Plot to discredit Ambode uncovered

A group, Eko Liberation Movement (ELM), has alerted to a plan to procure and tender a fake medical report to discredit the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Akinwumi Ambode.
In a statement by its convener, Gbolahan Agboola, the group said: “A faceless group is set to procure a fake medical report to discredit Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, as being unsound in mind, body and spirit.
“There is no amount of shenanigan by the desperate opposition to discredit him that will change our resolve to support him in his bid to keep Lagos on the track of greatness and prosperity.
“Their latest antics are to claim that Ambode had suffered a strange mental illness. We cannot be deceived by any false claim from any group or individuals. Ambode is our man for the job of moving Lagos to the next level.
“He possesses the mental, spiritual and physical capacity to take Lagos to the next level.  Well-meaning Lagosians should disregard such rumours and ill-advised activities of the opposition.”

12 People Who Ruined PDP And Jonathan's Adminstration

       

Editor’s note: If there is one thing that hasn’t worked well for President Goodluck Jonathan, it is the caliber of men and women whom he has appointed in various positions. Mahmud Jega lists out 12 personalities that have further dented president’s personal image and the image of his administration. 
Story highlights:
– Obasanjo’s devastating attacks against Jonathan, sometimes through letters, at other times through public lectures have taken a heavy toll.
– Sambo has nothing of the political drive and ambition of, say, Atiku Abubakar.
– The president contributed to his party’s current predicament in three ways.
(Daily Trust) – 1. Alhaji Bamanga Tukur
His disastrous tenure as PDP’s national chairman was the biggest game changer for the PDP from which it might never recover. Bamanga’s tenure also coincided with the period when three major opposition parties were consolidating into one mega opposition party, but the chairman failed to recognise the emerging threat. Instead, he encouraged the Party Leader to settle personal scores within the party. It was a cover for Bamanga to also settle personal scores of his own. He suspended a state governor for refusing to answer his phone call; he watched askance as seven governors formed a faction called ‘the new PDP’ (nPDP), and he didn’t care a hoot when 5 governors jumped ship and joined the APC.
2. Chief Edwin Clark
As soon as Dr. Goodluck Jonathan rose to the presidency, this Gowon-era Information Minister created for himself a position hitherto unknown in Nigerian politics, that of the president’s ethnic godfather. No Yoruba potentate occupied this post during Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s eight year rule and even the feeble President Umaru Yarádua had no such godfather. Rather than use his extra-constitutional position to steady the president’s position, Clark used it to create numerous enemies for Jonathan through his use of intemperate language and regular assaults at dissenting folks.
3. Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke
No one gets to sit atop Nigeria’s oil industry without making many enemies. Mrs Allison Madueke’s beauty, fluent English and polished manners gained for her a lot of mileage, but the sleaze in the oil industry ultimately caught up with her. Most damaging have been the scandalous rip offs in subsidy payments, the botched attempt to remove the oil subsidy in 2012, Sanusi’s allegation of the missing $20 billion and the reported N10 billion spent to hire private jets, not to mention the failure to pass the PIB bill.
4. Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
The first ever Coordinating Minister of the Economy fancies herself as an economic wunderkind at par with the German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer or the Japanese Prime Minister Sato. While most Nigerians thought economic conditions were harsh, Mrs Okonjo-Iweala bandied figures and said it is among the best-managed in the world. This sharp discrepancy between the official claims and people’s feelings did much damage to the administration’s credibility. Nor was there any preparation of the public mind for the steep fall in oil prices, the sharp drop in external reserves and the precipitous decline of the naira.
5. Dame Patience Jonathan
In the last five decades Nigerian First Ladies have often been mired in one controversy or another. Mrs Patience Jonathan however stands in a class of her own by making many gaffes and ill-advised actions that badly affected the public image of her husband’s regime. Worst of them all was her intervention in the Chibok girls’ saga and her futile attempts to prove that her husband’s political enemies orchestrated the whole affair. Her quarrel with Rotimi Amaechi, the governor of her home state, also resulted in PDP’s most impactful loss of a political figure.
6. Mujaheed Dokubo Asari
This ex-militant’s coarse manner, intemperate language and his open threats against whole regions of the country supposedly in Jonathan’s service did much political damage. Asari was later joined by more ex-militant leaders to threaten war against the country should Jonathan lose the election. Their joint threat greatly antagonised non-partisan opinion all over the country.
7. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
If remarks must be matched to records, this former two-time ruler has no moral authority to criticise anyone but the wily Obasanjo re-launched himself back into the reckoning of Nigerians by spearheading attacks against the Jonathan regime in the last two years. Many people suspect that his motives are ungodly. Yet Obasanjo’s devastating attacks against Jonathan, sometimes through letters, at other times through public lectures have taken a heavy toll. The Jonathan Presidency never quite settled on the best way to tackle Obasanjo. Sometimes it answered his letters; at other times it tried to ignore him and at still other times it sent seven PDP governors to plead with him to keep quiet.
8. Governor Godswill Akpabio
The ambitious Akwa Ibom State governor rapidly moved very close to President Jonathan and soon installed himself as the president’s top gubernatorial enforcer. At one point he went about the task wisely, such as when he talked Bamanga into reversing Governor Aliyu Wamakko’s suspension. Other times he handled matters with very damaging crudity, such as the 16 is greater than 19 affair, which effectively destroyed the Nigeria Governors Forum.
9. Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu
When he replaced Bamanga Tukur as PDP’s chairman, the former Bauchi State governor was proclaimed by his partymen as the game changer. It turned out that he underestimated the fall in PDP’s esteem and total political stature. Even though Mu’azu toured the country trying to lure back members who defected and though he refrained from creating more problems by not trying to settle personal scores, the damage had been done and he was unable to reverse it.
10. Vice President Mohamed Namadi Sambo
Many of Jonathan’s kitchen cabinet members would sit back and say that the Vice President is to blame for failing to stem the tide when the country’s single largest voting bloc, the far North, turned completely against the Jonathan regime. Some northern PDP governors encouraged this belief in the hope of replacing Sambo on the ticket. Sambo has nothing of the political drive and ambition of, say, Atiku Abubakar. His affable and non-controversial nature did not add to the regime’s problems but it did not stave off the decline either.
11. NSA and military service chiefs
The top security chiefs have contributed to President Jonathan and PDP’s problems in only three ways. One was their failure to tame Boko Haram despite repeated claims that they will do so. Second was their timing the operation to end Boko Haram once and for all with the date set for presidential election. The third, final damage inflicted by the service chiefs was their asking for the election to be postponed while they attack Boko Haram.
12. Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
The President contributed to his party’s current predicament in only three ways that I can think of. They are his lack of adequate knowledge about Nigeria, lack of adequate preparation before becoming the president of Nigeria and lack of rapid catching up study when he became the president of Nigeria.
His mistake in choosing Bamanga Tukur; his overreliance on Ngozi, Diezani and Akpabio; his initial misreading of Boko Haram as a political plot; his inability to manage Obasanjo, Edwin Clark, Aminu Tambuwal, nPDP and ex-militants can all be attributed to those three inadequacies.
How can a match be won with 12 players scoring own goals?

READ MORE: http://www.naij.com/386135-12-people-who-ruined-pdp-and-jonathans-adminstration.html

Boko Haram insurgents attack Cameroon army base

Maroua - Nigerian Boko Haram insurgents attacked a Cameroon military camp near the town of Waza in the north of the country on Monday, wounding several soldiers, an army spokesman said.
Also read: Cult clash claims three lives in Lagos

Chad, Niger and Cameroon have begun a joint offensive against Boko Haram militants who have killed thousands of people in a bid to carve out an Islamist emirate in northern Nigeria, and have increasingly staged raids across nearby borders.
"The wounded are being evacuated. The insurgents have been stopped. An APC (armoured personnel carrier) was taken from them and several of them were killed," a Cameroonian military officer told journalists in Maroua, adding the incident was continuing.
Earlier this month, Boko Haram fighters killed more than 100 people in the northern Cameroon town of Fotokol, including residents inside their homes and a mosque, a local political leader said.

- Reuters

 

Nigeria inflation rises, food prices stable

Lagos-  Nigeria's inflation rate rose for the second consecutive month to 8.2 percent in January, up from 8 percent the previous month despite a sharp fall in the naira currency, the statistics bureau said on Monday.
Food inflation was flat at 9.2 percent in January, unchanged from December. Food prices account for bulk of the inflation basket.
The central bank devalued the naira by 8 percent in November, with many analysts fearing the downward pressure on currency in a country that imports almost 80 percent of what it consumes could stoke inflationary pressures.
The latest figures suggest those fears have not yet been realised, although price pressure could still feed through later this year.

"Prices increased at a faster pace in most major non-food divisions such as housing, water, electricity," the NBS said in a report.
A sharp rise in inflation would be an added headache for President Goodluck Jonathan before a closely fought election in which his record on security, corruption and the economy is under scrutiny.
The naira has remained under pressure despite the one-off devaluation trading outside central bank's target band of 160-176 to the dollar, on weak global oil prices and escalating tensions after presidential elections in Africa's biggest economy was delayed.
The NBS has said in its outlook for 2015, that it expected inflation this year to rise to 8.78 percent, up from an estimated 8.0 percent last year, driven by the devaluation of the naira.

- Reuters

Immigration denies Katsina, Kebbi operatives withdrawel

Lagos - The Comptroller General of Immigration Service (CGIS), David Shikfu Parradang has dismissed reports attributed to the opposition suggesting the withdrawal of the agency's operatives from the border posts in Kebbi and Katsina States.
The All Progressives Congress had reportedly maintained a verbal directive had been given in that regard.
Chukwuemeka  Obua, Service Public Relations Officer: Comptroller General of Immigration Service, said in the said report, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, was quoted as saying that a verbal directive had been given to the security operatives of the Customs and Immigration to vacate their duty posts on the borderlines across the two states.
Also read: Ex-immigration officers protest non-payment of entitlements
The CGIS wish to emphatically state that there is no such circular or directive given to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) nor its personnel at Kebbi and Katsina State Commands. On the contrary, the NIS is reinforcing its borders and not contemplating abandoning same for a second, said Obua.
The Nigeria Immigration Service and indeed other security agencies understand the grave consequences of abandoning the nation¹s frontlines and so would never attempt to do so. Members of the public are hereby enjoined to disregard and ignore such reports and further advised to give any useful information to ensure the security of our borders and the wellbeing of all Nigerians.
He said the Comptroller General wished to assure the public that its officers and men are on round-the-clock patrol and surveillance across all the nation¹s borders. 

- CAJ News

Scores injured as Buhari's Borno rally disrupted

Abuja - Teargas has been used to disperse rowdy crowds that have disrupted the campaign of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari in Maiduguri.
An unspecified number of supporters have been injured at the rally Ramat Square Ground in the Borno State capital.

The military and security personnel had to drive scores of people that failed to gain access back from the venue as they were becoming uncontrollable.
The campaign train on arrival at the airport at about 10am could not get to the palace of the Shehu of Borno, assistance of about 5 kilometers until mid-morning as it was difficult to pass through the major roads full of supporters hoping to catch a glimpse of the former military ruler.
At the Shehu's palace, Buhari said it was a home coming for him because he was the governor of the defunct north-east states in 1975.
I'm happy that Ireceived befitting welcome, if elected I will focus on tackling the persistent insecurity affecting north-east, it is not easy as the damage has been done. Your Royal Highness God willing, if APC government is elected, all towns under Boko Haram control will be liberated and rebuilt, he pledged.
It was unfortunate that commercial activities were paralysed following the insecurity. In the past, hundreds of trailers loaded with goods took off from Maiduguri to various neighboring countries, but presently the reverse is the situation, he said.
He declared that Boko Haram ideology contradicted Islamic principles, because it these outlawed killings of innocent souls.
It is unfortunate that innocent persons are being killed in mosques, churches and their houses. God willing, if APC government is elected, we will restore the confidence in governance.
The Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Garbai El-Kanemi, told the presidential candidate that if elected he must focus on restoration of peace, massive investment, re-construction of federal roads, revamping of Lake Chad and ensure the success of oil exploration in the Lake Chad region.

- CAJ News

Arrest politicians buying PVCs, Oshiomhole tells police

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has called on the Nigeria Police and other security agencies in the state to investigate and arrest desperate politicians, who, he said, were buying Permanent Voter Cards from eligible voters in the state.

The governor, who stated this when he received the new Commissioner of Police, Mr. Samuel Adegbuyi, added that such politicians had engaged in the act in order to disenfranchise the voters in the general elections.

‎He said he had heard reports about “some desperate politicians” buying PVC’s from people, particularly villagers, sometimes for as much as N5,000.

“I am trying to understand what anybody can do with this; it is not clear. Somebody called me this morning to say that two persons came to him to complain that they gave them N5,000 in lieu of their PVC, saying they were going to keep it for them and then they destroyed the PVC in their presence.”

Oshiomhole expressed worry that while huge resources had been spent to get eligible voters registered and collect the PVC, “some people want to disenfranchise others by paying them to surrender their PVCs.”

He, however, urged the security to use its constitutional power to rid the state of such acts.

He also assured that his administration would sustain its enlightenment campaign to let the people know “that because these cards are permanent, if you sell it now, you have sold your birthright for the foreseeable future.‎”

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Oshiomhole said, “There is no pretending to the fact that you are assuming duty at a very critical period. Even at that, I think your predecessor and his officers worked so hard and so efficiently that we have not had the kind of crisis which some states have witnessed in the course of electioneering before the recent postponement.

“I believe the Police have been fair in providing security for all those who have stepped forward to market themselves and that has gone a long way in ensuring we have not recorded any negative incident,” he said.

Earlier, the new police commissioner assured the state government and the people of Edo State that the command would continue to work hard towards peace, security and unity of the state, in collaboration with other sister agencies.

He also called for more cooperation from the state government towards a successful fight against crime in the state.

APC campaign alerts N’Assembly of anti-democratic antics

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Organisation on Monday cautioned members of the National Assembly against taking actions, which might adversely affect the foundations of the nation’s democracy.
The APC campaign said this while welcoming legislators, who are due to resume plenary today (Tuesday).
This was contained in a statement by the organisation’s  Director of Media, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja.
He noted that members of the National Assembly were returning to plenary at a time when the country was passing through a phase of some surreptitious attempt to tamper with the sanctity of the election date and the handover date.
The campaign statement observed that the commentaries coming from leading members of the Peoples Democratic Party, about a sinister plot to compromise on the sanctity of the May 29 handover date, portended a great danger to the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy.
The statement read, “We wish to call their (National Assembly members) attention to the fact that their resumption is coming at a time when some senior members of the ruling party are mouthing overtures over a surreptitious attempt to compromise on the sanctity of the election day and the handover date.

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“To the extent that the parliament is the heart of any democracy, our National Assembly members have a duty to ensure that they protect our democracy from the archeries of its enemies.”
The campaign organisation urged all members of the National Assembly to add their voices to that of millions of other Nigerians and stand resolute that the general elections hold between March 28 and April 11 as scheduled and also that the May 29 handover date remains sacrosanct.

Jonathan didn’t make promise on Chibok girls’ return -Presidency

The Presidency said on Monday that President Goodluck Jonathan did not make any commitment on when the girls abducted by Boko Haram terrorists in Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, would be rescued.

It, therefore, said it would be wrong to assume that the girls would be rescued in less than six weeks.

Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, stated this in a statement in Abuja.

Okupe was reacting to the comment by a former Minister of Education and a leader of the Bring Back our Girls Group, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, to the effect that President Jonathan has made an affirmative statement that the girls would be returned in about six weeks.

Okupe said this was not correct, adding that what the President said during his last media chat was that the combined efforts of new offensive by the Nigerian Military and its allies as well as improved capacity in the operations had made the chances for the rescue of the Chibok girls brighter than ever before.

The presidential aide said, “Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to former Minister of Education and a leader of the Bring Back our Girls Group, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili to the effect that President Goodluck Jonathan has made an affirmative statement that the girls abducted by Boko Haram terrorists in Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, would be freed within six weeks, hence the beginning of a count down by the organisation.

“We wish to state that the statement made by the President during his last Media chat was that the combined efforts of new offensive by the Nigerian Military and its allies as well as improved capacity in the operations have made the chances for the rescue of the Chibok girls brighter than ever before.

“This statement cannot be construed as putting a six week time-frame for the delicate task of freeing the girls alive which the President remains very committed to and would definitely wish would even happen in a day.”

He said it was therefore insincere and mischievous on the part of Ezekwesili and her organisation to launch a countdown which he said was meant to score cheap political points rather than encourage the military and help the cause of the girls and their depressed parents.

He, nevertheless, said President Jonathan was committed to the safe return of the girls, who were abducted 309 days ago.

‎A’Court affirms Fayose’s victory, bars soldiers from polls

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Monday upheld the judgment of the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal which affirmed Governor Ayodele Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party as the winner of the June 21, 2014 poll.
The Independent National Electoral Commission had declared that Fayose polled 203,090 votes to defeat the then incumbent governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, of the All Progressives Congress who polled 120,433 votes‎ in the election.
Though Justice Abdul Aboki-led five-man panel dismissed the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress, it found merit in the appellant’s complaints that the military was used to harass and intimidate its supporters and leaders during the poll.
In a unanimous judgment, the appellate court held that the Justice Siraju-Mohammed-led tribunal in its verdict delivered on December 19, 2014, “hurriedly” dismissed the ‎appellant’s allegations of harassment by the military on the grounds that it lacked jurisdiction to hear such.
He held that though the tribunal ‎had rightly struck out the names of the Chief of Army Staff and the Inspector General of Police as respondents in the petition in accordance with provisions of the Electoral Act, it ought to have determined the appellant’s complaints and considered the two parties as agents of INEC or individuals working on behalf of the commission.
The court however held that the entire appeal lacked merit since the main issues of alleged forgery of Higher National Diploma by Fayose and ‎request for his disqualification on the grounds of his earlier impeachment from office in 2006 had been resolved against him.
It however reiterated that the use of Armed Forces in the conduct of elections was in violation of section 217(2)(c) of the Constitution and section 1 of the Armed Forces Act.
It cited and relied on a judgment delivered by Justice R. M Aikawa of the Federal High Court in Sokoto ‎on January 29, 2015 barring the use of the armed forces in the conduct of elections.
The appellate court therefore barred the use of the Armed Forces in the conduct of future elections in the country as such constituted a violation of both the Constitution and the Electoral Act.
Justice Aboki held, “Even the President of Nigeria has no powers to call on the Nigerian Armed Forces to unleash them on peaceful citizenry who are exercising their franchise to elect their leaders.
“In the event of insurrection or insurgency, the call in Armed Forces to restore order must be with approval of the National Assembly… as provided in section 217(2) and 218(4) of the Constitution as ammended.
“The question is that who ordered deployment of military or soldiers in the Ekiti governorship election? Was there any act of insurrection to warrant the call on the military to restore order? And was such deployment in accordance with sections 217 (2)(c) and 218(4) of the constitution?
“There is nothing before us in the records in answering the posers positively.
“With this, whoever unleashed soldiers on Ekiti State disturbed the peace ‎of the election on 21st June 2014, acted in flagrant breach of the Constitution, and flouted the provisions of the Electoral Act which required enabling environment by civil authorities in the conduct of elections.
‎”We resolve that although the tribunal has no jurisdiction over the 4th and 5th respondents (Inspector General of Police and Chief of Army Staff), in the circumstances, that did not stop it from making a pronouncement on deprecating the unlawful role of the military in the conduct of election in Ekiti State.

Sri Lanka, India sign nuclear deal-Foreign

Maithripala Sirisena has held wide-ranging talks with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the newly elected Sri Lankan president continued his first foreign trip since coming to power last month.

The South Asian neighbours, who signed a deal on the nuclear safety on Monday, are seeking to strengthen strategic ties, increase trade and resolve long-standing issues between their nations.

Indian officials said Sirisena’s visit indicated the easing of tensions that had crept into the relationship as China made forays into what New Delhi considers an area of influence.

Modi said on Monday that the security and prosperity of the two countries was indivisible and that they were committed to unlocking the potential of their economic co-operation, citing the nuclear agreement that was reached.

“The bilateral agreement on civil nuclear cooperation is yet another demonstration of our mutual trust,” Modi told journalists soon after his talks with Sirisena.

The nuclear agreement would allow India and Sri Lanka to share expertise on the management of radioactive waste, nuclear disaster mitigation and environmental protection, officials said.

It would also allow the training of Sri Lankans in the use of radioisotopes, nuclear and radiation safety and nuclear security.

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in the past, Sri Lankan politicians have raised concerns about the safety of India’s Russian-built nuclear power plants in Tamil Nadu state, near Sri Lanka.

Obasanjo Will Not Be Missed In PDP, Says Anenih

Following the public tearing to shred by former President Olusegun Obasanjo of his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) membership card, the Party's Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih said the action of the former president was an indication that he has left the party and he would not be missed.

Anenih spoke briefly on Monday in a short interview with State House correspondents.The BoT chairman told journalists that Obasanjo can join any party he so desires to join.

"He (Obasanjo) has the right to leave any party, and he has the right to join any party; he is a Nigerian" Anenih said.

Asked if PDP would miss Obasanjo, Anenih replied: "Why should we miss him?"Asked if the former president was not a big loss to the party, the BoT chairman said: "To us leaders it is not a loss."The former president had been at loggerheads with President Goodluck Jonathan, resulting in the duo engaging in the exchange tirades.

Obasanjo had been criticall on Jonathan's style of governance fueling speculations that he is sympathetic to All Progressives Congress (APC).

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/obasanjo-will-not-be-missed-in-pdp-says-anenih/201962/

APC Raises Alarm Over Withdrawal Of Customs, Immigration Personnel From Border

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over a strange directive ordering the withdrawal of Customs, Immigration and other security personnel from the country’s border posts in Kebbi and Katsina States, wondering what purpose such a directive was meant to serve.
In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the verbal directive led to the total withdrawal of the stated personnel from the border posts in the two states, leaving the posts unmanned.
It wondered who gave the order and for what purpose, and asked the Federal Government to immediately tell Nigerians what happened.
”It will not be enough for the government to tell Nigerians that it is not aware of such a development, because that will be more egregious than what happened in the first instance, and will amount to the government not being able to secure the country’s borders.
”It is also necessary to tell Nigerians how many states were affected by such orders. We were only made aware of two, but there is the possibility that the directive could have been more widespread,” APC said.
The party said with no one left to man the borders in the affected areas for as long as the directive lasted, which is yet to be determined, anything could have happened.
”Who gave the verbal order? Was the order given verbally so that there will be no evidence of it? Were the Customs, Immigration and other security personnel ordered away to allow the free entry of contraband goods, election materials, weapons, terrorists or what?
”Even with our borders manned, Boko Haram terrorists have been marauding freely along the border areas. Will this illegal order not worsen the security situation, at a time the government is giving Nigerians the assurance that it will deal Boko Haram a mortal blow within six weeks?” it queried.
APC said the development, coming a day after leaflets were distributed in Gombe asking people to stay away from polling booths on election days, raises more fears over the ongoing scheming by the Jonathan Administration and the PDP to ensure the rescheduled elections do not hold.
”In pursuit of this objective, these band of desperate people will do anything, including threatening the very existence of the country. Nigerians must not allow them,” the party said.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/apc-raises-alarm-withdrawal-customs-immigration-personnel-border-posts/?utm_source=&utm_medium=facebook

Lagos Prostitute Confesses: “how I Slept With 30 Men Every Day”

If evil could be adequately defined in a story, Asatu’s would perhaps be a candidate. A background stooped in satanic secrecy opened the gateway for wickedness of unimaginable proportions to work through and to her. Initiated at a tender age into a cult thriving on the belief in animal superiority, Asatu’s private parts were marked for destruction in a sick ritual. Her parents premature death led her to seek spiritual help in darker places that only ended up entangling her deeper in bondage. An attempt at marriage ended abysmally as the relationship that spawned two young children ended with her being thrown onto the streets. Desperate and smarting with anger, Asatu succombed to the lure of ‘greener pastures’ abroad, following a strange lady to Nigeria.

Upon reaching Nigeria, the lady took her to a witchdoctors whose charm which promised to restore her marital bliss ended up killing her estranged husband. Resorting to prostitution, Asatu roamed the four corners of Nigeria, sleeping with up to 30 men in a day to fend for herself. Burdened by her two young children, her willpower was eventually whittled away to the point where the unthinkable became feasible – she ‘gave’ out her kids. “I have no ideas where they are right now,” she confessed to the shocked congregants at The SCOAN.

Eventually ending up in Lagos on the prostitution trail, the brothel where she was ‘working’ in was broadcasting an unusual television station – Emmanuel TV. Upon watching and learning The SCOAN was located in Lagos, she made the decision to attend the service last week, tired of her dirty lifestyle. As Prophet T.B. Joshua prayed for calmness to descend upon the congregants in the mass prayer, an incredible sequence of events unfolded for Asatu! A shocking, rumbling sensation welled within her stomach forcing her to her knees. Then, it came out. A disgusting item wrapped in red thread with a needle interwoven. The charm she had ingested many years ago in the home of a spiritualist had been forced out by God’s power!

Since her deliverance, Asatu testified that the terrible dreams she previously had of dungeons and graveyards were gone, as was the urge to engage in illicit prostitution. “Believe in God,” she tearfully advised the sombere congregation. “Leave evil and give your life to God. Only God has the final say in everything.”


http://citypeoplegroup.org/i/lagos-prostitute-confesses-how-i-slept-with-30-men-every-day/

(UPDATED) Obasanjo tears PDP membership card in public

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday left his guests at his Hilltop mansion in Abeokuta with bated breath when he tore his Peoples Democratic Party membership card in their presence.

The guests, who are leaders of the PDP from Obasanjo’s ward around his former residence in Ita Eko, where he registered, visited the ex-president to express their concern with his recent utterances against the government of President Goodluck Jonathan and what he considered as the President’s role in the postponement of the general elections from February to March.

Obasanjo had alleged on Saturday that Jonathan had a “grand plan” to scuttle democracy in the country through the poll shift, accusing the President of trying to win the presidential poll “through hook or crook.”

The guests in Abeokuta had told the former Head of State that they had come to plead with him to stop his criticisms of the incumbent president.

They also informed him of the feelers that they were getting that the leaders of the party were planning to expel him from the party.

Obasanjo asked his guests if they were with their PDP membership card, which some of them produced.

He subsequently asked for his own, which someone brought to him.

He then directed the leader of the team to tear the card in shreds, telling the visitors that he was no longer a member of the ruling party.

The former president had last year resigned his membership of the party, when he was the Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, arguing that he could no longer be in the same party and be led in the South-West by someone he referred to as a confirmed drug baron.

Details later…

PDP Caucus In Secret Meeting; Strategising On Opposing INEC CardReader

ABUJA-THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP House of Representatives caucus Monday met to strategise on how to ensure that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC jettisons the use of a card reader in the forthcoming elections.

Vanguard reliably gathered that PDP lawmakers who were invited by their leaders to design ways and means to ensure that the card reader described as an alien instrument was constitutional.

Some of the lawmakers who spoke to Vanguard under the condition of anonymity said the card reader has not been tested in any part of the country and should not be tested with a major election like that of presidential and. National Assembly elections.

They argued that its usage now may spell doom for the general elections if it finally fails at the wee hours of the election.

A top ranking member of the House told Vanguard that ”using the card reader in an important election like this is dangerous as its veracity has not been ascertained.
He explained further that ”another issue INEC must urgently look into is that of the card reader that has turned into another major source of concern”.

“This is the first time the apex electoral body is using it and for a very sensitive election like that of the presidential election and that of the National Assembly it could spell doom if it suddenly packs up”.

“If it fails what happens because it has not been tested in any part of Nigeria it would have been better if it is used to conduct a bye election not a major election like this one because it has not been properly verified”.

The meeting which was held in a major hotel in Apo axis of Abuja was well attended by PDP lawmakers.

As at the time of filing this report the meeting was still on-going.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/pdp-caucus-secret-meeting-inec-card-reader/#sthash.Iknfj6ZZ.dpuf

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Obasanjo: “What I Found Out About Boko Haram”

Obasanjo: “What I found out about Boko Haram”

Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has revealed new facts about Boko Haram, its founder and the insurgents. Obasanjo spoke to eNCA’s Raphael Ambasu in Kenya last week when he launched his memoir, My Watch. When asked why his efforts fell short despite being part of the negotiating team, Obasanjo said, ” I wasn’t negotiating on behalf of anybody. I decided to find out facts on my own. After the Boko Haram attacked the UN house in Abuja, I thought it was getting too far, I wanted to know if there is an organization, and if there is an organization, what is its objective? Are they organized? Do they have leaders? What are their grievances? Are they ready to talk and all that, which I took up on my own.

“I spoke to the president and said “look can I do this on my own?”, he said “look you can go and do it” and I thank him and I went. In fact he said he will give me a plane to go around. I said “look I don’t want a plane to go around because if I take a government plane to go around, I become a government agent and that would be suspect. No I don’t want the government to give it, so I did it on my own. The find, Yes, there is an organization, they have leaders, they have objectives, Sharia is their objective and Sharia law is not a problem, it is part of our constitution; they have grievances which nobody seems to be attending to, the development situation in their area.

“You see how they came about Boko Haram, that’s not the name they give themselves but their leader before he was killed in cold blood by the police. Mohammed Yusuf called in graduates that were with him and said “look bring your certificates, one who has first class, one who has second class, upper second class, lower and all that and one who has masters, so okay with your certificates can you use them to feed yourself? if you cannot use it to feed yourself, of what use is it?” So that’s where they got that appellation Boko Haram. Do they want to talk? At that time they wanted to talk, they even said they will talk not in Africa and I said to their proxy but look this is an African problem, it will be solved on African soil. Do they have leaders? yes they have leaders. So all things that I found out are reported faithfully to the authority.”

http://citypeoplegroup.org/i/obasanjo-what-i-found-out-about-boko-haram/

Tim Sherwood: Aston Villa boss says job offer was a 'no brainer'

 

Tim Sherwood admits it was a "no brainer" when asked to replace Paul Lambert as Aston Villa manager.

Sherwood, 46, was appointed on Saturday and watched from the stands as Villa beat Leicester 2-1 in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday at Villa Park.

"When I got the call it was a no brainer. I said 'yes, I'll take the job' then negotiate afterwards.

"When I came here as a player I found it a difficult place to get a result. I want to turn it into a fortress."

One of Sherwood's first tasks is to help Christian Benteke to recapture his form of the last two seasons.

FA Cup: Aston Villa 2-1 Leicester highlights

The Belgium striker has scored only three goals in 19 Villa appearances this term after netting 34 in 62 games in the previous two seasons.

He was left out of the side for both the home defeat by Chelsea and Tuesday's loss away to Hull City - Lambert's last game in charge.

"Benteke is a handful," added Sherwood, who was in charge of Spurs from December 2013 until the end of the season.

"All the best clubs in the world were after him. A goal will breed confidence and the rest will follow. But it is not a one-man team. He needs to be helped by the rest of the team."

Sherwood was the clear frontrunner to take over at Queens Park Rangers following the resignation of Harry Redknapp, but negotiations came to a halt last week.

His new club have won only two home league games all season and their last league win was a 2-1 success against Leicester City on 7 December.

Sherwood added: "They are a giant club with a lot of history and it's a great honour to be asked to be manager.

"I've come from one big club to another big club. It is a fantastic opportunity for me. I will give 100% to keep Villa in the Premier League and then try to move it on in the future.

"Everyone is surprised to see where they are. But they are not here for no reason.

"I've got a way of playing. It has been a success with the Spurs development side and in the first team. I know how to galvanise and get the best out of players and that is what I intend to do with this squad."

Aston Villa encouraged supporters to 'welcome Tim' on their Twitter account

Photos of Obasanjo publicly tearing his PDP membership card

Photos of Obasanjo publicly tearing his PDP membership card

Oh dear! Obasanjo had his ward chairman tear his PDP membership card at a press conference in Abeokuta this morning where he also announced his exit from the party. He said he'll stay away from party politics and remain non-partisan. See more photos after the cut...

 Photo credit: Abiodun Onafuye/PM News

Why Obasanjo attacks Jonathan – Fani-Kayode

A former Minister of Aviation and spokesperson of President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has stated that former President Olusegun Obasanjo has intensified his attacks on president Goodluck Jonathan because he has strong fears that Mr. Jonathan will win next month’s presidential election.
Mr. Fani-Kayode made the assertion Sunday at a press conference in Abuja.
Mr. Obasanjo had on Saturday accused Mr. Jonathan of working towards a controversial poll and possibly, exit from office, the same way former Ivorian president, Laurent Gbagbo, did in his country.
In his earlier reaction, the president accused Mr. Obasanjo of harbouring an ambition of heading an interim government after instigating a constitutional crisis in the country
Speaking on Saturday, Mr. Fani-Kayode, who was also a spokesperson to Mr. Obasanjo while the latter was in office, said Mr. Obasanjo’s allegations are “serious and grave”.
He described the comments made by the former president as reckless.
“He has raised issues and made assertions that are capable of derailing our democracy and creating chaos in the land. It is vital that we consider his motives for this latest outburst and his credentials as a leader and an elder statesman.
“The truth is that he knows that President Goodluck Jonathan will win next month’s presidential election and that is why he wants to destroy the credibility of the whole process right from the outset,” Mr. Fani-Kayode said.
He said what Mr. Obasanjo was trying to say in his latest comments was that if President Jonathan wins, then the election must have been rigged right from the outset.
“This is not only wrong but it is also unfair and uncharitable. If President Obasanjo has any evidence to prove his weighty allegations, he ought to present it before the Council of State and take it up there,” he said.
He also urged Mr. Obasanjo to present any evidence he has to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Poll shift, not the first time
Mr. Fani-Kayode also said that this is not the first time that INEC has postponed elections in Nigeria.
He said that in 2011 during the National Assembly elections INEC not only cancelled the elections just after they started but it also postponed them by two weeks.
“The heavens did not fall then and neither did President Obasanjo accuse INEC or the president of having any grand plan to stay in power by hook or by crook at that time. One wonders what has suddenly changed.”
The INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, had last week announced the postponement of general elections by six weeks, citing security report from the country’s armed forces.
Mr. Fani-Kayode said what INEC has done by postponing the elections is firmly within the confines of the law and they have probably saved thousands of lives by doing so.
He added that by the shift, INEC has given the 34 per cent of Nigerians that had not collected their PVC’s as at the relevant time the opportunity to do so.
He argued that without this postponement all those people would have been disenfranchised and it would have placed a dark cloud over the whole process.
“Why should President Obasanjo have a problem with that?” he asked.
The spokesperson added that Mr. Jonathan has re-affirmed his commitment to the democratic process over and over again and he has also said that the handover date of May 29th is sacrosanct.
“In view of these assurances, one wonders why President Obasanjo is creating such a hue and cry over nothing. What is he seeing that no one else can see? One wonders what his motives are. Does he have to rule every government by proxy? Must every leader take instructions from him? Is it a case of ”if I cannot control you and tell you what to do then you must go?”
Jonathan ousted Gbagbo
Reacting to the “Gbagbo treatment” claim by Mr. Obasanjo, Mr. Fani-Kayode said Mr. Jonathan was the one who forced Laurent Gbagbo out of office when he tried to muzzle an over stay.
“President Obasanjo spoke about President Laurent Gbagbo and he claimed that President Jonathan was attempting to do a Gbagbo in Nigeria. The question that must be put to him is this: ”who got Gbagbo out?” Was it not Jonathan’s government that played a key role in ensuring that democracy was fully established in the Ivory Coast and did he not play a key role in ensuring that the Gbagbo plan to ”stay in power forever plan” did not work?
“If anyone doubts this they should ask President Alhassan Outtara of Cote D’Ivoire the role that Mr. Jonathan and Nigeria played in helping to restore democracy and stability back to his country,” he said.
Mr. Fani-Kayode also accused Mr. Obasanjo of working for the former Ivory Coast leader during the country’s constitutional crisis.
He said efforts should be made to “find out the role that President Obasanjo played in attempting to keep President Laurent Gbagbo in power at all costs and the deep friendship that exists between the two men.
“It is a matter of fact and public record that when he was President of Nigeria, President Obasanjo, perhaps more than any other African Head of State with the exception of President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, propped up and supported President Gbagbo and it is an irony of fate and history that he is now condemning the actions of his old friend and accusing others of trying to emulate them,” he said.
You leave in a glass house
Mr. Fani-Kayode said it is ironic that Mr. Obasanjo has accused Mr. Jonathan of having a grand plan to stay in power at all costs and by all means yet it is the same Obasanjo that tried to stay in power for a third term even though the Nigerian constitution specifically forbade it.
“He tried all he could to change the constitution but the whole thing failed and he was compelled to leave power,” he said.
He said after Mr. Jonathan came to power, Mr. Obasanjo not only tried to control and teleguide him but he also asked him to do a number of things that were simply wrong and unacceptable.
He, however, said it is for Mr. Jonathan himself to divulge those things adding “I am sure that he will do so at the appropriate time”.
“President Jonathan refused to be teleguided and told what to do even though at all times he showed Obasanjo maximum respect and accorded him all the privileges, access and courtesies that is due to a former head of state and a father and mentor.
“This continued to be the case even after Obasanjo consistently attempted to undermine his government and ridicule his efforts.
“Yet President Obasanjo could not be appeased and was not satisfied. As far as he was concerned, he must either control Jonathan or Jonathan had to go. That is why he decided to secretly support the APC and became their ”navigator in chief”.
“He was determined to pull the whole house down rather than allow Jonathan to return to power. This is simply because he believes that if he cannot control someone that person must be destroyed.
“Control and domination is an obsession for Obasanjo. That is the bottom line. He is prepared to put even the devil in power provided he can control him. That is why he is so determined to stop Jonathan and put in place an Interim Government, which he, or one of his surrogates, will head. That is his plan and he is determined to achieve it no matter what it takes,” the campaign spokesperson said.
What Obasanjo wants
Mr. Fani-Kayode also accused the former president of not being a democrat but a power monger.
“Obasanjo does not want genuine democracy. He only pretends to want it. What he wants is control and a stooge in power. It does not matter what type of government it is as long as he controls it and his puppet heads it. It can be a military government, a civilian one, a democratic one, an interim government or a government of national unity.
“To Obasanjo it does not matter as long as he can control it. That is his objective. That is why he hates Jonathan so much and that is why he wishes to stop him at all costs,” he said.

Nigeria2015: Prove your allegations against us, INEC dares PDP

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has refuted allegations made against it by Nigeria’s ruling party, PDP, and asked the party to prove them.
The PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, PDPPCO, had alleged that the commission was deliberately preventing valid voters in certain sections of the country from getting their Permanent Voter Cards.
The campaign organisation’s spokesperson, Femi Fani-Kayode, said at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday that the PVCS were yet to be imported to Nigeria, and were still in China where they were produced.
Mr. Fani-Kayode added that INEC was deliberately distributing the PVCs in such manner as to disenfranchise many voters from North Central, South-East, South-South and South-West geo-political zones. He claimed those voters were supporters of the PDP candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan.
In his reaction, Kayode Idowu, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, Attahiru Jega, told PREMIUM TIMES that the onus was on PDP campaign to validate its claims.
“It is they that should produce proof that we have not produced the cards, because INEC has produced those cards and put them in the public domain. Anybody who says it is not like that should produce proof,” Mr. Idowu said.
While speaking on the millions of registered voters who were yet to collect their PVCs, Mr. Idowu said, “We have extended the collection deadline and people need to make use of that opportunity to come out.”
“INEC cannot drag people out of their houses to collect their PVCs. It is for INEC and the media to continue to sound it in the ears of people that they need to make judicious use of this time; otherwise, anyone who does not collect his card will disenfranchise himself,” he added.
The electoral commission had said on Friday that over 70 per cent of the voters’ cards had been distributed.
The distribution of the cards was a reason the PDP and some parties and groups called for the postponement of the elections, initially scheduled for February 14 and 28.
Although the elections were eventually postponed to March 28 and April 11, that was mainly due to the statement by security agencies that they needed six weeks to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency before the elections are held.

Jonathan accused of planning to bribe lawmakers to postpone elections

President Goodluck Jonathan. (File: AFP)

Abuja - President Goodluck Jonathan and his inner circle are allegedly pushing for the postponement of the general elections again, reports Sahara Reporters.
The new plot is to convince the National Assembly to agree to shift the elections and instead settle for a so-called interim national government.
President Jonathan, Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke, the chairman of the PDP’s board of trustees, Tony Anenih, Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko and Ijaw political figure, Edwin Clark, are allegedly the main players in the new scheme.

They have already set in motion modalities on how to recruit foot soldiers that will mobilize the National Assembly members to support the idea
Part of the plan is to offer a bribe of $2 million to each senator and $1 million to key members of the House of Representatives.
Read more at Sahara Reporters.

Shocking! Obasanjo tears up his PDP membership card

Olusegun Obasanjo. (File: AFP)

Abeokuta - Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has reportedly torn into shreds his People's Democratic Party membership card, reports NewsDay.
He said his decision to dump the party was because he had been accused of anti-party activities after critically speaking against President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

He, however, did not say whether he was going to join another party.
Read more at NewsDay.

Christian forum rejects reported Buhari endorsement

Muhammadu Buhari. (File: AFP)

Abuja - The National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) has dissociated itself from the purported endorsement of Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming elections.

The Secretary of NCEF and delegate to 2014 national conference, Pastor Bosun Emmanuel, in a statement issued in Abuja on behalf of his chairman, Solomon Asemota advised Christians “to resist the temptation of putting personal interests above the interests of the Lord Jesus Christ, because such compromise has terrible eternal consequences.”

He described the group Northern Christian leaders, Eagle-Eye Forum, led by one Pastor Aminchi Habu, that endorsed the APC presidential candidate as “unaccredited and unrecognized.”

“It has come to the notice of the NCEF that an unaccredited group claiming Northern Christians Leaders, Eagle Eye-Forum, purportedly on Thursday, February 12, 2015, in Abuja, adopted the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress in the forthcoming elections, General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd).
“The National Christian Elders Forum wishes to state clearly that the only Northern Elders Forum accredited and recognized by the Christian Association of Nigeria is the Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF).

“The Elders Forum hereby declares that neither CAN, NOSCEF nor the NCEF at any time supported or approved of the action of this unaccredited group. The National Christian Elders Forum wishes to admonish Christian leaders in Nigeria to resist the temptation of putting personal interests above the interests of the Lord Jesus Christ, because such compromise has terrible eternal consequences.

“The Elders Forum also advises politicians to put the interest of the nation first in all forms of electioneering campaign and desist from acts that could be interpreted to imply desperate manipulation of the electorate for political power.” the statement read.

The NCEF called on politicians to put the interest of the nation first in all forms of electioneering campaign and desist from acts that could be interpreted to imply desperate manipulation of the electorate for political power.
       

- CAJ News

Egypt church 'confident' ISIS killers will be punished

Cairo - Egypt's Coptic Orthodox church said Sunday it was "confident" that those who beheaded a group of Egyptian Copts in Libya will be punished.
"The Orthodox church... is confident its homeland would not rest until the evil perpetrators get their fair retribution for their wicked crime," the Coptic church said in a statement on its Facebook page.
The Islamic State jihadist group released a video earlier on Sunday purportedly showing the beheading of Egyptian Copts captured in Libya.
In the video, militants in black marched the captives, dressed in orange jump suits, to a beach. They were forced down onto their knees, then beheaded. The video appeared on the Twitter feed of a website that supports Islamic State.

A caption on the five-minute video read: "The people of the cross, followers of the hostile Egyptian church."
Thousands of Egyptians have travelled to neighbouring Libya in search of jobs since an uprising at home in 2011, despite advice from their government not to go to one of the most dangerous countries in the region.
Before the killings, one of the militants stood with a knife in his hand and said: "Safety for you crusaders is something you can only wish for."

- AFP

 

Copenhagen gunman had criminal record, gang past

Copenhagen - The slain gunman suspected in the deadly Copenhagen attacks was a 22-year-old with a history of violence and may have been inspired by Islamic terrorists - and possibly the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris, Danish authorities said on Sunday.
Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt mourned the two people killed and vowed to protect freedom of speech and Denmark's Jewish community.
The suspect was killed in a gunbattle with a SWAT team early on Sunday. He had opened fire Saturday at a cultural centre hosting a seminar on free speech with an artist who had caricatured the Prophet Muhammad and then later at security forces outside a synagogue, police said.
A Danish filmmaker was killed in the first attack. Nine hours later, a security guard protecting a bat mitzvah near a synagogue was slain. Five police officers were wounded in the shootings.
Jens Madsen, head of the Danish intelligence agency PET, said investigators believe the gunman "could have been inspired by the events in Paris." Last month Islamic militants carried out a massacre at the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo followed by an attack on Jews at a kosher grocery, killing 17 people.
"He could also have been inspired by material sent out by [the Islamic State group] and others," Madsen said.
History of violence
Copenhagen police made no mention of Islamic extremism and said the Danish-born suspect had a history of violence and weapons offenses and connections to a criminal gang. They didn't release his name.
"Denmark has been hit by terror," Thorning-Schmidt said. "We do not know the motive for the alleged perpetrator's actions, but we know that there are forces that want to hurt Denmark. They want to rebuke our freedom of speech."
Chief Rabbi Jair Melchior identified the security guard as Dan Uzan, a 27-year-old member of Denmark's 7 000-strong Jewish community. Two police officers who were near the synagogue were slightly wounded.

In the earlier shooting, 55-year-old filmmaker Finn Noergaard was killed while attending a panel discussion titled "Art, Blasphemy and Freedom of Expression."
One of the main speakers was Lars Vilks, a 68-year-old Swedish artist who has faced numerous death threats for depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a dog in 2007. Vilks, who was whisked away unharmed by bodyguards, told The Associated Press he believed he was the intended target.
Agnieszka Kolek, another panelist, said she heard shouts of "God is great" in Arabic.
"Lars was being evacuated. Everyone was trying to protect themselves and others," she told AP. "We heard the gunshots approaching so I thought that the gunman must be in the building.
"And then I thought obviously I must protect myself and I tried to find a place to hide," she said.
After the shooting, she and other participants continued the discussion as an act of defiance, Kolek said.
Deeply offended
The depiction of the Prophet Muhammad is deemed insulting to many followers of Islam. While many Muslims have expressed disgust at the deadly assault on the Charlie Hebdo employees, they also were deeply offended by its caricatures.
Denmark was the focus of anger from Islamists after the 2005 publication of 12 caricatures of the prophet in the Jyllands-Posten newspaper. The cartoons triggered riots in many Muslim countries and militant Islamists called for vengeance.
World leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, condemned the Copenhagen attacks.
French President Francois Hollande visited the Danish Embassy in Paris on Sunday, and hundreds gathered outside to show solidarity with victims. Many held candles or banners.
"We need to stand together in Europe and... wherever jihadis try to threaten democracy," said Sacha Reingewirtz, president of the Union of Jewish Students of France and an organiser of the memorial.
Also at the event was Patrick Pelloux, a medic and columnist for Charlie Hebdo.
Support
"We are all Danish tonight," he said.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decried the attack and said his government plans to encourage a "massive immigration" of Jews from Europe.
"Jews deserve security in every country, but we say to our Jewish brothers and sisters, Israel is your home," Netanyahu said at the start of a Cabinet meeting.
Also read: Deadly shootings rock Copenhagen
But Thorning-Schmidt, who laid flowers at the synagogue shooting site, expressed support for the Jewish community, saying: "They belong in Denmark ... and we will do everything we can to protect the Jewish community in our country."
US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki offered Washington's help to Danish authorities and said Americans "stand united with the people of Denmark and all others who defend the universal right of freedom of speech and stand against anti-Semitism and bigotry in all its forms."
Lone gunman
Police said they believe the gunman carried out the attacks alone, but they were investigating whether he had received any help.
In a raid on a Copenhagen Internet cafe, police removed at least two people in handcuffs, Danish media reported. Police spokesman Steen Hansen told AP that "the action was part of the police investigation" but declined to elaborate.
The European Union's law enforcement agency, Europol, said it was in contact with Danish authorities about their investigation.
"We are offering our expertise and capabilities from our anti-terrorist unit including access to our databases," said Europol spokesman Soeren Pedersen.
The attacks took place two days after Denmark and its partners in the EU agreed to boost cooperation in the counterterrorism field as a result of the 7-9 January attacks in Paris.

- AP

We will respond to ISIS beheadings, Sisi warns

Cairo - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has warned that his country would respond to the deaths 21 Egyptian Christians beheaded in Libya as it saw fit.
Speaking on national television hours after the release of the video, Sisi said Cairo would choose the "necessary means and timing to avenge the criminal killings".
Egypt's state news agency Mena quoted the spokesperson for the Coptic Church as confirming that 21 Egyptian Christians believed to be held by Islamic State were dead.
The beheadings could stiffen Sisi's resolve in dealing with security threats from militants thriving in neighbouring Libya's chaos who want to topple his US-backed government.
Egypt has denied reports in the past that it had taken part, along with its close ally the United Arab Emirates, in air strikes against militants based in Libya.

The footage showing the deaths of the Egyptians appeared on the Twitter feed of a website that supports Islamic State, which has seized parts of Iraq and Syria and has also beheaded Western hostages.
In the video, militants in black marched the captives, dressed in orange jump suits, to a beach the group said was near Tripoli. They were forced down onto their knees, then beheaded.
A caption on the five-minute video read: "The people of the cross, followers of the hostile Egyptian church." Before the killings, one of the militants stood with a knife in his hand and said: "Safety for you crusaders is something you can only wish for."
Lawlessness
Thousands of Egyptians desperate for work have travelled to Libya since an uprising at home in 2011, despite advice from their government not to go to a country sliding into lawlessness.
Sisi, who met with the country's top military commanders to discuss the killings, called for a seven-day mourning period, state television reported.
The United States on Sunday condemned the "despicable and cowardly murder" of the 21 Egyptians.
"This wanton killing of innocents is just the most recent of the many vicious acts perpetrated by ISIL-affiliated terrorists against the people of the region, including the murders of dozens of Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai, which only further galvanizes the international community to unite against ISIL," White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said, using an acronym for Islamic State.
The Coptic Church said it was confident the Egyptian government would seek justice. Al Azhar, the centre of Islamic learning in Egypt, said no religion would accept such "barbaric" acts.
The families of the kidnapped workers had urged Cairo to help secure their release. In the mostly impoverished southerly Minya Governorate, relatives screamed and fainted upon hearing news of the deaths.
Concerns about Libya
Egypt, the most populous Arab state, has not taken part directly in the US-led air strikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria, focusing instead on the increasingly complex insurgency within its own borders.
Militants based in Libya have made contact with Sinai Province, a group operating from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula that has changed its name from Ansar Beyt al-Maqdis and pledged allegiance to Islamic State.
The group has killed hundreds of Egyptian soldiers and police since the army toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 after mass protests against his rule.

With Libya caught in a chaotic power struggle between two rival factions operating their own governments, Western officials worry that Islamist militants are taking advantage of the turmoil to strengthen their presence.
A number of Islamist militant groups have been active since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 left Libya without a strong central government. A few have declared ties to the radical Islamic State and claimed high-profile attacks over recent weeks in what appears to be an intensifying campaign.
Fears that the crisis in neighbouring Libya could spill across the border have prompted Egypt to upgrade its military hardware. French President Francois Hollande has said Egypt will order 24 Rafale fighter jets, a naval frigate and related military equipment in a deal to be signed in Cairo on Monday worth more than $5.7bn.

- Reuters

US slams ISIS beheadings of Egyptian Christians

Washington - The United States condemned the Islamic State group's apparent beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya after it released a video claiming to show the killings on Sunday, describing it as “despicable”.
"The United States condemns the despicable and cowardly murder of twenty-one Egyptian citizens in Libya by ISIL-affiliated terrorists," White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said.
"ISIL's barbarity knows no bounds. It is unconstrained by faith, sect, or ethnicity," Earnest added, saying the latest bloodshed "only further galvanizes the international community to unite against ISIL".
Video
The Islamic State group in Libya released a video purportedly showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians, prompting Egypt's president to threaten a "suitable" punishment for the killings.
In the video, militants in black marched the captives, dressed in orange jump suits, to a beach in the Libyan province of Tripoli.

They were forced down onto their knees, then beheaded. The video appeared on the Twitter feed of a website that supports Islamic State.
A caption on the five-minute video read: "The people of the cross, followers of the hostile Egyptian church."
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said his country reserved the right to "punish these murderers" as he called a meeting of security chiefs and declared seven days of mourning after the video was distributed by jihadists on social media.
Thousands of Egyptians have travelled to neighbouring Libya in search of jobs since an uprising at home in 2011, despite advice from their government not to go to one of the most dangerous countries in the region.
Before the killings, one of the militants stood with a knife in his hand and said: "Safety for you crusaders is something you can only wish for."
"This heinous act once again underscores the urgent need for a political resolution to the conflict in Libya," Earnest added.

- AFP

ECOWAS swears in new Ambassadors

Abuja - The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has accredited three new foreign ambassadors to the Commission.
The events in have been held in separate ceremonies at the regional body headquarters in Abuja.
According to the statement issued by the Directorate of Communications at ECOWAS headquarters, Ambassador Antonio Pedro Rodrigues da Silver of Portugal, Ambassador Carlos Trejo Sosa of Cuba and Ambassador Jovan Maric of Serbia were accredited by the Commission.
In his remark, President of the Commission Kadré Desire Ouédraogo thanked the Portuguese government for working with ECOWAS and the European Union to resolve the recent political crisis in Guinea Bissau.
Also Read:ECOWAS heaps praise on new Africa champions
Trejo Sosa assured the ECOWAS chief of the Portuguese government’s continued support and commitment to the deepening of relations with ECOWAS.
Ouédraogo also congratulated Sosa and commended the key role played by the country in helping the region contain the Ebola epidemic.
He also thanked the Cuban government for supporting ongoing efforts to eradicate malaria in West Africa through a -tripartite agreement involving Venezuela, ECOWAS and Cuba for the construction of three biolarvicide factories in the region.
The ECOWAS leader expressed his appreciation for the value the Serbian government places on the ECOWAS vision of economic integration.
He assured the three envoys of ECOWAS’ willingness to improve cooperation with their governments.

- CAJ News

Jonathan And Buhari May Hold Fence-Mending Meeting Outside The Country

The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and his All Progressives Congress counterpart, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) may meet before the March 28 presidential elections.

The PUNCH gathered on Sunday that the meeting which might hold outside the country was to establish rapport between the two contenders before the election.

A source close to the Presidency said, “We are trying to broker a meeting between the two leaders.

“The way the presidential electioneering is going may create serious divisions among Nigerians. We need to stop this.

“Apart from this, I think there is serious apprehension in the camp of the President that if Buhari wins, he’s going to jail a lot of President Jonathan’s supporters for alleged corruption.

“This is one of the issues that is causing serious tension in the camp of the President and we also need to make sure that in whatever we do, there must be peace in the country.”

It was learnt that the claim by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that Jonathan was afraid that Buhari could jail him was real after all.

A top member of the ruling PDP, who also spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said, this fact could not be denied by the party and the Presidency.

He said, “You have listened to the press conference by our campaign office and we didn’t deny that aspect. But we dealt with other issues.

“That statement by former President Obasanjo is real. It is true and we all know that. But we know that very soon, the meeting which we are hearing is being coordinated by some concerned leaders, might address that.”

Obasanjo had on Saturday said, ‘‘I believe the President’s fear is particularly motivated by whom he sees as his likely successor, that is, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. I believe people would have been telling him that Buhari is a hard man; he will fight corruption and he (Jonathan) may end up in jail if not in the grave. I think people would have told him that sort of thing and he is not the only one afraid of Buhari.’’


http://www.punchng.com/news/jonathan-buhari-may-hold-fence-mending-meeting/

Why Obasanjo Attacks Jonathan – Fani-kayode

A former Minister of Aviation and spokesperson of President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has stated that former President Olusegun Obasanjo has intensified his attacks on president Goodluck Jonathan because he has strong fears that Mr. Jonathan will win next month’s presidential election.

Mr. Fani-Kayode made the assertion Sunday at a press conference in Abuja.

Mr. Obasanjo had on Saturday accused Mr. Jonathan of working towards a controversial poll and possibly, exit from office, the same way former Ivorian president, Laurent Gbagbo, did in his country.

In his earlier reaction, the president accused Mr. Obasanjo of harbouring an ambition of heading an interim government after instigating a constitutional crisis in the country

Speaking on Saturday, Mr. Fani-Kayode, who was also a spokesperson to Mr. Obasanjo while the latter was in office, said Mr. Obasanjo’s allegations are “serious and grave”.

He described the comments made by the former president as reckless.

“He has raised issues and made assertions that are capable of derailing our democracy and creating chaos in the land. It is vital that we consider his motives for this latest outburst and his credentials as a leader and an elder statesman.

“The truth is that he knows that President Goodluck Jonathan will win next month’s presidential election and that is why he wants to destroy the credibility of the whole process right from the outset,” Mr. Fani-Kayode said.

He said what Mr. Obasanjo was trying to say in his latest comments was that if President Jonathan wins, then the election must have been rigged right from the outset.

“This is not only wrong but it is also unfair and uncharitable. If President Obasanjo has any evidence to prove his weighty allegations, he ought to present it before the Council of State and take it up there,” he said.

He also urged Mr. Obasanjo to present any evidence he has to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Poll shift, not the first time

Mr. Fani-Kayode also said that this is not the first time that INEC has postponed elections in Nigeria.

He said that in 2011 during the National Assembly elections INEC not only cancelled the elections just after they started but it also postponed them by two weeks.

“The heavens did not fall then and neither did President Obasanjo accuse INEC or the president of having any grand plan to stay in power by hook or by crook at that time. One wonders what has suddenly changed.”

The INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, had last week announced the postponement of general elections by six weeks, citing security report from the country’s armed forces.

Mr. Fani-Kayode said what INEC has done by postponing the elections is firmly within the confines of the law and they have probably saved thousands of lives by doing so.

He added that by the shift, INEC has given the 34 per cent of Nigerians that had not collected their PVC’s as at the relevant time the opportunity to do so.

He argued that without this postponement all those people would have been disenfranchised and it would have placed a dark cloud over the whole process.

“Why should President Obasanjo have a problem with that?” he asked.

The spokesperson added that Mr. Jonathan has re-affirmed his commitment to the democratic process over and over again and he has also said that the handover date of May 29th is sacrosanct.

“In view of these assurances, one wonders why President Obasanjo is creating such a hue and cry over nothing. What is he seeing that no one else can see? One wonders what his motives are. Does he have to rule every government by proxy? Must every leader take instructions from him? Is it a case of ”if I cannot control you and tell you what to do then you must go?”

Jonathan ousted Gbagbo

Reacting to the “Gbagbo treatment” claim by Mr. Obasanjo, Mr. Fani-Kayode said Mr. Jonathan was the one who forced Laurent Gbagbo out of office when he tried to muzzle an over stay.

“President Obasanjo spoke about President Laurent Gbagbo and he claimed that President Jonathan was attempting to do a Gbagbo in Nigeria. The question that must be put to him is this: ”who got Gbagbo out?” Was it not Jonathan’s government that played a key role in ensuring that democracy was fully established in the Ivory Coast and did he not play a key role in ensuring that the Gbagbo plan to ”stay in power forever plan” did not work?

“If anyone doubts this they should ask President Alhassan Outtara of Cote D’Ivoire the role that Mr. Jonathan and Nigeria played in helping to restore democracy and stability back to his country,” he said.

Mr. Fani-Kayode also accused Mr. Obasanjo of working for the former Ivory Coast leader during the country’s constitutional crisis.

He said efforts should be made to “find out the role that President Obasanjo played in attempting to keep President Laurent Gbagbo in power at all costs and the deep friendship that exists between the two men.

“It is a matter of fact and public record that when he was President of Nigeria, President Obasanjo, perhaps more than any other African Head of State with the exception of President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, propped up and supported President Gbagbo and it is an irony of fate and history that he is now condemning the actions of his old friend and accusing others of trying to emulate them,” he said.

You leave in a glass house

Mr. Fani-Kayode said it is ironic that Mr. Obasanjo has accused Mr. Jonathan of having a grand plan to stay in power at all costs and by all means yet it is the same Obasanjo that tried to stay in power for a third term even though the Nigerian constitution specifically forbade it.

“He tried all he could to change the constitution but the whole thing failed and he was compelled to leave power,” he said.

He said after Mr. Jonathan came to power, Mr. Obasanjo not only tried to control and teleguide him but he also asked him to do a number of things that were simply wrong and unacceptable.

He, however, said it is for Mr. Jonathan himself to divulge those things adding “I am sure that he will do so at the appropriate time”.

“President Jonathan refused to be teleguided and told what to do even though at all times he showed Obasanjo maximum respect and accorded him all the privileges, access and courtesies that is due to a former head of state and a father and mentor.

“This continued to be the case even after Obasanjo consistently attempted to undermine his government and ridicule his efforts.

“Yet President Obasanjo could not be appeased and was not satisfied. As far as he was concerned, he must either control Jonathan or Jonathan had to go. That is why he decided to secretly support the APC and became their ”navigator in chief”.

“He was determined to pull the whole house down rather than allow Jonathan to return to power. This is simply because he believes that if he cannot control someone that person must be destroyed.

“Control and domination is an obsession for Obasanjo. That is the bottom line. He is prepared to put even the devil in power provided he can control him. That is why he is so determined to stop Jonathan and put in place an Interim Government, which he, or one of his surrogates, will head. That is his plan and he is determined to achieve it no matter what it takes,” the campaign spokesperson said.

What Obasanjo wants

Mr. Fani-Kayode also accused the former president of not being a democrat but a power monger.

“Obasanjo does not want genuine democracy. He only pretends to want it. What he wants is control and a stooge in power. It does not matter what type of government it is as long as he controls it and his puppet heads it. It can be a military government, a civilian one, a democratic one, an interim government or a government of national unity.

“To Obasanjo it does not matter as long as he can control it. That is his objective. That is why he hates Jonathan so much and that is why he wishes to stop him at all costs,” he said.

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/176920-obasanjo-attacks-jonathan-fani-kayode.html