60 reasons I won’t vote for Jonathan – Soyinka

n February 06, 2015   /   in News 7:59 am   /   Comments

NOBEL Laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka has, distanced himself from internet interview, which claimed he has endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for re-election, saying he has 60 reasons why he will not vote for the continuation of this regime.

Soyinka who spoke yesterday during the presentation of 60 finalists of the Vision of the Child Competition entitled: Road to Sambisa at the Freedom Park, Lagos, also urged Nigerians to search their conscience and be objective before casting their votes for any of the candidates.

Addressing the students from various schools across the country, Professor Soyinka said: ‘’It is impossible to talk of today’s election without thinking of what happened to your colleagues, your siblings, your peers in the village called Chibok. It is not possible to think of the future of this nation in the sense of responsibility without that albatross called Chibok. Coming to the fore of our contemplation, I think that why I was being killed on the internet is probably because of this very event because those who began to advertise my death on the internet probably know already what I stand for over the election which is also why all kinds of statements have been made.’’

Soyinka used the occasion to clear the air on statements credited to him about the elections. He said ‘’I have never spoken a word about this election so anything which you read on the internet as interviews or recent statements is not mine. Don’t believe it. The reason is this, they advertised on the internet that I am dead, so why should you believe it?’’

He continued: ‘’I have at least 60 reasons for not voting for the continuation of this present government and those reasons are here.

Why I will not vote for this government or encourage anybody to vote for the continuation of this present government is simply because your colleagues, numbering over 200 were kidnapped; we sent them on a mission – education, enlightenment, examination, to rub minds with their peers and they disappeared and the government of the nation failed to show leadership. So, anybody who says that I will vote or cast my vote or encourage anyone to vote for this regime must be living in Sambisa forest.

‘’There has been failure of leadership. Our children who you represent today have been betrayed. They were betrayed because no action or appropriate action was taken to retrieve your colleagues who were stolen from under our noses, 10 days before this government even accepted that they were missing.
”

“Osinbajo Is My Problem” – Jonathan Cries Out In Secret Meeting With Pentecostal Pastors In Abuja

Here we go again.

These contractors have abandoned the injuction of God in Mark 16:15 to go and teach & make disciples of nations.

Why getting involved in shaddy meetings that they cannot come out to tell the world of the agenda & resolutions.

They have refused to go & preach in the North East of Nigeria since all these years of BH but can go for noctural meetings.

SPIRITUAL CONTRACTORS! Money & wealth are not passports to heaven. One day you will leave all your wealth on earth!

 

 

source: www.osundefender.org

• 

Ruffled by the momentum generated by the nomination of Pastor Yemi Osinbajo as General Mohamadu Buhari’s running mate; President Goodluck Jonathan is asking a group of Pentecostal pastors to help him avert what he fears could be an impending loss in next month’s presidential polls;

Osinbajo; a prominent cleric with the Redeemed Christian Church of God; law professor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria; SAN emerged APC’s presidential running mate last month giving President Jonathan and the ruling party; PDP, what is being described as sleepless nights; by sources;

Specifically last Thursday; the President held a meeting in Abuja; with a number of Pentecostal pastors led by Bishop David Oyedepo of Winners Chapel; with the main agenda being how to fashion out ways to solve the “Osinbajo” problem.

Sources at the meeting confirmed that President Jonathan confessed in a rather rattled and humbling manner that “Osinbajo is my problem

According to those at the meeting; the President added that “everything was okay until APC picked Osinbajo;”

This is coming against the background of wild speculations that APC is an Islamist party and that General Buhari is a religious fundamentalist-which has become one of the main planks of the PDP presidential campaign; While PDP chieftains and supporters have continued to characterize APC as an Islamist party; APC leaders have consistently dismissed such as unfounded; baseless and a scare tactic by the PDP

Many observers say the nomination of a prominent Pentecostal pastor from the fastest growing church in Africa by the APC may have effectively doused such speculations and the attempt to label the party as one with an islamization agenda;

There has been a rather conscious attempt to make next month’s presidential polls a religious one especially in the Southern part of the country where there is a much larger Christian population; observers say.

At the meeting organized by the Executive Secretary of the National Christian Pilgrims Commission NCPC; John Kennedy Okpara; President Jonathan poured out his mind that running against a leading Pastor of the RCCG; who is also known to be very close to the much reverred General Overseer of the church; Pastor EA Adeboye; is an uphill task.

Sources at the meeting; said Jonathan was ruffled and much distracted as he confessed to the challenge to him; of the APC naming such a person as Osinbajo as General Buhari’s running mate;

In response; the Pastors led by Bishop Oyedepo assured the President at the meeting that they would; “starting from today;” use every device possible including social media; the pulpit and influence peddling; to campaign in support of President Jonathan and against the Buhari-Osinbajo ticket

Before the meeting with the President; sources said the pastors held a meeting on the same day to strategize and agree on how and what they would present to the president;

At that pre-meeting; some Pentecostal pastors suggested that they use the opportunity of the meeting afforded by the President to express their genuine fears on growing insecurity in the North with Boko Haram killing and attacking Christians and other innocent Nigerians;

But Bishop David Oyedepo; the most influential pastor at the meeting interrupted the idea; insisting that the meeting was to encourage and strengthen President Jonathan ahead of the elections and not to discuss compelling national issues of concern to majority of Nigerians;

While some of the pastors were shocked and disappointed that Bishop Oyedepo would not allow them to raise important issues bothering most Nigerians; they decided to keep silent not to be seen as spoilsports;

And later after meeting the president; the pastors gathered together again on the same day to device strategies they will use to campaign against Buhari&Osinbajo; with the main scheme being to label the ticket as an Islamist one;

Some of the pastors also suggested that they can influence Christians that the position of Vice President is not an effective one; and that having a Christian hold it makes no difference; although the Nigerian constitution and the order of precedence makes the office the next in rank to the president;

Indeed as if carrying out the resolve; members of the Winners Chapel said Bishop Oyedepo has already started using the pulpit to achieve the goals set out at last Thursday meeting in Abuja

Some of the members said yesterday Sunday January 18; Bishop Oyedepo raised a prayer point that an Islamist would not become the President of Nigeria in the polls coming next month to the chagrin of many of the church attendants on Sunday;

Drama as APC, PDP campaign trains ‘collide’ in Lagos.

There was a mild drama yesterday when several supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ran into a campaign train of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, alongside Mr Babatunde Fashola, the governor of Lagos at Alaka Bus Stop, Surulere.

The PDP supporters allegedly abandoned their train, folded their umbrella and threw away all other party souvenirs in exchange for those of the APC and joined the APC train shouting “Change, Change, Change.”

A statement from the Ambode Campaign office summed up the experience, saying; ‘’It appears that Lagosians believe that Ambode represents the continuity they want and not to exchange the progress and prosperity of Lagos for what the PDP epitomizes at the national level.

‘’The people of Lagos have heard the voice of God and now they are echoing the change that they truly want.

‘’The crowd escorted Ambode and Fashola to the venue of the campaign rally at Shitta, Surulere where he thanked them for the show of love and acceptance and promised not to let them down if elected governor on February 28; pointing out that they can trust him having criss-crossed the state for 27 years serving on one local government or the other.

‘’He said he knows where the shoe pinches and would surely give attention to the welfare of the people of Lagos. Ambode is ready to take Lagos to the next level.’’

Allegation against us is blackmail – Lagos PDP

Meantime, All Progressives Congress, APC, Lagos chapter, yesterday, lamented the unfair and the unfavourable dispositions of the Nigeria Police Force and other federal agencies against their party in favour of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.

The APC state Publicity Secretary, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, during a briefing alleged that PDP members and their supporters “have been committing atrocities with impunity, with the aid of policemen.”

According to Igbokwe: “Like a thief in the night, they have waylaid our supporters, humiliate, intimidate, maim and even kill with reckless abandon. We are appealing to the law enforcement agencies to rise to the occasion before it is too late.

“On Thursday January 22, 2015 in Agege, an APC supporter, Mr. Eyitayo Peter was shot dead while Lanre Ogunjimi sustained serious injury after a brazen attack by the supporters of a House of Representatives candidate of PDP.

But in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr Taofik Gani, the party described the APC as a drowning party in Lagos State, adding that it is only interested in “overheating the polity to attract voters sympathy.”

According to the party; “the over used ploy of always whipping up sentiments has become unfashionable to Lagosians and it advised the APC to face the real issues of campaigns and stop peddling lies.”

Support for Agbaje, Ambode divides Ikorodu elders

Jimi Agbaje, Akinwunmi Ambode

Elders of the Ikorodu Division in Lagos have disagreed over the endorsement of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, and the All Progressives Congress candidate, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode. Agbaje hails from Ikorodu while Ambode hails from Epe. However, Ikorodu has never produced a governor in the state before.

Expectedly, some Ikorodu elders led by Chief Babatunde Benson (SAN), had last month, endorsed Agbaje as the consensus candidate for Ikorodu and urged the people of the area to vote for him.

He said, “Agbaje is a professional and I will speak for him anytime. He is more qualified that Ambode, who was a civil servant handpicked by the leader of the party. Also, Agbaje is from Ikorodu and for the past 12 years, we have been promised the governorship only to be disappointed. We stand by Agbaje.”

However, two prominent Ikorodu leaders, Asiwaju Olorunfunmi Basorun and Prince Abiodun Ogunleye, have rejected the endorsement of Agbaje, describing it as mischievous.

Basorun, who was Secretary to the State Government during the era of former Governor Lateef Jakande, said in a statement that Agbaje never identified with the people of Ikorodu until now.

He said, “Agbaje had in 2007 publicly declared himself as a family member of the Onilegbale family of Lagos and therefore an indigene of Lagos division. Agbaje has never been part of any cultural activities (e.g. Ikorodu Oga Day, Igbogbo Day, Ajede Luwasa Day, Imota Ayayo Day), social or local organisation in Ikorodu Division.

“We the leaders and members of the APC in Ikorodu Division totally condemn and dissociate ourselves from the endorsement.”

Basorun, who was the founding chairman of the PDP in Lagos State before defecting to the APC, said the people of Ikorodu would vote for Ambode on February 28 because his party, the APC had brought development to the division.

He said, “This is the payback period for Ikorodu people to show appreciation for a government that has built a new ultra-modern High/Magistrate Court complex, new block for maternal/child care at the General Hospital, Ipakodo Mega Jetty, two skill acquisition centres, Imota Asphalt Plant, Mile 12 to Ikorodu roundabout six-lane expressway, gigantic housing estate at Igbogbo and Imota Rice Mill.”

Pastors taking bribes from politicians risk God’s anger – Adeboye

Pastor E. A. Adeboye

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has warned that pastors collecting bribes from politicians risk the wrath of God.

The renowned cleric said this on his official Facebook page on Wednesday while reacting to allegations by the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, that the Peoples Democratic Party had bribed some pastors with N6bn to work against the All Progressives Congress and its presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)

However, Adeboye, said, “I read in the newspaper this morning that one of the serving governors in Nigeria said that some pastors in Nigeria collected N6bn from politicians for the purpose of influencing their members to vote a certain candidate in the coming elections.

“May I humbly request that if there be any pastor or pastors who collected such money, they should please return such as quickly as possible before the fire of the Almighty consumes you.”

Amaechi, had on Tuesday, told his supporters not to be deceived by pastors, whom he said, were campaigning against Buhari because he was a Muslim

He had said, “Some pastors collected N6bn and they are circulating document and telling you not to vote for an Hausa man; not to vote for a Muslim; that they want to Islamise Nigeria. Tell them to return our N6bn.

“They gave them N6bn; they should return it to the Federal Government coffers. They will tell you that Buhari wants to Islamise Nigeria; tell them we are too educated.

“I am a Catholic, but no Catholic priest has told me that story right now in the Catholic Church because, I will ask him how. If any pastor tells you that, tell him to return the money.

“Nobody can Islamise Nigeria; they have commercialised Jesus Christ. They should stop commercialising the Christian faith.   You know what Jesus Christ did in the temple? He chased them away.”