Governors from 14 states in northern Nigeria have postponed the inaugural meeting of the proposed Association of Inland Basin States scheduled for Minna, the Niger State capital as a fallout of the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party.

The Niger State governor, Babangida Aliyu, in his capacity as chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum, had asked his colleagues in 13 others states to delegate their commissioners to attend the inaugural meeting of the proposed Inland Basin States Association meeting which was to fashion out a plan for oil exploration activities in north.

However, the meeting was postponed on Tuesday following what is believed to be information that the PDP chairman, Bamanga Tukur, may have directed governors of states loyal to his faction of the ruling party not to send representatives to the event.

The 14 states billed to attend the meeting were Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Gombe, Kebbi, Kogi,Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara states.

At least eight of them comprising  Bauchi, Benue, Gombe, Kogi, Kebbi, Taraba, Yobe and Plateau state are believed to be loyal to Tukur and might have received instructions not to attend.

Before the meeting was cancelled, the Niger State government had spent a lot on planning and preparation, with logistics already provided for the influx of government officials from other states

The cancellation of the meeting was announced Wednesday in a statement by the chief press secretary to the governor, Danladi Ndayebo, who said a new date for the event would be fixed later.

It is speculated that many of the states in the north are rich in petroleum resources but this has never been verified.

Only recently Kwara state announced that that it had crude oil in commercial quantity in Irepodunlocal government of the state but the claim was controverted by the Department of Petroleum Resources.

Before politics put it asunder, the Association of Inland Basin States’ meeting was to provide a platform for all the affected states to, for the first time, articulate modalities for realistically tapping the resources believed to be abundant in the Sokoto, Chad basin and Bida basin as well as the Benue Trough.

President Goodluck Jonathan has sacked nine out of 41 ministers Wednesday in the first major shake-up since he was sworn in 2011.

The Coalition of Northern States Political Party leaders has issued a seven days ultimatum to the Niger Delta militants to withdraw threats allegedly made on some its leaders, warning that the north has the capacity to respond to threats from any region.

Coordinator of the group, Alfa Mohammed, in a statement on Monday, listed those threatened to include sponsors of the splinter Peoples Democratic Party, PDP such as former Vice PresidentAbubakar Atiku, Abubakar Kawu Baraje, six northern governors and several lawmakers.

Leaders of former militant groups, under the aegis of the Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative on Saturday declared Abubakar unwanted in the Niger Delta region.

“It is unfortunate that Atiku who has benefitted so much from the Niger Delta oil is leading dissidents in a political coup against the first southerner to ever ascend the seat of president of Nigeria…and we are warning him in his own interest to stay off the region. He cannot be enjoying our oil money and at the same time use the same money to fight the owners of the oil,” the group’s president, Reuben Wilson, said.

However, the northern coalition group says it will not fold its arms and allow the militant to rubbish it leaders.

“Although, the issues at stake are purely the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, affairs, we can’t fold our hands and be watching some un-cultured militant groups threaten, rubbish and black mail our courageous and illustrious leaders,” the group said.

The coalition added: “the north is not lacking the capacity to react commensurably to any action the militants may take against the northern leaders”.

Meanwhile, the Movement for the Emancipation of  the Niger Delta, MEND, has distanced itself from the threats on Atiku and others.

MEND, in a statement by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, said the splinter group should ignor the “empty threats and provocative comments from idle political thugs parading themselves as ex-militants, as well as some so-called elders and tribal assemblies of the Niger Delta.”

“It is in the right of any detribalised, honest and qualified Nigerian, to aspire for the highest office in the land, to bring progress, peace, reconciliation and other dividends of democracy,” MEND said.

The group added: “It is also in order for a performing incumbent, to seek a legitimate extension of his/her tenure in office, as long as the peoples’ vote will count and the bid does not run contrary to any prior agreements reached within their party. MEND believes in honour and integrity.”

Justice Ganiyu Safari of the Lagos High Court Ikeja on Tuesday granted bail to alleged serialfraudster, Fred Ajudua, on health grounds, reasoning that the defendant must be alive to face trial.

Vacation judge, Justice Safari, granted Ajudua bail in the sum N50 million with two sureties who must have evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State government.

Ajudua and his co-defendant, Charles Orie, are accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, of duping Remy Cina and Pierre Vijgen, two Dutch businessmen, of $1.69 million (about N270 million).

Ajudua, a lawyer and popular socialite was first arraigned before Justice Olubunmi Oyewole in 2003 and was granted bail two years later to seek medical attention in India over his kidney-related ailment.

He absconded for several years, forcing the then trial judge to revoke his bail and declare him wanted.

Ajudua finally re-appeared two-month ago after seven years of running from justice and further sought for bail from the court.

Justice Oyewole promptly turned down his bail request and made an order remanding him in KirikiriPrisons.

After a while in prison, Ajudua’s lawyer, Olalekan Ojo last week however filed a fresh bail application on the ground that his client’s health has deteriorated.

He told the court that Ajudua was rushed to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH three weeks ago after a kidney malfunction that resulted in him passing out blood through his penis.

Counsel to the EFCC, Wemimo Ogunde, opposed the bail application and insisted that Ajudua did not deserve a fresh bail arguing that there is tendency that Ajudua would abscond again if granted bail.

In his ruling on the matter, Justice Safari held that there is enough compelling health grounds to grant Ajudua bail.

According him, a medical report dated August 13 which was issued by Adebisi Ogunjimi, a medical doctor at Lagos University Teaching Hospital LUTH, showed that Ajudua was rushed to the hospital on August 3.

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The first defendant should not be made to suffer due to his health condition while undergoing trial. If he dies in custody, his trial will come to an end,” said the judge.

Safari also ordered that Ajudua must not travel outside Nigeria without the court’s consent and should therefore deposit his international passport with the chief registrar of the court.

Trial in the substantive suit before Justice Oyewole will  however, continue on September 24.

A pro-democracy group, the National Democratic Forum, NDF, has asked the presidency to callAsari Dokubo, a former Niger Delta militant, to order over his reckless comments.

In an interview granted to Channelstv on Sunday, Dokubo threatened that there would be bloodshed if President Goodluck Jonathan is not returned in 2015, with or without an election.

“2015 is already a settled matter; Goodluck Jonathan will be president in 2015. Whether they contest or they don’t contest, Goodluck Jonathan will be president,” he said.

National Coordinator of the NDF, Jonathan Vatsa said in a statement on Tuesday that Dokubo’sutterances  were capable of hurting the country’s fragile democracy.

“Asari-Dokubo’s outburst on Channels Television on Sunday is already threatening Peoples Democratic Party, PDP peace talks as former military president, Ibrahim Babangida may pull out of the mediation complaining that the ex-militant “reckless” comment is capable of messing up efforts of the 7-man panel of eminent leaders headed by ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo,” the statement said.

The group also expressed worry at the “nonchalant attitude” of the presidency towards the threats.

“It is sad that the presidency and indeed President Goodluck Jonathan has not seen anything wrong in Asari-Dokubo’s reckless statement and call him to order. It is not proper for the government to keep sealed lips on a comment that is capable of throwing spanner on our fragile democracy,”Vatsa said.

He noted that in democracy, leaders do not emerge through threats but through a non-violent electoral process of voting, adding that democracy in Nigeria cannot be different from what obtains globally.

The group also reminded Dokubo that the Niger Delta region did not experience development during its militancy days and that violence has never really solved any problem.

“We have shed the blood of too many innocent people for senseless cause. The nation can no longer accept any threat or pronouncement that tends to suggest shed of blood,” the group added.

It therefore called on the president to not only call Dokubo to order but also outlaw such reckless comments that are capable of endangering the nation’s democracy.

By Nma Shekwolo

A new revenue sharing formula for the three tiers of government is to be approved before December, the chairman Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, Elias Mbamdisclosed on Monday.

Mbam made this known at the end of a meeting with stakeholders in Minna, Niger state.

He said based on the nationwide consultations carried out so far, the process of endorsing a new revenue sharing formula had reached 90 percent.

“After wide consultations with some stakeholders, especially former heads of state and other principal officers of government, we will come out with the formula that will reflect the wishes of Nigerians,” he said.

The chairman assured that at the end of the exercise, the wishes of the majority of Nigerians will be reflected in the new formula.

He said the focus of the review is to ensure that the nation arrives at a reasonable formula that will make it possible for each tier of government to discharge it constitutional responsibility.

Mbam explained that the essence of the consultations is to get inputs from stakeholders in all sections, particularly former leaders, who know much about the affairs of the country.
He said the new sharing formula was necessitated by changes in day to day running of the three tiers of government since the last review, as well as by agitations from some stakeholders for a review that would reflect current realities in the country.

The commission has successfully visited all the 774 local government in the country and is currently probing why past efforts to review the formula had failed.

By Nma Shekwolo

The crisis threatening to rip the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP apart, which PresidentGoodluck Jonathan described as “minor disagreements” Sunday evening, has taken a turn for the worse as the splinter faction leader, Abubakar Baraje, has named a National Working Committee,NWC, for his group.

A statement released on Monday and signed by the faction’s national secretary, OlagunsoyeOyinlola, said stakeholders from across the country ratified the election of members of its NWC at a meeting in Abuja.

The NWC members, according to the statement, are: Abubakar Kawu Baraje, chairman,  Sam SamJaja,  deputy national chairman, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, national secretary and Maode Umar Hiliya, deputy national secretary.

Others are Timi Frank, national youth leader; Binta Koje, national woman leader; Nasir Issa, nationalorganising secretary; Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, ntional publicity secretary and Tanko Isiaku Gomna, national treasurer.

The statement added that the positions of national auditor and that of national legal adviser which are zoned to the South east and South west respectfully will be announced soon.

Reacting to the sealing off of its national secretariat on Saturday, the group said that even though the action was a calculated attempt to dampen the spirits of member, they remained unshaken and more determined than ever.

Contrary to the assurance given by the Nasarawa State government that the on-going Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the killings of security operatives in Alakio will be open and fair, the Justice Fola Gbadeyan-led commission has barred the Press from further coverage of it’s sittings.

As the committee commenced treating security memoranda submitted to it on Monday, accredited members of the press covering the proceedings were asked to leave and stop live broadcast.

This happened specifically as members of the committee were about to start examining memorandum submitted by the police.

The commission said the Press would also not be allowed to cover the hearing of the memoranda by the state government and State Security Service, SSS.

By it’s action the commission of enquiry contravened Chapter 2, subsection 2.2 of its own rules that qualified and duly accredited journalists would be allowed to cover proceedings of the panel.

The subsection states that “all interested members of the press desirous of covering the proceedings of the commission must be duly qualified and duly accredited by the secretary to the commission”.

The commission of enquiry suffered a major setback a about two weeks ago when the Eggonpeople withdrawn their participation from proceedings for what they termed lack of fair hearing.

The withdrawal notice was served to the commission on July 31 by counsels to the Eggons who alleged that “the Eggon counsel representing interested parties at the commission have been whimsically refused the right of cross-examination of presenters of memoranda despite the provisions contained in chapters 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3 of the rules of procedure which the commission itself made to guide the conduct of proceedings”.

Addressing journalist in Lafia at a press briefing, the counsel representing Bassa Zarangi district,Aliyu Anze, in company of other legal practitioners representing the various Eggon communities at the commission, expressed their dissatisfaction over alleged biased attitude of the panel.

The lawyers accused the chairman of the panel of restricting only Eggon counsels from cross-examining presenters of memoranda which adversely affect the interest of their clients.

Anze said “to worsen the breach of the fundamental principles of fair hearing, the commission’s chairman ordered all counsel to file their respective memorandum of appearance to enable counsel to access memoranda filed by other presenters in order to avoid giving out memoranda to persons that are not known to the commission.

This was complied with immediately, followed by applications for the memoranda to enable counsel access, study and evaluate, for cross-examination as required in any legal proceedings of this nature.

Unfortunately, Anze observed, counsels representing Eggon interests were not given some of the memoranda, including the one submitted by the police, Nasarawa State government and the SSS.

He added that “these three memoranda are at the heart of this commission of inquiry having regard to the terms of reference of the judicial commission”.

Another lawyer representing Eggon interests,  Zamani Zakari Alumaga said he knew that “we are not likely to get justice from this commission from the beginning”.

“As at that time we did not even know that the commission will take this position of a bubble trap as to properly bring to fruition our allayed fear.

“We thought the government instituted a commission that will be open so that we can clearly state our case, but now it is clear that the commission has been hired to indict some people. we are not bothered whatever the outcome of this commission may be,” he lamented.

President Goodluck Jonathan has described the crisis rocking the ruling Peoples Democratic Party,PDP, as “minor disagreements” that would soon be resolved.

Jonathan who made the statement at a post – convention dinner of the party held Monday at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential villa, called on dissenting party members to embrace dialogueas “no other party can face PDP”.
“The party is intact and will remain intact. We will continue to show leadership and do everything possible to ensure that the party grows stronger. In families we disagree. These are minor disagreements that can be resolved,” he said.
The President assured that the party would continue to do all it can to keep the country together.
Also speaking at the event, the chairman of the ruling party’s Board of Trustees, BOT, TonyAnenih, called for speedy resolution of the problems facing the party, but warned that the party would not recognise any opposition in PDP.

Anenih also called on those interested in contesting for elective posts in 2015 general elections to declare their intention, saying it had become necessary in view of the need for the party apparatus to prepare adequately for the exercise.
“We must be ready for the journey. By the end of September we would not be able to tell anybody that the time is not right…It is good that we tell our people where we are going and how the journey will be like,” he said.

Chairman of the party, BamangaTukur said the party is ready to address all complaints by aggrieved members and encouraged them to embrace peace.

Conspicuously absent at the dinner were Former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and IbrahimBabangida, aggrieved PDP Governors and some members of the National Assembly.
Those who graced the event were governors of Abia, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Plateau, Delta, Cross River,Kogi and Plateau states.

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Others are the governors of Katsina, Gombe, Enugu, Ebonyi, Kebbi, AkwaIbom states, the acting governor of Taraba and deputy governor of Benue State.

Former PDP Chairmen: Barnabas Gemade, Vincent Ogbulafor, Ahmadu Ali, Okwesilieze Nwodo and former Senate President, Ken Nnamani also attended the event.

Others at the dinner were serving ministers, former governors, former Speaker, GhaliNa’aba; senate majority leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba and former deputy senate president, Ibrahim Mantu.

Members of the Boko Haram sect continued their onslaught on vigilante youths, popularly called “Civilian JTF, when they launched an attack on a village in Borno State, killing 12 of the young men.

Eighteen others were injured in the attack which occurred inBenesheikh, the headquarters of Baga local government, just as the youths also killed five of the insurgents.

More than 100 of the young men in the vigilante movement, who have been assisting the military to root out the insurgents from their hideouts, have been killed in retaliatory attacks by Boko Harammembers.

In the attack on Benesheikh, which is some 72 kilometres fromMaiduguri, the state capital, insurgents launched their offensive very early on Sunday employing surprise tactics.

According to the leader of the vigilante group in Benesheikh,ModuAbuwar, the youths had some intelligence that the insurgents planned to attack the town and had prepared for battle.

“We had received information early in the day on Saturday that theBoko Haram would attack Beneisheikh after they had attackedDamboa and Gajiram,” Abuwar told journalists on his hospital bed where he is receiving treatment for injuries sustained during the attack.

He said, however, that the Boko Haram members tricked the youths by stealthily stealing into the town during the night to climb on trees where they laid in wait for their targets until morning when they started shooting at people.

The vigilante leader confirmed that the insurgents killed 12 of the youths and injured 18 others who were rushed to the University ofMaiduguri Teaching Hospital, UMTH for treatment.

He also confirmed that five of the sect members were killed and that in spite of their superior number, the other insurgents were forced to flee when they faced resistance from the youths.

Abuwar also said that some arms, including pump action guns, were recovered from the fleeing insurgents
A special adviser to governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, has visited the UMTH to commiserate with the injured youths. The governor’s aide, Garba Ngamdu, who is from the area, told newsmen that the chairman of Kaga local government was going to pick up the bill of all those injured in the attack.

Spokesman of the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Sagir Musa, a lieutenant colonel, said some suspected Boko Haram members disguised as members of the vigilante group attacked Benesheikharound 12.30 am and that the youths killed six of the insurgents.

Musa disclosed that soldiers have already been deployed to the area to help the youths in searching for the fleeing sect members.

“Some elements of 21 Brigade troop have been drafted to the area and the attacked had been repelled,” noting as at last night that “troops were still combing the general area in search for fleeing terrorists,” he stated.