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NATIONAL NEWS
January 19, 2013
Saturday Mirror www.nationalmirroronline.net
Opposition merger: PDP top shots hijack process •Attempts to woo Obj, govs, others revealed OBIORA IFOH ABUJA
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he proposed merger of top opposition parties including the Action Congress of Nigeria, Congress for Progressive Change and All Nigeria Peoples Party among others may have been hijacked by the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC and the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP had earlier agreed to work out a merger arrangement until Wednesday when CPC announced it would rather go it alone with ACN. Saturday Mirror gathered that the decision of the CPC to go it alone with ACN is unconnected with the suspicion that top PDP leaders are really behind the original merger arrangement having infiltrated the group.
Sources disclosed that meetings have been held on several occasions since last year in different parts of the country, particularly in Abuja, Ota, Minna and Kano on the need to harmonise interests to ensure that the merger arrangement becomes a viable option to the dominance of the PDP. Leader of the CPC and former military Head of State General Mohammadu Buhari in one the meetings held in Kano was said not to be comfortable with the incursion of some PDP elements in the arrangement and sworn to back out should the door be opened to all comers. He was particularly worried about some elements in ANPP who he said had betrayed him in the past. He said although he had nothing against former President Obasanjo being wooed, he objected to the likes of a former governor of Borno State who incidentally is one of the lead-
ers of the ANPP. It was based on the position of the former head of state that the CPC officially announced that it would go ahead with the merger arrangement only on the ground that ANPP is excluded. But buttressing the fear of Buhari, the CPC governorship candidate in Enugu State and a chieftain of Congress for Progressive Party, CNPP, Osita Okechukwu, told Saturday Mirror that the status of ANPP was not yet clear as the party was assumed to have PDP elements. Okechukwu stated that the present merger is the first phase and subsequent phases would come up after the ACN and CPC merger talk. Asked why it is difficult to have other parties at this stage of the merger talks, he said: “To make it easier, as the General has said, ACN and CPC had reached a certain level before 2011 general election. You know within ANPP,
there are some associates of PDP there and that was what the General was particular about because some of these elements might not allow the merger to work. So, why don’t we make sure that it works before allowing everybody to come in?” Also the ANPP Board of Trustees chairman and former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff told Saturday Mirror shortly after the BoT meeting of the party held on Tuesday that the merger with CPC was no longer a priority to the party. According to him, ANPP would rather concentrate in rebuilding ahead of the 2015 general election. According to him, “We reviewed the general activities of the party, we had earlier set up a committee to recommend how to rebuild and restructure all our chapters throughout the country. The BoT devoted time to look into the report of the committee and based
on the report we have taken decision to embark on fencemending in any state branch where there is a problem. “The report presented to us concerns the current state of our party chapters in all the 36 states of the federation. From the report, we are convinced that apart from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), there is no any other party with as much structure like the ANPP nationwide. Apart from the ruling party and ANPP there is no other political party that has a structures from the wards up to the national level. We are trying to look inwards and consider how best to reposition ANPP as a party. We believe that for us to talk to anybody on merger, we have to first repair our home.” Already Imo State governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has indicated interest to dump All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, to pitch tent with the new party while some PDP governors who are not satisfied with the
Mali: Fears over possible terrorists attack in North A ZA MSUE KADUNA
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L-R: Former president of Ghana, Mr. John Kuffour; former Head of Interim Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan; former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Senate President, David Mark, at a civic reception to celebrate Obasanjo in Abeokuta, yesterday.
Mark, Kuffor, Shonekan, others extol Obasanjo FEMI OYEWESO ABEOKUTA
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enate presidents, David Mark; former Ghanaian president, John Kuffor and former Head of Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan were among eminent personalities that extolled the leadership qualities of former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. The trio spoke yesterday in Ogun at the grand civic reception organised by the South West zone of the People’s Democratic Party
(PDP) to welcome the former president home after retiring as the Chairman of Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party. Kuffor, who in his keynote address, noted that very few heroes were honoured while still alive, described Chief Obasanjo as a living and outstanding legend who had contributed to the transformation of African economy and restoration of peace across the continent. Describing Chief Obasanjo as a “gift to Africa” whose leadership qualities transcends Nigeria, Kuffor also stressed that the former Nigerian president
had greatly contributed to the transformation and upliftment of less-privileged African countries. In his remarks, Senate President, David Mark described Obasanjo as an outstanding Nigeria statesman whose record would be difficult to surpass. In his own remarks, former Heads of Interim National Government (ING), Chief Shonekan described Obasanjo as a man of integrity who stuck to the military agreement of handling over power peacefully to elected civilian in 1979. He said Obasanjo, who
started life from a humble beginning was passionately committed to the unity of Nigeria and that he had never physically or emotionally deviated from that course. In his remarks, Chief Obasanjo who responded to all the encomiums showered on him by the eminent personalities attributed his accomplishments in life to “the grace of God”. Obasanjo said all his actions in life had been guided by three principles of whether he could defend his actions before people as well as whether such action benefits the majority of the people.
development in their party, particularly the romance between President Jonathan and the PDP chairman, Tukur may also join forces with the new party. A source also said that the members of the Nigeria Governors Forum are also watching the development with keen interest as the relationship between its PDP members and the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP has continued to get worse. The Gov. Chibuike Amaechi led governors forum has refused to work with Tukur since his assumption to office in March 2012 over their inability to get their choice, Dr. Babaye Shehu elected as the National Chairman of PDP. It is no longer news that Niger State governor, Dr. Babangida Aliu has flagged off his presidential campaign defying party norms that an incumbent is given the first right of refusal. It is believed that President Jonathan still harbours second term ambition.
here is palpable fear of attack in the North as Mali rebels gain entrance into Nigeria through its borders. The fear is fuelled by the suspicion that the rebels might join forces with the dreaded Islamic sect, book Haram which has threatened the peace of the country in recent time. Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Azubike Ihejirika, had on Thursday disclosed the presence of some Mali trained rebels in Nigeria, assuring however that internal security measures and that of neighboring countries were being beefed up. Gen. Ihejirika dropped the hint in an interview with journalists after the take off ceremony of troops on the Nigerian Battalion 1 of the African Led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) at the Nigerian Army Peacekeeping Center (NAPKC),Jaji, Kaduna State. Saturday Mirror gathered that security agencies are worried over more deadly terrorist bombings especially in the Northern
part of Nigeria if preventive measures are not put in place by authorities. A dependable security source said that both plain clothes and special terrorist force squad had been sent to strengthen security checks at the nation’s borders for manhunt of Mali rebels. “What happened during late Mammar Gaddafi’s Libya uprising should not repeat itself in Nigeria. Many fighters entered Northern Nigeria and we experienced more terrorist deadly attacks than ever before. “The Mali terrorists’ war will end up putting Nigeria into more attacks because as chief of army staff had said in Jaji some Mali rebels are in the country already, and all hands should be on deck if not our situation will be worst.” Meanwhile, former governor of the defunct Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, in an interview with Saturday Mirror warned the federal government to be wary of western interest in Mali saying it is possible for Boko Haram and other militant groups to link with Mali rebels for possible attacks in Nigeria.