Ojukwu, IBB to meet

Ojukwu, IBB to meet
• In effort to woo Igbo

Saturday, September 18, 2010

•Ojukwu Photo: Sun News Publishing

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A few days after officially flagging off his presidential campaign, former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, has scheduled a meeting with former Biafran leader and Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, as part of his mobilization programme.

The meeting, scheduled at Ojukwu’s residence in Enugu, holds tomorrow.
Saturday Sun gathered that Babangida, aware of the way Igbo regard Ojukwu, sent words to the former warlord asking for meeting, to impress it upon him that he is sincere in his promise to work for the emergence of a South easterner as president in 2015.

Sources revealed that Babangida deemed it necessary to meet with Ojukwu since he said only the election of Igbo man as president would completely bring an end to the civil war.
“IBB said that it is only when an Igbo man becomes president that his people would believe that the civil war has ended. Since Ojukwu is the symbol of the civil war in Igboland, he therefore, deemed it necessary to meet with him and explain his intention. He is serious about his promise,” a source said.

Although Ojukwu is not a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), it was gathered that Babangida believes that if he buys into the Igbo 2015 Presidency dream he would reach out to delegates who would participate in the South East zonal presidential primaries scheduled for October 18.

It was learnt that even before publicly indicating interest to contest the presidential election, Babangida intimated Ojukwu, just as he did other political leaders across the country. Sources revealed that the duo have been in touch on phone. Tomorrow’s meeting would be the first time they are meeting in a long while.

In April, Ojukwu had said that there was nothing wrong with Babangida’s aspiration to return to power.
In an interview he granted Saturday Sun, which was published on April 7, 2010, Ojukwu x-rayed former leaders who want to return to power and said that Babangida was welcome.

He said in the interview: “I don’t know that he wants to come back. But Babangida happens to be the one I know a little bit about. If for nothing else I like his sense of humour and I believe that a man endowed with such openness might have something to offer.”
Asked if he would not mind Babangida coming back, Ojukwu said: “Oh, yes, why not. In fact, anybody who wants to have a shot at the presidency is welcome, provided they go the right way. Don’t come back to office through the wrong way, such as a coup d’tat; then I will tell you that you are cheating. But if you are going through the elections, campaigns and get people to vote for you and they say you at the man, that’s ok by me.”

He did not see anything wrong with the fact that Babangida was in power for eight years, as military, and still wants to return as civilian president. He said of this: “I would even go further to say that if 16 years were possible provided the man is healthy and his senses are still intact and his coordination is still alright, then he should offer himself for the job and if the people want him, so be it.”

After visiting Ojukwu, Babangida will also meet with former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme. There is also a plan for him to meet with PDP bigwigs in Anambra State.

Informed sources revealed that the former military ruler, in the next couple of days, would personally hold meeting with PDP chieftains in the South East, including governors and former governors.
To accompany Babangida in his campaign tour of South East are members of his campaign organisation, former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani and former Rivers State governor, Dr. Peter Odili.

NIGERIA REAL-TIME NEWS

Jonathan ‘ll be biased – Lanlehin
Saturday, September 18, 2010

•Lanlehin Photo: Sun News Publishing

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Chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and governorship aspirant in Oyo State, Chief Femi Lanlehin has warned that President Goodluck Jonathan would be tempting the providence of God and the goodwill of Nigerians by contesting the 2011 presidential election. He pleaded with the president to be contented with the fact that God took him to the highest office in the land without contesting a single election.

Chief Lanlehin argued that it would be naïve of anybody to think that president Jonathan can be an unbiased umpire in an election in which he is a candidate. He pointed out that even if the president want to be neutral, people would mount pressure on him to do things that would be against free and fair election.

According to him, the president should show gratitude to God and the people of Nigeria by organizing a free and fair election. To do this successfully, the president cannot take part in the election and expect people to take him serious about being a neutral umpire.

Lanlehin is disenchanted with the government of Adebayo Alao- Akala in Oyo State. The people are under severe yoke and they are determined to ensure that there is a change in 2011.
He also spoke on the preparation of INEC for the registration exercise and the general election in 2011. He speaks on other issues.

The INEC timetable is out. How is your campaign for governorship race going?
The Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) is the foremost political party in Nigeria as of today. It is the second largest political party in the country. It has the support of our people and it is forging ahead very well.
I am a governorship aspirant in Oyo State. I believe I have the wherewithal in term of education, experience, social, fashion and whatever it takes to deliver the dividend of democracy in Oyo State. I have in mind to run the government that is people oriented. Our people have been under a heavy yoke for some time now. For the past three years, the state has been under the unfortunate leadership of Christopher Adebayo Alao- Akala who has done everything within his power either knowingly or unknowingly to make our people very unhappy. The yoke on the people is very heavy. Our people are groaning under the yoke. They are praying for a change. They pray for that new dawn which they deserve. I believe I can provide that leadership which the good people of Oyo State deserve.

What are your chances of winning the election? Your party doesn’t seem to be very popular in Oyo State.
That is the wrong statement of the decade. If you take time to do your poll in Oyo State, you will discover that ACN is very popular. It is on the ground among the common people, the middle class and the elite of the state.

Even if you go by what the media-both print and electronics have said, you will discover that Oyo people are thoroughly disenchanted with the government of Alao-Akala. The approach to governance seems to be carefree, arrogant and lackadaisical. He is unconcerned about the welfare of the people. All his concern is how to amass wealth at the expense of the people. He is having a good time at the expense of the people. He is indulging in very frivolous and unproductive activities. He holds mind-boggling parties. These are the things that give him happiness. And they are the things that give our people sadness. But for a very small circle of his friends and hangers- on, people in Oyo State are disenchanted with the State government. I am a realist and I am not saying this because I am contesting. I believe in looking at issues, problems and the totality of what is on the ground before taking a decision. I believe that the ACN has a very good chance of displacing the government that is now there. I am better placed than any other person in ACN because I have all it takes to form and run a government that is people oriented. By virtue of my education, experience, character and the things I have done in the past.

I have experience in all the three tiers of government. I am a lawyer by training and profession, I’ve spent 33 years at the bar and by that, I have a thorough understanding of the judicial working of the State. I was in the National Assembly. I was a former member of the Federal House of Representatives and I was a former commissioner in Lagos State.

I was a beneficiary of good governance, when government provided the best for the people. I went to public school- both primary and secondary. In my school, we had children of people who were running government in the Western Region at that time. Children of Samuel Akintola and the children of Obafe4mi Awolowo were in the same secondary school that I attended. At that time, the schools were run very well and everybody could see that they could give their children the best.

Today, what do we have? We have schools that have virtually nothing. The structures are dilapidated not to talk of the compound and the environment. What of the teaching staff? This government is very uncaring.
It is only in Oyo State that you have such government and people have made up their minds to change the government. You can go and sample the people’s opinion on it.

Is there anything like zoning in Oyo State? Do you rotate the position of governor round the three senatorial districts?
Well, I won’t say there is zoning in Oyo State. You know that section 14 of the Nigerian constitution talks about government been run in a way that every aspects or areas of the state is carried along. That is, there must be an even spread of amenities and even spread of appointment. To that extent, the ACN in Oyo State in its wisdom has strived to see that positions and offices are spread in a way that it goes across the state. So, the issue of who becomes the governor is open to all and sundry. Anybody who thinks that he has the wherewithal can aspire to the office of governor.

Don’t you think the registration exercise is taking off rather late?
Well, the exercise is taking off rather late. But I think it is better if it is late and done very well, than rush into it and mess it up. We all knew how Maurice Iwu handled the registration and how the Data Capturing Machines were procured and deployed in a manner to favour certain parties and certain individuals. We witnessed how individuals were registering voters in there private residences. We saw how genuine voters were denied the opportunity of registration.

But I believe that Jega by virtue of his reputation and education means very well for this country. He needs the support and assistance of all members of his staff to do a good job. Nigerians are willing to assist. I think he will succeed if he deploys honest and dedicated INEC staff to oversee the registration. We were told that he intends to procure 120,000 machines, which is equivalent to the number of polling units in the country.
The problem that we do have is that usually you have one machine servicing so many units. To that extent, people have to hustle and push and shove and they are manipulated in the course of registration. But now, if they are able to procure all the machines as stated by them and each machine is put in a polling area, everybody within that polling area would be registered since each polling unit is entitled to 500 voters. So, you don’t have to start looking for where your name appeared. People would know that they would vote where they registered which was what happened during the time of professor Humphrey Nwosu when the registration was done in the polling unit and the whole thing went very well. I even think that if we resorted to the system adopted at that time we would get a better result. But this is technological age. Since they want to go technological, they are entitled to it. I hope they make a success of it.

Some complained that the money to be spent on the registration exercise is too much while others said it is justified. What do you think?
To say that it is too much or otherwise is a function of the goal you are pursuing. It also depends on the process by which you want to reach that goal. I believe nothing is too much to get our electoral system right. In absolute terms, people can say that it is a lot of money, but the amount of money that is stolen is 100 times much more than the money being deployed towards registration. I think Nigeria should give Jega the benefit of the doubt. The break -down the INEC gave us and the purpose for which it is to be used is worth giving a trial. If nothing else but for the sake of Jega who has a reputation for uprightness.

Do you think Goodluck Jonathan should contest the 2011 presidency?
Candidly and honestly, I think the president has been presented with an opportunity to steer Nigeria on the path of greatness. Greatness in the sense that what has always been the clog in the wheel of our development has always been the absence of good leadership. The absence of good leadership has always been due to the absence of good electoral system. This is an opportunity to throw up leaders, men and women that have the love and interest of this country at heart and who will give their best for the growth and progress of the country. That is the opportunity destiny has placed on the laps of the president.

Now, would the president accept that duty? I believe if he wants to have his name written in the annals of Nigerian history in gold, he should not contest. He has been so lucky. Destiny and God have been very kind to him. He had chatted for him by unseen forces a very good course and he found himself in a position of utmost leadership of this country. The only thing he can do to show his gratitude and love for this country is to set this country on the path of greatness. The only way he can set the country on the path of greatness is to give the country good leaders who will take care of its problems and take care of its progress.

To make this possible, we need somebody who is disinterested and not a participant or a contestant in the election. People will trust somebody who will be unbiased so that the institutions of democracy and the electoral system will be strengthened and the grand rules would be laid and followed. He would be in position to see through the process. If he does that and deliver to us an election that is free and fair, I tell you that Nigerians would forever be grateful to him.

But if he has to participate, the difficulty lies in the fact that participants in an elections end up been biased. This is based on the recent experience of past elections. Even if they don’t want to be biased, you find the pressure of people who want to take advantage of his candidature to manipulate him to do things that are inimical to free and fairness of the election. He can reciprocate God’s love for him. He can reciprocate Nigeria’s acceptance of his leadership by laying a foundation for democratic growth and by giving Nigeria a free and fair election.

Honestly, I believe that he should not contest. That is apart from the internal problems that they have in their party. After the internal dynamics, I believe looking at it passionately and objectively, history beckons on him and he should not contest.