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| SENATE PRESIDENT BUKOLA SARAKI |
A former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has knocked President Muhammadu Buhari for not taking action on the certificate forgery scandal involving finance minister, Kemi Adeosun.
Mr Abubakar also flayed the president for not punishing officials involved in the controversial recall of fugitive civil servant, Abdulrasheed Maina, last year.
In a statement by Mr Abubakar’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, on Thursday, the former said with those unresolved issues bogging his presidency, Mr Buhari cannot lay claim to being “uncompromising”.
Both episodes were exclusively reported by PREMIUM TIMES, over the last one year. The government did not resolve any of the scandals or punish those involved.
In October, this newspaper reported how Mr Maina, who was dismissed from service for refusing to answer to summons on corruption charges, was secretly reinstated into the civil service.
Nigeria’s Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, was later discovered to have played central role in Mr Maina’s recall. He also frustrated an attempt by members of the National Assembly to probe the scandal.
Eight months later, PREMIUM TIMES published details of how Mrs Adeosun skipped the mandatory one year national service administered by National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), though she was eligible to participate in the scheme.
Instead of serving the country, the minister parades a purported exemption certificate from the scheme, a document that was
discovered to be fake .
In his statement on Thursday, Mr Abubakar rhetorically asked, “How uncompromising a President can be when he allows a minister accused of forgery to remain at her job?”
He also questioned why action was not taken on Mr Malami for his roles in the MainaGate.
“Why did the Presidency do nothing as the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, went to court to secure a kangaroo court order to stop the Senate of the National Assembly from investigating who recalled, reinstated and double promoted Abdulrasheed Maina?”
LINGERING SCANDALS
Despite widespread public uproar over the two scandals, the Buhari administration remained unperturbed over the two clear cases of fraudulent acts.
While partial action was taken on the MainaGate, with the government reversing the recall, those who were responsible for the action have remained in their posts.
Mr Malami and minister of interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, were uncovered to be behind the recall
and promotion of Mr Maina, without him facing his pending trial.
A memo by the Head of the Civil Service of the federation submitted to Mr Buhari at the time, clearly indicted Mr Malami and Mr Dambazau . No action was however taken on the two men.
Mr Maina is also yet to be brought to face his charges, despite the anticorruption agency, the EFCC declaring him wanted.
PREMIUM TIMES at the time discovered that the dismissed civil servant was moving about under of operatives of the State Security Service (SSS), and was living in a safe house of the service in Abuja. A policeman was also guarding one of his houses visited by our reporter at the time.
In the case of Mrs Adeosun, over 60 days since the publication of the messy affair, the federal government has declined to comprehensively speak on the scandal, or take any action.
Nigerians have expressed outrage over the “contemptuous silence” maintained by both the minister and the presidency, her employers.
Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, only referred journalists to a half-hearted statement issued by the NYSC which is not categorical on the position of the Corps on the issue. Updates promised Nigerians are not forthcoming seven weeks after.
“We wish to advise the leaders of the PACT initiative very strongly that further discussions on presenting a united front for a young presidential candidate should be postponed until the completion of presidential primaries in all concerned political parties," Charly Boy stated.
Following the controversy on the emergence of Fela Durotoye as the consensus presidential candidate of Presidential Aspirants Coming Together (PACT), a civil society organisation, OurMumuDonDo Movement, has called for the suspension of discussions for the time being.
Convener of the group, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, stated this on Thursday in Abuja at a press conference, where he said the movement disapproved of any process on the emergence of a consensus candidate that is devoid of the people's participation.
He appealed to the leadership of the coalition to postpone further discussions on presenting a united front for a presidential candidate, until the cnclusion of presidential primaries of all political parties.
His words: “We wish to advise the leaders of the PACT initiative very strongly that further discussions on presenting a united front for a young presidential candidate should be postponed until the completion of presidential primaries in all concerned political parties.
"It is therefore important to inform the Nigerian people within and outside the country, that after due consultations with highly respected Nigerians, opinion moulders and social influencers across different divides of our society, we are convinced that without the participation of the Nigerian people in the process of electing a flag-bearer for a united front and their endorsement thereof, the process is incomplete and void.”
The group expressed disappointment that the options given to the aspirants by the group did not go down well with the leadership of PACT, therefore making them not to arrive at a decision that represented the true yearnings of all Nigerians.
"Three options were reeled off to the aspirants by the group. Option A was for the aspirants to unanimously agree on who would be projected as the flag-bearer of their united front and that this would be done before their respective party primaries to save cost and time," he explained.
“Option B was for the aspirants to wait until they had all gone through the party primaries in their respective political parties and then gather to elect their consensus flag-bearer for a united front."
He pointed out that there are bound to be stumbling blocks in great endeavours, adding that such would not deter them.
Last week, Fela Durotoye emerged as the consensus candidate of PACT. However, a presidential aspirant, Kingsley Moghalu, rejected the outcome of the election noting that the process was not transparent enough. He later pulled out of the coalition, stating that his presidential ambition was still intact.
Present at the briefing were Deji Adeyanju, National Coordinator, Concerned Nigerians; Raphael Adebayo, National Secretary of OurMumuDonDo movement, and other members.
Violence erupted at the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) National Secretariat on Thursday as supporters of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who accompanied him to submit his presidential nomination form, clashed with some thugs.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abubakar’s supporters arrived at the secretariat at about 9 a.m., drumming and dancing while waiting for him.
The aspirant arrived at about noon and while submitting his nomination form inside the party secretariat, pandemonium erupted as some persons suspected to be political thugs attacked his supporters.
The development caused chaos as people scampered for safety, causing stampede at the secretariat main entrance as the supporters, especially women tried to rush into the premises.
The situation was, however, brought under control following the intervention of policemen who promptly fired gunshots into the air to dispel the thugs.
No arrest was made as the hoodlums escaped through different routes, and it was not immediately ascertained if injuries were sustained in the fracas.
Meanwhile, Abubakar said that he is seeking Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket to make Nigeria ‘work’.
His media office said he made the statement after submitting his nomination form at PDP’s National Secretariat in Abuja on Thursday.
Abubakar sad that he was saddened by the fact that 11 million Nigerians, excluding “the millions more who never had a job since leaving school’’, had become unemployed since May 29, 2015.
He, however, said that he had created thousands of jobs in his private businesses and knew how to lead a government that would do the same for Nigeria.
“It weighs deeply on my heart that Nigeria has become the world headquarters for extreme poverty according to the World Economic Forum and the World Poverty Clock.
“I am not happy that there are so much killings and terror across the country that the Global Terrorism Index rates Nigeria as more terrorised today than she was in 2015.
“I am not happy that Nigeria is perceived to be more corrupt today than she was in 2015 having moved 12 steps backwards, from 136 in 2014 to 148 today, in the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.
“136 is bad enough; 148 is simply unacceptable and shameful, especially under a government that claims that fighting corruption is its priority,” said Abubakar, who himself had been accused by his former boss, Olusegun Obasanjo of being corrupt.
Abubakar called on all PDP delegates and all Nigerians to join him at the struggle to make Nigeria work again.
“Let us work together to create the right conditions for investments to flow in and flourish to create jobs for our people. Let’s work together to send poverty packing.
“Let us, together, reduce corruption so that our resources will be deployed to our national priorities. Let us work together to fight all types of terrorism and other crimes.
“Let’s work together to restructure Nigeria for better governance and to unite our peoples. Let’s get Nigeria working again,” he said.
A presidential aspirant, Atiku Abubakar, has listed what he considers corruption cases in the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Mr Abubakar, who defected from the governing All Progressives Congress to the Peoples Democratic Party stated this in response to a statement by the presidency.
The presidency in a statement on Wednesday reacted to an interview Mr Abubakar granted a news media on the “uncompromising” stance of Mr Buhari.
“President Buhari is uncompromising in the quest to restore probity and accountability to public office. He is uncompromising in cleaning the rot Nigeria was consigned into pre-2015, thus the war against corruption is being fought without fear or favour,” Femi Adesina, Mr Buhari’s spokesperson wrote.
Mr Abubakar, in a statement by his media office, however, disagrees with the statement.
“If the above is true, then why did the presidency do nothing as the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, went to court to secure a kangaroo court order to stop the Senate of the National Assembly from investigating who recalled, reinstated and double promoted Abdulrasheed Maina?
“If President Buhari is “uncompromising in cleaning the rot Nigeria was consigned into pre-2015” then how come the latest Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International reveals that Nigeria is more corrupt today than she was in 2015, having moved 12 steps backwards in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, moving from 136 in 2014 under the PDP to 148 today?
“Again, we ask how uncompromising a President can be when he allows a minister accused of forgery to remain at her job?”
Mr Abubakar then alleged that Mr Buhari is surrounded by officials who do not tell him the truth.
“It appears that the president is surrounded by people who have become his echo chamber and are telling him what he wants to hear, otherwise no one in his right mind would call an administration that increased the price of petrol while at the same time paying more subsidy on the product than the previous government which it accused of ‘subsidy scam’, uncompromising against corruption.
“It is only common sense that if the price of petrol increased by 68% from ₦87 per litre to ₦145, then the cost of fuel subsidy should also reduce, especially as the price of crude oil also reduced. However, by some strange mathematics, the Buhari administration pays a whopping ₦1.4 trillion on subsidy per annum according to the minister of state for petroleum. This amount is almost twice what the Jonathan administration paid and yet President Buhari accused that administration of scamming the nation.
“Where is the transparency in that? No wonder the minister of state for petroleum resources revealed in a leaked memo that $25 billion worth of contracts were awarded by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation under the watch of the supervising minister of petroleum, President Muhammadu Buhari.”
He also made reference to the controversial $43 million found in a home in Ikoyi, Lagos. The Nigeria Intelligence Agency has claimed ownership of the money, but its former head is being prosecuted by the anti-graft agency, EFCC, for alleged fraudulent deals with the money.
“More than a year after the probe panel which probed the fantastically corrupt Ikoyi apartment billions affair, nobody knows who owned the money and how $43 million in cash was housed in a government linked flat. So much for an uncompromising attitude to corruption!” Mr Abubakar said.
Mr Abubakar also insisted on his stance that Mr Buhari is “power-drunk.”
The presidency had in its Wednesday statement took exception to such characterisation of the president.
“But power drunk? No! And being a man “who will not be ready to leave power without a fight?” Never! Not President Buhari, who has demonstrated in many ways that he is a committed democrat, though also a retired military general. He has no apologies about that. Through a sterling military career, he served Nigeria with his heart and might, before venturing into partisan politics,” Mr Adesina had written.
In his reply, Mr Abubakar said, “On the issue of being power-drunk, President Buhari is his own witness against himself. It goes without saying that a president who publicly boasted that the rule of law can be suppressed against certain individuals is not only power drunk, but dictatorial.
“By that statement made by President Buhari at the opening ceremony of the 58th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association, Nigerians now understand why this administration continues to flout court orders. This is what happens when a president thinks he is above the law.
“In conclusion, we advise the presidency to familiarise itself with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, in order to understand that the Rule of Law and the fundamental human rights of all Nigerian citizens are guaranteed by that document which the president swore to uphold on May 29, 2015.”
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has challenged the Acting National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yekini Nabena, to a debate on national issues on any national television.
Mr Saraki presented the challenge, alleging that many people in the media believe he (Mr Nabena) is a robot and does not have a face.
His statement was in reaction to another earlier released by Mr Nabena on behalf of the APC where he said Nigerians are tired of Mr Saraki’s retrogressive politics and deserve no more.
He had also said Mr Saraki’s presidential declaration is his tactic to deflect attention from the deluge of issues he deals with particularly ahead of the 2019 General Elections i.e. pressure to reconvene the National Assembly, a fast shifting political order in Kwara State, among others.
The APC spokesperson described the senate president as an abysmal failure and incompetent candidate of leadership as well as guilty of budget padding, among others.
“A Presidential aspirant who promises to create jobs and turn around the economy at the national level, must have done so in a state he served as Governor for eight years. We challenge Saraki to give the nation his scorecard as a Kwara State,” part of the statement read.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Mr Saraki said he “will not be distracted by the antics of an upstart who lives in Abuja but waits to sign press statements composed for him from Lagos.”
He further said he does not have any credibility issues except the ones concocted by the “putative demagogues” to whom he (Mr Saraki) has become a nightmare.
“Meanwhile, Mr Yekinni Nabena should know by now that many people on the media believe he is a robot and has no face. Here is an opportunity for him to come out of his hiding and come on a national television to debate all the issues he has raised with one of the aides of the Senate President.
“We hope he will take up this challenge and stop behaving like a masquerade. He is free to choose any independent TV station of his choice.
“When his masters show their face, we will debate all the issues they have raised and the ones they may wish to even concoct,” the statement said.
The lawmaker wondered what APC’s business with an aspirant of another party was.
“The truth is APC is scared stiff of the possibility of a Saraki candidacy. Fortunately, they have no role in deciding that.”
When contacted, Mr Yekinni accepted the challenge as he asked him (Mr Saraki) to take on the leadership of the APC.
“Is it his aides that will argue for him? What about himself? I am challenging him to come out and debate on national issues with the leadership of the APC.
“He has declared for presidency. If he feels he knows what he will go and do there, he should come out and tell Nigerians. It’s not by bringing his aides. Are they the ones running for presidency?
“APC is ready to take him up on any issue. He believes that he doesn’t have any issue apart from his personal and selfish interest,” he said.
Mr Yekinni further stressed that the senate president doesn’t care about Nigerians because if he does, “he won’t shut down national assembly for months.”
Both the lawmaker and the opposition party have verbally attacked each other since Mr Saraki announced his exit from the APC as well as his declaration to run for the office of the president in the 2019 general election.
CREDIT : PREMIUM TIME
Governor Ibikunle Amosun on Wednesday declared to run for the Ogun Central Senatorial seat in 2019.
Amosun who occupied the seat between 2003 and 2007 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), announced his intention to return to same senate chamber if elected again to represent the Egba people for the second time.
The Governor who declared his ambition during stakeholders meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, also promised to announce the governorship candidate of APC for the 2019 election on Thursday.
CREDIT :THENATIONONLINENG.NET
A People’s rights activist and an All Progressives Congress Presidential aspirant, Mr Christmas Akpodiete, has dragged the ruling All Progressives Congress, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the People’s Democratic Party, and order registered political parties before the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja over the high cost of nomination fees charged by the political parties.
His case is marked with Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/951/2018.
The presidential aspirant is asking the court to restrain the APC and the PDP from going ahead with the scheduled primaries and if they do, he’s asking the court to declare such primaries null and void.
Akpodiete is also asking the court to restrain INEC from recognising such primaries, pending the determination of the substantial suit.
Akpodiete is of the opinion that the nomination fees charged by the political parties were not only ridiculous and unaffordable, but also unconstitutional.
“The nomination fees are repugnant to the rules of natural justice, equity and good conscience.”
“It’s an attempt by the Nigerian political oligarchs to make nonsense of the just passed Not-too-Young-to- Run law, and it is a calculated move to deprive the Nigerian people their constitutionally guaranteed right to run for public offices in their own country,” Akpodiete said.
Akpodiete is asking the court to give a judicial breath to this matter by pegging the nomination fees for all elective positions at N18, 000 because according to him, that is the minimum wage.
Akpodiete is also praying the court that if the nomination fees are beyond that amount, the ordinary Nigerian worker who earns N18, 000 monthly would be deprived the capacity to achieve their constitutionally guaranteed right, which includes the right to run for public office.
Lawyer to the aspirant, Mr F.B Ehikioya, said, “The action is based on a breach of the fundamental human right of all Nigerian aspirants and any attempt to keep the Nigerian people down shall be collectively rejected.”
Recall that Akpodiete had earlier written to the APC Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, appealing to the party to jettison the nomination fees or keep them within the minimum wage but his complaint was not addressed; hence the action.
The case is awaiting a hearing.
