Tears as escaped Chibok girls, parents meet Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday met with parents of the girls abducted from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, on April 14 by Boko Haram insurgents.

Journalists were barred from   the meeting which took place inside the Banquet Room of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, exactly 99 days after the girls were forcibly taken away from their school hostel at night .

The Presidency had in a statement last week promised that the meeting would be “open to the Nigerian and international media for coverage.”

But our correspondent gathered from a source at the meeting that some of the 51 girls, who escaped from their captors wept as they narrated their ordeal     to   Jonathan.

He said that the girls appealed to the President to expedite action and ensure that their colleagues who are still in captivity are rescued on time.

The source added, “The girls narrated how they jumped out of moving vehicles on the night of their abduction.

“They said they ran into the bush without any knowledge of where they were and where they were heading for.

“The girls said they trekked cautiously inside the thick bush up until daybreak before they saw some Fulani men who offered to assist them because they were still in their school uniforms.

“They said they were moved on motorcycles by the Fulani men who assisted them.”

Our source added that four   other girls also told the President that they escaped   when they went to fetch water from a stream.

According to him, the girls who said they were five as of the time of their escape, regretted that they could not locate   one of them who fled in another direction.He said, “They told the President that they managed to escape when they went to fetch water from a stream.

“They said they were being guided by two men, that at a point, five of them managed to escape. Four of them went in the same direction while one went in another direction. They do not know the whereabouts of the fifth girl who went in another direction.”

He added that   many   at the meeting, especially women, shed tears when the girls started pleading with the President to do everything within his powers to ensure that their colleagues were rescued.

The meeting was also attended   by the President of the Senate, David Mark ; Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima; his Bauchi State counterpart, Isa Yuguda; some members of the Federal Executive Council,     security chiefs,   the principal of   the GSS,     opinion and community leaders from Chibok.

The 51 escaped girls, their parents and others were conveyed to and fro the venue of the meeting in four red luxury buses belonging to the Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company Limited amid tight security provided by a combined team of men of the Department of State Service and policemen.

The security operatives shielded them from journalists before and after the meeting that lasted about three hours.

The venue wore a sombre look with the escaped girls who looked traumatised being the cynosure of all eyes.

The meeting started with the arrival of Jonathan, who was joined   by   Mark, Shettima,   Yuguda,   some FEC members and the security chiefs .

Immediately the meeting commenced at about 11:20am, journalists were asked to leave the venue.

The doors of the Baquet Room were only re-opened to journalists shortly after the President had made his closing remarks. Photojournalists were however able to capture him in a group photograph with the escaped girls.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, told State House correspondents after the meeting that his boss   had the opportunity to listen first-hand to the various categories of persons.

Abati described the meeting as   a good development because Jonathan had always been looking forward to such an opportunity, having met with other stakeholders on the matter before.

Abati said, “Statements were made by all the representatives. They spoke their minds and conveyed their feelings to the President.

“The girls who escaped also gave an account of what they went through. Mr. President reassured them of the Federal Government’s determination and his own personal determination to ensure that the girls that are still in captivity are brought out alive.

“That is the main objective of the government. Mr. President also used the opportunity to reassure the parents and the girls   that everything will be done to make things easier for them, especially those who have escaped and the ones that will also be rescued. He promised them that their education will not in anyway suffer and he is convinced that evil will never prevail over good.

“Mr. President further assured them that after the battle has been won and the girls are brought back home, he, together with the parents and the (Borno) state government will focus on development, on building Chibok, on building all that the terrorists had destroyed and on ensuring that every child, either in Chibok or in any other part of the country, has his/her dream realised.

“At the end of the meeting, the parents were happy. Everybody was in high spirits.”

He added that Jonathan told the gathering that   efforts were being made to place the escaped girls in other schools.

On media reports that most of the real parents of the abducted girls were not part of the meeting, Abati said the parents who attended made it clear that they were representatives of other parents.

He said over 200 people from Chibok attended the meeting.

“The girls spoke in great details about their experiences and their observations. It was an open and frank session in which everybody expressed their minds,” he concluded.

Abati later issued a statement in which he said that Jonathan’s desire was   to visit Chibok after the abducted girls might have been rescued.

According to Abati, the President believes that it is only then that the parents of the   girls could receive him with smiling faces rather than with tears.

He said that the President told the gathering that his heart was constantly with the parents, despite the fact that he had not visited their town.

The statement read in part, “Our duty now is to take all relevant steps to recover our girls alive and our primary interest is getting them out as safely as possible. I will not want to say much, but we are doing everything humanly possible to get the girls out.

“This is not the time for talking much. This is the time for action. We will get to the time that we will tell stories. We will get to the time that we will celebrate and I assure you that, by God’s grace, that time will come soon.

“Anyone who gives you the impression that we are aloof and that we are not doing what we are supposed to do to get the girls out is not being truthful.

“Our commitment is not just to get the girls out, it is also to rout Boko Haram completely from Nigeria. But we are very, very mindful of the safety of the girls. We want to return them all alive to their parents. If they are killed in any rescue effort, then we have achieved nothing.”

The President was quoted as saying that the National Emergency Management Agency and federal medical agencies would intensify their efforts to provide the people of Chibok and their neighbours with additional relief aid and assistance.

He also assured them that Chibok and other communities in the three North-East states most affected by the Boko Haram insurgency would be the first beneficiaries of the Victims’ Support Fund, a   Presidential Initiative for the North-East.

The VSF and the Safe Schools Initiative are some of the developmental programmes which the Federal Government put in place   to address the damage, losses, setbacks, economic and social dislocations occasioned by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Abati also quoted the Borno State governor as calling for more sobriety, reflection and unity of purpose in the fight against terrorism in the country.

He pledged that his state would give Jonathan the fullest possible support in his efforts to address the problems caused by terrorism and the Boko Haram insurgency.

Registration And Deportation Of Citizens ban by FG from any part of the Country.

The Federal Government on Monday warned security agencies and other groups against registering or deporting Nigerians from wherever they live in the country. The administration gave the warning after the meeting of the Security Council at the Presidential Villa. President Goodluck 

Jonathan chaired the meeting, which was attended by service chiefs, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, and the Director General of the State Security Service, Ita Ekpeyong. A group, the Goodluck Jonathan, had last week asked non-Northerners residing in that part of the country to relocate to their respective states within the next two weeks. The group said in a statement signed by its national president, Aliyu Usman, and Secretary, Alfred Solomon, after a visit to the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sunusi II, that the decision was informed by the need to accommodate northerners who would return home as a result of the unwarranted attacks against them in other parts of the country. Briefing journalists after the meeting, the Director-General of the State Security Service, SSS, Ita Ekpeyong, said the Council’s resolution was to guard against Nigerians discriminating against other Nigerians, which could be worse than the current Boko Haram scourge. He explained that if it was allowed to go on, it could lead to the disintegration of the country. Mr. Ekpenyong stated that to underscore the seriousness of the issue, the Council warned that any member of the security agencies found involved in registering or deporting any Nigerian would be strictly penalised. He said the directive to the security agencies was in line with the ongoing fight against Boko Haram. “The fight against Boko Haram, the efforts made by government to rescue the Chibok girls and the issue of deportation, registration of Nigerians in states of the federation, we regard this as even more potent than Boko Haram,” Mr. Ekpenyong stated. “Council discussed in detail the issue of registration of Nigerians in any part of the country, being subjected to registration, being subjected to deportation, being taken away from one part of the country to the other. Council discussed the reaction by some groups in Kano State and other parts of the country. “Council observe that this threat was more potent than Boko Haram and could disintegrate the country. And we take this very seriously, for people to deport people, for people to ‎take people from one place to the other, for registration of indigenes no matter where they are. No matter where they are they are free to settle anywhere they like. Council resolved that the issue of registration of Nigerians anywhere in the country and deportation should stop forthwith.” The SSS boss said as a way of re-emphasising the importance attached to the matter, Mr. Jonathan asked him and Mr. Abubakar to address the press, and insisted that registration of Nigerians must be stopped. He continued, “Security operatives ‎should not be involved in anybody trying to register people and anybody trying to deport people. Security operatives must henceforth not be involved. Any policeman or SSS found to be involved in it will be severely dealt with. “Also Youth groups trying to foment trouble because of this issue are hereby warned to desist from it because government is taking serious notice of it. Government is doing everything possible to stem this from getting out of control. As a matter of fact to show the urgency, the Council of State meeting will be held anytime next week to discuss these issues. Mr. Ekpenyong likened the fight against terrorism in the country to a football match, where only goals are recognized and not the attempted goals. He restated that government was aware of where the girls were being kept, but that it was being cautious in other to avoid human casualties. “We kept saying that the fight against Boko Haram is like the footballer. You know when the Germans played Argentina, it was only that one goal they scored that everyone is remembering, the other goals that were stopped nobody will remember,” Mr. Ekpenyong said. “There are several things government is doing, there are several attacks government has stopped but nobody will remember those ones because we don’t tell you but several things are going on. “The issue of Chibok girls, government is making efforts. We know where they are, but we don’t want to endanger their lives. That is the truth. We want to take it ‎gradually and release them at the appropriate time. We know where they are you can go to bed with that.”

PDP vows to defeat APC in Sokoto

Sokoto, June 29, 2014 ( NAN). The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) in Sokoto State said on Sunday that it would wrest power from the ruling All Progressives Congress ( APC) in the state in 2015.The newly-elected Chairman of the party, Ibrahim Milgoma, told newsmen in Sokoto: "The party is intact and united. There will be no retreat or surrender until we take over the government in 2015."He promised that the party would make the desired changes in the lives of the people of state if voted into power in 2015.According to him, the leadership of the party in the state will ensure that the choice of candidates for the various elections is respected.Milgoma said that PDP was blessed with members who were experienced enough in electioneering campaigns."This experience will come to bear during the upcoming elections and the party will emerge victorious at all levels." 

Keshi quits after World Cup exit

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has stepped down from his position after the Super Eagles' exit from the World Cup in Brazil.

France scored twice in the last 11 minutes in Brasilia on Monday to reach the quarter-finals at their expense.

The 52-year-old was appointed Nigeria boss in 2011 and helped them become African champions two years later.

Nigeria captain Joseph Yobo also retired from international football following their exit.

Fenerbahce's Yobo, 33, scored a late own goal after Paul Pogba's header had broken Nigerian resistance.

Keshi offered his resignation after last year's Africa Cup Of Nations triumph, citing a lack of support and respect, although he was persuaded to stay by Nigeria's sport minister.

A group stage win against Bosnia-Hercegovina helped Nigeria reach the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time since 1998, despite the players being involved in a row over bonuses.

Arisekola Alao’s death: 7days declares for mourning.

THE Oyo State Government has declared seven days of mourning following the death of Alhaji AbdulAzeez Arisekola-Alao in the UK on Wednesday. Dr Festus Adedayo, the Senior Special Adviser on Media to Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, made the disclosure late night on Wednesday in Ibadan. He said “the Oyo State Government has declared seven days mourning for the Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji AbdulAzeez Arisekola-Alao. “The state government has also declared Friday, June 20, 2014 a public holiday, as mark of respect for the spirit of the departed soul.’’ The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gov. Ajimobi had earlier on Wednesday visited the Ibadan home of the deceased. Meanwhile, the state government had sent a special delegation comprising the Speaker of the  State House of Assembly, Alhaj Monsurat Sunmonu, the Secretary to the State Government, Olalekan Alli and two other members of the Executive to London. The delegation was to accompany the remains of Arisekola-Alao to Nigeria.

Boko Haram terror tops ECOWAS meeting agenda

Abuja - The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) confirmed Ghana will later this week host the 72nd ordinary session of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers.

The two-day event will start on Thursday, the regional body confirmed from Abuja.

"The meeting will among others consider and endorse the Report of the Ministers in charge of security and integration as well as the Memorandum on the ECOWAS Declaration on the Events in Northern Nigeria in the wake of repeated Boko Haram terrorist attacks that have claimed hundreds of lives and kidnappings, including more than 200 school girls," read an ECOWAS statement.

It added that other items on the agenda of this Council's first session to be held in Accra since Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama assumed the chairmanship of the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government last March, also include swearing in of new Commissioners and Financial Controller who assumed duties in February and the presentation
and consideration of the 2014 Interim Report of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Kadré Desire Ouédraogo.

The statement said the council would also endorse Report of the Meeting of Ministers in charge of the ECOWAS Community Development Programme (CDP); consider the Report on Institutional Reforms, Financial Controller's 2013 Final Report; Status of Tasks Assigned by the 71st
Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers, and the Draft Agenda of the 45th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government.

The Council of Ministers meets at least twice a year in ordinary session and makes recommendations to the Authority on Community development as well as coordination and harmonization of economic integration policies. 

I Don't Mind Being Shot, I Will Lead The Protest To Chibok- Patience Jonathan

Oh dear, she actually said that! Words are easier said Than done sha.. First Lady Patience Jonathan has said she's ready to lead a protest to Chibok, Borno state if the kidnapped girls are not released soon, and doesn't mind being shot if that's what it will take to release the girls #yimu#. I personally think this is part of the campaign strategy for her husband's 2015 Election! Mama peace made this statement during a meeting with wives of government functionaries, female Senators and Commissioners. 
"I do not mind being shot as long as they return our girls to us safely, we are tired of the kidnapping," she said. 


According to her, First Ladies of other countries such as Cameroon, Chad, Niger and others have  being calling to ask her questions and offer assistance on the matter. 
"They intimate me of their readiness to help. They also asked me questions that I could not answer ‎and as women we are the last hope of this nation. We cannot fail our fellow women and the nation. If need be, we will call on the northern elders to help us so that our children and husbands will not die," Dame Jonathan said.‎‎ 

She said a committee would be set up at a stakeholders meeting involving wives of all the relevant bodies tomorrow May 4th. She warned that failure of any relevant agency to honour their invitation to the meeting would force her and others to make the Chibok protest a reality. 
"I cannot perpetuate hearsay and rumor; I must have facts to tell the international community. We will set up a committee to seek the truth as women. If any of those we call refuse to come, we will take the protest to Chibok" she said

US offers to help Nigeria in hunt for abducted girls

Washington - The United States said on Thursday it had offered Nigeria help in its search for around 200 girls abducted by militants.

"We have been engaged with the Nigerian government in discussions on what we might do to help support their efforts to find and free these young women," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told a daily briefing. "We will continue to have those discussions and help in any way we can."

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen on April 14 stormed an all-girls secondary school in the village of Chibok, in Borno state, packing the teenagers onto trucks and disappearing into a remote area along the border with Cameroon.

Harf did not elaborate on the kind of assistance Washington is offering, but said: "We know Boko Haram is active in the area and we have worked very closely with the Nigerian government to build their capacity to fight this threat."

In fiscal year 2012, the United States provided over $20 million in security assistance to Nigeria, part of that to build the military, boost its capacity to investigate terrorist attacks and enhance the government's forensic capabilities, she said.

Nigerian Government Orders Closure Of All Public Schools, Offices In Abuja For World Economic Forum

A statement by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, stated that the directive is to ensure free flow of traffic in the city centre.

The Federal Government has ordered the closure of all government offices and schools in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, during the period of the World Economic Forum, WEF.

The WEF on Africa is scheduled to hold from May 7 to 9.

A statement by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim, stated that the directive is to ensure free flow of traffic in the city centre.

“This is to inform the general public that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck  Jonathan, GCFR, has approved, as part of arrangements for the successful hosting of the World Economic Forum Africa, that all Government Offices and Schools in the Federal Capital Territory, expect those on essential services, are to be closed from Wednesday, 7th to Friday, 9th May, 2014.  Private Organisations with large number of staff may also wish to close down.”

Observers, however, believe the closure is due to the security concerns in the Nigerian capital following two bomb explosions in three weeks, killing scores of people.

Explosion on edge of Nigerian capital kills at least 15

People who were injured during an explosion are seen on stretchers at Asokoro General Hospital in Abuja May 1, 2014. The suspected bomb exploded in the suburb of Nyanya, on the outskirts of Nigeria's capital Abuja on Thursday, killing at least nine people, a week before the city was to host a summit of leaders and business executives focused on Africa's growth prospects.

A suspected car bomb exploded on the outskirts of Nigeria’s capital Abuja on Thursday, killing at least 15 people a week before the city was to host a conference of leaders and business executives focused on Africa’s growth prospects.

The explosion hit the suburb of Nyanya, close to the site of a morning rush hour bomb attack at a bus station last month that killed at least 75 people. The April 14 attack was claimed by the radical Islamist movement Boko Haram which is waging an insurgency against President Goodluck Jonathan’s government.

Flames lit up the area around the blast, which was strewn with drying blood and contorted bodies, and sirens wailed.

“There was a loud blast then a ball of fire,” witness  told opinionvoices by telephone from Nyanya. “There were many dead bodies and ambulances were rushing there.” Kayode Adeyemi said he counted at least 15 bodies at the scene of the blast, which shook the ground next to him.

“It exploded just as commuters were waiting to board buses,” he said. “I was about 100 metres away.” National Emergency Management Agency spokesman Manzo Ezekiel said at least 9 dead and 11 critically wounded were taken to hospital. Other wounded victims were being treated at the site.

A Reuters photographer in a nearby hospital saw 11 charred bodies that medical staff said had been brought there from the place of the blast.

Another witness to Thursday’s blast, Joe Udofia, said there was a “deafening explosion, then the area near Nyanya bridge was on fire. There were many people in the vicinity.” There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Boko Haram, which is seeking to carve out an Islamist enclave in Africa’s No. 1 oil producer, had threatened further attacks after the April 14 bombing.

The latest attack is an embarrassment for Jonathan’s government, which had announced a massive security operation to protect the World Economic Forum on Africa scheduled for May 7-9 in Abuja. The forum, a regional replica of the Davos, Switzerland event, brings together international leaders, policy makers, entrepreneurs and philanthropists. 

Nigeria’s government had announced that 6,000 soldiers and police would be deployed to protect next week’s summit which is due to be attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, African leaders and a host of other international personalities.

The government and the military have been under intense pressure to step up security in the country following the April 14 attack and the mass abduction by suspected Boko Haram militants the same day of more than 200 teenage schoolgirls from a northeastern school. Some of the girls escaped but most are still missing.

This abduction has shocked Nigeria, triggering protests in Abuja and exposing the security forces’ inability to contain a ruthless anti-government insurgency whose targets also include Christian churches and civilians of all races and creeds.

The West African oil producer, which recently replaced South Africa as the continent’s biggest economy through a rebasing of its GDP, faces an election 10 months away which many fear will exacerbate existing political, ethnic and religious tensions.

A Terrorist

The Nigerian President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON (born 20 November 1957) is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria. Prior to his role as President, he served as Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Governor of Bayelsa State and Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. President Jonathan is a member of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Since the inception of his administration as president, Nigerians has never known any genuine peace. Kidnapping and robbery in the entire southern region zones, Boko Haram Insurgents and the herdsmen Killing spree in the entire North of the country. His regime gives room fall all things including stealing at the highest order. With the Mr. President saying and confirming it that Boko Haram are in charge of his government without any cares to flush them out of the system.

If President Jonathan is not a terrorist, Nigeria state would have known peace and overcome the security challenges posed by Boko Haram Islamic Jihadists, who have been terrorizing our peaceful co-existence for the almost past five years of of his reign as president.

One unique and genuine attribute of Terrorists any where in the world is that they don’t care how many innocent people died in their bid to to achieve their own aims, (MINDSETS OF MASS DESTRUCTION) and that most of the terrorist groups making headlines were groups with political supports. So inclusively, apart from the Boko Haram mass killers that are killing in the North and the FCT, which Jonathan knows many about, President Olusegun Obasanjo while sensing danger raised an alarm that the Incumbent is training more highly sophisticated terror group to terrorize the country the more. (Obasanjo’s letter to president Jonathan)

May be his now estranged godfather (Former President Olusegun Obasanjo) that imposed him (Jonathan) on Nigerians in 2007 , first as vice president and later as president of the federal republic of Nigeria was blind to some facts that there were no different between Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and his boss, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha who was the major backbone and sole financial of the Niger Delta Militants at that time. Or perhaps, Obasanjo was just too desperate to use Ya’Adua and Jonathan, knowing fully well that they will cover up most of the atrocities that he too committed while in office ( Siemens and Halliburton scandals, Fake Power projects among many others)

If Dr. Goodluck Jonathan is not a terrorist, he would have resolved all the security issues affecting the country, with all the security apparatus and federal financial strength at his will of command . Suffix to this is that, when it was mattered for the federal government, President Jonathan confirmed it that he personally called the Militants to order (though through the help of his master, Alamieyeseigha, whom he later re-payed with the state pardon for the assignment).

To ascertained If president Jonathan is not a terrorist, we will need to itemize and analyze individuals around him such as aids, ministers, advisers, security chiefs, etc, whom the president alleged are Boko Haram in his government.

If president Jonathan is not a terrorist, he would have not called the Boko Haram Islamists guerrilla groups a faceless ghosts after his government mastermind the killing of the sect leader in the police custody who was arrested unhurt.

Nigerians need to prevail on Mr. president and his Boko Haram government to hurt their killings of innocent citizens now, before its too late.

Nigerian abducted girls' families fast losing hope of rescue

The families of more than 230 Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Islamist insurgents more than 10 days ago say they are fast losing hope of seeing their daughters again despite government assurances they will be found.

The mass abduction of the girls watched over by government soldiers is the most devastating in a series of recent attacks on state schools – and comes as the government debates extending a year-long state of emergency across three north-eastern states from which the militants have operated for five years. On the same day as the kidnappings, a massive bombing by Boko Haram insurgents killed more than 75 commuters hundreds of miles south on the outskirts of the capital.

The girls, who were mostly between 16 and 18 years old, were rounded up at gunpoint after militants overpowered a military guard assigned to a boarding school in Chibok, in north-eastern Borno state. They had just finished their final school exams. The school was the only one still open in the area following threats and attacks by Boko Haram, whose ideology opposes both so-called western education, and particularly women's education.

Danuma Mpur, the chairman of the local parent-teacher association, whose two nieces are among the missing, said: "Even this morning we've had no update. We pinned our hopes on the government, but all that hope is turning to frustration. The town is under a veil of sorrow."

After several attempts by unarmed parents to comb the vast forests where militant camps are located – and where near-daily air raids by the Nigerian army have been halted since the kidnappings – many said they had little faith in the government.

Hamma Balumai, a farmer whose 16-year-old daughter Hauwa was snatched, pooled his savings with other parents and ventured on a two-day trek into the forest this week. "Even my wife was begging to come as she is so disturbed she hasn't been able to eat anything. Our daughter Hauwa is only 16 years old and she has been missing for 11 days now,".

The parents turned around only after being warned by communities in the forest that their rag-tag group, armed with machetes and knives, would be gunned down by the militants, who wield sophisticated weapons.

Parents expressed their despair after President Goodluck Jonathan convened an emergency security council on Thursday with state governors, security chiefs and spiritual leaders from across Africa most populous, religiously mixed country. The government said its priority was to rescue the girls, kidnapped almost two weeks ago on 14 April, amid a deteriorating security situation.

Anxiety, Panic As Lagos APC Holds Congress

As part of preparations toward ensuring electoral victory in the forthcoming 2015 general elections in the country, particularly in Lagos, the All Progressives Congress, APC, Lagos State chapter, will today holds its all important state congress that will produce the executive members of the party to steer the ship for the next four years. APC had earlier postponed its state congresses scheduled for Wednesday, April 23rd, to allow state governors under the a egis of the party to attend the rescheduled expanded National Security Council meeting, fixed for that day to discuss the security situation in the country. In a statement issued in Lagos by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, "the postponement is a confirmation of the party's stated stand to be part of all genuine efforts to end insurgency in the country, and its strong belief that bi-partisanship must replace the crass partisanship of the presidency and the ruling party if the security crisis is to be overcomed." It will be recalled the APC is an amalgamated party following agreed merger of different political parties. The parties were: Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN; Congress for Progressive Change, CPC; All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP and the new Peoples Democratic Party, led by Alhaji Rafiu Jafojo. Meanwhile, tension is currently high in Lagos chapter of the party as delegates from the 374 wards across the 20 Local Government Areas, LGAs and 27 Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, file out today to elect 23 new state executive members that will oversee affairs and functions of the party in the next dispensation. Five delegates from each ward will vote at the open ballot. Leading the pack in the fight for the chairmanship seat is the incumbent, Chief Henry Ajomale; Ademola Seriki; James Odunbaku, alias Baba Eto and Mr. Sunny Ajose, former Chief of Staff to former Governor of the state, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Among other offices to be filled include: Vice- Chairman from each of the three senatorial districts; Secretary; Publicity Secretary, and Treasurer. It was gathered that new members from other political parties prefer to have considerable number of representatives in the new executive members particularly, the chairmanship. They argued that the present chairman, Ajomale should step aside for a new person to reflect the new status of the party. Also, majority were said to be stoutly, behind the incumbent chairman because of his laudable achievements and well-rooted knowledge of the state's terrain. At the end of today, the winners and losers would be known. But the big issue among faithful members is, who will Tinubu

pick as the chosen one to fly the party's flag in the forthcoming 2015 governorship election? Many political watchers believe that Tinubu is the one who will ultimately pick the party's flag bearer as he did years back when he singularly picked Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) who was then his Chief of Staff for eight years. It was gathered that because of Tinubu's unmatched influence within the Lagos political circle and especially the APC, his role in who emerges is paramount. According to feelers, Tinubu is most likely to settle for a Christian candidate. Also within the party, the choice of who the party anoints has been zoned to Lagos East. This is because the Christian community in Lagos State believes that the next choice has to be a Christian after 16 years. Besides, Lagos West has produced a Governor (Tinubu) and also Lagos Central (Fashola) leaving Lagos East made up of Ikorodu, Epe, Ibeju Lekki and some areas in Ajah out. Though, Fashola had once said that he was interested in who succeeds him, recently, it had been confirmed that Fashola has resigned to fate by supporting Tinubu's choice on the strength that he (Tinubu) is his political leader and mentor. Recently, a lot of names of possible aspirants have come up in public. On the list of aspirants are: Akin Ambode, former Auditor General in the state; Senator Bareehu Gbenga Ashafa; Senator Ganiyu Solomon; former Commissioner for Health, Dr. Leke Pitan, member, House of Representatives; Femi Gbajabiamila, the Minority Leader Federal House of Representatives and few others. The national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had at a stakeholders' meeting early in the year declared that APC was indivisible despite efforts from different quarters to divide the party. He however, assured all members and intending members that the party would follow due process to the letter in the selection of candidates for various offices and urged all prospective and old members to register in accordance with the party's constitution, saying that only registered members would get the party's identity cards and be recognized as such. Tinubu, said:

"We love peace in this state. We want peace at various senatorial districts, local governments and ward levels. Let there be peace. We will not allow those who are trying to divide us, we are indivisible. We are five and six, twin brothers and sisters and that is the only way we can achieve victory. "If you are contesting and start running a caucus and campaign organization, once that campaign is over, dissolve into the party like a cube of sugar. "We want to show example with Lagos State, because I'm still sending some of you to other South West states because we want to show maturity, leadership and good quality that we know what we are doing and we will bring it to victory. In this party, we will remain as one to victory and it must start from now." Tinubu also warned members against using the congress to create divisions among the rank and file. "There is discipline in APC. If you are caught promoting division, you will be suspended pending trial. APC is my party. I do not have a group. We cannot encourage grouping or caucuses in APC. If you want to contest for any office, the procedure is in the party constitution". Dismissing the allegations that he was planning to impose the former Accountant-General of Lagos, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, as the next governor of the state, Tinubu described it as not unusual especially as elections are around the corner. Speaking through his Media Adviser, Mr. Sunday Dare, Tinubu said;"It's the season of politics and an election year. Such allegations and insinuations will be commonplace. This particular one is unfounded. Let them provide proof. He who alleges must prove. "Just like he governed Lagos and laid a foundation for Governor Babatunde Fashola, the next governor of Lagos must also be competent and qualified." Also commenting on the allegation, Lagos State chapter of APC, through Interim Publicity Secretary, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, described it as false, unfounded, baseless and mere rumours. According Igbokwe, "it was a well known pattern in political de-marketing which the opponents of the party use to try to confuse and deceive Lagos residents". The party therefore explained that at present, the party merely zeroed the choice of its governorship to the Lagos East senatorial zone in line with the tenets of justice, equity and fair-play and that there are many credible aspirants of the party that had indicated interest in governing Lagos and "these would meet in a credible primary to elect a worthy, competent candidate who would be expected to continue the great works the APC

had been doing in Lagos for the past fifteen years." Igbokwe, said, "The unholy rumour about the imposition of a candidate when we are still far from the process of gubernatorial primaries fits into the sorry political calculation of the perennial losers who will cling to any straw to whittle down the overwhelming support APC enjoys in Lagos." The state party therefore, urged members and residents to ignore the false and syndicated rumours and join the party in the present building process for the purpose of securing the change Nigerians seriously needed. "We therefore, counsel our members to remain steadfast and continue to chart the progress of the party. We enjoin the aspirants to continue their mobilization towards a free primary and be assured that they will have a level playing field." Other big wigs expected at the congress include:Governor Babatunde Fashola, Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; Prince Tajudeen Olusi; Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora; Senator Tony Adefuye; Admiral Lanre Amosu (rtd.); Prince Abiodun Ogunleye; Mr. Ademorin Kuye; Mr. Rotimi Agunsoye and State Woman Leader Mrs. Adetoun Adediran, members of the National Assembly, representing Lagos, council chairmen among others. The four merging parties are: the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, and Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, later joined by new Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Lagos.