Jonathan Demands N2trn Election Funds Refund, Audit

Following the defeat suffered by President Goodluck Jonathan and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, during the March 28 and April 11 elections, the President has asked the party and government officials who handled campaign funds to refund monies not spent, or those not judiciously expended, SUNDAY PUNCH can authoritatively report.

Jonathan, credible sources said, has also set up a committee of five to get those with the funds to return them.

Sources within the party and government told our correspondents that President Jonathan was disturbed that despite giving campaign coordinators, ministers, special advisers, close aides and friends, support groups and traditional rulers over N2trn in cash, most of them could not deliver their polling booths and local governments.

The President was said to have been further irked by the results of an investigation he ordered. The probe showed that some coordinators used campaign funds to buy very expensive properties, especially in Abuja, and luxury cars. Some of the funds have also been traced to the bank accounts of senior party and government officials who were charged with the disbursement of funds to voters and groups.

A reliable source within the Presidency told our correspondents that one of the President, who recently admitted to a few close aides that it would be difficult to retrieve all the funds, was bent on getting senior party and government officials who received funds to account for all monies collected.

The source who is a close associate of the president said monies given to traditional rulers in different parts of the country, for example, would not be demanded for. But the source was quick to add that the President was determined to get his ministers, close aides and special advisers to make refunds.

He said, “Some ministers did not get less than N20bn each. None of them can deny it because this fact isn’t hidden within government circles. The only problem with such monies is that there is no receipt to show that they collected money. The sad part is that almost all of them performed woefully. Even in the states where the PDP won, some ministers could not deliver 100,000 votes. They could not mobilise their people to come out. The President is not happy. They all went property and car shopping. This was the most expensive election in the history of this country, yet there was no result.

“The sad part was that even after the President lost on March 28, more money was given to all of them to make up for the dismal outing by winning their states during the April 11 elections. But that turned out to be a bad decision because apart from losing the governorship election, we didn’t perform well at the National Assembly and House of Representatives polls.

“They must give an account of the money since they didn’t use it for the election. The President is not particular about the funds spent on genuine campaign needs like the hiring of jets, advertisements and the rest that also cost billions of naira. His focus is on the individuals that collected billions to deliver their states but couldn’t even win their polling booths.”

Our correspondents gathered that apart from the N20bn given to some key ministers and senior special advisers, especially in states where the PDP hoped to capture from the opposition All Progressives Congress, some pro-Jonathan support groups received about N16bn.

A former legislator who was to print five million recharge cards, T-shirts and base ball caps has also come under pressure to account for the billions she received because only a few people got the items she was paid to produce. Also, a top female politician in Lagos who got a contract to produce and supply thousands of mobile phones with pro-Jonathan messages was said to have produced just a few and pocketed most of the funds.

It was learnt that the funds Jonathan released were disbursed in three phases. Some were released before the March 28 elections, others on the day of the presidential election and more before the April 11 governorship polls.

Already, the committee of five has started asking some of the campaign coordinators and ministers who received a minimum of N20bn each to give an account and also refund residual funds where applicable.

However, our correspondents learnt that most of the people who received the funds had not cooperated with the committee. While some have not been forthcoming, others have simply ignored the committee.

Jonathan is said to be particularly focusing on the South-West and northern states.

In Lagos, a popular PDP chieftain who lost in his polling booth reportedly received $50m in cash a few days before the governorship elections.

A senior PDP party member who spoke to one of our correspondents in Lagos over the weekend confirmed the cash splurge in Lagos.

The source said, “Lagos was a show of shame. A few days to the governorship poll, about $150m was received in cash by about five top campaign coordinators. But they failed again, even more than we did in the presidential poll because we lost some areas we won on March 28 to the APC on April 11. They were to share this money to the local governments and the masses.

“Please understand me, I am saying that the sum of $150m was just for the governorship election in Lagos. We are not talking about the sums they got for the presidential election. Only one out of the five people that shared the money gave some of it to local government chairmen. This person disbursed about N2bn. The rest of them sat on the money.

“The coordinator that collected the sum of $50m later went to a Federal Government agency and complained of not having enough funds for the election and got an additional $20m. The story is the same in almost all the South-West especially Oyo, Osun, and the northern states. A female minister from the North, who got the highest amount of funds for that region, lost her state in a shameful manner.”

Confirming that campaign directors in different parts of the country had been asked for an audit, the PDP Campaign Director in Akwa Ibom, Mr. Idongesit Nkanga, said the instruction was not new.

He stated that the PDP’s campaign organisation in the state had concluded its audit.

“It is the normal thing. It is the right thing to do for transparency’s sake,” he said.

Nkanga said he would not be able to comment on the refund because he did not collect money from anyone.

According to him, the PDP’s campaign organisation in Akwa Ibom State received a letter for an audit from the PDP campaign headquarters.

He explained that “because the letter emanated from the national headquarters of the party, they were under obligation to submit the audit report about the campaign’s expenditure to them.”

He maintained that at the campaign headquarters, some of the information was available, adding that he would not be able to give SUNDAY PUNCH accurate details offhand to avoid possible conflict in the figures.

Asked what sanctions would be meted out to defaulters, Nkanga said they might be prosecuted.

However, our correspondent reports that prosecution, while not impossible, may be difficult as most of the monies disbursed were not receipted.

Contacted, the national leadership of the ruling PDP said it did not know anything about the money spent on its presidential campaign.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Olisa Metuh, stated this in an interview with one of our correspondents in Abuja on Saturday.

Metuh said only those put in charge of the funds were in a position to account for the monies.

He said, “The national leadership of the PDP is not aware of any campaign fund. We were not part of it and therefore we can’t be asked to account for what we didn’t know anything about.

“There was a campaign committee and only the committee is in the position to account for any fund.”

Efforts made to speak with the Director-General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Sen. Ahmadu Ali were unsuccessful.

Ali, a former national chairman of the party, did not pick his call and also failed to respond to a text message sent to him.

Similarly, efforts to get the Presidency’s reaction did not yield any result as calls made to the telephone line of the presidential spokesman, reuben abati as at 10.30pm did not connect.http://www.punchng.com/news/jonathan-demands-n2trn-election-funds-refund-audit/

I Didn't Promise To Defeat Boko Haram In Two Months – Buhari

Nigeria’s president-elect, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, has revealed that his incoming administration would have a small cabinet that may go into action even before the swearing-in.

In this interview with journalists he explains his plans for the future of the country.

There has been an influx of defectors from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to your party, APC, since after your victory at the polls. Many think the development may destabilise the APC. How do you intend to manage the situation?

I think this is a question meant for the party. I wish John Oyegun was here to answer you because we have a system. Just because I am the presidential candidate and the president-elect, I don’t think the system has allowed me to usurp the power of the party executives. But, certainly, in a multi-party democratic system, fundamentally, it is the number that matters for the people. But for the party, what matters is the ability to manage the number so that the majority will have its way and there will be justice. No matter what happens to the PDP by May 29, I assure you or I assure them through you that there will be justice in the APC.

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A new government, which you will head, will soon be inaugurated. Can you tell us what criteria you will be using in selecting those who you will work with?

It is a difficult time for Nigerians as you all know. I have said it in the past that, in the last 16 years, Nigeria has never realised the amount of revenue it received. The price of a barrel of crude oil rose to about 140 dollars and then crashed to about 50 dollars. During the 16 years, we know what happened to some big companies that employ a lot of Nigerians and give them training facilities like the Nigeria Airways, Nigeria National Shipping Line.
Even Nigeria Railway is managing to be on paper with some refurbished engines moving from Lagos to Ibadan and a few other places. If you go to their stations all over the country, you will realise that they are in a terrible shape. The important thing in a country with a huge population of youths with more than 60 percent of them under the age of 30 who are unemployed is that you need these institutions to give jobs and training to them. It is very disappointing that the PDP government virtually failed to use those resources to grow the economy.

I think the worst thing is the lack of accountability and the terrible budgetary system. Imagine that over 90 percent of Nigerian budget is on recurrent. How can you sustain development in a country like Nigeria with only about 10 percent of your income? Things just have to change. There must be more money available for infrastructure, for investment in getting the factories back, employment and getting goods and services for the population. I think the sins of PDP will be coming out for several years to come.

Do we expect a government of national unity?

Again, you want me to encroach on the party’s main power. Even if I, as president-elect, want to form a broad based government, I think that the executive of the party will have some influence on that decision. So, for me to maintain a good rapport with the leadership of the party, I want to keep your question in abeyance until further notice.

The 2015 elections did not go without pockets of violence here and there. Does that strike you in any way?

I think there are less disruptions in the second leg of the general elections on April 11 than we had during the presidential and National Assembly elections. I hope it was as a result of the bandwagon effect because APC had the upper hand during the first leg of elections. But what happened in the South-South and the South-East cannot be compared to what happened on April 11.

What I saw was that there was a few ballot snatching in some local government areas of Bayelsa State and a few disruptions in Adamawa, but that is nothing near what happened on March 28. I don’t think what happened on 11 is up to 25 percent of what happened on March 28? I think that after the elections, both parties, APC and PDP, will perhaps make their representations to INEC or the courts and then more details will emerge. Maybe we had less infractions on April 11 because the turnout was much lower. Maybe the people just wanted a president and once they got one, they just walked away. They are Nigerians and there is nothing we can do, but to convince them that they have to use this weapon which is the permanent voter cards (PVCs)

Reports from Rivers and some states on April 11 indicated violence. How do you feel about this?

I think we should allow INEC to give its comprehensive report. Meanwhile, as you mentioned in some of the states, especially in Rivers and Lagos, the two parties slugged it out. I think we have to take our time and let us get as much report as possible in accordance with the Electoral Act. I personally want to be legal about this so that people will appreciate that we believe in a system. What we need to do is to modify the system according to the law if we don’t like it, and no one should come out and do to the system whatever he likes. For what happened in Lagos, I think that for whatever political reason, the PDP wanted to have Lagos by all means.

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I have a lot of respect for the governor of Rivers State for his courage. At a certain time, the Commissioner of Police virtually hijacked the state and the governor was virtually sentenced to the streets fighting thugs without law enforcement agents while the Constitution makes it very clear that the governor is the Chief Security Officer of the state.

So, a lot of lawless acts of the PDP are on record and we intend to make the PDP understand it and make sure that, according to the law, those who are responsible for that are taken to the court and properly charged. We are in this system because we believe in it and we want it to stabilize because it is good for our country. If Nigerians have the confidence that their votes count, then they will mind their business and I assure you that there will be more security in the country.

But when people feel that they are abandoned, then they will resist. I think that by nature, human beings are rebels especially in Nigeria. You must try and placate them, convince them and show them that their rights are respected or you will not have peace. On what we hear about the money that changed hands, it would have been impossible for APC to win anything in this country because we don’t have the treasury in our pocket. There was no amount of money that could convince Nigerians this time around.

A lot of them took the money and did exactly what their conscience wanted them to do, while some even returned the money. Somehow, Rivers and Lagos were seen as strategic to the PDP. Otherwise, how could APC have a marginal 100,000 votes over APC in Lagos which is virtually the capital of the APC in the South- West? A lot of things will come out, but we want to do it basically on facts which can be verified and quantified.

To some extent, the general elections are seen by many to be credible. Will you try to retain the INEC Chairman to build on the successes recorded even though he said he wouldn’t accept another term of office?

I think Prof. Jega knows exactly what to do. He has already said that he is not going to accept a renewal of his tenure in June. I believe that he has learnt enough and will submit a comprehensive hand over notes some of which he seems to have written. At the last National Council of States meeting, he submitted a document of INEC activities right from the 2011 general elections to date with attachment showing the personnel trained, acquisition of election materials, the distributions, security, among others, and I don’t think that such that report can be faulted.

In fact, INEC was forced to accept the six weeks extension by the Office of the National Security Adviser. Luckily, those six weeks were accommodated within the constitutional time limit within which election must hold. The law says election must hold 30 days before 29th of May. So, INEC did not have much trouble to agreeing to the six weeks extension. As people say, it has come to pass.

For many years, Nigerians have been clamouring that something be done to punish those involved in election rigging. The Uwais Committee recommended a special court to try electoral offenders, but government has refused to implement that recommendation. Will your government set up a special court to try electoral offenders?

No matter how you the media try, you will not catch me undermining the authority of the party. I will look for understanding and cooperation from the National Assembly when a change of the Constitution or the Electoral Act is necessary. So for me to make up my mind here and later try to lobby is out of it because, some of them, if they are very hard, they will give me a tough time.

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I will say that I haven’t read the Uwais Report, but l have read a few extracts from news papers. l think it is a good thing and we will encourage it. But we need to get a comprehensive report from the field. The running battle in Rivers, South-East and South-South, especially by Governor Amaechi, Rochas Okorocha and governor of Edo state with INEC officials and law enforcement agencies and the army is remarkable and I think it has to be totally exposed so that Nigerians will know which of the law enforcement agencies and at what levels is undermining the Constitution of Nigeria because the Electoral Act is derived from the Constitution of the country so that, in future, those who are in position will know that they are not above the law. I think that is what will bring more stability into the system. In view of that, I will try and work with the National Assembly to make sure that we do something about it.

There are speculations that looting of public treasury is ongoing in the land. What do you intend to do to check this problem?

I will like to work within the system because we believe in it. I have just told you about three governors and the battle they have with law enforcement agents in their states. We discussed and I advised them to try and document these things so that they can be taken before the court and we will make sure that we register the cooperation of the court so that people who work against the law are prosecuted, especially those who have lost their immunity because this is the best way to stabilize the system.

People must not benefit from being lawless. You can’t be in a position by virtue of the Constitution, subvert the Constitution and continue to enjoy the privileges offered by the Constitution. I don’t think that will be acceptable by the APC. So, whether you are in the opposition or government, you have to behave yourself. I think that is the way we can make progress.

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APC preaches transparency and accountability. But a lot of people with apparent questionable characters are moving into the APC. Don’t you think they will also pollute the APC?

For those that are coming into the APC, I have no fear because we have our party structure. The fact that you were a party Chairman or you were a minister before you joined the APC, we appreciate the fact that you remain relevant in your immediate locality. But when it comes to the centre, there is equality in the way the government will handle you.

If we win majority of members of the National Assembly and House of Assembly in the states, it means that it is with the agreement of their constituencies that the Federal Government has the power that it has. If the Federal Government is insisting on accountability and being responsible, even if they go back to their constituencies, there is nothing they can do about the decision of the government. We are banking on that. I will give you an example of my state, Katsina.

In 2011, the CPC won all the senatorial seats and 13 out of the 15 House of Representatives seats but lost the governorship. Who did the election? Did people from space come to do the election? That is the bad thing about lack of cohesion in a party. Leadership at all levels must work in concert. Otherwise, what Katsina State suffered, any state or the centre can suffer same. Those who were chief executives from local government, to states will be encouraged to work together.

So, those that are coming in, I hope they will accept that they are coming to join those who succeeded and they should cooperate with them. They can’t come and say that because they were once ministers under PDP, they will join APC and become ministers the following month or so. I don’t think that it will be acceptable even by their constituencies.

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You introduced War Against Indiscipline, WAI, as the military Head of State in 1984 to fight indiscipline. Years after, the cankerworm has remained? How do you intend to handle this?

I will mention how it came about. When we had our first Supreme Council meeting and governors were appointed, in my office, it was only me and the late Tunde Idiagbon, we discussed and agreed that the main problem of Nigeria was indiscipline. If we could get majority of Nigerians to accept, which ever level they were, we will make a lot of progress. I could recall that I advised that we should go to the Ministry of Information because there were a lot of people with first degree, masters and Ph.D who were sociologists and criminologists just warming their seats.

They should get together and come up with a programme that will last for years and not just for six months and fizzle out. That was how we came about WAI. It was very well thought out. It was a military system. In democracy, people want a lot of freedom, but if they see the restraint in advanced democracies in Europe and America, they will realise that discipline is forced on people. There are things that, no matter how much you want to do them, you can’t do them.

I think that we have suffered enough as a people and I think that people are more prepared to behave properly now. About two years ago, I made some remarks in Hausa and people felt, now, some senior civil servants who are Directors either at the state or federal can’t educate four children because the level of education has gone down so much. Those that can afford will rather send their children to Ghana or Sudan and those who can afford it more send theirs to America and Europe because the educational system in Nigeria has virtually collapsed.

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Therefore, we feel that, by voting APC into power, Nigerians are placing confidence in us. On security, economy, especially unemployment and corruption, I believe that Nigerians will give us the understanding to make sure that we get our priorities right. Education is going to be very important because when you educate the people, you solve half of your problems because there is a level that an educated person will not accept. But when people are sentenced to illiteracy, when they are exposed to all manner of social vices such as ethnicity and religion so that people don’t move forward, they are used to fight themselves.

During your campaigns you promised to declare your assets if elected. Now that you have been elected, will you stick to your position?

I made a statement which has not been correctly captured by the media. I said that our generation, from the Murtala, made sure that those who had appointments must declare their assets and this was later articulated in the Constitution.

It is up to government to make sure that those who borrow money to build a house and end up with another house somewhere else with 50 bedrooms and 20 living rooms should explain to Nigerians how they got the money. I could recall that I declared my assets three times. First was when I got my first political appointment as governor of Borno State; secondly, when I was leaving government to go to the United States War College. I declared my assets then because I was closing my political chapter then technically. I could recall that Gen. Jemibewon was the Adjutant General of the Nigerian Army then. I had to declare my assets, deposit it there to be taken to court before I was allowed to proceed to the United States for my course.

The third one was when I became Head of State. From General Obasanjo down till now, those of us who were in the Supreme Military Council, Council of State, Executive Council and even those who were Permanent Secretaries, at the time we got our appointment, the courts should be made to produce our declarations. So, all the noise about people being rich and nobody is saying anything about it, why can’t you prick the conscience of the existing government or are some of you part of the cover up?

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There have been reports that you promised to end the Boko Haram insurgency within two months, but your media team reacted saying you never said so. Can you now set the record straight?

I think I am too experienced in internal security to give two months deadline on Boko Haram. I don’t think I would have made that mistake because I tried to look at some of my experiences even when I was in uniform with the rebels from Chad when I was GOC in Jos and with Maitatsine. So, for me to say that when I come into office, I will get rid of Boko Haram in two months, I don’t think I would have made that statement. I didn’t.

As I have mentioned on several occasions, we that have, at one time or the other, wore Nigeria military uniform felt terribly embarrassed that for six years, the military couldn’t bring order to 14 out of 774 local governments in the country after Burma, Zaire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Dafur where Nigerian military earned respect internationally for their performance.

To fail to secure 14 out of 774 local governments. I still can’t reconcile myself with that disgrace. We will try and work with our neigbours such as Chad, Cameroon and Niger who are fighting Boko Haram for us. Look at Chad helping Nigeria or Niger, or Cameroon itself. This nation has been humiliated by the PDP. God willing, with our experiences, we will quickly marshal support and we are asking Boko Haram to pack and go.

Can we know when your Transition Committee would be in place?

We have started discussing about it. Personally, I will make sure that it is not too big because if it is big, they will start thinking of how to influence the choice of ministers either for themselves or those they want to be ministers. But my idea is to get knowledgable and experienced technocrats who are really patriotic to study the handing over notes by ministries and make recommendations.

I want them to be completely detached people who are patriotic Nigerians, who are knowledgable and experienced. If we get majority of politicians involved it will lead to a lot of row and we may end up with inconclusive recommendations which are not very helpful in our condition.

When I get it ready and before it is published, I will show it to the leadership of my party and the terms of reference as well as the time limit and the result of their work, we will quickly study before the inauguration so that before we are sworn-in, we get into action.(Vanguard)

General Muhammadu Buhari’s determination to keep his cabinet small comes as no surprise after news that Ahmed Tinubu and Rotimi Amaechi are at logger heads over the Senate president position.

Northern Elder About Expectations From Buhari, Jonathan's Loss

Alhaji Tanko Yakasai is the leader of the Northern Elders Council (NEC), a group that splintered from the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) due to political differences. In this interview he examines some of the salient is­sues that characterized the campaign for the recent general elections, warning the political class not to allow religion to dictate the pattern of voting in future elections.

Excerpts:

What are your expectations from the incoming new administration of the president-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.)?

My expectation is to see the government fulfilling its electoral promises. During their campaign, they promised three major programmes. One is to fight corruption; two, to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency and three, creating employment for the unemployed graduates. These are the three major programmes they promised, among other things. I expect them to fulfill these promises, though it cannot happen overnight. But they must have done their homework before promising the people.

This last general election was like never before with all the doom predictions made before the polls. From your own point of view, what is the significance of this election for national unity?

For me, the significance of this election is that the party in power did not work hard enough. They were over confident that they would win, but they did not come out in full strength to vote. If you compare the votes which Mr. President got in 2011 with what he got this time around, you will find out that his votes dropped significantly. In 2011, he got nearly 23 million votes. This time around, he got 12-point something million votes. While Buhari got 12 million in 2011, now he got 16 million votes. In other words, Buhari’s votes went up, while that of President went down. PDP took things for grant­ed. They didn’t work hard.

Work hard in terms of delivery of dividends of democracy or campaign for votes?

Work hard in terms of campaign and mobiliza­tion of their supporters. You can explain how Bu­hari’s votes went up largely due to voting pattern in the Southwest. In 2011 election, Jonathan got a lot of votes from the Southwest, while Buhari didn’t get much. But this time around, Buhari got more votes in the region. So, you can explain why there is massive support for Buhari this time around. It came largely from Southwest and Northwest.

Even at that, do you think that the PDP would have stopped the wind of change that literally became a slogan in every part of the country in the run up to this election?

You cannot say everywhere around the country. The coalition of the opposition that eventually metamorphosed into the All Progressives Congress (APC) can be seen to be the major reason why there is support for Buhari in the Southwest. But support for PDP in Southeast and South-South is more or less the same. The support for APC in the North central may also be linked up to the way the governors imposed candidates. Governors imposed candidates at will regardless of public opinion. They didn’t take the sentiments of the electorate into account before imposing candidates. It shouldn’t be so. Leaders should allow the people to decide the candidates they want on their own.

In your assessment, do you think the PDP as a ruling party has performed creditably well enough to secure enough votes for the re-election of President Jonathan in this election?

I think they did. If you look at the power sector, they have increased power generation considerably. Also, in the transport sector, there were several road networks completed by the present administration. This is in addition to the rehabilitation of railway transportation. All these things are supposed to be appreciated by the public. But it is one thing for you to perform, it is entirely quite another for you to advertise your performance to the public. I think the work of selling their performance was not com­mensurate with their performance itself.

Looking at the voting pattern in this election, would you say that the issue of ethnic and religious factor that has always characterized Nigerian politics has been finally laid to rest?

While I may say that ethnic influence in politics been somehow reduced, this election has actually whipped up religious sentiment more than any other time in the past. I can tell you without any fear of contradiction that religion was massively used in the North during campaigns. Traditional rulers, clerics and members of academia in the North combined together to advise the people to vote only for a Muslim candidate. The same scenario also played out even in the Muslim dominated ar­eas in the North central. In my own opinion, this election has not reduced the influence of religion in the voting pattern. I hope it will not be exacerbated in the future elections because it is not good for a people to use religion for any purpose. The percent of Muslims/Christians in this country is about 50- 50.

If you come to the North, the Muslims are the majority, but if you go to the South, the Christians are the majority. So, if this time Muslims voted on the basis of religion, next time other people will also use religion. So, it will become a vicious circle. That will not argue well for the country. I hope it will stop. Political scientists have described religion as opium of the people. When people look at issues from religious perspective, they don’t use logic. They use sentiment and they can even go to the extent of sacrificing lives.

To be more specific, what would you consider to be the major achievement of this outgoing administration?

A lot of road networks have been completed which is very important. So also resuscitation of railway system that has been in limbo for so many years is also a welcome development. There is also the opening of the waterways. The dredging of the River Niger is equally significant. With these three combined when completed, transportation will be cheaper, quicker and easier. One other achievement of the administration is elimination of corruption in the distribution of fertilizer. If we continue with that, gradually, agriculture will return to its prime position. Agriculture has the potential of engaging more people by way of providing employment.

Recommendation of the last National Conference was what many delegates used to canvass for re-election of Presi­dent Jonathan. What do you expect the incoming administration to do with the document?

To be honest with you, I don’t think a lot of Nigerians voted on the basis of the confab. I was a delegate to the conference; the confab was a gathering of eminent Nigerians with no comparison whatsoever. I think it is the best gathering that has ever taken place in this country. People discussed issues regardless of where they came from. You find Northerners and Southerners arguing on issues without regard to sectional or ethnic differences. If the recommendation of the conference is imple­mented, it will enhance unity and progress of this country. If the incoming government looks into the recommendations, I doubt if it will throw it away.

Do you have any regret in your support for re-election of President Jonathan vis-à-vis the position of the Northern Elders Forum which you had a lot of differences with?

Not at all! Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) campaigned on the basis of regional sentiment; we campaigned on the basis of national unity. I have been campaigning for national unity for the past 55 years and I have been consistent on that. I believe that national unity is the panacea for development and progress of this country. So, we look at issues from different perspectives. They view issues from narrow sectional point of view; we look at issues from broad national point of view. We believe that sooner or later, Nigerians will come to realise that there is benefit in their unity. Whatever happens, you cannot take Kano to Kenya, you cannot take Anambra to Suddan. If you look at the way ordinary Nigerians interact with one another, you find out that we never had a situation where people fought one another in the market. They all interact peacefully with one another. If you heard Nigerians fighting one another, it is politics that has always caused misunderstanding. I believe Nigeria came into being out the intervention of the Almighty Al­lah. If you look at the way Nigeria is configured, you find out that we are complimenting one an­other; we are not at war with one another. So, if we are not at war with one another, the way to progress is for us to embrace one another and work together for the good of the country. If anybody is coming up to whip up ethnic sentiment, he is doing that against the interest of his people.

Many people believe that this present administration has not done well in its fight against corruption. Why do you think anti-corruption war is such a difficult task?

There has been corruption in Nigeria like there has been in any other country in the world. But from my experience, corruption became rampart from the time Olusegun Obasanjo became military Head of State. That was the time leading figures in the administration came out of the blues to become multimillionaires. And until tomorrow, nobody knows how they came about this massive wealth they accumulated for themselves. That made other people to copy them when they come to power. You remember Buhari and Babangida era and how both of them became multimillionaires. Before Obasanjo became president, I was told he owed money. But what happened by the time he left of­fice? Will you say he was a poor man by the time he left? Certainly, he was not. Jonathan inherited power from more or less Obasanjo. Though he came along the late President Yar’Adua, we all know that Yar’Adua didn’t make much impact because his health was not in good shape. So, it is the continuation of Obasanjo era that characterized Jonathan administration. In fact, most of the offi­cials in charge of various ministries and agencies are people Jonathan inherited from Obasanjo. So, corruption is not something anybody can eradicate overnight.

It is like you are pre-empting Buhari’s promise to end corruption. Not so?

Buhari is a different person from different politi­cal party. May be the situation may be different. I am not a fortune teller. I cannot say whether or not he will be able to fight corruption. But there are people around him who are so rich and who you cannot explain how they came about their riches. May expectation is to see how his government is going to deal with those people around him who are super riches and who many people don’t know the business they do to be so rich. Yet, they contrib­uted to his campaign.

So, let us wait and see how he is going to handle them. That could be the signal as to whether or not he is going to fight corruption.

Finally, APC Zones Speaker To Southwest, SGF To S'east

After a series of preparatory meetings ahead of its assumption of control on May 29, the incoming ruling party, All Progressives Congress, has drawn up a zoning arrangement for key federal legislative and executive positions. Barring any last minute changes, a document ratified by the APC national leadership and national caucus members Thursday night may form the basis for the allocation of executive positions and emergence of principal officers of the National Assembly from across the six geopolitical zones. The document, which was obtained by THISDAY, shows that the office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation is zoned to the South-east. The incumbent SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, a former senate president, is from Ebonyi State in the South-east.

The zoning to South-east puts paid to speculations that the director-general of the APC presidential campaign organisation and Rivers State governor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, may become the next SGF. It also ends the alleged spirited effort by some APC governors from the North-east to produce the new SGF, with the current Secretary to the State Government of Borno, Ambassador Ahmed Baba Jida, widely suspected to be the choice of the governors.

In other positions, the post of Senate President is zoned to North-central, the same zone of the outgoing holder of the position, David Mark, who is from Benue State. Speaker of the House of Representatives is given to South-west, where the vice president-elect, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, hails from. Osinbajo is from Ogun State.

APC zoned the office of Deputy Senate President to North-east and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives to the South-south. Chief Whip of the Senate is zoned to North-west, where the Katsina State-born president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, comes from, while North-central gets the office of Chief Whip of the House of Representatives.

The post of Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives is zoned to South-east. There are only two members of the House elected on the platform of APC from the zone in the March 28 election. They are Hon. Austin Chukwukere from Ideato North and South Federal Constituency and Chike Okafor from Ehime Mbano, Ihite Uboma and Obowo Federal Constituency of Imo State. 

The position of Majority Leader of the Senate is zoned to South-west, while Majority Leader of the House of Representatives goes to North-east. Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate is zoned to North-west, and Deputy Majority Leader of the House of Representatives goes to North-central.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees of APC is zoned to North-east, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar widely expected to clinch the post. South-east is given secretary of the BoT.
The posts of national chairman and national secretary of APC remain in the South-south and North-east, respectively. Chief John Odigie-Oyegun from Edo State is national chairman and Alhaji Maimala Buni from Yobe State is the national secretary.

Seven senators from three zones have signified their intentions to contest the senate president slot. They are Senators Bukola Saraki, a former Kwara State governor (Kwara Central); George Akume, Senate Minority Leader (Benue North-west); Olusola Adeyeye, a vocal senator and professor of Molecular Biology (Osun Central), Danjuma Goje, a former Gombe State governor (Gombe Central); Ahmad Lawan, a former university don (Yobe North); Ali Ndume, a former House of Representatives Minority Leader (Borno South); and a former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker, Usman Nafada (Gombe North).

With the zoning of the slot to North-central, the contest will now be between Saraki and Akume.
In the House of Representatives, there are currently eight contestant for the office of speaker. They are APC caucus leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (Lagos); Chairman House committee on House Services, Hon. Yakubu Dogara (Bauchi State); Chairman House Committee on Finance, Hon. AbdulMumin Jubril(Kano); Hon. Pally Iriase (Edo); Hon Ajibola Famurewa(Osun); Prof. Mojeed Alabi(Osun); Hon. Mohammed Monguno(Borno); and Hon. Jagaba Adams Jagaba(Kaduna). Of the eight contestants, only Gbajabiamila and Adeyeye are from the South-west where the speakership has been zoned to.

2015 Polls: Prophecies That Hit The Crossbar - Femi Adesina

Can Rev Father Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Ministry, Enugu, rise and take a bow? When many other prophets went the way of Balaam, making predictions for filthy lucre and falling over themselves to foretell a second term in office for President Goodluck Jonathan, Father Mbaka trod an unbeaten and unpopular path. At the risk of his life, he said Gen Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would win the 2015 presidential election.

Before then, Father Mbaka had been an ardent Jonathan supporter. He had said good things about the President and his aspirations for 2015, but obviously, he spoke like a man that he was. When the Spirit of God chose to speak through him, even the Catholic priest had no choice. He became like clay in the hands of the potter: yielded and still. Today, we have a true prophet to the nations in Father Mbaka.

Also, can Prophet Joseph Kehinde Oladipupo of Faith and Victory Church, Akure, Ondo State, stand up and be recognized? In March this year, he had predicted a Buhari victory, saying: “Jonathan will lose hands down. If he wins the election, then God didn’t send me as His servant… He told me while interceding for Nigeria that Jonathan is not the next president. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari will win the presidential election, and he will rule this country democratically.”

How about Ibadan, Oyo State based prophet, Wale Olagunju of The Seed of God Chapel? Garland him, please. This was what he said early this year: “Buhari is the next president of Nigeria… His votes will supersede the votes Abiola got in 1993. Jonathan’s days as President of Nigeria are numbered.” Word for word, the prophecy came to pass. M.K.O. Abiola won over eight million votes in 1993, Buhari has now won over 15 million, to become our President-elect. Prophet Olagunju, you have every reason to walk tall, and rejoice, even boast, in the Lord your God. Yes, how else is a true prophet known? The Good Book says when a man prophesies, and what he says comes to pass, then know that the man has been sent by God. But when a man says, “Thus says the Lord,” when the Lord has not spoken, such man is setting himself up for shame and disgrace.

However, we only started this piece with a digression. We are not talking today about men (and possibly women) who saw the future correctly, but those who really did not see anything, or saw partly through a glass, and could not properly decipher the message they got. A caveat, however: our intention is not to mock or deride anybody. The purpose is simple. We want to establish that only God has the final say in the affairs of men, and no man can pontifically declare what will happen in future, to the exclusion of the divine powers. God is the ultimate. He has the final say at any given time, and He has not ceded that authority to man. Repeat: Not to any man, whether he’s a prophet, diviner or futurologist. Jehovah has the final say.

You can’t mention top three prophets in the country before his name pops up. Primate Theophilus Oluwasaanu Olabayo is Founder of Evangelical Church of Yahweh, based in Lagos. He has name and reputation in the rank of top seers in Nigeria. But in respect of 2015 elections, he hit the crossbar, not once, but twice. Olabayo, an ardent follower of the soccer game, failed to find the back of the net on who wins the presidential race, and who becomes Lagos State governor. Hear the man: “God has revealed to me that if at all there is going to be presidential election, it will be inconclusive just like the June 12 (1993 election) that we had during the time of the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola.”

Well, the elections held. And despite the potentially disruptive antics of Elder Godsday Orubebe during the announcement of the results, the process was not truncated, so the election was not rendered inconclusive. Primate Olabayo missed it. He hit the crossbar.

And on Lagos State governor, hear the prophet: “Jimi Agbaje will have more support of the people, and this is what will cause uproar in some circles if at all there is going to be election. Jimi Agbaje will have the upper hand because the candidate that should have won the election for APC was not given the chance to be presented as the party’s governorship candidate in Lagos. APC should have presented Ganiyu Solomon, he was God’s anointed candidate.”

Well, Solomon lost at the party primaries, but like a great sportsman, he threw his weight behind Akinwunmi Ambode. He campaigned for him vigorously. And the latter is governor-elect today. Agbaje did not win, and Olabayo hit the crossbar again.

Another Grade A prophet is Primate Babatunde Elijah Ayodele, Founder of the INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Oke-Afa, Isolo, Lagos. Ayodele looks into the seeds of time, and can tell you which one will grow, and which will not. The man is also given to much philanthropy, a thing I admire highly about him. But what is his report card on 2015 elections? Let’s listen to the man, since the Good Book says: “by your words, ye shall be justified, and by your words, ye shall be condemned.”

Hear Ayodele: “Kaduna is going to be very bloody. PDP may take Kaduna, but it’s going to be by narrow margin. Yobe, Gombe, Benue, Delta, Akwa Ibom, all those states will be won by PDP.”

April 11 has come and gone. Mercifully, Kaduna was not bloody, and PDP did not take the state, APC did. Again, it was not by narrow margin. Rather Nasir El-Rufai beat Ramalan Yero by a landslide. The incumbent became so punch drunk that he threw in the towel from his corner, and congratulated his opponent before the entire results were released. He needed to save himself from further blows to the solar plexus.

Yet again, PDP did not win Yobe and Benue as Primate Ayodele predicted. Dear prophet, what happened? I can hear the ball hit the crossbar with a loud bang, followed by a ricochet, and bouncing back into the field of play.

Hear Ayodele on the presidential race, talking about Jonathan: “This election is a lesson for him and there are still lessons for him to learn if he now gets it back. He still needs a lot of prayers. But in the midst of all these ups and downs, he may still have a very slim chance of winning the election. I don’t see any landslide victory at all between him and Buhari. At the end of the day, PDP will win the federal, but the party will crash after the elections.”

PDP will win the federal. Really? The last time I checked, the party lost by about 2.5 million votes, and is currently in disarray, winning only seven out of 26 state governorship seats so far declared from last weekend’s election.

Primate Ayodele owes us explanations on Lagos, particularly. He had said the APC would lose, if it fielded Ambode. And when confronted later on that prediction, he hinged everything on God. “Let the Lord justify His words for He exalts His words above His name,” the prophet declared. Now that Ambode has won Lagos, did God change His mind? Over to you, Primate!

Prophet Joshua Iginla. He’s a big tree in the forest of prophets. He sees great things, many of which have come to pass. But on who will be president from May 29, this year, he missed it big time. Loud bang! The crossbar shook, and almost fell.

“I am not a politician nor belong to any political party. I am just speaking God’s mind,” Iginla had declared in a January 2015 interview. “The person sitting on the seat might not be perfect but he will retain the seat. It’s not guesswork… President Jonathan will win, but he has to pray about his health and so many political blows.”

President Jonathan will win, said Iginla. But the man did not win. So, what says the prophet now?

During the ground breaking ceremony of the 80,000-seater City of Wonder tabernacle of his Champions Royal Assembly in Abuja last December, Iginla had again affirmed: “The President should pray very well because he will win the election but will suffer political blows that he might live to nurse for the rest of his life. I saw political blows, which entail you might be in power but nursing political injuries that refused to heal.”

Brother Joshuaaa! What happened? We’re all ears.

He’s not very long on the national scene, but Apostle Joshua Suleman has shot himself into reckoning in a very short time. There are many predictions he made that have come to pass, but since we’re talking of only those that hit the crossbar today, let’s consider these ones from the Auchi, Edo State based prophet.

“Presidential ticket will split APC.” No, it did not. It even rather united the party. “Jonathan will manipulate second term. He may rig himself to power, but will not complete the tenure the tenure.” No, Jonathan did not even get a second term. “APC will claim victory in 2015 but the court will give it to Jonathan.” APC is not claiming government, rather it has been declared victor at the polls. “Oyo and Ogun state governors, I don’t see them coming back. If they can pray hard, mercy may smile at them, but I see them go home.” Well, the two governors are home – in their respective government houses.

Nobody can tell me that Archbishop John Obiokeke of God Pentecostal Mission Churches Worldwide does not see things. He sees. One day in 2006, he had visited us at The Sun Newspapers. After the courtesy visit, he began to reel out prophecies concerning some of us that hosted him. Most of them have come to pass. He even named one of our staff that was not in the reception team. He said we should tell him to be careful about his health. Sadly, that one died not long after. So, Obiokeke sees.

But on 2015 election, he saw amiss, and has hit the crossbar again, just as he did in 2007, when he said former military ruler, Ibrahim Babangida, would be president. In January, this year, Obiokeke had declared: “God is saying that there is no vacancy in Aso Rock. For reasons best known to Him, Jonathan, even though will rig, is still going to be the President… The election is going to be tight, but Jonathan will return.”

Smack, on the crossbar. Somebody, please find me the prophet’s phone number. He owes us an explanation.

Dr Success Ibeakanma, Senior Pastor of Royal Choice Ministries, Lagos: “In the presidential election of 2015, APC will try but PDP will win.” Verdict? Crossbar.

Rev. Saviour Efe Awusi, Founder and General Overseer of God’s Divine Favour Evangelical Church, Okota, Lagos: “Thus says the Lord. By my mercy, President Jonathan would surely win this year’s (February 14) presidential election. And all those who are against him shall be put to shame.” Verdict? Crossbar, with the upright shaking vigorously!

Pastor Dr Emeka Agwu, Organizer/Host, Diaspora Prayers for Dr Jonathan’s Victory, is also the General Overseer of Voice of Evangelism International, Houston, Texas, USA. Magisterially, he had declared before the elections: “They want Jonathan resigned or changed, but God has given Jonathan the 2015 election key of victory.” True? The key we see Jonathan holding is that of his home in Otuoke, Bayelsa State. Verdict? Dr Agwu hit the crossbar. And a miss is as good as a mile.

Let me end this piece with the way I always end my interventions on prophecies that miss, which I do at the beginning of every New Year:

“No man has the final say over anything. Only God does. Times and seasons are in His hands. Prophecies are for our edification, for our encouragement and blessing. But God never reveals everything to finite man. If He reveals everything, then He would not be God again. No wonder the Good Book says the things that are revealed are for men, while the ones that are hidden are for God. If God has hidden something in His superior knowledge, why should I go and poke my nose into it, trying to sniff it out? ‘He that pries into every cloud shall be struck by thunderbolt,’ so goes the saying. So, I take the things God has revealed, and respect His decision on the ones He keeps to Himself – lest I hit the crossbar.”

NBA Chairman Assassinated In Delta

Reports reaching us from Delta State revealed that the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ughelli chapter in Delta state has been assassinated.

The deceased, Austin Icheghe

NAN reports that the chairman, Mr. Austin Icheghe was assassinated in front of his house on Thursday, April 16, by yet to be identified assailants.

READ ALSO: Kidnapped Boy: Police Release Suspects

The deceased niece, who gave her name as Egunor Uviesa, said some gunmen shot the lawyer at about 9.00pm as he was alighting from his car in front of his compound.

“As soon as he came down from his vehicle, they accosted him and shot him on the head. He was immediately rushed to a private clinic in Ughelli where he was confirmed dead,” she said.

It was reported that the victim was still in his pool of blood at the spot where he was killed.

It was gathered that sympathisers have been trooping in to console his family members.

READ ALSO: Police Parade 6 Persons For Cars, Cash Theft

When the state police command spokesman, Celestina Kalu was contacted on the incident, Kalu confirmed the tragedy via text message saying: “Yes sir, he was murdered by unknown gunmen last night.”

Just less than 24 hours to the governorship election, the Youth leader for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State, Ugonna Omereonye was also assassinated.

READ MORE: http://www.naij.com/423817-photo-nba-chairman-assassinated-in-delta.html