Interim govt: I’m not involved – IBB

Commends military on renewed onslaught against Boko Haram

Former military presi­dent, General Ibra­him Babangida, has dissociated himself from the alleged plan to es­tablish an interim govern­ment in the country.

He also denied having a tweeter account, saying com­ments or statement credited to him in his alleged tweeter handle was false.

In a statement issued yes­terday, Babangida said al­though he instituted an interim government in 1993, in order to keep to the promise of leav­ing office, he is “not in any way connected with alleged ‘plans’ to encourage, promote, orchestrate or moot, the idea of an interim government or whatever ‘contraption’ so called.”

Clarifying his connection with interim government, Babangida said: “When we introduced the idea of an ‘in­terim government’ during our time as a military government, we had in mind to enthrone a democratic government in the shortest possible time in sync with the agitations of the people, after the inconclusive elections of 1993. That was a stop-gap measure because we were determined to quit office at the set date of August 27, 1993.”

He stated that 24 years after leaving office, he was con­vinced that his establishment of interim government in 1993 “was auspicious enough to re­assure our people that we were ready to leave office and keep the country going.”

The former head of state, however, said the 1993 situa­tion is different from what is obtainable today.

“Suffice it to say that the circumstances we found our­selves in 1993 are totally dif­ferent from what obtains today in our democratic journey as a nation with flourishing oppor­tunities,” he stated.

According to Babangida, he could not have had anything to do with alleged plot for in­terim government because he had announced his exit from partisan politics in 2011, as he “wouldn’t want to be ordered around in any way or form as seeking public office in what­ever guise.”

On the coming general elec­tions, he stated that the Chair­man of the Independent Na­tional Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega and INEC personnel should “be encouraged, motivated, animated and commended for the sheer courage and de­termination they have shown thus far in their preparations for the March 28 and April 11 elections,” as, according to him, “they have demonstrated their sense of patriotism in a manner that underscores their readiness for the elections and love for country.”

The former military presi­dent said rather than condem­nation, Jega and INEC staff “deserve our commendation. They need to be encouraged to deliver on their statutory ob­ligation to the Nigerian state. I have no doubt in my mind, therefore, to state unequivo­cally, that elections will hold on the appointed dates in line with the unflinching assuranc­es from INEC. Those mooting the idea of an interim govern­ment and trying to drag my name into it should please look elsewhere. I shared some of these thoughts with my guest, former President of South Af­rica, Mr. Thabo Mbeki, in my Minna home a couple of days back and we both stressed the all-important role of Nigeria in the continent and the need for credible elections at those appointed dates. We cannot afford not to get our elections right this time round.”

He commended the military for the renewed onslaught on insurgents, saying: “Our secu­rity agencies also deserve our commendation especially with the successes already recorded in the fight against the Boko Haram. This is the real Nigeria Army of my expectation. I am not only proud of the military uniform; I am also betrothed to it. It is a symbolic and very unique institution that nur­tured me on how to dominate my environment. Whether retired or serving military of­ficers, we all share common professional affinity and col­legiate loyalty. The unity of the country is paramount in our hearts and our sense of loyalty to the Nigerian state is unequivocal. I commend my colleagues in uniform, both senior and junior officers, for the sheer determination they have shown in combating the Boko Haram menace and pre­paring the ground for credible elections.

He advised political parties to conduct themselves within the ambit of the law and to educate their members and the electorate on how to make the forthcoming elections more credible than previous ones.

On the use of card readers, he said: “We must appreci­ate the creativity and innova­tion of the card reader, which INEC has introduced to make for better election credibility and transparency. In a digital world where almost every­thing is driven by technology, the offer of the card reader is a welcome development.”

PDP govs’ final push against Buhari, APC

When governors on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum (PD­PGF) stormed Lagos on Monday, they did not leave anybody in doubt of their mission in a state reputed to be the Centre of Excellence. They were led to by their chairman, Godswill Akpabio, who doubles as Governor of Akwa Ibom State.

Other governors present were Jona Jang, Aliyu Babangida, Lyel Imoke, Sule Lamido, Sieriake Dickson and Ngilari of Plateau, Niger, Cross River, Jigawa, Bay­elsa and Adamawa states respectively.

Also in attendance were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senetor Anyim Pius Anyim, Ministers for Agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina and his Power Ministry counterpart, Chinedu Nebo.

Although, on the surface, they told whoever cared to listen that they were around for an interactive session with the media and Civil Society Organizations, Daily Sun checks revealed that their mis­sion was far beyond the parley. A close source close to one of the governors from one of the North-Central states confided in Daily Sun that, “they were here to put a final nail to the political coffin of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the ambition of its presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari.”

Diplomatically, chairman of the Forum and Governor of Akwa Ibom State, God­swill Akpabio in his keynote stated that, “the theme of the event which was ‘suste­nance of democratic values and national development is to sentisize Nigerians on the right conduct expected from the citizenry to deepen the current democracy and prevent it from being truncated.”

Akpabio, in the address stressed the need to vote the PDP in the coming elec­tions, stating that, “it is by so doing that democracy would be deepened and the hope of common man in Nigeria would be adequately secured.”

According to him, continuity in the good work of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration was the key to continued greatness of Nigeria, asserting that “this democracy that was obtained for us through the blood and sweat of our compatriots and true democrats should be jealously guarded and prevented from collapse.”

He therefore, called for vigilance, which he described as price for liberty, in striving to sustain democratic values and ensure continous development.

Akpapio lamented that, if not for mili­tary interventions, Nigeria would have been better of today than Boswana that obtained its independence in 1966, six clear years after Nigeria secured hers.

While explaining reasons Nigerians should vote PDP, the PDPGF chairman said it is a party owned by the people and not by an individual or built around a cult personality, adding that, “it is not a party where 50-year old tricks would be ap­plied to solve modern issues and thereby, distrupt our democratic value.

At this juncture, Akpabio declared that, “we see nothing wrong with General Mu­hammadu Buhari. But we are extremely concerned about the age of his ideas. If at 40, he could not fully been in charge, how can he now at 73 when his health needed close monitoring?

To move forward as a nation and not to engage the reverse gear, Nigerians should vote for Jonathan to take the country across the River Jordan because of his transformation leadership.

He therefore took time to enumerate Jonathan’s achievements which he said included but not limited to freedom of information, massive physical and social infrastructure development, convocation of National Conference, massive employ­ment, establishment of 14 brand new universities and winning the war against the insurgents.

This, according to him, is transforma­tion the country needed and not ‘change’ without plans saying, “any change with­out plans will lead to disaster.”

But Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lami­do hammered the nail at the appropriate place by declaring that Buhari’s 1993 obsolete policies and ideas cannot work in this era of Information and Commu­nication Technology (ICT). He therefore described the APC as a party concocted out of anger and frustration.

He asked rhetorically the position of Buhari when some disasters befell some Nigerians. “When MKO Abiola died, Bu­hari never said anything. When Pa Alfred Riwane died he never said a word. When Kudirat Abiola died, he kept quiet. When therewere bomb blasts all over the place, he was silent. Why has he found his voice now? Lamido queried.

However, the governor said, “our busi­ness is not about Buhari and his party, but how to take out poverty from Nigeria,” saying some of their governors are crumbs from the table of the PDP.

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose in his comic manner held the audience spell bound when he was recognized to speak. Starting on a former note, the hilarious governor said, “before our democracy can be deepened, the media has a role a vital role to play,” challenging the practitioners to be “just, fair and equitable.”

Expectedly, he thereafter delved into his familiar terrain of taking Buhari to the cleaners. “Buhari is too old to rule this country. He is never the replacement of Jonathan by any standard. If he is the change the APC wants, then, it is an em­barrassing change.”

Fayose, who disclosed that, “my mother is 74 while Buhari is 73,” said, “at 74, my mother is allowed to sleep well with­out disturbance,” querying whether any president could be allowed to sleep well with the enormous job of nation building on hand?

While declaring Buhari unfit for the presidential job, Fayose urged Nigerians to vote Jonathan, who he said, “has the required physical capability and adequate mental capacity to do the job.”

To show that Buhari was not compe­tent to shoulder the enormous burden of the country, Fayose alleged that,”Buhari spoke for only 57 minutes throughout his campaign and rallies in the 36 states of Nigeria.”

Another four years for Jonathan, ac­cording to the Ekiti State Governor, “will give the north the expressway to have eight years of two terms without interfer­ence from any other geo-political zones of the country.

“Everything has its time. This is the time of Jonathan and he should be allowed to continue and complete the good job he has started,” Fayose concluded.

The renowned Chief Servant of Niger State, Governor Babangida Aliyu praised the PDP for running the country for 16 years without military intervention. He then lambasted Imo State Governor, Ro­chas Okorocha for saying that seven PDP governors would soon join the APC.

Going down the memory lane, Baban­gida explained that, the idea of seven governors known as G-7 was not to collapse the PDP. According to him, the G-7 issue was to correct the anomalies in the process of doing things in party then, saying Okorocha’s allegation was propaganda that could do APC any good. Nigerians’ eyes, Babangida asserted, “are now open and they are wiser and cannot be deceived.

The Chief Servant said Nigeria’s future lies in the PDP that has experience and institutionalized structure to move the country forward.

Jona Jang of Plateau State revealed that the choice of Lagos for the parley was in­tentional saying, since the city is the hot­bed of the country’s media, saying, “we want the press here to see who is truly in love with Nigeria. According to him, no nation survives without a virile press that would give all fair-hearing.”

Jang, who confessed that he is now a born again democrat said he had par­ticipated in termination of democracy in the past, assuring, “I am now a born again democrat having been in the G-18, G-34, National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and now in the PDP.

South-west Chairman of the PDP Gov­ernors’ Forum and Ondo State Govenor Olusegun Mimiko said undeniable em­pirical evidence available has shown that nobody was close to Jonathan in terms of performance in recent times.

Mimiko, who mentioned freedom of Judiciary, independence of legislature and press freedom as part of Jonathan’s achievements said he needed for more years to entrench some of these values.

He admitted that the lukewarm attitude of Nigerians to President Jonathan was borne out of the reality that we have not done much in the engagement of the press.

“Jonathan represents live and let others live and not do or die group,” Jonathan pointed out, reminding that the National Conference he organized was in line with the dream of the south-west people who are advocate of true federal­ism.

According to Mimiko, 426 partici­pants that were not his acolytes attended the confab and came up with about 600 resolutions reached by consensus that represent the aggregate decisions of all ethnic nationalities that will bring about unity in the country.

Lyel Imoke of Cross River State said the parley was to discuss issues of how to use democracy for growth and devel­opment. According to him, there was nothing to hide by the PDP saying, it is an avenue to discuss issues with a view to giving Nigerians rights to choose their leaders.

On the use of card readers for the coming election, the Forum expressed apprehension that the gadget may cause confusion and therefore kicked against its use.

At the end of the occasion on the sec­ond day, Tuesday, the Forum expressed confidence that the Lagos task was a fait accompli.