Nigerian president to step down
Reuters
May 16, 2006
ABUJA - Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo says his party accepts the Senate's rejection of a bill that would have allowed him to seek a third term.
He said the People's Democratic Party needed to put the acrimony behind it and prepare for next year's election as the constitution currently stands.
Confirmation that Mr Obasanjo will not stand again leaves Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as a strong candidate.
The two fell out over the issue that also deeply divided the country.
Two former military rulers, Ibrahim Babangida and Muhammadu Buhari, have also emerged as likely candidates.
Bribes
"As a political party, we should accept the verdict of the National Assembly even though the two chambers initially concluded differently," the president told PDP delegates.
I was maligned, insulted and wrongly accused but I remained where I am and what I am and I remained focused.
The dramatic announcement that the bill had been defeated was greeted with shouts of joy in the Senate on Tuesday.
"The constitution must be held hallowed and sacred. And, on the basis of the constitution in hand, we must start to plan for the next elections," he said.
Mr Obasanjo has never publicly said he wanted to stand for re-election saying he would make his decision if the constitution was amended.
In his speech he hit out at the media for unfounded speculation on the subject.
"Many derogatory statements and unfounded allegations have been made about me and my position concerning the so-called third term... I was maligned, insulted and wrongly accused but I remained where I am and what I am and I remained focused," he said.
President Obasanjo said it was now time to heal the wounds caused by weeks of angry debate on the issue and he criticised both sides for using blackmail, intimidation and violence in their campaigns.
Absentee
Those opposed to changing the constitution had claimed that they had been offered bribes and threatened to change their minds.
Nigeria had many years of military rule until Mr Obasanjo was elected in 1999.
Mr Obasanjo is a Christian from the south-west and people in other parts of the country believe the country's top job should rotate between the regions.
Mr Abubakar is a northern Muslim, like another man seen as a strong candidate, former military ruler Gen Babangida.
Many prominent members of the PDP have already formed a new political party, the Advanced Congress of Democrats, rumoured to be sponsored by Mr Abubakar, and he was a notable absentee at the PDP meeting.
The BBC's Alex Last in Lagos says many in the oil-producing south and the south-east - regions which have never produced a Nigerian president - feel it should be their turn.
But our correspondent says winning elections in Nigeria is largely about who has got the most power and money behind them.
Probe into presidential term scandal in Nigeria
May 17, 2006
LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria’s anti-fraud squad launched a probe yesterday into allegations lawmakers have been bribed to change the constitution to allow President Olusegun Obasanjo to extend his hold on power.
The investigation comes days before a vote on the bill to amend the constitution in the Senate, which is likely to go against extending the presidential tenure to three terms. “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has commenced the investigation of recent allegations of bribery in the National Assembly,” the agency said in a press statement.
Lawmakers were originally offered 50mn naira ($390,000) to support a third term for Obasanjo, opposition members said.
A National Assembly source told Reuters on Sunday that the offer had now been raised to 200mn naira ($1.6mn) and above for key opponents.
A presidency spokesman denied offering bribes.
“The president is not a bribe giver, neither does he condone any form of corruption,” said Femi Fani Kayode.
Any amendment to Nigeria’s 1999 charter requires a two-thirds majority in both houses, and more than a third of senators have already said they will vote against a third term.
Newspapers have published details of banks in the capital Abuja where they said the bribe money was deposited. They also reported licence plate numbers of vehicles belonging to people they identified as presidential aides overseeing the payout.
“The investigation poses enormous challenges and the commission can only make reasonable progress if provided with sufficient information and evidence by members of the public,” the agency said.
The probe came after secret police raided the offices of a privately owned television network on Sunday and seized the master copy of a documentary on Nigeria’s history of dictators who have tried and failed to prolong their rules.
“They came and said we should discontinue the documentary on tenure elongation,” African Independent Television chairman Raymond Dokpesi was quoted as saying in This Day newspaper.
Obasanjo, a former military ruler, returned to power in elections in 1999, restoring democracy to Africa’s most populous nation after three decades of almost uninterrupted dictatorship.
Elections next year should mark the first time in Nigerian history that one civilian president hands over to another through elections, but the campaign to allow Obasanjo to stand again has jeopardised that.
Some opposition members of the House of Representatives who say they have been given inducements have threatened to bring the cash into the chamber this week to back up the allegations.
The bribery scandal has tainted the image of Obasanjo’s government, which only last year obtained $18bn debt relief from rich Western creditors partly on the basis of his high-profile campaign against corruption.
Obasanjo’s third term campaign reinforces a trend across Africa of a “new breed” of leaders, including in Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia, who have failed to live up to promises to improve democracy and freedoms, analysts say.
Supporters of the third term argue that it would allow Obasanjo to consolidate his liberal economic reforms.
Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has publicly split from his boss over the amendment, and accused Obasanjo of trying to subvert democracy against the popular will.
The US has urged Obasanjo not to go ahead with the amendment, predicting major turmoil and conflict if it goes through. Britain has said it would not accept the result of any amendment process that was not free and fair. – Reuters
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ABUJA - Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo says his party accepts the Senate's rejection of a bill that would have allowed him to seek a third term. He said the People's Democratic Party needed to put the acrimony behind it and prepare for next year's election as the constitution currently stands.
Confirmation that Mr Obasanjo will not stand again leaves Vice-President Atiku Abubakar as a strong candidate. The two fell out over the issue that also deeply divided the country.
Two former military rulers, Ibrahim Babangida and Muhammadu Buhari, have also emerged as likely candidates.
Bribes
"As a political party, we should accept the verdict of the National Assembly even though the two chambers initially concluded differently," the president told PDP delegates.
I was maligned, insulted and wrongly accused but I remained where I am and what I am and I remained focused.
The dramatic announcement that the bill had been defeated was greeted with shouts of joy in the Senate on Tuesday.
"The constitution must be held hallowed and sacred. And, on the basis of the constitution in hand, we must start to plan for the next elections," he said.
Mr Obasanjo has never publicly said he wanted to stand for re-election saying he would make his decision if the constitution was amended.
In his speech he hit out at the media for unfounded speculation on the subject.
"Many derogatory statements and unfounded allegations have been made about me and my position concerning the so-called third term... I was maligned, insulted and wrongly accused but I remained where I am and what I am and I remained focused," he said.
President Obasanjo said it was now time to heal the wounds caused by weeks of angry debate on the issue and he criticised both sides for using blackmail, intimidation and violence in their campaigns.
Absentee
Those opposed to changing the constitution had claimed that they had been offered bribes and threatened to change their minds.
Nigeria had many years of military rule until Mr Obasanjo was elected in 1999.
Mr Obasanjo is a Christian from the south-west and people in other parts of the country believe the country's top job should rotate between the regions.
Mr Abubakar is a northern Muslim, like another man seen as a strong candidate, former military ruler Gen Babangida.
Many prominent members of the PDP have already formed a new political party, the Advanced Congress of Democrats, rumoured to be sponsored by Mr Abubakar, and he was a notable absentee at the PDP meeting.
The BBC's Alex Last in Lagos says many in the oil-producing south and the south-east - regions which have never produced a Nigerian president - feel it should be their turn.
But our correspondent says winning elections in Nigeria is largely about who has got the most power and money behind them.
Probe into presidential term scandal in Nigeria
May 17, 2006
LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria’s anti-fraud squad launched a probe yesterday into allegations lawmakers have been bribed to change the constitution to allow President Olusegun Obasanjo to extend his hold on power.
The investigation comes days before a vote on the bill to amend the constitution in the Senate, which is likely to go against extending the presidential tenure to three terms. “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has commenced the investigation of recent allegations of bribery in the National Assembly,” the agency said in a press statement.
Lawmakers were originally offered 50mn naira ($390,000) to support a third term for Obasanjo, opposition members said. A National Assembly source told Reuters on Sunday that the offer had now been raised to 200mn naira ($1.6mn) and above for key opponents. A presidency spokesman denied offering bribes.
“The president is not a bribe giver, neither does he condone any form of corruption,” said Femi Fani Kayode. Any amendment to Nigeria’s 1999 charter requires a two-thirds majority in both houses, and more than a third of senators have already said they will vote against a third term.
Newspapers have published details of banks in the capital Abuja where they said the bribe money was deposited. They also reported licence plate numbers of vehicles belonging to people they identified as presidential aides overseeing the payout.
“The investigation poses enormous challenges and the commission can only make reasonable progress if provided with sufficient information and evidence by members of the public,” the agency said.
The probe came after secret police raided the offices of a privately owned television network on Sunday and seized the master copy of a documentary on Nigeria’s history of dictators who have tried and failed to prolong their rules.
“They came and said we should discontinue the documentary on tenure elongation,” African Independent Television chairman Raymond Dokpesi was quoted as saying in This Day newspaper.
Obasanjo, a former military ruler, returned to power in elections in 1999, restoring democracy to Africa’s most populous nation after three decades of almost uninterrupted dictatorship.
Elections next year should mark the first time in Nigerian history that one civilian president hands over to another through elections, but the campaign to allow Obasanjo to stand again has jeopardised that.
Some opposition members of the House of Representatives who say they have been given inducements have threatened to bring the cash into the chamber this week to back up the allegations.
The bribery scandal has tainted the image of Obasanjo’s government, which only last year obtained $18bn debt relief from rich Western creditors partly on the basis of his high-profile campaign against corruption.
Obasanjo’s third term campaign reinforces a trend across Africa of a “new breed” of leaders, including in Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia, who have failed to live up to promises to improve democracy and freedoms, analysts say.
Supporters of the third term argue that it would allow Obasanjo to consolidate his liberal economic reforms.
Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has publicly split from his boss over the amendment, and accused Obasanjo of trying to subvert democracy against the popular will. The US has urged Obasanjo not to go ahead with the amendment, predicting major turmoil and conflict if it goes through. Britain has said it would not accept the result of any amendment process that was not free and fair. – Reuters
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