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Weekly Political Notes

By Samson Ezea
30 June 2018   |   3:36 am
It’s Unfair To Say I’m Silent On Killings By Herdsmen, Says Buhari President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, faulted those who accused him of being silent on killings being carried out by suspected herdsmen in parts of the country. He said there was injustice in such aspersions. According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant…

Buhari

It’s Unfair To Say I’m Silent On Killings By Herdsmen, Says Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, faulted those who accused him of being silent on killings being carried out by suspected herdsmen in parts of the country. He said there was injustice in such aspersions.

According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President spoke during an interactive session with stakeholders in Jos, Plateau State, over the recent attacks that left scores dead.

Buhari said people were blaming him for not talking to the herdsmen, probably because he looks like them. He appealed to Nigerians to avoid inflammatory utterances that could endanger peace or promote conflicts.

Haba, President Buhari, it is obvious you are too silent and aloof over the killings. The attacks have turned Nigeria into a killing field.

So annoying is the fact that it seems the killings are targeted at a particular people. That is the truth.

Again, it appears your government has either abandoned or forgotten it’s primary responsibility of protecting lives and property of citizens.

The spate of herdsmen killings across the country has shown that your government lacks the capacity to deal with the challenge effectively.

Your government and the security apparatus have failed in this direction and they have made life of Nigerians, especially in North Central of Plateau and Benue too cheap.

Also, your actions and inactions have not helped matters at all. That is the reason many Nigerians have accused your government of complicity in the killings.

How many of killer herdsmen have been arrested and prosecuted?

This is even when some leaders of Miyetti Allah have publicly claimed responsibility for some of these attacks.

What have you done to punish them to serve as a deterrent to others?

Is it not time to re-jig the security apparatus, especially as it has become obvious that they lack the capacity to deal with situation?

Why do you pay deaf ears to the call? When has human life become of less importance and value to that of cattle?

It is a fact that these herdsmen are not spirit or ghosts, but you and your men have made them look so.

Obasanjo’ll Live To Face Prosecution-Oshiomhole

THE new National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to direct former President Olusegun Obasanjo to refund the $16B dollars allegedly spent on power, if he cannot justify the expenses.     

Oshiomhole, who spoke on Tuesday, in Abuja at the APC national secretariat, when Chief John Odigie-Oyegun formally handed over the mantle of party leadership to him, said Obasanjo would be alive to face prosecution.

He said: “As I was reflecting, I watched our President recently asking questions rhetorically, ‘you have spent $16b on power under PDP, where is the power?’
 
“Nigerians in their various homes, those who have power that day or generator said, ‘Mr President, we don’t have’. So, $16b spent, the more dollars they spent, the more darkness the people suffered.”

Oshiomhole has started what he knows how to do best, which is talking. In days ahead, the likes of Obasanjo and others who are opposed to Buhari’s re-election will surely hear from the comrade chairman.

Oshiomhole did it to Chief Tony Anenih, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, President Goodluck Jonathan and others. Unlike his predecessor, Oshiomhole is more of an activist and extrovert, who does not spare anybody that is not in his good book. Henceforth, Oshiomhole will say what President Buhari wants to hear.

That does not mean there is no sense on the issue Oshiomhole raised about monies allegedly spent on power during Obasanjo’s administration.

Nobody is above the law and heaven will not fall if Obasanjo is made to account for his stewardship, provided it is not politically motivated.

Even if it is politically motivated, every public office holder should always be ready to account for his stewardship at anytime.

But it is quite unfortunate that Buhari just remembered monies spent under Obasanjo’s watch after the latter openly opposed his re-election bid.
Ekiti 2018: Fayemi Accuses Fayose Of Compromising INEC

THE candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi, has raised alarm over a ‘collusion’ between officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission and the state governor, Ayo Fayose, to compromise the July 14 governorship election.

The former minister alleged that three top officials of the INEC headquarters held clandestine meetings with Fayose in the guise of being in the state for official duties.

Addressing journalists in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, the Deputy Director General (Ekiti South), Kayode Fayemi Campaign Council, Bamidele Faparusi, accused INEC officials, namely, Egharevba John, Festus Aisien, Igidiogu Kelechi and a former INEC employee, Ishaku Abbo, of plotting to rig the election.

The council urged the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, and the Director General of the State Security Services, Lawan Daura, to investigate the allegation and bring the culprits to book.

Nawaooo, it is disappointing that what has drove the campaign of the two major parties in Ekiti election-APC and PDP is allegations and counter-allegations.

No wonder the campaign has been bereft of robust arguments and people-oriented programmes backed with facts and figures.

But of great concern is that these allegations and counter-allegations always have something to with alleged conspiracy with INEC to rig the election.

Hmmm, It is hoped that INEC knows it is in the eye of storm. It cannot afford to fail in this onerous task of conducting credible election in Ekiti. If it is obvious that some INEC personnel have been compromised before the election, it behoves INEC leadership to fish them out and keep them away from the state.

Why I Want To Be Ogun State Governor- Odegbami

Ex-Nigerian footballer and sports administrator, Segun Odegbami, on Wednesday, said he would be contesting the governorship of Ogun State in the coming elections.

Odegbami confirmed this in a Facebook post.

He said this while highlighting that the Super Eagles lost to Argentina in the World Cup match yesterday due to the “inexperience of some key players” and the inability of the coach to manage the last 10 minutes of the match.

“I am going to stay around for a little while longer, still watch and report any interesting events around here, and properly think through my next project.

“Now more than ever before I know for sure why I want to contest for the office of governor of my state.

The thought of a Footballer in government house excites many who have heard the rumour here. It will surely attract all manner of reactions back in my state,” he said.

Well, Odegbami has the constitutional right to contest the governorship election.

He is qualified if INEC says so, and has what it takes to be a state governor.

But that is not all that is expected of him to become a governor. It goes beyond this.

It is hoped that Odegbami knows that politics is not about football analysis or oratory.

It is a different ball game in Nigeria, because of the way it is played.

So, there is need for Odegbami to learn the rudiment of the game called politics before making a foray into it.

It is not a game for the lily-livered and poor people, especially when it has to do with seat of governor.

But who knows if Odegbami has a godfather with heavy financial war chest. It is possible. With this, Odegbami’s dream could be realised.

Court Rejects Nyame’s Post-Conviction Bail

AN FCT High Court in Gudu has rejected an application for bail made by convicted former governor of Taraba State, Reverend Jolly Nyame.

Nyame, who was convicted and sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for corruption, approached the same court with the post-conviction bail application on the basis of ill-health.

However, the trial judge, Justice Adebukola Banjoko, rejected the bail application.

The judge held that nothing was placed before the court by Nyame to show that the prisons authority do not have the facility to take care of his health.

You see am, anytime a prominent man loses or is about to lose his freedom, he becomes sick. Nyame has suddenly become sick after his conviction.

But when he was freely enjoying some of his loots for 11 years, before he was jailed, nobody ever heard he was sick.

That is the tactics many prominent Nigerians currently facing trial over alleged corruption usually deploy in court.

Even if Nyame is sick truly, he could be allowed to seek treatment in Nigerian hospital, possibly at the hospital he built in Taraba when he was governor. That is if he constructed any.

Following this path will spur incumbent governors to do the needful, while in office.

Killings: Buhari To Reorganise Security

President Muhammmadu Buhari is planning to reorganise the security apparatus in lieu of the spate of killings in parts of the country.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, quoted Buhari as disclosing on Wednesday during a meeting with him (Dogara) and Senate President Bukola Saraki.

Dogara was speaking at the State House after he and Saraki met with the president at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
 
Saraki and Dogara met behind closed-doors with Buhari over the recent killings of scores of people in Plateau State by herdsmen.

Rejigging the security apparatus is long overdue, especially as it has become obvious that they lack the capacity to deal with the security challenges in the country.

In doing this, Buhari should place competence and integrity above prebendalism and ethnicity. Lives of innocent Nigerians and their properties have never been wasted as being witnessed in recent times across the country.

It is high time the government tackled it adequately, before Nigerians are pushed to take laws into their hands; a situation that will not augur well for the peace and unity of the country.

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