Former presidential candidate Sabbahi accepts the results of the referendum on the constitution, but says any charter that divides the nation cannot claim legitimacy.
Hamdeen Sabbahi, a leading member of the National Salvation Front (NSF), says he accepts the results of Egypt’s referendum on the constitution, but adds that the newly-ratified constitution lost its legitimacy.
“This is the opinion of the Egyptian population, although I have reservations about the fraud and violations witnessed during the referendum’s first and second stage,” the former presidential candidate told Kuwaiti paper Al-Seyassah.
“But the constitution has lost its legitimacy because it has separated the people into two teams after the revolution unified them,” he added.
The contentious constitution was approved by President Mohamed Morsi late Tuesday. The Supreme Electoral Commission announced that nearly 64 per cent of voters in the recent referendum had endorsed the national charter.
Opposition groups have been saying that the constitution lacks national consensus, describing it as “unrepresentative.”
The Islamist-led Constituent Assembly, which was tasked with drafting the constitution, saw walkouts by church representatives, liberals, leftists and others in protest at Islamist members’ demeanour, saying they had been trying to suppress many freedoms, among other complaints.
No dialogue
Early this month, Morsi invited the opposition, led by the NSF, to a dialogue in order to reach national consensus before the referendum.
The NSF and other opposition groups, however, turned him down, arguing that such a meeting would be “pointless.”
During a recent speech, Morsi once again invited the opposition to a dialogue in order to reach an agreement over contentious articles in the constitution.
For his part, Sabbahi remains resolute not to engage in such a meeting, saying: “We have responded to his invitation once, and attended his meetings and nothing has changed.”
He added: “Any national dialogue must be conducted on a certain basis to be successful; it must have an agenda, and include all national forces so as no decision would be made without the involvement of a certain category of people.”
President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Ibinabo Fiberesima, has on Saturday debunked the rumours making rounds that Nollywood veteran actor Pete Edochie is dead.
The rumour as reported by a website, Global Associated News, claimed that Edochie died while filming a movie in Kitzbühel, Austria early Saturday.
“Preliminary reports from Austrian Police officials indicate that the actor fell more than 50 feet to his death in a remote area of the Hahnenkamm Mountains while on-set during the filming of a movie.
“Specific details are not yet available. The accident occurred at approximately 4:30 a.m. (UTC/GMT +12).
“Additional details and information will be forthcoming,” the report said.
However, Fiberesima in an SMS said “It is not true at all.” This is not the first time Pete Edochie is being trailed with death news. In 2011, he was rumoured to be dead until he dispelled the rumour later on.
Police arrest kidnapper days after forming new group
The 10-man kidnap gang, which abducted Prof Kamene Okonjo, mother of the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has been torn apart as a result of sharing the ransom collected for the release of the Queen of Ogwashi-Uku kingdom in Delta State.
The new leader of the gang reportedly bolted away with N1million share of another member of the gang.
The affected member, 32 –year-old Andrew, aka Olokpa, from Edo state, who was desperately in need of money, decided to go on a reprisal mission by forming a new kidnap gang and was caught by the police.
He is presently on detention at the Delta State Police Command headquarters in Asaba.
He was seized on Thursday when police, acting on intelligence information, lured him to sell one of the guns in his possession, which was used in the kidnap of the queen mother of Ogwashi-Uku kingdom.
His arrest was confirmed to Saturday Vanguard, yesterday, in Asaba by the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba.
Hired for the operation
The suspected kidnapper, who spoke to Saturday Vanguard from the police cell, yesterday, however, asserted he was not among the main 10-man kidnap gang that abducted Prof Okonjo.
He stated that he was merely hired to supply food to Prof Okonjo in the bush, where she was kept on two occasions.
Commissioner Aduba, who maintained that that the police was not in support of payment of ransom to kidnappers and was not told by the family of Okonjo that they paid ransom to kidnappers, told Saturday Vanguard that nemesis would catch up with the remaining kidnappers, as the police have a database on them.
He confirmed our information that the second-in-command of the gang, who took over from the former leader and kidnap kingpin, Nwaeze Nwosa, a.k.a Bolaji, after he was shot dead by the police, Thursday, December 13, bolted away with N1 million share of the ransom kept for another member, Olokpa.
The gang members seriously disagreed on the action of the new leader and advised him to return Olokpa’s money to him, as he was the one in who took care of Prof Okonjo in their hideout.
The kidnap leader refused and Olokpa, who was in possession of the arms and ammunition used for the operation was in desperate money for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
He reportedly formed another kidnap gang, which went for an operation in Aboh in Ndokwa area of the state.
The gang successfully kidnapped the victim but was confronted on the way out by the vigilance group in the area, which riddled its vehicle with bullets.
“Since we know the hideout they planned to use, we strategized to lay ambush for them at the hideout, but because of the shooting by the vigilance group, the group diverted to Edo state, where they abandoned the vehicle used for the operation”, a source confided in our reporters.
Saturday Vanguard was told that police detectives continued with the hunt for the gang and having discovered that Olokpa was in dire need of money, they sold a dummy to him that somebody wanted to buy a gun.
He fell for the deal and struck a bargain for N300,000 not knowing that he was speaking to a police detective.
The suspect came to Koka junction in Asaba to collect the money for the gun when the police arrested him.
He denied being the person that negotiated for the sale of a gun when he found that he was trapped.
However, it was difficult to extricate himself and he decided to escape, but he was shot on the leg in the process.
How we captured the gang member— Aduba
Speaking on the arrest of Olokpa, Commissioner Aduba said, “What I can tell you is that following our intelligence gathering on the identities of members of the kidnap gang responsible for the kidnap of Professor Mrs. Okonjo and days of painstaking monitoring at about 12.30pm, one Andrew (surname withheld) was arrested at Koka junction, Asaba.
“We got to know through networking of information the bush the woman was kept. The major players were identified, even though they are scattered, the camp was in disarray following the death of their leader, Nwosa.
“I still reiterate the issue of ransom, the issue of ransom payment was a rumour. We (police) are not part of it. I don’t encourage ransom”, he stated. According to him, “When we eventually smashed the gang with the death of their leader, one of them, who was promised N1 million as his share became angry because he was denied of the money.
“He broke away from the gang. We (police) were aware because of the close tab on them. And because he was angry, he decided to engage in other kidnapping activities to enable him get enough money for the Christmas and New Year celebrations.
“He participated in kidnapping an 82 year old man at Aboh. We (knew) about the kidnap, but did not know the route. We knew the day and kept on our surveillance and on that day, the community’s vigilance group opened fire and this man, leading another gang, moved to Edo State and abandoned the vehicle used for the operation along Auchi expressway.
“They later brought the man (victim) to Emu in Delta State and put him in custody of one of their gang members, who incidentally is a native of that village’,” he asserted.
His words, “So we sold a dummy to him (leader of new gang) to sell the gun he inherited from Nwosa- led gang to a big man from Lagos who was in need of it for N300,000 since he was desperately in need of money and in the process of giving him the gun, we got him arrested.”
Controversy over ransom
Even though the police have categorically maintained that it was not aware that ransom was paid, it was obvious from the arrest of Olokpa on Thursday that ransom was actually paid.
Saturday Vanguard exclusively broke the story of the ransom that was collected by the kidnappers.
Our information was that the ransom was dropped somewhere along the Benin bypass on the Warri-Benin-Lagos expressway, but it was not confirmed by security agencies, who were hoarding information from themselves. A source said the first time the ransom was to be paid, the kidnappers spotted a security officer with a member of the family and called it off.
“That was one of the reasons why she stayed up to five days in the kidnappers’ den”, our source hinted.
It was reported that the State Security Service, SSS, operatives from Abuja arrested one of the kidnappers when he went to deposit part of the ransom, which was marked in the bank, but the authorities have not officially corroborated the claim. An SSS source in Asaba, who confirmed that their colleagues from Abuja, indeed, came for an operation over the Prof Okonjo matter, however, said, “We do not have the details of what they unearthed here in Asaba”.
Olokpa admitted to the police that the new leader of the gang took his share of the money, but he was asked by Saturday Vanguard how the operation was carried out, he retreated, saying, he was brought in only after the kidnap had been carried out.
According to him, the kidnapper, who took over from Bolaji “is the one I know, he is my friend, he is the one who brought me in, he told me that he has a job for me to supply food, bread , groundnut and water to the person they kidnapped.”
“He said the person was kept somewhere in the bush and that he will pay me N100,000 for the job. I saw it as easy money and I accepted it”, he said, adding that he knew that kidnapping was a crime, but the money was irresistible for him because his job was not rewarding.
Villagers protest abduction of their children
Villagers from Ovumte, Ayaragu and Ekembe in Ishiagu community of Ebonyi, yesterday, protested the incidences of abduction of children in their area. The protesters, in their hundreds, mostly aged women and youths, took to the roads chanting war songs and calling on the police and other security agencies to unmask those behind the dastardly act.
The peaceful protesters later marched to the Ivo Divisional Police Headquarters, where they gave the police a seven-day ultimatum to unmask the perpetrators. They said: “Our villages are under siege. Abductors have taken over our villages and we live in fear of the unknown.”
“We are giving the police one week to uncover those behind the act.”
The aggrieved villagers also visited the house of the President of the Ishiagu Community Development Union (ICDU), Mr Stanly Anyim, and solicited the intervention of the union in tackling the problem. They said: “We are here to appeal to you to use your good office to stop the spate of child abductions in our villages.”
“Our children are no longer safe in our homes and this crime against them must stop.” A gang of abductors on Dec. 23 and Dec. 24 unleashed terror on the three villages and abducted seven children, aged between three and five years old.
Controversies have continued to trail the death of Azazi and Yakowa in what many informed sources believe to be premeditated and President Jonathan’s safety is now a big worry to close associates. Some Christian northern governors are afraid that it may be their turn and some among them have reportedly refocused their security machineries to avoid the Azazi/ Yakowa treatment. Some senators are afraid that they may go down anytime it pleases the executioners hence their interest in probing the helicopter accident. The feasters of Nigeria are afraid that some killers more powerful than they are on the prowl. This article, first published in February, was the concluding part of the piece ‘Boko Haram: How Safe is President Goodluck (11)’ and unless the issues raised therein are addressed, there will be more accidents and more feasters on Nigeria will be victims of their inaction.
In every political clime like Nigeria which has tendencies for roguery, it is very dangerous for so many funds to be concentrated on so few hands. Some Nigerians especially those in the oil block and oil bunkering businesses are individually worth over$10 billion dollars. At least twenty oil magnets in Nigeria are worth that much .Their shrewd investments of the stolen wealth have ensured steady increase in net worth over time. Some of these people are part of the sponsorship of the PDP branch of Boko Haram. They are equally so connected that security agents fall over themselves to give them sensitive information for a handsome fee or in return for career advancements and political patronage. The nations security arms are gradually through intelligence gatherings and uncompromised operations, apprehending the leaders and couriers of Pro-sharia and Al-queda Boko Haram. The PDP Boko Haram is still as free as air. Though some of them are irritated by the developments and are trying to seek tacit withdrawal, however their masterminds are not moved by the recent developments. Their sponsors-in –chiefs are not afraid of President Goodluck. Their only fear is that an expose on their ignoble roles could turn to a huge political deficit especially with the unanimous condemnation of the bloodletting by both Christians and Muslims of Nigeria.
President Goodluck said in January 2011 that the sponsors of Boko Haram are in High places in government, judiciary security etc. These leaders of the polity are speaking in parables and expect Nigerians to decode their message. They speak in parables while the nation is boiling. All these hushed tones are carefulness in preparation for 2015.The PDP Boko Haram is fighting because of 2015; the presidency is equally speaking in tongues because of 2015. Everything has been reduced to 2015 succession politics. Who knows who will survive till 2015?
President Goodluck should at least tell Nigerians from the list before him, those indicted for sponsoring Boko Haram. He should equally gather the will to prosecute these PDP party men as a deterrent or else another bunch of disgruntled politicians will toe the same line in the future. Failure to do so is preparing the ground for constant affront on the Nigerian State. There is a Biafran proverb that says thus” a fowl that mocked when a guinea fowl is being slaughtered knew not that the same fate that befell the guinea fowl will soon befall him” These Sponsors-in –Chiefs of Boko Haram have the ability to clinically execute agendas and provide a perfect alibi. Their tactics superseded the Sanni Abacha open and brutal operandi.
MKO Abiola was expecting to be released from detention and they waited till the foreigners came calling before striking. Who would you accuse of the murder of Abiola. Tunde Idiagbon, the anti-corruption deputy to former Head of State Muhammadu Buhari , was warned by a friend not to taste anything at the State House when invited for consultations. He felt that he was smarter than the masterminds until he suddenly took ill of strange weakness after being served tea, like MKO Abiola. On getting to his house in Ilorin, Idiagbon died 23 days later in March 1999. Allowing people capable of overthrowing the Nigerian State with an evil agenda to be roaming about is very dangerous.
The Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, after the Kano bombings have assured the president of support. The Sultan of Sokoto said the same thing after the Madalla bombings. Which other political support is the President looking for before confronting the behemoth from the northern PDP. If the traditional northern establishments have spoken against the evil coupled with the words of other prominent Nigerians, then the presidential foot drag could be injurious to the polity.
The fear of political recession, infighting and the need not to overheat the polity are part of the reasons the presidency is approaching this matter with caution. The polity is already overheated, different nationalities are calling for a break-up and only the hand of God is holding the nation together. If the nation’s political leadership continues to play this chess game with members of the PDP Boko Haram in their hands even God will remove his hand and there might be no 2015 for anybody to rule.
Since the inception of the fourth republic in 1999, Governors have been the subject of intense speculation and debate whenever they disappear from official and other public functions. As the year tails to an end, a serious call for concern is the plight of some state governors that have been missing in action for the past few months.
Late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua spent most of his tenure governing Katsina state from various hospital bed in Europe, unknown to people of Katsina, till he was foisted on Nigerians by Olusegun Obasanjo in 2007 as President. He lost his battle with his health in 2010. Crisis was averted when Goodluck Jonathan was eventually sworn in as acting and much later, substantive President. Two term governor of Edo State, Lucky Igbinedion also had his own share of health challenges, which he tacitly managed and kept away from public knowledge.
Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada
Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada, on friday December 28, was involved in an auto crash with his convoy when his Lexus SUV tyre burst, causing it to somersault three times into an uncompleted building by the road side. Multiple crashes ensued as other vehicles were in his motorcade.
His driver, however, escaped unhurt but the governor’s Aide-de-Camp, ASP Idris Mohammed, died instantly, while others in his motorcade sustained varying degree of injury.
Wada was quickly evacuated by his officials to Kogi Specialist Hospital in Lokoja from where he was transferred to the National Hospital, Abuja for further treatment.
The governor was returning from the annual Igala Education Summit which he declared opened at the Kogi State University in Anyigba when his convoy was involved in the crash on Lokoja-Ajaokuta Road.
Gov Sullivan Chime of Enugu State
The speculation surrounding the health of the Enugu state governor has become intense in recent weeks as officials of the state continue to vehemently refute rumours of his absence, refusing to disclose his whereabouts or state of health. News of his ailment has been misconstrued as death in some parts of the state. Former minister of state for foreign affairs Dubem Onyia had to calm frayed nerves by stating the governor is alive and kicking.
Sullivan’s last public appearance was at the meeting of South-East Governors Forum on September 9, 2012 in Enugu, since then he has been conspicuously missing in public functions. A punch investigation revealed that the governor made only 17 public appearances from a possible 111 in 2012. To underscore his frail heath, he collapsed in Nsukka in 2011, and relapsed twice in Enugu, in 2008 and 2009.”
However, an aide of the governor, who regrets the entire saga, recently told some journalists that Chime was in “a bad shape before he left the country for London. We noticed it.”
The aide explained further “for some time now, we noticed that the governor has not been his usual bubbling self. You may not easily know this because he carries himself well and hardly talks, but some of us knew that the man was down. From what we heard, he is no longer in London; he was flown to India last week because his health condition wasn’t getting better. As I speak to you right now, he is in a hospital in India.”
Concern, apprehension and anxiety can best describe the mood in Enugu, particularly Udi where Governor Chime hails from.
Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke
In November, former Federal Minister of Power and Steel now Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke had announced that he was taking time off to attend to his medical condition without disclosing the problem he had with his health.
He however wrote a letter to the state House of Assembly that he had handed over to his deputy, Efiok Cobham, so as to enable him proceed on an accumulated leave.
Reports say the governor’s health condition has to do with his kidney. Government house sources said Liyel is on life support and undergoing regular dialyses.
Similar to other ailing governors, there aides and protocol men are having a busy time deflating rumours of the governor’s deteriorating health. The pace of development has been reduced to snail’s pace as the Deputy Governor, Efiok Cobham like his counterpart in Enugu state, Sunday Onyebuchi, cannot approve more than N500, 000 for any project regardless of how pressing it is, rather attention have now been channelled to gull the people of the states.
Governor Patrick Yakowa, Kaduna State
The Governor met his untimely death on his way to Port Harcourt from Bayelsa after he attended the funeral of late Mr Tamunoobebara Douglas, the father of the Presidential adviser on Research, Documentation and Strategy, Mr Oronto Douglas when the Nigerian Navy Augusta 109 helicopter conveying himself, the erstwhile National Security Adviser, General Owoye Azazi and four others, burst into flames and crashed at Okoroba village in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
They were said to have been badly burnt and only identified by the shreds of their clothes.
Yakowa has since been buried and Kaduna state has moved on with the swearing in of his deputy Mukhtar Yero as the new governor and former Peoples Democratic Party chairman in the state, Mr. Nuhu Bajoga, his deputy.
Dambaba Danfulani Suntai, Taraba State Governor
Very little has been heard of Governor Dambaba Suntai since the self-inflicted head injuries he sustained after his Cessna 208 private jet piloted by him in company of five of his aides, crashed on October 25 in Yola, capital of Adamawa State.
He initially received treatment at the Abuja National Hospital before he was eventually flown to Germany for “proper medical attention”.
A presidential delegation led by Senate President David Mark embarked on a clandestine journey to see the governor on his sick bed in Germany en route their official destination of the Vatican City to witness the consecration of Archbishop John Onaiyekan as Cardinal of the Catholic Church, disclosed that apart from the fact that he is bedridden, he could not recognize members of the delegation.
The silence on Governor Suntai’s health status is considered by many as a scheme to delay the swearing in of the deputy governor as the substantive governor despite prove beyond reasonable doubt that Suntai might not be able to fully recover from the crash to govern Taraba again.
In similar manner to the propaganda by other state governors on ‘vacation,’ the deceit and lies by media aides to the governor continued unabated without recourse to his prolonged absence from the country, This has stalled governance in Taraba as there was no official handover to his deputy to take charge of day-to-day administration of the state.
The polities of the affected states have being heated unnecessarily as a result of prolonged absence of these governors fuelled by persistent denials by their aides who are not bothered that the people they govern deserve to know the whereabouts and medical condition of their Governors.
It would be safe to conclude that a lot of them are aware of their fragile health before aspiring for political office which they thereafter shield and employ state resources to keep going. These Governors, like every other human being, can succumb to illness but it is the secrecy that it is shrouded, the leadership vacuum created and the attendant dislocation in the workings of government when they periodically break down that is a source of worry.
Police in Onitsha, Anambra state have arrested a middle-aged woman, identified as Uchenna for reportedly breaking her maid’s hand with a pestle and cutting her private part with a razor blade.
The victim, identified as Chisom Nwafor was living with her mistress at Osuma Street where she was allegedly manhandled.
The 10-year-old victim who hailed from Enugu-Abo in Enugu State while narrating her ordeal said that Uchenna returned on a Sunday morning and started beating her and used razor blade to tear her private parts.
She said, “I was changing her daughter’s dress because she urinated on it. My madam entered and started shouting on top of her voice and she immediately rushed into the kitchen and collected a pestle and hit me severally on my back and she hit me again and broke my left hand, I fell and she entered her room and took a razor blade, tore my pant and started tearing my private part after which she poured pepper inside my private part which was bleeding” she said.
The Onitsha Area Commander, Mr. Benjamin Wordu who confirmed the gory incident described it as the ‘highest level of man’s inhumanity to man’, noting that the suspect would not go unpunished.
The police boss however warned parents against giving birth to children they can’t train rather than giving them out to some people who would maltreat them.
Meanwhile, Uchenna had denied cutting her maid’s private part with any sharp object.
Villagers in Ovumte, Ayaragu and Ekembe in Ishiagu community of Ebonyi, on Friday, took to the streets to protest against the rising incidence of abduction of children in their communities.
The protesters, in their hundreds, mostly aged women and youths, took to the roads chanting war songs and calling on the police and other security agencies to unmask those behind the dastardly act.
The peaceful protesters later marched to the Ivo Divisional Police Headquarters, where they gave the police a seven-day ultimatum to unmask the perpetrators.
They said: “Our villages are under siege. Abductors have taken over our villages and we live in fear of the unknown. We are giving the police one week to uncover those behind the act.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ebonyi State command, Sylvester Igbo, confirmed the incident and said that one suspect had been arrested while investigation was ongoing to unmask the remaining abductors.
The aggrieved villagers also visited the house of the president of the Ishiagu Community Development Union, ICDU, Stanly Anyim, and solicited the intervention of the union in tackling the problem.
“We are here to appeal to you to use your good office to stop the spate of child abductions in our villages. Our children are no longer safe in our homes and this crime against them must stop,” they said.
A gang of abductors on Dec. 23 and Dec. 24 unleashed terror on the three villages and abducted seven children, aged between three and five years old.
Kidnapping has become a common crime in eastern Nigeria as criminals use it to extort money from people. But the Ebonyi incident introduced a new dimension to the ugly phenomenon. The fate of the abducted children and the reason for their capture is still unknown.
The Peoples Democratic Party has directed its members nationwide to observe minutes of prayers tomorrow, Saturday, December,29, 2012 for the speedy recovery of the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Capt. Idris Wada who was involved in a ghastly road accident.
A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh said the Party was deeply shocked by the news of the accident.
“Our great Party is yet to recover from a rude shock arising from a recent similar incident. We therefore wish to direct all our members to observe compulsory minutes of prayers for the speedy recovery of Governor Wada and to spare the Party from further painful incidents.”
The PDP also prayed for the repose of the soul of the ADC to Governor Wada who died in the accident and asked God to comfort those he left behind.
Scores of very important personalities (VIPs) attending the funeral ceremonies for the immediate past National Security Adviser (NSA),General Andrew Azazi (rtd), in Yenagoa this weekend have been avoiding travelling to the venue by helicopter.
Azazi, the then Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State and four others died on Saturday, December 15 when the Nigerian Navy Augusta helicopter conveying them from Okoroba,Bayelsa State to Port Harcourt crashed minutes after take-off.
They had attended the burial of Pa Tamunoobebara Douglas, father of the Presidential Special Adviser on Research and Documentation, Mr.Oronto Douglas, in the largely riverine state.
Azazi is to be laid to rest today at the Ijaw Heroes Park in Yenagoa.
However, mourners, including Governors Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State and Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State; Aviation Minister Stella Oduah and others who arrived Port Harcourt Airport en-route Yenagoa for last night’s service of songs for the deceased shunned helicopters and opted to travel to the Bayelsa State capital by road.
Sources at the Port Harcourt Airport told The Nation on Saturday that on arrival from Lagos and Abuja,the VIPs all moved into the VIP Lounge, while arrangements were being made for them to be airlifted to Yenagoa by helicopters.
But to the surprise of all the VIPs,one after the other, called their aides and instructed them to make provision for them to move to Yenagoa by road.
Efforts by the aides to convince their bosses that well-serviced and safe helicopters were available for the short journey and that the East-West road currently being dualised is not in a particularly good shape were to no avail.
It was, however, learnt that the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, flew in one of the choppers to Yenagoa from Port Harcourt on arrival from Abuja.
Mr.Daniel Iworiso,the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Dickson confirmed that his principal travelled by road from Port Harcourt to Yenagoa.
Iworiso said: “Governor Dickson flew from Abuja to Port Harcourt International Airport and moved to Yenagoa by road between 9 am and 10 am.
“Governor Dickson’s convoy was already waiting at Port Harcourt International Airport. He left the airport before other VIPs arrived from Abuja and other places.
“Governor Dickson can decide to travel by road from Port Harcourt International Airport or use helicopter. It has nothing to do with fear.”
Governor Uduaghan’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr.Sunny Ogefere, also confirmed that his boss went by road to Yenagoa from Port Harcourt,saying going by helicopter was not on the governor’s schedule.
“There was really nothing to it.If going by helicopter was scheduled,His Excellency would have gone by helicopter,” Ogefere said.
Azazi’s kinsmen are protesting the decision to bury him in Yenagoa and not in his Peretorugbene hometown in the Ekeremo Local Government Area.
In a tribute to Azazi at the service of songs, Governor Seriake Dickson said that with the death of Azazi the Ijaw “ have not only lost a kinsman, big brother, father, grandfather, friend and colleague; the Ijaw nation has clearly lost one of its finest and very best. He was a patriot who gave his all!”
He added: “There may be no greater tribute to General Azazi’s illustrious military career than the fact that he was a first-class military officer who rose through the ranks as a professional soldier and duly earned his place in the history of the Nigerian Army as the only decorated four- star general who truly earned his rank.
“His career in the military was, no doubt, a feat and clearly he will be remembered as one of the most distinguished and outstanding officers of the Nigerian Army. And as the accolades continue to pour in to celebrate his noble stewardship from different quarters, we are further assured that General Azazi was really extraordinary, combining an enviable leadership character with a legacy of service and patriotism”.
President Robert Mugabe’s vacation in the Far East has sparked a furore among civil society groups that are calling on him to return and tackle the unraveling constitution revision process.
Mugabe left Harare for Asia on Thursday where he will spend between three and four weeks with his family. Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CZC), an umbrella body representing different civil society groups, raised concern on Friday saying Mugabe’s absence will slow down the pace of reforms expected before elections next year.
“We urge the president to cut short his vacation and help resolve the crisis at home so that Zimbabwe can make democratic progress before the next elections,” CZC said in a statement.
“Zimbabwe remains at a critical transitional juncture and we call upon its leaders to prioritise implementation of the necessary reforms rather than long vacations as we face a watershed” vote.
Presidential spokesman George Charamba had earlier sought to preempt the outrage saying “there is no necessary link with him (Mugabe) going on leave and the progress of the constitution-making process.”
But the civil society groups differed saying Mugabe needed to be present to negotiate a lasting solution to the stalled new charter effort and implement several other political and democratic reforms convenient for a free and fair ballot.
“Even though … Charamba insists that the absence of the president will not adversely affect the finalization of the constitution and other reforms, political developments on the ground suggest otherwise,” CZC added.
Constitutional Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga appeared to agree saying even a cross-party ministerial panel set up to iron out differences was also likely to be affected by holiday absenteeism.
“As you are aware we are now in the holiday season and it’s going to take a bit of time to get everybody who should be consulted because some people would have gone on holiday,” he told VOA.
The ministerial commitee has been holding meetings over the past few days but a resolution has remained elusive as both Zanu PF and the two MDC formations remain entrenched in their diametric positions.
A meeting on Thursday tasked the panel’s members to go and brief their respective parties on the negotiations and “get further instructions as to what should be happening in the future.”
Zanu PF says there are more than 30 sticking points, including devolution of power which it wants scrapped. But the MDC parties have played down the magnitude of differences saying only a few disagreements remain.
The CZC cited US President Barack Obama who was forced to abandon his family holiday on Thursday to deal with the so-called “fiscal cliff” that will trigger tax increases for all Americans if Republicans and Democrats do not strike a deal in the next three days.
While details of Mugabe’s schedule and destination were not released, he told a local weekly recently that he will likely vacation in China. “I am going to have a bit of a holiday and I am going to travel, possibly to China,” Mugabe said.
Since he was slapped with Western sanctions over charges of gross human rights violations and electoral fraud, Mugabe has turned to the Far East and made Asia his primary holidaying destination.
He has also paid frequent visits, especially to Singapore, allegedly to receive treatment for advanced cancer.
But Mugabe and his surrogates have vehemently dismissed the reports insisting the veteran leader is in good health.
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