All Progressives Congress (APC): APC calls endorsement of Jonathan as sole PDP cand...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC calls endorsement of Jonathan as sole PDP cand...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly condemned the endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan as the sole candidate of the PD...

APC calls endorsement of Jonathan as sole PDP candidate mockery of democracy

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly condemned the endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan as the sole candidate of the PDP for next year's presidential election, to the exclusion of all other candidates, calling the endorsement nothing but a mockery of democracy.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also said the endorsement has come at a great price to Nigerians, considering the obvious deals that were struck to make President Jonathan the sole PDP candidate.

It said the parody of democracy that the endorsement represents has exposed the shameless hypocrisy of the PDP, which is ever so eager to accuse other parties of lacking in internal democracy.

''Obviously, those fellows in the PDP have never heard of the saying that those who must come to equity must come with clean hands. PDP, where is your own internal democracy now that you have turned your party into a fiefdom controlled by one and only one person only?

''While endorsements are part and parcel of democracy, they are never done to the exclusion of other candidates. This is simply not democratic. When then candidate Barrack Obama was endorsed by his
party's bigwigs to contest the US Presidency, the party never excluded Hillary Clinton from its primaries. That's how it is done,'' APC said.

The party said the price being paid for Jonathan's endorsement by Nigeria is simply too heavy, considering that the PDP Governors who spearheaded the endorsement have now secured perpetual immunity from prosecution by anti-graft bodies, including the EFCC and the ICPC; the
automatic tickets for all first-term PDP Governors, whether or not they have performed, the automatic tickets for all PDP Governors running for the Senate, as well as the free ride back to the Upper Chamber for Senate President David Mark.

''It is now an Open Sesame for the PDP Governors, who have no prying anti-corruption agencies watching over their shoulders. They can now simply see the commonwealth as an extension of their deep pockets. The endorsement is also a vote of approval for the proceeds of corruption that have been powering the noisy and outrageous Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN),'' it said.

APC accused President Jonathan of desecrating the country's democracy because of his desperation for re-election, adding: ''It is a cruel irony that a man who has benefited, more than anyone else, from this democracy has been the one who has been doing everything possible to undermine it.''

The party said President Jonathan has also abandoned domestic issues while seeking international relevance, in a clear negation of the aphorism that charity begins at home.

''This President has basically abandoned governance. Unprecedented corruption is mounting, insecurity stalks the land and Nigerians grope in darkness as power generation has plummeted. This President has yet to tell Nigerians the full involvement of his government in the 9.3 million dollars that was illegally ferried to South Africa on a private jet. This President has yet to tell Nigerians why he has continued to hobnob with an alleged sponsor of Boko Haram, who is supposed to be under a probe by his Administration. Yet, he is eager to attend meetings with serious-minded leaders who have done well for their own people.

''Mr. President, it is only when you have achieved success domestically that you can parade yourself internationally. You cannot look good abroad if you look ugly at home,'' APC said.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Lagos, Sept. 24th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC warns against plan to postpone 2015 general el...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC warns against plan to postpone 2015 general el...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned those nursing the plan to postpone the 2015 general elections to perish the thought, s...

APC warns against plan to postpone 2015 general elections

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned those nursing the plan to postpone the 2015 general elections to perish the thought, saying Nigerians will not accept, under any guise whatsoever, any scheme by desperate elected officials to get tenure elongation by subterfuge

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said those who are flying the kite of pushing forward the election ostensibly because the nation is at war are trying to imperil the nation's democracy.

''Election is the lifeblood of democracy, the mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates. It is the only way for the citizenry to renew and refresh the governing process so they can get the most benefits out of democracy. Therefore, anyone that tries to sabotage this mechanism is aiming a dagger straight at the heart of democracy,'' it said.

APC said the statement credited to Senate President David Mark, that ''there is no question of elections, it is not even on the table now. We are in a state of war,” reflects the thinking in government circles, even though the Senate President, having run into a wall of opposition over his unfortunate statement, has tried to step back from the comments.

''We in the APC saw this coming, and we have said it at several fora: That the Jonathan Administration has deliberately allowed the insurgency in the North-east, an opposition stronghold, to fester so he can cash in on it to get re-elected. Simply put, the Administration has been playing dirty politics with Boko Haram, at the expense of the lives and property of the citizenry and the well-being of the nation.

''However, the Administration is being too clever by half to think that Nigerians will reward it for its failure in its main reason for existence, which is the protection of the welfare and security of the citizens. There is just no way this government will be allowed to profit from its ineptness and its conspiracy to prolong an insurgency that should have ended a long time ago,'' the party said.

It said the statement by INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega, that the commission has started preparing for elections even in the North-east, represents a ray of hope, but warned the electoral body to remain steadfast and not to cave in to what will be massive pressure from the Jonathan Administration and its gong beaters to scuttle the 2015 elections.

APC said just like Jega has said, countries like Afghanistan and Iraq successfully held elections even though they are in a state of war, hence there is no reason why Nigeria cannot organize elections because of the insurgency in a part of the country.

''We know the Jonathan Administration is mortally afraid to face the electorate, having failed woefully to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people. We know many elected officials are also aware that they will be punished by the electorate because they have failed them (the electorate). It is therefore easy for them to queue behind any plot to ensure the 2015 general elections do not hold as planned, so they can get tenure extension.

''However, we have got news for these saboteurs: Nigerians have seen through their game and will not allow them to succeed in endangering our democracy. 2015 elections must hold as scheduled. This is not negotiable,'' the party warned.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed 

National Publicity Secretary,

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Lagos, Sept 21st 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): President Jonathan, please come clean on the US$9....

All Progressives Congress (APC): President Jonathan, please come clean on the US$9....: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to come clean on the circumstances surrounding the 9.3 milli...

President Jonathan, please come clean on the US$9.3m controversy - APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to come clean on the circumstances surrounding the 9.3 million US dollars that was impounded in South Africa, which has become the latest in a series of global ridicule to which the scandal-prone Jonathan Administration has subjected Nigeria and her people.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also called on the National Assembly to launch an urgent investigation into the issue, saying the silence of the peoples' representatives on the issue is deafening, unfathomable and unacceptable.

It said there is no doubt that the President is at the centre of the whole issue, considering the presidential treatment given to the plane and its cargo, since the plane departed from the Presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, away from the reach of the Nigerian Customs Service which could not therefore have cleared the plane and its passengers.

''It is absolutely urgent for President Jonathan to clear the air on this alleged off-the-shelf equipment or arms purchase, which runs against all known protocol for such purchases anywhere in the world. Military equipment and weapons are not bean cakes to be purchased by the road side. There are globally-acceptable protocols for such purchases by governments, otherwise what differentiates a government from an insurgent group that is shopping for arms?

''Is the Jonathan Administration not aware that the UN General Assembly on April 2nd 2013 adopted a landmark Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) precisely to regulate the international trade in conventional weapons by avoiding the kind of road-side purchase that the Nigerian government is said to have been involved in? Though the ATT has not come into effect, the fact that Nigeria is among the few countries to have signed and ratified the treaty shows that the country is concerned by unregulated arms trade,'' APC said.

The party said the resort to ''procedural error'' to explain away the whole issue cannot work, because Nigerian authorities cannot pretend not to be aware that currency brought into or taken from South Africa is monitored by law, and that anyone bringing into that country more than R25,000 in South African currency or U$10,000 or the equivalent thereof in foreign currency must declared such.

It said that in any case, those who are using ''procedural error'' as an alibi are being too clever by half. This is because if entering or leaving a country with undeclared $9.3 million is mere ''procedural error'', why was Sule Lamido's son convicted for not declaring a mere $50,000 dollars at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport?

APC said, however, that in the spirit of fairness, it has decided to give President Jonathan and the government he heads the opportunity to make urgently-needed clarifications by answering a number of questions relating to the $9.3 million scandal: Is the money indeed meant to purchase a helicopter as has been reported? To which arm of the government or security force does the money belong? Who appropriated it and for what purpose? Why was the money being ferried in cash by the same government that has been spending huge time and money to promote a cashless policy? Is the resort to cash to avoid a paper trail for the transaction, in which case it is illegal?

''Mr. President, we are aware that each arm of security has an account with the CBN for the purpose of arms purchase and such transactions are properly documented, so why was this not the case in this instance? 

'Mr. President, why did it take your government all of 10 days to admit its involvement in this scandal, considering that the embarrassing incident
happened since Sept. 5th and was not known until Sept. 15th? Does this saga not give credence to the widely held view that you are indeed benefitting from the the Boko Haram insurgency and that you have deliberately allowed it to escalate to this level?

''Mr. President, has this saga not confirmed the suspicion that your 2015 reelection bid has been factored into your handling of the Boko Haram insurgency? Has this saga not given more credence to revelations that the sponsors of Boko Haram are those closest to the President? Has this saga not finally confirmed that the President knows more than he is telling the nation about the sudden escalation of the Boko Haram insurgency, especially in the run up to the 2015 elections?

''Mr. President, has this saga not confirmed that powerful forces in your administration are all working in concert to use the Boko Haram insurgency to secure tenure extension for President Jonathan? Is not clear now why the Senate President infamously declared two days ago that election is not on the table since the country is in a state of war? Have we not been proven right in our declaration at the panel discussion in the British House of Commons on Sept. 8th 2014 that the Jonathan administration will attempt to cash in on the Boko Haram insurgency to postpone elections?''

The party said the answers to the questions raised would go a long way in showing Nigerians that their government is not clandestinely buying equipment and weapons to fuel the Boko Haram insurgency and then profit from its own act of perfidy.

It said while the President is compiling his answers to the posers, he should ask his spokespersons to stop adding insult to injury by saying the CIA, FBI, Mossad etc also travel abroad with undeclared cash, in clear violation of the laws of their destination countries, to buy arms.

''Mr President only gangsters and terrorists conduct their businesses in this manner. Therefore, please call your spokespersons to order, while you are preparing to come clean to Nigerians on this latest scandal,'' APC said.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Abuja, Sept. 17th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC calls for dissolution of Osun Governorship Ele...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC calls for dissolution of Osun Governorship Ele...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for the immediate dissolution of the Osun Governorship Election Tribunal and the reco...

APC calls for dissolution of Osun Governorship Election Tribunal

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for the immediate dissolution of the Osun Governorship Election Tribunal and the reconstitution of a new one, in order to engender the confidence of the public in the work of the tribunal.

In a statement issued in Benin City, Edo State, on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the reported removal of the Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice I.M. Bako, on the basis of a petition written by some people, has tainted the Tribunal, hence the need to constitute a fresh one.

''According to the information at our disposal, the PDP used one of the candidates in the Aug. 9th gubernatorial election in the state to orchestrate the removal of the Tribunal Chairman, whom the party (PDP) considered not pliable enough for the achievement of its evil machination. Therefore, this removal is unacceptable to us, because it suggests that some dark forces are teleguiding the proceedings of the Tribunal - a development that is inimical to the fair delivery of justice.

''When we got this information about a week ago,  we did not lend it much credence, believing that the judiciary will not pander to the PDP or any party whatsoever in the execution of its Constitutional duties. But when we read the published report on Friday that the Chairman of the Tribunal has been removed, we were very worried.

''While our confidence in the judiciary remains unshaken, we believe this important arm of government must be shielded from political interference in the interest of justice, and in order for the citizenry not to lose confidence in it,'' it said.

APC said the PDP, which has been roundly rejected by the good people of Osun State, is desperately seeking to barge into the Government House in Osogbo through the back door.

In pursuant of its inordinate ambition, the party said the PDP had been engaging in irresponsible manipulation of facts since it lost the election last month.

''The most glaring has been the attempt by the PDP to deceive the public over the reason why INEC suspended two of its staffers over the Osun election. While these men were actually suspended for trying to rig the election in favour of the PDP, the PDP has put out a shameful lie that they were suspended for manipulating the election result from two local governments to favour the APC!

''This is most uncharitable and it shows the lack of integrity and character by those who are desperately seeking to rule over Osun State. One of the INEC officials in question is Segun Eshinlokun, the Electoral Officer of Obokun Local Government in Osun State who, along with one Ismalia Taofik, was caught with electoral materials before they were distributed by INEC.

''The second is the Electoral Officer for Osogbo Local Government, who is a card-carrying member of the PDP. It is instructive that these men were suspended following the petitions written by the APC in Osun State. How this was now twisted to make the public to believe that the men were suspended because they attempted to manipulate the election in favour of the APC is simply incredulous,'' it said.

APC said that in view of the clear desperation by the rejected candidate of the PDP in the Aug. 9th polls, all APC members and supporters in particular and the entire good people of Osun in general must remain vigilant in order to frustrate the undisguised attempt by the enemies of progress and anti-democratic forces to thwart the will of the people of the state, which they expressed on Aug. 9th despite all acts of intimidation and harassment.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Benin City, Sept. 5th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC call on President Jonathan to Arrest Modu Sher...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC call on President Jonathan to Arrest Modu Sher...: BOKO HARAM   Finally, the truth is out!  Being text of a Press Conference addressed by the National Chairman of the APC, Chief ...

APC call on President Jonathan to Arrest Modu Sherriff and Ihijerika

BOKO HARAM

 Finally, the truth is out!

 Being text of a Press Conference addressed by the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

 Good afternoon Gentlemen of the press, and thank you for honouring my invitation to this press conference.

 Before I address you today, kindly permit me to play the full interview of Dr. Stephen Davis, the Australian negotiator who was appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan to help secure the release of the over 200 girls who were abducted by Boko Haram on April 15th.

 The interview was aired on Arise Television on Thursday Aug. 28th.

 INTERLUDE: PLAY VIDEO

 Thank you for your patience, gentlemen.

 The All Progressives Congress (APC) like many well-meaning Nigerians had resolved long ago that the issue of the Boko Haram insurgency should not be politicized. In view of this, the APC expressed its willingness and readiness to cooperate with the Federal Government in neutralizing the insurgency. Regrettably however, instead of accepting this offer of cooperation, the PDP-Federal Government has consistently pointed accusing fingers at our Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the sponsor of Boko Haram. They have called us all sorts of derogatory names, but failed to provide any shred of evidence to support their claim.

 It has been very clear to us that the vehemence and persistence of this accusation, the deliberate distortion of statements made by our leaders to paint us as Boko Haram sponsors and the way the PDP-led Federal Government has gone to hire foreign PR firms, at a huge cost to taxpayers, as well as foreign and local hack writers to push this narrative, they were struggling hard to cover up something. We waited patiently knowing that the truth will one day surface.

 In a rare moment of truth, a top official of the Jonathan Administration, no less a personality than the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Andrew Owoye Azazi, situated the Boko Haram problem within the PDP. Shortly thereafter he was fired, and he later died in controversial circumstances. Still we waited.

 They distorted and misrepresented the statements made by our leader, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to try to convince the world that he was indeed the main sponsor of Boko Haram. They continued to echo the same slander about Gen. Buhari that was started by Presidential Spokesman Reuben Abati in 2011, and for which he and his cohorts eventually begged to settle out of court and to apologize to the General. Still we waited.

When their attempt to link Gen. Buhari with Boko Haram failed, as his popularity among ordinary Nigerians continued to soar, he was suddenly attacked by suicide bombers. Those who planned the attack believed this as the final solution to what they perceived as the threat he represents to the realization of their ambition. By the grace of God, he survived. We do not claim to know those who attacked him, but we do know those who provided the atmosphere for that attack to take place. Still we waited.

 When the government declared a state of emergency in three worst-hit states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe in 2013, thousands of troops were deployed to the three states. But the unusual happened. The number of attacks simply skyrocketed. It is common knowledge that in any territory that has been placed under a state of emergency, the military takes charge of security, erecting checkpoints as part of efforts to keep a tab on security. Such was the situation in Borno in April 2014, when over 200 girls were abducted and driven away in many trucks. Soldiers posted to a nearby checkpoint were said to have withdrawn shortly before the attack. Who ordered their withdrawal? Some of the trucks in which the girls were being carted away broke down, yet no one challenged them. Despite this bizarre occurrence, they refused to accept responsibility and continued to cast aspersion on our Party, the APC, as the sponsor of Boko Haram. Still we waited.

 Boko Haram routinely enriched their arsenal with tanks, Armoured Personnel Carriers, guns, trucks and other military equipment which they seized from the Army. From the videos they release from time to time, one could see Boko Haram insurgents driving around unchallenged in convoys of up to 60 vehicles made-up of tanks and other military vehicles they seized from our military, in a territory that is under a state of emergency. What is happening? No one could fathom it. Still we waited.

 A man known to all as the kingpin of Boko Haram, a man who helped to arm them so he could win elections and decimate his opponents, was moving around with the best security ever. He is a known ally of the President and he is not known to be under any immunity. Yet he was never arrested or even questioned. Still we waited.

 In line with a Yoruba adage that says when a drum starts sounding too hard, it is about to burst, the PDP and the Presidency ratcheted up their attacks on our party, labelling us as Boko Haram sponsors. They hired a foreign firm, Levick, for US$1.2 million in taxpayers' money, as well as a number of out-of-luck hack writers and pseudo analysts, one of them from Russia, to help push the narrative. Still we waited.

 Then their drum exploded!

 Dr. Stephen Davis, a man hired by the President Jonathan-led Federal Government to negotiate with Boko Haram for the release of the Chibok girls decided to speak out, believing the best way to tackle the insurgency is to expose the sponsors. And who are they? On international television last Thursday, and as you have just seen and heard, he named former Borno Governor Ali Modu Sheriff and a former Army Chief, Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, as the sponsors of Boko Haram.

Prodded by Sahara Reporters in a subsequent interview on whether Gen. Buhari and Malam Nasir el-Rufai were sponsors, he said the Boko Haram commanders who gave him the names of their sponsors did not mention their names. The die is cast. The truth is finally out! Boko Haram sponsors have been exposed. They are within the ruling PDP. They are friends of President Jonathan. He cannot pretend not to know who they are and what they have done and are still doing. His myriad of intelligence agencies, including the DSS and the DMI, cannot pretend they do not have any information on these men.

 It is true that Ali Modu Sheriff was, until recently, a member of our Party. But the Party always suspected that he was a mole, planted to hijack or at best weaken the new Party for the PDP. He is not new to that role. He helped to decimate his former party, the ANPP, to an extent that the number of states under its control fell from seven in 2003 to three by the time he left as Governor.

We know for sure that Ali Modu Sheriff was planted in the APC to help decimate our party. We confronted him openly during the merger negotiation but he denied vigorously. His surrogate for the post of the Chairman of the APC, Chief Tom Ikimi together with whom they planned to hijack the Party for the Presidency was firmly rejected. Realizing they have failed, they fled our party and returned to where they came from, and were duly embraced by their controllers.

President Jonathan cannot pretend not to know the alleged role that Ali Modu Sheriff has played in the establishment and growth of Boko Haram, yet he never allowed the man to even be questioned by any of the security agencies under his control. All through his time with our Party, every time they accused us of sponsoring Boko Haram, on the basis of his presence, we challenged them if they had evidence to arrest any of our members who is suspected to be a sponsor, they never did. They dared not, because Sheriff was their agent. Even if he had remained in the APC after we democratically encouraged him to go, they would still not have arrested him.

Recall, gentlemen, that immediately Sheriff went back to the PDP, the Maiduguri Airport that had been closed to even the pilgrims from the state on grounds of security, was re-opened specially for him. What more evidence does anyone need that Sheriff was and remains President Jonathan's Man Friday?

Our Stand

The truth is finally out. We have been vindicated. We have no hand in the Boko Haram insurgency. The raison d'etre of our party is the well-being and security of Nigerians

The sponsors of Boko Haram are within the PDP and the Presidency. They are known friends of President Jonathan. He knows them and they know him.

The man who exposed these Boko Haram sponsors is a Jonathan-appointed Negotiator. He has no axe to grind, neither does he have any motive to shield the APC or portray the PDP/Presidency in bad light. In fact, if he had any sympathy at all, it is for the man who hired him, President Jonathan.

We have said it all along. Boko Haram was politicized purely for one reason, and one reason only: To be used as a trump card for President Jonathan to win another term. For that strategy to work, the APC, which they see as the only stumbling block to the PDP's victory in 2015, must be maligned and labeled. Gullible, duplicitous and self-serving politicians like Femi Fani-Kayode swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker, and started parroting the glaring lies. PDP spokesman Olisa Metuh, an obvious pawn on the chess board, followed suit, labelling a party that comprises Nigerians of all ethnic and religious hue a Janjaweed and Islamic party. Now he is stewing in his own juice.

In the process of this dangerous politics, the Nigerian military which was globally acclaimed for its impressive showings at various peacekeeping missions around the world, simply suffered collateral damage. Apparently, fifth columnists in the military has sold the force out, first by denying it of the necessary fighting tools and then weakening it to such an extent that even the little it had was being taken away daily by insurgents. When the patriotic Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno tried to raise the issue of the poorly-equipped troops and their low morale, he was roundly pilloried. Now the world knows why!

Now that the cat has been let out of the bag and the real sponsors of Boko Haram have been exposed, we hope President Jonathan will summon the courage to do the right thing: Hand over the identified Boko Haram sponsors to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for investigation and prosecution.

There is no doubt that Boko Haram has committed crimes against humanity in its scorched-earth campaign against unharmed citizens, and the most appropriate body to investigate and try the sect's sponsors is the ICC.

According to Article 17 of the Rome Statute that set up the ICC, and to which Nigeria is signatory, the ICC is a court of last resort, expected to exercise its jurisdiction only if states themselves are unwilling or unable genuinely to investigate and prosecute international crimes.

In view of the fact that the alleged Boko Haram sponsors are either members of the ruling party or friends of the President, it is clear that the PDP-led Federal Government is unwilling and unable to try them, hence our call.

Nigerians can rest assured that the APC will not allow this issue to be swept under the carpet.

Now that it is clear that the PDP is behind Boko Haram for the sole purpose of winning next year’s Presidential Election, Nigerians must prevail on the PDP and the Presidency to urgently end this insurgency and the daily killing and maiming of innocent Nigerians!

The President must remember that he is the Commander-in-Chief! The buck stops on his desk. He must now do all it takes to stop the growing mess in our nation’s North-East.

Nigerians expect no less!

 

Abuja

Sept. 2^nd 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to Pres. Jona...

All Progressives Congress (APC): All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to Pres. Jona...: All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to Pres. Jonathan: TAN's rallies are flouting ... : The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called ...

All Progressives Congress (APC): All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to Pres. Jona...

All Progressives Congress (APC): All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to Pres. Jona...: All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to Pres. Jonathan: TAN's rallies are flouting ... : The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called ...

All Progressives Congress (APC): All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to Pres. Jona...

All Progressives Congress (APC): All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to Pres. Jona...: All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to Pres. Jonathan: TAN's rallies are flouting ... : The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called ...

Hold President Jonathan responsible if Ebola cases worsen in Nigeria, APC tells Nigerians

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said Nigerians must hold President Goodluck Jonathan personally responsible if the Ebola Virus Disease spreads more than it has done in the country, after he failed to stop a rally in his support in Port Harcourt on Saturday, despite warning from individuals and groups.

In a statement issued on Sunday in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said never before has a President of a country sabotaged his own Administration's policy and endangered the lives of his compatriots as President Jonathan has done over the issue of Ebola.

It said the same President who declared a national emergency on Ebola and advised against large gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus was the first to flout his own advice by his failure to stop the rally by the so-called Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) in Port Harcourt, a few days after the virus was detected in the city and at a time that contact tracing was going on to find all those who may have had contact with the medical doctor victim of the disease.

''On the altar of political desperation, President Jonathan put the lives of Nigerians in danger. In order to realize his ambition for re-election, President Jonathan has shown he is ready to sacrifice as many lives of Nigerians as possible. There goes the President's statement that his political ambition is not worth the blood of any
Nigerian. This President simply says what he doesn't mean.

''As we said in our statement of Aug. 28th 2014 calling on President Jonathan to halt the TAN rallies, especially the one in Port Harcourt, could anyone guarantee that none of those who have had contact with the medical doctor who died of the disease will attend the rally? That is why we are calling on Nigerians to hold the President responsible if Ebola spreads more than it has in the country,'' APC said.

The party said shortly after it made the call for a halt to the TAN rallies, others, including the NBA and Prof. Itse Sagay, in a clearly patriotic duty, issued similar calls.

''In fact, the APC in Rivers described such a rally most appropriately as a 'firing squad against the people'. But because he will rather be re-elected than give a damn over the safety of the same people who voted him into office, because he will rather transmogrify than transform, President Jonathan ignored all the calls and allowed the rally to hold. This is an unprecedented act of political
desperation,'' it said.

APC said for those who might try to spin the issue by saying the President has no control over the organizers of the rally, they should be asked who the rallies will benefit, whose top officials, including Secretary to the Government Anyim Pius Anyim, have been attending the rallies and what is the source of the funding of the gatherings.

''The TAN rallies are government-sanctioned. The TAN rallies are the Jonathan Administration's cunning way of beating the INEC ban on campaigns for next year's general elections. The TAN rallies highlight the impunity of the Jonathan Administration. President Jonathan is the sole beneficiary. He can stop the rallies today, if only he wants to put the nation's interest above his own personal interest,'' the party said.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Lagos, Aug. 31st 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to Pres. Jonathan: TAN's rallies are flouting ...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC to Pres. Jonathan: TAN's rallies are flouting ...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately halt the rallies being organized across t...

APC to Pres. Jonathan: TAN's rallies are flouting Ebola control measures, stop them now!

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called on President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately halt the rallies being organized across the nation in his support by the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), saying the rallies are jeopardizing Nigeria's efforts to control the spread of Ebola.

''Mr. President, you said your ambition is not worth the life of any Nigerian. But the TAN rallies for your re-election are endangering the lives of thousands of Nigerians in these days of Ebola. Some things must simply transcend politics. This is one of them. Please stop the rallies now,'' the party said in a statement issued in Ilorin on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

It said the President must in particular ensure that the rally slated for Port Harcourt on Saturday is stopped, in view of the spread of the Ebola virus to the Rivers capital and the fact that 100 people have been placed under surveillance there following the death of a medical doctor from a suspected Ebola disease in the city.

''If TAN goes ahead to organize its rally in Port Harcourt, can anyone guarantee that none of those who have had contact with the medical doctor will attend? It can only be better imagined the kind of danger that those who will attend the rally will be subjected to. Therefore, President Jonathan has a historic opportunity to put the well being of his compatriots above politics, for once,'' APC said.

The party reminded President Jonathan of the statement he made on Aug. 8th, 2014, when he was declaring the Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria a national emergency, thus: ''Religious and political groups, spiritual healing centres, families, associations and other bodies should, in the meantime, discourage gatherings and activities that may unwittingly promote close contact with infected persons or place others at risk.”

It also reminded the President that his administration has postponed the resumption of private and public primary and secondary schools across the nation as part of the measures to curtail the spread of the virus, wondering what message the same government was sending to Nigerians by allowing TAN rallies to continue.

''Mr. President, add this to the fact that Nigeria's economy is losing millions of dollars to the Ebola disease, and you will realize that the need to control the disease supersedes personal political considerations,'' APC said.

The party said the TAN rallies in Awka and Ibadan, and the forthcoming ones in Port Harcourt and elsewhere flout the advice by the President against large gatherings that can encourage the spread of the disease.

It described as untenable the argument that the rallies are not being organised by the government, hence the President has no control over them.

''Mr. President, you are the sole beneficiary of these rallies. Top officials of your administration, led by Secretary to the Government of the Federation Anyim Pius Anyim, have been attending the rallies. The signatures being collected by TAN are ostensibly to encourage you to run again. So this is your show,'' APC said

The party wondered how President Jonathan can, on one hand, be complaining about the stigmatization of Nigerians by other countries over Ebola and, on the other hand, turning a blind eye when his supporters are doing things to flout the Ebola control measures put in place by his Administration.

''The embassies of the foreign nations in Nigeria are seeing all that is happening. They are seeing how the efforts of the federal government to control Ebola are being sabotaged by the supporters of the President. How then can we complain when our citizens are stigmatized abroad? How can we complain when the foreign governments issue travel advisories to their citizens coming to Nigeria? How can we complain when they start barring Nigerians from coming to their countries on account of the Ebola virus?

''This is why we are calling on President Jonathan to call his supporters to order today. We are also calling on all well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the President not to endanger the lives of Nigerians simply because of his personal ambition,'' it said.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Ilorin, Aug. 28th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC calls territorial gain by Boko Haram, Nigerian...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC calls territorial gain by Boko Haram, Nigerian...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as an unprecedented national embarrassment the increasing seizure of Nigerian to...

APC calls territorial gain by Boko Haram, Nigerian soldiers foray into Cameroon national embarrassment, urges Pres. Jonathan to rally nation

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as an unprecedented national embarrassment the increasing seizure of Nigerian towns by the terrorist group Boko Haram and the reported fleeing of 480 Nigerian soldiers to Cameroon during an attack on a military base in Gamboru-Ngala on Monday.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party called on President Goodluck Jonathan to urgently address Nigerians on the worsening security situation in the northern part of the country that has allowed Boko Haram to proclaim its rule over a part of the nation's territory.

It said in the face of the biggest threat to Nigeria's unity and territorial integrity since the country's civil war, President Jonathan must also put partisanship aside and rally the nation against Boko Haram, which by all indications seems to be getting bolder and stronger, to such an extent that the group is now hoisting its flag over parts of the nation's territory.

APC also restated its call for an urgent national stakeholders' conference on security that will cut across party lines to help fashion a solution to what has now become a clear and present danger to the survival of Nigeria, while pledging its unalloyed support for any sincere effort by the Federal Government to end the insurgency as quickly as possible.

As an immediate first step, the party calls on President Jonathan to immediately halt the illegal electioneering campaign by his Ministers, other appointees and supporters, saying Nigeria must survive as a nation before any party or individual can rule over it.

''These campaigns, ostensibly by the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) but in truth being bankrolled by the Federal Government, offends national sensibilities at a time our citizens are being daily slaughtered and our troops are struggling against the terrorists who are bent on balkanizing our nation. Needless to remind Nigerians that over 200 school girls remain missing more than 130 days after they were abducted,'' the party said, adding: ''The President must put politics aside for now and lead the nation to defeat Boko Haram.''
It also charged the military high command and its civilian leadership to quit politicking and fashion out ways for the military to live up to its constitutional responsibility of maintaining Nigeria's territorial integrity.

APC said it is a shame that while the Minister of State for Defence Musiliu Obanikoro has been prancing around in Ekiti and Osun state marshaling troops to harass the opposition during the elections in those states, Nigeria has been losing territory after territory to Boko Haram.

Equally worrisome, the party said, is the development that has seen some defence chiefs Chief become the chief campaign managers to President Jonathan, an action that is a clear violation of the military's professional ethics and which has embroiled the military unnecessarily in politics, at a time they should  be rallying the troops against Boko Haram.

''Nigeria has never had it so bad. The country's military that was being hailed worldwide for its sterling performance at global peacekeeping missions has now reached a level where its troops are deserting, engaging in mutiny or simply unwilling to fight.

''There is no way to spin what happened on Monday, when 480 Nigerian soldiers escaped to Cameroon. The Ministry of Defence called it 'tactical manoeuvre', but did not explain how soldiers fighting insurgents along Nigeria's border with Cameroon will foray 80 kilometres into Cameroon! Also, if the Nigerian troops' foray into Cameroon was in the spirit of the cooperation between the two countries in the fight against the terrorists, as some spin doctors have said, why were the Nigerian soldiers disarmed and then herded into schools in Maroua, 80kms from the Nigerian border?

 ''The issue that should agitate the minds of Nigerians now is whether our troops are adequately equipped to battle Boko Haram and, if not, what has happened to the funds allocated for such in the past. As we said in our earlier comments on this issue, between 2010 and 2014, a total of US$14 billion was allocated for defence, security and the police. What has happened to these funds?

''Nigerians must start asking questions rather than just blaming soldiers. Nigerians must ask why the alarm raised by Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno concerning the low morale and lack of necessary fighting equipment by the military was dismissed on the altar of partisanship. Nigerians must ask what next, if a rag tag band of marauders are now carving out territories for themselves in our nation. Things cannot and must not continue like this,'' APC said.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Lagos, Aug. 26th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC says assurances by INEC boss offer hope of fre...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC says assurances by INEC boss offer hope of fre...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said Nigeria may be able to organize truly free, fair, credible and transparent elections in t...

APC says assurances by INEC boss offer hope of free, fair elections if....

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said Nigeria may be able to organize truly free, fair, credible and transparent elections in the nearest future if the recent comments by INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega reflect the thinking of the electoral commission.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said three issues stand out in comments credited to the INEC boss: that hooded security personnel would no longer be allowed during elections, that the security paraphernalia in future elections should be under the control of INEC and that the Commission will use e-card readers for the 2015 general elections.

It said if indeed the INEC boss meant what he said, then it is a breakthrough of sorts in Nigeria's long quest to hold elections that are not only free, fair and transparent, but are seen to be so by the local and international community.

APC however said it would hold Prof. Jega to his promises to avoid a repeat of the situation in the past when promises made by the electoral chief were not kept.

''During the voter's registration exercise, Prof. Jega vowed that anyone who engages in double or multiple registration would be prosecuted. However, some parties who probably had an advanced knowledge that his statement was an empty threat apparently encouraged their members to engage in double or multiple registration, thus gaining undue advantage over others, yet they were never prosecuted.

''Also, during the last Ekiti Governorship Election, Prof. Jega announced that colour-coded ballot papers would be used in different local governments to prevent election fraud, but that never happened and no reason was given for the failure. This is why we intend to hold Prof. Jega to every word he said in connection with the key issues mentioned above,'' the party said.

APC recalled that before the Osun governorship election earlier this month, the party warned that the use of hooded security personnel would encourage hoodlums with access to police or DSS uniforms to invade the state and perpetrate mayhem in the name of providing security.

''Sadly, that is exactly what happened during the election. In fact, media reports have said at least one person is now being prosecuted after he and others were found wearing black T-shirts with the inscription 'Police' in front and 'DSS' on its back during the Osun election. Is there any clearer evidence that some of those who came to Osun in hoods were actually fake security agents?'' the party queried.

It also recalled that on May 26th, 2014, the APC issued a statement in which it tasked INEC to immediately commence the process that will lead to the use of the e-card reader for the elections in Ekiti and Osun States, if indeed the electoral body is committed to ensuring that the polls are free, fair and transparent.

''If that advice had been heeded by INEC, perhaps the allegations of electoral fraud, and the litigation following the elections in both states, would not have arisen.

''As we said in the May 26th statement, 'Impersonation, multiple voting and endless altercations and associated tension will be eliminated at the voting centres with the use of e-card reader and not by any other means. Also, the e-card reader will ensure the automatic recording of all accredited voters with verified permanent voter's cards in such a way that does not lend itself to manipulation, thus preventing the falsification of results at the collation centres',''
APC said.

The party challenged INEC to put its money where its mouth is by using October's Governorship Election in Adamawa State to test the measures
that will ensure credible elections in 2015, including barring hooded security personnel, taking charge of the security men and women to be deployed for the election and using e-card reader to forestall electoral fraud.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Lagos, Aug. 25th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC uncovers plan to relaunch acronym battle again...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC uncovers plan to relaunch acronym battle again...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over a plan by unscrupulous and apparently-hired hands to relaunch the ...

APC uncovers plan to relaunch acronym battle against party ahead of 2015 elections

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over a plan by unscrupulous and apparently-hired hands to relaunch the acronym battle against the party by seeking to register three new parties that bear the acronyms of the same parties that merged to become the APC.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said those behind the phantom parties, who are apparently working at the behest of people
who have a mortal fear of the APC, have applied to INEC to register the Allied Council of Nigeria (ACN); Advanced National Patriotic Party (ANPP) and Conservative People's Congress (CPC).

It said the fact that the acronyms of the three entities tally with those of the APC component parties (ACN, ANPP and CPC) is not accidental, but a grand design by those who have been having sleepless nights since the APC was registered.

''It is worthy of note that the three applications to INEC for the registration of the three organizations as political parties were made on the same day. Apparently, common sense takes flight in the face of
great desperation!

''Their plan is simple: Once the parties are registered, they will then apply to change their logos to those of the original ACN, ANPP and CPC, and then hope to be on the ballot for next year's general
elections. Just before the elections, the sponsors of the phantom parties will then send out messages saying the APC has splintered into its component parties for the purpose of the election. Whatever
happens, their plan is to confuse the electorate and hamper the electoral fortunes of the APC,'' the party said.

APC called on INEC not to succumb to the antics of those who are planning to sabotage the 2015 general elections and win elections by subterfuge.

''This acronym battle is a part of the larger war against our party to prevent its registration. Nigerians will recollect that the same people, apparently, applied to register a phantom APC the moment it
became clear that our merger would succeed and that INEC would register our party, having met all the requirements to consummate the merger.

''Thankfully, INEC refused to compromise its neutrality and integrity and chose to act in accordance with the law by registering our party. We urge the electoral body to do the same now, in the face of
unprecedented desperation by those who believe they can only win elections by cutting corners,'' the party said.

It also called on Nigerians to be vigilant as the 2015 elections approach, saying those who are now coming to terms with the reality that the APC is a viable alternative in the country's political
firmament will stop at nothing to seek to mar the electoral fortunes of the party.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Lagos, Aug. 24th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC warns against arrest of its Chairman in Borno,...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC warns against arrest of its Chairman in Borno,...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly warned against the plan by the DSS, acting at the behest of some politicians, to arres...

APC warns against arrest of its Chairman in Borno, urges DSS to shun partisanship

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly warned against the plan by the DSS, acting at the behest of some politicians, to arrest its Chairman in Borno State Hon Ali Abubakar Dalori on trumped-up charges, saying it is capable of precipitating a crisis in an already-volatile environment.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the situation in Borno is already very dire, hence no one should add fuel to a raging fire simply because of scorched-earth politics.

It also warned the DSS to resist the growing temptation to dabble into politics, even while it is becoming very glaring that the agency is being compromised under the present political dispensation.

''The careless and clearly partisan statements being made by DSS Spokesperson Marilyn Ogar have shown all discerning Nigerians the direction in which the agency is leaning. However, it must still exercise great caution in order not to spark a needless crisis in Borno.

''We have it on good authority that with the recent movement of Ali Modu Sheriff to the PDP, attempts are being made to destabilize the APC in Borno, using agencies of state like the DSS. The take-off point is the arrest of our Chairman in the state on trumped-up charges.

''Let those who are seeking to trigger a crisis in Borno know that the people of the state are resolute in their determination to ensure a level playing field in the run-up to the 2015 election. It is curious that the DSS has suddenly unearth supposed offences committed by Hon Ali Abubakar Dalori to warrant his arrest, now that Sheriff has defected to the PDP. 

''Again, we are compelled to warn the DSS that, as an organ of state, it cannot afford to be partisan. An agency being sustained by the taxpayers cannot turn around to hunt the same taxpayers. An agency that is supposed to protect the people of Nigeria cannot be the same agency being used to witch-hunt the opposition.

''Unless the DSS turns a new leaf and stop making itself a tool in the hands of politicians, the agency will ridicule itself and weaken its capacity to function effectively,'' APC said.

The party urged the DSS and other security agencies to concentrate their efforts on arresting the daily carnage being perpetrated in Borno and other states by Boko Haram, instead of allowing those who helped to precipitate the carnage in the first instance to further destabilize the state.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Abuja, Aug. 19th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC accuses DSS of crass partisanship, calls spoke...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC accuses DSS of crass partisanship, calls spoke...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of crass partisanship and unprofessional conduc...

APC accuses DSS of crass partisanship, calls spokesperson unfit for her office

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Department of State Services (DSS) of crass partisanship and unprofessional conduct over its actions and comments on the recent election in Osun State.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also said the spokesperson for the agency, Ms. Marilyn Ogar, should be properly trained and given the necessary exposure so she can speak with knowledge and facts, instead of making baseless and incautious statements.

''It is sad that a spokesperson for the DSS does not know there is no offence called 'loitering' under Nigerian laws. For her to now go on national television to say the APC's National Publicity Secretary was arrested for 'loitering' in Osogbo on the eve of the state's governorship election is the height of ignorance and constitutes a great embarrassment to DSS.

''It is even worse that the so-called spokesperson, ever so glib, would make a joke out of such a faux pas by an agency that is supposed to be non-partisan and highly professionalized. How on earth can any human being not be disoriented when 15 hooded gunmen arrest him/her and point their weapons at his/her head as they did to me on that night in Osogbo?

''How can a spokesperson for such a sensitive government agency not understand that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides for freedom of movement? On what basis is Ms. Ogar questioning what the APC's National Publicity Secretary was doing in Osun, when the same fellow has not questioned the presence of Musiliu Obanikoro, Chris Uba and the likes in the same state. or are those people from Osun State?

''Was it not publicly announced that the APC was moving its headquarters to Osun to give support for Gov. Rauf Aregbesola? Why didn't Ms. Ogar question the presence of President Goodluck Jonathan or Vice President Namadi Sambo in Osun when they came too, if she was been fair? It is sad that Ms. Ogar has turned herself to the spokesperson of the PDP by echoing what that party has said on the Osun election. This is unprofessional and irresponsible,'' it said.

APC said by spearheading the mass arrest of its leaders and members in
Osun before and during the Aug. 9th governorship election in the state, and by preventing the rally planned by the NLC in support of Gov. Aregbesola from holding, the DSS has decided to pitch its tent with the PDP instead of staying neutral.

The party said the questions to ask Ms. Ogar are: ''How many PDP leaders were arrested in Osun? If the rally by the NLC had been planned in support of the PDP candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, would the DSS have aborted it? Why must the DSS send hooded gunmen to police an election that is a civic matter? Does Ms.Ogar bother to read and understand the Nigerian constitution to know the rights of the citizens?''

It described as a tissue of lies the allegation by Ms. Ogar that the party tried to bribe the DSS with 14 million Naira before the Osun election, wondering why the DSS did not arrest the official who offered the alleged bribe.

''Apparently, Ms. Ogar has never head of a 'sting operation' that is widely used by security agencies to catch a person who is committing a crime. The allegation by Ms. Ogar would have been sweet in her mouth had the DSS mounted a sting operation to catch whoever was offering the alleged bribe, and then prosecute him or her,'' the party said, calling the allegation cheap blackmail by a conspiratorial
organization.

APC said it is important to educate the likes of Ogar, and indeed the entire DSS, that election is not war, but a celebration of democracy, hence DSS agents should drop their hoods and hide away their menacing guns when next they are posted to police an election anywhere in the country.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Abuja, Aug. 14th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): Osun Election: APC raises the alarm over state-spo...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Osun Election: APC raises the alarm over state-spo...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over the mass arrest and intimidation of its members in Osun on Saturday as t...

Osun Election: APC raises the alarm over state-sponsored political terror in Osun, calls it coup against democracy

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over the mass arrest and intimidation of its members in Osun on Saturday as the state's governorship election continues, saying over 250 of its members have been arrested so far in Osun.

''At this point, APC is constrained to alert Nigerians and the international community that what is going on now in Osun State Nigeria is not an election but a coup against democracy,'' the party said in a statement issued in Osogbo by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

''This is definitely not an ordinary election. It is the total hijack of the process and direct violation of the rights of the people. Osun State has been turned into a theater of war. An ongoing state-sponsored political terror against the Osun people and the entire people of Nigerians has been unleashed by an elected President against his own people, against his own country, in an unprecedented act of political desperation.

''As at 11 am this morning, over 250 APC members and leaders have been arrested all over the state by the security task force. The DSS alone has over 50 APC members in their custody. On the contrary, no single PDP member has been arrested so far. This is barbaric and constitutes an infringement on the constitutionally-guaranteed rights of those who have been arrested,'' it said.

APC said the magnitude of arrests, the viciousness of the operation and the widespread intimidation of APC members have confirmed the party's fears, which were expressed in several press statements ahead of the election.

The party said President Jonathan, in an unparalleled desecration of national institutions, has simply turned the men and women in uniform against the people, as the entire security outfits now owe their allegiance to the President, rather than to the nation, and are at his beck and call.

It said even as the election progresses, police officers from other neighboring states are being shipped into Osun to intimidate the state's voters.

''PDP is not relenting in its plan to unleash terror and provoke violence after the accreditation of voters in order to prevent APC members from voting. Tear gas and gun shots will be released sporadically to scare voters from voting and create confusion at the poling units, so the agents of the PDP can substitute ballot papers and boxes,'' APC said.

The party also alerted the people of Osun and indeed all Nigerians to the use of fake Youth Corpers to perpetrate massive rigging in the election, adding that the fake Youth Corpers, who were procured by the Minister of State for Defence Musiliu Obanikoro, have hijacked the accreditation of voters in many polling units.

''Genuine NYSC members who had already been cleared and paid for the election today are being turned back in favour of the fake Corpers. The genuine Corps members have been substituted with fake ones in Ede South and Ede North, as they discovered that their names have been removed and the Obanikoro-procured fake Corpers used to substitute them.

''All these could not have been possible without the active connivance of the Prof. Attahiru Jega-led INEC. This confirms our worst fears that a body that is supposed to be an unbiased umpire has descended into the fray,'' it said.

APC said its members who were arrested in Osun include:

- Alhaji Tijani Oladosu (aka TILAD), Quadri Owonikoko (a.k.a Integrity). Arrested about midnight, their whereabouts are still unknown

- Lai Mohammed, Sunday Dare, and Afolabi Salisu. They were picked up before mid-night Friday by nine gun-totting masked DSS operatives and driven to the DSS headquarters in Osogbo. Harassed and deeply traumatized, they were finally released by DSS Saturday morning

-  Over 40 voters, all APC members, arrested in Erin Osun while queueing for accreditation.

- Alhaji Raimi Shitu, Vice Executive Secretary, Odo-Otin LG, arrested midnight

- Chairman of O'SCHOOL in Osun and Chieftain of APC, Alhaji Lai Oyeduntan's house invaded in Osogbo

- APC stalwart and Octogenarian lawyer, Pa J.O Fakayode, being detained in Ora Igbomina after being picked up by security agents from Oke Ila

- All APC agents in Osu, Atakumosa West, arrested by soldiers

- All APC coordinators in Ifedayo LGA arrested.

-ASP Venture Onos, Second in Command, Police Command, Osun while on election duty, arrested for warning soldiers against  the maltreatment of APC members.

- Chief Abiola Ogundokun, PDP chieftain in Iwo, is leading a detachment of DSS agents to arrest APC leaders and key members.

- All over Osun state, APC members are being chased and harassed by PDP thugs aided by security agents.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Osogbo, Aug. 9th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC spokesman, arrested and released, narrates ord...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC spokesman, arrested and released, narrates ord...: The Spokesman for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said his Gestapo Style arrest by hooded security...

APC spokesman, arrested and released, narrates ordeal in the hands of security agents

The Spokesman for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said his Gestapo Style arrest by hooded security agents in Osogbo on Friday night, for no reason beyond the fact that he belongs to the opposition, shows the level of illegality, lawlessness, anarchy and intolerance to which Nigeria has descended under the watch of President Goodluck Jonathan.

In a statement he issued in Osogbo on Saturday, shortly after he was released, Alhaji Mohammed said he was arrested along with Mr. Sunday Dare, the Media Aide to APC National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Mr. Afolabi Salisu, Deputy Chief of Staff to Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State.

''We were being driven to the Government House when we were stopped at a military check point by men in military and DSS uniforms, all hooded and armed to the teeth with AK-47 assault rifles, pistols and other weapons. Since there was no curfew in Osun state and people were moving around freely, we felt it was a routine check.

''Suddenly, the men, some of them apparently drunk, ordered us out of the car, took our phones, pointed their assault rifles at our heads and said 'you are under arrest'. They herded us into their bus like animals and drove away. There is no doubt that they knew who we are because I introduced myself!

''From our encounter with our tormentors, there is also no doubt that these were not just soldiers and DSS officials, there were also ex-militants and thugs, all clad in military and DSS uniforms but apparently lacking in any training! We also witnessed how men in military and DSS uniform fired their guns at the gate leading to the residence of Senator Isiaka Adeleke to force it open!

''We asked them why we were being arrested, but they ignored our question as they drove for close to one hour before veering into a compound that turned out to be the offices of the DSS. There, we met people who had been previously arrested and stripped of their clothing, many of them bloodied from the beatings to which they must have been subjected.

''We were herded to one side as our tormentors marched around triumphantly, in what could well have been a scene from the Ukraine! We were waiting for our turn to be stripped of our apparels and taken along with those who were arrested earlier to the DSS cells when a man who is apparently a senior DSS official intervened and ordered our release. The men who arrested us, apparently unhappy at the order to set us free, rejected the order, until the man asserted his authority and even accompanied us to where we were arrested from.

''Back there, we discovered that our driver has been badly beaten and even robbed of his personal belongings by the same security agents being paid by the taxpayers to protect the citizens, whose ranks have now been swelled, willingly, by thugs and ex-militants, armed and dressed in official uniforms by the PDP and sanctioned by the Jonathan-led Federal Government!

''This arrest is not about Lai Mohammed, Sunday Dare or Afolabi Salisu, whoever we may be, but about the constitutionally-guaranteed rights of Nigerians, ordinary Nigerians, to move around freely, associate with any party of their choice and express their opinions without being molested or arrested.

''The way and manner we were harassed, arrested and dehumanized on Friday night show that Nigerian citizens can no longer be sure that the security agents they encounter on the roads or anywhere else are well-trained and highly-disciplined men and women in the military, police, DSS and others that we used to know. What we have now are Jonathan's soldiers, policemen and DSS officials who have since stopped working for the nation but are now the enforcement arm of the PDP.

''As we write this, APC leaders and members are still being harassed and arrested across Osun State. We have just received reports that our members were arrested in Ifelodun Local Government Ward 10,.Atakumosa East Local Government and Ife East Local Government, Okerewe Wards 2 and 3. Over all we have ninety-seven leaders of our party in detention and the arrest has not stopped. This cannot be right.

''Our party, the APC, has no doubt whatsoever that the depravity being exhibited under President Jonathan's watch, in the name of politics, has his imprimatur. We have no doubt that elections, which should be a celebration of democracy, have now been turned to war because of the desperation of President Jonathan to win re-election at all costs. We have no doubt that the anarchic Minister of State for Defence and Minister of Police Affairs, who are leading the ''troops'' in Osun as they did in Ekiti, are taking their cue from President Jonathan.

''If those Ministers can move around freely in Osun and elsewhere, why can't other Nigerians, irrespective of the party they belong to? If a PDP hireling like Chris Uba can be put in the command of 50 soldiers of the Nigerian Army, why should anyone still be under any illusion that the Nigerian Army is still serving the nation? Where else in the world is a thug commanding disciplined forces?

''We, Lai Mohammed, Sunday Dare and Afolabi Salisu, are just fortunate to be alive. The guns pointed at our heads by drunken armed men could have gone off! Since our arrest took place in the dark, we could have been driven to an unknown destination and shot dead! This is a dangerous time for Nigeria and her democracy. Irrespective of the outcome of the Osun election, democracy has been dealt a near-mortal blow. 73,000 'security agents', including the military, police, DSS, Civil Defence, ex-militants, thugs and murderers, deployed to police election in just one state? There is no better indication that we are in a militarized democracy.

''Again, we call on President Jonathan to stop deceiving the world. In one breath, this President says he is committed to credible elections and that his political ambition is not worth the life of any Nigerian. In another, he sanctions state-sponsored harassment, intimidation and even killing of ordinary Nigerians by security forces that are now the enforcement arm of the ruling party, all in the name of politics. 

''He desecrates national institutions by willfully using them against the opposition. This is not the democracy that many of our compatriots fought and died for. This is not the Nigeria that was envisaged by our past heroes. It is time for all concerned to step in and stop President Jonathan before he brings the country crashing down on our heads,'' APC said

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Osogbo, Aug. 9th, 2014