Reps Adjourn Due to Low Turnout

The House of Representatives yesterday could not hold its plenary session due to the low turnout of members to the chamber. The Speaker Aminu Tambuwal who was present to preside over the business of the day expressed dissatisfaction over the low turnout of lawmakers stating that the ongoing collation of elections result by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may be the reason.

To this end, the majority leader of the House, Mulikat Adeola moved that the plenary session be adjourned till Wednesday as seconded by Deputy majority leader, Leo Ogor. In an interview with Correspondents of the House shortly after the adjournment, Abdulmimin Jibril expressed satisfaction on the conduct and collation of the INEC result so far.

Jonathan A True Statesman –Abubakar

Former Nigerian Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, yesterday described President Goodluck Jonathan as a “true Statesman who will be remembered for his courageous decision to concede defeat as a sitting President”. This followed the decision by President Jonathan to congratulate his rival on last Saturday’s Presidential election, General Muhammadu Buhari.Gen. Abubakar, who stated this while speaking with State House Correspondents after meeting with President Jonathan, eulogized him saying that his name would go down in the annals of Nigeria’s political history for having the courage to congratulate General Buhari on winning the Presidential election. The former Nigerian head of state disclosed that Buhari had informed him that President Jonathan had called him about 5:15pm congratulating him for winning the Presidential election.

According to him, “We are here to ensure that peace is maintained. As you are aware the election has been very peaceful.” Gen. Abubakar, recalled the incident that took place at the INEC Situation room while the election results were being announced. “The elections have been very peaceful despite the hitches here and there. At the end of the elections, at the counting there were a lot of upheavals that have happened but thankfully they have been contained. “We were at the middle of a meeting with the international observers to try to see how we can still water the tension down, when gladly I called Gen. Buhari that we are going to see him, he told me that Mr. President has called him at about 5:15 p.m. and congratulated him and conceded defeat. “We were spell bound and the reason we have come here is to thank President Jonathan for this statesmanship. “On behalf of Nigerians I want to thank President Jonathan for being the statesman that he is; he has proved that he is a statesman and he has the love of this country in his heart.

So Nigerians should please help him to ensure this is real,” he said. He added that “in the history of Nigeria I think this is the first time where a contestant has called his rival to congratulate him and through this point, President Jonathan maintained a point that the blood of Nigerians is not worth his presidency and by his action he has proved that. “He has proved that he is a man of his word because during our interaction on this peace committee he always maintained that he is going to accept the result of the elections whichever way it is done. And he has proved this.” He also appealed to all Nigerians, to join hands to assist the President to ensure a peaceful handing over, even as he also appealed to those celebrating to do so moderately. “And I will appeal to all politicians, those who are celebrating and those who are sorrowing, to please give peace a chance and to be moderate. In any contest there is always going to be a winner and President Jonathan has accepted that he lost and we want to thank him. “For any Nigerian who is aggrieved, the electoral laws have procedures seeking re-address, so if anybody has any grievance he should apply through the law. I appeal again to our youth, to everybody to please give peace a chance and accept that the chief contestant himself has accepted. So nobody should go and raise any eyebrow and cause any destabilization of this country”, he appealed. The President was last night also meeting with top hierarchy of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at the Presidential Villa.

The meeting was summoned to review the current political development in the country and chart the way forward. The President however broke away from the meeting to also meet with members of the National Peace Committee on the 2015 general election led by retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar. Other members of the delegation were Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe (rtd.), Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Justice Rose Ukeje, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III among others. The Peace Committee had met with President Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari before the elections. The Committee were also instrumental to the re-enactment of the Non-Violence Accord signed in Abuja last January which was renewed at the Sheraton Hotel on the eve of the presidential and National Assembly elections.

UPP Congratulates Buhari

Presidential Candidate of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, also yesterday congratulated Gen. Muhammadu Buhari for winning last Saturday’s election.Speaking in a congratulatory message made available to The UNION, Okorie said “in the tradition of democracy, the Nigerian people have spoken in your favour and entrusted you with their mandate to oversee their welfare and development in the next four years, beginning from 29th May, 2015, when you are expected to be sworn-in to office as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the special grace of God. “It is common saying that to whom much is given much is expected. There is no gainsaying the fact that Nigerians expect real positive change in their social, political and economic life during your presidency. “Although UPP is by definition in the opposition as a result of the accepted outcome of the 2015 Presidential Election, I however, extend our hand of fellowship to your Government in the interest of national unity and development. “I shall be constructively engaged with your Government to the benefit of the Nigerian people and to the glory of God. “The ball is now in your court and we have no doubt that with your experience, track record and maturity, the unity and development of Nigeria where justice and equity shall reign will be your guiding principles”.

Mamora Lauds Jonathan

Presidential agent of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Sen. Olorunimbe Mamora, yesterday praised President Goodluck Jonathan’s gallantry in accepting the emergence General Muhammadu Buhari in the March 28 presidential election. Mamora, who confirmed that the President Jonathan had called Gen. Buhari to congratulate him on his victory at the polls, described the action as that of “a revered statesman with maturity and gallantry”. “I can assure you to the extent that Mr President, Goodluck Jonathan, has already put a call to Gen Muhammadu Buhari. “I can confirm to you that I put a call to Gen Buhari. And I am not getting this from a second party, at about a quarter past 5pm, this evening that Jonathan called to congratulate him. ”I must commend him for that show of gallantry and display of maturity. I commend him for that singular display of maturity and goodwill”, Mamora said. He also noted the victory was more for the people of Nigeria.

”Of course it’s a song of victory all over. I can assure that if you go to streets you will see jubilation on the streets. “We have to congratulate the determination, the courage exhibited, at a point it went beyond the party and became a movement”, he said.

Lai Mohammed Reacts

National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Lai Muhammad, also told journalists yesterday that President Goodluck Jonathan called Muhammadu Buhari at about 5:15pm to congratulate him on his victory in the 2015 polls even before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the final results. “President Goodluck Jonathan has congratulated APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari on his victory in the Saturday’s election. In a telephone call at exactly 5:15pm to Buhari in Abuja, Jonathan assured him of maximum cooperation and smooth transition”, he said. Muhammed also said that President Jonathan has also called National leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu, to congratulate him on his party’s victory at the poll. Speaking on the secret behind the party’s success, Muhammed said, “the moment our leaders made the supreme sacrifice to drop their personal ambitions and agree at a merger that gave all of us a broader platform with a national outlook which was able to combine the expertise of the technocrats in the sagacity of the politicians. “For the first time in Nigeria, we are having a truly pan Nigerian opposition political party. The issues that defines this election were primarily corruption, ineptitude, bad economy and insecurity and in General Muhammadu Buhari we have found the qualities to tackle all. These are much the reasons why Nigerians voted for him across board, “he said.

Anyaoku, Abubakar, Dangote, Onaiyekan Hail Jonathan for Conceding Defeat

Former Commonwealth Secretary General, Emeka Anyaoku has commended President Goodluck Jonathan for conceding defeat and congratulating his opponent, the All Progressives Congress’s candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.

Just as the Peace Accord Committee has congratulated Goodluck Jonathan for for his statesmanship.

The chairman of the committee and former Head of State, Abdusalami Abubakar, who spoke to journalists after a closed-door meeting with the President, said the committee was spellbound when Mr. Buhari informed them that Mr. Jonathan had called to congratulate him.

“We were at the middle of a meeting with the international observers to try to see how we can still water the tension down, when gladly I called Gen. Buhari that we are going to see him,” Mr. Abubakar said. “He told me that Mr. President has called him at about 5:15 p.m. and congratulated him and conceded defeat.

“We were spellbound and the reason we have come here is to thank President Jonathan for this statesmanship. In the history of Nigeria, I think this is the first time where a contestant has called his rival to congratulate him and through this point, President Jonathan maintained a point that the blood of Nigerians is not worth his presidency and by his action he has proved that.

“He has proved that he is a man of his word‎ because during our interaction on this peace committee he has always maintained that he is going to accept the result of the elections whichever way it is done. And he has proved this.”

He further appealed to politicians to accept the state of things as the president has already conceded defeat.

“I think we need Nigerians, all of us, to join hands in making sure we assist him in the peaceful handing over,” Abubakar said. “And I will appeal to all politicians; ‎those who are celebrating and those who are sorrowing to please give peace a chance; to be moderate. In any contest there is always going to be a winner and President Jonathan has accepted that he lost and we want to thank him.”

Ha thanked the President on behalf of Nigerians “for being the statesman that he is”.

“He has approved that he is a statesman and he has the love of this country in his heart,” Abubakar said. “So Nigerians should please help him to ensure this is real.”

He urged aggrieved Nigerians to seek redress through the law.

“The electoral laws have procedures for seeking re-address,” he said. “So if anybody has ‎any grievance he should apply through the law. I appeal again to our youth, to everybody to please give peace a chance and accept that the chief contestant himself has accepted. So nobody please go and raise any eyebrow and cause any destabilization of this country.”

Others at the meeting include: Ubitu Ukiwe, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Priscilla Kuye, Catholic Archbishop, John Onaiyekan, Primate of Anglican Communion, Nicholas Okoh and Aliko Dangote.

Anyaoku, on his part, said Jonathan has shown example for other African countries.

He expressed hope that the President has set the tone for the reactions from other Nigerians.

Jonathan thanks Nigerians, asks PDP members not to despair

STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RESULTS OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2015

Fellow Nigerians,

I thank you all for turning out en-masse for the March 28 General Elections.

I promised the country free and fair elections. I have kept my word. I have also expanded the space for Nigerians to participate in the democratic process. That is one legacy I will like to see endure.

Although some people have expressed mixed feelings about the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), I urge those who may feel aggrieved to follow due process based on our constitution and our electoral laws, in seeking redress.

As I have always affirmed, nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian. The unity, stability and progress of our dear country is more important than anything else.

I congratulate all Nigerians for successfully going through the process of the March 28th General Elections with the commendable enthusiasm and commitment that was demonstrated nationwide.

I also commend the Security Services for their role in ensuring that the elections were mostly peaceful and violence-free.

To my colleagues in the PDP, I thank you for your support. Today, the PDP should be celebrating rather than mourning. We have established a legacy of democratic freedom, transparency, economic growth and free and fair elections.

For the past 16 years, we have steered the country away from ethnic and regional politics. We created a Pan-Nigerian political party and brought home to our people the realities of economic development and social transformation.

Through patriotism and diligence, we have built the biggest and most patriotic party in Nigerian history. We must stand together as a party and look to the future with renewed optimism.

I thank all Nigerians once again for the great opportunity I was given to lead this country and assure you that I will continue to do my best at the helm of national affairs until the end of my tenure.

I have conveyed my personal best wishes to General Muhammadu Buhari.

May God Almighty continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

I thank you all.

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR
President,
Federal Republic of Nigeria

Jonathan concedes defeat, congratulates Buhari

With presidential election results from all but one of Nigeria’s 36 states counted, and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari, clearly in unassailable lead, President Goodluck Jonathan has telephoned Mr. Buhari to concede defeat.

The spokesperson of the APC, Lai Mohammed, told reporters in Abuja that President Jonathan has conceded defeat.

He said the president called Mr. Buhari to congratulate him on wining the presidential election held Saturday.

“The President called General Buhari at 5: 05 pm this evening to congratulate him for emerging victorious,” Mr. Mohammed said.

He commended the president for “that singular act”.

The Independent National Electoral Commission is yet to declare Mr. Buhari winner because it is still expecting results from Nigeria’s remote Borno State.

By the time the Borno vote is added to the tally, Mr. Buhari would have garnered 15,416,221 votes. All of Mr. Mr. Jonathan’s 12,853, 162 votes have already being counted.

Celebrations have broken across Nigeria as news of Mr. Buhari’s victory dribbles around the nation.

Buhari in historic election win, emerges Nigeria’s President-elect

After three previous failed shots at the presidency, Muhammadu Buhari is finally moving into Aso Rock, Nigeria’s presidential palace,as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

A retired Major-General, Mr. Buhari, who contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, polled a total of 15,416,221 votes to defeat the incumbent and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, President Goodluck Jonathan, who got 12,853,162 votes.

The APC candidate got the highest number of votes in 21 states while Mr. Jonathan prevailed in 15 states and Abuja.

Mr. Buhari has also met the constitutional requirement to be declared President-elect by getting more than one quarter of the votes in 27 states.

The APC candidate won in Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara.

Mr. Jonathan on the other hand prevailed in Rivers, Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa, Imo, Enugu, Ekiti, Edo, Delta, Ebonyi, Cross River, Bayelsa, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Abia and the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja).

The Independent National Electoral Commission is yet to announce Mr. Buhari’s victory because the commission is still expecting results of the presidential election from Borno.

But we can report that Mr. Buhari got 473,543 votes in Borno compared to the 25,640 earned by Mr. Jonathan.

So, the APC candidate has practically won the election by beating Mr. Jonathan by 2,563,059 votes.

Mr. Buhari’s victory makes it the second time since 1999, when Nigeria returned to democratic rule, that a retired military officer would become Nigeria’s president.

Mr. Buhari, who wields enormous support in Northern Nigeria, won in 21 states to emerge victorious.

The retired army officer’s journey to the presidency began in 2003 when he contested under the platform of the now defunct All Peoples Party, APP.

That year, he got 12.7 million votes to lose to Olusegun Obasanjo, also a retired army officer, who was seeking a second term as president.

Despite picking a southerner, the late Chuba Okadigbo, as a running mate, Mr. Buhari got a huge chunk of his votes from the north.

Four years later, Mr. Buhari, contesting under the ANPP, attempted another shot at the presidency, this time going head to head with a fellow northerner, Umar Yar’adua of the PDP.

Again, he lost.

Despite still picking a southerner as a running mate, his performance in 2007 was far worse than that of 2003 – he polled a meagre 6.6 million votes while the eventual winner got thrice his vote.

By 2011, Mr. Buhari helped found another party, the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, and, once again, he aimed a shot at becoming president.

Once again, he picked a southerner as running mate.

On April, 16, 2011, he ran against the incumbent, President Jonathan.

He polled 12.2 million votes to lose to Mr. Jonathan who got almost twice his votes.

After the 2011 general elections, three major political parties – the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and Mr. Buhari’s CPC – began talks on a merger that would enable it provide a formidable platform to challenge the dominant PDP.

On February 6, 2013, the APC was founded.

“We promise not to disappoint Nigerians who have reposed much confidence in us,” Lai Mohammed, then interim National Publicity Secretary of the APC, said at the time.

“We say that contrary to the lies peddled by the naysayers, we are not seeking political power for the sake of getting it, but in order to use it to empower our people and allow their long-nursed hopes and dreams to become a reality.”

At the APC presidential primaries in December 2014, Mr. Buhari contested against political heavyweights like Atiku Abubakar, former vice president; Rabiu Kwankwaso, governor of Kano State; and Rochas Okorocha, governor of Imo State.

At the end of the day, the retired general polled 3,430 delegates votes to defeat his challengers.

For his running mate in the run up to the 2015 general election, Mr. Buhari again picked a southwesterner as a running mate.

During his campaign, the 73-year-old traversed the length and breadth of the country canvassing for votes.

The 2015 presidential election was the first time Mr. Buhari won in states outside northern Nigeria, winning all the south-western states except Ekiti State.

Ifeanyi Uba, Obi Jackson Fight In Anambra

Daily Times reports that there was commotion in Anambra as the Group Managing Director of NESTOIL PLC, Dr. (Sir) Ernest Azudialu Obiejesi engaged in a fight with the Director of Transformation Ambassador of Nigeria (TAN), Dr. Ifeanyi Uba.

The Free-For-All Fight began around 3.30pm at the headquarters of Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra which is the collation center for Ihiala Federal House of Representative, and lasted for more than 45 minutes over an alleged result mutilation.

Daily Times reports that trouble started when Dr. Ifeanyi Uba allegedly found Sir Obiejesi while falsifying the original result sheet been submitted to the collation center in favour of his party, APGA. Ifeanyi Uba was supporting PDP.

“When Uba found Sir Obiejesi popularly known as Obijackson falsifying the original sheets to favour APGA and his candidate, Uba encountered him, snatched the paper away from him and they began to fight to the charging of their respective supporters,” our source said.
Sir Obiejesi clothing was torn even as two vehicles were badly damaged at the process but the key players refused to grant the press interview on what truly transpired.

Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer (PPPRO) Uche Eze confirmed the report on phone,saying“there was crisis at ihiala local government area which is the collation centre but I do not know the names of those involved in the fight.

But two Police men were injured and already taken to hospital for treatment. It was also gathered that it was effort of policemen sent from the state police command that brought the matter to a halt. Five people were also reportedly injured.

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