₦airaland Forum

shasha ward oguntade/salami 5 and 6zone in akowonjo large turnout of voters.the crowd is unprecedented

On Wednesday April 13, 2011 after the successful conduct of the National Assembly elections the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, had a meeting with resident electoral officers from all states of the federation to appraise the NASS election. This meeting was followed by a press conference.

The professor in a fulfilled mood reappraises last Saturday’s elections as successful generally. He was full of praises for the electoral officers in the field but acknowledged that there were isolated incidences of awkward and unlawful practices in some wards and polling units, and gave a strong word of warning to electoral officers, party agents and security agents who are in anyway indicted in any illegality.  INEC will not cover up any of its officers who conduct his or herself in an unlawful way, the professor reassured Nigerians.

The professor stated some of the challenges faced by INEC during the NASS election such as late arrival of INEC personnel to some polling units, the omission of some names on the voters register in a few wards and problem of crowd control during voters’ accreditation and voting processes itself. There were also reported cases of threats to the lives of some INEC ad hoc staff and corps members in the process of discharging their duties. To all of these problems the commission promised to take measures to minimise such occurrences.

For the first time, in a long while, Nigerians can finally take a breath of relief for having someone like Jega at the helm of affairs of such a sensitive body. We have got in him a man who is self-secured enough to postpone a national election, regardless of a possible nationwide criticism, in order to do the right thing. He is also not sweeping the shortcomings at the INEC under the carpets as he openly takes responsibility for them.

His modesty is something to behold and emulate. His deeds, so far, has done more for the image of this country than all the effort put into the re-branding Nigeria project. This man, unlike most of our public office holders, is not after cheap popularity. It is time for Nigerians, particularly the Nigerian youth, to accept that it is possible to do what is right and still win as evidenced by the success of the NASS election.[/b]


http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=32188

truth hurts he is tired and does not want to say it instead it translates in his actions,babe please for your safety and happiness leave him and move on with your life pleaseeeeeeeeeee. Am a guy trust me i know what we are capable of doing and if you were my sister i will tell you flee from a man that ever hits you though you should search yourself and see if there is anything you are doing wrong that you need to address if you still want to stay on .BEST OF LUCK

A driver attached to the convoy of Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State, Mr. Rahman Ishola, was killed in a stampede at the Ogbomoso residence of the governor on Thursday evening.

The death of the driver took place inside the compound of Governor Alao-Akala in Ogbomoso in the presence of hundreds of people who thronged the place to grab some money being dashed out to them by the governor.

It was gathered that many, in the process of struggling for the money, sustained injuries.

According to a source, the governor’s house was turned into a “mecca” with hundreds of people coming into the town to have a share of the governor’s generosity each time he (Alao-Akala) visited home.

The source added that the stampede that led to the death of Ishola was the second to occur at the entrance of the Ogbomoso residence of Governor Alao-Akala in less than two weeks.

All efforts by the medical personnel to revive the driver failed both at the governor’s residence and the hospital where he was said to have been taken for medical attention.

Last week Friday, a day before the National Assembly election, a fence in the governor’s residence in Ogbomoso was pulled down by a crowd in a struggle for money being given by the governor.

The late driver, according to eyewitnesses, was standing at the main gate when the gateman suddenly opened the gate, to give way to some people waiting to enter as some naira notes were thrown to the hangers-on resulting in a stampede.

Scores of hangers- on and political touts, were often seen at the main entrance to the residence of the governor, waiting to receive part of the money usually given out by the governor.

When contacted on Friday, Special Adviser to Governor Alao-Akala on Public Communication, Prince Dotun Oyelade, confirmed the incident, describing it as unfortunate.

In a text message, he said, “a driver attached to the convoy of Oyo State governor died last night in a traffic accident in Ogbomoso. Rahman Ishola has since been buried according to Islamic rites and the governor has consoled his family.”

The governor’s aide did not, however, say whether it was vehicular or human traffic.



http://tribune.com.ng/sat/index.php/news/3885-alao-akalas-driver-dies-in-stampede.html

TODAY, Nigerians go to the polls to elect a president who will run the affairs of the country for the next four years.

A lot has happened since the demise of President Umaru Yar’Adua altered the face of the presidency and ensured the swearing in of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as the new helmsman.

President Jonathan had weatherd the storm within his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to clinch the presidential ticket in January.

Having surmounted that hurdle, Jonathan has emerged the most visible candidate on the scene as he contends with opposition from three main candidates from the North.

There is former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress Party of Nigeria(ACCN), and Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau of the All Nigeria Peoples Party(ANPP).

The trio have individually provided the challenge for the PDP, with Buhari emerging the leading opposition figure.

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

The trio have individually provided the challenge for the PDP, with Buhari emerging the leading opposition figure.

Opposition parties had in recognition of the spread of the PDP placed their hope on the plan to hold on to their traditional strongholds such that they would deny PDP victory at the first ballot.

They had hoped that once they forced a rerun at the presidential level, they can then come together to form a proper coalition which could deny PDP victory.

Such hope and enthusiasm were taken into the April 9 National Assembly election. The hope was that the ACN would win all the South-West states, the CPC in most of the northern states, especially North West. They had reasoned that once the PDP is dislodged from the South-West and the North-West, the party would have lost its dominance and voting power.

As the results of the National Assembly polls started trickling in from last Sunday, it became obvious that the projections by the opposition parties were largely inaccurate.

The North-West, which was seen as Buhari’s main stronghold, fell to the PDP, while the CPC also failed to do well in the North-Central. Buhari’s impact was also minimal in the North-East.

As of the last count, Buhari’s CPC had only won six of the 92 senatorial seats declared by INEC. ACN won 13 of the seats and ANPP had eight while Labour Party (LP) had three senators and eight members of the House of Representatives.

Statistics coming out of the National Assembly election have confirmed PDP’s dominance as the party has clinched simple majority in the two chambers of the National Assembly.

Traditional states believed to be safe haven of the CPC have now turned full swing towards the PDP and Jonathan, an indication that election could be won and lost at the first ballot.

South-West
The PDP recorded a jolting defeat in this region during the National Assembly polls. It lost in Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Lagos and won only one seat in Oyo State. The senatorial election in Ekiti will not hold untill April 26.

Notwithstanding the outcome of the National Assembly election in this zone, President Jonathan is expected to make much impact here.

The adoption of his candidacy by the Labour Party, which won all Ondo seats, means that the main contending forces in the state are working for the president and the PDP. In Oyo, the Accord Party, which took a slice of Ibadan voted and won four Rep seats, is said to be working for Jonathan.

Talks between President Jonathan and leaders of the ACN are also said to be softening the ground for the president against his main challengers in the zone.

In Ogun State, the main political gladiators whose division is said to be responsible for ACN inroad are united in working for Jonathan while the president has close links with communities in Osun where he did his youth service, years ago.

In all, the PDP is assured of resounding victories in at least four of the six states of the zone, while also winning the mandatory 25 per cent in the remaining two states. The CPC lagely has little or no impact in this zone as only the ACN is expected to give a good account of itself there. Fortunes of President Jonathan and the PDP would also be largely helped in Lagos because of the huge youth population, many of who he won to his side through the social media, FaceBook and Twitter.

North-West
This is the zone with the largest vote in this election. It has seven states compared to six in other zones and five in the South-East. PDP’s impressive showing in Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara states goes to indicate the party’s seriousness in taking the presidency.

Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State said the zone rejected sectionalism by voting for the PDP and it is expected to carry through its determination by returning Jonathan in the presidential election.

The CPC did well in Kaduna and Katsina states and it is expected to continue the streak only that its apparent landslide might be cut into by the PDP in Kaduna where Vice President Namadi Sambo is striving to redeem the PDP. At the end of the elections, the PDP is expected to win the five states it won last week while also gaining the mandatory 25 per cent in the two other states.

North-East
This zone is also expected to be a stronghold of the CPC. In last Saturday’s election, however, the party barely showed it was in existence in this zone. It failed to make impact in Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe and Borno, while pulling its weight in Bauchi and Gombe. The ACN also failed to record any upsets against the PDP, leaving it in a fourth position behind PDP, ANPP and CPC. In today’s election, the PDP may maintain its lead in Borno, Adamawa and Taraba, while CPC would make impact in Gombe and Bauchi. Yobe may remain an ANPP enclave, but the impact of the CPC in Bauchi is set to be cut to size with the united front by Bauchi gladiators on President Jonathan.

The PDP is set to win the mandatory 25 per cent in all states of this region as it would only come a close second where it fails to win.

North-Central
Out of the six states in this zone, the PDP is assured of victories in four, including Kogi, Kwara, Benue and Plateau. In Niger and Nasarawa, the PDP is sure of a stiff challenge, but while it is almost certain of victory in Nasarawa, Niger appears dicey.

Despite the divisions among leaders of the PDP leading to the exit of some from the party in Plateau and Benue, opinions appear to coalesce in favour of President Jonathan in the presidential election. The PDP already won two Senate seats each in Benue and Nasarawa, while also retaining the three seats each in Kwara and Kogi.

Its 75 per cent performance in these states cannot be substantially reduced within a week. The fact that the Sarakis in Kwara are wholy in support of Jonathan is also an advantage. ACN could come a distant second in Kwara after PDP, but the CPC is expected to take the second slot in the zone generally.

South-East
The zone is fully for Jonathan and the PDP. The fact that the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is backing Jonathan for presidency is a huge advantage in the zone. The PDP could take a clean sweep of Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, Anambra and Imo while making it difficult for any of the opposition parties to get the mandatory 25 per cent.

South-South
This is the zone where President Goodluck Jonathan hails from. The zone would massively return its vote for the PDP as it has done in the three previous elections. In the last Saturday’s National Assembly election, PDP won all the senatorial seats on offer in Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa-Ibom and Delta states. It won one seat in Edo where the government is controlled by the ACN. The PDP cleared five of the six states safe for states where election has not been conducted.

With a 90 per cent performance in this zone, the PDP could annihilate the opposition and deny any of them the mandatory 25 per cent in five of the six states. Votes could be shared in Edo between ACN and the PDP but the president’s party is expected to win that state.

Though statisticians say data could be used for whatever purpose in the hands of the manipulator, but details coming out of last week’s National Assembly election largely confirm the supremacy of the PDP even in an election seen largely as free, fair and credible.

The party that has won 60 out of 92 seats declared so far and which also gained the support of Labour Party with three seats and APGA with one seat will be difficult to beat at the presidential election, especially as the campaign among its chieftains now is that the nation cannot afford to have a PDP controlled National Assembly without a PDP president. All this easily points to a PDP victory. The party only needs to beware of the “element of surprise” which some CPC leaders were said to be working on at a recent meeting.

All of una dey form adieu for buhari now no probs make goodluck win and make una pray make e no disappoint oh cos many peeps go still come here come laff un? who spent 107 billion naira in two days recently? who wants to be a millionaire home quiz

lovely pix wey jonah own?

Despite government promises, families and victims of the series of bomb explosion that have rocked the country are left abandoned to their fate
Today’s presidential election will be a watershed in one of the fiercest political contests in the history of Nigeria, where for the first time the violence was taken a notch higher with planted bombs used to make political statements or to scare potential voters. Since October 1 last year when the first bomb exploded at Eagle Square, venue of the Independence Day celebration, Nigeria has witnessed additional four major bomb explosions where close to a hundred people have lost their lives and a similar figure have been injured. While politicians have started celebrating their victory since the results of last Saturday’s polls were announced, with the biggest celebration to come after the declaration of the results of today’s polls, victims of the bomb explosions and their families languish, forgotten in pain.

At the time the nation was mourning, the spectacle of injured victims lying in agony on their hospital beds presented excellent photo opportunity for politicians who flocked to their sick beds and offered condolences and promises of footing their hospital bills and the payment of compensations to them. But Weekly Trust investigations showed that the most the injured got was a 12-day treatment whereupon they were forgotten and left to their fate. Now, most of them are left battling disfiguring ailments and physical incapacitation that has meant the loss of their means of livelihood. As for the ones who died, the promise of compensating their families was buried with their interred bodies.

Austin Olajie, one of the victims of the Independence Day blast who is now left in crutches told Weekly Trust: “Right from when the incident occurred on October 1 last year, nobody has rendered any form of assistance. Even while I was in hospital, I was told by the staff of the National Hospital that I was not required to spend my own resources on any of my medications, including medicines, X-rays and the rest. But these same staff are the ones who after notifying me of this have refused to give me a refund of the N12, 500 which I paid for medicine. Also, I had to buy my own crutches. All the promises of heaven and earth that were made ended as soon as they were pronounced.”

Olaije now goes for physiotherapy and medications. Initially, after he was discharged, he visits the hospital twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays. As he got better, the trips to the hospital were reduced to once a week. But by now the strain of managing his ailment has weighed heavily on his pockets that he has to beg the doctor to make his trips to the hospital once every other week. And because he has temporarily lost the use of his leg he relies on taxis to take him to the hospital, a single trip of which he has to pay N3, 000 because of his distance from the hospital.

Loveth Ochabo was also a victim of the Independence Day blast. After being hospitalized in the National Hospital for two months at a stretch and another two weeks not long after, Ochabo still makes regular medial trips at her own expense. “Apart from the hospital bill which was paid and the free care I receive when I go for physiotherapy and routine checks, I have not received any assistance,” she says.

Like Olaide, Ochabo lives far from the hospital, residing in the Mobile Police Barracks in Dei Dei, a suburb of Abuja, with her elder sister. She says the cost of transporting herself to the hospital is biting hard. She pays more because relatives have to help her go out to the main road and get a taxi to come to her home to pick her up. She too is undergoing physiotherapy for injuries she sustained. “Even if I want to, I cannot do anything to raise money, not even petty trading like I used to. My left leg is still not in the best of shape as I am still learning to walk with the help of one crutch. Promises made are yet to be fulfilled.”

ASP Etim Bassey is one of the police officers on official duty when the bomb went off, knocking him to the ground, which led to shrapnel wounds that broke his leg. “No one has responded to us yet,” he says. “I still go for treatment because my leg is still not stable. The cast was removed last Thursday and I am managing with my crutches. Unlike many others, I would say I have been lucky, since the government has been fully responsible for the cost of my treatment. But till date no form of compensation has come to me.”

Mayowa Adeniran, a bomb blast victim is more pointed with his accusations: “You ask what the government has done for us? If I may ask do we have any responsible government? They would have redeemed the pledges they made to us. What responsible government foots the bill of bomb blast victims for just 12 days and then leaves the victims to themselves?”

The victims of the bomb explosion not only have to contend with the physical injuries they sustained but the dislocation it has wrought on their family life. Haruna Hassan’s life for instance has taken a different turn since his eyes was injured in the Independence Day blast. After he exhausted his savings in treating himself he couldn’t afford to pay his house rent and has to relocate with his family to the village. He now prays for death. “I have lost hope and am just waiting for God to call me,” he says. “I am supposed to have gone for my eye operation but I have no money and I let it be. When I went back to the hospital after the pains became unbearable, I was told that the condition is deteriorating and if I want to have my sight I have to act fast to save the other eye. I decided to just wait on the Lord because I have been living on the mercy of friends and neighbours.”

Hassan’s three children could no longer go to school because his injuries have broken his means of livelihood and made it impossible for him to pay their fees. “Where do I get the money from?” he laments. “Right now as I speak I do not have money for drugs anymore. I cannot afford to pay for my house as I have since been squatting with a friend in Gwagwa. If this is how my country is going to repay us for the unfortunate incidence that befell us, then I have nothing to say.”

Efforts by Weekly Trust to get the government’s reaction and stand on the issue were not possible as most of the officers were said to be on assignments in preparation for today’s and next week’s elections.

The most recent bomb blast, which killed and injured many of the ad-hoc staff employed by INEC for electoral duty had the government promising insurance packages to the victims. But even at that, those without formal employment with the government might not benefit from the package. Spokesperson for the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Mr Lucky Fiakpa says the maximum social welfare benefits unemployed victims of bomb blast can get is free medical treatment since they have no insurance benefit covering them. But for those who happened to be in some active employment and in an outfit that insured them, NAICOM says its doors are open to assist in making sure their insurance packages are duly and comprehensively paid to them. “We have assured INEC of swift intervention in the payment process in case there is any foul play or some kind of sharp practices,” he said.

IT was a sad Election Day’s eve in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, when two gunmen, suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect laid siege on residents of Gwange Ward of the metropolis and killed two people while two soldiers and five civilians sustained gunshots. Among the injured are two teenagers, Sama’ila Usman, 16, and Mohammed Musa, 15, who were said to be the first to blow the whistle when they saw the gunmen alighting from a motorcycle with concealed AK47 riffles in their clothes. “The teenagers were scavenging on a heap of refuse around 8.30am, Friday, April 15 when they saw the gunmen approaching. The gunmen, in their early 20s, followed the ground level of the Lagos Bridge route probably to evade the countless security posts mounted by the Joint Task Force (JTF) of the military and the police,” Salisu Dauda, one of the victims who were hit, said.



Salisu, who spoke at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), said the children drew his attention and that of other passers-by. “Unfortunately, one of the gunmen overheard our conversation and therefore fled on the motorcycle. On the other hand, we vigorously pursued the other gunman while some people alerted the nearby soldiers who immediately joined us in the trail. Trouble started when the gunman got a vintage position behind a fallen tree and hastily removed his gun and started firing at us…he really took all of us unawares, including the soldiers.”

Sama’ila, the scavenger who spoke in Hausa also recounted how he became a victim of the attack. “The gunmen looked quite unassuming; they rode on a motorcycle as if they were looking for a short-cut through the slums of the popular Lagos Bridge area and when we realized their mission, we also joined in the chase for one of them and in the process, I found myself on this hospital bed,” he said. He called on the state and the federal government to assist and foot their hospital bills.

Secretary of UMTH Dr. Bashir Mustapha said the two soldiers that were attacked had sustained serious injuries. “As I am talking to you now, one of them is in the intensive care unit (ICU) while the other one is undergoing surgery in the main theatre,” he said.

Mr. Mike Zuokumor, the state Police Commissioner also confirmed the attack. “We have also launched serious surveillance in collaboration with sister agencies. Containing guerilla warfare is not easy but we are doing our best to get to the root of the attacks,” he said. The commissioner said intelligence reports had suggested that the Boko Haram group have a list of the people that they want to eliminate.

Many people including clerics, police, army and ward heads have been killed, allegedly by suspected Boko Haram members who began the operation shortly after the July 2009 uprising.

It is believed they are targeting people who played active roles in quelling the 2008 Yusufiyya uprising in Borno, Yobe and Bauchi States. Our correspondent reports that the build-up to last Saturday’s parliamentary elections had played host to the killing of no fewer than sixteen people including security agents and politicians. Some scholars and politicians have suggested a new approach to the security issue in Borno State, including the need to have a forum with the gunmen, akin to what the federal government did for Niger Delta militants.

http://www.weekly.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5865:24-hours-to-presidential-polls2-killed-7-injured-in-maiduguri-attack&catid=40:cover-stories&Itemid=26

They predicted that it was a midnight that would soon pass away. It has. The Peoples Democratic Party’s, PDP’s, capturing of the South West political zone that is.

When the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, started making incursions into, and claiming political offices in the zone, the party was accused of stealing political victories through the judiciary.

Today, all that appears different.
A Daniel has actually come to judgment.

Therefore, when last year Governor Gbenga Daniel of Ogun State declared that the PDP had become endangered specie in the South West geo-political zone, some leaders in the zone appreciated the bluntness of the statement but did not wish it to pass. It has. Daniel’s concern then was about the way the courts were awarding hitherto electoral victories to the ACN.

In fact, Daniel categorically said: “The capacity of our party to manage crisis is nil.

“We are all endangered species. But we will not”, Daniel charged, “concede one inch of space to the rampaging Bola Tinubu machinery. What happened in Ekiti State is a big shame to all of us without exception. What we have in our hand is a major challenge”. Daniel then went ahead to reel out a litany: “In Osun, what I am hearing is scary. If that kind of thing happens, it will be a disaster”. It was. AC N took over the governorship.

How did it all start? Well, the Alliance for Democracy, AD, an offshoot of the Second Republic Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, which itself succeeded the Action Group of the First Republic, clinched all the elective offices in February 1999 elections. Olusegun Obasanjo, who won the presidential election on the platform of the PDP vowed to capture the South West states.

He did in 2003; but Lagos, governed by Tinubu, was too strong to be captured. Before the 2007 election, Tinubu had to recreate a movement, doing away in the process with leaders of Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political and economic body and the AD which they founded, setting up Action Congress, AC, which is now AC N, mobilized heavily, retained Lagos for his party but went to court to challenge PDP’s victories in the other states. AC N won back Edo, Osun and Ekiti States.

But beyond all the judicial victories of the AC N came the new reality of what the people of the South West now want: A return to the philosophy of Pa Obafemi Awolowo, the Yoruba sage, who enunciated and put to practice the politics of development of the region.

Today, it is Ashiwaju Ahmed Tinubu who has become the rallying point for the movement which would have been subsumed had the politics been wrong. And that is where the strategy starts from.

Although after a few false starts, making attempts to form a coalition of a broad political alliance with some political bloc in the North which almost always failed, the Tinubu movement may have now come to terms with the need to first restore hope and confidence that the South west can again become the Western Region of the First republic where pace setting per development was the norm.

Sweeping the national assembly elections in the region, Tinubu’s AC N during the week had another opportunity to launch into full scale national arena with an alliance involving the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, led by former head of state, General Muhammadu Buhari. But the party dumped the option.

Fresh facts emerging suggest that the key reason why the option of going along with alliance failed was because after weighing the options open to it, the party decided that it would do well to sustain its hold on the South West and then re-launch at the 2015 polls.

The reasoning in the party is that it would serve its interest more to make the South West a fortress of sorts for other zones to copy, while simultaneously selling the ideals of good governance, not just through the party’s manifesto but through concrete symbols of developmental governance.

Already, Lagos and Edo States are clear examples of what a political party can do to a people. Osun and Ekiti States, which came late to the party has also rekindled hope that where there is will, there is always a way.
One of the AC N governors who spoke to Weekend Vanguard in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, during the week on the failed alliance talks gave an insight into the thinking in the party.

“The prospect for the alliance as contextualized by the media was a lie from the pit of hell”, he charged.
According to the state governor, “the conditions for an alliance are very simple and straight forward under any circumstance. It is about weighing the possibilities in any prospect and building on it. That is the real essence of an alliance in the first place.

“With what the AC N has been able to prove and demonstrate in the South West geo-political zone and in some other parts of the country, the essential purpose, which is to provide good governance for our people, can not only be achieved through the office of the President and Commander-in-Chief as it has been manifest in the past 12 years. Therefore, for us in the AC N the need to clinch the office of the President is not a do-or-die affair!

“In addition, when you place the successes recorded at the polls held last Saturday side by side, you discover that brand ACN’s prospects are brighter and better.

“Be that as it may, this idea of having to wait endlessly all in the name of an alliance simply became frustrating”, the governor concluded.

Asked what the next phase of discussions would be yesterday morning, the state governor simply responded: “I have better things to attend to and, therefore, I am on my way out of Abuja”.

He nonetheless pointed out that the time for mobilization of supporters for an alliance “was just not available. That is our position. The time is not feasible and the time is not there”.

Yet, the full import of what is going on in the South West is that with the zones block votes, a PDP presidential candidate would either have to negotiate with the emerging political leader, Tinubu, or risk the consequences of being over-confident and losing. And that was why the CPC made the last ditch attempt to forge the alliance.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/04/march-of-the-“progressives”-in-the-swest-how-acn-plans-to-sustain-grip/

If the outcome of last Saturday’s election into the National Assembly is anything to go by, today’s presidential election is clearly a straight fight among President Goodluck Jonathan (PDP), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (CPC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu (ACN); and Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau (ANPP).

The ruling party is already boasting even before the first ballot is cast today that its candidate will beat his opponents hands down gang up or no gang up, in reference to talks between the ACN and CPC to present a common front in the election.

Here are the strength and weaknesses of the major candidates.

Goodluck Jonathan
Nigeria’s first non elected executive President, clearly has a lot factors going for him. He represents the generation that is claiming leadership across the world. Many believe that the President represents that generation. If age is a boost for the PDP candidate, his academic qualification is a plus for him, and the PDP platform greatest asset to his ambition.

The proper understanding of incumbency factor in leadership emergence in the country, underscores this. Therefore, saying that federal might is an advantage to Jonathan, is as good as saying the obvious.
He would also be helped by his credential in leadership. His advent to power has helped to check shortages in the supply of fuel supply across the country. His administration has also increased the national minimum wage and helped in boosting the welfare of civil servants.

For a country where who becomes what, is usually shaped by ethnicity and religion the President appears to be confronted with the challenge of ethnicity and perhaps religion. Given the level of ethno/religious acrimony that characterized the campaign, it would not be out of place to see people voting on these sentiments.

Another threat to Jonathan’s bid is the hangover of the dispute over zoning in the PDP as championed by prominent Arewa leaders. It is, however, reassuring for Jonathan that the last minute plot for an alliance between the northern ACN and CPC presidential candidates failed.

Nuhu Ribadu
Long after he has ceased to be the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the mere mention of his name, unsettles many, especially public office holders. His emergence as the candidate of the ACN remains a puzzle to many, who can’t stop asking the rationale behind his choice among other tested big wigs in ACN.

The undisputed strength of the retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, is his membership of the ACN which is widely seen as the most vibrant opposition party in Nigeria. Interestingly, his platform has demonstrated how best to be an opposition party in a quasi one party state like Nigeria. Ribadu, shares a sound academic and civil service profile with his PDP counterpart.

He is the youngest of the major candidates.
Nonetheless, ethnic sympathy might also sway to the side of the ACN candidate, as some northerners might vote along ethnic lines today and should stand to benefit from votes from the ACN’s stronghold in the Southwest if the zonal leaders are able to push him through.

Ribadu also has the advantage of being the most internationally exposed candidate of the lot.
Unfortunately for him, his party is hardly a force outside of the South West.

Buhari
Though, not a few were at home with his style of leadership as military Head of State in the early 80s, Gen Buhari, has remained an issue in this election. Even his harshest critics maintain that he is more of an asset in this exercise. Buhari, who is flying the flag of the CPC, is undoubtedly, a serious contender.

While it could be possible to dismiss the CPC candidate as a political neophyte, ignoring Buhari would be at the expense of any candidate’s chances.

In addition, Buhari, who sacked Nigeria’s first executive President, President Aliyu Shehu Shagari, has a wealth of experience. His periods at Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Military Governor of Northeastern State, Head of State and Chairman of Petroleum Task Fund, PTF, recorded high profile achievements Buhari’s puritan tastes ironically has contributed to shadow him in the image of a zealot.

However, recent revelations of his personal life including his domestic staff have helped to puncture his alleged hatred of non-Muslims.

The combination of Buhari’s human rights record as head of state and his age, tend to rob him of support. At 69 he is said to be of the older generation that is out of sync with the trend of generational shift across the world.

He is also said in some quarters to be “too principled.”

Shekarau
Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, a former teacher entered into the political terrain shortly before the 2003 election. He was elected on the wave of popular euphoria that followed Buhari’s presidential bid of that year.

Governor Shekarau is unarguably the best speaker and possibly motivator of the lot. He was largely unknown outside Kano and the immediate environment and was notably brought to national reckoning during the NN24 presidential debate.

A trained teacher who moved from the classroom to the top echelon of the Kano civil service, he carries with him the advantages of a puritan, persuasive oratory and experience in government.

He also has the advantage of having a network of friends across the country having served as a past President of the All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools, ANCOPSS a forum through which he built a network of friends across the country. Shekarau has also sought to paint himself in the image of a puritan claiming in the course of the campaign that he has maintained only one bank account since his days as a teacher, that he has no foreign bank account and indeed no building of his own anywhere in Nigeria.

Shekarau has, however, come under persistent criticism of chasing shadows in his presidential quest. It is remarkable that the political consensus that was built around him after he came to power as Governor in Kano State is now said to have become a castle in the air. His party was almost totally vanquished during last week’s National Assembly elections.

Shekarau is also said believed not to have a total nationwide structure that would ordinarily protect his interest at the different polling booths across the country.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/04/the-odds-favour-jonathan/

Goodluck Jonathan:One of my greatest goals in government is to restore the dignity of the Nigerian nation and her citizens.

I grew up at a time when Nigeria was led by a man I would classify as a specimen of gentle-manliness. Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa led a government that saw Nigeria stand tall as a nation that was not divided along narrow interests.

As a teenager, my patriotism was further fired up by that phrase from General Yakubu Gowon to the effect that ‘to keep Nigeria One is a task that must be done’. General Gowon made that statement over 40 years ago, but it is as true today as it was then. Nigeria is one Nation and it is our determination to keep it so.

The biggest task before us in the now is to build this Nation of many peoples into an indivisible Nation where the people united in one will be greater than the sum of all her constituent parts. We must make the “We the People” call as enshrined in the Supreme Statute of our land, the constitution, come to life in words and deed. Dear Compatriots, my primary goal in government which must not be mistaken is to return Nigeria to “We the people”.— Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

His promises
For President Goodluck Jonathan , improvements in the well-being of Nigerians are the ultimate objective of the PDP’s economic policy, and and he would make accessible to every Nigerian the basic needs of life. His focus would be to create a market-based economy driven by small and medium scale businesses and regulated by a reformed public sector.

The objective of the party is the pursuit of a strong, virile and diversified economy built to stem rural urban migration through investment in modern agricultural methods. The PDP’s economic policy is centered on people and it seeks to realise the Millennium Development Goals while aiming to develop a middle class driven by small business owners, professional class with access to credit; create easy access to transferable property rights in urban and rural areas; protect the weak and poor through initiatives designed to integrate them in the economy; improve investment in physical and social infrastructure.

The PDP aims, altogether, at establishing the leading economy in Africa as one of the 20 leading and largest economies in the World by 2020; an economy that experiences rapid and sustained growth of not less than 10 percent per annum.

On the judiciary and the administration of justice, the party shall at all times uphold and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; uphold the principles of separation of powers as enshrined in the Constitution; uphold the Independence of the Judiciary; ensure the security of lives and property of all Nigerians.

General Muhammadu Buhari:
“Well, it would appear that individuals are free to live wherever they choose to live and live comfortably.
Individuals are also very free to leave the country if they so choose, especially since they would be able to afford it.

Those of us who are sentenced to live in Nigeria will continue to live in this country because for us, we do not have any other country than this and we would not leave the country and go and seek comfort in another country. Well, if people would feel unsafe, they can leave the country.” —General Buhari
His promises

CPC’s General Muhammadu Buhari plans to generate, transmit and distribute at least 15,000 megawatt of electricity by 2015 and increase it to 50,000 megawatt by 2019 with a view to achieving 24/7 uninterrupted power supply by 2019.

He also promises a fundamental political reform and improvement in governance to make it more transparent and accountable. CPC will initiate action to amend the Constitution with a view to devolving powers, duties and responsibilities to states and local government to entrench federalism and the federal spirit.

General Buhari would also effect changes in five key areas when elected into power. They are politics and governance, security and conflict resolution, the economy and infrastructure base, the society and human capital development and the environment. He will facilitate the removal of immunity clauses from our constitution.

With the removal of immunity clause, the president, vice-presidents, governors, deputy governors can be prosecuted for civil or criminal offences. He will initiate action(s) towards constitutional amendments, to ensure true federalism.

Ibrahim Shekarau:
“ Those who call themselves northern elders, up till today, none of them has approached me as I speak to you. No group of people has come out to say ‘yes, we have constituted ourselves into a body of elders and we represent the North’ and they approached me, none. The ones who even paraded themselves as such are limited to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

That was their show and not representative of the North as a whole. If they were representing the North as they claimed, why didn’t they invite some of us who were not in PDP. I think we are misusing the phrase.

There is no such thing as a group for us in the North. They didn’t invite us from the beginning to the end of their process, it was a PDP affair. That is mere wishful-thinking for those who were trying to do it. People can wish for there to be a consensus candidate from the North, but the question to ask is: what are people doing to achieve that.”—Ibrahim Shekarau

His promises
Shekarau, ANPP presidential candidate, believes that if he focuses on upright leadership, all the ills of the country including corruption, unstable power supply, poor infrastructure and inadequate health facilities would be addressed.

Nuhu Ribadu:
“ The time has come for people of our generation to take a plunge and liberate Nigeria from the woods. Those who ruled us in the past and disappointed us should not be given a chance to come back because they had their chance and failed. Our generation should be given the chance to lead Nigeria and this is the change that we desire and we believe we can. Together we can.” —Nuhu Ribadu

His promises
Nuhu Ribadu promises that his administration would bring to all Nigerians a sense of hope that would radiate across the land when the party initiates its one million houses a-year programme and through this scheme alone, open the doors for 30 million jobs. He also plans to create a highly trained, highly mobile and highly motivated military corps; create and maintain Armed Forces capable of discharging their constitutional role at all times and in all circumstances. He also would use the armed forces to support the country’s foreign policy objectives.

On foreign policy, the party states it will pursue friendly and reciprocal relations on a bilateral and multilateral basis across the world, especially within the West Africa sub-region and within Africa as a whole.

He promises to observe conventions and obligations of regional and international organisations of which Nigeria is a member; maintain and strengthen Nigeria’s membership of regional and international organisations to facilitate the attainment of Nigeria’s national interest. The party says it will resist all forms of discrimination, domination and aggression against Nigeria and against any other state. The party’s health policy will place greater emphasis on preventive and primary healthcare.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/04/what-the-candidates-are-promising-nigerians/

Two bomb explosions occured before accreditation commenced at 8am near polling units, in Lamisula, at Kashim Ibrahim Galadima junction in Maiduguri, Saturday as the presidential election kicked off in Nigeria.

Another blast was said to have went off near INEC’s office, on the eve of the presidential polls, Friday night.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/04/bomb-blasts-rock-maiduguri-again/

What is this coutry turning into?

Why is osama bin laden silent? Why is samuel peters quiet and why is lucky igbinedion not talking?

r231:
why are you trying to blind me

take it easy brother that is why i decided not to put my trust in them totally 1 leg chelsea 1 leg real madrid

imagine

The occasion was the commissioning of the New Conference Centre for the use of traditional rulers in Ogun State, but it turned out to be a valedictory gathering where traditional rulers from all corners of Ogun State passed their verdict on the eight year of stewardship of the Otunba Gbenga Daniel’s administration.

Oba Michael Sonariwo, the Akarigbo of Remo and the current chairman of the Ogun State Council of Obas, set the ball rolling inside the glittering new hall adjacent to the sprawling Obas Complex, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, shortly after the Ogun State governor had inaugurated the edifice on Thursday March 31.

Oba Sonariwo said the consensus verdict of traditional rulers in the state was that the OGD-led administration had recorded giant developmental strides in all facets of human endeavor, especially the transformation of the socio-cultural values of the people. He said since the inception of the state, the pride of place accorded traditional institutions by the outgoing administration had been unprecedented.

He listed the achievements recorded under the watch of Governor Daniel to include the construction of the Obas Complex which he said had become a model in the South West geopolitical zone; holistic repositioning of the institution of obaship, the classification and upgrading of Obas and the state-of-the-art conference centre.

Oba Sonariwo said the governor’s laudable achievements had been written with indelible ink and would remain a source of inspiration to generations yet unborn.

Oba Gbadebo Oni, the Olu of Imashai and acting chairman of the Yewa Council of Obas, said Governor Daniel had changed the status of the state from a sleepy civil service enclave to a commercially vibrant entity. He said the Yewa had double reasons to be grateful for the contributions of the governor to the development of the Ogun West Senatorial district and for supporting the aspirations of the Yewa to produce a governor for the first time in the history of the state. He said the criticisms that had come the way of the governor were as a result of his intimidating achievements, adding that despite criticisms from some quarters, nobody could deny the fact that the governor had turned Ogun into a model state.

Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, the Alake of Egbaland, said Governor Daniel was able to record remarkable achievements and make the difference because he was not a typical politician, but a professional in politics.

For the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, the Daniel-led administration would score first class, were it to be graded.

“You have done very well. I can assure you that after you leave office, even your detractors will praise you. All the bickering and hecklings are all about politics; they do not represent the genuine verdict of the people of the state about your stewardship. The genuine verdict of the people of Ogun State is that you have done excellently well,” Oba Adetona said to thunderous ovation from the traditional rulers present.

Otunba Daniel, in his response, said the attention paid by his administration to the traditional institution was deliberate and was done to continually harness the contributions of the traditional rulers to the development of their domain and the state. While thanking the obas for what he described as their superb support for his administration, he enjoined the royal fathers to extend the same level of cooperation to his successor.

Otunba Daniel also admonished the obas not to allow the development of the state and the people to be sacrificed on the altar of ego of an individual or group. The governor also publicly asked the royal fathers to pardon any errors of omission or commission that might have been committed by his administration, saying it was never the intention of his administration to dishonor any monarch or the sacred institution of obaship.

Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Tunde Alabi, said the Daniel-led administration had delivered on all its promises to reposition tradition institutions in the state. He described the new complex as a robust testimony of the pride of place the custodians of the culture and tradition of the people occupied in the administration. He said the conference hall’s main auditorium had the capacity to accommodate over 200 monarchs, while the gallery had capacity to seat 102 guests. He said with the new conference hall, monarchs in the state now had a befitting ambience to continue their robust contributions to the development of the Gateway State.

http://tribune.com.ng/sun/index.php/the-polity/3538-when-daniel-got-verdict-of-monarchs

gernded:
You dont know politics Bro you are still learning

Kalu who could not win his ward at the senatorial race how can he affect vote of the Abians

South east may vote anybody at the governorship or national assembly But presidential can never be nagotiated with any man is GEJ all the way.


Too if you would like to learn Politics please contact me.

please i am not a politician and i would like to learn about politics all the nitty gritty if you would teach me.How do you propose i start learning i can assure you am a fast learner

sorry i didnt have that much time

Unlike in the past when voting pattern was usually predictable during presidential polls, voters may alter the pattern in this week’s election. Our reporters have been monitoring developments and voters’ attitude in all the states of the federation and below are their submissions: SOUTH-EAST This region’s votes may be shared between Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari. But Jonathan holds the ace. Abia state The feud between ex-governor Orji Uzor Kalu and the incumbent Chief T. A. Orji may affect the bloc votes that would have easily been given to President Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Abia State. Kalu, a chieftain of the Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA, is believed to be a sympathizer of a northern candidacy for the 2011 presidential seat. He is believed to be rooting for General Buhari of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC. If Kalu directs his supporters to vote for Buhari, the votes might go either way – for Jonathan or Buhari. Whoever wins will do so by a slim margin. As things stand now, Jonathan’s chances seem a bit brighter than any other candidate’s in the state. Enugu Jonathan’s chances are brighter in this state than in Abia. But it depends on what the Adamu Ciroma-led Northern Peoples Leaders Forum, NPLF, brings to the table this week. If the NPLF categorically states that it would cede power to the South-East in 2015, then Enugu state and a substantial part of the South-East region may vote for General Buhari. Ebonyi The voting pattern here may also favour Jonathan. PDP may win in this state by a landslide margin. Anambra Jonathan would win in this state by landslide. Imo This may be one of the unpredictable states in the South-East that may vote in negation of its traditional pattern. Due to the hatred and outrage of most indigenes of Imo State against Governor Ohakim, Jonathan may not perform creditably in this state during this week’s election.
[b]
SOUTH-SOUTH

The voting here would essentially favour Jonathan. Bayelsa Jonathan would win by a terrific landslide in this state – but not by 100 per cent. This is Jonathan’s home state. Cross River Joanthan would win convincingly in this state. Mallam Nuhu Ribadu of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, may also be a factor here. Rivers This state belongs to Jonathan too – although Buhari would make a good showing here. Edo State It is believed that the governor of the state, Comrade Adams Oshimhole of ACN, may cross-carpet to the PDP in future and therefore may harbour some sympathy for the ruling party. Also, the monarch of the Benin Kingdom, Omo N’oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, is believed to favour a PDP/Jonathan victory in this week’s poll. The contest in this state, therefore, would strictly be between Jonathan and Ribadu. Akwa Ibom state Due to the loss of their 86 oil wells to Rivers state through the Supreme Court judgment, about which they believed Jonathan did the popular ACN candidate in the state, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, whose predicament is believed by many in the state to be orchestrated by the Jonathan-led PDP, it is very much doubtful if Jonathan will win in this state at this weekend’s poll. Delta state Jonathan would convincingly win in this state, perhaps with a modestly good showing by Buhari.

SOUTH-WEST
Ribadu looms large in this region. Jonathan too would not disappoint. Lagos Contrary to our penultimate week’s report that Lagos is one of the states Jonathan may lose, at press time weekend, it became evident that if there is free and fair election in the state, Candidate Jonathan would win fair and square in Lagos. Osun Ribadu would also win here. Buhari and Jonathan would do well too. Ekiti Ribadu would win here too. Ondo Ribadu’s chances are bright here. But the decision of Governor Mimiko this are bright here. But the decision of Governor Mimiko this week would determine who ultimately wins in this state. Whoever Mimiko supports would win by landslide. Ogun Ribadu and Buhari may win in this state. The conspiracy against ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, political godfather of Candidate Jonathan, may see the PDP losing this state to Ribadu or Buhari. Oyo Jonathan may win in this state. Buhari’s chances are very bright here too.

NORTH EAST
Buhari would perform very well in this geo-political zone. Adamawa state Ribadu may win in this state, but the odds greatly favour Jonathan. Bauchi Buhari would win in this state by landslide. Gombe Buhari would win here too, by landslide. Borno This state looks good for Buhari, but Jonathan may get some votes. Yobe Buhari would win here, by landslide. Taraba Three-horse race between Ribadu, Buhari and Jonathan.

NORTH-WEST
This is Buhari’s stronghold; his enclave. Kano Buhari would get 95 per cent votes here. Kebbi Buhari would get overwhelming votes here. Kaduna PDP has never lost Kaduna state, the political capital of northern Nigeria. But it is set to lose it to Buhari at this Saturday’s poll. Katsina Buhari would win by a landslide victory. Zamfara Buhari would win gallantly in this state too. Jigawa Buhari would win in this state too, but Jonathan would do some showing. Sokoto The elites in this state favour Jonathan, but the masses prefer Buhari. Both candidates would do well. But our reporters cannot predict the winner of the contest in this state, although this state is the cradle of Islam in Nigeria.

NORTH CENTRAL
This zone would be shared amongst the candidates. FCT (Abuja) Against popular projections, FCT may be won by Buhari. But it would be a tight fight between Jonathan and Buhari. Nasarawa state Buhari would win convincingly in this state. Kogi state Shekarau, Buhari and Jonathan would hotly sweat it out here. Too close to call here. Benue Ribadu or Buhari may win in this state. It is going to be a difficult terrain for Jonathan. Kwara Jonathan or Buhari may win in this state. The intrigues and plots in Kwara were not substantially accessible by press time, weekend. Niger Buhari would win convincingly in this state. Ribadu may make some good showing too. Conclusion: Who wins this Saturday’s presidential election? Two factors are critical to the determination of the likely victor at this weekend’s poll: Alliance between ACN and CPC, and; the public endorsement of any of the candidates by the Adamu Ciroma-led NPLF.

FRESHFACTS is reasonably convinced that Jonathan and PDP would lose woefully, if the ACN and CPC announce a pact between them and allow the candidate of one of the two parties to fly the flag of the alliance. This newspaper’s past analyses had consistently favoured the triumph of a northern candidate, until the alliance talks between ACN and CPC broke down few months ago. But with reports of fresh talks of possible partnership between the opposition parties dove-tailing into last weekend, PDP’s victory is not assured at this Saturday’s poll. That scenario is unimaginable by most Nigerians, but it is a very strong possibility. The position of the NPLF is also critical to the victory or loss of the PDP this Saturday. It is believed that if the NPLF throws it weight behind Jonathan, it may be a big boost for his electoral fortunes this weekend, and if, on the other hand, it chooses to support a northern candidate, it may spell doom to Jonathan’s chances. The possibility of a re-run election is strong if there is no alliance[/left][/b]

Jonathan as its flagbearer, his Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, challenger, General Muhammadu Buhari, rtd; that of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN; Nuhu Ribadu and current Kano state governor and All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP candidate, Ibrahim Shekarau, remain front runners, with the first three set for a landmark clash. Though bookmakers are giving the poll to Jonathan by as much as 68 per cent, FRESHFACTS investigations reveal that Buhari's current rating can possibly be upped by developments in the polity since penultimate week following the failed attempt at conducting the National Assembly election April 2, 2011, for which the ruling party and the president have received serious disparagement, many of them uninformed though. But in the midst of the speculations on the nature of the clash, tension amidst uncertainties and telling plots mount. Clash of titans While Jonathan is going into the race with a bagful of civilian democratic experience to fall back on, his close rival, Buhari, has another kind of experience, military governance to flaunt. From his little corner office as deputy governor of Bayelsa state in 1999, Jonathan rose through the ranks via being the substantive governor of the state, through being the country's vice president, then Acting president to his current office, since last year. Many have since attributed a unique divine finger of God in the president's upliftment to his present position; and most of such persons believe that that finger has still not departed from Jonathan. Besides, the president's manifesto against the back drop of his perceived achievements in office so far, look attractive to voters sampled. Many too were swayed by his persona and calm mien which they reckon are commendable qualities for a president of a country of the status of Nigeria. "Save for a few persons around him, I think the president has no cause for alarm at the elections. Buhari is going into the contest with nothing really concrete to show. But here is a man you do not need to stay awake all night to understand his policy direction and countenance. Yes, there must be a tough battle for votes, but the president will remain president by May 29," remarked a northwest PDP state governor on phone last week. The governor is however not unmindful of weaknesses of the Jonathan ticket vis-à-vis his largely believed dependence on former president Olusegun Obasanjo for crucial national policy directions, inability to discipline erring ministers including other appointees, as well as his inability to take firm position on crucial national matters as factors that easily count against him. He is perceived as not being able to manage the fallouts of the amnesty programme of his late principal, Umaru Musa Yar'Adua. Instead, many say he easily panders to the whims and caprices of ex-militants, some of whom remain unrepentant in their words and conduct. Buhari, CPC's presidential candidate spoke the mind of majority Nigerians last Tuesday in Lagos when he declared that if voted in, one of his very first moves would be to delete section 308 from the country's constitution. He also told fellow Nigerians that his administration if elected, would run true federalism that will see power devolved to states and the local governments. The fallouts of the Lagos declaration may not have really impacted on the reactions of the polity; and by extension, the rating the CPC candidate currently enjoys. But many count on the likelihood of a rise in Buhari's rating as the days become hours and minutes ahead the presidential poll. The postponement of the scheduled national assembly polls from April 2 to April 9, 2011 may not be helping Jonathan's chance in the countdown to Saturday's poll. Save for any last minute change, hitherto pro-Jonathan personalities, especially in the north west geo-political zone who never saw anything bad in their hero, secretly jumped ship to other competing parties after the postponement was announced, citing the PDP-led presidency as responsible for the bungling by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Military hang-over? Going by the loads of last minute publicity efforts by opponents of the CPC and Buhari hitting the pages of the newspapers by the day, it would appear that there abounds a sizeable number of Nigerians who remain uncomfortable with the military past of the retired General. Many in this camp easily point to the vehemence with which he announced how he would fight corruption, his not-too-impressive outing at a presidential debate organized by a digital television station, NN24 and his penchant for seeing every other Nigerian as evil, as a big minus for a man who aspires to preside over a nation mostly peopled by the ignorant, deprived and diseased of the earth. Above all, Buhari's apparent non-realisation of the fact that in a democracy, he cannot decree his intentions into reality portends grave danger for his ambition. The constitutionally approved procedures and processes for creating, remaking and even to amend any matter affecting the nation and its people, requires strict adherence in trying to change the status quo. According to another northwest state governor, "did you hear what he said in Lagos? Does he not realize that amending any section of our constitution would require not less than two-thirds of the states of the federation to okay it before it becomes possible?" He added that it is when such a time comes that such a president would realize that "khaki no be leather. I think it is the result of military hangover." As for Ribadu and Shekarau, opinions were united at press time, that their respective time to spring any surprise or to give PDP a run for its money, or win a major political contest like that of the president of Nigeria is certainly, not 2011. None of them is likely to spring a landmark surprise either.

Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema of Katsina State could be packing his belongings in Ghana Must Go bags by now. Results from weekend’s National Assembly elections in the state, in which his PDP went from controlling every seat to controlling not a single seat, has already caused panic in the Katsina Government House.
For a while after President Umaru Yar’adua’s death last May, Shema looked unassailable in Katsina with the sudden collapse of his rivals, the “Abuja PDP” led by former Agriculture Minister Abba Sayyadi Ruma. Then the CPC came along and overwhelmed him in General Muhammadu Buhari’s home state.

Shema’s next door neighbour in Zamfara State, Alhaji Mamuda Aliyu Shinkafi, is not sleeping with his two eyes closed either. His epic fight with his predecessor in office and former benefactor Alhaji Ahmed Sani, Yariman Bakura climaxed at the weekend when Yarima’s ANPP beat Shinkafi’s PDP in the state.

Nor is Kaduna State governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa sleeping easy, with the impressive showing of the CPC in the state against his party, PDP. His counterpart in Oyo State, the former policeman Adebayo Alao-Akala, must be on sentry duties these days. ACN comprehensively walloped his PDP in Oyo State, so much so that in most of the races, PDP finished third, behind ACN and the Accord Party of Akala’s former boss, Rasheed Ladoja.

Talk about governors looking for the door,

http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16759:these-men-are-in-trouble&catid=82:verdict-2011

In Nigerian politics, anointment by an outgoing incumbent is more or less a sure banker for victory. Yet, after last weekend’s National Assembly elections, things no longer appear that simple for Kano State ANPP governorship candidate Salihu Sagir Takai, his Borno counterpart Kashim Shettima and Gboyega Isiaka of the PPN in Ogun State.


In Kano, Governor Ibrahim Shekarau bypassed his deputy and ignored strident opposition from within the party to prop up Takai, his former commissioner, as his successor. However, while outgoing incumbents stayed back home to work for their anointed, Shekarau moved around in a long shot at the presidency. Meanwhile, his long-term rival and predecessor Rabiu Kwankwaso of the PDP has been burrowing into Shekarau’s support base.


Now that PDP came from behind to snatch two senatorial seats and 11 House of Representatives slots, Takai must be back on the drawing board already.

Thing are probably worse for Kashim Shettima in Borno State, as his godfather Governor Ali Sheriff lost the senatorial race while the ANPP suffered massive losses in the National Assembly elections to the PDP. So where does this leave Shettima? His fate won’t be decided before April 26, but things do not look quite good for Sheriff’s man.

For his part, Isiaka hurriedly defected to the PPN after the courts ruled that his rival won the PDP guber ticket for Ogun State. Revelling in the support of Governor Gbenga Daniel, Isiaka must have been thinking that the coast to the government house was still clear even out of PDP. But after the Action Congress of Nigeria swept all the seats in the National Assembly elections on Saturday, the once-awesome “incumbency factor” is demystified in Ogun State.

http://www.dailytrust.dailytrust.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16760:trouble-for-the-annoited&catid=82:verdict-2011

Results of the National Assembly elections released so far indicate the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) is in a position to become the new leading opposition party in Nigeria, reports Sunday Oguntola.

It has taken almost a decade. But it has been worth the waiting. Finally, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) is back in its prime position. In 1999, the entire six Southwest states were governed by the progressive Alliance for Democracy (AD), which later transformed to the ACN. All elected politicians from the region then from the local to the federal levels emerged under the platform of AD. Observers said the region witnessed the most rapid transformations since the advent of democratic rule within that period.

Developments took a long flight in 2003 and 2007 when reactionary forces captured the region. Only Lagos state stood firm against the rampaging rigging machinery of the Federal Government- backed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Infrastructures nosedived; developments stagnated and the conditions of living deteriorated. Nationally, the ACN lost its ranking as a leading opposition party. National Assembly’s legislators could not push through radical, progressive bills.

Governor Raji Fashola of Lagos was the lone voice of progressive politics in the Governors’ forum. But good days are back again for progressive politics. ACN recaptured Edo, then Ekiti and Osun in what some have aptly described as a major political tsunami. Last Saturday’s National elections further brightened the party’s return to prominence. It won all the Senatorial and House of Representatives seats available in Lagos, which has been its enclave.

In Ogun, the party swept all three senatorial seats and three out of the four House of Representatives seats released so far. In Oyo, ACN has two senatorial seats, leaving PDP with one. It shares four Reps with the Accord Party while PDP has five. In Osun, all the three senatorial seats are in ACN’ kitty. Eight out of the nine Reps slots have been delivered to the party. In Edo, the ACN has two to one PDP’s senatorial seats. It also won 6 Reps seats, leaving only two for the PDP. When Ekiti votes on April 26 for the rescheduled National Assembly, it is certain the party will have more seats to boast of.

But the party’s good showing transcends the South West region. In the North Central, some House of Representative seats are falling to ACN. In Benue, it has two Reps seats just like the ruling PDP. In Kogi, the party has won only seat out of the four declared so far. In Plateau, the party has one of the six House of Representatives seat. In the South South, only the party has managed to take something out of the PDP. It has a Reps seat in Akwa Ibom courtesy of its governorship candidate, John Udoehehe.

Available statistics show the party has won 31 House of Representatives seats compared to PDP’s 48. The ACN has 11 senatorial seats to PDP’s 13. When the remaining 15 senatorial districts and 48 federal constituencies eventually take place, it is expected the party will gain more grounds and consolidate its position as the new leading opposition party in Nigeria.

April 10, 2011 03:00PM print email











(Unconfirmed)-Osun West: Mudashiru Hussein (ACN) defeats Isiaka Adeleke (PDP)

Osun Central: Prof Adeyeye (ACN) defeats Oyinlola (PDP)

Ogun Central: (ACN, Gbenga Obadara defeats Iyabo Obasanjo)

Ogun South (ACN winning)

Ogun North (ACN winning)

Ogun South Fed: Segun Williams ACN defeats Dimeji Bankole (PDP)

Lagos East: Gbenga Ashafa of ACN (unconfirmed)

Lagos Central: ACN Remi Tinubu winning


Oyo : ACN winning in two of the senatorial districts

Imo: APGA winning in the 3 senatorial districts

Gombe: CPC wiing in the 3 senatorial districs

Aso Rock Villa: CPC defeats PDP in the two polling units




(Unconfirmed)-Area 2 garki abuja ward, senate-Invalid votes 11 votes,PDP 100 votes,CPC 214 votes,APGA 18 votes,Acn 25 votes,ALP 2 votes,CAP 4 votes,NTP 7 votes,SDNP 2,ADC 1,BPP 11,BPA 2,NCP 2,PPN 2,ANPP 10 votes,LP 27 votes,APN 2 votes


(Unconfirmed)-IFE CENTRAL LGA

SENATORIAL :
ACN - 12,035, PDP - 9,098

IFE EAST LGA

SENATORIAL :
ACN - 11,868, PDP - 8563

IFE SOUTH LGA

SENATORIAL :
ACN - 8822, PDP - 5755

IFE NORTH LGA

SENATORIAL :
ACN - 9260, PDP - 4311

ATAKUNMOSA WEST LGA

HOUSE OF REP. :
ACN - 7770, PDP - 1643

ATAKUNMOSA EAST LGA

SENATORIAL :
ACN - 12,473, PDP - 2515

HOUSE OF REP:
ACN - 12,119, PDP - 2,383

OLAOLUWA LGA

SENATORIAL :
ACN - 8441, PDP - 4748

HOUSE OF REP:
ACN - 8146, PDP - 4847

EDE NORTH LGA

SENATORIAL :
ACN - 7754, PDP - 13386

HOUSE OF REP: ACN - 11902, PDP - 5861

IFEDAYO LGA

SENATORIAL :
ACN - 3750, PDP - 2176

HOUSE OF REP:
ACN - 3579, PDP - 1925

IWO LGA

SENATORIAL :
ACN - 21,639, PDP - 9885

HOUSE OF REP:
ACN - 21,253, PDP - 10,645

- (Unconfirmed)The result of ungwan liman lere polling unit, lere town Kaduna state is; ANPP= 6, CPC= 440, PDP= 46, sources Kasimu Shehu Lere from Lere town.
Please note the result on lere town is House of Reps only Senate has move to 26th.
Result from Tsafe in one polling unit as follows; senate ANPP= 530, PDP= 117. Reps ANPP= 524, PDP, 124.
-Dr Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe ((ACN) defeats Dr Bukola Sakari (PDP); declared Senator-elect for Kwara Central Senatorial District

-Oyetunde Husain Mudashiru (ACN) defeats Isiaka Adeleke (PDP); declared Senator-elect for Osun West Senatorial District
-Rtd Maj-Gen Law Onaja (ACN) defeats PDP's Sen David Mark with 51.2% lawful votes; declared Sen.-elect for Benue-South
Presiding Officer in Oluyole (Ibadan) caught changing votes to favour ACN. He has been arrested
A youth leader in Benue arrested with AK47 gun.
-Pollwatch2011 can confirm there was sporadic shooting at INEC collation in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

-(Unconfirmed)

Vice president,s polling unit PDP 6 votes CPC 406 votes the VP who relocated to kaduna for the past 10 days left kaduna immediately in shame.
Abuja
Wuse zone 3 result
PU 37/06/04/028
CPC
Senate 294.
House of rep 226
PDP
Senate 189
House of Rep 200

Maitama Yedseram Street
PU:37/06/04/025
CPC
House of Rep 373
Senate 359
PDP
House of Rep 52
Senate 48
ACN
House of Rep 15
Senate 11
ANPP
House of Rep 15
Senate 14
Former Gov George Akume(ACN) defeats PDP's Terngu Tsegba with 57% lawful votes; declared Senator-elect for Benue West
҉

House of Reps:
ANPP:7 ACN:14 PDP:78 CPC:337

Senate:
ANPP:6 PRP: 3 ADC: 3 ACN: 22 PDP:62 CPC:348


Osun East: Omoworare (ACN) defeats Omisore (PDP)

Osun West: Mudashiru Hussein (ACN) defeats Isiaka Adeleke (PDP)

Osun Central: Prof Adeyeye (ACN) defeats Oyinlola (PDP)

Ogun Central (ACN, Gbenga Obadara defeats Iyabo Obasanjo)

Ogun South (ACN winning)

Ogun North (ACN winning)

Ogun South Fed: Segun Williams ACN defeats Dimeji Bankole (PDP)

Lagos East: Gbenga Ashafa of ACN declared winner

Lagos Central: ACN Remi Tinubu winning

Benue: Lawrence Onoja of ACN defeats David Mark of PDP

Kwara: Ilorin (ACN defeats PDP Bukola Saraki

Oyo : ACN winning in two of the senatorial districts

Imo: APGA winning in the 3 senatorial districts

Gombe: CPC wiing in the 3 senatorial districs

Aso Rock Villa: CPC defeats PDP in the two polling units
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-ACN is leading ilorin central counts


-Symphatizers stormed sarakis houses as action congress won ilorin central, maintain lead in other part of the state



-Late president Yar'Adua's daughter, Maryam Umar Yar'Adua of PDP loses out with 26,674 votes to Mohammed Tukur of CPC with 45,573 votes in landslide defeat in Katsina Federal constituency elections into the House of Reps.


-Rafeequat Arinola Onabimiro wins Badagry West Federal constituency in Lagos state

-Unconfirmed reports of shots fired at INEC office in Abeokuta, Ogun state.INEC officials found secretly indulging mass thumb printing in a vehicle in Apapa, Lagos,

-Another bomb blast in Maiduguri,

-Ballot box snatcher, Emeka Amute shot dead in Delta by soldiers.

-Fake military impersonators arrested at Ijebu Ode,

-Senatorial candidate gave #5k cash at polling points to voters to gain votes in Ibadan,

-Osun PDP's Oluwole Olukanni arrested with pump action rifle & #1m after ballot snatching,

-Serving Senator from Bayelsa found with corpers and some inec staff with Ballot boxes in his residence

-AIT reporter Beaten up in Delta State.

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The absence of political parties at INEC office in Ilorin, kwara state is delaying Inec from announcing the overall results. Only PDP and ACN are here.

Unconfirmed: Jibjigi:Old airport qtrs, Minna, Niger state. Senate/ Rep respectively; ACN:27, 24. ANPP: 15, 9. PDP: 151, 127. CPC:447, 466.


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The Ondo Sstate Commissioner for Environment, Chief Lebi Adeputi last Saturday escaped death by the whiskers at Mahintedo, in Ilaje Local Government of the state, following an attack on him by some suspected thugs who pumped several gunshots at his car.

Sunday Tribune gathered that the incident occurred when the commissioner was allegedly preparing for his accreditation for the rescheduled National Assembly polls by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

It was further learnt that Adeputi , aside from trying to exercise his civic right by casting his vote on the fateful day, he was also allegedly trying to ensure proper allocation of Ballot boxes, election materials and INEC personnel

An eye witness account revealed that the INEC officials were said to have arrived late to the polling booths in the community and the commissioner attempted to ensure proper allocation of election materials and the positioning of INEC personnel.

The source who craved anonymity further disclosed that while the commissioner was trying to do that some suspected party thugs who had allegedly laid siege somewhere within the community, came out with arms and ammunitions and allegedly shot at his car.

Confirming the incident was the Police Public Relations Officer, Ondo State Police Command, Mr Aremu Adeniran in an interview with the Sunday Tribune.

He said the victim had officially reported the case to the authorities of the state Police Command, adding that the case was still being investigated by the police with the view to getting the suspects arrested and prosecuted.

‘He missed death by the whiskers from his attackers and went almost immediately to incident the matter at a police station, just as a team of policemen attached to the station rose to the occasion by going out to fish out some of the suspects who had taken flight as soon as they carried out their criminal acts; the source stated.

Meanwhile, The National Assembly election in some riverine communities in Warri South West Local Government Areas of Delta State on Saturday went awry as election materials were thrown into the sea by some political thugs.

In Okerenkoko and Orufa Island communities, voting, though started, late was in progress when some youths believed to be loyal to an ex-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) now in Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) stormed the communities and snatched electoral materials and threw them into the sea.

SundayTribune gathered that in Orufa Island, 10 armed thugs fired severally into the air and just when people were running for dear lives, snatched the electoral materials and flung them into the sea.

That of Okerenkoko took a similar shape but election went on smoothly in other riverine communities but in Ughelli in Ughelli South Local Government, two youths were shot for failure to adhere to security instructions.

It was gathered that the youths were on escort of election materials and refused to stop for security checks and were shot while the third person was arrested and taking to Ughelli Police Station.

Late arrival of election materials characterized yesterday election in most parts of Delta State with voting starting as late as 3.50 p.m. on some areas like Delta Steel Company (DSC) Aladja in Udu Local Government Area.

Amidst tight security, an attempt by agents of a candidate to take advantage of late distribution to divert election materials in Udu Local Government Area was thwarted by security agents as they pursued the culprits and retrieved the materials with two suspects arrested.

He commended the orderliness of the election and called on voters to continue the remaining election in that spirit.

http://tribune.com.ng/sun/index.php/news/3615-commissioner-escapes-assassination-in-ondo

HE arrest of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman in Nasarawa Eggon Local Government, Jacob Ali, for allegedly being in possession of electoral materials, was part of the highlights of the conduct of the National Assembly elections in Nasarawa State which witnessed a huge turn out of voters on Saturday.

His arrest came on a day that underaged persons had a field day participating in voting exercise in parts of the state.

The PDP chairman was nabbed in Ube in Nasarawa Eggon following reports received by security agents that he was in possession of the materials.

He was said to have been subsequently paraded through the town before being whisked away to an unknown destination.

Sunday Tribune learnt that was released., when further investiga-tions revealed that he did not even have voting materials on him as alleged.

While Saturday’s exercise went on smoothly in most parts of the state, it was observed that polling booths were not provided in Kagbu I polling stations which left the voters to cast their votes on bare tables in the full glare of other people.

However, Senator Patricia Akwashiki said that the exercise was peaceful.

In Akwanga, many underaged persons voted unhindered in polling stations, especially in areas around Bayan Dutse.

Some of them were not more than 13 years but had valid registration cards which were kept in the custody of the parents who displayed the cards to Sunday Tribune.

Over all, the state recorded a high turn out of voters who came out early and waited patiently for hours to exercise their franchise.

While accreditation commenced in many places from about 9am, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials failed to report on time in some polling units, thereby delaying the take off of the exercise.

No official was in Buku centre in Akwanga East until about 12 pm when actual voting was supposed to have started.

Head of INEC team at the centre, Charles Udoh, blamed their late arrival on the late distribution of voting materials at the Akwanga zonal office of INEC.

There was however, a low turn out of voters in Wanba Local Government where it was also observed that party officials distributed cash at Ungwar Rimi polling stations in an apparent attempt to induce voters.

Doma, which is the local government of Governor Aliyu Akwe Doma, also recorded low turn out even though officials were confident that voters would appear in a last minute rush.

http://tribune.com.ng/sun/index.php/news/3617-pdp-chairman-arrested-in-nasarawa-as-underaged-voters-storm-polling-booths

The death of about 25 members of the National Youth Service Corps in the Suleja, Niger State bomb blast is a sacrifice for the selfishness of a nation, Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, has said.

He said this shortly after he cast his vote in the National Assembly election at Ward G3, State Junior Grammar School, Itolo Street, Surulere, on Saturday.

“The death of these lads hit my heart deeply. It is painful. We have only sacrificed these innocent souls for our selfishness.”

Fashola lamented that it was unfortunate that the people who could shape the future of the country were being killed unnecessarily due to the self-interest of some people.

“We entrusted them with this election. They gave us the electronic voter registration, the best so far in the history of elections in this country. But it is sad that we lost them because of our selfishness,” he said.

The governor, however, lauded the peaceful conduct of the election in his ward, while commending the electorate for their patience and determination to participate in the rescheduled poll.

He said, “We all have to participate to choose our leaders. We must all be involved in the process. There is always room to improve. Things are getting better. Today’s poll is well run, based on the information we have received, unlike last week when election materials were inadequate in some places. At present, we have information that things are moving on well.”

At the ward, Sunday Tribune observed a higher turnout of 316 voters compared to the last week botched poll in which 273 were accredited out of 870 that registered.

Speaking on the higher turnout, Itolo Community Women Leader, Mrs. Adeola Davies, said extra sensitisation campaign was carried out to bring more people to the polling booths.

Davies, who rode on a motorcycle as she rang a bell early in the morning round the community, told Sunday Tribune that her motive was to motivate the residents who had since lost hope in the ability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct credible election.

She said, “Most of our people do not want to come out for accreditation because the exercise was abruptly cancelled last week. I have to take it upon myself to encourage them by ringing the bell around to bring them out.”

Commenting on the poll in Lagos, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Suleiman Abba, described it as peaceful, stating that good security measure had been put in place to protect lives and property.

“Every area I have visited today is peaceful. The only thing is that people are afraid because of the bomb blast that occurred in Suleja. Nevertheless, the situation is peaceful across the metropolis,” he said.

http://tribune.com.ng/sun/index.php/news/3618-corps-members-sacrificed-for-our-selfishness-fashola

NASS POLLS: ACN in early lead in Osun, Lagos, Edo •Leads in Abeokuta •Jolts PDP in Ibadan •PDP leads in Ogbomoso, Ibarapa, Oke-Ogun •LP leads in Ondo Central •Sporadic shooting at Ake collation centre

THE rescheduled National Assembly election took place all over the country on Saturday, except
in some senatorial districts and House of Representatives elections, which had earlier been announced postponed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The exercise, though said to be generally peaceful across the country was however marked with violence in the northern part of the country, which recorded three bomb blasts in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

In Lagos State, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was said to have recorded early lead in the elections.

As at 10 p.m. on Saturday, reports from our correspondents indicate that the ACN was in early leads in Ogun, Osun, Edo and Lagos states.

The People Democratic Party (PDP) was in also in early lead in Kwara State, while reports from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja revealed that the ruling PDP was neck to neck with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

In Oyo State, the ACN routed the PDPin Ibadan, while unofficial report had it that the PDP was comfortably in the lead in Ogbomosho, Oke Ogun and Ibarapa axis of the state.

In Owerri, the Imo State capital, five people believed to be PDP members, were reportedly killed in the house of a PDP chieftain by political thugs. One person was killed in Port Harcourt, while ballot boxes, with electoral materials were said to have been thrown into the river in Warri, Delta State by political thugs.

Reports indicated a stiff competition between the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) and the Congress for Progressive Change(CPC) in Abuja, with the PDP winning with a margin.

The PDP had shot into the lead in Games Village and Gaduwa estates while the CPC won the House of Representatives seat in the election held in Apo Legislative quarters,

Reports from Kogi State indicated that Senator Smart Adeyemi, representing Kogi West Senatorial District was in early lead as far as results collated on Saturday were concerned.

In Abia South, incumbent Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe was clearly in the lead while the rival All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) fielding Nyerere Anyim was trailing.

In Ogun State, there were reports of sporadic gunshots at the collation centre in Ake, Abeokuta, last night.

Meanwhile, feelers from across the three senatorial districts in Ogun State on Saturday evening indicated that the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), is leading in the National Assembly elections.

In what appears as a surprise, former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s, lost his Ward II, located within the premises of the African Church Grammar School, to ACN, which had 194 votes, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), 85votes, while Peoples Party of Nigeria had 12 votes.

Obasanjo’s daughter, Iyabo, also failed to deliver her unit 15 polling unit to her party, as ACN won with 118votes, PDP 64 and PPN 5.

In Unit 18, Ward 11, in Agbeloba area of Abeokuta, ACN got 191 votes, PDP 36 votes and PPN 10.

At the unit where the governorship candidate of the ACN, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, voted, ACN had 259 votes, PDP 40 and PPN 9.

Reports from Ikenne-Remo had it that ACN in Ward 1 had 111votes, PPN 88, PDP 48. At Ward 2, ACN scored 1,137 votes, PDP got 559 and PPN – 546votes. From Yawa Ward, ACN scored 100 votes, PPN 29 votes and PDP 42 votes.

At Egunrege ward ACN had 88v otes, PPN – 38votes and PDP – 58votes while at Channel 1 Ward, ACN scored 149 votes, PPN had 37votes and the PDP got 69votes.

But the situation was not the same in all the polling units in Okun-Owa in Odogbolu Local Government Area of the state as Labour party garnered the largest votes in the five voting centres in the town.

The ACN in Edo State appeared to have gone into an early lead in the National Assembly elections which took place on Saturday following the party’s strong showing in the results of some units and wards where votes had already been counted.

The results which had not been confirmed or authorized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) showed that the ACN was in the lead at Edo North, the senatorial district of the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole.

Besides, the ACN, which is the ruling party in Edo state, was also said to be ahead of its opponents in the elections in Edo South senatorial district, where the state capital and seat of government, Benin City, is located.

There were conflicting reports in Edo Central, the senatorial district of a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees and a national leader of the party, Chief Tony Anenih. Some reports indicated that the PDP was running neck-to-neck with the ACN while some other reports had it that the ACN had moved into a slight lead in the area.

South African President Jacob Zuma and a high-level African Union (AU) delegation are currently on their way to Libya for mediation talks on Sunday.

The group was granted special permission by Nato forces after the United Nations Security Council imposed a no-fly zone.

Zuma is expected to try broker a truce when he meets with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in Tripoli and rebel leaders in Benghazi. Key on the agenda is the implementation of a ceasefire from both sides.

He is also likely to discuss the release of South African photographer Anton Hammerl, who was abducted together with three other journalists by the Libyan military last week.

According to reports, Hammerl and the three others were taken to Tripoli, where they will be released soon.


http://www.eyewitnessnews.co.za/articleprog.aspx?id=63565