₦airaland Forum

Senate President, David Mark, on Wednesday dispelled rumours making the rounds that he was contemplating dumping the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying he would rather be the last man standing in the party.

Mark, who affirmed his unshakeable loyalty to the ruling party which was defeated in the March 28 presidential poll by the APC, said he would never betray the party which provided him with the platform to attain the height he occupies today.

Mark who made this remark during a special church service in commemoration of his 67th birthday at St. Mulumba Catholic Chaplaincy, Apo in Abuja, described those dumping the party because it lost elections as fair weather friends, saying the victory of APC at the poll is the will of God.
He insisted that he would remain in the party and be part of those who would champion the course of rebuilding the PDP.

“The outcome of the presidential election in favour of APC is the will of God and majority of Nigerians. We, in the PDP, have accepted the result in good faith.

“I have no reason to jump ship. I will not leave the PDP. I will be the last man standing for the PDP. The party gave me the platform to be where I am today.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/david-mark-i-never-leave-pdp-even-if-everyone-leaves/

Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba fielded questions on the reported threat of Ndigbo in Lagos State by the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, saying that the royal father did not threaten Igbos resident in Lagos State.

According to him, the royal father denied the allegations.

“On the issue of Oba of Lagos making a statement about who the electorate should vote for in the governorship election, I must tell you I saw it in the media and I tried all my best to verify whether that statement was made and, so far, what I have been able to gather is the fact that the Oba himself denied it, and if the Oba denied it, who am I to say that he did make it. “However, if for any reason that becomes a subject of further efforts to confirm if he did it or not, we will do it,” he said.

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The police have identified the factory that manufactured Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) that caused explosion in Enugu State during the March 28 elections, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Suleiman Abba, disclosed this in Abuja yesterday before a closed-door meeting with senior police officers to strategise on security for the April 11 elections.

Abba said that three suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident.

He said, “The investigation into the incident has reached advanced stage; we have identified even the factory where those IEDs were manufactured. I think that alone is a big success.”

Bomb explosion had occurred at the WTC School 1 polling unit in Enugu on the Election Day.

The blast was said to have caused pandemonium as people, including INEC staff and voters ran for safety.

Two other bombs also were said to have been detonated by the anti-bomb squad of the state Police command.

http://leadership.ng/news/423884/police-discover-bomb-factory-in-enugu

Some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State have dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The defectors in a letter dated April 6, 2015 and addressed to the state’s chairman of APC, Alhaji Ishola Balogun-Fulani, described their voyage in the opposition party as a disaster.

Few days to the presidential election, a prominent leader in the PDP, Senator Gbemisola Saraki had directed her followers to vote for the APC. The PDP Women Leader in the state, Hajia Nimota Ibrahim had also resigned her position to join the APC just before the election.

The latest defectors include Rev. Bunmi Olusona, Engineer Adebayo Ajimoti, Alhaji Gobir Mohammed, Alhaji Dele Sarkinwa, Dr. Mohammed Potun, Funso Agaka, Alhaji Nasiru Ubandawaki, Engineer Yunus Abdullahi and Mr. Dada Abiodun.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/pdp-leaders-defect-to-apc-in-kwara/

Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, and the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Mr Akinwumi Ambode, have assured that Lagos would remain safe and home to all ethnic groups living in the state.

The duo who spoke at separate fora in Lagos noted that their party stands for progress and would continue to create the enabling environment for all the residents to achieve their dreams irrespective of where they hail from.

Ambode said, “Every group in Lagos will be safe in my hands as governor. I will not discriminate against any religious or ethnic group. It is our Lagos and we must build it together.

“In my acceptance speech after the primaries, I made a pledge that I will be a governor for all and Lagos is safe in my hands. I want to build on the foundation of unity, peace, progress and development laid by my predecessors.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/fashola-ambode-assure-of-safety-of-all-tribes-in-lagos/

The developer and city planner of Eko Atlantic City, South Energyx Nigeria Limited, has unveiled the city’s first-phase development plan, which entails a 26-storey building, named the Azuri Peninsula containing 120 luxury apartments.

The firm also disclosed that one of its subsidiaries, Eko Development Company Limited, would manage and oversee the building development including the Azuri Peninsula, which it said is cited on the Marina District in Eko Atlantic City.

This was contained in a statement by the firm’s media specialist, Ms. Ibiene Ogolo, stating that with architecture provided by the award winning global design firm Gensler, Azuri Peninsula “offers the optimum place to live, work, play and invest”.

The statement said about 120 luxury apartments, 12 super-luxury simplexes and two superb villas as well as seven fine townhouse apartments, “make up the first phase, with a three-year completion programme”.

“Azuri Peninsula offers a unique and luxurious urban lifestyle by the delightful Marina-front of the Marina District in the vibrant new Eko Atlantic City.
“There will be a five-star Marina and yacht club with an attractive promenade, high-end shops, cafes and a wealth of amenities in a curated and sophisticated environment.

Read full story
http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/eko-atlantic-city-unveils-first-phase-development-plan/

President Goodluck Jonathan spoke yesterday about his sojourn in governance, saying he has been in a cage since 1999.

Dr. Jonathan spoke when the Christian community in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) paid him Easter homage at the new Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.

He described himself as one of the luckiest Nigerians, having occupied public offices from the deputy governor of Bayelsa State to governor, vice-president and president.

He said: “I thank you for coming to encourage us. This Easter period coincides with when I’m leaving but I always say I’m one of the luckiest Nigerians. From 1999 I have been in the hands of government. I am yet to see somebody luckier than me. I was in the hands of governments for 16 years, not in government as a parliamentarian, because if you are in the National Assembly or House of Assembly, you take care of yourself in your house. I was in a cage being taken care of by the government. But I think it is enough and I am happy. Help me to thank God for that.

“I will continue to thank Nigerians for giving me that privilege. I became deputy governor because Baylesans voted for me and governor then. I became VP because Nigerians voted for me and Yar’Adua. And Nigerians voted for me and Sambo. We have to thank all Nigerians. Wherever I will be, I have to thank all Nigerians. Today is a glorious day for me.”

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Taking into cognisance his political rise from deputy governor to governor and later vice-president to president, President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday said providence had smiled on him as he was the luckiest Nigerian ever.

Jonathan stated this when he received a delegation of Christians who paid him an Easter homage at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

According to him, in the last 16 years, he had always been in government houses and fed with public funds.

“I am one of the luckiest Nigerian, for 16 years, I have been taken care by government. I think it is enough and I thank God for that. I continue to thank Nigerians for the opportunity. Today, I must say I am grateful to this country,” he said.

He thanked the delegation for the homage paid on him, saying Easter is a period to reflect on the essence of “our belief. Because we believe without the resurrection, they would not have been Christianity.

“Whenever we talk about this period, the key lessons there is sacrifice. Somebody sacrificed for our own salvation.

“So as a people, as a government, what I always believed is we should ask what sacrifice are we making. Now is not about supporting Jonathan or government, now Muhamadu Buhari is coming on board, is not about supporting Buhari or government but what sacrifice as individual are you willing to make for government and for the nation.

“If you are a businessman and you say you are supporting government but you don’t pay tax, how do you expect that government to survive? That government will not survive.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/jonathan-i-am-the-luckiest-nigerian-ever/

Igbos living in Lagos were told on Sunday to vote for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, or else they will die in the lagoon.

A visibly angry Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, in an unconcealed threat, stated that he was not ready to beg the Igbos, but if they repeated what they did on March 28 when they voted for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), President Goodluck Jonathan, then they should be ready for the consequences.

The governorship elections are scheduled to hold on Saturday, and it is believed that Igbo residents in Lagos will vote for the PDP candidate, Jimi Agbaje, just like they did during the presidential and National Assembly elections that led to the victory of PDP candidates of Igbo origin and from Delta State in three federal constituencies in Lagos.

Speaking at a meeting with Igbo leaders in the state, according to an online news medium, Freedom Online, the first class monarch, who failed to recognise the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos, said: “On Saturday, if anyone of you goes against Ambode who I picked, that is your end. If it doesn’t happen within seven days, just know that I am a bastard and it is not my father who gave birth to me.

“Jonathan is my son and I speak to him everyday. By the grace of God, I am the owner of Lagos for the time being. This is an undivided chair. The palace belongs to the dead and those coming in the future.

“On Saturday, if anyone of you, I swear in the name of God, goes against my wish that Ambode will be the next governor of Lagos State, the person is going to die inside this water.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/oba-of-lagos-to-igbos-vote-for-ambode-or-perish-inside-the-lagoon/

I hasten to congratulate you on your success and victory in the Presidential Elections of March 28, 2015. Your success and victory after three previous unsuccessful attempts must be great object lessons for you and for all politicians, particularly in Nigeria.

For me, the totality of 2015 elections hold many lessons for our democracy and democratization process, which are both maturing. On this occasion, the system has been unnecessarily overheated before and particularly during the campaigns when emphasis was more on trivialities and hate, divisive, undignifying and disrespectful statements and comments rather than on pressing issues requiring attention.

I know that in victory, you will be magnanimous to start binding the wounds and bitterness occasioned by the campaign and the evil disciples.

With so much harm already done to many national institutions including the military, which proudly nurtured you and me, you will have a lot to do on institution reform, education, healthcare, economy, security, infrastructure, power, youth employment, agribusiness, oil and gas, external affairs, cohesiveness of our nation and ridding our land of corruption.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/obasanjos-letter-to-buhari/

Kano state Commissioner of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Alhaji Munkaila Abdullahi, along with his wife Zulaiha and kids, is dead.

They died in a mysterious fire incident at their residence in Kano in the early hours of Friday at his official residence on Kashim Road, Nasarawa GRA in Kano.

The INEC Assistant Director, Public Affairs, Alhaji Lawal Garba also confirmed the incident saying the deceased would be buried after the Friday prayer at his home town, Gantsa in Buji Local Government area of Jigawa.

Details shortly

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Barring any change of mind, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega has said that he would leave when his tenure ends on June 30.

He was appointed in June 2010 and wlll elapse on June 30, but speaking with the BBC Hausa Service in Abuja last Wednesday, Jega said that he would not accept a tenure extention or renewal.

Jega, who was a serving Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano before his appointment in June 2010 said during an interview with BBC Hausa Service, “I am grateful to God. I was asked to come and contribute my own quota to the national development and I have done my bit to the best of my ability.

“Whatever assignment one will do for five years – just like this difficult one, to me if one is able to successfully accomplish the task, someone else should be given the opportunity, because for me I am not interested and if I am requested to serve again, I will not do it, by God’s grace,” Jega said.

Jega had told critics pushing for his ouster that he would not resign his appointment as he had a job to do.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/jega-to-quits-june-30-refuses-tenure-renewal/

After the the conclusion of eighteen state and the FCT the All Progressive Congress Presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari leads by a total of 2,032,226 votes. Collation of the remaining eighteen state will resume tomorrow 31 March, 2015 by 10:00am.

See full details of results in the eighteen state and the FCT
http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/inec-result-at-the-end-of-today-buhari-leads-by-2032226-votes/

See full details of results in eighteen state and the FCT
http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/inec-result-18-state-and-the-fct-buhari-leads-with-3473526-votes/

From the collation of the first eight state and the FCT, the All Progressive Congress(APC) as won in five state while the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) as won in three state and the FCT. Although after a sum of the number of votes, the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) is leading with more votes at the moment. Results collation to resume by 8:00pm.

See Analysis of Result
http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/results-from-inec-collation-of-8-state-and-the-fct/

Not for Wole Soyinka, Nigeria’s foremost man of letters, a gentle retirement or attempt to separate art from politics. The 80-year-old spent election day in Africa’s biggest democracy working the phones late into the night, gathering reports of technical glitches, irregularities and violence. There was plenty to keep him awake.

“We’re talking about a very positive response by the public in terms of determination to register and vote but, you know, this has been one of the most vicious, unprincipled, vulgar and violent election exercises I have ever witnessed,” Soyinka reflected sadly. “I just hope we won’t go down as being the incorrigible giant of Africa.”

A Nobel laureate and former political prisoner, Soyinka could be described as the conscience of the nation. In an interview with the Guardian in the commercial capital, Lagos, on Sunday he railed against what is thought to have been the most expensive election in African history, revealed intriguing details of a recent meeting with president Goodluck Jonathan (“He jumped up as if his seat was on fire”) and warned a “very sinister force” could exploit disputed results to mount something approaching a coup.

Jonathan is fighting for his political life against opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari in the most hotly contested poll in Nigerian history. Voting spilled over into a second day after widespread technical hitches on Saturday that saw Jonathan himself initially denied registration.

Tall and thin with a shock of white hair and Socratic beard, Soyinka said: “The stakes appear to be so high that all scruples have been set aside and it’s very distressing to compare this election with the election of 1993, which was one of the most orderly, civilised and resolute elections we ever had. This one was like a no-holds-barred kind of election, especially, frankly, from the incumbency side. One shouldn’t be too surprised anyway given the kind of people who are manning the barricades for the incumbent candidate.”

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/soyinka-laments-on-the-election/

Election observers from the U.S. and UK who monitored the presidential and National Assembly elections in Rivers said on Sunday that they had concerns about the conduct of the election in the state.

Miss Jennifer Lynne, the Executive Director, Contact Project, a U.S.-based organisation, told newsmen in Port Harcourt that the observers monitored the election in six local government areas.

She said the observers observed challenges in the area of availability and security of result sheets.

‘’ In addition, as widely reported, we observed severe challenges due to dysfunctional card readers, causing lengthy delays, voter denial and reporting irregularities.’’

Lynne said events that took place in the areas visited would lead to questioning the validity of the results from Rivers.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/international-observers-express-concern-over-election-result-validity-in-rivers/

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has charged Nigerians to totally disregard misleading figures being circulated by the APC in the social media as results of the Presidential and National Assembly elections in some polling booths.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh in a statement on Sunday said the figures were “fake and do not represented the true results which are currently being collated by INEC, the only body authorized to release and announce results”.

“The APC in its desperation for power has resorted to posting fake results in the social media in a bid to ambush the electoral commission, mislead the unsuspecting public to believe it is winning, all in furtherance of its grand plot to cause confusion and set the stage for violence when the authentic results are finally released.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/pdp-apc-is-posting-fake-results/

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has charged Nigerians to totally disregard misleading figures being circulated by the APC in the social media as results of the Presidential and National Assembly elections in some polling booths.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh in a statement on Sunday said the figures were “fake and do not represented the true results which are currently being collated by INEC, the only body authorized to release and announce results”.

“The APC in its desperation for power has resorted to posting fake results in the social media in a bid to ambush the electoral commission, mislead the unsuspecting public to believe it is winning, all in furtherance of its grand plot to cause confusion and set the stage for violence when the authentic results are finally released.

Read full story
http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/pdp-apc-is-posting-fake-results/

Following reports that accredited INEC officials were restricted and stopped by some soldiers from conducting their lawful duties in parts of Edo North, Governor Adams Oshiomhole said the report is shocking as electoral officials should not be restricted on their own day.

The Governor who noted that the soldiers must have got an illegal order from their Commander said, “yesterday (Friday) I addressed the Press and I did say that Brigadier Odidi has chosen to frustrate this exercise in Edo North. Ironically, Brigadier Odidi is from Agenebode and he is the one who is giving this unlawful order.”

INEC officials who were taking election materials to Ward 10, Unit 1 in Iyamho, Etsako West Local Government Area were stopped by soldiers who had laid siege to the home town of Governor Adams Oshiomhole. The INEC officials told reporters that were forced to sit on the ground, alongside their police escort for several hours.

They were later allowed to leave after they got calls from their superiors. The soldiers said they were acting on strict orders from above.

Even journalists were not spared the soldiers’ ordeal as the INEC accreditation cards and reflective jackets were ignored while each reporter was asked to produce their company ID cards. The soldiers said the reporters were not permitted to monitor the exercise from one unit to another as they were only allowed to monitor a particular unit.

Miffed by the restriction of INEC officials, Oshiomhole continued, “Why the Nigerian Army will be used in this manner, only God knows. So I am surprised that they are restricting INEC Officers from distributing materials. I have told the Brigade Commander and I am waiting to see what he is going to do but when you bear in mind that time is if the essence, if we finally go and beg the General to please allow democracy, time is gone. First there is no light across the country so we are going to have everywhere in the dark. Under such situation, nobody knows what happens but I refuse to be frustrated and I appeal to our people not to be frustrated, we will sort things out.

“It is clear they have serious problem taking off. As you can see I am here and they say the card reader is not well programmed, it is not functioning and I got report from my Ward Headquarters that there are materials that are there and apparently the returning officers are trapped there because the soldiers wouldn’t let them cross their barricade. From Apana the Ward Headquarters to this place, my voting centre takes about 10 minutes because of the good roads we have done.”

The Governor maintained, “I have complained to the soldiers here. I have also called the Brigade Commander to draw his attention to it. This one is completely incomprehensible because I do not know what the briefing of the Army is but what Professor Jega said is that in the event of a machine not working, they have spare to use and they have officers who would put them to work.

“Now if the Army is blocking INEC officials from moving, this is a new dimension that we have not heard of before and I thought the business of the Army is basically to check people who are carrying offensive weapons, I do not know if card reader is now an offensive weapon. I have complained to the Brigade Commander, Major General Olaleye and you have also heard me mentioning it to the Electoral Officer (E.O).

“My appeal; our people have a proverb that when you know that enemies are surrounding you, you do not go and rub yourself with an inflammable chemical such that when they just push you a little bit and you sit near fire, you get roasted. There is no doubt there are enemies of democracy, there is no doubt there are people who do no want free and fair elections and therefore I am not going to lend support by way of any comment that will readily suit the expectation of those who are anti-democratic.


“I have spoken to the INEC REC in Benin and I believe that Professor Jega the Chairman should be aware of what is going on in Edo where card readers are not working in many places. We have gotten reports from Benin and across the state and it appears the problem is rather widespread but it is my hope that INEC has sensible alternatives to invoke when we are in this kind of critical condition.

“I want to appeal to Nigerians, we have suffered enough. One more day of suffering will not kill us so let us exercise all the patience that we can, let’s refuse to be frustrated, let us not resort to a shouting match. By the Grace of God, God will not leave us hopeless.

“As leaders we must provide leadership role, more so at this hour. I have faith in democracy, it is not a choice, it is the only option. All of us have to be ready to sacrifice the day. I am very impressed seeing ordinary people queue up patiently to vote. These are farmers who if they don’t work, they don’t earn. They are not like urban people who put pen to paper and steal money and earn even without working. If they sleep, their production will sleep. So they donate their production today for Nigeria’s democracy and this is what they get, but I am happy that they are not fighting.

It is already getting to a critical point, it is few minutes to 11:00am and some materials have not been able to reach here because the Army blocked up the roads for INEC, and where INEC has reached, the machines are not working. I want to hope that this will be solved and so let us wait”, Oshiomhole said.


http://leadership.ng/news/421016/oshiomhole-expresses-shock-as-soldiers-block-inec-officials

Voting was postponed in Ethiope Federal constituency comprising Ethiope East and West Local Government Areas of Delta State because of inadequate supply of voting materials.
The distribution of voting materials by the Warri office of INEC ended at 8.20am.
It was however generally peaceful in most of Delta South with few people on the streets while the police provided much of the security with military personnel only at check-points where they originally were.

Card readers worked well in most places but there were slight hitches in some places due to inexperience of the operators of the machines.

www.Monitor9ja.com

Deails shortly
www.monitor9ja.com

As Nigerians troop out to cast their votes in an historic election, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega on Friday in Abuja said that the results of this Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections would be declared within 48 hours.

In a related development, President Jonathan has charged all political parties and politicians to allow the free, unfettered will of Nigerians to be expressed without any hindrance in today’s election; The opposition All Progressives Congress urged the government not to thwart the will of Nigerians.

Jega stated this during a joint press conference with the Director General of the National Youth Service Commission (NYSC), Brig-Gen. Johnson Olawumi on last minute preparations for the polls.

Jega said that the commission was making all efforts to ensure that results are disclosed much earlier than in 2011.

He said that the confidence the commission had on the 48-hour period for result was based on the improvements the commission had made since 2011.

He however added that not all states would be able to get results within 24 hours.

We gathered the results of the Presidential election would be released at the International Conference (ICC) in Abuja.

The INEC boss also debunked allegations that a purported master key for the commission’s data base had been compromised noting that the data base of INEC “does not use master key but source code for encryption and decryption.”

Jega who was replying to an allegation by the Peoples Democratic Party’s Presidential Campaign Council that the master key was in possession of the APC, said only the producers of the data base infrastructure of INEC have the source code.

Read full story
http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/jega-expect-results-of-polls-in-48-hours/

With less than 48 hours to the presidential and National Assembly elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign organisation has raised the alarm about an alleged plot by the Independent National Electoral Commssion (INEC) to rig the election in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP campaign team also disclosed that Sani Musa, the owner of the ACT Technologies which was contracted by INEC to produce the permanent voters’ cards (PVCs) is a card-carrying member of APC, and urged its members to guard their votes on election day.

It also called for a comprehensive audit of the production of the PVCs, alleging that the PVCs had been compromised.

Addressing journalists Wednesday, the Director of the PDP presidential campaigns, Femi Fani Kayode, said it was incumbent as a responsible, accountable and sensible campaign organisation to expose the rot, point out the dangers of doing nothing about it, finger and identify those who are involved and call on the authorities to do something about it before it is too late.

According to him, “Our concerns stems from the fact that the moving spirit and a major shareholder and board member of the company that supplied the card reader system and machines to INEC is not only a friend of but also an ardent and keen supporter of General Mohammadu Buhari (rtd) and the APC. That man’s name is Sani Musa and he is indeed the main force behind the company. The company’s name is ACT Technologies Limited and the Chairman of the company is one S.K Danladi.”

He queried, “How and why INEC would give the contract to supply the card readers to a fanatical APC supporter and to a man whose other company was officially blacklisted by INEC a couple of years ago for sharp practices, need to be explained. Sani Musa has expressed his undying support for the APC and Buhari and his hatred and virulent opposition to the PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan openly and publicly on his Facebook wall.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/pdp-accuses-jega-of-planning-to-rig-presidential-election/

The First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, has advised Nigerian youths not to undermine the importance of education, saying without education, she would not have BECOME the first lady of the country.

Speaking at a rally of the women wing of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akure, the Ondo State capital Tuesday, the first lady accused the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), of “not carrying the women along” when he was head of state – unlike President Goodluck Jonathan “who has empowered women.”

According to an online news medium, TheCable, Mrs Jonathan added: “Majority of the people of Ondo are educated and I believe you know the importance of education because without education there is no future,” she said.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/patience-jonathan-im-first-lady-because-im-educated/

A new movie “Ebele,” which is a short story on the life of President Goodluck Jonathan, starting from his birth has debuted at the Silverbird Cinema, Abuja.

The producer of the film, Mr. Kolade Success, while speaking with journalists yesterday, said he was motivated by the need to support Jonathan, a youth-friendly president, whose story has inspired a lot of people.

Success disclosed that the production of the movie with a cast of 50, which cost him about N50million, is the first ever to celebrate the life and times of a sitting Nigerian president.

He clarified that he was “not doing this because of money but because I believe he is the most youth-friendly president in Nigeria.

“The title of the movie is Ebele, which focuses on the president, and serves as a good lesson for the Nigerian youths. When you look at him in the movie, you can see that his personality exudes calmness right from his childhood. You will even notice that he has a premonition that he will become great one day despite his poor background.”

He said: “His friend doubted him since he didn’t have the means to school in the UK or abroad. However, from this it has shown that its not only those went to Britain that can become a President. I went to his home town Otuoke to interview his uncle, went to Uni-Port and Bayelsa Culture and Tourism Ministry to put together all this.

“We are not trying to be partisan here but realistic because in the West people celebrate these figures. We have about 50 cast crew, I have spent over N50m of my personal money. If you ask me, any time any day I have made history. This is the firsts time we have done a movie on the president.”

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/movie-on-jonathan-made-its-first-appearance-at-silverbird-cinema/

Following the endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan by the leadership of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), some members are now at loggerheads with Chief Gani Adams over his open support for the candidacy of the President Goodluck Jonathan.
As a result, there have been accusations and counter accusations among members of the congress.
While Mr. Sina Akinpelu, the Public Relations Officer of OPC told newsmen in Ibadan on Monday that he and other members had asked Adams to leave the congress for good having allegedly eroded the potency of the association because of his glaring political affiliation, Chief Gani Adams had ordered his (Akinpelu) expulsion from the congress since 2014 and that he no longer has the right to speak on behalf of the congress.
Akinpelu described Gani Adams as a serial liar when reacting to the reports of his alleged expulsion from the group.
He alleged that some money had been given to him to campaign for President Jonathan in the South West.
Speaking on the membership status of Akinpelu, the Oyo State Coordinator of OPC, Chief Adeagbo Adeola Musediq, said, Akinpelu was no longer the PRO of OPC in the state.

Read full story
http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/jonathans-generous-giftd-tears-opc-apart/

As the nation gets set for yet another general election in few days, the speaker, House of Representatives and Sokoto State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has assured Nigerians of victory for the APC.

Tambuwal, who spoke in Wamakko local government area during the party’s zonal rally held over the weekend, said, only six days left for the APC to record overwhelming electoral victory at the polls.

The speaker, who urged supporters to turn out enmasse to exercise their franchise, also said they should not be scared of anybody. He said that they should not also look for trouble, saying victory for the APC is certain.

Tambuwal equally affirmed that Governor Wamakko remains a reliable leader and a pillar of the APC not only in the north but in Nigeria at large.

Speaking earlier, the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and governorship candidate of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) Maigari Dingyadi assured that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is dead in Sokoto State.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/tambuwal-assures-nigerians-of-victory-for-the-apc/

Sounding more confident, President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday affirmed that he would surely win the presidential election scheduled for next Saturday.
Also, the President said at a book launch in Abuja the same day that his quest to continue in office was not borne out of desperation.

In a related development, with seven days to the poll, Kevin, Charlyn and Kimberly Associates: a United Kingdom based research and political risk consultancy firm has projected that Jonathan will win the March 28 poll with a margin of 13 per cent probability ratings.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/a-uk-based-research-firm-has-projected-that-jonathan-will-win-the-2015-election/

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) friday received a grant of US $ 3.4 Million or N750 million) for Integrated Provision of Life-Saving Emergency Interventions for Vulnerable Populations in the north east of Nigeria, from the Government of Japan.

The grant, according to UNICEF, will be used for interventions focused on the Internally Displaced Persons and conflict affected populations in the north east of Nigeria in the sectors of Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Health, Nutrition, Child Protection and Education.

The conflict in the north east of Nigeria especially in the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa has caused large scale human suffering for the populations in the areas especially children and women.

The conflict has triggered major population movements and the number of IDPs in the north east has almost doubled in less than a year, from an estimated 647,000 in May 2014 to what International Office of Migration reports is now around 1.2 million.

UNICEF estimated that children “make up about 56 per cent of those who have been internally displaced, with over half of them being five-years or younger.”

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/insurgency-japan-offers-3-4m-grants-for-idps-in-north-east/

Lagos Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Akin Orebiyi said yesterday that about 1.5 million Lagos residents are yet to collect their permanent voters card (PVC) with eight days left to the presidential elections.
Speaking at the public presentation of outcomes of monitoring media coverage and reporting of 2015 elections organised by the International Press Centre and the Nigerian Press Council held in Lagos yesterday, Orebiyi who was represented by the Head, Voter Education, Lagos INEC, Mrs. Ijeoma Igbokwe said so far 3.8 million PVCs have been collected.
He said “We still have 1.5m PVCs yet to be collected. Some of the voters have forgotten where they registered which is a big problem. Many of them are going to the wrong places in search of their PVCs. As at yesterday, we received more PVCs for distribution. We are pushing out the cards to the polling units to make it easier for people to collect starting from this weekend.”

Listing strategies by INEC to make sure the 2015 general elections is fair and credible. He said INEC developed a strategic management plan which led to the removal of multiple voters from the voter register, printing and production of PVCs and its distribution. “INEC had progressively improved election materials with security codes identifying materials for each state, local governments, etc.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/inec-lagos-residents-yet-to-collect-1-5m-pvcs/