The most powerful vice president in Nigeria history

A Veteran Journalist, Dele Momodu, has claimed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo, and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, fell out because of Obasanjo’s planned third-term bid.

Momodu, who is the Publisher of Ovation Magazine and a former Presidential Aspirant, said that Obasanjo had to disarm Atiku, by sacking most of his ‘vibrant’ Aides and went on to describe Atiku as one of the most powerful Vice Presidents ever in Nigeria.

He tweeted: “Atiku was one of the most powerful VPs ever in Nigeria, I was not too young at the time, they fell out over re-election. His team in Aso Rock was young and remarkably vibrant, and OBJ had to sack some of them on his behalf, but ATIKU remained close to them from outside.”

Obasanjo had since endorsed Atiku Abubakar, as the next President of Nigeria, in 2019. The Obasanjo’s camp is seriously working with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential Candidate, to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari is booted out of Aso Rock, come 2019.

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Atiku Raised False Alarm

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, of raising false alarm ahead of 2019 elections.

APC National Publicity Secretary, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, who said this yesterday added that Atiku was showing early signs of depression.

Issa-Onilu said, "The PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is exhibiting early signs of depression, resulting from obvious frustration. Consequently, he is unable to focus on his campaign. Otherwise, he should tell Nigerians why a discredited person like him should be elected as President instead of raising puerile allegations on a daily basis.

"President Buhari and APC, not his programmes for the country appear to be his main campaign issues. Nigerians are desirous of campaign that focuses on issues that matter to them. For Atiku and his PDP co-travellers, the only interest is to grab power and continue where they stopped in their avarice.

"The APC administration is eager to showcase the impressive achievements we have recorded in the last three and half years. This is the campaign that matters to us and this is what Nigerians are interested in.

"The trajectory is exciting as we see a brighter future shaping up. We won't yield to the PDP's shenanigans. The obvious strategy of the PDP is to truncate the country's journey towards economic buoyancy and social stability. We will not play the PDP's game. PDP is acting an anti-people's script," he said.

See the PDP past that will work against Atiku

Atiku Abubakar

Abiodun Nejo, Ado Ekiti

The National Adviser, South West, Buhari/Osinbajo National Support Committee, Olusegun Osinkolu, on Wednesday said the corruption that characterised the 16 years of Peoples Democratic Party‘s rule in Nigeria would be an albatross around the neck of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Osinkolu said President Muhammadu Buhari who is the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress remained the best option for the country in view of his commitment to fight and end corruption and as well make Nigerians regain their respect globally.

The APC chieftain spoke during a meeting with party members from the 56 wards in Ekiti North Senatorial District. The meeting was held in Ayede Ekiti.

He appealed to aggrieved members of the party in the district to put the past behind them and work for the victory of all APC candidates in the 2019 elections.

Osinkolu said a second term in office would afford Buhari the opportunity to consolidate on democracy gains for Nigerians.

He said, “The PDP knows that the issue of corruption will work against Atiku, because up until now, no court has cleared him of the allegations that the Petroleum Technology Development Fund and Bureau of Public Enterprises put under him as Vice President under Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration were not badly managed.

“Under PDP’s 16 years where Atiku served as vice president, $16bn was spent on power sector, despite that, Nigeria was in darkness. Nigerians voted against PDP in 2015 elections because of corruption and they chose President Buhari, a man they could trust.

“So, the salient question is – has PDP changed? Nigerians cannot return to the era when our monies were being looted by a few people. President Buhari promised that Nigeria’s monies will be for Nigerians and he is doing just that.

“It will be a great miscalculation for Nigerians who suffered for 16 years under PDP to turn around and bring the party back to power. I know such would not happen because Nigerians are wiser now.”

…another faults call for President’s disqualification

Kamarudeen Ogundele, Abuja

The Buhari Media Organisation has described the call by Alhaji Buba Galadima for the disqualification of President Muhammadu Buhari as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2019 general elections as an expression of frustration and crass ignorance.

The group stated this on Wednesday in its reaction to Galadima’s call on the Independent National Electoral Commission to disqualify Buhari for receiving N1.22bn from Nigerian farmers.

Galadima had said the farmers’ gift to the President contravened the provision of the Electoral Act.

In a statement signed by Niyi Akinsiju (Chairman) and Cassidy Madueke (Secretary), the BMO said Galadima was uninformed about the Electoral Act for faulting the N100 individual donation of members of an association.

The statement read, “The farmers and fertiliser producers are not corporate entities and neither are they registered corporations, and certainly not captured in the Electoral Act.

“So for Galadima, a supposedly educated person and politician, to ask for disqualification of President Buhari on the basis of their donation, is engagement in petty talks.

“Is Galadima rewriting the law on who and what to contribute to campaign fund?

“He apparently forgets that President Buhari enjoys mass appeal and popularity among the Nigerian poor and downtrodden who he is elevating to higher economic levels from the extreme poverty to which they were pushed into by the collective irresponsibility of the Peoples Democratic Party governments of many years.”

The group also described the PDP’s spokesperson’s allegation that security agencies were after the lawmakers who heckled Buhari at the presentation of the 2019 budget proposal as “a figment of his imagination and the product of a troubled mind.”

It added that Buhari was a magnanimous person with a heart of gold, who despite Galadima’s rouble rousing, “still keeps his daughter as one of his aides in the Presidency.”

Atiku to Buhari : You are responsible for failed anti-graft war

The Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, told President Muhammadu Buhari to take responsibility for failure in the anti-corruption war rather than blame the Nigerian system.

In a statement he personally signed yesterday, Atiku who pointed out that the Nigeria system allows the President the right to arrest, try and convict corrupt persons, however noted that the president has shown that he lacks the political will to do so as some instances have shown.

The former vice president  cited the failure of this administration to arrest and convict former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, over alleged corruption charges as well as prosecute the former chairman of the Presidential Pension Task Scheme, Abdulrasheed Maina. Atiku said President  also refused to probe the $25 billion NNPC contracts awarded without due process even when the system permits for such to be done.

The PDP presidential candidate said he was reacting to a statement by President Muhammadu Buhari on the occasion of a Christmas homage paid on him by members of the Federal Capital Territory Community in which he blamed his inability to fight corruption on the Nigerian system.

The President has said his administration is slow in fighting corruption because the system is slow.

But reacting,  Atiku said “My immediate response to this is to commend President Buhari for admitting that he has failed in fighting corruption. The President has just corroborated Transparency International, whose latest Corruption Perception Index shows that Nigeria is more corrupt today than it was under the previous administration, having moved 12 places backwards in the CPI, from 136 in 2014 to 148 this year.

“But my point of departure from the President is in blaming his failure on the system. I disagree. The system has challenges, yes, but where there is political will, the system can make progress.

“I was Vice President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007 and we used that same system to speedily convict no less a personality than an Inspector General of Police, and several others including cabinet ministers and other high officials.

“Mr. President, the problem with your anti-corruption war is not the system. You are the problem!

“The system allows you to arrest, try and convict your former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who was fingered in a major corruption case, but you chose to let him go Scot free and you demonstrated your tolerance for his corruption by giving him a prominent role in your re-election campaign and recently welcoming him to the Presidential Villa with open arms.

“The system allowed you to arrest, try and convict Abdulrasheed Maina, the biggest ever alleged thief in our civil service history, who is suspected of looting the pensions of millions of aged Nigerians. Yet you chose not to go that route, preferring instead to recall him, reinstate and double promote him while giving him armed guards to move about.

“The system allows you to probe the $25 billion NNPC contracts awarded without due process, but you chose to bury the matter under the carpet, hoping the Nigerian people will forget about that grand scale alleged looting exposed by a leaked memo from a member of your cabinet.

“Finally, nothing in the system stops you from telling Nigerians who owns the billions found in an Ikoyi apartment.”

Atiku added that he will not allow the President make Nigeria the scapegoat for his failure, stressing “your failure is personal, and not national.”

He continued “If you could go abroad to insult Nigerian youths as lazy, why did you go to Paris to praise a governor who was caught red-handed receiving bribes on camera?

“The system did not stop the EFCC from charging the opposition Governor of Akwa-Ibom, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, as a co-accused in the case involving the NBA Chairman, Mr Paul Usoro (SAN). Contrast this with the treatment meted out to Governor Umar Ganduje of the ruling All Progressive Congress.

“Besides, your excuse is deceptive, because you have staunchly resisted restructuring. If you really believed that the system is the problem, you would have embraced restructuring.

“Unfortunate as your admitted failure in the war on corruption is, it is your economic policy that is the greater failure. Your lack of ideas and your politicisation of the corruption war has made your administration fight legitimate businesses and the opposition.

“I might add that it is actions such as this that have led to an unprecedented capital flight which has caused joblessness and made Nigeria the world headquarters for extreme poverty under your watch,” Atiku said

Secret that will land Atiku in jail has been revealed

For the Spokesperson of the Buhari Campaign Organization, Festus Keyamo, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Alhaji Atiku Abubakar should be in jail rather than contesting for the office of the President, if Nigeria had a working system.

Keyamo said Atiku would have been in jail for different acts of alleged corruption and abuse of power, including tax evasion.

He was responding to a statement by Atiku where he disagreed with President Muhammadu Buhari that the system in Nigeria allows corruption to thrive because it is slow in tackling corruption.

Atiku also said Buhari had failed to address cases of “corrupt practices” under his watch.

But Keyamo reminded Atiku that he was one of the “greatest beneficiaries of the failed system in tackling corruption that was in place before President Muhammadu Buhari took over in 2015”.

He claimed the former Vice-President robbed the Nigerian people of their wealth by acquiring substantial shares in INTELS as a customs officers when he was in power, thereby creating a monopolistic company which had been broken by President Buhari.

Keyamo who dragged former President Olusegun Obasanjo into the argument said “there was a competition for corruption between himself (Atiku), his boss and public officers”

For reasons why Atiku should be in jail, Keyamo explains, “For himself and his boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, granting themselves licenses to build universities as President and Vice President whilst in office in clear breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.

“Those Universities would have been probed, seized and transferred to the Nigerian State and the Nigerian people by now.

“Laundering slush funds to the United States of America using phony companies, part of which was used to fund his present American University in Adamawa State through which he is also extorting Nigerians through exorbitant fees. It is public knowledge that this indictment is contained in a US Congressional Report that has led to the prosecution and conviction of his accomplices in the US, which are William Jefferson and Siemens.

“They were convicted under a system that works, whilst he has been walking free in Nigeria and even aspiring to the highest office in the land. It is also public knowledge that his ban from entering the United States was as a result of these indictments.

“His indictment and recommendation for prosecution by the Report of the EFCC over the PTDF scandal whilst he was Vice President.”

He said Atiku and his goons who looted the country had forfeited property and cash amount including, 407 Mansions since 2015; N794 Billion; over $261 Million Dollars; 1.1 Million Pounds Sterling; 8.1 Million Euros; 259 Automobiles; a fully functional hospital, St. Solomon Health Care Centre at 24, Adeniyi Jones Street, Ikeja Lagos, among others.

Keyamo said the former Vice-President lacked the morals and character to “stand shoulder-to-shoulder in matters of integrity with President Muhammadu Buhari”, describing it a “political suicide.”

He maintained that judgment day had come upon Atiku whom he describes as someone lacking in integrity needed to win the 2019 presidential election.

“Now Judgment Day has come when the credential needed by the Nigerian people for the highest office are not the buildings and wealth but the simple quality of integrity.

“Alhaji Atiku Abubakar cannot eat his cake and have it.”

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30,000 APC member decamped to PDP

No fewer than 30,000 members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday decamped to Accord Party in Lagos State, stating that that they were aggrieved at the culture of impunity in the state chapter of the party which denied Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and many other aspirants a level playing field for the party’s tickets.

This is just as the aggrieved APC members immediately adopted governorship candidate of the PDP, Jimi Agbaje as their preferred candidate for the governorship election.
The defectors, who came from the state’s 20 local governments at a well-attended ceremony which took place at Lagos Airport Hotel, cheered as the candidate of Accord Party, Engineer Joseph Ola Beckley said he was standing down for Agbaje in the governorship election.

Witnesses to the carnivallike ceremony included Agbaje, his running mate, Mrs. Haleemat Oluwayemisi Busari, recently defected former Lagos State Commissioner for Power, Mr. Wale Oluwo, a former Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Alhaji Rahman Owokoniran and the PDP Lagos Chairman, Dr. Adegbola Dominic.

The defectors, who described themselves as “Aggrieved Members of the APC” were led by a chieftain of the party, Mr. Sunday Ajayi. He said they decided to dump APC due to widespread impunity perpetrated by the leadership of APC.

Addressing a crowd of politicians, including chieftains of the PDP and the Accord Party, Ajayi stated “we, the leaders of the Aggrieved APC, have decided to bid byebye to the APC over the reign of impunity being carried out by the party in the state.”

Ajayi accused the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, of committing gross impunity against members through imposition of candidates on the APC, insisting that the era of one-man rule in the state had gone.

PDP seek power to evade justice for crime committed against Nigeria

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is after power to escape justice from crimes it allegedly committed against Nigerians.

Phrank Shaibu, special assistant to the PDP presidential candidate on media, had called for a probe into an alleged link between President Muhammadu Buhari and Etisalat Nigeria.

Reacting in a statement on Thursday, Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC spokesman, said Atiku Abubakar, PDP presidential candidate, should tell Nigerians why he wants to be president instead “of raising puerile allegations on a daily basis”.

Issa-Onilu said Nigerians are desirous of a campaign that focuses on issues that matter to them.

“The PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is exhibiting early signs of depression, resulting from obvious frustration. Consequently, he is unable to focus on his campaign,” he said.

“Otherwise, Atiku should tell Nigerians why a discredited person like him should be elected as president instead of raising puerile allegations on a daily basis.

“President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC, not his programmes for the country appear to be his main campaign issues.

“For Atiku and his PDP co-travellers, the only interest is to grab power and continue where they stopped in their avarice. The APC administration is eager to showcase the impressive achievements we have recorded in the last three and half years.

“This is the campaign that matters to us and this is what Nigerians are interested in. The trajectory is exciting as we see a brighter future shaping up. We won’t yield to the PDP’s shenanigans. The obvious strategy of the PDP is to truncate the country’s journey towards economic buoyancy and social stability.

“We will not play the PDP’s game. PDP is acting an anti-people’s script. President Buhari remains unshaken by the desperate efforts being made by Atiku and the PDP to blackmail the APC government. Everyone who was involved in corrupt practices would be brought to justice.

“PDP is not offering any alternative to the progressive course this government is pursuing. It is actually apparent that the party is not contesting the 2019 elections to redeem itself, least of doing any good for the country, but simply to seize power to escape justice for the grievous crimes committed against the people of this country.”

Buhari to Still : You should be in jail, if Nigeria has been working

President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Orgnisation has said that the Presidential Candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar would have been in jail if the system was working in the country.

Director of Strategic Communications (Official Spokesperson)of the organisation, Festus Keyamo, in a statement last night, said if the system was to be working before President Buhari took over in 2015, Atiku would be in jail by now instead of contesting for the presidency.

“Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to the Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar disputing the assertion by President Muhammadu Buhari that the system in Nigeria allows corruption to thrive because the system is slow in tackling corruption.

“Alhaji Atiku Abubakar further blamed President Muhammadu Buhari for perceived failure in addressing some instances of ‘corrupt practices’ under his watch.

“Let us remind Alhaji Atiku Abubakar that he is one of the greatest beneficiaries of the failed system in tackling corruption that was in place before President Muhammadu Buhari took over in 2015.

“We know he is aware of this, hence his latest diatribe against President Muhammadu Buhari amounts to nothing but disgusting grandstanding and an attempt to mock the system.

“If the system in Nigeria was indeed working, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would not have acquired substantial shares in INTELS in clear conflict of his duties as a Customs Officer whilst in office. Those shares would have belonged to the Nigerian people by now.

“If the system in Nigeria was indeed working, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would not have run a monopolistic company called INTELS all these years, ripping off the Nigerian people and the Nigerian State before Muhammadu Buhari came and broke that monopoly.

“If the system was working, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would have been prosecuted and jailed for various acts of corruption and abuse of office after he left office as Vice President.

“We are also challenging Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to publicly display his Personal Income Tax receipts for the 3 years preceding 2018 to show that he did not just run to FIRS in 2018 to pay his backlog of Personal Income Taxes.

“For the information of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, President Muhammadu Buhari’s gallant efforts in tackling corruption headlong has led to the conviction of the President’s own party men and ex Governors who served under PDP and for acts they committed whilst in PDP,” he pointed out.

Real Madrid to give Chelsea two players for Hazard signing

Champions League holders, Real Madrid will give Chelsea two players in a bid to sign their star player, Eden Hazard at the end of the season.

Hazard has been repeatedly linked with a move to the Spanish La Liga giants over the past two years.

According to El Espanol, the two players the Los Blacos will give the Blues for Hazard are midfielders, Isco and Mateo Kovacic.

Isco has not been playing regularly for Real Madrid so far this campaign since Santiago Solari replaced Julen Lopetegui as manager.

Kovacic is already on loan at Chelsea from Real Madrid, having moved to Stamford Bridge during the summer transfer window as part of Madrid’s deal to sign goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois from the West London club.

The Croatian international has impressed for Chelsea since joining the club, and earlier this month he admitted he could imagine staying with the Premier League club beyond the end of his loan deal.

The reason why Sarri called Chelsea fans "stupid"

Sarri has called for a 'fight against the stupids'

Maurizio Sarri says tackling racism is a "fight against stupid people" following further allegations of racist chanting by Chelsea fans during the 2-1 win at Watford.

A minority of the away end were reported to have been heard shouting discriminatory remarks during the Boxing Day clash at Vicarage Road.

It follows other incidents from some Blues supporters in December, with Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling allegedly being targeted by racist abuse at Stamford Bridge while UEFA is investigating alleged anti-Semitic chanting during a Europa League game in Hungary.

Blues manager Sarri believes racism remains a problem in society and is not confined to supporters of his club.

"First of all I want to speak with my club, second I don't want to generalise because 99 per cent our fans are really wonderful," replied Sarri when asked about the issue.

"In every community, I think there are some stupids.

"And so altogether we have to fight against the stupid people but not against the Chelsea fans."

Eden Hazard's double secured victory for Chelsea as they returned to winning ways following Saturday's shock home defeat to Leicester.

Hazard rounded Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster in first-half stoppage time to slide home his 100th goal for the club and open the scoring.

Roberto Pereyra volleyed the hosts level less than three minutes later but Hazard, once again deployed as a false nine, converted the second-half winner from the penalty spot after he was brought down by Foster.

The result moves Chelsea back into fourth place in the Premier League and, afterwards, Sarri put Hazard in a similar bracket to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

In Pictures | Watford vs Chelsea | 26/12/2018

In Pictures | Watford vs Chelsea | 26/12/2018

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"Of course, he's very important for us but (Lionel) Messi's very important for Barcelona, Cristiano Ronaldo's very important for Juventus," said the Italian.

"He is a very great player. He's able to play in every position, at the moment he is playing like a false number nine and he is very able to play in that position.

"He is very able to come to play with team-mates, he is very able to open spaces for team-mates. I think he can play very well in every position."

Watford's loss followed successive top-flight victories to leave them ninth in the table.

The hosts were denied a penalty by referee Martin Atkinson when Gerard Deulofeu went down following a tangle with David Luiz at 1-1.

Hornets manager Javi Gracia suggested his team were unfortunate not to be awarded a spot-kick for that incident.

Sarri watched his side return to winning ways at Watford (REUTERS)

"I prefer not to say many things about that, I prefer not to say my opinion today," said the Spaniard.

He added: "We know it's difficult playing against Chelsea because they are a very good team, but I think we've tried.

"I'm proud of the effort of my players and we try to do better and get a better result in the next game."

Speaking about the contribution of match-winner Hazard, Gracia said: "Always you know he's a player with special quality, speed, skilful and it's difficult to stop him - not only him, all of them are very good players."