Okorocha declares free education in Imo

Education, job creation and security top priority list Governor Rochas Okororcha of Imo state announced yesterday to the cheering of enthusiastic crowd of Imo citizens shortly after being administered the oath of office with his deputy Chief Sir Jude Agbaso at Dan Anyiam stadium Owerri.
Immediate past Governor Ikedi Ohakim, his deputy Ada Okwuonu as well as Speaker of the State House of Assembly were however, conspicuously absent at the occasion graced by former governor Achike Udenwa, governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, Chief Victor Umeh, national chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate of the party for the 2007 election Chief Martin Agbaso and other distinguished personalities.
Okorocha who arrived at the venue with his wife and six children took his oath of office at exactly 12 noon after the deputy governor Chief Agbaso was administered the oath by the Chief Judge, Justice Benjamin Njemanze.
Okorocha who burst into songs of praise after his swearing in declared the day a day of freedom, a day of emancipation and a day of restoration for Imo people saying democracy has really started in the state and never again shall an Iroko decides who governs Imo people but the people themselves.
“The May 5 supplementary election remains a great day in history. I see before me a great thing to happen. I know you expect much from me. You believe in me and you trust me. I will perform and I will not disappoint you. Your peace is my peace; your pain is my pain. Where you are, there I will be.
“Just few days ago the outgoing governor Ikedi Ohakim issued staff of office to over 160 traditional rulers. Appointment letters for his 10,000 thousand jobs were released to the beneficiaries within a week. Just few days ago he signed N18, 000 minimum wage for workers. Imo allocation stands at N2.2billion. Imo is not worthy to borrow from any bank because of over borrowing. Even on that I will perform. I will not give any excuse. I will deliver”, he said.
Reeling out his priority areas, Okorocha declared free education and warned that any parents or guardian who refused to send his child or ward to school will face the law. He said he was prompted to declare free education out of his belief that the best that can be given to a child is education as a child without education is a futureless child.
He said Imo has a lot of security challenges and noted that peace has returned to the state since his election because there is a new spirit among the people to move forward. In this regard, he promised to tackle security to the fullest.
“I don’t believe in crime fighting but crime prevention. The criminals are all in our communities and my administration will create a black book for them. No criminal shall go unpunished as far as this administration is concerned”, he said.
On the issue of job he said his government will do a lot to keep everybody busy. He said that he would rescue the few remaining industries in comatose position in the state. He warned civil servants in the state to be serious with their jobs noting that the era of truancy and coming late to work is gone with the old order.
He said: “Our civil servants must stand up and face the challenge. For every single worker, there is a corresponding person waiting to take over your seat if you don’t perform”.
He advised unemployed young men and women in the state looking for jobs to be close to their God henceforth because his government will go to churches to collect list of such job lookers and this will ensure that those to be employed are spiritually certified.
Governor Okorocha did not ignore the health sector as he said that his government will review the issue of health with serious concern. He said he is worried by the issue of justice and fairness and therefore will appoint a special assistant in charge of that to ensure that innocent persons are not kept in prison custody because they have no big man to bail them.
He said: “No innocent person will be kept in police or prison custody anymore. At the same time, no criminal will go unpunished no matte his connection. I therefore warn the big men who are fond of issuing orders to Divisional Police Officers to release detained criminals stop it henceforth or they will replace such criminals in prison.”
Assuring that his government will be grassroots based, Okorocha said his government will create fourth tier of government, Community Government and the seat of power, Douglas House is now in the communities.
He said he was not interested in probing his predecessor, but in auditing the accounts of the state. “This government is not interested in witch hunting anybody. What we are interested in is auditing the account of Imo state. I have no business looking backward”.
He said of the immediate past governor: “Ohakim said his name is Ikiri. But since I won the election he is my brother. I have separated my brother from Ikiri. Ikiri has gone to the bush and my brother has gone back to Isiala Mbano. From today, Ohakim is no longer Ikiri but former governor.

Saudi Arabia rejects Osama bin Laden’s body… as US buries him at sea

Osama bin Laden, the long-time figurehead of the al Qaeda terrorist network, has been buried at sea after being killed in a U.S. raid in Pakistan.

According to U.S. officials bin Laden’s body would be handled in accordance with Muslim traditions, which include strict rules on burial taking place within 24 hours after death.

Bin Laden was a Saudi national, but officials say that the Kingdom was unwilling to have his remains repatriated.

He was killed in a U.S. raid launched early Monday in the relatively-well-heeled town of Abbottabad, near the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.

CBS/AFP

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FALLOUT: 43 killed, 4,500 displaced •As violence spreads to Zamfara, Taraba •Destroy shops, vandalise churches •PDP secretariat, cars burnt •Don’t travel to Nigeria, US warns its citizens •FG deploys 400 anti-riot policemen

THERE has been no let up in the mayhem sweeping across some states in the North, as no fewer than 43 people have been killed in the heat of the protests that greeted the result of the presidential election.
Four serving corps members, a divisional crime officer (DCO), a policewoman and 10 others have been confirmed killed in Bauchi State, while at least three people, including a nine-year-old boy, were shot dead in a protest at Mutum Biyu, headquarters of Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State, on Sunday.
In Niger State, at least five people are lying critically ill in Bida town, as a result of injuries sustained from gunshots from members of the special task force deployed to maintain law and order in the town.
Over 4,500 people have been displaced, following the mayhem unleashed on residents of Bauchi by supporters of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). The state secretary of the Nigerian Red Cross, Adamu Abubakar, confirmed the figures.
Thousands of youths, who went on the rampage in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, on Monday night, destroyed dozens of shops and vandalised three churches. They also barricaded the major roads and made bonfires to disrupt vehicular movement, chanting “Ba muso” (we don’t like the president).
Speaking to newsmen on Tuesday, the Bauchi State Police Commissioner, Amama John Abakasanga, who confirmed the arrest of over 200 suspects, said one of the police formations in the state was also burnt by hoodlums and supporters of the CPC, saying investigations into the mayhem had commenced.
Also, four INEC offices were burnt down in Bauchi, Dambam, Misau and Jama’are local government areas, while 500 laptops used for the voter registration exercise were looted by the irate youth, who unleashed violence on the INEC offices as confirmed by the Bauchi State REC, Iliya Audu, who conducted journalists round the burnt offices.
Audu, who said that he was taking stock to ascertain the level of destruction at the offices assured that it would not in any way disrupt the conduct of the governorship and state house of assembly elections scheduled to be held on Tuesday next week, calling on all INEC staff in the affected areas not to panic, as adequate security arrangements had been made for their lives.
Meanwhile, at least three people, including a nine-year-old boy, were shot dead by the police during a protest at Mutum-Biyu, headquarters of Gassol Local Government Council of Taraba State last Sunday.
Also in Ardo-Kola Local Government Area of Taraba State, four cars were completely burnt, following the alleged attempt by one of the political parties to tamper with the results of the presidential election last Saturday.
Those killed were youths that took to the streets in the town over the alleged manipulation of the presidential election results. A pregnant woman also lost her life during the crisis.
The secretariat of the PDP in Gassol Local Government Area was not left out as the entire building was burnt down by protesters and that prevented traffic flow for several hours while many residents deserted the streets.
Following the protest, tension escalated in the state capital, forcing economic and commercial activities, including government offices and the central market, to close down immediately, as people took to their heels to safety.
When contacted, the state police commissioner, Alhaji Aliyu Musa, said two people were killed at Mutum Biyu while 42 were arrested by the police.
However, when the Nigerian Tribune visited various motor parks in the city on Tuesday morning, many people were seen trying to flee the state. But normalcy had partially been restored in the state at the time of filing this report.
In Katsina State, the police confirmed that four people were burnt alive and 45 inmates were released from the Federal Prisons in Funtua.
Similarly, the prisons official vehicles, household property, cars and churches were destroyed in the violence that ravaged some local council areas of the state.
Although the state governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Shema, had imposed a curfew between 9.00 p.m and 7.00 a.m on Monday, several churches and homes were burnt during the night, as rampaging arsonists moved around different towns in the state.
A security source told the Nigerian Tribune that the situation could have been worse if the governor had not imposed the curfew.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mallam Ibrahim Moha-mmed, who confirmed this to newsmen in Katsina, described the perpetrators as miscreants, arsonists, criminals and murderers.
According to him, over 107 suspects had been arrested in connection with the mayhem.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that there was massive destruction of property in Malumfashi, Kankara, Daura and Jibia, while at least five churches were burnt in Daura and Funtua.
The PDP secretariat, Kankara private residence of local PDP chieftains and Governor Shema campaign office were destroyed in melee.
US warns its citizens
THE United States (US) Department of State has issued travel warnings to its citizens travelling or those who have plans to travel to Nigeria, alleging high crime rate and a state of insecurity.
It specifically told its citizens to avoid travelling to Niger Delta states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers; the South-Eastern states of Abia, Edo, Imo; the city of Jos in Plateau State, Bauchi and Borno states in the North-East and the Gulf of Guinea, because of the risks of kidnapping, robbery, and other attacks in these areas.
The latest directives by the US may not be unconnected with the recent bombings across the country, coupled with the ongoing crises rocking the northern part of the country after the just-concluded presidential election.
According to the US Department of State, violent crimes committed by individuals and gangs, as well as by persons wearing police and military uniforms remained a problem throughout the country.
FG deploys anti-riot policemen
Determined to restore peace to the northern part of the country, the Federal Government, on Tuesday, deployed over 400 anti-riot police officers in the crisis-ridden areas.
The police officers, before their departure to Kaduna airport, were conveyed in four different military trucks to the Air Force wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport at about 3.30 p.m.
The anti-riot police officers arrived at the presidential lounge of the airport to take a special flight to Kaduna airport, but were instructed to board their flight at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) base.
The police officers were flown out of the Lagos airport at 5.10 p.m. aboard a Hercules C-130 military plane to Kaduna, where they were expected to be dispatched to the trouble spots in the affected states of Kaduna, Kano, Bauchi and Gombe.
One of the officers, who spoke to journalists at the airports, confirmed that the officers were actually heading to Kaduna to help quell the violence in the state and other neighbouring states.
The Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, Samuel Jinadu, also confirmed the story, saying that the policemen were going there to beef up security.
17 killed in Gombe
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that 17 people lost their lives during the post-presidential poll violence in Gombe, just as 100 suspects have been arrested and are currently in police custody for interrogation.
While speaking with newsmen in Gombe, after an on-the-spot assessment tour of the affected areas, the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of operations at the Force Headquarters, who was in the North-East zone for the election, Audu Abubakar, said 100 suspects had so far been arrested in connection with the political crisis.
Abubakar described the incident as unfortunate and uncalled for, after assessing the damage inflicted on innocent people in the name of politics.
He called on politicians to always accept election results in good faith, as there must be a winner and a loser.
Speaking with newsmen, the Acting Head of Clinical Services and Training of the Federal Medical Centre, Gombe, Dr Ali Shaliza said, 71 patients of post-election violence were brought in to the hospital within the last three days.
He added that 11 persons were also brought in dead, while two others died in the hospital, adding that many patients were admitted while others were treated and discharged.
Also speaking, the official of Red Cross, Umar Buba Ahmed, said 300 casualties were attended to at by the Red Cross society, noting that over 500 displaced persons were camped at the army barracks and other security operatives barracks within the town.
Also in Gusau, Zamfara State capital, a church situated at Ahmadu Bello Way was attacked by unidentified hoodlums.
Addressing newsmen on the violence at Tsafe, the Zamfara State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Jinjiri Abubakar, said 47 suspects were arrested by his men in connection with the crisis, adding, however, that no arrest was made with regard to the church that was attacked in the state capital.
Meanwhile, as Kafanchan and Zonkwa in Kaduna State erupted into a serious sectarian crisis, the state governor, Mr Patrick Yakowa, has expressed worry over the spillover and reiterated that the 24-hour curfew imposed on the state remained till further notice.
In a telephone interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa, monitored by the Nigerian Tribune on Tuesday, the Emir of Jema’a, Alhaji Isa Muha-mmadu, said there were security agents in the area, but they were overwhelmed and could not do much to restore order.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Religious matters, Reverend John Joseph Hayab, however, told the BBC that the state government was not informed that security agents were overwhelmed in the Southern part of the state.
When contacted on the matter, the Kaduna state Commissioner for Information, Saidu Adamu, said the “governor just addressed the press on the issue.”
The situation in Kaduna was becoming normal, as soldiers took control all over the state capital and environs.
According to the Nigerian Tribune findings, victims in Niger State were among scores of youths that attempted to invade the palace of the Etsu Nupe and chairman of the Niger state Council of Traditional rulers Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar.
Nigerian Tribune learnt that the youth first attempted to invade the palace on Monday evening, but were repelled by men of the Special Task Force only for them to regroup on Tuesday morning.
The state police spokesman, Richard Oguche, confirmed the story but denied that there was any casualty, adding that the situation in the town had returned to normal.
Corps members relocate to army barracks
Meanwhile, not less than 200 corps members deployed to Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State have relocated to the army barracks in Minna, for safety.
Similarly not less than 150 families had also turned the areas outside the gates into the barracks to their temporary residences for safety.
Nigerian Tribune learnt that the corps members decided to seek refuge at the barracks, following failed attempt to burn over 70 of them at the Nigerian Christian Corpers Fellowship (NCCF) family house in the Tunga area of the state capital.
The protesters had reportedly locked the corps members up in the building and set them ablaze, before one of them was able to force the door open for them to escape.
The protesters were said to have accused the corps members of assisting to rig the presidential election, which made President Goodluck Jonathan to score more than 25 per cent of votes cast in the state.
Also, corps members serving in Ringim Local Government of Jigawa State have called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Hafiz Ringim, to come to their aid and save their lives as post election riot spread to the area.
Meanwhile, the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has warned that if the political violence in the northern part of the country continues in the next 24 hours, it willd rise against it.
MASSOB, in a communiqué made available to newsmen after its emergency meeting held at its headquarters in Okwe, Onuimo Local Government Area of Imo State, on Tuesday, said “MASSOB will not fold its hands and watch the killings of Ndi-Igbo in Northern part of Nigeria.”
FG places party leaders under close surveillance
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has placed top political leaders, especially leaders of parties that contested the presidential election, under close watch, following indications that some of them were encouraging the outbreak of violence in some northern states.
Government sources confirmed that the decision was as a result of the revelations coming from a meeting of top leaders of a political party, who met in Abuja, on Monday, where one of them described the news coming from the North as encouraging.
It was gathered that anyone indicted by the security agencies might not be arrested for immediate prosecution, but would be properly investigated and documented.

Jonathan receives Certificate of Return from INEC

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has collected his Certificate of Return, following his declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
as the winner of last Saturday’s presidential election.

It was given to him during a short ceremony on Tuesday at the Commission’s Airport Road Collation Centre in Abuja by the Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, who also presented a Certificate of Return to Vice-President Namadi Sambo for his emergence as the vice-president-elect.

In his remarks on the occasion, the president commended Professor Jega and his team for conducting a credible election that had been praised by both local and international observers, saying the success of the exercise was the beginning of good governance in the country.

According to him, “we really have to commend INEC. Professor Jega and his team have made Nigeria proud. Before now the international observers used to paint our elections in tainted colours but this year’s elections, first, that of the National Assembly and then the presidential, the information we have received and what we have read in the papers is that they have given us a pass mark.

“It has to be so because of the competence of INEC officers and the position of not compromising your independence. We thank you. All Nigerians are happy because you have placed us on higher rung of the ladder and others have seen us as people who conduct credible elections.

“This is the beginning of good governance. This is the beginning of economic development. This is the beginning of major changes in this country,” he said.

While thanking God for the grace to conduct the election, President Jonathan hoped that the next leg of the exercise would be better than the last two, saying, “we hope that, by the grace of God, the last leg of election coming on the 26th will be better than the presidential election. We thank God. It is God that made it possible. If it is man, it wouldn’t have been possible.”

He commended Nigerians for coming out en masse to participate in the exercise and for their cooperation with government and INEC, as well as for voting for him, saying that it was a clear demonstration of their patriotism.

Commenting on the riots in parts of the North over the election outcome, Jonathan said the development was regrettable, coming against the background of commendation from international observers who witnessed the election, but added that his administration would, in the next four years, focus on issues like that to prevent recurrence.

“It is regrettable that when international observers are commending us for credible elections, we witnessed some skirmishes in parts of the country. It is really regrettable. This is what happened in the late 50’s when some parts of the country witnessed things like this. But that is what the new generation leaders have to face.

“We will make sure that in the next four years, issues like this will not lead to riot. We assure Nigerians we will carry everyone along. We will run an open government where all Nigerians will play a key role, irrespective of party affiliations,” he said.

The president also addressed the issue of victims of the violence in the riots in the North and said that the government would take inventory of the lost properties, provide assistance for victims’ families and ensure that it would never happen again.

He called on religious and political leaders to condemn the riots, saying that government would work towards providing jobs for the nation’s unemployed youths, to prevent them from being used by unscrupulous politicians.

JONATHAN IS NIGERIA PRESIDENT

President Goodluck Jonathan looks set to emerge victorious in the presidential election held last Saturday. Jonathan, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has garnered more votes than his rivals, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) who placed second and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) candidate who ranked third and fourth respectively as at press time.

The National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, who is the returning officer for the presidential election, is expected to announce Jonathan as winner of the election today.

Results from 29 states have officially been confirmed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Abuja as at press time, while the state collating officers had announced the results at the National Democratic Institute in Abuja, serving as the national collating centre.

Only the results from Adamawa, Borno, Taraba, Yobe, Gombe, Jigawa and Kebbi states. An analysis of the results released so far indicates that President Jonathan has won in 21 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The CPC candidate, General Buhari who is trailing President Jonathan has won in seven states, while Mallam Ribadu who is third has won in only one state. Mallam Shekarau of the ANPP currently in the fourth position has yet to win any state.

Elections Results 2011

WINNERS OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEATS

Hon. Ofor Chukwuegbo
PDP
EnuguNorth/South Kingsley

Ebenyi
PDP
EnuguEast/Isiuzo

Hon. Patrick Asadu
PDP
Nsukka/Igboeze South

Tobias Okechukwu
PDP
Awgu/Aninri/Oji River

Hon. Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi
PDP
Udi/Ezeagu

Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi
PDP
Igboeze North/Udenu

Hon. Peace Nnaji
PDP
Nkanu East/West

Mrs. Stella Ngwu
PDP
Uzo-Uwani/Igbo-Etiti

Lagos Federal Constituencies

Lagos Mainland Federal Constituency
ACN
42, 060

PDP
16, 270

SDMP
576

NCP
321

Lagos Island Federal Constituency I
ACN
17,803

PDP
6,244

SDMP
60

ANPP
185

Lagos Island Federal Constituency II
ACN
22,254

PDP
6,946

SDMP
118

DFPF
423

ANPP
185

Federal Constituencies

Eti-Osa Federal Constituency
ACN
32, 473

PDP
16, 219

SDMP
1,125

NCP
442

Ikeja Federal Constituency
ACN
32, 757

PDP
15,152

CPC
3,562

LP
1,299

ANPP
1,049

Kosofe Federal Constituency
ACN
63,070

PDP
18,744

Senatorial Election Results

Rivers State

Rivers South East Senatorial District

PDP
154,218

ACN
58,182

APGA
13,605

Winner – Magnus Abe of PDP

Rivers East Senatorial District

PDP
154,218

ACN
34,978

APGA
3,679

Winner – George Sekibo of PDP

Kaduna State

Kaduna North Senatorial District

CPC
103,094

PDP
30,604

Winner – Usman Bawa of CPC

Kaduna South Senatorial District

PDP
428,992

CPC
73,830

ACN
70,488

Winner – Nenadi Usman of PDP

Delta State

Delta North Senatorial District

PDP
98,204

DPP
67,548

Winner – Ifeanyi Okowa of PDP

Nasarawa State

Nasarawa North Senatorial District

CPC
62,815

PDP
31,602

Winner – Solomon Ewuga of CPC

Nasarawa South Senatorial District

PDP
108,844

CPC
103,320

Winner – Solomon Adokwe of PDP

Kogi State

Kogi Central Senatorial District

PDP
68,167

ANPP
26,959

ACN
4,051

Winner – Nurudeen Usman of PDP

Kogi West
PDP
84,511

CPC
35,281

ANPP
6,483

ACN
5,817

LP
582

APGA
455

Winner – Senator Smart Adeyemi of PDP

Ondo State

Ondo South Senatorial District

LP
88,319

PDP
80,319

Winner – Boluwaji Kunlere of LP

Ondo North
LP
84,290

PDP
51,112

Winner – Prof.Ajayi Borrofice of LP

Ondo Central
LP
113,292

PDP
41,783

Winner – Dr. Ayo Akinyelure of LP

Edo State

Edo Central Senatorial District

PDP
61,983

ACN
49,385

Winner – Odion Ugbesia of PDP

Lagos State

Lagos West Senatorial District

ACN
503,786

PDP
234,679

CPC
40,711

APGA
13,305

ANPP
9,011

ALP
5,198

SDMP
2,631

NPPP
1,525

DFPF
1,478

Winner – Senator Ganiyu Solomon of ACN

Lagos Central Senatorial District
ACN
202,506

PDP
75, 982

APGA
9, 302

SDMP
3, 499

NCP
3,073

Winner- Mrs. Remi Tinubu of ACN

Lagos East
ACN
222, 429

PDP
83, 133

SDMP
10, 100

CPC
7, 776

ANPP
2, 183

Winner – Gbenga Ashafa of ACN

Benue State

Benue South
PDP
147,923

ACN
79,433

Winner – Senator David Mark of PDP

Benue North Senatorial District

PDP
229,682

ACN
143,978

CPC
4,971

MPPP
571

LP
352

Winner – Barnabas Gemade of PDP

Oyo State

Oyo Central
ACN
105,975

AP
92,544

PDP
78,643

Winner – Hon. Ayo Adeseun of ACN

Oyo South
ACN
127,621

AP
118,256

PDP
92,359

Winner – Femi Lanlehin of ACN

Enugu State

Enugu East
PDP
67,330

PDC
32,005

APGA
8,175

LP
4,439

ACN
3,621

CPC
730

ANPP
525

Winner – Hon.Gilbert Nnaji of PDP

Enugu North
PDP
86,220

LP
27,139

PDC
25,731

ACN
3,099

Winner – Senator Ayogu Eze of PDP

Enugu West
PDP
112,806

PDC
7,522

LP
5,175

APGA
3,591

ACN
1,325

Winner – Senator Ike Ekweremadu of PDP

Imo State

Imo West
PDP
95,816

ACN
63,755

APGA
54,432

Winner – Senator Osita Izunaso of PDP

Imo South
PDP
60,449

ACN
47,258

APGA
2,782

APN
1,568

ANPP
1,125

Winner – Matthew Nwagwu of PDP

Gombe State

Gombe Central
PDP
84,347

ANPP
50,080

CPC
40,145

LP
1,462

Winner – Danjuma Goje of PDP

Osun State

Osun East
ACN
119,852

PDP
51,315

Winner – Hon. Babajide Omoworare of ACN

Osun West
ACN
121,971

PDP
49,001

AP
7,789

Winner – Prof. Sola Adeyeye of ACN

Ogun State

Ogun Central
ACN
102,389

PDP
56,312

PPN
27,182

Winner – Gbenga Obadara of ACN

Ogun East
ACN
72,543

PDP
52,613

PPN
46,148

Winner – Gbenga Kaka of ACN

Ogun West
ACN
61,362

PDP
59,949

PPN
45,246

Winner – Akin Odunsi of ACN

Cross River State

Cross River North Senatorial District

PDP
91,123

ACN
11,056

ANPP
7,393

DFPF
1,721

Winner – Prof. Benedict Ayade of PDP

Niger State

Niger East Senatorial District

CPC
131,872

PDP
83,773

ACN
21,621

Winner – Ibrahim Musa of CPC

Sokoto

Sokoto East Senatorial District

PDP
138,397

CPC
57,643

DPP
41,113

ACN
38,947

Winner – Dr. Ibrahim Gobir of PDP

Sokoto South Senatorial District

PDP
112,585

CPC
36,682

DPP
32,029

ACN
19,3987

Winner – Dr. Ibrahim Gobir of PDP

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS:Ominous Time for PDP

There were indications, as the results of the rescheduled National Assembly polls trickled in, last night, that the elections may have created upsets in some states.
Results from polling units in Ogun State showed a comfortable lead by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) across the state with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) trailing behind.

Results from polling units in former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s ward II showed that he lost woefully while his daughter, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, who vied in the senatorial segment of the polls in Ogun central, may have lost her seat to Gbenga Obadara of the ACN.

The speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Dimeji Bankole, who contested the federal constituency segment in Abeokuta, may also be on his way out for the ACN candidate, Segun Williams, with the early results.

The Senate president, Senator David Mark, contesting for re-election in Benue south, was said to be leading, as collation of results continued, with slight margin.

Reports also said ACN was leading in many Benue federal constituencies.
In Anambra Central Senatorial District, former Governor Chris Ngige was reported to be coasting home to victory while, in Kokokum-Opokuma, Yenagoa federal constituency, report had it that Labour Party was leading.

ACN candidate in Lagos Central Senatorial District, Chief (Mrs) Oluremi Zinabu; her counterpart in Lagos West, Senator Ganiyu Solomon; and the Lagos East candidate, Gbenga Ashafa, were reportedly in comfortable lead.

Reports from Abia State say the opposition parties have rejected the results of the National Assembly elections in the state.

The inference there is that the ruling PDP may have cleared the polls.

Reports from Ondo State indicated that the Labour Party, LP, was leading in two of the three senatorial districts – southern and central – where the immediate past Governor Olusegun Agagu and Senator Gbenga Ogunniya contested the polls.

It was gathered that Senator Bode Olajumoke was ahead of Prof. Ajayi Boroffice of LP in the results collated at press time in the northern senatorial district.

Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) was in early lead in the two polling booths at the State House, Abuja, according to reports.

Results of the polls from Abuja in
dicated that the PDP and CPC were making it neck on neck.

The results from the units are as follows:

Area 2 section 2 polling unit 010,

SENATE- PDP 53, CPC 83, ACN 7, LP20

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

PDP 57, CPC 90, ACN 16, LP 21.

Unit 007: PDP 58(Senate) 54(Representatives), CPC 89(Senate) 107(Representatives), ACN 12(Senate) 35(Representatives) LP 23(Senate) 10(Representatives).

Unit 006 Area 2 Section: CPC 99(Senate) 100(Representatives), PDP 107(Senate) 98(Representatives), ACN 20(Senate) 44(Representatives), LP 41(Senate) 34(Representatives).

Unit 005: PDP 59(Senate) 55(Representatives), CPC 82(Senate) 102(Representatives),LP 24(Senate), ACN 18 (Senate) 28(Representatives).

Unit 011: PDP 55(Senate) 52(Representatives), CPC 94(Senate) 103(Representatives, ACN 18(Senate) 25(Representatives) LP 13(Senate) 11(Representatives).

Area 2 section 1: CPC 99(Senate) 100(Representatives), PDP 107(Senate) 98(
Representatives), ACN20(Senate) 44(Representatives), LP 41(Senate) 34(Representatives).
Unit 008 Area 2, Section 1: CPC 208(Senate) 227(Representatives), PDP76(Senate) 74(Representatives), ACN 7(Senate) 14(Representatives), LP 16(Senate) 15(Representatives).
Unit 001A Federal Secretariat: PDP 57(Representatives) 58(Senate), CPC 61(Representatives) 50(Senate), ACN 15(Representatives) 8(Senate), LP 5(Representatives) 7(Senate).

001c Fed Secretariat: PDP 68(Senate) 79(Representatives), CPC58(Senate) 77(Representatives), ACN1(Senate) 11(Representatives), LP 9(Senate) 4(Representatives).
Unit 016, Area 8
PDP Senate 111, Representatives, 104; CPC, Senate 127, Representatives 140. Others scored less than 25, invalid 14, Registered voters 417, Accredited 187.

Karu Market Pu001
House of Representatives CPC 166, PDP 168; ACN-16, LP-14.
Senate: CPC -131, PDP 181, CAN-7, APGA 7.

PU 32/06/04/022 Mississippi, Maitama
Senate: ACN 21, ANPP8, CPC 185, PDP 106
House of Representatives: ACN19, ANPP9, CPC184, PDP106.

PU 37/02/10: House of Representatives: PDP111, CPC 273, ACN-89, APGA-20, LP-34.

Kubwa PU: Senate: PDP 118, CPC 84, CAN 24, LP 14. Reps: PDP 105, CPC 87, ACN39, APGA 52.

The breakdown of the National Assembly polls in Ogun showed that at the African Church Grammar School, Ita Iyalode, Abeokuta, where Obasanjo and his daughter, Iyabo, voted in the senatorial election, the ACN polled 167 votes while the PDP polled 64 and PPN, 5 votes. At the Agbeloba polling unit, directly opposite the head office of Obasanjo Holdings: ACN 191, PDP 36 and PPN 10 while at the African Church Primary School where Senator Ibikunle Amosun of the ACN voted, his party scored 259 votes as against PDP’s 40 and PPN’s 9 votes respectively.

At Ita Elega also in Abeokuta North, the ACN polled 305 as against PDP’s 110 and PPN’s 97 while, at Obafemi Owode Local Government Primary School in Adigbe, the ACN polled 482, the PDP polled 143 and PPN 123.

In Abeokuta South where both the Senatorial and House of Representatives took place, early result showed that the ACN was leading for the two seats. In Ago-Oba ward 13 where Chief Osoba voted, the ACN had 159 for the House of Rep and 182 for Senate while PDP had 38 for Rep and 40 for Senate; the PPN had five for Rep and nine for Senate.

Also at the African Church Primary School Idi-Aba in ward 9, for the House of Representatives, ACN had 152 votes, PDP 83, PPN 12 and CPC 3 while in the Senate polls, ACN scored 177 as against PDP’s 57 and PPN’s 19.

At the Isote Ward in Sagamu where Governor Olugbenga Daniel voted, the ACN was also victorious with 121 votes as against PPN’s 118, PDP’s 90 and Labor Party’s 27.
In ward 3 of Ifo Local Government Area where only the senatorial election took place, ACN polled 335 votes in the Senate election as against 75 by PDP and 75 for PPN while in the House of Representative, ACN polled 326 as against PDP’s 58 and PPN’s 65.

April polls: PDP’ll retain presidency and many states – Amaechi

Written by Taiwo Adisa

Rivers State governor, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, in this interview with Politics Editors, insists that the PDP will win the presidential election and that the party will not yield much ground to the opposition in the states. He speaks on issues of insecurity and challenges in the state. Group Politics Editor, Taiwo Adisa, presents the excerpts.
DURING one of your campaign stops, you told voters in Okrika that it was payback time for you and that you were once beaten by a mob for supporting an Okrika man as governor. How did this happen?
I left university in 1987 and by 1988, I started working with Dr. Peter Odili and Chief Rufus Ada-Geroge and Chief Rufus Ada-George was our aspirant for governorship. He was running against Seargent Awuse.Chief Rufus George was from Okrika and people felt that it was wrong for any Ikwere man like me to support an Okrika man, but I dared them and I supported an Okrika man and that was how Chief Rufus Ada-George won.
One day, we went to elect officers of the party at the local government level and I contested for the secretaryship. So, when I arrived for the election, I was beaten and admitted to hospital. But the following week, the election was on, I came around, I ran the election and I won. They were surprised that I came for the election after they beat me up. I believe that this is a payback time; if I supported your son to become a governor, you should support me to become the governor this time. And this time, there will be no violence. Nobody will beat them for supporting me.
So, how do you see the challenge coming from Okrika against you this time around?
You would have expected that by the time we arrived Okrika, we would not see the kind of crowd we met on ground. The fact that we saw that kind of crowd was a surprise to me and it was courageous that we hired AIT and NTA to show the campaign live.
What is your plan about reconciling with the enstraged members of the party in the state?
The only member that is affected that we have not reconciled with is the former Minister of Transport. Up till now, Okpara is still with us, he is the chairman of the reconciliation committee.
The former Minister of Transport, who is the candidate of the ACN, said recently that you wasted N995 billion in three years. What happened?
You should have asked him questions about the Eleme junction, that used to keep people lying down there for till 3am, which we built for N7 billion or the mono rail which we built for N49 billion or the secondary schools that we are building, because we are increasing the capacity to 1000 students which is N4.5 billion to build one and we are building 24 and if I win the second term, I will build another 24 which will make 48.
You should have asked him whether all these amounted to a waste. Anybody who sees the schools appreciates them; they are saying you can turn it into a university.
I just spoke to a bank now about what our university is going to look like. They are doing the infrastructural work- water roads, light and others. When they finish we will start building.
Ask him, he lives in Abuja and he doesn’t know what is going on in Port-Harcourt.
He just came in few months ago to run for governorship. The difference between us is that when he served as SSG, there was nothing called due process. Now, there is what we call Public Procurement Law which we now refer to as due process, it is an independent body. We hired an expert from a bank, and we say if you save us xyz, you get xyz. Your job is to save money for us, if you apply the due process, and you save xyz, this is your commission.
To make sure that he saves money, we give him something as inducement so that he can actually protect government money. Tell him that part of the funds we are spending now is as a result of his activities in Okrika.
The insecurity in the state started from Okrika and we spend huge amount of money trying to protect the state. So, if he did not cause us that problem we wouldn’t have been spending money looking for criminals, buy equipment for Police. Virtually all the vehicles they are using we bought. Before he became SSG, Part-Harcourt was quiet and peaceful. We have to buy vehicles for the police, Army, even the Airforce and Navy join in the patrol.
To get Part-Harcourt to where it is now is a heavy burden. They should ask him who caused it. You heard me when I said on AIT, that people can ask the former governor that I went to complain that I didn’t like the way people were treating issues. I complained. When I came back to the house, my wife was the first person who first said it. I was very frustrated and I said to my wife, “you cannot replace life. If you burn down Government House, you can rebuild it , if you burn down House of Assembly, you can rebuild, but if you kill, you cannot replace the life.”
The Ijaw Leader in Okrika, ask why he was not at the rally. Just because he was organising the Ijaws to support us, few days after, he was shot. If I did not fly him overseas, he would have died. That night, I hired an air ambulance to fly him out.
But people saw you as part of the last government as Speaker?
The former governor is my mentor; he was my boss. If Dr. Sekibo was straight on issues, we would not be talking about the last government. That was why I said can we please address issues and because he was not addressing issues, that is why you see us talking about this. I want to remind him, this is where we are coming, you were not there by 2007, you had left to Abuja.
There is the claim the ACN is a threat in this state, especially in Okrika…
So, how many people support them? We met them on our way to campaign. There were three buses. Let us take it at 50 multiplied by 3; that is 150. We met them when they were coming, they were carrying brooms, I saw them. Is it a threat? That is why I said they should have shown his (ACN’s) rally live. At any time we had a rally at that stadium, with a sitting capacity of 15,000 people, you will have over 10, 000 people standing, outside and inside. Even the presidential rally, there were worries because of the crowd but we needed to show that we could pull the crowd.
Recently, Dr. Abiye Sekibo, the ACN candidate, had an issue with the local government over payment of tenement rates for his campaign office…
I didn’t even know that local governments collect up to N50 million tenement rate and we say we don’t have money to run our government. I was not involved; I was out of the country when it happened. It requires courage to do some of the things we did.
We are building 180 megawatts of power at 195 million dollars. If you add the extension of gas pipeline, you will get 200 and something million dollars. It was only 60 million dollars that we got from the Paris Club. Now, we have paid well over 140 million dollars and they will deliver in July. We borrowed 30 million for the road and flyover. The flyover is on federal road and they have not paid us back and we have to complete the project for a period of time.
We borrowed for another flyover at Agip junction. They will only say we borrowed N30 billion. You know what makes the loan very interesting? Every month, they deduct 2.6 billion from our bank account, both the interest and the principal. So, I am not talking about that. What I am saying is that he should know that no government can be run without borrowing. If we say we borrow money to share among ourselves, that is a different thing.
You must have loans as a component of administration. Thank God he knows that; he was lying. A governor or governorship candidate should not talk without figures.
Before now, he was shouting that we had spent N1trillion. I will cross check with the Commissioner for Finance to know how much we have received, but let us even assume it is N985 billion. No matter what we receive, we make sure that we save N1billion.
He can ask First Trustees, IBTC, Skye Bank. IBTC invests the money, Skye Bank is the custodian of the money. There was a month we received N7.5 billion, salary was N5.1 billion; we still saved 1 billion for that month. The 10 health centres, the 14 primary schools and that is why I say he should go and check for himself. Inside the schools, there are 14 classrooms, 15 toilets, an office for the headmaster, a classroom for the nursery, a library because I hate a situation where you are talking and people don’t know what you are talking about.
Tell him that part of the N985 billion he is talking about, we did secondary schools hostels that will take two children per room with toilets. For 1000, it means you have 500 rooms, 500 toilets, 1000 beds.
My children stay abroad by coincidence; before I became governor. When they came on holidays, I told them that I would take them to a school better than those in the UK. They said it was a lie. But
they confirmed that it is better. The school is located on 21 hectares of land. If he says 980 billion is mismanaged, then he must show evidence of its mismanagement.
Election is just by the corner, how do you see the opposition against President Jonathan and the PDP?
I am not in a position to make an assessment about the entire country, but what I can say is that I doubt if any of the other parties can defeat the PDP. We have more governors that other parties. If we are going to lose ground, maybe in one or two states. We will do everything possible to mobilise the crowd to come and vote for PDP.
There are two kinds of people that will vote, those who will vote for the candidate willingly and those who will vote because of the governor. We have been campaigning to the people to help the government to be able to run well by voting our candidates. I pray that we will not lose ground.
What are your fears about the election?
I have always talked about complacency, especially for my own election in Rivers State. If out of 2.4 million people, if 1.3 million people do not vote and the other 1.2 million people vote for the other party, you can never tell what will happen.
What we are saying is, come out and vote. My second view on complacency is that some people still have doubts that votes will not count. On the issue of security, know that there is a difference between Governor Ameachi and candidate Ameachi.
Candidate Ameachi will run the election, Governor Ameachi will still be governor of the state until May 29. Therefore, he has the responsibility to make sure lives and property are protected. So, go out and vote and be rest assured of the protection of the security agencies.
I can only know what is going on in Rivers State and only the governors in other state know what is happening in their states. As far as Governor Ameachi is concerned, the president will have nearly 100 per cent. But I don’t know if we are going to lose ground, I don’t think it will affect the presidential election. I am not a member of the NWC, so, I wouldn’t know why they delayed in signing the code of conduct. They have not called NEC meeting for a long time because we are all focusing on our election. If they brought up the issue of code of conduct, some of us will say we must keep to the code of conduct.
Going by the state of things, do you think INEC is prepared for this election?
About INEC preparation, I am not in a position to tell you whether they are prepared or not.

NIGERI:Jonathan Leads with 60%, PDP May Lose Five States

By Imam Imam
President Goodluck Jonathan
The latest poll conducted by THISDAY/Ipsos ahead of the 2011 general election indicates that President Goodluck Jonathan may secure 60.3 per cent of popular votes in the presidential election. However, his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), may lose the governorship polls in five states.
In the poll conducted in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between February 25 and March 16, 2011, 60.3 per cent of respondents said they would vote for Jonathan in the presidential election, while his closest rival, Major General Muhammadu Buhari of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) scored 22.4 per cent.
Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, the flag bearer of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), scored 5.9 per cent, while the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, scored 4.7 per cent. Shekarau was generally acclaimed to have won the presidential debate last week but this poll had been conducted before then.
Buhari has a clear lead among polled samples in Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Jigawa and Bauchi and further holds narrow leads in Katsina, Kano, Kaduna, Yobe, Borno and Gombe.
Jonathan leads in all Southern states with the exception of Ekiti, where Ribadu has a 54-per-cent score, and Osun, which is considered too close to call, even though Jonathan leads. Ribadu and Shekarau had a strong showing in the state, thereby making it difficult to call for Jonathan.
A noticeable trend is the likelihood that PDP may win governorship in a state and lose presidential in the same state – or vice versa.
In Lagos, for instance, over 80 per cent of the polled voters said they would vote for Jonathan (PDP presidential), while 92 per cent said they would vote for Babatunde Fashola (ACN) in the governorship election.
It is even more common in some Northern states where PDP could win governorship and lose presidential in Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara.
Also, PDP is in danger of losing the governorship elections in four of the states it currently controls – Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue and Imo.
In Bauchi, the CPC candidate, Yusuf Maitama Tugar, was rated the highest by respondents. He scored 55 per cent, leaving the incumbent Malam Isa Yuguda of the PDP with 34 per cent; the ANPP flag bearer Nazeef Gamawa with 6 per cent; and ACN candidate Baba Tela with 4 per cent.
In the president’s home state of Bayelsa, former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and former presidential adviser on amnesty, Mr. Timi Alaibe, led with 56 per cent among the polled potential voters, while the incumbent Chief Timipre Sylva scored 44 per cent. Alaibe is of the Labour Party (LP), while Sylva is flying the flag of PDP.
A similar scenario is playing out in Benue State where the PDP governor, Hon. Gabriel Suswam, is trailing the ACN candidate, Professor Steve Ugbah. Suswam has 19 per cent, while his rival has 72 per cent.
Imo is also endangered for the ruling party as Governor Ikedi Ohakim trails Chief Rochas Okorocha of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). The state is considered too close to call because even though Okorocha polled 34 per cent in the survey, 41 per cent of the voters are still undecided. Ohakim has 14 per cent, while ACN’s Ifeanyi Araraume has 12 per cent.
In Kebbi, the PDP ranks third, meaning Governor Saidu Dakingari could lose his position to either ACN’s Kabir Turaki, who scored 44 per cent, or CPC’s Abubakar Shettima who scored 41 per cent. The state is still too close to call.
The battle ground states for governorship, according to the survey, are Kebbi, Zamfara, Kaduna, Borno, Oyo and Delta.
But the PDP remains competitive in Zamfara, where Governor Aliyu Shinkafi leads the pack by 43 per cent, closely pursued by ANPP’s Abdulazeez Yari with 37 per cent.
The PDP is also competitive in Oyo and Kaduna, where it holds narrow margins. In Borno, the poll favours the ruling party. It is too close to call in Delta but the ruling party is very competitive there.
The 62 per cent figure for the PDP in Ogun State is recorded in favour of Tunji Olurin, although it remains to be seen if this would change because both Olurin and Gboyega Isiaka were laying claim to the party’s ticket for a prolonged period.
Ipsos is one of the leading pollster companies in the world with more than 30 years of experience researching political attitudes.
It has the most long-term and comprehensive set of polling data of all polling agencies in the world.
Speaking to THISDAY yesterday on the latest polling results, the CEO for Sub-Saharan Africa, David Somers, said: “We initially designed a very large sample to cover the entire country. It’s a sample of 11,000 approximately of what we did in every state that will allow us to have estimate per state and in general. We conducted face to face interviews and as we talk to people in local dialects and personally on the ground, we asked people a series of questions about how they feel about life and about things in general and about things they want from their politicians. And ultimately for whom they will vote for whether at the presidential level or at the gubernatorial level. It’s honestly a traditional poll which we do all over the world.
“So the way we arrived at figures was to go to all the states, interview the people within those states and then aggregate all the data from the states up to a national level. We rate data accordingly so that each state will be represented correctly within the total national figure by the census and also by the voter registration. So we used as a waiting measure plus some other factors which we discovered while we went into this and that is how we got the national figures

Bianca: An appointment laced with controversy

The recent appointment of a former beauty queen, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, as an aide of President Goodluck Jonathan, has attracted diverse opinions. But EMMANUEL OBE writes that it might be the fillip Bianca needs to launch herself into the nation’s political firmament

 

These might not be the best of times for Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, a former beauty queen and reigning ‘queen’ of the former leader of the defunct secessionist Biafra, Chief Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who is lying critically ill at a London hospital.

Controversy has returned to her path since January 26, 2011 when the Presidency announced her appointment as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora Affairs. It is like a sweet, but bitter story.

Bianca is not entirely new to controversy, In 1989, she lost her Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria and Miss Intercontinental crowns in circumstances that were not only controversial, but mysterious.

It had appeared to be the first time that a beauty queen had been dethroned in the country, with her crowns then offered to her first runner-up, Regina Askia.

Just as that controversy was stoking, her romantic affair with Ojukwu (a man 34 years her senior), burst into the open. In spite of the heat and rolling over that the issue generated, Bianca maintained a dignified quietude, and never offered a word.

She had since then withdrawn from public glare, appearing occasionally at public functions with her husband, who is an inescapable public figure and a crowd puller.

Bianca’s recent appointment was not the only one announced on January 26, 2011 by Ima Niboro, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity. Kingsley Kuku got the job of Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs; Dr. Zakari Ibrahim was appointed Coordinator of Anti-Terrorism; and Oyewole Leke was appointed as a Senior Special Assistant on Maritime.

While others received the news of their new jobs and went home to celebrate in peace, Bianca was thrown into the fiery furnace of Nigeria’s public commentary.

As expected, the reactions have been varied. Even the ranks of the separatist group, the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, have been divided on the issue.

While some people have asked Mrs. Ojukwu to reject the appointment for its “poor timing and hidden political motives,” others have hailed the appointment and have asked her to accept it as a welcome gesture.

But the madam, who took a break the penultimate week from taking care of her sick husband and returned to Nigeria to accept the offer and represent her husband at the national convention of the All Progressives Grand Alliance in Awka, has rather remained quiet on the raging controversy.

Rave reviews of Mrs. Ojukwu’s appointment have dominated the media space for some time now, with most of the commentaries coming from the South-East zone, where Ojukwu is from. A lot of political meat is being made out of the issue.

Mr. Alex Okeke, a politician from Abagana in Anambra State, said he considered the appointment as a masterstroke by President Jonathan, which would attract political reciprocity from the people of the South-East.

Mr. Anunoby Ogugua tried to bring out the simplicity in the entire controversy. “The appointment of Mrs. Ojukwu at a time the husband is hospitalised in a hospital in London is aimed at gaining political capital for Mr. Jonathan in the South-Eastern region, where Chief Odumegwu-Ojukwu is widely respected,” he said.

Miss Ijeoma Onuora, a journalist and youth leader based in Awka said Bianca’s appointment did not only belittle her, but the entire people of Anambra State. She said, “Why can’t the President appoint her as a minister, even a junior minister, considering that Anambra has lost a ministerial slot with the exit of the former Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili?”

But Awojobi Olakunle, a public commentator from the South-West, brought in another dimension to it. He said the appointment was coming at a wrong time, as Bianca was supposed to be at her husband’s bedside to attend to his needs. “A shameful appointment,” he lashed out, “when she’s expected to be at her husband’s bed side praying for his recovery.”

Officially, MASSOB has endorsed the appointment, even though some individual members have kicked against it, saying Bianca ought not to have accepted a job offered a Biafran by a Nigerian government.

MASSOB’s Director of Information, Mr. Uchenna Madu, said, “MASSOB welcomes the appointment of (our Lolo Bianca) Ojukwu into President Jonathan’s cabinet as a good development. We advise that she takes it.”

Madu said that in any case, MASSOB, like any other body, had no right to dictate to Mrs. Ojukwu on whether she should accept the offer or not.

Mr. Chizoba Okoyeugha, a lawyer to MASSOB, feels that Mrs. Ojukwu is eminently qualified for the job based on her education and exposure as an international beauty queen.

He said though he believed that Mr. President had a good intention when he appointed Mrs. Ojukwu to the post, the President would be making a mistake if he appointed her to represent the Igbo people because he did not consult the people before making the appointment.

He said if Jonathan offered the appointment to lobby the people, he was entitled to it, “because lobbying is an essential part of democracy.”

But the government of Anambra State and the leadership of APGA have refused to be joined in the ongoing controversy surrounding the appointment of Mrs. Ojukwu by Jonathan. They will not even want to talk about it.

One of the hottest critics of the appointment of Mrs. Ojukwu is Mr. Uche Ezechukwu, who, in his column in a national newspaper, listed the appointment as one of the goofs of Governor Peter Obi and the leadership of APGA, who negotiated it.

He upbraided Mrs. Ojukwu for accepting the appointment at a time her husband was ill and needed the attention from his wife.

The Senior Special Assistant to the Anambra State Governor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, said, “My brother, we don’t want to interfere in the running of the Federal Government by the President. If madam’s appointment was by the state government, I would have been able to comment.”

Obienyem would not want to comment on whether the appointment was negotiated by the Anambra governor or the leadership of APGA.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Mike Udah, said, “Neither APGA nor (Governor Peter) Obi begged the President to offer Ojukwu’s wife a job. Mr. President, of his own volition, chose to give her a job along with some other Nigerians. The FG should be thanked for this honour, which Mr. President bestowed on Ndigbo by this appointment.”

The governor himself has at a different forums hailed Bianca’s appointment as a positive gesture from the President, who he said had not only shown concern for the health of Ojukwu, but had been very good to the people of the South-East.

Though she has not spoken on her appointment and the controversy that has surrounded it, a recent newspaper interview she granted appeared to have well captured Mrs. Ojukwu’s mood.

She said, “Being Ikemba (Ojukwu’s) wife is a job on its own. These are issues that are being constantly discussed. Right now, my prerogative is my husband and my family. I’ve a very young family. I don’t want a situation that would have my attention divided.”

The unfolding drama surrounding the appointment of Mrs. Ojukwu and the way she handles it might just be paving the way for her to introduce herself into the political landscape of Nigeria.

With her pedigree, it will not be a surprise if she soon openly declares a firm interest in politics. Her father, the late Chief Christian C. Onoh, led the political front of the Wawa people of Enugu and Ebonyi states for several decades. He eventually became the governor of the old Anambra State. She must have learnt a lot in her father’s political court while she was growing up.

Her husband, ever since he became a man, has been hooked and tied to the political destiny of Nigeria, and has lost his right to a private life. And being with him so closely for the past 23 years, Bianca may have spent good time understudying him.

And what with the likely exit of Ojukwu from the scene and the attendant vacuum this could create, Bianca’s charm, charisma and pedigree could just place her in a good stead to accept to lead her people. Only then might we know the real Bianca.