SATURDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, FEBRUARY 7 7, 2015 — 11
Why southern leaders want Jaga to quit
Appeal Court voids Chris Ubah,Okonkwo’s Senatorial tickets
•Accuse him of hobnobbing with Northern elders to handover to Buhari, a Northerner
*Sacks Oguebego-led Anambra PDP exco *Ekwunife,Andy Uba,Stella Oduah may be beneficiaries of verdict
By Henry Umoru
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OUTHERN leaders have reiterated why the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, must as a matter of urgency be sacked, and be arrested, accusing him of conniving with Northern elders and leaders to rig Jonathan out of the February 14, Presidential election in favour of a northern candidate. According to the Southern leaders from the South South, South West and South East geo-political zones of the country, Prof. Jega has betrayed public trust, respect and acceptance, sublime attributes that were required for an impartial electoral umpire as he was accused of hobnobbing with members of
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the Northern Elders Forum, perfecting moves to ensure that the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC was declared the winner of the election. Led by former Vice President Alex Ekwueme; one time Federal Commissioner for Information and South-South Leader, Chief Edwin Clark; Arcbishop Ayo Ladigbolu as South East, South South and South West leaders, southern leaders on the banner of the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly, SNPA in a strong worded statement issued at a press briefing in Abuja noted that Jega was promoting an ethnic agenda by favouring the North against the South, with what they termed an unholy conspiracy between INEC and the
Northern Elders to install a Northern president through rigging. The statement was signed by Former Vice President Alex Ekwueme as the Coordinating Chairman and South East leader; Chief Edwin Clark who is the South South leader and Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu who is the South West leader. Also present at the briefing were Senator Femi Okurounmu signed the statement for Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu; former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife who signed for former Vice President Alex Ekwueme; Senator Femi Okurounmu signed for Archbishop Ladigbolu; former Minister of Information, Walter Ofonagoro; a former Commis-
sioner in Bayelsa State, Chief Whisky Ayakeme; Dr. Cairo Ojugboh, among others. Reading an 8-page text for the SNPA, Senator Femi Okurounmu who stood in for Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, called for the postponement of this month’s Presidential and general elections to allow for the Federal Government to reconstitute, reposition and reprocess INEC to enable the electoral body discharge effectively it’s responsibility of conducting an impartial election. According to the leaders, there were plans to rig the 2015 election hatched by the Northern Elders Forum, NEF in collaboration with Professor Jega led INEC, adding “As a responsible government agency, it is only germane that Nigerians, whose tax monies are used to fund its operations, are properly informed on these critical aspects of INEC’s activities. We make bold to say that Prof. Jega has betrayed public trust, respect and acceptance, sublime attributes that are necessary for an impartial electoral umpire.” According to them, it became imperative for the immediate arrest of Jega over allegation that he has criminally mastermind the procurement of Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs for under-aged pupils in contravention of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as Amended and the Electoral Act, 2010. According to them, failure to sack Jega by the President as well as postpone the already fixed elections, the Sourthern leaders threatened that they would ensure that they employ and mobilize with all ounce of energy at their disposal to ensure that the people of the South West, South South and South East do not participate in the February 14 and 28 general elections, adding that if INEC goes ahead with the polls with Jega Presiding, “the consequences may be too grave for Nigeria to bear.”
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HE ambitions of Chief Chris Ubah,Chief Annie Okonkwo and Prince John Emeka to represent Anambra South,Anambra Central and Anambra North, respectively on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP in the eighth Senate, may have hit the rocks. The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja yesterday sacked the Ejike Oguebego-led Executive Committee of the State PDP that organised the primaries which led to the emergence of the trio and others as the party’s candidates in this month’s elections. The Court also set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja which proclaimed the Ejike Oguebego-led executive committee as the true leadership of PDP in Anambra State as well as the Federal High Court’s decision which voided the Colonel Augustine Akunbundo-led caretak-
er/ad-hoc committee set up PDP to run the affairs of its Anambra chapter. Besides, the Court of Appeal restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from accepting the list of candidates that emanated from the primaries conducted by the caretaker committee, saying only the national leadership of the party may submit names of its candidates to INEC. With the development, the national headquarters of the party will have no option than to present incumbent Senator Andy Ubah, former minister Stella Oduah and House of Representatives member Uche Ekwunife as senatorial candidates for the state since they emerged through the primaries conducted by the Augustine Akunbundo caretaker / adhoc committee.
Advocates of election shift unrelenting — APC
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HE All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that in spite of the commendable and patriotic decision by the National Council of State that the 2015 general elections must go on as scheduled, proponents of election shift have not given up on their desperation to scuttle the elections. In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said, however, that the desperadoes will always fail in their evil machinations, because no power is strong enough to defeat a determined people. It said the provocative call by the bogus Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly for the postponement of the elections and the arrest of INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega is one of the new antics of the election postponement campaigners. ‘’It is shameful that those who should be working hard to promote peaceful elections as scheduled are the same ones doing everything possible to trigger violence. Those who should ordinarily be seen
as elder statesmen have degenerated to dangerous partisans and shameless promoters of a narrow, parochial interest, at the expense of the national interest. ‘’Who does not know that wherever President Goodluck Jonathan’s interest lies, therein you will find Chief Edwin Clark, whether or not it is in the national interest? Who does not know that the anarchic call by Chief Clark and his cohorts are being made at the behest of a frenzied presidency?’’ the party queried. It also pointed to the irresponsible and divisive statement by PDP Spokesman Olisa Metuh as another indication that those working hard to sink the elections have not given up, wondering why Metuh will make such an incendiary statement that the APC and INEC are working hand in hand to disenfranchise the supporters of the PDP by making sure they do not get PVCs, without a shred of evidence beyond sheer emotions.