Buhari again; "Past administrations’ impunity, cause of oil sector corruption"

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has told the international community that the impunity of previous governments is to blame for the corruption in the Nigerian oil sector.

He pointed out that corruption in the oil sector and outright theft of Nigeria’s crude oil had been exacerbated by the culture of impunity which reigned under previous administrations.

The president has, therefore, appealed to the developed world to help the country to tackle the menace by not providing haven for proceeds from such acts of corruption. 

Speaking at a group meeting of Commonwealth leaders on corruption chaired by Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, President Buhari maintained that corruption in the sector had also thrived because of the ease of transferring illicit funds abroad and the institutional protection given to corrupt officials in the past.

According to him, “now that we have the political will to stop impunity, we need the cooperation and assistance of the international community. We must all work together to compel multinational oil companies, international financial institutions and international shipping lines to stop aiding and abetting corruption in the oil sector in Nigeria.”
The gathering included the leaders of Australia, Canada, Singapore, Malta, Sri Lanka, Botswana and Trinidad and Tobago.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Cameron said that the Commonwealth and the international community must do more to fight corrupt and promote good governance.

He added: “We care passionately about this issue of fighting corruption. In my view, this issue needs to have a much higher billing on the international agenda, not just because fighting corruption is right in itself, but because all the other things we want to achieve as countries and members of the Commonwealth depend on our success in doing so.

“If we want fair economic growth, we need to reject corruption. If we want to see fair and sustainable development, we need to deal with corruption. I think this is an absolutely vital issue. It is an issue for all of us because so much of the money stolen from developing countries is hidden in developed countries.

Kogi Election: How do you rate Buhari & APC on their first conducted election?

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Kogi election: I’m APC’s gov candidate, Faleke insists

THE deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 21 November, 2015 governorship election in Kogi State, Honourable James Abiodun Faleke has insisted that he is the party’s governorship candidate, following the death of his principal, Prince Abubakar Audu.
This is just as he rejected his nomination as running mate to the governorship candidate picked by his party contest the supplementary election, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
Faleke, in a letter dated 27 November, written by  Wole Olanipekun & Co and addressed to the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, maintained that the nomination of any other candidate to serve as Faleke’s principal would be strange to law and the constitution, warning the party not to toe that path, which it said would be full of legal land mines.
He had, in a separate letter he personally signed, also rejected the party’s submission of his name as deputy governorship candidate to Bello, noting that he would remain committed to the ticket, which he and the Audu contested on through which they defeated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
This is coming on the heels of the APC’s nomination of the first runner-up in the governorship primary that produced Audu, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, as the governorship candidate of the party ahead of the December 5, 2015 supplementary election in 91 polling units across the state.
But Faleke maintained that in the face of the law and the constitution, he is the governorship candidate of the party, saying: “The issue involved is that of constitutional, formal and legal imperatives, rather than political expediency. In the eyes of the Constitution and the law, our client is the governor-elect of Kogi State. There is no gainsaying this fact. It is a truism that cannot be discounted.”
Faleke’s letter, a copy of which was obtained by Sunday Tribune, stated that bringing another governorship candidate to contest election in 91 polling units rather than the deputy governorship candidate to the late Audu, is laden with legal land mines.
 The letter added that Faleke could not be jettisoned by the party or have a fresh governorship candidate imposed on him as his principal, because “law does not recognise this type of supplementary election in 91 polling units, with a total number of eligible votes with PVCs not more than 25,000 or thereabout...Put bluntly, there cannot be any legitimate governor of Kogi State who would emerge from supplementary election outside (our client) with a maximum  of 25,000 votes, assuming all the registered voters with PVCs cast their votes for the anticipatory supplementary candidate.
Faleke’s lawyer cited the example of 

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Buhari’s ministers to earn same salaries, allowances as Jonathan’s —Presidency

Ministers serving in the government of President Muhammadu Buhari will earn their full salaries and allowances as approved by law of the land, contrary to the report that appointees of the president would be subjected to austerity measure. 

President Muhammadu Buhari and his vice-president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, upon assumption of office, had announced their willingness to take 50 per cent salary cut as a result of the economic situation in the country. The decision had prompted mass reactions that the government might apply same measure to other political appointees.

But the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Buhari, Mallam Garba Shehu, in a statement on Saturday, made the clarification in response to a media report that the ministers would earn less than former ministers who served in the administrations of Presidents Goodluck Jonathan.

According to Mallam Shehu, “President Buhari has not tampered with the salaries and allowances of Federal Ministers. They remain as they have been prescribed by the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal Commission under a law passed in 2008.”

He noted that the decision to take 50 per cent salary  cut by the president and vice-president was a voluntary one and  “does not apply to ministers and other political appointees,” saying that “reports to the effect that the president has imposed an austere package on the ministers are unknown to us. The administration has not tampered with the salaries of ministers and that remain as prescribed under the law.”

Saudi women candidates begin first election campaign

Saudi women running for public office next month for the first time ever begin campaigning Sunday in another step forward for women’s rights in the conservative kingdom’s slow democratic process.

Around 900 women are standing in the December 12 municipal elections, which will also be the first time females have been allowed to participate in choosing officials.

“This is one of the first steps for women’s rights, a big step for us,” said Sahar Hassan Nasief, an activist in the Red Sea city of Jeddah who has many friends running for office.

The election will be the third municipal ballot for men, who previously voted in 2005 and 2011.

© AFP/File | Nassima al-Sadah, a candidate for municipal councils in the Gulf coast city of Qatif, checks her phone at her office in Qatif 400 kilometers east of the Saudi capital, Riyadh

The absolute monarchy, which applies a strict interpretation of Islam, has no female cabinet ministers and is the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive.

Women must cover themselves in black from head-to-toe in public, and require permission from a man in their families to travel, work or marry.

Restrictions remain in place despite a slow expansion of women’s rights under the late king Abdullah, who introduced the elections in 2005 and said women would participate this time around.

In 2013, he named women to the appointed Shura Council, which advises the cabinet.

Abdullah died in January and was succeeded by King Salman, who has stuck to the election timetable.

In other Gulf states, women have had voting rights for several years.

Data cited by the Saudi electoral commission show a total of about 7,000 people vying for seats on the 284 councils.

Only 130,600 women have signed up to vote, compared with more than 1.35 million men, out of a voting population of 21 million.

– Obstacles, disappointment –

Aside from transport problems, women say their voter registration was hindered by bureaucratic obstacles and a lack of awareness of the process and its significance.

There is also disappointment at the performance of the local councils and their limited powers restricted to streets, gardens and garbage.

Although the voting age has been lowered to 18 from 21 and the proportion of elected council members has increased to two-thirds, winning a seat remains a challenge for women in electorates where male voters vastly outnumber them.

“It’s very, very difficult for us to win and to target our voters,” said Nassima al-Sadah, a candidate in the Gulf coast city of Qatif.

From Sunday, she plans a social media onslaught supported by traditional banners and brochures.

But none of them are allowed to carry her picture — a restriction that also applies to male candidates.

Later in the week Sadah, 42, will begin town hall meetings in a direct pitch to voters. Because of the kingdom’s strict separation of sexes — which applies to election facilities as elsewhere like restaurants — women will gather one day and men the next.

Sadah’s male spokesman will address the men.

Electoral democracy is still a novel concept in a country where tribal loyalties remain strong and things traditionally get done through “wasta” — knowing the right people.

Some say it’s time for a new approach.

“We strive for development and real change, free from tribal or family biases,” said Saud al-Shammry, 43, of Riyadh.

He says “there’s a big possibility” he could vote for a woman, if her platform is convincing.

“We will hold accountable those we elect,” Shammry said.

Worldwide rallies demand action on climate change

Tens of thousands marched across Australia Sunday on a third day of worldwide rallies as pressure mounts on global leaders to strike a pact on slashing greenhouse gases at crunch talks in still-shaken Paris.

Some 150 leaders including US President Barack Obama, China’s Xi Jinping, India’s Narendra Modi and Russia’s Vladimir Putin will attend the start of the UN conference Monday, tasked with reaching the first truly universal climate pact.

The goal is to limit average global warming to two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), perhaps less, over pre-Industrial Revolution levels by curbing fossil fuel emissions blamed for climate change.

Rallies demanding curbs to carbon pollution have been snowballing since Friday with marches across Australia Sunday kickstarting a final day of people-powered protest.

Similar events were planned for Seoul, Rio de Janeiro, New York and Mexico City, among others cities, with scientists warning of superstorms, drought, and rising sea levels that swamp vast areas of land if concrete action is not taken.

“There is no Planet B,” said one placard in Sydney where tens of thousands of people converged, while another read: “Solidarity on a global scale”.

A large event in Melbourne on Friday kick-started the global campaign, with rallies on Saturday from New Zealand, to the Philippines, Bangladesh and Japan.

Lack of funds delaying appointment of Commissioners in Plateau

Simon Lalong, the governor of Plateau State

Mr Emmanuel Nanle, Director of Press and Public Affairs to the Plateau Governor, said that lack of funds and other requirements was delaying the constitution of the Plateau Executive Council.

Nanle, however, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos on Sunday that the state cabinet will be constituted as soon as the issues were resolved.

He said that some issues needed to be resolved before the appointment of individuals to head the ministries and commissions in the state.

According to him, the ministries and commissions cannot function effectively without funds.

NAN reports that Gov. Simon Lalong is yet to appoint commissioners and special advisers six months after his inauguration.

“The APC-led government came to power and replaced another political party that had been in charge for the past 16 years.

“So there is the need for it to lay its foundation before making appointments.

“The governor is waiting for the transition committee report to get the true position of things in the state.

“APC took over from a government that has been in power for the past 16 years.

“The rivalry and animosity prevented access to vital information that would influence government’s decisions, as it were, and that took almost two months.

“The governor, thereafter, directed every local government to initiate a process through which people, who will represent them in government, will be selected.

“Through the process, three names were produced from each local government, and since democracy is process-driven, there is the need to give time for consultation from the community level up to the state level.’’

Nanle said that the government was also waiting for the Federal Government to streamline the number of ministries for the state government to have a first line charge.

He stated that on the basis of what has taken place at the federal level, Plateau will not have more than 15 ministries as it is now.

Nanle, however, said that persons nominated to serve in the state executive council had passed the stage of security screening.

“The list will be presented to the State House of Assembly by the first week of December and hopefully, in the second week, we should have commissioners and special advisers in Plateau,’’ the director said.

UK Envoy Defends Deportation Of 48 Nigerians

British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, has defended the deportation of no fewer than 48 Nigerians from the United Kingdom, few days ago, saying thosen who live in the country illegally can not expect to be allowed to continue to stay.

Arkwright, in a write up made available to The Guardian yesterday, said that Nigerians are always welcome legally to the UK, either for business, leisure or as students, but will not be allowed to continue to stay illegally.

He said 48, and not 500 Nigerians were deported, adding that UK currently hosts up to 250,000 Nigerians, who are living legally in the country.

He noted however, that the United Kingdom would not condone Nigerians, who are staying illegally, just as it will also not condone any other national staying illegally.

“Today up to 250,000 Nigerians are living legally in the UK, making a significant contribution and adding to the rich fabric of our society. Every year around 130,000 Nigerians visit the UK from Nigeria for both business and leisure. Nigerians, who come to the United Kingdom in accordance with our well publicised rules will always be welcome guests.

“So it has been disappointing to read, in a few isolated incidents, inaccurate media reporting of the UK’s policy concerning how we return Nigerians back to their home country when they have been present illegally in the UK.

“The UK cannot ignore those who choose not to play by the rules. Like Nigeria, the United Kingdom operates a robust but fair immigration system. The law in the UK is very clear: those who are in the UK illegally and have made the choice not to leave voluntarily will be required to leave. Decisions to remove people are not made lightly and we adhere to international obligations – particularly the European Convention on Human Rights – and our own clear domestic law. Decisions made can be appealed and challenged under the scrutiny of an impartial judiciary in court. Fairness and transparency are key. We apply the same rules for Nigerians as we do for any foreign visitor to the UK”.

‘Obasanjo Created Subsidy To Cheat Govt’

Obasanjo

DESPITE recent call by former Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, for an increase in Value Added Tax (VAT), an expert has warned that “government will collapse in no time,” if the suggestion is followed.

“I am sure and I hope President Buhari would not do this,” said former KPMG Chairman and former Minister of Finance under the Sani Abacha government, Etubom Anthony Ani.

“We don’t need to increase VAT because all we need do is send people to the local governments to collect it. At the moment, consumers pay VAT. You have to consume. And individuals are the ones who consume, not goats or trees. These individuals stay in various local governments of Nigeria. Let the VAT collector go to the local governments. The VAT is waiting for him to be collected. I estimate that we will be having about N3tr annually, if the VAT man goes to the local government. We don’t need to increase VAT; let us collect what has not been collected,” said Ani, who is also a former President of the Chartered Institute of Accountants.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Guardian, recently, Ani faulted the petroleum subsidy scheme, describing it as a ruse and calling on government to instead “get the nation’s refineries right.”

According to the former Minister of Finance, “There is nothing like subsidy in Nigeria. Obasanjo did that to assist people to cheat this nation. We had a situation where one person was given the sole right to import diesel, yet we could have produced the diesel.”

He said: “What is happening is that the template Obasanjo brought in for petroleum products was importation-based. I, and Aminu Saleh and Buhari drafted the Petroleum Trust Fund (PFT) law and it was based on production. Let us go back to production. When you produce, you have by-products and those by-products are even more expensive than your barrel of oil. Therefore, if you do the production costing properly, you will find out that the cost of production of your litre of oil is much less than what we are importing.

“Therefore, let us go back to the issue of changing the template to that of production. What we are doing now is that the driver in this country is subsidising what is produced in petro-chemicals and fertilisers because all the by-products go there, and they are going there at zero cost. Whereas, if you do it properly, you will find out that what is going into petro-chemicals, the costing is even more expensive than a barrel of oil. So, let’s get our acts right.”

Kogi/INEC/APC/PDP: Incompetence, dishonesty, tribalism on steroids

What makes a President and Commander-in-Chief  of the Armed Forces believe that relating with the law the way he wishes is the best pathway to democratic governance?

Now, the consequence of President Muhammad Buhari’s seeming lack of appreciation of due electoral process, or his decided indifference to   the imperatives of engaging the full complements of the composition of a board for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, or both, is the controversial  outcome of the Kogi State governorship election held penultimate Saturday.

In what is turning out to be a grand conspiracy fuelled by dishonesty and made worse by sheer incompetence, the decision of INEC to declare the election inconclusive is not only a rape on the electoral process but  also  dangerous  to Nigeria’s democracy.

From the pronouncement of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, to the belated but choreographed acquiescence of INEC and the consequential declaration by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief John Oyegun, on the issue of substitution, and the curious and the unintelligent push by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that Governor Idris Wada should be declared winner, it is, thus, appearing that critical provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act, as amended, can be trumped at will by a government that benefited immensely from the modest but important strides in the journey to enthroning democracy in the country.   

This report will show why President Buhari, Attorney-General Malami, INEC, APC and PDP are all engaged in a gratuitous comedy of errors.   It will also show why INEC should swallow its wounded pride and follow the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

KOGI BY THE NUMBERS … DONT LIE

Total number of registered voters = 1,350,883Total number of votes cast –  479,157Audu Abubakar of AP’s score’s                –  240,867Idris Wada of PDP’s score –  199,514Margin of victory between Audu and Wada

–  41,000

Registered voters in canceled 91PUs – 49,000Total number of PVCs available in affected area

–  35, 785

Number of those who were accredited in the 91PUs –  19,178

WHAT IS KNOWN

The issues arising from the figures listed above can be further interrogated by  identifying whether 35,785 can ever be more than 41,000.   If, by sheer common sense and arithmetic deductions, 35,785 is less than 41,000, INEC would have to explain to Nigerians the logic behind its declaration of an election inconclusive.   This would be so because the All Progressives  Congress, APC, candidate, Abubakar Audu, had 41,000 votes more than his closest rival, Governor Idris Wada of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.   In addition, Audu scored the constitutionally required 25% in, at least, two thirds of the local government areas of Kogi State.   The state has 21 LGAs and Audu met the constitutional provision in 16 LGAs, thereby making him the undeclared winner – he satisfied the provisions of Section 179 of the Constitution and Section 69 of the Electoral Act, EA.   And the number of accredited voters in the 91 Polling Units where elections are to be held is even less than the number of PVCs available.

Section 179 – 1 and 2 – says  a person shall be deemed to have been elected if he scores the highest number of votes and has,

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Importance of Beer; it prevents cardiovascular diseases, say scientists

Scientists and nutritionists have said that moderate level of beer consumption is beneficial to the health of the lungs and hearts.

Dr. Henk Hendricks, a biologist and a project leader in the Institute for Food and Nutrition, Netherlands, said at a Beer and Lifestyle symposium in Lagos that moderate intake of beer helps in preventing some health challenges.

He explained that virtually all processes contributing to cardio-vascular diseases are beneficially handled in the process of making beer. According to him, some of the inherent advantages of beer include low percentage of alcohol, large quantities of water which helps in rehydration, a good source of minerals and polyphenolic antioxidants, contains anti-inflammatory xanthohumoles; and a large variety of raw materials, like gluten-free rich in fibers.

He added that beer contains low concentrations of alcohol and a large number of additional ingredients that are associated with health. Moderate beer/alcohol consumption is associated with a lower risk for metabolic diseases, viz. cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

The beneficial effects of moderate beer/ alcohol consumption are mediated by improvements in lipid (cholesterol) metabolism, blood clotting and glucose metabolism,” he said.

Also speaking on the occasion, Mr. Tony Agenmomen, Senior Strategy Manager, Nigerian Breweries and Professor Emevwo Biakolo of the Pan Atlantic University Lagos, submitted that moderate beer intake in the elderly appears to be associated with significantly longer survival in men aged 60–74 years and in all elderly women.

Umahi to MASSOB, IPOB: Don’t drag Igbos into fresh war

Ebonyi State Governor, Chief Dave Umahi yesterday urged the Movement for Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Indigenous People of Biafra to wait for the outcome of South-East governors and stakeholders’ resolution over their protests which have been tabled before President Muhammadu Buhari.

Addressing leaders of Abakpa Main Market Traders Association who paid him a courtesy call at Government House in Abakaliki, Umahi said the South-East governors have listened to the complaints of the Biafra agitators and had decided to discuss them with the President.

“We have listened to the complaints of the boys. There is no way anybody could say that what they are saying is completely outside the truth, but just like husband and wife, you must have a way of getting along through dialogue. “The governors of the South-East have taken up their matter with Mr. President and I believe that we don’t need another war in this country.

I want to plead with you to encourage whoever is involved that we have taken up the matter and we will do everything possible to make sure that their feelings are addressed.

“We should not support secession. We should not support demonstrations; we should not support the castigation of our leaders” he said.

While reacting to the speculations in a section of the media that he was set to move to the ruling All Progressives Congress, Governor Umahi restated his resolve to retain his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party. “When I said publicly that Ebonyi people will support Mr. President, they said, we have moved to the APC.

PDP remains our party and will remain our party. But we need help and the way to get it is not to start castigating the President and no governor should castigate the President. But opposition belongs to the political parties. For me and you, we are still bona fide members of the PDP,” he said.

Gaddafi ’s ex-fighters behind Boko Haram, others – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has called on the Commonwealth of Nations to provide greater assistance and support to Nigeria in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency and other forms of terrorism in the country.

The President also urged the Commonwealth Committee to support other member-countries adversely affected by the scourge of terrorism.

Buhari stated these when he was hosted to a banquet hosted by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II alongside other Heads of State and Government participating in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta.

The President expressed the hope that the committee would have been established before the next meeting of the organisation. He said that he also expects the committee to visit member-countries of the Commonwealth where terrorist organisations have established a foothold with a view to evolving practical strategies for more meaningful assistance to the affected countries.

The President urged the Commonwealth to show greater resolve in helping Nigeria and other developing nations in its ranks to overcome the challenges of economic development, security, terrorism and corruption.

“With the improvement of global communications, terrorism has no borders now. What happened recently in France had a profound effect on all of us, but very few countries realise that Nigeria has suffered terrorist casualties of over 10,000 killed in the last six years.

“Right now, we have over two million internally displaced persons, most of whom are women and children, and most of the children are orphans,” the President told the Queen and Commonwealth Heads of State and Government.

Buhari, who informed the gathering of efforts by Nigeria and other members of the Lake Chad Basin Commission to curb the menace of Boko Haram, noted that the problem of terrorism in West Africa had been aggravated by the collapse of the Gadhafi regime in Libya.

“We have agreed to a joint task force for the elimination of Boko Haram, but it may not be easy, especially after the events in Libya when trained people with weapons moved back to Sahel region from where they were recruited by the former Libyan leader.

“Those weapons and expertise in their use are now aggravating the situation in the Sahel and further south,” the President said.

While calling for greater international support for Nigeria and other countries affected by terrorism, Buhari expressed his administration’s appreciation of the assistance already being received from the Commonwealth, Britain, the Group of Seven Industrialized Nations, France and the United States. “I am grateful to Britain, France and the United States.

They have already sent teams to train the Nigeria Military and Police in the control of terrorism.

“The Commonwealth has helped us in so many ways by the visible support they have been giving to help us overcome the problem of terrorism,” he added. The Queen’s Banquet at which he spoke was also attended by the Secretary- General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki Moon

Bayelsa Guber: Sylva Is Seeking 3rd Term – Group

By Chibuzo Ukaibe

A civil rights group, Truth Movement of Nigeria (TMN) yesterday said the Bayelsa State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Chief Timipre Sylva, is seeking a third term of office as he has been sworn in as governor twice as provided by the constitution.

The group at a press conference in Abuja, claimed that Sylva was previously elected as governor of Bayelsa in 2007 and 2008.

The Deputy National Chairman of the group, Chief Tam Jaja, argued that “Sylva’s 2007 election victory was nullified by the court of Appeal and he won the rerun election where upon he was elected the second time and served for about four cumulative period of four years and seven months as the governor of Bayelsa State.

“He is now seeking to be elected a 3rd time as the governor of Baylesa State in the forthcoming elections.”

Jaja said the APC candidate has fallen short of the provision of section 182 (b) of the Constitution which states that he has been elected to such office twice at previous elections.”

He said “it is this apposite to ask if Chief Timipre Sylva who, having already been elected twice and served for a cumulative period of about four years and seven months as the governor of the state, is qualified to seek for re-election a third time for the fresh term of four years and thereby seek to serve as governor of the state for more than the maximum period of 8 (eight) years allowed by the constitution.”

He noted that Sylva was party to a case in the Supreme Court which recognized that he has been sworn in twice as governor.

“The Supreme Court therefore clearly recognized the earlier nullified election of governor Timipre Sylva as having led to his first election. Thus his success in the rerun election was obviously his second election and incidentally the above quoted provision of section 182 (1) (b) of the constitution has barred him from contesting again having been previously elected twice.”

Kogi: Jubilation In Central District Over Bello, Eastern Youths Protest

There was wild jubilation in parts of the Central Senatorial District of Kogi State yesterday, following the choice of Alhaji Yahaya Bello, popularly known as ‘Fair Plus’ as candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the December 5 supplementary governorship election in the state.

Bello, who came second in the August 29, 2015 governorship primaries of the party, was picked to replace the late Prince Abubakar Audu on the APC ticket after the demise of the latter on Sunday, November 22, 2015 while collation of result of the election held the previous day was still ongoing.

The death of Audu had thrown up a legal challenge not contemplated by either the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, a situation which compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to give the APC the opportunity to substitute its governorship candidate.

LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered that soon as the news of Bello’s choice filtered in yesterday morning, many party faithful took to the streets in celebration, saying the long awaited power rotation had finally taken place in the state.

Bello is of the Ebira ethnic group in Central senatorial district. Since the creation of the state, only the Igalas have governed the state.

LEADERSHIP Sunday recalls that power rotation was a major issue in the campaigns of the candidates of the leading political parties in the build up to the election.

While the people of the central district jubilated yesterday, youths in the Eastern senatorial district, claiming to be supporters of the APC, blocked the Itobe Bridge in Ofu local government area of the state in protest over the choice of Bello.

The protest which lasted over five hours, according to witnesses, made commuters travelling through the state stranded. The blocked road links the state to the eastern part of the country. The situation also led to a traffic gridlock that stretched almost into Idah. Idah is the seat of the Attah Igala.

The late Audu hailed from Ofu local government and Itobe Bridge which was blocked by the protesters links Ajaokuta and Itobe.

The protesters, it was gathered, made bonfires on the road, around Ibro Junction, close to the house of former governor of the state, Ibrahim Idris, while the protest lasted. The police, it was also gathered, had a hard time dispersing the rampaging youths.

LEADERSHIP Sunday recalls that APC stakeholders in the eastern district had canvassed that the son of the late Audu, Mohammed, be chosen as replacement for his deceased father, in the supplementary election.

Spokesman of the state police command, ASP Willam Ovye, in a telephone interview with LEADERSHIP Sunday yesterday, confirmed that there was a protest but added that as soon as the police got wind of it, they moved in and dispersed the protesters.

“Yes there was a protest but the situation is now under control and commuters are moving freely,” he said.

He added that no arrest was made.