Pete Edochie threatens curse on those linking him with IPOB

Pete Edochie threatens curse on those linking him with IPOB

https://t.co/MRTaWQTiQa

1,000 arrests in Gabon post-vote violence

1,000 arrests in Gabon post-vote violence

Thousands of angry protesters poured onto the streets of Libreville late Wednesday, accusing the government of stealing the election after Bongo won a second term by a razor-thin margin over rival...

23,000 policemen for Edo polls

23,000 policemen for Edo polls - The Nation Nigeria

Nigeria’s acting-Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, has said that a total of 23,000 policemen would be deployed to provide security for the September 10 Edo state governorship election....

FG kick-starts 2017 budget process

FG kick-starts 2017 budget process>>>dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/f…

Political office holders don't deserve immunity for criminal offences

Political office holders don't deserve immunity for criminal offences - Senator Yusuf - http://dailypost.ng/2016/08/12/pol…"

Court dismisses appeals by Wada, Faleke

Court dismisses appeals by Wada, Faleke

The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, yesterday, dismissed Idris Wada’s case challenging the election of Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello.

ANC concedes local election defeat in key South Africa city

ANC concedes local election defeat in key South Africa city

South Africa's African National Congress (ANC) conceded defeat Friday in the city of Port Elizabeth as local election results underlined the declining popularity of the party that led the anti-apar...

Discard budget padding – Ex-lawmakers

Discard budget padding – Ex-lawmakers

A group of former lawmakers, the Faculty Board of Initiative, has said that the term Budget padding is alien to legislative practice and should be discarded in the Nigerian context.

Jimoh Ibrahim buys Ondo gov’ship forms from Sheriff

Jimoh Ibrahim buys Ondo gov’ship forms from Sheriff

A governorship candidate of the ‎defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim, has obtained the Ondo State Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) N11 million governorship expression of...

Ali Modu Sheriff is PDP chairman

THE National Executive Committee (NEC) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) rose from its 68th meeting yesterday night and approved Ali Modu Sheriff, the former Governor of Borno State, as its National Chairman. Sheriff’s appointment, which followed a series of intrigues and horse-trading, eventually came to light around 8:00 p.m. when he was invited to take the oath of office. Although he was initially endorsed by other organs of the party, Sheriff ‎was opposed by some members of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT). But some prominent members of the party, including governors, Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, ‎senators and members of the House of Representatives quickly swung into action to persuade those with divergent views.

Ooni/Aromolaran clash: Aregbesola under fire

DARTS of criticisms are whiz­zing across to Osun State Gov­ernor, Rauf Aregbesola, over the renewed leadership tussle in the state Council of Obas and Chiefs, involving its youthful Permanent Chairman, Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogun­wusi, Ojaja II, and Vice Chair­man, Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran.
Both monarchs had clashed over disagreement on protocol and seniority sitting order at the resumed monthly meeting of the council in Osogbo on Thursday.
Trouble was said to have started when Oba Aromolaran, reportedly stopped the advance team of the Ooni from position­ing his special seat at the front position where he was sup­posed to preside. Saturday Sun gathered that Oba Aromolaran insisted that his own seat should occupy the space.
The meeting eventually broke up and was put off indefinitely following failure to resolve the controversy in which the clothes of one of the Ooni’s aides who engaged Aromolaran in alter­cation, was reportedly torn to shreds.

Osinbajo takes over as Buhari proceeds on short vacation

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday began a short vacation.
The vacation will last till February 10, 2016. The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo will perform the functions of the president while Buhari is away, according to Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the President on media and publicity.

Shehu said that the President has formally notified the leadership of the National Assembly of his vacation in compliance with Section 145 (1) of the Nigerian Constitution.

Culled

Wike has reacted to the Supreme Court judgement

Mr Nyesome Wike has reacted to the Supreme Court judgement that returned him as the Governor of Rivers State.He described it as victory for the people of Rivers State. In a state broadcast in the state Government House on Thursday, Governor Wike expressed gratitude to those that stood with him during the seven-month court battle.He promised to stay committed to providing the dividends of democracy to the people of Rivers State. The deputy governorship candidate of the APC during the April 11 governorship election, Honourable Asita, however, expressed his disappointment.

peal Court Nullifies Wike’s Election

The Court of Appeal has struck out the appeal of Nyesom Wike, seeking a dismissal of the judgment of the Rivers State Election Petition Tribunal which sacked him as governor of the state. The five-man panel of the appellate court held that Mr Wike was not validly elected as governor, having failed to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the electoral guidelines laid down by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The panel dismissed Mr Wike's appeal for lacking in merit and ordered INEC to conduct fresh elections for the office of the Governor of Rivers State. Plans To Contest Governor Wike, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) predicated his appeal on seven grounds. He asked the Appeal Court to, among other issues, determine whether the Tribunal's failure to turn down his preliminary objection did not amount to denying him an opportunity to fair hearing.

Inauguration of Bello as gov, APC coup d’etat —Faleke

Speaking on a Channels Television programme, “Politics Today,” Faleke, who is challenging the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare the November 21 governorship poll in Kogi, inconclusive, maintained that the only reason he would settle out of court was for Governor Bello to resign. Faleke described the decision of the national leadership of the party, led by its chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, to adopt Bello as the party’s candidate for the December 5 election, as devoid of equity and justice. He chided insinuations that his actions were anti-party, noting that his decision to challenge the party’s decision was to protect the interest of the party, otherwise the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would claim the mandate. Faleke said he would pursue his case to a logical conclusion, since the APC failed to settle the case out of court before the inauguration of Bello.

The President’s predicament

AHEAD of the election that swept him into office on May 29, 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari had left no one in doubt that his presidency would be an extension of his earlier shot at the nation's highest office with respect to the fight against corruption.
He had said repeatedly while canvassing for votes that one or two things would happen; the nation would either kill corruption or it would be a victim of the vice. He went ahead to convince the people that he would rescue the country from the throes of corruption if given the opportunity. So, Nigerians voted for him.
Just as he did in 1984 when, as soon as he settled down into office, he arrested suspected corrupt people, tried them and got them sentenced, President Buhari, shortly after getting into office last year, set the machinery in motion to tackle the menace of corruption. However, unlike what it was like during his stint as a military head of state when the constitution was on suspension, and the special military tribunals set up to try individuals suspected of corrupt practices wasted no time in dispensing with such cases, the wheel of justice in the current dispensation has been slowed down by the technicalities of law, especially the aspects which presume that the accused is not guilty until convicted and as a result must be treated with dignity. Also, the aspect which states that anyone who is not standing trial for murder or treasonable offences is entitled to being granted bail. To beat the legal technicalities, the executive has devised a strategy of slamming fresh charges on suspects granted bail by the courts and consequently holding on to them rather than allowing them to savour their freedom.

Michael Bloomberg Mulling Run for President as an Independent

A run by the former New York City mayor could upset an already volatile contest. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is seriously considering a run for president and is asking aides to explore a potential bid. Mr. Bloomberg, 73 years old, has long contemplated a run at the White House. But the unlikely rise and continued strength of Donald Trump, along with polls suggesting Hillary Clinton's campaign may be flagging, have driven the billionaire businessman closer than ever before to entering the race, a close adviser said Saturday. Eyeing a potential opening for the first time, Mr. Bloomberg has retained a consultant to help him run on the independent ballot in state primaries. He has commissioned polls to test his path to victory. And he has directed the close circle of advisers who worked for him as mayor and have remained by his side over the past two years since he left office to begin mapping out a blueprint for a run, one adviser said.

Tackling corruption will conserve funds to cater for vulnerable Nigerians – Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the Buhari Administration will intensify the fight against corruption in order to conserve funds to improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable people in the society, including women and children.
In his remarks during a courtesy visit to Women FM 91.7, the premier radio station dedicated to women and family issues, in Arepo, Ogun State, on Thursday, the Minister said the government is determined to address some of the challenges confronting women and children through a sustained fight against corruption, so that available funds could go into reversing the high rate of infant and maternal mortality, poverty, unemployment, lack of potable water among others.

Tinubu, Buhari political liabilities – Presidency

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd)

The Presidency  on Sunday dismissed criticisms of the Goodluck Jonathan administration by the two main opposition parties, saying their national leaders-Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd) and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu were “heavily burdened political liabilities.”

Senior Special Assistant to Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, told journalists at a news conference in Lagos,  that  the Peoples Democratic  Party-led Federal Government  would not be distracted by their ‘empty’ criticisms.

Tinubu had at the ACN  convention in Lagos on Thursday, said  “The current government’s trademark is to throw empty words and hollow actions at our problems,” while Buhari vowed that the All Progressives Congress would resist any move by the PDP to rig elections in 2015.

But Okupe said Buhari and Tinubu,  the arrowheads of the move by the ACN, CPC and the All Nigeria Peoples Party to fuse into APC, lacked “the antecedent that support  their claim of possessing what it takes to move Nigeria forward.”

2015: Jonathan playing politics with insecurity - CPC

2015: Jonathan playing politics with insecurity - CPC

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of playing politics with the current wave of insecurity as part of strategy for the 2015 general elections.

The Presidency yesterday hit back at the CPC over the  statement accusing Jonathan’s administration of insincerity in tackling insecurity.

National publicity secretary of the party, Rotimi Fashakin, said yesterday in a statement lamented that in the last two years, the government has been patronizing ex-militant leaders with hefty security contracts in a manner that showed abandonment of the constitutional function of the Nigeria Police.

    He said the government’s action, perceived as deleterious to the Socio-Political harmony of the land, is being intensified in other regions of the Country, ahead of the administration’s preparation for the 2015 elections.

    Fashakin said, “On 1st October, 2010, there were bomb blasts near the Eagle square, Abuja. President Goodluck Jonathan, being more preoccupied with gaining some electoral credit through guiding public opinion to a decided outcome, declared to the Nation: “it is not MEND!” It did not matter anymore that formal investigation and subsequent litigious procedure had confirmed the culpability of MEND in the bombing.