Politics

Mixed Reactions Greet Jonathan’s Dissolution Of FEC

Published

13 years ago

March 21, 2010

In a similar vein, some Nigerians living in North America have cautioned Acting President against recycling old politicians when appointing new ministers.

They said the country’s executive arm of government needed the services of patriotic Nigerians to steer the ship of state to political stability and economic prosperity.

For many the dissolution of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) last Wednesday did not come as a rude shock. A lot of notable Nigerians had anticipated few weeks after he was confirmed as Acting President that Dr Goodluck Jonathan would dissolve the cabinet. But he didn’t.

So on Wednesday when Dr. Jonathan took the bold step to sack the divisive FEC, a lot of people hailed it as “long overdue”. The Acting President had few days after assuming power reshuffled the cabinet.

Prior to the action, the FEC had displayed nonchalance to the yearning of Nigerians for a decisive action to fill the vacuum left by over three months absence of President Umaru Yar’Adua recuperating at a Saudi Hospital.

The same indecisive attitude had overtaken the FEC in the past three weeks since Dr Jonathan assumed powers as Acting President. But with the divisive cabinet now finally dissolved notable Nigerians believe the coast is now clear for Jonathan to mount the ruddership of the country.

Speaking on the development, former Governor of Old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa said that the action was in furtherance of constitutionalism. “We support his action”, he declared, “our concern with the Acting President is constitutionalism. We are supporting him based on the constitution to enable him perform.

He however, pointed out that the cabinet dissolution was completely a PDP affair and the acting president must get their support and also needs the support of the National Assembly.

On his part, Executive Director of Human Rights Monitor told The Tide On Sunday that the Acting President has the constitutional right to effect changes in the administration to give it a direction and a focus.

“All his actions are deemed to have the powers of the substantive president and since the donor has not complained yet. But if the substantive president resumed office and disapproved of the dissolution, he can reverse the decision based on public interest”, Okoye said.

On the other hand, he stressed that the action was long overdue because of, “the obvious divisions, distrust, mistrust and lack of fidelity”, while some of the Ministers had lost direction and needed the sack.

The activist cautioned Jonathan against the use and recycling of what he described as the old brigade.

The Action Congress (AC) in Kaduna also said that the dissolution was a welcome development. Speaking, its publicity secretary Mohammed Soba, told reporters that it was a welcome development, as the dissolved cabinet tended to be divided and owed their loyalty to ailing President Umaru Yar’Adua rather than the nation.

Former security adviser to erstwhile Governor of Rivers State, Chief Anabs Sara-Igbe told The Tide On Sunday in a telephone chat that the action is belated.

Said Chief Sara-Igbe, “What he has done is the right thing to do. The Acting President is supposed to have dissolved the cabinet for long ago”.

Chief Sara-Igbe said the action would allow the Acting President to take control of the system and therefore called on Dr. Jonathan to appoint trusted and capable hands in the new cabinet.

Asked what caliber of persons that should make up the new cabinet, the former Rivers State Security Adviser remarked, “He should appoint technocrats and most importantly the new cabinet should be a mixture of radicals and technocrats to move the country forward”.

Similarly, a Senior Lecturer in the Political Science Department of the Rivers State University of Education, Dr Godwin Dappa submitted that the dissolution “is an evolution for better political stability in Nigeria”.

For Dr. Dappa, the Acting President’s action would break the backbone of the cabal responsible for destabilising the polity, since after President Yar’Adua took ill last year.

The lecturer, who is also United Nations special envoy to Dafur declared, “I see some of those appointed in the Acting President’s Advisory Council to be potential ministers”.

He added that there was nothing wrong with picking some of the President advisers from the advisory committee, since some of them are capable and trusted hands.

In a similar vein, some Nigerians living in North America have cautioned Acting President against recycling old politicians when appointing new ministers.

They said the country’s executive arm of government needed the services of patriotic Nigerians to steer the ship of state to political stability and economic prosperity.

Prof. Mobolaji Aluko, President of Nigerian Democratic Movement, a United States based pro-democracy group said he was curious about reports that the Acting President planned to return 20 former ministers.

“I’am not sure what the new strategy of the Acting President would be, but I would be surprised if he should sack 42 ministers and bring back 20. It would then not be a cabinet dissolution but a reshuffle,” he said.

Visiting Professor at the City University of New York, Ms Adanma Eze declared, “Nigeria needs a new set of people that are presentable on the global stage”.

She called on the Acting President to give more women the opportunity to serve in the new cabinet, in the spirit of the growing global trend, which recommends active women participation in governance.

Also the leader of Niger Delta Indigenes in Ghana, Rev. Selepere Appreala has described Jonathan’s action as being in the right track to develop the nation by choosing those who will work with him and deliver the nation.

Rev. Apprenla who is also the Head Pastor of Image of God Church Ghana, said it is left for the Acting President to nominate through the National Assembly those who would work with him and be loyal.

He urged Dr Jonathan to appoint technocrats who would work with him and protect the nation’s interest.

Rev. Appreala who hails from Bayelsa State have lived in Ghana for 10 years also said the Acting President is a knowledgeable man that would do every thing to ensure the unity of he nation, as he urged that he should not fail the nation by not reforming the electoral process.

He called on him to sack Chief Maurice Iwu and appoint a man with vision and international and national credibility and integrity.

According to him, “the Acting President should urgently re-address the issue of developing the nation and also addressing the post amnesty programme that would put a stop to the violence in the region.”

Rev. Appreala however said there should be re-organisation in the NNPC and also address the imbalance in the top managements of the petroleum sector.

It would be recalled that Nigeria’s Acting President Goodluck Jonathan had last Wednesday dissolved the country’s cabinet.

Dr. Jonathan became Acting President in February amid the continuing illness of President Umaru Yar’Adua.

President Yar’Adua went to Saudi Arabia for treatment in November last year and despite returning to Nigeria recently, has not been seen in public.

The dissolved cabinet was appointed by President Yar’Adua and the Acting President is working to stamp his own authority by asserting and exercising his powers.

Politics

Rivers Gov’ship: Obuah Congratulates Fubara, Hails Rivers People

Published

2 days ago

March 22, 2023

The Tide

The Director-General of the 2023 Campaign Council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Bro Felix Obuah, has congratulated the Governor-elect, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, on his resounding victory at the March 18, Governorship election in the State.
Bro. Obuah in his congratulatory statement commended the calm disposition and the steady mobilizing spirit of the Governor-elect throughout the electioneering campaign which endeared him the more to the electorate as demonstrated by their massive votes.
Rivers people, Bro. Obuah noted, cannot but thank God for the successful polls in the face of daunting tasks.
Bro Obuah who is also the immediate past State PDP Chairman expressed greater joy that the winning streak of his regime has continued to bear fruit in the State.
According to him, Sir Sim Fubara is another choice rightly made by the people to continue to enjoy good governance and dividends of democracy at its best which is the result of the choice of His Excellency, Chief Barr. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike in 2015 and 2019, respectively.
“I give kudos to our Rivers people for their appreciation of all the good works of our indefatigable ‘Mr. Quality Projects’ which they expressed through their massive votes for our Governor-elect and all the PDP candidates in the just concluded elections,” Bro Obuah expressed.
He said the PDP-led government in the state is spurred by the people’s gratitude and poised to do more for the people as a new political dispensation gets underway.
He thanked Governor Wike for his foresight, courage and unwavering spirit to raise the bar of political leadership in the State which is gradually taking roots in the land as a tradition.
Bro Obuah also commended the community heads, traditional rulers, women groups, religious groups, and the youths for listening to the voice of reason which contributed to making the 2023 election in the state a good one.
The Director-General of the Rivers State PDP Campaign Council also congratulated the 32 candidates of the PDP that won the 32 seats in the State House of Assembly and all National Assembly members elected on the platform of the PDP.
He said now that the elections were over, it was time for all hands to be on deck for the much desired peaceful atmosphere necessary for good governance.
He dedicated the PDP victory to all Rivers people and pledged his usual fatherly support to the leadership for a more united and better Rivers State.

Politics

Abia Gov’ship Election Result: Social Media Report Fake, Says INEC

Published

3 days ago

March 22, 2023

The Tide

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has denounced an online report accusing its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu of attempts to violate its guidelines and consequently distort the Governorship election result in Abia State.
Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi said the only communication sent to the State Returning Officer was the commission’s directive suspending further collation of results.
He said; “The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu never called the Returning Officer to give her a directive. Rather, the Returning Officer wanted the official communication on the Commission’s decision to suspend the collation of results in Abia State. The Chairman then directed that pending the delivery of the hard copies, the soft copies of the Commission’s letter be forwarded immediately to the Resident Electoral Commissioner of Enugu State and the Administrative Secretary of Abia State.
“The Returning Officer for Abia State then directed that the contents of the letter be read aloud by the Administrative Secretary in the presence of agents of political parties, observers, the media and security personnel at the Collation Centre.
“This is what is now being mischievously interpreted as a directive to the Returning Officer on some phantom criteria at variance with the approved guidelines. There is nothing like that.
“In fact, the content of the letter is basically the same as the Commission’s Press Release dated Monday 20th March 2023 which has since been uploaded to the Commission’s social media platforms and is already in the public domain.
“The public should disregard the story as fake news”, said Oyekanmi.
A portal, Strenuous Blog, had quoted the Returning Officer as alleging that she was being forced to do the wrong thing.
According to the portal; “The INEC Presiding Officer In Abia State Nnenna Oti had this to say…’I’m Professor Nnenna Oti from Afikpo. I am the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri, The people’s mandate shall stand. I have spent all my adult life in pursuit of the ideals of good governance. We shall stand by the these principles. The pastor in me (she is a Pastor with the RCCG) and the mother in me will not permit me to do anything that will adversely affect the future of our children. I shall do right by God and by man!’
“Then to the shock and surprise of everyone in the hall, she said that the INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, personally called her and gave her directives on guidelines to follow in ensuring that Abia governorship election results were collated based on some criteria but that on her own she has decided that the will of Abia voters would not be subverted under her watch.
“At that point, she asked the Administrative Secretary to read the message she said that came from the INEC headquarters Abuja”.
Checks by The Tide source revealed that the commission has no such nomenclature as “State INEC Presiding Officer”.

Politics

Declare Binani Adamawa Governor-Elect, WPF Urges INEC

Published

3 days ago

March 22, 2023

The Tide

The Women in Politics Forum, WPF, said Nigerian women will not allow history to repeat itself in the ongoing gubernatorial election in Adamawa State.
The WPF, a non partisan organization for women with membership across the 36 states and FCT, stated this in a statement, yesterday.
The group said Nigerian women are aware that results from 20 local government areas had been collated, giving the APC gubernatorial candidate, Senator Aishatu Binani an early and consistent lead.
The WPF advised the Independent National Electoral Commision, INEC, to ensure the results are not manipulated and that Senator Binani is given her mandate and declared as the winner of the election.
In a press release signed by the National President of the women forum, Ebere Ifendu, the forum noted that there was great misconduct in the election results collation center which she said followed the refusal by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Hudu Yunusa, to collate governorship results from Fufore local government area.
Ifendu said, “We will not accept a repeat of history. In 2011, Her Excellency, Dame Pauline Tallen contested for the Plateau State Governorship election and was cruising to Victory when announcing of results suddenly stopped, and when it was finally announced, they had stolen her mandate. This was exactly the fate of Senator Aisha Al Hassan ( mama Taraba). Her victory was also stolen. We can no longer watch our collective mandate stolen from us.
“Nigerian Women have worked hard and waited patiently for this victory and woe betide that person that will be used against the wishes and aspirations of Adamawa people and Nigerian women.
“We can confirm from our agents in Adamawa State that Senator Aishatu Binani is having overwhelming lead in Fufore Local Government.
“We are aware of the manipulation going on in the state and the role of Governor fintiri who had earlier used his state powers to frustrate Senator Binani’s campaign and has further gone ahead to tamper with the figures coming from Fufore LGA;
“…which undoubtedly is Senator Binani’s strong hold ,and originally in favour of the APC candidate, and using the state INEC officials and media to fabricate stories and raising false allegations against her .
“This is a grossly condemnable act and we are raising our voices as Nigerian women to seek immediate intervention to prohibit and abort the manipulation against Senator Binani as we see this as a daylight robbery of her mandate and an affront to Nigerian Women.
“Nigerian women are calling on INEC to ensure that the results are not manipulated and that Senator Aishatu Binani is given her mandate and declared the winner of the election.
“We are also using this medium to call on security agencies to be more effective in protecting the public against attacks by political thugs.
“We have received reports of violent attacks on innocent citizens of the state. We demand that the perpetrators of violence should be arrested and prosecuted while the police is more vigilant and proactive to prevent violence.”