26042019 - Why police misuse arms, kill on duty —IGP

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42 — Vanguard, FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2019 Will Obasa retain his speaker’s seat in Lagos? •Stakeholders root for Lagos indigene •Obasa •Tunde Braimoh •Agunbiade •Eshinlokun By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Ebun Sessou WITH the emergence of Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu as governor-elect, a battle for who becomes the Speaker of the 9th Lagos State 40-member House of Assembly has ensued. The incumbent Speaker, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa, is reportedly making efforts to retain the coveted seat. Sources in the House told Vanguard that there is disquiet in the assembly premises and among the lawmakers as no one wants to be seen as a dissident. As the 8th Assembly is winding up, stakeholders have been holding strategic meetings on what would be the face of the 9th Assembly as it relates to the speaker and other principal officers. KWARA: We changed tactics to beat Saraki – Oyedepo By Demola Akinyemi Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, a lawyer, former member of the Kwara State House of Assembly, former Commissioner for Agriculture, and later Commerce and Industry, was Kwara State chairman of the Democratic Party of Nigeria, during the Abacha years. He was pioneer deputy national legal adviser of the All People's Party, APP, which later became All Nigeria People's Party, ANPP that merged with other parties to form the All Progressives Congress, APC. Oyedepo, one of the major stakeholders of O to ge (Enough is enough) movement in Kwara State, spoke on Kwara politics and how the APC defeated Senate President Bukola Saraki and his People's Democratic Party, PDP, team at the 2019 polls, and other national issues. On APC’s total victory in Kwara at the 2019 polls Frankly speaking, I was surprised we could win all. I thought we would make impact, may be by winning one Senate seat, two House of Representatives seats and There are concerns in many quarters that since the Governor-elect, Sanwo-Olu; and Deputy Governor-elect, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and the current speaker are from Ogun State, some stakeholders are rooting for an indigene of Lagos State to be the next Speaker after the exit of former speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji from Epe area of the state in 2015. Vanguard gathered that the matter has been tabled before the leadership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, which is giving it a serious thought. Quest for a Lagos indigene as speaker A group of indigenes from Lagos Island, known as Atari Ajanaku, is said to be the face behind the push to sponsor a real Lagos indigene, Wasiu perhaps, eight or 10 members of the state House of Assembly. I was not thinking it would be that total. So, I just believe it is the handiwork of God that we were able to win all. I’m happy because it means God made our own formula for change in Kwara State to work. I told my colleagues that we could not beat Saraki to his own game, and that is money-for-money. I told them we should vary the tactics of election in Kwara State. And that was why we embarked on serious sensitisation of the people of Kwara State through our radio programmes. We started with Harmony FM, Idofian, Royal FM, then to Sobi FM and later we also went to some other radio stations even outside Kwara State. So, it was a way of sensitising the people and the people of Kwara State keyed into the the agenda of change. We were able to tell them what could be said to be in their areas of need; areas where they feel the pinches of a bad administration. If we were waiting for when we would have enough resources and structure to fight the Senate President, we will never be able to chase Dr Bukola Saraki out of Eshinlokun, to contest the speaker’s seat with the incumbent. Their grouse, according to insiders, is the absence of indigenes in top positions in the state. The quest for an indigene to be elected as the speaker of the House started after the exit of Ikuforiji in 2015. According to aggrieved lawmakers, Lagos indigenes are unhappy and feel marginalised because the Governor-elect, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is from Ijebu- Mushin in Ogun State while his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, is from Itori, also in Ogun State. The development has, thus, left the Speakership as the only position available for a real Lagosian especially when the current occupant of the seat is believed to hail from Abeokuta •We couldn’t match him money-for-money •Oyedepo Kwara State politically. Some people were saying that before we could defeat the structure of Saraki in Kwara, we should be looking for about N6 billion. Where would we get N6 billion? Of course, we can’t get anything in Ogun State. Prospective contenders Among those considered to be eyeing the seat are the incumbent Deputy Speaker, Mr. Wasiu Eshinlokun, who vied for the office in 2015; Majority Leader of the House, Mr. Sanai Agunbiade; and Mr. Tunde Braimoh. However, Mr. Obasa is said to be making concerted efforts to retain the seat by meeting with party leaders, members of the assembly including the newly elected members. Recently, after receiving their certificates of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Lagos, Obasa led both the old and newly elected lawmakers to a meeting with the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at his near that. So, we designed a programme that made us to touch the hearts of the people. While the method of giving people money only touched the hand, we were able to penetrate the hearts of the people of Kwara State, and it worked wonderfully. Now that your party has won, how do you intend to manage the success? Politics to me is management of intrigues. I know very well that we can even be described as “strange bed fellows.” Some of us are not actually sharing the vision of emancipation, some just came to share public office. Those are some of the problems we may have. But we don’t really have a choice in Kwara State than for the APC to do well. To whom much is given, much is certainly expected. We were given all. We won all - including the presidential election. We are also conscious of that fact. Even if we want to fight, we must be very careful that the crisis would not rock the boat so that we would not be chased out of Government House prematurely. So, we need to be patient with Bourdillon residence. The immediate past Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who is a force to be reckoned with in the emerging leadership of the party in Lagos, is working out ways of providing a soft landing for Obasa and other favoured members for principal offices. It was gathered that Obasa recently sponsored over 10 lawmakers to Dubai and United States of America, including those being touted to be interested in the seat as well, on a think-tank mission, basically, for the realisation of his ambition. A source said that Obasa has the ears and support of the leaders of the party, adding that the certainty of his return was high. To ensure harmony, leaders of the party and stakeholders are having constant meetings to sort out the issue and ensure that the 9th Lagos State House of Assembly takes off on a good note. Said the source: “I can tell you that the contest might not be as easy as it appears though the current Speaker, Mr. Mudashiru Obasa is highly favoured for the office. There is no doubt that nobody has come out to show interest in the office, we cannot rule out the fact that some of the lawmakers are interested in the office. “The coming days would be very interesting as those who are interested in becoming the Speaker of the Assembly would start showing interest.” Obasa, a lawyer, assumed office in 2015 after succeeding Adeyemi Ikuforiji. He has been in the Assembly since 2007 and is one of the longest serving lawmakers in the state. He was born in Agege, a town in Lagos State. Some supporters of Sanwo- Olu are believed to be uncomfortable with the choice of Obasa, who they think may give Sanwo-Olu problems that could hamper the smooth running of his administration. Will Obasa realise his ambition? Will those angling for a Lagos indigene achieve their goal? These questions will be answered with time. one another; there must be a high level of tolerance among us. In fact, I must tell you that what carried us thus far is tolerance. You can’t get all that you want in a political party where there would be various schemes. But we still believe that having an Abdulrahman in Government House is by far better than having a nominee of the Senate President. Now, we know there has been a change, which is acknowledged nationally. APC national leadership has chosen Ahmad Lawan as preferred candidate for Senate President while two other candidates have also emerged. Don’t you foresee a reenactment of 2015 scenario? There could not be anything like the 2015 scenario in the National Assembly of today. APC is in clear majority in that National Assembly. What happened in 2015 happened because the PDP and APC were contending forces in the National Assembly, and there was no clear and overwhelming majority. So, it was just easy for members of APC to befriend PDP and betray their party in order to make it there. But I don’t foresee that now.
Vanguard, FRIDAY APRIL 26, 2019 — 43 NINTH NASS LEADERSHIP: Buhari not supporting any candidate — Presidency official •President Buhari is not frivolous —APC •Bago, Doguwa speak By Clifford Ndujihe, Levinus Nwabughiogu & Omeiza Ajayi FRESH facts from the Presidency indicate that President Muhammadu Buhari has remained unyielding to the pressure to get him to endorse any particular candidate for the Senate presidency or speakership of the 9th National Assembly. The revelation emerged amid pressure mounted by some leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to secure the support of Buhari for their preferred candidates as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives. Party leaders led by National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, recently presented Senator Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North) and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (Lagos) as the adopted candidates for the Senate president and speaker. The move is still raising dust in the party with some expressing fears that the mistake the APC made in 2015 when its candidates did not win the two top positions in the legislature could recur. Indeed, Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South), who is also angling for the Senate presidency, has vowed not to step down for Lawan and would pursue his aspiration to a logical conclusion. In like manner, some speakership aspirants also poohpoohed the adoption of Gbajabiamila and have insisted on running. President won’t intervene ...APC’s position is final — Ali, BoT member By Bashir Bello IN SPITE of the dust trailing the adoption of Senator Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North) for senate president and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila (Lagos) for the speakership by the All Progressives Congress, APC, leadership, Second Republic lawmaker and a Board of Trustees, BoT, member of the party, Senator Abba Ali has okayed the party’s decision. In a chat with Vanguard, Senator Ali said the party has the final say on the persons to occupy the Senate Presidency and Speakership seats. He urged party members to shy away from personal interest and look at the national and party’s interest in the whole process. Senate Ali Ndume (Borno South) and some speakership aspirants are insisting on running despite the party’s position. Multiple sources at the Presidency said the President’s well-known position of noninterference remained unchanged, contrary to a report portraying him as meddling in the election of the leadership of the National Assembly. They described the report as unfair to Buhari, knowing fully that he does not interfere in election process. One of the sources, a top Presidency official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the report that Buhari was going to prevail on Senator Danjuma Goje and Senator Ali Ndume, both of whom have indicated interest to contest for the Senate presidency, alongside adopted party candidate, Ahmad Lawan, was false. “The President will not interfere in the election of the next Senate President because he has no preference among the three candidates. The position of the President is that the senators should elect their own leader”, the official stated. President Buhari is not frivolous — APC However, the APC picked holes in the comments of the presidency officials saying that President Buhari has not turned his back on the party’s position on Senator Lawan and Gbajabiamila. National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Lanre Issa- Onilu, told Vanguard, yesterday: “Where did he (president) say that? Who made the release? Can you say specifically? How can we respond to such when we know how the president communicates with the public? Is it Femi •Ali Noting that the ongoing division is normal and expected, Senator Ali said the issue is a family affair that would be resolved amicably. Buhari Adesina or Garba Shehu or the president himself? The president has a channel of official communication. There are official channels. So, if the president has not said that through official channels, it is a non-issue, that means he did not say it. Anybody can continue to say what they want, the president is not a frivolous person” President didn’t ask Ndume, Goje to drop ambition Another source close to Ndume said “there was no such meeting where Mr. President prevailed on Ndume and Goje to drop their ambition for Lawan. And there is not going to be such meeting because the President, historically, has never interfered in an electoral process at any time and at any level, right from his time in the Congress of Progressive Change, CPC, and he is not about to change his position. In fact, he never interfered in his own election. “As he has said before, he belongs to everybody and he belongs to no particular person. And this case of the election of the next Senate President cannot be an exception because we know him to be a man of his word. Besides, the Presidency, through its spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, issued a statement, sometime ago, that the President will not interfere in the His words: “In any political setting, this is normal. You will find that people are divided simply because they need positions. But under normal circumstances, the party is supreme. The party provided the platform on which the members stood to be elected - be it, Senate or House of Representatives or State House of Assembly. So the party has a final say. “This is an internal affair of the party so it is only natural that you find that the choice of the party is not the choice of others; and in a democratic setting, everybody has a say. But the final say is the party's because they didn’t stand the election on their own or in their name but under the umbrella of the party. So I am not surprised, it is normal, and I am sure it will be sorted out.” Sen. Ali allays fears that the rift if not resolved, will lead to a repeat of the 2015 scenario, emergence of the leadership of the National Assembly. “Mr. President’s position was further reinforced by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang. “Meanwhile, the pronouncement nominating Ahmad Lawan as Senate President is not a decision of the party. So why obscure a personal agenda as the party agenda? Even the party Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, clearly stated that they are not imposing Lawan on APC senators-elect and that those who may wish to contest are free to do so. “So, the party or the President cannot just come out to stop any senator to drop his ambition for Lawan.” According to the source, however, if among the contenders for the Senate President, they decide, through consensus, who emerges, that’s a different thing. “So this idea that the President will call the three contenders and ask two to drop their ambition for Ahmed Lawan is a figment of the imagination of those propagating it. “And what they are doing right now may boomerang in the sense that it has the tendency to infuriate senators-elect. In the schemers’ desperation, they demanded the amendment of saying what is obtainable at the moment is different from that of 2015. “It is totally different. Now, we have majority in the both houses. Before, the majority is one or two and again, when we came in 2015, it was amalgamation of parties which formed the APC and they still had that feelings of belonging to one of the three parties. But now that everything has stabilised, we are no more talking about other parties, it is one party. So the party controlling should nominate whoever they want to lead them in the houses. Even the zoning arrangement is the party’s affair and it has started this process on time. If you remember, in 2015, the party and executive left it until they were in the National Assembly and after their swearing in. So we have plenty of time now to resolve the factions." Senate rules. They sponsored a protest to demand an amendment of the rules, especially the one bordering on secret voting, forgetting that it is a provision of Section 50 of the Constitution which says the Senate shall elect its leaders from among itself. Mr. President will never join anyone to subvert the Constitution, hence his stand on this matter. “But the schemers keep dropping the President’s name here and there. Now, if Ahmad Lawan is popular, why worry about the voting system, endorsement, and talking to senators on behalf of Ahmad Lawan?’’ Insist on justice, equity, Bago urges Buhari Speaking on the issue, yesterday, one of the speakership aspirants, Mohammed Umaru Bago, urged the president to stand on the path of justice, fairness and equity. The Hon. Mohammed Bago Campaign Organisation through its Spokesman, Victor Ogene, said it has always been guided by President Buhari’s noninterference stance as it concerns how the legislature chooses its leaders. It said: “Although the President is not happy with the turn of things, especially the emergence of a PDP stalwart as deputy senate president and the eventual defection of both Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara, he has only stressed the need for the APC to guard against a recurrence. “This, we think, is the standpoint which some party bigwigs are standing upon to enthrone their own candidates. For a President who still stands by his ‘I am for everybody, and not for anybody’ mantra, we have always known that the President will be to all shades of opinion. “The president in his wisdom, a long time ago, told us to stand on the path of justice, fairness and equity for whatever it is worth. As we have consistently maintained, our loyalty quotient, leadership quality and ability to relate with members-elect put us in pole position to contest and win.” Buhari, APC ‘re inseparable — Doguwa However, Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ado Doguwa, who dropped his speakership, and later deputy speakership ambition in respect of the party’s position said: “I am always puzzled when I hear that on the streets. For me the President and the Party are one inseparable component of our political process. After all, he is the overall leader of the party. In fact, in my opinion the position of the party on the National Assembly leadership project is automatically the position of Mr. President. The President does not have to personally speak on this matter. Because we have other stakeholders at all levels and we are guided by their recommendations. People like me and the majority of our APC members from the North-West are all behind the party’s position because we know it is a comfortable arrangement for Mr. President."
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