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Chief Bode George

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress says it has received credible information that the Peoples Democratic Party leader in Lagos State, Chief Bode George; and the partys governorship candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje; are planning to hold a meeting with senior officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday (today).

The APC, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, said the meeting would also have a former Minister of Works, Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, in attendance.

The party, therefore, called on the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to call his officials in Lagos to order.

The statement read, Lagos APC has issued an alert that some senior INEC officials posted to Lagos for the conduct of Saturdays election are meeting the trio of the PDP governorship candidate for Lagos, Jimi Agbaje, Chief Olabode George and Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe on Thursday for the purpose of perfecting the plan by the PDP to rig the presidential election in Lagos.

As it becomes obvious to the PDP that its arrays of desperate measures to force Lagosians to vote for it have failed, the party has resorted to the last ditch tactics of buying and compromising electoral officers to rig for them. We challenge the PDP to deny this insidious plot to meet with senior INEC officials on Thursday so as to induce them with the free money the PDP has been desperately using to buy and procure all manners of pseudo support to its crumbling dreams for re- election.

As its efforts to bribe traditional rulers, traders associations, Igbo groups, Afenifere, OPC to support it have failed to move the determined resolve of the good people of Lagos to end the woe-laden regime that has pauperised and despoiled them, the PDP has resorted to indecent and clandestine meetings with electoral officers with a view to compromise them to tilt the outcome of the coming elections to their favour.

But INECs Head of Public Affairs in Lagos, Mr. Femi Akinbiyi, said he was not aware of such a meeting.

When contacted on the telephone, the publicity secretary of the PDP, Mr. Taofik Gani, said there was no truth in the allegation.

He said, There is no iota of truth in the allegation. The APC is the ruling party in Lagos and is more familiar with INEC than the PDP. For the APC to say that INEC will compromise shows how jittery they are.

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INEC officials to meet with Bode George, Agbaje APC

All Progressives Congress in Ekiti has accused Governor Ayodele Fayose of plottingto force state workers to vote for Peoples Democratic Party in the Saturday elections or be prepared to lose their jobs.

The party also accused the governor of deceiving the people by promising them jobs not available.

But Fayose, who denied the allegations said the people should discountenance the opposition party.

A statement by APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, said the plan to inaugurate an Appointment Committee to prepare grounds for massive employment is a hoax.

Olatubosun said Ekiti people should note that all the committee members that Fayose would announce at the inauguration ceremony slated for the Government House would be mainly aggrieved PDP members who are influential in their communities.

He said this was a grand lie and deceit, adding that the governor had no plan to appoint anybody as repeatedly said since he assumed duties.

He added that the governor had raised two panels working hard to enlist the support of the civil servants and teachers with the order that the workers must deliver their units for PDP or face sack if they failed.

You would recall that some teachers were recently transferred from the city to remote areas. This is a reward for not showing commitment to President Jonathans project, which is so important to the governor. This daily harassment and coercion of teachers and civil servants has rendered them frustrated and traumatized as they have become helpless and resigned to fate,Olatubosun added.

But denying the allgeations on Wednesday on behalf of the governor, the State Publciity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Joseph Adaraniwon, accused the APC of trying to mislead the people.

He said, The governor does not have to coerce workers to vote for Jonathan when he is paying their salary and allowances regularly. He is a friend of workers.

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APC, Fayose disagree over plot to sack workers

Progressive groups pressed for President Benigno Aquinos resignation at a rally in Manila last Friday. Marching from various points in Metro Manila, they converged at the historic Mendiola bridge where they sounded like they were, for the nth time, simply haranguing the chief executive for hours on end. Cynics said the event was nothing new in terms of its usual participants and tirades.

But something felt different about the event. Among other things, the paraphernalia were more varied and colourful; the protesters were more upbeat. It seemed they were up to something not quite the usual.

It must be recalled that progressive groups, at the outset, accorded President Aquino the benefit of the doubt. Following his landslide win in the 2010 presidential elections and his promises that his will be a better government than his immediate predecessor, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and its kind did not burn the presidents effigy during his first State of the Nation Address. The gesture, noted journalist Inday Espina-Varona, hinted on a promise that the progressives would cautiously read the lay of the land for once.

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The progressives: A continuing tale

Yves here. Im a bit less concerned with doctrinal correctness than siding with someone who happens to be on the right side of an issue. For instance, Elizabeth Warren is doing a fine job of going after big Finance, but that is no reason to give her a free pass for her willingness to go along with the American empire project. Similarly, the fact that Ron Wyden often votes on the left side does not mean voters should go soft on him on the TPP.

By Gaius Publius, a professional writer living on the West Coast of the United States and frequent contributor to DownWithTyranny, digby, Truthout, Americablog, and Naked Capitalism. Follow him on Twitter @Gaius_Publius, Tumblr and Facebook.A version of this piece first appeared at Down With Tyranny. GP article archive here.

Are progressives willing to attack Ron Wyden on TPP? The question isnt mine its from the National Journal (my emphasis throughout):

Are Progressives Willing to Attack One of Their Own on Free Trade?

Ron Wyden is seen as a strong progressive on many social and security issues, but his views on the Trans-Pacific Partnership may go too far for Oregonian progressives.

In recent months, progressives have been voicing their opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. And they might try and make an example out of Sen. Ron Wyden over it, even though hes been a reliable ally for years.

The free trade agreement, which would involve 12 Asia-Pacific countriesincluding the U.S. along with countries like Mexico, Japan and Canadacould account for 40 percent of global GDP and one-third of all world trade. Progressive groups say that the deal is no good: it could ship more jobs overseas, undercut environmental and labor standards, and increase Internet censorship. The deals future may rest with Wyden, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, and his support for the partnership has some progressives thinking about going after one of their own in their fight against the deal.

Wydens support for the partnership has led the Oregon wing of the Working Families Party, a minor political party that supports progressive candidates and causes, to challenge Wyden in his next Senate race in 2016, the partys state director Karly Edwards told National Journal on Wednesday. The group takes issue with Wydens support for trade promotion authority, also known as fast track, which would allow the Obama administration to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership with other nations without having Congress amend or filibuster. Its also not a fan of Wydens previous support for the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

Wyden has a track record of supporting job-killing trade deals, Edwards said, adding that the party also opposed Wyden in 2010. We have smart, savvy voters. They will take account the entire picture.

Wyden may be an ally on some progressive issues, but hes an enemy on others:

Excerpt from:
Gaius Publius: Ron Wyden, Progressives and the TPP

As Ted Cruz rallied the GOPs conservative wing with his Monday announcement that hes running for president, all-but-declared Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton quietly tried to calm her partys restive progressive wing, segments of which are actively seeking an alternative in 2016.

The former secretary of state spoke at the Washington headquarters of the liberal Center for American Progress think tank at an urban policy-focused event co-hosted by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees union. She stuck largely to policy, praising, for example, a pre-Kindergarten program championed by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a darling of many progressives wary of Clinton.

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Clinton in particular zeroed in on the growing gap between the rich and the poor. One of the biggest issues we face is income inequality, combined with wage stagnation, the former senator said.

Cruzs announcement at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, sucked up much of the days political oxygen. Still, Clintons appearance 200 miles away was a chance for her to calm some of the jitters among progressives, many of whom fear Clinton is too close to Wall Street and wont follow through on their priorities.

On Sunday, for instance, The Boston Globe editorial board urged Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, another favorite of progressives, to run in 2016. Warren insists she wont run, but many liberal groups are still agitating for her to do so.

Clinton is currently polling far ahead of any potential challengers for the Democratic nomination, but she does have potential competition aside from Warren.

Former Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley has recently been traveling through the influential early-voting states and ratcheting up his own rhetoric against major financial institutions. OMalleys political action committee sent out a fundraising email focused on Wall Street reform just as Clinton was speaking on Monday morning.

Clinton, who avoided any mention of her 2016 ambitions on Monday, at one point said it was important to break out of the very unproductive discussion that weve had for too long where people are just in their ideological bunkers having arguments.

She was joined on the panel by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, often mentioned as a possible vice presidential choice, and the think tanks president, Neera Tanden, who served as policy director on Clintons unsuccessful 2008 White House campaign.

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Clinton tries to soothe progressives