Jonathan to announce presidential ambition on January 9th

Abuja -  President Goodluck Jonathan will make his presidential ambition known on January 9th, according to NewsWire

The president is expected to inform the National Executive Council (NEC) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) of his intentions concerning 2015 elections.

A member of the National Working Committee, NWC of the party, who based on anonymity revealed that the NEC will be formally briefed about the intention of President Jonathan to face the electorate.

Read more at NewsWire

APC plan to boycott Anambra local government elections

Awka— The All Progressives Congress, (APC) has said that they will not participate at the Anambra local council election that is scheduled to hold on January 11, 2014, according to Vanguard.

 This was made known by the Governorship candidate of the APC, Senator Chris Ngige, while addressing a press conference in Akwa, the Anambra capital.

Ngige said it became necessary for the party to take a position after reviewing the last gubernatorial election.

He accused the state electoral body of supporting the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA).

Read more at Vanguard

Tambuwal Will Remain House Speaker – APC

The House of Representatives Speaker , Aminu Tambuwal will be immune to the ongoing take over by the All Progressives Congress, APC, Caucus in the House of Representatives.

It however said it was not certain about the fate of the deputy speaker, Emeka Ihedioha. The leader of the Caucus, Femi Gbajabiamila, who disclosed this in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, said the party had commenced moves to take over the leadership of the House upon resumption from the Christmas/New Year break.

1APC, a merger of three parties, Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Congress for Progressives Change, CPC, All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, and a section of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, emerged the majority party in the 360-member House last month following the defection of 37 members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to it. With the defection, APC now has 172 members to PDP's 171. There are speculations that more PDP members will decamp to the hitherto opposition party when the House resumes.

Both Messrs Tambuwal and Ihedioha, who were elected into the positions in June 2011, are still members of the PDP. Mr. Gbajabiamila, who is also the Minority Leader of the House, said Mr. Tambuwal would remain as the Speaker because he was elected by the whole House. "It is not a matter of planning to take over, that is what the rule of the House says, that the majority takes over the leadership of the House. We have no choice in the matter.

You cannot be the majority and play the minority role," Mr. Gbajabiamila said. "Tambuwal will remain Speaker in all circumstances. He was elected by the whole House. Most of the APC members are comfortable with him. I cannot speak for the deputy, but I will rather have a situation where he remains."

The lawmaker said he was not aware of any pressure by the APC on the Speaker to join the party. He said, "I don't know of such move, but if we need to, we will. We will be happy as a party to have him. "We have never said every PDP member is bad. You have good and bad people everywhere. There are very few ones in the PDP who are good and I dare say Tambuwal is one of such people. They are progressives.

"We will be happy to have him in our fold, but whether he will accept or not is another thing." Asked if the APC was anticipating any resistance from the PDP in its quest to take over the leadership of the House, the lawmaker said the party (APC) would not be surprised if some of the lawmaker put up some resistance.

He however said the resistance would amount to nothing because the House rules were clear about who should lead the House, stressing "I just believe our members are mature enough not to put up any resistance." Mr. Gbajabiamila, who represents Surulere federal constituency of Lagos State, was also evasive on reported plans to replace Mulikat Akande of the PDP as the House Leader upon resumption.

Ms. Akande from Oyo State emerged the House leader because of her membership of the PDP which as majority in the House then chose one of its members as leader.

Should the APC decide to exert itself as majority, then a member of the party, likely Mr. Gbajabiamila, its leader, would emerge the House Leader. "I am not planning to do anything. I just want to do my legislative work. As I said earlier, the majority cannot play minority role that is what the rules say," Mr. Gbajabiamila said.

The PDP produced majority of the members of the House and the Senate since the return of democracy in 1999. Consequently, all the Senate Presidents and Speakers and their deputies have come from the party.

SCANDAL: PDP Accuses Ex-Nasarawa Governor Of Issuing Fake Employment Letters Hours After His Defection

Barely twenty-hours after his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC), former Nasarawa State Governor, Abdulahhi Adamu, has been accused of issuing fake employment letters to youths in the state.

It has been alleged in a release by the Nasarawa State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday.

The ruling party claims that Adamu, a serving senator representing Nasarawa West senatorial district, is using the problem of unemployment, to force unsuspecting indigenes to join the APC.

The statement signed by the state publicity secretary of the PDP, Mark Neto, urged the former governor, to return to his constituency and concentrate on his job and quit "fruitless antics to remain relevant."

"The Nasarawa state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wishes to draw the attention of the general public and most especially its teaming supporters of a purported plan by senator Abdullahi Adamu, representing Nasarawa west senatorial district to coarse people across the 147 electoral wards in the state into joining the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the name of job offer," Neto said.

The statement reads that the ruling party will not tolerate "desperate politicians turn our young graduates and applicants into becoming political thugs in the state, while their families and children are given best of treatment in their various chosen careers."

What is more, the PDP urged the attacked politicians to publish the employment offer in the media, "rather than cajoling innocent citizens to take wrong steps in their lives." The ruling party officials also threatened to make the list of those deceitfully recruited into the APC available to public, should the Senator fails to do as requested.

DAILYPOST

2015: Obasanjo To Stay In PDP And Give President Jonathan "A Good Fighting"

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo plans to field a sitting governor from one of the Northern states against President Goodluck Jonathan at the next Peoples Democratic Party's presidential primaries.

Sources privy to the ex-President revealed that Mr. Obasanjo intends to stay in the PDP and give President Jonathan a "good fight" for the PDP ticket at the party's next convention. For the 2015 race, he might present either Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, or his Katsina State counterpart Ibrahim Shema.

Previously, Mr. Obasanjo had urged Mr. Lamido not to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) along with the G-5 governors.

It was learnt that Mr. Shema is a second choice after Mr. Lamido, who was foreign affairs minister during Obasanjo's presidency. Now, the presidency has become interested in Governor Lamido and directed Economic and Financial Crimes Commission's (EFCC) operatives to investigate him and his sons over alleged N10billion fraud. Governor Shema came to the limelight when he was made PDP vice-chairman for the North-West during Obasanjo's tenure.

Allegedly, Mr. Obasanjo favours Governor Lamido against President Jonathan as he has a large following among the poor in the North, known as the Talakawas, from his days in NEPU (Northern Elements Progressive Union), which was led by the late Aminu Kano. Mr. Lamido is also seen as widely accepted by his colleagues who are angry with the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur leadership of the PDP.

Obasanjo and APC's union "would never work"

Obasanjo has reportedly made up his mind to stop President Jonathan's second term bid by sponsoring a candidate to compete with him for the PDP ticket for the 2015 presidential poll.

"In the letter written by Baba [Obasanjo] to President Jonathan, a lot of things that could salvage the party from the present cul de sac were stated," a source said. "But Jonathan has no time for that; instead, he insists he has not told anyone of his interest for the second term. We will soon know who is right or wrong; but let me tell you that we are shopping for a candidate who would run against Jonathan for the PDP ticket. If he won, fine, and if he lost fine as well; after all, some people ran against Baba in 1998 and 2003 primaries.

"If he wins, we will support him, but if he loses, we expect him to support our candidate. That is politics. This is because, come what may, PDP will retain the presidency in 2015."

When reminded of the APC leadership's visit to Obasanjo, the source explained why Obasanjo would never work for the opposition. According to him, the former president would rather prefer Jonathan's presidency

to APC's.

"We will not support APC candidate at all; that will amount to anti-party activities and remember that Obasanjo had accused the president of doing his stuff for political survival.

"Another reason Obasanjo will not work with the APC is because the PDP gave him the ticket to rule the country for eight years. Nothing will make him work against the party. Then look at the APC: the party means Tinubu and Tinubu means APC. Here was a man whose stock-in-trade was to abuse Obasanjo, calling him all sorts of unprintable names for his political agenda; and now he wants us to support him. He should forget it," the source explained.

EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION: Jonathan Seeks N1.8billion To Fund Fake Project

President Jonathan budgets billions for Bayelsa project long completed, and fully paid for in 2006.

President Goodluck Jonathan is asking the National Assembly to appropriate about N1.8 billion this year to help connect his home state of Bayelsa, to the national electricity grid, which suggests that federal officials only want to pocket the money.

It has been gathered by PREMIUM TIMES that the proposed projects President Jonathan is asking money for, were completed 7 years ago, and that were all fully paid for in 2006 when he was the governor of the state.

In the 2014 Federal budget recently presented by the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to the National Assembly for consideration and approval, the government lists as priority, the need to connect the state to the national electricity transmission network, but this shocking blunder is drawing attention to the absence of project monitoring and evaluation principles in policy making under the current administration, and the shabbiness that attends to budget preparation.

When contacted, the Special Adviser to the President on Power, Beks Dagogo-Jack, could not explain how the provision found its way into the budget, but claimed the issue might involve some complicated technical explanations only the bureaucrats at the Federal Ministry of Power could make.

PREMIUM TIMES investigations show that that many federal crime investigators are familiar with, are some of the several fraudulent financial requests smuggled into budgets to steal public funds.

The Special Adviser to Bayelsa State governor on Power, Olice Kemenanabo, on Tuesday, confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that Bayelsa State was indeed linked to the national grid more than 8 years ago.

The Director General, Budget Office of the Federation, Bright Okogwu, demanded a text message enquiry when contacted Thursday.

However, he did not respond to the enquiry as at the time of this report.

Still, the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, insisted Friday night the N1.8billion request is not fraudulent.

"It is true contract connecting Yenagoa to the national grid was awarded in 2006," Mr. Okupe said in response to a PREMIUM TIMES enquiry. It is a 2x40MVA station connecting only Yenagoa. That voltage is far too small to cater for the needs of the state. The present contract is to further upgrade what is on ground and extend services to other parts of the state. It will be wrong and ignorant to say the 2014 provision is fake!"

But officials at the Federal Ministry of Power, who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES but requested anonymity for fear of official reprisal, insisted that there is no official documentation for the project, and that it is merely a "graft allocation."

The said officials claim confess they were shocked by the claim of the presidency, pointing out,

"It is not true that the Bayelsa transmission line needs an upgrade. If it's an upgrade, why didn't they say so in the budget? Why was it presented as a totally new project?"

The budget did not say the requested N1.8billion was needed for an upgrade of an existing facility. Power ministry officials point to the existence of a 132kv transmission line from Owerri, in Imo State, linking Ahoada, in Rivers State, and Yenagoa, in Bayelsa State, which was constructed by Pivot Engineering Nigeria Limited, insisting that the current fresh provision in the budget amounted to "linking the state to the national grid for the second time, evidence that the money goes into someone's pocket."

Documents from the Bayelsa State Investment Promotion Council and the power ministry offer the historical background to power development in the state, dating it back to 1988 prior to the creation of the State in October 1, 2006.

Then, the area relied on only one transmission line, which was not upgraded by successive administrations. This spurred the Federal Ministry of Power and Steel, in conjunction with the then National Electric Power Authority, NEPA, to award a $56 million, [N3.2billion] contract to Energo Nigeria Limited in 1999 for the construction of a single phase Owerri-Ahoada-Yenagoa 132 kv transmission line to link Owerri to Yenagoa.

However, in November 2000, the scope of the job was reviewed to accommodate the Yenogoa-Imiringi and Ahoada-Abonnema 33KV double circuit lines, with the associated substations at Ahoada and Yenagoa.

The contract was renegotiated before it was re-awarded for $76million to Pivot Engineering Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of Honeywell Group, owned by Oba Otudeko, a chieftain of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and one of the notable political allies of the President. Subsequent reviews raised the contract sum to about N6.3 billion initially, and later N11 billion in 2005.

Despite the allocation of about N1.115 billion in the 2005 budget to facilitate the completion of the project, the contractor failed to meet the December 2005 completion deadline. Pivot finally completed the job and successfully connected Bayelsa State to the national grid in 2006.

Like Bayelsa, like Gurara, others As in the Bayelsa case, the 2014 budget also indicate that officials of the federal government have also fraudulently budgeted about N700 million to the purported reason of linking Gurara, in Kaduna State, to the national grid this year.

Interestingly, PREMIUM TIMES investigations reveal that Gurara's connection to the national grid has remained one of the constant features in successive federal budget proposals since 2011. About N918 million was provided for the project in 2011; N556.74 million in 2012, and N1.5 billion in 2013.

These some other controversial provisions, which had featured in successive budgets since 2010, suggest for high level of corruption on the top level.

PT

How Fayemi, APC Plotted To Implicate Me - Bamidele Reveals

A House of Representatives member and Labour Party gubernatorial aspirant in Ekiti State, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele has alleged a grand ploy by the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to frame him up on trump up charges over the rumoured attempt on the life of the security aide to the governor, Mr. Deji Adesokan.

He called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, and other relevant security agencies in the country to investigate and sanction those found culpable in the allegation, saying none of those arrested over the matter has a link with him.

Afolabi Oyediran and Oluwafemi Sunday were arrested within the premises of Deji Adesokan, a Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Internal Security about two weeks ago with arms.

The duo are now facing trial at a magistrate's court in Ado Ekiti.

A statement signed by Ahmed Salami, media aide to Bamidele in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, accused the APC and Ekiti government of desperately contriving sinister means through which they could negotiate for the withdrawal of cases pending in court against Interim Chairman of the party, Mr. Jide Awe and nine alleged killers of Bamidele's loyalist, Mr. Foluso Ogundare.

According to Bamidele, it was incongruous and smack of deceit and ignorance for the APC members to have linked him with the two accused persons, when no such information was contained in their statements to the police or affidavits deposed to in court.

"Given the mischievous way the story was presented to the public, it is important for us to put the record straight to avail the members of the public an opportunity to know the truth of the matter.

"In the first instance, the governor's aide Deji Adesokan (aka Jaruu) is a notorious persecutor of perceived opponents of Fayemi who would stop at nothing to implicate, intimidate, harass and, where he can, outrightly kill to ensure a second term tenure so desperately desired by Governor Olukayode John Fayemi in spite of the increasing rejection by well-meaning Ekiti people who are insisting that they can- not be fooled more than once.

In his reaction, the APC spokesman, Mr. Segun Dipe said the present state government and the party has no time for frivolity and triviality.

His words: "It is quite unfortunate that Bamidele who is a legal practitioner is trying to give an impression that judiciary is compromising.

"For APC and government of Ekiti State, our focus is 2014, we don't have time for frivolity and triviality," Dipe concluded.