What President Jonathan did in Ekitigate scandal is something that should have been very troubling for Professor Jega as Chairman of INEC, if he was really out to conduct a free and fair election in Nigeria? He himself should have been the first to raise an alarm. He probably did not do that, because he figured it out that President Jonathan could easily have replaced him with a candidate he could count on to help him rig the election just like Brigadier Aliyu Momoh was more than happy to do in Ekiti and Osun states of Nigeria.
I am amazed that President Jonathan lives in a bubble. He is neither perturbed nor outraged by what has happened in Ekiti. If he was, he would never have nominated Obanikoro as minister so soon after the scandal or bankroll the man’s aspiration to be the PDP governor of Lagos State. Who knows what else Jonathan may have been doing behind closed doors, as we speak, to further undermine the bona fide efforts of Professor Jega to not repeat in 2015 the scandalous rigging of the Ekiti election in June 2014? That Professor Jega did not detect the covert operation led by Brigadier Momoh raises many more questions about his competence as INEC Chairman. Nigerians could be wasting our time hoping for the best on March 28 when Jonathan has so far gotten away with murder in Ekiti with gross impunity.
It does not matter who the whistle blower alleging wrong-doing and making serious corruption allegation against the Jonathan Administration, the smoking gun is never about Jonathan but about the whistle blower making the allegation. In Ekiti, it was a patriotic Army captain named Sagir Koli. Last year it was about a former Governor of Central Bank, Lamido Sanusi who has since become the Emir of Kano and the highest paid traditional ruler in Nigeria.
The man alleged that a sum of 20 billion Dollars got lost or was misappropriated y the Jonathan Government. The man was quickly suspended or put on administrative leave only to emerge as the new Emir of Kano. President Jonathan did everything to stop the man but he failed. I was shocked that the same President Jonathan had no shame going back to the same guy to start asking for his support to win the next election. Can you really believe that? That tells me President Jonathan is desperate and would do anything to stop General Buhari and the opposition because he has far too much to hide. Nigerian voters would be insane to let Jonathan rig this election.
The President himself grudgingly admitted by-passing financial regulation and due process to authorize another sum of 9.3 Dollars seized by Immigration in South Africa in the private jet of Ayo Oritsejafor the leader of the Christian Association of Nigeria who happens to be the bosom friend and hatchet man of the same President. He wanted that money used to purchase arms and weapons from the black market. 7 billion Naira was allegedly offered to bribe the League of Nigerian pastors who have now endorsed the President.
One of the pastors, Rev Father Mbaka of the Enugu Parish of the Catholic Church admitted receiving his own share of the bribery. He also indicated his preparedness to refund the cash if the President would provide him the Bank account he should use for the transfer. Sahara Reporters has a copy of the video in which Father Mbaka admitted that much.
The buffoons in the Nigerian News media would still not see that confession as the smoking gun because they too have received their own kickback from President Jonathan. A sum of 750 million Naira was allegedly offered to the Fasoranti faction of the Afenifere group in Yoruba land thru the auspices of Governor Olusegun Mimiko. The so-called Ibadan Summit of the Yorubas to announce their endorsement of President Jonathan was one clear proof of that. Nobody who knows Kabiyesi Ooni Risa Sijuwade Olubushe would ever believe the Kabiyesi made that endorsement without receiving a Kobo. The so-called traditional rulers have endorsed Jonathan who has promised to reverse the injustice his Government has committed against the Yoruba people. What could the gullible elders do if President Jonathan fails to deliver on his promise? Their excuse is as stupid as the same excuse the Fasoranti-led Afenifere faction has given. Only a fool would buy such a promise from a President as weak and as derelict as Jonathan who could promise to sell his own mother to get what he wants.
There was another report of a 20 million Dollars pocketed by the Petroleum Minister and the several millions she had spent on purchasing a private jet for her personal use as minister and first female President of OPEC . Where for goodness sake, did Jonathan and the PDP get all these money without illegally dipping their hands into the Nigerian Treasury? The only reason General Buhari still has any hope to beat President Jonathan is because Nigerians have already made up their minds to vote for change and they are determined to vote for him because they believe he has the integrity and the credibility to fight corruption in Nigeria.
The allegations against President Jonathan are coming from everywhere but the denial is always about the whistle blower and never about the President and his hopelessly corrupt Government. Part of the reason Ayo Fayose in particular is so desperate to stop or kill General Buhari is because he is scared to death that if Buhari wins on March 28, his days as Governor are numbered because he did not win last June in Ekiti and he know it. The PDP know that the presence of Buhari and Osinbajo at Aso Rock is going to be disaster for the PDP because they have committed unspeakable crimes against the Nigerian state
I agonize about all of these revelations as a concerned citizen of Nigeria and so should all Nigerians unless we are all living in a fish bowl or a fool’s paradise. Above all President Jonathan has politicized all of the Nigerians institutions like the Military, the News Media, the Christian Association of Nigeria and the Islamic Organization and the nation’s Public Service and the labor Unions with his divide and rule gimmicks. These allegations cannot all be wrong because there can be no smoke without a fire. These allegations have raised very serious issues that Nigerians cannot and must not sweep under the carpet. The only way out is to vote out Jonathan as pleaded by General Obasanjo who imposed the man on Nigeria to begin with You can say all you want about Obasanjo, God has made him a constant factor in the equation of Nigeria. Like him or hate him, that the man is no longer with Jonathan is going to be a major factor in Jonathan’s defeat because he has correctly analyzed the man and he knows all the gimmicks of the PDP as an articulate insider and the longest-serving President of Nigeria and a southerner.
What President Jonathan did in Ekitigate scandal is something that should have been very troubling for Professor Jega as Chairman of INEC, if he was really out to conduct a free and fair election in Nigeria? He himself should have been the first to raise an alarm. He probably did not do that, because he figured it out that President Jonathan could easily have replaced him with a candidate he could count on to help him rig the election just like Brigadier Aliyu Momoh was more than happy to do in Ekiti and Osun states of Nigeria.
Nigerians ought to be totally pissed off by the predisposition of the President to dismiss the Sergeant Koli’s allegations as nothing but a fabrication or speculation. He would not even order the Police to investigate the allegation and his IG Abubakar Abba has so far refused to lift a finger. I am shocked to my bones that the top echelon of the Nigerian Army is also taking their cue from the President by not saying a word or just sitting on the fence as if nothing has happened. I cannot for the life of me understand why the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff would not see the Captain Koli’s audio tape as a very troubling indictment of the military establishment in Nigeria? He has not said a word on why 15 year old Adamu Koli was put in detention and tortured for 5 months without committing any offense.
How could the opposition ever trust the Military to be an impartial umpire in their involvement in the future conduct of elections in Nigeria? With the ignoble role of Brigadier Momoh in that covert operation, the opposition has every reason to be concerned. The only assurance they now have that the Military has not completely sold out or caved in to the party in power is the heroic alarm of Captain Koli who blew the whistle on the terrible development. While Captain Koli upheld his oath of office, his boss Brigadier Momoh who betrayed the country has been allowed to keep his job and salary while Captain Koli has to go into hiding to save his own life.
In a country governed by the rule of Law, Jonathan would have been forced to explain what happened in Ekiti and Osun or face indictment or impeachment? The man is behaving with criminal impunity as if he was clearly above the Law. I have not seen any sign of contrition or outrage from the President or his party or even from most Nigerians who have gotten so used to rigging and abuse of power, that they now think that the Ekiti scandal was nothing but a storm in a tea cup.
If I was Professor Jega, I would have let the President and the whole country know I was outraged by the unfortunate development. That the President and the PDP and the Military and the INEC Chairman would not express any outrage up till now has cast a big shadow on what may happen in this election. The whole scandal is beginning to look a lot more like the Watergate scandal in the United States even though the criminality is far more egregious than Watergate. What is happening in Nigeria today reminds me of Uganda under Idi Amin who murdered the Ugandan Governor of the central Bank for refusing to print more currencies because there was no gold reserve to back it up. Idi Amin a buffoon did not understand why the Governor could not print more money. It appears President Jonathan does not understand the enormity of his crime in Ekiti in any country governed by the rule of Law
Richard Nixon a Vice President to Dwight Ike Eisenhower contested the American presidency and he lost by the narrowest of margin to handsome, charismatic, and photogenic John F Kennedy who became the youngest American President in 1961 at age 42. The same Richard Nixon ran again and he won in 1969 becoming the 37th President of the United States.
America exemplifies the beauty of Democracy because power is rotated between the two major political parties based on performance and track record of the candidates and how well they have run their campaigns and how far they have observed the rule of Law. The Campaign Reforms Law in America makes sure that not even a sitting President can spend public money anyhow or use his power as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to intimidate his opponent like Jonathan has been doing to Buhari and the APC. If Jonathan could use the Military to intimidate and harass Buhari a former Head of State and a retired General how could any bloody civilian have survived as the flag bearer of the APC? I think the APC scored a home run by nominating General Buhari to be their flag bearer.Governor Kwankwanso or Atiku Abubakar would not have had a fighting chance against President Jonathan and the PDP.
Corruption would have been used to knock out Atiku and Ahmed Tinubu given their limitless wealth. They would have accused Tinubu of gross nepotism and they would have succeeded and the gang up by the Fasoranti faction of the Afenifere group would have stuck irredeemably. With Buhari and Osinbajo on the driver’s seat there is nothing to fear.
Any President in America who is caught doing what Jonathan has done in Nigeria would have been forced to face the music by now. As soon as the Watergate scandal broke, the News media wasted no time in asking Richard Nixon to explain his role in it before the general public joins the bandwagon. The Congress reacts immediately by arranging Hearings to investigate the allegation or scandal regardless of the party label of the accused. Every public officer holder including the President in America is closely monitored. Hillary Clinton is being questioned right now for using a private E-mail account as Secretary of State even though Colin Powell and other Secretaries before her had done the same, but they thought Hillary might be hiding something. Why are Nigerians so foolhardy and dumb that they would allow President Jonathan to get away with murder simply because the man is President?
Much of the civilized world considers election rigging as a treasonable felony which is never condoned. No President is allowed to put their opponent at a huge disadvantage like Jonathan has been doing to General Buhari. By freezing his account and pretending to be his friend. There is always a price to pay and that price could lead to their impeachment or resignation if found guilty. The Ekitigate scandal is a crime that must not be tolerated. All the allegations of misappropriation against President Jonathan are pretty serious and Nigerian voters have every reason to not vote for Jonathan because his Government is just too corrupt. Sahara reporters have said it all and they have enough information to prove their indictment of Jonathan.
Mr. Nixon was accused of illegally trying to bug the headquarters of the Democratic Party just to know ahead of time what his opponents were planning to do so he could effectively neutralize them before they strike. It was his Richard Nixon’s Attorney-General Mr. Dean who blew the whistle on Nixon. The man has refused to cover up for the President and he has provided undeniable evidence that Richard Nixon lied to the nation. In the end Richard Nixon had no other choice than to resign from the presidency in total disgrace. Today it is President Jonathan who is looking for ways and means to disqualify General Buhari by all means.
President Jonathan has colluded with a few members of his party namely Ayo Fayose, Iyiola Omisore, Musiliu Obanikoro, Olusegun Mimiko and Chris Uba who once kidnapped Chris Ngige of Anambra State and got away with it. Other accomplices included Jelili Adesiyan the Minister in Charge of Police Affairs and Musiliu Obanikoro minister of State in the Ministry of Defense and Brigadier-General Aliyu Momoh from Kogi State who was briefly deployed to the 32nd Artillery Brigade in Akure to replace Brigadier Dikko who was forced to go on a 3 week compulsory leave because he refused to co-operate to help the President rig any election. Brigadier Momoh was in charge of the covert operation. He was assigned 1006 soldiers and sharp shooters which included kill-and-go Police, and DSS operatives drawn from the various branches of the Nigerian Military.
The command was provided with 27 Hillux Jeeps, loads of ballot papers and plenty of cash in “Ghana must go” bags as revealed by Captain Koli. The criminal gang had enough weapons, Tasers, hand grenades and AK 47 and pistols to be used to intimidate and arrest and detain or even kill leaders of the APC who refused to co-operate.
Dr. Kayode Fayemi got so intimidated that he had to concede victory to Ayo Fayose because he did not want Ekiti State to be reduced to ashes because of his own political ambition. He knew something was decidedly wrong but he could not place his fingers right on it as he lost in his own family house meaning that his wife and cousins voted for Ayo Fayose instead of him because Ayo Fayose has become the “Ajagunmole Oluwo Orun” of Ekiti politics because President Jonathan had his back to do whatever he wanted.
That was why Ayo Fayose had no qualms telling Brigadier Momoh he was in charge of the operation and that President Jonathan had given him the authority to take charge. Obanikoro made it clear to Brigadier Momoh he came to Ado Ekiti not for a tea party but to carry out the orders of Mr. President. At one point Obanikoro told Brigadier Momoh to be mindful; of what was at stake should the operation fail. He bluntly told Momoh his promotion to the rank of a General might well fall thru the cracks if he did not deliver the state to the PDP.
If the scenario that took place at Ado Ekiti had occurred anywhere in the United States, all of the individuals involved would have been arrested and charged to court The President himself would have had to address a press conference on the scandal and his role in it at the very least.
General Olukolade, the Army spokesman in an interview with Sahara Reporters of New York on You Tube refused to take or answer any question on the scandal because he claimed the scandal was not officially reported to the Nigerian Army. Can you imagine a General in the US Military giving that kind of evasive answer before television cameras? Many of the officers involved in the covert operation should have faced the music by now. Obanikoro’s nomination as Minister would never have been made and not once has the President been taken to task on that nomination till now except by Sahara Reporters and the National Association of Nigerian students. (NANS)
It was very embarrassing that David Mark, a retired General in the Nigerian Army and the current Senate President would have allowed the nomination to even reach the floor of the Senate. The whole process stinks to the high Heavens. Many heads would have rolled in the Military by now.
Captain Sagir Koli who fled the country because his life was in danger still remains in hiding in a foreign country and the Commander-in Chief could care less what happened to him and his innocent young brother, Adamou who was picked up and detained for 5 months after it became clear to Brigadier Momoh that Captain Koli had escaped. Brigadier Momoh tried to arrest Captain Koli’s father in Kaduna or Zaria to atone for the sins of his son for blowing the whistle on his Commanding officer. Brigadier Momoh has threatened to kill Captain Koli, and would have had him court-marshaled if he had his way. It was Idi Amin kind of scenario we witnessed in the Ekiti because President Jonathan had allowed it.
I watched the video tape of the interview Omoyele Sowore of Sahara Reporters had with Captain Sagir Koli in tears for Nigeria. I watched the video of Brigadier Momoh first press conference at Ado Ekiti where he made it clear he was sent there by the President to maintain Law and order and tor to allow INEC officials be able to do their job without let or hindrance.
He dared not tell his audience he was in Ekiti to lead a covert operation. His sole mission was to get the PDP to win Ekiti State by all means. He cajoled the INEC officials to believe he was in Ekiti to maintain law and order and to maintain a level playing field for the two major political parties.
The statement turned out to be a big lie to deceive the people as we found out at the end of the election. Dr.Kayode Fayemi lost in his own backyard and in each of the 16 Local Governments of Ekiti. Dr.Fayemi lost in Oye Local Government. Bandele suffered the same fate at Ifaki and Niyi Adebayo lost at Iyin Ekiti. Fayose won in every Local Government including Afao his village.
The March 28 election is as good as rigged as far as I am concerned. I feel that way because President Jonathan and his PDP are still opposed to the INEC using the PVC scanners to separate fake ballots from the genuine ones. The PDP and President Jonathan still want INEC to use temporary voters’ card they have stockpiled to rig the election. What could possibly be their motivation to want to do that? Your guess is as good as mine.
I am amazed that President Jonathan thinks he can deceive the rest of us to believe anything he says. I listen to Lai Mohammed submit a laundry list of what the PDP is planning to do to rig the election between now and March 28. Only a fool will hear all those pronouncements and still retain a modicum of confidence in President Jonathan and the PDP. I still believe the election can still be rigged but the people are going to defend their votes by all means this time around.
President Jonathan’s mission is to scuttle or discredit the election in anticipation of defeat as correctly predicted by General Obasanjo. Buhari will still win because Nigerians would be voting for change regardless of all the efforts of President Jonathan and his handlers to bad-mouth General Buhari and the APC. Majority of the voters are not buying their cheap shots and blackmail. They are determined to vote en mass for General Buhari and Osinbajo on March 28 come rain or shine.
The Ooni and his fellow traditional rulers would be made to realize they are backing the wrong horse in this election. Need I say more?
I rest my case.