Sahara Reporters Latest News Tuesday 12th February 2019
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 12/02/19
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target=_blank>Compel Politicians To Sign Affidavit On Campaign Promises, OurMumuDonDo Movt Tells Nigerians
Nigerians have been charged to compel politicians to sign affidavits on their electoral promises with the view to holding them accountable.
Sam Amadi, a human rights lawyer and former Chairman of the National Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC), said this in Abuja on Monday, at the public presentation of a document tagged: ‘The Nigerian Social Contract’, organised by OurMumuDonDo Movement, a civil society organisation.
He said the document is aimed at refocusing governance towards dealing with issues that would commit Nigerian leaders to fulfilling their promises to the electorate, who voted them into office.
He noted that the project would help to create a consensus around key drivers of peace, stability, economic and social development of Nigerians.
Amadi asked Nigerians to confront politicians who come to solicit for votes with the document, and ask them to declare on honour and even sign an affidavit, that they would do those things they have promised. He added that social contract will help to monitor and identify those that do not perform in office.
His words: “The missing point here is that governance is not oriented toward the Section 2 of the Constitution that talks about the welfare of Nigerians. This document will help to monitor, advocate and evaluate governance at the grassroots, state and national level.
“We are giving tools to the people to know what government does, to know what the government is not doing and to know what should be done to make government do them. These documents create for them clarity on what they ought to do.”
On his part, Raphael Adebayo, National Secretary of OurMumuDonDo Movement, said the social contract is the real ‘next level’ that Nigerians need, noting that “Nigeria is not on any level, but on the level of poverty, recession and bad governance.
He explained further that the social contract would focus more on women and youth, adding that when women and youth are empowered, Nigerians would be liberated from the shackles of poverty.
Adebayo noted that the electorate and voting population must be able to understand and reconstruct their engagement with the democratic process as the “real owners” of government and the Nigerian project, people’s participation and commitment to the electoral and political processes would continue to depreciate.
“As an organisation advocating for social change, we believe that for there to be a stable and progressive society, there must be some established norms guiding the relationship between the people and the government of the state. These established norms will define mutual obligations between the people and their leaders at the national and subnational levels of government. These mutual obligations will form the nucleus of the agreement that we call the Social Contract,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, Moses Paul, Convener of MADConnect, said the project would help Nigerians hold their leaders accountable for transparency and accountability.
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target=_blank>Despite Renewed Boko Haram Attacks, Army Says Elections Will Hold Everywhere In Adamawa
Despite the resurgence of Boko Haram attacks in parts of Adamawa State, the Nigerian Army has assured residents that elections would hold successfully in all parts of the state.
Brigadier General Mohammad Bello gave the assurance in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, on Monday, at a sensitisation training for troops on the conduct of elections, organised by the 23 Brigade.
Renewed violence by Boko Haram insurgents in Michika and Madagali Local Government Areas of the state had raised concerns among some stakeholders about the possibility of not holding elections in the area.
Just last Saturday, the terror group struck in Madagali town, leading to the death of a village head in the area, as confirmed by authorities.
Bello, however, cautioned troops under his command against taking part in partisan politicking that can tarnish the image of the military. He also warned that “the military high command will deal with any soldier found culpable”.
He reminded the troops of their constitutional role of “providing security aid to civil authorities in election matters only when called upon”.
“Commanders are hereby reminded to ensure that soldiers under their command display high sense of discipline during the election, and to also comply strictly with the code of conduct. Any violation of the code must be reported immediately through the appropriate channel for disciplinary action,” he added.
The sensitisation training drew participants from all security agencies in the state and other critical stakeholders, in the effort to synergise for peaceful conduct of the polls.
Jamil Jibril, an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), spelt out the modus operandi of the electoral process and warned security agencies against the implications of using brute force and abuse of power on the electorate.
Accordingly, the Army has launched the ‘Egwu Eke’, better known as Python Dance III, in Adamawa and Taraba states to guarantee the safety during the elections.
On whether the resurgence of Boko Haram activities, particularly in the far northern axis of Adamawa State, may affect the conduct of the polls, Bello said: “Absolutely no.”
He stressed that the Army, in collaboration with other security agencies, had mapped out operational plans to contain any security challenge that may arise around the period.
In the Adamawa theatre, operations have been stepped up in flash points like “Gombi and Garkida, on the borders of the dreaded Sambisa hideout of the outlawed Islamist sect”.
On the Taraba side of the engagement, Wukari and Gembu towns are receiving strategic military attention to ensure violence-free conduct of the elections.
“Egwu Eke (Python Dance III) is aimed at creating enabling environment for safe conduct of the 2019 elections. To underscore the seriousness of the operation, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, had personally toured the units and formations to evaluate performance on the exercise,” he said.
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target=_blank>I Couldn’t Take Diezani’s N450m Because It Was Too Huge For My Jeep, Says Belgore
Muhammad Dele Belgore
Dele Belgore, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has debunked the allegation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that he laundered the sum of N450million in 2015.
The EFCC is prosecuting him before the Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly benefiting N450million from the sum of $115.01million, which Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, allegedly doled out to influence the 2015 elections.
The EFCC said Belgore, alongside a former Minister of National Planning, Professor Abubakar Sulaiman, went to a branch of Fidelity Bank in Ilorin on March 26, 2015, to sign for and collect the N450million cash.
However, while testifying in his defence on Monday, Belgore admitted being invited by the bank manager on March 26, 2015, to take delivery of the N450million cash, but said he left the bank without the money.
The SAN, who said he was the Kwara State Coordinator of then President Goodluck Jonathan reelection campaign, said he did not collect the N450million because on getting to the bank, he realised that the money was too huge for his Toyota Prado jeep.
Belgore said: “I indicated to PW1 (bank manager) that I could not collect the money and I gave two reasons. First, I said this money was coming two days before the election; all the stakeholders and party members were aware of the arrival of the money and therefore, I did not consider it safe to move such a huge amount of money out of the bank in the middle of the night.
“The second reason was that I did not come prepared to receive and take away such a large amount of money, as I came only in my vehicle, a Toyota Prado jeep.
“As I said earlier, the heap of cash that I saw in the bank’s loading bay was at least three to four feet high. So, I told PW1 that if it took a bullion van to transport the cash from the Central Bank of Nigeria to Fidelity Bank, there was no way I would be able to evacuate those funds with my Toyota Prado.”
Belgore said following a long argument between him, Suleiman and the bank manager, the bank manager told them to sign for the money and agreed to keep the money in the bank’s vault.
“After signing the document, I left the bank without the money. I did not take a penny out of the bank; I left the bank empty-handed,” he said.
Justice Rilwan Aikawa adjourned further proceedings till February 28, 2019, at the instance of Ebun Shofunde (SAN), Belgore’s lawyer, who said he needed time to preview the CCTV footage of the events that took place within the banking hall on March 26, 2015, when Belgore and Suleiman visited.
In the charges against them, the EFCC insisted that Belgore and Suleiman received N450million from Diezani and laundered same.
The anti-graft agency said they ought to have “reasonably known” that the N450million was part of proceeds of unlawful activities, adding that they handled the money without going through any financial institution, contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
The duo pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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target=_blank>Oshiomhole: I Have Pictures Of Obasanjo Using Policemen To Snatch Ballot Boxes
Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has questioned the morality of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s alarm over alleged plans of the ruling party to rig the election.
Speaking in Ilorin, Kwara State, during the APC rally on Monday, Oshiomhole said he had evidence of Obasanjo’s use of policemen to snatch ballot boxes. However, he didn’t say if this happened during the election that made Obasanjo President in 1999 or the one that secured his re-election in 2003.
“He Obasanjo said he was warning that INEC, Police, Army, every government institution, should not be destroyed… I have the pictures where Obasanjo used policemen to snatch ballot boxes, even here in Kwara State,” Oshiomhole said.
“In Kwara, they used arm robbers to terrorise the people on election day. Those who have been arrested for killing 32 people have confessed who gave them the arms. So, who is using the produce or unarmed armed robbers to terrorise people other than PDP?
“I want to assure the international community… our victory will be transparent; we do not need to steal what belongs to us. We have travelled round the country; we have seen the people; they want Buhari.”
He described the campaign rally as a celebration of the end of Senate President Bukola Saraki, whom Tinubu had also hurled abusive words at minutes earlier.
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At APC Rally, Tinubu Describes Saraki As A Self-Centred ‘Traitor, Thief’
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“We have come to celebrate the end of Bukola Saraki. When I listen to what the people are saying, I know for Bukola, it is finished. Those who stole money… Kwara funds, he embezzled them; Senate funds, he embezzled them; Societe Generale Bank’s funds, he embezzled them,” Oshiomhole said.
“I cannot wait for Saturday, so that Kwara people can celebrate their newfound freedom. It will be a day for Kwara people and for Nigerians, particularly younger politicians, to realise that the evil that the political son has done to a political father, that evil must not be awakened. That will be the story of Bukola.
“For 26 years, Bukola has over-pushed your indebtedness. He has underdeveloped Kwara; he has controlled governors much more than a man shall control his cook, and he has reduced Kwarans to mere observers in their own political life and their own economic life.
“There is nothing that exposes Bukola’s love for money and self-interest than the confession he made the day we saw his back out of APC. He said Buhari gave out over 200 juicy and he didn’t give to him or Dogara. For him, politics is about juicy jobs; Kwara is about Kwara juice for Saraki to take away. That is why I am so happy to see the actual translation of ‘enough is enough’. Everything that has a beginning has an end.”
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target=_blank>28 Arrested As Thugs Attack Homes Of PDP, APC Leaders In Kano
Mohammad Wakili, the new Commissioner of Police in Kano, has confirmed the arrest of 28 thugs in connection with the destruction of public property during the presidential campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano on Sunday.
Over the past 24 hours, Kano has witnessed an upsurge in violence as a result of an attack on the residence of Prince Abdullahi Abbas, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano, and a reprisal attack on the house of Abba Kabiru Yusuf, the PDP governorship candidate.
Addressing journalists on Monday at the Police Command, Wakili revealed that those arrested were found with dangerous weapons aimed at frustrating public peace during the PDP presidential campaign rally. He said the incident would be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted.
Wakili, who just assumed duty after his deployment from Katsina, told journalists that the Police would not allow any person, regardless of personality or political affiliation, take laws into his or her hands.
He said the Police would do everything humanly possible to ensure security of lives and properties, as well as peaceful elections in the state.
He said: “Some people, yesterday, took laws into their hands during the campaign of one of the political parties, where property was destroyed. Let me make it abundantly clear; no such act will be allowed to happen again in Kano.
“We would leave no stone unturned to bring sanity to Kano. Brandishing arms, weapons, thuggery during rallies and elections, are against our laws. A peace accord was signed by political parties and they must abide by it. When a life is lost, it is as if the entire humanity is at a loss, and we will not allow that to happen anymore before, during and after the elections.”
Wakili stressed that the Force would not be partisan, but do its job with utmost neutrality.
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target=_blank>VIDEO: Tinubu Flings APC Flag Away At Presidential Campaign Rally In Ogun
Video of Tinubu Flings APC Flag Away At Presidential Campaign Rally In Ogun
Tinubu Flings APC Flag Away At Presidential Campaign Rally In Ogun
Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), seemed so visibly upset on Monday that he flung his party’s flag to the ground during the presidential rally in Ogun State.
His probable anger was not far-fetched. The rally was threatening to descend into a free-for-all as members of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) took over the campaign rally.
They crowd also hurled various objects at President Muhammadu Buhari, when he attempted to endorse Dapo Abiodun as the party’s governorship candidate in Ogun State.
Adams Oshiomhole, the APC National Chairman, was also not spared as the crowd booed him and Abiodun during the presentation of the party’s flag to the governorship candidate.
Ibikunle Amosun, Governor of Ogun State, has publicly expressed his displeasure with the candidature of Abiodun as the APC candidate in Ogun State, and instead chosen to pitch his tent with Adekunle Akinlade of the APM.
On Monday, after Oshiomhole endorsed Abiodun’s candidature, the crowd went into a frenzy and hurled various objects at the stage.
During the fracas, as Oshiomhole walked towards Tinubu, probably as part of efforts to regain control, Tinubu, who seemed very angry, and did not speak at the event, was seen flinging the party’s flag (time 1:25 in the video) to the ground.
It was, however, not clear what he was aiming the flag at, as Oshiomhole simply walked past.
The rally ended abruptly as security operatives led the party leaders off the stage.
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target=_blank>At APC Rally, Tinubu Describes Saraki As A Self-Centred ‘Traitor, Thief’
Bola Tinubu, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Monday described Senate President Bukola Saraki with some unpalatable words.
Speaking at the APC presidential rally in Ilorin, Kwara State, Tinubu, in Yoruba language loosely translated to English, said Saraki had been stealing from his people and betraying them for his own selfish interests.
“He is a traitor… someone who takes his people’s belongings and sells them off,” Tinubu said. “He is self-centred. Bukola Saraki is the one I’m talking about. He can’t beat you, or will he?”
Tinubu said he was earnestly looking forward to the 2019 elections, saying: “I know, this is the celebration of your freedom; this is the celebration of the falling of the berlin wall. This is the celebration of the end to oligarchy…”
After Ilorin, the APC campaign train moved to Abeokuta, capital of Ogun State, for a rally that turned out the most dramatic so far since the campaign started touring the country last month.
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target=_blank>ALERT: Bandits Threaten To Kill 4,000 People, Raze Down Communities In Zamfara
Some victims of the attack in Zamfara
Bandits who have been wreaking havoc in Zamfara State have threatened to burn down three more communities in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State, except the community disbands their vigilante groups.
The bandits contacted a resident of Bakenawa community, whose identity is hidden for his safety, to deliver the threat on Monday.
Bakenawa is a few kilometres away from Ruwan Bore, where the elder sister of Ade Marafa, the senator representing Zamfara Central, was killed on last week.
According to the resident, when the bandits called him, he lied that he was not a resident of Bakenawa, but the bandits gave details of his family members to prove to him that they know him well.
Explaining how the bandits could have got his number, he said they had raided the village a few days ago and stolen properties, including people’s mobile phones.
He said: “When the bandit called, he introduced himself as a ‘stranger’ and I asked if all was well. He then asked of our vigilante group. I told him we do not have a vigilante group, but he said they know that all of us are volunteering to be a part of the vigilante group. He said to me that they would invade and burn down our village and two others, and that nothing would stop them.
“He told me there were 3,000 people in Takoka, 1,000 in Bekenawa and Tundun Wada and that they would kill everybody. He also told me that we are not serious and we are endangering our lives, because the state governor promised us N1 million for anyone who catches a bandit with AK47.”
SaharaReporters contacted the phone number with which the bandits called to confirm the claim. A man, who spoke with Fulani accent, said they threatened to attack the three villages as reprisal.
He said: “We are doing this because the vigilantes are attacking us. We don’t have access to the government that would allow us opportunity to negotiate and the villagers have not agreed to negotiate with us. We don’t want the vigilante group. We live inside the bush, but we want the government to stop the vigilante group, so that we can come into the villages and live normal and do our businesses.
“Tundun Wada, Bakenewa and Mada are our original settlements where we do our businesses and raise our families, but we have been chased into the bush. We are ready to negotiate if the vigilante will stop killing us.”
When asked if they have reported any of the said attacks to the police, he said they did not have faith in the security operatives.
Many people have been killed and thousands displaced due to the banditry going on in Zamfara State.
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target=_blank>BREAKING: Buhari Pelted With Objects At APC Rally In Ogun
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It was a festival of boos at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally held in Ogun State on Monday, as President Muhammadu Buhari barely escaped being the target of an angry crowd.
Trouble started when the President mounted the stage to present his speech.
He spoke on the achievements of the APC administration, and although he was initially greeted with boos, the people later cheered him when he told them to vote for whomever they liked in the forthcoming elections.
“That is your civic right to come out next Saturday and on the 2nd of March, and choose whoever you like in the parties. This is your right. So, there is no problem about it,” he said to the loud cheering of the people.
Afterwards, it was time to endorse Dapo Abiodun as the APC governorship candidate.
Abiodun stood to the left of the President and he was asked to move to Buhari’s right. However, as the President raised his left arm to endorse him as the APC candidate, the crowd went wild and hurled various objects at the stage where Buhari stood.
The situation required the intervention of security operatives, who swiftly shielded the President from the attack.
The rally ended abruptly as security operatives led Buhari and other party members off the stage.
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BREAKING: Confusion In Ogun As APM Supporters Take Over Buhari’s Campaign Rally
There is tension in Ogun State as supporters of the Allied People’s Movement (APM) have taken over the presidential rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The rally has just ended in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, with President Muhammadu Buhari; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Bola Tinubu, APC National Leader; Adams Oshiomhole, APC National Chairman, among others in attendance.
Trouble started when Rotimi Amaechi, Director General of the Buhari Campaign Organisation, told the people not to make any error during the forthcoming election and support the APC for all contested positions in the state.
However, when Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Governor of Ogun State, took the stage, he appealed to the party supporters to support Buhari’s reelection bid, but leave the matter of the governorship election till later.
“When it’s March 2nd, we know what we’re going to do. The other one, on March 2nd, we will resolve it. This one is for President Muhammadu Buhari. Please I beg you in the name of God, please don’t be angry,” Amosun pleaded with the supporters.
However, as Adams Oshiomhole took to the stage to present the flag of the party to Dapo Abiodun, the APC governorship candidate, the crowd went wild and hurled various objects at the Oshiomhole and Abiodun.
Security operatives had to rush to shield the President from the objects.
Osinbajo tried to pacify the crowd to initial success, but the crowd soon went so berserk that Oshiomhole, traditionally the longest speaker at APC rallies, spoke for less than a minute after being boed and shouted down for close to five minutes.
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