₦airaland Forum

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said he had noted the outcome of the elections of leaders of the National Assembly and stood by his earlier position that he would work with whoever the lawmakers elected as their leaders.
He said although he would have preferred that the process of electing the leaders as initiated and concluded by the All Progressives Congress was followed, he was of the view that constitutional process “has somewhat occurred.”
Buhari’s position was contained in a statement made available to journalists by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina.
The statement read in part, “President Buhari had said in an earlier statement that he did not have any preferred candidate for the Senate and the House of Representatives, and that he was willing to work with whoever the lawmakers elected.

“That sentiment still stands. Though he would have preferred the new leaders to have emerged through the process established by the party.”
Adesina said the stability of the nation’s constitutional order and overall interest of the common man were uppermost on the President’s mind, as far as the National Assembly elections were concerned.
The presidential spokesman further quoted the President as calling on all “the elected representatives of the people” to focus on the enormous task of bringing enduring positive change to the lives of Nigerians.

http://www.punchng.com/news/buhari-promises-to-work-with-sakari-dogara/

As part of efforts to reduce the cost of governance, Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, has reduced the number of commissioners from 24 to 13.

This was against the 24 that were appointed by the previous government of the Peoples Democratic Party under former Governor Mukhtar Yero.

The governor added that he would place strict limits on the number of aides that the 13 commissioners could recruit in the discharge of their duties.

A statement by the governor’s spokesman, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, and made available to newsmen on Tuesday, explained that el-Rufai had outlined from the outset that the state government must direct more of its resources to delivering public services.

He noted that such a move required a reduction in the proportion consumed by government.

Meanwhile, the governor also announced the restructuring of its ministries from 19 to 13.
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This, he said, was intended to cut costs, spur efficiency and improve on service delivery.

http://www.punchng.com/news/el-rufai-reduces-kaduna-commissioners-from-24-to-13/

Two former governors of the Peoples Democratic Party have been fingered as the arrow head of the revolt against President Muhammadu Buhari and his party in the choice of the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The two politicians who are former governors of a South-South and South-East states, are said to be the main financiers of the revolt against the president and his party, the APC.

The governors are said to have mobilised a huge war chest for bankrolling the political revolt against the candidates endorsed by the president and his party for the post of Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The former governors are reported to have hatched the plot in a desperate bid to ensure that the APC , which controls the majority in both chambers of the National Assembly, does not produce the two key principal officers in the 8th National Assembly.

They are said to have mobilised their members in the two chambers of the NASS and directed them not to work with the two men endorsed by the APC but to work with those who have defied the leadership of the APC and Buhari in the choice of the two principal officers.

The attention of the President is said to have been drawn to the activity of the two former governors before he departed Nigeria for the G7 meeting in Germany.
Apparently not being able to proffer a response to the development, the President is said to have referred the matter to the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, and asked him to take steps to douse the tension being generated over the election of the two principal officers.

However, while Tinubu has waded into the matter with a view to ensuring that the APC produces the two leaders in the NASS, key loyalists of the president are said to be peeved that many senators and House of Representatives members on the platform of the party had openly revolted against the party.

A top source told Vanguard last night that the affected men would be made to face some disciplinary actions to be decided at the highest level of the party.

“We are sure that some of them would be made to sight their report cards with the new EFCC to be put in place by the president, which will not tolerate graft in any form. The feeling seems to be that the name of a former military officer being suggested as the chairman of the anti-corruption agency is already sending shock waves to some of the political actors in the country and they may not like to be caught on the wrong side of history,” the source explained.

On the other hand, the two former governors, who are now Senators on the platform of the PDP, are said to have argued that they needed to work out alliance with the APC members to take over the National Assembly so as to cover their tracks in the states they recently left behind.

A lawmaker close to Senator Saraki and Representatives Dogara vowed last night that they were going ahead to contest the election despite threats from the APC leadership.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/revolt-against-buhari-apc-2-former-pdp-govs-fingered/#sthash.UadjKrrG.dpuf

More than 110 million people in Nigeria are still not connected to the internet largely because of poor infrastructure and a lack of fiber and mobile networks make it expensive and unreliable.

But now an ambitious project aims to give millions of students in the country access to a vast library of digital content.

But rather than depending on an internet connection to access it, the project has developed the resource for offline viewing.

The eGranary Digital Library – also known as The Internet in a Box – has been developed by a US-based non-profit called the WiderNet Project.

“It gives me up-to-date information unlike the normal library, where textbooks sometimes are outdated,” Abubakar Mohammed, a final year law student at Ahmadu Bello University, told Al Jazeera.

“It gives me an opportunity to access libraries not only in Nigeria but libraries outside.”


The project puts millions of digital documents, including websites, multimedia and academic texts, on to a server in a school or university.

This information is then available to local users at no cost, even when the internet goes down.

For Zainab Ismail, Islamic law student, the project means she no longer needs to visit the university book library.

“[I find] anything I search for,” says Ismail. “It is fast and works even without a connection. It helps me a lot before and after classes”

Students are not the only ones to use the service, which is viewed as especially cost-effective at a time when funding for education has been cut.

“Lecturers use it to update themselves, to conduct research, writing journals and their projects,” says Ibrahim Barkindo, a teacher at Ahmadu Bello University.

“Sometimes we read on screen; sometimes we save some of the pages and print them for later use.”

Other academics are proving slow to adopt the new technology, perferring the traditional library for their research.

“There are some categories of scholars that are really not too comfortable or not technology-savvy,” Abdullahi Musa Ibrahim, university librarian, says.

“Those scholars would rather touch the books, flip the pages and they feel much more comfortable.”

The eGranary project also lets readers upload and edit local material, allowing them to create and edit their own websites, which are stored locally.

The founders are also working in expanding access by putting the library onto a small chip.

This will allow it to be taken anywhere and is likely to further boost its popularity.

http://www.punchng.com/news/nigerian-offline-library-begins-operation/

Ahead of Tuesday’s inauguration of the new 8th National Assembly, a Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday rejected a prayer for the disqualification of a member-elect and the immediate past Minority Leader in the 7th House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, from contesting the position of the Speaker.
The All Progressives Congress, which constitutes the majority in the incoming National Assembly, had, after a mock election it organised on Saturday, nominated ‎Gbajabiamila as its sole candidate for the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The inauguration of the new 8th National Assembly and election of the principal officers of both the Senate and the House of Representatives will hold on Tuesday.
‎
A group, Social Justice and Civil Rights Awareness Initiative, had, on June 4, 2015, filed an ex parte application ‎asking the court to restrain the House of Representatives from accepting Gbajabiamila’s nomination as an aspirant for the speakership position.
The plaintiff filed the ex parte application along with the main suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/501/2015) in which Gbajabiamila, the House of Representatives and the Attorney-General of the Federation were joined as the 1st to the 3rd defendants.

It also filed a motion on notice seeking an interim injunction against respondents, a prayer similar to what is contained in its ex parte application.
The plaintiff’s prayer was anchored on alleged “conviction” of Gbajabiamila in the state of Georgia, United States of America, for unethical practices in the course of his practice as a lawyer.
Gbajabiamila was said to have been suspended from practising as a lawyer for 36 months in Georgia State of the USA.
The plaintiff also accused Gbajabiamila of possessing United State of America’s passport even as a Nigerian descent. The plaintiff alleged this contravened “our Constitution as regards membership of the House of Representatives.”
‎The plaintiff in its prayer in the ex parte application sought “an interim injunction restraining the 2nd defendant (the House of Representatives from accepting the nomination of the 1st defendant (Gbajabiamila) as an aspirant for the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives pending the determination of the motion on notice.”
But Justice Abdukadir Abdu-Kafarati,‎ on Monday, rejected the plaintiff’s ex parte application seeking to disqualify Gbajabiamila to contest for the office of the Speaker.
The judge, who heard the plaintiff’s lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), inside his chamber, however, ordered the respondents to appear in court on June 18 to show cause why the prayer sought by the plaintiff in the ex parte application should not be granted.
It was learnt that the judge ordered that the processes filed in the suit be served on all the respondents in the suit.
Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Social Justice and Civil‎ Rights Awareness Initiatives, Alozie Nmeregwa, stated in the affidavit filed in support of the ex parte application, that Gbajabiamila’s character had been tainted and thus not qualify to hold the office of the Speaker.
The affidavit read in part, “That few days ago, it came to public knowledge that the 1st defendant was a leading candidate to the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“That my organisation, following the wind of change that has pervaded the political environment in Nigeria, deemed it proper to carry out a background check on the leading candidates for the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“That I discovered that the ‎1st defendant was a lawyer and practised in the United States of America, particularly in the state of Georgia.
“That upon further enquiry, I discovered that the 1st defendant was convicted in the state of Georgia for unethical practices and was disbarred for 36 months.
“That I also discovered that the 1st defendant has United States international passport even though he has Nigerian decent which contravened our Constitution as regards membership of the House of Representatives.
“That the mood of the nation today will not ‎warrant placing the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the hands of any individual that has tainted or questionable character.”
In the motion on notice, the plaintiff urged the court to determine “whether, upon the construction of Section 66 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the 1st defendant is a fit and proper person to be elected to the House of Representatives and/or the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
It consequently argued that the 1st defendant is not a fit and proper person to be elected as a member of the House of Representatives and/or as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

http://www.punchng.com/news/court-refuses-to-stop-gbajabiamilas-speakership-bid/

A Nigerian student has broken a 30-year-old maths equation and achieved the highest grades at a university in Japan for 50 years.

Ufot Ekong, who studied at Tokai University in Tokyo, achieved a first class degree in electrical engineering and scored the best marks at the university since 1965, the Flotilla Magazine reported.

He began his success early at the university, solving a 30-year-old maths equation in his first semester.

Throughout his university career Mr Ekong has won six awards for academic excellence.

The brilliant mathematician worked two jobs alongside his studies to pay his way as a student.

Mr Ekong also speaks English, French, Japanese and Yoruba and won a Japanese language award for foreigners. He is currently working for Nissan and already has two patents for electronic car design to his name.

Tokai University is a prestigious private university based in the Japanese capital, which was founded in 1924. It is focused on the sciences and technology and roughly 60 per cent of all students are enrolled in these schools.

Congratulation Mr Ekong

http://www.punchng.com/news/nigerian-student-in-japan-solves-30-year-old-maths-equation/

FOLLOWING the valedictory session marking end of the 7th Senate, outgoing Senate President, David Mark and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday evening left the premises of the National Assembly without the usual convoy of vehicles.

Also, the two principal officers of the Red Chamber were seen leaving the premises without their usual retinue of aides. Instead, among the several vehicles in their convoys, only a handful of three cars, believed to be their personal cars, followed them outside.

The siren blaring vehicles and motorbikes, usually in their convoys, which were missing as they drove out separately, caught the attention of not just some legislative staff but some of the National Assembly workers who watched as they were moving out, after the formal closing of the legislature.

Both senators who have been in the Senate for over 10 years, were re-elected in the 2015 general elections to represent Benue South and Enugu West senatorial districts respectively in the 8th Senate, expected to begin session Tuesday, after formal inauguration.
But their chances of retaining their previous positions, which they have held in previous 6th and 7th Senate, became untenable, following the colossal loss of their party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, at the general election.

As the inauguration is being awaited, the PDP senators who will be at the Red Chamber are 49 while their APC counterparts are 59 even as they lost one senator, Ahmad Zannah, who was elected on their party’s platform.

Mark and Ekweremadu have used their leadership qualities to stabilize not only the Senate but also the National Assembly in general, which was reputed for having leadership crises resulting in serial impeachment of principal officers.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/06/mark-ekweremadu-leave-nass-premises-without-convoy-aides/

Federal High Court in Lagos has asked the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to suspend all actions on the move to extradite the Ogun East Senator-elect, Mr. Buruji Kashamu, to the United States to face trial on alleged drug-trafficking offences.

The presiding judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, while adjourning hearing in all pending applications on the subject matter till June 19, said on Thursday that status quo must be maintained till all the applications were decided one way or the other.

Pending before Buba is the committal suit filed by Kashamu against the Attorney General of the Federation and the Chairman of NDLEA, citing them for contempt of court.

In response, the NDLEA has filed preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the matter.

Besides, the anti-narcotic agency is seeking the reversal of the court order of May 26 which directed it to withdraw more than 50 of his operatives which had laid siege to Kashamu’s house.
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At the resumed proceedings on Thursday where the AGF, NDLEA Chairman and Kashamu himself were expected before the court, the NDLEA lawyer, A. M. Sunday, said the agency had yet to be served with the originating processes in Kashamu’s committal suit.

Sunday said all that the agency received was the court’s order of May 26 directing it to withdraw its armed operatives from Kashamu’s Lagos residence.

The lawyer, however, said the NDLEA had filed a motion seeking to set aside the court order, adding that the jurisdiction of the court was also being challenged.

However, Kashamu’s lawyer, Mr. R.A. Oluyede, in opposition to NDLEA, said the agency’s motion had no relevance, saying it had been overtaken by events.

Oluyede urged the judge to make additional orders to prevent NDLEA from overreaching the court.

He urged the court to nullify any warrant of arrest that might have been obtained through any source in an attempt to extradite Kashamu.

He urged the court to declare the fresh move by the respondents to commence extradition proceedings against him in the face of the existing judgment of the court restraining them from doing so.

He also sought a court order directing the Inspector General of Police to provide security for Kashamu to prevent the respondents from making any attempt on his life.

But Buba, in a bench ruling, declined granting any of the newly sought orders but ordered all the parties not to take any action capable of undermining the processes before the court.

The judge said he would have to adjourn further hearing to allow the service of court papers on all the parties.

He held, “The matter before the court is that of committal and challenge to jurisdiction. I shall adjourn for the hearing of the applications on its merits.”

The matter was adjourned till June 19, for the hearing of all pending applications.

http://www.punchng.com/news/court-orders-ndlea-to-suspend-action-on-kashamu/

OREMUSSANCTUS:
Fayose


D oshokomole of yorubaland
D asiwaju cum jagaban of southwest
D modern "Awolowo" of nigeria
D man whose political wisdom cum knowledge surpasses dat of tinubu cum obasanjo
d "god" of ekiti politics
U indeed a model for all to follow
We d youth wanna tap from ya wealth of experience

Interesting.....which of the youths are you referring too?

Fayose!!!!

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says it has formally served the Senator-elect for Ogun East Senatorial district, Buruji Kashamu, a notice by the United States government, demanding his extradition for drug-trafficking offences.

The service was said to have been made on June 1 in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/479/2015 with a copy made available to the Chief Judge, Federal High Court.

The agency has been at loggerheads with the Ijebu-born politician over an attempt to facilitate his extradition to the US.

Tens of NDLEA officials had laid a six-day siege to the Lagos residence of the Peoples Democratic Party chieftain in Lekki, Lagos, before they vacated on May 28, two days after a Federal High Court in the state mandated them to do same.

The agency, in a statement, had described the court order, passed by Justice Ibrahim Buba, as “inconsequential and diversionary,” insisting that it was only “performing its statutory responsibilities.”
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‎On Wednesday, May 27, Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court had passed another ruling prohibiting security agencies in Nigeria from “unlawful” arrest and forceful extradition of Kashamu. ‎The court equally awarded N10,000 as cost against the Chairman of the agency, Ahmadu Giade, for failing to appear in court.

Kashamu had instituted the fundamental rights enforcement action in April alleging that there was a plot by his political opponents, led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, to use Nigerian security agencies to abduct and forcibly transport him to the US to stand trial before Judge Norgle.

He had prayed to the court that the move amounted to a violation of his rights to personal liberty, freedom of association and freedom of movement.

http://www.punchng.com/news/ndlea-serves-kashamu-extradition-notice/

OREMUSSANCTUS:
Story for d gods

Mr.. no kill yourself with high blood pressure ooo.... We still love you but you see nothing good from our able President....

Heart attack is real oooo

There's a thin line between your greed and your need. You would have crossed at times without even knowing. The fact that they went all the way to cutting newspapers to sizes of currency tells a lot.

The Central Bank of Nigeria on Monday says it has dismissed or suspended some of its six officials that were involved in the N8bn currency fraud in some of its branches.

The apex bank in a statement in Abuja by the Director, Corporate Communications Department, Ibrahim Mu’azu, stated that some of the middle-level officers among the accused had been summarily dismissed or placed on indefinite suspension, depending on gravity of their offence.

It said, “The Central Bank of Nigeria will like to inform the general public of the chronology of events that led the Management of the CBN to hand over some unscrupulous staff to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for prosecution.

“During a routine internal audit of the Bank’s Cash Destruction activities in September 2014, the CBN Briquetting Panel, comprising senior bank staff from different branches, noticed some anomalies at the Ibadan Branch, and immediately reported this to the bank’s management.

“On further investigation ordered by the Governor, it was discovered that a systematic scheme, which has been on for several years, was being run in which mutilated higher denomination notes, originally meant for destruction, were swapped with lower denomination currencies.

“This practice, known as interleafing, basically labels a box with a higher value than its true content.

“As soon as the Bank’s internal investigations concluded beyond reasonable doubt that some wrongdoing had occurred, the affected members of staff, who are middle-level officers were, depending on gravity of offence, either summarily dismissed or immediately placed on indefinite suspension on October 21, 2014, and all handed over to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.”

The bank added that following the incident, a nationwide audit of all 37 branches of the CBN was conducted noting that the outcome of the investigation showed that this was an isolated scheme at the Ibadan Branch.

It said it would continue to collaborate with the EFCC to ensure that affected CBN staff as well as their accomplices in some commercial banks, were brought to justice.

The EFCC explained that five top officials of the CBN and 16 others were to be arraigned for alleged complicity in an N8bn currency fraud on Tuesday.

Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement on Sunday that the suspects were to be arraigned for circulating defaced and mutilated currency notes at the Federal High Court, Ibadan, Oyo State on June 2.

Uwujaren said the 16 others, expected to be arraigned alongside the CBN bigwigs, were members of staff of various commercial banks in the country.

He said that the suspects would be arraigned on five counts at the high court.

http://www.punchng.com/news/officials-involved-in-n8bn-currency-scam-dismissed-cbn/

Bovas filling station in Ibadan sell for 87.....

A Federal High Court, Lagos, on Thursday said that Digital Satellite Television (DStv) had the right to increase its subscription rate as it did last month.

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke then struck out a suit filed by some aggrieved subscribers challenging the company’s recent 20 per cent increment on subscription.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that DStv is being operated by Multi-Choice Nigeria Ltd.

The aggrieved subscribers: Messrs Osasuyi Adebayo and Oluyinka Oyeniji, who are also lawyers, had filed the class action on behalf of themselves and all other DStv subscribers across the country.

The plaintiffs had sought an order of the court restraining Multi-Choice from implementing the 20 per cent increment on DStv subscription rate which began on April 1.

Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, in a ruling, upheld the preliminary objection filed by Multi-Choice, and ruled that the suit amounted to an abuse of court process.

The judge rejected an argument by the plaintiffs that Multi-Choice should not to be given right of audience having failed to abide by an earlier ex-parte order of the court restraining the company from implementing the increment.

Aneke said the court was bound to entertain arguments from all parties before it, irrespective of the alleged violation of the court order.

He further ruled that the suit disclosed no reasonable cause of action, as the plaintiffs were not under any obligation to continue to subscribe to the services of Multi-Choice in the face of the increment.

Meanwhile, the judge upheld Multi-Choice’s argument that the suit failed to comply with mandatory provisions of Sections 97 and 98 of the Sherrifs and Civil Processes Act.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the sections stipulate that a writ to be served outside jurisdiction must be concurrently issued.

The plaintiffs, through their counsel, Mr Yemi Salma, had urged the court to discountenance such argument, as Section 19 of the Federal High Court Act, had clearly defined the jurisdiction of the court to be one within Nigeria.

Salma had further urged the court not to punish any irregularity in the issuance of the writ on the plaintiffs, as such emanated from the court.

He also stated that such irregularity could be corrected by the court in doing substantial justice.

However, the judge rejected the plaintiffs’ argument, and upheld the objection.

He was also silent on an argument by the plaintiffs that the objection should be treated as a demurrer, which has been abolished from the rules of court.

Demurrer is an attempt by a defendant to get dismissal of a suit without filing any process to the substantive issues.

In the instant suit, Multi-Choice only filed preliminary objection, and did not file any process against the substantive suit.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the judge had earlier rejected an attempt by a human rights lawyer, Mr Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, to opt out of the suit.

Adegboruwa had filed an application to be joined as a co-plaintiff, but later filed an application to opt out.

Aneke, however, said he was persuaded by a Supreme Court decision which stated that once an objection was raised challenging jurisdiction, the court was duty bound to first determine the objection before entertaining any other application.

According to the suit, the plaintiffs had sought an order of the court compelling the NBC to regulate the activities of Multi-Choice so as to prevent what they described as an arbitrary increment in subscription rates.

They specifically urged the court to impress it on the NBC to be alive to its statutory responsibility by ensuring that Multi-Choice is compelled to implement the pay-per-view scheme in Nigeria.

They said that with that subscribers would only pay for programmes they watched, as was done in other parts of the world where Multi-Choice operated.

But Multi-Choice, through its lawyer, Moyosore Onigbanjo, argued that the plaintiffs had no cause of action, adding that a court did not have the power to regulate the price of services that a business was offering to its customers.

It said that neither the government nor the court could regulate prices in Nigeria, being a country that operates a free-market economy.

Multi Choice also said that under its conditions of agreement, especially clauses 40 and 41, it was free to change the fees payable by subscribers for the services it was offering them. (NAN)

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/court-upholds-dstvs-20-increment-on-subscription/

Baba, take am easy and be very watchful, I do not trust those Aso Rock hunters. You are too dear to us! Watch your back abeg...

President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, has arrived for a tour of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Buhari and some aides arrived at exactly 11am.

President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to conduct Buhari round the villa.

Both leaders first met behind closed doors inside the President’s office.

Details later. . .

http://www.punchng.com/news/buhari-arrives-for-aso-rock-tour/

Less than 48 hours to the inauguration of a new administration, the company which handled the contract for the decoration of Peoples Democratic Party presidential campaigns in all the states of the federation on Wednesday threatened to drag President Goodluck Jonathan and the party to court over unpaid debts estimated at N360m.

The decoration firm has, however, scheduled a protest for today (Thursday) at the PDP Headquarters in Wadata House, Abuja to possibly prevail on the party to release its funds.

The Managing Director of Twinkles World Ltd., Mr. Tunde Agarawu, and the Project Coordinator, Mr. Awonaiya Olayemi, at a press briefing in Abuja, said their lawyer had already issued a seven-day ultimatum on the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation within which to offset the debt or face a legal action.

Agarawu said since Jonathan lost the presidential election to Muhammadu Buhari, he and the PDP hierarchy had failed to pay most debts incurred for the campaigns.

He alleged that Prof. Jerry Gana and other members of the PDPPCO deliberately withheld their money, even though a directive had been given by the immediate-past chairman of the party, Adamu Mu’azu, that the debts be cleared.

While several efforts by journalists to get Jerry Gana for response were not successful, calls and text messages to his Personal Assistant, Mr. James Agbo, over the same matter were not replied.

Agarawu, who said no mobilisation fund was given to them before the commencement of the project, added that banks and corporate bodies where they sourced loans to execute the project were already demanding for payment of their funds.

http://www.punchng.com/news/jonathan-pdp-owe-decoration-firm-n360m/

The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate in the August 9, 2014 governorship election in Osun State, Iyiola Omisore, against the election of the All Progressives Congress’ candidate, the incumbent Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

The seven-man panel of the apex court, led by Justice John Fabiyi, affirmed the concurrent judgments of the Court of Appeal in Akure‎ and the Osun State Governorship Election Tribunal, which had both affirmed Aregbesola the winner of the election.

Justice C.C Nweze, who read the lead judgment, resolved six out of the seven issues formulated by the appellant against him.

Only one was resolved in his favour and against the respondents.

The seven-man panel unanimously held that the appeal lacked merit and was bound to be dismissed.

Omisore, who was personally present in court during the hearing, urged the apex court through his counsel, Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN), ‎to set aside the concurrent judgments of the two lower courts.

Omisore and his party had filed the appeals against the decisions of the Justice Gana Mshelia-led panel of the Court of Appeal ‎in Akure which on April 2, 2015, affirmed the earlier judgment of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

The Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime-led‎ tribunal had on February 6, 2015 dismissed Omisore’s petition for lacking in merit and affirmed Aregbesola’s victory.



—————————————————————————————————

10:55am

The Supreme Court is currently delivering it’s judgment in the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate in the August 9, 2014 governorship election in Osun State, Iyiola Omisore, against the election of the All Progressives Congress’ candidate, the incumbent Governor Rauf Aregbesola.



The seven-man panel of the apex court, led by Justice John Fabiyi, had on May 7 fixed the date for judgment after parties adopted and argued their respective briefs.



Omisore, who was personally present in court during the hearing, urged the apex court through his counsel, Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN), ‎to set aside the concurrent judgments of the two lower courts.



Omisore and his party had filed the appeals against the decisions of the Justice ‎ Justice Gana Mshelia-led panel of the Court of Appeal ‎in Akure which on April 2, 2015, affirmed the earlier judgment of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.



The Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime-led‎ tribunal had on February 6, 2015 dismissed Omisore’s petition for lacking in merit and affirmed Aregbesola’s victory.



Izinyon, who filed two separate appeals on behalf of Omisore and the PDP challenging the decision of the Court of Appeal, urged the Supreme Court to‎ allow his appeals and dismiss the cross-appeal filed by Aregbesola and the APC.



One of the appellants’ appeals emanated from the main judgment of the Court of Appeal while the other appeal and the respondents’ cross-appeal arose from the decision of the appellate court on the admissibility of a d‎ocument in favour of the petitioners at the tribunal.



But the three respondents to the appeals – Aregbesola, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission – who were represented by different lawyers, separately urged the court to dismiss the ‎appeals.



Izinyon, who led other five SANs and a battery of other junior lawyers, while arguing the appellants briefs, argued that both the tribunal and the Court of Appeal identified irregularities characterising the conduct of the election but refused to make the proper findings concerning them.



Details later. . .

http://www.punchng.com/news/scourt-delivering-judgment-in-omisores-case-against-aregbesola/

Pipsland78:
Is that why Lagos is the most indebted state in Africa? And Lagos generates #1.3 trillion yearly, I demand to know where the money goes into.

Nigerians know how to celebrate mediocrity

Go back to your state and ask your governor. ..leave Lagos alone....bad belles. .....

OREMUSSANCTUS:
If devil(apc) give u gift wif rite hand, dem go collect am wif left hand
I hate fake "change"

Only God can deliver you. Sincerely your problems are uncountable. ..... you never see anything good in Fashola. ..what's your problem nah?

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo fired a fresh salvo the way of President Goodluck Jonathan, on Sunday, when he looked back at the last eight years and returned with a verdict: The country had been poorly managed under Jonathan.

Obasanjo said this when the Iyalode of Yoruba land, Chief Alaba Lawson, led a delegation of South-West women leaders on a visit to his Hilltop residence in Abeokuta.

The 78-year-old leader said owing to the mismanagement of the country in the last eight years, the incoming administration of the President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, should be prepared to face the daunting challenges that lay ahead.

He said, “The country had been poorly managed in the last eight years and it would take some time for Buhari’s government to correct the anomalies. But I want to tell him not to be frightened.”

Calling on Nigerians to exercise patience with the incoming administration, Obasanjo said the damage that had been done to the country in the last eight years could not be corrected overnight.

“What I would say is that we should all put our minds at rest. He (Buhari) is someone that will perform but we must exercise patience because what has been destroyed for eight years cannot be undone overnight.

“But like the Chinese proverb which says the journey of a thousand miles starts with a step, it is not only the first step (that matters) but the first step in the right direction because if you take a wrong step, you’re not likely to get to the destination,” he said.

The Owu-born leader recalled that when he assumed power as civilian president in 1999, the country was in the same situation it is today – battling fuel crisis and lack of power supply.

“When I came in 1999, there was no fuel and power. The situation was like this and I thought we have put that one behind us,” he stressed, even as he expressed confidence in the ability of Buhari to surmount the hurdle.

“The man that is coming on board has a lot of experience in terms of governance. He is not a novice in governance having ruled the country as a military Head of State from 1983 to 1985.

“Nigerians need to exercise patience because what has been destroyed in eight years cannot be rebuilt in a day,” Obasanjo maintained.

Recalling his years as military Head of State between 1976 and 1979, Obasanjo said he worked closely with Buhari and that their association produced results.

Urging Nigerians to pray for Buhari, Obasanjo said the president-elect needs the cooperation of Nigerians in order to put the country on the right footing.

“Let’s give him time. Let’s pray for him and let’s cooperate with him. We are all concerned about the present situation of Nigeria. The expectation is very high but at the same time, there is a lot of goodwill internally and externally for the incoming government.

“Once the incoming administration realises this and takes every step, particularly in the first three months when people will be watching and counting, I think for me, we will get there,” the former Peoples Democratic Party leader said.

The former Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, however, warned Buhari not to take Nigerians for granted as he called on him to always be honest in his dealing with Nigerians.

Obasanjo added that with Buhari at the helm of affairs, Nigeria would have a new opportunity.

He said, “God has provided a new opportunity for Nigeria and Nigerians and I believe God does not make mistakes. There are two things I believe the incoming President appreciates; one is that he knows that the expectations of Nigerians are high and two, that he should not be frightened by the situation on the ground.”

Also, Obasanjo urged the incoming administration against squandering its goodwill at home and abroad.

Decrying the agony inflicted upon Nigerians by the scarcity of fuel across the country, Lawson advised Obasanjo to continue to support the Buhari government in advisory capacity.

She said, “We are aware that you also took over the reins of power of this country at a critical time and with the help of the Almighty God, you were able to bring us back from the brink. The same goes for now.

“We, therefore, appeal to you not to leave this incoming government. Though we are confident of the time-proven abilities of our incoming President, Muhammadu Buhari, we also believe that two heads are better than one and where there is a gathering of wise ones, wisdom will issue forth from there.”

http://www.punchng.com/news/jonathan-mismanaged-nigeria-obasanjo/

MugabeRobert:
Fixed.

Thanks

A former chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Vincent Ogbulafor, has accused his party of helping its presidential candidate lose the last elections and called on the members of its National Working Committee, NWC, to resign.
Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria in Umuahia on Sunday, Mr. Ogbulafor said the members should take the path of honour by bowing out of the committee.
He added that the members should resign in the interest of the party and pave the way for fresh hands to pull the party out of the woods and reposition it ahead of the 2019 general elections.
He described the resignation of the National Chairman and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the party, Adamu Muazu and Tony Anenih respectively, as a welcome development.
“I feel happy about their resignation because I feel they did so in the interest of the party.
“So, I feel it is better for all the committee members to voluntarily resign if they love the party and want it to survive,’’ he said.
Mr. Ogbulafor further urged the NWC to accept responsibility for the party’s poor performance in the 2015 general elections and the failure to win a second term in office for President Goodluck Jonathan.
“The party played the politics of hate and exclusion,” he said, adding that “past national chairmen were completely excluded and were never invited to offer our own ideas on how to deliver Jonathan.
“When I was the chairman, I controlled 28 states and a majority in the National Assembly and also won additional four states for the party.
“Some of us performed better and have good ideas on how to keep PDP in power for as long as I predicted,’’ he said.
Mr. Ogbulafor, who predicted that the party would rule Nigeria for uninterrupted 60 years, said that the feat was possible had the party sustained the line-up.
“I made the prediction in clear conscience and realisation that it was achievable, given that PDP controlled 28 states, majority in the National Assembly and local government administration.
“So, there is nothing that could have stopped PDP if we were able to control the line-up.’’
Mr. Ogbulafor blamed the woes befalling the party on the emergence of a ‘’reform group,’’ saying that the group created factions within it.
He also said that the incessant change in the leadership, with five chairmen so far produced within a space of five years after his exit was counter-productive.
“Since I left office, PDP has changed its chairmen five times. This is a pointer that all is not well with the party.
“This is why I am calling on the NWC members to quit without compulsion to pave the way for fresh blood that will bring vibrancy and help to move the party forward,’’ he said
Mr. Ogbulafor said that the incoming governors, who would be the financiers of the party, would also wish to inherit a fresh NWC, populated by fresh people.
He said he was not planning to leave the party in view of the current challenges.
He said his visit to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, John Oyegun, on the heels of the party’s electoral victory was to congratulate him in the spirit of sportsmanship.
Mr. Ogbulafor, who also congratulated President-elect Muhammadu Buhari described his election as compensation to Katsina and the north over the death of late President Musa Yar’Adua.
‘’I feel happy that the presidency went to the north, particularly Katsina, the home state of late Yar’Adua, who died in office without completing his tenure and the slot for the north,’’ he said

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/183614-pdp-helped-jonathan-lose-elections-ex-chairman-vincent-ogbulafor-says.html

CountDracula:
If no b say amaechi no get sense too, hw u go dey allow pvssy to fuel ur disagreement wit a man?

You well so...?

The Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on Sunday said his disagreement with President Goodluck Jonathan was fueled in part by the President’s wife, Dame Patience Jonathan.

He said this after the premiere of a documentary on Amaechi years at the Silver Bird Galleria, Abuja.

According to him, the President and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party would have taken him to the cleaners, if they had anything incriminating against him.

Amaechi said, “We had a disagreement in principle between me and the President. Have you seen a country where the Commissioner of Police is reporting to the wife of the President? It’s in Rivers State.

“Have you seen a country where the Brigade Commander or the Navy Commander or Air Force Commander is reporting to the wife of the President? It’s in Rivers State.”

He explained that he was convinced that such conduct would not help in the development of any nation, saying he took a stand against it.

Amaechi stressed that Nigeria must never again go back to such dark days, stressing that public officers should learn to lead by the rule so as to avoid abuse of office by their spouses.

He pointed out that it was the husband of Mrs. Jonathan, who was elected.

The governor revealed that in his own case, he ensured that his wife knew her limits and he always told her she had no right to call any of his commissioners for anything, because the people voted him into office as governor, not her.

Amaechi challenged anyone, who had doubts about his performance in office, to go to Rivers State and see for himself or herself.

He also said all he did in the state were not for self-glorification but to bequeath a legacy for successive administrations in the state to sustain.

The governor added that 90 per cent of the people, who worked with him, betrayed him.

He further showcased his achievements, spanning all sectors of the state, wondering why the Federal Government was desperate about casting his administration in bad light even when he spent N105bn doing federal roads.

Amaechi pointed out that he kept a proper account of his stewardship and the books were open for all to see.

This, he said, gave him the courage to sustain the struggle, expressing joy that history would vindicate him in the end.

In the documentary, which featured some of his projects in the areas of security, works, agriculture, works, education, transportation, health and social development, Amaechi said the documentary left out some projects he would love to see documented.

Senator Magnus Abbe, who also featured in the documentary, explained how Amaechi pioneered the amnesty programmes through which unparalleled insecurity in the state was drastically reduced.

http://www.punchng.com/news/patience-jonathan-fuelled-my-conflict-with-president-pdp-amaechi/

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said President Goodluck Jonathan is handing over a nation in deep crisis, even as his Administration continues to contrive more crises without making any effort to solve any of them.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party however appealed to Nigerians not to lose hope, despite the daunting challenges they are currently facing in this atmosphere of contrived chaos, saying help is on the way.

”In a few days’ time, President Jonathan will hand over to President-elect Muhammadu Buhari. Never in the history of our country has any government handed over to another a more distressed country: No electricity, no fuel, workers are on strike, billions are owed to state and federal workers, 60 billion dollars are owed in national debt and the economy is virtually grounded

”Today, Nigerians are roaming the streets, jerry cans in hand, searching for everything from kerosene to fuel to diesel to power their homes, keep their vehicles on the road and keep their businesses going. They are paying as much as 300 Naira per litre for fuel, if at all they can get it. Yet their government is not saying a word about the situation,” it said.

APC said while the Jonathan Administration has arrogantly told Nigerians that it remains in office and in power till May 29th, all it has been doing is sacking people and making new appointments as if it had been deprived of the opportunity to do so in the past six years.

”They are not interested in how to end the fuel scarcity that has paralyzed the socio-economic lives of Nigerians, they are not interested in how to raise electricity production from its unprecedentedly-low level of 1,327 megawatts, they are not doing anything to end the strike by blue and while collar oil workers, or to stop the impending one.

”They say they are in office till May 29th, but they do not care how workers in 18 states, who are owed a total of 300 billion Naira in salaries under their watch, or federal workers who are owed 400 billion Naira, will be paid. Yet they are running a budget of 1 trillion Naira deficit.
”They have deliberately stopped meeting their obligations to oil marketers, which is now around 200 billion Naira, hence no one is lifting petroleum products anymore. If the current energy crisis is not solved soonest, the telecommunications sector could even be grounded in a matter of days as service providers will have neither electricity nor fuel to power their base stations. Of course the aviation sector has already been left comatose by the fuel crisis. The whole scenario reeks of sabotage!,” the party said.

APC said before PDP and Jonathan Administration’s spin doctors distort its message, it is important to let Nigerians know that the party (APC) is not engaging in lamentations but simply keeping the citizenry informed of the situation on the ground, with just five days to handover date.

”If we thought the nation was being well managed and there was no problem, we would not have embarked on a campaign of change. While we are ready, willing and able to begin to address the mammoth challenges facing us as a nation as soon as we assume office at the centre in a few days’ time, we will not hesitate for a second to keep Nigerians informed of how we have been brought to this sorry pass, with a view to avoiding such a tragic turn in the future,” the party said.
It expressed sadness that the nation has been on auto pilot for the past several weeks, as the outgoing administration has shown neither the capacity nor the willingness to resolve any of the crises it has contrived and foisted on the nation.

”This is the most vivid manifestation of the old saying that literally translates to a departing office holder defecating on the chair he is vacating,” APC said.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/jonathan-handing-over-nation-in-deep-crisis-apc/