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PDP in the event of violent change should be held responsible; for the avoidance of doubt CNPP has carefully reviewed Engr Buba Galadima's statement and agreed with him that PDP should acknowledge the great saying of Edmond Burke that, 'those who make peaceful change impossible, makes violent change inevitable.This is what we understand from his statement, a reflection of the thought of the voiceless Nigerians. PDP's Electoral Phobia is the greatest threat to peaceful change in Nigeria. It is our consider
ed view that PDP has in the past ten years been subverting our nascent democracy; to the extent that both local and international observers have ruled out the possibility of free, fair and transparent elections in Nigeria. This loss of confidence in our democratic process started when the PDP introduced Do-or-Die political culture and dreamt of ruling Nigeria for 60 years and by extension forever and went ahead to implement this ideology in the 2003 sham elections.
An election appeals tribunal in Nigeria has sacked a senator, ruling that his election two years ago was rigged.
A new election must be held within 90 days to replace Iyiola Omisore, who represented part of Osun state in the south-east for the ruling PDP.
The opposition Action Congress had appealed against a tribunal ruling last year which upheld his election in 2007.
It means Mr Omisore must step down from his influential post of chairman of the Senate budget and finance committee.
The election appeals tribunal ruled that there had been widespread breaches of the electoral act, including the use of political thugs to break up voting stations and intimidate voters.
A BBC website reader on election day in 2007 texted from Iwo in Osun state: "Polling booths in Oke-Odo are deserted. People are scared to come out to vote."
After his election to the presidency in 2007, Umaru Yar'Adua promised to reform the electoral process as most
As the Gabonese nation prepares to go to the polls, I've been thinking about them and the question of succession in African leadership.
When President Omar Bongo Ondimba entered the earthly departure lounge in a Spanish hospital back in June, his ensuing death threw into motion the need to go back to the goddess of democracy and offer the sacrifice of a vote to choose a new leader. We do this, every now and then, us Africans. We say goodbye to the dead leader and go and choose another one as if the process of choosing is unique and new, like picking out a new car with your insurance money when you've pranged the last one.
But will the vote bring a new car to the Gabonese? Is it the same make of car but a n
ewer model?
I'm particularly fond of my classic Mercedes, which came off the production lines in the year I was born, and I have no wish to trade her in for one of those newer Mercedes with ridiculous names like Kompresser and shiny metal skin that attracts bimbos.
But as you know, old presidents are not like old classic cars - they are not built like a tank with immortal design flair and their skins will sag and death will call on them one day as it calls on all of us - but their successors can certainly be newer models of the same make of car.
Same car, new model
Details have just emerged as to how the Anambra State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party was sold to Chris Uba and Clement Ibeto by the National Working Committee of the party and the ignoble role played by the Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswan and the deputy national chairman of the People's Democratic Party, Dr. Mohammed Halliru Bello.
When the horde of stakeholders congregated in Awka to witness the result after the Anambra ward congress, many were surprised at the conspicuous absence of Chris Uba, 'the enfant terrible' of Anambra politics. Some mused that Chris must have kept his distance because of a burning determination on the part of all to conduct a free and fair primary knowing he cannot win a fair contest. Little did they know that the “little boy” has done his deal and was simply waiting in his house to savour his victory. 
The financial deal to sell the Anambra PDP to Chris Uba and Ibeto, the Nnewi-born businessman was hatched early this year. One knowledgeable source said a fighting fund of N5 billion was budgeted for the whole deal. Out of this amount, N1.5 billion was paid to members of the PDP's National Working Committee (NWC) to perfect the deal to hand over the state chapter. Of this amount, Alhaji Bello was said to have pocketed N1billion.
Informed sources say it was the perceived coldness on the part of the national chairman, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor to the whole saga that was at the root of incessant rift in the party's National Working Committee (NWC) and the earlier plan to get him out of the way before the Anambra PDP Primaries.
ed view that PDP has in the past ten years been subverting our nascent democracy; to the extent that both local and international observers have ruled out the possibility of free, fair and transparent elections in Nigeria. This loss of confidence in our democratic process started when the PDP introduced Do-or-Die political culture and dreamt of ruling Nigeria for 60 years and by extension forever and went ahead to implement this ideology in the 2003 sham elections.
