In announcing the cancellation of the National Assembly election in 2011, INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega said, among others, that it was to 'maintain the integrity of the elections and retain effective overall control of the process','' it said.

APC said the situation in Anambra last Saturday was even more serious because, in addition to the fact that voting materials were either late or not delivered at all, most voters were disenfranchised by an INEC official who apparently tampered with the 2011 Voters' Register for the state.

''Therefore, there are more compelling reasons now to cancel the Anambra governorship election than what led to the cancellation and rescheduling of the National Assembly election in 2011, unless of course INEC is still acting out the script handed to it for the ill-fated election,'' the party said.

It also said since the integrity of the 2011 Voters' Register has been compromised by tampering, that register can no longer be relied upon by INEC to organize any election in Nigeria.

''The emerging allegations are very serious. First, the Voters' Register for Anambra has been allegedly tampered with by an INEC official to disenfranchise a huge number of voters, to such an extent that only 451,826 voters were accredited out of the 1,763,751 registered voters in Anambra State.

''Secondly, the disenfranchisement started from the data capturing stage, when the machine was apparently manipulated not to capture those whose names start with 'O' or 'U', and that is a whole lot of people. Against this background, it is obvious to all fair-minded people, not the rabidly partisan PDP, that INEC 's computer data-base must have been fraudulently, irreparably and totally adulterated such that no credible Voters' Register can anymore be produced from the 2011 voters' registration data.

''That is why we are not just calling for the cancellation of the Anambra governorship election, but also saying that even a fresh election cannot and must not be conducted on the basis of the 2011 Voters' Register. Unless Nigeria embarks on another voters' registration exercise, it is doubtful if INEC has the ability to ameliorate the damages already done to 2011 registration information by its corrupt and inept officials.

''That is why we are calling on Prof. Jega not to withhold the name of the main saboteur in Saturday's poll, and to also investigate the level to which the Voters' Register has been compromised, fish out all those involved, find out who their sponsors are and make all of them to face justice,'' APC said.

Meanwhile, the party has described as very strange indeed the role of the presidency and the PDP in the ongoing debate over the Anambra election.

''The conventional wisdom is that political parties take their bearing from their candidates on election day. But in the case of the PDP and the Presidency, not only have they abandoned their candidate in the Anambra poll, who himself has derided the election and called for its cancellation, they have also disowned him by going ahead to hail the poll as free and fair.

''It is now glaring to all that the disgrace that INEC has suffered from the Anambra debacle is because the electoral body is acting out the script written by the Presidency and APGA for the election. The claim by the PDP spokesman that our party is trying to discredit the entire electoral process is as shallow as it is laughable. 

''Pray, how more can you discredit an election that the organizer itself (INEC) has admitted was sabotaged by its own officials? Is it the APC that revealed the information concerning the role of INEC saboteurs? Did the PDP candidate find his name on the voters' register used for Saturday's election? Obviously, things have fallen apart in the contraption called the PDP and the centre can no long hold there,'' it said.

All Progressives Congress (APC): Anambra Poll: APC rejects INEC's plan to hold supp...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Anambra Poll: APC rejects INEC's plan to hold supp...: Anambra Poll: APC rejects INEC's plan to hold supplementary election, insists on total cancellation The All Progressives Congress (...

Anambra Poll: APC rejects INEC's plan to hold supplementary election, insists on total cancellation

Anambra Poll: APC rejects INEC's plan to hold supplementary election, insists on total cancellation

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the announcement by INEC that it will hold a supplementary election after declaring last Saturday's governorship poll in Anambra inconclusive, insisting that only the total cancellation of the grossly-tainted and widely-manipulated election will be acceptable.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also called on INEC to come clear on how the election was sabotaged from within the electoral commission itself, with a view to establishing how entrenched the forces of evil within the commission are and also to avert a looming national disaster into which an infiltrated,
incompetent and conniving INEC can plunge Nigeria.

APC said it is now apparent that INEC is indeed not taking seriously the opinions of Anambra residents as well as local and foreign observers that most of the registered voters in the state were
willfully disenfranchised on Saturday.

''First, the electoral commission proposed make-up election in only 65 polling units in Obosi before scaling things up to a supplementary election 'in those areas where election was cancelled'. But we say, without equivocating, that a total cancellation of the election and the organization of a fresh poll, under the supervision of a credible Resident Electoral Commissioner, will be acceptable to our party,'' it said.

The party also challenged INEC to quickly carry out an internal investigation to determine the extent to which Saturday's election was sabotaged and compromised to the embarrassment of the nation, saying what occurred on Saturday may actually be treasonable.

''It is not enough for INEC's detached Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to tell the nation that an INEC official sabotaged the election in a certain part of the state, he must tell the nation who this fellow is, who he/she is working for, what is the extent of the damage he/she has done to this and previous elections, and whether or not he/she has access to the commission's database of voters' register, which was apparently tampered with for Saturday's election.

''Prof. Jega must also tell Nigerians why 16 Electoral Commissioners, who migrated to Anambra days before the election ostensibly to supervise things, could not ensure the success of an election in a single state, when even a polling unit behind the INEC office in Awka did not get voting materials till after 9 am on election day,'' it said.

Meanwhile, the APC has accused the PDP of being an accessory to the shameful electoral malfeasance in Anambra last Saturday, going by the statement credited to the discombobulated party
that the election was free and fair.

''In its inordinate ambition to humiliate our party at all costs, the PDP has ended up humiliating itself and embarrassing the nation. Or how else does one describe a bizarre situation in which a party will
described as free and fair an election in which its own candidate and his family could not find their names in the voters' register? The joke is indeed on the PDP!

''It is now clear who the PDP is working for, and that the party has no qualms about sacrificing its own candidate and disgracing the nation as long as it will achieve its aim of humiliating the APC,''
the party said.

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC calls for total cancellation of Anambra Govern...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC calls for total cancellation of Anambra Govern...: APC calls for total cancellation of Anambra Governorship Election The All Progressives Congress (APC) has demanded a total canc...

APC calls for total cancellation of Anambra Governorship Election

APC calls for total cancellation of Anambra Governorship Election

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has demanded a total cancellation of Saturday's governorship election in Anambra State based on the massive disenfranchisement of people across the state, caused by the blatant incompetent and/or deliberate sabotage by the electoral commission itself.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,the party said the call for total cancellation supersedes its early call for a rerun in four local government areas,and is based on the report it received from its agents as well as from local and foreign observers during the poll.

It said that INEC, which was saddled with organizing the election, inexplicably used a voters' register that is totally different from what it gave to political parties ahead of the election, with the result that the new register did not contain the names of most of the registered voters in the state.

Worse still, APC said, delivery of materials to the stongholds of the APC candidate, Senator Chris Ngige, was either done very late or not at all, a development that further robbed over 300,000 of his supporters in three key local governments of Idemili North, Idemili South and Awka South of their franchise.

''After consultations with our agents as well as with local and foreign observers, we have discovered that what we earlier complained about was a child's play, compared to the widespread disenfranchisement that was orchestrated by the same body given the responsibility of ensuring a free, fair and creditable election on Saturday.

''We discovered that INEC has set up a multi-layer arrangement to ensure that most voters in the state were disenfranchised, apparently acting out a script to manipulate the result of the election in favour of a certain candidate. Where voting materials were supplied, the commission provided wrong voters' register.

''Coming after the charade in Delta, this is a serious development that raises questions about the ability of INEC to conduct a free, fair and transparent elections anywhere in Nigeria. It is particularly serious because if people who registered to vote are not able to do so, and even the votes of those who managed to cast them do not count, then anarchy is looming,'' the party said.

It called for a probe of INEC to determine why it has taken it upon itself to sabotage its own elections, even when people are determined to endure the orchestrated inconveniences and shun all acts of violence, as was witnessed in Anambra on Saturday when people waited patiently and peacefully, only to go home in total disappointment.

''This is a new low for INEC, and unless something is done urgently, the electoral commission may plunge Nigeria into a crisis from which it may not recover,'' APC warned.

All Progressives Congress (APC): Anambra Poll: APC demands fresh elections in 4 LG ...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Anambra Poll: APC demands fresh elections in 4 LG ...: Anambra Poll: APC demands fresh elections in 4 LG areas, rejects fresh elections in only 65 polling units The All Progressives Congress...

Anambra Poll: APC demands fresh elections in 4 LG areas, rejects fresh elections in only 65 polling units

Anambra Poll: APC demands fresh elections in 4 LG areas, rejects fresh elections in only 65 polling units

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has demanded that fresh elections be held in four local government areas of Anambra State, where election either did not hold or massive malpractices were recorded in Saturday's governorship election in the state.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Saturday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also rejected INEC's decision to organize fresh elections in only 65 polling units on Sunday, saying that will not address the massive disenfranchisement of its supporters.

It listed the affected four local government areas as Idemili North, Idemili South, Awka South and Ihiala.

''In Idemili North, which has the highest number of registered voters at 173,832, voting materials did not arrive as 2 pm, when voters ought to have cast their votes; In Idemili South, with registered 85,731 voters, several qualified voters were disenfranchised as their names did not appear on the voters' register; In Awka South, with 118,312 registered voters, the names of APC supporters were expunged from the voters' register and in Ihiala, massive fraudulent practices were recorded at Uli Ward 1 polling unit and Umuchima polling unit 14

''Aside from Ihiala Local Government Area, the three local councils above comprise 377, 875 of the total 1, 784, 536 registered voters,'' APC said, adding that the affected areas were home to its support
base.

The party said nothing short of fresh elections in the three LGs and the cancellation of the results in the listed polling units in Ihiala would be acceptable to it

Further, the party strongly advises INEC not to declare any results relating to the Governorship Election until repeat elections are held in these areas where these irregularities occurred, more so as most of the party's supporters have been disenfranchised in these areas.

All Progressives Congress (APC): Anambra Poll: APC says results will not be accepta...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Anambra Poll: APC says results will not be accepta...: Anambra Poll: APC says results will not be acceptable without voting in all local govts The All Progressives Congress (APC) has warn...

Anambra Poll: APC says results will not be acceptable without voting in all local govts

Anambra Poll: APC says results will not be acceptable without voting in all local govts

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned that it will not accept the results of Saturday's governorship election in Anambra state if voting does not take place in all local governments, especially in the party's strongholds of Idemili North and South as well as Akwa South.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Saturday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also condemned INEC for its apparently-contrived logistic nightmare that has left thousands of voters unable to exercise their franchise, and demanded the immediate removal of the incompetent and conniving Resident Electoral Commissioner for Anambra, Prof. Chukwuemeka Onukogu.

APC said it was totally astonished to learn that INEC has confirmed that materials meant for Idemili North Local  Government, which has 180,000 voters, have been hijacked, without saying who hijacked the ballot papers and why, and without explaining why the materials meant for APGA and PDP strongholds were not hijacked.

The party said equally astonishing is the fact that the voter's registers for Idemili South, the direct Local Government of the APC candidate, Dr. Chris Ngige, did not contain the names of voters in the local government, despite the assurances
by INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega.

''Before the election, political parties were given voter's registers that largely contained the names of most voters. However, about four days to the election, Prof Jega said at an interactive stakeholders forum that there were problems with the registers, which would be rectified before the election.

''However, when the supposedly-corrected registers were brought back, most of the authentic names in them have disappeared, without explanation,'' it said.

APC said it also complained about the fact that the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Anambra, Prof Onukogu, was very partial and unprofessional when he conducted the 2011 election, 

''In 2011, when Prof. Onukogu conducted the general elections in the state, he was very partial. During the Onitsha South 2 House of Assembly constituency and Idemili South House of Assembly polls, he declared the results of both inconclusive, only for him to announce the results at 12 midnight. After we challenged the results in court and a rerun was ordered, we won both constituencies.

''We subsequently petitioned INEC and the Commission assured us that the same person will not be allowed to conduct subsequent election. Alas, he was left in place to do another damage to INEC as an institution through his glaring incompetence and partiality, which have seriously affected the credibility of this governorship election,'' the party said.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

Interim National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Lagos, Nov. 15th 2013

All Progressives Congress (APC): Anambra Poll: APC strongholds starved of voting ma...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Anambra Poll: APC strongholds starved of voting ma...: Anambra Poll: APC strongholds starved of voting materials, Party's Deputy Nat. Sec. el-Rufai harassed The All Progressives Congress ...

Anambra Poll: APC strongholds starved of voting materials, Party's Deputy Nat. Sec. el-Rufai harassed

Anambra Poll: APC strongholds starved of voting materials, Party's Deputy Nat. Sec. el-Rufai harassed

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over the late or non delivery of voting materials to the party's strongholds during the ongoing Governorship election in Anambra State, describing the action as a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise the party's supporters and make the election anything but free and fair.

In a statement issued from the party's election situation room in Lagos on Saturday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also said early reports from the state indicate a pattern of harassment of its members and the violation of INEC guidelines, among others, asking Nigerians to take note.

It specifically decried the continued harassment of its Deputy National Secretary, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai by armed State Security Service (SSS) personnel, since he arrived at Awka on Friday
night for the election.

APC said apart from restricting Mallam el-Rufai to the Finotel Hotel iwhere he is staying, the SSS personnel also barged into the hotel's restaurant while he was eating and collected the phones of everyone there, apparently to prevent their pictures from being taken as they laid a siege on the hotel.

''These SSS personnel claimed to be acting on orders from above. Whoever gave them the order, we in the APC believe it is illegal to prevent a duly accredited top official of a party involved in an election from moving around to monitor the election. He has a right to be at the election as our
Deputy National Secretary,'' the party said.

It also decried a situation in which a polling unit is situated right under the billboard bearing the pictures of APGA candidate Willie Obiano and his running mate in Aguleri, in clear violation of INEC guidelines.

APC condemned a situation in which voting materials are being delivered late or not delivered at all to the party's strongholds, including Idemili North and South, Akwa South, Dunukofia, Onitsha
North and South, Orumba North and South, Oyi, Ogbaru and Nnewi North.

''As at the time of issuing this situation report, election materials have not yet arrived at Idemili North and South, Ogidi ward 1, Nkpor ward 1, Abatate, booth 012 of ward 2 Nibo and one booth at
umunnakwe hall; There is no INEC or police presence at Obi Ilo Okoye polling unit in Awada, Onitsha; INEC register for 2011 were not brought to Palm Site Market 1&2; INEC is refusing to accredit voters in Awka South LG Ward 8; In Nnwei north Otolo ward 03, polling unit 14, only 6 people out of 77 were accredited and others couldn't find their name; In Ward 8, Awka Government House, PDP agents are openly soliciting for votes in exchange for money, just as it is happening in
Onitsha North Ward 100 and in CKC Adazi Nnukwu, and at Nteje Unit 004 in Oyi LG, APGA and PDP are negotiating how to share votes.

''These are just a few of the examples of the shenanigans going on right under the nose of INEC, and we demand an immediate rectification so that no citizen will be disenfranchised, and so that all the
parties will have a level playing ground. If this is not done urgently, the promise of a free, fair and transparent election in Anambra by the President and INEC would have been nothing but a ruse,'' APC said.