Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Igbos Have Produced the First National Leaders of Nigeria

 Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, first President and Head of State of Nigeria.

Igbos have been the first national leaders of Nigeria and have no cause to whine.

Igbos produced the first President and head of state of Nigeria - Dr. Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe, P.C. (November 16, 1904 – May 11, 1996)



Igbos produced the first military head of state - Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi (3 March 1924 - 29 July 1966)


Igbos produced the first President of the Nigerian Senate, the first of whom was Nnamdi Azikiwe, who stepped down from the job to become the country's first Head of State.




Igbos produced the first indigenous Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives - Jaja Anucha Wachuku (1 January 1918[1] – 7 November 1996) and he was also the first Nigerian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and the first Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs.


See more in the coming must read first book on the 2015 presidential election "The Victory of Muhammadu Buhari and the Nigerian Dream" by Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima. The book will be released worldwide on May 29, 2015 and the public presentation will be on June 12, 2015. 

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 Posted at 02:08 WAT South African Government responds to the decision by the Nigerian Government

 

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Michael Weiss on Tinubu: Is This White Journalist Dividing Us with His Whiteness?


Michael Weiss on Tinubu: Is This White Journalist Dividing Us with His Whiteness?
 
Michael Weiss of The Daily Beast, an American online opinion and news outlet known for its peculiar style of reporting, is generally known as a journalist who focuses on developments in the Middle East and Russia but now has suddenly ventured into Nigeria, the most populous black nation in the world and one with an emerging democracy.

Michael Weiss.
 
At a time when this black nation and its people are in a joyful mood for growing a little higher as a democracy in a broadly peaceful election, Weiss comes from out of nowhere, or all the way from the Euro-American world, where he would submit himself as a middleman between warring leaderships of the two main political parties in Nigeria.
 
At a time when our young nation is in its first-ever peaceful political transition and is fully shifting into a new presidency, Weiss would suddenly open up our society into a provoking mode by dredging up an old-aged allegation against Bola Tinubu, one of the leaders of Nigeria's main oppositional party in the 21st century.
 
Weiss, all the way from America, would plunge himself into the domestic affairs in Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria in particular, focusing on a more than twenty-year-old drug-related accusation against Tinubu which is widely known by the people, and for which there was no evidence of indictment or conviction.
 
The people of Nigeria remain aware that in the last few days a war of words has passed between Tinubu and Buruji Kashamu, a leader of the outgoing political party, who has been reportedly indicted for drug charges and possibly facing extradition to the United States in the coming weeks or months.
 
If Weiss was really concerned about the social realities facing the leadership in Africa, Nigeria especially, it would have been more helpful if six to twelve months ago; he had raised issues regarding the impact of the social behaviour of leaders as they relate to the national leadership, especially leaders such as Tinubu or even Buruji.
 
Weiss, by his action of injecting himself into native matters like what we have here, all too obviously personifies what we know from American history.
 
Malcolm X, at one time a prominent African America leader, in a speech in New York on April 8, 1964, stated “The greatest weapon that the colonial powers have used in the past against our people has always been divide-and-conquer…is the same strategy as that which was used in the past (to)   divide…plays one Negro leader against the other… plays one Negro organization against the other… makes us think we have different objectives…”
 
Following the same line of thinking several years later, we have the words   by Bill Cosby, an African American stand-up comedian, as reported in the The Atlantic Newspaper in May 2008, stated,   “We are not a pitiful race of people. We are a bright race, who can move with the best. But we are in a new time…I’m tired of losing to white people…”
 
There is no attempt to portray Weiss as a racist or a racially divisive individual,   but what is clear is that if he wants to comment on our democratic and leadership challenges, his focus should be more on how to take positive steps towards   building up to a strong democratic country.
 
Tinubu, like every one of us, has his personal ups and downs. Weiss needs to be educated about the man called Tinubu, who, in the eyes of many open-minded Nigerians, will be counted as one of those leaders who recently paved the way for entry into a true democracy. He is that man who was a founding member of the pro-democracy National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), which organized support for the restoration of democracy and recognition of the June 12 results, and subsequently went into exile in 1994, only to return back to the country in 1998 after the death of military autocrat, Sani Abacha.
 
Tinubu would subsequently serve as a democratic Governor from 1999 to 2007 and to this day serves as a national leader of the All Progressive Congress, along with Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and Yemi Osibajo, incoming President and Vice-President respectively. They are jointly raising the spirit of democracy in our nation.
 
As for Weiss, we have one message for him.   What we need more of at this time are ideals and values to help us become a forward-looking democracy and less of the psychology of divide-and-conquer.  
 

Dr. John Egbeazien Oshodi is a Forensic/Clinical Psychologist, a Consultant in National Psychology, and a former Secretary-General of the Nigeria Psychological Association.     Jos5930458@aol.com

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Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Olashore International Becomes First School in Nigeria To Launch iPad Education

 Chairman of the School's Board, Prince Abimbola Olashore, School Principal Mr. D.K. Smith and Dr. Phil Osagie, Managing Partner, JSP Communications Limited for APPLE (Core Group Africa)

OLASHORE DEMONSTRATES BLEND OF TECHNOLOGY AND EDUCATION

On Tuesday April 28, 2015, Olashore International School (OIS), a private co-educational school became the first Nigerian school to launch the iPad for students in a special blend of technology and education.
The presentation was done by Chairman of the School's Board, Prince Abimbola Olashore, School Principal Mr. D.K. Smith and Dr. Phil Osagie, Managing Partner, JSP Communications Limited for APPLE (Core Group Africa). The event took place at the prestigious Victoria Crown Plaza Hotel on Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.
It is one of the biggest ever technology roll out in the school system in Nigeria as Olashore is entering into a strategic partnership with Apple through Core Group Africa, the authorized exclusive distributor for Apple in Nigeria and Sub Saharan Africa.


Olashore International School is integrating technology fully into its curriculum with Apple iPads in all the classrooms as part of the daily learning process.
When this plan is rolled out, the school authorities said that students and the teachers will be solving complex problems and discovering latest research information simultaneously in real time.
Olashore International School (OIS) represented Nigeria at the Core Group Africa organized Apple iPad Summit from February 16-17, 2015 at the The Forum in Bryanston, Johannesburg, South Africa.

The iPads in Classrooms program is expected to be achieved by setting up LAN Network Distribution in Classrooms and Hostels, Proper Wireless Distribution in the classroom, indoor wireless device with high frequency, Firewalls to manage internet access on the iPad, Proper audio and visual multimedia systems in the classrooms that will support the iPad integration, Learning Management System that will not use the Internet, and a Mac Server for Mobile Device Management that will be used to manage the iPads.


Mr. Smith emphasized the importance of the 4C's (“super skills)” for the 21st century! Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creativity by sharing thoughts, questions, ideas, and solutions and he also explained the application of the Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition (SAMR) model
Substitution
In a substitution level, teachers or students are only using new technology tools to replace old ones, for instance, using Google Docs to replace Microsoft Word. the task ( writing) is the same but the tools are different.
Augmentation
Though it is a different level, but we are still in the substitution mentality but this time with added functionalities. Again using the example of Google docs, instead of only writing a document and having to manually save it and share it with others, Google Docs provides extra services like auto saving, auto syncing, and auto sharing in the cloud.
Modification
This is the level where technology is being used more effectively not to do the same task using different tools but to redesign new parts of the task and transform students learning. An example of this is using the commenting service in Google Docs, for instance, to collaborate and share feedback on a given task task.
Redefinition
If you are to place this level in Blooms revised taxonomy pyramid, it would probably correspond to synthesis and evaluation as being the highest order thinking skills. Redefinition means that students use technology to create imperceptibly new tasks. As is shown in the video below an example of redefinition is "when students connect to a classroom across the world where they would each write a narrative of the same historical event using the chat and comment section to discuss the differences, and they use the voice comments to discuss the differences they noticed and then embed this in the class website".

In 2014, American K-12 schools spent an estimated US$9.94 billion on educational technology according to Joseph Morris, director of market intelligence at the Center for Digital Education.


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Monday, April 27, 2015

Tribal Planet Partners with UN Women in support of the HeForShe Campaign For Gender Equality


NEW YORK and SAN MATEO, Calif., April 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- UN Women has teamed up with Silicon Valley technology company, Tribal Planet, Inc. to provide advanced mobile, media and analytic technology for the HeForShe campaign - a worldwide movement that aims to mobilize one billion men and boys globally as advocates and change agents in ending gender inequality.

The mobile technology platform developed by Tribal Planet will enable the HeForShe campaign to reach supporters in key countries with limited Internet connectivity, providing them with campaign's messages as well as tracking the impact of their actions on a data analytics platform.

"Mobile technology offers a truly global solution to reach and engage people on the important issues associated with gender inequality and create opportunities for young and older alike," says Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and the Executive Director of UN Women. "The ubiquity of mobile phones offers us a way to greatly increase access to the HeForShe campaign, and through that platform, to build action by men and boys for gender equality in all corners of the world. Importantly, it also gives us another route to register and analyse precisely what people are doing to live up to their commitments."

Tribal Planet will orchestrate everything from feature phone and SMS campaigns in emerging markets, to state-of-the-art smart-phone activations at world-class concerts and media events in developed nations. The initial app launch will be released in 15 countries including USA, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Indonesia, Thailand, Egypt, Morocco, China, South Africa, India, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, and UAE.

"Gender equality is among the most important challenges that needs to be solved for today.  It's an issue that is relevant to every person on the planet," said Jeff Martin, Founder and CEO of Tribal Planet, Inc.  "Mobile phones are the best way to authentically reach and power the voice of young people and give them the opportunity to learn, commit their support and take action on this most pressing issue. Through the use of mobile analytics, tangible results and proof of impact have no middleman."

Building on the impressive awareness generated by the HeForShe movement, Tribal Planet will draw on its more than a decade of experience in mobile app development, activation, analytic technology and entertainment management to support the expanded reach and impact of the campaign in key markets including the developing world.  The first apps for Nokia and Samsung feature phones and smart phone apps for Android and iOS devices will be available for download starting late in April 2015.

The country-level roll out and activation of the HeForShe apps will be combined with existing UN Women activities and government, university and NGO partnerships, using sporting and music events, celebrity advocacy and local meetings to motivate and inspire men and boys to download the app, sign the HeForShe commitment and take continued action and report on what they are doing that is making a difference.
For more information about HeForShe, please visit www.heforshe.org.


UN Women is the UN entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. For more information, visit www.unwomen.org.



HeForShe is a solidarity movement that calls upon men and boys to stand up against the persisting inequalities faced by women and girls globally. The campaign strengthens the support for women's rights as human rights by enlisting the support of men and exhorting them to put themselves forward as advocates for gender equality. For more information, visit http://www.heforshe.org/.



About Tribal Planet Tribal Planet, Inc. is a mobile technology and entertainment company that has established itself as an industry leader in mobile marketing around consumer passion points including music, entertainment, sports, and causes. Founded in 2001, Tribal Planet is the first company to generate more than 1 billion dollars in mobile-based sales for the entertainment industry through several global carrier alliances. For more information, visit www.tribalplanet.com.

Media Contacts:
Havas-PREmily Hendricks
+ 1-917-403-8550
Emily.Hendricks@havasww.com
Tribal PlanetDon Bulmer
+1-650-575-0310
don@tribalplanet.com

SOURCE Tribal Planet

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Sunday, April 26, 2015

Rochas Okorocha Declared Winner Of Imo State Governorship Election

 Rochas Okorocha Declared Winner Of Imo State Governorship Election 
The incumbent Governor Rochas Okorocha has secured victory after today’s supplementary polls to conclude the inconclusive governorship election in Imo State. Mr. Okorocha, who is the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has beaten Emeka Ihedioha, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by 416,996 votes.   Mr. Ihedioha scored 320,705 votes. 
http://saharareporters.com/2015/04/25/rochas-okorocha-declared-winner-imo-state-governorship-election
Owelle Rochas Okorocha becomes the first bona fide APC governor in the south east of Nigeria.
Celebration in Imo State.

I have already congratulated him since April 11, because I knew that he was the winner of the gubernatorial election and the choice of the majority of the voters in Imo State. The PDP has lost the support of the people and the APC is now the party for the nation building of a New Nigeria and will produce the first Igbo executive President of Nigeria before 2030. 

I am very happy for Owelle Rochas Okorocha, the visionary leader of a new generation of Igbo national leaders in Nigeria.To our Almighty Father JEHOVAH GOD be all the glory, honors and powers in the heavens, on the earth and entire universe forever and ever. Amen!Somebody shout HALLELUJAH!


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Friday, April 24, 2015

Mrs. Gesila Khan and INEC in Rivers State Block APC from Having Access To Evidence

Mrs. Gesila Khan, Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Rivers State. 

Mrs. Gesila Khan and INEC in Rivers State block APC from having access to evidence



The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Rivers State had earlier today barred the State Party agents for the All Progressives Congress, APC, from accessing INEC premises to photocopy result sheets for the last elections in preparation for the party’s appearance at the Election Petition Tribunal. Since our agents began to visit the INEC they have been witnesses to gross misconduct and extensive electoral fraud going on in the INEC headquarters under the meticulous supervision of the REC Gesila Khan and the Head of Administration, Mr. Bocco.

At the INEC headquarters, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has been given unfettered access to thumb-print ballot papers so as to correspond with the figures they had allocated to their candidates and others.


The thumb-printing and result writing is at present going on in three location at the commission. The locations are

1.      The strong room of INEC near the Administrative Secretary’s office,
2.      The store and inner store of the commission
3.      Next door to the legal officer locked with people inside.
4.      The 23 LGA offices of INEC in Rivers State
Mr. Peter Ogunte, an INEC staff is coordinating them
As soon as the elections were ended, the APC state party agent had written to the REC requesting for the following essential documents:
1.      Voter Registers
2.      Materials Distribution forms E25A
3.      Query Log for accredited voters
4.      Result sheets for all the 23 LGA's

Under the electoral law, all results and other materials used for the elections are meant to be available and accessible to all parties as soon as the elections are over to enable those who need to go persons have 21 days within which to file any applications at the Elections tribunal.

The APC has sent several reminders to the Rivers REC Mrs. Khan. As at today 12 days after the purported elections, we are yet to receive the result sheets for five local government areas, only for party agents to be denied entry.


The question to ask Mrs. Khan and Mr. Bocco is what are they hiding and what other evil are they contriving?


Since after the show of shame in Rivers State on March 28th and April 11th, the PDP and INEC in Rivers state have been re-writing the results, doctoring documents and thumb- printing ballot papers in its offices as well as hotels.

The APC had raised this alarm repeatedly and wishes to reiterate its call on INEC Chairman Professor Attahiru Jega to

1.  Direct Mrs. Khan to comply with the electoral law as well as the freedom of information act

2.   Please move all sensitive material for the Rivers Elections away from Rivers State
We believe that Rivers people deserve to elect the government that would serve them, protect and defend their interest.

Mrs. Khan and Mr. Bocco should not be allowed to wickedly thwart this most fundamental of all human rights as even God almighty allows us His creation our right to choose.

****
Ibim Semenitari
Director, communications
Greater Together Campaign Organisation
Friday, April 24, 2015

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Thursday, April 23, 2015

PDP, INEC Working On New Election Result In Rivers State - GTCO


Several days after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, concluded elections in Rivers State, with results declared, it is still compiling results. In collaboration with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State, INEC has been busy thumb-printing ballot papers and doctoring result sheets of all the local government areas so as to correspond with the figures they allocated to the PDP and others during the elections of March 28, and April 11, 2015.


As part of their preparations for the Election Petition Tribunal, PDP has camped INEC Presiding Officers, POs, who conducted the disputed elections in the various LGA’s in hotels and sundry places, while INEC had directed both its personnel and ad hoc staff to report at the State headquarters to doctor the figures and cover their tracks.

Similarly, the election “umpire” has thrown open its doors for the PDP and its agents to also thumb-print some of the ballot papers in the safety of its premises, after a tip-off led the police to CRKR, in the Elekahia area of Port Harcourt, believed to be owned by a PDP chieftain, where Presiding Officers who conducted elections in Khana Local Government Area were camped to doctor results on Wednesday April 22, 2015.

Khana, one out of the 4 Ogoni local governments, has significant population and was one of the worst-hit councils where unimaginable massive thumb-printing and other electoral irregularities took place during the general elections of March 28 and April 11, 2015.

Recall that the All Progressives Congress, APC, had petitioned INEC over the subject matter without any steps taken by either security agencies or INEC to investigate the complaints and stop the travesty going on in Rivers State. Regrettably, even the events of the night of Wednesday, the 22nd, were given a short shrift by the police whose conduct may indeed lay credence to the claims that they have been completely compromised. The APC is appalled by these actions and wishes to again reiterate its call for INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to take more than a passing interest in events in Rivers state and as a matter of urgency retrieve all sensitive election materials in the state.

We trust that he will appreciate our concern and kindly oblige us for the sake of the millions of Rivers people who stand to be disenfranchised if something isn’t done urgently.

***********
Ibim Semenitari
Director of Communications,
Greater Together Campaign Organisation
Thursday, April 23, 2015.

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The 2015 Macabre Elections in Rivers State: Amaechi’s Magic Wand to the Rescue



“As I was doing this piece, I was watching the AIT showing the celebration of the phantom victory of Chief Nyesome Wike and PDP members. I wondered if those participating in the celebration were aware of the reputation of Governor Amaechi as regards his political struggles and the usual outcome after he must have been written off by the uninformed. To me the PDP victory celebration is a celebration in the moon as it will take only few weeks for both Chief Wike and his PDP followers to face the reality that you cannot cover the sun with a finger”. 
The 2015 Macabre Elections in Rivers State: Amaechi’s Magic Wand to the Rescue
 •His battle to turn the table on Wike and PDP
                                           By EZE CHUKWUEMEKA EZE
Preamble and political life
Trying to capture the picture of the sham that is called the 2015 general elections in Rivers State, South-South of Nigeria, I lacked the words to capture what happened but Dictonary.com came to my aid with the word ‘macabre’, which it defined as gruesome and horrifying; ghastly; horrible. The elections in Rivers State is the kind of stuff you read about in a James Hardly Chase novel and even the Africa Magic films could not have done anything near the horror that took place in Rivers State on March 28th and April 11th, 2015, during which 19 human beings were murdered like chicken and some beheaded.
As I was contemplating about these elections after watching several of the PDP victory celebrations on most of the television networks in Nigeria, my mind went back to one of the key actors (RT. HON. CHIBUIKE ROTIMI AMAECHI) in these actions who once stated that the 2015 elections in Rivers State is all about him and his feats in Rivers State. I started to wonder what type of chance this Amaechi and his party, APC, have against the type of seasoned bulldozers and betrayers,  all conjuring and accomplished politicians that I saw backing Chief Nyesome Wike, the Governor-elect, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi and President-elect Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd)
In my wonderment, I researched on the mystery behind this man (CHIBUIKE ROTIMI AMAECHI) addressed in some quarters as the Lion of the Niger Delta Politics and came to the conclusion that it was too early for the PDP to start any form of celebration because their chief opponent in the person of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi is a person that is gifted in turning the table when it seems highly impossible to do so. It is my findings about the past struggles and successes of this consummate politician that I intend to share with you. After the presentation, you can then understand why I said that it was too early for Chief Wike and his group to embark upon any form of celebration.

Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi and former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
In my studies, Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia, came to my aid with the appropriate word to describe this man whose impact in the politics of Nigeria is infectious: ‘Audacity’, which it described as boldness, bravery, courage and daring.
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, a British politician, was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1955. Widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th century, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, a writer, and an artist. He is the only British Prime Minister in history to have received the Nobel Prize in Literature, and was also the first person to be made an Honorary Citizen of the United States. According to this great man, “There is no limit to the ingenuity of man if it is properly and vigorously applied under conditions of peace and justice.” In another breath; he stated: “Battles are won by slaughter and manoeuvre. The greater the general, the more he contributes in manoeuvre, the less he demands in slaughter.” After tasting great wars and the results of diplomacy this great statesman declared and I quote, “To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war.”
PROFILING RT. HON. CHIBUIKE ROTIMI AMAECHI, CON
Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi was born in Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, to the family of late Elder Fidelis Amaechi and Mrs Mary Amaechi. University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) in Rivers State was where Amaechi laid the foundation of his political life, participating actively in student union politics, especially in the National Union of Rivers State Students (NURSS), of which he was President, and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). After graduation, he cut his teeth in politics as Secretary of the now defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State from 1992 to 1994. He was Special Assistant to Dr. Peter Odili, the then Deputy Governor of Rivers State, and also a member of the Board of West Africa Glass Industry as well as Risonpalm Nigeria Limited. He was Secretary of the Caretaker Committee of the Rivers State Chapter of the disbanded Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) in 1996 during the transition programme of the General Sani Abacha junta. 
In 1999, Amaechi contested and won a seat to become a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly to represent his constituency. He was subsequently elected Speaker of the House of Assembly as well as Chairman of Nigeria’s Conference of Speakers of State Assemblies. He was re-elected into the State House of Assembly in May 2003 and equally re-elected Speaker. A Master’s Degree holder, Amaechi’s assumption of office as Governor based on a Supreme Court judgement after PDP dumped him despite his convincingly winning the party’s gubernatorial ticket, remains a mystery to many political watchers in the country. By May 29th, 2015 Amaechi would have spent eight years as Governor of Rivers State. He is currently Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF). His unprecedented feats in the transformation of Rivers State have won him many international and local awards as well as the respect of great world and Nigerian leaders
Amaechi was the rallying force behind mobilising the governors under PDP to support the presidential aspiration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan during the PDP Presidential Primaries that produced Jonathan as the PDP flag-bearer and during the 2011 presidential election proper ensured that President Jonathan got over 2 million votes from Rivers State – the highest by any State in Nigeria. A misunderstood but an amiable personality; his forthrightness and boldness to stand by the truth attracts so much enemies to him, particularly those who cannot withstand his manner of approach to result-oriented feats. His numerous ‘sins’ will be highlighted later.
Chibuike Amaechi holds the National honour of the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), is a Christian Catholic and a Knight of St John. Amaechi was appointed the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign and led the party to win the March 28th Presidential election of Nigeria in which a sitting President was roundly defeated for the first time. 
Unravelling the Mystery and Political Struggles of a Misunderstood Politician
Now that I have stated the political life of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Roimi Amaechi, let me now come to the main treatise of this study, which is to unravel the mystery and political struggles of this misunderstood politician in Nigeria and how it will affect the outcome of the 2015 macabre elections in Rivers State.
An outsider to the politics of Rivers State may conclude that the odds are against Governor Amaechi and APC as a political party to succeed in Rivers State. However, after closely watching and studying Rt. Hon. Amaechi, I have come to the conclusion that this man does not achieve his political feats on a platter of gold but through the hard way and most of the time through the law courts. It was the disillusionment I noticed in some Nigerians regarding what happened in Rivers State that informed this attempt to expose or rather unravel the hard road that Gov Amaechi must to go through in his political journey and I wish to declare that the 2015 macabre elections imbroglio cannot be an exemption. 
AMAECHI’S POLITICAL STRUGGLES THROUGH THE COURTS
1. 1999 State House of Assembly Election
Signs of the mission of Governor Amaechi in the politics of Nigeria started when FEDECO, the then electoral umpire, announced Barr. Uche Okwukwu of the defunct APP winner of the State House of Assembly election of the Ikwerre Constituency in place of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of PDP. Amaechi contested this at the then Election Tribunal and the Court of Appeal and won and was subsequently sworn-in as the member of State House of Assembly representing Ikwerre Constituency. This began his political struggles through the courts. Reacting to this, Barr. Uche Okwukwu stated: “Yes, I contested against the present Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. Like I said, the Court of Appeal said I didn’t win and I should not be in the Rivers State House of Assembly. So, as a lawyer, by my training, I have since accepted the verdict of the court, particularly, when you do not have the right to appeal beyond that point.”
2. Fight over the Control of the Local Government Affairs Between the National Assembly and State House of Assembly
In 2003, Governor Amaechi came up with another feat through the courts. When the National Assembly moved to hijack the legislative functions of the State House of Assembly as enshrined in the constitution, he led his colleagues to take the matter to Nigeria’s Supreme Court and the court gave a judgment that the control and supervision of local government is the prerogative of the State House of Assembly.  
3. PDP Leadership and its Undemocratic Suspension of Gov. Amaechi from the Party
When the PDP national leadership undemocratically decided to suspend Governor Amaechi from the party without any sound reason on 27th May, 2013 and was to follow it up with expulsion, he resorted to the courts once again to stop them from taking any further step on his case until he decided to join APC. The suspension of Amaechi from the party was agreed during an unscheduled and unusually early morning meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party at the residence of the then National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. The meeting commenced at 8:00 a.m. and came two days ahead of the regular meeting of the NWC, which normally holds on Wednesdays. It was also three days after Amaechi beat the odds with his re-election as chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF). He had been allegedly opposed by the PDP Governors’ Forum (PDP-GF) ahead of the election. 
The governor’s suspension was hinged on what the party described as his refusal to order the reinstatement of members of the Obio Akpor Local Government executive who were suspended from office on the orders of the Rivers State House of Assembly upon allegations of corruption raised against the LG executive. Hours after the suspension was announced, the party at a press conference said that it had constituted a committee headed by Mr. Joe Gadzama, SAN, to probe allegations raised against Amaechi. Other members of the committee were PDP National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon; Inalegwu Onche, Friday Nwosu, Udorji Amedu, Ola Kukuyi, Wakil Mohammed, Yusuf Jangwe, Mrs. Bola Doherty, Mr. Tanimu Adamson and Anicho Okoro as Secretary.
Reacting to his suspension during an interactive session with youths of the state, Amaechi asked: “Who has power to suspend Obio/Akpor council? Now you see political witch-hunting; it is so ridiculous, my party must rise above political witch-hunting. The Governor did not suspend Obio/Akpor council, I hope you know. My power is to dissolve and remit it to the House of Assembly, but I have not done that yet, what the Assembly has said is ‘we are investigating corruption’ then the party says we should not investigate corruption, is that fair?” He went further to state that the NWC issued a press statement to suspend him without any invitation and fair hearing. His words: “I was not invited by the National Working Committee of PDP, I was not given fair hearing. What I heard was ‘why did I refuse to reinstate the suspended Obio/Akpor Council executive? Who suspended them?’ His questions received the enthusiastic response of the youths who chorused: “The Rivers State House of Assembly.” Again the governor asked, ‘who has the power to investigate Obio/Akpor council executive?” The youths again replied: “The State Assembly.”  
It was this suspension of Governor Amaechi from PDP not minding all that he did to uplift the party that started the decimation of PDP and its reduction from a ruling national political party to an opposition regional political party.
4. The Intrigues in the Appointment of Justice Agumagu as the Chief Judge of Rivers State
The indefatigable and indomitable Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi recently started another legal battle but this time with the National Judicial Council (NJC). Like other cases involving Governor Amaechi, this case is unprecedented in the annals of judicial adjudication and Nigerians are watching with keen interest to see how he may win it. 
Based on the Federal High Court ruling approving Justice Peter Nwoke Chukwuma Agumagu as the Chief Judge of Rivers State, Amaechi supervised his formal swearing-in ceremony. However, after few days, the NJC came up with a verdict suspending the newly appointed Chief Judge, this again is unprecedented in the history of appointment of Chief Judges in any other State in Nigeria. 
Before his appointment as the State’s new Chief Judge, Justice P. N. C. Agumagu was the first ever President of the Rivers State Customary Court of Appeal. He is an administrator, a former state High Court Judge and the seventh the new Chief Judge of Rivers State.
On 27th March, 2014 – to the shock of both the Governor and close watchers of events in Rivers State – the NJC suspended Justice P. N. C. Agumagu from office and directed that he should, within four days, explain in writing why he should not be sacked as a judicial officer. The Council, which took the decision at the end of an emergency meeting in Abuja, said it suspended the Rivers CJ over his failure to abide by the Oath of Office he took to uphold the Constitution and Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to Acting Director of Information at the NJC, Mr. Soji Oye, in a press statement: “At its 10th Emergency Meeting, which was held on March 26, 2014, the National Judicial Council under the Chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Aloma Mariam Muktar (GCON), considered the purported appointment, confirmation and swearing-in of Hon. Justice P. N. C. Agumagu as the substantive Chief Judge of Rivers State on March 18, 2014.
“In the meantime, Council in exercise of its powers under Paragraph 21 (d) of Part 1 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution has suspended Justice Agumagu from office as a judicial officer with immediate effect.” 
Reacting to all the brouhaha, a UK-based Social Commentator, Emeka Reuben Okala, stated, and I quote: “I join other Nigerians to congratulate the articulate Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, on the battle well fought and job well done on this issue. In all of these, Amaechi clearly stands on the pedestal of truth and that’s the magic behind his countless victories. Keep the flag flying, Mr. Governor, you are clearly on the right side of history. Kudos! To Justice PNC Agumagu, I say congratulations!  Your appointment as the Chief Judge of Rivers State is richly deserved. Knowing you as I do, the Judiciary under your leadership will have a lot to benefit. We look forward to your good services.”
On his part, Nebukadineze Adiele, a well respected online Social Commentator, stated as follows: “The idea that a customary court judge could not be appointed a Chief Judge of a state was thoughtlessness taken too far. The NJC shamed itself by practically dictating to the governor as to who to appoint CJ. Kudos to Amaechi for standing firm on his belief and for trusting the judiciary into resolving this matter. His tenacity over this matter is a public service to other governors and future governors. A timid governor would have buckled when pressured from all angles to not appoint Justice Agumagu as Chief Judge of Rivers state. I am both a fan and a critic of Chibuike Amaechi – I support him when he gets things right and I get on his case when he goofs. On the appointment of Justice Agumagu as Rivers state Chief Judge, Governor Chibuike Amaechi showed tremendous courage under fire and his action will remain as revolutionary (over judicial appointments in Nigeria) as the circumstances he overcame in becoming governor. That the most senior judge in the state should have been denied appointment into the Chief Judgeship, simply because he was a customary court judge, would have been blatantly discriminatory, stupid, and legally not justifiable. There are instances when one cannot help but admire Chibuike Amaechi’s confidence and convictions. This is one such instance.”   
5. Challenge to the Transfer of Rivers State Oil Wells to Akwa Ibom State
As the serving Governor of Rivers State, Amaechi caused his Attorney-General to challenge the transfer of some oil wells from Rivers State to Akwa Ibom State. The Supreme Court eventually ruled in favour of Rivers State in that case.  
6. The Most Celebrated Supreme Court ruling on Governor Amaechi
A lot of articles and statements were written following the ‘k-leg’ episode that was the outright hijack of the 2007 PDP gubernatorial ticket from Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi ahead of the 14th April, 2007 election in Rivers State. This occurred despite his landslide victory at the primaries where he clinched 6,527 of the 6,575 possible votes while seven other aspirants that included political heavyweights like Hon. Chief Austin Okpara, a former Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives; late Senator Martin Yellowe; Pawariso Horsfall; and Mr. Chris Orji shared the remaining 48 votes amongst themselves. Amaechi’s name was subsequently forwarded to the INEC on December 14, 2006 in compliance with Section 32(1) & (2) of the Electoral Act 2006. INEC thereafter duly published Amaechi’s name as the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State.
The story however took a different turn when, speaking at the presentation of the party flag to its gubernatorial candidate at the Liberation Stadium, Port Harcourt, former President and then “Emperor” of PDP, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, declared that Amaechi’s candidacy had “k-leg”. Following this outright abuse of office, the dreaded bulldog that was the Nuhu Ribadu-led Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was let loose on Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, resulting in his decision to seek legal redress for his travails. Suffice it to say, Amaechi went on self exile to Ghana and the powers that be further showed their contempt for him by selecting his cousin, Sir Celestine Omehia, who neither purchased nor filled a form, as PDP flag-bearer in his stead. 
Amaechi’s vindication came with the 25th October, 2007 landmark ruling by the Nigerian Supreme Court declaring him as not only the authentic flag-bearer of PDP but also ordering that he be sworn-in immediately to replace Omehia, who had previously been sworn-in on May 29, 2007 as the Governor of Rivers State. Thus, Amaechi became the first and only person to occupy the office of governor in the country without standing for election. In explaining the ruling, the Supreme Court has since stated that it is the party that contests elections and that the PDP won the gubernatorial elections, and that, consequently, Amaechi, being the rightful candidate, should assume power as governor.
This epochal feat stands as Amaechi’s greatest input towards the growth of judiciary in the political life of Nigeria as it has become a reference case in determining similar cases in Nigeria today. 
APC Explains why it is going to the Election Tribunal
As PDP goes about celebrating their phantom victory that will be short lived, Ikanya proceeded to give reasons why Rivers APC decided to go to tribunal to challenge the declaration of Wike as the winner of an election that never took place.
His words: “Apart from being our constitutional right to challenge this monumental fraud at the tribunal, we also wish to set the records straight to avoid a situation where those who are not empowered by the people of Rivers State through their votes usurp powers that do not belong to them. Continuing, the Rivers APC Chairman said: “We are going to the tribunal to contest the fraudulent declaration of results for an alleged election that witnessed a lot of killing, violence and thumb-printing of ballot papers in favour of PDP candidates. The result cannot be allowed to stand. Chief Wike and the PDP leadership for rigged the election in such a manner that primary school pupils would have done better Allowing Chief Tammy Danagogo, the Minister of Sports, and other PDP chieftains to be the ones to return INEC results of their various local government constituencies to the State REC and acceptance of results even where votes assumed to be collated exceeded the number of the registered voters show the level of desperation by PDP and its INEC collaborators.” 
Dr. Ikanya disclosed that yet another reason why Rivers APC is going to the tribunal is to maintain the spirit of equity, justice and fairness and prevent the discrimination against the Riverine section of the State as represented by the candidature of Chief Wike represents since through former governor Peter Odili, incumbent Governor Chibuike Amaechi and now Chief Wike, power will elude the Riverine section of the State for 24 years.
“We are also going to the tribunal to save the Rivers State common patrimony from being shared on monthly basis among few PDP chieftains to the detriment of the future and development of the State,” Ikanya explained. 
My optimism is not based on the obvious fact that there was no election in Rivers State – most observers, including Prof Wole Soyinka, Ambassador Endwhistle and International Observers have since confirmed that that there was no election in Rivers State to warrant a winner being declared; it is also not based on the murderous nature employed by the PDP leadership during the so called election or because of the scandalous thumb-printing, ballot- snatching or because APC has gone to the Election Tribunal to seek redress over the obvious robbery of its mandate. Rather, my optimism is based on the fact that with Amaechi’s magic wand and his political mystique, Chief Wike’s so called victory will end in a matter of few weeks as victory will surely come the way of APC. Yes, the enormous facts at APC’s disposal, the calibre of the legal team assembled by the party, and Governor Amaechi’s penchant of snatching victory from the jaws of seeming defeat after travelling the hard road, give me enough cause for optimism!


Eze Chukwuemeka Eze is a Media Consultant based in Port Harcourt in Rivers State. 
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