As Mr. Jonathan stumbled and wobbled in poll after poll—several of them operated or commissioned by operatives and hirelings in and around the administration—they looked for scapegoats and escape holes.

Up until last Thursday, the 5th of February 2015, there were people in Nigeria who thought President Goodluck Jonathan still had a chance to be re-elected president next Saturday.

Among that number, some mistook the pageantry and pomp of incumbency for the power and pump of Nigeria’s fledgling democratic heart.

As Mr. Jonathan stumbled and wobbled in poll after poll—several of them operated or commissioned by operatives and hirelings in and around the administration—they looked for scapegoats and escape holes.

As politicians trooped from his PDP into the suddenly-attractive APC, Jonathan’s team deployed abuses and excuses.

As organizations and important individuals around the country and abroad endorsed Mr. Jonathan’s principal challenger for the presidency, his cheerleaders encouraged him to disburse more promises, dismissing forecasts of his imminent electoral demise.

Well, not entirely.  At first they clung to the strategy of trying to destroy the claims to character of Muhammadu Buhari, the APC presidential candidate.

That lost steam.

They shifted into blame mode, questioning the readiness of the electoral commission.

That, too, lost steam.

Then they—they who thought the “Independent” in the Independent National Electoral Commission was ridiculous and refused to honour its budgetary and programmatic requirements; who refused to encourage Nigerians to collect their voters’ cards; who refused to protect the rights of the internally-displaced to vote—these emergency philanthropists argued Nigerians had not received their cards.

That track also lost steam.

Then they dropped the P-word: postponement.  They wanted the election postponed.

At first they wanted six months.  Then, dawn and reality closing in, they wanted eight weeks.

Eight weeks?

Eight weeks.  They had had four years—or five, or even eight, depending on how you looked at it—to prepare for the 2015 elections.  They had had all the time in the world to grant the electoral commission all the support it needed to be absolutely prepared, but did not.

They had had all the time to support the IDPs, including those displaced by floods, but did not.

They had all the time in the world to revamp the military and Nigeria’s entire Boko Haram strategy towards making the Northeast safer and more election-friendly, but they did not.

It came down to begging and crawling to try and gain eight weeks.

To be sure, they gained a few voices.  They got some minor political parties to whine on their side of the fence.  They hurled a few moles in front of television cameras and radio microphones and Internet keyboards.  They refused to grant visas to foreign journalists heading into Nigeria to report the election.

But it was hopeless, as opposition to postponing the election was substantial.  Asserting itself, the electoral commission said, “We are ready.  We are as ready as we are ever going to be!”

And then on Thursday, four days ago, the Council of State detonated a bomb right in the heart of the government, saying it had failed to find a shred of evidence why the election could not go on.

In other words, the Council did not fall for the tenure-elongation schemes of the Jonathan presidency in the face of the clamor of the populace to speak at the ballot.

These were gargantuan, seismic shifts.

It is not difficult to imagine that the presidency, after being doused with such ice-cold water on a bitterly-cold morning, did not crawl into alcohol and refuse to be consoled.  It was not difficult to see that Nigerians simply wanted an opportunity to vote out Mr. Jonathan and the PDP.

It may be clichéd, but Nigerians wanted change.

This bothers some people, who argue—bravely you might say—that Buhari and the APC do not offer change.  That argument is what emerges when you fail to clean your ears.

Buhari and the APC, I assert as someone who has openly denounced the PDP since the 2003 elections, are change.  They offer a change from the PDP in the elementary sense that someone—anyone else—is hope, and something of a new beginning.  Anyone and anything but the PDP is the definition of change.

Now, is APC the change Nigerians want?  Well, that is a completely different animal.  The truth is that you cannot have the second without the first.  To say that APC is not the change Nigerians want should not be to say that PDP and Jonathan are a nightmare they want to maintain.  It is the nature of homo sapiens, when confronted with pain or injury, to try something…different.

As for me, I am reformed.  For five years, I have pointed out how weak and unsuitable for leadership Mr. Jonathan was.  But it is all clear to me now: his mission in politics was never to be a conqueror or an achiever, for he is not so equipped; it was to show Nigerians how nasty life can turn when they are not vigilant.

Nigerians were not, and they got Jonathan.

The PDP were not, and now, it is about to be de-mystified and detonated.

In the process, Jonathan’s luck seems to have run out, and he is being unveiled as an impostor, the passerby in the mask of the King.  Unveiled not just as the man who didn’t give a damn, but as one who couldn’t spell it.  He will spend a lot of his old age trying to explain how he got to Aso Rock; how he got to the University of Port Harcourt, if he did, how long he spent there, and what he did there; and even the loyalties of those who cheered when he did not give a damn.

Speaking of Uniport, Mr. Jonathan may have singlehandedly damaged that brand.  Every alumnus is on now his own.

Unless you are wearing damaged ethnic or regional blinkers, the only reason for any passionate support of Jonathan is because he upholds a lootocracy to which you belong.  There is nothing about his public voyage that fills a normal man with anything but contempt.

But let us be clear: this election is not about Jonathan.  It is not about Buhari.  It is about Nigeria, as a country that has for too long been taken for granted.

This is also why Buhari, his team, and the APC must be on notice.  It is not about you, and if you win, it would be the final tragedy should you act as if there is one day to waste, or as if the standards of measurement will be lowered because you enjoyed popular support on your way to the kingdom.  The support is for the country, not you, and not your party.

Actually, your journey will be a lot more difficult because in the period since your much-admired presidential party primary, a lot has changed, and the resources that will be available to you on Friday, May 29, 2015 will be considerably less.

The comfort is that if you really and truly give a damn, you will have plenty of company and help on the road to restoration.

sonala.olumhense@gmail.com

Photos of the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbeola, Lagos State Organizing Secretary All   Progressive Congress [APC], Alhaji Abdullahi Enilolobo and Lagos State House of Assemble Member Alimosho Constituency, Hon. Bisi Yusuff during APC Governorship Candidate Mega Rally, Akinwunmi Ambode at Alimosho Local Government Lagos State on Monday 9/2/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbeola [middle], lagos State
Organizing Secretary All Progressive Congress [APC], Alhaji
Abdullahi Enilolobo [left],and Lagos State House of Assemble Member
Alimosho Constituency, Hon. Prince Bisi Yusuff [right] on the top of a
vehicle acknowledging cheers from supporters, during APC Governorship
Candidate Mega Rally, Akinwunmi Ambode at Alimosho Local Government
Lagos State on Monday

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbeola [middle], lagos State
Organizing Secretary All Progressive Congress [APC], Alhaji
Abdullahi Enilolobo [left] and Lagos State House of Assemble Member
Alimosho Constituency, Hon. Bisi Yusuff [right], during APC
Governorship Candidate Mega Rally, Akinwunmi Ambode at Alimosho Local
Government Lagos State on Monday 9/2/2015.

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbeola [middle], lagos State
Organizing Secretary All Progressive Congress [APC], Alhaji
Abdullahi Enilolobo [left] and Lagos State House of Assemble Member
Alimosho Constituency, Hon. Bisi Yusuff [right], during APC
Governorship Candidate Mega Rally, Akinwunmi Ambode at Alimosho Local
Government Lagos State on Monday 9/2/2015.

Photos of the Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and others while he acknowledged cheers from the jubilating crowd after being declared winner of the August 9 Governorship election by Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime led Petition Tribunal panel in Osogbo on Friday 06-02-2015

Resident of Osogbo, State of Osun capital jubilating after Justice
Elizabeth Ikpejime led Tribunal panel dismisses Omisore’s petition in
Osogbo, State of Osun. Insert: Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf
Aregbesola (2nd right); APC Chairman, Prince Gboyega Famodun (2nd
left) and Former Lagos State Commissioner, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi
on Friday 06-02-2015

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (2nd right); APC
Chairman, Prince Gboyega Famodun (2nd left); Former Lagos State
Commissioner, Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi and others, jubilating after
Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime led Tribunal panel dismisses Omisore’s
petition in Osogbo, State of Osun on Friday 06-02-2015

Resident of Osogbo, State of Osun capital jubilating after Justice
Elizabeth Ikpejime led Tribunal panel dismisses Omisore’s petition in
Osogbo, State of Osun on Friday 06-02-2015

Resident of Osogbo, State of Osun capital jubilating after Justice
Elizabeth Ikpejime led Tribunal panel dismisses Omisore’s petition in
Osogbo, State of Osun on Friday 06-02-2015

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (atop a bus)
acknowledging cheers from the jubilating crowd after been declared
winner of the August 9 Governorship election by Justice Elizabeth
Ikpejime led Petition Tribunal panel in Osogbo on Friday 06-02-2015

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (atop a bus)
acknowledging cheers from the jubilating crowd after been declared
winner of the August 9 Governorship election by Justice Elizabeth
Ikpejime led Petition Tribunal panel in Osogbo on Friday 06-02-2015

Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola (atop a bus)
acknowledging cheers from the jubilating crowd after been declared
winner of the August 9 Governorship election by Justice Elizabeth
Ikpejime led Petition Tribunal panel in Osogbo on Friday 06-02-2015

…..returns Aregbesola winner of August 9 guber election

The Osun Governorship Election Petition Tribunal hearing the petition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the August 9 governorship election in Osun, Senator Iyiola Omisore on Friday returned the governor of the state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola as the lawful winner of the governorship election in the state.
‎The tribunal led by the chairman, Justice Elizabeth Ikpejieme in a judgment of over seven hours held that the petitioner failed to prove his case by providing credible evidence.
The PDP candidate is challenging the election before the panel in some units and wards in 17 local government councils of the state.

Omisore and his party, PDP, alleged that the August 9 governorship election was characterised by irregularities and manipulation in favour of APC and Aregbesola, thus asking the tribunal to cancel the election results in the affected local government councils.

He is also praying the tribunal to declare him the winner of the election, saying he had the majority lawful votes, stressing that the votes cast for Aregbesola and APC were not lawful, therefore, should be nullified.‎
The Chairman of the tribunal in her judgment on the eligibility of the petition ruled that the appellant failed when it did not file his reply within the five days stipulated under the law.
The tribunal held that the five days the appellant had commenced on the day they were served on the 9th of October, 2014 lapsed on the 13th of October, saying the days under the law included Sunday which the appellant tried to exclude from the five days.

She pointed out that the Appellant having filed the reply on 14th October fell foul of the law, noting that the law is settled when it stated the method and dates to follow in filling reply.
On the issue of the Appellant abandoning their case, the tribunal noted that for the purpose of fair hearing, the tribunal will go on in delivering its judgment on the substantive case.
Delivering judgment on the substantive suit, the tribunal said “nobody came to the tribunal to testify that they have not been able to vote and that those not accredited were not allowed to vote. The appellants have not shown how many of their supporters were refused accreditation.
“The non-stamping of Form ECA8, our attention has not been drawn to the need that duplicates have to be signed but it was confirmed that only the original white copies were signed and that the stamp may not even appear on the carbon copies. How has the non-stamping of duplicate copies affect the result of the election?
“On multiple voting, the forensic expert of the petitioner showed that the ballot papers were accordingly used. He did not testify that he encountered any multiple voting. Without analysing the ballot paper, there can’t be the issue of multiple voting. His examination also does not show any over voting”. The tribunal noted

On allegation of using O’Yes as Independent National Election Commission (INEC) officials, the tribunal stressed that there is no such evidence on record as what they have are two O’Yes members who testified as agents and not INEC officials‎.
The tribunal also held that the evidence led by the petitioners in Ayedaade Local Government lacks any degree of specificity and cannot be relied on by the tribunal as they failed completely to prove any of the allegations. ‎

On Atakunmosa East, the tribunal chairman noted that apart from abandonment of pleading, the testimony of the witness there is unreliable and cannot be relied upon.

She said, “We do not know how testimony of a single witness can aggregate all the contested polling units in the local government.

“In Boripe Local Government, the Petitioners called only one witness in respect of 23 units and clearly abandoned his pleadings in all other units. The witness is not a polling agent and not competent to give evidence on what was going on in the unit”.
‎
The tribunal noted that the evidence given In Ede South is hearsay and the petitioners failed to lead credible witness, adding that the Petitioners made allegations in 47 Polling units in 10wards, but called Prosecution Witness 30, a wards supervisor for Ward 2  which contains 3 units thereby abandoning 44 polling units.
On Ejigbo Local Government, the tribunal said, “The Petitioners made allegations in 58 Polling Units in 9 wards and called 3 witnesses PW 26, 27 and 28. Apart from abandonment of pleading in 55 Polling units , the witnesses called by the petitioners is of no assistance to the Petitioners. Their testimonies were not credible”.
The tribunal pointed out in its judgment that the PDP and its candidate, Iyiola omisore failed woefully to prove it’s case in the 17 local governments being challenged, noting that the petition lacks diligent prosecution and substantial evidence.

The chairman held that, for the petitioner not to have satisfactorily proved his case in any of the 17 local governments, the panel has no reason to void the election.
The tribunal therefore returned Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola the duly elected governor in the August 9 election and dismissed the case of the petitioner.

The Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has described as the triumph of the will and wishes of the people, the verdict of the Osun Election Petition Tribunal delivered today Friday February 6 2015 which awarded him victory.

Aregbesola, in a swift reaction to the judgment, said in a sane society, his opponent in the August 9, 2014 governorship election would not even approach the election tribunal because there was no redress to be sought in the first place.

“It is pertinent to state here that ab initio, those who went to the tribunal knew that the petition lacked any substance whatsoever. It is a share waste of the time of the judiciary. And they knew!

“One is appalled by the fact that a candidate who knew that the entire state rejected him and the political party he represents; performed abysmally in the build-up to the election, during the election and compounded his woes by failing to meet up with the required deadline set by the rule of the court, would be taunting us with any fake victory.

Aregbesola, in the statement made available by his media aide, Semiu Okanlawon, congratulated the people of Osun on the victory, saying it is a confirmation of their dogged desire for good governance as demonstrated by the four years of the first term of his administration.

“We must salute the courage of our people that in the face of overwhelming intimidation, harassment of unimaginable proportion, they stood by their government and ensured re-election. This is a further affirmation of the fact that any government that makes the people the centre of its policies will always find the people solidly behind it,” he said.

    Governor Aregbesola further re-assured the people that his government would not relent in its zeal to make Osun the hub of the most profitable commercial centre not only in the South-West but in Nigeria as a whole.

“Our target is to make this small corner of the earth a centre of reference in all that is great and elegant. The history of our place tells us that civilization was not alien to us and that indeed, our people were epitome of innovation, technology, industry and enterprise.

“We must revamp this and make our people proud again among other nations of the world,” he concluded

Nigerian farmers on Tuesday declared that they will only cast their votes for politicians with workable policies that will ensure food security and enhance agricultural production across the country when elected to official positions.
The farmers, who spoke under the aegis of the Association of Small Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria, whose parent body is the Voices for Food Security, stated that politicians should during their campaigns discuss how to improve the country’s agricultural sector, a development that would positively impact on the lives of farmers.
“Nigerian farmers will only vote for politicians with sound food policies. Policies that will ensure food security, considering the fact that the fall in global oil price is seriously affecting our country’s earnings negatively,” a representative of ASSAPIN, Mrs. Mariam Buhari, said.
Buhari, while speaking during a press briefing organised by Oxfam Nigeria, stated that Nigerian farmers decided to come up with a farmers’ manifesto, adding that politicians would have to endorse and pledge to commit to its dictates in order to drive the agricultural sector to amiable heights.
She said, “There are needs in the sector that have to be addressed. Particularly, women in agriculture face a lot of challenges and that is why we are saying that any politician that doesn’t have sound policies that will ensure meaningful improvements in the sector should forget our (farmers) votes.”
Speaking also at the briefing, a member of the group and Head, Madakiya Mondiccu Cooperative Society, Mrs. Monica Maigari, said it might be difficult for the government to fund its bills if it continues to relegate agriculture to the background.
She said, “Oil prices are nose-diving and Nigeria is losing revenue as a result of this. This is the time to harness agriculture so that through the sector the government can generate revenue to run its activities. But if farmers are neglected, then it will be tough for the government to actualise this.”
The Programme Officer, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Mr. Salaudeen Hashim, said food insecurity posed a pervasive and non-violent threat to the existence of individuals, considering the fact that hunger significantly shortens life expectancy, undermines quality of life and limits participation in income generating activities.

…says the concept of e-learning device is in line with its objective of promoting education

The United‎ Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has approached the government of the state of Osun seeking to adopt the e-learning device created by the Rauf Aregbesola administration, Opon Imo (Tablet of Knowledge).

UNESCO, in a letter dated 15 November 2014 to the Osun Commissioner for Education and signed by Prof. Hassana Alidou, Director and Representative UNESCO’s Regional Office in Abuja said the organisation is impressed by the components of the Osun e-learning project.

UNESCO also requested to reproduce and adapt the educational learning resource material and content of Opon-imo to promote it’s educational programmes in Nigeria.
‎ The organisation added that it was fascinated by the three major content categories of the e-library, the integrated test zone, the virtual class room containing 63 books covering civic education, Ifa on ethics and morals among others in Opon-Imo.
The United Nation’s organisation held that the concept and educational contents of Opon-Imo is in line with UNESCO’s objective to promote open access to quality education in the country. According to UNESCO in the letter of request, “as you may be aware, UNESCO is a specialised Agency of the United Nations with a broad mandate in promoting education, science, culture, communication and information.
“The concept and education content of Opon-Imo is in line with UNESCO objective to promote open access to scientific information, open educational resources and open training platform as well as open distance learning.
“We acknowledge that the Opon-Imo was designed to enhance students’ access to knowledge, sexuality education and entrepreneurship, all of which are within the scope of UNESCO’s educational programme activities in Nigeria”.
The organisation also pointed out that it will partner with Osun, noting that the government of Osun will be officially acknowledged by UNESCO and other users as the major source of the e-learning resource materials wherever they are used.

Opon Imo [Tablet of Knowledge] the innovative education tool by Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s administration has bagged several international awards.

Opon Imo was selected as the best in innovative category in the e-learning and science category of the awards of United Nations backed World Summit Awards (WSA) among many other awards.

Governor State of Osun and South West Coordinator APC Presidential Campaign, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; his Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori; President, National Association of Osun State Students (NAOSS), Offa Poly Chapter, Mr. Akintunde Maruf and Secretary General, National Association of Polytechnic Students, Mr Seriki Ibrahim Olawale, during a visit to declare support for Gen. Muhammadu Buhari presidency, at Government House in Osogbo on Tuesday 03-02-2014

Governor State of Osun and South West Coordinator APC Presidential
Campaign, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; his Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori;
President, National Association of Osun State Students ((NAOSS), Offa
Poly Chapter, Mr. Akintunde Maruf (2nd right) and Secretary General,
National Association of Polytechnic Students, Mr Seriki Ibrahim
Olawale, during a visit to declare support for Gen. Muhammadu Buhari
presidency, at Government House in Osogbo on Tuesday 03-02-2014

Governor State of Osun and South West Coordinator APC Presidential
Campaign, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; his Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori;
President, National Association of Osun State Students ((NAOSS), Offa
Poly Chapter, Mr. Akintunde Maruf (6th right); Secretary General,
National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), Mr Seriki Ibrahim
Olawale (5th right); Student Union Government (SUG), Mr Adegbele
Hammed (2nd left) and NAPS Director of women Affairs, Miss Giwa
Oluwadamilola (left) and others, during a visit to declare support for
Gen. Muhammadu Buhari presidency, at Government House in Osogbo on
Tuesday 03-02-2014

The Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has lamented what he described as the criminal silence of Nigerians at mind-boggling revelations that about N30 trillion of Nigerian money allegedly got missing under the watch of the Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Aregbesola, while receiving representatives of students of Nigerian polytechnics who visited him at the Government House on Tuesday, said it was amazing how corruption had become so entrenched in the country that the mention of N30 trillion common wealth missing under the government of President Goodluck Jonathan has not been greeted with trepidation.

He said with such mind-blowing frittering away of the nation’s resources, the future of the youths of today has been mortgaged.

Addressing the students representatives who said they were at the Government House to show solidarity with the Governor, his APC-led Government and support for presidential candidate of the APC, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, Aregbesola said With the way Nigeria is now, Nigerians of the age of the students should take it upon themselves to ensure the pursuit for change is driven to a logical conclusion.

“With the bomb that Soludo threw on the missing money, when I was in school, Jonathan would have been preparing for his exit. For a former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor to accuse the Minister of Finance that under her watch, the country lost about N30 trillion and all of us can keep quiet?

“How much was involved in the crisis that led to the Ali Must Go protests? But the whole country became charged and demanded for the resignation of the Minister,” Aregbesola lamented.

The governor said the amount in question is enough to build several kilometres of roads, several schools, and help bring back into life many of the country’s decaying infrastructure.

 He said, “Look at how many roads that would build.  Look at how many schools that would build.

“Incontrovertible facts have it that the Three Gorges Dam in China was built at a cost of USD26 billion and it is generating 22,500 MW of power by July 2012.

“Now, look at our country, we have spent about $31.45 billion and we could only generate 4,000 MW,” he disclosed

The Governor said what is made of Nigeria is a business of the youths adding that they must join hands to ensure the needed change in the country.

He added, “What you make of Nigeria is your business. It’s in your interest to join in the struggle to have a new leadership in Nigeria.  We must have a change of government to have a new beginning.

“Should this man have another 4 years, the country is doomed totally.”

Speaker of Osun House Assembly, Mr Najeem Salaam, has urged the electorate in the State not to sell their Permanent Voter Cards to desperate politicians.
The speaker gave the advice while addressing a group of artisans in Ejigbo, his home town.
He urged people yet to collect their PVC to do so before INEC’s deadline to enable them to vote in the forthcoming elections.
He told the electorate to see the PVC as a symbol of power for individuals to determine who governed them.
He urged the people to keep their PVC away from unscrupulous politicians who may want to collect them for mischievous reasons.
(NAN)