Headline

Pendulum: There Was a Party: Who Has Jazzed APC

Published

5 years ago

November 10, 2018

Eric

By Dele Momodu

Fellow Nigerians, let me state once again that I have never been a member of Nigeria’s ruling party, APC, but I was almost a fanatical supporter of its Presidential flagbearer, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, in the 2015 Presidential election. The reason was simple. We were mostly tired of PDP after wasting loads of opportunities in 16 years. Even hardened members of that Party would readily admit to their myriads of gaffes, faux pas, misfortune and misadventure which seemed uncontrollable over those unfortunate years, particularly in the last days of the Jonathan administration. Despite our strident pleas for sanity to prevail, the party pressed on with its crass arrogance that it can rule with impunity for eternity. For that reason, we desperately craved a change and the amalgamation, or cocktail, of political parties called APC was forged in that season of the rape of Nigerian people. With PDP’s unrelenting assault on the people despite the emergence of the mega political party called APC, that party became too attractive to ignore or resist and Nigerians openly welcomed the Party and its charismatic leader, General Muhammadu Buhari, as their saviour.

The choice of Buhari was both divine and coincidental. Many of those who had opposed and rejected him as an untouchable entity for various reasons which are now well known were forced to embrace him on his fourth attempt at seeking the Holy Grail of the Nigerian Presidency. Our theory was rather simple or too over-simplistic: the enemy of your enemy is your friend. At any rate, Buhari won and the rest is history.

The meat of the story is that the APC that took over from PDP under four years ago and what was envisaged by most Nigerians to be the beginning of unity of progressive forces has suddenly become the nightmare prospect of a party in disarray and almost in tatters. It is unbelievable that a party that came into power with so much promise and uncommon goodwill has virtually frittered away its humongous equity. It has become very tempting to see APC as a victim of hypnotism and jazz, a truly Nigerian phenomenon that besets some good ventures and deeds. In case you are not familiar with those terms in the Nigerian context, let me explain what I mean in a jiffy. I don’t know how much of superstitions still exist in our world today, but I think it is still big enough to affect the way we live, in Africa in general, and Nigeria in particular. Everything bad is attributed to evil machinations of the enemies and the devil. It’s so bad that if you have headache, your wicked enemies are said to be squarely responsible. To put it bluntly, someone must have used juju on you. Juju is supposed to be a kind of talismanic weapon capable of having devastating effect on the victim. Almost everyone believes in the efficacy of juju, including those who pretend to be holier than the Pope. That is why we hear of a lot of Islamic and Christian leaders paying nocturnal visits to the haunts inhabited by alleged practitioners of the dark and arcane art of Juju. Many tend to hate the concept of juju or traditional medicine, but deep down, they still feel it works wonders.

In our days as pioneer JAMBITES at the then University of Ife, from 1978, we decided to funkify the concept of juju or “oogun abenugongo.” As a student of Yoruba language and literature, we studied the cultural aspect of Yoruba in-depth and came to the conclusion that there were esoteric powers that exist with or without our knowledge. In order not to sound crude, we came up with the term jazz. It is difficult to know where it originated from. “You have been jazzed” was a popular cliché on campus. It was a way of telling you things were not normal with you or there is more than meets the eye in your matter. Some powerful enemies are on your case!

The matter of APC thus looks extraordinary. It is difficult not to imagine that APC has been jazzed, hypnotised, mesmerised or spellbound by some powerful, possibly extra-terrestrial forces and influences, walahi. They have apparently learnt no lessons whatsoever from our very recent history and the crisis that rocked PDP and brought it catastrophically to its knees and paved the way for Buhari to become President and the party to gain ascendancy at the centre. The current situation of APC appears abysmally worse than that of PDP pre-2015, when some influential leaders of PDP left the party and teamed up with others to form APC and then proceeded to work assiduously to change government. I can’t remember PDP breaking up to as many warring groups as there are in APC today. It is unthinkable that a ruling party facing major elections in barely three months from now would engage in this stultifying war of attrition. This is why many have come to the conclusion that some juju men and fetish women are working hard on bringing the APC government down at the polls next year.

Whenever the APC hardliners get some sober moment for reflection, they should please consider the following. It is doubtful if the APC has gained new members substantially since it came to power in 2015. As a matter of fact, it seems the party has lost control in many States of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I have never seen members of a political party descend so viciously and violently against its party Chairman like they have done, and doing, to my former Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who was only recently overwhelmingly supported, by the Governors of APC, as Party Chairman. No sooner than he took power than the bubbles began to burst. At the point Comrade came on board, it was as if the former Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun was the arch-enemy of the party he had helped nurture from infancy. Oshiomhole was the much needed angel of mercy and life-saver.

Uncle Adams settled in quickly, but not before he had fired darts at those he considered internal saboteurs. He embarked on a reconciliation process of party chieftains, an exercise at which the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had only just recently appeared to have failed woefully. Even Comrade Adams was unable to bring any camaraderie to the process and his undoubted efforts were not enough to stop party chieftains in the Senate, House of Representatives and Governors of some states from making a wholesale departure from the party that had suddenly become afflicted with the plague of carpet-crossing and defection. Whilst we thought that the party would quickly heal its near mortal wounds and come together in a show of unity we were to have our hopes dashed as very quickly the messianic party seemed to unravel like a ball of wool.

The crux of the matter was the party primaries which has led almost to a fatal implosion in the party. No zone appears to have been spared in this folly apart from the North Central zone of the country.

Perhaps the State that best demonstrates the massive problems facing the party in terms of a total lack of cohesion is Adamawa State, in the North East of the country, where the Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari sought to install her younger brother, Mahmood Halidu, as the Governorship candidate of the Party for the State. She lamented the lack of transparency and deceny in the conduct of the party primaries which had been manipulated to give automatic tickets to anointed candidates despite the fact that other candidates had been encouraged to purchase nomination forms at exorbitant prices. She declared that this was not in consonance with the party’s change mantra or the perception of the new national chairman of the party, comrade Adams, who should have stood for the common man and fairness. She ended her homily to the party faithful by urging them to “vote wisely”, an apparent indictment of her husband’s party. It is a sad state of affairs when the President cannot hold the home front and the “other room” just months before the election and the condemnation of the party by the Wife of the President speaks volumes about the unity and preparation of the party for these pivotal elections.

Another calamity arose from the party primaries in Zamfara State in the North West Zone of the country. The situation got so bad that INEC declared that no primaries had been held in accordance with its guidelines and that no candidate of the APC would be eligible to contest the forthcoming elections for that reason. This position remains complicated and it is distressing that a party in power could not get its act together in such a crucial state and that by virtue of the intransigence of its party members in Zamfara State the PDP as the other leading party would clearly waltz its way into all the elective pisitions including that of governor, in that State. What a crying shame!

Also, in the North Western State of Kaduna, there is intra party feuding between the incumbent Governor, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and Senator Shehu Sani. The Senator had been in a running battle with theGovernor for a long time, but matters came to a boil with the conduct of the party primaries which naturally was skewed in favour of the Governor. The Senator who had stuck by the party when the gale of defections decimated the party’s ranks decided that enough was enough! He asserted that honour, integrity and internal democracy which he had believed would be the ethos and norm of the parry had been jettisoned and for this reason he resigned and has now joined the People’s Redemption Party to contest the election as the gubernatorial candidate of that party.

The misfortune that has befallen the APC arising form the party primaries is not limited to the Northern part of the country alone. The same situation has been replicated in equally pronounced form in Imo State in the South East Zone, Rivers State in the South South Zone and Ogun State in the South West Zone.

In Imo State, the incumbent Governor, Rochas Okorocha, who is completing his second term in office decided that he would only hand over the mantle of Governor of the State to his son-in-law, Ugwumba Uche Nwosu rather than Senator Hope Uzodinma who is the preferred choice of the National Executive and the acclaimed winner of the party primaries. The National Secretariat kicked against this contending that Rochas himself had already been handed an automatic ticket as a Senatorial candidate of the party. There was no justification for imposing his son-in-law on the people of Imo State and the party has stuck to its guns. Naturally, Rochas has been insistent, pouring acidic vituperation and invective on the party executive and particularly the national chairman, Adams Oshiomole. However, it is noteworthy that the impasse has continued with the submission of the party’s candidates for elections into State offices and no candidate has been presented to INEC as APC Governorship candidate for Imo State.

Perhaps nowhere has the battle line between the party executive and an incumbent Governor been more starkly drawn than in Ogun State, in the South West of Nigeria. There Senator Ibikunle Amosun who is, like Okorocha, serving out his second term embroiled in a royal titanic battle with Prince Dapo Abiodun, billionaire business magnate and chairman of the Corporate Affiars Commission as to who will succeed Amosun as Governor of the State. Whist Abiodun has the full backing of Oshiomole and the party executive and ostensibly won the party primaries conducted by the National executive and observed by INEC, Amosun is standing staunchly in support of Hon. Abdulkadir Adekunle Akinlade, a federal legislator representing Ogun State in the House of Representatives. Akinlade, who had initially been declared as the APC consensus gubernatorial candidate by Amosun, subsequently won a direct primary election organised by the State Executive of the Party with the Secretary to the State Government, Taiwo Adeoluwa, as the Chief Returning Officer. The insults, slurs and vitriol emanating from both camps are simply too venomous and considering these are members of the same party, the damage to the party is best left to the imagination. Abiodun and Oshiomole seem to have prevailed as it is Abiodun’s name that has been announced by INEC.

The debacle has reached comical proportions with some APC governors accusing Oshiomhole of fraud and corruption and the DSS which is in the control of the party arresting, detaining and questioning him over these allegations. Oshiomhole upon release travelled to the UK although his return to the country is said to be imminent.

Again, we pray that APC finds its mojo and resolves these intractable differences otherwise its fortunes will be non-existent at the polls next year.

Headline

Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway: Prioritize Existing Unfinished Projects, Peter Obi Tells FG

Published

1 day ago

April 22, 2024

Eric

Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, has advised the federal government to prioritize existing unfinished projects spread across the country instead of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project.

Obi, in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, stated that the project was a misplaced priority given the numerous unfinished roads throughout the country.

The former governor of Anambra State mentioned that the budget allocated to the Ministry of Works is insufficient for significant progress on the country’s various unfinished roads, much less their completion.

Obi therefore, advised that the government prioritize the existing infrastructural projects in the country before embarking on any new and colossal projects like the Lagos-Calabar super highway project.

“The Federal Ministry of Works 2024 capital budget of N892,461,262,656.00, additional funding from multilateral loan projects of N94,828,535,243.00, alongside other expected contributions from sources like the China-Exim Bank and the World Bank, will not be enough for serious work on all the critical roads, some of which I enumerated above, let alone their completion.

So, why embark on another huge project that will not be completed in the next 20 or 30 years?

“To do so will only exacerbate the problem of abandoned, uncompleted projects that are not contributing to economic growth and overall development.

“Therefore, while acknowledging the potential benefits of coastal superhighway infrastructure, I urge prioritization of our existing uncompleted projects. We must allocate resources towards repairing and completing existing infrastructure.

“In any development formula, the primary focus should be on completing and rehabilitating existing infrastructure rather than embarking on colossal new projects that may never reach completion within the next 30 years,” Obi said.

Back in March, the Federal Government began constructing the 700-kilometer Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, designed to extend through 9 states with two spurs leading to the Northern States.

Recall that former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, had earlier described the project as a fraud.

“Umahi had announced that Hitech would fully fund the project, and based on this, there was no competitive bidding. He (Umahi) then said that Hitech could only raise just 6% of the money for the pilot phase. This smacks of deceit,” Atiku said.

Headline

2027 Presidential Race: Opposition Parties Under Attack

Published

2 days ago

April 21, 2024

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

While it is still a whole three years before the next general election in 2027, The Boss has learnt that opposition parties in the countries are being muffled to pave the way for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to return to, and retain power.

From the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the Labour Party (LP), and down to the New Nigerian Peoples Paty (NNPP), crises have engulfed the rank and files, in what a source told this paper was the attempt and making of the ruling party, APC, to decimate, destabilize and make redundant the machineries of the opposition parties.

It is believed that by 2027, the apparatuses holding together the various opposition parties would have weakened irredeemably to the extent the country would seemingly nosedive into the inglorious one party state that every civil right advocate and democrats abhor.

It is alleged that all the crises in all the opposition parties are being engineered by the President Bola Tinubu-led ruling APC, with the hope of getting the fibres of their system weakened, thereby luring the members of the crisis-ridden parties into the APC.

Slightly one year after the last presidential election, the two major opposition platforms, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party, have separately been embroiled in a crisis of confidence which has diminished their capacity to provide viable opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The crises in both opposition parties got to a head. The Labour Party led by its national chairman Julius Abure held its much-opposed national convention which was boycotted by its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi; its only governor, Alex Otti of Abia State; federal and state lawmakers elected on its platform, and the organised Labour.

In the Labour Labour, members have been embroiled in endless battle of supremacy with a faction led by Mr. Apapa steadily contesting the leadership of Julius Abure.

Consequently, the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 elections, Mr. Peter Obi, reverence as a leader in the fold, noting that whatever the party faces presently, that Nigeria’s problems are far bigger than the crises in his party.

The LP has been embroiled in crises — ranging from allegations of misappropriation of funds, and leadership tussle, to calls for the resignation of the party’s national chairman.

TheCable reported that “On March 27, the LP conducted a national convention in Anambra state where Julius Abure was re-elected as its national chairman.

Obi did not attend the convention, fuelling speculations that he may be mulling over ditching the LP for another platform.

Speaking during an appearance on HaveYourSay247, an interactive online session hosted by Rudolf Okonkwo over the weekend, Obi said he is confident that the crises rocking the LP will soon be resolved amicably.

“Whatever is happening in the Labour Party is so minute compared to what is happening in the country,” Obi said.

“So, for me, it is something we will resolve amicably, and it is not anything to worry about. Let us worry about the country.

“Let us worry about how the average Nigerian would be able to have a means of livelihood to be able to eat, that should be our worry.”

Obi said he has no interest in being the party’s leader but only to make sure things are done properly.

“I don’t see what I do in politics as being the leader of any place or not. My position is that just like I always say, I am not desperate to be president of Nigeria, I am desperate to see Nigeria work because I know it can work,” he added.

“We have a more desperate situation. Parties are just a means to be able to contest elections. What is important is that being a leader of a party does not reduce the price of food.

In the PDP, the shenanigans of former Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, has practically kept the party in constant crisis with many observers concluding that the now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is working for the APC, and is just a mole in the PDP. Wike has denied the allegation, however,

But news filtered in last week as that the immediate past Governor of Rivers State, and Minister may have concluded plans to attend the much advertised National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), billed to hold on Thursday, in Abuja.

Impeccable source, who is in the know, told The Boss that the minister, whose membership of the PDP is yet to be revoked even as he frolicks with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and serving in the President Bola Tinubu government as a minister.

The Source told The Boss that Wike’s impending presence at the NEC meeting on Thursday was not unconnected with plans, already hatched with some governors, to weaken the opposition PDP.

“Yes, we have on good authority that FCT minister, Wike is planning to attend the NEC meeting tomorrow all in a bid to weaken the fabrics of the PDP, and pave the way for the continuation of the Tinubu administration come 2027, and by extension, relapse Nigeria to a full blown one party state.

“From every indication, Wike and his co-travellers, are bent on unleashing the same crisis ravaging the third force, Labour Party, and Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso’s Nigerian National People’s Party (NNPP) on the PDP for the APC to remain the only political party in the country, and ensure that Tinubu has no challenger, come 2027,” the Source said.

It would be recalled that Wike has boasted over and again that there’s no opposition against Tinubu’s re-emergence in 2027, and that they have made sure of that. He has been compensated with the Ministerial job after he withdrew support for his party, and supported the APC and Tinubu to emerge as national government.

The Source further revealed that in the attempt to actualize the intended one party state, a lot of funding is ongoing to ensure that concerned stakeholders are ‘settled’ handsomely.

Wike, prior, during and after the 2023 general elections, has been floating in between the two major political parties; the APC and the PDP. While he claim to still be a member of the PDP, he is functioning as a minister in an APC government, mocking the inability of his party to discipline him.

While political stakeholders concluded that the outcome of the Thursday’s PDP NEC meeting will determine the path Nigeria’s political trajectory will take, and that it may portend the end of multi-party system and political democracy if Wike succeeds in his plan; every page of what finally transpired at the meeting pointed to the fact.

The much touted removal of the party chairman, who is believed to be a crony of the Abuja minister, Damagum, retained his seat, with his executives.

“It is very clear to everyone that a lot of money politics is being played to cajole many loyal members of the party, forcing them into frustration, and eventually it of the party. The option afterwards, will be the APC. This, will for all intent and purpose actualize the intended one party state as an APC agenda.

The Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso-led NNPP is not faring better either. The only governor under their ticket, Abba Kabir Yusuf, just had the confidence of their party on him withdrawn. He was fighting for his political life until suddenly it was announced the the APC in Kano has collapsed its structure into the NNPP.

“This is just another APC strategy to actualize their hidden intentions. Time will reveal the very sinister agenda they harboring,” an analyst said.

Much as 2027 is still three years away, but intrigues are in play to render Nigeria a one party state, and perpetuate the APC in power. The three other opposition parties are basically under attack to bring to pass this unpopular agenda.

Headline

Akwa Ibom Government, Governor Umo Eno Receive Top Honors at the 10th Wonders of the World Expo in Lagos

Published

3 days ago

April 21, 2024

Admin

The Akwa Ibom State Government and Governor Pastor Umo Eno were recognized with Travellers Awards at the 10th Wonders of the World Expo in Lagos for their sustained enhancement of infrastructure, support for local talent, and dedication to investment in the tourism sector. The ceremony took place at the National Museum in Onikan, Lagos.

While Akwa Ibom won the Most Active Tourism State of the Year, Governor Eno was adjudged the most Tourism-Friendly Governor of the Year at the event that had Minister of Tourism, Mrs. Lola Ade John in attendance.

According to Amb. Ikechi Uko, Founder/Publisher of ATQ Magazine, the organizers of the event which is in its tenth edition, Akwa Ibom State won the top prize “in recognition of its valiant and resourceful efforts to drive and sustain domestic tourism by promoting the industry.

‘In 2023, Akwa Ibom was one of the states that hosted World Tourism Day (WTD ) events. The state also organized the famous Christmas Unplugged, which featured music, food, and cultures from all 31 LGAs as well as ensured friendly policies.”

While hoping that the Travellers Awards would spur Akwa Ibom to do more to dominate the domestic tourism industry, the organizers hoped that the state would gradually evolve into one of Nigeria’s top international tourism destinations.

That was not all, the state Commissioner of Culture and Tourism, Sir Charles Udoh was also recognized as one of the Top 100 Tourism Personalities in Nigeria for demonstrating exceptional leadership and innovation in the travel and tourism industry, while other Akwa Ibom indigenes and entity were also celebrated: Mrs. Ime Udo, Honorary Special Adviser to the Governor( Tourism) won Tourism Promoter of the Year, Favour Udo won Tourism Photographer of the Year, Loretta Effiong and Prince Uduak Sunday (Qua Tours) were listed among the Tourism Personalities of the Year and Ibom Air won Airline of the Year International.

In his remarks, Sir Charles Udoh, who represented the Governor at the event, thanked the organizers for the awards and noted that Akwa Ibom is certainly enjoying the golden era when it comes to tourism development. He stated that Governor Umo Eno is very keen on making Akwa Ibom a leading tourism destination with his programmes and policies.

He revealed that with the new Victor Attah International Airport nearing completion, the purchase of a ferry for the Oron-Calabar route, new developments along its coastline and the restoration work that will be done at all its major tourism sites, Akwa Ibom is well on the way to becoming the number one destination for all domestic and foreign tourists.

In her speech, Tourism Minister, Mrs. Ade John hailed the organizers for hosting the Expo, where practitioners were lectured by top experts while also rewarding those who have excelled in the past year.

She affirmed that her ministry is open to partnership with public and private sector operators, adding that tourism development can only be successful through collaborative efforts.

The event, which attracted leading and budding tourism professionals, also featured interactive and entertainment sessions.

Apart from Sir Charles Udoh and Mrs. Ime Udo, the Akwa Ibom State delegation, also included: Mr. Michael Effiong James, Senior Special Assistant (Lagos Liaison) to Governor, Mrs. Eme Bassey, Special Assistant to Governor (Lagos Liaison) and Akparawa John Offiong, Deputy Director ( Culture) Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

More photos below: