Showing posts with label PDP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PDP. Show all posts
Monday, 22 May 2017
Supreme Court of Nigeria rules Sheriff out against Makarfi both of PDP factions
Thursday, 29 December 2011
Buhari says chaos is looming
Former head of state Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said the country is sliding into total breakdown of law and order because of injustice, bad governance and “massive and mindless” stealing of public resources.
In a bluntly worded statement he personally signed, in reaction to the Supreme Court judgment dismissing his party’s petition against the presidential election, General Buhari said Nigeria was “now a fractured society, corruption everywhere, violence everywhere, a sense of helplessness and hopelessness nearly everywhere.”
He said unless the leaders of the country move fast to arrest the situation, chaos would set in and there would be breakdown of law and order.
But he said it does not look like the leaders are concerned with the grave situation, as while “the country is sliding into this chaotic state, PDP governments at the centre and in the states are engaged in massive and mindless plunder of the country’s resources in total disregard of the suffering masses.”
“The country now is in an emergency situation. Law and order can break down at any time. Those in charge of the country should be warned that promises and sweet words are no substitute for practical action. To avert the looming chaos in the New Year, immediate steps should be taken to drastically reduce the cost of governance in the three tiers of government.”
Buhari detailed the governance costs he wanted slashed: “Salaries and especially allowances should be drastically reduced; security votes should be abolished – not increased as the 2012 Budget has done. Votes for the Armed forces, Police and Security Services should be transparent and accountable; foreign travel and estacodes should be stopped for at least six months other than for the Presidency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and medical emergencies. Government House expenses in all the states should be drastically reduced, foreign travel suspended for a while. The National Assembly should give a lead in reducing their allowances substantially and stopping their foreign travels. These savings should be applied to education, infrastructure and agriculture with emphasis on youth employment through meaningful and practical emergency programmes. The public will see through any cosmetic or token gestures and will not tolerate a continuation of status quo. Corruption and plunder are the root causes of unemployment, insecurity, violence and unrest.”
He added: “If all hands are on deck to help save our country from imminent collapse we should stabilize. When that happens Nigeria should take a close look at the country’s structure in a calm and unemotional atmosphere. Hopefully we may come to a better form of government to see Nigeria through the next 50 years.”
Buhari unsuccessfully contested for president in the April election on CPC’s platform, and his party challenged the results at the tribunal, even though he personally refused to join the case. The Court of Appeal earlier dismissed the petition for failing to convincingly show that the elections were rigged, and yesterday the Supreme Court concurred.
On yesterday’s judgement, Buhari said: “All who witnessed the conduct of the 2011 elections would know that this decision of the Supreme Court is politically motivated and has little judicial content.”
He said, “This Supreme Court has proved no better than the Supreme Courts of 2003 and 2007” having toed a similar line of dismissing the election petition.
Buhari said this year’s election “eclipsed all the other elections in the depth and scope of forgery and rigging.”
He criticised INEC chairman Attahiru Jega, who he said “was touted as competent and a man of integrity. He has proved neither.”
In a bluntly worded statement he personally signed, in reaction to the Supreme Court judgment dismissing his party’s petition against the presidential election, General Buhari said Nigeria was “now a fractured society, corruption everywhere, violence everywhere, a sense of helplessness and hopelessness nearly everywhere.”
He said unless the leaders of the country move fast to arrest the situation, chaos would set in and there would be breakdown of law and order.
But he said it does not look like the leaders are concerned with the grave situation, as while “the country is sliding into this chaotic state, PDP governments at the centre and in the states are engaged in massive and mindless plunder of the country’s resources in total disregard of the suffering masses.”
“The country now is in an emergency situation. Law and order can break down at any time. Those in charge of the country should be warned that promises and sweet words are no substitute for practical action. To avert the looming chaos in the New Year, immediate steps should be taken to drastically reduce the cost of governance in the three tiers of government.”
Buhari detailed the governance costs he wanted slashed: “Salaries and especially allowances should be drastically reduced; security votes should be abolished – not increased as the 2012 Budget has done. Votes for the Armed forces, Police and Security Services should be transparent and accountable; foreign travel and estacodes should be stopped for at least six months other than for the Presidency, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and medical emergencies. Government House expenses in all the states should be drastically reduced, foreign travel suspended for a while. The National Assembly should give a lead in reducing their allowances substantially and stopping their foreign travels. These savings should be applied to education, infrastructure and agriculture with emphasis on youth employment through meaningful and practical emergency programmes. The public will see through any cosmetic or token gestures and will not tolerate a continuation of status quo. Corruption and plunder are the root causes of unemployment, insecurity, violence and unrest.”
He added: “If all hands are on deck to help save our country from imminent collapse we should stabilize. When that happens Nigeria should take a close look at the country’s structure in a calm and unemotional atmosphere. Hopefully we may come to a better form of government to see Nigeria through the next 50 years.”
Buhari unsuccessfully contested for president in the April election on CPC’s platform, and his party challenged the results at the tribunal, even though he personally refused to join the case. The Court of Appeal earlier dismissed the petition for failing to convincingly show that the elections were rigged, and yesterday the Supreme Court concurred.
On yesterday’s judgement, Buhari said: “All who witnessed the conduct of the 2011 elections would know that this decision of the Supreme Court is politically motivated and has little judicial content.”
He said, “This Supreme Court has proved no better than the Supreme Courts of 2003 and 2007” having toed a similar line of dismissing the election petition.
Buhari said this year’s election “eclipsed all the other elections in the depth and scope of forgery and rigging.”
He criticised INEC chairman Attahiru Jega, who he said “was touted as competent and a man of integrity. He has proved neither.”
Buhari VS Jonathan court case
The Supreme Court, will today, deliver its judgment on an appeal challenging the outcome of the April 16 presidential election.
The appeal which is seeking to sack President Goodluck Jonathan from office, was filed before the apex court by the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC.
The opposition party is urging the Supreme Court to set aside the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal which on November 1, affirmed President Jonathan as the authentic winner of the presidential contest.
It specifically prayed the apex court to either annul the election and mandate the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to organise a re-run election between its candidate, General Muhamadu Buhari (rtd) and that of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, President Jonathan, or in the alternative, remit the case-file to the tribunal and order the Appeal Court President to constitute a fresh panel to hear the appeal de-novo (afresh).
Listed as respondents in the appeal were INEC; its Chairman, Prof; Attahiru Jega; the Resident Electoral Commissioners in the 36 states of the federation and the FCT; President Jonathan, his vice and the PDP.
It would be recalled that the Presidential Election Tribunal which held its sittings at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, not only dismissed CPC’s petition against the April 16 general election, but equally held that the electoral exercise was conducted in line with provisions of both the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution as amended.
However, expressing its dissatisfaction with the decision of the five-man panel tribunal led by Justice Kumai Bayaang Akaahs, the CPC, through its lead counsel, Mr Oladipo Okpeseyi, SAN, told the Supreme Court that the tribunal wrongfully evaluated evidences that were adduced before it by witnesses the party called.
In a brief of argument it entered at the apex court registry on November 28, the opposition party contended that the trial tribunal erred in law when it rejected documents required to prove multiple thumb printing, non-distribution of electoral materials as well as occasioned miscarriage of justice by not ascertaining the actual number of required voters, the accredited number of voters and the actual number of voters that voted in the disputed election.
On the other hand, counsel to President Jonathan and his vice, Sambo, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, urged the apex court to go ahead and dismiss the appeal in its entirety, saying it grossly lacked in both substance and merit.
After all the parties had adopted their briefs of argument, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, who presided over a seven-man panel of Justices of the Supreme Court that heard the appeal, adjourned the case till today for judgment.
The other Justices on the panel are, Mahmud Mohammed, Walter Onnoghen, John Afolabi Fabiyi, Olufunlola Adekeye, Bode Rhodes-Vivour and Sylvester Ngwuta.
The appeal which is seeking to sack President Goodluck Jonathan from office, was filed before the apex court by the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC.
The opposition party is urging the Supreme Court to set aside the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal which on November 1, affirmed President Jonathan as the authentic winner of the presidential contest.
It specifically prayed the apex court to either annul the election and mandate the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to organise a re-run election between its candidate, General Muhamadu Buhari (rtd) and that of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, President Jonathan, or in the alternative, remit the case-file to the tribunal and order the Appeal Court President to constitute a fresh panel to hear the appeal de-novo (afresh).
Listed as respondents in the appeal were INEC; its Chairman, Prof; Attahiru Jega; the Resident Electoral Commissioners in the 36 states of the federation and the FCT; President Jonathan, his vice and the PDP.
It would be recalled that the Presidential Election Tribunal which held its sittings at the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, not only dismissed CPC’s petition against the April 16 general election, but equally held that the electoral exercise was conducted in line with provisions of both the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution as amended.
However, expressing its dissatisfaction with the decision of the five-man panel tribunal led by Justice Kumai Bayaang Akaahs, the CPC, through its lead counsel, Mr Oladipo Okpeseyi, SAN, told the Supreme Court that the tribunal wrongfully evaluated evidences that were adduced before it by witnesses the party called.
In a brief of argument it entered at the apex court registry on November 28, the opposition party contended that the trial tribunal erred in law when it rejected documents required to prove multiple thumb printing, non-distribution of electoral materials as well as occasioned miscarriage of justice by not ascertaining the actual number of required voters, the accredited number of voters and the actual number of voters that voted in the disputed election.
On the other hand, counsel to President Jonathan and his vice, Sambo, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, urged the apex court to go ahead and dismiss the appeal in its entirety, saying it grossly lacked in both substance and merit.
After all the parties had adopted their briefs of argument, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, who presided over a seven-man panel of Justices of the Supreme Court that heard the appeal, adjourned the case till today for judgment.
The other Justices on the panel are, Mahmud Mohammed, Walter Onnoghen, John Afolabi Fabiyi, Olufunlola Adekeye, Bode Rhodes-Vivour and Sylvester Ngwuta.
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
Clashes in Benue state as communities fight one another.
ABOUT 30 people have been killed with about 60 houses destroyed in Ugba town, headquarters of Logo Local Government Area of Benue State in a crisis in the last two days.
It was gathered that the crisis, which started late on Sunday, sparked off spontaneous reactions in the early hours of Monday, when some youths turned the town into a theatre of war, maiming and killing people on sight.
The traditional ruler's house was razed while four of his relations, including his wife, were murdered by the rampaging youth.
Both the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) traded blame over the crisis that has been tagged political violence.
Governor Gabriel Suswam, who addressed newsmen at the Government House, on Monday, after his visit to the area, confirmed that the traditional ruler of the community lost four relations, including his wife, while his house was also razed. The governor said he was able to visit the house of the traditional ruler and that of the first victim, whom he described as a money lender in the community, who died along with his friend.
But the state chairman of the ACN, Mr Abba Yaro, who spoke accused the ruling PDP of causing the crisis in the area, stating that some youths belonging to the PDP stormed the house of one of the politicians in the area and killed him and one other person.
He said that the ACN was a peace-loving party, which he said was “taking legal means to reclaim our stolen mandate.”
Governor Suswam who was visibly disturbed by the crisis said that he personally visited the house of the slain money lender on Sunday, stressing that the divisional police officer told him that no arrest had been made in connection with the death of the money lender but that the ACN unleashed terror on the PDP members in the council area.
Ironically, both the governor and the ACN governorship candidate in the state, Professor Steve Ugba, hail from the same troubled council area.
The governor, who accused the opposition party of being behind the spate of violence in the state in recent times, vowed that his administration would leave no stone unturned to unearth the perpetrators of serial crises in the state.
The governor said that soldiers and mobile policemen had been drafted to the area and stated that normalcy was being restored to the area at the time he left the local government area.
According to him, “I have decided to invite you to brief you gentlemen of the press about the ugly development at Ugba in Logo Local Government Area of the state, where some ACN supporters have burnt down houses and killed people. Some of the houses burnt were houses belonging to the party chairman in the council; one belonging to the women leader. Also, the house belonging to the town’s traditional ruler was razed down with four of his relations killed in the attack that started around 2.00 a.m. and so many houses.”
“Let me say emphatically here that the government will no longer tolerate the arson going on in the state. This arson is being perpetrated by the ACN chieftains. With all these, the ACN is going too far. This is no longer politics but criminality. A few weeks ago, the ACN chieftain was at the thanksgiving service where they made inciting statement. This government will no longer tolerate these utterances, falsehood and false alarm. The man that was said to have been killed was a money lender, the DPO of the area confirmed this to me and said that no one had been arrested in connection with this," Suswam said.
The state police spokesman, Mr Alaribe Ejike, confirmed the incident but could not give the number of casualties at the time of filing this report.
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It was gathered that the crisis, which started late on Sunday, sparked off spontaneous reactions in the early hours of Monday, when some youths turned the town into a theatre of war, maiming and killing people on sight.
The traditional ruler's house was razed while four of his relations, including his wife, were murdered by the rampaging youth.
Both the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) traded blame over the crisis that has been tagged political violence.
Governor Gabriel Suswam, who addressed newsmen at the Government House, on Monday, after his visit to the area, confirmed that the traditional ruler of the community lost four relations, including his wife, while his house was also razed. The governor said he was able to visit the house of the traditional ruler and that of the first victim, whom he described as a money lender in the community, who died along with his friend.
But the state chairman of the ACN, Mr Abba Yaro, who spoke accused the ruling PDP of causing the crisis in the area, stating that some youths belonging to the PDP stormed the house of one of the politicians in the area and killed him and one other person.
He said that the ACN was a peace-loving party, which he said was “taking legal means to reclaim our stolen mandate.”
Governor Suswam who was visibly disturbed by the crisis said that he personally visited the house of the slain money lender on Sunday, stressing that the divisional police officer told him that no arrest had been made in connection with the death of the money lender but that the ACN unleashed terror on the PDP members in the council area.
Ironically, both the governor and the ACN governorship candidate in the state, Professor Steve Ugba, hail from the same troubled council area.
The governor, who accused the opposition party of being behind the spate of violence in the state in recent times, vowed that his administration would leave no stone unturned to unearth the perpetrators of serial crises in the state.
The governor said that soldiers and mobile policemen had been drafted to the area and stated that normalcy was being restored to the area at the time he left the local government area.
According to him, “I have decided to invite you to brief you gentlemen of the press about the ugly development at Ugba in Logo Local Government Area of the state, where some ACN supporters have burnt down houses and killed people. Some of the houses burnt were houses belonging to the party chairman in the council; one belonging to the women leader. Also, the house belonging to the town’s traditional ruler was razed down with four of his relations killed in the attack that started around 2.00 a.m. and so many houses.”
“Let me say emphatically here that the government will no longer tolerate the arson going on in the state. This arson is being perpetrated by the ACN chieftains. With all these, the ACN is going too far. This is no longer politics but criminality. A few weeks ago, the ACN chieftain was at the thanksgiving service where they made inciting statement. This government will no longer tolerate these utterances, falsehood and false alarm. The man that was said to have been killed was a money lender, the DPO of the area confirmed this to me and said that no one had been arrested in connection with this," Suswam said.
The state police spokesman, Mr Alaribe Ejike, confirmed the incident but could not give the number of casualties at the time of filing this report.
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