AFTERMATH OF BOTCHED ELECTION: Jega under intense fire
How Jega landed INEC job, with help of opposition
Vanguard discovered that on March 29, 2011, between 2320 and 0040 hrs, at the National Secretariat of the CPC on Akinkumi Street, Utako District, Abuja, a meeting was held by the leadership of the party. One of the leaders of the party had reported to the meeting which had eight people, including a female, in attendance that “Mr. President must be regretting now for appointing Jega as the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.”
Director General of the Buhari Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Sule Yahaya Hamma, who was in attendance at the meeting, along with Mustapha Salihu, Dep. National Chairman; Engr. Buba Galadinma, National Secretary; and Colonel Hamid Ali (rtd) Chief of Staff to General Buhari, among others, “revealed intimating Mallam Adamu Ciroma (of the Northern Political Leaders’ Forum, NPLF) that it was not Mr. President that nominated Jega for the INEC appointment.”
Vanguard learnt that this was done by their group, through a Nigerian female believed to be a sister to Mr. President, and the United States of America, USA, embassy in Nigeria, after which three short listed names were presented.
The names presented included those of Jega, Ibrahim Madaki and Bukhari Bello. “While explaining how Jega was appointed,”Vanguard learnt, “Hamma maintained that it was the USA embassy in Nigeria that was used to pressurize Mr. President to eventually ‘pick’ Jega.
“He reiterated that the government is presently regretting not appointing Bello instead at that point in time, to which he believed would also have been to the detriment of the government as in his view, Bello has a tougher disposition.”
Just before the high wire politicking and pressure that was brought to bear before Jega was finally announced as President Jonathan’s choice for the INEC job, Vanguard had exclusively gathered on Tuesday, June 1, 2010, that Bukhari Bello may get the job. However, upon serious pressure, his name was dropped.
At the CPC meeting of last Tuesday, Salihu reportedly “drew the attention of Galadinma to a remark he recalled was made by the IRI that the government of the USA is putting USA embassy in Nigeria under pressure to support Mr. President, wondering the sudden change on the position of the USA government on Buhari.
“He averred that the new thinking of the government of the USA on Buhari may be informed by religious alliance between the government of the USA with Mr. President, or the fear that a Buhari presidency may not support the siphoning of Nigeria’s petroleum products by the Americans.”
But this was countered by Hamma, who was of “the notion that the USA government may not have changed its position on Buhari, and contended that they have maintained close communication with the USA government over the past eight years.”
How Jega landed INEC job, with help of opposition
Vanguard discovered that on March 29, 2011, between 2320 and 0040 hrs, at the National Secretariat of the CPC on Akinkumi Street, Utako District, Abuja, a meeting was held by the leadership of the party. One of the leaders of the party had reported to the meeting which had eight people, including a female, in attendance that “Mr. President must be regretting now for appointing Jega as the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.”
Director General of the Buhari Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Sule Yahaya Hamma, who was in attendance at the meeting, along with Mustapha Salihu, Dep. National Chairman; Engr. Buba Galadinma, National Secretary; and Colonel Hamid Ali (rtd) Chief of Staff to General Buhari, among others, “revealed intimating Mallam Adamu Ciroma (of the Northern Political Leaders’ Forum, NPLF) that it was not Mr. President that nominated Jega for the INEC appointment.”
Vanguard learnt that this was done by their group, through a Nigerian female believed to be a sister to Mr. President, and the United States of America, USA, embassy in Nigeria, after which three short listed names were presented.
The names presented included those of Jega, Ibrahim Madaki and Bukhari Bello. “While explaining how Jega was appointed,”Vanguard learnt, “Hamma maintained that it was the USA embassy in Nigeria that was used to pressurize Mr. President to eventually ‘pick’ Jega.
“He reiterated that the government is presently regretting not appointing Bello instead at that point in time, to which he believed would also have been to the detriment of the government as in his view, Bello has a tougher disposition.”
Just before the high wire politicking and pressure that was brought to bear before Jega was finally announced as President Jonathan’s choice for the INEC job, Vanguard had exclusively gathered on Tuesday, June 1, 2010, that Bukhari Bello may get the job. However, upon serious pressure, his name was dropped.
At the CPC meeting of last Tuesday, Salihu reportedly “drew the attention of Galadinma to a remark he recalled was made by the IRI that the government of the USA is putting USA embassy in Nigeria under pressure to support Mr. President, wondering the sudden change on the position of the USA government on Buhari.
“He averred that the new thinking of the government of the USA on Buhari may be informed by religious alliance between the government of the USA with Mr. President, or the fear that a Buhari presidency may not support the siphoning of Nigeria’s petroleum products by the Americans.”
But this was countered by Hamma, who was of “the notion that the USA government may not have changed its position on Buhari, and contended that they have maintained close communication with the USA government over the past eight years.”
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