Metro
Nov 6 Election: The 4 Classes of Defectors in Anambra and Why It Matters
By Ginika O. Nweke
In Anambra, there have been several defections in the past few weeks from various political parties to the All Progressives Congress (APC). A closer look at the situation reveals that there are four classes of defectors. Each class has different motivations and expectations from the other. What they all share in common is that none of them is decamping to APC because they feel it is a good party that is good for Anambra and has the interest of Nigerians at heart, or that APC as a party can improve the lot of Anambrarians, and promote economic prosperity and better standards of living for Anambrarians. None of them believe any of this, rather they are all decamping for personal reasons.
Here are the 4 Classes of defectors in Anambra:
1. The Corrupt Who Are Prisoners In Waiting
A large proportion of the people decamping from other political parties to the APC have corruption cases and are being intimidated and threatened by the government to join their party or get jailed. As far as political strategies go, the All Progressives Congress (APC) under President Muhammadu Buhari has been pathetic in its drive for power. They silence political opponents, threaten, blackmail, and intimidate them all to have them defect to the ruling party. As soon as said politicians join the ruling party, their corruption cases with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) magically disappear.
APC and President Muhammadu Buhari are extremely corrupt and have damaged the fabric of decency in Nigeria. Many people decamping to APC in Anambra are victims of President Muhammadu Buhari’s reign of intimidation and fear. Take for instance Senator Stella Oduah, she is facing corruption and money laundering cases that are wearing her out because she was being intimidated and victimised by President Muhammadu Buhari and his APC goons. She decided to take the magic pill and decamp to APC to quiet the noises and calm the troubled waters. She is now a puppy of APC willing to do their bidding, including turning Anambra into a Fulani enclave where innocent men and women are killed, and their villages taken by Fulani terrorists.
Some other politicians who are members of the Anambra State house of assembly who were elected on the platform of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) who recently decamped to APC did so because they are corrupt and were being threatened and blackmailed by APC goons to either join the APC or be jailed. They include Hon. Timothy Ifedioramma representing Njikoka 1, Hon Cater D. N. Umeoduagu representing Aguata 1, Hon Lawrence Ezeudu representing Dumekofia, Hon Arthur Chiekwu representing Idemili North, and Hon Edward Ibuzo representing Onitsha North. These lawmakers are hoping to avoid harassment and intimidation by EFCC because they believe they have financial misappropriation cases and in some instances, money laundering cases hanging over their heads and they are pre-emptively hoping to avoid the harassment and intimidation from APC goons, and in the process avoid accountability and prosecution by EFCC.
All Anambrarians and all Anambra voters need to ask themselves if these are the sort of people that should be allowed power. The answer is NO. Handing over Anambra state to sellouts who are prepared to do the bidding of the Fulani expansion agenda is suicidal for Anambrarians.
2. The Sore Losers
This class of defectors did so because they lost their primaries in other political parties or they were disqualified outright by their parties. Since they do not have good sportsmanship and do not understand that in politics you do not serve your agenda, and in a democracy, you serve the people and allow the people to choose their leaders, they felt the best option was to decamp to the ruling party.
One of such people is Hon. Nonso Okafor representing Nnewi North. He was a governorship aspirant under the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) before the party disqualified him. He felt betrayed by the party when he was disqualified from contesting and decided to throw a tantrum and break all his toys in the pram. Then he gave a long-winded incoherent statement to explain his defection. A percentage of defectors belong to this sore loser camp, and they are hoping that since the ruling party is so corrupt and criminal, they will be given crumbs in some form.
3. The Broke and Money Hungry
Mr. Andy Ubah, the Anambra gubernatorial candidate under the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform has gotten a lot of broke politicians to decamp from their parties to APC by giving some of them money, and because he is now broke himself, he has been making promises to give each one hundreds of millions of Naira if he wins. A large number of defectors did so based on a promise of receiving huge sums of money. Mr. Uba has promised some people N500 million and some others N300 million. Hon. Lynda Chuba-Ikpeazu falls under this category. She has been promised hundreds of millions by Mr. Uba and that is why she decamped from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to APC. Hon. Douglas Egbuna also a former member of the PDP defected to APC because Mr. Andy Ubah promised him hundreds of millions of Naira if he wins the governorship election on November 6.
All of this is already a putrid affair because it becomes clear that none of these people are defecting because of principles or political ideology. It also makes apparent the issue that Mr. Andy Uba is planning to raid the Anambra treasury to settle people and pay debts should he win the election. If he wins no doubt, he will raid the treasury for his personal use but there is no guaranty he will pay the people he is giving promissory notes to decamp to APC. Decades of his track record show that he does not pay his debts or meet his financial obligations.
4. The Coat Tail Riders
Another class of defectors in Anambra are those who are decamping because they feel that Mr. Andy Uba is a master rigger. They are basing their assumption on the rigging Mr. Andy Ubah unleased when he ran and became governor for 17 days back in 2007. They assume he will use the same apparatus to rig and win, and so they are hedging their bets by defecting from other political parties to Mr. Andy Ubah’s party, the APC. They are not strategic, they are pathetic.
The problem with their assumption is that things are different now. First of all, Mr. Andy Ubah is broke and cannot inject money into his campaign the way money was injected into his campaign back then. Secondly, it has been 14 years since then and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) now has better processes to ensure free and fair elections, and to ensure that the votes of Anambrarians will count come November 6. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the electronic transmission of election results are some of the innovations and initiatives that now ensure that Mr. Andy Uba’s rigging of 14 years ago is a thing of the past that will never happen in Anambra again.
Ginika O. Nweke is a legal practitioner and public affairs commentator. She writes from Enugu
A rancorous scene occurred at the premises of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Ona Iye Parish in the Iloye area of Sango-Ota, Ogun State penultimate week as a commercial driver swathed by his family members and associates clashed with the pastor and founder of the church, Prophet Abiodun John, in a scandalous paternity row.
The driver, Badiru Folarin, who is the husband of a female church member brought to the church for spiritual healing, screamed that the pastor claimed ownership of his four-year-old child after he caught him having an illicit affair with his wife, Morufat.
Folarin claimed the pastor’s sexual escapades with his wife was revealed by his 14-year-old son, Saheed, who told him that his mother was always visiting and cooking for the clergyman while he was away and that the cleric in turn visited their home at odd hours.
He said: ”The pastor claimed that my in-law had given my wife to him as his wife. However, the question is, can a woman be given to two men as wife?
”The pastor confronted me to my face that he is the biological father of our last child, a four-year-old. Yet my wife rained curses on me, saying that Ogun (Yoruba god of iron) should strike me dead so she can enjoy her benefactor.
”I am a driver. I never enjoyed my wife at home. She was always away to church for several days in the guise of vigils and special spiritual protection. My mother-in-law was disturbed about my wife’s continuous absence from home under the pretext of participation in church activities.”
Amid the yelling, screaming and cacophony of noise at the scene, Morufat told her husband’s family members and bystanders that she was not in the least prepared to leave her husband, although she conceded the paternity of the child in question to the embattled pastor when asked to choose between the latter and Folarin.
She said: ”No one should blame me for what has happened…and If you all must know, I cannot be married to two men in my life…but my husband is not ready to take care of me, he is a shameless man…I will deal with him when we return home.”
Folarin, however, retorted: ”You cannot come back to my house…anything can happen to you if you come back to my house.”
Recalling how the messy affair between the pastor and her wife began, the father of six said he did not believe that the clergyman was having an affair with his wife when neighbours alerted him until his son tipped him off that his wife was having a tryst with the cleric at his house within the church premises.
Folarin said: ”I did not realise that the pastor was sleeping with my wife.
“I am a Muslim while my wife is a Christian. She was having some spiritual attacks and went to the church for deliverance.
“Suddenly, she started frequenting the church, and when I heard that she was having an affair with the pastor, I confronted her but she denied it.
”She would send my children to me for upkeep while at the church and I usually sent money to her, not knowing that she was using my money to prepare meal for her pastor-lover.”
”The pastor knows me very well. He had even given me some spiritual items for use that would attract fortune, but my transport business witnessed a reversal of fortune instead.
”I have been married to Morufat for more than 30 years and our first child is 30 years old. I was giving her about N6,000 every day for upkeep.
“When I got home a few days ago, she rained curses on me. Her action got my 14-year-old son, Saheed, angry, and he opened up that his mother had been flirting with the pastor to the extent that she was cooking for the cleric with the money I have been giving her as daily upkeep.
“My son said his mother had just returned from the church where she took food to the pastor shortly before I returned home on that day.
”The pastor told me to my face that he is the biological father of my last child, a daughter (Alimot).
“I gave my wife the sum of N68,000 when she was pregnant with our last child, but she gave the money to the pastor and relocated to the church for several months under the pretext of seeking spiritual protection.
“Along the line, we had accommodation problem, and that was when I gave her money for a new accommodation. Instead, she spent the money on her lover and later claimed she was sick and that she used the money for treatment.
“I warned her against having any close affair with pastor and asked her to stay in the new apartment.
“Surprisingly, she complained she did not like the fact the apartment is in a one-storey building.
“Last week, my son told me that his mother had been with the pastor’s house for four days. I stormed the place and I was shocked to find them together in a room half naked.
“The pastor tied a towel around his waist while my wife also tied a piece of cloth around her waist while she pushed two of my little children to play outside the room.
“We tried to take my children away from her but she bit off my hand while the pastor claimed that he is the father of my last daughter, who is my sixth child.
“The pastor told all of us at the scene that he is the biological father of my daughter and that I cannot take the girl away from him.
“I later discovered that she had aborted a pregnancy for the same pastor some years ago.
“I cannot take my wife back and because the pastor has vowed to deal with me.
“I don’t want the pastor to kill me. Nigerians should save me from the ruthless pastor.”
Speaking with our reporter, Saheed, Folarin’s son, who allegedly exposed his mother’s illicit affair with the pastor, said his mother threatened to poison him for exposing her affair with the pastor.
”My mother threatened to poison me for exposing her escapades with the pastor of our church to my father.
“She called me an unfortunate child for telling my father that she even cooked for the pastor.
The Nation
The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Shehu Mohammed has assured Nigerians of freer road environments during this Yuletide, saying FRSC personnel have been motivated by the special presidential attention given to the Corps by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his logistics support for the Corps, according to a statement made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP)
Speaking during the end of year get-together held at the FRSC National Headquarters Abuja on Thursday, to appreciate staff and strategic stakeholders for their sacrifices and commitment to the success of the campaign for safer road environment during the outgoing year, Corps Marshal Shehu Mohammed stressed the need for sustained sacrifice and devotion to duties.
According to him, he does not have enough words to adequately express his appreciation to the staff for the sacrifices they have made to keep the nation’s highways safer during the year despite the various challenges that could have hampered the efforts. “I cannot thank the staff enough for their sacrifices during the year, but let me assure everyone that in our commitment to taking FRSC to greater heights, I will personally continue to lead from the front in sacrifice as the servant,” he stated.
The Corps Marshal who assured staff that payment for the second batch of the transfer allowances for those affected would commence next week enjoined staff not to rest on their oars but to remain focused and committed in all their assignments. He promised to continue to evolve programs that could address the health and welfare needs of the staff towards ensuring conducive working and living environments.
Speaking directly to the stakeholders, the Corps Marshal thanked them for always standing by the FRSC, stressing that their actions were clear manifestation of road safety being a shared responsibility. He appealed for sustained collaboration from them, especially as the nation comes to the critical periods of year when Christmas and new year celebrations always lead to increased human and vehicular traffic.
In his message at the event, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, General Services in his office commended the staff of the FRSC for their resourcefulness which he said has been demonstrated in managing road traffic across the country. While congratulating the Corps Marshal for successfully hosting the staff and presenting awards as a mark of appreciation for excellence, he pledged to support the Corps for its logistics and welfare needs in order to enhance the organization’s capacity to deliver on its mandates. The SGF urged the staff to work harder to make movements during the end of the year smoother and safer to avoid the yearly agony associated with the season.
Highlight of the event was the presentation of merit awards to some deserving staff and stakeholders of the Corps for their exceptional contributions to the ideals of the FRSC in making the roads safer. Among the recipients were the National President of Road Safety Officers’ Wives Association (ROSOWA), Dr Nafisa Shehu Mohammed; some Media organizations and transport unions as well as a Marshal from Lekki Unit Command of the FRSC in Lagos State, Sayid Habib who was commended for his endurance in the face of provocation in a recent encounter with a lady passenger n the command.
On hand to entertain the staff and the guests was the newly refurbished and rebranded FRSC band whose members appeared publicly in their new uniform for the first time. And in appreciation of the investment made by the Corps Marshal within the short period of his leadership of the FRSC, the Band rendered a special tune devoted to him as directed by the representative of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation which left everyone satisfied and in joyful mood, hoping for greater achievement in the coming year.
After 35 years of active service to the country, 656 senior non-commissioned officers (SNCOs) were on Thursday, retired by the military after subjecting them to a six-month demilitarization training.
The retirees were disengaged from service at the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), Oshodi, Lagos amid fanfare.
Those retired comprise 535 soldiers of the Nigerian Army (NA), 86 from the Nigerian Navy (NN), 35 from the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and two from the Nigerian Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Commending the retirees for their invaluable service to the country, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, said the culmination of their unwavering commitment, relentless hard work, and steadfast discipline throughout their service years led to the graduation.
He said: “No doubt, this six-month training has equipped you with the knowledge and skills to transition effectively into civil life, becoming resourceful managers, entrepreneurs, and contributors to national development.
“The essence of our gathering today brings to mind a local adage: “Soja come, soja go, but barracks remain.”
“While many of us may have joked about this saying during our careers, it holds a profound meaning worthy of reflection. It reminds us that the Nigerian military is more than the individuals who serve within its ranks; it is a resilient institution that safeguards our nation’s existence and endures the test of time.
“As individual service members, transition to new chapters in life; the values, traditions, and impact of their service live on, continually shaping the Armed Forces and the nation as a whole.
“This adage also highlights the significance of the foundation you have built and the legacy you leave behind.
“Although you may no longer wear the military uniform daily, the discipline, courage, and commitment that defined your careers will continue to inspire those who follow in your footsteps, ensuring that the strength of the military remains steadfast.
“As you reintegrate into civilian life, I urge you to carry these values forward, becoming pillars of strength and ambassadors of the military profession in your communities. As ex-servicemen and women, I trust that you will set exemplary standards in your communities, contributing to peace, security, and progress. While the barracks remain, your legacy will resonate far beyond its walls, fostering security, peace, and development in our nation.”
He reminded them that retirement from active service marks the beginning of a new chapter of their lives filled with opportunities and challenges.
“Do not entertain fears about your future, do not be discouraged about leaving the profession, comrades, and the environment in which you have lived for so long.
“With the discipline, training and skills you have received, as well as with God on your side, you will enjoy a bright and prosperous future, filled with long life, good health and a sound mind,” he added.
Earlier in his welcome address, NAFRC Commandant, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Bashir Mamman, said NAFRC has trained over 51,000 personnel and equipped them with relevant self reliant and managerial skills needed for post service life.
Mamman highlighted achievements of the centre under his watch and listed the goals that would be attained next year, noting that the aim was to make NAFRC the best institution for vocational and management training.
