Sahara Reporters Latest News Thursday 14th February 2019
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 14/02/19
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target=_blank>Presidential Election Gives Nigerians No Choice By Bunmi Makinwa
If President Muhammadu Buhari figuratively rode on a horse back to assume office in 2015, as at today, he barely rides a three-legged donkey. A wobbling government has frittered away the goodwill of the expectant millions who brought him to office.
However, his main opponent, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, does not have a donkey to ride on. His questionable past and close embrace of proven and perceived corrupt political actors and ruinous leaders do not make him attractive. Despite the weakness of Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) party, Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party or PDP is not the shining star.
Yet one of the two is most likely to emerge as president come the election of February 16, in a few days.The PDP governed Nigeria from 1999 to 2015. Its three successive presidents, and with control over most of the states, reinforced a faulty political system where massive looting of government coffers became the norm. Provision of services and improvement of peoples’ well-being receded and disappeared in most of the 36 states and at federal government level. Politics was the quickest gateway to wealth, riches and power.
Under PDP rule, when political leaders have taken their large share of the official budget, the little that was left could not maintain Nigeria’s elaborate political and administrative systems. Infrastructures became dilapidated. Salaries remained little and unpaid in many states. Social tension heightened.
Nigeria’s political system is problematic too. The “investment” needed to win votes or buy oneself an elected position has kept rising. The demand presses elected persons in turn to hustle to recover their wealth, equip themselves and their acolytes for future political positions. Many elected officials aggressively privatize official funds to their pockets for use as future powerful political king makers.
Amongst the citizenry, high and low, a culture of primitive self-preservation and material aggrandizement developed. Reliance on system and order gave way to brazen self-reliance, hopelessness in hard work, and spiritual solutions to routine life issues.
People scramble for “money by all means”, especially through political favours, in a situation where material well-being is a primary determinant of people’s self-worth. Absent the government, all basic needs are met by each prson according to whatever access is possible to any resources, state or privately-owned.
On February 16 2019, Nigeria will pick either Atiku or Buhari to rule the country for another four years. It is not because there are no qualified, capable and exemplary candidates among the more than 40 other presidential aspirants. It is mainly because the political system is cast in stone, and only the candidates of a few major political parties can have the resources and means to meet the demands stipulated by the constitution, political tradition, and corrupt processes that produce candidates for political offices.
Several of the other aspirants have qualifications, experience and drive that will make any country proud of its possible leaders.
The political system is dominated by political parties that can afford enormous resources to set up structures, reach out to a sprawling, federated country of 36 states and one federal territory, use mass and social media that communicate with some 180 million population, and provide reliable security for themselves and supporters. Candidates for elections must dole out monies to members of their own parties and voters who have given up on what elected leaders do when they are in office. Rather, party officials and voters want immediate gratification – whatever materials, food and money that they can get from candidates during the election campaign. Elections are costly, not only for the official organizers, but also for candidates who must deploy huge amounts of money for every step of the election process, from seeking nomination of political parties to seeking votes of the electorate.
For the coming election, Nigeria faces yet again the sad choice of having to choose between two leading politicians neither of whom can take the country to its level of development and realization of its potentials. The gargantum victory of President Buhari in 2015 over then incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan gave Buhari a powerful entry. But his three-pronged campaign on corruption, a stronger economy and security with special focus on ending Boko Haram insurgency are nowhere near being successfully prosecuted.
At the same time, Atiku will only be Atiku – focusing on further enriching himself, his cronies and beloved others. Those who strongly support Atiku claim that he is different from Buhari and will perform better given the weaknesses of the current government. They say that Atiku will make the expected noise to discourage the rampage by herdsmen and organised attacks on certain people and religious groups. He will choose his lieutenants from various parts of the country. He will enable the South-eastern part of the country mainly the Igbo ethnic group to contest strongly for the presidency. He will make public money spread around through his customary largesse. He will unite the country that appears to be fragmenting. Yet, the claimants have only weak arguments to explain how the expectations will be met. The strongest criticism of Atiku is that the popular demand to combat and at least reduce corruption will suffer greatly if he becomes president. But his supporters maintain that if corruption is the price to pay to have a more united country, a stronger economy and less structured federalism, it is time to let corruption continue under Atiku’s rule. It is a sad bargain to accept.
Whether 76-year old Buhari or 72-year old Atiku wins in the soon to be held election for the next president, Nigeria loses because neither of the two persons has the disposition, experience, appropriate mindset, nor determination to make Nigeria a better place for its people. The current political system presents only the rich and mighty, not the best that the country can offer.
Asked about February 16 election for the president, someone retorted: “Some people will vote for Atiku. Some will vote for Buhari. One of the two will win despite a large number of frustrated people who will spread their votes among the numerous other candidates. The status quo will remain because Atiku and Buhari are from PDP and APC which are two sides of the same coin.”
To buttress his point, the person explained that Atiku was in PDP before he joined APC, and then returned to PDP a few months ago to buy the political platform to aim for the presidency. The leadership of both parties boast of the same persons who have led Nigeria’s politics for the past 30 plus inglorious years.
Bunmi Makinwa is the CEO of AUNIQUEI Communication for Leadership.
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target=_blank>NDCMB, NDDC Not Bankrolling Any Political Party For Elections, Says Ijaw Group
The Ijaw Pride Group (IPG) has faulted the claim by a Bayelsa-based Civil Society Organisation (CSO), known as the Association of Concerned Bayelsa Professionals (ACBP), that some government organisations are under pressure to bankroll elections in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the state and national levels.
According to the group, those behind the “false claim” against the authorities of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) are “engaged in acts of pull-him-down syndrome for personal gains”.
In a statement, the ACBP had accused the managements of the NDDC and NCDMB of being under undue pressure to release money for political campaigns for the APC in the Niger Delta region and at national levels.
However, in a statement by the IPG, issued by Comrade Ebiowei Akpeti, its Director of Publicity, the group condemned what it referred to as “the unfortunate recurring circle of acts of self-destruction by fellow Ijaws”.
Akpeti said it was curious that the two federal agencies mentioned in the spurious allegation are both headed by illustrious sons of Bayelsa origin, noting that his interactions with the Simbi Wabote, Executive Secretary of NCDMB, shows a man of integrity and professionalism.
“Here is a man that has been known and commended across the entire gamut of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria and abroad for his high sense of professionalism, integrity and prudence in financial management,” he said.
The statement, therefore, advised the general public to “ignore the unsubstantiated malicious allegations by ACBP against our illustrious sons”.
Meanwhile, Reuben Okoya, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State, has urged the people of the state not to experiment with any new political party other than PDP.
At a press briefing in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, on Wednesday, he said the party has gone a long way in developing the state, and has empowered the people in some critical positions, especially by giving a son of the state the opportunity to rule over the nation as President.
He urged the electorate in the state to support all PDP candidates during the elections, and shun any act of violence.
“PDP is the party to be with. It’s a party to support. PDP has actually been in Bayelsa all this time and has done great work. We need to support our party all the way to sustain the gains made so far in the socio-economic development of the state. We are all working hard to ensure that PDP stays in the state for greater and better things to happen. Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring. We are all hopeful that we will all be a part of the development of Bayelsa for the children of the future,” he said.
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E2%80%94-10-adamawa-gov-candidates-deny-stepping-down-bindow target=_blank>‘Oshiomhole Lied’ — 10 Adamawa Gov Candidates Deny Stepping Down For Bindow
Ten governorship candidates in Adamawa State have denied endorsing Governor Jibrilla Bindow, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the forthcoming election.
Five of the candidates who addressed journalists on Wednesday in Yola, debunked the endorsement, saying: “We were tricked into the gimmick of the so-called endorsement of the APC candidate”.
They accused Governor Bindow and Adams Oshiomhole, the APC National Chairman, of twisting issues to gain political value.
“We were embarrassed to hear the Chairman announce that we have collapsed our political structures into the APC, to support Governor Bindow’s reelection bid,” the candidates said in a statement.
Simeon Frank Kwashihula, candidate of MPN, and spokesman of the candidates, said: “Oshiomhole lied to the gathering by the fraudulent announcement. We wish to state for the record that we attended the flag-off based on invitation, the same way we’ve attended flag-off of other contestants, who are members of the ‘New Generation Governorship Candidates’ Forum (NGGCF).
“Following the event, we approached Governor Bindow and asked him to retract. But he pleaded with us on condition of carrying out certain developmental projects. Therefore, this press conference has become necessary to deny the unauthorised statement made by APC National Chairman during the flag-off.”
The candidates are: Engr. Nazeer Sa’ad (ZLP), Dr. Suleiman Bawa (YPP), Engr. Suleiman Frank (MPN), Lami Musa (PPN), Elizabeth Baldeno Isa (CAP). Others are Isa Dalhatu (NCP), Hassan Dantsoho (Accord Party), Wealthy Bulama (PPA), Umaru Bello Jada (ANP) and Isaac Sa’ad Badan (JMPP).
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target=_blank>Omoyele Sowore: Endorsed By Coalition Of Oppressed And The Poor Will Cruise To Aso Rock By Bayo Oluwasanmi
Bayo Oluwasanmi
Bayo Oluwasanmi
The presidential election on Saturday is more than election. It’s going to be a referendum. Nigerians will have the opportunity to choose between good and evil, future and past, old reactionaries and visionary leadership, between more of the same or real change.
The old established candidates get rich for doing nothing for the country. They plundered our nation and brought it to its knees. Everything is in ruins. Nothing works. Nigerians are suffering. They are dying in droves like flies. Omoyele Sowore the African Action Congress (AAC) candidate, has rightly described Nigeria as a ground zero and a crime scene. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Nigerians are hungry for real change. The coalition of the oppressed and the poor will vote out of frustration and fatigue. Their vote will be a punishment vote against Buhari and Atiku. They are ready to try a new person and a new party : Omoyele Sowore of AAC.
They are tired of APC and PDP excesses, corruption, manufactured crisis and chaos, instigated and perpetrated violence. The two parties have proved to be sworn enemies of our people and nation. Voting APC or PDP is like divorcing your wife to marry your mother in-law.
Within the short period of nine months, Sowore has won the love, respect, admiration, and hearts of millions of Nigerians by tapping into a deep well of resentment perpetuated by the status quo. Sowore has done everything possible to convince Nigerians that he’s the most credible, most qualified, most prepared, and most positioned candidate who can steer a country whiplashed by rising crimes, violence, corruption, unemployment, fear, insecurity, and poverty.
We have everything to become a great nation, instead we have become the poverty capital of the world. Sowore is a visionary with bracing honesty and evidence of his willingness to shatter the status quo. The way Sowore ran his campaign shows how he’s going to govern Nigeria as president: organized, transparent, accountable, lean, efficient, prudent, effective, IT driven, purpose driven, people driven, and of course driven by fearless ideas.The vitriol and outrage of Sowore on campaign trails, debates, town hall meetings, and interviews, as he crisscrossed the country, largely mirrored Nigerians’ dystopian mood. The coalition of the oppressed and endorsement of the poor will propel Sowore to Aso Rock. Here’s why:
They see Saturday’s election as an opportunity to elect a fighter and a doer who will fight their cause. They see Sowore as a man with a sense of destiny. Sowore communicates a sense of better future, the belief that they’re in this together. They see in him a man with a sense of family. He has been able to convince them that they’re joined together as a family by his mission – a vision of a better tomorrow. They see in him a militant spirit that will get the job done. He assured them that he’ll match his representation with a militancy that the urgency of the task ahead demands.
They love his connectedness with the pain and sorrow of the underprivileged. He speaks their language. He expressed empathy and compassion for their predicament and brings courage to their dreams and pursuits. They appreciate his fierce opposition to contagious selfishness of the oppressors. They believe in his courageous servant-hood. They seen in Sowore the resolve for results.
The coalition of the oppressed and the poor know that by casting their votes for Sowore, they are creating a future that aligns with their aspirations, dreams, priorities, programs, and set a precedent for the future. They seem to be saying: “We’re voting Sowore. Our future is NOW… Let’s cruise to Aso Rock!”
bjoluwasanmi@gmail.com
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E2%80%99s-helicopter-crash target=_blank>AIB Releases Report On Osinbajo’s Helicopter Crash
The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has released a detailed preliminary report on how the helicopter that conveyed Vice President Yemi Osinbajo crashed in Kabba, Kogi State, on Saturday, February 2, 2019.
In the bid to forestall recurrence of such accident, AIB also issued two “immediate safety recommendations” to Caverton Helicopters, operators of the crashed chopper and the industry regulator, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Briefing, Akin Olateru, the AIB Commissioner, in a briefing with journalists on Wednesday, urged NCAA to issue an advisory circular to all helicopter operators in Nigeria to be alert to the possibility and effect of brownstone, while appropriate procedures should be put in place to mitigate its effects.
In its safety recommendation to Caverton Helicopters, Safety Recommendation 2019-003 stated that the operator should ensure that flight operations are carried out in accordance with the company’s approved operations manual vis-à-vis the survey and proper safety risk analysis are done before dispatching any flight to unapproved landing posts.
AIB also released the preliminary accident report with 17 initial findings, among which was the occurrence of a brownout while landing.
Olateru explained that brownout in helicopter operations is an in-flight visibility restriction caused by dust or sand in which the flight crew loses visual contact with nearby objects that provide the outside visual references necessary to control the helicopter near the ground.
The preliminary report emphasised that the helicopter company did not conduct site survey of the landing field prior to flight, adding that the company did not also carry out a safety and risk assessment of the landing area prior to the dispatch of the flight.
The initial findings also indicated that the bureau could not conduct drug and alcohol tests on the pilots and according to the weather report obtained from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET), the prevailing conditions were good, but that the aircraft hovered to land in a brown out condition.
Olateru, however, said the conclusive report would make a lot of other areas clearer, especially after analysis of data from the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) information and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), as well as analysis of data from the Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) and Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) coupled with interviews from witnesses and further inspection of the crash site.
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target=_blank>Bad News For Anti-Corruption War As EU Adds Nigeria To ‘Dirty-Money Blacklist’
Nigeria has been added to a blacklist of nations that pose global threat because of leniency as it relates to controlling financial activities of terrorists, as well as money laundering.
The European Commission also added Saudi Arabia, Panama, and other jurisdictions to the blacklist, the EU executive said on Wednesday.
According to Reuters, low sanctions against money laundering and financing terrorism, insufficient cooperation with the EU and lack of transparency regarding company beneficiaries, constitute the criteria used to blacklist countries.
Being on the blacklist does not only constitute reputational damage, it will also complicate financial relations with the EU, as the bloc’s banks will have to carry out additional checks on payments involving entities from listed jurisdictions.
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target=_blank>Ambush Marketing, The Nigeria IP Laws And The Future By Rockson Igelige
Ambush marketing is a phrase coined to amplify a brand which connects itself to a particular event without paying any sponsorship fees to be an official sponsor. This was best demonstrated in the case of Usain Bolt at the 2016 Olympic in Rio Brazil where he kissed his Puma shoe after winning the 100 meters dash. Nike, the sportswear giants was the Official Olympics sponsor and a rival to Puma in the sportswear business. This is a clear case of ambush marketing. And it is this creativity and innovation being employed by the proponents of ambush marketing that has made our intellectual property laws in the different countries helpless in matters relating to ambush marketing.
The existence and manifestation of this phenomenon at global sporting events has become emboldened and deeply rooted so much so that legal experts are working around the clock to curtail this menace by devising other ways outside the known traditional intellectual property laws. But in Nigeria it is a strange practice and malady that is still unknown despite the fact that we have hosted global sporting events like the Junior World Cup and African Cup of Nations before now. It may interest us to note that one of the conditions of FIFA for awarding countries the right to host the World Cup deals with how ambush marketing can be tackled through the instrumentality of the law outside the known traditional intellectual property laws that have become deficient in this sphere.
The existing traditional intellectual property laws of most countries including the ones of Nigeria tackle issues relating to the unauthorized use of a registered trade mark, logo or slogan, use of a copy of any artistic work protected by copyright or a deliberate misleading of the public.
The cases of ambush marketing that has dominated sporting events in the last few years has thrown up a big challenge, thereby making mockery of the existing traditional intellectual property laws in place globally. Although frantic efforts have been made to curtail ambush marketing at the global level by using the existing traditional intellectual property laws, the limited number of case law on the subject outside this jurisdiction has proven that the existing institutional and legal framework are inadequate in the task of curtailing the practice.
The traditional intellectual property and unfair trade laws cannot guarantee any protection because of the creativity of ambush marketers who know the wordings of the laws well enough not to breach them. Not even the intellectual property law plus that was initiated as a complimentary effort has been able to address this lacuna.
The few cases against ambush marketing that were successful even though their claims were founded on traditional intellectual property laws were those brought under laws on the appropriation of trademarks or breach of copyright. A good example of this is the case of Arsenal Football Club and Matthew Reed. In this case, Arsenal Football Club filed an action against Reed for selling club merchandise without a license from the club. The merchandise had the club logo, which was trademark protected, on it. Reed’s argument that he used the logo as a mere badge of allegiance was rejected by the Court.
The ambush marketing cases that event owners and official sponsors find most challenging are those related to intrusion and association, given the fact that these practices fall outside the ambit of traditional intellectual property laws. The New Zealand “Ring Ring” case is a typical example of how imaginative ambush marketers can be in order to avoid breaching the laws; though upon close examination “Ring Ring” was found to be a clear reference to the Olympic ring symbol. Pepsi’ use of NBL team’s home town instead of the team names themselves was done to avoid breaching trademarked names. The two instances cited above (Ring Ring case and Pepsi) show that traditional intellectual property laws are like a toothless bulldog in any fight against ambush marketing. There is need for far reaching legislation that would be a more effective weapon for tackling all aspects of ambush marketing.
The reason(s) for ambush marketing is not farfetched. Global sport events like the Olympics and the World Cup have become battle grounds where marketers try every trick in their kitty in their bid to convince consumers of the desirability, if not usefulness, of the products or brands they promote. And the reason why marketers pull out all the stunts at these events is plain enough: they constitute the two largest global sporting events with mammoth broadcast reach, thus providing marketers the most advantageous occasion for advertising their products to consumers. The 2008 Beijing Olympics is a good example of the audience reach of the Olympic Games. It is on record that the games were beamed to a live audience of over 4.7 billion or 70 percent of the World population.
The tussle by different brands to outdo themselves at major sporting events like the Olympics or World Cup is linked to the commercialization of these events, with particular regard to corporate sponsorship.Sport sponsorship is an attractive area for both companies and event organizers from the perspective that they provide the most coveted room for selling their brands to a wide audience. There is also the additional benefit of a boost to the image of a company for identifying with the event and the real sport heroes. The sole aim of sport event organizers is to maximize income, and corporate sponsorship is a very effective means of achieving this goal.
Sponsorship takes different shapes and shades. It can be in the form of official sponsorship of the main event, or of athletes, or even a team. In most cases, companies that lose their bid to secure the status of official sponsor of the main event would opt for identifying with a particular team or athlete for a chance to showcase their brand to spectators’ sponsors. It is this interplay of differing forms of sponsorship that gave birth to the phrase, ambush marketing. While event owners and official sponsors see ambush marketing as detrimental to sporting events, those who engage in it see their action as squarely within the ambit of the relevant laws. But no doubt, if the activities of these ambush marketers are left on unchecked, they could lead to dire consequence such that sponsorship of major events like the Olympics and the World Cup would be difficult to secure.
From the above analysis, can we comfortably say that the Nigeria intellectual property laws can curb this menace? Before we proceed, we must note that the Nigeria legal system evolved from the United Kingdom, and by extension our intellectual property laws are almost the same as that of the United Kingdom. And the lacuna in both Countries’ laws are to a reasonable extent cemented by the international treaties that they are signatory to. While the Copyrights, Patents and Design Act, 1988 is the regulatory legal framework for intellectual property matters in the United Kingdom, the Nigerian Copyrights Act, 2004 is the one in Nigeria. A cursory look at the two laws of both countries show that the one of the United Kingdom Act has undergone serious legislative furnace than the other in matters relating to the handling of intellectual property matters. Inspite of this legislative height already attained in handling matters relating to IP by the United Kingdom, during the London 2012 Olympic, a sui generis legislation was put in place specifically to curb ambush marketing. And this helped in no small measure in reducing the parasitic activities of ambush marketers.
In Africa, South Africa is already ahead of Nigeria in this sphere. The laws put together for the South Africa World Cup 2010 were so all-embracing that Ambushers found it very hard to explore loopholes.
The South Africa World Cup 2010 model of the fight against ambush marketing has become a ray of hope to future sponsors and event owners. Sport analysts are agreed that South Africa is the first country, arguably, to take the boldest step in this direction. The South Africa experience in the fight against ambush marketing shows how effective legal instruments can be when appropriate and all-embracing laws are in place and there is a willingness to enforce them.
The future of Sport in Nigeria especially as regards ambush marketing is in a special legislation being put in place to check the activities of smart ambush marketers. Our intellectual property laws are deficient in this area. If you are still in doubt then tell me the section of our intellectual property laws that you can invoke against Usain Bolt that kissed his Puma shoe? A sui generis legislation in place against ambush marketing will go a long way to encourage Sport sponsors and marketers.
We must act now. The future should be today. The World is leaving us behind. Our brother, South Africa has set the ball rolling since 2010.
ROCKSON IGELIGE, AN ENTERTAINMENT LAW LAWYER WRITES FROM OLEH,DELTA STATE.
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E2%80%94-why-should-i-endorse-him target=_blank>Tompolo: Buhari’s Military Killed My Father — Why Should I Endorse Him?
Fugitive Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, has distanced himself from the reports that he has endorsed the reelection bid of President Muhammadu Buhari.
There had been reports that he had endorsed Buhari’s candidature earlier on Wednesday. Tompolo was said to have been part of five ex-militant leaders set to endorse President Muhammadu Buhari as its preferred presidential candidate.
However, he said he wasn’t aware of the said endorsement, coordinated by Ebikabowei Victor Ben, a.k.a. Boyloaf.
A statement signed by Paul Bebenimibo, media adviser and consultant to Tompolo, read: “It must be pointed out that Tompolo has not been in touch with Boyloaf since 2015. Tompolo is not into endorsement politics. Tompolo is presently troubled with the way and manner his kinsmen in Gbaramatu kingdom are being harassed and intimidated by President Muhammadu Buhari’s military on a daily basis.
“This same military harassed, brutalised and killed his father, Chief Thomas Ekpemupolo, in 2015, and up till now President Buhari has not made any statement by way of apology to him. And so, what will be the reason for Tompolo to endorse him? To further kill his kinsmen? Tompolo has been in agony since 2015, as the present government is after him for unsubstantiated allegations of corruption.
“It is not true that Tompolo is part of those who are set to endorse President Buhari in Port Harcourt. Therefore, President Buhari and the general public should disregard the news as it is purely fake news.”
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target=_blank>The ‘According To…’ People By Adeyeye Olorunfemi
In the last eight years of my engagement with political discussants online and offline, I have had serious clashes with the ‘educated ones’; those who unfortunately shape opinions for others in national conversations. I have at various times, noticed that most Nigerians especially young people are regurgitators. They swallow everything without critical thinking and vomit them without critical assessment. They are the ‘According to…’ people.
‘According to Professor Wole Soyinka, you must not sleep with your eyes closed at night’. ‘Femi Falana SAN said a lawyer that wants to be successful must read 200 books in a day’. These are witty examples of ‘quotables’ you hear these days even at this electioneering period. This is not to deride any of the mentioned personalities. For no reason would I. But don’t we find it nauseating that young people even quote someone as backward as Dino Melaye?
My encounter with these opinion shapers has made a lot of them- Doctors, Lawyers, Businessmen to block me and break relationship with me. I am unperturbed. Going forward, I would have to lose a lot of links with these because they mislead a lot of people who follow them and would always believe their stances on issues either right or wrong. Many people believe them because of their statuses in Society or their financial appearance.
Isn’t it rather embarrassing that a Senior Advocate of repute like Olisa Agbakoba would be a proponent of ‘Anybody but Buhari’?. Wasn’t it the same mantra in 2015 that brought us here? It was ‘Anybody but Jonathan’ in 2015. Today, Jonathan is looking like a Pope and Wizkid compared to Buhari.
Isn’t it worrisome that the SAN does not understand that even if a Jesus comes under this kind of system that we run, he would mess up big time. It is not just changing the ‘who’. It is changing the ‘what’.
I agree with the ‘Anybody but Buhari’ mantra but what we must major on is finding another system besides this system that impoverishes the poor to continue enriching the rich. A man who wants to sell NNPC to enrich his friends falls under the ‘Anybody but Buhari’ category. He is Atiku. But we all know who his friends are. I and that woman who sells pepper at Oshodi market are not his friends. We can’t buy NNPC. The gap between the poor and the rich would only be widened by such policy. Why isn’t the SAN talking about this? Or talking about the person posing another idea? His name is Sowore. He is not selling any national asset. He is even proposing how to ‘take them back’ from greedy individuals.
Dear SAN, In the 2019 Presidential elections, it must be both ‘Whom to Change’ and ‘What to Change’.
– Adeyeye Olorunfemi
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Victory At Last As Appeal Court Ruling Paves The Way For Zamfara APC Candidates
A Court of Appeal sitting in Sokoto, capital of Sokoto State, has dismissed the appeal filed against the judgment of a Zamfara High Court that directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to field candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State for elective positions.
There are two conflicting judgments on whether candidates seeking elective positions in Zamfara should be allowed to contest elections.
While the Zamfara High Court had ruled that INEC recognise the candidates, a Federal High Court in Abuja countered the state High Court judgment on the same day.
However, by the ruling of the Court of Appeal on Wednesday, Zamfara APC candidates can contest in elections in the state.
The judgment was given by a three-man panel of the court after the withdrawal by the appellant, Aminu Jaji.
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