Atiku, Yar’Adua in Dialogue

Atiku who spoke with journalists described President Yar’Adua as his brother, affirming, that the President and himself belong to the same family.
He nevertheless clarified that such contacts were without prejudice to the on-going case at the Presidential Elections Tribunal where he is challenging the election of Yar’Adua.

He said his long trip abroad was not because of EFCC harassment but that what kept him away for so long was due to the need to take time out to recover from his knee injury, which was very complicated.
Atiku said he was not jolted by the exit of Abubakar Rimi from AC back to PDP. On the reconciliation efforts in PDP, he said he was not aware of such moves, adding that nobody has contacted him.
Reacting to Prof. Jubril Aminu’s assertion that he (Atiku) would not be welcomed back to the party.

Speaking on the government of national unity (GNU), he said the leading member of his party had asked the PDP government why they needed a government of national unity when the party has 80 per cent of National Assembly members, more than 85 or 90 per cent of other elected members.

He said the fact that PDP is looking for a GNU means that there is something wrong and that there is a question mark. 
With regard to the president’s recent accusation of the opposition fueling the crisis in the Niger Delta, he described it as unfounded, stressing that the situation in the Niger Delta has historical antecedents, “unless, he had more facts he has not disclosed.”

He said that if he meets Obasanjo he would greet him as his former president but disclosed he has never made any effort to call him since they left office in May. He disclosed that the last time he went to Ota was in 1998 to invite him to join PDP.

He declined comments on his assessment of the incumbent administration noting. Atiku said he has no regrets working with Obasanjo, stressing that nobody in this country has worked with Obasanjo for eight years. He hailed the proposed electoral reform by the president as an idea that is good.

The former Vice President denied allegations that Yar’Adua was using his gazette indictment to blackmail him to drop his petition at the tribunal. He said there was only one gazette on the indictment which has been quashed by the court. 
Regarding alleged pressure by some traditional rulers on him to withdraw his petition against Yar’Adua; he said no northern Emir has contacted him so far.

Atiku said his message to Nigerians is that they should demand their rights and put pressure on their leaders to do the right thing. They should insist on selecting those who should lead them to make sure that only the right people who are dedicated to the welfare and development of the country are elected.

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Odey stresses need for collaboration in the media

Efforts are being intensified to further bridge the gap between government and private media organisations in Nigeria.

The Minister of Information and Communications, Mr John Odey told the Chief Operation Officer, Consumer News and Business Channel, CNBC Africa, Mr Trevor Ormerod when he paid him a Courtesy call, that the effort would guarantee proper information dissemination and equal opportunity.

Odey stressed the need for the NTA and FRCN to liaise with the CNBC Africa to develop a framework for accurate projection of events in Nigeria.
Odey advised foreign Journalists coming into the country to be properly documented to ease their duties while in the country.

Mr Ormerod promised that the station would continue to serve as an investment promoter for the country and the entire Africa.
The Minister of State for Information and Communications, Aihaji Ibrahim Nakande had enjoined Officers government to deliver the dividends of democracy.

At a brief ceremony to mark the birthday of Mr John Odey, Aihaji Ibrahim Nakande said the Minister had demonstrated honesty and hard-work and prayed God to continue to guide and protect him.

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House elects Bankole as speaker

The House of Representatives on Thursday elected Dimeji Bankole from Ogun State as Speaker and a Gombe State legislator, Usman Bayero Nafada, as Deputy Speaker.

The 37 year-old new Speaker is the son of a former National Chairman of the All People's Party (APP), now All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) Chief Suara Alani Bankole.

Chief Alani Bankole who of Oluwo Iporo Ake is a leading member of the Alake Regency Council in Abeokuta, Ogun State, has however, pitched tents with the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

But the PDP was believed to have indeed backed an Osun State legislator, George Jolaoye, against Dimeji Bankole in the Speakership race.

Jolaoye, a quiet member of the House of Representatives, however, received a trouncing at the Assembly's open voting with Bankole scoring 304 to Jolaoye's 20 in a House of 360 members.

The election of the new Speaker and Deputy Speaker followed the forced resignation on Tuesday of the former holders of the offices, Mrs. Patricia Olubunmi Etteh and Alhaji Babangida Nguroje. Etteh hails from Jolaoye's Osun State.

The PDP's national chairman, Ahmadu Ali, had on Wednesday told some of the chamber's members at a meeting that Jolaoye fit the party's zoning formula and urged the legislators to retain the office of speaker in the South-West, and Osun State in particular. He particularly named Jolaoye as the PDP's candidate.

Both elections, which were conducted on Thursday morning, reflected the decisions taken by the various House caucuses on Wednesday night during which contestants were asked to deliver their manifestos.

Bayero was elected unopposed after the Integrity Group had urged a member from Adamawa State, Binta Garba Masi, to withdraw from the race.

Prior to the election, the Speaker pro-tempore, Terngu Tsegba, preached reconciliation, restoration and healing to the legislative chamber that was until Tuesday embroiled in brawling, resulting in the death of one of its members.

New Speaker Bankole represents Abeokuta South in Ogun State and is currently in his second term of office. As freshman in the 2003-2007 sessions, Bankole was the Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Finance. In those years, he played active roles in the reforms of the sector and bringing tranquility to the hitherto querulous House-Presidency relationship over budgets.

With his then committee chairman Farouk Lawan, Bankole played key roles in the defeat of the N1.40 fuel tax proposed in the budget 2004 by the federal executive.

Bankole is the first Speaker of the House of Representatives with a military background having passed into the Royal Military Academy and subsequently serving at the Sandhurst Royal Artillery Corps.
As a member of the House of Representatives, Bankole is also a member of the Pan African Parliament based in South Africa.

His victory came as a result of synergy between the hitherto quarrelling factions in the House - the Due Process Group and the Integrity Group. Both had agreed to resist any impositions by the PDP.

Bankole joined the race as far back as August this year, with the networking support of Mrs. Mercy Almona-Isei, Farouk Lawan and Emeka Ihedioha. The support base rallied to his aid by these Reps cut across various political interests and groups outside of the National Assembly.

Bankole's acceptance speech appears also to be in the mould of the policies and programmes of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, with a pledge to make the Nigerian economy one of the worlds most advanced and the eradication of corruption.

As at Thursday, the caucus of the South-South geo-political zone re-elected Tunde Akogun as the Leader of the House of Representatives.
Thursday election was a culmination of the disagreement between the PDP and its majority party caucus in the House.

The Reps had defied directives by the party for even the election of a Speaker pro-tempore ahead of yesterday's election for a substantive Speaker.

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House dismiss PDP Principal Officers

However, two of the officers, House Leader, Hon. Tunde Akogun, and Deputy Whip, Hon. Aminu Wazri Tambwal, are set to retain their jobs as they were later re-nominated by their zonal caucuses.

Mrs. Patricia Etteh and Alhaji Babangida Nguroje had resigned as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House over the contract scandal. The Speaker Pro-tempore, Hon. Terngu Tsegba, who led the House in plenary, announced the sacking of the PDP officers as part of the four-point  recommendations of the House after the executive session which lasted about two hours.

Tsegba also announced a communication from the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Nasiru Arab, formally declaring the seats of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker vacant.
But another round of meeting called on Wednesday by PDP to agree with its House members on which state of the South-west should produce the new Speaker ended in a stalemate.

This development has thrown up a rat race for the speakership. But as the race hoots up, newsmen learnt that the top job may now be a straight battle between Leo Awoyemi and George Jolaoye, both from Osun State.
Governors of PDP states in the South-west who met Tuesday night in Abuja had decided to back Jolaoye for the top job while the Integrity Group which saw to the ouster of Etteh is said to have pitched its tent with Awoyemi.
The House formally began the consideration of the Idoko panel report on the renovation contract.

In considering the report in plenary, the House asked the management of the National Assembly to come up with a standard procedure for the award of contracts taking into consideration extant rules and regulations of the House and other regulations guiding such contracts.

The second recommendation by the lawmakers was that the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) should take steps to make the residences of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker habitable so that they could move in as soon as possible.

The House also directed the management of the National Assembly to determine the true status of the contracts in view of the repudiation and the voluntary withdrawal of the contractors handling the projects before the Idoko panel issued a stop work order to the contractors.

The officers affected in the gale of sack in the House included the Majority Leader, Akogun, who is from Akoko Federal constituency of Edo State; his deputy, Hon. Baba Shehu Agaie, from Agaie/Lapai Federal constituency of Niger State; the Whip, Hon. Bethel Amadi, from Mbaitoli /Ikeduru Federal constituency of Imo State and his deputy, Tambwal, who represents Kebbe /Tambwal Federal constituency of Sokoto State.

They were asked to go back to their zones and caucuses to seek fresh mandates for elections if they are to come back as principal officers. The four officers stood by Etteh till the very end.

The consideration of the report puts to rest the Etteh saga, which held up the business of the House for 11 weeks and culminated in the death of a member from Katsina State, Hon. Aminu Safana and the eventual resignation of Etteh and Nguroje on Tuesday evening.

Ruling on the order, Tsegba explained that the listing of names would only come into play when a fresh Speaker of a new parliament was being elected. He therefore overruled Agoro.
Hon. West Idahosa who contested the post of Speaker Pro-tempore in absentia with Tsegba also cited Order 7 Rule 1 in the matter of privileges of the members.

Idahosa said he was not aware that his name was listed as a candidate for the post of Speaker Pro-tempore and was never contacted.
But Tsegba also ruled him out of order saying he was nominated and seconded by the House.

After the ruling, the Speaker pro-tempore called for the House to go into an executive session to consider the Idoko report.
The House after reconvening from the executive session called on Hon. David Idoko to lead the debate on the report.

Hon. Dino Melaye who later briefed newsmen after the sitting said the House did not apportion blame to Etteh or the assembly management  in respect of the 25 per cent mobilisation paid to the contractor handling the Speaker’s residence, Messers Stateco Nigeria Limited. He said the money was a performance bond issued by Fidelity Bank and that there was no criminal intent in it.

In disagreeing again with PDP, this time over the choice of a new Speaker, most of the party’s House members refused to accept that the new speaker should come from Osun State, which had earlier produced Etteh.

The PDP National Working Committee (NWC) had at its meeting on Tuesday night zoned the speakership to Osun State and subsequently convened a meeting with its House members to inform them of the party’s decision.