Nigeria 2019 Elections: Threat, Political Risk Assessment

S/election seasons in Nigeria are synonymous with war situations, a do-or-die affair. Barely six months to Nigeria’s defining 2019 general elections, governance and business activities are almost at a standstill. Machiavellian intrigues, seismic political stunts, inter-party defections, impeachment plots are now the new normal in Nigeria. The political wheeling and dealing playing out in Nigeria is having a butterfly-effect on the already fragile economy, volatile political climate, security, geo-political risk, instability.

Protest Rocks Benin Over Arrest of Edo House of Assembly Speaker, Others

BENIN CITY--POLITICAL tension heightened in Edo State
yesterday, following the arrest of the speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Uyi Igbe, the Majority
Leader of the House, Philip Shaibu, and the Chief Whip, Folly Ogedengbe, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in Abuja.
The trio, who travelled to Abuja last Monday on the invitation of the EFCC, was said to have been detained
for alleged forgery of the signature of one of PDP lawmakers, Rasaq Momoh, during the impeachment of
Deputy Speaker of the House, Festus Ebea.

Their detention elicited protest, led by the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Kabiru Adjoto, in
Benin yesterday.
Adjoto vowed that they would stage a one million man march in Abuja, if the lawmakers were not released by
yesterday, describing as unfortunate the fact that the EFCC would turn itself into a tool for the PDP to use to
witch hunt APC lawmakers in Edo State.
"If they kill our principal officers, we will fight with our blood," Adjoto warned.

He also raised an alarm over alleged plot by the EFCC and the PDP to eliminate the trio but warned that the
EFCC should be ready to kill the entire Edo people if anything went wrong with their principal officers.

Speaker faints

The situation is even more critical as the speaker who is the son of the Iyase of Benin Kingdom (Prime
Minister), is said to have fainted twice at the EFCC cell in Abuja, following the torture he allegedly received.
Adjoto said: "As I speak with you, the EFCC has arrested the speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, the
Majority Leader, Philip Shaibu, Chief whip, Folly Ogedengbe. They were arrested Wednesday and as we
speak they are being kept under very inhuman condition in Abuja.

"You are all aware that last week, there was a very vicious attack on the legislative quarters. Philip Shaibu
sustained serious bullet wounds, the Speaker was wounded and the Chief whip was wounded equally.
"The EFCC arrested them not minding their health conditions. We are reliably informed that the Speaker of
the House collapsed two times this morning. Philip is bleeding profusely and they are being denied medical
attention.
"As we speak, the reasons for their arrest is that the EFCC said they forged the signature of Rasaq Momoh
when the former deputy Speaker Festus Ebea was impeached.

Concern

"Our concern is this, when did the EFCC become an agency to investigate forgery of signature? When has forgery of signature become a financial crime?
Impeachment of either the Speaker or Deputy Speaker is purely the business of the House. EFCC has no business what so ever with it. We are surprised that the EFCC can reduce itself to investigate a crime that has already been spelt out as a criminal matter
according to the constitution.

" The EFCC is not set up to investigate forgery of signature and that they have reduced themselves shows
that they are not just acting.
"As we speak, the leadership of the PDP in Edo State is at the headquarters in Abuja. And the most worrisome is that the President of the country has given directive that these three principal officers of the Edo State House of Assembly be charged to court and be remanded indefinitely.

That is giving us serious concerns. One will expect the police to investigate that matter, what has EFCC got to do with forgery of
signature.?
"Last week these same people came here to kill us. As we speak, innocent people are being picked up on the
streets of Benin, but the real people have that committed crime not been arrested. They went to PDP
secretariat and were celebrating.
"But as a people, we will not fold our hands and allow this injustice to continue. We are giving EFCC till 4pm
today to release these principal officers. If they refuse to release them, as a people we have resolved to
organize a one million man march to Abuja and Abuja will know that we have arrived."

Source:
Vanguard

PDP Expresses Shock Over Abuja Blasts Blames Attacks On Opposition

The Peoples Democratic Party has condemned as barbaric, monstrous and extremely wicked, the bomb attack which claimed the lives of innocent Nigerians in Nyanya, Abuja on Monday.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh in a statement on Monday said the party was shocked and has remained grief- stricken since it received the news of the gruesome attack and killing of Nigerians pursuing their legitimate endeavors.
“The PDP weeps. We are indeed grief-stricken. Our hearts go out to the bereaved, especially those who have been orphaned and widowed and those now deprived of their bread winners by this evil act. We share in their pain, their anguish and their loss and pray that those behind their grief must not escape justice,” the party said.
Stating that the attacks cannot be justified under any guise, the PDP maintained that they are politically motivated and can be traced to the utterances and comments of desperate persons who seek to undermine and discredit the present administration and make the nation ungovernable for President Goodluck Jonathan by instituting a reign of terror against the people.

“We stand by our earlier statements that these attacks on our people are politically motivated by unpatriotic persons, especially those in the APC, who have been making utterances and comments, promoting violence and blood-letting as a means of achieving political control.
“Nigerians are also aware of utterances by certain APC governors which have been aimed at undermining our security forces and emboldening insurgents against the people.
“Those who have been promoting violence through their utterances can now see the monster they have created. They can now see the end product of their comments; a country flowing daily with the blood of the innocent.
The question is; how do they feel when they see the mangled and blood-soaked bodies of their victims? How do they feel when they hear the voices of the dying and the injured?
“Of course they feel nothing. Their hearts have been hardened and they are embittered by the fact that they have been rejected by the people.
They are bitter because the people have chosen to rally round the government they love and voted for; but must they chose the path of
violence and bloodletting as a response to the wishes and aspiration of the people”, the statement queried.

Urging all well meaning Nigerians to stand up and join President Goodluck Jonathan in his untiring efforts to check terrorism in the
country, the PDP caution those fueling the attacks to retrace their steps, rid themselves of bitterness and desperation and seek forgiveness from God.
The party, in solidarity with the people also shelved all official engagements while praying God to grant the bereaved the fortitude to bear the loss.

Source:
Nigerian Bulletin