Hurdles before Uduaghan

EMMANUEL ADDEH examines the chances of the incumbent governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, in the Tuesday election and writes that he must need more than luck to retain his seat
The politics of Delta State, South-South Nigeria, is probably as complex as the diversity of the almost 4.7 million inhabitants of the state.
While the many contending centrifugal forces, which always tend to pull the state apart are daily gaining grounds as the governorship poll is around the corner, there are already fears that some of these factors might largely determine the outcome of the Tuesday exercise.
As things stand, the battle for the soul of Delta has almost peaked and the gladiators seem to be putting all their machinery in motion for the final showdown 48 hours from now.
A highly volatile state, where even the slightest provocation by any of the opposing groups could cause wanton destruction of lives and property, the forthcoming poll promises to be a major challenge for the security agencies.
A very good explanation for the incendiary nature of the state, analysts say is the ready availability of youngsters, who are neither employed, nor in school due to the failure of the nation’s education system to accommodate them.
However, the governorship contest appears to be a straight battle between the incumbent Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Mr. Great Ogboru of the Democratic Peoples Party, with a few other parties struggling to make up the number.
With the PDP in the state reportedly factionalised following the rancour that followed the primaries into the various elective political positions as well as the already fragile peace in the party since 2007, pundits opine that the job of returning the incumbent would be a daunting one for his minders.
Already, some political heavyweights in the state among them Pius Ehwerido, who a few days ago won as the senator-elect for the DPP in Delta Central; Roland Eyime, former Commissioner Directorate of Science and Technology, and Ned Nwoko, ex-federal house member have left the PDP fold and have found a ready shelter in the opposition.
Also, the immediate past Ndokwa East Chairman who was impeached a few weeks back, Chike Ughumadu, Olise Imegwu, an ex-speaker of the state House of Assembly, Alanza Ugboma and Ejaife Odebala, have defected from the PDP to the DPP, Accord Party and Labour Party respectively.
Some highly placed federal government functionaries in the PDP in the state, including a serving Minister had also sworn that they would not work for a second term for the incumbent governor.
Perhaps, one of the greatest headaches of the governor, it would seem, is the battle between him and an elder statesman and a former federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clark, who staunchly leads a faction of the PDP.
The public disagreement between the two, it also appears, has defied all reconciliatory efforts aimed at settling the rift even as two governorship candidates recently emerged in the recently concluded party primaries.
In fact, during the last governorship primaries, the Peter Nwaoboshi-led state executive, supported by Uduaghan, returned him as the party’s standard-bearer, while the Godwin Ebomah-led faction supported by Clark returned Saliba Mukoro, a retired military officer. The bitter bickering surrounding who should fly the party’s flag was, however, temporarily halted with the recognition of Uduaghan’s faction by the national headquarters of the party.
Though Clark, Uduaghan’s supposed tormentor-in-chief, remains in PDP, his support has always been for the DPP candidate, Ogboru, who was the standard-bearer in the last rerun and is currently running to unseat the governor.
To buttress his dissatisfaction with the running of the PDP in the state, the Ijaw leader sanctioned the decision of his son to pick a DPP form and seek a seat in the House of Representatives.
The octogenarian politician has however, not escaped flaks from those opposed to his kind of politics as he is seen by them as only propagating the Ijaw cause. Clark, however insists that he has nothing personal against the governor.
That apart, Ogboru, the DPP candidate, who nearly created an upset during the last rerun, by winning some of the traditional strongholds of the PDP’s almost 12 year reign in the state, is optimistic that this time the PDP would be trounced.
In the rerun which took place in January, PDP’s Uduaghan won in 14 local government areas, with 275,253 votes, while Ogboru’s DPP won in 11 local government areas with 138, 224 votes.
The DPP governorship contender had immediately gone to court, citing reasons why the court should declare him the winner in the poll he maintained was rigged by the PDP.
In fact, the DPP did not just give the ruling party a run for its money, it also won convincingly in some areas regarded as the traditional strongholds of the PDP, including Ukwani- where the DPP had 7,168 as against PDP’s 2,277. It also floored the PDP in Uvwie, Ughelli South and Isoko where many had predicted a landslide victory for Uduaghan.
Clearly, the surprises sprung by the rerun also played out in Ughelli South, where the state deputy governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, lost completely in his home town of Otu-Jeremi to the DPP. The same trend also played out in the just concluded National Assembly poll.
Also expected to play a pivotal role in who emerges the next governor of the state are the twin issues of tribe and geographic origin of the candidates.
While Ogboru performed strongest in his home area of Delta Central Senatorial District where the Urhobos reside in the January rerun, Uduaghan came out tops in Delta South Senatorial District, populated by the Ijaws, Itsekiris and Isokos.
Uduaghan, who is of Itsekiri origin, won heavily in Itsekiri and Ijaw populated Local Government Areas as a result of what analysts ascribe to the “Jonathan factor.” The president is Ijaw and has a strong support base among them.
Whether Uduaghan is able to court Delta North Senatorial District, which is currently the beautiful bride and is positioning itself for the 2015 governorship poll will also largely determine how far he goes in the next two weeks.
The north which is majorly the Igbo (Anioma) speaking segment of Delta state is already poised for a showdown with any likely impediment to their ascension to the headship of the state created out of former Bendel State in 1991.
Since the creation of the state, no person from the Igbo speaking part of the state consisting of Aniocha, Ika, Ukwuani and Ndoisimili had been a governor. The thinking is therefore that whoever among the contenders is able to assure them of the exalted position in 2015 would have had a major breakthrough in their bid to become governor.
Yet, another challenge for the re-election bid is the belief that he has had a not so impressive outing in his first four years which would expire this May 29.
There also seems to be a growing disenchantment with the spate of unfinished projects embarked upon by the Uduaghan administration, among them the international airport, the stadium complex in Asaba, and the dualisation of the Asaba-Ughelli road.
Even civil servants have also expressed their displeasure with Uduaghan, who is the third civilian governor since the creation of the state over two decades ago by voting massively against the governor in Asaba, the seat of government where the DPP won convincingly.
Aware of the role played by the civil servants which resulted in the near loss to the rival DPP, Uduaghan during his inauguration said he had no apology to those workers who voted against him due to what he described as the introduction of the biometric system ‘’which had swept away ghost workers from the state’’. A media aide to the governor told our correspondent that the civil servants were opposed to him, “because the governor has blocked all the avenues for stealing in the civil service.”
Having read the handwriting on the wall, the governor penultimate Thursday invited the high echelon of the civil service and many of them attended the meeting which took place at the government house.
Although, newsmen were not allowed into the arena, a press statement released by the information unit of the government house quoted the governor as telling the civil servants, “I have heard that you civil servants are still angry with me.
“I want to know what is making you people to be angry. I want to listen to your grievances and know your concerns about the public service in the state.” It is however still not certain the direction the workers will sway in Tuesday’s poll.
However, beyond the many challenges, there is still this confidence exuded by the governor’s aides.
In fact, the Communications Manager to the governor, Mr Paul Odili, believes that the chances of his principal emerging victorious in the election had never been brighter. So also is the coordinator of his campaign council, Chief Paulinus Apeki.
Though Odili admitted that, “a lot of things were taken for granted,” in the last rerun, he said those who mattered in the party that worked against it in the January election were back in the fold to ensure victory for Uduaghan.
He also dismissed those who were yet to come back as mere ‘’ paper tigers’’ who could not even boast of winning their constituency.
“Yes, we obviously took so many things for granted in the last poll. But I can assure you that this time the governor is fully ready to win again with a landslide. Mind you and you can quote me anywhere, that the governor did not campaign in the last election, but I am sure you are aware of his current door-to-door campaign strategy.
“Believe me, Uduaghan will return in April as the duly re-elected governor of this state. The people of this state are solidly behind him because he has a lot to show for his stewardship in the last four years or so.”
Whether or not the governor has succeeded in winning over his detractors, analysts believe, the outcome will be seen in less than 48 hours.
By EMMANUEL ADDEH            Courtesy Of: Punch

Ngige, Obi fight for survival in Anambra

Ngige

The governorship election will not be holding in Anambra State on Tuesday, but the state assembly and rerun National Assembly elections scheduled for that day will provide a new ground for the political rivalry between the incumbent governor, Mr. Peter Obi, and his predecessor, Dr. Chris Ngige.
While Ngige is running for the Anambra Central senatorial seat as the Action Congress of Nigeria standard-bearer, Obi will be staking all to ensure that Prof. Dora Akunyili, the All Progressives Grand Alliance candidate triumphs over Ngige.
The two will be fighting the battle of survival for their political relevance and that of their parties.
The Uba family, the third political force in the state, might just sit by and watch, having secured two senatorial seats in the National Assembly elections. In fact, the family will be latching on to new found unity among the factions of the PDP to secure more victories in both the state assembly election and the rescheduled national assembly poll.
Though Obi is not personally contesting against Ngige, many observers have said his political relevance in the state would, to a large extent, depend on the success of Akunyili on Tuesday.
Already, Ngige, who initially had opposed the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission to call for a rerun in some wards in the senatorial zone, has accepted the challenge and has called out on his supporters to come out and vote on Tuesday.
“We won before, with your support and by God’s grace, we will win better,” Ngige said on Friday in a message to his supporters.
INEC had on Thursday nullified the declaration of Ngige as the winner of the April 9 senatorial election, and had declared that a rerun be done in eight wards cut across four local government areas, where results of the election were cancelled.
INEC’s last decision came as a relief to the camp of Obi, who had been considered finished politically after losing the Anambra South and Anambra North senatorial elections to the PDP.
In the result of the inconclusive election adopted by INEC, Akunyili is leading Ngige with 697 votes. However, the voting population in the cancelled wards and units add up to 19,090, INEC said, was capable of turning the tables if elections were conducted in those places.
Apart from the affected two polling units at Nri Ward II in Anaocha Local Government Area and Ward I Nimo in Njikoka Local Government Area, the other areas are said to be the strongholds of Ngige.
While Akunyili will have to consolidate on her lead, Ngige will strive to prove his claim that the elections in the rerun units were running in his favour before they were cancelled by winning overwhelmingly.
The Anambra Central senatorial election had come into international focus because of the caliber of Akunyili, who has received world acclaim as Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, and Ngige, whose survival battles against godfatherism when he was governor endeared him to his people.
That was why less attention was paid to the National Assembly elections in the two other senatorial zones and House of Representatives constituencies on April 9.
The Akunyili/Ngige rivalry lived up to its billings as tension rose minute by minute as the collation of results progressed until it got stalemated when the returning officer, Mr. Alex Anene, walked out on the process, citing threats to his life and attempts to bribe him.
For Akunyili, the events that followed the stalemate were a baptism of fire. Overwhelmed by emotions, she could hardly gather herself together as she addressed the press to express her shock about the bribery allegations raised by the returning officer.
She repeatedly called the RO and Ngige unprintable names. It was indeed her first shot at public election, and she must have quite a mouthful.
On the other hand, the Ngige camp was calm, dishing out their strategy one after the other until Akunyili had to abandon Awka and relocate to Abuja. Even the APGA government in Awka could not believe it as within days, public discourse turned against it.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, the three major parties in Anambra State will be testing their strength in the house of assembly elections.
Almost equally divided among the PDP and APGA are most of the incumbent House of Assembly members seeking re-election, with the exception of the Speaker, Chief Anayo Nnebe, his deputy, Chief Afam Obi, a former deputy speaker, Chief Ozo Ughamadu and Mr. Sylvester Okeke.
But only a few of them are still with the PDP, the platform through which they were all elected in 2007, having rejected political lordship of the Uba family.
Apart from the Anambra Central senatorial rerun, where fireworks will be sparked, Nnewi North/Nnewi South/Ekwusigo federal constituency election will draw sparks.
Here, the incumbent, Mr. Cyril Maduabum, who abandoned the PDP and subsequently the ACN to run on the Accord Party platform, will be testing his popularity. And from indications on the ground, he is very much favoured to win.
From the National Assembly election result declared so far, the PDP appeared to be leading with two senators and one house of Representatives member-elect. APGA has three House of Representatives members-elect, while the ACN has one, Charles Odedo for Idemili federal constituency.
The results show that the three main power bases in the state are still relevant. Odedo won in Idemili because that is the political base of Ngige, while Uche Ekwunife of APGA won in Anaocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia because of the overriding influence of Obi. Ben Nwankwo of the PDP won in Orumba federal constituency because it is part of the home base of the Ubas.
Andy Uba won as senator-elect in Anambra South, where he comes from, though his mandate is being disputed by fellow PDP candidate, Mr. Nicholas Ukachukwu.


Senator Joy Emodi of APGA lost out in Anambra North to political sentiments raised against her in the dying minutes to the election by people who wanted a shift of power to the Omambala region, where PDP was parading John Emeka, Senator Alphonsus Igbeke and Mrs. Margery Chuba-Okadigbo as factional candidates.
PDP’s success in the National Assembly election could be attributed to a unity forged by the various factions of the party that believed that it was better to get PDP to win the election first before deciding who the authentic candidate of the party was.
By EMMANUEL OBE           Courtesy Of: Punch

Governorship poll: Jonathan campaign coordinators in desperate moves

President Goodluck Jonathan

Four governors who served as zonal coordinators for President Goodluck Presidential campaign are in troubled political waters as governorship elections hold on Tuesday, and in two states on Thursday, across the country.

The governors are Otunba Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State (South-West), Alhaji Isah Yuguda Bauchi State (North-East), Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State (North-West) and Dr. Gabriel Suswam of Benue State, (North-Central) zones.

However, of these governors, only Daniel will not be seeking re-election as his second term expires on May 29. He, nonetheless, fielded a candidate to succeed him.
High wired political intrigues in Ogun State, denied Daniel a senatorial seat; he had earlier got the Peoples Democratic Party nod to stand as its candidate, but was later stripped through a court order.
Also, his anointed governorship candidate, Mr. Gboyega Isiaka, was also denied the chance to run as the PDP candidate, which compelled him and his group to defect to the Peoples Party of Nigeria.
Two factions of the PDP had held primaries for the governorship election and other elective positions in Abeokuta, the state capital, and weakened Daniel’s political base and that of the party.
A faction loyal to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, led by Chief Dayo Soremi, had elected Chief Adetunji Olurin as its governorship candidate, in a rival primary, which the court later upheld as the authentic one.
Therefore, the scenario in Ogun is that while Daniel’s candidate, Isiaka, will face Olurin backed by Obasanjo, he will also contend with the Action Congress of Nigeria candidate, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
The ACN is being buoyed by the three senatorial seats it won in the state, hitherto occupied by the PDP.
However, the PDP is counting on the result of the presidential poll in the state, in which its standard-bearer, Jonathan, polled 309,177 votes to beat ACN that got, 199, 555 votes, to win the governorship election.

SUNDAY PUNCH findings on Saturday indicated that the PDP had intensified its campaigns to clinch victory.

But Daniel is fighting back; shortly after the National Assembly polls, he met with Jonathan in Lagos, where they discussed how to sustain his support for the presidential election, and might have used the opportunity to negotiate for himself and his camp in the event of losing out completely at the polls.
Daniel in an interview justified his support for Isiaka, saying, “I do not see any possibility of any withdrawal from the race by Isiaka. We can work with any other party that is ready to support him.
“We will be quite excited and the reason is simple: in all our years we stood by the truth, probity and equity.”
In Katsina, the outcome of the presidential election and the National Assembly polls has established the CPC as the party to beat in the governorship and state assembly polls, even though the PDP is the party in power in the state.
Details of the National Assembly election showed that CPC swept all the three senatorial seats in the state. Though Shema alleged that the PDP votes were counted and added to that of the CPC, he would need more than a miracle to win the Tuesday’s governorship election.
The peoples disdain for the PDP was further demonstrated in their vote against the daughter of Yar’Adua, who aspired to come to the House of Representatives.
Besides, the CPC has capitalised on the post-primaries feud in the PDP and the Buhari factor to make inroads into the PDP enclave.
Apparently, Buhari is the most outstanding political figure in the state.
Those who lost their senate seats to the CPC are Senate Majority Whip, Senator Kanti Bello and the Chairman Senate Defence Committee, Senator Ibrahim Ida. Also, the PDP lost 12 House of Representatives seats to the CPC.
Buhari had polled 1,163,919 votes to defeat Jonathan who got 428,392 votes in Katsina State.
The dismal performance of the PDP in the two previous elections has made its supporters realise that Shema’s seeming impressive record as governor might not be enough to sway the electorate to his side on Tuesday.
Further, the CPC supporters feel that since Buhari did not get the presidency, voting the party into power in the state was the only option left for them.
But Shema is not taking things lying low, as he has intensified efforts to win the poll. Last week, he met with different shades of opinion in the state to placate and appeal to them as well as accede to their many demands.
For instance, his government doled out a whopping N250million interest-free loan facility to farmers in the state, just as it approved the distribution of tractors to the farmers in a move aimed at soliciting their votes.
For workers, the governor scrapped promotion examination for civil servants with immediate effect, and 60 per cent of the housing scheme for civil servants.
Also, he approved perks for rural posting, and a review of the bereavement allowance which had been abandoned for over a decade.
Mass promotion of 685 civil servants was also approved, and implemented for officers on Grade Level 13 and above.
Shema said, “We are taking concrete steps to mobilise our people so that they vote for the PDP and watch over their votes to ensure that the votes count for the PDP.”
He stated this shortly after a meeting with labour unions and pensioners in the state.
He boasted, “Insha Allah, the PDP will post a better result in the pending elections.”
In Bauchi State, Yuguda, an in-law to the late president Umaru Yar’Adua is troubled by the CPC waves, though it won one senate seat, just as Buhari got 1,315,209 votes as against 258,404 votes collected by Jonathan.
Yuguda’s problem is also amplified by the fact that he defected from the All Nigeria Peoples Party, on whose platform he won the governorship in 2007, when Buhari was its presidential standard-bearer.
Clearly, his case is that of a general fighting on two fronts at the same time.
Besides, PDP internal wrangling is another headache for Yuguda. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bola Mohammed and Yuguda’s predecessor, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, represent big foes with the party against his re-election.
Despite these odds, Yuguda exudes confidence that he will be re-elected. It was gathered that one of his survival strategies is the ban against political gathering in the state arising from the recent post-electoral violence that rocked some states in the North.
This, according to a source, will not allow CPC members to meet and strategise against the PDP.
Although PDP won more seats in the senatorial election in the state, the CPC performance in the presidential poll might be replicated by its supporters to show that its 1.3million votes in the April 19 election was no fluke.
But despite this seeming gloomy picture, the PDP Publicity Secretary in the state, Al Amin Ibrahim, told one of our correspondents that the party was mobilising and reaching out to the grassroots to ensure that those who voted the party to victory during the National Assembly election would do the same during the governorship poll.
The governorship and state assembly polls have been shifted to April 28 by INEC to allow tempers to cool.
Ibrahim said, “Irrespective of what is happening, we are working to ensure victory for the PDP not only in Bauchi State, but other states in the North-East, where he led the presidential campaign. We are re-strategising by using all our stakeholders to reach out to the electorate.”
For Suswan, his case is not as bad as Shema, Daniel and Yuguda as the PDP remained strong in his state as it won the two senatorial seats contested.
But the former governor, George Akume who is now an ACN member, Gen. Lawrence Onoja and Young Alhaji are determined for a showdown with the governor. They allege that the National Assembly elections were rigged, and the outcome therefore, not a reflection of the will of the people.
By Olusola Fabiyi, Sunday Ojeme, and Olamilekan Lartey            Courtesy Of: Punch

Governorship race: ACN alleges arrest of members in Rivers

BARELY three days to the governorship and State House of Assembly elections, the Action Congress of Nigeria in Rivers State has alleged the secret arrest of some of its members by security operatives.
The Director of Publicity and Communications of Abiye Sekibo Campaign Organisation, Jerry Needam, explained that such arrest took place in Obio/Akpor, Khana, Gokana and Okrika Local Government Areas.
Needam accused the Rotimi Amaechi administration of being behind the secret arrest of ACN members in the state.
Needam’s claim is contained in a statement made available to journalists in Port Harcourt on Saturday.
The Senior Adviser to the State Governor on Media, Mr. David Iyofor, described the allegation as a false alarm.
Iyofor maintained that the state governor would never order the arrest of members of the opposition parties, even as he noted that the ACN should have mentioned the names of the victims of the alleged secret arrest.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ben Ugwuegbulam, said he was not aware of such arrests, but would try and make enquiries to confirm the veracity of such an allegation.
Meanwhile, a group, the Oyo State Professionals, has endorsed the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
The group comprising lawyers, teachers, engineers, farmers, doctors, nurses, civil servants, architects and bankers among others took the decision to back Ajimobi at an emergency meeting held in Ibadan, the state capital.
In a six-point communique issued at the end of the meeting, they said they took the decision in the interest of the generality of the people of the state who were yearning for good governance, probity and accountability.
The communique was read to journalists on Saturday by the group’s President, Mr. Omokunmi Akande, and supported by the Vice-President, Titilayo Akinjide and Director of Publicity, Mr. Niran Afonja.
Also the Congress for Igbo Agenda, an amalgamation of Igbo professionals and entrepreneurs in Nigeria, has expressed support for the political aspirations of Alhaji Mamoud Shinkafi Aliyu,the incumbent governor of Zamfara state who is also the governorship candidate of People’s Democratic Party in the state and Mr Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Party of Nigeria in Ogun State.
President of the group, Rev. Chukwudi Peace and the Secretary-General, Mr Thomas Onyebuchi, said in a statement that the group decided to support the two aspirants due to the conviction that they are the best men for the job.
The congress said that it found Shinkafi worthy of its support because he had acquitted himself so well in the last four years in the administration of Zamfara State.
The group said it believed that Isiaka could bring the same ingenuity to bear on the economic fortunes of the state that would ensure its prosperity.
By Chukwudi Akasike, EMMANUEL ONYECHE and olalekan adetayo         Courtesy Of: Punch

Blame Obasanjo, PDP for violence in the North — CPC

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo

The Congress for Progressive Change has said a former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, should be blamed for the post-electoral violence that has bedevilled northern Nigeria since after the presidential election.
The CPC, which was reacting to comments that the party and its presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Mohammadu Buhari (retd), were instigating the crisis, said on Friday that the violence was an aftermath of Obasanjo’s failed third term bid and the Peoples Democratic Party refusal to abide by the “zoning policy.”
The party said, “In genuinely unraveling what simulated the anger in the North, zoning convention is the core element. However, we must remember the web-design weaved by ex-president Obasanjo when Nigerian patriots vehemently rejected his third term gambit.”
It said that Obasanjo never forgave Nigerians, especially those from the North, for denying him the opportunity to elongate his tenure via constitutional amendment.
Speaking through its South-East Campaign Director and Enugu State governorship candidate, Chief Osita Okechukwu, the CPC said Obasanjo’s action encouraged a lot of Nigerians, mostly governors from the North, in the spirit of the zoning convention of the PDP to succeed him.
Okechukwu said, “In the contest for Obasanjo’s anointment were ex-governors Peter Odili, Adamu Mu’azu, Abdullahi Adamu, Ahmed Maikarfi, Donald Duke, Prof. Jerry Gana, et al. The Chief deceptively kept their hopes alive until the last minute, when he anointed the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.”
He added, “In anointing Yar’Adua, Obasanjo was fully aware that he was terminally ill and was not in the best frame to govern the country and was not healthy to fill up the Northern slot in line with the zoning convention of his party.
By Ozioma Ubabukoh              Courtesy Of: Punch

Jonathan asks northern group to drive development

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday asked the Northern Political Summit Group, also known as G-20, to drive development in the northern part of the country.
Jonathan spoke when members of the group visited the Presidential Villa to congratulate him and Vice-President Namadi Sambo on their victory in the just concluded presidential poll.
In the build-up to the election, the G-20 took up the role of Jonathan’s most visible allies in the North and openly supported his presidential ambition, even when key northern political leaders canvassed the zoning of the office of the president to the north.
However, speaking on Saturday, Jonathan said he would encourage the G-20 to endure, noting that the group organised a Northern Economic Summit, which he attended.
He urged them to drive development in the north, where protests against his election as president have caused violent riots, resulting in the loss of many lives and destruction of properties.
The President noted that the G-20 played an invaluable role in his victory in the poll.
Jonathan also promised to implement the blueprint for development in the North.
Earlier, the leader of the group, Amb. Hassan Adamu, said the G-20 knew from the onset that Jonathan would win the presidential election.
He urged Nigerians to support Jonathan in his quest to transform the country, and prayed for the success of the administration.
Among members of the group present on the occasion were Prof Jerry Gana, Chief Barnabas Gemade, Prof Iya Abubakar, Alhaji Mukhtar Shagari, Senator Jonathan Zwingina, and Senator-elect, Philip Aduda.
By Ihuoma Chiedozie               Courtesy Of: Punch

IG orders probe into Anambra central election

Inspector General of Police, Hafiz Ringim

The Force Headquarters has ordered investigations into the criminal aspects of the controversial Anambra Central Senatorial zone election.
Our correspondent gathered on Saturday that the police investigation team has arrived Anambra State to investigate and interview the principal actors in the saga.
Though the police command in Awka could not be reached for comments on the investigations, sources within the Independent National Electoral Commission said confirmed the investigations, but said the national headquarters of INEC were responsible.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, had ordered a rerun in several wards for the Anambra Central Senatorial election, after declaring it to be inconclusive last Thursday.
He nullified the declaration by the Returning Officer, Mr. Alex Anene, that the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria won the election.
Jega said based on investigations conducted into the controversy, Anene’s declaration did not meet with the requirements of the law.
He therefore said that the police have been invited to look into the criminal aspects of the matter.
The police investigations came as the candidate of the Accord Party in that election, Senator Annie Okonkwo called for the cancellation of the entire results of the election.
Okonkwo said elections did not take place in many places, and I the few places where it did, ballot materials were snatched by thugs and security agents.
But the other leading two candidates, Ngige and Dora Akunyili of the All Progressives Grand Alliance have accepted the decision of INEC and commenced intensive campaigns in the rerun areas.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission on Saturday said it had no plans to conduct fresh polls in Ika Federal Constituency of Delta State on Tuesday, April 26, 2011.
The clarification was sequel to the confusion generated by conflicting signals from parties involved in the April 9 National Assembly elections.
The Commission in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, said this was to correct the misunderstanding that a re-run election has been scheduled to hold in the constituency.
The statement read in part: “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) hereby clarifies that an election was duly held in the two local governments that make up the Ika Federal Constituency on April 9, 2011.
“The results from the various polling units were collated at the ward level. The process continued to the local government level where the results from the wards were collated.”
“But when the results collated at the local government level were presented for collation at the constituency level, the Returning Officer, Dr. Godwin Avwioro, failed to collate the results from Ika North/East Local Government Area of the constituency.
“Having failed to collate all the results for the constituency, he could not declare a winner, thus making the election inconclusive.
“Given that election had held, and the results collated up to the local government level, the Commission has resolved that another Returning Officer be appointed to do the final collation and announce the outcome. This, as expected, will be in the presence of the agents of participating political parties.
“INEC reaffirms its unflagging commitment to safeguard the integrity and credibility of the ongoing political process.”
It may be recalled that elections into some Senatorial Districts and Federal Constituencies such in states like Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi and Ogun were rescheduled to hold along with the gubernatorial elections on April 26 owing to logistics problems. END.
By Emmanuel Obe and John Alechenu          Courtesy Of: Punch