Senate To Receive List Of Ministerial Nominees Next Tuesday, Says Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday in Abuja said that the list of nominees to fill the vacant ministerial positions would be forwarded to the Senate when it resumed Tuesday.

Jonathan said this when he received a delegation of PDP leaders from the North-West geopolitical zone led by former Minister of Defence, Dr Haliru Mohammed.

He said the appointment of substantive ministers to the ministries being overseeing by Acting Ministers was overdue to address critical issues in those ministries.

Specifically, the president said he was yet to receive some briefing on desert encroachment which is critical to the administration because there was no substantive minister for the Ministry of Environment.

“We have agreed to tackle the issue of desert encroachment robustly. I am yet to get the last briefing on this and I believe it is because there is no substantive minister yet.

“Immediately the National Assembly resumes, they will get the list of ministers, so that we will get a law that will establish a body. We are no longer going to play with this”, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 11 ministerial positions are vacant for the president to nominate candidates for the Senate screening and approval.

Jonathan also said that N10 billion had been released from the Ecological Fund as a take-off for addressing the problem of desert encroachment in the North.

He said the focus would go beyond planting ordinary trees and grasses, but those with economic value that would create wealth.

“We will create an area where it will generate a lot of activities, stimulate the local economy so that people can convert their product to money and we will surely do that”, Jonathan stressed.

The president also corrected the erroneous media report that only two billion naira was budgeted for agriculture in the North, reports NAN.

Amaechi Faults Dickson On Ownership Of Soku Oil Wells

The Rivers State Government has accused the governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Seriake Dickson of blackmailing the people of Kalabari kingdom in Rivers State, so as to take the Soku oil wells from them.

Reacting to an earlier statement issued by the Bayelsa State government on Wednesday, January 8, 2014, the Rivers State government described the allegation by Dickson that Governor Rotimi Amaechi was using the issue of Soku oil wells to incite the people of Kalabari kingdom against their kinsmen in Nembe, Bayelsa, as well as blackmailing and leading a campaign of calumny against President Goodluck Jonathan, as dangerous, unfounded and in bad faith.

A statement issued in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Thursday and signed by the Chief Press Secretary to Gov. Amaechi, David Iyofor, said; “The Bayelsa State governor in his press statement accused Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi of blackmailing President Goodluck Jonathan and leading a smear campaign against him, and using Soku to incite the Kalabaris in Rivers State against their Nembe kinsmen in Bayelsa.

“This assertion is dangerous, unfounded and in bad faith. Rather, it is the Bayelsa State governor, who has been blackmailing Kalabari people of Rivers State, cajoling them to relinquish the Soku oil wells to Bayelsa State, using the puerile argument that President Jonathan is Ijaw; Kalabari people are Ijaw; so, Kalabari people should support their Ijaw brother, who is the president, to take away Kalabari oil wells and should not join Governor Amaechi, who is not Ijaw, in the fight to return Soku oil wells to Kalabari people in the state”.

The statement said Dickson erred when he said the issue of Soku oil wells had been resolved by the Supreme Court, the National Boundaries Commission (NBC) and several presidential committees, reminding him that the Supreme Court said it would wait for the 12th edition of the administrative map, which when completed, would be of assistance in settling the dispute.

It reads in part; “After a very long slumber, Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson, through his chief press secretary issued a statement claiming that the Soku oil wells, which historically have always been in Rivers State are in Bayelsa State. This statement is coming many months after the Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi consistently reiterated that the Soku oil wells which belong to Rivers State had been appropriated to Bayelsa State by the President Goodluck Jonathan-led federal government.

“It is also interesting to note that the statement from the Bayelsa governor is coming after he has held several clandestine meetings with a few Kalabari indigenes and chiefs in his bid to get them to publicly renounce the Kalabari ownership of the Soku oil wells. At these meetings, all sorts of dummies were thrown up, including the story that ‘President Jonathan is Ijaw; Kalabari people are Ijaw; so Kalabari people should support their fellow Ijaw brother, who is the president, to take away Kalabari oil wells and should not join Governor Amaechi, who is not Ijaw, in the fight to return Soku oil wells to Kalabari people of Rivers State.

“The facts on the Rivers State ownership of the Soku oil wells are immutable, no matter how the Bayelsa State governor tries to stretch, twist or spin them. Even in his statement, he conveniently left out the fact that from colonial times up till the 10th edition of the administrative map of Nigeria, the boundaries between the Kalabari communities in Rivers State and the neighbouring Nembe communities of Bayelsa State had been clearly delineated, with the boundary clearly marked as the Santa Barbara River.

“The 11th edition of the administrative map, prepared by the National Boundary Commission and the Federal Surveyor General’s office in 1999, but published in 2000, strangely shifted the boundaries between Rivers and Bayelsa states from the initial boundary between Kalabari and Nembe, west of the Santa Barbara River, to San Bartholomew River, contrary to the delineation by all preceding administrative maps of Nigeria and all historical records.

“The revenues from the disputed Soku wells were originally fixed in an escrow account to await the resolution of the boundary dispute and this had been so until recently when the authorities decided to release the monies from the disputed oil wells to Bayelsa State. This unjust and illegal administrative decision resulted in Rivers State government instituting Suit N0 SC/106/2009 Att. Gen of Rivers State State vs. Att. Gen of Bayelsa State & others. The court decided that it would be appropriate to await the final delineation of the boundary by the National Boundary Commission for completeness, we quote the court:

“It is on account of the foregoing and because of the technical nature of the dispute and the claims of the parties that the court finds that the NBC (National Boundary Commission) as an authority vested with authorities and expertise, know-how in dealing with this matter, should have, once and for all, conducted an exhaustive exercise of delineating the disputed boundary, hence the long awaited 12th edition of the administrative map when completed soonest would have been of tremendous assistance in settling the lingering dispute.

“In the light of the observations I have clearly expressed above, I do not feel comfortable to grant the declarations sought until the NBC concludes its exercise of delineation of disputed boundary to finality. It will be futile and premature to determine the boundary of the two parties in the present circumstance.

“The Supreme Court judgment is clear – that it could not and would not decide the boundary based on the erroneous 11th edition administrative map the Bayelsa State governor is relying on and using as his basis to claim Bayelsa ownership of the Soku oil wells; but that it will await the final delineation to be heralded by the promised 12th edition of the map”.

Defecting Senators,Reps Will Lose Their Seats, Says Sen. Enang

Sen. Ita Enang (PDP-Akwa Ibom) has said that senators who defect from one political party to another will lose their seats as the law does not allow anyone who defects to retain the seat.

Enang made the assertion on Thursday in Abuja while speaking with newsmen.

The senator explained that while it was acceptable for politicians to defect to another party, it was unacceptable for them to retain their seats.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that some senators on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) promised to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) when the senate resumed from its recess.

NAN also recalls that 37 PDP members of the House of Representatives had defected to the APC in 2013, citing division in the party as their reason.

Enang, who is the chairman of Senate Committee on Business and Rules, said that the law clearly mandated that any member intending to defect to another party must prove that there was a division in the member’s current party or the party had merged.

According to him, there is currently no division in the PDP as declared by the court, adding that members of the PDP intending to defect have no ground upon which to defect.

“A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and presided over by Justice Elvis Chukwu had ruled on Oct. 18, 2013, that there was no division in the PDP”, he said.

Enang also cited the case of one Mr Ifedayo Abegunde in Akure North/Akure South Constituency, who lost his seat after defecting from the Labour Party in 2012.

The senator said: “The court upheld the contention that the lawmaker did not prove a division or faction within the Labour Party”.

He said that defection would be legal only if the judgement of the court was set aside and the members could provide proof that there was, indeed, a division in the party.

“Section 68 (1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, provides that a member of the Senate or of the House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House of which he is a member.

“This shall happen if being a person whose election to the House was sponsored by a political party”.

The section, according to him, also adds that “he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected.

It further said: “Provided that his membership of the later political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member.

“Secondly as a result of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored”.

The lawmaker said that it was lawful for the presiding officer (the Senate President) to declare vacant the seat of any lawmaker who defected to another party.

He said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would, thereafter, be asked to conduct fresh elections to fill the vacancy.

Enang also said that the previous proposal in the constitution amendment to allow for an independent candidate in an election was also rejected.

He said that the fact that some lawmakers had defected in past and were ignored did not make the situation right.

The senator said that it was the responsibility of lawmakers to bring the provisions of the law to lime light. (NAN)

2015: Late Yar’Adua’s Political Associates Set To Dump PDP For APC

As high-wired political alignments and re-alignment gather momentum ahead of the 2015 general elections, Information Nigeria has learnt that political associates of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua have finalized arrangements to swell the ranks of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) any moment from now.

To strengthen their formal defection, loyalists of the late president nationwide have, under the aegis of Coalition For Change (CFC), spear-headed by a collegiate leadership known as the G-11, are said to have opened talks with the leadership of the opposition party.

It was reliably gathered that the decision to move collectively was taken after a series of meetings, but the final push to begin discussions with the APC was made last week at the end of the meeting of the G-11 which took place in Abuja.

The G-11 is reportedly being headed by a former aviation minister, Professor Femi Aborishade, and the late Yar’Adua’s deputy when he was governor of Katsina State as well as erstwhile envoy to Saudi Arabia, Alhaji Abubakar Garba Aminchi. Aminchi has already pitched his tent with APC.

Others in the G-11 are Turaki Taminu and David Edevbie, chief economic adviser and principal private secretary respectively to the late Yar’Adua. A serving PDP governor from the North and his predecessor are also said to be part of the group which, a source said, will make its final decision known very soon.

A source close to some of the leaders of the group, who spoke with LEADERSHIP under the condition of anonymity, said that two basic reasons were largely responsible for the decision of the late president’s loyalists to dump the ruling party.

“You should know that since President Jonathan took over as president, he has been behaving as if there were personal issues he had to sort out with some of us who were close to the late president.

“In politics, you don’t hold anyone as an enemy simply because he or she tried to defend an interest; but where your interest triumphs, you should turn the leaf of a leader to all and bring all under one umbrella especially as we all belong to the same political party.

“In the case of President Jonathan, some of us are now seen as enemies of the presidency and we cannot continue to shy away from taking bold steps that will entrench us politically; and that is why we will join the APC.

“Basically, therefore, two major things are the propelling factors: one, the president and his men have personalised political relationships; two, we cannot ignore the fact that Nigeria needs a change in 2015 and APC is the veritable vehicle”, he said.

Confirming the development, the secretary to Katsina State government under the late Yar’Adua’s first term as governor, Dr Mustapha Inuwa, said the move to join forces with the APC was borne out of the group’s desire to rescue Nigeria.

“Yes it is true that those of us who worked closely with the late president are on the verge of going to the APC because we need to join forces with other well-meaning Nigerians to rescue Nigeria”.

He also said that the movement cuts across the entire nation and the process was irreversible.

Corroborating the former Katsina SSG’s position, former minister of agriculture and natural resources under the late president, Dr Sa’ad Abba Ruma, said a considerable number of members of the late president’s political circle were considering joining the APC.

“I am just an individual in the group and whatever I say is not that I am saying such on behalf of the political family; but, as a member of the group, I can tell you confidently that, yes, there are indeed discussions going on at the highest level to join the APC.

“Nationwide, a considerable number of our membership and followership are of the view that the APC option is the best to hook up to national politics. But an extensive mobilisation of our people has to be done in such a way that once a final decision is taken, no one will be left behind.

“Already, some of us have left for the APC; for instance, Aminchi who was deputy to the late Yar’Adua when he was governor has left the PDP for the APC, and many more are on their way there as I speak.

“It is in light of this that we have decided to set up a G-11 team to drive the process that will lead to the formal defection across the nation because it is a national thing we are talking about. This G-11 working under the auspices of the Coalition For Change (CFC) will put a final thrust of the plan together and present for ratification; it is after that we can boldly say, yes, we are moving into the APC”, Ruma said in a telephone interview with LEADERSHIP.

Wike Planning To Procure Court Judment To Frustrate 2014 Budget – Rivers Govt

The Rivers State Government has accused the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike of planning to procure a court judgment to halt the implementation of the state’s 2014 Appropriation Bill which was on Tuesday passed by the State House of Assembly.

The State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, explained that Wike, an indigene of the state, was planning to carry out the act in connivance with his some of his acolytes.

Semenitari, who made this known while speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt on Thursday, said the aim of the minister and his friends in Abuja was to financially emasculate the state.

“We have information that has reached us that Mr Nyesom Wike, in connivance with some of his acolytes, is attempting to purchase a judgment against the Appropriation Bill passed by the Rivers State House of Assembly”, the commissioner said.

She added that: “We are also aware that the intension with his Abuja friends is to do this and strangulate Rivers state, to ensure that we do not receive funds, this is regardless to the fact that we have salaries to be paid in this state, regardless of the fact that there are development projects.

“They intend to procure this judgment through the back door and serve the Ministry of Finance and make sure that the funds that should accrue to Rivers state do not get to Rivers state every month”.

But the President General of the Grassroots Development Initiative, GDI, a group funded by the minister, Mr. Bright Amaewhule, said it was wrong for the state government to blame Mr. Wike each time it (Rivers Government) erred in law.

Amaewhule noted that contrary to the belief in government circles, the Rivers State 2014 Budget had not been passed into law.

NGO Raises Alarm On Alleged Plan By APC To Destabilize Kaduna

A Non-Governmental Organisation, the Kaduna Coalition of Patriotic Citizens, on Thursday alerted the country to alleged plans by the All Progressives Congress to create tension in Kaduna State ahead of the 2015 general elections.

The group said it was concerned by the planned move by the APC to mobilize people from neighboring states under the guise of receiving one million defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The group made this known in a statement by its chairman and secretary-general, Maliki Nuhu and Lazarus Ishiaku respectively.

The statement also called on security agencies to closely monitor the activities of the APC.

The group said, “As patriotic citizens of Kaduna State, we condemn the unpatriotic and selfish plot by the APC to destabilise the state through its plan to massively mobilise people from neighboring states in the name of receiving one million decampees from the PDP in the state.

“While we don’t hold brief for any political party, our concern is that such action by the APC could jeopardise the fragile peace that is presently being enjoyed in the state. The APC must desist from playing politics at all cost because such could create tension and threaten the security, law and order in Kaduna State.

“We have already observed how the opposition party is sponsoring commentators on radio and TV from other states to attack the state government, but such dangerous political game should not be shifted to physical movement of party loyalists and rented crowds to Kaduna in the name of a million man march”.

We’ll Not Fold Our Arms And Watch PDP Hit The Rocks – Mark

Senate President David Mark has declared that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party will not sink as being anticipated by some people as a result of the current crisis rocking the party.

Mark stated this on Thursday in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, ahead of the forthcoming National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting of the PDP.

The senate president assured Nigerians that leaders of the party would come together to save it from its current crisis.

He said, “We will arrest the current situation and save our party from further disintegration. Some Nigerians are talking about Tsunami in the PDP because of the defection by some members of our party holding elective and non-elective positions.

“As leaders, we will not sit by and continue to allow this drift. We shall do the needful and ensure that we save our great party”, Mark said.

While admitting that the development was a challenge, Mark added that genuine efforts would be made to reconcile the party men and women with the aim of bringing peace and unity into the party.

He also expressed optimism that the Senate would remain a united family and that “what affects the welfare and well-being of Nigerians would be the interests of the Senate”.

Don’t Force Sanusi Out, APC Warns Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan has been advised by the All Progressives Congress (APC), to tread softly on his reported plan to force the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to resign, over the leaked $49.8bn unremitted funds letter, warning that the nation’s economy would be adversely affected by such action.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said asking the CBN Governor to step down, on the basis of a mere allegation that he leaked the letter he wrote to the President, over the unremitted $49.8 billion oil revenue, does not bode well for an economy that is already on crutches.

It warned that any move to suspend Sanusi and use security forces to prevent him from entering his office, as reported by the media, will even be worse, because it will mean that the President is willing to circumvent the provision of the law that the Governor of the CBN can only be removed by two-thirds of the Senate membership.

APC also said suspending Sanusi will be a replay of the damage that President Jonathan did to the judiciary when he suspended Salami until his retirement, and he could easily re-enact such scenario if, for example, he feels that the INEC Chairman has offended him.

”Our worry here is that the President should not destroy our institutions before he leaves office,” the party said. [Vanguard]

VIDEO: “President Jonathan Has Brought Light To Nigeria” - Reuben Abati

In an exclusive interview with SaharaTV on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Goodluck Jonathan Dr. Reuben Abati opened up about the future of Nigeria under the Jonathan administration and detailed some of the government's plans to commemorate Nigeria's centenary.

Abati reflected on Nigeria at 100, and why the event should be marked by merrymaking rather than melancholy. 

“The beauty of this country, according to President Jonathan, lies in our diversity,” Abati told SaharaTV’s Rudolf Okonkwo. “He says that 100 years later the coming together of Nigeria provides us an opportunity to celebrate.”Abati encouraged Nigerians to be patriotic and to embrace sentiments of a united Nigeria. 

“Nigeria has survived beyond being a mere geographical expression,” he stated.

“President Jonathan has brought light,” he said. Abati assured viewers that “President Jonathan too is concerned about corruption”. He added that President Jonathan has increased transparency and accountability in his government, citing the exorcism of payroll “ghosts” and President Jonathan’s commitment to fair elections. 
READ MORE: http://news.naij.com/56104.html

APC begins mass mobilisation of member

Yola - All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa on Thursday said it had embarked on mass mobilisation campaign ahead of its nationwide membership registration.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some APC chieftains, led by retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa, and Chief Marcus Gundiri, have just concluded tour of senatorial zones in the state.

Marwa, former governorship candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), urged supporters of the party to come out in large number to register with APC.

Similarly, Governor Murtala Nyako, who along with four other governors, defected to APC, had directed his supporters to ensure they were not left out in APC registration.

The governor, who recently received the 27 local government chairmen and their councillors along with 37 state development area administrators into APC, urged them to mobilise their people for the exercise.

NAN reports that the situation has led to all former offices of the ACN, ANPP, CPC and some PDP transforming into APC in the state.

Speaking on the situation, the North East Protem National Vice Chairman of APC, Umar Duhu, told NAN that it was a good development and "a big plus for the party''.

Duhu said the registration was expected to begin in January.

Duhu enjoined all the stakeholders to close ranks by working for the success of the exercise.

According to him, registration of members is a prelude for the victory of the party at all levels in 2015 general elections. 

-  NAN

President Asks Sanusi To Resign For ‘Leaking’ $49.8bn Unremitted Funds Letter

In a move that may be bad for the image of a leader that has been criticised for his stance on corruption, President Goodluck Jonathan has asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to resign immediately on the grounds that the letter Sanusi wrote to him on the unremitted $49.8 billion oil revenue to the Federation Account, was leaked to former President Olusegun Obasanjo by the CBN governor.

Just months to the end of his tenure as governor, Sanusi has however refused to resign, even as he denied leaking the letter to anyone.

He was said to have informed the president during the heated telephone exchange that he could only be removed by two-thirds of the Senate as required by law.

The president was reported to have called Sanusi and accused him of leaking the letter to Obasanjo, which enabled the latter to use it as one of many allegations he levelled against Jonathan in his letter titled: “Before It is Too Late”.

According to a source in the presidency, the president was very angry and was not prepared to allow Sanusi proceed on his terminal leave in March, asked him to tender his resignation before the close of business last Tuesday.

Angered by the president’s position, Sanusi, who denied that he had leaked his letter to Obasanjo made it clear he would not be forced out, except he is removed by two-thirds of the Senate.

He also told the president that the letter was available in the presidential villa, available in the finance ministry and available in the central bank and wondered how he (Sanusi) could have leaked the letter, which was so widely available, to a former two-term president of Nigeria who has his people all over the place.

Sanusi also expressed his surprise to the president that he was the one being asked to resign instead of the president to ask those responsible for the non-remittance of the funds to resign.

Sources say his response threw the president aback, degenerating into a heated exchange during which Sanusi told the president that as the federal government’s Chief Economic Adviser, mandatorily required to bring issues of critical economic importance to the attention of the president, he had done a patriotic duty to his country.

“He informed the president that it is necessary to deal with the issues and not the letter that had been leaked since it has since been established that it was not $49.8 billion that had not been remitted to the Federation Account, but $10.8 billion, which was still in dispute and by any stretch of imagination was still a large sum.

“Sanusi felt he was being forced out for doing his patriotic duty to his country by drawing attention to the unaccounted funds. He only has two months to go, so this was a ploy to force him out and destroy his career and reputation.

“He knew this and for this reason, refused to throw in the towel as requested by the president,” a source familiar with the conversation told Thisday.

The president was said to have however remained adamant and insisted on the CBN governor’s resignation.

Sanusi had written to the president in September informing him that, among other issues, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had not remitted $49.8 billion of oil revenue to the Federation Account over a 19-month period.

Although the letter was not made public until December 4, 2013 when it was leaked, Obasanjo referred to it in his letter dated December 2, 2013, to the president.

'2015 Imo governorship election will be issue based'

Owerri - Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo on Wednesday said that the 2015 governorship election in the state would be issue- based

Okorocha also said that the election would not be  determined by any political party.

This information is contained in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Sam Onwuemeodo, in Owerri.

He said the state had grown to the level that only the people would decide who would govern them and not any party.

The governor said the state government would continue to resist the temptation to join issues with anybody, rather it would keep its records straight for posterity.

'The truth of the matter remains that by 2015, the Imo electorate would determine what happens with the governorship of the state and not any party,” he said.

Okorocha said that parties were free to present any candidate of their choice while the present administration would present its score card for Imo people to make their decisions. 

- NAN

Ruling party sticks to its religious guns

Abuja - The People’s Democratic Party is undeterred by accusations that it is fanning religious tensions in the country.

It said it stood by its statement that APC was promoting religious divisions and challenged the opposition to be “bold enough” to publish the list of its 35 interim officials and state their offices.

The ruling party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, said it was “shocking that the APC would attempt to hoodwink Nigerians even in the face of incontrovertible facts exposing its religious inclinations and plots to divide the nation along religious lines.”

The PDP said contrary to the denials posted by the APC in a “hollow” statement on Wednesday, “the revelations by an Islamic cleric, Ambassador Yusuf Garba and the Religious Equity Promotion Council (REPC) that APC seeks to impose an agenda like the Egypt Muslim Brotherhood remains a fact that cannot be brushed aside.”

“Contrary to clams by the APC that the PDP is playing a religious card to overheat the polity the ruling party has decided to buttress an alert to Nigerians on the evil machination of the APC with every sense of duty to ensure that Nigeria remains united as one and not fall to the evil plot of the APC,” Metuh stated.

The ruling party reiterated that it remained committed to the interest of all Nigerians irrespective of religious, tribal, ethnic or regional affiliations adding that it would continue to expose and resist anything that sought to cause divisions among the people and balkanize the country.

It therefore called on Nigerians not to succumb to the “antics” of the APC which it alleged was now bitter that its plans had been exposed. 

– CAJ News

APC dismay at PDP religion accusations

Abuja - The All Progressives Congress (APC) lamented the alleged decision by the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to use religion as a trump card in the run-up to the general election scheduled for 2015.

Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said APC was “gravely alarmed” and “totally disgusted” at the decision.

'”This irresponsible accusation by the PDP that the APC is dividing Nigerians along religious lines is a new low even for a party that stands for nothing but incompetence, looting and election rigging. It is an indication that the desperadoes in the PDP will throw everything, including the kitchen sink, into their campaign to stop the wave of change blowing across Nigeria,'” Mohammed said in Abuja.
It said the reason it had refrained from joining issues with the PDP, despite its sponsored campaign to portray the APC as an ''Islamic'' party, was because APC knew the dangers of engaging in religious politics.

“No party wishing to lead Nigeria aright can do so on the basis of religion or ethnicity. Therefore, we are compelled to warn the PDP not to play what it believes to be its trump card, the religious card, against the APC, because whatever politicians do, they must refrain from ethnic or religious politics and put their country above selfish considerations. Only an irresponsible party will play the religious card for any reason,” Mohammed said.

The party said it was neither logical nor rational to accuse a party whose 35 interim officials were almost equally split between the adherents of the two major religions (18 Muslims and 17 Christians) and cuts across all ethnic lines as an “Islamic party.”

“We are therefore warning the PDP to stop this dangerous campaign forthwith, unless of course it has decided that its interest supersedes that of the nation. If the PDP fails to stop this campaign, we will be compelled to conclude that the party (PDP) is trying to plug in to the global stereotype against adherents of a certain religion just to spread fear and garner support in certain circles,” Mohammed stated.
He appealed to people to ignore the ruling party’s stance.

“Nigerians have a history of religious tolerance that has served the country so well. We urge our compatriots to continue along this path, irrespective of the antics of a party that has finally drowned due to its own internal failings and contradictions,” Mohammed said. 

– CAJ News