Fayemi Floors Eleka At Ekiti Governorship Election Tribunal

The Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has unanimously strucked out Eleka's case and declared Fayemi as the duly elected governor of Ekiti State.

Eleka, who contested under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had filed a petition against Fayemi of All Progressives Congress, APC,  alleging series of election irregularities and malpractices.

“Buhari, APC Have Turned Executive Lawlessness into Statecraft”- Atiku

The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has berated the President and the All Progressives Congress, APC for “turning “executive lawlessness into statecraft”. He said this in a state of the nation address on Monday morning.

Below is the text of the former Vice President’s address:

“Yet again, our dear country is passing through a difficult moment. How we react to this challenge in the following days will determine the fate of our democracy, which has been brought to great peril by this needless crisis engineered by a government that is unwilling to subject its conducts to the requirements of our constitution.

Meanwhile, I commend all Nigerians and friends of Nigeria who have expressed outrage over the unlawful removal of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, an action, which constitutes a flagrant breach of our constitution and a frontal assault on our democracy. I want to note the universal condemnation of this unlawful act by all Nigerians, as well as the international community.

I need to state that this latest action by General Muhammadu Buhari falls squarely within the pattern of executive lawlessness that has now been firmly turned into statecraft by the APC government.

The serial disregard of court orders, and consequent violation of constitutionally guaranteed human rights of our citizens confirms beyond all doubt that General Buhari and his government would rather obey their own whims and operate by separate rules outside the well-established constitutional order and the rule of law. It scarcely requires emphasis that this behaviour is alien to democratic rule and more in line with that of a military dictator.

Without doubt, the fight against corruption is crucial to good governance and the progress of our country. In this context, the issue of corruption as it relates to the institution of the judiciary is even more crucial. As the last refuge of the common man, our judiciary must not only be above suspicion but must also be seen to be manifestly above board. The issue at stake is not whether the Chief Justice is guilty or not, but whether his removal from office has been done in accordance with the process specified in our constitution.

As a democrat, I must say, without equivocation, that no mission or goal, no matter how noble or well intended, should be used as a pretext for the subversion of our democracy and our democratic institutions. To create a condition that allows the constitution and the rule of law to become secondary to any other agenda is to pave the way for tyranny. History is replete with odious dictators whose path to dictatorship started with statements of good intentions. We must therefore remain vigilant in defense of our democracy.

We are all witnesses to how this government has serially assaulted the National Assembly, a separate arm of government that represents the bastion of our democracy. However, with this attack on the judiciary, General Buhari has set a new precedent in our democracy that has no equivalence in our history, not even in the darkest days of military dictatorship. This cannot be allowed to stand.

At this juncture, I must warn the APC government to desist from taking actions that may push us further down the slippery slope towards a major constitutional crisis that could derail the electoral process. General Muhammadu Buhari must remember that he is a beneficiary of a free and fair election. It is therefore a matter of honour for him to allow a political environment and process that gives confidence to everyone.

All my life, I have been a democrat and a defender of democracy. Like all men of good conscience and patriots, I believe this present challenge has imposed on us yet again, the duty to rise in peaceful defense of democracy, for which so many have laid down their lives. I also know that the surest weapon against tyranny is the democratic will of the people. Nigerians have consistently demonstrated their preference for democracy, and I am, and will always remain, on the side of the people of Nigeria.

I conclude by expressing, once again, my gratitude to the international community for standing by us in this challenging time. However, the primary responsibility to resist tyranny and protect democracy in Nigeria ultimately lies with Nigerians. It is on this note that I call on all Nigerians to seize the opportunity of the coming general elections to vote in defense of democracy and the rule of law.

We must vote out this anti-democratic government and restore our country to the path of true democracy, which is the surest way to ensure progress and prosperity for our people.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. God bless you all”.

Rotimi Amaechi Bypasses SGF, Singlehandedly Dissolves NDDC Board

Emerging facts have shown that the Hon. Minister for Transport, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi is the brain behind the dissolution of the Niger Delta Development Commission board, and the appointment of Prof. Nelson Brambaifa as the MD of the interventionist agency. 

Available information reveals that Mr Amaechi bypassed the Secretary to Federal government, Mr. Boss Mustapha, in dissolving the NDDC board. 

According to available information, Amaechi has for long sought for the removal of Mr. Derek .L. Mene, who is said to be an ally of Magnus Abe, who the Transport minister is having a running battle of supremacy with, in the Rivers state All Progressives Congress. 

Amaechi was said to have written a memo to President Muhammadu Buhari, requesting the dissolution of the board of the interventionist agency. This was said to have been overridden by the SGF, Boss Mustapha, who made it known that the offices are tenured, thus advised against the dissolution.

On Friday, the 25th of January, 2019, the outgone MD, Mr. Nsima Ekere, was at the presidency to submit his resignation letter, and to thank President Muhammadu Buhari for giving him the opportunity to serve. This, information sources claimed, threw Mr. Amaechi into a desperate state, as he dashed down to the presidency with an old memo earlier assented to by Mr President, before the attention of Mr President was drawn to the impropriety of acceding to Amaechi's  request. 

According to credible sources, it was the old memo that Mr. Amaechi handed over to President Buhari's spokesman, Mr. Femi Adeshina, prevailing on him to announce the dissolution of the NDDC board, who thought he was carrying out Mr. President’s order. 

The announcement which came through some online media portals and social media sites, has been generating negative responses from across the Niger Delta. Some Niger Deltans are of the opinion that since the outgone MD, Mr.Nsima Ekere's tenure is expected to expire by 2021, his replacement in the light of his resignation, should have come from Akwa Ibom where the outgone MD hails from as stipulated by the act to complete their tenure. By procedure, the executive director finance and administration should have acted as managing director till such a time a replacement is appointed and confirmed by the senate. 

In the light of this that the transport minister who sees the EDFA Mr Derek Mene an allay to senator Abe a threat who must be removed. Seeing the difficulty in singling him out for removal, went for the dissolution of the entire board damning the consequences it would have on the government and the complete violation on the act establishing the NDDC without recourse to the law. 

The appointment of Prof. Nelson Brambaifa, a Bayelsan and his returning officer in the 2015 elections, by Mr. Rotimi Amaechi from the position of a state Rep, to an acting MD, is done in bad taste, and is seen in many quarters as a slight on chief Timipre Sylva who is the leader of the party in Bayelsa state. Also, the removal of Mr. Derek Mene, an Ogoni man who is being replaced by Mr. Chris Oyendah Amadi, an Ikwerre man is a slight to the ogonis who are the largest oil producers. This appointments have created an imbalance in the spread of offices, as Mr. Chris is from the same zone with Minister Amaechi, and doubles as his personal assistant.

What is the essence of dissolving an entire board only to handpick loyal individuals in acting capacity?

Sources claim that Mr. Rotimi Chubike Amechi, has continued to pursue his disdain for Sen. Magnus Abe and by extension his hatred for the Ogoni's by removing their son Mr. Derek Mene and replacing him with his kinsman Mr. Chris Oyirinda Amadi who was never part of the board just to further his personal ambition at the expense of the federal government.