Papiss Cisse scored his 11th goal of the season to give Newcastle manager John Carver his first home win and leave Aston Villa in the bottom three.

Papiss Cisse scored his 11th goal of the season to give Newcastle manager John Carver his first home win and leave Aston Villa in the bottom three.

Senegal striker Cisse fired a low shot beyond Brad Guzan from eight yards after Daryl Janmaat's cross.

Tom Cleverley missed Villa's best chance before Ayoze Perez hit the post with a header for Newcastle.

The Midlanders have lost their last seven league fixtures.

Luis Suarez scored one and created two goals as Barcelona cut the gap to La Liga leaders Real Madrid with victory at Granada.

BBC Sport

• Suarez scores one and creates two
• Barca cut gap to Real Madrid to a point
• Real face Villarreal on Sunday

Luis Suarez scored one and created two goals as Barcelona cut the gap to La Liga leaders Real Madrid with victory at Granada.

The Uruguayan's cross-shot allowed Ivan Rakitic to turn into an empty net for the opener and he doubled the lead, poking home after half-time.

Fran Rico's penalty gave Granada hope but Suarez rounded the keeper to create a tap-in for Lionel Messi.

Card confusion in Man Utd win

 

 

Rooney scores the ninth of his 10 league goals so far this season

 

• Rooney scores first goal in nine league games
• Wes Brown sent off instead of John O'Shea
• United win is 11th in 14 home league games
• Black Cats stay three points off relegation zone

Wayne Rooney's penalty helped Manchester United beat Sunderland after the visitors' Wes Brown was sent off in bizarre circumstances at Old Trafford.

Rooney scored after a foul on Radamel Falcao, for which Brown was dismissed and not John O'Shea, despite protests from the visitors.

Jonathan’ll not sack Jega but… – FG

The Minister of Culture and Tourism and the Supervising Minister of Information, Chief Edem Duke, has debunked the rumour making rounds that President Jonathan has an agenda to sack the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, illegally.
The Minister spoke during his maiden meeting with information correspondents at Radio House, Abuja, adding however, that ‘’this is not to say that, if it is time for INEC chairman to naturally exit his office, then the natural course of public service rule will not take place when he has reached age of retirement or exhausted his tenure.”

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega

He said, “I align myself with Mr. President that he has no plan to sack the INEC chairman. President Jonathan reaffirmed the confidence reposed on the INEC chairman and reiterated that the administration has no plan whatsoever to send the electoral umpire illegally packing. Bu nothing would debar the INEC boss from proceeding on retirement when the need arises, in line with the civil service rule and as enshrined in the constitution.’’
Although the Minister did not explain further it was gathered that the administration was angry with Jega for introducing the Card Reader as a means of accreditation for the general elections without briefing the Federal Government over the issue.
‘’Jega wants to try a new system of accreditation without briefing the Presidency over the issue. No freedom is absolute. Section 125 of the constitution forbids electronic voting. Although the card reader can not be used for voting, it is for checking voters.
‘’Secondly, the point Jega also missed is that Nigeria is not a place you can introduce that type of system without trial or experimentation. You try some of these things using local government elections .You can start with council election, beginning with councilors, local government chairmen in that other before you proceed to governorship and presidential elections.
‘’But Jega is starting his experiment with the presidential election, It is wrong even though people are playing politics with the matter,’’ the source told Saturday Vanguard.
Meanwhile, Duke has urged media practitioners to beware of rumour mongers and ensure that that they separate truth from propaganda that was now the order of the day in the country due to the ongoing   electioneering campaigns.
“With the elections around the corner, it is important for every one of us to apply some sense of decorum, sense of patriotism and sense of judgmental guide in a manner that whatever we do, especially at this critical time of our nation’s development, we must be guided strictly by spirit of professionalism and love of our country.
‘Those who are competing for offices in the course of these elections are the ones feeding social media with propaganda because they have no records to back their aspiration; they had spent a lot of resources, time and ingenuity building social media propaganda so that by the time campaign commenced, they were ready with propaganda against government in power.
“They embark on massive publicity campaign, recruit electoral PR companies to sell products that do not exist and these are thrown to the public during election. But we must realise that truth struck a thousand times will always rise again because the eternal age of time belongs to truth.
“You can’t use social media to say 14 new universities were not build, import bill has not dropped with marshal plan for agricultural revolution. You cannot use the social media to blindfold Nigerians that government has not build over 125 Almajiri schools or that 22 airports were not remodeled or five new international airports are not being built. You can’t say Nigeria is not the biggest economy in Africa and that inflation is not at single digit with a growth rate that has positioned Nigeria as one of the six fastest growing economies in the world,” he further said
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/jonathanll-not-sack-jega-but-fg/#sthash.fHpsQbxe.dpuf

Bizarre: N4.3b spent to prosecute Ibori – Senate

It was shocking and earth-shaking in the Nigerian Senate, yesterday, when it was revealed that the Jonathan government spent a whooping 14 million Pounds (N4.3 billion) to secure the conviction of Chief James Ibori, former governor of Delta State. The disclosure was made by Sen. Victor Lar, Chairman, Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption, during the 2015 budget defence of N542,199,776 for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Chief James Ibori Analysts say spending that much to secure the conviction of a single person is astonishing and baffling, especially as the person was tried and convicted in the UK and not in Nigeria. Political meanings are being read to what is seen as secret spending. Sen. Lar added that the N4.3 billion ‘is more than ten years recurrent and capital budgets of all the anti-corruption agencies put together’. It should be recalled that Chief Ibori was convicted on April 17, 2012, and sentenced to 13 years by Southwark Crown Court for financial crimes. At that time, many admirers of the strongman of Delta State politics had accused the Jonathan government of underhand dealing in the conviction, alleging that Chief Ibori’s conviction was traded for British interest in Nigerian oil. By Sen. Lar’s revelation, analysts are wont to conclude that such a whooping sum was uncalled for, and that the money could have been put to better use in fighting corruption internally. The Jonathan government has variously been accused of not fighting corruption frontally. It is a major plank on which the opposition party is promoting Gen. Mohammadu Buhari, who is generally seen as a no-nonsense anti-corruption person. Sen. Lar also stated that people criticized the present government of not doing enough to fight corruption because Nigerians were impatient, adding that the difference between the present administration and the previous ones was that the present follows due process.

Jonathan woos Benin chiefs for re-election bid

In a bid to gather more support from the South South geopolitical zone, President Goodluck Jonathan ha‎s urged traditional rulers in the Benin Kingdom to support his re-election bid, as a “son of the Benin palace.”

‎Jonathan made the appeal on Friday, when his campaign team paid a courtesy visit to some palace chiefs at the Holy Arousa Cathedral, Benin, the traditional place of worship of the Oba of Benin.

The Coordinator of the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who conveyed the message of the president, said the Jonathan administration had performed creditably well and deserved a second term in order to complete his good works in Edo and other parts of the country.

Listed among the laudable Federal Government projects in the state are the rehabilitated Ofosu end of the Benin-Ore dual carriageway and the ongoing dualisation of Benin-Auchi-Okene road.

Others are the approval for the building of a new Federal Government Girls’ College, to be sited at Ehor, and ongoing construction of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company headquarters at Iyekogba in Benin.

Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz share first pics of their son, Genesis Ali

Meet Alicia Keys, her husband, Swizz Beatz, their new son, Genesis Ali Dean, their other son, (right) and Swizz's son from first wife (left), in pictures from a professional shoot they took to show off their newborn. Such a beautiful family. Another photo after the cut...

Kurdish fighters rout IS militants from town near Iraq

Kurdish fighters Friday fought their way into a northeastern Syrian town that was a key stronghold of Islamic State militants, only days after the group abducted dozens of Christians in the volatile region, activists and Kurdish officials said.
The victory marks a second blow to the extremist IS group in a month, highlighting the growing role of Syria’s Kurds as the most effective fighting force against the Islamic State. In January, Kurdish forces drove IS militants from the town of Kobani near the Turkish border after a months-long fight, dealing a very public defeat to the extremists. But it is also tempered by this week’s horrific abductions by IS militants of more than 220 Christian Assyrians in the same area, along the fluid and fast shifting front line in Syria.

Avoid election violence, Ekiti urges residents

The Ekiti State Government has urged residents to shun acts that could lead to blood shed or violence in the forthcoming general elections.

Speaking with journalists in Ado Ekiti, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Modupe Alade, said no blood of Ekiti citizen was worth shedding because of anybody’s ambition.

She urged parents to warn their children and wards against being used by politicians to unleash mayhem on the people.

Alade said, “We hope it will be ballot without blood. There is no blood worth shedding. We won’t allow bloodshed in Ekiti because the Governor of this State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, believes that no blood of anybody is worth shedding because somebody wants to get to a certain position.

“So, we appeal to our parents to keep vigil on their wards. They should not allow them to be used as agents of destabilization. Our youths also must shun violence for Ekiti to remain together after the elections to reap the dividends of democracy.”

The SSG begged civil servants and residents to be patient with the government, promising that leave bonuses will be paid.

Why don’t you want Jega sacked, PDP asks APC

The Peoples Democratic Party has challenged the All Progressives Congress to come out clear and explain to Nigerians the links between it and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, which informs and propels its interest in his stay in office.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, said it was more than curious that the APC has continued to fabricate stories and show undue interest in Jega, adding that such raise a lot of questions for the opposition and the INEC Chairman.

He said, “Undoubtedly, the frenzy, hysteria and spate with which the APC has been inventing stories regarding Prof. Jega’s stay in office, even when nothing suggests that such was on the table, raise a lot of issues.

MTN Music+ Unveils Kiss Daniel's ‘Woju Remix' ft Davido

Rave of the moment, Kiss Daniel has teamed up with two of Nigeria's leading music superstars, Davido and Tiwa Savage, to produce the remix of his current hit, ‘Woju'. Since the news of the remix hit the media, lovers and fans of the ‘Woju' crooner, have anticipated its release.

Woju Remix is now available for download, exclusively on Nigeria's No1 music platform, the MTN Music+, even prior to its release date (March 1, 2015). Fans can now listen and download the full song by simply clicking http://tinyurl.com/pmgxmje; For our callertunez lovers, you can keep your callers entertained, by texting 703419 to 4100 on the MTN Network.

Great News!!! Music Plus subscribers also stand a chance to win BIG on the Music Plus; Free MTN recharge cards, loyalty rewards, concert tickets, Music Plus T-shirts, Face Caps and other eye-popping gifts are up for grabs by downloading the song via the MTN Music+. Enjoy free subscription with 150MB data, loyalty points based on chargeable actions, which can be exchanged for downloads, data or callertunez purchase

Check this out!!! MTN Music+ has been trending as a number One stop-shop for digital music. The music library contains a catalogue of funk, ethnic and chart topping Naija songs of various genre with the most affordable music one can get; inclusive of data allocations for downloads, unlimited offline streaming of audio and video. 

Don Jazzy, Tiwa, Dr Sid, D'Prince, other Mavin artists in new photos

Don Jazzy, Tiwa, Dr Sid, D'Prince, other Mavin artists in new photos

It can't be that new because Tiwa Savage doesn't have a visible baby bump in these photos, so it was probably taken a while back. But the pics were recently released and features all Mavin artists including Korede Bello, Reekado Banks and Di'Ja. See the photos after the cut...

The Danger That Come With Naira Devaluation

If the managers of the Nigerian economy were to be sincere with the nation, they will agree that there is something basically wrong with the continued fall in the value of the Naira. Even when our so celebrated foreign reserve stood at $60billion and an import demand cover of about 20 months, the Naira exchange rate never firmed up. Rather, the Naira was on a slide against other currencies; a situation which negates all known economic principles.

Yet in the early 1980s, when the nation's foreign reserve stood at just $2billion with a four-month import cover, the Naira exchanged for less than one Naira to the Dollar.

So, what is it that went wrong with the economy in these 25 years that the Naira has been so battered to the point of exchanging for as much as N215 to the Dollar? The answer is not far fetched from a mismanaged currency by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in collusion with the commercial banks.

It is obvious, and the warning signs are crystal clear, that Nigeria's economic managers have broken the doors to economic sanity and compelled Nigerians to tow the path of poverty. Before the free fall of Naira which began with the introduction of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP), during the regime of military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Nigeria was never rated among the poorest nations of the world; neither did Nigerians crave the Dollar nor did 70% of Nigerians live on a Dollar per day.

As a panacea for the deepening poverty, advocates like Henry Boyo, have proffered a better managed currency for a stronger exchange rate of the Naira as the only solution. It is discernable that the poverty in the land correlates with the depreciation of the Naira; and regrettably, the value of Naira does not correlate with the high foreign reserve.

It is an economic contradiction; an aberration which suggests a deliberate manipulation of the currency - and by extension the economy - to keep Nigerians poor.

Else how did the affluence that resided with the Nigerian and his Naira in the 1970s and early 1980s suddenly vanished into thin air, so much so, over 70% of Nigerians, today, are now suffocating under the yoke of poverty?

The CBN, as the manager of the economy, has as its prime mandate, price stability. That, of course, can only be ensured through a stable exchange rate. But the CBN is known to deliberately devalue the Naira on monthly basis through the creation of excess liquidity and the substitution of Dollar earnings with minted Naira to be shared at the monthly federal allocation; thereby creating scarcity of the Dollar and surplus of the Naira in the economy.

It is only logical, economically, that with a surplus Naira pursuing few Dollars in the open market, the value of the Naira will continue to fall. The CBN is, therefore, deliberately devaluing the Naira, with the prevailing climate. Certainly, this policy needs to be reviewed.

This Newspaper is of the opinion that with this CBN policy, the Naira will never witness any stability. That the Naira is on free fall is not just because the international oil price is down - after all, when oil sold for over $140 per barrel the Naira was never known to have risen in value - but the fact that the CBN acting on the advice of the Brettonwood institute is deliberately keeping Nigerians poor.

That is why, for 25years, Nigeria has been fighting excess liquidity. Nigerians need to hold the CBN and the commercial banks accountable for the downward value of the Naira. That is the only way to arrest the deepening poverty in the land.

China And Russia Send Sophisticated War Weapons To Nigeria

This type of new war equipment just landed at our airport to support our military. ..its now flight to finish…well done Mr President. If they have not politicised this war and stopped countries from selling arms to us through their propaganda. ..We would have finished this insurgency in record time.







Source = Scannews

Mexico-most wanted drug lord arrested

 

Mexican police has captured the country’s most wanted drug lord, Servando “La Tuta” Gomez.

Mr. Gomez, leader of the Knights Templar drug cartel, was arrested in Morelia in Michoacan state without a shot fired, the BBC reports.
He was taken to Mexico City, where he was paraded before television cameras, before being flown by helicopter to a maximum security prison.
President Enrique Pena Nieto wrote on Twitter that the rule of law had been strengthened because of the arrest.
Reports said police located him by following one of his messengers, part of a close network providing him with food and clothing.
He was captured when he stepped outside his house, wearing a hat and scarf to try to hide his identity.
Eight of his associates and several weapons, including a grenade launcher, were captured too. His brother, Flavio Gomez, who was in charge of the family’s finances, was also arrested.
Police spent months gathering intelligence for the operation and reportedly seized nearby properties in the weeks leading up to Mr. Gomez’s capture.

Reps to probe Stallion Group, two others for alleged N43b duty evasion

 The House of Representatives is to  investigate  all investor companies involved in rice importation under the new policy to determine, it emerged yesterday.

The investigation was prompted by the violation of the policy by  three major companies found to have exceeded their approved quota.
The three companies were also alleged to have evaded payment of import duties to the Federal government to the tune of about N43 billion.
The investigation is expected to ascertain the exact amount owed government by the affected companies.
In addition, the investigation would ascertain the approved quota for each importer against their excess imports in metric tons.
Appropriate measures for recovering the debt would also be recommended by the investigation panel.
The decision of the lawmakers followed the adoption of the prayers of a motion by Simon Arabo (PDP, Kaduna) who accused major importers of conniving with foreign investors to undermine the nation’s economy.
He said: “Stallion Group, Popular Foods and Olam Nig Ltd in collusion with their foreign investors have imported rice exceeding their approved quota and thus owe the Federal government about N28,399b.
“Stallion Group and Popular Foods with an unpaid outstanding import duty of over N15b has imported another 85,000mts of rice into the country.
“The actions of the companies are capable of scuttling the country’s self-sufficiency drive in rice production and act and also deny the Federal government the needed revenue on import duties”.
The motion was unanimously adopted when it was put to voice vote by the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal.
When The Nation contacted the Director, Corporate and Government Relations, Olams Nigeria Limited, Mr. Ade Adefeko, he said his firm has not been contacted formally, hence, there is nothing to say for now. “We have only heard it in the news like every other person; We, as a company, have not received any official communication on this matter. If we are officially notified, then we will respond either orally, or in writing and if need be, we are willing to appear before the honourable House physically,” Adefeko said.
The report on the investigation is expected to be turned in three weeks.

Boko Haram: Troops reclaim Madagali, seven others

   

The Defence Headquarters yesterday  announced the reclamation of  Gulak,  the headquarters of the Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State, and seven other key towns from Boko Haram by soldiers.
Many insurgents were arrested  during the battles for the  reclamation, while   arms  and  ammunition were recovered.
The Director of Defence Information, Maj-Gen. Chris Olukolade, in an  update on the ongoing campaign against Boko Haram in the North-East, said the troops “routed terrorists from Bara, the headquarters of the Gulani Local Government Area of Yobe State and Gulag, the headquarters of the Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State in the early hours of yesterday.
“The fierce fighting that preceded the clearing of towns and other communities resulted in the killing of many terrorists; the capturing of some of them; and the recovery and destruction of arms, thousands of assorted rounds of ammunition as well as vehicles and other equipment, including anti-aircraft guns, Ggeneral pPurpose machine guns (GPMGs), grenades, multi-barrel bombs, multi-barrel grenade launchers, rifles and mortar guns.
“Other locations also cleared in the course of the two-day operation included, Shikah, Fikayel, Tetebah, Buza, Kamla and Bumsa.”

  

A military source said the soldiers’ exploits    had provided a ray of hope that the North-East would be safe  for the forthcoming general elections.
The source said: “Virtually all communities under Boko Haram siege in  Adamawa State have been liberated and reclaimed. The troubled Adamawa North Senatorial District has been cleaned up.
“Nigerian troops have gained some mileage in the last few weeks. We are hopeful that normalcy will be restored in all the towns and villages in the zone.
“Apart from reclaiming these territories, troops have also been mandated to maintain high presence and embark on 24-hour surveillance.”

2015 polls: Card reader does not violate Constitution, Electoral Act, says INEC

The use of card reader in the forthcoming elections does not violate the 1999 Constitution or the Electoral Act 2010 in any way, the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) said yesterday.
The commission,in a fact-sheet to educate voters ahead of the elections, said the introduction of the device is to improve the integrity of the electoral process and add “ value to the process in line with the yearnings of Nigerians for credible elections, and accords with international best practices.”
Already ,54, 327,747 Permanent Voters Cards, representing 78.93 per cent, have been collected nationwide.
67,206, 000 PVCs of the 68,833, 476 requisitioned have been delivered to the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),it said .
INEC said the Card Reader is not a voting machine and will not used for voting.
According to the commission it is “ used only for accreditation of voters, and only accreditation (and not voting) data is transmitted by it.”
It vouched for the ability of the units to deliver on voting day,saying: “The Card Reader units have been broadly subjected to simulation Quality Assurance, Integrity and Functionality tests and INEC has full confidence in their performance for election purposes.
“The device has also been subjected to Performance and Conformance Test, both locally and in Texas, United States, laboratories by the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Research Centre and found to be of the highest quality grade. Besides all these, and with additional time resulting from the rescheduling of the 2015 general elections, the Commission has directed that Stress Test be conducted on the Card Reader device in mock election scenarios – two states in each of the six geo-political zones – ahead of the new election dates.”
It declared that the Card Reader cannot be misused or abused as it is specifically designed for each of the nation’s 119,000 polling units.
“ To prevent fraudulent use, the Card Rader is configured to work only on Election Days. In addition, the device is configured to specific polling units and cannot be used elsewhere without requiring reconfiguration by authorized INEC personnel .
INEC said that although the Card Reader cannot fail, it has procured more than 26,000 spares and acquired 35,000 back-up batteries, with accreditation of a voter with Card Reader estimated to last an average of 10 to 20 seconds .
The commission added: “Going by the results of tests already conducted, it is highly unlikely that the Card Reader will fail on Election Day. Still, INEC has drawn up serial intervention plans in the unlikely event of the Card Readers failing.
In the “extremely unlikely and isolated event” that a faulty Card Reader can’t be replaced within the scheduled accreditation hours, INEC has come to a firm agreement with political parties that the exercise be repeated the following day rather than revert to manual accreditation.
“These procedures, which registered political parties have agreed to, have been written into the ‘Approved Guidelines and Regulations for the Conduct of 2015 General Elections’.
INEC said it designed the Card Readers to be used in the 2015 elections with 12-hour battery life in active usage.
On the distribution and collection of the PVCs ,INEC said collection in all the states and the FCT has hit over 60 per cent.
Leading in the PVCs collection Akwa Ibom(94.46); Bauchi(94.36); Gombe (95.05); Jigawa(98); Kaduna(92.72); Katsina(92.65); Taraba(93.42); Zamfara(93.42).
They are followed by Kebbi(89.53); Sokoto(88.60); Adamawa( 87.54); Niger (81.52); Enugu(81.2); and Abia(81.15).
Those under 70 per cent are:Ekiti ( 69.10); Kogi(68.55); Borno(68.28); Edo(67.30); Oyo(66.37); Bayelsa(66.21); Lagos(63.44); and FCT(62.67).

APC fears arrest of leaders ahead of polls

Top members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are being targeted by the Presidency  and the PDP in a planned  security clampdown ahead of the forthcoming elections,it was gathered yesterday.

Slated to effect the clampdown is the Department of State Security (DSS),party sources said.
The aim is to  scuttle or rig the elections in favour of the ruling party.
Under the alleged plan, the DSS is said to have  “directed its state commands to compile and submit a list of stake holders  and key communicators of the opposition party in all the local government areas across the country.
“The state commands were also directed to identify polling units and wards that are dominated by the opposition party’s supporters,especially in the units they scored above 60 per cent during the 2011 general elections.
“Three thousand and eight officers and men of the DSS have been shortlisted to undergo intensive training in shooting and weapon handling in preparation for the operation.”
The source also said warrants of arrest may have been procured in respect of those to be taken into custody ,and detention facilities  prepared for them.
It was gathered that security agencies have been directed to  start digging deep into the past records and activities of  those for arrest with a view to “uncovering  their negative antecedents that could be used against them.”
In the event that the planned arrests trigger mass protests in places like Lagos,Ibadan,Port Harcourt,Kano and Kaduna,these could be used as an excuse to  postpone elections in the affected places,the source said.

Jonathan under attack …over plan to sack Jega

 

Minister: he’ll leave according to civil service rules
Anthony Cardinal Okogie and other prominent Nigerians yesterday berated  President Goodluck Jonathan over the alleged plan to force the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor  Attahiru Jega, to go on terminal leave.
They warned that such a  move would have a devastating effect on the nation’s democracy.
The warning comes on the heel of the alarm raised on Thursday  by the  All Progressives Congress (APC) Senate caucus  about  the alleged plot.
Cardinal Okogie  said it would be wrong for government  to  get rid of Jega at this point in time.
His words: “If he is not due or not meant for terminal leave, which then would be an illegal move, then the court will have to look into it. Prof Jega has his fundamental human right. If he is not meant to be on terminal leave, then he can fight for his fundamental human right.”
Prominent  jurist, Professor  Itse Sagay ( SAN), said it would be rash and irresponsible  of government to remove Jega.
He said it would  not  be in the  best interest of the ruling party to allow this to happen.
“If they do that, they will scuttle the election and that will slide the nation into a  political and constitutional crisis.They should leave things the way they are. The polity is not owned by one person. It is owned by all of us,” he said.
Retired Police Commissioner Abubakar Tsav also feared that forcing Jega out  “will create a lot of problems.”
“ If Jega conducted  elections in other states very well, especially  Ekiti State and the PDP hailed him, why are they scared about this?” he said.
“If that happens, it means the PDP is out to rig the elections and obviously sees Jega as a stumbling block to the plan. They should believe in God and allow the INEC its independence to carry out this election.
“Any attempt to remove him will create confusion in the country. It will make the international community to see the country as unserious. In fact, it appears the ruling party  is scared of  General Muhammadu Buhari’s popularity.”
Lagos  lawyer, Festus Keyamo,  said of the alleged plot:  First of all, Prof Jega is not subject to civil service rules. So it will be wrong to send him on terminal leave based on civil service rules.
“Second, this would be the  second  brazen attempt to destroy the sanctity of the forthcoming elections,the first one being the postponement of the election, and this would be the second brazen attempt. And it will be a second one too many.”
He said any such move would cause trouble in the country.

  

“The civil society, the opposition party and Nigerians as a whole, will resist such a move. I am very sure of that, and they will protest against it on the streets of Nigeria,” he said.
He asked  President Jonathan “ not to use his ambition to destroy the country.”
Barrister Fred Agbaje, a constitutional lawyer berated Federal Government for not debunking the rumours which, according to him, has been flying around for over a month.
He said: “The story has been flying around in the last one month. Unfortunately, the Federal Government has done nothing to douse that perception. There is need to hear from the Federal Government about what they are really planning to do.
“The citizens are justified in their perception of the intention of the government to remove Jega under the guise of terminal leave. It has grave implications for the country. The fears are justified going by the antecedents of the government at denying things of this nature or matters that bother on national interest.”
Comrade Debo Adeniran, a civil and human rights activist, said  “the speculation is likely to be true because it appears the ruling party does not  like Jega’ s  position on the electoral process  as he is not compromising”.
In planning to remove Jega, he said, “the Federal Government  may be  trying to create chaos in order to extend the election by another six months and put the country in a state of  limbo.”
But he warned that : “the civil society will not tolerate such as we have already spoken against it. If they do this, the people will be enraged.”
His view was  shared by Comrade Shettima Yerima, President, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, who said: “The plan  is not good for the country. If going by the constitution, his tenure is over, there would be no story about it. But if it is otherwise, it is unacceptable and we will resist it.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has denied  that the presidency was planning to sack  Prof. Jega.
Speaking yesterday, the supervising Minister for Information, Edem Duke, said the Federal Government was not planning to remove the INEC boss before the general elections.
Duke said the INEC boss would leave office in accordance to laid-down service rules.
He said: “On the issue of the INEC chairman, I align myself with what the president said that he has no plan to sack the INEC chairman.
“That is not to say that if it is time for the INEC chairman to naturally exit his office, then the natural course of things will not take place.
“It is like talking of a civil servant who has done 35 years or achieved the age of 60; we now begin to say that he must not retire or he must retire. I think all of that is in the terrain of the presidency and he has spoken.”
Duke also pleaded with the media to continue to do things that will foster peace and national unity, stressing that the media needed to be guided so as not to set in motion things that could endanger the unity of the country.

London anti-Buhari protesters: we didn’t know why they hired us

Most of the anti-Buhari protesters at Chatham House, London, on Thursday  actually had no understanding of the  issues at stake or the APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari  ,according to reports from England.
And in what appears to be a confirmation of the allegation that the protesters were hired by government officials to embarrass the APC flag bearer, some   of the protesters were    jobless Nigerians and commercial sex workers  who were forced to relocate to England as a result of the poor economy at home.
A reporter who  covered the protest said of the protesters: “They are actually Nigerians who are struggling here.Some of them, actually I’m talking about  the ladies, are from the red light district here.
“Some of the youths are actually unkempt…and they are obviously struggling.”
When the reporter asked one of the protesters why he was taking part in the  agitation his response was:  “Because we don’t want dictatorship in Nigeria any more.”
Prodding him further,the reporter asked: “Why?What do you know about the General?”
The protester responded: I just heard about him from  the people I saw earlier on.
The interrogation continued thus:
Reporter: You only heard about him? Have you done your home work?
First Protester: Not at all.
Reporter: But how did you come about this protest:
First Protester: I was told. I don’t know what to say.I’m not prepared for this interview.

  

He stopped talking and walked away.
A female protester, who gave her name as Abigail, admitted that “I don’t really know much about politics.”
But asked why she was protesting,she said: “I came here to support Goodluck Jonathan.
And to the question on why she was supporting Jonathan, she retorted: “I don’t know.”
She was also asked what she had against Buhari, she sighed and said: “I’m not against anyone.”
The reporter’s encounter with a third protester,a lady,  went thus:
Reporter: Can you tell  us about this demonstration?
Third Respondent: I don’t know. I don’t want to talk.
Like the first respondent, she quietly walked away.
Another protester said she was “doing it for the President.”
Reports before the protest had said a group had requested  $20,000 from the Presidency for the purpose of organising  the  protest  and mobilising people  for it.

Ekiti pollgate : Fayose, Obanikoro, Omisore, others for probe

THE police are now poised to investigate  the leaked   audio tape  on how top members of the Peoples Democratic  Party (PDP) , including two ministers  and an army general , allegedly plotted to rig the June 2014 governorship election in Ekiti State.
Federal Attorney-General / Minister of Justice  Mohammed Bello Adoke(SAN)  directed Police Inspector-General  Suleiman Abba to   conduct the investigation following receipt of a petition on the matter.
Caught on the tape discussing the plot were Mr.Ayo Fayose who was declared winner of the election; ex-Minister of Defence, Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro; Police Affairs Minister Jelili Adesiyan; ex-Minister Caleb Olukolade; the defeated governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State , Otunba Iyiola Omisore and a serving Army General .
Some of those heard on the tape including Fayose, have admitted being part of the meeting where the recording was made.
All of them are expected to come under the police scrutiny in establishing the authenticity of the recording made by Captain Sagir Koli of the 32nd Artillery Brigade of the army.
However, Fayose has immunity under the 1999 Constitution except he willingly offers to subject himself for probe.
Koli later confirmed to Sahara TV and The Nation in separate interviews that he recorded proceeding at the meeting held on the eve of the election to show his resentment at the involvement of the military in politics.
The audio recording and the video of Koli’s interview have gone viral and made available to some foreign missions in the country.
The police investigation is expected to be fast tracked and a source said yesterday that its outcome might determine the confirmation of the renomination of Obanikoro as minister by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Investigation showed that the AGF ordered the investigation after receiving a February 13, 2015 petition from the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Ekiti State, Chief Olajide Awe.
Although Awe specifically asked the AGF to prosecute those implicated, Adoke opted for investigation for now.
Sources said the minister resolved that he could not prosecute anyone involved in the matter without an investigation by a relevant security agency.
An APC source quoted Adoke as saying in his response to Awe that he is “unable to exercise the discretion to prosecute one way or the other without an investigation of the contents of your petition and the accompanying audio recording.
“I have accordingly forwarded the petition and accompanying audio recording to the Inspector-General of Police for investigation.”
Awe had,in his petition,asked for “the prosecution of persons involved in conspiring and perpetrating acts of unsitting the incumbent Governor of Ekiti State in a manner other than envisaged by the constitution.”
He said: “We write to report to you and formally bring to your attention the recent leak of an audio recording by Capt. Sagir Koli of the 32nd Artillery Brigade in Ekiti State.

  “On February 8, 2015, an audio recording was released to the general public. This recording captured the voices of Ayo Fayose (the Governor of Ekiti State), Brig- Gen. Aliyu Momoh, who was the commanding officer in charge of soldiers deployed to give security cover for the June 21st, 2014 Ekiti State Gubernatorial election: Senator Iyiola Omisore, Jelili Adesiyan who is the Minister of Police Affairs and Musiliu Obanikoro (the Minister of Defence at that time), Caleb Olulolade and others in a meeting wherein these persons conspired and strategized to rig the June 21, 2014 Ekiti State Gubernatorial Election in which Ayo Fayose finally emerged the winner.

“The import of this audio recording is the revelation of the criminal acts which were planned and perpetrated by these men.
“The above listed persons conspired to tamper with the constitutionally and statutorily laid down procedures for the conduct of election. Section 1(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) provides that; “The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall not be governed nor shall any person or group of persons take control of the Government of Nigeria or any part thereof, except in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.”
“During the meeting, strategies and plans to intimidate voters and perform electoral fraud, and other criminal acts, in a bid to take over the government of Ekiti State in a manner contrary to the provisions of the Constitution and other relevant statues, were discussed. Below are the key points of what was discussed at the meeting:
“The use of the military to assist in electoral manipulation contrary to the purpose of the military as provided for by the Constitution.
“The use of stickers for the identification of persons not to be harassed and detained by the military.
Ayo Fayose admitted to copying voting materials provided by INEC.
“The reprimanding of military personnel for detaining members of the Peoples Democratic Party who were engaged in electoral fraud and malpractices.
“Musiliu Obanikoro who was the Minister of State for Defence at that time, clearly stated that he was under instructions from the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria: and also offered inducements, and promises of promotion to the military personnel if the plans discussed were carried out. Some of what he said can be quoted thus: “Look here, you can’t get promotion without me sitting on top of top military council. If I am a happy man tomorrow night, the sky is your limit.”
The APC chairman party said he chose to write the petition to the AGF because the tape had become an embarrassment to the nation,adding: “It is pertinent to point out that the audio recording has gone viral on the internet with people from all over the world listening to it and this is a source of embarrassment and shame to the people and government of Ekiti State and Nigeria as a whole.
“A copy of the recording is hereby forwarded with this letter inclusive of its transcription for our records and information.
“The event that you want to verify the viral spread of this recording, you may visit https://soundcloud.com/saharareporters/secret-meetings-that-led-to-the-rigging-of-ekiti-gubernatorial-for-fa or https://www.youtube.com/watch? or any other site to listen to the audio recording.
“In furtherance of the above highlighted disturbing issues which are in clear violation of the provision of the Nigerian Constitution, the Electoral Act, the Armed Forces Act and the Criminal Code, we , most respectfully urge you to use the instrumentality of your office to investigate this matter with a view to prosecuting and bringing the persons involved to justice for the criminal acts of conspiracy, treason and unduly influencing electoral process.
“This is against the backdrop of the seriousness of the content of the said audio recording and its implication to the forthcoming general elections.
“Please be informed that within 7 days of the receipt of this petition you fail to act, we shall without further recourse to you; proceed to Court to seek an Order of Mandamus compelling you to so act.
“While we appreciate your anticipated cooperation, be assured of our esteemed regards.”
The AGF’s directive to the police came a few days after President Jonathan said in an interview that the audio recording could not be investigated because Captain Koli had not come forward to authenticate it.

ALSO READ:

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/london-anti-buhari-protesters-we-didnt-know-why-they-hired-us/