Why we’re against device, by PDP

Why I’m being attacked over card readers —   

Jega

ABUJA—Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, Wednesday, said he has no regrets for insisting on deploying Smart Card Reader machines for the conduct of the general election, saying he knew that the decision would attract unwarranted attacks on his integrity as a person.

Would-be riggers the ones crying foul, says INEC boss Jega, who stated this while unveiling the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room in Abuja yesterday,, maintained that it is only those that hitherto nurtured plans to fraudulently manipulate the outcome of the elections, that have been crying foul over the introduction of the technology which he said would only add credibility to the electoral process in the country.

He said that INEC had perfected all its strategies and put every apparatus in place with a view to ensuring a hitch free poll that will reflect the summative choice of Nigerians.

“Let me use this opportunity to reassure Nigerians that we believe that we have done everything possible to ensure that the 2015 general election is successful. We are adequately prepared in terms of both logistics and manpower. Likewise, all the security agencies, especially the police which have a lead role to play in terms of providing security during elections, have assured us that they are ready.

“Beginning from today, we are commencing the rolling out of non-sensitive materials. Likewise, from Friday, all the sensitive materials will be retrieved from the vault of the Central Bank Nigeria by our officers, accompanied by security operatives and representatives of the political parties”.

He said that the materials would be distributed to states from where it would be taken to local government areas and subsequently to the ward level.

Jega further highlighted the fact that the commission has provided and reasonably equipped Registration Area Centers, RACs, “to ensure that both our staff in various states and security agents spend few hours of the night on Friday there to enable them to be ready to deploy the sensitive materials on the election morning”.

He assured that there will be remarkable reduction in the delays that were previously experienced in the commencement of elections, as well as retrieval of materials at the end of election.

However, the INEC boss said it was regrettable that the results of the election will not be electronically transmitted to the collation points. He said though INEC initially piloted the procedure at two previous elections in Cross River and Niger States, “we decided that we will not put the electronic transmission of results to use in 2015 in view of the controversies the procedure might likely generate from those who don’t see anything good in what we are doing as a commission.

“We can see the dust that the introduction of card readers raised. So we decided to keep piloting and improving on the system beyond 2015, hopefully, by 2019, the commission will introduce it for the general election”.

‘They know card readers ‘ll stop alteration of figures’

On the issue of the card readers, Jega, who stressed that the process will help address concerns about the alteration of election figures to fraudulently confer advantage on some candidates to the detriment of others, said no such thing would happen this time around.

“This is indeed why they have been attacking me because they know that the card reader machines will help us to address all those irregularities, starting from the accreditation of voters at all the polling units. How can they manipulate the election when all the information with regards to the number of voters that turned out at every polling unit is automatically captured and transmitted by the card reader machines? ‘We have made rigging impossible for them’ He continued; “We have made rigging impossible for them as there is no how the total number of votes cast at the polling unit could exceed the number of accredited persons. Such discrepancy in figures will be immediately spotted. This technology will further make it impossible for any corrupt electoral officer to connive with any politician to pad-up results”, he added. Besides, Jega noted that in the past, dubious INEC officials usually delayed the entry of number of accredited voters until the end of voting so as to have the leeway to tamper with results, a problem he said would be obviated by the smart card readers.

He said that both the card readers and the result sheets would be taken to the ward levels, “once there is evidence of tampering, the information saved in the card reader will be retrieved.

“To my mind, these are some of the reasons why many of them are opposing the use of the card readers. The crooked ways they used in the past to get away with manipulation of election results have been dealt with. This time, with the card readers, such fraud will be easy to establish.

“We have further made arrangement that all the results coming to local government collection centers will be scanned, transformed to PDF format and uploaded on our website so that anybody can go there and confirm result from his polling unit. “We believe that this is an added value to our process, it is something that we have not been able to do in the past. Let me also use this opportunity to advise political parties to pay attention to the appointment and accreditation of agents they will deploy at the polling unit level. They should not appoint people without credibility, who can be bought over by other party agents”, Jega stated. Police promises adequate security Earlier at the event, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, who was represented by the force public relations officer, Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, expressed the readiness of the Nigeria Police Force to provide adequate security during and after the elections. He said that particular attention was being focused on the protection of NYSC members that will work as ad-hoc staff for INEC during the elections.

“Infact, we are already prepared for the 2019 elections. Those who taught the Nigeria will disintegrate by 2015 are in for a disappointment. Our men are well prepared, trained and motivated to carry out their responsibilities during the election. We are also working with other law enforcement agencies to have adequate security manpower”, Ojukwu said. In a statement that was read by the Executive Director of Policy and Legal Advocacy Center, Mr Clement Nwankwo, the Civil Society Situation Room, urged Nigerians to go out en mass to exercise their franchise and defend their votes.

“It is important for all Nigerians to recognize that beyond the partisan divisions and the outcomes of the electoral contests, the future of Nigeria is the main issue at stake”, it added.

The situation room is a coalition of over 60 Civil Society Organizations that are involved in monitoring elections in Nigeria.

FG planning to arrest APC leaders — Tinubu

APC leader, Bola Tinubu

*We are confident of victory—Buhari

*How Jonathan starved governors of funds—Aregbesola

*Jonathan lied on his achievements—Fashola

By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsuru Olowoopejo

NATIONAL Leader of All Progressives Congress, APC, and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, yesterday, said Federal Government was planning to arrest leaders of his party ahead of Saturday’s election. Declaring that he was ready for arrest, Tinubu, who spoke at the 7th Annual Bola Tinubu Colloquium in Lagos to mark his 63rd birthday, said the plot will not silence him.

Insisting that APC had a better ticket in Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) and Professor Yemi Osinbajo than the President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo team of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Tinubu said despite the postponement of the polls by six weeks, President Jonathan will still lose the election. According to him the postponement is “a stay of execution for Jonathan administration.” The event was attended by a galaxy of APC leaders and stalwarts, including National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun; former Interim National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande; former Governor of Ekiti and Osun states. Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Segun Oni, respectively; wife of Ogun State Governor, Mrs Olufunsho Amosun; mother of the Vice Presidential candidate, Mrs Bisi Osinbajo; Prof Pat Utomi and Chief Lanre Rasaq. Tinubu spoke as Governor Aregbesola accused President Jonathan of starving governors of funds just as Governor Fashola said the President lied on his achievements in the last five years. Buhari reacts Speaking at the event, Buhari said the seamless manner APC merger was consummated and the pedigree and long-time service of the leaders will yield electoral dividends for the party.

He said: “This was possible because of their personal service in their constituencies. They have served people so much that they have developed so much confidence in them.

“Though there have been previous mergers but they never materialized. And the most interesting thing is that we looked at the opposition parties, and we realized that none of them can compete with PDP.

“And during the merger, some of the parties had court cases that could delay the merger. So we constituted committees in each of the parties and they provided their terms of references. And I was told by Chief Bisi Akande that some of the parties are demanding for certain positions. But I said that the most important thing is that the merger must works. And after that, we will sit down and decide on each demand.

“All my previous attempt to defeat PDP ended up at the Supreme Court. But with this merger, we have done the right job. With the merger, we are witnessing progresses and come Saturday, we will succeed at the polls by God’s grace.” Why I can’t pay salaries – Aregbesola Aregbesola attributed his delay in the payment of five months’ salary arrears to Osun civil servants to “the economic strategy adopted by President Jonathan to shrink the monthly revenue of the state.” Aregbesola lamented that the economic policy of the Federal Government had forced the state to take a loan of N12 billion from banks. His words: “The reason for indicting the President was that when I assumed office in 2010, I met a state with an income of N2.1 billion and with a wage bill of N1.1 billion.

“Outside Lagos, Osun State is the next state with large number of civil servants under the state employ. By 2012 January, my wage bill jumped to N3.6 billion and at this time, the revenue of the state had increased to N4.6 billion. Central government “And do not forget that the state inherited 50 percent of the entire civil servants in the old Western states. But by July of 2013, the apex government announced an unusual decline in allocation to the state which was about 40 percent. So from N4.6 billion with which I could meet the wage need of the workers, the revenue of the state from the central government was reduced to N2.6 billion. “Since then, the highest monthly allocation received by the government was in November 2013 and it was N3 billion. And since then, Osun State had to augment salaries. Sometimes, N600 million, N1 billion and N1.6 billion.” On his part, Fashola said President Jonathan lied over the achievements recorded by his administration since 2011, when he was sworn-in.

He said: “As I was reading the newspaper this morning, I saw an advert published by President Goodluck Jonathan, where he listed as part of his achievements the ongoing construction of the Adiyan Phase 11 water works and the N40 billion loan for education, which the central government underwrote for Lagos State through the EKO project.

“The president claimed that they have fixed the Airport Road and built Primary Health care Centres in Lagos State. Those who use the PHC know the people you see there. There are many other things that were also said in the advertorial. That advert is a lie. Lagos State government under my administration is the one building the waterworks. If the President wants to lie in order to win election, it is a very low point for the presidential election.”

There’ll be no post-election violence— Dr      

Fasehun

…The story of my oil  contract

Fredrick Fasehun

Dr Fredrick Fasehun, national coordinator of Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, in this encounter talks about the coming election, the alleged oil contract he got from the Federal Government, the Unity Party of Nigeria he founded and other issues. Excerpts:

By CHIOMA GABRIEL and ANOZIE EGOLE

What is your true stand on this election. I asked because recently, it was rumoured that your organization is in support of President Jonathan?

There are only two people to vote for in this election. So, every Nigerian has a chance to either take A or B. I don’t want one so, I am left with the other choice and that is why I chose to support Jonathan. I was not comparing Jonathan with anybody because, there is nobody, past or present to compare him with in performance, transformation, democracy. I find him an addict to democracy and that is the type of person we want now to lead Nigeria. And as an intellectual, I think he knows what Nigeria and Nigerians need. He has been working on education and he has founded about 14 universities in four years.

He has been building schools for Almajaris, he has improved on agriculture, he has improved on the economy. When he came in, the economy was nothing to write home about but he has transformed the economy of this nation under four years. Now, the nation’s economy is the first in Africa and he had done that in four years without jailing anybody for writing the truth.

East west road off the drawing board

We know people who say any journalist that writes the truth that embarrasses the government will be jailed but Jonathan has not done that. He is building roads, airports, railways and bridges for us. The Onitsha bridge has been in existence for a long time and he is building the second Niger bridge. I think that is an achievement.

The east-west road that has been on the drawing board for decades he has built it. He has also resuscitated our dilapidated railway system. He has not convicted anybody since he came in. He said his ambition would not be at the expense of a drop of a Nigerian’s blood while others said that theres is characterized by the mixture of the blood of dogs and baboons. Somebody who loves Nigerians and somebody who does not bother about Nigeria and the people, which one would you prefer? That is why I chose to support Jonathan.

People think that I chose to support him because I have collected money, at least you are aware that I don’t take money from anybody for anything. We became friends when people started alleging that I collected money from Obasanjo. And Obasanjo himself apologized to me for not deflecting that rumour. I have always challenged Nigerians, that if there is any Nigerian alive that I have taken money from, let him or her come out and tell the Nigerian people and nobody has done that.

But in a situation where your organization, the OPC is against your support, what will you do?

The OPC is not against my support for Jonathan. So there was no such story of OPC protesting against my decision to support Jonathan.

There is rumour that you collected a multi-million Naira contract from Jonathan and that is why you are supporting him?

That is a very ugly rumour. If I’m asked to watch over the life and property along a hundred kilometer worth of pipeline, would it be me, Dr Fasheun that would be physically present at the place to supervise that or would it be some other Nigerians? And if these other Nigerians are youths, don’t they qualify to accept contract from Nigerian government? And that contract was awarded about two weeks ago.

That contract is supposed to have been awarded 3-4 years ago. And as I am talking to you now, there are over three thousand youths along the pipeline. And for the first time, today is the third day they have worked there, there have been no sign of vandalisation since they started work as was in the past when NNPC was losing N7billion every month to vandalisation.

We applied to be given that contract in October 26th, 2010 and politicians were making campaigns of calamity against it and I kept my cool. But NNPC must have realized that it is now becoming unbearable losing N7billion every month.

Are you saying the contract has no link with Jonathan but from NNPC?

No, it is not a direct contract from Jonathan, it is an NNPC contract. The story came from politicians who don’t want anything good for the youth of this country. I am not going to work on the pipelines, it is the youths who are there. Three thousand of them are there already some days ago and they must have increased in number now. Mind you, that number leaves a dent on unemployment statistics.

It causes a ripple effect on the citizenry because each of those working on the pipeline has family to take care of. I champion the cause of Nigerian youths and I am tired of seeing hungry people, I am tired of seeing unemployed graduates, I thank NNPC for granting the contract not to Dr Fasehun as a person but to the Nigerian youth as a group.

You registered UPN, what is the role of the party now in the coming election. Who is contesting, which candidates do you have now?

Other political parties started 10-15 years ago, and UPN as a political party was registered a few months ago. There is no way we will have the capability to flex muscle with those who have been in the business for a decade or more. We are cutting our coat according to our cloth. Now, we are not contesting presidential election, it is a heavy and expensive position.

Expensive position

We must not go for every level of the election. So, where we think we can fit into, we will go for like in the local governments and state level, not at the gubernatorial level, and the presidency. We are looking at 2019 and in that year, the country will feel the impact of the presence of our party UPN. We are also taking part in the national assembly.

The way I know the Southwest, they are always united when it comes to pursing a common agenda. I am surprised at what is happening now. We see Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as somebody stepping into the shoes of Awolowo..

I don’t believe that story. Because I know there are many respectable Yoruba leaders in existence. The likes of Ayo Adebanjo and many of them. Yoruba leadership is never purchased, it is never for sale. And the Yoruba people know their leaders.

Do you think there will still be peace in the country after the election?

The election will come peacefully and go peacefully. The wrong thing we always do is that we anticipate fear.

It is alleged that some of the insurgents being driven out from the Northeast are coming Lagos. Are you concerned?

It is their desire or their ambition to come to the South-west but the South-westerners have contained their ambition. And they have continued to contain their ambition. Nobody is going to enter one inch into our own territory by the grace of God.

PPA adopts Jonathan its presidential     

candidate

By Evelyn Usman

ABUJA — Barely 48 hours to the presidential election, the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA, has adopted the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, President Goodluck Jonathan as candidate of the party for the Saturday’s poll.

The party’s National Chairman, Mr Peter Ameh, who addressed newsmen on the decision of the National Working Committee, NWC, at the PPA national Secretariat, yesterday, in Abuja, said members of the party were determined to work round the clock to ensure Jonathan returns to office May 29, 2015.

Ameh also denied that the party was being blackmailed, bribed or pressurised to adopt Jonathan, saying that the president’s adoption was based on merit. He explained “We adopted President Jonathan in line with the spirit of progressive continuity.”

He said that members of the party were unanimous in their stance to back Jonathan in the interest of sustaining democratic and national development.

Ameh explained that “the party’s declaration of support for Jonathan’ re-election on March 28, was based on merit as the decision was taken after considering the level of development strides, the Transformation Agenda this administration has brought to bear on the lives of our people.”

According to him: “This Transformational reforms cuts across all sectors of our society from power with the building of Dams in some major part of the country including Gombe, Taraba States amongst others to meet our agricultural and energy needs.”

Aisha was never my lover, says murder 

suspect

The man arrested over the death of 25-year-old Silverbird staff, Aisha Noble Mustapha, weekend, in Ogudu Government Reserved Area, Lagos, has denied that he was her lover.

The suspect, identified simply as Chima, also denied having a hand in the murder. He claimed to have gone for the deceased’s rescue when he heard her shout for help penultimate Saturday.

However, accusing fingers were pointed at the 21-year-old suspect, following claims by a resident that he saw the suspect stabbing late Aisha. This claim was corroborated by owner of the building with an undisclosed identity, who claimed to have rushed out of his flat when he heard a bang at the gate, only to meet the suspect and the deceased inside the drain in front of the building. The landlord, Vanguard gathered, was also arrested by the police. Also, the deceased’s iphone was said to have been recovered from the suspect. When Vanguard visited the flat occupied by late Aisha at 25, Salaudeen Akano Street, GRA, Ogudu, the gate was under lock.

The laundry store and eatery in front of the one-storey building were also locked, indicating that the owners could have fled for fear of being arrested in connection with her murder.

There were, however, bloodstains on the floor where late Aisha was said to have struggled with her assailant before falling inside the gutter. 

The Chima we know—NEIGHBOUR

A resident, who eventually spoke with Vanguard after much persuasion, revealed that the late Aisha, who hailed from Auchi, Edo State, was the only daughter of her aged parents.

He said the suspect once lived in the same compound as the deceased.

According to the resident, “Aisha was an amiable person. She was not a noisy person. We were all stunned when we heard she was murdered in cold blood. “Chima (the suspect) was living with his elder brother in one of the flats in the same building with late Aisha. But he had a misunderstanding with his brother and was chased out of the house.

“His brother complained that Chima was mismanaging his business. He beat up Chima and drove him out of his house. We were so shocked to discover he was connected with the murder because he left his brother’s house three weeks ago. “But from what we gathered, Chima said he came around that day to beg his brother for forgiveness. How he was found with the deceased right inside the drain remains a mystery to be unravelled by the Police. “A man that rushed out to see what was happening said even when he attempted to bring the deceased out of the drain, Chima held on to Aisha, preventing the man from dragging her out.

“Again, someone claimed to have seen Chima hitting late Aisha. The man said he never knew he was stabbing her, until news later filtered in. These people have all made statements at the police station.”

Family mourns Meanwhile, her aged parents, who reside in Auchi, are reportedly yet to come to terms with the death of their only daughter.

Her aunt, Mrs Aisha Haruna, who late Aisha lived with before moving into her apartment, was crying at SCID, where the case was transferred.

Her husband, Mr. Abubakar Haruna, emotionally described late Aisha as a peace-loving fellow, expressing hope that police would be able to unearth the actual circumstance that led to her death.

Why we’re against device, by PDP

THE presidential campaign organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has again kicked against the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use Smart Card Reader for Saturday’s election.

At a media briefing in Abuja yesterday, the Director of Media and Publicity of the campaign, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, alleged that INEC has colluded with the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) to compromise the Card Readers. According to him, the contract for the production of Card Readers was awarded to companies owned by a friend and supporter of the presidential candidate of the APC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. Fani-Kayode said: “Our concerns stem from the fact that the moving spirit and a major shareholder and board member of the company that supplied the card reader system and machines to INEC is not only a friend of, but also an ardent and keen supporter of General Muhammadu Buhari and the APC.  “That man’s name is Sani Musa and he is indeed the main force behind the company. The company’s name is Act Technologies Ltd and the chairman of the company is one Engineer S.K. Danladi.

“How and why INEC would give the contract to supply the Card Readers to a fanatical APC supporter and to a man whose other company was officially blacklisted by INEC a couple of years ago for sharp practices, needs to be explained.”

He said Sani Musa has expressed his undying support for the APC and General Buhari and his hatred as well as opposition to the PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan on his Facebook wall. He said the biggest and most brazen attempt to rig elections in the history of our country will take place on Saturday if the necessary measures are not taken to prevent it.

Buhari: I’m sure of victory

All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari is confident of victory in Saturday’s election. Reason: This, said Gen. Buhari,  is his brightest chance ever for the job he bidded for  in 2003, 2007 and 2011. He spoke at the Seventh Bola Tinubu Colloquium to mark the former Lagos State governor’s 63rd birthday.  Gen. Buhari attributed his hope at the poll to the “selfless” efforts of Tinubu, who is the main motivator of the merger of major opposition parties into the mega party that the APC became.

Gen Buhari, accompanied by his running mate Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, APC National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and other leaders of the party, came into the Eko Hotel venue as Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola was delivering his address.

His entry momentarily stopped the event. When Gen. Buhari, who was praised by all the speakers, took the podium, he expressed his appreciation to party leaders and members, saying: “I’m confident of victory.”

He said though the process was awash with money, he was going into   Saturday’s election  with  hope,  “because  if I could win the primaries  without spending money, I will certainly win on Saturday”.

Gen. Buhari admitted that this election is his first genuine attempt to aspire to becoming the president, alluding to the possibility that the journey would end at the State House.

He said: “In the previous attempts, I only ended up at the Supreme Court.”

Gen. Buhari said the APC had come to stay and that the party owes its success so far to Tinubu and former Interim Chairman Chief Bisi Akande.  The APC standard bearer poured encomiums on Tinubu at whose instance the APC family and others was gathered yesterday, saying it was his selflessness and commitment to the cause that led to the successful merger and the formation of the APC.

Friends and associates of Tinubu have used the occasion of his birthday in the last seven years to discuss Nigeria’s problems and proffer solutions.  Gen. Buhari said: “I have  great respect for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; he does not consider himself; he is a selfless person who made a lot of sacrifice and commitment to ensure the merger was successful.”

In Tinubu’s view, Saturday’s  election will determine Nigeria’s fate in the years to come. He enjoined Nigerians to decide between positive change and continuing with the way the country has been governed in the last 16 years.

He said: “There should be no sitting on the fence; do not try to avoid it. This is the time to believe in the need for change. I am filled with the expectation of a more just and prosperous future.”

Quoting from a speech he made during the last National Convention of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), where the decision to go ahead with the merger was reached, Tinubu said: “I see the need for change. If you have consideration for this nation that gave birth to you, you will equally see the need for change.”

The APC National Leader said the storm ushered in by the formation of the APC had changed Nigeria’s political terrain. He said at the outset, the party’s opponents were skeptical about the possibility of their pulling off the merger successfully. When they saw that the legacy parties were forging ahead, in spite of all the odds, they tried to put up obstacles, such as forming other parties with a similar acronym. “But, they failed,” Tinubu added.

He said before last year’s APC presidential primary, they had derided Buhari, “saying he would never subject himself to a primary. But, he did and won.” 

Tinubu said President Goodluck Jonathan had already seen the handwriting on the wall; “that is why he and his party were rejecting the use of card readers”. He said this is evident in the several desperate efforts to hold on to power. In the process, he added, the President is destroying the country’s national institutions.

The APC leader said the time for “common sense revolution” had come. But, in calling for common sense revolution, he said, “I cannot advocate violence”. He said the kind of revolution he is calling for is a revolution to repair and restructure the nation “with our vote” .

He added: “We must move forward to mold a better Nigeria, out of the clay we have in our hands, the PVC, which means, please vote for change.”

The event was attended by leaders of the party from far and near and friends and associates of Tinubu.

Gen. Buhari’s running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, denied that there was any oath between him and Tinubu to step down for the former Lagos State governor six months after becoming the vice president.

He said after the PDP campaign council made the allegation, Tinubu jocularly asked him whether he swore to the oath at Okija Shrine.

Osinbajo described Tinubu as a team player and astute leader who allowed robust debate by his executive council members when he was governor, adding that he never knew the former governor before he chose him as his Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in 1999.

He also denied the allegations in the hate documentary run against Tinubu by the PDP that “he owns the whole of Lagos – including Oriental Hotel in Lekki. “I know surely that he does not own the hotel because I know the owners and if he owns it, everybody will have a room there.”

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola said providing electricity is no rocket science. He said the PDP-led Federal Government had failed to provide power because of its lack of vision and went on to enumerate his administration’s numerous achievements in the sector.

Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi described Tinubu as “a strategist and a tactician”. According to the governor, it is rare to see a person who combines both attributes.

Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola described Tinubu as “an icon through whom many great leaders had risen”.

He condemned “declining federal allocation” to states saying it had made it difficult for them to meet most of their obligations, including workers’ salary.

“I have found it hard to pay the wage bills owing to the declining federal allocation which has reduced by 40 per cent since 2013, making it difficult for government to meet up its responsibilities.”

Aregbesola said the situation became so bad at a time that he resorted to the state’s reserves and exhausted it on payment of salaries.

The governor added that the government went ahead to accumulate  N12 billion debts in its bid to ensure that salaries were paid.

He said that he would not mind to borrow more “just to ensure that workers are paid, but the banks would not grant more loans.”

Aregbesola said: “Osun is next to Lagos in the sheer size of its civil service.

“In fact, the state inherited 50 per cent of all the workers in the old Western State and more than 75 per cent in the old Oyo State.

“I was meeting my wage bill of over N3.6 billion with N4.6 billion federal allocation until July, 2013 when the Federal Government announced a decline of about 40 per cent allocation to states.

“This reduced the state’s allocation from N4.6 billion with which I was meeting my bills to N2.6 billion.

“Since then, Osun has had to augment salaries by sometimes N1 billion, sometimes N1.6 billion.

“Before the last time I paid salaries in November, 2014, I have had to either spend the state’s reserves on salaries or borrow money.

“Today, I have a loan of N12 billion that we spent on salaries and I could not go to the banks anymore.”

The governor said that his administration remained pro-workers, in spite of the tight corner it had found itself, pledging to pay the salary arrears as soon as possible.

Aregbesola reiterated the commitment of his administration to the people’s welfare, adding that he had demonstrated this with the implementation of many programmes.

On the elections: Tinubu said: “We have reached point where we must make a point. History beckons. We must answer it well or not all. To respond wisely is to open ourselves to a better future.

“There can be no more fence-sitting because that fence has been torn down by the vast disparity between our current reality and our desired future.

“We have a decision to make. We must decide whether wisdom is better than cunning, if bravery is sounder than bribe, if compassion speaks more than corruption, if patriotism is a more worthy vocation than pillage and if love of the nation and its people can overcome the love of power and stolen privilege.

“I am filled with the expectation of a more just and rightful future.  My conviction has always been this day would come.”

“To save his post, Jonathan and his team would eagerly corrupt every national institution within reach. Everything is for sale and nothing is left sacred.

“Although the nation suffers an economic downswing that will require astute policy to overcome, Jonathan has raided the national coffers as if money were as plentiful as sand. There is no dollar in this nation that his hand has not tried to grab. No naira that his underlings have not tried to pinch.

“They have thrown money at Christian and Muslim clerics, attempting to buy two great faiths as if they were two cheap commodities.  As such, they have attempted to turn our houses of worship into open dens of corruption.

“They have dangled money in the face of our traditional fathers believing their conscience is for sale. Many have been brave enough to cohere to the nobility of their office more than worry about the expansion of their bank accounts.

“They have corrupted some civil society groups and organizations to engage in violent protest against the electoral process and the use of the card readers. They oppose the card reading machine because the instruments foil their customary avenues of vote rigging.

“Jonathan‘s team has already read the writing on the wall. They would be handed a defeat so resounding that they would begin to fight among themselves believing that each betrayed the other.”

INEC takes PVCs to churches in Enugu

ENUGU—INDEPENDENT National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Enugu State, has added a new dimension to the distribution of permanent voters cards, PVCs, by moving to various churches to locate owners of the cards yet to be collected. Vanguard gathered that the measure was adopted to let eligible voters yet to collect theirs do so without hassles.

Also, INEC held a stakeholders meeting in Enugu, yesterday, where the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Professor Chukwuemeka Onukaogu, gave a account of the level of preparedness before Saturday’s election. He said: “We have so far distributed 1,238,707, thus achieving 89 percent. We have 2,958 polling units and 3,361 voting points we are fully set.

“We have received non-sensitive materials, while the sensitive materials have arrived but housed in the Cen-tral Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

“Therefore, by Wednesday (yesterday) at 10 am we shall all go to CBN in company of security agents and party agents to take delivery and subsequent sharing.” On apprehension raised at the meeting over the use of card readers, he personally demonstrated how it works and the voting procedure. He, however, warned that “anybody coming with a cloned card will be arrested immediately it is ascertained that it is a clone card.”

Police tear-gas protesting women in Imo

By Chidi Nkwopara & Chinonso Alozie

OWERRI—Some women, who barricaded the entrance into the secretariat of Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, ahead of the visit of President Goodluck Jonathan to the place, were flushed out by the police Tuesday. The police used tear gas on the women, who were believed to be loyalists of All Progressives Congress, APC, after their passionate appeal for them to quietly leave the place was rebuffed by the women.

Addressing journalists later, the Director of Rochas Campaign Organization, Mr. Iheukwumere Alaribe, not only condemned the use of tear gas on the women, but also accused the police of brutalizing them. He also accused Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of plotting to make Imo State ungovernable, stressing that “APC will not accept any form of intimidation from the PDP.”

Alaribe advised the security agencies to “remain loyal to Nigeria and Nigerians and not to any particular political party.” He appealed to Eze Ilomuanya to allow the status quo remain, that his case with the state government was still being addressed at the Supreme Court.

Reacting to this development, Ilomuanya’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Kennedy Eweama, accused the state government of flouting court judgments. He said: “The Supreme Court had long taken a decision on the matter, but the state government is still parading Eze Sam Ohiri as its preferred chairman. No society can thrive without the rule of law.”