I will not support any interim government & there will be no election annulment says Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says he will not be a part of any plans to constitute an interim government that may be formed after the general elections. According to PMNews, he said this while addressing a group of Concerned Nigerians who had come to allay their fears about the upcoming general elections at his home in Abeokuta, Ogun state this morning. He also said that there is no possibility of the election being annulled

"You need not to worry about anything. There can never be any June 12 annulment again. Buhari is not Abiola, he is a trained and highly intelligent soldier. Oyegun is not Anenih, Osinbajo is not Kingibe. Jega is not Nwosu, Jonathan is not IBB and this time around, Obasanjo will not support any interim government. Obasanjo will rather support a free, fair and credible election.”he said

'Why I boarded the train With 'ordinary people' on March 2' - Mercy Johnson

'Why I boarded the train With 'ordinary people' on March 2' - Mercy Johnson

 

Article written by actress Mercy Johnson Okojie...

My picture and that of my daughter, Purity in a Lagos train has surfaced online and quite a number of people have asked me what I was doing in a train and in Lagos for that matter; not Paris or London.

I was around Iddo at Ebute Metta when my Range Rover developed a mechanical fault and I had to make a very important appointment in Ikeja regardless of the usual traffic congestion in Lagos. Luckily, a member of my management team was around, he suggested a train ride and we were in Ikeja in less than 30 minutes but that is not the crux of this statement.

Like I mentioned earlier, I have had to answer questions in private and public as to why I would board a train because trains in Nigeria are considered a means of transportation for the ordinary and not-so-rich people. A friend called and said I just devalued my brand by being on the train with ordinary people.  I couldn’t help but laugh. Are we extra ordinary people because we are celebrities?

In as much as I understand the concept of branding, packaging and exclusiveness, I will never trade the experience to sit, interact and feel the pulse of so-called ordinary people.

By the way, I am part of the ordinary people. I grew up as an ordinary person among ordinary people. Why would I avoid them now? Would that be because I am now famous? Without these ordinary people, how would I have been famous in the first place?  Without the so called ordinary people, where would Nigeria's growing population of so-called well packaged celebrities be today?

For the purpose of clarification, I was not on that train due to lack of money to get a well packaged cab or to get somebody to bring another car from the house but,  my car developed an unforeseen fault and I needed a fast , reliable and convenient alternative immediately as there was urgent business to be attended to and I respect time a lot.

The train was available where I was; most importantly, I did not want to turn down the opportunity to be with the people who would ordinarily not have access to me so I grabbed the opportunity with both hands and here we are.

I want to thank my co-passengers, officials of the train for treating me with absolute respect and courtesy, I am indeed, very grateful.

David Beckham shares cute pic with his oldest son as he turns 16

David Beckham shares cute pic with his oldest son as he turns 16

What an adorable photo. David Beckham's oldest child Brooklyn turned 16 today March 4th and the 39 year old proud dad shared this black and while pic above on his Facebook page with the message "Happy Birthday to my big boy.' He also shared photos of Brooklyn when he was just a year old back in 2000 to mark his birthday. See the photos after the cut...

Jega Will Go, Heavens Won't Fall - Ayo Fayose

Jega Will Go, Heavens Won't Fall - Ayo Fayose

Press statement from Ekiti state ...

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described outbursts of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the possible removal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega as "mere comedy," saying; "President Goodluck Jonathan can sack Jega if he wishes and if he does, heavens will not fall."

The governor, who said the APC should stop acting as if Nigeria belongs to the party, added that; "by turning themselves to advocates and defenders of the INEC chairman, the APC and its agents have shown that they have a deal with Jega to manipulate the elections and that the deal will be frustrated if he is asked to leave office."

Governor Fayose said in a release issued on Wednesday, and signed by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, that "removal of Jega and any other appointees of the Federal Government is a prerogative of the president, which no one can question, provided laid down rules are followed."

He said the position expressed by the House of Representatives was that of the APC members in the House, urging that "the APC lawmakers should rather pay attention to the ill-health of their party's presidential candidate, Major General Mohammadu Buhari (rtd), whose whereabouts is now a mystery."

The governor described Jega as partisan, saying; "By his actions and utterances, Jega had already demonstrated his bias in support of the APC. For instance, how can Jega explain the 80 percent distribution of Permanent Voters Card (PVC) in Boko Haram ravaged Borno and Yobe States while less than 40 percent distributed in Lagos as at February 7 that the election was postponed?"

He said; "It is on record that Prof Maurice Iwu was asked to proceed on terminal leave two months to the end of his tenure? Is Jega not a beneficiary of Iwu's removal? So if Iwu was asked to go on terminal leave before the expiration of his tenure for Jega to assume office, what difference does it make if Jega too is asked to proceed on terminal leave before the expiration of his tenure?"

Speaking further, Governor Fayose said; "it is the president that can determine whether or not Jega will go on the mandatory three months terminal leave which should commence on March 8, and if the president decides that the INEC chairman should go on terminal leave, what can the APC loudmouths do?

"They boasted before the postponement of the elections that they would go on street protests, but did they do anything? They made noise when Justice Isa Ayo Salami was removed from office as president of the Court of Appeal, what did their noise amount to?

"Therefore, let me say it categorically that the noise being made by the APC and their agents will amount to nothing because if the president removes Jega today, heavens will not fall."

John Legend wishes mum happy birthday with beautiful throwback pic

John Legend wishes mum happy birthday with beautiful throwback pic

John Legend took to instagram to wish his beautiful mother - Phyllis Stephens a happy birthday and shared an adorable throwback photo. Looks like a scene from a classic movie from the 80s.

Obasanjo playing Football Lolll!!!!!

More photos of Obasanjo playing football

Chief Obasanjo joined members of staff of his Library, the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library OOPL and officials of the Ogun state government in a novelty match played at the MKO Abiola stadium Abeokuta, Ogun state to kick-off celebrations for his 78th birthday which comes up tomorrow March 5th. Obasanjo scored two goals during the match. Lol. More pics after the cut...

2015 Presidency: A-Court clears Jonathan for re-election

ABUJA – The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, yesterday, cleared the legal coast for President Goodluck Jonathan to seek for a re-election on March 28.
In an unanimous judgment Tuesday, a 5-man panel of Justices of the appellate court held that Jonathan is legally qualified to run for a second term in office.

Jonathan

‎The appellate court panel said the raging contention that under section 135(2) of the 1999 Constitution‎, as amended, President Jonathan is not eligible to partake in the forthcoming presidential election having already taken the oath of office and oath of ‎allegiance for the office of the presidency twice, was not founded in law.
It maintained that the first oath Jonathan took on May 6, 2010, was only to enable him to complete the un-expired  tenure of late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua as stipulated in Section 146(1) of the constitution, saying his first tenure as substantive President of Nigeria commenced on May 29, 2011, when he was administered the second oath of office.
‎Justice Abubakar Yahaya who delivered the lead judgment Tuesday, stressed that Jonathan has only been elected as President once, adding that for him to be disqualified from the impending poll, it must be proved that the initial oath he took in 2010 was a fallout out of an election.
‎Consequently, the appellate court, while dismissing the appeal ‎that was lodged against President Jonathan by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr Cyriacus Njoku, affirmed a previous verdict that was delivered by trial Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi‎ of the FCT High Court on March 1, 2013‎.
The panel held that Njoku’s appeal lacked in merit, even as it directed him to pay a cost of N50, 000, to both President Jonathan and the PDP, who he had cited as 1st and 2nd defendants in the suit.
According to Justice Yahaya, “Our constitution is the grand norm and it is sacrosanct. The 1999 constitution is the foundation upon which the democracy we practice is anchored. It is therefore a document that must be respected, appreciated and obeyed by all of us.
“The words of the constitution best conveys the mind of the framers. A court of law is bound to consider in its entirety, the relevant portions of ‎the constitution in order to arrive at a logical conclusion.
“When relevant provisions are read together, the words used, if plain and unambiguous, must be given their clear meaning.
“In the instant appeal, it is not controverted that the oath the 1st Respondent took in 2007 as a result of the joint election he had with late President Yar’adua, was the oath for an elected Vice President as it was Yar’adua that took oath of presidency.
“On May 6, 2010 the 1st Respondent who was then the Vice President, took oath of presidency by virtue of section 146(1) of the constitution to complete the un-expired tenure of Yar’adua.
“Section 137(1)(b) disqualifies a person from standing for election for office of president if he had been elected into the office for two previous elections. So the operative word is election. The disqualification is to stop the person from participating in election again if he has been so elected twice.
“So the word election used in section 137(1) (b) of the 1999 constitution when given its ordinary grammatical meaning, connote a ‎process where voting is employed to choose a person for the post of presidency.
“Primary election , nomination, voting, collating and announcement of result must of necessity take place. That is the mode prescribed in the constitution for the election of a president into office. This did not take place when the 1st Respondent took oath in 2010.
“Stepping in of the Vice President after the death of the President cannot be deemed an election, especially for the purpose of taking away a right that has been constitutionally vested.
“All the aforementioned processes, starting with party primaries, can be challenged in the court of law and if it succeed the outcome of an election annulled. However, if the Vice President succeeds a President that has died, ‎such cannot be challenged in court as it is a constitutional requirement.
“The process that produced the 1st Respondent as President in 2010, was not an election as no single vote was cast.
This was dramatically different from what happened in 2011 when he was nominated, elected and declared winner. That was the first election he took and his first election as a President”, the court held.
The court said the case of Jonathan’s tenure was different from that of Marwa vs Nyako and the 5 Governors ‎that were sacked by the Supreme Court, as the governors emerged through elections.
It observed that though former President Olusegun Obasanjo previously served as a Head of State in 1976, ‎only the oath he took in 1999 and 2003 is recognised in the eyes of the law.
“As far as previous elections are an issue, the 1st defendant is not disqualified and consequently, he is qualified to stand election for the office of presidency”, the appellate court held.
It will be recalled that Njoku who is a registered member of the PDP in Zuba ward, Abuja, had earlier gone before the lower court, urging it to among other things, determine “Whether Section 135(2) of the Constitution, which specifies a period of four years in office for the President, is only available or applicable to a person elected on the basis of an actual election or includes one in which a person assumes the position of President by operation of law, as in the case of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.”
Contending that Jonathan is constitutionally barred from contesting presidency in 2015, the plaintiff, prayed the court to determine “whether Section 137(1) (b) of the Constitution, which provides that a person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President, if he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections, applies to the first defendant, who first took an oath of office as substantive President on May 6, 2010 and took a second oath as President on May 29, 2011.”
Even as he sought a declaration that “the President’s tenure of office began on May 6, 2010 when his first term began and his two terms shall end on May 29, 2015 after taking his second oath of office on May 29, 2011; and by virtue of Section 136 (1) (b) of the Constitution, no person (including the first defendant) shall take the oath of allegiance and the oath of office prescribed to in the Seventh Schedule to this Constitution more than twice.”
‎Besides, he beseeched the court for an order of injunction restraining President Jonathan from further contesting or attempting to vie for President after May 29, 2015 when his tenure shall by the Nigerian Constitution end.
As well as to issue an order of injunction restraining the PDP from further sponsoring or attempting to sponsor Jonathan as candidate for election to the office of the President in 2015, as well as make an order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to refrain from accepting the name of the 1st defendant, Jonathan, should the party decide to sponsor him in the next presidential election.”

Emwazi father says no proof his son is ‘Jihadi John’

The father of “Jihadi John” said in an interview published Wednesday that there was no proof that his son was the Islamic State executioner, adding there were a number of “false rumours” circulating. “There is nothing that proves what is being circulated in the media, especially through video clips and footage, that the accused is my son Mohammed, who is being referred to as the alleged executioner of Daesh (Islamic State),” Jassem Emwazi told the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas. The daily said it spoke to the father of Kuwait-born Mohammed Emwazi at a secret location in his first media interview following accusations that his son is the jihadist who killed several Western hostages

Real causes of fuel scarcity, by Okonjo-Iweala

ABUJA— President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, directed the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to pay with immediate effect all outstanding monies owed to oil marketers so as to end the current gruelling fuel scarcity that has crippled the nation and caused untold hardship to millions of people.

Okonjo-Iweala

This came as the fuel scarcity in Abuja and other cities worsened further, yesterday, despite assurances from the Federal Government of improved supply, as motorists experienced increased difficulties in their quest to purchase Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, from petrol stations.
The President who restated his commitment to Nigerians in Abuja, yesterday, said the public need not bear the burden of needless bureaucracy as is presently the case, and that they don’t need excuses but solutions which must be provided.
Consequently, petroleum marketers are, therefore, meeting Federal Government officials today with a view to resolving all outstanding issues leading to the current fuel crisis.
FG, marketers meet today
Okonjo-Iweala who spoke to journalists in Abuja, said the queues were due more to pipeline vandalism and logistics and not payment of claims to marketers.
Her words: “Government is very concerned about the fuel queues which have appeared in Lagos, Abuja and other parts of the country. As Nigerians can attest, the Petroleum Ministry and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, have worked very hard to give out the message that there is no need for panic buying and that it is trying to reduce the queues to the barest minimum.
“We are working with them and in fact, the marketers are coming to meet with us tomorrow (today). We have also agreed to pay the interest rate and foreign exchange differentials.
“Tomorrow (today) we will be making part of that payment when the marketers are here and on the outstanding balance, we will be issuing SDN (Sovereign Debt Notes) to them so that the banks will know that the government has undertaken the obligations.”
According to the minister, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has also spoken with the banks so that all marketers who want to open Letters of Credit could do so, adding: “We have cleared with the marketers that this is how we will go about it.”
Scarcity not about payment issues—Okonjo-Iweala
Okonjo-Iweala said last December, the government paid N320.8 billion debt owed marketers. The money, she revealed, came from Excess Crude Account, which she said “shows the seriousness with which the government takes issues about payments to marketers.”
She insisted that the current fuel crisis was not over payments to marketers, adding: “I want to emphasize that contrary to some unfounded speculations, the queues are not caused by payment issues. As you know, we paid the marketers a total of N320.8 billion from the Excess Crude account in two instalments in December last year.
“This underscores the fact that we are taking payment of marketers very seriously indeed. We’ve been in constant touch and talking with the marketers and a week ago we reached an agreement with them on their core concerns which we have addressed.”
The minister commended members of the Major Oil Marketers Assoaiciation of Nigerian, MOMAN, who she described as very cooperative and urged Nigerians to question the motive of others who even refused to open Letters of Credit, LCs.
She said: “It is clear that while the union and most members have been cooperative, some of their members are not. Some of these people have even refused to open LCs to facilitate their payments.
“We salute the union and the members who are working hard to end this unfortunate situation. As for those who are working in the other direction, Nigerians should ask them what their motives are.”
Transporters hiken fares by 100%
Meanwhile, transporters have hiked their fares by over 100 per cent, as the fares within a short distance of Abuja city centre which used to cost N50 were increased to N100, while some charge N150.
Also, large numbers of commuters were stranded at bus stops and parks across the FCT, as only a few vehicles were seen on the roads.
Major roads in the FCT, especially traffic-prone areas, were virtually free, as the roads were almost deserted due to the fact that a large number of vehicles were parked at petrol stations hoping to get fuel while others left their vehicles at home after having run out of the commodity.

Sharp practices at petrol stations
The situation also gave rise to sharp practices at petrol stations, despite warning by the DPR, as some stations used the opportunity to hike the price of the product, while some others resorted to manipulating their pump volume and extorting extra cash from motorists before allowing them gain entrance into the stations.
A chaotic scene was recorded in almost all the petrol stations across the FCT, with soldiers and other law enforcement agents deployed to some stations to maintain law and order,
When Vanguard visited Total petrol station opposite the Nigeria Police Headquarters, Abuja, which was dispensing the commodity slowly, a huge crowd of motorists were struggling to buy the product.
Other petrol stations that were selling amidst long queues of motorists include: Oando Mabushi;Forte Oil opposite Transcorp Hilton; MRS, Kubwa Expressway;NNPC Mega Stations, Gwarinpa and Kubwa Expressway among others.
Things are getting back to normal —NNPC
This was in spite of assurances by the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, PPPRA and the Pipeline Products and Marketing Company, PPMC, of a reduction of fuel queues following increase in products supply.
Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr. Joseph Dawha, had on Monday assured Nigerians that the fuel scarcity situation will ease by yesterday, stating that the corporation is working hard to ensure that the crisis is nipped in the bud.
He maintained that things are gradually returning to normal and it is hoped that within the next two days, the situation will normalise.
He further stated that it is working with the PPMC, the PPPRA and the DPR, to ensure the increased supply of the product across the country.
He said: “Things are getting back to normal. The stations we just visited have confirmed the availability of products. The queues are disappearing and supply is improving, by tomorrow and day after tomorrow, everything will go back to normal.”
Speaking in the same vein, Haruna Momoh, Managing Director of the PPMC, lamented the absence of effective pipeline network, due to the continuous vandalisation of pipeline across the country, saying it is a major challenge to fuel distribution across the country.
He, however, assured that the fuel situation will normalise in the next few days as, according to him, supply is improving with the arrival of a number of fuel vessels over the weekend, while more vessels are expected to arrive in the next couple of days.
He further stated that the PPMC is expanding its depot across the country, adding that it is commissioning two of the depots in a few days time.
He saisd: “Despite the increase in our depots, we have to make sure that our pipelines work. When they work, fuel distribution across the country will be much easier.”
He advised Nigerians not to engage in panic buying, saying that the situation has been brought under control.
DPR warns fuel station owners
Also speaking, Mr. George Osahon, Director of the DPR, threatened to deploy law enforcement agents to petrol stations found to be hoarding fuel across the country and compel them to sell to motorists at the regulated price.
He also disclosed that the DPR will not hesitate to sanction any marketer found engaging in sharp practices, especially in the hoarding of the product and in manipulation of prices.
He said: “We are going to make sure that those people who are possibly hoarding fuel, don’t hoard fuel. We will try as much as possible to minimise the number of petrol stations to shut down.
“For anybody who hoards, we will get law enforcement agency to go in there and make sure that they are forced to sell and sell at regulated prices. And we are doing that in filling stations across the country to ensure this crisis eases off as soon as possible.”
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/03/real-causes-of-fuel-scarcity-by-okonjo-iweala/#sthash.mNKMzubl.dpuf

No party can beat PDP, Jonathan boasts

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday boasted that despite the intimidation being mounted against members of the ruling party by opposition parties, no political party can beat the Peoples Democratic Party in the coming election.

He said those who had not done anything had been intimidating the ruling party because the party had not been marketing itself.

The President spoke just as the Director-General of his campaign organisation, Senator Ahmadu Ali, said some foreign countries were opposed to Jonathan’s re-election bid because he signed the Anti Same-Sex Bill into law.

They both spoke during the unveiling of the PDP Ward Volunteer Scheme held inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“I am convinced that up to this time, there is no party that can beat the PDP. All we need is unity. There is no party that is formidable like the PDP,” the President told the gathering that consisted of all the PDP candidates from the state Houses of Assembly to the National Assembly.

Jonathan said the PDP was not just the largest party in the country but also the only party that had members in all voting units across the country.

He said even if 10 political parties come together, they could not reach the PDP’s level.

While saying that the PDP had done well over time, Jonathan challenged the opposition to match the party on performances of their governors state-by-state.

For instance, Jonathan said only state governments under the leadership of the PDP had been able to provide functional airports in their state capitals.

He also said the number of state universities established by the PDP states were more than those of the opposition.

He however regretted that despite the performance of the PDP, the opposition also intimidated the PDP members even in their (PDP) states.

Jonathan said the party would not allow the opposition to win at the national level.

He said, “They (the opposition) intimidate us to the extent that they intimidate us even in states where we have PDP governors.

“We will not allow those who are not up to us in terms of performance to continue to intimidate us.

“At the national level, we cannot compare our standards with theirs, because they have not had the experience and we will not give them the opportunity because I know they will not do well.”

Court rejects application stopping INEC from using card reader

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday rejected an application for an order stopping the Independent National Electoral Commission from using the electronic card readers in the forthcoming general elections.

The application, an ex parte, was filed by four political parties – the United Democratic Party, Action Alliance, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria and Alliance for Democracy.

A similar suit challenging the exclusive use of the Permanent Voter Cards and the card reader is pending before Justice Abdulkadir Abdul-kafarati of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola, in his ruling on Monday on the application filed on behalf of the political parties by four Senior Advocates of Nigeria, held that INEC deserved to be heard before making a pronouncement on their prayers.

He noted that the political parties had shown that they had legal rights to institute the action and that the case was one that could be litigated on, but he insisted that he could not grant the interim orders sought by the applicants without first hearing from INEC.

But the court ordered INEC to file its defence within four days of receiving the court papers.

It fixed hearing of the substantive suit for March 10.

The application was argued on behalf of the plaintiffs on Monday by Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN), who led three other SANs -Bolaji Ayorinde, Ikechukwu Ezechukwu and Adekunle Oyesanya -in filing the main suit.

The plaintiffs had argue

I’ll return to my village if I lose –Jonathan

| credits: Photo: Olatunji Obasa

The Peoples Democratic Party’s Presidential candidate and incumbent President of the country, Goodluck Jonathan, has said he will graciously bow out if he loses the March 28 Presidential election to his major opponent, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate.

He said Nigeria was not his father’s estate.
In an interview with the cable TV, Al Jazeera, on Monday in Lagos, President Jonathan who repeatedly told his interviewer that he would win the March 28 election said if he lost the election he would return to Otuoke, his country home in Bayelsa State.
“If by default somebody wins the election, of course I will go back to my village. The country is not my father’s estate. I’ll not lose the election,” Jonathan said.
Speaking on the speculation that he had made plans to remove the Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, the President stated he would only sack him if he had done something wrong.
“(I have no plans to sack the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega) except somebody is insinuating that the chairman has done something wrong. You cannot change an officer, except the person has done something wrong. The government, whether at the federal or state level, (be it) the president or governor, does not wake up and change somebody, especially somebody like the INEC chairman, except that person has done something wrong.

“INEC is a very sensitive body. For me to change INEC chairman, people –both Nigerians and non-Nigerians – will ask questions. So, one cannot wake up and change INEC chairman. I have never discussed this with any human being on earth about changing INEC chairman,” Jonathan said.
The president, while commending the Nigerian troops for the recent successes recorded in the fight against Boko Haram, claimed that some people were using the insurgents to disrupt the general elections.
He said, “I don’t think (the elections will be postponed again). I think the elections will be conducted as scheduled by the INEC –that is the presidential election slated for March 28. I don’t see why we should postpone the election again because I’m quite impressed with the successes of the military operations going on in the North. There is a misunderstanding about the postponement of the general elections. In 2011, when the general elections were conducted, we had Boko Haram. The fact is that within that period, somehow the level of Boko Haram was quite serious and from all indications and from the signals the security agencies got, people are using Boko Haram to disrupt the elections.
“In 2011 there were no such signals and if the elections are disrupted in a number of states especially for the presidential elections, it will affect the declaration of results. So the security services don’t want to take any chances. They did not tell Nigerians that they must rout Boko Haram 100 per cent before the elections could be conducted. But they want to degrade Boko Haram to the extent that they would no longer have the kind of strength to come out and disrupt the elections. That is the key thing. In terms of taking over our territories, yes we will take over all our territories –yes, we will take over all of our territories and very soon there will be no part of Nigeria where they will erect a flag and say, ‘This is a Boko Haram territory.’ That we’ll do.”
Jonathan, though refused to accept responsibility for escalating Boko Haram violent attacks, he promised to put an end to the terrorist activities.

Court grants Edo PDP candidate bail

A Federal High Court sitting in Benin on Tuesday granted bail to a Peoples Democratic Party candidate for Egor constituency, Edo State House of Assembly, Mr. Nosa Adams‎.

‎Adams was granted bail following a fundamental right application filed by his Counsel, Kingsley Obamogie.

It would be recalled that an Egor Magistrate Court had on November 5, 2014, remanded Adams, at the Oko Prison, over the alleged shooting of three delegates at Aunty Maria Primary School, venue of the party’s ward congress.

The PDP candidate was arraigned on a four count of alleged conspiracy to commit felony and attempted murder.

The presiding magistrate, Igho Braimoh, had said since the court had no jurisdiction to entertain the case, it also had no jurisdiction to grant bail to the accused.

He, however, secured the party’s ticket while in prison custody.‎

But the presiding judge, Justice A. M. Liman, granted the suspect bail based on an argument that he had been in custody for almost four months.

The bail was in the sum of N2 million and two sureties, who must be property owners in the state.

Obamogie had earlier urged the court to invoke the Doctrine of Necessity to grant his client bail and tendered a medical report on his state of health, adding that the continued detention of his client infringed on his fundamental rights.

But the Counsel to the state government, Oluwole Iyamu, who opposed the bail application, said the suspect had been remanded by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Oluwole also said the application ought to have been filed at the State High Court, rather than a federal court.

Reps warn against removing Jega

The House of Representatives on Tuesday warned the Federal Government against  tampering with the existing “arrangements” for the March 28 general elections, particularly the removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

The House noted that changing the election plans either by further extension of the dates or removing Jega would only lead to a magnitude of violence worse than what was experienced in the aftermath of the 2011 polls.

In a resolution in Abuja, the House drew the attention of the “political class”, the federal government, state governments and security agencies ‎to warnings of unavoidable violence already issued by eminent Nigerians and groups both on the international and local scenes.

The resolution was taken following a motion moved by the Chairman, House Committee on Justice, Mr. Ali Ahmad.

Fayose awards N1.2bn contract to local carpenters

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose

Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has awarded N1.2 billion worth of contract to Carpenters and Furniture Association of Ekiti State.

The association on Monday evening signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the state government on the contract.

The Chief of Staff, Chief Dipo Anisulowo, who represented the governor, said the contract was part of the Stomach Infrastructure Programme of Fayose.

“This is an empowerment project. We are awarding the furniture aspect of the Millennium Development Goals project to these local furniture makers. The project covers about six Local Government Areas in Ekiti State, so they will make the chairs and the tables for all the schools in the six LGAs.

“The whole project would cost the government about N1.2 billion. This gesture by the governor is the first of its kind in Ekiti State. The governor did this to make good his promise to empower local contractors and artisans in the state,” he said.

Anisulowo appealed to the artisans to make good use of the opportunity.

He said, “I hope you would not disappoint the governor because he has reposed a lot of confidence in you to have given you this project. I pray you will reciprocate his kind gesture by doing a very good job.”

Chairman of the association, Evangelist Micheal Adeyemi (JP), expressed gratitude to the state government on behalf of members.

Buhari too old to rule, says Patience Jonathan

Mrs. Patience Jonathan
| credits: kenetomagazine.blogspot.com

Wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, has called on Nigerians not to vote for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), because the APC standard bearer is too old and therefore unfit to rule.

The President’s wife, who spoke in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital during the Peoples Democratic Party’s women campaign rally on Tuesday, also warned women against voting for Buhari because, according to her, the APC presidential candidate would put women in purdah and trample on their rights.

She added that old people might not reason very well because of their ageing mind.

She said, “Vote for my husband, Jonathan. Do not vote for Buhari. He is an old man. People when they become old may not reason well and their brain may even be dead.”

The President’s wife stated that women deserved to be given due recognition and opportunities and should not be relegated to the background.

She said Jonathan’s administration had given women more opportunities to actualise their dreams and showcase their potential.

Tinubu petitions NBC over AIT documentary

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu
| credits: File copy

A former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, has petitioned the National Broadcasting Commission over a documentary ran by the African Independent Television.

Tinubu, in the petition written by his lawyer, Mr. Tunji Abayomi, on Tuesday, described the one-hour documentary entitled “Lion of Bourdilon,” as extremely libelous.

The petition, which directed to the Director-General of NBC, said, “The libelous and injurious documentary ran twice on the Africa Independent Television on Sunday, March 1 and again at 10pm – 11pm on Monday, March 2, 2015. The said libelous documentary, we strongly believe violates the rules and regulations guiding such political adverts particularly during an electioneering year.

The Tinubu petition added that, “The said documentary is offensive, derogatory, unethical, destructive, and politically-motivated to serve the interest of the anonymous ‘sponsor.’

“You may wish to particularly note that although AIT wrote “sponsored” when broadcasting the documentary, it never during or after the broadcast revealed the “sponsors,” an indication that AIT had something to hide.

Demanding that AIT be sanctioned, the petition said Tinubu should not have been attacked because he was not running for any elective post.

“Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu was not running for any political office warranting undue attention to his life affairs, consequently we wonder the motive of the diligent desire of Africa Independent Television to destroy his achievement and reputation,” the petition said.

In another development, the spokesperson for President Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has sued the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Lai Mohammed, for N5bn, claiming that the latter defamed him in a publication.

Denying the allegation of substance abuse levelled by Mohammed, Fani-Kayode demanded the retraction of the publication within seven days.

A statement by Fani-Kayode’s lawyer said, “Our client denies in its entirety the content of the publication and the innuendos therein and further states that every allegation against him in the said publication is false and defamatory of his person and character.”

Will Jega survive this last battle?

INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega

His coming was in a seeming blaze of glory; an erudite scholar, highly principled, well-focused and an accomplished academia. Still, the Chairman, Independent Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, may soon be given the same treatment that appears to have been reserved for those with sterling qualities, but who refuse to dance to the high-tempo tunes played from the corridors of power.

Do I need to remind you of a former Minister of State for Finance, Remi Babalola, who dared to say that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation was broke? Is it necessary to refresh your memory with the case of the immediate past Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi (now Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II), after he claimed that some huge sums of foreign currencies were missing from the account of the oil corporation?

Ever looking unruffled, the former vice-chancellor will right now be thinking on how to survive what I will like to refer to as his last battle.

Despite his mastery of the nation’s political landscape, being his field, his piece on Identity transformation and identity politics under structural adjustment in Nigeria, in a book he edited in 2000, may not be able to save him, if reasons fail to prevail in the ongoing palongo dance to uproot him as the INEC boss.

Some self-appointed messiah have taken it as a task to give the former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, a bad name in order to hang him.

On Jega, however, the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress have expectedly taken their arguments in opposite directions. For the ruling party, the argument is not whether the INEC boss should be sacked; the question it wants answered is why the APC is kicking against Jega’s sacking.

Before now, the PDP had alleged that the INEC boss met some key opposition figures in Dubai, to plot how to skew the crucial election in favour of a particular candidate from the North. Never mind that this allegation could not be backed with any strand of evidence.

According to the rules relating to Jega’s appointment, the INEC boss is expected to proceed on a three-month terminal leave, and the government is set to respect this all-important provision, which ultimately makes it mandatory for the INEC boss to start the leave by March.

Though, not too politically suave, I recollect that the then ‘much-relegated’ Vice President Goodluck Jonathan became the acting President of Nigeria on February 9, 2009, through an instrument of the Senate that became known as the doctrine of necessity when the country was heading for a major constitutional crisis.

One wonders how Jega’s terminal leave has become much more important than the elections involving not just 54 million potential voters nor about 160 million Nigerians but the life of the nation’s democracy.

Does this not amount to shifting the goalpost, yes, goalpost, in the middle of the game, especially when no one has asked Jega whether he will prefer to literally abandon this ship in the middle of an ocean for his much-missed terminal leave or not? It appears to me that some elements are trying to take an overdose of pain killer for Jega’s headache. Is the National Assembly (if the organ is still alive though) saying such a doctrine that handed over power to Jonathan, could no longer be evoked to avert another major crisis?

It’s becoming apparent that some people are unmindful of what this desperate move to remove Jega, if it succeeds, could fetch the country.

Some key characters in the land have openly accused the political science professor of practically making up his mind to rig the presidential election in favour of a northern candidate. Expectedly, Jonathan’s godfather and Ijaw rights defender, Chief Edwin Clark, and a former Anambra State Governor, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, have shouted the loudest among those calling for Jega’s head before the March 28 polls.

Ezeife, a 76-year-old former university lecturer, in a national newspaper on January 15, 2014, said, “Nigeria will break if Jonathan is not allowed to contest.” He followed it up 10 days later with another salvo (in the newspaper) that “Stopping Jonathan in 2015 will have grave consequences.” Can you see why Ezeife, who ruled Anambra for 23 months, may eventually displace Doyin Okupe but for the former’s age?

Ezeife appears to be gunning for the ultimate; to probably preside or install a “proper” umpire, who will conduct the election proper. Having not satisfied with alleging that the INEC boss planned to rig in favour of the North, the ex-governor, again on November 19 last year, declared, “Jega has clear intention to rig,” unfortunately but not surprisingly, without supplying any evidence to support this allegation.

Now, Ezeife has spoken that he is sure that Jega will not be the one to conduct the 2015 elections. With his earlier ‘prophecies’, laced with threats and sounds of war coming true, he may likely have his way as the former don, who once nursed the ambition to become the nation’s President, may be speaking for the ultimate voice, Jonathan and his powerful backers.

It may be instructive, however, to remember the words of our National Anthem and the Pledge, to relegate our selfish interests to the background for the common good of the entire country; to refuse the temptation of setting the country on fire on the altar of pursuing personal, self-serving interest.

While Jega may be fighting the greatest battle of his life, to preserve his name from being soiled, we collectively can avert yet another crisis, and allow the INEC boss, to conduct the elections before proceeding on his much-desired leave.

The consequences may not be palatable

Nigeria loses N433.62bn to oil theft yearly’

Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin

The Nigerian Navy has said that the country is losing about 100, 000 barrel of crude oil estimated at N1.18bn everyday to oil thieves who take the advantage of poor law enforcement on the nation’s territorial waters.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin, who stated this in his presentation while defending the 2015 budget of the Navy before the Senate Committee on Defence (Navy) on Tuesday, said the development was making Nigeria to lose N433.62bn annually.

Jibrin, who was represented by the Chief of Logistics, Rear Admiral Peter Agba, attributed the source of his information to Chatham House recent disclosure.

The disclosure, however, contradicted the Ministry of Finance figure of 400,000 barrel loses per day and the fact the President Goodluck Jonathan administration had awarded multi- billion dollar contracts to some private security outfits in the Niger Delta to secure the nation’s waterways.

The Naval chief lamented that the military institution submitted N205.4bn as capital budget for 2015 but that the Federal Ministry of Finance reduced it to N8bn – 90 per cent reduction of its original budget proposal.

Amaechi blames Jonathan, PDP for economic crisis

Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi
| credits: File copy

The Rivers State Governor and Director-General of the All Progressives Congress’ Presidential Campaign Council, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has accused President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party of plunging Nigeria into economic crisis.

Amaechi explained that the PDP-led Federal Government had run out of cash due to its level of profligacy and urged Nigerians to vote out President Jonathan and his political party in the forthcoming elections.

The governor, who spoke on Tuesday in continuation of the ward-to-ward campaign organised by the APC in Abonema, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, predicted that the dollar would soon rise again against the naira.

He urged Nigerians to use the opportunity provided by the general election to vote in the APC for the revival of the country’s economy.

Amaechi stated that the PDP-led government had stolen money belonging to the nation; therefore, the Federal Government had no fund to purchase fuel.

“Because they have stolen all the money; there is no money to steal anymore. So, they can’t even pay for fuel. The remaining money, they have stolen for campaign. So, your suffering has just started.

“When we were meeting in Abuja, we were planning on what to do about the election. We said God will deliver this election for us. Now, how many of us know how much dollar cost now? It is N225; I am predicting that before March 28, it will be N265 per dollar,” he said.

In his remark, the APC governorship candidate in Rivers State, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, promised that his administration would empower women and youths if he was elected into office on April 11, 2015.

Peterside pledged to also carry out reclamation in Abonnema to expand the city, adding that the APC-led government at the state and federal level would ensure speedy development of Kalabari.

Meanwhile, a group of unknown gunmen disrupted the ward-to-ward campaign rally of the APC governorship candidate at Bakana community in Degema Local Government Area of the state. The incident was, however, brought under control by security operatives, including the police and the members of the Department of State Service.

APC allegations on poll shift, others baseless —Presidency

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati

The Presidency on Tuesday took a swipe at the leaders of the All Progressives Congress, saying they had resorted to propaganda, blackmail and deception because their imminent loss in the forthcoming general elections was staring them in the face.

The Special Adviser to the President, Dr. Reuben Abati, said this in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH   in Abuja.

Abati was reacting to the statements credited to the APC that President Goodluck Jonathan was planning another poll shift, making moves to sack the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission,   Attahiru Jega and   taking steps to freeze the accounts of some of   its leaders.

The presidential spokesman described all the allegations as baseless, false and meaningless.

He said the opposition party decided to heighten its level of hideous propaganda because of the “sudden disappearance” of its presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

Abati argued that out of desperation, the APC leaders needed to occupy the media space without considering their shallow tactics.

He said that was why when the opposition leaders speak, people would notice so much incoherence and noise.

On another round of poll shift, Abati said, “Anybody who has been listening to news will see that the President has consistently said he does not see any reason why the polls will be shifted again.

“He has consistently assured the international community that government has no intention whatsoever to shift the polls because the date of the inauguration of a new government is May 29 and that that day is sacrosanct.

“Whatever postponement that has taken place is within the frame of the law and it is constitutional. The law gives a timeframe to hold elections.”

On the plot to remove Jega, the presidential spokesman said Jonathan had made it clear that the INEC boss had not committed any offence that could warrant his sack.

He expressed the hope that with the love the opposition leaders were displaying for Jega, they would be able to come out at the end of the election and accept the outcome.

Abati said, “The President himself has addressed this categorically that he has never at any time discussed the issue with anybody that he wants to sack Jega.

“He said before you can remove anybody, you have to first establish that the person has committed an offence and that there is nothing before him to indicate that Jega has committed any offence.

“The APC, because its key spokespersons seem to have talent for noise making, keep insisting that there are plans to remove Jega. The question to be asked is if there is something they know that we do not know. Is there something between them and Jega that they are so desperate?

“What it means is that at the end of the day, we do not expect that the APC will turn around and say they have no faith in the outcome of the election or that Jega did not conduct the election very well.

“The way they are packaging Jega, you will think he is even a member of their party. I hope that when eventually they lose the election, they will be honest enough to accept the outcome.”

Abati said there was no sense in the claims that Jonathan was planning to freeze the accounts of a former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State.

He explained that no individual, no matter how highly placed, had the right to freeze anybody’s accounts.

The presidential spokesman said, “That allegation is a no brainer because people like making unintelligent comments as if they never went to school.

“The President cannot just stand up and say he is freezing somebody’s account.

“When people’s accounts are frozen, it is because may be they have been indicted and a court of law has given an order to that effect.

“No one individual, no matter how powerful he is, can just wake up and say he is freezing somebody’s account.

“I am surprised that anybody will take them serious on this. If they keep saying it despite the emptiness of the claim, then it again proves the point of their desperation.”

Netanyahu urges global unity against Iran’s ‘terror’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the world must stand together to stop Iran from gaining access to a nuclear weapon in his much-anticipated address to the US Congress.

“We must all stand together to stop Iran’s march of conquest, subjugation and terror,” Netanyahu said on Tuesday in a speech expected to escalate his campaign against US President Barack Obama’s Iran diplomacy.

Netanyahu acknowledged the tension at the start of his speech and thanked Obama for his support during his time as president.

“I know that my speech has been the subject of much controversy… That was never my intention,” he said.

“The remarkable alliance of Israel and the United States has always been above politics. It must always remain above politics.”

But his rhetoric quickly shifted focus to Iran – which he said could not be trusted.

“Iran has proven time and again that it cannot be trusted,” no matter what it says about permitting verification of the terms of any accord designed to prevent it from getting such weapons, he said.

‘Jihadi John’ condemned 9/11, London attacks

The London graduate believed to be Islamic State executioner “Jihadi John” once denounced the 9/11 attacks and the 2005 bombings in the British capital, according to an audio recording released Tuesday.

Kuwait-born Mohammed Emwazi was identified by media and experts last week — and now, reportedly, also by his parents — as the knife-wielding masked man in online videos showing the beheadings of at least five IS hostages.

In a conversation with a member of British rights group Cage, Emwazi described how in 2009 he was interviewed by a British officer, reported to be from domestic spy agency MI5.

Asked about his views on the New York and London attacks and the war in Afghanistan, Emwazi — speaking in a London accent — condemned the loss of life, but complained that his interrogator did not believe him.

Turkish Airlines plane skids off Nepal runway

A Turkish Airlines plane carrying 224 passengers had to be evacuated after it missed the runway on landing at Kathmandu airport on Wednesday and skidded onto nearby grassland.
Aviation officials said no one on board was injured, although one witness described how terrified passengers leapt from their seats as the cabin filled with smoke after the plane skidded to a halt.
The airport has now been closed except to helicopters, spokesman Purna Prasad Chudal said, adding that visibility was reasonable despite fog earlier in the day.
Chudal said the pilot overshot the runway during an initial attempt to land, before making a second try that sent the plane skidding off the tarmac.
“As the plane approached, it somehow missed the runway and ended up in the grassland area,” said the airport’s general manager Birendra Prasad Shrestha.
“All 224 passengers have been evacuated, no injuries, everyone is safe,” Shrestha told AFP.
Photographs on social media showed the jet with its nose to the ground, with local newspaper reports saying its landing gear appeared to have collapsed.
Dikesh Malhotra, who was returning from a business trip, said the impact of the landing caused bags to fall on terrified passengers, who clutched their seats, anxiously waiting for the plane to stop moving.