This music APC government is playing is very sonorous. They have thrown away sense of reasoning and national interest. The dance steps are going to be harmonious and we all shall dance it together.
The boundary has been crossed and we are heading to the precipitate.
I laugh at my little corner watching the events. They are not funny at all and it calls for immediate emergency actions. But lo, those actions will not be taken because he that has charged for battle has no one calling him to order. As we watch and wait, let's hope on divine intervention because God pass all.
Congratulations to Nigeria because it is the only nation whose citizens leave their destiny in the hands of injustice.
Maybe, may be one day, my people will realise that power belongs to them the citizens, and no force can stand on their way when they decide to take it, be it lethal force.

We no know which one be authentic military again as them talk say thugs in military uniform were the ones that disrupted election in Rivers state

The happenings in this election is a strong pointer that the elections are not credible. The whole blame must rest on the ruling party, their body language speaks volume.
It appears to me we have lost it as nation, and calls for collective action to save whatever remains now before it goes beyond redemption.

Save Nigeria Now!!

Prompto:
If they allowed Wike to get away with it in 2015 nothing will happen once AAC is declared the winner of the election in 2019.

Is ok dear, let them go ahead and declare the person.

StOla:


You mean how Wike employed violence and federal security to unleash mayhem on Rivers in 2015?

How many APC members did Wike and his thugs behead like Chicken? Did he not go Scott free?

No doubt there was violence in Rivers State 2015 but not credited to one side as rival cults were fingered as well.

You should compare what we have today to a situation where PDP will want to take over Lagos or even Kastina State at all cost. Rivers State for now is PDP for God's sake, it can change tomorrow.
Why not allow peace to reign in the state. Why don't we say the truth no matter the side we stand.
My concern is a peaceful environment wherever you are. I watched APC campaign rally in PH and all that Amaechi said that day. Which type of country are we if I may ask. I doubt if animal kingdoms can fight the way we humans do.
My dear, am not happy the way things are going in this country. Can you be proud as a Nigerian these shows of shame we display in the name of elections? Are there any credibility overall? Is this the way to move our country forward? I can go on and on but dear, we are losing it as a country.

Rubbish!! If Rivers people and Nigerian allows Amaechi to go free from this hooliganism, then hope has been dashed for peaceful environment

No doubt about the Northerners staying back and defying all odds through the night to protect their votes. However, am still searching for the heavy deployment of security personnel especially the military within the northern states, displaying show of force in the communities, polling stations and collation centres as seen in southern states especially SE /SS.
Let the game go on dear, nothing is permanent.

Very interesting, congratulations to APC lead government for destroying our democracy. It will take years more to build confidence on the people in democratic principles and practices as well as a committed leader to do that.
But woe unto the conspirators and all their supporters that brought us to where we are today. Nigerians should not complain because we choose the leadership we want. Nevertheless, those who dream of a harmonious society with credible democratic system should remain steadfast for surely, deliverance will come, though it may be far off.
As it was in the old according to prophet Habakkuk 2:2ff, I declare today on our land and encourage all to wait in faith, while seeking the Lord for the fulfillment of words on our land.

Well, I will say you people are lucky to have come out safely and narrate the experience yourselves. It's a pity but you got it all wrong to have gone to the residents of an opposition candidate who was visibly pained on the conduct of the election, with a state government owned vehicle. That was costly mistake.
On a general note, our democracy is dead with the level of violence characterisation being witnessed. Whether anyone accept it or not, the bulk of the blame goes to the APC government.

Even if Ayogu Eze is allowed to campaign for 4 more years, to be fair to him, I give him his ward but he can't win his LGA. Living on borrowed popularity as once a senator. The day he left PDP was the day he threw his political clout away in Enugu state.
Let the law take its due course in the Killing. May the soul of the dead rest in peace

We know he wished he could be the VP which is very very difficult. Okay, them go make am minister if he loses governorship abi? Carry go

uzohrome:
This country is domed

The country has been doomed long time ago. When you say this, you will be termed a pessimist.

TheTourist:
WE NEED A NIGERIAN UPRISING!!!

Well, it will have been the best thing to do but not in a heterogeneous country like ours. Every tribe will protect their own.
The truth whether we like it or not is that Nigeria cannot function properly as a unitary government.
The ruling class have one bond holding them together which ever party they belong "Our common Wealth" which they unleash on the poor masses to buy their conscience during elections

Weapon used against these messengers of ballot box snatching is poverty. Just promise them a handsome reward and they do ur bidding.
Politicians knew that and the more reason the want the citizens to remain poor. Give them small envelope for their vote and you buy their conscience.
Wish the citizens knew that in a democratic system, power belongs to them

Things are getting out of hand in this country. The fire these wicked and desperate politicians are kindling, I pray that when the flame goes up, they all with their families will be consumed. Even now, may they begin to be tormented for their wicked plans

My prayer is that God will send His angels to cast darkness and destruction upon all the people and their families wherever they are, that are planning to subvert the will of the masses on free and credible poll.

Waiting for the US to counter this claim and provide verifiable evidence to support they actually landed on the moon. Otherwise, we stick with China for now.

But op why not post the article here and choose instead to drop link. Please post it here as u've provided the headline for whoever is interested to read it.

MetroStar:

I am not yet convinced about that. Can u please tell me when, who and how the ash Wednesday was celebrated in the Bible times. Thanks

Remove the word "Wednesday" which happens to be the day a 40 days period of Prayer, Fasting and Charity of Passion of Christ. It marks the period of total penance, God is ever willing and waiting to receive a repentant sinner. The church in its wisdom saw it proper to give the faithful ones opportunity and period of true reconciliation to God.
The Ash is reminding us that we are dust, it's a mark of humbling oneself. What the church does within this period of preparation for the Passion and death of Christ are started with the following scriptural passages; Joel 2:12-18, 2 Cor 5:20-6:2, Matt 6:1-6, 16-18.
The church is historic and traditional, you can not understand what the church does from outside. Hence attacking the church for what one does not understands becomes the norm of many. It hasn't helped anyone and can never help.
Christianity is all about love of God and love of neighbour. However, the many Christians folds we have have not made our communities do away with hate and evil. The church does not teach that only it's members will have the beatific vision, however, she encourages her members to key into the graces that abound.
I don't want to delve into scriptural now, but have to point out that the Christian scripture as we have it originally was given to the world by the church an in use for 1600 years before we started having issues.
So for a true scriptural interpretations, the church have it all.
I will not argue scripture with anyone but can discuss it one on one, tells you what the church does that is taditional and scriptural. The scripture itself is full of certain people's culture and traditions.

MetroStar:
Good morning fellow Nairalanders, please what is the significance of "Ash Wednesday"?
Just this morning I woke up, prepared for work only to come out of my house and find my Catholic Neighbours all bearing a sign of the cross, written with ashes, on their forehead. When I asked them the significance of the ash on their forehead, they felt as though I was challenging their believe and asked me if I was greater than their priest who asked them to apply it.
Please am a Pentecostal and I've been seeing this practice which is common among Catholics and I've not been able to find someone who knows the significance or has a scriptural backing for this.
Please help me clarify........ Thank you

Please take time to go through to the end.... thanks.

Q: What is Ash Wednesday?
A: Ash Wednesday is the day Lent begins. It occurs forty days before Good Friday.

Q: Is Ash Wednesday based on a pagan festival?

A: Heck, no. Ash Wednesday originated in the A.D. 900s, long after Europe had been Christianized and the pagan cults stamped out.

Q: Why is it called Ash Wednesday?

A: Actually, Ash Wednesday is its colloquial name. Its official name is the Day of Ashes. It is called Ash <Wednesday> because, being forty days before Good Friday, it always falls on a Wednesday and it is called <Ash> Wednesday because on that day at church the faithful have their foreheads marked with ashes in the shape of a cross.

Q: Why do they have their foreheads marked with a cross?

A: Because in the Bible a mark on the forehead is a symbol of a person's ownership. By having their foreheads marked with the sign of a cross, this symbolizes that the person belongs to Jesus Christ, who died on a Cross.

This is in imitation of the spiritual mark or seal that is put on a Christian in baptism, when he is delivered from slavery to sin and the devil and made a slave of righteousness and Christ (Rom. 6:3-18).

It is also in imitation of the way the righteousness are described in the book of Revelation, where we read of the servants of God (the Christian faithful, as symbolized by the 144,000 male virgins):

"Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads."(Revelation 7:3)

"[The demon locust] were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have not the seal of God upon their foreheads"(Revelation 9:4)

"Then I looked, and lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads."(Revelation 14:1)

This is in contrast to the followers of the beast, who have the number 666 on their foreheads or hands.

The reference to the sealing of the servants of God for their protection in Revelation is an allusion to a parallel passage in Ezekiel, where Ezekiel also sees a sealing of the servants of God for their protection:

"And the LORD said to him [one of the four cherubim], 'Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark [literally,"a <tav">] upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.' And to the others he said in my hearing, 'Pass through the city after him, and smite; your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity; slay old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one upon whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary.' So they began with the elders who were before the house."(Ezekiel 9:4-6)

Unfortunately, like most modern translations, the one quoted above (the Revised Standard Version, which we have been quoting thus far), is not sufficiently literal. What it actually says is to place a <tav> on the foreheads of the righteous inhabitants of Jerusalem. <Tav> is one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and in ancient script it looked like the Greek letter <chi>, which happens to be two <crossed> lines (like an "x" and which happens to be the first letter in the word "Christ" in Greek <(christos).> The Jewish rabbis commented on the connection between <tav> and <chi> and this is undoubtedly the mark Revelation has in mind when the servants of God are sealed in it.

The early Church Fathers seized on this <tav-chi->cross-<christos> connection and expounded it in their homilies, seeing in Ezekiel a prophetic foreshadowing of the sealing of Christians as servants of Christ. It is also part of the background to the Catholic practice of making the sign of the cross, which in the early centuries (as can be documented from the second century on) was practiced by using one's thumb to furrow one's brow with a small sign of the cross, like Catholic do today at the reading of the Gospel during Mass.

Q: Why is the signing done with ashes?

A: Because ashes are a biblical symbol of mourning and penance. In Bible times the custom was to fast, wear sackcloth, sit in dust and ashes, and put dust and ashes on one's head. While we no longer normally wear sackcloth or sit in dust and ashes, the customs of fasting and putting ashes on one's forehead as a sign of mourning and penance have survived to this day. These are two of the key distinctives of Lent. In fact, Ash Wednesday is a day not only for putting ashes on one's head, but also a day of fasting (see below).

Q: What are some biblical examples of people putting dust and ashes on their foreheads?

A: Consider the following verses from the New International Version:

"That same day a Benjamite ran from the battle line and went to Shiloh, his clothes torn and dust on his head."(1 Samuel 4:12)

"On the third day a man arrived from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and with dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor."(2 Samuel 1:20

"Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornamented robe she was wearing. She put her hand on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went."(2 Samuel 13:19)

"When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust on his head."(2 Samuel 15:32)

Q: Is there another significance to the ashes?

A: Yes. They also symbolize death and so remind us of our mortality. Thus when the priest uses his thumb to sign one of the faithful with the ashes, he says, "Remember, man, that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return, "which is modeled after God's address to Adam (Genesis 3:19; cf. Job 34:15, Psalms 90:3, 104:29, Ecclesiastes 3:20). This also echoes the words at a burial, "Ashes to ashes; dust to dust, "which is based on God's words to Adam in Genesis 3 and Abraham's confession, "I am nothing but dust and ashes"(Genesis 18:27). It is thus a reminder of our mortality and our need to repent before this life is over and we face our Judge.

Q: Where do the ashes used on Ash Wednesday come from?

A: They are made by burning palm fronds which have been saved from the previous year's Palm Sunday, they are then blessed by a priest—blessed ashes having been used in God's rituals since the time of Moses (Numbers 19:9-10, 17).

Q: Why are ashes from the previous year's Palm Sunday used?

A: Because Palm Sunday was when the people rejoiced at Jesus' triumphal entrance to Jerusalem. They celebrated his arrival by waving palm fronds, little realizing that he was coming to die for their sins. By using palms from Palm Sunday, it is a reminder that we must not only rejoice of Jesus' coming but also regret the fact that our sins made it necessary for him to die for us in order to save us from hell.

Q: Is having one's forehead signed with ashes required of the faithful?

A: No, it is not required. However, it is to be strongly encouraged as it is a fitting and visible spiritual reminder that encourages one to adopt an attitude of prayer, repentance, and humility. As James said: "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up"(James 4:10).

Q: Is Ash Wednesday a holy day of obligation, that is, a day on which we are required to go to Mass?

A: No, it is not a holy day of obligation. However, it is strongly advisable since it is fitting to mark the beginning of penitential season of Lent by going to Mass. The formal, corporate worship of God is a good way to get a good start to the season. Also, even though it is not a holy day of obligation, it is a day of fast and abstinence.

Q: Why isn't Ash Wednesday a holy day of obligation?

A: Holy days of obligation are either commemorations of particular events (such as the birth of Christ or the presentation of Jesus in the Temple), particular people (such as Jesus' earthly father, St. Joseph), or important theological concepts (such as the Kingship of Christ). Ash Wednesday does not commemorate any event (nothing special happened forty days before the crucifixion—at least not that we know of), and could only be said to indirectly commemorate a Person (Christ) since it is the beginning of preparation for the greater celebrations of Christ's saving work, which follow, and although Ash Wednesday is a day of penance (like all of the days of Lent except Sundays, which are feast days no matter when they occur in the liturgical calendar since they celebrate Christ's resurrection), the Church has never chosen to make it or any other specific day the definitive commemoration of the concept of repentance.

Copyright (c) 1996 by James Akin. All Rights Reserved

ExHusband:

As things stand, Nigerian GDP per head is only £2,450. It could therefore be argued that the West perversely has an incentive to keep Africa in relative poverty. With an anti-business politician such as Buhari in charge, we perhaps don’t have to worry too much about an African invasion. We can cynically take our pick of its most educated, while leaving the rest to cope as best they can./

This narrative and the tag given to our president got me thinking loud.

In occupational health safety and environmental (HSE) practices, obstruction of emergency equipments are serious violation and create an unsafe condition.
Definitely, I believe there's a restriction signage against parking within the fire hydrant zone. For the fellow that parked the vehicle, he/she must have gone through driving lessons which includes traffic uses and have a valid licence. So the rules must apply to that fellow.

Abeg, make them park one side. Why are they encouraging impunity, to them was the election credible? This country is doomed if we continue in this way. Those who fails to stand on truth will never escape the natural justice against injustice.
Let the election process and all that played out be challenged so that the Judiciary itself should be put on trial too. Then and after then, we will know if we truely hope in this country

Indeed our democracy is under great threat from what happened in the just concluded election. Let's wait and see if the judiciary will save what remains of it. We never had it so bad as this last one.

Why this man no dey even help his supporters. Making statements that will give opposition reason to start saying "we no tell una"
Abeg, e too early o

somalianprince:
This is movie scene

I thought as well.
Instead of the lady whose pant was used acting weird, the yahoo boy now became mad.

Nigerian presidency shouldn't be ethnically politicised. Someone should tell that APGA chairman that the Igbos are not interested of Nigerian presidency of Igbo extraction, but only interested in a president who sees every Nigerian as his subject whose welfare and security must be his concern.
That the Igbos voted massively for PDP shows their believe and ideological stand on the candidate of PDP. They are very happy with their choice and please don't wail for them. They choose to be HOT or COLD, and not LUKEWARM. Igbos are not Bat that is neither bird not mammal. I repeat, they are not interested in a Nigerian president of Igbo origin, and can only support such candidate if he/she is deemed competent.

The statement that Igbos are the only tribe that truly believe in one Nigeria can not be denied. However, the treatment they get atimes leads to the question if one Nigeria actually exist. For those who understands that Igbos are not out to dominate anyone but believei in a free space for struggle, thanks for your understanding. They are Republican and remains so, no one individual can Lord it over Igbo nation or clan.

This matter needs urgent attention. It's because the forum is a faceless one, serious action would have been taken against those spammers.
I must confess, these ugly trends makes me stay off topics once I burst into those criminal post derailing topics.
I know it may not be easy to clean them up this forum but it's possible. So Seun please treat this matter as a very serious one. If you decide to go the INEC way by conducting opinion poll here if those in support of these SPAM BETTING posts wins, then let them have their way

I don't think they are more in numbers. Rather, it is some selfish southern Nigerian elites who feels comfortable and satisfied with the position they occupy now that gives them the headway. To me, these elites are political neophyte who does not see beyond their noses. They do not think of generations to come on a larger scale but only family succession
There are many factors in the number issue that can be worked out for southern Nigeria, followed by total political enlightenment and near 100% participation in elections.
Most importantly however, power is never given but taken. So whatever you can do to rest power from your perceived foe, you do that.
As it stands now, autonomy of states or regions is the only way to go, and as I have earlier said, you can't have it but to take it
Very good statements were made in this election which must be studied and acted upon by southern Nigerians.

CAPSLOCKED:


IT WON'T TAKE MORE THAN 2 HOURS IF VOTERS GO TO THEIR WARDS, MAKE A QUEUE IN FRONT OF THE LOGO OF THE POLITICAL PARTY OF THEIR CHOICE, BE COUNTED AND THE TOTAL NUMBER RECORDED IN THE PRESENCE OF EVERYONE PRESENT, AND ON LIVE BROADCAST.

I DON'T KNOW IF I'M MAKING SENSE BUT THAT WAY IT WON'T BE EASY FOR ELECTORAL MATERIALS TO BE TOSSED AROUND LIKE THIS, SINCE THERE WON'T BE ELECTORAL MATERIALS.

WITH WHAT WAS WITNESSED YESTERDAY I DON'T THINK THERE HAS EVER BEEN A FAIR ELECTION IN THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY.

That was the system used in 1993 "Option A4". It's simple and quick, saves cost because no need to print ballot papers nor provision of ballot boxes and other voting materials. The only material required are result sheets, and probably biro and stamps.
The only election conducted in Nigerian history that was free, fair and credible, and with very low budget was the June 12, 1993. The results for the 21 States of the federation was known that same day.
If you know the history of June 12 election, then you know the rest of the story.

Congrats my amiable speaker. Please OP post officially announced result to justify this claim.
I so much love his calm disposition

.

In God we trust. I however feel sad with the reports of thuggery and disruptions of polls across the country. Killings, burning of casted ballots and many other election violences across the length and breadth.
In summary, we have not made any progress in our democratic journey with regards to 2015 general election. To me 2015 elections was better than what we have so far.

May God's divine will be done in our nation