Congratulations To All GMB Supporters

By OSA Op-Ed

Congrats to all Buhari supporters. Be magnanimous in victory. Stop abusing Atiku for rejecting the results. Your man rejected the results in 2003, 2007 and 2011. He even threatened that the blood of Baboons will flow and hundreds were killed following riots in the North. He went to Court several times to pursue his perceived stolen mandate. That is Democracy. If you are sure of your victory, you have no fear of the Courts. At least Onnoghen is on suspension. Lol.  Let's hope Tinubu and the SW would not be dumped again this time around. Let's hope major appointments will not go to a particular religion and a particular part of the country, let's 80 to 90 percent of  top Security posts will not remain in one Region. Let's hope Killer Fulani herdsmen will stop destroying farmlands, raping and killing people and when they do the Govt will act decisively by protecting lives and properties and ensure justice. Le's hope BH would be truly degraded and defeated, let's hope the 4 Refineries will work and we will stop fuel importation. Let's hope power generation and distribution with be over 10,000 MW and all consumers will have Prepaid Metres. Let's hope Lagos-Ibadan , Ikorodu-Sagamu, Ikorodu- Ijebu Ode, Ijebu Igbo- Ibadan, Sagamu-Papalanto, Lagos  -Abeokuta, Ibadan-Ife, Ibadan-,Ilorin, Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa, Kabba-Obajana-Lokoja-Abuja,  East-West Road,  Calabar-Itu- Ikot Ekpene, Enugu-Port Harcourt, Second Niger Bridge are fully rehabilitated and completed. We are not asking for new roads, just repair the existing ones. Let's hope FG will keep to Agreement with ASUU and save us from incessant strikes.. Let's hope technocrats and competent people would be appointed as Ministers. Let's hope it won't take 6 months to appoint Ministers and 2 years to reconstitute FG Boards. Let's hope 16 years of PDP will no longer be blamed for all our economic and social woes. Let's hope Naira will not go back to N500 to a Dollar. Let's hope having been reelected the President will immediately sign the Electoral Law now to make it harder for incumbent and opposition to rig future elections. Let's hope all Dictatorial tendencies will disappear. Let's hope Nigeria will no longer be the Poverty Capital of the World. Let's hope the new Lagos - Kano and PH - Maiduguri Rail track is completed, functional and unlike the Kaduna-Abuja line- PROFITABLE. Let's hope the Apapa shameful gridlock is solved and the Port Access Roads fully functions. Lets hope the fight against corruption will be blind and not selective. Let's hope that unlike the CHANGE of 2015 we were promised which turned out to be a NEGATIVE CHANGE, THIS NEXT LEVEL WILL NOT BE RETROGRESSIVE! . BY January 2023 God will keep us alive and in Good health to examine whether our hope was misplaced. One thing we can't hope for for sure, is for Lai Mohammed to stop Lying!!! Congratulations APC. Hoping you will change from All Promises Cancelled to All Promises Confirmed.

Press Statement On Presidential And National Assembly Polls.

Rights Monitoring Group has expressed disappointment at what it described as poor showing by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the various security agencies during last Saturday's presidential and National Assembly Polls.

The body, which said it received field reports from more than 10,000 of its deployed observers and networks, across the country, regretted that despite expectations that the presidential and National Assembly polls  would be better organised after the initial postponement, the exercise was marred by serious lapses on the part of the electoral umpire and security and military agencies .

Giving an update on the casualty figures recorded during the polls due to election-related violence, Rights Monitoring Group  stated that no fewer than 40 Nigerians lost their lives in the last 48 hours of the elections.

The breakdown of the dead are: Borno State– four; Bayelsa State – four; Rivers State – 17, Yobe State- two; Kogi State-Two; Ebonyi – Two, Lagos – One; Oyo- One; Delta- Two; Zamfara – One and Taraba State- Four.

In Lagos State, it said there were reports of disruption of voting by suspected political thugs, who shot in the air in some places and set ballot boxes and papers on fire in places like Okota, Isolo and Oshodi suburbs of Lagos.

Rights Monitoring Group  also said that it had documented cases of 3l0 politically motivated deaths from the beginning of political campaigns in October 2018 to February 23, 

The President/CEO Rights Monitoring Group ,Olufemi Aduwo  said that apart from delays in the commencement of voting in some places, there were reports of serious lapses concerning the conduct of some INEC officials and security agencies.

He said the delay in commencement of polls was especially pronounced in some states across the South-east and South-south geopolitical zones of Nigeria, adding that there were even reports of polling commencing at 4pm in some areas such as PU 001, Ward 5, Methodist Boys High School, Oron, Akwa Ibom State.

It said: "RMG is  however, disappointed by the serious lapses observed with the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections held on Saturday 23 February 2019. Despite the elections being conducted against a background of an earlier postponement on February 16, 2019, on grounds of logistics challenges, it still suffered from major logistic lapses.

"Additionally, the election was marred by violence, security lapses and instances of overreach. Other challenges include compromised INEC officials as well as partisan security operatives. Conduct of major political parties was disappointing."

RMG noted that despite the police's stated preparedness with deployment and adequacy of security, there were shortfalls and gaps, with the attendant implications for election security.

It, however, singled out members of the National Youth Service Corp as among the shinning lights during the elections, saying that they were exemplary in their work under very difficult conditions.

The observer group suggested that INEC's logistics capabilities, including its ability to carry out timely procurement may have been overwhelmed by factors connected with the sheer number of political parties contesting the elections.

As a way forward, it suggested that there should be an independent inquiry into the poor management of the electoral process by INEC with a view to determining the underlying causes of persistent shortcomings during elections in the country.

As part of efforts to ensure that the right things are done by INEC, the body said the international community should continue to lend their voices in defence of the integrity of the result.

RMG  particularly urged the United States and the United Kingdom to follow through on their earlier statement that they will sanction individuals whose actions undermine the election or have led to the death of citizens.

RMG, urged the Inspector General of Police to urgently investigate allegations of police overreach in identified locations in the country.

It said officers found culpable must be held personally accountable for infringing on the rights of citizens in the exercise of their franchise.

RMG  also asked the IGP to carry out investigations on all political actors, who instigated or perpetrated violence leading to the needless loss of lives

Votes Manipulation in Ngeria

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PDP insists.

February 24, 2019

Press Statement 

PDP Insists On Results From Polling Units 

…Further Alerts on Plots to Alter Election Results for Buhari

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) insists on the winning results already delivered at the polling units for the candidate of the people, Atiku Abubakar, and cautioned that Nigerians will not accept any figures except what was declared and collated from the polling units. 

The party says its is already aware that the Buhari Presidency has been mounting pressure on INEC and dispatching officials to change results in Rivers, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kogi, Bauchi, Cross River, Borno, Yobe and Edo states among others, in a frenzy to allocate fictitious figures for the defeated President Buhari.

Pathetically, the Buhari Presidency is also threatening the South-East state governors to change results and carve a 25% for Mr. President, a scheme that has already failed.

In Bauchi state, we are aware of the plots to move thump-printed ballot papers and fabricated results from Bauchi to Dass Local Government Area to upturn PDP's victory in the results already delivered and announced at the polling units in the area.

This is why the electoral officials have been delaying moving the results for final collation and announcement. If this plot fails, the APC plans to void the results for Dass.

In spite of all these, our party assures Nigerians that the hope for a new government led by Atiku Abubakar, is already manifest.

Our agents and indeed, Nigerians, already have the results as delivered at the polling units and are not ready to accept anything to the contrary. President Buhari and the APC should therefore quietly come to terms with the fact that they have been defeated. 

The PDP therefore cautions INEC to respects the laws and electoral guideline by upholding and declaring results from the polling units as expressed by Nigerians on Saturday.

Signed:

Kola Ologbondiyan

National Publicity Secretary

And

Director, Media & Publicity

PDP Presidential Campaign Organization

Rule of Man Vs Rule of Law.

Vox/E

President Muhammadu Buhari caused quite a stir on Monday when he said those who influence ballot box snatching at the 2019 elections do so at risk to their lives.

The President, speaking in Abuja at a meeting of the national caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC), following the one-week postponement of the elections announced on Saturday, had said: "Anybody who decides to snatch ballot boxes or lead thugs to disturb, it may be that [this will be] the last unlawful action you will take…

"The whole 36 states in Nigeria, I went round. I think I have got enough support across the country to look after me. So I'm going to warn anybody who thinks he has enough influence in his locality to lead a body of thugs to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system, he will do it at the expense of his own life."

Having also said he was "giving the military and the police [the power] to be ruthless", it appeared Buhari had no problem with security forces gunning down ballot box snatchers.

But what exactly does the law prescribe for this electoral offence?

Sections 129 (1) and (2) Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2010 list Election Day offences as follows:

129 (1)      No person shall on the date on which an election is held do any of the following acts or things in a polling unit or within a distance of 300 metres of a polling unit-

(a)    canvass for votes;

(b)    solicit for the vote of any voter;

(c)    persuade any voter not to vote for any particular candidate;

(d)    persuade any voter not to vote at the election;

(e)    shout slogans concerning the election;

(f)     be in possession of any offensive weapon or wear any dress or have any facial or other decoration which in any event is calculated to intimidate voters;

(g)    exhibit, wear or tender any notice, symbol, photograph or party card referring to the election;

(h)    use any vehicle bearing the colour or symbol of a political party by any means whatsoever;

(i)     loiter without lawful excuse after voting or after being refused to vote;

(j)     snatch or destroy any election materials; and

(k)    blare siren.

(2)    No person shall within the vicinity of a polling unit or collation centre on the day of which an election is held-

(a)    convene, hold or attend any public meeting during the hours of poll as may be prescribed by the Commission;

(b)    unless appointed under this Act to make official announcements, operate any megaphone, amplifier or public address apparatus;

(c)    wear or carry any badge, poster, banner, flag or symbol relating to a political party or to the election.

"A person who contravenes any of the provisions of this section commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N100,000 or imprisonment for a term of 6 months for every such offence," Section 129 Subsection 3 confirms. 

The following subsection lists the penalty for ballot-box-related offences. It says: "Any person who snatches or destroys any election material commits an offence and is liable on conviction to 24 months imprisonment."

Therefore, any other punishment beyond two years, such as the one advised by Buhari, runs foul of the law.

Buhari, APC Out to Truncate Democracy - PDP

February 18, 2019

Press Statement

Buhari, APC Out to Truncate Democracy - PDP 

…Rejects Buhari's Directives To INEC to Reshuffle RECs

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alerts Nigerians that the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) plot to trigger widespread political crisis to derail our democratic process and plunge our nation into anarchy.

The PDP says President Muhammadu Buhari's threat to the lives of Nigerians, at the opening of APC's national caucus meeting in Abuja today, is a direct call for jungle justice and attempt to divert public attention from their closed session where details of their dastardly plot to truncate our democratic process will be perfected.

We do hope that this call by President Buhari is not a camouflage for the fake soldiers mobilized by the APC to shoot at innocent Nigerians, snatch ballot boxes and execute their rigging plans on the election day. It is indeed a license to kill, which should not come from any leader of any civilized nation.

The underlining fact to the above is that President Buhari and APC leaders, upon getting to their voting constituencies last Saturday, realized that there is a nationwide rejection of Buhari's re-election bid, and this has thrown them into a panic mode.

President Buhari must however bear in mind that his resort to threats and scaremongering will not deter Nigerians from coming out en-masse to vote him out of office on February 23.

We are aware that President Buhari, who had earlier boasted that nobody can 'unseat' him, is bent on using every dictatorial and tyrannical act to truncate the process of a free, fair and credible election.

Intelligence available to us shows that the Buhari Presidency has directed the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately reshuffle the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in order to deploy compromised officials to manipulate the electoral process in President Buhari's favour, as they did with the police shortly before February 16.

 

Our party is also aware of the pressure being mounted by the Buhari Presidency on INEC to cancel elections in some states and make others inconclusive so as to achieve President Buhari's objectives of a staggered election not minding the crisis such will trigger across the federation.

We want Nigerians and the international community to hold President Buhari personally responsible for any electoral crisis, otherwise he will as usual, claim that he was not aware of the plots and transfer the blame to Adams Oshiomhole and Rotimi Amaechi.

It is already known that President Buhari has been unrelenting in his attempts to subdue our democracy by trying to subjugate the legislature, emasculate the judiciary and seize control of the electoral umpire.

Nevertheless, the PDP wants to assure President Buhari that our nation is bigger than him and that Nigerians will never allow him and the APC to rig this election. 

Nigerians have reach an irreversible democratic consensus to vote Buhari out and elect the Peoples Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who is ready to rescue our nation from the hardship, anguish, agony and bloodletting which the Buhari administration has plunged us.

Signed:

Kola Ologbondiyan

National Publicity Secretary

And

Director, Media & Publicity

PDP Presidential Campaign Organization

JIMOH IBRAHIM SPEAKS

An amateur  cannot handle Major Projects because  of its complexities  see my framework on pre conditions for major  project success. Election is a Major Project that need to be delivered  on time and schedule and for benefit over and over again😀

Jimoh Ibrahim CFR 

Doctorate candidate 

University  of Cambridge

BREAKING: CJN at CCT: proceedings suspended abruptly

Osa 

Awomolo, CCT Chair engages in hot exchanges

Proceedings at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), in the case against the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen has been brought to an abrupt end to allow temper to seamer in view of the hot exchanges between tribunal Chairman, Danladi Umar and laed counsel for the defence, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN).
Trouble started when the tribunal Charman insisted that proceedings must continue despite agreement, by lawyer to the prosecution, Aluyu Umar (SAN) and Awomolo, that the case be adjourned to a later date in view of some recent developments in the case.
Rather than rule on the joint position presented by lawyers to the parties, the tribunal Chairman insisted on proceeding to hearing pending applications.
While Awomolo stood up to appeal to tibunal Chairman to consider the position presented by lawyers to the prosecution and defence, for an adjournment, Umar ordered Awomolo to sit down.
He accused the defence lawyer of encouraging delay and waste of time, observation Awomolo objected to and told the tribunal Chairman that it was wrong today such things about him.
While Awomolo spoke,complaining about the way the tribunal Chairman described him, Umar said he was not bothered, but was only interested in continuing with the case.
At that point, the prosecution lawyer sought for a short stand down, which was granted.