10042018 - Why I'm seeking a 2nd term — BUHARI

Vanguard, TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2018 — 11
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GOVERNORSHIP: We won’t allow cash
for votes in Ekiti election — INEC
•4 policemen for each polling unit, says Police chief
•Monarchs warn Commission against rigging
By Rotimi
Ojomoyela
AIndependent
DO-EKITI—THE
National Electoral
Commission, INEC,
yesterday, assured the
electorate in Ekiti State that
it would work with the
security agencies to
prevent monetisation of
the July 14 governorship
election in the state.
The electoral body said it
was aware of how people
were being offered N5,000
each to cast their votes in
Anambra, Ondo, and Edo
states, saying such won’t
reoccur in Ekiti through
strong synergy with the
security agencies.
This was as the Ekiti State
Council of Obas warned
INEC against
manipulation of the
governorship election,
urging it “not to outsmart
the smart card readers so
that the state can have a
credible election that will
be acceptable to all.”
Also,
the
Commissioner of Police,
Mr. Abdullahi Chafe,
said the police has
mapped out strategies to
stop electoral malfeasance
by ensuring that four
policemen man a polling
unit to ward off thuggery
and manipulation.
The INEC Chairman, Prof
Mahmood Yakubu, gave
the assurance in Ado Ekiti
during a stakeholders’
meeting on the Continuous
Registration Exercise.
The meeting was
attended by the Deputy
Governor, Prof Kolapo
Olusola, who is also an
aspirant in the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP;
leaders of political parties,
security agencies, market
women, civil society
organizations, labour
leaders, among others.
Yakubu, who was
represented by INEC
National Commissioner in
charge of Oyo, Ekiti, Osun
and Ondo States, Mr.
Solomon Soyebi, said: “The
elections in Edo, Ondo
and Anambra States were
largely monetized. We are
aware of this. It was, see
and buy, but it won’t
happen in Ekiti.”
He said INEC has
conducted a total of 286
polls since 2015 and that
only 28 were nullified due
to parties’ poor internal
democracy.
He said: “It was N5,000
per vote in Ondo and
Anambra states. We are
working with security
agencies not to allow it to
happen again. We even
seized some cash in
Anambra state.
“In the Ekiti election, we
won’t allow any vehicle to
come near the polling units,
because the politicians
SECURITY SUMMIT: From left; Dr. Ona Ekhomu, Chairman, Trans-World
Security; Mr Imohimi Edgal, Lagos State Police Commissioner and Mr. Olayinka
Odutola, Director General, Association of Enterprise Risk Management
Professionals (AERMP) at the 2018 Lagos State Security Summit in Lagos.
used to keep the money in
the booth. With this, it will
reduce because politicians
can’t carry large amount in
their pockets.”
He assured that INEC
will be neutral in Ekiti
election, urging the
stakeholders to work hard
to mobilize the people for
the continuous registration
exercise and also claim over
200,000 Permanent Voters
Cards that are still with the
commission.
Ekiti monarchs urge
INEC’s transparency
In their remarks, the
Alare of Are Ekiti, Oba
Boluwade Adebiyi, the
Attah of Ayede, Oba
Mumini Orisagbemi and
the Alara of Aramoko, Oba
Olu Adeyemi, urged INEC
to be transparent.
Appealing to politicians
to do things with
decorum, they warned
that the people of the state
are ready to reject any
election that doesn’t
represent the true
reflection of their
preference among the
governorship candidates.
Oba Adebiyi said: “We
are aware of the Smart
Card Reader that will be
used for this election.
Our appeal is that do not
outsmart the smart card
reader so that we can
have a peaceful poll.”
We want INEC’s
neutrality — Deputy Gov
Also, the Deputy
Governor said Ekiti people
are peace-loving people,
urging that: “all we want
from INEC is neutrality so
that Ekiti can be at peace
before, during and after this
election,” he stated.
218,000 PVCs unclaimed
— REC
The Resident Electoral
Commissioner in Ekiti
State, Prof Abdulganiy Raji,
said over 218,000 PVCs
were yet to be claimed,
urging the stakeholders to
sensitize their people to be
aware of their obligations
during elections.
Your position on indebtedness deceptive,
Osun PDP tells Dep gov
By Gbenga
Olarinoye
O Peoples SOGBO—THE
Democratic
Party, PDP, in Osun State
has described as deceptive
the recent claim by the
Deputy Governor, Mrs. Titi
Laoye-Tomori that the
state’s indebtedness is
being exaggerated by the
opposition.
In a statement, yesterday,
by its state chairman, Mr.
Soji Adagunodo, the party
accused the Deputy
Governor of playing the
ostrich by pretending not
to know that the
“humongous debt
incurred by the Rauf
A r e g b e s o l a
administration in the last
7 years is not only
unsustainable but was
spent mainly on phantom
projects which served as
conduit pipe for the looting
of the state treasury.
“What happened to the
monies borrowed for the
Osogbo-Ikirun-Ila Odo
road; the Gbongan to
Akoda road; the Airport in
Iddo Osun; the Water
projects in Ede and Ilesa
as well as many other
projects?”
While making reference
to a recent report by a
budget transparency and
accountability
organization, BUDGIT,
the PDP said: “Osun State’s
economy can hardly
Adebanjo one of Nigeria’s most
consistent, tested icons
— AFENIFERE
By Dapo Akinrefon
LAGOS—THE pan-
Yoruba socio-political
organisation, Afenifere,
yesterday, described one of
its leaders, Chief Ayo
Adebanjo, who turns 90
today, as one of Nigeria’s
most consistent, forthright,
dedicated, trusted and
tested icons.
Afenifere described
Adebanjo as a priceless gift
to Yoruba race and Nigeria
and a faithful disciple of
Chief Obafemi Awolowo
who has remained one of
the most strident voices in
the calls for a restructuring
of the country like the sage
himself who had stridently
advocated a federal Nigeria
since 1947.
In a statement by its
National Publicity Secretary,
Mr. Yinka Odumakin,
Afenifere said: “The entire
Afenifere family rises like
one man to salute and
celebrate one of its most
consistent, forthright,
dedicated, trusted and
tested icons, Chief Ayo
Adebanjo as he clocks 90
on Tuesday, April 10, 2018.
“The story of Chief
Thugs invade Atiku’s
campaign office in Katsina,
destroy vehicles
OPU formed to project Nigeria’s image abroad
— GANI ADAMS
By Dapo Akinrefon
LAGOS—THE Aare
Ona Kakanfo of
Yorubaland, Aare Gani
Adams, has said that the
Oodua Progressive Union,
OPU, was formed to project
the positive image of
Nigeria and Yoruba race to
the world.
Speaking to newsmen
shortly after his arrival from
the United Kingdom, on a
12 day-visit, he said OPU
sustain the almost N400
billion debt which the
Aregbesola administration
has thrown it into through
its recklessness,
cluelessness and utter
disregard for due process.
“For the avoidance of
doubt, this is what
BUDGIT said about this
same matter in its October
2017 report which declared
Osun as being insolvent.''
was inaugurated six years
ago to unite Yoruba sons and
daughters in the Diaspora,
for socio-economic
integration, growth, and
networking of Nigerians
abroad.
Adams said: “Our aims
and objectives are clear; we
are poised to promote our
cultural identity, including
our language and socioeconomic
values. We are
also determined to protect
the interest of the race
through global integration.”
Giving reasons for the visit
K SUSPECTED
ATSINA—
thugs broke into the Atiku
Abubakar’s Presidential
Campaign office, along
Dandagoro road,
Batagarawa local
government area of Katsina
State, during the weekend,
destroying vehicles parked
inside the premises.
The suspects reportedly
attacked supporters of the
former vice-president
whom they met in the office.
Jacob Dickson,
spokesman of Atiku’s
campaign in the north-west
geopolitical zone, said
items worth hundreds of
millions of naira were
destroyed during the
attack.
Aliyu Abbas, chairman of
the Atiku Care Foundation,
to Europe, Adams said he
was in Europe to attend the
receptions organized by the
Europe chapter of the OPU.
He said: “Since my
installation as the Aare
Onakakanfo of
Yorubaland, in January,
prominent people and
groups have been holding
a number of receptions for
me in Nigeria, that is
why OPU members in
Italy, France, Sweden,
and United Kingdom
decided to honour me
and my family.”
Adebanjo is partly that of
Afenifere as there is
u n b r o k e n
interconnectedness in a
man who has consistently
stayed on a political front
for almost seven decades.
You can therefore not write
the history of Afenifere
without Adebanjo featuring
or that of Adebanjo without
mentioning Afenifere.
“In fact, if you take
Afenifere out of Chief
Adebanjo’s life, all that may
be left in his childhood and
adolescence.
“This explains our joy as
this great spirit celebrates
90 and shatters the whole
idea generated by the fear
that you have to stay out of
trouble with authorities to
preserve your life. He has
confronted evil in the land
for over 60 years,
“He remains one of the
most strident voices in the
calls for a restructuring of
Nigeria into a proper
federation for the country to
fulfill its manifest destiny.
He is an eloquent and
consistent advocate of
restructuring as a faithful
disciple of Chief Obafemi
Awolowo who has
stridently advocated a
federal Nigeria since 1947.''
said it was “barbaric for the
thugs to have attacked the
office and innocent
supporters who were
celebrating there.”
A witness was quoted as
saying the thugs came in
three tricycles, spy on the
Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) members before
launching the attack.
“We (supporters of Atiku)
went to the PDP northwest
zonal rally that took place at
the party’s secretariat in
Katsina and returned to
celebrate the colourful
outing in our befitting
campaign office refurbished
in support of Atiku’s
candidature ahead of the
forthcoming general
elections in 2019 when the
armed thugs stormed and
attacked us.
“Initially, they came in to
spy on us before going back
to pick up their arms to
launch the attack. They
smashed windscreens,
mirrors and bodies of
vehicles parked within the
premises of the campaign
office with cutlasses, sticks
and others they were
carrying on their hands.
“They damage our fence,
brought down our party
flags erected round the fence
and went away with some
of the party flags.
“We have reported the
case at the Divisional Police
Office in Batagarawa and
the DPO with his men have
swung into action
immediately,” he said.