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The Battle line is Drawn


INEC Disqualifies Atiku, 5 Others
• Kalu, others survive screening
From Oke Epia in Abuja, 02.09.2007

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April Polls

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday went against its earlier position that it would not disqualify any candidate by declaring the Vice President and presidential candidate of the Action Congress (AC), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar ineligible for the April polls.
INEC, according to a top official last night, has disqualified Atiku and five other presidential candidates for their inability to scale through the screening to qualify them for the April 21 polls.
Three other parties would also not participate in the election. The Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and the Peoples Mandate Party (PMP) are barred for failing to field running mates while the vice presidential candidate of the Masses Movement of Nigeria (MMN) was disqualified because he was 32 years old.
Other candidates who did not secure INEC nod alongside Atiku are Lawrence Famakinde Adedoyin of the African Political System (APS); Ambrose Owuru of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP); Issa Odidi of the New Democrats (ND) Aminu Abubakar and Prof. Kingsley Ibe (National Unity Party, NUP).
But where Atiku failed, Abia State Governor Orji Kalu, presidential candidate of the Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) who is listed in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) list of indicted candidates, scaled the INEC hurdle alongside 17 others, including Maj-Gen. Mohammed Buhari of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).
THISDAY checks revealed last night that Atiku’s failure to pass the verification exercise was due mainly to petitions against his candidacy and on-going litigations surrounding his indictment by a Federal Government Admini-strative Panel of Inquiry based on the EFCC report which accused him of corruption and abuse of office in the Petroleum Technology Deve-lopment Fund (PTDF) affair.
A senior INEC official told THISDAY last night that the Commission had no option but to stay action on clearing the vice president “for now” pending the determination of the court cases and resolution of the investigations against his candidature.
The source added that the non-qualification of Atiku to contest the presidential polls was the high-point of deliberations over findings of the Commission from the verification of candidates’ credentials and claims embarked upon last month.
Atiku and Kalu were prominent on a recent list compiled by the EFCC as candidates of parties who are unfit to hold public office on account of alleged corruption.
Though the anti-corruption agency said the list was advisory, the Federal Government constituted a panel of inquiry for those accused on the list to defend themselves.
Kalu, however, made the INEC list of those cleared to contest the election. The others are Buhari of the ANPP, Pat Utomi of the African Democratic Congress, Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and Chief Emmanuel Okereke, All Peoples Liberation Party.
Others are Adebayo Adefarati, Alliance for Democracy; Godswill Nazi, Better Nigeria Progressive Party; Maxi Okwu, Citizens Popular Party; Attahiru Bafarawa, Democratic Peoples Party; Chris Okotie, Fresh Democratic Party; Umaru Yar’Adua, Peoples Democratic Party; and Habu Fari, National Democratic Party, NDP.
Also cleared are Osagie Obayuwana, National Conscience Party; Princess Vivien Ijoma, Nigeria Peoples Congress; Dr Akpore Solomon, National Majority Democratic Party; and Sunny Okogwu of the Republican Party of Nigeria (RPN).
The INEC had insisted on screening the candidates in spite of an outcry of opposition, based on the argument that it needed to verify the credentials and claims against the provisions of the constitution on criteria for qualification and disqualification.
The Commission had however, clarified that it was not embarking on the exercise to disqualify any candidate but to call attention of sponsoring parties where discrepancies existed.
But with the latest decision, it would seem the vice president has another legal hurdle to cross for him to realise his ambition to rule Nigeria after President Olusegun Obasanjo.

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Oh yeah? I am shocked! I will only add.... NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON!

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Oh, really? I will only add.... NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON!

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Yup, Tonsoyo! You are right. The Battleline is Drawn..

Auspicious.

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Now Mr. Atiku will have to make the grand master move of the 5th republic - deny Buhari his support and back Pat Utomi. He has hinted in an interview a few days ago that he will not back Buhari . . .

Witness Mr. Atiku's comment:

“I don’t even think Buhari is the best candidate because Buhari as military head of state has the worst human rights record in the country. I will prefer a neutral candidate. I don’t mind, but I will prefer a neutral candidate, because we would, if Buhari becomes the president, even get back to a worse situation than we are going through now. There are many top contenders for the alliance presidential ticket who are really truly democratic, and who we can always support to emerge.”

http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/politics/february07/04022007/p204022007.html

Originally reported as:

http://allafrica.com/stories/200701300071.html

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INEC, according to a top official last night, has disqualified Atiku and five other presidential ...Read the full article.

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A senior INEC official told THISDAY last night that the Commission had no option but to stay action on clearing the vice president “for now” pending the determination of the court cases and resolution of the investigations against his candidature.

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SMOKESCREENS AND COMEDY OF COMEDIES!!

Where is that man who was accused of killing Bola Ige yet won a landslide election from Bodija prison while on remand? He is still a PDP senator, abi? Why did the Supreme Court rule that James Ibori could contest the elections even though it accepted that a James Ibori had been convicted?

Any doubts as to Iwu's sincerity or INEC's ability to conduct an election can now be finally laid to rest. Where in the electoral act does it say that INEC can clear or screen candidates? The fitness of candidates to stand for election is an exclusive matter for the courts to determine. Like his ill advised declaration of the VP's sit as vacant, Obasanjo will be embarassed yet again. There is only one beneficiary in all this and it is the VP.

Fela once sang about Obasanjo's government thus, Which kind government is this? The kind of usurpation of the powers of the judiciary that we see in this executive is mind boggling.

Obasanjo plays the accuser, judge, jury and executioner as the world watches in amusement. We are now in the end game of this sad sad tale and Obasanjo is finally about to be put in his place.

Aluta!


Gwobezentashi

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http://odili.net/news/source/2007/feb/8/sun/Atiku-06-12-2005.gif This is the picture of damaged goods... A true and accurate picture of a cry-baby!

http://odili.net/news/source/2007/feb/8/sun/Atiku-06-12-2005.gifThis is the picture of a disqualified candidate bemoaning justified disqualification... picture speaks for itself, it says end of the road for an opportunist!

Fela is a prolific song writer and singer... Fela the man was!

One of his songs, had in it, Boast, Boast!

gwobezentashi why do you always sound arrogant and sound as if you are issuing threats? Are you a garrison commander? where are your troops? Are they ready to be decimated by superior fire-power?

So what happens if Atiku is disqualified? Civilzation as we know would come to an end? The world is somehow is about to stop? (for you)? Haba!

Stop the Boast-Boast, make pesin hear word jare!

Ba wasa! (No sweat)!

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=gwobezentashi;154284>SMOKESCREENS AND COMEDY OF COMEDIES!!

Where is that man who was accused of killing Bola Ige yet won a landslide election from Bodija prison while on remand? He is still a PDP senator, abi? Why did the Supreme Court rule that James Ibori could contest the elections even though it accepted that a James Ibori had been convicted?

Any doubts as to Iwu's sincerity or INEC's ability to conduct an election can now be finally laid to rest. Where in the electoral act does it say that INEC can clear or screen candidates? The fitness of candidates to stand for election is an exclusive matter for the courts to determine. Like his ill advised declaration of the VP's sit as vacant, Obasanjo will be embarassed yet again. There is only one beneficiary in all this and it is the VP.

Fela once sang about Obasanjo's government thus, Which kind government be this? The kind of usurpation of the powers of the judiciary that we see in this executive is mind boggling.

Obasanjo plays the accuser, judge, jury and executioner as the world watches in amusement. We are now in the end game of this sad sad tale and Obasanjo is finally about to be put in his place.

Aluta!


Gwobezentashi

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Please, nah god I take beg you, leave Fela out of this cunny man versus cunny man saga.
Neither OBJ nor Atiku has clean hands. We know it, you know it, they know it. Neither has respect for the offices of the presidency or vice presidency. Their present disgusting and selfish behavior is proof that neither one cares that it is a tainted legacy he is leaving.

Perhaps, by August 2007, they will get a chance to settle their beef by duking it out mano-a-mano from the same prison cell. That to me would be a satisfying end to this whole sorry business.

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ISN'T it rather interesting, that NOBODY, save for one particular villager, has yet to express any displeasure over INEC's disqualification of Vice-President Atiku from the forthcoming general elections?

This is not to label anyone in particular over their silence but I am stating this observation I made in order to rubbish the notion that Atiku Abubabakar has this popular following across Nigeria. Is it beans? Na yam? 'E wan tif am? Everywhere ain't like Kano, I guess.

This further drives home the point that the public have little sympathy for the man who, until they fell out over the sharing of their loot a little while ago, was partners-in-crime with his gang of cheat and oppressors in the ruling corrupt mammoth called the Pidimpi.

The truth must be said though, that INEC does not have the power to bar ANYONE from contesting the April elections - or ANY elections for that matter. The petty targeting of their erstwhile buddy by Baba and Co. only gives him more fuel for relevance.

Auspicious.