The huge crack in the Rivers State APC, after weeks of neglect has come out in the open.
“The APC Legacy Parties, comprising the former ACN, ANPP and CPC parties in the state have not only distanced themselves from the just concluded APC congresses and newly installed executives, but have also taken a bold step to dump the APC and seek refuge in the PDP”, says Wabiye Idoniboye-Obu Personal Assistant on Media and Publicity to Prince Tonye Princewill, a PDP chieftain.
In a communiqué signed and released by the leaders; the APC legacy parties have unanimously accepted to work its way into the PDP, through the guidance of Prince Tonye Princewill who has also received a copy of this communiqué.
The members while complaining of the undemocratic activities in the State APC; came up with the following resolutions:
1. Since our values and presence are not recognized in APC but tolerated, that we should locate an alternative political platform where our interest can be protected and guaranteed. 2. That we should identify with Prince Tonye T.J.T Princewill as our Leader that will guide and lead us to PDP. 3. That we should support the Emergence of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for 2015 and urge him to contest the general election as to complete the good works he is currently doing in our Nation.”
“This is a welcomed development, as Prince Tonye Princewill has already begun talks with the leadership of the PDP on ways and modalities to absorb and engage the new converts. It may interest you to know that the APC legacy parties with a population of over 100,000 members, formed the now APC, but were side-lined on the entrance of the defected PDP members. This was evident during the APC congresses where members of the legacy parties were denied entrance and participation in the exercise”, Wabiye Idoniboye-Obu said.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Ex-PDP Governors blast Jonathan; vow to scuttle second term ambition *Castigate PDP for commending President on Boko Haram
State Governors who left the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) last year to form the New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) before finally merging with the All Progressives Congress (APC) have vowed to abort the second term ambition of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
“We have noted President Jonathan’s claim made last Thursday at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the PDP in the federal capital, to the effect that PDP is not missing us, as well as his boast that some of us cannot win even our wards during elections,” the ex-PDP Governors said in a statement issued today in Port Harcourt by former National Publicity Secretary of the defunct nPDP, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze.
The former PDP Governors described Jonathan’s claims as “both shocking and ridiculous considering that he wouldn’t have been President today if not for our sacrifices which ensured that he won both the PDP Presidential Primaries and the 2011 presidential election.”
Eze cited Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rives State as an example. “It is on record that Rivers State under Amaechi’s watch made Jonathan’s presidency possible by delivering over two million votes in his favour during the 2011 presidential polls. For the same Dr. Jonathan to turn around, only three years down the line, to describe Governor Amaechi as a political lightweight who cannot win his ward speaks volumes about how ungrateful and uncharitable a man he is,” Chief Eze said.
The former nPDP Spokesman berated PDP for commending and congratulating President Jonathan on his handling of the security challenges facing the country, including the Boko Haram insurgency. He said: “By commending President Jonathan at a time when he has proved to be completely overwhelmed by the security challenges confronting Nigeria, PDP has demonstrated without any reasonable doubt that it has lost its sense of value, which explains why it is celebrating a clueless and spineless President who watched helplessly as insurgents took away and has kept over 200 innocent schoolgirls, and who continues to watch as Nigerians are slaughtered like chicken on a daily basis. It is unfortunate that PDP should be commending a sleeping, confused and misguided Presidency without showing any sympathy for the wanton killing of innocent Nigerians by outlaws. PDP should hide its ugly face in shame. Nigerians should get ready to oust this ruthless party that has brought hardship and shame to our country, come 2015.”
As for President Jonathan, Chief Eze told him “to prepare for a grand political war come 2015 as the ex-PDP Governors, working in concert with other democratic forces in APC, are battle-ready to send him and his directionless PDP packing from the Presidential Villa in Abuja so as to rescue Nigeria from the doom towards which Jonathan and PDP are inevitably leading the country to.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Dreams of greatness are usually inviting but getting there is not a picnic. So, most desperadoes embark on all forms of shenanigans including dancing naked in the marketplace, just to illusively satisfy the daydreaming. Reagan Ufomba is of that stock. His obsession to be at the helm of affairs in Abia is gradually turning his seemingly gentle mien to that of a hunger-stricken carnivorous being, ready to engage its owner. In fairness, there is nothing wrong with having an ambition or aspiring to a high office, but there is everything wrong in running down the entire system, may be to play to the gallery. For anybody to struggle to make a political capital out of the vexed issue of disengagement of non-indigenes from the State civil service on account of mounting recurrent bills, necessitated by the new minimum wage, which has long been rested, as Governor Orji had approved the re-engagement of the affected persons, is a mischief of monumental proportions.
Is it not contradictory for someone who claimed to have rebelled against societal ills in the seminary school, PDP and APGA, to have, without a hoot, quietly resigned his position in the obvious maladministration in place in Abia State in 2003? Ufomba’s claim of rejecting to negotiate with TA Orji in 2011, when he couldn’t have bargained from a position of strength, by virtue of his woeful performance in the governorship election, is laughable. His character and careless utterances betray him as someone beyond his political turf. A thinker from Cameroun once admonished that when you give man money and power, you will see the beast in him. And for a man like Reagan who will remain far from the corridors of power to be behaving like a carpetbagger in his perpetual sojourn as a governorship aspirant, pollutes our political space and portends grave implications for the State, if such characters, by hook or crook, assume the reins of power. A hood does not make a monk! Even his borrowed robe of Ochiagha title is a mark of hollowness and superiority complex. Does he understand the meaning of Ochiagha (commander of troops)? In fact he is behaving like a former governor of the State who hoodwinked the people of the State with titles of DR and a national honour of MON when they were not earned in actual sense.
Come to think of it, may I ask, which troops have Reagan commanded. Is it in the military or where else? Or troops of brainwashed never-do-wells that hang-on around him with a false sense of hope, typical of the inordinately ambitious Sorcerer’s Apprentice? He should update us on how he attained the title Ochiagha before insulting the people’s psyche with a charade of falsehood and toxic megalomaniac grandstanding. His unrepentantly cocky assertion of being the next governor of Abia is as amusing as it is provoking. Abians are yet to forgive him for daring to insinuate a popularity work at Aba with Governor TA Orji in April 2012, just because he claims to pay the school fees of his relations and those of his concubine’s children, while those who run robust scholarship schemes and Foundations to uplift the poor are shunning publicity. Where was this uncrowned Ochiagha when kidnappers almost overran Aba? Why did he desert the area until Governor Orji restored normalcy to the troubled spot? Who does not know that the feat of stemming the scourge of insecurity turned-in harvests of laurels to Governor Orji? Perhaps Ufomba should be reminded that Abians are not suffering from amnesia and that his antecedents cannot be burnished by orchestrated media campaigns.
It is only a myopic person like Reagan who fails to realise the gains of relocating the markets from the heart of Umuahia, the State capital to more spacious sites. Instead of taking the present administration to the cleaners for summoning the political will to do what has been the wish of successive administrations from the East-Central State days, the likes of Reagan should have kept quiet so that people will take his silence for maturity. Now he has inadvertently revealed his lack of clear-cut vision that qualifies him to aspire to govern the people of God’s own State. Abians should therefore be weary of people like Reagan as he will be more dangerous as the 2015 elections gather momentum. . Nwankwo contributed this piece from Isiala-Ngwa North LGA, Abia State
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The South East Governors’ Forum has commiserated with the Kano State government over the death of Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, who died last Friday at the age of 93.
In a statement s by the Forum’s Chairman and Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji, the governors of the South East said that they received the news of the death of Emir of Kano, late Alhaji Ado Bayero, with shock and disbelief. The governors who also sympathized with the immediate family of the deceased, described the late Emir of Kano as a revered traditional ruler who built bridges of love, peace and unity in the country during his life time. According to them, the great leadership qualities of the late Emir of Kano would be greatly missed especially now that the nation is facing a lot of daunting challenges.
“ We received the news of the death of Emir of Kano with shock and disbelief. We commiserate with his immediate family, the government and good people of Kano State over the death of their revered Emir Alhaji Ado Bayero who died at the age of 83. He was one traditional ruler who distinguished himself through his great leadership qualities which enable him to rule for over five decades. He believed in the indivisibility of one Nigeria. And during his live time he built bridges of friendship, love, peace and unity. We shall greatly miss him.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
He means different things to people. To some, he is a militant. To many others, he is a social crusader. But to several people in the Niger-Delta, especially the Ijaw community, his tribe, he is both a warrior and liberator. This is even as many people believe the former Ijaw Youth Council President and leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, is enigmatic. The son of a former judge in Rivers State judiciary, Asari appears unstoppable in the fight to liberate his people. He clocked the golden age of 5O on June 1, 2014. In this interview, he tells the story of his many struggles amongst others. Excerpts:
Let us start with your many encounters with the law and arrests. We recall you were a regular guest to the offices of security agencies.
Arrest was a regular thing. I can’t really tell. I became used to arrest. In fact, the police and SSS in Port Harcourt, maybe they advised the government, saying ‘pls, just leave this guy alone. This guy, arrest no dey do am anything’. (Laughing and speaking in pidgin English). ‘Just leave him alone. The guy enjoys getting arrested’.
Yes, that was one of the greatest undoing of Obasanjo because he thought I could be cowed. Go and look at my trial videos. There is trial like that where the judge was put in the dock. I was the one questioning the judge. It is not possible. So, the government and Obasanjo really, really, really did not understand the type of person he was dealing with. May be in Nigeria, there were no such people then. Today, we have Boko Haram. So, a new group of people has started.
Were you ever taken to any dungeon…? (Cuts in) I was in SSS underground for 10 months and 11 days in solitary confinement.
How did you cope? I would have run mad. Many people did. But because I had memorized parts of the Koran, instead of talking to myself, I just recited the Koran. That was what kept me alive. If I had not memorized the Koran, I would have been mad. Talking to yourself is a different thing. But this one, you are reading, edifying your soul.
So, while in prison, did you get to meet with any of the people now linked to Boko Haram? I met with so many people, not only Boko Haram militants. Yes, I met with a lot of them: Muda Shiru, Mohammed Isam, Yusuf Hussein, Asan Yusuf, Mohammed Bello.
Who were these people? They were leaders of the group that is now called Boko Haram. They were arrested and repatriated from Libya.
Do you know if they are still alive? Yeah. But some of them are no longer with them. Isam is no longer with them. I don’t have their contact. But I believe that the majority of those people may have been dead because we had very close relationship when we were in prison even though we didn’t see face to face. They were in their cells and I was in mine; so we hit the wall and talked. During prayers, we prayed together by shouting.
If that is the case, don’t you get to talk to them to broker ceasefire and all that or do we have new faces now? No, no, no. It depends on government approach. Someone in government thought it could be wished away, that it was easy. Boko Haram? ‘It will fizzle away’ and all the warning we gave them, they did not accept. They misled the government into believing that it could be wished it away. If they had taken a decisive action at that time, I don’t think that this would have reached the stage it has reached now.
But a decision was taken on their leader, Yusuf Mohammed? That was not the sort of decisive action. The killing of Yusuf Mohammed was a mistake. If Yusuf Mohammed were to die, he should have gone for trial. Nobody should use his whims and caprices as the law like what Saddam Hussein said “whatever I wrote with my hand, that is the law”. That was what Yar’Adua did. Why should you kill somebody extra-judicially? Take him to court if he had committed any offense. You have the laws. If they had followed due process, it would have mitigated what is happening. But they did not follow. They went outside the law. When you go outside the law, you are also telling the other person to also meet you outside the law.
The thinking in many quarters now is that these people are taking a revenge on the government while some people disagree, saying it is pure terrorism. You have also said they are acting on a wrong ideology. How do you reconcile all these?
Yea, they are acting on a wrong ideology but even if it was a revenge, Islam does not permit you to take people who are not combatants. When you take the lives of people who are not combatants, then you are not longer fighting the cause of Allah because Allah SWA clearly said in the Koran that if you kill an innocent man, it seems you have killed the whole world.
Let’s go back to the struggle. Do you think it has paid off? Not 100 percent. Maybe 20 percent. We have somebody that looks like us, dresses like us, eats our food, dances the way we dance as President. It is a victory over those who feel that they were born to rule. Who says they are born to rule? It is a negation of that erroneous position.
But to everyone in Nigeria, the President is Nigeria’s President not an Ijaw President even though he is coming from that background.
Yes, it is true. But he came from somewhere. He did not fall from the sky.
The President has been accused of not really been presidential in the real sense of the word. Again, you have very many challenges bedeviling the country which many Nigerians had expected him to deal with decisively. Yes, most of us feel that he has not done things the way they ought to be done. But there are individual differences. For instance, does Mr. President believe in things that the ordinary Ijaw man believes? The ordinary Ijaw man who was at the airport to bring the corpse of Isaac Boro; that the Ijaw nation must be liberated, must be independent? Do most of the elites share the same beliefs that we share? No.
Ok. Can you tell us what you feel about the Nigerian state? The Nigerian state was built on falsehood, on false foundation and it cannot stand the test of time. The British fraudulently stole the sovereignty of various nations like the Kalabiri country, an independent state. We signed a treaty of protection with Britain. We never ceded our independence to them but they fraudulently included us in Nigeria without reference to the treaties they signed with our forefathers. So, that is a fraud. It is built on falsehood. It is built on fraud. So it cannot stand the test of time. It cannot stand the moral test, that’s why it will fall and it is falling.
You are quoted as saying that the abduction of the school girls in Chibok is a scam. Some people feel shocked by that statement coming from you even when we have seen the international community coming in…
(Cuts in) which international community? The United States of America with her allies Britain and the European Union cajoled the whole world and told us that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. At the end of the day, were there weapons of mass destruction? There was none. So the international community for whatever intent and purpose that is compelling them to do what they are doing is best known to them. But it will not be far from economic interest. How can you believe that 270 girls will be taken? How? It is not possible. If you tell us that 20 girls were taken, 30, maybe 50, fine. How will you tell us that 270 girls were writing physics exam? How? In which school? Where? Even in the most educationally advanced part of this country, can you find any school where even 20 students are writing physics? I run a school. How many of my students are writing physics? They just finished their SSCE? And this is an elitist school, we make very good results. How many people are writing physics? Who are they telling? So, if you are not into education business, somebody can cajole you and tell you a lot of stories. When they took the students, the Principal, who said she thought they were soldiers, again said she was in Maiduguri for medical treatment when they came. Her daughter too was in the school. Why didn’t they take her daughter? Why did they take other peoples daughters? The military was aware four hours before the attack; the people who sent the information that Chibok was to be attacked four hours to the military, why did they not inform the chairman of Chibok, SSS Rep, DPO or anybody in Chibok? The Chibok community leader who has been talking, why didn’t they say, ‘Please, move the girls, we are suspecting that there was going to be an attack on the school? Move these children out of the school’. Why was it only the military they told? They couldn’t reach any other person but the military? What are they telling us now? Ok, today, one of the girls said she ran and jumped over the fence. She climbed the tree and then the man was saying come down, come down o’. What sort of thing is this now? So, the girl can climb a tree faster than a man with a gun? Why didn’t you just simply shoot her and he left her and went away? And some four persons were found in their house and they said they escaped and came back? What sort of stories?
You are known as one who insists that Mr. President must come back in 2015. With the array of turbulent issues in the country, do you see that happening still? Look, Mr. President has won o. He has won the election. Just forget about it. All of them will just fizzle out. He will win and win clear for another four years, fair and square.
Now, what if he changes his mind not to contest as he has not even declared? He cannot do that?
What if he does it? (Speaking in Pidgin English) Where him go come naa? If he do am, where him go return naa? Niger-Delta land? Him go stay for Abuja with them naa when him finish. Him go come carry us reach for center of the river, then, him go come jump enter river, leave us without paddle? Carry our paddle jump inside river, come leave us for inside boat for center of ocean? Ah! No o.
How has it been in the last 50 years you have lived? Ah! My life at 50. My experience. How am I going to put it? Well, I got into the university at the age of 21 in 1985; the University of Calabar. And from that age of 21, death became my constant companion at every turn.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Please, before you read this, ensure you are mentally mature because this post is not intended to negatively judge Tiwa Savage! I wrote this so that I could submit my fifty naira take on the controversial video.
Dear Tiwa,
I am a major fan of yours and I have always loved your music right from the very start. I know how bad you must have felt seeing the way your fans reacted to your recently released video ‘Wanted’. I have decided to take time out to explain things to you and make you understand why we reacted the way we did.
Tiwa, from inception, you have been perceived to be an Ambassador of the Youth. You represented the quintessential sexy female role-model, especially in the entertainment world. When we listen to your songs, it sends a message across to the youth. There is always something to ‘take home’ in your songs: for the young female, how to be simple and sexy without being trashy; for the young aspiring person, how hardwork pays; for the up and coming musician, how to sing songs that not only inspire the youths but motivates them in focusing on their dreams. My point exactly…we just loved you and your music (oh! the freshness of your songs).
After all these and then the next thing we get from you is…’Wanted’! It was simply too much for some of us to handle. We were so shocked because for some of us, we thought “So she don join Maheeda group of companies!” Please do not blame the fans for reacting the way they did. You know how it is when you have a child who does and says all the right things and then Boom!…she comes out ‘Unclad’! If Maheeda or Cossy did a video like that, trust me, we won’t blink. We would simply say, Oh, its Maheeda! Oh, it’s Cossy! But you are neither of them, you are Tiwa omo Savage, who sings beautiful songs.
My advice?…Please do not give into the pressure of “Sex Sells” attitude in the music industry. We are shouting that Today’s Nigerian youth are losing their sense of culture and sense of self, majorly because we want to be accepted by the Westernised society! Please do not add to the factors contributing to societal decadence! Let us please practice what we preach through the music which you give to us and the home-videos we watch. I want that, at the end of the day, when my child sits to watch a musical video, it will inspire him/her to become a better person. Not a person, who believes in using violence, sex and sexually explicit materials to communicate.
I believe, you wanted to say something with the ‘Wanted’ video, but what ever that message was, we didn’t get it because you didn’t allow us that opportunity! Please, I didn’t want to say this but a husband who truly loves you, is supposed to protect his ‘wares’ and not make you do whatever to stay relevant in the public eye!
Don’t feel bad about being criticized for your video, even though there are some ‘touts’ in our midst who seize every given opportunity to exhibit their ‘toutery’! Let me just tell you that, as long as you are in the public eye, you will constantly be judged so don’t let all the ‘noise’ about your video get to you. Celine Dion was one lady musician who never changed who she was and we all loved her music. So, we want you to keep being our ‘Celine Dion’. Lol!
People make mistakes and you are no exception because you are human (Losers, I hope you understand?!). Afterall, if you think about it, we have a right to complain because you are ‘working’ for us or is the music not for our own enjoyment? So if we say we want Spaghetti and sauce, why do you give us ‘koko garri and groundnuts’!
Love you girl! You will always remain one of my number one sexy female musician
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Recently, leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party from the southern geopolitical zones met in Lagos to try to summon support for President Goodluck Jonathan’s widely expected second term bid. Anayo Okolie, who covered the event, reports
There have been argument and debate as whether President Goodluck Jonathan is qualified to seek re-election in 2015 or not. However, the 1999 Constitution states that a president of Nigeria can lead for two four-year tenures, making a maximum of eight years in office. Section 137 (1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution says a person elected to the office of president at any time in two previous elections shall not be qualified for subsequent election as president of Nigeria.
In the case of Jonathan, the question is, has he contested election twice as presidential candidate? The answer is no.
Though, Jonathan has yet to declare whether or not he will seek re-election, campaigns for his second term have commenced indirectly in almost all the regions of the country.
In a bid to ensure a successful outing for Jonathan if he decides to contest the 2015 presidential election, recently, a group under the umbrella of Peoples Democratic Party South-south Forum assembled in Lagos.
Speaking during the event, tagged “Jonathan Must Run Rally,” the chairman of PDP South-south Forum, Friday Samuel Atang, recalled that all the nationalities that make up the country today had before the 1914 amalgamation existed and operated independently with their own recognised traditions and cultures, and without hindrance from any quarters.
Atang noted that the Nigerian project had today brought about majority and minority tribes and zones where individuals and groups in the so-called major tribes now dictate to those they regard as minorities, “when to sleep and when to wake up, when to run and when to walk.”
He recalled that in 2010, Jonathan, as the acting president, was warned not to contest the 2011 presidential election and if he dared to contest, he must lose, else, the country will be made ungovernable for him.
“Events after that election confirm the seriousness of that threat from these ‘Born to Rule’ leaders who treat Nigeria as their personal estate. Does the ambition of a select few selfish leaders worth the lives of innocent Nigerians whose blood flood our street daily?” Atang asked.
He said, “2015 election is approaching and as it was in 2010, another warning has been issued to the president not contest, else, the country will break up or endless violence and more destruction will ensue. They have refused to acknowledge or appreciate any accomplishment of this administration.”
On the attempts to discredit the Jonathan government before the electorate, Atang said: “We the people from the South-south know that the president is going through these trials because he comes from the minority tribes… “But shall we as a people buckled under intimidation and blackmail and allow President Goodluck Jonathan to be arm-twisted and bullied out of the presidential race? Never, otherwise, we will fall victim to the immortal words of Frank Fanon who said, ‘The future will have no pity for those men who possess the exceptional privilege of being able to speak the words of truth to their oppressors, but have taken refuge in an attitude of passivity of mute indifference.”
Prince Oghene Egoh, who represented the South-south leader, Chief Edwin Clark, stated that the activities of enemies of democracy who want to truncate and deny Jonathan his constitutional right to run for a second term must be stopped. The South-south, he stressed, would not have bothered to come out to demand that Jonathan must run if those who are against him had been democratic in their call. “We in the South-south believe that Jonathan must be allowed to exercise his democratic right,” Egoh said, adding that the decision to vote for him or not should be left to the electorate.
“We appeal to the northern elders to be patient because four years is like a second in the life of a nation. We are all witnesses in this country to the fact that the South waited patiently for the North when five presidents succeeded themselves for a period of about 26 years.” According to Egoh, former President Shehu Shagari was succeeded by General Muhammadu Buhari, military president Ibrahim Babangida, the late General Sani Abacha, and General Abdulsalam Abubakar. Egoh observed that these northern presidents were all Muslims and the South-south was patient.
Egoh said, “We should also not forget that the South-south is the goose that lays the golden egg, which feeds the North also. When the North had groundnut, they enjoyed it alone but now that South-south has oil they do not want to take it all alone.”
He added, “President Jonathan has done well with his transformation agenda, which includes privatisation of NEPA, establishment of a federal university in each state, encouragement of employment with SURE P, and industrialisation.”
He said the president will surely transform Nigeria, which has become the biggest economy in Africa, in spite of dwindling revenue from the oil and the ravages of Boko Haram.
The chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Lagos chapter, Captain Tunji Shelle, said Jonathan’s re-election is democratically right, stressing that he has been carrying out the affairs of Nigeria with all dexterity and determination.
Shelle said, “It would be difficult for any other person to take over from Jonathan and do as much as he is doing. South-south people are not alone. A thing like this takes a lot of hard work, time and commitment to achieve. I also want to place on record that our president has done so much among which is the national conference, which ongoing and which is going to give us direction that Nigeria is going to follow after 2015.
“Mr. President has shown that he is a leader. If you go to various airports of the country, you will see what I am talking about. Go to various railway stations you will see what I am also talking about from Lagos to Port Harcourt station and to Kano station and you will see a lot of work.”
The South-south PDP members’ gathering in Lagos was, no doubt, another event to test the waters ahead of Jonathan’s expected declaration for the 2015 presidential election. But it is not clear when he would make that decision.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
On May 29, instead of rolling out the drums in celebration of Democracy Day, Enugu State mobilised to actively participate in the INEC continuous voters’ registration exercise, to be on their guard as the country marches towards the 2015 general elections, particularly, in view of the sudden disappearance of the state’s 621 poling units from the commission’s register. Christopher Isiguzo writes
The recent five-day voters’ registration exercise announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission clearly overshadowed the last Democracy Day celebration in Enugu State. The exercise was meant to capture Nigerians who could not register during the last registration exercise, those who just turned 18 years, as well as those whose names had suddenly disappeared from the INEC register due to some human and machine errors.
The issue of the over 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram at Chibok, in Borno State, since April 14 also added to make the seventh Democracy Day anniversary of the Governor Sullivan Chime administration solemn rather than celebratory. But for the governor’s commissioning of the remodelled Maryland Estate built by the Enugu State Housing Development Corporation, under the headship of Hon. Ikeje Asogwa, nothing suggested anything special about May 29 in the state.
‘Missing’ Polling Units
Tension had gripped the state over the sudden disappearance of the names of prominent stakeholders in the state from the INEC register. This led to allegations and counter-allegations as well as threats of law suits against the commission over the missing names, which were said to constitute about 45 per cent of voters in the state.
A breakdown of the missing polling booths in the INEC register showed that the worst hit was Nsukka and Igboetiti councils, where 230 and 190 booths, respectively, were returned with zero registered voters. Others include, Aninri, where two polling units were missing; Awgu, six polling units; Enugu East, 20; Enugu North, two; Enugu South, four; Ezeagu, two; Igboeze North, 25; Igboeze South, four; Isi-Uzo, one; Nkanu West, 148; Oji River, five; Udenu, three; and Uzo Uwani, four. Two polling booths were missing in the governor’s Udi council area.
Apart from the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, the state House of Assembly also threatened to drag INEC to court if the anomaly was not corrected. The party specifically accused the electoral body of deliberately trying to collude with some “desperate” politicians to disenfranchise majority of the people of the state in the coming elections.
From Incomplete to Zero Registration
INEC had recently announced that more than one million voters were expected to participate in the distribution of permanent voters cards (PVCs), as well as the continuous voters’ registration (CVR) exercise, both of which have ended. The exercise, it had said, would be conducted in 621 polling units in the state due to incomplete data.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC in Enugu State, Dr. Lawrence Azubuike, said apart from incomplete data, there were also other reasons that had rendered registration in the 621 polling units invalid.
He disclosed that details of the affected units in each local government area could be ascertained and accessed by members of the public during the display of voters list as scheduled, and urged those who were not up to 18 years in 2011, during the last exercise, to take advantage of the current one to register.
But PDP said of the total of 2,940 polling booths in the state, 621 were completely missing from the INEC register. The state PDP chairman, Mr. Vita Abba, expressed dismay at the development and alleged that what happened in Anambra State in the November 16, 2013 governorship election, where registered voters could not find their names in the register, was about to be repeated in Enugu State.
PDP said that it had discovered that names of notable politicians, including the speaker of the state Assembly and frontline governorship aspirant, Eugene Odoh; chairman of the PDP in the state, Vita Abba; a serving senator and members of the House of Representatives, mostly from Enugu North senatorial zone, were missing from the register. It said that the name of Chime, Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, as well as other prominent officials of the state government were missing in the INEC register.
Special Sitting
The House of Assembly held a special sitting to protest the anomaly and take a position on the matter. During the sitting, the Assembly reprimanded INEC and directed it to rectify the faulty voters register before May 27 or face a lawsuit from the lawmakers.
The lawmakers refused entreaties from the commission to go through another registration exercise, arguing that the Electoral Act stated that anybody with temporary voter’s card cannot vote in 2015 election. The Assembly wondered where those that will take part in the proposed re-registration exercise slated for May 29 to June 2 would get their permanent voters cards since it took nearly four years for those that registered in 2011 to get theirs.
The lawmakers then resolved that INEC should resort to its backup/hardcopy resource pool, or request her sister agencies, that is the State Independent Electoral Commissions, to assist her retrieve their data if the commission had misplaced it. The Assembly urged INEC to revert to the established registration that was used in the 2011 general elections in Enugu State as it concerns the affected local government areas.
The house also directed INEC to tender an apology to the affected local government areas for the unwarranted socio-political and psychological trauma caused them. It said INEC should take full responsibility of the financial implications of the exercise and pay damages in terms of money. The house also resolved that as a matter of exigency, INEC should extend the duration for revision of the voters register from five days to a period not shorter than one month.
Public Holidays
The controversy generated by the disappearance of the 621 polling booths made the state government to declare public holidays in order to ensure that residents of the state were mobilised to take part in the rescheduled registration exercise, which lasted between May 28 and June 1, before it was extended to June 3 in order to capture more people.
But the exercise still witnessed pockets of hitches across the state following the failure of many of the machines deployed by INEC for the exercise. Residents of the state who came out in their numbers to take part in the exercise were disappointed as a result of the problems with the machines, which ranged from battery, cord or thumb-printing issues. The ad hoc INEC staff manning the machines had to shut them down frequently, thereby slowing down the process.
All these combined to take the shine off the Democracy Day celebration in the state.
Commissioning of Maryland Housing Estate
However, residents of Enugu metropolis still found time to come out in their numbers to witness the commissioning of the remodelled Maryland Housing Estate. The estate, which was commenced by the past administration of Senator Chimaraoke Nnamani, was totally overhauled with a new architectural design.
Many traditional dance groups and gospel singers as well as notable compares, Ndudi Chude and Paul Nnajiofor, performed to add colour to the event. Their message was that despite the challenges facing the country, the people of Enugu State still had cause to celebrate service delivery, fulfilment of campaign promises and good governance as displayed by the Chime administration.
Speaking at the event, Sullivan Chime said with the commissioning of the 384 housing units Maryland Estate, the stage was set for the development of more housing estates for low income earners before the end of his administration next year. Chime said that the housing estate was the second after the Ekulu-East Estate inherited by his administration from the previous government to be completed, stressing that nothing tangible had been done on the projects when he took office in 2007.
“We took it over and revoked plots and gave it to more serious people who are willing to develop and today the place is one of the best estates in Nigeria,” he said.
While praising the managing director of the state housing corporation, Asogwa, for his efforts, the governor urged the incoming administration to continue with affordable housing policies in the state, adding, “With what we have seen on ground, if I am given the opportunity, I will reappoint Asogwa a million times because he has done the state proud.”
The governor said his administration had a policy of not rejecting any land application, assuring that the 200,000 hectares of land recently acquired would meet the land needs of residents.
In his remarks earlier, Asogwa said that his corporation had provided basic infrastructure at the estate, including asphalted roads, transformers, streets lights, and underground reservoirs, as well as a sub-station of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company.
He, however, called on the governor to intervene on the issue of potable water at the estate, stressing that it is the biggest problem facing occupants at the place.
Asogwa said the corporation had in the last six years assisted the state government with the construction of 37 kilometres asphalt roads, 19 kilometres of earth roads, 53 culverts, 97 drainages, and three bridges, and provided transformers for completed estates in the state.
Other speakers at the event included the Commissioner for Housing, Victor Okolo; chairman of the Governing Board of the State Housing Development Corporation, Paul Nnaji; and a resident, Emma Ndulue.
The speakers described the commissioning of the estate as a fitting Democracy Day present to residents of the state.
“Instead of rolling out drums like other states, Enugu State has rather decided to identify with the mood of the nation where over 200 students are still being held; hundreds of people are killed daily in the North-east and, of course, the need to encourage our people to take part in the voters’ registration exercise by not engaging in celebrations. This speaks volumes for the kind of leadership we have in the state,” Ndulue said.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Major General David Jemibewon was at different times military governor of the old Western State and old Oyo State. He was minister of Police Affairs at the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999. In this interview with some journalists, Jemibewon says a combination of efforts is required to solve the country’s current security problem. He advocates the setting up of a trust fund, akin to the one established during the civil war, to help those on the front lines of the war against terrorism. Anayo Okolie was there. Excerpts:
How would you evaluate the extent of Nigeria’s security challenge, and how can the situation be dealt with?
What is happening in the country today is very sad. I just imagine if I were still in the Army as a young man, what would I have done? I don’t have what I may call total solution. It’s just to express a view based on your question and then also to work on the suggestions being put forward by most Nigerians. I think it’s unfortunate, but we must understand that conventional war is slightly different from the situation we have today. It’s not exactly a total war because in a war you know your opponent and your opponent knows you. Even by the uniform he wears and by the weapon he carries, you will know your opponent. So that when you hear the shooting of a gun, by your experience, you can almost say this is the calibre of the gun that is being shot. But now, you won’t know who is a member of this group. So, to say that our soldiers are not well equipped, not well armed, based on the few things in the papers are not appropriate statements. But I can understand that many people who do the writings or who make the statements never had any form of military training and this is why in some societies they advocate compulsory military training.
If everybody had gone through military processes, they will know that this is not total war and that makes it more difficult to fight. So, I am just hoping that solving this problem will require a combination of most of the suggestions being put forward by various Nigerians; that is that it would be solved through dialogue, negotiation and through a little bit of application of force and action. Again, we must realise that with these girls adopted in Chibok, if we apply full military force to attempt to liberate them, they would be killed. So at the end you will ask yourself what have I achieved.
Some people are of the view that the Boko Haram insurgency would have been resolved long ago if Nigeria had done enough in the area of intelligence gathering. Would you support this view?
I will ask you, what is intelligence gathering? Intelligence gathering is simply information gathering before and during events and then you project into the future to see what is likely to happen. For example, I will expect that some people ought to be assembled somewhere to be thinking what would happen if this Boko Haram crisis comes to an end because it will still have some after effect. It is just like what we are doing in this workshop, trying to promote peace before, during and after the election. Perhaps, our problem as a nation is that we did not anticipate what is happening so as to get prepared for it. But now that it has happened, how do we get information, analyse the information and also anticipate that when this will come to an end, what should we do? This is important because even when it ends, something will come out. We ought to learn some lessons. For example, how are we going to rehabilitate those who are bereaved and what actions are we going to put in place to prevent re-occurrence of such attacks?
Intelligence comprises many things. For example, those giving us headache today, it must have taken them some time before they acquired the strength they have acquired, the weapons they have acquired. They live within human beings. Soldiers were not based in those areas. If these people had come to the appropriate authorities to say we are seeing some strange faces in these areas, etc., that is intelligence.
What is your take on the alleged sabotage of the military operations by some officers and the alleged infiltration of the military by insurgent elements?
I will attempt to answer your question but you should ask questions that you will probably get a reasonable answer. When some people sit down and make allegation and I am to sit down here to say I agree or disagree with the allegation without facts, is not possible. It is possible what you read in papers is correct. It is also possible what you read is not correct. So, I won’t sit down now to say I agree or disagree with the allegations until facts emerge.
Don’t you think the incessant military disruptions of the country’s democratic experience in the past are responsible for some of the problems Nigeria is facing today?
That sounds ridiculous to me because it is similar to the general statement that the British created the problem of Nigeria. If after independence e we are still blaming the British, then I feel sorry for that. It is like a lady can go to the hospital to have a baby. Probably, the father of that baby has died. In the course of birth the woman dies; the child that is born could grow up and become an important personality, not just in his country, in fact, he can be known worldwide. So, I have to relate that to you at your age blaming your father for not making a success of your career because you didn’t listen to your dad when you were in school. I use that analogy in relation to this.
Would you advocate military training for the Nigerian youth?
It has been written many times in the past. It is becoming very stale now. In fact, the National Youth Service Corps should also be introduced to basic military training. They should be taught how to handle weapons.
Some people in America predicted that Nigeria might breakup in 2015. Don’t you think the current security challenge in the country might be a prelude to that breakup?
Yes, I read it at a time. They did mention it. At that time many people were writing in newspapers insulting the source of the information, instead of working towards ensuring that it didn’t happen. So, I am praying that the country doesn’t break up. But thanks for the information that was brought to our knowledge many years ago, which is what I said in terms of intelligence, that was the kind of information we ought to have worked with. But, unfortunately, we didn’t.
Are you not afraid that the breakup may be imminent?
I wouldn’t say it is imminent. But in any case, what we have to do is to work towards ensuring that the prediction does not work. And to ensure it doesn’t come to reality, it is the responsibility of all of us to promote peace, promote understanding. And in this regard, the press becomes a very vital organisation.
Do you subscribe to the view that Nigeria need restructuring to make progress?
Perhaps, they should let us know what they mean by restructuring and the nature of that restructuring. You see this shirt that you are wearing that some persons are admiring you that you are wearing a neat shirt, if you don’t take care of it by washing it, cleaning it, some people might run away from you because of the odour coming from it. Your washing your shirt is the restructuring of it. Keeping it clean to make it good, which is also making you good. So, even a country you may assume is perfect, there is also need for discussion to make what is good better.
So, restructuring at all times will always, in my view, occur on the basis of what I have just said. The country requires restructuring. There was a time there were no states in Nigeria. Then we started with 12 states. We went to 19. Now we have 36 states. That is restructuring. Those advocating restructuring, I don’t think they are wrong. But let them come with what exactly they mean and how do we see that restructuring. But merely making statements, I cannot say it right or wrong.
The South-west said the minimum requirement for them to remain in Nigeria is the devolution of power to the regions?
I want to believe other regions could also have their positions. But what does an association mean? It simply means a group of people who have agreed to form that association. There will be certain discussions, one or two will disagree with, and at the end, if they really cherish their coming together, there must be a way by which they must reconcile their differences by coming to a consensus for the good and unity of that association. Now they are in a conference. There must be trade off if they still want the existence of this country, one way or the other. What will be surprising is if they are so rigid, not flexible.
A stakeholders’ meeting similar to the latest one was held before the last governorship elections in Edo, Ondo and Anambra states. Considering what happened during those polls and the violence in some parts of the country in 2011, do you think Nigerians have learned considerably from the attempts at peace building?
The question I will ask you is, have you sat down to imagine what could have happened if these seminars were never held. I think that is the way you should look at it. Now, when you are teaching something, you should allow for gradual assimilation. Without those workshops, maybe the situation would have been worse. And I am sure that as these seminar hold, each state will ensure that the result of its own election will be better than the previous ones. I don’t think because one or two of your children didn’t do well in school, you won’t send the third one to school.
How would you assess Nigeria’s democratic experience since the return to civil rule 15 years ago? And what is your opinion on the recent contradictory statements from the authorities on the whereabouts of the kidnapped schoolgirls?
To be honest with you as a person, I don’t understand what it means. We had democracy before in this country but, unfortunately, something went wrong politically and the military came in. Thereafter, between the various military governments, they attempted democracy again. Then from 1999 to date, we thank the Almighty God that there have been no political disruptions.
On insurgency, it is difficult. Sometimes if you criticise you will be making things difficult. I think there ought to be a central point where information must go to and where decision as to what goes out or is disseminated is taken. But I know that there are competent people there that probably know better. But to answer your question, I think there ought to be a central control.
However, what we need to do now is to encourage the military and wish them well. I am using this opportunity to put forward a suggestion. I have sat down to look at it critically. If we all believe that what is happening is a national tragedy, something that every Nigerian should be concerned about, then we ought to make an effort at the national level to support our security men. I deliberately didn’t use Armed Forces but security men –the Army, Navy, Air Force, Civil Defence, DSS, Police, etc. During the Nigerian civil war, some people came up with the troop comfort fund and it encouraged us. The fund raised was applied in many ways, providing food and other needs. So, I advocate the setting up of a security trust fund. All those involved will know that the Nigerian society sympathised with them and know how this money will be used. Now, many of our troops, including the police, may come back with amputated legs and hands. This money can be ploughed into a central medical centre for the rehabilitation of those who would have been maimed during this crisis. And the fund will be such that every Nigerian who believes that what we are facing now is a big tragedy for us will contribute to the fund. This is my idea. We need a national security fund to assist our security men in this operation, particularly, if you believe that this is a national problem and needs the support of everybody.
Recently, you chaired a sensitisation workshop for political parties and stakeholders in Ekiti State. How would you describe the exercise?
When something is good, you build on it. The objective of this seminar is to promote peace and harmony before, during and after the election. So, I think it’s a good idea, a good strategy to promote peace in our country.
For some time now, in the course of the campaigns, there have been reports of violence in Ekiti State. How do you see this development?
It’s unfortunate, but to put a stop to it or to reduce the intensity of such unworthy actions is the reason for this workshop. I am sure one of the objectives of this workshop is to bring all the contestants together, the stakeholders and even those of us who stay by the side to look, including the press, of course, to discuss, to dialogue and to arrive at a consensus to promote peace and understanding. Let’s face facts, what is election? Election is just a way of selecting leadership, particularly in a democratic setting and if the constitution makes provision for just one person to occupy a particular position, whether there are 10 or 20 contestants, it is just one person who would get there. So, we must learn to accept the winner. However, those who lose must be convinced that the process leading to the emergence of the winner was a proper process. That is to say that the purpose of this workshop before the elections is for all to come to a conclusion that we want peace so that whoever deviates from that decision has really created a problem. I think this kind of seminar or workshop is a good prelude to the election.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
George Okoh, in Makurdi, looks at the hopefuls trying to succeed Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam and the permutations ahead of the 2015 governorship election
Come May 2015, Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam will be handing over the mantle of leadership to another person, having spent the maximum constitutional two terms of eight years in office. There are many hopefuls struggling for a place in the governorship contest, but 12 appear to be in the frontline.
Huge Stakes
Whoever will take over from Suswam will be expected to carry the people’s hopes for improved welfare and security. He will also carry the investors’ hopes for far-reaching economic reforms. Suswam has been able to shoulder these to the admiration of many in Benue State since 2007.
The governor, widely described as one of the country’s few state chief executives that hit the ground running, has had an impressive record. He brought a speedy sense of administrative efficiency and introduced a range of infrastructural development in the areas of road construction, hospital buildings, and water plants across the state. He has promoted agricultural production in the areas in which the state has comparative advantage.
So there is a huge stake among the people in the choice of the person who would succeed Suswam. The electorate are looking forward to a successor that will better, rather than retard, the achievements of the governor.
There is a high political awareness in the state. Therefore, there are a number of factors that will determine who the successor of Suswam will be.
Zoning
The political equation in the state has over time favoured a zoning system, even though it has mainly being among the two Tiv-dominated, hugely population zones of Benue North East and Benue North West. However, the prevailing belief now is that since the two Tiv speaking zones have governed in the persons of Senator George Akume (1999-2007) and Suswam (2007-date), it is only fair to give the opportunity to Benue South, which is largely Idoma, to produce the next governor.
The only obstacle to the Benue South agitation may be the governorship aspiration of a Tiv sub-tribe, which feel they have been alienated. This feeling is based on the fact that of the five families that make up the Tiv lineage, the Masev, Ihiarev, Nongov, collectively known as the MINDA, have not produced a governor of the state since its creation in 1976. The other four members of the Tiv family have ruled the state and so there is sympathy among the Tiv electorate for the MINDA to succeed Suswam before power could rotate Benue South.
Besides zoning, other factors expected to shape the emergence of the next governor of Benue State are political experience and educational background.
The Contenders
Based on the above factors, the following are among the strong contenders for the governorship seat ahead of 2015.
Samuel Ortom
Dr. Samuel Ortom is the current Minister of State Trade and Investment and Supervising Minister of Aviation. As Christian, he is reputed to be very religious and friendly.
As a member of PDP, Ortom went through the ranks to emerge the party’s national auditor before his appointment as a minister. He is popular among the electorate and has been going about the consultation for his governorship ambition very quietly.
Although, there is a belief in some quarters that Ortom may elect to shelve his governorship ambition and remain in the President Goodluck Jonathan government.
Ortom has a good relationship with the incumbent governor, Senate President David Mark, who is also a Benue indigene, and the Presidency. This has led to yet another suspicion in some quarters that he might have been endorsed for the governorship.
A trained journalist, former publisher and entrepreneur, Ortom is a doctorate degree holder. He has indicated that agriculture and industrialisation of the state would be his main focus if he is elected governor.
He is from Guma Local Government Area and of the MINDA stock.
Sam Ode
Honourable Sam Ode has been in politics for over two decades. He started politics at a very young age. He was Minister of State Niger Delta in the early period of the Jonathan administration. He is popular in the state for the jobs he did while he was special adviser to the state governor on Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. Under his stewardship, there was a local government reform, which has been hailed as one of the best achievements of the local government system in the Suswam administration.
His admirers view his candidacy as the best option for the state, as he is of Tiv and Idoma parentage. His father is a Tiv from Oturkpo Local Government Area, while his mother, an Idoma, is from Ushongu Local Government Area.
Ode is well connected and has promised to bring his connections to bear in the state, especially in the area of infrastructural development, youth training and empowerment, education, health, and agriculture, if elected governor.
A doctorate degree holder, Ode is currently chairman of Lower Niger Development Authority. He is from a popular Idoma family in Otukpo, Benue South senatorial district. He is close to Governor Suswam.
Steven Lawani
Chief Steven Lawani is the current deputy governor of the state and acclaimed strongman of Ogbadigbo politics. An experienced politician and businessman before joining the Suswam government, he was deputy chairman of the defunct National Republican Convention. Lawani is believed to be the most experienced politician currently in the governorship race. He had contested the PDP primaries in 2007 against Suswam and others.
Lawani has good political structures across the state and he was the first to pick his campaign coordinators in the local government areas. His supporters argue that he would be in the best position to continue and further the achievements of the Suswam government.
A finance and economy expert, and former chairman of Savana Bank and Manny Bank, Lawani hails from Ogbadigbo in Benue South.
Terhemem Tarzoor
Prince Terhemem Tarzoor is a former Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly. He has been elected twice into the Assembly to represent Makurdi North Constituency.
At 42, Tarzoor is the youngest of all the governorship aspirants. He was one of the first aspirants to start a statewide consultation in support of his ambition, and he is believed to have a lot of acceptance among the electorate. He is an economist by training and says his focus would be on agriculture, job creation, and empowerment. He is currently undertaking a course for his doctoral degree. Tarzoor is a prince of Makurdi and is of the MINDA extraction.
Gabriel Nyitse
Dr. Gabriel Tivlumun Nyitse was Permanent Secretary, Government House Administration, until January, when he voluntarily retired from the Benue State civil service to contest the 2015 governorship election on the platform of PDP. Born on July23, 1960, Nyitse, who hails from Guma local government, has had a distinguished career in the civil service. A former zonal editor of the Concord and Voice newspapers, he is an experienced administrator. His work as permanent secretary in the Government House is believed to be an added advantage to him in the knowledge of the workings of government.
Nyitse is from Guma Local Government Area and he is of the MINDA section.
Dr. Hinga Biam
Dr. Hinga Biam is a former Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Internal Affairs, Benue State. An experienced administrator, he has been prominent in government circles for over 30 years. Some believe he is one of the choices on the wish list of the governor. A top journalist, who has said he would turn the economy of the state around through agriculture and establishment of cottage industries, Biam, from Gwer East, is of the MINDA stock.
Paul Ogbole
Paul Harris Ogbole, a lawyer from the Adoka part of Otukpo Local Government Area, is the son of a famous jurist in the state. He has just completed his tenure as a commissioner in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Known for his humane disposition, Ogbole has important friends across the state. He is in private practice as co-partner in a law firm in which Suswam is believed to have an interest. Ogbole says the development of education would be his main focus if he becomes governor.
Dr. Ugim Aliegba
Dr. Ugim Aliegba, a university don, is an associate professor at the Benue State University. He had been a commissioner in the state executive council since 2007 and only quit last month to pursue his governorship ambition. Aliegba has the backing of many members of the state executive council. Aliegba, from Gwer West in the MINDA area, has promised to give priority attention to education if elected governor.
Felix Atume
Mr. Felix Atume, the immediate past registrar of Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), has indicated his interest to vie for the Benue State governorship position in 2015. Atume, who is currently embarking on wide consultation with stakeholders across the state says he is prepared to serve the agrarian state in a capacity that would improve the lives of the common people.
Atume, a former Commissioner for Works in the state, says he would build on the existing legacy of past and present administrations in the state. He has particularly emphasised his preparedness to continue projects in the areas of electricity and construction of roads and bridges, which he had brought to several communities in the state during his days as Director General of Benue Rural Development Agency. He is from Gwer West, in the MINDA region.
Ada Chenge
Mrs. Ada Chenge, an engineer and doctoral degree holder, is contesting for the governorship position for the second time. She enjoys a lot of support in the state, particularly from Vandeakya and Ogbadigbo local government areas. Her husband is from Vandeakya while she hails from Ogbadigbo in Benue South.
Chenge is currently the only strong female aspirant in the race. She is a former General Manager of Benue Water Board and present Managing Director of Benue River Basin Development Authority. A chieftaincy title holder in her community, Chenge says she would prioritise healthcare and provision of water if elected governor.
Emmanuel Jime
Honourable Emmanuel Jime, a lawyer, is so far the only notable All Progressives Congress aspirant in the governorship race. A former speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly and two-time member of the House of Representative, Jime only recently defected from PDP to APC and he is viewed as the likely candidate of the party. Following the impact the ACN – one of the major partners in the APC merger – made during the last general elections in the state, Jime’s chances are bright. From Makurdi in the MINDA area, Jime has promised to bring policies that would bring the majority of the people out of poverty if he becomes governor.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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