All Progressives Congress (APC): APC slams Nasawara lawmakers for demanding dissolu...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC slams Nasawara lawmakers for demanding dissolu...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed the PDP members of the Nasarawa House of Assembly for demanding the dissolution of the ...

APC slams Nasawara lawmakers for demanding dissolution of impeachment panel, calls it unconstitutional

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed the PDP members of the Nasarawa House of Assembly for demanding the dissolution of the panel of seven set up by the state Chief Judge to probe the impeachment charges against Gov, Umaru Al-Makura, saying the call is unreasonable, unconstitutional and way too late.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the demand by the lawmakers shows they either have a very poor understanding of the Constitution or they are blinded by their desperation to impeach Gov. Al-Makura.

''Either way, they have boxed themselves into a tight corner. Holding an illegal sitting in Abuja with a fake mace is as ridiculous as the demand by the lawmakers for the dissolution of the panel set up by the Chief Judge.

''Section 188 (5) of the Constitution is clear: 'Within seven days of the passing of a motion under the foregoing provisions of this section, the Chief Judge of the state shall, at the request of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, appoint a panel of seven persons who in his opinion are of unquestionable integrity, not being members of any public service, legislative house or political party, to investigate the allegation as provided in this section'.

''It is important to point out to the desperate lawmakers that the key words in that section is that the Chief Judge must appoint persons WHO IN HIS OPINION (emphasis ours) are of unquestionable integrity. At this juncture, it is neither the opinion of the Speaker nor that of the legislators that counts, it is the opinion of the Chief Judge.

''Therefore, neither the Speaker, the lawmakers nor the Chief Judge can dissolve the panel at this stage, and none of them can stop the impeachment process. Once the Chief Judge has appointed the panel under section 188 (5), he becomes 'functus officio', that is he has no further powers on the matter. This is the situation of things at present and the lawmakers can only await the report of the panel,'' it said.

APC said, however, that it was not surprised by the unwarranted and illegal call for the dissolution of the panel by the PDP members of the Nasarawa legislature, because that call falls within the realm of the runaway impunity for which the PDP and the Jonathan Administration have become infamous.

''The Jonathan Administration, for one, is always scoring a first in the area of impunity. This is the first time in the history of our democracy that a House of Assembly is seeking to dissolve the panel of seven judges it requested to be set up. This is unacceptable and it will not fly.

''What the House is suffering from now is called boomerang. Against sound advice, it went ahead to initiate the impeachment process. Well, it must now follow it to its logical conclusion. The Chief Judge cannot be made to dissolve the seven-man panel because he simply lacks the power to so do,'' the party said.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressive Congress (APC)

Abuja, July 31st 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC greets Muslims on Eid-El-Fitr

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC greets Muslims on Eid-El-Fitr: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has congratulated the Muslim faithful on the occasion of this year's Eid-El-Fitr celebrations ...

APC greets Muslims on Eid-El-Fitr

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has congratulated the Muslim faithful on the occasion of this year's Eid-El-Fitr celebrations marking the successful conclusion of the month-long period of fasting.

In a statement issued in Kaduna on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party hailed its Muslim brothers and sisters for their self-deprivation and spiritual supplication to God, and urged them to imbibe the lessons of Ramadan in their daily lives, far beyond the fasting period.

''That we are able to celebrate this year's Eid-El-Fitr at all is a sign that the Almighty has accepted our supplication and shown mercy on us and our nation. By averting what could have plunged our nation
into deep turmoil, the Almighty has shown us that our fasting and prayers were not in vain.

''How could we have been celebrating if former Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari or the renown Cleric Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi had been felled by the agents of darkness who targeted their convoys in Kaduna last week?'' Indeed, God loves Nigeria and the least we can do is to love ourselves too,'' it said.

APC urges all Nigerians, in the spirit of the season, to embrace good neighbourliness and shun hatred and careless statements that are capable of inciting chaos.

The party said those who are busy beating the drums of war or trivializing the attacks on Buhari, saying it was planned as an image-laundering feat by his party, should have a rethink and show
deep introspection.

''It is unconscionable that any right-thinking person will seek to make a political gain from an event that must have been deeply traumatizing for those who escaped by the whiskers, not to talk of the
deep and life-long pain it inflicted on those who were injured or the irreparable loss it inflicted on the families of those who died.

''Such careless, asinine and irresponsible statements are more dangerous than the attacks themselves, because they are capable of inciting people, causing hatred and fanning the embers of violence. It
is a shame the leaders of those who have engaged in this dangerous game have not called them to order. That's why our party insists on an international probe to unravel the perpetrator and motive of the attacks,'' it said.

APC said if God has shown Nigeria his love, mercy and kindness, it is wrong for the people of the same country to now engage in acts that are capable of triggering anarchy and bringing the nation down.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Kadun, July 29th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): President Jonathan paying lip service to free, fai...

All Progressives Congress (APC): President Jonathan paying lip service to free, fai...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to walk his talk as far as the organization of free and...

President Jonathan paying lip service to free, fair elections - APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to walk his talk as far as the organization of free and fair elections in the country is concerned, saying all the assurances so far given by the President have not translated into credible elections.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party urged the President to go beyond mere rhetoric and take concrete actions to ensure that the elections in the country are not marred by the intimidation and harassment of opposition party members and supporters as well as the deliberate disenfranchisement of voters, which hallmarked the Anambra and Ekiti gubernatorial elections, among others.

''On the same day the President's latest assurances of a free, fair, credible and transparent elections in 2015 were being reported, agents of the Jonathan-led federal government were ransacking the offices of a company hired to carry out an opinion poll for Osun State ahead of the 9 Aug. gubernatorial election.

''If the opposition can no longer freely carry out opinion polls, if the companies hired to carry out such polls are harassed and intimidated by SSS officials as they did to tnsrms, the offices of which were searched for six hours, after which top officials of the firm were dragged to the SSS offices in Shangisha and computers carted away, then how can any President convince anyone that free and fair elections can be held under his watch?

''If the Ngozi Okonjo Iweala-linked NOI polling firm has never been harassed for its choreographed opinion polls that favour the Jonathan Administration, why should other firms be subjected to the kind of Gestapo- tactics that tnsrms was exposed to? This is why we are asking President Jonathan to walk to talk,'' APC said.

The party said that already, the foundation was being laid to rig next month's governorship election in Osun at source, as INEC has been frustrating attempts by APC members to obtain their Permanent Voters Cards, even as the PDP has continued to boast that it will again use the military to illegally shut down the state and bully the opposition in Osun, just like it did in Ekiti.

It also wondered whether INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega properly weighed the statement he made, in which he tried to justify the deployment of troops to Ekiti for the state's gubernatorial election on the basis that they helped to ensure a violence-free election

''Jega should be asked to explain why is it that the troops who were sent to provide security for the Ekiti election were harassing and intimidating only the opposition? Why is it that they were arresting only opposition members? Is that also part of providing security for an election? If soldiers had only provided non-intrusive security for the election, perhaps no one would have complained. But where they turned themselves into the enforcement arm of the ruling party, everyone, including INEC, should be concerned,'' APC said.

The party called on President Jonathan to refrain from deploying the military for election purposes and read the riot act to his cabinet members, like Musiliu Obanikoro and Abduljelili Adesiyna, and party officials who specialize in electoral malfeasance, and elections will start becoming free, fair, credible and transparent to such an extent that the world will notice.

''Saying one thing and doing the opposite, Mr. President, will not translate to credible elections. The world is watching,'' it said.

As a starting point, APC urged the President, if indeed he is committed to free and fair elections, to launch an inquiry into why the offices of the firm carrying out an opinion poll for Osun state were invaded, and to tell Nigerians whether the firm would have been harassed if it had been hired by the PDP or its candidate for the Aug. 9th election.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Lagos, July 28th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC calls for international inquiry into assassina...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC calls for international inquiry into assassina...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for an international inquiry into Wednesday's assassination attempt on its lea...

APC calls for international inquiry into assassination attempt on Buhari

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for an international inquiry into Wednesday's assassination attempt on its leader, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to unravel the motive and the perpetrators of the dastardly act that could have plunged the country into a deep turmoil,
had it succeeded.

In a statement issued in Benin on Sunday by its National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, the party said it does not have the confidence that the Nigerian security agencies can carry out an
impartial investigation, because they work for the government instead of the nation.

It said the call has become more urgent because the agents of the Federal Government have started muddling the waters with their sickening statements and actions on the attack.

''How does one explain a situation in which a man who is nothing but a pervert is now being paraded as the suspected 'mastermind' of the attack on Gen. Buhari? At what point was this man, who perhaps is nothing but a transvestite plying his trade, arrested? Is it not clear, from the statement released by Gen. Buhari himself after the attack, that it was clearly the handiwork of a suicide bomber?

''Could the person who drove the vehicle that was rammed into the General's convoy have survived the explosion that was triggered by that action? Could the innocent passers-by who died in the blast not have been arrested and paraded as the 'suspected masterminds' if they had survived the blast? Clearly, the arrest of the pervert and his sickening description as a 'suspected mastermind' have kick-started the process of muddling the waters, as is usually the case with such high-profile cases.

''This is why an urgent international inquiry into the attack is desirable and imperative, and anyone who is committed to an impartial probe of the attack on the opposition leader should embrace our
call,'' APC said, adding that the insurgency and its spin-offs are now clearly beyond the capability of this Federal Government.

The party also said the call has been further justified by the statements and insinuations emanating from the ruling PDP and the presidency, both of which now seem to be pointing accusing fingers at
the same party (APC) that is clearly the target of the failed assassination attempt on one of its top leaders.

''The questions to ask the purveyors of such repugnant theories are: Did the late Emir of Kano also stage the attack on his convoy? Did the other Emirs who were attacked, with at least one of them killed recently, also stage the attack against themselves? Did Gen. Muhammed Shuwa, who was killed by gunmen in Maiduguri in 2012, also stage the attack on himself?

''We are indeed in very interesting times, times that remind one of the failed attempt by the Administration of the late military dictator, Gen. Abacha, to blame pro-democracy group NADECO for the series of deadly attacks on pro-democracy activists during the tenure of the Administration.

''But we are confident that just as the truth about those who perpetrated those attacks was eventually revealed, the masterminds of the failed assassination attempt on our leader will definitely be
exposed sooner than later, whether or not the government agrees to our call for an international inquiry,'' it said.

Chief John Odigie Oyegun
National Chairman
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Benin, July 27th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC condemns Kaduna bombings, says FG's theory on ...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC condemns Kaduna bombings, says FG's theory on ...:  The All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed its shock and revulsion at Wednesday's bomb attacks in Kaduna that targeted one o...

APC condemns Kaduna bombings, says FG's theory on Boko Haram up in flames

 The All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed its shock and revulsion at Wednesday's bomb attacks in Kaduna that targeted one of its leaders, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, as well as prominent cleric Dahiru Bauchi and left hordes of innocent civilians dead or injured.
 
 In a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party sent its condolences to the families of the victims and pray that God will give them the much-needed strength at times like this, while also wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
 
 It said the attempted assassination of Gen. Buhari has changed the narrative about the insurgent group and knocked the bottom off the sinister, irresponsible and partisan colouration given to the insurgency by the Federal Government.
 
 APC said while no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, the mere fact that it occurred at all is a lose-lose situation for the Jonathan Administration.
 
 ''Whether it is Boko Haram or not, one thing remains: This government has failed woefully in its core constitutional duty of protecting the security and welfare of the citizenry. And we mean all the citizens, not just the leaders!
 
 ''And contrary to the simplistic and clearly selfish portrayal of the Boko Haram insurgency as a sinister plot to bring down the government of Jonathan, it should now be clear to the FG that has engaged in ceaseless finger-pointing instead of tackling the insurgency headlong that Boko Haram is an enemy of Nigeria and of all of humanity.
 
 ''It is a real problem that is capable of consuming this country if immediate and urgent steps are not made now by the FG to move away from its politicization of the crisis, its decision to use it as a trump card for President Jonathan's re-election and exploit it as a ticket to international relevance for the President. If anything untoward had happened to Gen. Buhari on Wednesday, the consequences are only better imagined than witnessed!
 
 ''If indeed the APC is behind Boko Haram and Gen. Buhari is a sympathizer of the evil group, as the FG wants the world to believe, could it be that the insurgents do not know their leaders or sympathizers, assuming they are behind the attack? If they are not responsible for the attack, doesn't that support the theory in some circles that Boko Haram has become a franchise, hence there is the Boko Haram of Abubakar Shekau and the political Boko Haram?
 
 ''Whatever happens now, the satanic and repulsive theory of the PDP-led FG that the opposition APC is using Boko Haram to truncate the Administration of Jonathan is up in flames. Therefore, it is time for them to change the narrative, see Boko Haram for what it is - an enemy of Nigeria - and rally the citizenry, irrespective of their political, ethnic or religious affiliation, behind the government's efforts to tackle it decisively,'' the party said.
 
 It said that as a first step, President Jonathan must immediately stop the wasteful contract he signed with the US-based firm Levick to help demonize the APC as the sponsor of Boko Haram, and to demonize any Nigerian who is perceived to be an enemy of the government. It is this kind of demonization, using pseudo and out-of-job analysts, that helped to set the stage for Wednesday's failed assassination attempt against Gen. Buhari.
 
 ''Then the President must address Nigerians to tell them that Boko Haram is not just an enemy of his government, it is an enemy of the opposition, of Christians, of Muslims and of the different ethnic groups.
 
 ''Instead of dividing Nigerians along religious, ethnic and political lines, President Jonathan should borrow a leaf from his predecessors. Obasanjo never said the Niger Delta militancy was aimed at his government or his people, he tackled it headlong. Yar'Adua it was who finally ended the militancy, without saying it was aimed at his government or his people,'' APC said.
 
 The party reiterated its earlier stand that only a non-partisan approach will galvanize Nigerians against Boko Haram, which is rooted more in the years of bad governance that have resulted in mass unemployment, massive corruption, economic imbalances and made the youth to become hopeless, thus creating an army of willing tools for criminal activities
 
 It repeated its offer to work with the FG to battle Boko Haram and its call for a national stakeholders' conference to help fashion out a comprehensive counter-insurgent blueprint for the nation.
 
 APC said rather than just throwing money at what has now become a bottomless pit, rather than creating the avenue for some unpatriotic citizens to feed fat on the insurgency, the FG should engage in new thinking.
 
 ''After almost five years and 14 billion US dollars, Boko Haram is stronger today than ever. Whereas the average death toll in the previous years has been 1,500, more than 3,500 people have been killed so far this year! There is no stronger evidence that what is needed to successfully fight Boko Haram is not just 1 billion dollars, but a comprehensive approach that includes efforts to tackle the social and economic roots of the insurgency,'' the party said.
 
 Alhaji Lai Mohammed
 National Publicity Secretary
 All Progressives Congress (APC)
 Lagos, July 24th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC Challenged in court the powers of the Presiden...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC Challenged in court the powers of the Presiden...: APC takes concrete actions to ensure free, fair election in Osun Aug. 9th The All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken conc...

APC Challenged in court the powers of the President to deploy troops to Osun State...

APC takes concrete actions to ensure free, fair election in Osun Aug. 9th

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken concrete actions to ensure that all the candidates in the Aug. 9th 2014 governorship election in Osun State are provided with a level playing field and that the election is free, fair, transparent and devoid of harassment and intimidation.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said it had challenged in court the powers of the President to deploy troops to Osun State for the election and the power of the Inspector-General of Police to impose a curfew on any part of the state during the election.

It also said the party had written to INEC to demand a postponement of the election if the electoral commission cannot guarantee that all registered voters will be given their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) before voting day or in the alternative allow all registered members in possession of INEC temporary voters card to cast their votes in the election.

APC said the actions are aimed at avoiding a repeat of the massive harassment, intimidation and arrest of opposition politicians witnessed during the Ekiti governorship election, and to prevent any illegal lock down of Osun State, which turned out to be a ploy to pigeon-hole opposition politicians while allowing PDP members to move around freely during the Ekiti polls.

The party said the letter to INEC followed concerns expressed by APC members in Osun that they have so far been denied their PVCs under shady circumstances, a development that could be a ploy to massively disenfranchise APC members and rig the election at source

''In the first case filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos on July 15th 2014, we are seeking, among others, 'a declaration that by the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered), it is ultra vires for the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to deploy members of the armed forces to Osun state for the purpose of the conduct of the gubernatorial election scheduled for Aug. 9th 2014'.

''In the second case, also filed at the same court on July 17th 2014,  we are seeking, among other reliefs, 'a declaration that by the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered), and the Curfew Law of Osun State, CAP 36, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2001, it is ultra vires for the Inspector General of Police of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to impose curfew on any part of Osun State during the conduct of the gubernatorial election scheduled to hold on Aug. 9th, 2014, or at any time whatsoever in any part of Nigeria'.

''The actions have reinforced the credentials of our party as law abiding and peaceful. Instead of resorting to self help, as many would have done in the face of the many underhand tactics by the PDP-led federal government to stifle the opposition and skew the conditions in favour of the ruling party, we decided to embark on a legal challenge of the unlawful actions of the government.

''We are not seeking any favour beyond that all candidates in the election be allowed to have a level playing field, for all registered voters to be able to cast their votes in an atmosphere devoid of violence, harassment and intimidation, and for the election itself to be conducted in substantial compliance with the law,'' it said.

APC said popular participation is at the core of democratic governance, hence a development in which registered voters, most of them from the opposition, will not be allowed to vote based on the incompetence of the electoral authorities is anti-democratic.

''That is why we have written to INEC to allow duly registered voters to exercise their franchise on Aug. 9th, whether or not they have PVCs or temporary voters cards. If this is not possible, INEC should consider postponing the election until such a time that not one voter will be disenfranchised due to the incompetence, collusion or shenanigans of INEC,'' the party said.

It warned that the Osun governorship election must not just be free, fair and transparent, it must been seen to be so by all stakeholders.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Abuja, July 23rd 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): Massive corruption, lack of accountability behind ...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Massive corruption, lack of accountability behind ...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the National Assembly to properly scrutinize the puzzling request by President Goodluck ...

Massive corruption, lack of accountability behind FG's request for US$1b loan to fight Boko Haram - APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the National Assembly to properly scrutinize the puzzling request by President Goodluck Jonathan for a 1-billion-dollar loan to fight the insurgent group Boko Haram, saying the Administration has no business borrowing money if it had accounted for US$20 billion in oil funds or plugged the official stealing of 300,000 barrels of oil per day.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said even if the missing oil fund is only between 10 and 12 billion dollars as admitted by the FG, the amount represents more than 10 times the fund which the FG is now seeking to borrow under conditions that are yet unknown.

It described as disingenuous and sheer blackmail the argument that the money is for national security or that it would facilitate the release of the over 200 school girls who were abducted about 100 days ago.

''That argument is hollow. In the first instance, trillions of Naira have been allocated yearly - in the past few years - for security and defence, yet the fight against the insurgents rages on with deadly
consequences. Secondly, the only reason the school girls have remained in captivity is the sheer cluelessness and incompetence on the part of the Jonathan Administration, which waited for all of 19 days before even admitting that the girls were kidnapped in the first instance.

''Therefore, putting more money in the hands of an incompetent and massively corrupt administration can only encourage more incompetence and corruption. That is why we are asking the National Assembly to put national interest above all other considerations by taking a dispassionate, non-partisan look at the President's request.

''What we are saying in essence is that the National Assembly must summon security and military chiefs to explain how the huge funds allocated to security sector in the past has been spent, before more funds can be pumped into the sector. They must be asked what happened to the military equipment said to have been procured in recent years.

''They must also inquire from the Administration why it should be borrowing 1 billion dollars when it has yet to account for the missing 20-billion-dollar oil money, plug the daily stealing of 300,000 bpd
and unravel the massive frauds that have hallmarked the tenure of this Administration (pension fraud, oil subsidy scam, Malabu fraud etc). If after all the scrutiny, the National Assembly still feels it must
approve the loan, so be it, but it (National Assembly) must know that its own integrity and credibility are on the line,'' APC said.

The party also reminded Nigerians that the Nigerian civil war, which lasted three years, was prosecuted by the government without resorting to any external borrowing, due to competent and transparent management of the nation's economy.

''On the contrary, trillions of Naira have been pumped into the Boko Haram war in the past five years, and Nigerians still do not have any indication of how soon the insurgency will end or what happened to the huge allocated funds. Instead, what the tax payers are being asked to do is to shell out more funds to finance the incompetence and corruption of a reckless Administration, whose officials fly around the world in jets that burn billions of Naira but cannot allow them to be probed by the National Assembly,'' it said.

APC wondered why the Jonathan Administration that roundly pilloried Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno State, when he alerted Nigerians to the need to adequately equip and motivate our men and women in uniform, has now turned around to admit that the military needs modern hardware
to fight the insurgency.

The party said it aligns with those who have cautioned against the National Assembly giving a blank cheque to the Administration, due to its inability to account for the past budgetary allocations for the
security and defence, as well as its sheer cluelessness and palpable incompetence.

''This year alone, 20 per cent of the total national budget of 4.962 trillion Naira, which is about 968.127 billion naira, was allocated to Defence. How much of that money has been released so far and how has the funds been spent? What about the equally huge allocations in the previous years?.

''With the Jonathan Administration allegedly spending or setting aside an average of 2 billion Naira to impeach each Governor of APC states, and the PDP-led Administration using the common wealth to bribe voters in a desperate bid to win elections at all costs, approving the 1-billion-dollar loan may amount to giving more ammunition to the Administration to stifle the nation's democracy or even threaten the very existence of the country,'' it said

Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)
Lagos, July 20th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): Pres. Jonathan embarrassed Nigeria by waiting to b...

All Progressives Congress (APC): Pres. Jonathan embarrassed Nigeria by waiting to b...:  The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as a compound embarrassment the fact that it took 17-year-old girl-child education c...

Pres. Jonathan embarrassed Nigeria by waiting to be goaded by Malala to meet Chibok parents - APC

 The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as a compound embarrassment the fact that it took 17-year-old girl-child education campaigner, Pakistani Malala Yousafzai, to visit and convince President Goodluck Jonathan to agree to a meeting with representatives of the parents of the kidnapped school girls.

''President Jonathan, who has already embarrassed himself and the entire people of Nigeria by his inexplicable failure to visit Chibok since the girls were abducted over 90 days ago, has compounded the embarrassment and insulted Nigerians by waiting for Malala to goad him to meet with the girls' parents, not in Chibok but in Abuja,'' the party said in a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

It said after the meeting failed, because the parents were not properly informed and invited, a shameless presidency turned around to blame the opposition and the patriotic and selfless Nigerians who have been campaigning daily, under the #Bringbackourgirls group.

''Fortunately, and to the eternal discomfiture of the presidency, the Chibok community has said the decision not to meet with President Jonathan in Abuja was theirs and theirs alone, and that they took that decision because their sole reason for coming to Abuja was to meet with Malala, and not the President who did not invite them anyway.

''With this explanation, one would have expected a presidency that has regard for the truth to immediately retract its earlier panic statement, which it issued to save face after what was nothing but a PR gimmick blew up in their face, and apologize to the opposition and the #Bringbackourgirls group that were unjustly pilloried by them.

''Instead, the presidency has persisted in its distortion of the truth, for which they have now become infamous, even as a new date has been agreed for the meeting. This is unfortunate, condemnable and irresponsible,'' APC said. ''If indeed, as the presidency claimed earlier, that the opposition was behind the earlier refusal by the parents and escaped girls not to see the President, what has then happened to make them change their minds? Has the opposition now asked them to meet with the President?''

The party alerted Nigerians that the reason President Jonathan, whose wife bullied and harangued the girls' parents on the grounds that they were lying and that no girl was missing, agreed to meet with the parents is so that he could use the meeting as a photo-op, after Malala pushed for it and the President's US-based image laundering firm acceded to it.

''Mr. President, your frantic effort to meet with the Chibok parents now is too little too late, and no amount of photo-op will change that. If your handlers had been sincere, Mr. President, they would have told you that the best venue of the meeting is Chibok, not Abuja where your people tried, but failed, to waylay the parents who came for a meeting with Malala.

''Mr. President, you have ceaselessly compared yourself to the great leaders of our time, including US President Barack Obama. But do you think Obama would have refused to visit the parents of these abducted school girls if the abduction had occurred in the US? Do you think Obama, as Commander-in-Chief, would have refused to visit his troops in the front line of the anti-terror fight as you have done? 

''Do you think, Mr. President, that a band of rogue elements like Boko Haram would have restricted Obama's movement within his own country as they have done to you? No true and caring President will ever fail to visit the sites of disasters and offer solace to his compatriots,'' it said.

APC reminded President Jonathan that neither in Nigeria's culture nor in any other culture are those hit by tragedy invited to be offered solace, adding that the practice is to visit those to be offered solace 'in situ'.

The party reiterated its earlier call on the President to shake off his lethargy and bring the abducted school girls home safely, instead of playing politics with the lives of over 200 human beings.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Lagos, July 17th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): President Jonathan is destroying Nigeria in his ob...

All Progressives Congress (APC): President Jonathan is destroying Nigeria in his ob...: Being the text of a press conference addressed in Abuja on Wednesday, July 16th 2014 by the Chairman of the All Progressives Con...

President Jonathan is destroying Nigeria in his obsessive bid for re-election

Being the text of a press conference addressed in Abuja on Wednesday, July 16th 2014 by the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun

Protocols.

Good morning, gentlemen of the press.

Please permit me to start off this press conference with a quote by Chilean writer Isabel Allende, which goes thus: ''What I fear most is power with impunity. I fear abuse of power, and the power to abuse.''

Isabel, a victim of the Pinochet military dictatorship, is not alone. All Nigerians must be worried about power with impunity, which is what President Goodluck Jonathan and his party, the PDP, have resorted to in their desperation to crush the opposition and destroy Nigeria in the process.

I have called this Press Conference to address the grave dangers facing Nigerians as a people, our country as a nation and our democracy as our hope, at this very critical time.

Events in Nigeria in the past few weeks point to a return to the dark old days of state dictatorship, lawlessness, impunity and repression.

Our freedoms are being emasculated, our economy being run to the ground, and our only hope of bringing about change - our democratic expression is being smothered before our very eyes all because President Goodluck Jonathan is so obsessed with reelection in 2015 at all cost that he is destroying not just all our key institutions but indeed the entire country.

At this critical juncture of our history and despite our desire for restraint and mature engagement with President Goodluck Jonathan and the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) it is evident that inaction is no longer an option and we must resist.

Indeed keeping quiet in the face of the ceaseless and unrelenting reckless violations of all known laws of the land and the Constitution will amount to complicity in the lawlessness and impunity that has become the norm under President Goodluck Jonathan.

 
We know it has been the dream of the ruling PDP to rule for 60 unbroken years, not minding if Nigeria becomes a desert land in the process.

Their evil machination has manifested in Ekiti. It has manifested yesterday in Adamawa, They have carried it to Nasarawa, and they have Edo, Osun and Rivers in their sights.

In the states mentioned, all of them opposition strongholds, President Jonathan and his party have abused national institutions, resorted to a crude use of force and engaged in unprecedented financial inducements to achieve their objectives. 

All these anti-democratic tactics come under the umbrella of power with impunity!

But there is a bigger problem. President Jonathan is obsessed with his re-election in 2015, and he does not mind if Nigeria is destroyed in the process. He does not care whether every institution of state, be it the military, the courts, INEC or any other one, is destroyed. All that matters now is his re-election.

This explains why he has embarked on this war against the opposition, this war against all of Nigeria.

Having bastardized the army, the police, the courts, aviation and the electoral commission, he has now moved to the next level: Impeachment. Every impeachment or threat of it in recent times has the imprint of President Jonathan.

As we speak, the Governor of Adamawa, Murtala Nyako, has been impeached at the instance of the President and his party, they have moved to Nasarawa, their next stop, while Rivers, Edo and Borno, all APC states, are not being spared the destabilization that precedes their new-found weapon.

What was Nyako impeached for? Offences he allegedly committed five years ago. Those offences were not impeachable when he was in the PDP. But the moment he decamped to the APC, they became impeachable.

The entire “impeachment” of Governor Nyako is so fraught with irregularities, bias, judicial contradictions and in violation of every procedural and constitutional provisions that it is the worst manifestation of impunity. We intend to mount an immediate and rigorous challenge to this gross injustice to the party and people of Adamawa State.

What is Gov. Al-Makura of Nasarawa being threatened with impeachment for? Allegations of extra-budgetary expenditure, the same offence that President Jonathan has committed many times. In fact, on only on the 10th of July 2014, the Senate passed a resolution asking President Goodluck Jonathan to prepare and submit to the National Assembly supplementary budget to cover the over expenditure in the sum of N90.693 billion (US$585 billion) for PMS subsidy 2012 and the sum of N685.910 billion (US$4.430 billion) for Kerosene (DPK) subsidy expended without appropriation by the National Assembly in 2012 and 2013!

In Adamawa, each member of the State House of Assembly was allegedly given US $300,000 as part payment to impeach Gov. Nyako; some 500 million Naira has allegedly been moved to Nasarawa to induce the state's lawmakers to impeach Gov. Al-Makura, and in Edo, each lawmaker has allegedly been offered 75 million Naira to impeach Gov. Adams Oshiomhole.

Now, who is more guilty of gross misconduct than a President who is frittering away our commonwealth to induce perfidious legislators to impeach their state Governors? Who is more guilty of gross misconduct than a President who deploys troops to harass, intimidate and arrest the opposition during an election? Who deserves to be impeached for gross misconduct more than a President who uses national institutions against the opposition, and shuts airports arbitrarily?

President Jonathan's desperation knows no bounds, and he is willing to set a record of presiding over the greatest number of impeachments under his tenure. Before Nyako's impeachment on Tuesday, a total of five impeachments have been carried out in all of the 15 years of the Fourth Republic. But between now and 2015, President Jonathan is championing five impeachments, in Adamawa, Nasarawa, Edo, Rivers and Borno.

In doing so, he is subverting hitherto respected national institutions. The army has been so compromised that it can no longer be trusted by anyone to be neutral. The army has been so abused that it now carries out police duties. Soldiers were deployed to guard the residence of the Chief Judge of Adamawa while the impeachment proceedings were on. Soldiers were deployed to guard each member of the impeachment panel. Soldiers were also deployed to guard the venue where the panel sat.

In Ekiti, soldiers were deployed to hunt down the opposition and prevent them from moving around freely, in contravention of the nation's constitution. In Osun, soldiers are again to be deployed to shut down the state and go after the opposition.

By using the military for election duties, President Jonathan is clearly disobeying a court order as the Court of Appeal had ruled as far back as 2005 that the involvement of the military in the conduct of elections is an aberration and therefore unconstitutional. Indeed in the words of Salami, JCA on page 176 in the case of Yusuf v Obasanjo (2005) 18 NWLR (Pt. 956 96@174-5)

"It is up to the police to protect our nascent democracy and not the military, otherwise the democracy might be wittingly or unwittingly militarised. This is not what the citizenry bargained for after 1999. Conscious step or steps should be taken to civilianise the polity and thereby ensure survival and sustenance of democracy."

The Akure airport was suddenly slammed shut just to punish opposition leaders who had converged in Ekiti for Gov. Kayode Fayemi's campaign rally. They had to travel all night by road to Lagos.

In Borno, under the guise of ensuring security, the Maiduguri Airport has been closed for several weeks, hence the Borno Governor and the people of the state, including the pilgrims heading to lesser Hajj, have been forced to travel by road to Kano to board their flights. However, the reason for shutting the airport has suddenly vanished as the private plane bearing former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff was allowed to land at the airport on Monday, the same day the Governor had to travel by road to Kano to see his brother who was involved in an accident on the same road!

Obviously, President Jonathan is fast turning Nigeria into George Orwell's Animal Farm, where some animals are more equal than the others.

Welcome to Nigeria of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, where the only people who are deemed to be true Nigerians are those under the umbrella of the PDP, where the only people worth protecting are PDP members!

Conclusion

We have raised the alarm several times that President Jonathan's obsession with his re-election is a clear and present danger to our democracy. Today, we say this President's obsession with re-election is threatening the very existence of our nation. 

Never in the history of our dear nation has any President waged war on the country the way this President is doing. Never in the history of our country has any President desecrated national institutions like this President is doing to the very institutions that sustain democracy. Never in the history of our country has our people been so divided along ethnic, religious, political and social lines, with poverty rising astronomically in the backdrop of a claimed rapid growth in the nation’s GDP.

We warn that excessive political greed will always have its consequences. Any student of Nigeria's contemporary history will realize what acts of impunity and desperation to win elections at all cost did to the country in 1965, 1983 and 1993, just to mention a few.

We call on all friends of Nigeria to prevail on President Jonathan to apply the brakes in his obsessive quest for power, because every action has consequences. 

It is time for those who can still get the ears of this President to remind him that his ambition is not worth the destruction of a whole country. All those who can must act now before it is too late!

I thank you all for listening

Chief John Odigie-Oyegun

National Chairman, All Progressives Congress

July 16^th, 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): How the PDP-led FG aids, abets and benefits from B...

All Progressives Congress (APC): How the PDP-led FG aids, abets and benefits from B...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the PDP of aiding, abetting and benefitting from the Boko Haram insurgency, saying the...

How the PDP-led FG aids, abets and benefits from Boko Haram insurgency - APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the PDP of aiding, abetting and benefitting from the Boko Haram insurgency, saying the mismanagement of national resources, massive corruption under the PDP watch and the incompetent handling of what started as a localized insurgency have been responsible for the festering of the crisis.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Tuesday by the National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also accused the federal government of using the fight against the insurgency as an excuse to punish and witch-hunt the opposition, trample on civil liberties and abuse national institutions on a scale that is unprecedented in the country's history.

It said had the PDP-led Federal Government not misgoverned Nigeria since 1999, perhaps the country could have been spared the canker worm of terrorism, epitomized more than anything else by the Boko Haram insurgency.

APC said the international community is not unaware that the FG has been the biggest cog in the wheel of efforts to tackle Boko Haram, apparently because the Jonathan Administration has seen the insurgency as its surest ticket to re-election and international acceptance.

''Far from the baseless and irresponsible accusations and finger-pointing by the PDP and the government it controls at the centre, it is time to tell Nigerians that the only reason the insurgency has continued unabated is because the PDP and the Jonathan Administration are benefitting massively from it.

''That explains their quick dismissal of our call for an international inquiry to unravel the sponsors and modus operandi of the terror group, while latching on to what remains a mere conjecture on the probe of Boko Haram links by the British Parliament. Pray, which is bigger and more authentic, a probe by the British Parliament or an international inquiry? If the PDP and its cohorts have nothing to hide, they would have embraced that call. We maintain that only an international inquiry can unravel those behind Boko Haram, and we thank Nigerians for their favourable response to our call,'' APC said.

The party called the attention of Nigerians to the testimony given by a US official, at the US House Foreign Affairs Sub-committee on Africa's hearing last Thursday in Washington, identifying the human rights abuse record and uncooperative attitude of the Nigerian government and its military authorities as factors hindering the security assistance offered to Nigeria by the US to tackle Boko Haram.

''The Congress was told, by the Specialist at African Affairs Congressional Research Service Lauren Blanchard, that the Nigerian government and its military had not been yielding to America’s suggestions; that the main impediment to America’s efforts to support Nigeria’s broader response to Boko Haram is 'gross violations committed by the Nigerian forces, the Nigerian government’s resistance to adopting a more comprehensive approach to Boko Haram and the continued lack of political will'.

“The Congress also heard that the he Nigerian government has appeared reticent in some cases to allow its security forces to participate in US training programmes, adding: 'Multiple systemic factors further constrain the effectiveness of the Nigerian security force’s response to Boko Haram, notably security sector corruption and mismanagement, and some of these factors impede US support even for units that have been cleared for assistance'.

''Does anyone need any more evidence of whose cluelessness and incompetence have allowed Boko Haram to fester to such a level that it has killed over 3,000 people since the beginning of this year alone? Does anyone need further evidence of whose non-cooperative attitude with the US and other foreign friends of Nigeria has been responsible for the failed and tepid efforts to tackle Boko Haram?'' it queried.

APC said it is an undisputed fact that Boko Haram emerged against the backdrop of intense poverty and political misrule by the PDP since 1999.

''Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, the PDP has ruled Nigeria till date, and has been responsible for mismanaging over 60 percent of national revenue. Still, very little has changed in terms of progressive improvement in the socio-economic
conditions of most Nigerians. It is hardly a coincidence that Boko Haram emerged in the North-east region of Nigeria, given that it is the poorest region with higher than national average rates of poverty, illiteracy, mortality rates, youth unemployment and social immobility. 

''Moreover, states in the North-east receive some of the least allocations from the national treasury individually and collectively. The North-east region, reflecting broader national and even African patterns, is experiencing a 'youth bulge' that accentuates the socio-economic deprivations across the region. Given the poor literacy rates of the region, there are millions of young people with neither formal nor Arabic education, not to talk of even vocational skills. Indeed, a majority of youth in the North-east region are unemployable, thus providing a fertile ground for the recruitment of idle youths into groups that engage in criminal acts.

''In short, the PDP’s failure to deliver credible democratic dividends, specifically socio-economic progress (employment, social infrastructure, quality of life initiatives, regular power supply etc) and its obsession with retaining political power at all cost, a la 'do or die politics', provide logical grounds for the horde of security challenges witnessed across Nigeria since 1999,'' the party said.

APC accused the PDP of profiting from the Boko Haram insurgency, hence the ruling party has always been dismissive of any genuine efforts to end the crisis, preferring to continually demonize the APC as the sponsors of Boko Haram even when there is no scintilla of evidence to back this up.

''Fortunately, US officials interviewed by the international wire service Reuters for a recent story said there is little or no evidence to back up the claims by the Nigerian government that some prominent northerners or politicians are sponsoring Boko Haram. Now, the Jonathan Administration has been hoisted by its own petard,'' the party said.

Backing up its claims that the Jonathan Administration is profiting from the Boko Haram insurgency, it said the PDP is using the crisis to launder the image of the Jonathan presidency by securing attendance and participation for President Jonathan at important international summits and meetings. 

''Curiously, Boko Haram has become a way of getting the international community to talk and meet with President Jonathan and gain international media coverage. The PDP-federal government is also using the Boko Haram crisis, especially the #Bringbackourgirls campaign, to blackmail the main opposition party and the Civil Society, impose emergency rule in states and areas controlled by opposition political parties, harass and restrict media freedom (through military clampdowns), and to justify other illegal activities.

''The Boko Haram crisis is readily used by the PDP to rationalize the Jonathan Administration's abdication of its constitutional responsibilities, including visits and assistance to areas affected and effective response to kidnappings and abductions (e.g. the Administration was silent over the Chibok girls kidnaps for over 15 days). Little wonder that it took the visit of the Pakistani girl education campaigner Malala to Nigeria to force President Jonathan to now promise to meet the parents of the over 200 school girls who were abducted over three months ago in Chibok.

''Under the guise of ensuring security, the Maiduguri Airport has been closed, hence the Borno Governor and the people of the state, including the pilgrims heading to less Hajj, have been forced to travel by road to Kano to board their flights. However, the reason for shutting the airport has suddenly vanished as the private plane bearing Ali Modu Sheriff was allowed to land at the airport on Monday, the same day the Governor had to travel by road to Kano to see his brother who was involved in an accident on the same road!

''It is also not a secret that billions of Naira have been allocated to security in order to tackle the Boko Haram menace, yet our troops have not been adequately equipped to confront the insurgency. One wonders what happened to the huge funds allocated to the anti-terror fight. Against the backdrop of the huge war-chest that the Jonathan Administration has amassed ahead of the 2015 elections, one can easily understand who such funds have evaporated into thin air.

''Also, the Boko Haram crisis and the Jonathan Administration's response to it must be seen in the context of 2015 elections. The status quo favours the PDP and President Jonathan. Why? Because Boko Haram affected areas and indeed the Northern region are opposition strongholds, hence the Administration is hoping that the Boko Haram crisis, the declaration of emergency rule and general atmosphere of insecurity in the North will lead to the cancellation of voting in some areas and limit voters’ turnout in general, a development which the PDP believes will minimize its electoral losses in the North and enhance the likelihood of a PDP victory,'' APC said.

The party reiterated its position on the Boko Haram crisis, saying it has no links whatsoever to the terror group and challenged anyone with contrary information and proof to present such to Nigerians without delay.

It also restated its earlier recommendations for resolving the crisis, saying any solution that will be effective must be multi-faceted, since scorched-earth military tactics alone have failed to quell the insurgency

''The Nigerian government, if indeed it is interested in ending the Boko Haram insurgency, must integrate military action with a clear political strategy as well as socio-economic initiatives.

''In the short-term, law enforcement and security action must bring violent situations under control. Then a clear political strategy must be integrated with law enforcement and security operations with an unambiguous intent of political dialogue and negotiation as the basis for sustainable peace and security. Finally, socio-economic initiatives that align with security and political components must be integrated into the efforts

''The structural conditions (undercurrents) of sub-national violence in Nigeria must be tackled holistically through credible policies, programmes and investments in youth-related services such as employment, vocational skills training, education, agriculture, electricity supply, roads and micro-credit,'' APC said

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Lagos, July 15th 2014

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC members being denied Permanent Voters Cards ah...

All Progressives Congress (APC): APC members being denied Permanent Voters Cards ah...: The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm that its members in Osun State are being denied their Permanent Voters Ca...

APC members being denied Permanent Voters Cards ahead of Aug. 9th election in Osun - APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm that its members in Osun State are being denied their Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) by INEC, in what seems a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise them in the Aug. 9th governorship election in the state, since only those who possess PVCs will be allowed to vote.

In a statement issued in Benin on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said INEC has resorted to asking those who daily throng its offices in Osun which party they belong to, and that almost all those who have identified themselves as APC members have been told their PVCs are not ready.

''This is nothing but systematic rigging from source,'' it said, wondering why INEC, which is expected to be a neutral umpire in the election, will resort to actions that portray it as partisan and bereft of credibility.

APC wondered whether this is the reason why INEC had to push its REC in Osun aside to pave the way for a malleable REC who will do the bidding of the PDP.

The party challenged the INEC leadership to wade into the delay in the distribution of PVCs in Osun, since it is possible that this planned disenfranchisement of APC members may be the handwork of some compromised INEC officials in the state.

It said if INEC cannot ensure that all prospective voters in the state will get their PVCs before the Aug. 9th election, the electoral commission should do the needful by allowing all those who can present their temporary voters cards to exercise their franchise on election day.

''Anything short of an urgent resolution of the PVC crisis, which may have been instigated deliberately by unscrupulous elements within INEC, will not augur well for a free, fair and credible election on Aug. 9th,'' APC said.

The party recalled that since it first raised the alarm over the PVC shenanigans in Osun, via a statement it issued on July 6th, the situation has gone from bad to worse, without INEC speaking out publicly to refute the charges of deliberately disenfranchising opposition voters in order to give an unfair advantage to the PDP.

''The continued denial of APC members in Osun of their PVCs and the silence of INEC over the issue have given us a serious cause for concern, and we are calling on INEC to resolve the issues we have raised if indeed the commission has no plan to collude with the PDP to rig the Aug. 9th election in Osun,'' the party said.

''When the referee decides to play for one of the teams he is supposed to preside over in a critical match, there can be no grounds to continue with the match or repose any confidence in the calls made by the referee. We sincerely hope INEC is listening.

''We also call on local and international observers to take more than a passing interest in the pre-election processes in Osun, especially the issue of whether or not all those who registered to vote are able to do so without a colluding electoral commission preventing them from exercising their franchise,'' it said.

Alhaji Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Lagos, July 14th 2014