NACC Cautions Gen Buhari Over Appointment of Questionable Persons

By Ogah Simeon, Abuja

President-elect, General Buhari has been cautioned to be wary of persons whose track records in service has been questionable overtime due to the lip-service of government in tackling corruption in the country. This according to the group has become necessary in light of the low credibility ratings of the out-going administration by both international and local players that corruption starts with the appointment of unscrupulous elements into government.

The group, National Advocacy Crusade Centre,[NACC] through its Executive Secretary, Olayinka Alao, in a statement, decried the high level of corruption in the country and warned that if drastic measures are not taken to curb systemic corruption which starts with the appointment of unqualified persons into sensitive positions the country may be plunged into recession.

The group particularly made reference to the Executive Director of NEXIM Bank, Ms Folake Itohan, revealing that there are stealth moves by Folake to influence her appointment as MD of the Bank, having fraudulently risen to the top without due process.

The group further revealed that she courted one Alhaji Ibrahim Imam who is perceived to have high-powered links within the President-elect camp to deliver her into the office of Managing Director but was turned down and warned that they might be others in the society close to the 'Mr. Integrity' not by principle and urged the fearless anti-corruption crusader cum President to be vigilant to avoid anyone from smuggling her on board through dubious means.

The statement said that she agreed to pay N200million to him to work around her appointment. It was also revealed that she promised to make monthly remittance of N10million to Alhaji Imam if she is given the appointment.

The group expressed curiosity over her position as Executive Director of NEXIM Bank, saying that her appointment in the first place did not meet up to the basic requirement, adding that the process was not transparent and lacked merit, but rather was handpicked for such a top job by the powers that be, throwing merit, integrity and competence to the wind. This source confirmed from NEXIM bank through one source that has caused institutional damages to the system as it has become the duty of her subordinates to groom and nurture her just to meet up with the technical aspects of the job which she is acquired through the back door.

"Our checks also revealed that her appointment was in total violation of the CBN rules and regulations for appointment into executive positions of banks that candidates must have risen to the level of Assistant General Manager before he or she could be seconded to the top for any reason. However, in Salami's case her contacts in high places was just enough to add up and one begins to wonder when such would end as God has given Nigeria a new President."

Olayinka however, called on the “president-elect, Gen Buhari to look into her appointment and possibly revert her to her former position as Manager, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria as she has not performed well enough to earn her present posting, instead abused her office by engaging in unethical and unprofessional conduct."

He further urged “the incoming government to immediately take decisive action against corrupt elements within the corridors of power that has continually drained the economy of the country through dubious activities.”

‘I Didn’t Lose Gubernatorial Election’, Maku insist

Mr Labaran Maku, governorship candidate of APGA has yesterday said that “The outcome of the election results is unacceptable.  This is because there were issues of widespread fraud, conspiracy and collusion between INEC, the police, the military and the Al-Makura Regime, which led to criminal and large-scale rigging of the vote to impose Tanko Al-Makura on the people of Nasarawa State.

“What happened in Nasarawa does not qualify to be called an election.  It was an electoral coup executed by the INEC and the security chiefs in Nasarawa State purely for ethno-religious reasons,” the former minister of information said yesterday in Akwanga during a chat with pressmen.

He said his claims can be proven from “the process of materials distribution and appointment of Adhoc electoral staff and even the posting of INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner to Nasarawa State, it was clear that the agenda was to massively rig the votes in Nasarawa State for Al-Makura to continue in power.  Most of the INEC Adhoc staff were either core APC members or sympathizers.  The rest were bought over by the regime.

“In many cases, results sheets were not available.  In most cases, card readers were set aside to allow massive rigging to take place in various units and unspecified localities outside electoral units.

“INEC Adhoc staff played the role of APC agents and manipulated the voting process to favour the APC.  Mercenaries and thugs were equally deployed to make sure that places where APC was losing were disrupted through attacks on polling and collation centres.

“The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner ensured that materials were delivered mainly to places where APC would have the opportunity to rig.  All the places dominated by APGA either suffered shortage of electoral materials or were supplied card readers programmed to fail.

“Ballot box snatching was rampant. There was intimidation of voters, destruction of election results and other coordinated crimes by the thugs supported by police in some cases that made the so-called re-election of Tanko Al-Makura laughable and a charade.

Maku opined that “There were attacks by mercenaries in Awe, Doma, Obi, Lafia and Kokona Local Government Areas, aside from the fake policemen and soldiers recruited by Al-Makura to unleash terror on hapless electorate.

 “In Karu collation centres, soldiers stormed the place, beat up everyone at site and carted away materials only to cook up outrageous figures for the APC at Mararaba, which is a known stronghold of APGA.

According to the former minister, “What happened in Kokona was a shame.  A local government APC could never dream of winning was suddenly manipulated by rigging the vote in Agwada, Sabon Gida and Hadari to cook up figures for the APC.

 “Most of Saturday and Sunday was suffused with widespread reports of ballot theft and thumb-printing at Government House, NADP home of the Governor, Sandaji Hotel and on a notorious farm in Keffi known for shady deals since the National Assembly and the Presidential elections of March 28, 2015.

“The worse forms of violence and abuses occurred at Awe, Giza, Bassa, Dadare, Adudu, Ikposogye, Akwaika of Obi Local Government Area as well as Lafia Metropolis where armed APC thugs operating under the tacit cover of the police attacked APGA supporters, voters and stabbed to death one APGA supporter in the premises of the Ibrahim Abacha Youth Centre in the full glare of the police.  Other thugs in Lafia attacked voting centres at Tudun Gwandara and Chiroma Electoral Ward.

Speaking further, Maku said “The scale of abuses is exemplified by widespread cancellation of APGA votes by the INEC in collusion with security personnel and the APC.  In Doma Local Government Area, over 10,000 votes belonging to APGA were cancelled on flimsy grounds.

 “Everywhere figures were cooked up and announced to a dumb-founded public who stayed shell-shocked as this absurdity in the name of election lasted in Nasarawa State.

Maku said further, “If what happened in Nasarawa State is a sample of the new APC regime in Nigeria, our country is up to a long long night of state criminality that will surely tarnish the electoral process reforms and the new standards set by President Goodluck Jonathan, which have been applauded by the whole world.

“Nasarawa’s case was worsened by the ethno-religious conspiracy in the North, which continues to see our state as a fiefdom for the theocratic domination of the indigenous people of the state.

 “We will fight on till freedom, liberty and justice is attained for all our people regardless of ethnic, religious and social origins.

Nasarawa: Drama As PDP Agent Produces Missing Result Sheet – PremiumTimes

Result sheets and other election materials snatched on Saturday were on Sunday found in the custody of a party agent.

The election materials were snatched from the over 50 corps members and 16 adhoc staff held hostage by villagers during the gubernatorial elections in the eastern part of Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

Garba Mohammed, an agent of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, brought the sensitive materials to the state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, few hours after the released corps members were also brought to the same office.

The appearance of Mr. Mohammed, a former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, with the materials threw the INEC office into commotion with other party agents demanding to know how the materials got to his custody.

The party agents demanded the arrest of the PDP agent and asked why the villagers who held the corps members hostage chose to give him the materials rather than to INEC officials.

Mr. Ezekiel, however, explained that the materials were snatched by the villagers after the results were collated and that he had to run to avoid been lynched.

He added that the villagers insisted that until the collation and returning officer arrived, they would not release the materials, same reason they held the corps members hostage.

Despite his explanations, other party agents insisted that the results be cancelled and the INEC officer and the PDP agent be prosecuted for the disappearance of the corps members who were released twenty hours after.

Sule Zubairu, the state INEC head of logistics, directed that the materials be kept in the ‘strong room’ and asked the PDP agent to wait until the security agents give further instructions.

Nasarawa Decides: Gunshot At Agents, Elections still on In The Compound Of APC Chieftain

Report reaching us from Lafia town is that sporadic gun shots have been fired into the air around polling units where faithful agents and voters are involved in electioneering; to instigate violence and molest teaming supporters by APC thugs.

According to the report, the incident took place in the presence of security agents and INEC officials.

 Meanwhile, INEC has commenced fresh elections in Kanje, Gidan Ihuman, Azara Wards and Awe South in Angwan Madaki.

As at the time of filing this report, soldiers were reported to have invaded and forcefully taken over the ballot boxes from the four polling unit.

One of the units is said to have been moved to one of APC’s chieftain’s compound who is also the former commissioner of culture and tourism in the state.

It will be recalled that the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA has yesterday which is the election date complained of police brutality and molestation and has escaping death by the whiskers while three of his agents where left injured after being mobbed by some alleged APC thugs.

According to him, “the APC sent thugs to scuttle elections in the polling Unit.” When asked if the security operatives present are aware of the development, he responded by saying “there are just one civil defense and a police officer here. So far they don’t seem to concern about it since the crowd is overwhelming and violent in nature.”

PDP, APGA Cry Foul Over ‘Disappearance’ Of Returning Officers In Lafia - Daily Trust Report

Daily Trust Newspaper, one of Nigeria’s leading newspapers, have confirmed our earlier cry over APC efforts to rig elections in Nasarawa state. See details  

PDP, APGA Cry Foul Over ‘Disappearance’ Of Returning Officers In Lafia

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Nasarawa State have cried foul that results in parts of Lafia may be cooked as they alleged that returning officers in four wards disappeared alongside agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mark Yohanna Neto, spokesman of the PDP in the state, and Peter Ter, monitoring officer of the APGA in Lafia-East area of Lafia local government area alleged that all returning officers in four wards of Ashigye, Fadaman Bauna, Adogi and Assakio disappeared last night with result sheets.

The two parties alleged that agents of the APC equally left the ward collation centres.

“We are aware of an incident in four wards in Lafia-East where returning officers just disappeared. Curiously, all APC agents at the same collation centres have disappeared,” said Mark Neto of the PDP.  This is just as Mr. Ter of APGA alleged that “All the returning officers are not on ground; they left with the result sheets. Also, all APC agents have left without a trace. We are left here in the dark here at Ashigye. I made calls to our agents in the other wards, and they are telling me the same thing; that the returning officers disappeared without a word to them.”

But the state APC chairman, Mr. Philip Shekwo said he had no information that his party’s agents at the ward collation centres disappeared. 

“I will not be able to speak properly on this for now because I have no such information,” Shekwo said.    INEC spokesman in the state, Ibrahim Abdullahi told Sunday Trust on phone that he contacted the Electoral Officer in Lafia on the allegations, saying he was told that all returning offcers have been dispatched to their designated centres. He said there was no report saying they disappeared from the ward collation centres.

State police command spokesman, ASP Umaru Ismaila said the police have no comments to pass on the allegations, explaining that if the officers disappeared, it was for INEC to be contacted, not the police.