Tinubu demands oil wells from Buhari

Tinubu demands oil wells from Buhari

Details

 

Published on Monday, 26 January 2015 08:42

Written by KUNLE ADEBIYI

• Seeks to influence ministerial appointments

THERE are emerging indicators that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is at a critical stage of bargaining and tradeoffs towards the post-election sharing of “political profits.” A reliable source from the top hierarchy of the opposition APC revealed to this Reporter that a National Leader of the party and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is purportedly negotiating with the APC Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, for allocation of oil wells in the Niger Delta as compensation for his support and huge financial commitment into the party from the stage of negotiations for merger and registration as a political party to the electioneering campaigns into the general elections. The party source, who sought anonymity but disclosed that he is a close political associate of the APC Presidential candidate, alleged that the two national leaders of the leading opposition party have been involved in secret meetings on the issues of allocation of oil wells and sharing of political offices, expressing optimism that the opposition party will win the February 14 Presidential election. 
The party source emphasised that the former Lagos State Governor may have been using the enormous wealth at his disposal, his political influence in the South West, to force the negotiation on Buhari and compel him to seal a deal as pre-condition for his total support for the former Head of State in the presidential election coming up in three weeks' time. The former governor was said to have allegedly demanded for about three oil wells license rights as compensation to him for the persistent support he has been giving to the party's presidential candidate and aiding him in scheming out other presidential contenders who were considered to be at advantage of having more funds and would have picked the APC ticket if he had not supported him at the National Convention and in mobilizing other party members for that cause.
The APC stalwart revealed that both national leaders of the party  have resolved that after winning the presidential election, immediately the APC assumes office in May, the APC-Federal Government will revoke all existing licenses of people allocated oil blocs in the Niger Delta, then, open bidding for new allocations. That is the process Tinubu was alleged to anticipate giving himself the advantage to acquire the license for oil wells allocation. 
The party source observed that the party's candidate, whom he often referred to as his principal, considered the negotiation on oil wells allocation a difficult bargaining to concede to Tinubu but that Buhari has been under pressure to succumb in order not to lose the South West votes which he overwhelmingly relies on Tinubu to mobilize. The APC presidential candidate was, however, said not to have given his word on the oil wells allocation demand but solicited for little time to make consultations before they would reach final conclusion, though, Tinubu was alleged to be opposed to such consultations, and had purportedly told the former head of state to “either concede to his demand or forget the votes of the South West.” It was alleged that the APC presidential candidate decision is expected to be made as soon as possible, before the February polls.   
There was an insinuation that Tinubu allegedly made similar request in 2011 when he was negotiating with President Goodluck Jonathan for the South West support in the presidential race. It was gathered that he was promised both money and oil wells but was first compensated with money and told to wait for the oil well allocation later. It was disclosed that he did not get the oil well allocation, thereafter, and has since then, not been happy with President Jonathan for that disappointment.
Other issues said to be placed on the table in the secret negotiations between the two APC leaders were indicated to include the sharing of political offices at the federal level. They were said to have both agreed on the Senate President being zoned to the North Central, reserving that position for Senator Bukola Saraki, former Governor of Kwara State. Tinubu was, however, alleged to have demanded that the Speaker of the House of Representatives be zoned to the South West, or in alternative the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, to augment the Vice President, who he considered does not have constitutional powers but may be playing nominal roles in government as may be delegated to him by the President. The former governor was further alleged to have also put on the negotiation table to be given the power to influence certain ministerial appointments. He was purported to have shown interests in influencing the appointment of the Minister of Finance, Minister of Petroleum, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice as well as Minister of Aviation, which he was alleged to be further requesting to be given to his political camp. The former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode John Fayemi, was alleged to be considered for either the Finance or Aviation portfolio by the APC national leader in the South West. 
Tinubu, it was disclosed, assured Buhari that given these demands, he will do everything possible to ensure victory for him in the presidential election not only in the South West but also in several parts of the South-South and the South East.       
The demands made in the secret negotiation was further said to have placed Buhari in dilemma because he has at all-time vowed to stamp out corruption from the system and, therefore, found himself at a crossroad of bribing a party member for support to win election. “The issues of insecurity, unemployment, economic slide, corruption and others will be tackled with all sincerity…,” Buhari had repeatedly declared in his campaign.
Buhari, it was disclosed, had been reminiscing on what former President Olusegun Obasanjo told him at Ota, Ogun State that, “a political party is like a microcosm of a nation, which would consist of near saints, devils, rapists, and armed robbers;” and how Obasanjo admonished him that he may use rapists or robbers for the purpose of electioneering campaign but that when the party wants to go into government after the elections, it must look for men and women of integrity. The former President had further stated that people of integrity  make things better for a government, the country and the citizenry.
The APC presidential candidate's associate also told our Reporter that his principal, as he called Buhari repeatedly, is having the big problem of discussing such personal demands with the entire leadership of the party, particularly, the northern caucus of the APC, who he said are expected to play different roles in the nomination or appointment of party members into various political offices after the elections. He added that in all, Buhari acknowledges the immense contributions of Tinubu, in terms of funding, making himself available at all times, committing his political structures in the South West to the APC set goals, mobilizing other party members for common cause and personal interventions to minimize conflicts in the party.

http://www.nationaldailyng.com/news/latest-news/2269-tinubu-demands-oil-wells-from-buhari

Chimamanda Adichie: On The Oba Of Lagos

Posted By: Olisa.Tv Staff

Posted on Friday, April 10th, 2015 at 7:22pm

By Chimamanda Adichie
A few days ago, the Oba of Lagos threatened Igbo leaders. If they did not vote for his governorship candidate in Lagos, he said, they would be thrown into the lagoon. His entire speech was a flagrant performance of disregard. His words said, in effect: I think so little of you that I don’t have to cajole you but will just threaten you and, by the way, your safety in Lagos is not assured, it is negotiable.

There have been condemnations of the Oba’s words. Sadly, many of the condemnations from non-Igbo people have come with the ugly impatience of expressions like ‘move on,’ and  ‘don’t be over-emotional’ and ‘calm down.’ These take away the power, even the sincerity, of the condemnations. It is highhanded and offensive to tell an aggrieved person how to feel, or how quickly to forgive, just as an apology becomes a non-apology when it comes with ‘now get over it.’

Other condemnations of the Oba’s words have been couched in dismissive or diminishing language such as ‘The Oba can’t really do anything, he isn’t actually going to kill anyone. He was joking. He was just being a loudmouth.’
Or – the basest yet – ‘we are all prejudiced.’ It is dishonest to respond to a specific act of prejudice by ignoring that act and instead stressing the generic and the general.  It is similar to responding to a specific crime by saying ‘we are all capable of crime.’ Indeed we are. But responses such as these are diversionary tactics. They dismiss the specific act, diminish its importance, and ultimately aim at silencing the legitimate fears of people.

We are indeed all prejudiced, but that is not an appropriate response to an issue this serious. The Oba is not an ordinary citizen. He is a traditional ruler in a part of a country where traditional rulers command considerable influence – the reluctance on the part of many to directly chastise the Oba speaks to his power. The Oba’s words matter. He is not a singular voice; he represents traditional authority. The Oba’s words matter because they are enough to incite violence in a political setting already fraught with uncertainty. The Oba’s words matter even more in the event that Ambode loses the governorship election, because it would then be easy to scapegoat Igbo people and hold them punishable.

Nigerians who consider themselves enlightened might dismiss the Oba’s words as illogical. But the scapegoating of groups – which has a long history all over the world – has never been about logic. The Oba’s words matter because they bring worrying echoes of the early 1960s in Nigeria, when Igbo people were scapegoated for political reasons. Chinua Achebe, when he finally accepted that Lagos, the city he called home, was unsafe for him because he was Igbo, saw crowds at the motor park taunting Igbo people as they boarded buses: ‘Go, Igbo, go so that garri will be cheaper in Lagos!’
Of course Igbo people were not responsible for the cost of garri. But they were perceived as people who were responsible for a coup and who were ‘taking over’ and who, consequently, could be held responsible for everything bad.
Any group of people would understandably be troubled by a threat such as the Oba’s, but the Igbo, because of their history in Nigeria, have been particularly troubled. And it is a recent history. There are people alive today who were publicly attacked in cosmopolitan Lagos in the 1960s because they were Igbo. Even people who were merely light-skinned were at risk of violence in Lagos markets, because to be light-skinned was to be mistaken for Igbo.
Almost every Nigerian ethnic group has a grouse of some sort with the Nigerian state. The Nigerian state has, by turns, been violent, unfair, neglectful, of different parts of the country. Almost every ethnic group has derogatory stereotypes attached to it by other ethnic groups.
But it is disingenuous to suggest that the experience of every ethnic group has been the same. Anti-Igbo violence began under the British colonial government, with complex roots and manifestations. But the end result is a certain psychic difference in the relationship of Igbo people to the Nigerian state. To be Igbo in Nigeria is constantly to be suspect; your national patriotism is never taken as the norm, you are continually expected to prove it.
All groups are conditioned by their specific histories. Perhaps another ethnic group would have reacted with less concern to the Oba’s threat, because that ethnic group would not be conditioned by a history of being targets of violence, as the Igbo have been.
Many responses to the Oba’s threat have mentioned the ‘welcoming’ nature of Lagos, and have made comparisons between Lagos and southeastern towns like Onitsha. It is valid to debate the ethnic diversity of different parts of Nigeria, to compare, for example, Ibadan and Enugu, Ado-Ekiti and Aba, and to debate who moves where, and who feels comfortable living where and why that is. But it is odd to pretend that Lagos is like any other city in Nigeria. It is not. The political history of Lagos and its development as the first national capital set it apart. Lagos is Nigeria’s metropolis. There are ethnic Igbo people whose entire lives have been spent in Lagos, who have little or no ties to the southeast, who speak Yoruba better than Igbo. Should they, too, be reminded to be ‘grateful’ each time an election draws near?
No law-abiding Nigerian should be expected to show gratitude for living peacefully in any part of Nigeria. Landlords in Lagos should not, as still happens too often, be able to refuse to rent their property to Igbo people.
The Oba’s words were disturbing, but its context is even more disturbing:
The anti-Igbo rhetoric that has been part of the political discourse since the presidential election results.  Accusatory and derogatory language – using words like ‘brainwashed,’ ‘tribalistic voting’ – has been used to describe President Jonathan’s overwhelming win in the southeast. All democracies have regions that vote in large numbers for one side, and even though parts of Northern Nigeria showed voting patterns similar to the Southeast, the opprobrium has been reserved for the Southeast.

But the rhetoric is about more than mere voting. It is really about citizenship. To be so entitled as to question the legitimacy of a people’s choice in a democratic election is not only a sign of disrespect but is also a questioning of the full citizenship of those people.
What does it mean to be a Nigerian citizen?
When Igbo people are urged to be ‘grateful’ for being in Lagos, do they somehow have less of a right as citizens to live where they live? Every Nigerian should be able to live in any part of Nigeria. The only expectation for a Nigerian citizen living in any part of Nigeria is to be law-abiding. Not to be ‘grateful.’ Not to be expected to pay back some sort of unspoken favour by toeing a particular political line. Nigerian citizens can vote for whomever they choose, and should never be expected to justify or apologize for their choice.
Only by feeling a collective sense of ownership of Nigeria can we start to forge a nation. A nation is an idea. Nigeria is still in progress. To make this a nation, we must collectively agree on what citizenship means: all Nigerians must matter equally.

 http://www.olisa.tv/2015/04/10/chimamanda-adichieoba-lagos/

Why Igbos don't need the Senate Presidency: Post election musings.

Why Igbos don't need the Senate Presidency: Post election musings.

The most retrogressive argument I have heard people make after the election is that the Igbos have committed a political suicide by voting overwhelmingly for the PDP. The fallacy of this assumption is that the proponents think Nigeria should suddenly become a one party state because somebody is shouting change. This definitely is not democracy. Someone even argued that they should have at least voted some people into the National Assembly to win the golden price of Presidency of the Senate or Speaker of House of Reps. Since when do ethnic groups meet to decide to give some votes to one party and some to others. Again I am baffled at our shortsightedness for the following reasons;

1. During the inglorious years of Obasanjo in power, the Igbos had the Senate Presidency for 8 years without any corresponding dividend to our people. Instead the most anti- democracy President we ever had ensured that touts kidnapped a seating Governor in the East. What will the senate Presidency change now?

2. The proponents are so parochial that they think that the more than 200 other minority ethnic groups in Nigeria are not good enough for these positions. Otherwise how will the famous advocates of change think that Nigeria is a kingdom divided among the three major ethnic groups-hence Hausa for President, Yoruba for Vice and oh Igbos just lost the opportunity to present a Senate President. I think we are not being fair to the minority from where Goodluck Jonathan comes from. Could that be the reason why he was promised no peace during his administration and so it came to be. 

3. If history should be our guide, take a ride back toI1998 when the PDP lost in South West (Yoruba) and the six states went to the opposition Alliance for Democracy. President Obasanjo actually lost in his ward. Nobody called it political naivety. In 2003, on ethnic consideration, the AD governors decided to vote Obasanjo of PDP for the presidency and to vote AD for governorship. Note that this was an election against the current face of change Gen. Buhari. The agreement went soar and Obasanjo rigged all gubernatorial elections in favour of PDP. Tinubu the then Governor of Lagos state was the only survivor. I think students of history will admit that what the Igbos did is neither a precedent nor strange in our land. 

4. In conclusion, the Igbos are comfortable in the opposition and vibrant opposition is one of the most important elements in a healthy democracy. Suffice it to say that we will be deepening the democratic process from our current position and we don't want any mourners crying for the Igbo people.

 by IKENNA UGWU

How does the election in Nigeria affect us in the Diaspora?

How does the election in Nigeria affect us in the Diaspora?

Since 1999, the People’s Democratic Party has controlled Nigeria but more than half the country’s youth are out of work

Written by Juliana Lucas
24/01/2015 12:00 PM

Image Text: IN THE RUNNING: Goodluck Jonathan is expecting another victory in this tight Presidential race

LIKE MANY Nigerian families living abroad, I send money back home at least once every month.
Why? Because, unfortunately, many of these relatives – even those who are graduates and can decorate entire walls with their qualifications – are out of work.
They are unable to work because they cannot find a job.
Who else can we blame but the political party that has ruled Nigeria for 16 years: the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), otherwise known as the ‘People’s Destroying Party’ by many of the country’s citizens.
The World Bank put the unemployment rate in Nigeria at 22 per cent in 2013, while the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has youth unemployment at an unacceptable 54 per cent in 2014.
When translated to an actual human figure, the latter statistic means that at least 64 million out of 170 million Nigerians are unemployed. It’s ridiculous!
ISSUE
Believe me, unemployment has always been an issue in Africa’s most populous country, but it is now at a record high.
Take a moment to think about the sheer amount of people who are unable to sustain themselves. It is no wonder that they depend so much on their relatives living abroad.
As many of us know, Nigeria is a resource-rich country. Why then, can’t its people find jobs? The answer is down to corruption.
Remember Governor James Ibori of the country’s oil-rich Delta state who in 2012 was sentenced by a London court after pleading guilty to fraud and money laundering?
His daughter Erhiatake Ibori will be running as a PDP candidate in the same state as her disgraced father who, according to a judge, acquired his riches “at the expense of some of the poorest people in the world”.
Ibori is one of those people who have participated in the decimation of Nigeria’s economy.
Yet he is currently being considered for extradition under the prisoners transfer programme which the UK government signed with Nigeria.
If this goes ahead, Ibori – perhaps like Diepreye Alamieyeseigha in 2013 (you know, the governor who jumped bail in the UK by allegedly dressing as a woman) – will get to Nigeria and be pardoned by the president.
It leaves many ordinary Nigerians wondering when favours for those with powerful friends will end and a pathway to prosperity for all citizens will begin.

ANTI-CORRUPTION: General Muhammadu Buhari with Professor Yemi Osinbanjo
President Goodluck Jonathan has promised to create two million jobs each year – a pledge I think is unachievable considering his record.
Figures released by the at National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that 500,224 jobs were created across the country in the first six months of 2014.
TARGET
President Jonathan will fall very short of his target if things follow the same path this year.
For his critics, it is too late.
Two million jobs a year do not solve the backlog of 64 million jobless youth at present and the additional 1.8 million graduates who join them every year.
I’ve done the maths and the numbers don’t add up.
The image of our beloved country is in tatters abroad.
We, who proudly claim to be the giant of Africa, have become the laughing stock of our continent.
The presidential candidate for the opposition party, Muhammadu Buhari, has promised to fix the many problems Nigerians face both at home and abroad.
As an ex-military man who has dealt with insurgents in the past, he and his vice-president, a professor of the law and a former Attorney General of Lagos state, Yemi Osinbajo, pledge to deal with Boko Haram.
They have pledged to eliminate corruption and will also do the same with unemployment by making us less dependent on oil as an income. Oil prices, as the financial markets show, are tumbling.
All things considered, better governance, more transparent and with greater accountability in Nigeria, is beneficial to us in the diaspora.
A safe Nigeria might mean some of us might want to invest in Nigeria. We might want to return back home.
Where there is labour, there will be need for manpower and that means jobs.
If Nigerians want things to change, we cannot do what we have always done. We cannot stay loyal to a political party that since 1999 has held on with little progress to show for it.
Perhaps a change of government is the change Nigeria needs. Maybe, we will see a reverse in fortunes. Instead of us sending remittances back home, our relatives can be in a position to help us here in the UK.

Posted on: 24/01/2015 12:00 PM

http://www.voice-online.co.uk/article/how-does-election-nigeria-affect-us-diaspora

    

How BBC caused crisis in the North

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FALLOUT: North boils *Vice-President Sambo's family house torched in Zaria *Na'Abba's, Tofa's, Salisu Buhari's houses razed in Kano *Emir of Kano's palace, Gov Lamido's company burnt *How BBC caused crisis in the North
Written by Kola Oyelere, Hassan Ibrahim, Ishola Michael, Isaac Shobayo and Dipo Laleye
Tuesday, April 19, 2011

THERE were violent reactions, on Monday, across the northern part of the country to the result of Saturday's presidential election, which saw the Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP's) candidate, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, emerge as the winner.

People demonstrate in Nigeria's northern city of Kano where running battles broke out between protesters and soldiers on April 18. A new outbreak of post-poll rioting in northern Nigeria left many dead overnight, the Red Cross said, after President Goodluck Jonathan appealed for unity following his win. (AFP/File/Seyllou Diallo) advertisement

The reactions left in their wake burnt houses of prominent politicians, including Vice-President Namadi Sambo in Zaria, Kaduna State; Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido; former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Umar Na'Abba and former presidential candidate, Alhaji Bashir Tofa. The palace of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, was also reportedly torched.

Also, a company, said to belong to Governor Lamido was vandalised.

Elsewhere, public places were reportedly vandalised and burnt with a number of people killed in protest against the alleged manipulation of the presidential election result in favour of President Jonathan against Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) candidate, who is from the North.

The youth, whose ages were put between 15 and 20, had alleged manipulation of the result of Saturday's presidential election in favour of the PDP and the perceived connivance of some northern politicians with President Jonathan to stop Major-General Buhari.

Some churches in the Badawa and Na'bawa areas were burnt down, by the youth, who later attempted to attack the Kano State Government House before they were dispersed by security agents, who fired gunshots sporadically for about 10 minutes.

Curfew in Kano, Kaduna
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State government, on Monday, imposed a 24-hour curfew to prevent the youth from causing further havoc in the state capital.

The youth, according to reports, had targeted chieftains of the PDP in the state capital who had to run away with their families for dear life.

In the northern part of the Kaduna metropolis, some places of worship were torched as thick dark smoke billowed into the sky for several hours.

Many people, especially non-indigenes and their families, had since run away to police or army barracks to seek refuge.

Foodstuffs are already becoming scarce, as shops and nearby markets cannot open due to the crisis.

As the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that President Jonathan was leading, aggrieved youths in the Tudun Wada area started to heckle PDP supporters and in the process, burnt a famous eatery on the Nnamdi Azikiwe Way-Abuja Road.

Two houses of a local council chairman in the Kabala Costain area were razed while his whereabouts could not be ascertained at the time of filing this report.

Staunch PDP members in Tudun Wada and adjoining Unguwan Sanusi (names withheld) had to run away, as the mob razed their buildings and vandalised property.

Unconfirmed reports had it that innocent persons were injured as a result of attacks with crude weapons by the Yantauri, those believed to have spiritual protection from knife cuts and other metallic objects.

Although the violence continued to spread to several areas in Kaduna, small planes and helicopters that hovered in the sky scared many of the hoodlums, who scampered and hid to avoid being detected by the security men on surveillance.

The Kaduna State government said it had imposed a 24-hour curfew on the state and all security agencies, including the military, had been ordered to enforce it.

According to reports, in Zaria, several people were reportedly killed in the crisis and a Baptist Church in the city was razed.

The rampaging youth torched the family home of Vice President Namadi Sambo located at the Tudun Wada area of the city.

According to reports, the prison in Zaria was broken by hoodlums but the warders and other security agents had intensified effort to salvage the situation.

Meanwhile, armoured tanks were deployed by the military authorities to strategic parts of the state and combined unit of the police, Civil Defence Corps and other security agents intensified patrol to make sure that people observe the curfew imposed on the state.

In Angwar Romi and Sabo areas of the state capital, youths armed with machetes, cudgels and other dangerous weapons mounted roadblocks and searched vehicles. One of them, who declined to identify himself, said the search was aimed at checking the importation of bombs and other dangerous arms and explosives into their areas by would-be terrorists who might want to take advantage of the crisis to wreak havoc.

The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Kaduna, had in announcements continued to urge the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Hafiz Ringim and the other security agencies to take prompt action in order to bring the situation under control.

The commercial centre of the state capital, Ahmadu Bello Way, as well as the Sheikh Gumi Central Market, remained locked while commercial banks were closed to customers.

Governor Patrick Yakowa said in a live broadcast to the people, that following the outbreak of violence in some areas, the government had imposed a 24-hour curfew on the entire state.

He, however, said for no justifiable reasons, groups of persons in some parts of the state decided to resort to violence and wanton destruction of life and property since Sunday night.

Yakowa said in order to defuse the rising tension and following the advice of the security council, the state government decided to restrict the movement of persons, adding that "the security agencies have been directed to enforce this decision in order to protect the life and property of all law-abiding citizens of our dear state."

He appealed to the people of the state to remain law abiding, calm and stay at home until normalcy returned.

Meanwhile, calm is gradually returning to the city, as people remain indoors, but gunshots were heard from the Camp road/Almannar area of Kaduna GRA where, according to reports, attempts were made by the rampaging youths to torch the family home of the vice-president.

An indefinite curfew has been imposed in and around Kano, following the outbreak of violence which erupted in the commercial city, resulting in the death of no fewer than two persons.

The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Dan'azumi Doma, announced the emergency security measure, after a meeting of heads of security agencies.

The police commissioner said the curfew would be in force until further notice, while warning residents of Kano to remain indoors, as anybody found violating the curfew would be arrested and prosecuted.

"We have imposed an indefinite curfew in Kano State with immediate effect. So all law-abiding citizens are advised, in their own interest, to go to their respective homes and wait for further notice," he said.

As early as 8.00 a.m, on Monday, thousands of irate youths took to the streets, burning homes and mounting roadblocks on some major roads across the city, forcing residents to run for their lives.

In most parts of Kano city, especially Hotoro, Badawa, Sharada, Na'ba-wa, and Dakata, the aggrieved youth attacked homes of some supposed pro-Jonathan politicians, in what was now believed to be a clear case of post-election violence.

A combined team of police and army had been drafted to all streets in the state capital, while the situation remained tense, as most streets were empty and businesses under lock and key.
Activities paralysed in Gombe

Also in Gombe, supporters of the CPC, mainly youths, continued their violent activities and burnt down structures belonging to PDP stalwarts as well as government structures and places of worship around the town, killing one policeman in the process.

A divisional police officer of one of the police divisions was also wounded and was currently receiving treat-ment at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Gombe.

An eyewitness disclosed that Abuja Quarters was the worst hit, as the rampaging youth targeted the private residence of the state governor, Muhammad Danjuma Goje, as well as houses of other PDP stalwarts in the area, chanting Nigeria sai Buhari.

The youth, who were in their hundreds, carried different sizes of weapons with which they unleashed terror on their victims, a development that made people to desert the streets and went back to their respective homes for cover.

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune on the phone, the state police commissioner, Suleiman Lawal, said "the situation is under control now, as we have been able to get the irate youth off the streets and normalcy is gradually returning to the town but the restriction of movement from one place to the other remains in order to check the activities of the youth."

Lawal, however, said the rampaging youth could not gain entrance into the Government House as planned, neither were they able to get anywhere close to the private residence of the governor, adding that, "we are on top of the situation, there is no cause for any alarm."

At the time of this report, there were no plans to impose a curfew in the state but the commissioner said the stay at home order would remain in force until normalcy fully returned.

Taskforce curtails protest in Jos
The Special Military Task Force (STF) in charge of security in Plateau State and the police averted a protest by irate youth on Monday over the outcome of the presidential election, held on Saturday.

As the results were being collated and it was discovered that the incumbent President Jonathan was leading, youths in predominantly Hausa/Fulani parts of Jos, precisely Bauchi Road, Nasarawa and Masalaci areas, trooped out in large numbers to protest the results being released.

Nigerian Tribune learnt that the youth, armed with weapons, barricaded the areas and lit bonfire along the roads to prevent free flow of movement.

It was learnt that on getting wind of the protest, the STF, led by its commander, Brigadier-General Hassan Umaru, mobilised to the scenes of the protests to arrest the situation.

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, STF Public Relations Officer, Captain Charles Ekeocha, who said the cause of the protest was yet to be ascertained, stated that some youths suddenly trooped out at about 10.00 a.m, claiming to be protesting.

Ekeocha, who said the force was able to tactically force the youth to retreat, added that security men had taken over the affected areas and were now patrolling to avoid any breakdown of law and order.

Gov Aliyu calls for peace
The Niger State governor, Dr Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu, on Monday, pleaded with the people of the state to give peace a chance and accept the results of the presidential election "as the will of Allah."

Aliyu's call came as markets, shops and public offices were hurriedly closed in Minna, Suleja, Bida and Kontagora, as protesters took to the streets in disagreement with the victory of President Jonathan.

At least five cars, one motorcycle and four places of worship were reportedly burnt in Minna, even as bonfires were lit along the major streets in the state capital.

One of the monuments under construction by the state government in the Kpakungu area of Minna was also burnt by the protesters.

A policeman, who had just closed from duty and was entering his house, was attacked and was battered, even as the hand of a staff member of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) was chopped off.

Following the inability of the police to contain the situation, heavily armed soldiers were deployed to maintain law and order in all these towns.

No fewer than eight persons who were throwing stones from buildings in the Kpakungu area were arrested and taken to the police headquarters.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Richard Oguche, confirmed the unrests, saying "a large number of arrests have been made."

Jonathan warns perpetrators
President Jonathan has called on those involved in the violence to desist forthwith from the acts, in the interest of peace and stability in the country.

In an address to the people of the country, on Monday, President Jonathan expressed sadness at the occurrence and urged political leaders to prevail on their supporters to stop the riots.

According to the statement, "I have received with great sadness the news of sporadic unrests in some parts of the country, which are not unconnected with last Saturday's elections.

"I appeal to those involved to stop this unnecessary and avoidable conduct, more so at this point in time when a lot of sacrifice has been made by all the citizens of this great country in ensuring the conduct of free and fair elections."

Jonathan noted the positive comments of local and international observers on the integrity of the just-concluded presidential election, which the PDP won and restated that no political ambition was worth the blood of any Nigerian.

"All of us are further encouraged by the comments of the independent election monitors and observers, both domestic and international, on how transparent and credible the elections have been so far.

"Therefore, it is with the deepest sense of responsibility that I call on all our political leaders, especially the contestants, to appeal to their supporters to stop further violence in the interest of stability, peace and well-being of this great country," Jonathan said.

IGP vows to apprehend perpetrators
Meanwhile, The Inspector Gene-ral of Police, Hafiz Ringim, has blamed the riots and violence in some parts of the North in the aftermath of the presidential election on groups and persons that have refused to accept defeat in the election.

Ringim also said the violence was neither ethnic nor religiously-motivated, vowing to apprehend the perpetrators.

A statement from Ringim on Monday said: "the spate of violence is being engineered by persons who failed to accept the results of the last election.

"The security agencies are in the process of identifying and arresting the perpetrators behind this mindless mischief across the country."

How BBC caused crisis in the North
Meanwhile, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Hausa Service had been blamed for the riots and confusion in Adamawa State, following its alleged broadcast that the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, had won the election in Adamawa State, when the electoral commission in the state was still collating results.

The Special Adviser to the Adamawa State Governor, Aminu Iyawa, told journalists that the BBC broadcast was orchestrated to cause mischief and chaos. He said violence erupted after the electoral commission announced Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP as winner in the state.

http://odili.net/news/source/2011/apr/19/602.html

VIOLENCE IN THE NORTH

Nigerian incumbent's election win spurs unrest

The Associated Press Posted: Apr 18, 2011 10:06 AM ET 

Ex-PM Clark observing Nigerian election

Opposition supporters in Nigeria's Muslim north set fire to homes bearing ruling party banners Monday and heavy gunfire rang out in several towns as election officials released results showing the Christian incumbent, President Goodluck Jonathan, had gained an insurmountable lead.

Results from Saturday's election released live on national television indicated Jonathan had a commanding lead of more than 10 million votes with only two states left to be announced. The Muslim north had largely voted for former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari.
 

 President Goodluck Jonathan, seen voting on Saturday, had an insurmountable lead with only a few states' results left to count. (Joseph Penney/Reuters) Buhari's party brought a formal complaint Monday afternoon to the national electoral commission over vote tallies, alleging massive rigging in Jonathan's home state. The letter also alleged that the computer software used to tally results had been tampered with in northern states to favour the ruling party.
"What is being exhibited to the world is not collated from polling units but … a lot of manipulations," the letter read.
In a statement, the federal police blamed the violence on "persons who failed to accept the results," denying it came from religious or ethnic roots.
Witnesses said youths in the northern city of Kano were setting fires to homes that bore Jonathan party banners. Heavy gunfire also could be heard. A reporter there saw hundreds of youths carrying wooden planks in the street, shouting "Only Buhari" in the local Hausa language.
In Kaduna, home to the oil-rich nation's vice-president, angry young men burned tires in the streets and threw stones at police and soldiers trying to restore order, witnesses said.
"Right now, I'm holed up in my room. There's gunshots everywhere," said Shehu Sani, a civil rights leader. "They are firing and killing people on the street."
Federal emergency management agency spokesman Yushua Shuaib declined to release casualty figures out of fears it would further stoke sectarian violence.
Nigeria's elections have long been marred by violence and rigging. But voting in Saturday's presidential election had been largely peaceful apart from a hotel blast that wounded eight people and the fatal shooting of a police officer at a polling station.
Nigeria, a country of 150 million people, is divided between the Christian-dominated south and the Muslim north. A dozen states across Nigeria's north have Islamic Shariah law in place, though the area remains under the control of secular state governments.
Jonathan, who became president after his Muslim predecessor died in office last year, has long been considered the front-runner. His ruling People's Democratic Party has dominated politics in the West African giant since it became a democracy 12 years ago.
However, the country's Muslim north remains cold to Jonathan as the Christian from the south who took over after the death of the country's elected Muslim leader.
Many of the north's elite wanted the ruling party to honour an unwritten power-sharing agreement calling for a Muslim candidate to run in this election, yet Jonathan prevailed in the party's primary.
 NEWS