Revealed: What Jonathan, Babangida discussed

Posted by: Yusuf Alli in Featured, News 

President woos Emirs, leaders 

Former military President Ibrahim Babangida made no commitment on the 2015 presidential poll to President Goodluck Jonathan at a meeting in Minna on Saturday, The Nation learnt yesterday.

Gen. Babangida only raised issues on how to keep the nation united during and after the general elections – contrary to the widespread insinuation that he endorsed Jonathan’s bid for another term.

Buoyed by the visit, Dr. Jonathan has started reaching out to key emirs and leaders of the North to back his re-election bid.

He may soon visit these leaders as part of his action plan to reduce the influence of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

The details of the meeting between Jonathan and Gen. Babangida were revealed in Abuja by one of the key aides of the former military leader.

The talks between the two leaders in Minna created ripples in the North, with many highly-placed Northerners bombarding Gen. Babangida with calls on what actually transpired.

The aide, who was at Gen. Babangida’s Hilltop mansion when Jonathan visited, said the talks had nothing to do with the general elections.

The source said: “It is true that the President visited Gen. Babangida at his Minna Hilltop mansion but the nature of his message was based purely  on unity of the country and not about 2015 presidential election.

“As a former president who fought for the unity of the country, he was of the view that the president needs support as President and not as presidential candidate per se.

“It is his view that the country needs to be united as one before we can begin to talk about election. Only a united Nigeria can guarantee credible election.”

According to the aide, who requested not to be named because he was not permitted to speak to the media, “What Gen. IBB said should be viewed within the context of the larger Nigeria interest and not that of any parochial interest that is likely to unsettle the system.

“Those of them who fought in the civil war to keep the country one understand the dynamics and challenges facing us now in the face of grave insecurity and poor economic realities,” he said.

Besides, said the aide, those criticising Gen. Babangida should take it easy as he belongs to the PDP “even as a nominal member.

“As a leader and former president who was privileged to preside over the affairs of the country and who also fought in the civil war, he will continue to speak the language of unification than that of division,” he said.

Gen. Babangida’s view, according to the aide is that as a  President who is facing crises, Jonathan deserves the support of all to keep the country together, irrespective of all the manifest imperfections.

Jonathan is said to have started reaching out to top Emirs and leaders in the North to checkmate Gen. Buhari’s influence.

A source spoke of the battle between Jonathan and Gen. Buhari has shifting to the North, adding that has been consulting some prominent Emirs and leaders on why he should be given second term in office.

“The President, Vice-President Namadi Sambo, PDP governors, and leaders will be embarking on shuttles to some of these key Northern leaders for support.

“They are desperate to take the battle to Buhari’s stronghold but no one can say whether the President and the PDP can go far or not,” said the source.

Another source added: “Jonathan’s game plan is to split the North.

“This explains why Northern leaders were concerned about the President’s renewed interest in the North after he failed the region in many promises he made in 2011.”

Tambuwal to go for Sokoto governor

Category: Lead stories

Published on Friday, 14 November 2014 05:01

Written by Mahmud Jega

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Speaker of the House of Representatives Alhaji Aminu Waziri will not seek the opposition All Progressives Congress’ (APC) presidential ticket but will, instead, seek the party’s governorship ticket for Sokoto State, Daily Trust authoritatively learnt in Abuja yesterday.

The decision brings to an end a big suspense in Nigerian politics with some newspapers reporting yesterday that Tambuwal secretly picked up an APC presidential nomination form on Monday. Tambuwal did not pick up the form and would not seek it, Daily Trust learnt.
Daily Trust also learnt that Tambuwal’s decision was made after several rounds of high level meetings of APC’s Northern caucus. The party’s elders including its governors, national officials and presidential candidates had met in Kaduna on October 18 and in Abuja, last week.
The meetings, Daily Trust learnt, discussed at length how to reduce the possibility of rancour after one of the aspirants might have won the party’s ticket. The leaders said such rancour could mar the party’s chances of success in next year’s elections and they discussed ways of pruning down the number of aspirants.
An authoritative source close to the Speaker told Daily Trust last night: “The Right Honourable Speaker was present at all those meetings and he fully agreed with the observations made. There was heavy pressure mounted on him from all parts of the country to seek APC’s presidential ticket. Those who were mounting the pressure pointed to opinion polls which found that he is the potential aspirant with the nationwide appeal to defeat President Jonathan in next year’s election. Pressure is also being mounted on him to go home to Sokoto and seek the governorship ticket. He considered all the issues and decided that he must help the process of reducing rancour in the presidential race which could affect the party’s chances of success. Since the party already has four declared presidential aspirants and efforts are being made by elders to prune down the number, the Speaker decided not to compound the problem. He will, instead, consider the call for him to seek the Sokoto governorship ticket.”
The source noted that age is on the speaker’s side so he is in a good position to make sacrifices. Tambuwal, the source said, is also ready to play any role that will enhance the party’s chances of success in the elections, given his broad appeal across the country.
Tambuwal is believed to have the strong backing of Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko in the quest for Sokoto APC’s governorship ticket.
Days before he defected from PDP, Tambuwal attended an APC stakeholders’ meeting in Sokoto, saying he did so upon Wamakko’s invitation. At that meeting, the party’s governorship ticket was zoned to Sokoto South Senatorial District, where he comes from.
There are, however, several other APC governorship aspirants from the same zone. The party has more aspirants from outside that zone. One of them, Professor Muhammad Lawal Bashar recently rejected the zoning arrangements adopted at the caucus meeting and said it could spell disaster for the party.
In deciding to seek the Sokoto governorship, observers believe that Tambuwal may have chosen the path of least resistance given APC’s overwhelming dominance in Sokoto State. The party controls not only the state government but has two of the three senators, all the House of Representatives members, all the members of the State House of Assembly, all the local government chairmen and all the councillors.

Don’t dismiss report of planned attack on Plateau, STF told

November 14, 2014 in News

Leaders of Riyom Local Government Area and Barkin-Ladi of Plateau State have called on the STF not to be quick in dismissing the story of a planned attack on the state.

On Monday, the state broadcast station reported that a helicopter and some Hilux vans bearing arms had arrived Mahanga village in Riyom Local Government Area, in readiness for a planned attack by unknown persons.

A day after the report, leaders of Mahanga and the Special Task Force (STF) debunked the report, saying it was baseless. The STF took journalists to Mahanga, to show that there was nothing like that.

But yesterday, leaders of Riyom and Barkin Ladi, urged the STF to investigate the matter properly to prevent possible attacks.

Chairman of Riyom Local Government Area, Mrs Josephine Piyo, said: “If STF said they didn’t see anything when they went to Mahanga, it is not surprising. Nobody said the vehicles stayed back in Mahanga and nobody expects whatever the vehicles took there to be kept in places where they can be easily seen.”

US denies failing to help Nigeria fight Boko Haram

on November 13, 2014   /   in News 8:24 am   /   Comments

The United States hit back Wednesday at allegations by the Nigerian ambassador of failing to help fight Boko Haram militants, saying there had been “a great deal” of US aid to his country.

In the past six months since the Islamic militants snatched some 200 schoolgirls in northern Nigeria, Washington has shared intelligence with the Nigerian army, begun training a new battalion and held high-level talks on the threat of Boko Haram, a US official said.

In a speech made public Tuesday, ambassador Adebowale Adefuye appeared to have taken US officials by surprise when he launched into a tirade against the US administration.

Nigerian leaders were “not satisfied with the scope, nature and content of the United States’ support for us in our struggle against terrorists,” he said.

He accused Washington of not providing the “lethal” weapons needed to deliver “a killer punch” to the militants.

But State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki shot back that the US had “provided and approved sales of military equipment to its armed forces.”

“These decisions are made, of course, after careful scrutiny to ensure they conform with United States law.”

But she acknowledged the US had refused to transfer some Cobra helicopters due to concerns about the Nigerian army’s ability to use them.

There were also “ongoing concerns about the Nigerian military’s protection of civilians when conducting military operations,” Psaki said, adding these had been discussed with the Nigerian authorities.

Adefuye told members of the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday that allegations of human rights abuses by the military were “rumors, hearsays and exaggerated accounts” put about by rivals of President Goodluck Jonathan and rights groups.

But Psaki stressed the US would not raise such concerns “if we didn’t feel and others didn’t feel that they were warranted.”

Washington was ready to help Nigeria train and improve the effectiveness of its military, Psaki added, urging the government to investigate allegations of abuses.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/us-denies-failing-help-nigeria-fight-boko-haram/#sthash.wpPInDpA.dpuf

US denies failing to help Nigeria fight Boko Haram

on November 13, 2014   /   in News 8:24 am   /   Comments

The United States hit back Wednesday at allegations by the Nigerian ambassador of failing to help fight Boko Haram militants, saying there had been “a great deal” of US aid to his country.

In the past six months since the Islamic militants snatched some 200 schoolgirls in northern Nigeria, Washington has shared intelligence with the Nigerian army, begun training a new battalion and held high-level talks on the threat of Boko Haram, a US official said.

In a speech made public Tuesday, ambassador Adebowale Adefuye appeared to have taken US officials by surprise when he launched into a tirade against the US administration.

Nigerian leaders were “not satisfied with the scope, nature and content of the United States’ support for us in our struggle against terrorists,” he said.

He accused Washington of not providing the “lethal” weapons needed to deliver “a killer punch” to the militants.

But State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki shot back that the US had “provided and approved sales of military equipment to its armed forces.”

“These decisions are made, of course, after careful scrutiny to ensure they conform with United States law.”

But she acknowledged the US had refused to transfer some Cobra helicopters due to concerns about the Nigerian army’s ability to use them.

There were also “ongoing concerns about the Nigerian military’s protection of civilians when conducting military operations,” Psaki said, adding these had been discussed with the Nigerian authorities.

Adefuye told members of the Council on Foreign Relations on Monday that allegations of human rights abuses by the military were “rumors, hearsays and exaggerated accounts” put about by rivals of President Goodluck Jonathan and rights groups.

But Psaki stressed the US would not raise such concerns “if we didn’t feel and others didn’t feel that they were warranted.”

Washington was ready to help Nigeria train and improve the effectiveness of its military, Psaki added, urging the government to investigate allegations of abuses.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/us-denies-failing-help-nigeria-fight-boko-haram/#sthash.wpPInDpA.dpuf

We will gang up against APC in Kano – LP chairman

osted by: admin November 10, 2014 in Politics

o State chairman of Labour Party (LP) Alhaji Muhammad Abdullahi Raji, has said that his party will gang up with other opposition parties to unseat the APC in the 2015 general elections.

Raji, in an interview with newsmen during the swearing-in and inauguration of the party’s elected officials, said: “I will tell you the bitter fact about our preparations and plans in the coming elections. We will gang up with other opposition parties to unseat the APC government in this state.”

The chairman warned that his party should not be underrated, as it won the Edo State governorship seat as well as some lesser posts during the 2011 elections.

He said the party has commenced sale of forms and urged officials to be steadfast and fair in their dealings.

Why I asked for a divorce from my ex-husband

on October 03, 2014   /   in Showtime People 12:17 am   /   Comments

Embattled Nollywood actress, Ini Edo, has been explaining to whoever cares to listen why she decided to walk out of her five-year old marriage unceremoniously.

According to the actress, she demanded for a divorce from her ex-husband because of a lot of irreconcilable differences. Contrary to reports that, her ‘barren marriage’ crashed following allegations of infidelity levelled against her by her husband, Ini Edo refuted the allegation, saying that she never cheated her husband since they got married.

In a tweet, confirming breaking up with her husband, Ini Edo alleged that “There is a conscious and malicious attempt at tarnishing my image. This saga is familiar, let’s not forget the past. Thanks and God bless.”

Ini Edo got married to her US-based husband, Philip Ehiagwina, about five years. The couple who lived separately for most of their marriage life decided to formally split in early August.

There were reports that Ini’s people have even returned the bride price paid by Philip in 2008. She has since removed her husband’s name from her social media accounts and she also removed wife from her bio on instagram. The marriage did not produce any child.

- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/asked-divorce-ex-husband/#sthash.bK7xRex6.dpuf