VOL. 10. NO.023 N100thursday, march 19, 2015

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•(L-R) South-West Coordinator, Buhari/Osinbajo Presidential Campaign, Governor Rauf Aregbesola addressing the Oludo of Idom-inasi, Oba Folorunso Ademiju Obasanya and while seated is Osun Deputy Governor, Otunba (Mrs) Titi Laoye-Tomori, during the Grassroots Campaign Rally for Presidential, National/State House of Assemblies’ elections, at Idominasi, Obokun Local Government Council Area of the state, recently.

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Anarchy Persists In UNIOSUN As Two Panels Sit Over Varsity Crisis

Jonathan Sponsoring Ethnic Mili-tias To Disrupt Elections - APC

Ilase Attack: Osun APC Supporter On Danger List, Others Displaced By PDP Thugs - Pg 4

Jonathan’s Dollar Rain Can’t Buy Yoruba Votes

OPC Protest: Gani Adams Betrays Yoruba Nation – OPC Ruling Body

APC Alleges Planned Card Readers’ Sabotage On Election DayCall Fadahun-si To Order, Omoworare Tells Police I-G, DSS

Osun NUJ Loses Member

APC remains antidote to PDP’s misrule - Aregbesola, Oyinlola Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Areg-besola, has re-minded the people of the state of the urgent need for change as the

only necessary antidote to the na-tion’s political and socio-economic hardship.In a statement by the Director Bu-

of Communication and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, the Governor was quoted as speaking in a round-off campaign for the All Progressive

Congress can-didates from presidential to the State House of Assembly po-sitions. He was quoted as

tasking people to vote APC candi-dates all through.The governor in company with the former Governor of the state,

Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, on Tues-day traversed sev-eral towns and local governments in

Continue on pg7

2OSuN DeFeNDeR thursday, march 19, 2015

3 News OSuN DeFeNDeR thursday, march 19,

If you have a story or advert for us, contact 08033927286, 08033880205, 08061197897, 08023191891.

By OkeLeye Nike

•South-West Coordinator, Buhari/Osinbajo Presidential Campaign, Governor Rauf Aregbesola, addressing party loyalists,during the Presidential/National and State House of Assemblies Campaigns Rally at Owena-Ijesa, Oriade Local Government Area, recently.

Jonathan Sponsoring Ethnic Militias To Disrupt Elections - APCthe all Progressives congress (aPc) has accused

the Jonathan administration of sponsoring ethnic militias to forment trouble before, during and

after the forthcoming general elections.It alleged that the N9

billion recently paid out to some ex-militants and ethnic militias was aimed at mobilizing them to scuttle the polls.

The APC in a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday by its National Publicity Secre ta ry, Alha j i La i Mohammed , sa id the protests by MASSOB last week, seeking the sack of Independent National

Electoral Commission ( I N E C ) C h a i r m a n , Professor Attahiru Jega, was orchestrated by the administration as part of its continuing efforts to sabotage the elections.

It said, the next group that has been mobilized to protest against Jega and the use of card reader is the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), which is also a beneficiary of the N9 billion

payout, ostensibly for pipeline protection, but the party said that the money is to prepare the ethnic militias for their reprehensible role to scuttle the elections.

The APC further alleged that more ethnic militias would be enlisted by the Jonathan administration to continue the protest against Jega and the card reader, in order to give the impression that Nigerians want Jega sacked and are also against the use of card readers.

The party expressed sadness that a President, who inherited a united nation, has done everything

he can to divide the country along ethnic and religious lines, including patronizing ethnic militias who serve no other purpose than to champion sectional interests at the expense of national unity.

I t w o n d e r e d w h y President Jonathan would pay N9 billion to a handful of people at a time of great economic downturn and falling Naira, as well as in a situation in which many states cannot even afford to pay their workers because of dwindling allocation from the federation account.

“A profligate government that has been bribing people with dollars and ferrying huge funds around practically to buy votes has outdone itself by paying out all of N9 billion to a few Nigerians, with less than three weeks to the elections.

“ S h o r t l y a f t e r t h e payment, some self-serving groups started organizing protests that, for all intents and purposes, are being orchestrated to scuttle the polls. This is a shameful show by t he f ede ra l government,’’ the APC said.

Anarchy Persists In UNIOSUN As Two Panels Sit Over Varsity Crisis By kehiNde ayaNtuNJi

the last may not have been heard about the crisis rock ing the Osun state university (uNiOsuN) as the stakeholders are anxiously waiting for the report of

two panels over the crisis. Despite the ongoing sittings

of the two panels, the parties involved have continued to trade blames and accusations over the sittings of the two panels over the same issue.

A panel constituted by the state governor and Visitor to the unversity, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, is headed the Professor Adebiyi Daramo-la, Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Akure and has Professor Jacob Ladipo, Professor Omotoye Olorode and Mr. Babatunde Adebayo as members.

Meanwhile, the Pro-Chan-cellor of the University, Professor Gabriel Olawoyin (SAN) also constituted an Ad-Hoc panel headed by Professor Obafemi Ajibola, an external member of the council to investigate the Vice Chancellor, Professor Bashir Okesina, Registrar, Dr Julius Faniran, and the Bursar, Mr Adebayo Lasisi.

A renowned academic from the University of Ibadan, Dr Ibraheem Yinusa, described the constitution of the panel by the council chairman as an “affront to the power of the visitor,” saying such panel is unnecessary.

He said: “With the consti-

tution of a visitation panel by the governor, whatever issue the council chairman has against the VC, Registrar and other principal officers of the university should be discussed at the panel because the council chairman has already become a party to the crisis, therefore, he cannot judge his own case.

“To avoid contradiction and conflicting reports, the best thing to do is to dissolve the panel constituted by the Chairman, since you cannot determine the same case be-fore two panels. It is an abuse of the process and waste of the university fund,” Dr Yinusa said.

Also , a g roup , Save UNIOSUN Project, has ac-cused the council chairman of further worsening the in-stitution’s financial situation with the Ad Hoc panel, as the panel members collect huge sums of money as their sitting allowances.

In an open letter sent to Governor Aregbesola and made available to OsuN de-FeNder, the group alleged that the panel had met seven times, February, 2, 9, 11, 13, 16, 19 and 20, 2015 and had

spent N3.3 million, while also requested for another N1.1 million for additional sittings.

The letter signed by Ajike Ariyibi and Adesola Ade-tokunbo also described the action of Professor Olawoyin as curious and baffling, saying it appears that the council is behaving as if it is above the law and the visitation panel.

However, a Senior Lectur-er, who pleaded anonymity, because the matter is before a panel said: “The council chairman has acted in a right way, the level of the cor-ruption and impunity in the university is amazing. Just be patient, you will be shocked when the report of the panel is out.

“It is unfortunate that some people are misinterpreting the good intention of the council chairman. The visitation pan-el cannot unravel anything without the Ad-hoc panel of the council. The level of corruption in the system is so terrible and amazing. What I will tell you is to wait and see. The problem between the management and the council is corruption. Olawoyin wants to sanitize the system but he’s meeting serious resistance.”

Efforts to contact the Coun-cil Chairman, the Vice-Chan-cellor were unsuccessful, as several calls to their lines were not returned and visits to their offices yielded no result.

When contac ted , the

Chairman of Academic Staff Union of the Universities (UNIOSUN Chapter), Dr Oluseye Abiona, declined comment on the matter, argu-ing that it is before the panel.

He said: “I cannot speak on the matter for now, it is before a panel and we have forward-ed our submission to the panel as a union. Therefore, it will amount to prejudice, let us al-low the panels to do their job.”

When contacted, Chair-man, House Committee on Education, Honourable Oladoyin Bamisayemi, dis-missed insinuations that the House of Assembly has folded its arms on the matter, saying they have performed their oversight function as required.

Bamisayemi said: “When we got wind of the crisis, we requested that the parties involved should appear before the House and the Governing Council led by the Chairman came; the management, led by the Vice Chancellor came, and also the unions, namely ASUU, NASU and SSANU.”

He said, Professor Olawo-yin submitted the council’s petition with documentary evidences and the manage-ment also put up their de-fence, including the unions, adding that the committee had submitted its report and recommendation to the Speak-er of the House, Honourable Najeem Salaam.

When pressed further on

the content of the report, Basmisayemi replied: “I don’t have that power to divulge the content of the report. It is only the Speaker that has that power. It was a joint commit-tee assignment comprising the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Public Accounts and Education. We have since written our rec-ommendation based on our findings,

“It is the Speaker that can tell the public, as I am not allowed to do that, but you can be rest assured that we are on top of the situation. We have done our oversight function the way we were supposed to have done it,” Bamisayemi said.

He also corrected the in-sinuation that there is a power tussle between the visitor and the council, saying such situation never existed in the university.

According to him: “The visitor is performing his role. As you have said, there is a crisis in the university. To ex-amine the roles of individuals and the factors that led to the crisis, nothing is wrong, if there is another internal com-mittee of the council, working on another aspect of the crisis, but the most important thing is that the superior committee is the one set up by the visitor, and it will be unfair to tell you more than this, so as not to

preempt the outcome of the panel.”

Efforts are also ongoing to douse tension on the religious coloration introduced to the matter that has caused tension between the government and Osun Muslim Community who alleged that the suspen-sion of the VC, Professor Oke-sina, by the university council is an effort to marginalize Muslims for political, and public offices appointment.

It was learnt that the Asi-waju Musulumi of Yorubal-and, Chief Khamis Olatunde Badmus, in his house recently, held a meeting with the lead-ership of the Muslim commu-nity and some Islamic clerics across the state on the need to give peace a chance.

In the meeting that lasted for several hours was also a first class traditional ruler in the state who was a formerl Secretary of the Muslim Com-munity.

According to a credible source, who attended the meeting, the Muslims in the state used the occasion of the meeting to bare their minds on their grouse against the government, which ranged from lack of fairness and equity in the distribution of appointments including the suspension of Professor Oke-sina among others.

It was learnt that after de-liberations, the meeting re-solved to withdraw the two weeks’ ultimatum given to the state government in an earlier newspaper advertorial in respect of the reinstatement of Professor Okesina and dissolution of the institution’s Governing Council but to employ negotiation to resolve the crisis.

They also agreed at the meeting to wait for the result of the visitation panel set up to unravel the cause of the crisis by the government, and resolved to send a delegation to be led by Tunde Badmus, President, Osun State Muslim Community, Sheik Salahu-deen Olayiwola, President, League of Imams and Alfas in the state, Sheik Musa An-imasahun and the Aragbiji of Iragabijiland,Oba Abdur Rasheed Olabomi, to discuss the way out on the crisis with Governor Aregbesola.

It would be recalled that Osun Muslim Community in an advertorial in the Punch has demanded the dissolution of the council and reinstate-ment of the suspended VC.

It was also learnt that sev-eral hours after the meeting, Tunde Badmus also played host to the University Council Chairman, Olawoyin, and the State Deputy Governor, Otun-ba (Mrs) Grace Titi Laoye-To-mori, who is also in-charge of education ministry in the state over the same issue.

4 OSuN DeFeNDeR thursday, march 19, 2015News

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Ilase Attack: Osun APC Supporter On Danger List, Others Displaced By PDP ThugsWhiLe a supporter of the all Progressives

congress (aPc), agunbiade Bukola, was still on a danger list, sequel to a gunshot he sustained

from some Peoples democratic Party (PdP) thugs at the weekend in ilase, Obokun Local Government council area of the state of Osun, so many other members of the aPc were reported to have been run out of town.

By kazeem mOhammed

This was just as victims of attacks by the political thugs during and after the APC campaign at the weekend have been recount ing their ordeals, as the entire c o m m u n i t y h a s b e e n subjected to tension.

The attacks were being allegedly carried out by the suspected thugs of the PDP senatorial candidate for Osun East, Mr Francis Fadahunsi.

Since Friday till Monday when this report was being compiled, the attacks still persisted.

Some of the victims of the attack were Modinat Adeoke, Iyabo Akindele, Ojo Yakubu, Funmilayo Ojo, Adenle Omotoso, Agunbiade Bukola, Ogunleye Bode and Adedeji Omotosho among others.

Agunbiade was said to be critically injured with gunshot on his head and he is still receiving treatment at the Westley Guild Hospital, Ilesa.

Modinat said she was going back to her village, Ibisomi, when she was attacked by Fadahunsi’s thugs led by one Johnson, a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) official and stabbed with a broken bottle on the head and all over her body.

“In fact, Johnson directed that we should be shot, but instead, the guy that was holding the gun was only shooting into the air, only for one of them to run after us and stabbed me with a broken bottle.

“The other person that was with me, Iyabo Akindele, was not stabbed, but she was seriously beaten up by the thugs. It was just by God’s mercies that we were able to run away,” she lamented.

Yakubu, on his own, lamented that the thugs, led by one Kazeem, with Biodun Fayawo and Semiu came to his house at Ayetoro village around 9:30pm on Friday after the campaign, chased away his family members and destroyed his properties.

In the midnight, he said the thugs came back to his house, entered his piggery

yard housing about 52 pigs, killed some, carted away some and released the others to run away.

The total sum of the pigs, according to him, valued not less than N2 million.

Omotosho, a lubricating oil seller at Ilase, on his own, said he had just been supplied with goods few days to the campaign, but the political thugs came to his shop in the midnight and burnt it into ashes.

He said the thugs had since left a message that

he should not sleep in his house, a situation that had dragged him out of town along with over 30 other members of the APC.

According to him: “Both indigenes and non-indigenes who are APC members have been run out of the town.”

Some of those attacked, who were members of APC, sa id some were still critically lying and

receiving treatment at some undisclosed hospitals, while others have ran away for their lives to unknown destinations for fear of being attacked again.

Meanwhile, before the campaign on Friday, three of the PDP thugs, who were destroying billboards, banners, posters and the campaign podium of the APC in a Toyota Hilux van were reported arrested by

some youths and handed over to the police.

The arrested thugs, the source said, have since been released by the police.

The victims then called on the government and security operatives to intervene and save them from the hurdle of violence in the area.

Jonathan’s Dollar Rain Can’t Buy Yoruba •Osun APC Elders Declarethe elders’ council (igbimo agba) of the all

Progressives congress (aPc) in the state of Osun has described last minute efforts by President

Goodluck Jonathan to influence Yoruba people’s support for his re-election efforts through monetary inducement as tan effort in futility.

In a statement signed by Chairman of the council, Engineer Sola Akinwumi, and made available to newsmen in Osogbo on Monday, the Elders’ Council maintained that Yoruba people are not articles that could be purchased by the highest bidder.

Decrying the last minute visit to palaces of traditional rulers, where heaps of United States Dollars allegedly changed hands, the party

leaders drawn across the 30 local government council areas of the state opined that “the Dollar Rain, if it is true, is a gratuitous insult to the dignity and integrity of Yoruba culture and tradition, as it presents our people as purchasable items for any moneybag with deep purse.”

According to them, the eleventh hour visitation embarked upon by the President in the past weeks was not surprising, as it

reflected the antics of an unprepared student that usually adopts panicky measures when a promotion examination is approaching.

“The Eleventh Hour visitation by President Jonathan did not come to us as a surprise because he, like a poor student of history, realised too late that Yoruba people are worth more than passing attention in the past six years of his presidency,” the council observed.

A careful look at Yoruba states, according to the party elders, showed evidence of neglect by the Federal Government, typical of the years when President

Jonathan occupied Aso Rock as Nigerian leader.

The council noted further that what is visible to all observers are “apparent and deliberate economic strangulation, vast graduate unemployment, distressed i n d u s t r i e s , n e g l e c t e d productive sectors, and discouraging agricultural policies that have bedevilled the daily economic activities of our people in the Jonathan years.”

T h e J o n a t h a n administration, according to the Elders’ Council, has nothing to show for the massive votes given by Yoruba people in 2011, stressing that this apparent failure forced the President’s resort to underhand dealings to win a second term.

“Pres ident Jonathan must know that Yoruba Obas, as custodian of our culture of hospitality, good neighbourliness, diplomatic finesse, and virtuous living in the Omoluabi ethos would not have turned down his request to visit their palaces,” the council further stated.

The politicians warned President Jonathan to note that “no Yoruba traditional ruler worth his crown will allow an armada of dollars to drag his royal regalia in political mud, as the proponents of dollar rains planned through their recent actions.”

They supported their position with a Yoruba adage that says: “Enikan kii bo gende lojo kan, ko so pe o ri fakia-fakia” (no one gives food to an adult in one day and claims that he was responsible for his hefty size).

The Igbimo Agba added that “those who invaded Yoruba land with dollars, as if the people were damned with poverty, would soon find out that we have our eyes on our proud heritage that money cannot subvert.”

The council also noted an alleged plan by those they described as “unpatriotic elements to instigate our Armed Forces to rig the coming general elections by harassing the electorate before and during the polls. This is, to say the least, an unpatriotic step at undermining the nation’s democratic process.”

The party elders then declared that Yoruba people have decided to vote out President Goodluck Jonathan and his party insisting that “no amount of dollar rain that can stop Yoruba people from proving their worth one more time, as they have done in the past even under the most unpleasant clampdown.”

JUSUN Strike: Osun Courts Abandoned

as judicial workers across the country resumed industrial action to enforce f inancial autonomy for the judiciary, different cases in

courts across the state suffered setback, as the premises were under lock and key.

It was gathered that the union’s effort to resolve the matter before the end of last year was futile, as its representatives and that of the government could not reach any compromise.

T h e u n i o n l e a d e r s were also seen at the court’s entrance to ensure compl i ance w i th t he directives of the national body of the union.

According to a member of the union who pleaded anonymity, though the Federal Courts have called off their strike, the state government has not reached any compromise with the union.

It would be recalled that the union embarked on a national strike last year in a bid to force government at various levels to comply

with the court’s judgement, but the effort was futile.

The union member said the strike is not to fight the state government, but a national issue, adding that it has nothing to do with delay of salaries, as being peddled by some people in the state.

The union members were standing at the various court premises to ensure that members did not take advantage of the tribunal sitting to flout the strike order.

H o w e v e r , a l e g a l practi t ioner, Barrister S u l a i m a n O l a l e k a n , frowned at the industrial

action, describing it as unnecessary, saying the union ought to approach the court to ensure that government complies with its ruling.

He said, the financial autonomy the judiciary is asking for is likely to further cause corruption within the bench and the staffers of the judiciary, hence, the need for caution in implementing the order.

By shiNa aBuBakar

•(L-R) Former governor of ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN); Senator Hadi Sirika and Alhaji Nasri Danu, National APC ex-officio member and sponsor of the programme at an evening with Buhari and Osinbajo by celebrities, professionals and entertainers in Lagos, last Friday.

5555 News OSuN DeFeNDeR thursday, march

By shiNa aBuBakarOPC Protest: Gani Adams Betrays Yoruba Nation – OPC Ruling BodymemBers of the National coordinating

council of the Oodua People’s congress, (OPc), the highest ruling body of the

organisation, has dissociated itself from the action of the Gani adams faction protesting against the independent National electoral commission (iNec) chairman, Professor attahiru Jega in Lagos state.

A statement signed by Comrade Shina Akinpelu described the violent protest in Lagos as “shameful, destructive and reactionary and highest level of political violence”.

I t sa id the act was allegedly sponsored and funded by some elements in the administration of P r e s i d e n t G o o d l u c k Jonathan.

It reads: “Gani Adams is on his own and does not enjoy the support of large size of our membership spread across the country. He is working for the sponsors of violence against our people, who want the March 28 elections not to hold.

“Unleashing terror on innocent citizens and killing them is not the way of democracy. It is not our idea of a people-oriented advocacy.

“Gani Adams is on a dubious project, he is using the pipeline contract from the Jonathan government as a ploy or excuse to recruit people to work for Jonathan and PDP in the South-West. Gani is acting against Yoruba interest.

“The compromise he has made amount to selling the Yoruba to the present government for a piece of pipeline contract to line his pockets. OPC is not for that matter. The Yoruba interest is beyond contract. We seek justice and fairness from the current government.”

The group, therefore, called on Yoruba leaders, sons and daughters to stand with the group in

condemning Gani and his anti-democratic tendencies.

“We must renounce him and remind him that he cannot sell the Yoruba race to Jonathan and PDP. He also has no authority to speak on behalf of the Yoruba people. We pity those who rely on him to win votes.

“We reject today and

always any attempt to use our organisation and its members for narrow and selfish partisan purpose.

“We must remind them that the Yoruba people cannot be hoodwinked by sweeteners. No one should expect them to kow tow to an individual who is a

Lilliputian in the political development and history of the Yoruba nation,” the statement read.

I t a l s o a d d e d t h a t the Yoruba race i s a sophisticated people, who will ignore any political opportunists like Adams, calling on the people to

more vigilant, especially at this time that the country needs a new leadership and a country that works.

INEC Is Ready For The Elections - Jegathe independent Nat ional electoral

commission (iNec) has debunked the rumour making the rounds that the card

reader machine, the innovation they had introduced to be used for the 2015 general elections was malfunctioning and also thay that they wanted to use it to rig the elections for a particular political party.

This accusation is coming on the heels of the calls country.

He restated that some days back, the card reader had been tested during a mock exercise in some selected states and have been certified worthy after meeting the required standard.

With this on ground, the electoral boss assured that everything was ready to assure a smooth and credible election.

H e a l s o a s s u r e d that with the level of preparation within INEC, the election would be held in a peaceful atmosphere and it would be credible, free and fair, adding that

internationally, an election that meets this standard attracts development to the country.

“As I am speaking with you, we are adequately prepared to conduct a free, fair, credible and peaceful election as an electoral umpire and we are assuring Nigerians that we will not let them down.”

Meanwhile, Professor Jega has disclosed that the purpoted rumour being peddled by some disgruntled Nigerians that he would be sacked before the election was false and a fabric of the imagination of those behind it.

According to h im: “There has been no time that I have been told that I will not conduct this

coming election and there was no time that I signed any piece of paper that I will resign before the 2015 general election.

“I wouldn’t know where this has emanated from and those spreading it around. It is only a figment of their imagination.

“I have never been under any pressure to resign and nobody has issued me with any notice to that effect.”

He also denied any allegation that he was e m b a r k i n g o n a n y vacation, adding that the work before him demands his utmost attention.

By FraNcis ezediuNO

APC Alleges Planned Card Readers’ Sabotage On Election Daythe all Progressives congress has said it has

uncovered a plot by the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples democratic

Party (PdP) to render card readers ineffective on election day.

It says this move is to justify their (Jonathan and PDP) fears about the use of the card readers and ultimately to scuttle the polls.

This a l legat ion was contained in a statement in Lagos on Monday by the APC National Publicity Secre ta ry, Alha j i La i Mohammed.

The party said: “We can authoritatively inform Nigerians that the morbid fear of card readers by the Jonathan administration and the PDP has now been translated into concrete action. They have hired an Israeli, Gyora Berger, to do the dirty job of jamming the card readers.

“To those who might accuse us of crying wolf, they should realise that every alarm we have raised in the past has been true, including that the Jonathan administration was pushing for the postponement of the elections and that they are mortally afraid of the use of PVCs and card readers”

The party added that the Israeli was hired specifically to develop three prototype card reader jammers, which he had accomplished, developing three of such jammers (25 metres, 50 metres and 100 metres range) to be carried in the pockets of trusted PDP stalwarts on election day

with a view to disabling the card readers within the stated radius.

The party said apart from disabling the card readers, the jammers would also disable all telephones, iPads,

etc within the stated radius of those carrying them on their persons.

It equally alleged that an order had been placed for 75,000 pieces of the jammers at a cost of $200 per piece, bringing the total cost to $15m.

APC claimed the jammers would be air-freighted to Nigeria next week.

It added: “The plan is to deploy the card jammers to the areas deemed to be the

By taiWO OJO strongholds of the APC, such as the North-West, North-East, North-Central and the South-West.

“ I t i s t h e p l a n n e d p r o c u r e m e n t o f t h e jammers that has given the confidence to the administration and party officials to continuously boast that Buhari will never rule Nigeria, and also the reason why a chief of the PDP boasted last week that the card readers won’t work,

thus advising INEC to make alternative arrangements.”

The party said the Israeli, who had agreed to do the dirty job for “a desperate Jonathan administration and the PDP, is an enemy of Nigeria and Nigerians, who does not mind if the nation burns, as long as he has collected his pay for the dirty job for which he has been hired.”

by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) for the sack of the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

The INEC boss made this known during the INEC Town Hall Meeting held at i ts Corporate Headquarters, Abuja.

The commission boss, Professor Attahiru Jega, stated that despite repeated calls for him not to use the card reader machine during the forthcoming general elections, he was ready to use it, as thousands of it had been distributed to all the polling units across the

Unite In Purpose, Politicians Told

a public commentator, comrade John Fasikun, has called for the unity of purpose by political office holders to expedite action on the nation’s

developmental process.Comrade Fasikun said this in an interactive session with OsuN deFeNder.He urged them to shun

politics of acrimony but contribute their quota to the sustainance of the country’s d e m o c r a c y t h r o u g h paradigm shift from do-or-die politics.

Fasikun further implored relevant stakeholders in the polity not to cause the disintegration of the country with religious sentiment but remain patriotic and be part of the wave for positive development in the polity.

O n w o m e n ’ s d a y celebration, he described women as peculiar gift of God, hence the need to accord them the opportunity of contributing positively to nation building.

He therefore, advocated the relegation of cultural beliefs that refer to women as second fiddles and charged the male folk to

support women to play their strategic role of societal development.

Speaking on the ongoing Lenten period, he charged religious faithful to use the season for spiritual rejuvenation and to pray for sustained peace and progress in the country.

Comrade Fasikun urged all to disregard all schemes to frustrate the credibility of the forthcoming general elections and advised political office seekers to eschew violence and embrace the use of the card readers to ensure trust in the electioneering process and avoid electoral malpractices.

By sOLa JacOBs

•South-West Coordinator, Buhari/Osinbajo Presidential Campaign, Governor Rauf Aregbesola (5th right); his dep-uty, Mrs. Titi Laoye- Tomori (5th left); former state Commissioner for Finance, Dr. Wale Bolorunduro (4th right); former State APC Chairman, elder Adelowo Adebiyi (3rd right); State APC Secretary, Alhaji Rasak Salinsile (2nd right); Women Leader, Alhaja Kudirat Fakokunde (right); candidate for Federal House of Representatives in Oriade/Obokun Federal Constituency, Hon. Nathaniel Agunbiade (2nd left); candidate for Oriade State Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Israel Tomi Aloba and others, during the Presidential/National and State House of Assemblies Campaigns Rally at Owena-Ijesa, Oriade Local Government Council Area, on Thursday.

6 OSuN DeFeNDeR thursday, march 19, 2015

Call Fadahunsi To Order, Omoworare Tells Police I-G, DSSNews

the senator representing Osun east senatorial district in the National assembly, senator Babajide Omoworare, has cried out loud for help from the

security agencies over the incessant attacks on members and supporters of the all Progressives congress (aPc) in ife/ijesa senatorial district by thugs allegedly hired by the senatorial candidate of the Peoples democratic Party (PdP), mr Francis Fadahunsi.

By ismaeeL uthmaN

Omoworare, in a chat with OsuN deFeNder on Monday, stated that no fewer than 10 members and supporters of the APC were attacked by the suspected Fadahunsi’s thugs at Ilase, Obokun, Ilesa and other places on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

According to Omoworare, the thugs have gone gaga to the extent of attacking APC members inside church during service, and in their various houses.

The senator lamented that Fadahunsi was blood thirsty and promoting violence with the aim of intimidating the APC members and supporters ahead of the conduct of the general elections.

Omoworare said several members of the APC had been taking to Fadahunsi’s

house at Ilase after they might have been attacked by the political thugs, where they would be further subjected to torture.

He said: Late January and early February, we have noticed systematic approach from people believed to be thugs of the PDP senatorial candidate, Mr Francis Fadahunsi, to intimidate our party members. We have a leader, Elder P.S. Ademola, his car was shot at Isokun Roundabout in Ilesa. Honourable Fafowora was also attacked at that place on that same day.

“We have had instances of attack and after beating up our party members, they would be taken to Ilase, the country home of Fadahunsi. On Friday, we had a rally in Ilase and we discovered that the banner around the

rostrum had been torn, and that day, most of our party members in Ilesa did not sleep at home. Those that slept at home were attacked.

“A woman sustained serious machete cuts in the attack at Ilase. On Saturday morning, the house of Mrs Ogundipe, known as Iya Oge, was attacked. On Sunday morning, Iya Oge was also trailed to the church by the thugs, who wanted to attack her. She cried out in the church and the thugs ran away.

“We have never stopped the PDP from campaigning a n y w h e r e . T h e P D P senatorial candidate comes to my hometown in Ife to campaign, he has never been attacked before and he will never be attacked because that is the way politics should be played.

“Why are we intimidating people if we are sure people will vote for us? I call on the Inspector General of Police, the Directorate of Department of State Security and the Commissions of

Police in Osun to wade in and curb the incessant a t t a cks on ou r pa r ty members and supporters.”

T h e s e n a t o r u rg e d members and supporters of the APC not to be intimidated by the Fadahunsi’s terror act, recalling that the people had earlier defeated the federal might, harassment and intimidation from both the security agents and PDP thugs during the August 9, 2014 governorship election in Osun.

Omoworare also called on

the Osun electorate to collect their Permanent Voter Cards and vote for all the APC candidates in the March 28 and April 11 general elections, maintaining that the PDP would lose the federal power after the poll.

He stated that harassment and intimidation of the electorate would not secure victory for the PDP

Political Violence: APC To Drag Fadahunsi To ICCBy ismaeeL uthmaN

the all Progressives congress (aPc) in ijesa-North Federal Federal constituency of the state of Osun on tuesday stated that it would drag the ife/ijesa

senatorial candidate of the Peoples democratic Party, mr Francis Fadahunsi, before the international criminal court for allegedly sponsoring violent attacks on its members.

The APC said it resorted to report the “provocative” violent attacks on its members by the suspected Fadahunsi thugs to the ICC following the failure of the Nigerian security agencies to checkmate the PDP candidate’s terror act.

A d d r e s s i n g a p r e s s

conference in Osogbo on Tuesday, Chairman, Ijesa-N o r t h A P C C a m p a i g n C o m m i t t e e , D r Wa l e Bolorunduro, lamented that the Police and Department of State Security have not acted on several petitions sent to them on the countless

attacks being carried out by the political thugs in Ilase, Ijeda, Ibala-Ijesa Ibokun and Ilahun among other places in Oriade and Obokun local governments.

Bolorunduro alleged that so many APC members and supporters have been brutalized, while all the billboards of the APC in the federal constituency have been destroyed by the Fadahunsi’s thugs.

According to Bolorunduro, t he APC members and supporters in I lase, the hometown of Fadahunsi, have been subjected to consistent attacks and intimidation by the PDP chieftain, who wanted to force the people into abandoning their original party, support and vote for the PDP.

T h e f o r m e r s t a t e Commissioner for Finance maintained that Fadahunsi’s hoodlums have gone to the extent of attempting to attack a female member of the APC in a church in Ilase, adding that the political thugs were attacking people with impunity, while the security agents refused to intervene in the matter.

He said: “Fadahunsi’s terror act now knows no bound. Last Sunday, March 15, there was a failed attempt by the Fadahunsi thugs to attack a woman member of the APC, Mrs Ogundipe during church service at a Catholic church in Ilase.

“All the schools in Ilase have been closed by the state government because of the terror activities of Fadahunsi’s hoodlums, who have engaged in consistent sporadic shootings around Ilase community and its environs since.

“On Friday March 13, we had a rally in Ilase. Before the rally, our banner tied around the rostrum had been destroyed. Several members of our party could not return home for the fear of being attacked by the Fadahunsi’s thugs. Those that returned home were attacked and brutalized.

“Some other APC members who were returning from the Ilase rally to Ibala Ijesa were attacked at Eleke Junction and they were left with various degrees of gunshot and machete cut wounds by the Fadahunsi hoodlums.

“Some of the victims are: Bukola Agunbiade, Bode Ogunleye, Adedeji Omotosho and Banji Fadairo. Mr Bukola Agunbiade i s current ly receiving medical attention at a government hospital where the doctors are battling to

remove five bullets from his body.

“Also, while returning from the same campaign, various vehicles conveying the APC members were attacked between Iponda and Idominasi by Fadaunsi’s thugs. The vehicles were riddled with bullets and so many people sustained gunshot injuries.”

Bolorunduro also alleged that the hoodlums went to set ablaze the shop of an APC member known as Ade, popularly called Gereko on fire in Ilase, while the shop of one Alhaji Ola in Ilesa was also destroyed.

The APC chieftain also alleged the Fadahunsi thugs of attacking the piggery farm of Mr Ojo Yakubu, a member of the APC in Ilase, where all the pigs were brutalized and stolen.

He stated that all the attacks were reported to the police in the affected areas, lamenting that none of the suspects had been invited or arrested for questioning, not to talk of detention.

In spite of the incessant attacks, Bolorunduro said the APC has not responded to terror activities of Fadahunsi, describing members of the party as law-abiding and peace-loving.

“With all these provocative attacks on the APC members, there has not been any reprisal attack on the PDP members. The APC does not believe in violence and we shall continue our peaceful campaign. We are law-abiding citizens, we believe in the rule of law.

“But there is limitation to everything; there is a limit to our tolerance in the face of these persistent provocative attacks on us. We are sending this message to Fadahunsi and the PDP: Nobody has monopoly of violence.

“If pushes his luck too far, and the push come to shove, we are capable of fighting back. If that time happens, those who are constitutionally empowered to prevent crisis and keep peace will have Fadahunsi and his thugs to hold,” Bolorunduro said.

Speaking at the press conference, the Senator R e p r e s e n t i n g I f e / I j e s a Senatorial District, Senator Babajide Omoworare, said the party would petition the ICC to seek justice and also put a stop to the unwarranted attacks on the APC members by the Fadahunsi hoodlums.

According to Omoworare, the ICC has the power to investigate and prosecute Fadahunsi for instigating and promoting political violence in the federal constituency,

Osun NUJ Loses Member•OSUN DEFENDER MournsLast saturday ended on a sad note in the entire Osun

community and amidst the state council of Nigeria union of Journalists (NuJ) as the tragic death

occurred of an ace journalist, broadcaster and musician, Olumide ajayi a.k.a Olu mighty.

Aged 38, Olumide was a multi-talented enigma, who had promising and eventful career with the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC) until two years ago when he had a cross-over to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Sometimes in between these two engagements, Olu Mighty served as Chief Press Secretary to the erstwhile Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Honourable Adejare Bello, who served

du r ing t he t enu re o f former governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

The events of the sudden demise of the broadcast giant are still shrouded in mystery, as many versions mill around as possible causes of the unfortunate departure.

Sources at the disposal of OsuN deFeNder revealed that the deceased was found lying lifeless beside his parked car along

Osogbo/Ibokun Road on Saturday evening on his way back from Imesi-Ile, where he went to anchor an undisclosed ceremony.

The account added that evidences abounded that he had suffered an attack which caused him to vomit on the dash-board of the car. It was also gathered that he could probably have been revived if rescue had come his way in good time.

Since the news of the unfortunate event came on air early on Sunday, the entire Osun community had been thrown into sorrowful mood.

While the Correspondent Chapel of the NUJ State Council had declared a

three-day mourning period for the departed; the OsuN d e F e N d e r C h a p e l , during its weekly meeting last Monday observed a minute silence to invoke sweet repose of the soul of their professional colleague.

When delegates of the O s u N d e F e N d e r Chapel led by Mr Kola Olabisi , the Managing Editor, paid a condolence visit to the family residence of the deceased on Monday, sympathizers were found milling in and out of the house, amidst tears and eulogies.

Olu Mighty is survived by a widow, three children and an aged mother.

•Risk of life; An overloaded motorcycle in ejigbo, State of Osun, last Tuesday. Photo: GBeNGA ADeNIYI.

5557

APC remains antidote to PDP’s misrule - Aregbesola, Oyinlola Continued from pg1

Osun Central Senatorial districts flanked by three senatorial candidates in the state, nine Federal House of Representatives and 28 House of Assembly candi-dates.Some of the towns the campaign train visited include Oba-Ile, Oba-Oke in Olorunda Local Govern-ment; Eko-Ende, Eko-Aja-la in Ifelodun Local Gov-ernment and Ore, Agbeye, Ekosin in Odo-Otin Local Government.Aregbesola reminded the crowd at every campaign ground of the need for them to be resolute on how to return the nation to path

of progress and development by voting General Muham-madu Buhari on March 28 to rescue the nation from its present doldrums. He averred that what the country yearns for now is a brave, patriotic and commit-ted leader like Buhari for its dwindling fortunes to stop. He said that with Buhari as President, the nation will witness tremendous turn around because APC’s pro-grammes are targeted at the mass of Nigerian people.“I can assure you that the March 28 election is a cru-cial one for us. It is an elec-tion we in APC intend to use to free the nation from the clutches of politically fickle leaders.“Buhari had been tested

before. We knew how he once rescued the country from the precipice during the Second Republic.“Given this antecedent, Bu-hari is ready again to lead the country out of the woods the sixteen years of Peoples Dem-ocratic Party (PDP) has led it into.“Therefore, vote for APC at all levels of government so that we can all rescue our country from PDP’s endless years of hunger, hardship and servitude,” Aregbesola said.He also educated the people on the best ways to go about voting during the elections, during which he also present-ed the party’s candidates to them one after another.For Prince Olagunsoye Oyin-lola, the best thing that could happen to Nigeria is the Bu-

hari Presidency.He told the people to troop out in large number to cast their votes for APC if they actually want the nationwide insecurity, unemployment and hardship to a thing of the past. “All I can tell you, our dear people and supporters, is to let us all come together and end these years of misrule.“We can only effect this change by closing rank joint-ly and firmly resolve to go in one direction. This reso-lution to vote no other party than APC is a task that must be performed,” Oyinlola said

OSUN DEFENDERPublisher – Moremi Publishing House Ltd.

Managing Editor – Kola Olabisi (0803-392-7286)

Editor – Kayode Agbaje (0803-388-0205)

Lagos Editor – Kola Odepeju (08023191891) Production Editor – Pet-Kola Taiwo Ibitowa Senior Reporter – Sola JacobsSenior Reporter – Kazeem Mohammed

Magazine Editor – Niyi Olasinde

Reporter – Kehinde AyantunjiReporter – Francis Chukwuma

Photographer – Oluwagbemiga AdeniyiPhotographer – Olushola Aderinto

Admin. Manager – Murtala Agboola

Computer Operator – Saheed AfolabiComputer Operator – Mary AkintolaAssistant Computer Operator – Lukman Oseni OSUN DEFENDER is published by Moremi Publishing House Limited, Promise Point Building, Opposite Guarantee Trust Bank GTB, Gbongan Road, Osogbo, State of Osun.All correspondence to the above mail address.ISSN: 0794-8050Telephone: 0803-392-7286, 08033880205Website: www.osundefender.com/index.phpe-mail: osundefender@yahoo.com

OSuN DeFeNDeR thursday, march

Why Jega Must Not Be SackedTH I S h a s b e e n

b o t h e r i n g m y mind since the rumour of the propsed removal of the Independent Nat ional Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman from office started making the rounds. I realised I can’t hold it any more.

It is over five years now that President Goodluck Jonathan has been in off ice and app roved t he a p p o i n t m e n t o f Professor At tahiru Jega as the Chairman of INEC subject to his confirmation by the Senate and since then, they have been working together harmoniously.

Jega’s tenure will expire by June and s a c k i n g h i m n o w may result to tenure extension by Jonathan’s

administration if another person is appointed, the election will have to be postponed again because he will study the sys tem before conducting the election, which would go against the democratic rule, which ultimately will result in an interim

government.I f t h e F e d e r a l

Government sacks Jega, then the people will find it difficult to believe the President and also Nigerians will believe that the election will be rigged.

Also, Jega has stated that he would ensure

a well conducted, free and fair election, it will not be possible for the new chairman to follow the step he laid down which, I think is the best way to conduct a free and fair election.

By all reckoning, Jega is an honest man and he has earned the

trust of Nigerians. Sacking Jega will

eventual ly lead to constitutional crisis in Nigeria that may bring about the intervention of the military which Nigerians have been avoiding for past years.

In addition to this, on 29th April 2010,

Jega was the guest lecturer for the Nigerian Labour Congress(NLC) w orks h op t agged , “ N a t i o n h o o d : C h a l l e n g e s o f G o o d D e m o c r a t i c Governance, Credible E lec t ion And The w o r k i n g C l a s s ” which shows that he knows the way to tackle challenges of democratic governance and how to conduct credible elections.

He is widely seen as an astute intellectual with a strong sense of ethics and morality.

Jega has prepared for the elections and must conduct it before leaving the office to save Nigerians from losing their votes.

• a u G u s t i N a

8 OSuN DeFeNDeR thursday, march phototalkall Progressives congress (aPc) Governorship candidate rally at ebute, Ogolonto and igbagbo community in Lagos state Last saturday.

•APC Governorship candidate in Lagos, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode (atop a vehicle) acknowledging cheers from his admirers during the rally.

•A cross section of market women during the rally.

•Some of Ambode’s supporters.

•A cross section of elated pupils hailing Ambode on the occasion.

5559 phototalk OSuN DeFeNDeR thursday, march 19, 2015

•Vanguard Publisher, Chief Sam Amuke Pemu; Olabisi and Vanguard editor-in-Chief/MD, Mr Gbenga Adefaye, at the event.

•Mrs Kemi Oyatomi, the bride’s mother, receiving traditional blessing from her husband, Barrister Oyatomi, during the engagement before the church wedding.

•(L-R) Kola Olabisi, Osun Defender Managing editor; the groom; Barrister Segun Ayinla; the bride, former Miss Jumoke Oyatomi; the bride’s father, Barrister Kunle Oyatomi and another guest.

Barrister kunle Oyatomi, Osun aPc director Of Publicity, research and strategy, Gave Out his daughter, Jumoke, in marriage in Lagos, Last saturday, to Barrister segun ayinla.

aregbesola moved door-to-door campaign to Oba-Oke, state Of Osun.

•INSeT: South-West Coordinator, Buhari/Osinbajo Presidential Campaign, Governor Rauf Aregbesola (second left); his Deputy, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori (left); former governor, State of Osun, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola (second right) and Chairman, All Progressives Congress, State of Osun Chapter, Prince Gboyega Famodun during Aregbesola’s door-to-door electioneering campaign for Buhari/Osinbajo and other APC candidates, at Oba-Oke, Olorunda Local Government Area, on Tuesday

10 OSuN DeFeNDeR thursday, march iNterview

Further Election Postponement Is An Invitation To Anarchy - Adebisi

Comrade Wale Adebisi is a human rights activist and the executive Director, Ola Oni Centre for Social Research, Osogbo, State of Osun. He lamented the level of corruption in the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan and warned against further postponement of March 28 general elections in this interview with KeHINDe AYANTuNJI. excerpts:

OSDF: With the emerging circumstances politically in Nigeria, do you believe the March 28 election will hold as resched-

uled by INeC? adeBisi: Election is a process by which a

leader is elected in a democratic nation and as such, there should be a time table that will indi-cate the time line on when this process will take up and end. INEC has done that for over a year to fix the election date for February 14, 2015. INEC was however compelled to shift the election by the security chiefs; they said they could not guar-antee the security of the people in some sections of this country and that they were to commence a special operation against the Boko Haram sect. The date of the election had to change from Feb-ruary to March 28 and April 11 respectively. If peradventure they postpone the election, it is an invitation to anarchy and pandemonium. It is very simple, we have the examples in neighboring African Countries, Ivory Coast, Mali. Everyone us knew how it ended. In Ivory Coast, President Gboagbo tampered with the election process, which caused uprising in the country, we all know what it cost ECOWAS, African Union ( AU) and the United Nations (UN) to address the uprising, Thousands of people were killed, millions were displaced, and before they could settle for another election, lives and properties had been destroyed. In the case of Nigeria, the country is sitting on a keg gunpowder, if the government at the centre decides to change the date of this election again. I wouldn’t see any reason for further postponement; the new dates are sacrosanct and must be seen to be sacrosanct.

OSDF: What do you consider as the conse-quences of further postponement?

adeBisi: Well, I want to see President Goodluck Jonathan as an academician and pol-itician. I also want to look at that contradiction because sometimes you use your academic prowess to analyze and define your society on an issue like the one we have at hand concerning the rumour of removing the Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Professor Athairu Jega. The President has made a public statement while addressing the nation that there is no attempt by PDP or his government to remove Jega. Even if we assume they have such intention, the question is for what reason are they going to remove Jega? For what purpose? Any reason in this circumstance may not apply to common sense. But what I suspect is that there are efforts to create confusion and throw Nigeria into crises. It will be a disservice to this nation for anybody to be thinking of removing Jega. It is like the President is terminating a process that brought him to power. A right thinking leader will not do that at this moment, it will truncate the present democracy. Nigeria is already moving towards a worst situation and such is an invitation to anarchy. It must remain a rumour for ever.

OSDF: The major allegation against the ruling-PDP is corruption, how would you ex-amine the performance of President Jonathan’s resources management.

ADeBISI: This administration engages in monumental waste and corruption, I have never experienced such profligacy, maladministration and mismanagement of national economy. It is very clear, not in any hiding, yes, Nigeria is 26th in the world economic ranking, and the largest in African, larger than that of South Africa. This is just on paper. You can see unemployment in its largest form on the faces of the people; you can see corruption in its naked form; you can see law-lessness in its clear form. The most unfortunate is that the economy has been seriously misman-aged. They said that $20 billion oil money was missing and when forensic report came, it shows that $1.4 was missing and they said another $20 billion was missing making N33 trillion. In the Global Forex Exchange market, it is the rule that the reserve of every country should stand at $90 billion at least to balance the trade. As at today, from reports, Nigeria’s foreign exchange market stands at $30 billion, which means we have the shortage of about $60 billion.

Another challenge is oil theft; this is the only country in the world where they complain that some people are stealing oil, they produce and still steal their oil. The oil that is legally sold are not remitted to the national treasury. That is why they were able to contribute N20 billion for the campaign of President Jonathan. The level of corruption has thrown Nigeria into serious eco-

nomic crises. 31 out of 36 states are not viable; they cannot pay the salaries of their workers. This is the economy that cannot create employment; the economy that cannot build new infrastructure, what is new in that economy?

OSDF: Since 1999, 2015 election appeared to be the most keenly contested between the PDP and AP. What are the differences you have noticed about the two political parties?

ADeBISI: We cannot really compare them now, as you judge a political party based on their manifesto and ideology. What are the ideological stands of PDP and the APC? What are the differ-ences? But unfortunately with Nigeria, we could not judge the APC ideological position because they have not governed at the centre, but you can see the administration of PDP in the last 16 years. It is a party that has no clear ideological disposition. You will see that PDP government, since 1999, has been characterized with corrup-tion, unemployment, lawlessness and attempt to perpetrate themselves in power without election; if it is possible, frustrating a credible electoral process. Therefore, you can judge them that this is not a party that can drive democratic develop-ment. That is why many Nigerians want a change; whether there could be a slight difference from what they have been experiencing in the last 16 years. They want to see a mark of difference. You cannot really compare and contrast now until we have APC at the centre of governance and also see their programmes. But generally speaking, people are tired of PDP they want to stop what they have been experiencing from PDP since 1999. They want see a difference.

OSDF: The two leading candidates, Presi-dent Jonathan and General Buhari(rtd) have led this country in various capacities, what is your take on their character and antecedents?

adeBisi: When you talk about their anteced-ents and character, all of them are Nigerians, the two of them have their tendencies and their tendencies will determine their attitude. When Buhari ruled this country, he was never a politi-cian; he was Military Head of State, and I think something must have prompted him to contest on the democratic platform, which is by joining a political party. All along, he was presidential candidate of ANPP, CPC, and now APC. He had a military training but he must have gone through several trainings on democratic principles, by now he should know that military Head of State is different from a democratically-elected Head of State. My own thinking is that he has an agenda that he is keeping to himself since 1999 that he has been contesting to become the President. He must have some blueprint to complement his past

experiences to correct some things. Some people say he is a fascist, but the fact is that all military governments are fascists. Let’s look at President Jonathan, he has been a politician from the onset, he was a Deputy Governor in Bayelsa in one way or the other, his governor was removed and he became the governor, from Governor to Vice President and President eventually. He never contested for those positions. He was just an opportunist. Whenever the opportunity comes, he has always being the next person to benefit in the opportunity. The only election he had ever contested for was that of 2011 presidential election, and one thing that always makes me to be suspicious of Jonathan, when he was the Deputy Governor, in Bayelsa, that was when they were having this Niger Delta crisis over resource control. All the leaders from the Niger Delta were in support of the resource control, and surprisingly when he became the President on January 1, 2012, he announced the removal of oil subsidy and eventually increased the pump price to N97. He also said that price was not con-clusive but there was a massive protest in Kano, Lagos, Osun, and Oyo. Recently, the National Assembly reduced the subsidy budget from N96 billion to N46 billion, which means the money people were collecting in the name of subsidy was fraud, but the question is that who are those characters that are in-charge of the subsidy? They are his cronies; they are his lackeys. That is how they run economy down and Nigerians are walloping in abject poverty, unemployment and hopelessness, with no hope anywhere. The fact is that any political party that wins now, aside PDP at the centre, is going there to work. Nigeria’s economy is only large on paper, as all institutions have collapsed and the most terrible aspect of the matter is that the National Assembly members are watching. They have failed to query him. They are watching him to drive Nigeria in to a ghastly accident, which may involve many casualties, if proper care is not taking.

What they are doing is to use the current ex-ecutive lawlessness to create a state of anarchy, and what they are using basically is religious and ethnic sentiment and don’t forget what caused Kano crisis in 1966 was ethnicity and religion. When some said that Aguyi Ironsi was a Christian and some people said we don’t want a Christian and they want ahead to kill him, later they replaced him with Yakubu Gowon and they were arguing that they killed a Christian and replaced him with a Christian and another argument came in that Gowon is a Northerner, while Aguyi Ironsi was an Easterner. This is the dimension that Jonathan is introducing to create anarchy, to create what caused Nigeria civil war

for 30 months. But that one will be very bad now considering the bad economy and population, which country can accommodate Nigeria now? Is it Ghana, or South African or Liberia that will accommodate over 170 million people? That is why the international community must pay very serious attention to Nigeria now. Part of indicator is the Niger Delta.

Militants are threatening hell. One Govern-ment Tompolo, who did not even attend any school, is the one threatening to destroy this country if Jonathan did not win. Nigeria has suddenly become a lawlessness country. If there is law, he ought to be facing trial by now. That is why Nigerians must unite against this drum of war. The Igbos, Hausa, Tiv and Ijaw must understand that the oppression of the peasants is general. A poor man in Kano is as the same poor man in Lagos. We must let people know that we don’t want war.

OSDF: What is your assessment of the recent claim down on the Boko Haram sect by the Nigerian Troop?

ADeBISI: This crisis started in 2009, and terrorism has history in the Northern part of Ni-geria. There was a Maitasine in the North in 1982, when Buhari was the GOC in Jos. The same way Shagari was doing is the same way Jonathan is doing. That was one of the major reasons they overthrew Shagari apart from corruption. The contention was that how could some people come from another country and be threatening you and even take your land. Some of the insurgents are not Nigerians. Some of them are from the Chad and Niger Republic. That was the major reason it was easier for Chad to chase them away. They only recruited some youths in the northern part of Nigeria. During the time of Maitasine, it was as serious as we are witnessing now, but the mil-itary led by Buhari, who felt that the territory of Nigeria were been threatened, crushed Maitasine, but the case is different now. What we are having now is a demoralized military; a military that is highly politicized and abused. The military ethics and value are almost going into extinction. For instance, it is not the duty of the National Security Adviser to tell Nigerians that they can-not protect Nigerians lives, therefore election must be postponed. It is a sign that they have politicized the military. We have the GOC who can move their men around or they want to tell us that the numerical strength of Boko Haram is more than that of the Nigerian Army. In terms of equipment, they have it more than Boko Haram, so I don’t see the recent claims of clampdown as a success; I see it as a decisive success. It is their duty to secure those territories and they waited until many houses were destroyed, millions are in refugee camps, it is the same Nigerian Army that claimed to have killed Shekau, who later resurfaced? I know that we are still going to hear more on Boko Haram. That is why some of them are looking for military arrangement and interim government to have an escaping route.

OSDF: The civil society participation in this political process appears to be at lower ebb, How do you think they can increase their participation?

adeBisi: It is unfortunate that some of the institutions that are supposed to champion the people’s course are no longer there. They are ei-ther dead or living without any strength to do that. Most of the civil society groups are being funded by the United States of America and the US will give you fund in exchange for information and feed your government back with the information and use the information against your country. The government has succeeded in clamping down most of the virile groups. Imperialism doesn’t do anything for us for free. Whatever they do, they do it for their economic interest. If John Kerry came to Nigeria and appealled for calm, he was only here to protect its country’s economic inter-est, which is their policy; no permanent friend, no permanent enemy, but permanent interest. That is why US pursue that interest vigorously and aggressively and they are ready to destroy whoever that wants to compromise that interest.

The oil money has also destroyed everything. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in those days used to be at the vanguard of people, the vanguard of the masses and the vanguard of the Nigeria workers, but where are they now? Oil money has destroyed everything. Now you see ordinary student leaders living like a king, even moving around with siren and convoy of cars. Most of the vibrant structures have crashed.

•ADeBISI

55511 feature OSuN DeFeNDeR thursday, march

Buhari And The Burden Of ExpectationsFELLOW Nigerians, let me confess that

I do not envy General Muhammadu Buhari at this moment. I will explain

what I mean very shortly and briefly. The People’s General, as I love to call him, is a victim of his own popularity. What ordinarily should have been an asset has almost become a liability, or put another way, a blessing turning to a curse. From all empirical data, as well as mathematical calculations, General Buhari looks set to create a major upset on March 28, or whenever it pleases the gods of Abuja to hold the elections. A game of abracadabra is still playing out while the world is watching our shenanigans with pity or amusement or both.

The ruling party has chosen to engage in a political Russian roulette, while the country speeds dangerously towards the abyss. Who are we to challenge those who see power as the beginning and the end and are incorrigi-bly committed to fighting to retain what they got on a platter of gold. At any rate, I am one of those subscribing to the permutations of a General Buhari victory no matter how tall a dream it seems. As a matter of fact, I’m willing and ready to place a bet that the elec-tion is not going to be as closely and keenly contested as many people think. I foresee a landslide that would make it difficult for troublemakers to practise their trade. The Buhari Movement has finally ignited and spreading at the speed of sound.

My simple and straight-forward projection is that both President Goodluck Jonathan and General Buhari would obtain and satisfy the mandatory 25% votes in two/thirds of the 36 states making up the Federal Republic of Nigeria (plus the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, the ultimate seat of power). This translates to the fact that the two leading candidates must work assiduously at locking down 24 states each while battling hard to close the game with some blistering majority votes. I believe this is where Buhari would have a towering advantage.

If you consider my optimism a mirage, please cool temper for the D-day is at hand. By this time next week, all us would have fixed our gaze on Saturday May 28, 2015. How time flies! When the elections were postponed, from February 14, 2015, it was as if the new date would never come. But blessed are the patient at heart, for they shall inherit the earth. The PDP no doubt has regained some momentum and they have now had ample opportunity to bulldoze their ways into earlier impregnable fortresses with the whiff of money. But the effect is not yet palpable.

What is certain is that APC has sparked the panic mode in PDP. This seems to be their time. I’ve never seen President Jonathan work as frenetically as he’s being doing these past weeks. It is certain President Jonathan is under no illusion that this is going to be an easy task or mission. In fact, this is going to be a fiercer election than any we’ve ever seen in the past. The battlegrounds would most definitely be in the North Central and South West. General Buhari will lock down the North West and North East most categor-ically, while President Jonathan will secure his traditional catchment areas, in the South South and South East. However, let me note that General Buhari is likely to make some incursion into President Jonathan’s territories than vice versa. The President today does not control a cult followership in any part of Nigeria, while General Buhari enjoys some Rock star status in many parts of Nigeria, where he has become the icon of change.

This fact was revalidated only yesterday in the presence of no less a witness than the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Mr Reno Omokri at the Transcorp Hilton hotel, in Abuja. I had entered a packed lift as the Hilton was teeming with activity as usual. As soon as I sauntered in, I was instantly hailed by most of the guys for supporting Buhari. The shout of “change” resonated and boomed in the lift. There was a white lady who appeared fascinated by the almost carnival-like atmosphere. Mr Omokri and I alighted from the lift same time and the gentleman of God requested for a selfie with me which I gladly obliged. I wished other Jonathians were as humble as Reno. I had always admired the man who had the incredibly difficult job of selling the image

of an unpopular President. In recent time, he’s landed himself in trouble while trying so hard to make a success of a thankless job.

Anyway, the Transcorp Hilton encounter was only one of so many others during my short visit to Abuja. Everywhere I turned, the talk was about change. I am very certain that most of those supporting Buhari today are not members of APC. I’m not even sure many of them are his rabid fans. What I found common to them is their personal frustrations with a party that has been in power for 16 years with little to show for the support garnered from Nigerians. Some have openly confessed that Buhari is a candidate of necessity forced on them by limited choices. This is the thrust of my epistle today.

To whom much is given, much is expect-ed. General Buhari is thus expected to be the Lamb of God, who must be prepared to carry the sins of the world. He must possess the power of optical illusion, in order to perform instant magic in a nation on its bent knees. First, Nigerians will hold him to the promise of killing corruption when the time comes. The cynics insist this is impossible and dismiss his most avowed credential as an anti-corruption crusader as a mere ruse and bloody hypocrisy. They point at the seeming-ly rampaging horde of politicians around him and wonder how he hopes to handle them.

They are right and wrong. They are right in as much as there are no saints in government anywhere. It is virtually impossible to win elections in Nigeria without huge sums of money for logistical and practical purposes. Everyone knows that the General has loads of integrity but no money. How then does he hope to tackle some of his supporters who may have profited from the proceeds of crime and corruption? A tough nut to crack; or so it seems! But I have a fair answer.

I have had the privilege of interacting a bit with General Buhari and his disciples and can safely confirm that he has what it takes to reduce corruption to its barest minimum allowed in decent societies. Trust me, the fear of Buhari is the beginning of wisdom in his camp. He regularly tells them not to treat him as robot. The almost surreal respect they have for him helps to whip everyone in line. And no one wishes to test the sharpness of his double-edged sword.

General Buhari recognises the fact that he has to carry saints and sinners along in party

politics and a democratic setting. As a game of numbers, it would be foolhardy to be holier than the Pope. All the pontificating therefore must be measured and tested without rocking the boat entirely. He has learnt tremendous lessons and gained exceptional insight into how Nigeria works. He knows that as a civilian President, he will never be able to wield draconian powers like he did during his first coming as military dictator. History has a way of mellowing people down. The General Buhari that I see today is a man with a hard interior and a softer and more relaxed exterior. He would have to manage a delicate balance as a born again democrat. I’m sure he can do it.

The second challenge ahead of the new government, if Buhari wins as many expect and anticipate, is how to handle and amelio-rate the intractable problem of mass unem-ployment. The General himself has confessed to this daunting challenge repeatedly. He says the first step is to stop the leaking economic sewage and block the drain pipes of unbri-dled corruption. A new regime of disciplined fiscal planning would have to be introduced pronto. Vocational training would have to be encouraged and recommended for the multitude of naturally endowed Nigerian youths. Nigeria is in dire need of technical expertise. Many artisans currently indulge in trial by error. Their income would improve once they can gain the confidence of clients and consumers. Politicians, especially our elected representatives, would have to downgrade on their atrocious remunerations which have become so controversial and unsustainable. It is hoped that General Bu-hari would be able to convince our political office holders to have mercy on the rest of us. The era of over-inflated contracts would have to be jettisoned for a more reasonable and accountable process.

The collapse of education is not less important. In fact, it must form the bedrock of all developmental dreams and goals. No nation can advance to a developed status without correcting the anomalous and embar-rassing state of our institutions from primary to tertiary level. The modest achievements of the Obasanjo administration have been wasted and truncated by subsequent gov-ernments. What makes the situation terrible is not just the fact that we are producing glorified illiterates in many institutions but the fact that the exodus of our kids to foreign lands in pursuit of the proverbial Golden

Fleece has now become a major waste of our foreign exchange reserves. It is sad that many of the smaller and poorer countries around us have taken advantage of our cruel and retrogressive attitude to education. How General Buhari reverses this debilitating trend remains to be seen.

It is no longer a secret that our economy has been run aground by a most profligate government, despite the pretentious grand-standing that ours is the largest economy in Africa. Many states are unable to pay sala-ries. The Naira has been in a free fall after nose-diving in a most cataclysmic manner. There is no way traders would not be wishing for a quick miracle before our businesses perish, especially those dependent on foreign exchange. The General and his crew must urgently tackle the over-dramatized issue of diversification of our resources to generate much needed income. We can no longer over-emphasise the importance of finding alternatives to oil, which seems to have exter-minated our thinking faculties. For a country reputed to be one of the largest oil producers, it is disgraceful that we are not able to refine most of our crude; we still flare our gas, and quite simply prefer the easy route to cheap money rather than invest in the creation of sustainable wealth.

Another crucial area for General Buhari to deal with is power, the generation, trans-mission and distribution of which seems to have become an impossible mission. It is so bizarre and inexplicable how the more invest-ment we pump into having stable electricity, the lesser the result. Even with the much pri-vatisation of this sector, we have had no joy.

The last and probably the most critical issue that the General will have to tackle and resolve quickly is that of the security of the nation. A nation may be rich, corrup-tion free and peopled with citizens who are well-educated and in suitably employment. However, this will count for naught when their lives and property are not secure. This is where the General’s military experience and his past antecedent as the scourge of another terrorist religious group, the Maitatsine Sect, will come into play. It is not just Boko Haram that we are worried about though. Although largely unspoken, because of the fear and support they are receiving, the country is being held to ransom by terrorists referred to as ‘militants’ simply because they come from the same area as the President. It is not just because there is open plundering of our wealth through the large-scale, unbridled stealing of the nation’s oil but the thieving buccaneering spirit they engender means that others feed into their frenzy. Hence, the spate of kidnappings and resort to use of sophisticated weapons and equipment by armed robbers remains largely unchecked. Our people, indeed our leaders as well, live in constant fear. But for now they dare not speak. I am convinced from what I have seen and heard that the People’s General will deal with this issue of security in a decisive, efficient and effective manner.

I must add that it has been rightly observed by some people that General Buhari has not offered a solution to our apparently intracta-ble security problem. The answer is simple! The right security policy in the hands of the wrong leader will lead to further disastrous consequences. I need say no more.

You can now see why no one should envy General Buhari. The cross he would have to bear would be a heavy one. I believe he has what it takes to take on the demons plaguing our country. He would have to step on some fat toes. However, it won’t be strange act to a man known for his no-nonsense approach.

With so much rancid rot refusing to leave us alone and in peace, we certainly need a General Buhari now more than ever.

I can’t wait.

By deLe mOmOdu

•BuHARI

12 OSuN DeFeNDeR thursday, march politics

Many Casualties Of Jonathan’s Bloody PoliticsIT’s essentially disturbing that

Nigerians no longer see President Goodluck Ebele “Azikiwe”

Jonathan as the nation’s saviour. His deceptive preachments, “My ambition doesn’t worth the life of anyone”, like the other swaddling hogwash, have been exposed for what they are: fraud. Since his re-election campaigns began, no one is left in doubt that the nation is under the iron control of his PDP-led government. It has been “brain, as demagoguery offered by Femi Fani-Kayode of this world, and fist”, as offered by his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan.

His second term bid has generated indignation amongst the people who saw in him previously puritanical statesmanship and a fitting image of a liberal democrat. All that has faded now, even though he has been revving up and clashing down potent issues to show to the world that he is not as isolated as the opposition claimed. His government is truly a gigantic fraud. As we speak, the Senate has confirmed Musiliu Obanikoro as a federal minister, appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan, brushing aside allegations that Mr. Obanikoro played a key role in election fraud in Ekiti State. To make matter worse, Mr. Obanikoro was only told to “take a bow and go”, without answering questions, on the alleged Ekitigate.

There is greater anxiety than ever before that put the nation on the spotlight, and has generated the fear that Mr Jonathan’s autocratic drift has been intensified. The “political momism”, my coinage for Dame Patience Jonathan’s verbal diarrhoea deal devastating blow to whatever peace-pact reached by all the fourteen political parties gunning for the presidency.

The peace accord came under the auspices of former United Nation Secretary-General and Commonwealth’s Secretary-Geenral, Kofi Anna and Emeka Ayanoku, respect ively. The violation of the peace agreement to non-violence is not merely an attack on the reputations of those elder-statesmen, who brokered the peace deal tarnished by the First Lady’s call to violence, but the nation’s sensibilities and the genuine crave for peaceful elections.

In case you forget, the President’s wife told a crowd of supporters to stone to death anyone caught mentioning “CHANGE”. She stated this in Calabar on March 2, 2015, while campaigning for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and her husband, the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan. “Anybody that come and tell you change, stone that person.” She

continued: “What you did not do when you were younger, is it now that old age has caught up with you, you want to come and change? You can’t change; rather you will turn back to a baby. You will turn back to a baby. From old age nothing, so nothing like change. Rather (it) is continuity,” she fumed.

She added a comical note: “Even though belle (pregnancy) is disturbing you, tell it baby, baby let me go and vote. Baby wait let me go and exercise my mandate. Baby wait let me go and do what I can use to feed you. Baby wait for me, let me go and vote, after voting, I will come and deliver you, and you won’t die because Goodluck has given all the safety measures. You won’t die,” she enthused.

Sad and abhorrent as the above banal statement might be from the first lady, it shows how she and her husband have sunk into the pit of being desperate to be returned to power.

The opposition All Progressives Party’s slogan for March 28 election is ‘change’, so Nigerians supposed that Patience Jonathan had called on Nigerians to stone the opposition

politicians to death. Patience Jonathan has previously mocked the APC’s slogan, saying that the PDP does not tell Nigerians about change because they are not bus conductors.

As expected, Mr Jonathan has not responded to the First Lady’s call for stoning anyone who ‘talks change’ to death, literarily speaking. Heeding the wife’s blackmail, Gen. Martin Luther Agwai’ (rtd), SURE-P Chairman was given the boot for a lecture he delivered recently in Abeokuta during the birthday ceremony of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, where he declared that “change is inevitable”. Agwai merely spoke on the topic, “Imperatives of a National Security Framework for Development and Progress of Nigeria,” at the birthday ceremony, where he noted that change in leadership was inevitable. He typically stressed the need for security sector reform, without which, he said, the country might be doomed.

“In life, you find out that everything needs change; if that is what the community wants, what the people want, you must give it to them and, as such, it becomes inevitable. “You can have everything nice, but if you don’t

have the right leadership to propel it, it cannot go anywhere.

Integrity matters - doing what is good for the larger society and not just what you want to do for a narrow society to please yourself.”

“The military has to be transformed and this becomes necessary from the point of recruitment, training and assuming leadership role. Our forces that are trained, equipped to defend us are now in a strange field. “We must have security sector reform because everyone that has anything to do with security must be re-branded for professionalism, efficiency and effectiveness. The military has nothing to do with politics, and if we allow it, we will run into problems,” he warned.

Driving by wayward leadership principles - vast and sprawling bureaucracy, having little of the required efficiency usually credited to Nigerians, poisoned by mega-graft, besotted by constant confusion and cutthroat official rivalries, occasioned by the muddling interference of party potentates, and often rendered impotent by the terror of his illiterate wife, Mr Jonathan was conned out of governance.

That Mr Jonathan himself maintained dignified silence over his wife’s open call to anarchy, kidnapping and actual slaughtering of people didn’t come as a surprise. Nine members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Southern Nigeria, were killed in two separate incidents in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, a few days ago. While five of the men were killed in the D-Line area of Port Harcourt, the other four met their untimely death along the Eastern By-Pass in the Marine Base area of

the state capital!Journalists were not left out of the

Rivers State political killing field to which Mr Jonathan turns a blind eye. Members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Rivers State, who could not take the threat to their lives as they discharge their lawful duties in the state lying low took to the streets in protest with placard:

“Journalists in Rivers State say enough is enough to insecurity and election-related violence”; “We are tired of Violent Politics”; “Allow journalists perform their constitutional functions”, “When you kill journalists, you kill society”; “Toy with journalists, toy with the future of the nation”; “Journalism is a constitutionally recognised profession”;

“Rivers Journalists may be forced to boycott polls coverage if…”

At the top of the swarming heap

By erasmus ikhide

•JONATHAN

55513 OSuN DeFeNDeR thursday, march

Fear And Loathing At The Time Of LentTHE media helmsman of the

Goodluck Jonathan\Sambo team, Femi Fani- Kayode (FFK) has

clearly defined his job in a way that will haunt our politics, as well as the very concept of societal cohesion and indeed of social solidarity upon which, as of necessity, a republic should be constructed upon, for a very long time to come.

The unhealthy template he has set bears a disconcerting, striking resemblance to the modus operandi of Hitler‘s propaganda minister the perfidious, Franz Josef Goebells. The columnist, Femi Aribisala, has also joined in on the same band-wagon.

On the surface, it is rather straight forward ; repeat the ‘big lie` sufficiently often, until it assumes the posture of` truth` and it sticks. The dangerous undercurrent of this sort of game was not lost on FFK`s role model - Goebells. The intention was to redefine the very basis of society itself in a way in which democracy is eventually undermined and then truncated. In the case of Goebells, the policy subordinated an entire society to the interest of a political party, unleashed a war, and the world would never be the same again. It is very instructive.

For a democracy, the convergence of the tactics of Goebells, the rantings of Aribisala and the antics of FFK is fraught with great dangers.

We all know that electoral contests are by their very nature divisive. Nevertheless, an election should not be positioned in such a way as to destroy the very basis of democracy, as well as by cynical manipulation whose end result will be to tear apart the fabric of society.

Elections ought to be conducted within the context of a preexisting national democratic arrangement.

In the true manner of the template set by Goebells, all the fault lines are being ruthlessly exploited. Ethnicity, religion, regional differences, no holds are barred and there is obviously no intention to take prisoners. For a democracy, though there is, has to be, a critical issue. This is what happens after the elections?

For the body language from the Goebells school is in one direction. This might be interpreted as to, ‘well, this is the last election in a democratic setting`. Which is why anyone who believes in democracy must continue to ask ;‘what happens on the day after the elections`.

Much of the big lie on offer is not just offensive to the sensibilities, it is meant to create a permanent rupture, undermining the very sustainability of the democratic ethos and of constitutionalism. In this way, the republic is imperiled.

For those like the author, who are Christians, the hate speeches coming during lent provides food for thought. The hate maestros do not just resemble Goebells, which is bad enough, they also bear a sickening resemblance to the ultimate bogeyman Pontius Pilate.

Through the ages, every Sunday school pupil has been taught to regard Pilate as a‘ bad man‘. This is, as the ‘bad man‘ is viewed in the cowboy films of yore. Unfortunately this inadvertently allows Pilate a lot of undeserved latitude. This

unwisely allows Pilate and his successors Goebells and co to get off the hook. For Pilate was more than just your run of the mill ‘bad man‘. His place in eternal infamy was earned because of the way he abdicated his responsibility.

Pilate was in actual fact a ‘chancer‘, his eyes firmly fixed on self-preservation. Fixated on his impending comfortable retirement and the prospect of a quick exit from a perennially problematic Roman colony\outpost in Judea he simply cut and run, washing his hands off the matter.

His successors today demonstrate the same trait. Those who use hate speeches and divisive politics based on exploiting divisions based on religion and tribe follow in the footsteps of Pontius Pilate. FFK‘s continuous outbursts have to be looked at through this prism.

He has completely abdicated his responsibility to any concept or form of society, especially one that is based on Christian principles. This is dangerous, for as Bob Marley said: “When the rain falls, it won’t fall on one man`s house.”

Like Pilate, FFK obviously believes that his house will be exempted.

This is not going to happen of course but the deluded always have this erroneous belief.

Continuously for example, peddling fairy tales about a vice presidential candidate, who without yet been sworn-in, as already fixed a six month tenure for himself, in contempt of those who voted for him, is in line with the conscious desire to set sections of faith adherents against each other. It means that without the agreement of the electorate, a same faith ticket would have been contrived through the back door!

That this sort of nonsense can be peddled displays a complete abdication of responsibility. Those doing so obviously have Pilate as their role model and like him will get their just deserts. It is difficult to reconcile this mindset with any interpretation of Christianity. It is precisely this abdication of any sense of the ridiculous that has led us into our present predicament in the first place.

Now that we are in lent, might we ask in all of this what is the light that surprises the Christian as he prays?

It cannot be about enveloping the polity in the politics of hate.That is not within the context, meaning as well as the interpretation of this seminal season.

The light that should guide the Christian at this time is clearly foretold by St Francis of Assisi. The words of St Francis were recollected by Mrs Margret Thatcher on her first day in office as Prime Minister:

“Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope.”

It is obvious that those jumping from pulpit to pulpit while at the same time promoting hate have never really thought about the import of St Francis‘ prayer. Quite honestly they should.

•BADMuS wrote in from Osogbo.

•Culled from DAILY INDePeNDeNT

A Coalition Government?With a stalemate contrived to serve the

interest of an entrenched group, it is very much in order to ponder over the alter-

natives on offer to navigate a way out. From this perspective it is very much in order that people of the eminence of the highly respected Professor Ben Nwabueze should be trying to find a way out of the quagmire.

Prof and friends have come up with the propos-al that a coalition government or a government of national unity offers a good way out. their concern is genuine and should be commended. however, good intentions are not enough. On the contrary they could achieve the opposite of what is intended. the italian poet dante alleghari for this reason had cause to wearily admonish that the ‘ road to hell is paved with good intentions’.

Prof et al are very well intentioned alright but sadly they are of the mark. For a start, a govern-ment of national unity now will be interpreted as a variation of ‘jobs for the boys’. this will be seen as extending the amount of those who will drink from the national trough. this is how Nigeria’s parasitic class are going to deliberately miscon-strue the good intentions of Prof and co.

unfortunately this is contrary to what is needed. For example the expediently contrived govern-ment of national unity in kenya simply ballooned the cost of the machinery of government in trying to accommodate everybody. in the present state of the economy this is the last thing we need. On the contrary whoever wins the presidential election has to make draconian cuts in the non- personnel cost of government. the present structure consist-ing of a baggage of unnecessary political jobbers can no longer be accommodated. this has to be done in order to redirect capital from recurrent to capital expenditure as a way of reconstruction and creating jobs in a sustainable development model.

in addition any coalition government must be based on a programme. such a programme must be based on a programme of reconstruction. this will be based on the acceptance of the difficult situation we have been manoeuvred into by suc-cessive governments. this is why what is needed is a clear cut winner coming in to implement a clear alternative social and economic perspective. this will represent a clear and irreversible break from our dismal past of perennial underachievement resulting in mass poverty and increasing misery for the overwhelming majority.

if there is to be a coalition it should be a 1950’s french type ‘front populaire’ or ‘popular front’ a coalition uniting the national, democratic and pa-triotic tendencies in Nigeria around a programme of national reconstruction. It is difficult to work out how does who have wrecked the economy and thrived on the creation of disharmony can be accommodated in such a coalition.

the insistence by Prof and friends that the elections must not be interupted is most welcome. this makes one to wonder as to the motives of those contriving a stalemate. could it be to stay in power through the back door by concocting a coalition government? With desperate people in a ‘come and chop polity’ nothing is to be ruled out.

the future lies in a decisive break with those whose misguided policies caused our present pre-dicament. they are the creators of the problem and cannot be part of the solution.

•Culled from DAILY INDePeNDeNT

By ayO Badmus

features

14 OSuN DeFeNDeR thursday, march 19, 2015politics

Life After Election Defeat“POLITICS are almost as exciting as war, and quite as dangerous. In war you can only be killed once, but in politics many times”, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill.

Except the August 6, 1983 President ial e lect ion, every Presidential election in Nigeria has ended in the courts.

That of August 11, 1979 was worse.

On August 15, 1979 the returning officer in the Presidential election, Chief Fredrick Louis Menkiti announced the results of the Presidential election. In the results, Alhaji Shehu Shagari (90) of the NPN scored 5,668,857 votes while Chief Obafemi Awolowo (1909-1987) of the UPN scored 4,916,951 votes, Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe (1904-1996) of the NPP scored 2,822,523, Alhaji Aminu Kano (1920-1983) 1,732,113 votes and Alhaji Ibrahim Waziri 1,686,489 votes. After the results were announced Chief Awolowo challenged the results with Chief Abraham Adesanya as his lead counsel while Chief Richard Osuolale Abimbola Akinjide (84) defended Alhaji Shehu Shagari.

I covered the tribunal and the Supreme Court judgment for THE PUNCH thirty-six years ago. At the Supreme Court, delivered just few days before the inauguration, Justice Kayode Esho (1925-2012) gave the minority judgment in favour of Chief Awolowo while the majority judgment was delivered by Mr. Justice Atanda Fatai Williams (1918-2002) in favour of Alhaji Shehu Shagari.

But in the August 6 1983 Presidential election, it was a different ball game; Alhaji Shehu Shagari scored 12,081,471 while Chief Obafemi Awolowo scored 7,902,209 and Dr. Nnamdi Azikwe 3,557,113, Alhaji Aminu Kano 968,974 Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim of the Great Nigeria People’s Party (GNPP) 646,806 and Mr. Tunji Braithwaite (82) of the Nigerian Advance Party scored 271,524. Chief Obafemi Awolowo decided not to challenge the result insisting that if Nigerians needed him they know where to find him. He thereafter settled in Ikenne his hometown and on May 9 1987, he answered the final call. In the words of Thomas Jefferson “I have no ambition to govern men. It is a painful and thankless office”.

In the February 27 1999 Presidential election, Chief Olusegun Aremu Okikiolu Obasanjo of the PDP had 18,738,154 votes as against that of Chief Olu Falae of the Alliance for Democracy who scored 11,110,287 votes. Chief Falae did not accept the

result of the election. The regime of General Abdusalam Abubakar who wanted to quit government in time had to summon the traditional ruler of the Akure Kingdom where Chief Falae comes from, Kabiyesi Adebobajo Adesida the then Deji of Akure to Abuja to persuade Chief Falae to withdraw the suit. He refused and for his refusal till today both General Obasanjo and Chief Falae are not on speaking terms. The enmity between both men still lingers.

In the April 19 2003 election, General Olusegun Obasanjo scored 24,456,140 votes while Major General Muhammadu Buhari scored 12,710,022 votes and the late Ikemba of Nnewi, Chief Chukemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu of the All Progrssive Grand Alliance (APGA) had 1,297,445 votes, Jim Nwobodo of the UNPP scored 169,609 votes, Chief Gani Fawehinmi of the Conscience Party 161,333 votes, Sarah Jubrin of the Progressive Action Congress 157,560 votes, General Ike Nwachukwu of National Democratic Party 132,197 votes, Chris Okotie of Justice Party 109,547 votes, Alhaji Balarabe Musa of the Redemption Party 100,765 votes, Arthur Nwankwo People’s Mandate 57,720 votes, Emmanuel Okereke of All People Liberation Party 26,921 votes, Kalu Idika Kalu of the New Nigeria People’s Party 23,830 votes and Alhaji Muhammadu Dikko Yusuf, former Inspector General of Police of the Movement for Democracy

and Justice scored 21,403 votes. General Buhari went to court to challenge the results of the election. The Supreme finally decided in favour of General Olusegun Obasanjo.

In April 21 2007 Presidential election, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua of PDP had 24,638,063 v o t e s a s a g a i n s t G e n e r a l Muhammadu Buhari/Edwin Ume-Ezeoke of the ANPP who scored 6,605,299 votes. Both Alhaji Yar’adua and Major General Buhari are from the same Katsina state. It was the first time in the history that both candidates are from the same states. The Presidential disputes ended in the Supreme Court with Chief Wole Olanipekun as the lead Counsel for Alhaji Yar’adua.

In the April 9 2011 election, the duo of Jonathan Goodluck/Namadi Sambo had 22,495,187 votes while the duo of Major General Muhammadu Buhari/Pastor Tunde Bakare scored 12,214,853 votes. General Buhari challenged the outcome of the results and it ended in the Supreme Court.

In a few days’ time, we shall march to vote for the March 28 2015 Presidential election. It is on record that no incumbent President has ever lost any election in Nigeria. But there are examples in Africa. In the April 1991 Presidential election in Republic of Benin, President Mathieu Kerekou (82) lost to Nicephore Soglo. Also in 1991, President Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia lost to Frederick Chiluba. Just last September Michael Suta

of Zambia defeated the Multi Party Democratic (MPD) who has been in power for twenty years with President Rupia Banda conceding defeat. All eyes will definitely be on Nigeria before and after the election.

It is to be seen whether the Presidential election will bring peace or chaos to Nigeria. So much has been written about the forth coming Presidential elections in Nigeria-the anxieties, the alarms and the innuendos. Definitely one must lose and one must win. Defeat can be injurious but definitely there is life after defeat. Nothing pains a politician more than to lose an election.

When I think of Presidential election the one that comes to my mind is the 1968 Convention of the Democratic Party in the United States in Chicago.

A f t e r w i t h d r a w i n g f r o m recontes t ing the incumbent Pres ident , Lyndon Johnson became so unpopular that he was not even invited by his party to the Convention. He thereafter lamented” I’ve never felt lower in my life. How do you think it feels to be completely rejected by the party you’ve spent your life with, knowing that your name cannot be mentioned without choruses of boos and obscenities? How would you feel? It makes me feel that nothing’s been worth it. And I’ve tried. Things may not have turned out as you wanted or even as I wanted. But God knows I’ve tried.

By eric teNiOLa

•BuHARI•JONATHAN

55515 OSuN DeFeNDeR thursday, march

thursday, march 19, 2015

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By ade OLuGBOtemi“NIGERIA we hail thee; Our own dear native land; Though t r ibe

and tongue may differ; In brotherhood we stand; Nigerians all are proud to serve; Our sovereign motherland” was the song we once cherished as our National Anthem. Service was then seen as a thing of pride because of the honour that went with it. Everybody saw the task of being one’s brother’s keeper as specifically delightful. As a deterrent, anybody who failed to seek the good of others suffered serious alienation and ostracism because the binding cord of our nationhood was selflessness. The prevalence of deviant behaviour and sequestrated life, to say the least was extremely repudiated. National identity was fabulously cherished and only rare necessities took people off the shores of our dear country; with the consciousness to quickly be back in the country as soon as possible.

Today, we have different scenario trending in our national life. We suddenly become our own enemies; and we engage in deliberate action aimed at weakening ourselves through subversive actions that obstruct and disrupt our peaceful coexistence. All of a sudden, we destroy our essence through willful psychological bashing that pitches us against one another. The crafty in our midst quickly capitalize on this to profit through our complacency. The trend has continued to smear us in the face until recently; when some individuals decide to embark on a rescue mission to salvage the remnants of our incontinence. Expectedly, hope is beginning to rise that efforts can be coordinated to redeem our battered identity.

There are elements of good in evil, and however good a situation appears, it is always alloyed with some taints of imperfection. So, when Nigeria was seen to be in the golden era, certain usages still dented our smooth edges; and today that people see Nigeria as a place where confusion has permeated our entire national life, some concerned individuals (though few) still feel concerned and are busy thinking of the possibility of salvaging the seeming hopelessness. These few individuals, though still have fault semblance, are engaging in a kind of covert mentoring that is intended for a bailout. The effort is now assuming a replica of massive movement, such that the impact is getting globalized with the attendant change influence that is originally intended.

Nobody ever thought that a formidable opposition party could emerge at this period of our national life. It never happened during the time of Nigeria’s founding fathers like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa, Obafemi Awolowo, and Aminu Kano. Actually, what we had were parties built around these notable individuals who were seen as leaders of their blocs. The closest they went to the current situation was alliances, which never endured anyway. That was the reason the ruling-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) took the emergence of All Progressives Congress (APC) lightly. This rare feat and the architects must be

appreciated by well-meaning Nigerians because of the effects both on the short and long runs. Nobody is talking of one Action Congress (AC) predominantly peopled by Yoruba, All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) of the Eastern Nigeria, or Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) that was synonymous with the Northern part of the country.

This development is not without attendant ills and vices. The pervasive hate speech and malicious advertorials in the media clime is a direct product of the emergence of the two mega parties viz PDP and APC that are now known as providing viable options for the teeming electorate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to make. General Muhammadu Buhari is not just contesting for the first time. He has tried over and over again, but nobody considered him a threat because of the sectional nature of the platform on which he has been running in earlier attempts. It is the product of an imminent change and preponderant weight of opinions that portray power shift from a party that has been in saddle for almost sixteen years to an amalgam that adopts BROOM as its logo and

CHANGE as its slogan. There is also the positive side in the

urgency that the ruling PDP that has taken people for granted for who they are now see the voting populace as important. This is the first time it will happen in the post-military era that PDP will really try to resist the formidable opposition that has come like a holocaust that is trying to sweep off a party that has prided itself as the biggest in Africa, destined to rule the country for the next sixty years. This also responsible for the urgency that many have regarded as belated, which now propels the ruling party to engage in aggressive campaign and the seeming mad rush to initiate bogus projects that complacency has not allowed for in almost six years of President Jonathan’s occupation at the helm of affairs.

The emergence of APC has also caused some hawks preying on our commonwealth to have a rethink; to the end that they dumped the ruling-Peoples Democratic Party to embrace the emergent move that has culminated in a party that now controls the majority seats in the lower chamber of the

National Assembly. The ruling party has failed to quickly see this as a mass movement because of that predilection for inertia and impossibility mentality that has plagued governance under PDP. Some top notchers in PDP realized that unless they repent, they may soon become political relics, who are bound to become irrelevant in

the emerging dispensation. They derived incurable guilt from the debilitating sabotage they have dealt our economy over the years as PDP cronies, and therefore thought it wise to dump PDP and the evil it stands for in Nigeria’s political platform. Most of the people that dumped PDP for APC have told Nigerians that they left their former party for the perceived injustice being meted to the masses through massive corruption and economic sabotage. According to them, it will be a disservice to continue to wine and dine with those who mean and design evil perpetually for the country. They intend that Nigeria should move forward, and this may be too daunting if they remain in their former PDP camp. They have hinted Nigerians on the events now playing out in the political circle, so that people will not get confused regarding their choice of candidates at the polls. The recent poll shift is prominent in PDP’s file as revealed by some of those who decamped; and consternations are rife that elections may not hold at all because the ruling party feel that they have lost too much ground to opposition and for fear of prosecution over past misdemeanour. The ongoing tenacious media campaigns are intended to possibly reverse the trend in the event that elections are made to hold compulsorily. It is now left for Nigerians to demonstrate whether they are fed up with economic saboteurs in the ruling party, or they are ready to effect the much needed change which the entire world is looking forward to; time will tell

The ruling party is not allowing anything lie low as a result of mass exodus of some of its notable members. We have suddenly arrived at an era of adoption; ostensibly for the ruling PDP to claim relevance as the general elections are fast approaching; and applying the considered most potent instrument of financial inducement on gullible Nigerians as usual. They consider it an anathema to defeat a sitting president, as this has never happened in Nigeria’s history. Though some people have come to a conclusion that PDP’s actions are rather belated, the ruling party is trying hard to discredit the emerging scenario. They said APC is a party of spent forces from PDP. They also said that there is nothing for APC to change; meaning that in their own opinion, they are running the best government possible for Nigeria, irrespective of unprecedented corruption that Nigeria in now known for. They believe that corruption is no evil, and that poverty is also nothing to warrant any hues and cries. In the unlikely event that the ruling party wins the forthcoming election however, they now know that it is no longer easy to take Nigerians for a ride.

When It Is No Longer Business As Usual

•BuHARI