Bakare wants February polls postponed by 6 months

Convener of the Save Nigeria Group, SNG, Pastor Tunde Bakare has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to postpone the February general elections by six months to enable it review the election timetable.

He spoke in Lagos yesterday in his state of the nation’s address with the theme, “The Gathering Storm and Avoidable Shipwreck: How to Avoid Catastrophic Euroclydon, at his church, the Latter Rain Assembly.

Warning of impending dangers for the country if the warning signals were ignored, Bakare said the only way to avert the storm was to urgently address some fundamental flaws in the polity.

He said: “I must state that the proposal for suspension of elections is not with a view to giving the president an avenue for undue tenure elongation but for the purpose of building a coalition that will bring lasting solutions to our problems.

“I have clearly painted a picture of where we are, a disaster is ahead of us. If the northerner emerges as winner, whether he has won that election fair and square or not, people will allege rigging. If Jonathan wins the election, fair and square, they will allege that he used his power of incumbency to rig the election.

“The weather is not conducive for any election in February this year for that matter and I have quoted the right sections of the constitution that empower the president and the National Assembly to extend the election for a six months, provided it is not to stay in power or to elongate but to be working critically to ensure that these things are put in place before we go to the elections. This is my considered opinion and I believe I have the spirit of God.

“In suspending the elections and to gain the support of all stakeholders, the president must not act with the intention to seek re-election. Rather, he should, within the period, commit himself to building a non-partisan coalition comprised of major stakeholders and competent statesmen from each geopolitical zone.

“This coalition, headed by the president, will constitute a combined force that will tackle terrorism and address what I have earlier referred to as the fundamentals, within a time frame of two years or less.”

According to him, these factors have directly and indirectly contributed to the current economic crisis, political instability, and the security situation in the country.

He highlighted the problems which must be addressed to include “the awkward geopolitical structure of the federalism and the consequent lopsided economic structure in which a single product from one region of the country contributes the bulk of the revenue of the entire nation despite the abundant resources spread across the nation.”

Warning of the danger ahead as the country prepares for the elections, Bakare further lamented the level of preparedness of INEC as evidenced in the shoddy manner the distribution of the PVCs was being handled.(VANGUARD)

‘Sambo deceiving Jonathan with two million votes’

A northern-based human rights activist and the All Progressives Congress senatorial candidate in Kaduna State, Malam Shehu Sani, said on Sunday that Vice President Namadi Sambo’s promise to deliver two million votes from the state to President Goodluck Jonathan in the February 14 presidential election was a “political scam.”

Sani said the Vice President was only deceiving the President with his “wishful promise.”

He asked, “Where will he (Sambo) get the votes from?”

Vice President Sambo had, while collecting his Permanent Voter Card at his ward in Kaduna North Local Government Area in the state capital, had boasted that he would poll two million votes from the electorates for the President in the next month presidential election.

According to the National President of the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, Sambo was only hallucinating, noting that neither President Jonathan nor Governor Yero would win the state in the forthcoming general elections.

Sani, who addressed the leadership of the Kaduna State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers on Sunday in Kaduna, argued that what the vice president did was a “political scam.”

He noted that Sambo had no capacity to deliver Kaduna State to the President.

Insisting that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party would be a thing of the past in the state as from next month, Sani said nobody hated President Jonathan on the basis of religion or region but that the current administration had failed Nigerians.

Sani said, “Imagine the Vice President promising Jonathan two million votes. Where will he get the votes from? Sambo is in Abuja, forgetting there is a day of reckoning. He is now desperately ignoring reality. 

Whenever he calls people to Abuja to deceive Jonathan, they would wear Jonathan’s clothes, with pictures and portraits. But immediately they move near the Kaduna Toll Gate, they will change their dresses and disassociate themselves from Jonathan.

“Is that not deceit? Why can’t they stand by what they believe in? There are no PDP House of Assembly candidates or others that pair pictures with Jonathan. They erect his billboards and posters in the night, with security (men) watching them. It is deceit. We will defeat them, come February, and install the popular government.

“Nobody is against the PDP or President Jonathan because of religion or region. People are against them because they have failed to deliver. We are tired of lies and deceitful promises.

“They promised to revive our textiles. Till today, there is nothing and the problems persisted. There is no security. There is no cogent plan to tackle unemployment crisis, insecurity, health, education and other critical sectors,” he stated.(PUNCH)

APGA favours Buhari to emerge as president

The All Progressive Grand Alliance says it cannot throw its weight behind President Goodluck Jonathan as it is very likely that the candidate of the All progressives Congress, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), will emerge the winner of the presidential election next month.

The Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of APGA, Mr. Campbell Umeh-Nzekwe, who is also a special adviser to the national chairman of the party, said this during an interview with our correspondent, on Sunday.

Umeh-Nzekwe said Jonathan’s problem was compounded by the fact that the motion to adopt him as the consensus candidate of the Igbo for the 2015 presidential election failed at the Ime-Obi (inner caucus) meeting of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on Saturday, in Enugu.

He added that the sermon of renowned Enugu-based Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, that Jonathan had failed and should step down seemed to have sent shockwaves across the South-East.

He said the party was sure that Jonathan would not win votes in the North.

He said, “The game has changed. As it is, Jonathan has no chance of winning. Buhari seems to have taken over. The PDP has collapsed in the North if you care to know. All those who are running to Aso Rock and making promises to the President are just deceiving him.”

When asked if APGA would be supporting Buhari next month, Umeh-Nzekwe said he could not say for sure.

He said, “Jonathan is a sitting President with incumbency factor in his favour but Buhari has the masses and a cult following in the North. In 2011, Buhari won 12 million votes in the North with his rag-tag party, the Congress for Progressive Change, without a single governor or senator to campaign for him.

“Today, his party, the APC, has 14 governors, 43 senators and 176 Reps as well as 625 House of Assembly members. Also, the APC has dominant control of the North-West with a total number of 18.4 million voters and North-East with 10.2 million while South-West has 13.4 million voters

“ The PDP has dominant control of the North-Central and Abuja with 10.4 million voters while the South-South has 8.5 million and South-East has 7.2 million votes.

“However, no zone has achieved 50 per cent of votes cast but northern voters are more committed and trustworthy than those in the South.

“Also, look at Jonathan’s campaign team. He has Col. Ahmadu Ali (retd.) as his Director General and Peter Obi as the deputy while Buhari has Governor Rotimi Amaechi and Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora as director general and deputy respectively. It is time for Ndi Igbo to review their strategy.”

Only court can disqualify Buhari – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Saturday said only the courts could disqualify a former Head of State and Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), ahead of the 2015 general elections.

The commission, which said there was nothing it could do in the matter, also said it had not received any petition against President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party, Buhari and other presidential candidates, more than seven days after displaying their particulars.

The Director of Voter Education and Publicity in INEC, Mr. Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, in an interview with our correspondent, said the commission could not go beyond its constitutional powers.

“What do you want INEC to do? INEC cannot disqualify anybody and there is nothing we can do. We don’t have any power to disqualify him. He didn’t bring it (certificates) and so there is nothing INEC can do. 

INEC cannot disqualify him and cannot remove his name. It is only the courts that can disqualify him, if they feel there is something wrong that he has done. I am not aware of any (petition); none that I am aware of for now. I am not aware of any (petition). I am not aware of any so far,” Osaze-Uzzi said.

Buhari had in an affidavit which he deposed to at a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, explained that all his academic credentials were with the Secretary, Military Board.

The affidavit deposed to at the FCT High Court and dated November 24, 2014, was stamped and received by INEC on December 18, 2014.

“All my academic qualifications documents as filled in my presidential form, President APC/001/2015 are currently with the Secretary, Military Board as of the time of this affidavit. The affidavit is made in good faith and for record purpose”, Buhari stated.

The Nigerian Army had said it would readily release credentials and certificates in its custody to serving and retired officers whenever they apply for it.

The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Olajide Laleye, had while reacting to Buhari’s claim in his affidavit, said that his credentials were with the military.

He said the procedure for the retrieval or collection of the certificates was known to all serving or retired officers of the military.

He said, “Every serving and retired Army officer has, at least, a copy of his certificates and credentials kept with the Nigerian Army while that same serving and retired officer has copies of those same certificates and 

credentials.

“And there is a laid-down procedure to request for certificates. It is known to any serving and retired officer. If you want anything checked in your file, you simply follow the due process and it would be given to you because the credentials belong to you.”

“The Nigerian Army does not refuse to give anybody his credentials if the due process is followed. Now, take note of this. Not only does the Nigerian Army keep these things, the individual officers, whether serving or retired, have copies.”

Also speaking, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, said he was not aware of any petition against any of the presidential candidates.

STUNNER! Spurs star Kane is Arsenal REJECT!

Tottenham hero Harry Kane has been uncovered as an Arsenal REJECT!

The Daily Mail reports Arsenal were the first club to take Kane in when he and Brentford full back Nico Yennaris were spotted at the age of nine playing for Ridgeway Rovers, a junior club in Chingford, Essex, famed for producing David Beckham.

At Arsenal, he sometimes trained with the goalkeepers, but they chose to let him go and he found his way back to Ridgeway Rovers, who also produced Tottenham’s Andros Townsend, Crystal Palace’s Dwight Gayle and Bournemouth’s Charlie Daniels.

"He was a bit down after Arsenal let him go," said Ian Marshall, chairman of Ridgeway, to the Daily Mail.

"He took a bit of persuading to come back but some of his mates talked him into it and he scored quite a few goals.

"Tottenham picked him up but then let him go and he found himself at Watford, where he played in a trial game against Spurs and scored two. That’s when Spurs realised they might have made a mistake and asked him to come back.

Moyes hints Real Sociedad would welcome Gerrard signing

Real Sociedad boss David Moyes is keen to tempt Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard to San Sebastian.

Gerrard will leave when the current Barclays Premier League season ends after opting not to renew his contract at Anfield.

Moyes said: "It was nice to have Christmas dinner with my family. That is not always possible as a Premier League manager.

"I have not had a Christmas off for what must be 25 years. But I also went to games and I spoke to a lot of football people back home and asked a lot of questions about players and availability."

Jonathan can’t fight corruption if given 60 years –APC

The All Progressives Congress says President Goodluck Jonathan cannot fight corruption even if he is given 60 years to rule Nigeria.

The APC said this in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, while reacting to a promise by Jonathan that he would institute anti-corruption programmes if re-elected next month.

The APC said Jonathan’s inability to tackle corruption was not surprising as “a corrupt government can never fight corruption.”

It said it was surprising that Jonathan was still initiating a plan to tackle corruption despite the presence of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as well as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.

The statement read, “Mr. President said he wants to put in place the institutions to tackle corruption before taking on the cankerworm that has almost destroyed the fabric of our society. Pray, whatever happened to the EFCC and the ICPC? Were they not institutions specifically created for the purpose of tackling corruption, but which the Jonathan administration chose to castrate?

‘’There is no better way to say this: President Jonathan lacks the political will to tackle corruption, and he will not tackle it if he spends 60 years in office.”

The party said it was unfortunate that despite spending about five years in office, the Jonathan administration was just beginning to diagnose the problems of Nigeria.

It said, “A President who has spent the last six years trying to diagnose the main problems facing the country will apparently need another four years to plan how to tackle the challenges. By then, all of us would have been buried under the rubble of corruption and our country would have been decimated by insecurity.

“It is therefore time for Nigerians to vote in a President who will hit the ground running, a President who will tackle the problems of corruption and insecurity headlong, without giving excuses for failure.”

On insecurity, the party said Jonathan should have learnt from the APC presidential candidate, Maj.Gen Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) who was responsible for quelling the Maitatsine insurgency in the early 1980s.

The APC said it was unfortunate that rather than devise means to tackle insecurity, Jonathan blamed everybody but his administration.