All Progressives Congress (APC): APC says Fani-Kayode lied on alleged comments by p...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC says Fani-Kayode lied on alleged comments by p...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode to retract his comment alleging that the APC, through its National ...

APC says Fani-Kayode lied on alleged comments by party on Boko Haram, threatens legal action

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode to retract his comment alleging that the APC, through its National Publicity Secretary Lai Mohammed, condemned the Federal Government for proscribing the terror group Boko Haram or face a legal action.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said at no time did it issue a statement condemning the proscription of Boko Haram, and challenged Mr. Fani-Kayode to produce such a statement if he was so sure the APC issue it.

It quoted Alhaji Lai Mohammed as saying: ''I have caused my attorneys to formally write both Fani-Kayode and Channel television, where he made his allegation, to retract the statement and apologize, failing which I will sue for defamation of character.''

''Our position on Boko Haram has been well articulated for anyone who cares to know, but at no time did we condemn the government for proscribing it. When the state of emergency was declared on three northern states, we criticized it and we stand by that. But we did not condemn the proscription of Boko Haram. We are not Boko Haram sympathizers and we cannot be under any circumstance,'' APC said.

The party also condemned Mr. Fani-Kayode's description of Boko Haram as the armed wing of the APC, saying the statement is most irresponsible, uncharitable and without basis.

''Equally irresponsible and condemnable is Mr. Fani-Kayode's deliberate distortion of statements made in the past by Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to mean that he or his party is a sympathizer of Boko Haram,'' the party said.

It said Mr. Fani-Kayode's latter day castigation of opposition politicians, after he returned to his vomit and repudiated all the damaging statements he made publicly in the past about the PDP and the Jonathan Administration, is not based on any altruistic considerations.

''It is common knowledge that Mr. Fani-Kayode has been charged by the Federal Government with money laundering. The trial is almost ending, and he knows he faces a certain jail term if convicted.

''It is therefore not impossible that Mr. Fani-Kayode may be seeking to ingratiate himself to the FG by using various media platforms to destroy the APC through accusing its leaders of being Boko Haram sponsors or that the party is bent on fielding a Muslim/Muslim ticket in next year's presidential elections. 

''Unfortunately, in his eagerness to please the FG and cut a deal to avoid going to jail, he has resorted to pathological lies aimed at calling the dog a bad name in order to hang it. Whatever evidence he has to prove that our party is a sponsor of Boko Haram, he should be prepared to tender such in court,'' APC said.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Lagos, June 30th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC condemns terrorist attacks in Abuja, Bauchi, f...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC condemns terrorist attacks in Abuja, Bauchi, f...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly condemned the recent deadly terrorist attacks in Abuja and Bauchi that killed at leas...

APC condemns terrorist attacks in Abuja, Bauchi, flays FG for chasing shadows

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly condemned the recent deadly terrorist attacks in Abuja and Bauchi that killed at least 37 people and injured many more, calling the Boko Haram group suspected to be behind the attacks despicable and inhuman in its misguided terror campaign.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party repeated its earlier statement that nothing can justify the spilling of the blood of innocent citizens, while commiserating with the families of the victims.

It called on the Federal Government to review its strategy for the fight against terrorism, saying whatever is being done now is definitely not working, hence the deadly terrorist attacks have almost become a daily affair.

''Whatever strategy being used by this Federal Government is not yielding enough positive results. Otherwise, these terrorists would not have gone from carrying out their attacks on the outskirts of a city like Abuja, for example, to exploding a bomb right in the heart of the city as was witnessed in Wuse 2 last week,'' APC said.

The party wondered in particular why Abuja has remained so vulnerable to such attacks, considering the millions of Naira reportedly spent on the CCTV project that was supposed to help secure the city, asking: ''Or has this project again become a victim of the runaway corruption and incompetence for which this administration is renowned?''

The party said instead of reaching out across partisan lines as the opposition has suggested several times, the Federal Government has resorted to chasing shadows while the killing of innocent citizens intensifies

''The scorecard of this Federal Government in the fight against terror is very dismal. Some 76 days after over 200 girls were abducted from Chibok, the girls are not any nearer home today than they were on the day they were abducted, and all the clueless and ineffective Administration of President Jonathan can do is to engage in image laundering that has caused the taxpayers US$1.2 million; witch-hunt the media as well as those perceived to be opponents of the Administration and engage in a continuous and unprecedented abuse of national institutions.

''This Administration could have pumped the US$1.2 million it frittered away in the name of image laundering in the US into the fight against terror, which seems to have waned. Unfortunately, as the President kicked started his wasteful image laundering with an op-ed in The Washington Post, he was being skewered in another US newspaper, The New York Post.

''The paper's (New York Post) Editorial Board wrote of the President's newspaper diplomacy: 'Remember, this is the same leader whose military initially claimed it had freed the girls, whose wife’s anger was directed at Nigerians protesting the government’s inaction rather than the kidnappers and who presides over Africa’s largest economy and fourth-largest armed forces'.

''There is no better demonstration of the fact that the Administration has wasted public funds on a misbegotten image laundering than this,'' it said.

APC also described the treatment meted out to pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for lesser Hajj from the Maiduguri airport as another in a series of shadow-chasing by the government, which will rather misuse national institutions to flex muscles against innocent citizens than tackle the terrorists headlong.

The party said forcing the pilgrims to travel by road from Maiduguri to Kano to be airlifted is callous and poorly-thought-out, considering the dangers they are likely to face on the road.

''The argument that the airlifting from Maiduguri was stopped at the last minute because of security is hogwash. Is that also the same reason that a private plane that flew into the same airport with eight people on board was forced to fly back empty after those who wanted to travel in it were prevented from doing so? Is it the same security reason that forced the closure of Akure airport even as planes that ferried APC leaders to the airport were on the tarmac? Is it also why newspapers were targeted across the nation?

''The truth is that the Jonathan Administration is playing dirty politics with the fight against terror, using national institutions to abridge constitutionally-guaranteed rights,'' it said.

APC advised the Federal Government to stop wasting public funds on image laundering because no good advert can sell a bad product.

''This government should realize that its raison d'etre is the security and welfare of Nigerians, and that it has failed woefully in this regard. Therefore, it should be humble enough to admit its limitations and then reach out to all stakeholders, including those in the opposition, to rejig its anti-terror strategy and save our innocent citizens from the killings and maiming by Boko Haram,'' the party said.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Lagos, June 29th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): Ekiti Election process badly skewed in favour of P...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Ekiti Election process badly skewed in favour of P...:  Ekiti Election process badly skewed in favour of PDP - APC Communique issued at the end of the inaugural meeting of the National W...

Ekiti Election process badly skewed in favour of PDP - APC

 Ekiti Election process badly skewed in favour of PDP - APC

Communique issued at the end of the inaugural meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja on Thursday, June 26th 2014

It is no longer news that the governorship election in Ekiti State has been won and lost, and that our candidate, Gov. Kayode Fayemi, has shown rare sportsmanship by conceding defeat and congratulating the winner, Mr. Ayodele Fayose.

We are very proud of Gov. Fayemi for his conduct and comportment before, during and after the election, and we hail him as a true democrat in the true spirit of the APC's belief that election is never a do or die affair, and that Nigerians must always be free to elect those to govern them. After all, it is said that the just powers of governments are derived from the consent of the governed.

Gentlemen, election is a process, and whatever happens on the voting day is only an integral part of that process. What happens before, during and after the voting day complete the process.

If, therefore, we view the just-concluded election in Ekiti as a process, then we can confidently say that while the events of the voting day itself may have led many to believe that the election was free and fair, the same cannot be said of the events before, during and after the election.

We therefore believe that we owe it a duty to the continuous improvement of our electoral system and indeed the sustainability of our democracy to X-ray this election within the context that we have outlined above and draw the necessary lessons

Incidents before election day
We believe that the events leading to the D-Day in Ekiti negate the principles of a free, fair and credible election. From the militarization of the election to the police attack on our supporters, arrest and detention of our leaders across the state and the use of huge funds to induce voters, the federal authorities skewed everything in favour of the PDP.

Militarization of the process:
With thousands of armed troops, police, state security and civil defence personnel deployed to Ekiti, the state was simply under a total lock down. While we believe that the police and the civil defence indeed have a role to play in providing the necessary security for the election, we do not see why soldiers  and NDLEA operatives who were armed to the teeth need to be deployed to a non-belligerent situation like an election, especially at a time that their services are more needed in the North Eastern part of Nigeria where over two hundred abducted girls are still missing and where innocent Nigerians are being killed daily.

The questions to ask are: who ordered the deployments of the troops and for what purpose. Who gave the orders to stop Gov. Rotimi Amaechi from reaching Ado-Ekiti, as the Army captain who stopped and threatened to shoot him said he was acting under ''orders from above''. What role the did the Ministers of State Defence, Senator Musliu Obanikoro and his counterpart in the ministry of Police Affairs Mr Jelili Adesiyan  play in all this especially given the fact that these two public servants passed by the spot where Amaechi was being molested and simply sped by.

It is worth mentioning that the physical prevention of Gov. Amaechi from joining his colleagues at the final campaign rally of Gov. Fayemi in Ekiti is a direct function of the unnecessary deployment of troops to Ekiti for the election. This event will go down as the biggest affront to democracy in our country in recent times.

Also worth mentioning is the flagrant abuse of national institutions that led to the country's aviation authorities shutting down airports in Akure and elsewhere on the same day that our party had its last campaign rally in Ado-Ekiti. This act of impunity was targeted solely at the opposition, and it runs against global standards. Airports are never shut without the issuance of a NOTAM -  Notice to Airmen. Again, who gave the orders for the closure of these airports.

Incidents during Election Day
On the eve of the election and on election day, without any reason, security personnel  arrested APC leaders and supporters across Ekiti, ferrying them far away from where they could vote or monitor the conduct of the election. This is an attestation to the fact that the security operatives were in the state more for a sinister motive than just to provide security for the election.

In fact, the compromise by the security operatives became more obvious when a so-called Special Task Force comprising of Military, Police, SSS and NDLEA officers were summoned to a meeting Friday afternoon - a day before the election, near the Tantaliser fast food eatery at Ado-Ekiti.

In the presence of AIG Bala  Nasarawa, Mrs Florence Ikhanone (National Director of SSS) and Brig.-Gen. Momoh, who was the head of the military to the election, Mr Ayo Fayose's Chief Security Officer, Kayode Adeoye, and Chris Uba addressed the curiously-named Special Task Force which included 67 SSS operatives, 30 soldiers, 30 NDLEA operatives and 70 mobile policemen.

Adeoye and Uba reminded the officers of the Special Task Force of their duty to President Goodluck Jonathan, who was identified as their benefactor, and how the officers must ensure that their benefactor wins the election.

This was the same team that went round the state from Friday evening and throughout the duration of the election picking leaders of the APC from across the state in specially-designated black buses with Presidency plate numbers.

The case of the Campaign Manager of Gov. Fayemi, Mr. Bimbo Daramola, was particularly traumatic and saddening. His fiancee and aged father were harassed by armed soldiers who invaded his country home in the middle of the night, with guns being pointed at them as if they were common criminals. The Campaign Manager himself, an honourable member of the House of Representatives, was hounded into an unknown place by soldiers....all this because of an election!

Also on the receiving end of the brutality by security agents were accredited journalists, some of whom were ''deported'', so to say, to neighbouring Kwara State by paid agents of state who turned themselves to enforcers for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

Incidents during and after Election Day
While our leaders and supporters were being hounded and arrested across Ekiti during and after the voting, some PDP ministers and PDP stalwarts were  moving around freely, with armed escort, even with a restriction on movement in place. What business did these Ministers and their cohorts have in Ekiti during the election? What was their role in the election?

These are questions begging for answers.

Conclusion
At a press conference addressed by our Chairman on June 20th, we warned that our democracy was in clear and present danger from anti-democratic forces who are bent on winning elections, at all cost. Today, we restate that warning and call for a reversal of the incidents that made sure a level playing ground was not provided for all the candidates at the just concluded election in Ekiti.

While voting on Election Day may not having been characterized  by the usual brigandage and violence,  we submit that the entire process was everything but free and fair. If an integral part of the process was badly tainted as we have clearly and fully demonstrated above, then the entire process cannot but be tainted. Voting in Ekiti may have been free of the usual violence or manipulation at the collation centres, but the entire electoral process in the state was neither free, fair nor credible.

Therefore, in order to prevent a recurrence of what happened in Ekiti, especially the militarization of the process, the harassment and intimidation of citizens, especially those in opposition, my party has decided to challenge in court some of these constitutional breaches and will also encourage our leaders and supporters, who were arrested, harassed and intimidated to seek the enforcement of their constitutionally-guaranteed fundamental rights that were recklessly abridged by the security agencies.

In this regard, we commend the good people of Nigeria who have spoken out openly against this bare-faced acts of hooliganism and brutalism by the very agents of state paid by taxpayers to prevent such acts.

Our decision to act is not only to ensure that these irresponsible and unconstitutional acts are not repeated in subsequent elections, especially that in Osun in August and next year's general elections, but also because we have always said that evil thrives when good men do nothing!

Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Abuja, June 26th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): Concession Speech His Excellency Dr. Kayode FAYE...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Concession Speech His Excellency Dr. Kayode FAYE...: If This Is the Will of the People Concession Speech His Excellency Dr. Kayode FAYEMI Governor, Ekiti State, Nigeria Fo...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Concession Speech His Excellency Dr. Kayode FAYE...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Concession Speech His Excellency Dr. Kayode FAYE...: If This Is the Will of the People Concession Speech His Excellency Dr. Kayode FAYEMI Governor, Ekiti State, Nigeria Fo...

Concession Speech His Excellency Dr. Kayode FAYEMI

If This Is the Will of the People

Concession Speech

His Excellency

Dr. Kayode FAYEMI

Governor, Ekiti State, Nigeria

Following the

2014 Gubernatorial Elections

Government House, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Protocols

In o kun o Ekiti kete.

Yesterday, Ekiti State decided. Following the gubernatorial elections held in the land of honour, Ekiti State, Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially returned the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the election.

If indeed this is the will of the Ekiti People, I stand in deference to your will. If the result of the elections is an expression of the voice of our people, we must all heedyour voice.

I have just spoken with my brother, Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose, congratulating him on his victory. In a few hours from now, I would be meeting the Governor-elect to discuss the future of our dear state and how we would work together to institute a smooth transition programme.

It has been a hard fought election. As expected, in the course of the campaigns, there were unsavory episodes as the candidates toured the nooks and crannies of the state to sell ourselves to the people. Elections tend to be highly divisive affairs that often see brother rising against brother. Despite our diverse party affiliations, and regardless of which way we voted on Saturday, we must remember that we are all sons and daughters of Ekiti State. Ekiti is ours to build together.

On our part, over the course of the campaigns, we presented our scorecards before the people of Ekiti State. We never at any point took your support for granted. We campaigned, we canvassed and we traversed the nooks and crannies of this State. Our performance and achievements in office will remain the backdrop against which the next government and indeed future governments will be assessed. We are proud that with the support of Ekiti people, we have raised the bar of excellence in governance. In all, we gave our best, for conscience and for posterity.

Indeed a new sociology of the Ekiti people may have evolved. However, the task of understanding how the outcome of this election has defined us as a people will be that of scholars. For us as an administration and a cadre of political leaders in Ekiti State, we have fought a good fight, we have kept faith.

To members of our party, our campaign team and indeed all Ekiti people who defied the siege on our state to cast their votes for our party, I salute your exemplary courage and doggedness in the face of harassment. Thank you for staying the course. The incidences of brazen harassment, intimidation and allied infractions on fundamental humanrights, which many of you suffered in the hands of agents of the state, would be documented and communicated to the appropriate authorities, for the records.

I thank you all for listening.

May God bless the land of honour, Ekiti State, Nigeria.

May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Dr. Kayode Fayemi

Governor, Ekiti State

Sunday, June 22, 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): Security agents clamp down on APC leaders, Journal...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Security agents clamp down on APC leaders, Journal...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has alerted Nigerians and the international community to the massive clampdown on the...

Security agents clamp down on APC leaders, Journalists in Ekiti - APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has alerted Nigerians and the international community to the massive clampdown on the party's leaders as well as journalists during Saturday's ongoing governorship election in Ekiti state.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said Mr. Awodolu and 22 others were arrested at Egbe-Ekiti and taken to Ikere-Ekiti ; two leaders were arrested from Ilawe while 11 others were picked up from Ado-Ekiti.

It said those arrested at Ado Ward A units 1, 6, 8 and 11 include Charles Fashuba, Tolu Ajayi, Elesun, Olu Hero, Gboyega Fabuero, all of whom were pointed out to security agents by one Femi Ogunleye, a member of the PDP.

APC said those arrested, who are the party's leaders at their ward and local governments, were apparently being picked up to prevent them from casting their own votes, monitoring the election and subsequently being present at the collation centres.

''Ekiti has witnessed a massive turnout of voters despite the massive deployment of troops and policemen, ostensibly to provide security for the election but in reality to intimidate and harass voters to stay away from the polling units.

''Now that the strategy of the PDP-led federal government has failed despite their over-militarization of the state, they have unleashed security agents on the leaders of the APC to prevent them from monitoring the collation of results,'' APC said.

The party said the same security agents have also descended on journalists who were duly accredited to cover the election, with at least five of them forcefully taken to the boundary of Ekiti and Kwara States by a detachment of police men led by Mopol Commander G.B. Seleke

It listed the affected journalists, who were arrested at Ifaki Ekiti by over 50 mobile policemen, as Jadesola Ajibola of Inspiration FM; Toyin Yusuf, Oyetunji Ojo, Akin Ogunsola, and Aremu Awolola, all of the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC).

APC also said security men, who said they were acting on ''orders from above'', locked out voters and election officials at the Ekiti state government college, Ado Ekiti (wards 13, unit 18) are agitated. 

The party listed some of the other infractions as including the following:

- The names of APC members are clearly missing on the list brought by INEC officials to Wards 3 and 4 Gbonyin LGA

- Harassment of the fiancee and aged father of the campaign manager of Fayemi, Hon. Bimbola Daramola, by gun-wielding security agents.

- Plan to burn ballot boxes if APC should win ward 2 Ifaki unit 7, LGA Ido-Osi

- Fake soldiers purportedly from the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, acting under the command of PDP chieftains, are harassing and intimidating  voters in Ekiti State.

It called on local and international observers to pay urgent attention to the infractions and ensure they are rectified in the interest of a free and fair election in Ekiti State.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Lagos, 

June 21st 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): Democracy in danger as Nigeria comes under creepin...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Democracy in danger as Nigeria comes under creepin...: Being the text of a World Press Conference addressed by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Oye...

Democracy in danger as Nigeria comes under creeping fascism

Being the text of a World Press Conference addressed by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Oyegun,in Lagos on Friday, June 20th 2014

Good morning gentlemen of the press.

I have called this World Press Conference today to alert Nigerians and our international friends of the grave threat posed to our democracy and indeed the very survival of our nation by an increasingly-tyrannical federal government.

Less than 48 hours after I released an open letter to President Goodluck Jonathan, warning him to halt the impunity in Ekiti and not to plunge Nigeria into a political crisis, the federal government has now overreached itself and turned Ekiti into a war zone, where constitutional guaranteed rights have been suspended.

The final electioneering campaign of our candidate in the Ekiti election, Gov. Kayode Fayemi, provided the perfect setting for the Jonathan-led administration to bare its fangs with a series of arbitrariness and unconstitutional acts that threaten the very fabric of our democracy.

First, several APC Governors were prevented from attending the rally. The helicopter that was to ferry Gov. Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State from Benin to Akure was denied permission to take off by the aviation authorities apparently acting on ''orders from above''

Then while the plane bearing Gov. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors' Forum, was allowed to land at the Akure Airport, his convoy was stopped by soldiers at the border of Ondo and Ekiti state, and ordered to return to Akure by the leader of the troops, an army captain who said he was under orders not to allow him into Ado Ekiti and threatened to shoot him if he defied his orders.

Gov. Amaechi was detained along the road in the bush for as long as it suited the soldiers before he was forced to return to Akure. While the Governor was being detained on the road, the convoys of the Minister of Police Affairs and the Minister of State for Defence sped past and were not stopped by the troops.

But the worst was yet to come. On arrival in Akure Airport, he found out that the airport has been shut, leaving him stranded. By the time other Governors, including Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and Ibikunle Amosun of Rivers, and party leaders including myself, Chief Bisi Akande and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived at the Akure Airport for their onward journey to their various destinations, they discovered that the airport has been shut, apparently on the same nebulous ''orders from above''.

Thus, all the party leaders and supporters who came to the rally from across the country, including Sokoto, Abuja, Kano, Owerri, Port Harcourt and Lagos, were forced to travel by road back to their destinations, with the dangers inherent in such night journey.

Against the background of my narration, and the over-militarization of Ekiti State ahead of Saturday's election, many questions come to mind

1. If one of the candidates in the election could be prevented from holding his final rally with the full compliment of his party leaders and supporters, a treatment that was not meted out to other candidates, can we honestly say that a level playing field has been provided for all the candidates in the election?

2. If a state Governor, despite the high office he occupies and the constitutional immunity from arrest which he enjoys, could be detained and ordered around by security agents, what fate will befall ordinary Nigerians under this administration that is increasingly sliding into fascism?

3. If key institutions of state can be abused so brazenly just to stop the opposition from moving freely because of a state governorship election, what will happen during next year's general elections?

4. Where in the world are airports shut at the whims and caprice of the ruling party just to punish the opposition? Is it not true that in recent times, the airports in Kano and Gombe, among others, have been shut just to prevent the opposition from using them?

5. If an army captain and his troops can enforce unlawful orders, as was done when Gov. Amaechi and other key leaders of our party were denied their constitutionally-guaranteed rights of free movement, free assembly and free speech, just to mention a few, can't the same troops be given orders to hijack ballot boxes or tamper with the electoral process in Ekiti on Saturday?

Doesn't this give a cause for concern in view of the over-militarization of Ekiti State ostensibly to provide security for the election but now obviously to stifle the process and rig the election?

6. Is President Jonathan aware of the treatment being meted out to elected Governors under his watch. If so, what he is doing to stop this madness before it gets out of hand?

These are some of the questions agitating our minds and, indeed, the minds of all Nigerians.

Now, let us place the events of the past 24 hours side by side with the events of the past few days leading to the elections in Ekiti viz:

1. On June 8th 2014: Our supporters, armed with nothing but brooms, were engaged in a peaceful procession on the streets of Ado Ekiti when they were attacked by gun-totting policemen acting on ''orders'' from above. One of them was killed and when Gov. Kayode Fayemi attempted to intervene, he was teargassed and threatened with arrest by the Mopol Commander

2. Within the past three days, two aircraft, one a Beechcraft 1900 and another a Hawker 900, made a total of three trips to the Akure airport ferrying cargoes of money for the Ekiti election. When one of these cargoes burst open, naira notes with wrappers bearing the name of a popular bank spilled out. The offloading of these cargoes, which were then loaded into bullion vans heading for Ado-Ekiti, was supervised by Minister of State for Defence, Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro, as widely reported in the media and yet unrefuted. Placed against the background of a statement credited to a PDP leader that huge amounts of money have been made available by the FG for the Ekiti election, this raises huge concerns.

3. Last week,over 200 boxes of electoral materials were intercepted by security agents in Ekiti. INEC quickly claimed that the boxes contained wasted materials, contradicting the story by the driver of the vehicle carrying the materials. To date, Nigerians have yet to be provided with full and credible information on these suspicious materials.

4. On June 18th, a pro-Fayose and PDP gang was busted in a resort owned by Fayose's Campaign Manager thump printing ballot papers ahead of Saturday's election. The 22 young men, who were arrested, were also caught preparing INEC form EC8.

5. Under the guise of providing security for the election, Ekiti State has been turned to a war zone, with thousands of armed policemen and troops as well as fearsome armoured personnel carriers dotting the entire Ekiti landscape. Never before has an election been held under such armed invasion! The truth is that security for any election does not have to be so invasive, except it is programmed to achieve one thing and one thing only: to intimidate voters!

Against this background, my party, the APC, doubts very seriously whether a free, fair, credible and transparent elections can be held in Ekiti on Saturday .

Beyond the elections, we are concerned that the PDP-led federal government has grown so desperate to capture Ekiti State at all cost that it is willing to do anything, and I mean anything, to scuttle the electoral process and even threaten the very survival of our country.

In view of this, we have resolved to:

1. Alert all Nigerians to the antics of the federal government in witch-hunting the opposition through an egregious abuse of power as well as abuse of national institutions. We urge all the good people of our dear nation to speak out against this unprecedented acts of desperation and impunity. Never in the history of our democracy has a sitting Governor been so shabbily treated as was meted out to Gov. Amaechi on Thursday. Not even in the days of the abhorrent military rule were such brazen abuse of national institutions committed by the federal government.

2. We call on our international partners to condemn this growing impunity by the ruling party and the government it controls at the centre. Actions have consequences, and whoever fails to condemn the acts of impunity being perpetrated by the central government will not have the moral right to condemn the reactions that such actions may elicit.

3. We state clearly that our party will not accept the outcome of any election in Ekiti State that does not comply with the best practices. The people of Ekiti must be allowed to vote freely and without molestation for the candidates of their choice on Saturday, and the votes must not only be counted, but they must count.

Also, we want to call the attention of Nigerians to the fact that under the Electoral Act, troops are not supposed to be deployed to polling stations. Also, police personnel deployed to polling booths are not expected to carry arms. All these stipulations of the Electoral Act must be strictly adhered to on Saturday.

We also have it on good authority that a detachment of troops will be sent to the Ekiti State House on Saturday to escort Gov. Fayemi to vote and then put him under virtual house arrest thereafter. This is totally unacceptable.

Finally we need to ask: What is the role of the Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, in the Ekiti election? Is he now the chief enforcer for the PDP? It is important to clarify this issue.

4. We urge President Goodluck Jonathan to live up to his pledge, made several times over, that he would always ensure that elections held under his watch are free and fair, and that his ambition is not worth the life of any Nigerian. The President should call his dogs of war to order before their precipitate a serious crisis in Ekiti.

5. We remind the President not to allow Nigeria to unravel under his watch, through acts of omission or commission. We urge him to take a lesson from history, and to realize that the crisis of 1965, 1983 and 1993 all started from the South-west over elections that were either manipulated or annulled. Our country is still reeling from the effects of those crises and we cannot afford to plunge the nation into another crisis.

6 Finally, we urge the good people of Ekiti to go out and vote massively for the candidates of their choice on Saturday. They should not allow the overwhelming presence of security agents to intimidate them, if that is what their deployment was programmed meant to achieve. They must defend their votes to the hilt and reject any attempt by a band of desperadoes to choose their leaders for them. After all, ultimate power flows from the people.

Chief John Oyegun
National Chairman
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Lagos, Jan. 20th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC Governors barred from travelling to Ado for pa...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC Governors barred from travelling to Ado for pa...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm that its Governors are being prevented by security agencies apparently acting ...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC Governors barred from travelling to Ado for pa...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC Governors barred from travelling to Ado for pa...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm that its Governors are being prevented by security agencies apparently acting ...

APC Governors barred from travelling to Ado for party's final campaign ahead of Saturday poll

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm that its Governors are being prevented by security agencies apparently acting on ''orders from above'' from travelling to Ado-Ekiti for the party's final campaign on Friday for the Ekiti State Governorship election on Friday.

In a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said at least three Governors - Adams Oshiomhole of Edo, Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers and Rabiu Kwankwanso of Kano - have so far been prevented from making the trip

It said the helicopter that was to ferry Gov. Oshiomhole from Benin to Ado-Ekiti was refused permission to take off from the Benin Airport, while the plane that was flying Gov. Kwankwanso to Akure was denied permission to land.

According to the APC, while the plane carrying Gov. Amaechi actually landed in Akure, his convoy was stopped at the border between Ondo and Ekiti States and ordered to turn back, because he would not be allowed to reach Ado-Ekiti.

The party said while Gov. Amaechi's convoy was being detained in order to force him to turn back, the convoys of the Ministers of Defence and Police Affairs came and were allowed to pass.

''These acts are illegal and definitely not in line with the Electoral Act, which stipulates that campaign for the election will only end at midnight on Friday.

''It also represents a manipulation of the electoral process when all the candidates will not be allowed a level playing field to campaign for the election. There is no clearer manifestation of the federal
government's allergy to free, fair, transparent and violence-free election than this,'' the party said.

It condemned in the strongest terms the abuse of national institutions and the abuse of power which these actions represent, especially because only the Federal Government has control over these
institutions, including the security agencies that have now become a tool in the hands of an increasingly-desperate government of the day.

''Several months ago, we warned that Nigeria under the watch of President Goodluck Jonathan was sliding into fascism and we were pilloried in certain quarters for daring to make such a statement.
Today, we have sadly been vindicated.

''Not even in the worst days of the abhorrent military dictatorship were things done this brazenly, with citizens being denied their fundamental rights of free movement, free assembly and free expression, all because of the desperation by the ruling party to win elections at all costs.

''We therefore call on all good people of Nigeria and indeed all the country's international friends to speak out against what is happening before things get out of hand. If democratically-elected Governors could be so shabbily treated, despite the high office they occupy, what will happen to ordinary Nigerians in the hands of an increasingly-fascist government?'' APC queried

Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Ado-Ekiti, June 19th 2014

As Chief Bisi Akande steps aside

Speech by Outgoing Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, at the inauguration of a new Exco for the party in Abuja on Wednesday, June 18th 2014


Today is a historic day in the life of our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The party that emerged like a Phoenix from the ashes of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), which willingly  gave up their identities in order to create a credible, alternative political platform for Nigerians, is inaugurating its first set of elected national executive today.
That this day has come at all is a major achievement, because anti-democratic forces, who will rather turn our country into a one-party state, did not give our party a chance to survive. In fact, they did not believe that the new child called the All Progressives Congress (APC) will be born at all.

When the leaders of the various parties I mentioned above came together, out of sheer patriotic fervour, to consummate the first successful merger in the history of our dear nation, the enemies of progress jeered at us, deriding us as strange bedfellows who cannot work together.

They vowed that our merger project would flounder on the altar of irreconciliable individual ambitions, and one overly-excited fellow even threatened to change his name if the merger succeeds and the party is indeed registered.

Then, on July 31st 2013, our party was born when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the registration of the APC.

I must say that while our party was born solid and strong, the process leading to the birth was not altogether smooth, as all sorts of obstacles were strewn on our path. Remember that two phantom APCs - the African Peoples Congress and the All Patriotic Citizens - were also quickly scrambled by the anti-democratic forces who were bent on frustrating the real APC.

But it is to the credit of our leadership, our members and indeed all Nigerians who yearn for a truly democratic nation that we surmounted all the odds and then turned our diversity into a great advantage.

Today, we have a truly Pan-Nigerian political party that has now given our long-suffering people hope. Hope that this democracy will indeed survive. Hope that the dividends of democracy will not continue to elude the people. Hope that Nigeria will not become a one-party state. And the hope that our country will soon join the comity of developed and truly democratic nations.

I believe that our country, Nigeria, has a lot to learn from the story of our party. Our country's diversity, which many unpatriotic politicians have tried to exploit for personal political gains, is a huge advantage that, when properly harnessed, can actually propel our country to greater heights

I want to use this occasion to congratulate our leaders, most of whom are seated here today, for making this day possible. Their sacrifice, their perseverance, their patriotism and their love of country all worked together to bring us this far. And having come this far, who says we can go no further?

The same spirit of sacrifice and patriotic fervour were on display on Friday here in Abuja, when we successfully held our inaugural convention against all odds.

Thousands of our members defied the vagaries of the weather to cast their votes and elect those who will guide our party on the next leg of its epic journey. They defied threats. They defied hunger and fatigue as they waited patiently all day and all night to vote. Instead of shielding themselves from the rain, they moved to protect the ballot boxes. When the public address system succumbed to the rain, they mobilized and moved from one delegation to another to tell them it is their turn to vote. They showed that politics does not necessarily have to be a war!

And when it was all over, there was not a single report of violence or theft. APC has successfully held its first-ever national convention. Nigerians are the best for it. Our detractors have been shamed!

Today, we are here to inaugurate the products of that transparent, credible and rancour-free process. - a new, elected National Executive Committee.

I congratulate you on your elections, and I am sure you will carry on with the same spirit of sacrifice, determination and patriotism that will lead our party to Aso Rock, which is our ultimate destination, next year. 

Let me say here that we do not seek power for the sake of power, but for the sake of our people, who are undoubtedly worse off today than they were in 1999, the advent of the Fourth Republic, no thanks to the globally-acknowledged misrule, cluelessness and incompetence of the PDP-led federal government.

In all your actions and decisions, I urge you to carry along all members of our party, because we are one big, happy and united family.

May I also use this opportunity to thank and congratulate all members of the Interim Exco, for nurturing our party to this level. Life is like a relay race. We have done our bit. It is now your turn. Rest assured, however, that we will continue to play our part, albeit from behind,  in strengthening our party

And to all our 20 million plus members and teeming supporters across Nigeria, I say thank you for the support and the confidence you reposed in our party. I hope you will continue to support us in the days and months ahead, as we put our shoulder to the plough to build a great, virile, respectable and productive nation that all Nigerians can be proud of

I thank you!

Chief Bisi Akande

Interim National Chairman

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Abuja. June 18th, 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): Successful Convention: APC thanks Nigerians, resta...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Successful Convention: APC thanks Nigerians, resta...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has thanked all Nigerians for their congratulatory messages and words of encouragement, fol...

Successful Convention: APC thanks Nigerians, restates resolve to move Nigeria forward

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has thanked all Nigerians for their congratulatory messages and words of encouragement, following the party's hugely successful inaugural national convention in Abuja on Friday that saw the emergence of an elected National Executive Committee, led by the highly-respected Chief John Oyegun, to guide the affairs of the party.

''We are encouraged and gratified by the goodwill messages from a cross section of Nigerians, many of them from outside our party, especially on the openness and transparency of our convention,'' the party said in a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

''This massive support from Nigerians has strengthened our resolve to continue with our efforts to move our country forward. Now, we are back to work and we will not look back until Nigeria has been rescued from the grip of a rapacious cabal intent on stifling the country's progress,'' it said.

APC also thanked all its members and supporters for their demonstrated commitment to the sustenance of democracy and the upliftment of Nigeria, saying even when a rainstorm started midway into the convention, the delegates were undaunted as they defied the weather to protect the ballox boxes and cast their votes.

''When the entire public address system succumbed to the rains, our members moved from one state delegation to another to mobilize then to vote. When the rain started, they were more interested in protecting the ballot boxes than shielding themselves from the rain. 

''It is also noteworthy that no cases of violence and pick-pocketing were recorded despite the massive turnout at the Eagle Square for the convention. Not even the threatening text messages sent to the phones of many delegates at the convention, over a purported impending bomb attack, could shake their resolve. There can be no better testament to commitment to a cause, the cause of rescuing Nigeria, than this,'' the party said

APC assured Nigerians that in the days ahead, the party will be providing more details of its Road Map that will lead it to the creation of a new and prosperous Nigeria for the benefit of all her people.

''The agenda we have placed in the public domain to showcase our party’s determination to change the face of the country includes job creation; war against corruption; free, relevant quality education; restoration of agriculture; housing, improved healthcare; social welfare plan for the less privileged; greater attention to roads, power and infrastructure; better management of natural resources and strengthening peace, security and foreign policy.

''But based on the nationwide scientific poll we conducted across the 36 states and the federal capital, we have identified three sectors that would command special attention. They are job creation, war against corruption as well as security. These sectors will get immediate and special attention from an APC-led federal government, starting on May 29th 2015, by the votes of Nigerians and the Grace of God,'' the party said.

It said the achievements of all the Governors in the 16 states controlled by the APC will also be showcased to Nigerians, as part of efforts to make them realize that with the emergence of the APC, it will no longer be business as usual.

Meanwhile the party has repeated its call on the PDP-led federal government to do everything humanly possible to secure the release of the over 200 school girls who were abducted by Boko Haram on April 14th 2014.

''It is now over two months since these girls were separated from their families and no one knows under what conditions they are being held. As long as these girls are missing, something is missing in all of us. We therefore repeat our appeal to the federal government to leave no stone unturned in its efforts to bring back the girls safely

''We hereby reiterate our support and cooperation for all the efforts that could reunite these girls with their families. We insist that only a non-partisan and concerted effort by all and sundry will help to galvanize a national front against Boko Haram, which is daily killing and maiming our people and stunting the country's growth,'' it said.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Lagos, June 15th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC accuses PDP of inciting violence in Kano, asks...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC accuses PDP of inciting violence in Kano, asks...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the PDP of inciting the violence that followed the announcement of a new Emir of...

APC accuses PDP of inciting violence in Kano, asks Kano State Attorney-General to prosecute Olisah Metuh and others

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the PDP of inciting the violence that followed the announcement of a new Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, on Sunday, in an apparent attempt to destabilize the state, and urged the Kano state  Attorney-General to prosecute all PDP officials involved in this act of destabilization.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the statement issued by PDP's publicity Secretary Olisa Metuh congratulating one of the contenders long before the Kano state government announced the new Emir was premeditated and calibrated to incite violence.

It wondered why a ruling party, which has access to Kano or any state government, would rush to the media to congratulate a contender who had not been selected, without even contacting the selecting authority to ensure the veracity of whatever news it may have heard.

''What is so urgent about congratulating the new Emir that could not  have waited for a few hours for the appropriate authority to make an official announcement?'' APC queried.

The party said when the announcement was eventually made and the contender who had already been congratulated lost out, it is only natural that his supporters would feel shortchanged. 

''It is therefore obvious that the PDP, through its National Publicity Secretary went out of their way to stoke the fire of violence in Kano.

''Since we live in a country which is being governed by the rule of law, the best option open to the  Kano state government is  for the State Attorney-General to immediately initiate criminal proceedings against PDP and its officials for incitement. Whatever explanations they have for their irresponsible and premeditated actions  they should  reserve for their defence in court ,'' APC said.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

Interim National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Lagos, June 9th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): Siege on newspapers: President Jonathan fighting a...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Siege on newspapers: President Jonathan fighting a...:  The All Progressives Congress (APC) has unreservedly condemned the unreasonable siege on newspapers across the country by security ag...

Siege on newspapers: President Jonathan fighting a battle he can't win - APC

 The All Progressives Congress (APC) has unreservedly condemned the unreasonable siege on newspapers across the country by security agencies, warning that the Jonathan Administration, by tampering with press freedom, has taken on a battle it cannot win.
 
 In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the President failed to learn the lessons of history that the Nigerian media can neither be intimidated nor suppressed by anyone, and that all those who tried to do so in the past lived to regret their actions.

 It wondered why a government that is being asked to diligently prosecute the war on terror is instead vehemently waging a war on the media and using the security agencies to interfere with the country's democracy.
 
 ''Had the government pursued the insurgents who are killing and maiming Nigerians with the same vigour with which it had descended on the media, the war against terror would have been long over,'' APC said, wondering what kind of weapons that the small newspaper distribution vans could be used to ferry that cannot be conveyed by other, bigger vehicles that move around the country undisturbed.
 
 The party described as disingenuous and ridiculous the explanation that an intelligence alert was responsible for the shameful and unacceptable clampdown on the media, and the platitude that the Jonathan Administration holds the media in high esteem.

 ''Even if one believes the Administration's babble that President Jonathan holds the media in high esteem, how can that be justified by the indignities being meted out to the media under his watch? How does the so-called intelligence report justify the arrest of media workers, detention of distribution vans and the impounding of newspapers? How does it justify the restriction of newspaper circulation? How does it justify an Administration's efforts to tamper with fundamental rights guaranteed by the nation's constitution?

 ''With the clampdown on the media, the Jonathan Administration has opened a new but dangerous flank in its war against Nigerians. First. It was an attempt to stifle the freedom of assembly and the freedom of speech when a yeoman Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mbu, tried but failed to ban peaceful protests in Abuja. The outcry against the obviously-orchestrated ban on peaceful protests had barely died down when the government moved to stifle press freedom. But it is a lost battle,'' APC said.
 
 The party said a government that has failed to provide security for its citizens, 12,000 of whom have died in the hands of Boko Haram since 2009, and a government that has pauperized its citizens rather than empower them is suddenly acting like someone pumped with steroids and wasting its artificial energy on tackling the media, simply because it does not like its fierce independence and highly professional disposition.

 ''President Jonathan gave a hint of what's to come when he blamed the media for over-reporting Boko Haram, forgetting that the media is only a mirror of the society. Our advice to the President is to immediately call a halt to the war on the media which his Administration has launched because it is one battle he cannot and will not win,'' it said.
 
 Alhaji Lai Mohammed
 Interim National Publicity Secretary
 All Progressives Congress (APC)
 Lagos, June 9th 2014