How Ministers, Governors Sabotaged Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan etched his name in gold in history books when he called president-elect, Gen Muhammadu Buhari (retd) on March 31, to congratulate him even before the result of the presidential election had been completely collated and the winner declared by the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC).

But while it would appear to all that President Jonathan has already moved on after conceding defeat, LEADERSHIP Sunday can authoritatively report that he is nursing the sting of betrayal by his close allies, which led to his loss at the polls.

According to reliable presidency sources, beyond the pain of losing out, he is disappointed that despite assurances from his cabinet members and other trusted political appointees as well as high ranking officials of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that they had vigorously campaigned and sold his achievements to the people and were sure from feelers they were receiving that he would be re-elected, it turned out that they had in fact, not campaigned for him as they made it seem.

The president, it was gathered is particularly peeved by the action of some governors of Northern and North-Central states where he suffered the worst defeat.

Of the 19 states in the north, the PDP, the president’s party only won the presidential election in Plateau, Nasarawa and Taraba.

LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered that the sum of N500million was given as campaign fund to each state but those who the funds were entrusted to, rather than use the money for the purpose it was meant, held on to it. The money was disbursed through PDP-led state governors and cabinet ministers or political appointees in opposition-led states.

In Ondo State for instance, LEADERSHIP gathered that the money was disbursed through one of the principal presidency officials from the state but as at night fall on the election eve, the official was yet to deliver the money to the state governor for the campaigns. The leadership of the PDP in the state, it was learnt, resorted to calling managers of banks in the state late in the night on the eve of the presidential election to ask for funds but could only get very little, by which time there wasn’t enough time to reach out to a large number of electorate in the state.

A similar scenario reportedly played out in Oyo State where a minister from the state who was entrusted with the campaign funds allegedly held onto the money. In Kogi State where the PDP also lost out in the presidential election, LEADERSHIP sources said money for the election was also diverted to other uses such as payment of debts, hence the abysmal result the party got in the state.

The abysmal performance of the party in Benue, Bauchi and Kano states, where the PDP has two governors, a Senate president, national chairman of the party and three cabinet ministers, Gabriel Suswam, Isa Yuguda, David Mark, Adamu Muazu, Bala Mohammed, Ibrahim Shekarau and Aminu Wali, respectively, but could not garner votes for the president, was also said to have drawn his ire.

Our source said the president despite having received security reports that a high ranking official of the party was allegedly covertly working for the opposition was particularly annoyed that he had trusted the said official and waved the reports.

Sources in Kaduna State where the vice president, Namadi Sambo hails from and where there is a PDP government in charge, also informed LEADERSHIP Sunday that in one of the local governments in Southern Kaduna, only N100,000 was allotted to two polling units in one of the wards with a voting population of over 1,000 people in sharp contrast with the situation in some local governments in Edo State, where eligible voters with Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) were given N2000 each to vote for the party, hence the success recorded.

Recall that few days before the election, LEADERSHIP Sunday’s sister publication, LEADERSHIP, had exclusively reported that allegations of embezzlement and diversion of campaign funds were rife in the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO).

According to the report, coordinators of some of President Jonathan’s campaign groups as well as state and zonal coordinators were taking steps to ensure that they did not lose out completely, in the event that he does not win. LEADERSHIP’s investigations in Abuja revealed that the coordinators, rather than use the money for campaigns, had been scouting the Abuja property market with dollars, acquiring choice property. The campaigners, it was gathered, rather than use the money for the purpose it is meant, have resorted to investing the money in property, so that in the event that their candidate does not emerge, they would have something to fall back on.

Real estate agents privy to the development told LEADERSHIP Sunday that since the campaigns began and particularly after the postponement of the elections, there had been an upswing in the number of persons looking to buy property and most of them who usually pay in dollars had been linked to the campaign.

Recall also that about two weeks before the presidential and National Assembly election, there was a free-for-all among some PDP officials in Ogun State, following the failure of those entrusted with the money to release same to campaign coordinators across the state. It was gathered that the campaign coordinators suspected foul play when the money which was to be shared among 708 of them was not, over claims that it was yet to be paid into a certain designated bank account.

Similarly, another report had it that a former governor deeply involved in President Jonathan’s re-election campaign had rather than use money given to him for campaign, deposited it in a bank for it to yield interest and possibly remain there till after the election, after which it will be forgotten and he would convert it to personal use.

Sources within the president’s campaign organisation, said such funds were being used by those they were entrusted with as they pleased and that the situation had compelled the president to personally take charge of his campaign especially in the Northern and South-Western parts of the country.

At the time of the report, a high ranking member of the campaign organisation had confirmed to LEADERSHIP that the headquarters of the campaign organisation was in the know of the development.

“State coordinators are responsible for mobilising and organising campaign rallies in their respective states while zonal coordinators do same for zonal campaigns and when people from the headquarters attend such rallies, they take note of the lapses in planning for further action. The money for such organisation and mobilisation is disbursed by the PDPPCO.

“It has come to the knowledge of the campaign organisation that some coordinators have been telling party members that the money given to them is not sufficient to do what they expect of them but this is not true. They have been given adequate funds. However, the matter cannot be handled now till after the election when the coordinators would be required to retire their spending. The focus right now is on the election,” he said.

It was further gathered that while collation of results was on-going on March 31, after the result of Delta State was presented and it became imminent that Jonathan had lost out, as results from Sokoto, Borno and Yobe were still being expected, some allies of Jonathan met him at the Presidential Villa, where they reportedly prevailed on him to stop further collation and announcement of the results.

While the desperadoes were trying frantically to make Jonathan see reason why he should not accept the outcome of the poll, people on the other divide, led by former head of state, Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar, who were for peace urged Jonathan not to allow the moment of making history slip by.

The president eventually, the source said, rebuffed them saying after failing to convince people to vote for him, they were now suggesting ideas that would set the country on fire.

Following the president’s refusal to play ball, his allies who by now had realised that they would also lose out if he is not re-elected, immediately reached out to the party’s representatives at the collation centre, Dr. Bello Fadile, who is also a director in the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, following which Orubebe disrupted collation of results for several minutes, citing INEC’s refusal to attend to a protest by the PDP over results from some Northern states whereas the commission had set up a committee to investigate allegations against the party in Rivers State.

Jonathan, our sources said, called and ordered Orubebe to desist from further disrupting the collation process, failing which he would be whisked out by security operatives, which explains why Orubebe who had earlier rebuffed all entreaties to retreat from the podium, suddenly went back to his seat and remained calm for the rest of the exercise.

The source said that following the development, the president had directed that certain members of the party including governors of some Northern states should not be allowed access to him for now, “and that is why it was only governors of South-East and South-West states that paid him a visit on Monday. The only Northern Governor on the entourage was the Plateau governor. The party won in his state.”

Meanwhile, governors, states chairmen and governorship candidates of the party have been strategising on how to win the governorship and state assembly elections this Saturday. They met at the national headquarters of the party in Abuja, on Friday.

Mu’azu Blames Loss On Voter Apathy

The national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday blamed President Jonathan’s loss in last Saturday’s presidential election on voter apathy.

Mu’azu however charged all PDP gubernatorial candidates in the April 11 polls to guard against the bandwagon effect that could arise from the presidential election.

Mu’azu, in a statement signed by his media aide, Tony Amadi, said, expressed hope that the governorship election will certainly provide the PDP a soft-landing after conceding the presidency to the All Progressives Congress in the presidential election and urged the PDP faithful to pick up the pieces and ensure that they return quickly to the party’s old winning ways.

“There should be no room for voter apathy that was a major factor to our losing the presidential election. While our opponents were savouring their famous victory, we should out flank them and corner at least two thirds of the states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is not an impossible target if we return to our elements with immediate effect. We have done it before and we can do it again. Nothing will be sweeter than PDP taking Lagos, our own Rivers State and Imo. Our candidates in these states are first class material who have fully penetrated the political structures of those states and are set to win.

“Our target in this remaining election should be to retain our present states and then sink our teeth into the heart of our political opponents and show that their presidential victory is nothing more than a one-off that won’t be repeated in a long while,” he noted.

Muazu, in the statement, recalled that earlier in the week, he had reminded gubernatorial candidates of the party at Wadata House that one thing that won’t happen in the gubernatorial race is “the so called bandwagon effect. The reason is simple. Our party is used to bouncing back whenever we experience a setback.

“The PDP in the past 16 years of democracy has maintained fair play consistently, this much the APC admitted in their response to President Jonathan’s speech conceding to President-elect General Muhammdu Buhari.”

He emphasised that the key to winning the remaining election was heavy turnout and voting the PDP all the way.

“There should be no tactical voting. Be consistent in your support for the party. What we experienced in the presidential election is merely a hiccup which we must cast out in the gubernatorial polls. All PDP supporters must remember their pedigree, our track record and history of the party and the source of our electoral feats of the last 16 years. We are the reason that democracy has taken root in Nigeria since 1999. This is something every member of our great party should be very proud of.

“We have only lost a battle but the war to bring our country to the highest level of democratic governance is still to be won or lost. Our governorship candidates should go out and finish the good fight and come up trumps in the remaining gubernatorial and houses of assembly election on 11th April. We remain the winning party and by God’s special grace, we shall win again and again.”

Election result: Orlu Zone boils, over Uzodinma’s manipulation

The alleged manipulation of Imo West Senatorial, Orlu Zone result by incumbent Senator, Hope Uzodinma who is also the PDP candidate in the March 28 election has thrown the zone into serious crises.
Youths from all the 12 LGAs in Orlu Zone in their thousands trouped out massively at INEC office, Orlu the State headquarters along Port-Harcourt Road, Assumpta Roundabout and Orlu Road junction to demonstrate their grievances over alleged fraudulent activities of the PDP Senatorial Candidate who was fingered in electoral fraud.
Their protest was massively carried out under the canopy of National Council of Orlu Youths under the leadership of Comrade Chukwuemeka Oguaju.
Speaking to newsmen during their protest, the president of the group stated in clear terms that they voted for Goodluck Jonathan, but totally rejected Uzodimma at the polls because his tenure was a total disappointment to the good people of Orlu Zone.
He maintained that results collated at various polling booths obviously showed that he failed woefully as the people rejected him.
The youth leader explained that they did not vote for the PDP senatorial candidate because his tenure was deceitful and an abysmal failure.
According to him the protesting indigenes of Orlu Zone from the 12 LGAs are members of APC, PPP, APGA Accord, and other political parties who were totally displeased with his unreproductive representation.
He maintained that reports of many results obtained from various polling booths disclosed that he lost totally and called for a declaration of the authentic result.
The protesting youths lamented bitterly that election was not held in Oguta, Oru East and some wards in the zone, but to their greatest surprise Senator Uzodimma allegedly manufactured results to favour him.
In straight and clear terms, they called for the cancellation of the result or a rerun of all the areas irregularities were championed in the zone by Uzodima alleging that he criminally hijacked the process. When interviewed, Miss Doris Chime Duru from Njaba stated categorically that Uzodimma manipulated the electoral process with some INEC officials. She
pointed out clearly that it was not a credible, free and fair election due to high level of electoral fraud manifested by the PDP candidate.
Another indigene of Orlu Zone Mr. Okolike Godstime from Ideato North explained the incumbent Senator raped democracy when he fraudulently diverted and prevented the process just to deny the people the opportunity to choose their representative.
The National Council of Orlu Youths also accused the incumbent senator of wasting lives of four Orlu youths who was allegedly killed by his hired thugs during the senatorial election.

Amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914

Before the advent of the British colonialists (as preferred by Dr. Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe first ceremonial president of Nigeria) and not colonial masters, Nigeria as a socio-political entity was neither in existence nor contemplated; the territories that now make up Nigeria existed in fragments.  We have the Benin Empire, the Lower Niger Kingdoms (popularly referred to as the Oil Rivers), the Fulani Empire of Zodge (later referred to as Sokoto), and the Kanem-Borno Empire.  In addition, there were the Oduduwa Empire of the Yoruba, and the Aro-Chukwu Empire of the Ibo. Another was the Aboh Empire that sprang from the Benin Empire. 

However, there was no systematic contact between one empire and the other.  There were isolated trade contacts among the people of the Lower Niger Kingdom and the Benin Kingdom.  Different names were used for the territories now incorporated in Nigeria and the whole area was referred to as the Hausa Territories, the Niger Empire, the Niger Sudan and the Niger Coast Protectorates.  In January 1894, Miss Flora Shaw, a journalist with the Times newspaper on colonial affairs, wrote an article and suggested the name ‘Nigeria’ for all the territories around the River Niger. In 1902, Miss Flora Shaw was married to Sir Frederick Lord Lugard who was at that time the High Commissioner for the protectorate of Northern Nigeria, who was also destined to become the Governor General of Nigeria.  In other words, the naming of a nation was a woman’s suggestion to her husband who was in a position of authority to implement it. 

The Nigerian state, created in 1914, as an act of British colonialism, by the amalgamation of two existing British colonial states, the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria and the Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria was 100 years old on the 1^st day of January 2014.  It is most appropriate at this point to define the meaning and effect of ‘amalgamation’.  Obviously, amalgamation means the fusing or merging of two bodies or entities into one, with the result that both cease to exist and are replaced by the new body or entity.  In other words, on their amalgamation in 1914, the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria and the Colony and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria ceased to exist as separate legal entities and were replaced by a single entity called the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. 

Many Nigerians have aired their views on the amalgamation that is now 100 years.  A former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Professor Tam David-West, stated without mincing words that the country exists along ethnic and religious divides, insisting that there was nothing to celebrate because the amalgamation was a mistake.  This is because from 1914 till date, Nigeria cannot showcase any tangible achievements.  We are yet to get a nation because we don’t love ourselves.  We are still living with ethnic sentiment.  We still have divisions along ethnic and religious lines.  Therefore, there is need for us to have a behavioural rebirth as well as truly people or autochthonous constitution to move the country forward.  The amalgamation in 1914 was by treaty, obviously, in international law, any treaty that is not dated expires after 100 years and invariably marks the end of the country as it ceases to be legal entity.  However, let us take the confab seriously to avoid imminent danger that can lead to break-up.  The way things are currently in Nigeria, peaceful breakup is not possible and nothing should be done by anybody to plunge our country, the giant of Africa into another civil war, no nation can survive two civil wars.  However, the problem of insecurity in the country needs to be urgently and adequately addressed for the benefits of all Nigerians.

It is a truism to say that before 1906, the territory was administered as three separate units; the Lagos Protectorate, the Southern Protectorate and the Northern Protectorate. In 1906, the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria was merged with the Lagos Protectorate and brought under one administration but the Northern Protectorate was administered separately.  The circumstances that forced the British Government to amalgamate the Northern Protectorate with the Southern Protectorate in January 1, 1914 were motivated neither by political exigencies nor by a closer cultural understanding among the diverse elements of conglomeration that was later to be called Nigeria.  It was abundantly clear that the primary interest of the British administration was economic.  It was also crystal clear that the Northern Protectorate because of its geographical location and cloudy economic prospects was not likely to be viable.  No doubt, the Lugard’s administration was finding it rather difficult to maintain the Northern Protectorate which was already running into deficit. 

Speaking on the financial difficulties of the north and the anticipated prosperity that would follow the projected amalgamation of the Northern Protectorate with the Southern Protectorate, Lugard stated that the prosperity of the Southern Protectorate as evidenced by the liquor trade had risen over 57%.  The liquor trade alone yielded revenue of one million one hundred and thirty-eight thousand pounds in 1913.  This, he believed was the result of the amalgamation of the Lagos Protectorate with the Southern Protectorate which constituted a perpetual drain on the purse of the British taxpayers. Obviously, the Northern administration could not have survived without the imperial grant-in-aid which in the year before the amalgamation stood at one hundred and thirty-six thousand pounds and had an average of three hundred and fourteen thousand five hundred pounds for the 11 years ending March 1912.  However, the burden of financing Northern Nigeria seemed to have been revisited, if not successfully, at least bitterly, by the southerners.  The expenditure of the British taxpayers’ money in financing a colonial territory was a contradiction of the British Colonial policy, enunciated sixty years before by Earl Grey, which stipulated that “the surest test for the soundness of measures for improvement at an uncivilized people is that they should be self-supporting”.  In addition, the Northern Protectorate was not only landlocked, but hounded by territories that fell under the influence of other European times.  It was therefore inconceivable how the economic position could have improved without aid from the South. 

Commenting on his appointment of Sir Lugard as the man for the amalgamation, Harcourt, the Colonial Secretary referred to his foresightedness in the creation of Northern Nigeria, and believed that Lugard “reclaimed it from the known… gave it a legal code, and established land systems.  This may be a model and inspiration to other protectorates”.  In his views, Lugard amalgamated Nigeria, much was expected of Lugard.  Since Lugard wanted to live up to his expectation was evident in his determination to be the final judge of what was good for Nigeria and in his refusal to accept advice from his colleagues.  It was quite true that E. D. Morel in what he described as the “unauthorised scheme for amalgamation” proposed breaking the country into four provinces namely the Central State with Zungeru as the headquarters, the Northern State with Kano as the headquarters, the Western State with Oshogbo as the headquarters, and the Eastern State with Calabar as the headquarters.  The Central State was to be bound on Southwest by the River Niger, on the South-Southeast by the Benue River, and was to include the Tiv areas, up to the southern portion of Zaria Emirate, the Provinces of Bauchi, Niger, Yola, Muri, and Nasarawa.  The Western Provincial state with its capital at Oshogbo was to include Ilorin and Kabba Provinces, the Mid-Western Nigeria, and the whole of Yoruba territories west of the Niger.  The Eastern Province with headquarters in Calabar was to include all the territories south of the River Benue and East of the River Niger, but excluding the Cameroons under German occupation.  The Northern Province was to include all the Emirates with Islamic civilisation.  One important advantage in Morel’s scheme was the isolation and the homogenisation of the Muslim emirates where at least Islamic civilisation would have been left intact. 

If the association was achieved, there would have been two major consequences.  There would have been clear separation of the Muslims from the non-Muslims of the North especially the TIV.  This would have averted frequent conflicts between the TIV and the Northern Nigerian Government, conflict that helped prepare the ground for the 1966 military coup.  Another is that the Yorubas who are now lumped up with other Muslims in the North would have been able to join other Yorubas  of the Western Region of Nigeria. Incidentally, these two points which were un-cleared in 1911 remained to plague Nigerian politics.  Morel’s intention was to provide for the division of the country into province in line with the natural geographic boundaries and existing political conditions, involving a few changes.  Morel’s scheme seemed to have contracted the Lugard’s proposals, because Lugard wanted the North intact, and the separation of the North and the South carried to other spheres like the introduction of the Provincial Court Ordinance.  Morel on the other hand saw the end to these separatist tendencies as the only panacea for the division and antagonism between the North and the South.  Lugard rejected Morel’s proposals because he had been critical of colonial policy as the editor of the African Mail.  Lugard also rejected the advice of his lieutenant governor for the Northern Province.  Temple advocated breaking the country into seven provinces, three in the North and four in the South.  There were other issues on which Lord Lugard erred and invoked upon himself the criticism of his opponents. http://www.ndokwareporters.com/amalgamation-of-northern-and-southern-nigeria-in-1914-was-it-a-mistake-by-charles-ikedikwa-soeze/

Important Quote

Interesting...

Commissioner in Akwa-Ibom State kneels for the state's first lady- Mrs Akpabio

PDP: Multimillion Dollars Massive Shakedown Scheme Loot Tears Mu’azu, Sekondus Apart

SAN FRANCISCO, March 16, (THEWILL) –  With barely two weeks to the general elections, the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Adamu Mu’azu and his deputy, Chief Uche Sekondus, are presently engaged in a cold war over the chairman’s alleged refusal to part with some of the cash he received from aspirants in what informed sources described as a huge shakedown scheme allegedly perpetrated by Mu’azu to squeeze cash out of aspirants who wanted to emerge flag bearers of the party at the primaries, THEWILL can authoritatively report.

Sources close to both men told THEWILL that the cordial relations between the two leaders turned frosty when Mu’azu, who is presently out of favour with President Goodluck Jonathan, allegedly refused to give Sekondus a slice from the funds estimated by our sources to be around $200 million (N450 billion).

The bickering over the funds has also fragmented the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) with members’ loyalty divided between both leaders, THEWILL can report.

The funds were said to have been received before the December primaries of the party from mostly governorship and national assembly aspirants as well as their promoters.

It was authoritatively gathered that some governorship aspirants paid out as much as $10 million to Mu’azu who in turn allowed them handpick delegates as well as electoral officers for their primaries.

However, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has opened investigations into one of the dealings where Ndudi Elumelu, a governorship aspirant from Delta State, was allegedly made to pay about N750 million but eventually failed to clinch the party’s ticket.

THEWILL sources said the corruption in the party has spread to the presidential campaign organisation where members have been stealing funds meant for the campaign organization, a problem that has forced President Jonathan to personally supervise his uphill bid for reelection on March 28, 2015. http://thewillnigeria.com/news/pdp-multimillion-dollars-massive-shakedown-scheme-loot-tears-muazu-sekondus-apart/

Kofi Annan and his Education Theory