Opinion I APC And Her Kangaroo Congresses

APC AND HER KANGAROO ELECTIVE CONGRESSES

        Last two weeks – precisely on Saturday, 5^th May 2018 – the ruling All progressives Congress (APC) had her elective congress in all the 8,812 political wards nationwide as its tradition demanded.

        Prior to the emergence of the epochal outing, many Nigerians earnestly looked forward to witnessing a well organized and distinguished congress. The people’s expectations weren’t unconnected with the fact that the party is currently in charge of the country’s leadership, hence was supposed to come up with an exemplary in-house election.

       Unfortunately and disappointedly, the various congresses were greeted with countless irregularities. It was mind-boggling to observe that virtually all the states across the country were overwhelmed by the ‘unexpected’ loophole.

        In most quarters, the exercise was characterized by all sorts of manipulations and pranks. In some states like Akwa Ibom and Kwara, some of the party members aspiring for certain positions were faced with harassments by hired thugs. Whilst, such states as Imo and Enugu witnessed parallel congress. The worst of all, states like Delta and Rivers never kept murder aside.

        It’s, therefore, needless to state that the long awaited congress, in its entirety, deserved to be confirmed inconclusive, even as a few states had claimed that theirs were hitch-free. It suffices to assert that that political outing, which was inundated with several anomalies, ought to be declared null and void. Hence, I’m glad the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) has aligned with this assertion.

       The APC ward congress that bore a kangaroo’s pattern of movement had thrown the citizenry in disarray. Its outcome, which seemed not unlike a soured Egusi soup engulfed in mucus, has continued to generate tremendous ripples among the teeming onlookers as well as succeeded in making most members of the party – especially the bigwigs – to now sleep with one eye open.

        In the same vein, on that fateful day, the APC’s primary election in Ekiti State targeted to produce the party’s flag-bearer for the July 14 gubernatorial polls in the state was equally marred by irregularities. The event, which was disrupted by violence at the voting venue, experienced series of gun shots and destruction of ballot papers. It was gathered that the controversies were ignited by aggrieved party members whose grievances were informed by the alleged malpractice occurring therein.

        On Tuesday, 8^th May 2018, the country’s leading opposition platform – the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) – apparently tutored the APC on how a party’s primary should be conducted by successfully producing its flag-bearer for the awaited Ekiti guber polls in a seeming keenly contested hitch-free election, though some members like Prince Dayo Adeyeye have alleged imposition of candidate on the party by the state’s Governor, Chief Ayodele Fayose. The outing saw the emergence of the present Deputy Governor of the state, Prof. Kolapo Olusola as the party’s flag-bearer.

        The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has pleaded with other parties to emulate the successful conduct showcased by the PDP. The CNPP disclosed that it was impressed about the openness and orderliness with which the PDP carried out the election as it further urged its members to not only emulate the exercise but improve on the level of transparency witnessed at the polls.

        On the day of the Local Government Areas (LGA) congress of the APC being Saturday, 12^th May 2018, the story wasn’t different. There was still such reported incident of irregularities as malpractice, pranks, parallel congress, violence and what have you. Even as some states like Imo and Rivers weren’t opportune to conduct theirs owing to postponement or court injunction.

        It’s noteworthy that what the APC is faced with at the moment was exactly what marred the PDP prior to the 2015 general elections, thereby ousting the latter from the country’s Seat of Power. It would be recalled that the PDP was at the time characterized by lack of internal democracy, which afterwards warranted its abrupt downfall at the various polls.

        One may have thought that the APC ought to have learnt from such a scenario. But as it stands, it seems the ruling party is yet to take reference from that conundrum that befell the PDP three years ago. This, thus, smacks of danger for the APC.

        However, the good side of the ongoing crisis within the APC is that it has enabled most of its stalwarts – particularly some state governors – who believed the party belongs to them to comprehend that an association, either political or social, isn’t owned by anyone, although could be founded by an individual.

        As committees have already been set up by the party’s leadership to investigate as well as address the crises, they must take into cognizance that various states across the federation had been harbouring two or more factions before the outing, which was ostensibly the reason for the parallel congresses witnessed in most quarters. Hence, such a lacuna ought to be considered as fundamental.

        To ensure that it doesn’t become lachrymose in the nearest future, the APC needs to at all cost put its house in order in earnest. To before warned is to before armed. Think about it!

Comrade Fred Nwaozor

National Coordinator, Right Thinkers Movement

____________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

Twitter: @mediambassador            

            

Opinion I One Failed Recall, N100m Expenditure

FAILED RECALL AND SUCCESSFUL EXPENDITURE

        Penultimate year, precisely in June, the constituents of Kogi West Senatorial District reportedly tendered a recall petition purportedly signed by over 188,000 persons to the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

       The petition, which intended to unseat the Senator representing the said constituency Dino Melaye, was apparently informed by the ensued lack of confidence of the petitioners over the lawmaker. According to them, the legislator was due to be recalled from the Red Chamber of the National Assembly (NASS), hence urged the INEC to expedite action towards ensuring that their quest saw the light of the day.

       Consequently, on Monday, 3^rd July 2017, the petitioned commission led by Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, released a time-table for the requested recall process. But the embattled lawmaker, Sen. Melaye – through his solicitor, Mr. Mike Ozekhome – filed a suit at the Federal High Court Abuja, asking the judicial custodian to halt the process, alleging some irregularities.

       The High Court, unfortunately, threw out the prayer of the defendant, describing it as baseless. The latter, thereafter, headed for the Supreme Court to appeal the judgement. Early this year, the apex court equally overruled the lawful protest, thereby ordered the INEC to continue with the recall process.

       On Saturday, 28^th April 2018, the day scheduled by the electoral umpire for the verification exercise among the constituents of the Kogi West in order to wrap up the recall procedure, something intriguing transpired. To the onlookers’ utmost surprise, not up to one-quarter of the petition’s signatories turned up for the exercise, thus resulting in the failure of the proposed recall.

       After the whole brouhaha, the country’s leading opposition platform – the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) – alleged that the INEC expended about N100 billion on the failed recall process against Sen. Melaye. The bombshell threw the entire polity into a state of disarray.

       While concerned Nigerians were making frantic effort to fathom how the PDP came about the unspeakable figure, on Friday, 4^th May 2018, the INEC Chairman Prof. Yakubu – in his reaction on behalf of the commission – refuted the allegation, thus further disclosed that a little above N100 million was rather spent on the exercise.

        In a bid to throw more light, the boss stated that a recall process was like a fresh election or normal electoral process, hence attracts equal financial burden. According to him, since a similar procedure is required in either of the aforementioned processes, which involve such activities as printing of materials, deployment of manpower to all the available booths or polling units in the affected constituency and engagement of adequate security personnel, same amount of fund is needed in carrying out any of them.

       The boss’ explanation got me more confused, to assert the least. It suffices to say that I’m yet to ascertain what informed such whopping expenditure. Going by his analysis, it implies that about, or a minimum of, N100m is invariably spent each time a senatorial election is being conducted in Kogi West.

       With the help of Mathematics, precisely Statistics, I would like us to painstakingly re-examine the claim. Nigeria comprises 109 senatorial districts. Kogi West consists of 552 polling units in seven LGAs. Most senatorial zones in the country have more than 7 LGAs, hence liable to have more number of booths than that of Kogi West.

        Since the zones that have more number of booths are far more than those that have lower booths, we can assume that all the zones comprise equal number of polling units to enable us carry out the required mathematics with ease.

        In view of the above logic, if N100m is to be expended on Kogi West during any election, then since we have 109 districts nationwide, about N10.9 billion is expected to be spent on just senatorial elections. Or, let’s say at least N10.9b would be required for all the polls involving the NASS since elections of both Chambers are usually conducted on the same day, even though additional printed materials would be required for the duo exercise thereby incurring more funds.

        Considering the above survey, it is obvious that if the claim of the INEC’s Chairman holds water, Nigeria as a country is supposed to budget, or perhaps has been budgeting, not less than one trillion naira towards any electioneering era with a view to conducting free, fair and credible general elections, which is ostensibly far-fetched.  

        If this conclusion is anything to go by, then one wouldn’t hesitate to say unequivocally that Prof. Yakubu still owes us some pertinent further interpretations concerning how the commission arrived at such bogus expenditure.

        On the other hand, the PDP still needs to explain to the teeming Nigerians how they managed to come up with that figure, N100b. Though the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government is apparently always ready to welcome whistle blowers, the scenario does not call for inconsequential and unfounded speculations. This is the reason every party involved in this quagmire must be invited for a holistic interrogation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

        As I enjoin the INEC to give us the painstaking statistics of the logistics that warranted that fathomless expenditure, I equally extend an invitation to the PDP in order to remind them that a whistle blower is expected to tender some convincing documents to back up his or her allegation. This very paragraph is the highlights of this critique in its entirety.

        So, as I sit and wait impatiently for the needful to be done, I needn’t remind the concerned anti-graft agency that time is seriously ticking. Think about it!

Comrade Fred Nwaozor

National Coordinator, Right Thinkers Movement

_________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

Twitter: @mediambassador            

            

Opinion I As Okorocha Launches Public-Private Partnership Policy

AS OKOROCHA LAUNCHES PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP POLICY

        
The last time I checked, the Imo State Government led by Governor Rochas Okorocha had successfully launched a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) policy. It suffices to say that the two sectors involved now have a business understanding among themselves apparently for the good of the state.

      
The initiative, which was launched on Friday, 27^th April 2018, took place at the Imo Trade and Investment Centre situated in Owerri, the state’s capital territory. The historic outing, which unveiled the blueprint of the policy, was graced by countless top government functionaries and several captains of industries cum potential investors.

        
In his speech, Governor Okorocha stated that the Imo government was ready to enter into viable business partnership with any serious-minded prospective investor in the state towards ensuring that the ongoing societal menace like unemployment becomes a thing of the past in the Eastern Heartland.

        
According to the number one citizen, the government would exempt payment of tax, for up to twenty years or thereabouts, from anyone who has invested in any part of the state and could boast of a minimum of one hundred employees of Imo origin who are not relative of the investors.

        
He said, apart from tax exemption, hectares of land shall be provided for any individual or group that has decided to establish any factory in the state. He, however, disclosed that such largesse could not be provided unconditionally.

       
The governor hence stated that such privileges shall be granted to the prospective investors on the condition that the factory, when established, must be functional for at least two years without being obstructed. This implies that, the government would be willing to offer any of the aforementioned grants provided the investor(s) is/are determined to do business in the Eastern Heartland.

       
He went further to inform that even those willing to invest in housing estate shall equally receive the same treatment from the state’s government. He stated “If you want to go into real estate, we will show you about one kilometer of road and ask you to dualize and tar it. Or, we will mandate you to put street lights on the road. Then after your compliance, we will offer you any space of land of your choice for the proposed estate.”

        
Having taking note of all these, or the policy’s blueprint, as outlined by the Executive Governor, I have some pertinent questions to ask the number one citizen. I wish I could meet His Excellency one-on-one and deliberate the matters arising with him. Well, whichever way I deployed, the fact remains that my interest is targeted towards the good of the citizens and the state in general.

       

I wanted to enquire from the governor how he intends to ascertain the genuineness of the self acclaimed prospective investor. From his mission statement, it seems anyone who comes from anywhere and indicates interest of investing in the state, or verbally assures the government of adequate employment of jobless Imolites, would outrightly be lavished with hectares of land coupled with Certificate of Occupancy (C of O).

        

If this is what the government intends to do, then every dick and harry would definitely come in disguise as potential investor just for the sole aim of defrauding the state of our common patrimony. Hence, the governor needs to disclose to us how he intends to find out if the interested investor is for good or bad. Or, the plan of the Rescue Mission Administration towards ensuring that even if the investor eventually established the proposed factory, the firm won’t die on arrival.

       

Aside ascertaining the genuineness of the intending investor’s background or antecedents, there’s also need to ensure that the business wouldn’t go into extinction within a very short time it came into existence. We must have an avenue of ensuring that the intending beneficiary really means business, and not just out for a kangaroo deal.

       

Similarly, how realistic is it to exempt up to twenty years tax from the corporate body if eventually established and becomes functional? Implementing such proposed offer is really far-fetched. If we exempt them from paying tax for a whole twenty years, how does the state intend to benefit from the firms as regards Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)?

       

Or, do we intend to grant all the privileges to them just for the interest of ensuring that our citizens are employed in the long run? We must take into cognizance that the prospective employees are going to work for the firms towards ensuring productivity; so I see no reason we should offer them overwhelming largesse to ensure that they establish in the state. The partnership or bilateral relation shouldn’t be initiated in such a way that the private sector would take advantage of the government’s magnanimity.

        

Same question is applicable to that of the housing estate. If they electrify our streets via installation of street lights, how do we intend to ensure sustenance of the project? Or, does our concern only lies in ensuring installation of the lights without guaranteeing continuity in the long run? A strict measure must equally be implemented with a view to ensuring that the private investor sustains their own part of the deal, or does not violate any clause that’s enshrined thereof.

       

Besides, isn’t it justifiable to sell such a critical and sensitive policy to the state’s legislators? Whenever such initiative came on board, it is essential to involve the lawmakers to ensure that it is duly given a legal backing thereafter. Failure to domesticate such a policy would surely warrant its abuse by successive governments in the future.                   

 

So, if truly the Rescue Mission government sees it as a laudable programme and one that really means well for the state, it shouldn’t hesitate in extending it to the Imo House of Assembly to enable the legislators do the needful if need be.

       

The Igbo people would invariably say “Ihe emeziri amaa, ana akpoya nwa nma” meaning literally, whatever that’s done well is called the child of beauty. The adage is actually trying to educate us that if anything is done the way it ought to, it would look nice in the eyes of every onlooker. In other words, we are encouraged to take our time to bring the best out of anything we are into or involved, so that, our teeming followers will live to celebrate us.

       

The Okorocha-led government might mean well for the Eastern Heartland by initiating the PPP policy, but it’s highly consequential to involve every measure or approach that would ensure that only the needful is adhered to as long as the initiative lasts. Think about it!

 

Comrade Fred Nwaozor

National Coordinator, Right Thinkers

___________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

Follow me: @mediambassador