TheNewsGuru

Tag: Governors

  • APC govs decide on zoning for convention, presidency after meeting Buhari

    APC govs decide on zoning for convention, presidency after meeting Buhari

    The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has agreed to alternate offices between the north and south in the forthcoming dispensation.

    This was disclosed on Tuesday by the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) after their meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

    Disclosing this while responding to a question, Kaduna Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufa’i dispelled reports of division among the APC Governors.

    He however admitted there were disagreements overtime for the party’s National Convention.

    Speaking on the outcome of the meeting, El-Rufa’i revealed that agreement had been reached on the zoning formula.

    Explaining the newly agreed arrangements with regards to sharing positions in the party, El-Rufa’i said all offices that were occupied by northerners in the last eight years will go to the south and vice versa under the new arrangement.

    “We have agreed a zoning formula for all the six geo-political zones. Essentially, northern zone will have the positions the South had in the last eight years and vice versa.

    “It is a very simple, equitable and fair formula. We will now go back and consult at the zonal level and look at the positions that are available and the process of the convention preparation we started in earnest.

    “So, by the grace of God, on the 26th of March, we would have done our national convention,” he said.

    At the meeting were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha and the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.

    Eighteen of the Governors are in attendance at the meeting taking place at the Council Chambers.

    They are from Yobe, Ekiti, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Cross River, Kaduna, Lagos, Borno, Niger, Gombe, Osun, Kebbi, Anambra dep, Nasarawa, Kwara, Kano, Imo, Kogi, Ogun, and Plateau states.

    The outgoing Anambra Deputy Governor is also in attendance.

  • APC governors meet Buhari on national convention

    APC governors meet Buhari on national convention

    The Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) says it will comment on the postponement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) national convention after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday.

    The forum is the platform of all APC governors.

    The APC Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) postponed the party’s national convention from Feb. 26 to March 26.

    It released a new timetable and schedule of activities for the National Convention and Zonal Congresses on Monday.

    According to the new timetable, activities for the national convention will begin on Feb. 24 with the publication of committees for the zonal congresses.

    Sale of forms to aspirants for elective offices will begin from Wednesday, March 9 and end on Friday March 11.

    “As a forum, we met on Monday and agreed to meet with President Buhari on Tuesday for further discussion on the national convention and other issues,’’ PGF’s chairman, Kebbi State’s Gov. Abubakar Bagudu, said.

    “We will rather not comment on any timetable or any activities until we meet with the president, he added.

    Bagudu said Monday’s meeting discussed developments in states and reviewed recent council elections in the FCT and Saturday’s Osun State governorship primary.

    He added that the meeting also discussed the court judgement that resolved the 2021 Kano State congress issue and preparations for the party’s national convention.

    “We had briefings from the chairman of the CECPC, Gov. Mai-Mala Buni of Yobe,’’ he said.

    Bagudu assured that APC governors would continue to earn the confidence of Nigerians by delivering on their electoral mandates transparently.

    He appreciated Nigerians for showing interest in happenings within the party’s rank and file, adding that the forum would continue to work with other stakeholders to enthrone good governance.

    He said the forum was conscious of the fact that Nigerians held the APC in high esteem, and would not disappoint them.

    “All APC governors have met, and as always, we appreciate the need to work with other stakeholders.

    “We had always been humble to acknowledge that we are not the only stakeholders in the party.

    “We will work with other stakeholders to ensure that we deliver transparently and honestly, national executives that will continue to earn the confidence of all party members and of Nigerians,’’ he said.

  • Bring back your colleagues – Ayu tasks former PDP governors

    Bring back your colleagues – Ayu tasks former PDP governors

    National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Iyorchia Ayu, has urged past governors to reconcile and bring back their colleagues who defected to other parties.

    Ayu stated this at a meeting of PDP National Working Committee (NWC) with past governors and some zonal leaders of the party in Abuja on Tuesday.

    “The first task I will give you (the former governors) immediately is to reach out to other of your colleagues who have benefited from this party, enormously and abandoned the party.

    “Where they are, we know, they are not happy. Some of them are grumbling in silence. Kindly reach out to them and bring them back home.

    “We still regard them as our prodigal children. When they come, we will receive them, and they will continue to help to build the party.

    “You who had interacted with them in the governors’ forum and others are the best people who can reach out to your colleagues to bring them back home,” he said.

    Ayu described PDP as the only party truly owned by the people that would not fall apart.

    “The only party that will not fall apart, no matter who leaves the party is the PDP, because it’s genuinely founded on the people and nobody owns it.

    “We all own it. We belong to it. We’ll continue to build it until we get back to power,” he said.

    Speaking earlier, former governor of Jigawa and leader of delegation of former governors, Alhaji Sule Lamido harped on the need for the party to be properly organised.

    Lamido said that proper organisation of the party was critical to ensure that power did not elude PDP in 2023.

    He advised the leaders and members of the main opposition party to strive hard towards winning the 2023 elections.

    “If we don’t get things right in 2023, Nigeria will be in problem”.

    Lamido said that since Ayu’s election, PDP was being looked upon to lead Nigeria in 2023.

    “A developed party is the only way in which government is formed.

    “A party that is not properly organised, directed cannot form a good government.

    “A good party platform, organised, committed to Nigeria will produce a very good government.

    “A party, which is in disarray, unorganised will spell doom for Nigeria,” he said.

    Lamido said the meeting was to express the support of the former governors and state party leaders to Ayu’s leadership.

    “We are here to formally show solidarity with your leadership and give the message to Nigerians that PDP is a single family under your leadership and that PDP is the only hope for Nigeria in 2023.

    “We are here to support you and the party, also, to minimize acrimonious discussion in terms of power allocation.

    “We need the party first before the power. If the party is not properly organized, power will elude us,” he said.

    Former governors in attendance were Lamido, Babangida Aliyu of Niger, Ibrahim Idris of Kogi, Emeka Ihedioha of Imo, Liyel Imoke of Cross River and Peter Obi of Anambra.

  • The End of your Rule is Near – By Hope Eghagha

    The End of your Rule is Near – By Hope Eghagha

    By Hope O’Rukevbe Eghagha

    The end of your rule is near. Mr. President. Mr. Governor. Mr. Speaker. Mr. Chairman. Mr. Legislator. The end of your rule is here. It has been four, eight, sixteen years since you danced into State or Legislative House after election victory. Or after a dubious victory awarded by a dubious court after dubious monies dubiously exchanged hands. Your humility while you sought votes was legendary. You shook hands, hugged cripples, visited the bereaved, paid school fees, and ate with the sick. You built alliances across zones, across religious groups, economic groups, across social groups. You made promises. You raised hopes. You preached unity. Now that the end is here, let us ask you Mr. Chief Executive, what kind of ruler, what kind of leader, what kind of administrator have you been? Did you dash hopes? Are you leaving the people worse than they were when you came into office? Did you create a few super rich, from your ethnic group, from your religious group, from your family? Are the people beating their drums in joy on the imminence of your departure? Will they start to ignore you from June this year when you become a lame duck? Are you now worried about how freely you can walk after you leave office?

    It is one of the beauties of democracy, beginning and end of tenure. You give account to the people, to posterity, and to the Great Judge ultimately. Because there is end of tenure, there are marginalised persons who wait for the end to come. Those you may have locked up in time or physically or psychologically. These hope that once you are gone, freedom will come their way, there will be a restoration. Also, the wrong policies which you have enunciated will be thrown into the dustbin. Those who had barely tolerated your greed or your foolishness or your wicked, selfish ways will now openly despise you. The sycophants who had licked your boots with histrionic relish will now move on to the new power base, forgetting you, cursing you and blaming the woes of their ancestors on you. You will become history, bad history if you have been a bad ruler. It is the story of the world; it is the story of life and the iterative narrative of humanity. Yet, we, the rulers and the ruled, never learn. The tragedy of man, according to Nietzsche, is that he forgets.

    Memory is the strength of the wise. Memory is the strength of successful societies. Institutional memory. Memory is the strength of successful nations. That ability never to forget the circumstances of their existence, their history, and their identity. In great societies, there is no collective amnesia. Some individuals may forget. But the institution that is the State never forgets. Some facts may slip into amnesia. But they will crawl back in the day of reckoning. Knowledge of the past is instructive and fundamental to building the future. So, our philosophers teach us. I remember Ernest Hemingway when he says ‘a man is a sum of his memories’!

    O mighty ruler, the bearded one with oil stains on his white robe, all the roads and projects which you concentrated in your own part of the land, all the appointments which you made to favour a section of the electorate, and/or your cronies will now haunt you. The viciousness with which you dealt with supposed enemies will haunt you. If you ignored the interest of the people to pursue your narrow selfish interests, it will be time to splash your acts of impunity on the pages of newspapers and social media. Did you think you were God when you kept people waiting for you, while you made older people kneel to you to make their requests? The people will soon say to you: ‘command no more, your rule is over’, as Creon tells the mighty Oedipus in Antigone in Sophocles’ classical play!

    A fool can and could win elections in Nigeria. But a fool cannot govern like a wise man, because a fool can only do foolish things that could hurt the people. An idiot or a man with idiotic ideas could win elections anywhere in the world. Demagoguery often starts from idiotic ideas and sentiments couched in fanciful or pseudo nationalistic language. Argentinian singer and author once wrote: ‘my grandfather was a brave man; he was only afraid of idiots. I asked him why, and he answered: because there are too many of them, and by being a majority they could even elect a president’. So, we are also worried about the people, the mob that Shakespeare despised in his plays, describing them through one of his characters in Julius Caesar as ‘you blocks, you stones, you worse than senseless things, you hard hearts, you cruel men of Rome’. Men and women who sell their soul for a mess of the proverbial pottage. They who would vote for the idiot who may not do much to improve their lot. These are the type the Prophet Hosea has in mind when he says ‘my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge!

    Real leadership is for the wise, the humble, and the visionary. A myopic man in office brings the office to his level. That is dangerous to our collective survival. Of such men we must beware. A fool should not go near the throne. He will endanger the empire. For this reason, blockheads were precluded from the throne in traditional African societies. Even the deformed were asked to go away from the road to the throne. In the modern age, thieves or crooks win elections all over the world. Crookedness could be hidden from the people. It is often in the dark. In saner climes, crooks get booted out. In our land, they seek and win elective positions because they carry a deep pocket.

    It is true that some current leaders or elected officials have been misjudged. As we know, there are some who have made a difference, who have touched lives, who have sacrificed a lot for the people. But all state officials are judged harshly on account of prevailing situations. Hunger, real hunger, is real in the land. People are barely able to feed. Inflation is near the sun. Insecurity is real. So, the people are frustrated. They are angry. And their judgment will be harsh. It is possible that with the passing of time, opinions would be moderated. For that time, we must wait though not everyone will be exonerated, not everyone will be around for the beauty of reversals. It is the way of man, it is the way of life!

    Mr Elected or Appointed Official, your time is up, the end is here. Those you have alienated, some who did a kind thing for you in the past, some who supported your election and were subsequently ignored by your ‘Almighty Self’, some you gave contracts and refused to pay for work done, some who fell under the moving bus because you listened to gossip and gave them no chance to defend themselves, some who were shoved from the inner table because they are not brothers and sisters from your ethnic group, they await your exit. The time has come when you must rise from the level of the beast that was Nebuchadnezzar and come to your senses. They will see you in public and walk past you in scorn. Or bring down the statues you erected as it happened in Imo State after the last governor left office. There will be money in your deep pocket, but there will be no political power in your hands, there will only be infant gums without teeth to bite the sweets of the world. What have you wrought O Elected Official, what have you wrought in the land of the living?

  • Stop comparing my achievements in Borno with that of other governors, Zulum warns supporters

    Stop comparing my achievements in Borno with that of other governors, Zulum warns supporters

    Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has expressed gratitude to many of his promoters on social media platforms.

    But he enjoined some of them to stop comparing his performance with those of other governors since all states have their peculiarities.

    Professor Zulum’s Adviser on Public Relations and Strategy, Malam Isa Gusau, delivered the governor’s appeal in a statement yesterday.

    “The fact is that I feel extremely uncomfortable any time I am being negatively compared with any governor, especially if anyone of those making the comparisons fall into any of the social media groups associated with us. I consider such comparisons unhealthy.

    “Moreover, we are not in a competition. The truth is that all of the 36 states have their peculiarities and priorities, depending on developmental plans and the needs of societies.

    “In Borno’s case, we have to be desperate in our recovery efforts because we have been faced with 12 years of war, resulting in thousands of deaths and displacement of about 2 million people with humanitarian needs.

  • Two Governors back Buhari’s rejection of electoral bill; Falana, CSOs kick

    Two Governors back Buhari’s rejection of electoral bill; Falana, CSOs kick

    Governors Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and his Benue State counterpart, Samuel Orrin have commended President Muhammadu Buhari for refusing assent to the electoral act amendment bill

    However, popular human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, civil society organisations and some federal lawmakers expressed their disappointments at the President’s decision.

    After meeting with the President on Tuesday, Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Kayode Fayemi praised the decision to withhold assent on the electoral bill.

    Speaking to State House correspondents after meeting with the President in his office, the Fayemi said it does not matter to the governors which mode is adopted for the conduct of primaries.

    The governor, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, dismissed talks that the President was simply conceding to the wishes of the governors.

    While noting that the President’s desire is to see that all options are provided for, there is an exaggerated expectation that direct primaries will resolve electoral challenges in the country.

    “I think all of us should be happy with that we shouldn’t really dwell too much on there’s been this exaggerated expectation that direct primaries is going to provide all answers to whatever electoral challenges that we have faced,” he said.

    The Governor noted that both direct and indirect primaries have unique challenges and called for options to be provided.

    Benue State Governor Ortom also commended the President’s decision.

    “I want to use this opportunity again on behalf of people that are represented here in Benue State to commend Mr. President for withholding assent on the process of primaries of various political parties,” he said at a briefing at the end of the meeting of the State Executive Council on Tuesday in Makurdi.

    “I am appealing to the National Assembly to reconsider the clause that allows for only direct primaries, and all the reasons that Mr. President advanced concerning the support for him withholding his assent are deeply appreciated.

    “I assure you that as a veteran politician who had the privilege to witness direct primaries, witness indirect primaries, and witness consensus primaries, and someone who has the privilege to be a member of various political parties, it was almost unanimous that the issue of primaries should be the responsibility of various political parties.”

     

    Civil Societies condemn President’s decision

     

    Meanwhile, civil society organisations expressed displeasure at the President’s decision not to assent to the bill.

    In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Clement Nwankwo, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) said the situation was “worrying” and “poses a serious threat to the conduct of the forthcoming 2023 Nigerian General Elections.”

    However, PLAC urged the National Assembly to review the President’s demands on party primaries “in order to save the other landmark reforms contained in the Electoral Bill 2021, over which the President has expressed no worries.”

    “PLAC is also calling on the National Assembly to treat the issue of passing the new Electoral Bill as a matter of national emergency and convene a special session in the shortest possible time and irrespective of their end of year break, to consider a vote for the passage of the Electoral Bill 2021,” the statement added.

    Human rights lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, described President’s Buhari decision as akin to throwing out the baby and the bathwater.

    “The reason adduced for the rejection of the Electoral Amendment Bill is grossly misleading,” he said in a statement on Tuesday. “Section 87 of the current Electoral Act provides for either direct or indirect primaries. In fact, the APC used direct primary for the emergence of its presidential candidate in 2019. In other words, President Buhari is a beneficiary of direct primary,” he said.

    “By rejecting the Bill on the ground that it provided for direct primary the President decided to throw away the baby and the bathwater. Thus, the President rejected electronic voting which he had endorsed when he admitted that he is a beneficiary of electronic accreditation of voters by the use of card readers.

    “With respect, direct primary is in consonance with section 223 of the Constitution which has imposed a duty on political parties to elect their officers through democratic elections. There is no provision in the Constitution for the imposition of candidates by money bags through indirect primaries.

    “The INEC has submitted a bill of N305 billion for the entire 2023 general elections. So who conjured the figure of N500 billion for the primaries to give the impression that it is an expensive venture? In any case, since electronic voting had been adopted by the National Assembly it was going to be used for both primary and general elections. So the cost would have been significantly reduced. The fear of insecurity is a red herring in that political parties have continued to hold huge rallies even in defiance of Covid 19 restrictions imposed by the Federal Government.

    “Having rejected to assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill in 2018 and 2021, President Buhari has confirmed beyond any shadow of a doubt that his administration will not allow the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct credible elections in 2023 and thereafter. That is going to be the tragic legacy of the President and the ruling party that were campaigning for electoral reforms before the 2015 general elections.

    “The challenge before the National Assembly is to invoke the provision of section 58 (5) of the Constitution to pass the Bill into law by the resolution of two-thirds majority of the members. However, if the national assembly cannot muster the required two-thirds majority, section 87 of the Act which allows direct or indirect primaries should be left intact so that the other provisions of the Electoral Amendment Bill 2021 can be passed again by the legislators and assented to by the President.”

     

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG report did that the National Assembly had transmitted the bill to the President in November but, in a letter dated December 13 and forwarded to the National Assembly, he informed of his decision to withhold his signature.

    In his letter, President Buhari cited several issues with the bill’s clause on direct primaries.

    The President, according to the letter, explained that direct primaries are expensive. This, he said, will put a financial burden on the country’s resources.

    He further noted that conducting direct primary elections will be tasking, explaining that since such mode of election means a large turnout of voters, the move would stretch the security agencies.

    The Nigerian leader equally fears that with direct primaries, citizens’ rights will be violated while smaller political parties may face marginalisation.

    According to him, the move will also lead to more litigations by party members.

     

    Senators move to veto President

    Senators on Tuesday held closed-door sessions to discuss next steps over the bill.

    A Senator of the Peoples Democratic Party, George Sekibo, in an interview with Channels Television said some Senators were considering a veto of the bill.

    By law, the National Assembly can bypass presidential assent of a bill into law through a two-third majority vote.

    According to Sekibo, a total of 73 signatures have been compiled for the veto.

    However, Senate President Lawan adjourned Tuesday’s session till tomorrow (Wednesday) where a decision over the matter is expected to be made.

     

    Reps to take decision next year

    At the House of Representatives, deliberations over the bill’s setback was shifted to 2022.

    Speaker Femi Gbjabiamila revealed this on Tuesday as the lawmakers went on recess for the Christmas and New Year break.

    “As it is now, that bill has not received presidential assent, and it falls to parliament to decide the best way forward,” Gbjabiamila told his colleagues. “When we return in the new year, we will resume our efforts to reform the electoral system in our country; and we will do it together.

    “That is what the Nigerian people expect of us, and we will do our duty for God and country. As long as this one breathes, it will survive. When we return, we will address it.”

    Gbajabiamila explained that the time was short to address the sensitive issue at hand in haste because members were set to proceed on break, and they must pass other important bills such as the 2022 Appropriation Bill and the Finance Bill before doing so.

    He stated that the new bill introduced several innovations, besides direct primaries, to help advance the country’s democracy.

    The speaker, who commended the lawmakers for the efforts they made to ensure the passage of the bill, reminded them of the Legislative Agenda of the 9th House, which he said must be followed through to its conclusion.

    “In the past, election years have witnessed a decline in governance activities as political pursuits cloud the calendar. That will not be the case this time around. As you are aware, we have a legislative agenda in this 9th House of Representatives, which we tagged ‘Our Contract with Nigerians,” he said.

    “I expect that we will do everything within our power to keep the commitments we made in that document so that when we appear before our various constituencies, we can stand tall in the knowledge that despite challenges and difficulties, we did what we promised to do and given a chance again, will do even more.”

     

  • Governors and ‘death’ of direct primaries, By Ehichioya Ezomon

    Governors and ‘death’ of direct primaries, By Ehichioya Ezomon

    By Ehichioya Ezomon
    Politicians’ think always about the next election, and how to stay in power. It’s never about the people they pretend to represent their interests. Rather, it’s all about their self interests.
    Nothing demonstrates this notion of “self” better than politicians’ scramble for the crucial and critical 2023 general election that’s barely 14 months away, going by the timetable drawn by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
    In their bid to hijack the processes of the election, governors of the rival All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have surprisingly come together to kick against direct primaries in the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021.
    The National Assembly (NASS) has voted for direct primaries that will avail the participation of all members of political parties in the selection of candidates for a general or a stand-alone election.
    But the governors were opposed to, and mobilized against direct primaries for indirect primaries that enable them to wield enormous power over selection of candidates for any elective positions.
    Actually, a team of governors of the ruling APC had met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Villa in Abuja, to intimate him of the position of majority of their colleagues on direct primaries.
    Similarly, the opposition PDP, conveying the objection of the governors on its platform, had stopped short of telling the NASS members, including its representatives, that they went beyond their briefs in inserting direct primaries in the amended Electoral Bill.
    As President Muhammadu Buhari suddenly turned the beautiful bride, the NASS leadership also visited the president, according to Senate President Ahmad Lawan, to implore Buhari to shun those (governors) lobbying him not the assent the Electoral Bill.
    If Senator Lawan’s courtesy to Buhari wasn’t lobbying in disguise, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila was explicit in telling the president that direct primaries would deepen democracy in Nigeria, and ensure full integration of the youth in the political process.
    Gbajabiamila’s plea ought to strike a cord in Buhari, who claims credit for the passage of the “Not Too Young To Run” Bill that’s supposed to open the political space for Nigerian youths.
    It’s uncertain how Buhari’s mind was made up, after weighing the preferences of the governors, the legislators and inputs of various stakeholders, including the INEC, to reportedly decline to sign the Electoral Bill, and return it to the NASS.
    Yet, the princely N500 billion, allegedly needed by INEC to conduct direct primaries in the states towards the 2023 polls, would’ve been too much for a cash-strapped president to contemplate.
    The Buhari administration, hard-hit by financial crunch, and has resorted to a borrowing spree to execute most of its programmes, can’t afford to add the conduct of primaries to its responsibilities.
    The obligation to conduct primaries – direct or indirect – is the sole purview of the political parties, and that appears what the governors are transmitting cloaked in preservation of their self interests.
    The questions are: Will NASS members re-amend the returned Electoral Bill, due to the cost implication of conducting primaries for the political parties, and leave funding to the parties?
    Or will the legislators summon the courage to “override” the president’s presumed “veto” even if Buhari didn’t entirely withhold his assent to the Bill, but merely referred it to the NASS for further action on the aspect of funding of party primaries?
    The fresh review of the Electoral Bill is ongoing, starting with the Appropriation Committee of the House of Representatives’ invitation to the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to brief members on the commission’s involvement in the conduct of primaries.
    As Rep. Mukhtar Batera (APC-Borno) related to newsmen in Abuja on December 9, Prof. Yakubu told the committee that INEC has a minimal role to play in party primaries, certainly not in the funding, as erroneously or mischievously conveyed to the presidency.
    Quoting Yakubu, Rep. Batera, who chairs the House Appropriation Committee, said that INEC isn’t interested in evaluating the cost of primary election(s) because it’s not part of its functions.
    “In our discussions with the INEC Chairman, we wanted to know the requirements for the 2023 elections, as well as cost of direct or indirect party primaries,” Batera said.
    “On party primaries, he specifically told us the role of INEC in direct or indirect primaries, which he said is just minimal. He said the responsibility… is the role of political parties and not INEC.
    “For direct primaries, what the INEC Chairman told us is that only the political parties have the responsibility on primaries and the funding of the primaries.”
    The die is cast, and the ball, once again, is in the legislature’s court, to either go ahead and “impose” direct primaries on the unwilling governors, or allow the status quo, which’s a choice among three options: consensus, indirect or direct primaries written into the constitutions of at least the ruling APC and opposition PDP.
    But whatever method is adopted, the governors have the wherewithal to prosecute it, sparing no thought in deploying the vast recourses of state to steamroll the process, and include or exclude whoever they fancy, to advance their self interests.
    The fear of exclusion – total or partial – from the mainstream politics in the states reportedly galvanised the bitterly-divided NASS along party lines, to close rank and adopt direct primaries for parties.
    Going by their reasoning, the adoption of direct primaries would whittle down the influence and power of the governors in the choice of candidates for any elective positions.
    The legislators had banked on Buhari’s backing, to seal the dominant political fate of the governors, by helping them to get the Electoral Bill across the finish line. But that seems unlikely with the president’s return of the Bill, with the implications as follows:
    * President Buhari has created a record for declining assent to the Electoral Bill for the fifth time, at some occasions on the minute excuse of clerical errors in the piece of legislation.
    * Given a choice between the NASS that stands by him almost 100 per cent of the time, and the governors that give him and his government headaches, Buhari has cast his lot with the latter.
    * Thus, the president, on the altar of politics, has sacrificed for the governors very dependable allies in the NASS, who, on account of their amenability to Buhari and his administration, are derisively nicknamed by critics as “rubber-stamp” legislators.
    * The governors have been emboldened to deploy any means possible, to unilaterally determine the course of politics in their states, even to the exclusion of real or imaginary opponents, many of them members of the NASS and State Houses of Assembly.
    * With the power to choose whom they like in their hands, the 2023 polls are a fait accompli for the governors, some of them aspiring to be president/vice president of Nigeria.
    * Buhari, who earned his second-term ticket in 2019 via direct primaries, has failed to extend his mantra of free, fair and credible elections to the very foundation for popular choice of candidates.
    Going forward, it’s the self-interests of politicians, President Buhari not exempted, that’ve ensured the “death” of direct primaries for the selection of candidates for elections in Nigeria.
    Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.
  • Governors beg WHO for intervention over UK, Canada’s travel ban on Nigerians

    Governors beg WHO for intervention over UK, Canada’s travel ban on Nigerians

    Members of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) have condemned the travel ban imposed on the country by authorities in Canada and the United Kingdom over the report of confirmed cases of omicron COVID-19 variant.

    In a statement on Tuesday by NGF Chairman and Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, they described the action of both countries, as discriminatory and called for the intervention of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    “The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) wishes to draw the attention of the World Health Organisation (WHO) to the arbitrary stigmatisation that is caused by the recent banning of countries from visitation based on omicron spread,” said Governor Fayemi. “Only three cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus were detected in Nigeria less than a week ago, precisely on December 1st, 2021.

    “Canada and the United Kingdom have hastily included Nigeria among the Omicron present countries which must stay away from their shores, an action viewed by the NGF as precipitate, unfair and discriminatory.”

    According to the governors, omicron remains relatively unknown globally as it is not yet clear whether it is more transmissible from person to person, compared to other variants, including Delta.

    They stressed that it was very discouraging to note that several countries have reported cases of omicron with tallies similar to or higher than Nigeria’s, yet travellers there have not been banned from entering the UK and Canada.

    Confirmed omicron cases across some countries as of December 3, the NGF stated, included Nigeria (three), Australia (seven), Brazil (three), Germany (nine), Israel (four), Italy (nine), and Netherlands (16).

    “There is also no evidence that harsh, blanket travel bans will protect the countries that impose them,” said the governors. “It is ironical that this ban comes at a time when the DG of the WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesus, has advised that ‘rational proportional risk reduction measures’ be taken by countries such as screening passengers prior to departure and/or upon arrival in a country or enforcing a quarantine period.”

    “The NGF, therefore, urges the WHO to intervene in this matter by setting uniform standards that are acceptable to all for banning countries across the globe. As we know, vaccine hesitancy is quite high and for many reasons, including disruptive announcements like this which could exacerbate distrust of the vaccine and heighten hesitancy.

    “World leaders and stakeholders in the West need to remember that with the COVID-19 pandemic until everyone is free, no one is free. Variants will continue to appear and spread across the globe as long as global herd immunity has not been achieved.

    “We call on countries to be guided by science and fairness in setting the criteria for updating their red list. We encourage both public and private stakeholders to continue to support vaccination efforts and address hesitancy. We encourage Nigerians not to be discouraged and to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

    “As a platform for the 36 democratically elected governors of the country, the NGF believes it reserves the right to speak for its people. Besides, the NGF was proactive and ahead in the Polio eradication program in Nigeria, in the country’s response to the Ebola virus, and lately in the response against the coronavirus pandemic. Finally, health is one of the core mandate areas of the NGF and has remained an item on its meeting agenda in the past several months,” the NGF added.

  • Direct primary: No fight between governors, National Assembly members – Gov Bagudu

    Direct primary: No fight between governors, National Assembly members – Gov Bagudu

    Kebbi State Governor, Senator Atiku Bagudu, has said that governors are not at loggerheads with National Assembly members over the amendment of the Electoral Act to accommodate direct primary for all political parties as was being insinuated.

    Bagudu said the divergent views being exhibited by the governors and federal lawmakers on the matter of direct primary was just democracy in action.

    This was as his Sokoto State counterpart and Vice Chairman, Nigeria’s Governors Forum (NGF), Aminu Tambuwal, has canvassed for oneness among Nigerians irrespective of party, ethnicity, and religious inclination.

    Bagudu and Tambuwal accompanied by the Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru spoke at various locations in Ekiti State on Friday, while commissioning road projects initiated by Governor Kayode Fayemi to mark the third anniversary of his administration.

    The roads are the Ijan-Igbemo-Ilupeju, Aramoko-Erinjiyan, and Oye-Ayede-Isan-Otun roads.

    Speaking about development and party politics, Bagudu said: “We are very proud of the achievements of Governor Fayemi in Ekiti. He has initiated quality projects that can stand the test of time for his people and this is a hallmark of a good leader.

    “I had also spoken about the issue of direct primary severally. The divergent opinions we had was democracy in action. The governors and the people had shown their concerns and that was what we did.

    “We are not fighting the parliamentarians or anybody over direct primary, we were just making our views and concerns known on the matter”.

    Tambuwal, the Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party Governors’ Forum, had while commissioning Aramoko-Erinjiyan road, said Nigerians should associate freely with one another regardless of political inclinations, religion and ethnicity.

    “The fact that good governance knows no political party makes me come down from Sokoto State to celebrate with my brother, Governor Fayemi to commission this road.

    “You can see how we relate with each other and ourselves, it is about our people. Road infrastructure has value addition in the lives of our people, this is a good road project.

    “Governor Fayemi even said it was constructed by a local contractor; this is good because we have to build the local contractors even when we patronise the multinationals.

    “This road is important for the growth of agriculture, tourism, commerce, and transport. We also know the value of the Ikogosi warm spring in the tourism development of this country. This road will make it easy for us to access tourism for people all over the globe, this is nothing but good governance.

    “The fact that Governor Fayemi is providing good leadership has made the other 35 governors under NGF have confidence in his leadership and personality”.

    In his remarks, Governor Fayemi said the commission of the road projects was part of the fulfilment of his campaign promises in 2018 to the people of Ekiti State that he would make road Infrastructure a priority.

    He said his relationship with Governor Tambuwal should be a lesson to other Nigerians that leadership should be about the development of a country and its people and not about politicking alone.

  • Governors tackle Malami for supporting consultants in $418m Paris Club Payments

    Governors tackle Malami for supporting consultants in $418m Paris Club Payments

    The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) on Monday said the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation (HAGF), Abubakar Malami, was working against the public’s interest by insisting on the payment of $418 million to private consultants from the accounts of state governments.

    The consultants are claiming a percentage of Paris Club refunds as payment of services they said they rendered to the states and local government.

    The Federal Government had determined to pay the consultants from state accounts but a Federal High Court on Friday restrained it from making such deductions until all issues relating to that matter were fully determined.

    In a statement signed by the spokesman of the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, Umar Gwandu, on Friday, the AGF suggested the states and local governments had acted in bad faith for taking the case to court.

    The deductions were ratified by several court judgements, the AGF said, and the Federal Government only had to step in to avoid forfeiting any of its assets, since it was also a defendant in the lawsuits against the states.

    But on Monday, the NGF, in a statement signed by its spokesperson Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, said the AGF’s actions “raises questions of propriety and the spirit of justice.”

    “The HAGF is supposed to be the chief arbiter in all matters concerning Nigerians, especially the poor masses of this country. It is incumbent upon him to, not just ensure that justice is done, but that justice is seen to have been done,” the statement said.

    “The undue haste, with which the statement was issued even before the service on the AGF of the court processes and the order dated 5th November, 2021 restraining the Federal Government, seems to suggest that there is a special relationship between the Office of the AGF and the consultants over and above Nigerian citizens, whose interest the AGF as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation is statutorily bound to always protect. The statement also suggests that the restraining order issued last Friday not only unsettled preconceived plans and angered the unnamed ‘government officers’ referred to by the media aide.

    “The media aide to the AGF justifies the deductions on the basis that they are made pursuant to four court judgments; two of which are consent judgments and/or that the NGF/States and LGAs consented, expressed no objection to the payments and had already paid part of the debts to the said contractors and consultants. The statement by the media aide to the HAGF however conveniently and deliberately failed to name the judgments under reference and whether they are on appeal or challenged in any other way. He also failed to specify which of the four judgments authorized payments and in what proportion to each of the contractors.

    “While it is very easy to argue as the AGF does, that the NGF and ALGON took no early steps to appeal as they should have done, it is important to inform the Nigerian public that State governors have since appealed and are challenging the judgments in various courts. Interestingly the AGF has been served all these processes, nevertheless, this was ignored and payment was authorized to be made and has been processed with unprecedented speed not common in the public service. It must be stated that between the NGF and AGF, the latter is in more vantage constitutional position and has a legal responsibility and burden to defend public interest. The AGF should have therefore initiated appeals against the said judgments once his attention was drawn to them, because public interest was at stake involving huge sums of money meant for the provision of public services. It must be noted that the state governments were not parties to any of the said judgments. It should be further stated that the Office of the AGF failed to professionally defend the cases leading to those judgments and the courts commented on that unprofessional attitude.

    “While we are constrained not to comment on a subject which is sub-judice, we have a responsibility to the public to respond in some detail to the statement issued by the Office of the AGF in order to put the records straight. Any discerning legal mind would find no difficulty in concluding that the so-called judgments under reference are dripping with too many irregularities bordering on competence and lack of jurisdiction which are the bases why some of them are being challenged on appeal and in other courts. No diligent public officer would act on such judgments by recommending payment.”

    The NGF also noted that the AGF had recommended payments to some contractors allegedly based on judgments that did “not make any monetary award or on claims that were struck out.

    “The AGF may need to explain to Nigerians why these particular judgment debts are given unusual attention and priority and processed with supersonic speed over and above all others; some of which preceded these so-called judgments and have been pending for settlement by the AGF for several years.

    “While it is convenient to say that part of these judgment debts have been paid with the release of USD$86,546,526.65 and N19,439,225,871.11 in 2016 and $100m in 2018 to the contractors with the concurrence of the NGF; that does not detract from the fact that they were payments wrongly made which ought not to have been made even if they were products of consent Judgments. States can still go after the contractors to recover the funds wrongly made. It should concern the HAGF that ALGON disowned the contracts claimed by RIOK and the same was duly communicated to him requesting him to prevent the use of LG funds to ‘settle dubious and illegal claims’

    “Was the AGF not concerned that several contractors are laying claim to legal fees for the same Paris Club Refund? Was it lost on the AGF on the detailed procedure available under the law how legal fees can be claimed in deserving cases?

    “One of the strange payments made is that of USD$47,831,920 million to Panic Alert Security Systems Ltd/George Uboh for allegedly reviewing a 16-page judgment for the then factional NGF. Can the Office of the HAGF point to any consent judgment awarding that sum to PANIC Alert? Did the NGF’s letter of 20th January, 2020 relied upon by the HAGF ever recommend the payment of any sum?

    “LINAS and NED Nwoko in this scheme are walking away with US$68,658,193.83 state funds allegedly for legal consultancy services. Is the AGF not aware that the work alleged to have been done by him was already contained in a FAAC Reconciliation Committee Report constituted in 2005 submitted in 2007 with recommendations on how states and LGAs should be refunded the over charges from the Paris Club Refunds.

    “Dr. Ted Iseghohi-Edwards has been paid the sum of USD$159m in promissory notes, yet he had his matter in Suit No FCT/HC/CV/1353/18 struck out on November 10th, 2020. Furthermore, the legal basis for his claim is rooted in SUIT NO FHC/ABJ/CS/130/13: LINAS INTERNATIONAL LTD & 235 ORS V FGN which clearly stated that he cannot benefit under the judgment because he was not a party in the case and cannot enforce the terms of the judgment. Contrary to the representation of the AGF, the EFCC’s report on TED was negative. The report not only recommended his arrest but a forfeiture of any of his assets associated with the Paris Club Refund. The AGF ignored these recommendations.

    “RIOK to whom the AGF supports and recommends the payment of USD$142,028,941.95 was also excluded by Justice Ademola in the Judgment in the LINAS case. This was confirmed by the Court of Appeal in Appeal No CA/558/2017. That is the appeal now before the Supreme Court (SC). Which Judgment then is the basis of the AGF recommendation that RIOK be paid the sum of $142,028,941.95. There is also no evidence of execution of any contract by RIOK. Curiously, the Department of State Security (DSS) is alleged to have confirmed 50% execution. The Court and EFCC stated clearly that it is not the responsibility of the DSS to ascertain the execution of contracts as they do not have the expertise. ALGON disowned the contracts. Why will the AGF insist on them? It is not true that the EFCC in its report recommended payment to the contractors. It did not.

    “In the case of payments recommended and paid to Prince Orji Nwafor Orizu US$1,219,440.45, and Olaitan Bello – US$215,195.36, it remains a mystery. These two lawyers are alleged to have performed legal services for RIOK and its associated companies and not for the states or LGAs. Why they are paid from State resources is only imagined.

    “The AGF also claims he intervened to pay the contractors to avoid execution of the judgments against the federal government resources. That is absolutely not true at all. Assets of the FGN were not at any time threatened. The NGF is not aware that there is any existing mandamus issued by any court in favour of the contractors against the Federal Government. The only application for mandamus by PANIC Alert is pending for hearing at the Federal High Court and parties have since joined issues.

    “The AGF also says that the NGF and LGAs seek to transfer their liability to the FGN. That is not true. There is no liability to transfer in the first place and none exists; neither has the NGF provided any undertaking or indemnity to the FGN to act on its behalf as represented by the AGF.

    “The AGF has consistently stated that this administration is an avid respecter of the rule of law. This is one case in which this commitment should be fully and completely demonstrated. Let the AGF remain neutral and protect scarce public resources. Let him advice the contractors to wait until all appeals and litigations in court are concluded. That is the true test of observing the rule of law. There is no other way, uncomfortable as that would appear. State resources needed for critical development should not under any guise be frittered away as payments for contracts whose veracity and authenticity is still a subject of litigation and disputation. These contractors are impecunious and cannot restitute the states/LGAs if the appeals or other litigation are determined against them.

    “We call on the general public to be alert and vigilant. The debt relief granted Nigeria by the Paris Club in 2005 was meant to enable her have a respite and use the resources saved for meaningful development. It was not for distribution to private persons to fund their luxurious lives; neither can Nigeria justify her borrowing funds all over the world to fund capital projects and turn round to disburse state resources to individuals in a manner that offends all public sensibilities.

    “We urge all those appointed as gatekeepers to our laws to ensure that the laws of our land are respected and protected. Let professionalism, reasonable caution and due diligence prevail on this matter, please.”