tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730596987387960387.post1572462441307866563..comments2023-10-03T10:06:43.840-07:00Comments on ICHEOKU: BUHARI SHOW YOUR LOVE FOR COUNTRY NOW, CALL OFF YOUR ALMAJIRI RIOTERS.EBEKUOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12634012877434160861noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730596987387960387.post-55438231045218671092011-04-19T22:29:38.643-07:002011-04-19T22:29:38.643-07:00Presidential Poll Most Credible – UK Envoy
WEDNESD...Presidential Poll Most Credible – UK Envoy<br />WEDNESDAY, 20 APRIL 2011 03:04 RALIAT AHMED, ABUJA <br />United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, William Hague, has commended the outcome of the Nigerian presidential elections, saying it was a major step forward, not just for Nigeria but also for the advancement of democracy throughout the sub-region.<br /><br />In a press statement made available to LEADERSHIP by the British High Commission in Abuja, Hague said<br /><br />“I welcome the fact that this election appears to be the most credible since the end of military rule in 1999. I congratulate the people of Nigeria for exercising their democratic duties and I congratulate President Goodluck Jonathan on his election”.<br /><br />He also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega for the crucial role he played in making the process transparentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730596987387960387.post-50079590091599047402011-04-19T22:10:46.929-07:002011-04-19T22:10:46.929-07:00Stop Violence Now, Bafarawa Urges Northern Leaders...Stop Violence Now, Bafarawa Urges Northern Leaders<br />WEDNESDAY, 20 APRIL 2011 01:05 KAZEEM AKINTUNDE, LAGOS <br />Former governor of Sokoto State and presidential aspirant under the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, has urged traditional rulers and politicians in the North to prevail on their subjects to stop the orgy of violence currently rocking that part of the country.<br /><br />Bafarawa, in a press statement personally signed by him and made available to LEADERSHIP in Lagos yesterday, said that though the election was not perfect, a winner had already being declared.<br /><br />He said the three Northerners who took part in the presidential election were men of honour and integrity whose legacies could not be associated with such mindless violence. .<br /><br />Bafarawa said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan the winner of the election although the process was not without problems.<br /><br />“This election was not perfect. From the party primaries, registration and election proper, there were problems. However, we must commend Prof. Attahiru Jega and his team in INEC; they made the best out of a flawed system. Violence will not correct the failings in our electoral system and the failures of government,” he said.<br /><br />He implored whoever felt aggrieved at the outcome of the election to go to court.<br /><br />“Our country is better served where we employ legal and constitutional means to express our disagreements. The resort to violence is not only archaic, it dehumanizes us. This is not the dream our fathers had for us. Certainly, it is not Allah’s wish that we kill, burn, and maim each other anytime we have a minor disagreement,”’ he saidAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730596987387960387.post-48906359789071115392011-04-19T22:08:29.730-07:002011-04-19T22:08:29.730-07:00Northern Governors Condemn Post-Election Riots
WED...Northern Governors Condemn Post-Election Riots<br />WEDNESDAY, 20 APRIL 2011 01:16 ABU NMODU, MINNA <br />The Northern Governors Forum (NGF) has condemned the post-election riots which have engulfed almost parts of the northern states following the declaration of President Goodluck Jonathan as president-elect by Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.<br /><br />The chairman of the forum, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu, who communicated the forum’s position while receiving association of federal agencies in Niger State yesterday, in Minna, said the acts was unacceptable and should be condemned.<br /><br />“It is obvious that these youth were sponsored because there is no way they would have just taken to the streets on their own without being brainwashed by someone or a group of people” he stated.<br /><br />He said that it was strange that an incident that was unrelated to religion should suddenly be given religious colouration, adding that the sponsors and perpetrators would be made to pay for their deed.<br /><br />The governor urged the people of the region to be security conscious.<br /><br />“Please become security conscious because no amount of security can work without you becoming involved in the provision of security,” he said.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730596987387960387.post-71812270476426663592011-04-19T21:47:36.380-07:002011-04-19T21:47:36.380-07:00Buhari Has No Reason to Complain, Says Orj
By Emm...Buhari Has No Reason to Complain, Says Orj<br /><br />By Emmanuel Ugwu<br />20 Apr 2011<br />Font Size: a / A<br /><br />Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State<br /><br />Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji Tuesday faulted the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Muhammadu Buhari, for disputing the impressive performance of President Goodluck Jonathan in the South East and South South geopolitical zones, saying Buhari has no reason to complain over a promise fulfilled.<br /><br />Speaking with newsmen at Umuahia following the official declaration of Jonathan as the winner of the 2011 presidential election, the Governor deflated the allegations of fraud in the massive votes that the PDP presidential candidate got in the two zones, saying that Buhari and his CPC should live with the fact of their failure.<br /><br />He described the massive support President Jonathan enjoyed in the South East as a mark of solidarity by the people, pointing out that the governors of the five states of the South East had earlier declared that the zone was not putting up anybody for the presidential race having adopted Jonathan as the candidate of Ndigbo.<br /><br /><br />Orji noted that out of all the candidates in the presidential race only Jonathan visited all the states in the South East and campaigned vigorously everywhere he went whereas other presidential candidates never bothered to campaign in the South East state. He further added that South East governors went to Lagos with Mr. President and persuaded millions of Ndigbo resident in Lagos to vote for Jonathan.<br /><br />The Abia chief executive also reacted to the attendant violent protests in some northern states after the presidential poll result was declared, urging all the Northern leaders to control the miscreants unleashing may hem on innocent citizens in order to forestall reprisal attack in other parts of the countryAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730596987387960387.post-43274258140307854682011-04-19T21:26:32.193-07:002011-04-19T21:26:32.193-07:00National conference will end violence – Asari-Doku...National conference will end violence – Asari-Dokubo<br />By Chukwudi Akasike, Port Harcourt <br />Wednesday, 20 Apr 2011 <br /> <br /> View All (1) Comment(s)<br /> Post Comment<br /> Twitter<br /> Send to friend<br />Share<br />FORMER militant leader, Alhaji Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, has reiterated the need for the Federal Government to convoke a Sovereign National Conference.<br /><br /><br />Asari-Dokubo said a Sovereign National Conference would pave the way for the different ethnic nationalities to sit down and discuss the way forward for the country.<br /><br /><br />He argued that only such a conference would solve the problem of bomb blasts and killings in the North.<br /><br /><br />The leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Salvation Front, who led scores of youths on a peaceful protest in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, was reacting to the violence in some parts of the north over the outcome of the presidential election.<br /><br /><br />Asari-Dokubo said the riots in the north had justified the demand for a Sovereign National Conference, urging the Federal Government not to toy with the issue.<br /><br /><br />Wondering why the outcome of the presidential election could spark violence in the northern part of the country, the former militant leader recalled that former President Shehu Shagari and some other leaders won controversial elections in the past without any outbreak of violence.<br /><br /><br />“In 1979, (Shehu) Shagari won a controversial election, there were no riots. In 1983, Shagari again won a controversial election, there were no riots. In 1999, a northern puppet was installed as president and there was no riot. In 2003, this same man was installed, there was no riot.<br /><br /><br />“In 2007, the most bizarre, the most fraudulent election in history was conducted in Nigeria, there was no riot. But because Goodluck Jonathan comes from a place considered not fit enough to rule this country, riots and killings are going on up north.<br /><br /><br />“Remember that in 1993, (Chief M.K.O.) Abiola won the election and some people from the north annulled it, heavens did not fall. They are burning houses of moderates in the north, who voted for the right person.<br /><br /><br />“My wives and children are Moslems. What is happening in the north has nothing to do with religion. It is all about greed,” Asari-Dokubo said.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730596987387960387.post-13005590487559899582011-04-19T21:17:10.362-07:002011-04-19T21:17:10.362-07:00Buhari, IBB, others deplore violence
PRESIDENTIAL...Buhari, IBB, others deplore violence<br /><br />PRESIDENTIAL candidate, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, has condemned the spate of violence in some parts of the north and called on those behind it to stop it for the unity of the nation.<br /><br />However, Buhari, who spoke on Radio Kaduna, dissociated the CPC from the unrest.<br /><br />According to him, “the CPC supporters have no hand in the violence” stressing that the crisis was the handiwork of mischief-makers, who should be condemned by all.<br /><br />Also, former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, has condemned the mayhem in some northern states.<br /><br />In a statement issued by his Media Adviser, Kassim Afegbua, Babangida charged “all Nigerians to shun primitive and uncivilised conducts such as violence, religious intolerance, killings in the name of politics, and maiming innocent and helpless Nigerians. We must continue to imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship in our politics, togetherness in our national aspirations and unity as one nation under God.<br /><br />“We must be tolerant of the divergent views in the polity and exhibit a deeper sense of patriotism in our daily individual and collective indulgences. We must look into the future with hope and assurances with the firm belief that we will get it right someday. May the gains of this democratic process outlive all of us, Amen.”<br /><br />Babangida commended Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, for his diligence in conducting elections so far.<br /><br />He also congratulated President Goodluck Jonathan for winning the presidential polls.<br /><br />Babangida wrote: His victory should be seen not only as a collective victory for the country’s fledgling democracy, but also an opportunity to further cement the democratic foundation of the country. It is a victory that should afford us as a people to chart a new roadmap in repositioning the country and fully utilizing her potentials for the benefit of mankind. It is a victory that should once again provide a basis for appreciating the opportunities that abound in the country and exploiting same, for the overall good of the nation.<br /><br />“With a profound sense of responsibility, I wish to congratulate Gen. Mohammadu Buhari of the Congress for Progressive Change, Malam Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria and Malam Ibrahim Shekarau of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, for their untiring efforts and high-spiritedness before, during and after the conduct of the Presidential elections.<br /><br />“Their participation has further emboldened their respective supporters nationwide that democracy has finally come to stay.<br /><br />“By their efforts, they have made lasting impressions in the minds of people and for posterity. The generation yet unborn would accord them the noble recognition that they truly put up highly spirited effort in helping to shape the twists and bends of our democracy, for the good of the country and to the glory of mankind. May Allah in His infinite mercy, continue to reward their efforts.’’<br /><br />Also, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, has described President Jonathan’s election as “historic” and a manifestation of people’s power.<br /><br />In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Paul Odenyi, Ekweremadu said the conduct of the election broke the record of the June 12, 1993 polls hitherto adjudged the best election in the country.<br /><br />In a reaction to the violent skirmishes in some northern states, defence authorities have assured of the Military’s commitment to protecting lives, property and democratic structures in the country.<br /><br />Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, gave the assurance yesterday when he received the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister of State, Navy Capt Caleb Olubolade, at the Naval Headquarters, Abuja.<br /><br />“We in the military have been part of the history of this country and have learnt our lessons. We now know that a stable democracy does a lot of good for the military,” Ibrahim said.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730596987387960387.post-18675887896135766412011-04-18T22:15:20.327-07:002011-04-18T22:15:20.327-07:00Presidential election: ‘Sponsors of protests are c...Presidential election: ‘Sponsors of protests are coup plotters’<br /><br />| Print | E-mail<br />Written by Isaac Shobayo, Jos<br />Tuesday, 19 April 2011<br />Piqued by the protests trailing the outcome of the presidential elections in some parts of the Northern states, the chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN) North-Central zone, Reverend Yakubu Pam, has described the protests as an invitation for the military to take over, saying those behind the protest should not be allowed to go scot free.<br /><br />Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune over the protest, the North-Central CAN chairman, who strongly condemned the protest and wanton destruction of lives and property that followed, said the reason for the protests was shallow because the results of the election were yet to be completed as of the time the protest broke out.<br /><br />“The government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) have done their best as far as this election is concerned and there are ways of channelling any grievance that may arise as a result of the election, so the protesters and those behind it ought to have followed the constitutional means of seeking redress instead of resorting to violence.<br /><br />“Sponsors of the protests are enemies of Nigeria and democracy who don’t believe in unity and corporate existence of Nigeria as a nation.<br /><br />The purpose of the protest is to get the sympathy of the military, but thank God, the military is wiser than before and also cherish democracy” he said.<br /><br />He said the attack on religious organisations in the North, as a result of the protest, was barbaric and uncivilised, adding that the election had nothing to do with religion.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2730596987387960387.post-76269102107901086932011-04-18T21:37:58.912-07:002011-04-18T21:37:58.912-07:00Former militants urge Buhari to rein in supporters...Former militants urge Buhari to rein in supporters<br />BY SOJI BAMIDELE<br />April 19, 2011 01:10AM<br /> print email <br /><br /><br />Former commanders of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) yesterday during a news conference in Abuja, said, "The outbreak of violence in the northern states and the Federal Capital Territory following President Jonathan's victory in the presidential election is an invitation to chaos." It specifically warned that incitement of youths to violence by some northern leaders was an attempt to provoke them to return to hostilities.The group, which spoke through its national cordinator, Sobomabo Jackrich, aka General Egbere Papa, wondered why the North "which had always received the support of the South-South and indeed southern Nigeria in previous elections should be wasting innocent lives and property because President Jonathan of South-South extraction has won an election."The North thinks it will remain in power perpetually. From the inception of this country, the South-South region had given the North all the necessary support in previous elections in spite of the fact that we produce the wealth of the nation.Why will the North not reciprocate even in the face of what is now known as the freest and fairest election? We all queued up to vote and we know the election was free and fair. INEC is still announcing election results and people are on rampage killing and maiming," the group noted.<br /><br />The group, therefore, warned: "We will not fold our hands and watch. We know how to defend ourselves and our resources. By this violence, the North is clearly pushing us and we have a way with violence. Even when we were in the struggle, we never wasted innocent lives. President Jonathan's victory at the polls must remain sacrosanct. General Buhari should call his supporters off the streets before it is too late.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com