Insecurity Forces Jonathan to Cancel Yobe Rally in Northeast Nigeria
FEBRUARY 2, 2015
BY SOLA FABIYI AND OLALEKAN ADETAYO
Nigerian Punch
Barring any last minute change in plan, the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential rally earlier fixed for Monday (today) in Damaturu, Yobe State will no longer hold.
President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo and other top officials of the PDP were earlier scheduled to take the President’s re-election campaign to Gombe and Damaturu today.
Our correspondent however learnt that a decision to call off the Damaturu rally was taken on Saturday after members of the President’s advance team had already arrived the state capital.
When asked why the rally was put off, the official simply said, “unfavourable security report.”
The top Presidency official told our correspondent that when it became clear that the rally would no longer hold as scheduled, members of the President’s advanced team left Damaturu for Abuja on Sunday.
He said the team had left the town before an explosion was recorded in front of the residence of the PDP candidate for the Potiskum/Nangere Federal Constituency in the state, Sabo Garbu, opposite the Federal Government College in the town.
He said they were still in Damaturu when they heard information that insurgents were again making attempts to overrun Maiduguri, the Bormo State capital.
The source however said the President would still make the Gombe trip except he changed his mind at the last minute.
He could also not say whether the campaign train would still visit Damaturu before the grand finale billed for Abuja on Saturday.
By the PDP timetable, the campaign train is expected to visit Minna and Lokoja on Tuesday; Benin and Asaba on Wednesday; and Yenagoa on Thursday before rounding it off on Saturday in Abuja.
Meanwhile, with the presidential election just some 13 days away, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, on Sunday called on the North and the South-South to strengthen their age-long political alliance by voting overwhelmingly for President Jonathan.
Anenih, in a statement that came less than a week after the one in which he appealed to Nigerians to ensure the unity of the country during and after the election, urged the North to consider the decades of cooperation given by the people of the South-South to candidates of the North and reciprocate the gesture with a renewed mandate for Jonathan.
He said it was the right of the northerners to be aspirating to be the President of the country, but begged them to jettison such ambition by supporting President Jonathan.
The statement partly read, “Last week, I made a passionate appeal to Nigerians on the need for us to ensure, during the forthcoming elections, that the nation remains unified and keeps moving forward in unity.
“With a few days to the 2015 Presidential election, I find it expedient to send this appeal specifically to our brothers and sisters in the northern states.
“The election is the most important as it is the precursor to the elections at the state level, which come up on February 28. For me, however, the critical issue in the February 14 Presidential election is justice.”
“While I do not intend to wish away your legitimate right to be President, I urge you to consider the decades of cooperation given by the people of the South-South to candidates of the North.”
The former Minister of Works said that in all the democratic elections in Nigerian history in which a northerner had contested, he said that statistics showed that the South-South often voted overwhelmingly for such a candidate.
Polls: Jonathan okays purchase of 2,500 patrol, bomb disposal vehicles
February 02, 2015
By Kingsley Omonobi
Nigerian Vanguard
ABUJA — Following the promise by the Police High Command to ensure a hitch-free elections and checkmate all manner of violence, President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, commissioned 263 patrol vehicles for the Nigerian police even as he appealed to supporters of political parties to eschew violence at the polls.
Represented by the Vice President Namadi Sambo, Jonathan said approval for the acquisition of 2,564 operational vehicles was given with the intention to see that the Police “provide the needed security and enhance their operation to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections.”
Jonathan’s words: “The procurement of these vehicles is aimed at boosting the capacity of the Nigeria Police Force to deliver effectively, efficiently and appreciably.
“A well-equipped and adequately motivated police force will assist in no small measure to assist in ensuring the security needed in the drive to economic growth and development of Nigeria.
“In view of the strong commitment of government to provide for the NPF within available resources, it is my hope that the gesture by government will be reciprocated by assisting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in ensuring it conducts free elections this month.
“It is also expected that the deployment of these operational vehicles will translate to enhanced surveillance of our communities in order to improve security.”
Highlighting the efforts of government towards enhanced peace and security of all over the country, the Vice President urged all Nigerians to see themselves as Nigerians and see to the unity of the country, despite their political leanings.
He said: “I want to call on politicians, the aspirants, their supporters and their sympathisers to eschew all forms of violence and unlawful practices, both in words and conduct, before and after elections.
“Let us eschew any form of violence. We should condemn any form of violence before, during and after elections. We should know that elections will come and go but Nigeria will remain as one nation and one people.”
Earlier in his opening address, the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, said approval for 2,564 operational vehicles was given by the President, but the first batch of the patrol cars comprising “170 Nissan NP300 hard body Patrol Pick up vans, 129 Nissan Frontier Double Cabin Patrol Vehicles, 50 Nissan Patrol 4WD Jeeps, 10 Toyota double cabin Armoured Patrol Vans and four Ford 550 model 4X4 state of the art Armoured Personnel Carriers” are ready for commissioning.
Asked if the remaining bulk will be available before the elections that are two weeks away, IGP Abba said: “Delivery particular when it is on production, you can’t make conclusions, but the most important thing is that the contract has been signed and the supply is coming from an indigenous company.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/polls-jonathan-okays-purchase-2500-patrol-bomb-disposal-vehicles/#sthash.KJsWiCfs.dpuf
BY SOLA FABIYI AND OLALEKAN ADETAYO
Nigerian Punch
Barring any last minute change in plan, the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential rally earlier fixed for Monday (today) in Damaturu, Yobe State will no longer hold.
President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo and other top officials of the PDP were earlier scheduled to take the President’s re-election campaign to Gombe and Damaturu today.
Our correspondent however learnt that a decision to call off the Damaturu rally was taken on Saturday after members of the President’s advance team had already arrived the state capital.
When asked why the rally was put off, the official simply said, “unfavourable security report.”
The top Presidency official told our correspondent that when it became clear that the rally would no longer hold as scheduled, members of the President’s advanced team left Damaturu for Abuja on Sunday.
He said the team had left the town before an explosion was recorded in front of the residence of the PDP candidate for the Potiskum/Nangere Federal Constituency in the state, Sabo Garbu, opposite the Federal Government College in the town.
He said they were still in Damaturu when they heard information that insurgents were again making attempts to overrun Maiduguri, the Bormo State capital.
The source however said the President would still make the Gombe trip except he changed his mind at the last minute.
He could also not say whether the campaign train would still visit Damaturu before the grand finale billed for Abuja on Saturday.
By the PDP timetable, the campaign train is expected to visit Minna and Lokoja on Tuesday; Benin and Asaba on Wednesday; and Yenagoa on Thursday before rounding it off on Saturday in Abuja.
Meanwhile, with the presidential election just some 13 days away, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, on Sunday called on the North and the South-South to strengthen their age-long political alliance by voting overwhelmingly for President Jonathan.
Anenih, in a statement that came less than a week after the one in which he appealed to Nigerians to ensure the unity of the country during and after the election, urged the North to consider the decades of cooperation given by the people of the South-South to candidates of the North and reciprocate the gesture with a renewed mandate for Jonathan.
He said it was the right of the northerners to be aspirating to be the President of the country, but begged them to jettison such ambition by supporting President Jonathan.
The statement partly read, “Last week, I made a passionate appeal to Nigerians on the need for us to ensure, during the forthcoming elections, that the nation remains unified and keeps moving forward in unity.
“With a few days to the 2015 Presidential election, I find it expedient to send this appeal specifically to our brothers and sisters in the northern states.
“The election is the most important as it is the precursor to the elections at the state level, which come up on February 28. For me, however, the critical issue in the February 14 Presidential election is justice.”
“While I do not intend to wish away your legitimate right to be President, I urge you to consider the decades of cooperation given by the people of the South-South to candidates of the North.”
The former Minister of Works said that in all the democratic elections in Nigerian history in which a northerner had contested, he said that statistics showed that the South-South often voted overwhelmingly for such a candidate.
Polls: Jonathan okays purchase of 2,500 patrol, bomb disposal vehicles
February 02, 2015
By Kingsley Omonobi
Nigerian Vanguard
ABUJA — Following the promise by the Police High Command to ensure a hitch-free elections and checkmate all manner of violence, President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, commissioned 263 patrol vehicles for the Nigerian police even as he appealed to supporters of political parties to eschew violence at the polls.
Represented by the Vice President Namadi Sambo, Jonathan said approval for the acquisition of 2,564 operational vehicles was given with the intention to see that the Police “provide the needed security and enhance their operation to ensure the conduct of free and fair elections.”
Jonathan’s words: “The procurement of these vehicles is aimed at boosting the capacity of the Nigeria Police Force to deliver effectively, efficiently and appreciably.
“A well-equipped and adequately motivated police force will assist in no small measure to assist in ensuring the security needed in the drive to economic growth and development of Nigeria.
“In view of the strong commitment of government to provide for the NPF within available resources, it is my hope that the gesture by government will be reciprocated by assisting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in ensuring it conducts free elections this month.
“It is also expected that the deployment of these operational vehicles will translate to enhanced surveillance of our communities in order to improve security.”
Highlighting the efforts of government towards enhanced peace and security of all over the country, the Vice President urged all Nigerians to see themselves as Nigerians and see to the unity of the country, despite their political leanings.
He said: “I want to call on politicians, the aspirants, their supporters and their sympathisers to eschew all forms of violence and unlawful practices, both in words and conduct, before and after elections.
“Let us eschew any form of violence. We should condemn any form of violence before, during and after elections. We should know that elections will come and go but Nigeria will remain as one nation and one people.”
Earlier in his opening address, the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, said approval for 2,564 operational vehicles was given by the President, but the first batch of the patrol cars comprising “170 Nissan NP300 hard body Patrol Pick up vans, 129 Nissan Frontier Double Cabin Patrol Vehicles, 50 Nissan Patrol 4WD Jeeps, 10 Toyota double cabin Armoured Patrol Vans and four Ford 550 model 4X4 state of the art Armoured Personnel Carriers” are ready for commissioning.
Asked if the remaining bulk will be available before the elections that are two weeks away, IGP Abba said: “Delivery particular when it is on production, you can’t make conclusions, but the most important thing is that the contract has been signed and the supply is coming from an indigenous company.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/polls-jonathan-okays-purchase-2500-patrol-bomb-disposal-vehicles/#sthash.KJsWiCfs.dpuf
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