16082018 - Uproar as EFCC seeks minutes of Benue's security meetings

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Joe Akintola Photo Editor.
2019: Saraki considers running
against Buhari
SENATE President, Dr.
Bukola Saraki, is
considering running against
President Muhammadu
Buhari in 2019.
Saraki, who had earlier
hinted at running for the
highest office in the land, told
Bloomberg in an interview
that he had been consulting
widely.
In the last one week, the
Senate president has visited
ex-President Olusegun
Obasanjo and former Military
President, Ibrahim
Babangida.
Saraki said he would need
to win the ticket of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, to
actualise his objective of
leading the country.
The Senate president, who
defected to PDP from All
Progressives Congress,
APC, two weeks ago, accused
the APC of not managing its
victory well, saying his new
party could make a difference.
He said: “I am consulting
and actively considering it…
I believe I can make the
change. The PDP has
learned its lesson from the
loss in 2015, and I think
unfortunately, the APC did
not learn from their victory.
“While negotiating with the
PDP, we listed a number of
issues. We talked about how
to sustain and improve the
fight against corruption; the
issue of providing more
powers to the states; inclusion
and having a more
nationalistic approach on
things we do; to continue to
improve the environment that
will ensure investments.
“We listed a number of
items during the discussions
with the PDP, and there is a
written agreement to that. We
trust that we can hold them
to that.
“We would ensure that the
party is strong on security. The
APC too has not done well
on the issue of security. We
have the opportunity with the
right kind of presidential
candidate and president to
provide the leadership for the
party. The party has a good
opportunity to lead the
country in the right
direction.”
On DSS blockade
of NASS
He also spoke of
Department of State Services,
DSS, blockade of the National
Assembly, wondering what
would happen during next
year’s elections.
He said: “If a government
can go and lock up an arm of
government, and it’s never
happened in our history, we
should all be very concerned…
we should not be surprised
that they would use security
agencies for elections.
“There has been a persistent
disregard for due process and
a lack of neutrality for some of
these issues. For you to have
credible elections, you must
have safe elections. Security
agencies are actively getting
involved in politics.
“The fundamentals of
whatever we are going to
develop is going to be based
on sound democracy, credible
elections, freedom of choice of
Nigerians. If we don’t have
that as a foundation, then
everything else cannot
happen."
Alleging that investors have
lost confidence in Buhari
government, the Senate
president criticised the current
administration’s handling of
fuel subsidy.
VANGUARD, THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2018—9
He said: “Most of the
inflows that have come in are
merely hot money, and that is
because the oil price has gone
up.
“Investment in the real sector
is not seen. The private sector,
in my view, has probably
taken a position that the
confidence is not there in the
government.
‘’The country requires a
government that is truly probusiness,
and a president that
sees himself as a chief
marketing officer.
“If we are going to have a
subsidy, we should have a
budget for subsidy. Because
once we have a budget for it,
the private sector can also play
a role in the importation of
petroleum products."
Budget 2018: Reps query INEC
over duplication of items
By Emman
Ovuakporie
ABUJA— THE House of
Representatives’
Committee on Electoral
Matters, yesterday, queried
Independent National
Electoral Commission,
INEC, over the duplication
of items provided for in the
2018 budget for the 2019
polls.
The committee chaired by
Aisha Dukku (APC-Gombe)
queried the rationale behind
the huge budget proposal,
observed that most of the
subheads captured in the
N189.2 billion were
contained in the N45.5
billion approved budget for
INEC.
Total sum of N45.5 billion
as proposed by President
Muhammadu Buhari was
approved by the National
Assembly.
Further findings showed
that details of the INEC
expenditure was given in the
2018 Appropriation Act
signed into law by President
Buhari.
•Says ‘I believe I can make the
change’
In her remarks, Dukku
reiterated the House resolve
to support towards issue of
interest that will strengthen
the nation’s electoral process
and aid INEC in
discharging its functions.
Aisha Dukku, chairperson,
House Committee on
Electoral Matters, gave the
assurance during the INEC
budget presentation to
members of the committee
for the conduct of 2019
general elections.
She explained: "It is only
by so doing that one can
begin to unravel the
intricacies of the entire range
of issues involved and their
inter-connection.
“You will agree with me that
for a government that
promised change to its
people, the foundation of
this change ought to be
evident in the way we plan
our elections and electoral
processes. The estimates
should represent a true
picture of the Fiscal
Responsibility Act, FRA.”
The lawmakers expressed
concern over INEC’s
previous budgets saying they
were neither productive or
ineffective because of poor
planning.
“it is our prayer and hope
that the present
administration would
address the issues with
budgeting especially as
regards to funding unlike the
previous budgets that were
not productive in the entire
planning of elections
The lawmakers also
queried N28.6 billion
proposed as honoraria for
2,763,990 ad-hoc staff during
the 2019 general elections.
From the total sum of
N2.916 billion proposed for
RAC preparation for the
general elections, the
commission proposed for
RAC management/
activation, N56.600 million
for operation kite for 2,000
tents, N123.474 million for
unsitpulated number of
megaphones, N6.016 billion
for unspecified number of
sleeping mats and N232.773
million for unspecified
number of tactical torchlights,
respectively.
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APC seeks probe of PDP
for allegedly cloning PVCs
•PDP insists on dismantling
APC’s rigging machine
By Omeiza Ajayi
& Dirisu Yakubu
ABUJA— THE ruling
All Progressives
Congress, APC. has urged
security agencies and
Independent National
Electoral Commission,
INEC, to probe Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, for
allegedly planning to
scuttle next month’s
governorship election in
Osun State as well as
reportedly cloning some
Permanent Voter Cards,
PVCs.
But PDP in a swift
reaction said it will continue
to dismantle the rigging
machine of APC.
Acting National Publicity
Secretary of the party, Yekini
Nabena, who made the
allegation, yesterday in
Abuja, said: “The Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, on
Tuesday vowed to deploy all
‘means, schemes,
shenanigans in all
ramifications and
magnitude’ to rig all coming
elections, starting from the
Osun State governorship
election.
‘’The party also ‘directed
all its presidential aspirants
to move all their political
machinery into Osun State
within this period’.
“When the All
Progressives Congress,
APC, learnt of the shocking
disclosures, we initially
doubted its veracity and
dismissed it as one of the
fake news in circulation,
until further checks backed
by media reports confirmed
the statement was, indeed,
issued by the PDP National
spokesman, Kola
Ologbondiyan.”
PDP insists on
dismantling APC’s
rigging machine
Reacting to APC’s
accusation, yesterday, PDP
said no amount of threats
or smear campaign would
make it buckle in its
determination to contend
with APC and dismantle its
rigging machinery in all
future elections.
The party said the APC in
its statement already
admitted that it had been
engaged in rigging of
elections, sponsoring of
violence, ballot snatching
and announcement of fake
results in the elections
conducted in the past three
years.
On the accusations of
cloning PVCs, the PDP,
through its spokesman,
Kola Ologbondiyan said:
“It is a settled fact that
though truth can be
suppressed for a season, it
will always have a way of
showing itself to the light."
On Osun State
governorship election
slated for September 22,
2018, the party vowed not
to allow APC freely use its
Ekiti and Edo rigging
templates to manipulate
the process to its favour.
Osinbajo: FEC records
largest attendance of 28
By Johnbosco
Agbakwuru
ABUJA— ABOUT 28
ministers attended
the weekly Federal
Executive Council, FEC,
meeting presided over
by the Acting President,
Yemi Osinbajo, at the
Council Chamber
Presidential Villa Abuja,
yesterday.
The unprecedented
number of ministers at
the FEC may not be
unconnected to the ‘no
nonsense’ stance of the
Acting President since
he took over the realm of
leadership from
President Muhammadu
Buhari who is on a 10-
day working vacation in
London, United
Kingdom.
As at 10: 30am, some
ministers had arrived the
Council Chamber for the
FEC scheduled for 11
a.m and by the time the
Acting President arrived,
about 28 of the ministers
were already seated for
the meeting.
The turn out was
unprecedented
compared to the past
FEC meetings chaired by
Osinbajo as Vice
President or Acting
President.
Recall that Osinbajo
had Tuesday last week
terminated the
appointment of the
immediate past Director-
General of Department
of State Services, DSS,
Lawal Daura, and also
Tuesday ordered
immediate overhaul of
Special Anti-Robbery
Squad, SARS, as well as
the probe of operatives
that allegedly committed
human right abuses on
the course of their duty.