How Amaechi was re-elected

After many weeks of intrigues and horse-trading, Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State was re-elected as the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, beating his lone rival, Jonah Jang of Plateau State.

It was even an anticlimax that Jang ended up as Amaechi’s sole challenger, having not been in the frame throughout the preparations for the tensed vote.

But Saturday Vanguard learnt that the failure of the series of meeting held to resolve the disagreement over who should challenge Amaechi from pro-Jonathan camp, paved the way for Amaechi’s victory.

The People’s Democratic Party had settled for Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State to run against Amaechi and made it clear to its campaign managers that the governor was its preferred candidate.

However, the Katsina state Governor, Ibrahim Shema, who insisted he had earlier been tipped by the Presidency for the same contest, refused to step down for Yuguda.

Reliable sources confirmed to Saturday Vanguard that spirited efforts made to persuade Shema to see reasons and step down for Yuguda, failed even after the Northern Governors Forum and the PDP Governors Forum had met and pleaded with him.

Angered by the insistence of Shema to run, the NGF meeting, which met earlier at the Niger State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, excused him and his Bauchi counterpart from the meeting and opted to push Jang to run.

It was gathered that upon their return to the meeting of the NGF, both Shema and Yuguda were asked to stand down and vote for Jang as the candidate of the north.

At the enlarged meeting of the PDPGF held at Akwa Ibom Governor’s Lodge also in Asokoro, Jang was subsequently presented as the ‘anointed’ candidate of the party to confront Amaechi.

A source said that as soon as Yuguda was forced to leave the contest, it was all clear to them that Amaechi would beat Jang,who was not in the picture at all.

"Honestly, it was a big disappointment to see the way the whole game went because Jang was not in the frame and those who decided at the last minute to draft him into the contest should be made to explain what they wanted to achieve."

"What has happened now is a big slap to our own camp and it is a shame that things went that way because some people believe that they understand politics more than others,”  the source said.

Announcing the results of the ballot, the Director-General, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Asishana Bayo Okauru disclosed that Governor Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari of Zamfara was unanimously voted in as the Vice Chairman, following the withdrawal of Governor  Olusegun Mimiko from the race.

All the 36 governors except that of Yobe State, Ibrahim Gaidam were present and the election was through secret ballot.

An elated Amaechi while accepting the outcome of the election, said there was no victor and no vanquished but thanked his colleagues for the confidence reposed in him.

Amaechi Speaks: Our Private Jet Costs N7bn, Not N9bn

Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on Saturday said contrary to reports, the state government's private jet costs $45m (N7.1bn) and not $57 (N9bn).

The governor said this through his Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, in an interview with our correspondent in Port Harcourt.

Amaechi described the allegations that he inflated the cost of the jet by $10m as unfounded and a figment of the imagination of those spreading such false information.

According to him, the allegations were targeted at distracting the state government from its responsibility of developing the state.

"The state government has never announced that the aircraft was purchased for $57m. That statement did not come from us. The aircraft was bought for US$45m. We see all these as a distraction," Amaechi said.

Meanwhile, two aides to the Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Mr. Chikodi Dike, were on Saturday barred by a team of policemen from entering the council secretariat.

The two aides were the Chief of Staff, Rivers State Government House, Mr. Tony Okocha and the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr. Emmanuel Chinda.

 The incident, which occurred around 2.30pm, came barely 24 hours after a team of policemen had sealed off the council secretariat allegedly on the orders of the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mbu Joseph Mbu.

Workers of the council and visitors on the premises were also ordered out of the secretariat by the policemen on Friday before sealing off the place.

Speaking with newsmen outside the premises of the council, Okocha described the development as a coup against the people of Obio/Akpor and the people of the state in general.

Dike had earlier gone to the secretariat for the monthly environmental sanitation, but was warned by the fierce-looking policemen that had mounted guard at the gate of the council secretariat for two days to stay away.

Okocha, who was peeved by the development, went to the council secretariat in company with Dike and Chinda.

However, the policemen stood their ground when the Chief of Staff and other government officials arrived the secretariat, saying they were acting on the order of the Divisional Police Officer of Rumuokoro Police Station.

Okocha said, "You can see that the whole place is blocked with police vehicles and policemen. This morning, the police PPRO had said no such thing existed. That is why I came to see things for myself."

"I was trying to find out the man who gave the instruction: the policeman I saw said it was the DPO who gave the instruction and he said the DPO is not around. I said okay; give me the name of the next person around.

"What I suspect is a coup in a democratic setting; a coup against Obio/Akpor local government and a coup against Rivers State. We know their plan is to provoke the people of Rivers so that there would be some kind of mayhem for them to declare a state of emergency."

He told newsmen that the state police boss had told him that the order to seal off the council secretariat was from the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar.

He described the action of the police as anti-government, saying, "I don't know whose script they are really acting out. I am shocked."

The PPRO, Mr. Ben Ugwuegbulam, had earlier said policemen were sent to the secretariat following a tip-off that there was a plot to attack the council secretariat.

Governor Fayemi Nominates New Deputy

Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi has forwarded the name of the Chairperson of the State's Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Prof Modupe Adelabu, to the state House of Assembly for consideration as the new deputy governor of the state.

Governor Fayemi, in a letter dated May 3rd, 2013, and addressed to the Speaker of the Assembly, Dr Adewale Omirin, requested the House to consider Prof Adelabu for the position of deputy governor, in the bid to fill the vacant position following the death of the former deputy governor, Mrs Funmilayo Olayinka, on April 6, 2013.

Adelabu, a Professor of Education at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile -Ife, was Head of the Department of Education Administration and Planning of the institution before her appointment as Chairperson of Ekiti State SUBEB in July 2011.

An Ado-Ekiti Princess, Prof Adelabu was born on May 23rd, 1950 in Ado Ekiti to Prince and Mrs. Samuel Adepoju Adejugbe. She attended Christ's School, Ado-Ekiti, 1962 – 1967; and Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo, 1968 -1970. She holds a B.A. (Ed), 1975; MPhil, 1981; and PhD, 1990, all from the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile- Ife.

Prof Adelabu started her teaching career as a Graduate Assistant in 1976 in the Department of Educational Administration and Planning , OAU, where she rose to the post of Professor in 2008.

She served as Head of the Department of Educational Administration several times and also served as External Examiner in some universities including the University of Ibadan; University of Lagos; University of Ilorin and Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti.

She has served as Council Member of National Teachers' Institute (2001 – 2003), Council Member, Christ International Divinity College (an affiliate of Acadia University Canada) Erinmo (2005 – 2010); Member Planning and Implementation Committee Joseph Ayo Babalola University (2004 – 2005); Member of Council Joseph Ayo Babalola University (2005 – 2010).

She was also a foundation member of Board, Ekiti State World Bank Assisted Poverty Reduction Agency (2000 – 2003); Member of Oxford Round Table, Oxford England, among other bodies.

A seasoned scholar and administrator of international repute, Prof Adelabu's major research area is on policy and personnel issues in education, including the roles of the state in education; teacher education as well poverty and gender related issues in education, particularly in rural areas.

She has published over 30 articles in both national and international journals.

She has been involved in consultancy work for the World Bank, Universal Basic Education Commission in Nigeria, United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and other international agencies.
 

She has also served as resource person for UNDP, UNICEF and UNESCO on various educational issues.

She was also part of the 15-member Education Reform Panel that worked on Ekiti State government's reforms in the education sector.

 
She is the recipient of the 2013 Kwame Nkrumah Leadership Award (African Administration Icon) organised by the All- African Student Union (ASSU).

Post-Chavez Venezuela: Where Is This Political Crisis Heading?

“it is very difficult to have a very clear path of how to lead the situation today……we are under major threats from a regime that knows that they lost elections, and they are trying to stop the Venezuelans to gain power, to actually recover freedom and liberties, which is the purpose of the opposition.”                                         - Diego Arria, former Venezuelan representative to the United Nations

Since the death of four-time president and founder of the Fifth Republic Movement, Lt. Col. Hugo Chavez at the age of 58, the country of Venezuela has slowly sailed into a time of political crisis and civil unrest.

 

Chavez died in early March (5^th, to be precise) after a long battle with cancer. As soon as word of his death hit the world, long time rival and unsuccessful challenger, Capriles Henrique Radonski quickly flew back to Caracas, Venezuela, to announce that he would run again for president in the newly arranged election for Chavez’s replacement.

On April 14, Venezuelans went to the polls which were to decide who will succeed Chavez between Capriles and Chavez’s former minister & serving Vice President, Nicolas Maduro. Although, the battle between Capriles and Maduro was a fierce one, Venezuelans elected Maduro president. 

It was an interesting election, because Maduro had already been named by Chavez as his successor before his passing, and Capriles, who had supported a failed US-backed coup against Chavez some years ago, claimed to be a “Bolivarian” (after Simon Bolivar) and a better executor of Chavez’s legacy than Maduro.

No doubt, the winner of the April 14^th election was Chavez himself. Supporters of Venezuelan democracy will tell you that any day. The fact that his chosen successor was accepted even after his death only means that the people always wanted Chavez, not that they were forced or bribed to put him in power over the years. If Capriles had won, he would have reverted to his usual ideologies and removed anything that represented Chavez.

Only a few days later, the opposition began burning down health clinics obviously erected by Chavez, and invoking series of violent acts. Surely, these acts are most likely aimed at discrediting the present government (if not overthrow it). But, nobody is taking responsibility for the violence.

Now, Capriles is refusing to accept the results of the election, meaning Maduro’s legitimacy is in question. He has demanded a full recount and called for street protests. In turn, Maduro, who was only focused on pressing matters of public administration, has been forced to face the seemingly growing problem.

Diosdado Cabello, president of parliament, has blamed Capriles for the violence and deaths which followed his rejection of the Sunday’s electoral results. Aurora Morales, president of the Miranda parliament has warned Capriles to either resume his role as Governor of Miranda (which he temporarily evacuated to contest in the elections), or forfeit it.

We all know that Maduro is no Hugo Chavez, and he faces a tough opposition which may include the US government (they were at loggerheads with Chavez when he was alive). Can he acquire Chavez’s charisma, rhetorical bombast and ability to gain unexpected alliances to defuse the growing tension in the country?.

Will there be an end to the political crisis brewing in the country?

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