₦airaland Forum

networkrecharg:
NO HANDOVER....
ONLY TAKE OVER

SINCE IT HAPPENED THIS WAY, DOESIT MEAN THAT WIKE INVADE OR STOLE THE MANDATE....

HE WHO TAKES FROM SOMEONE ELSE WITHOUT THE PERSONS PERMISSION IS A ..............

AMAECHI IS YET TO HAND OVER TO WIKE.

the person wey do u this thing,, e no go better for am

lanicky:
What! Oran tí beh!
Them suppose stone the mother.

Na who be them?

What advice do u need again? she likes and u like her. let the rest be history, man....

Mr. Mahashta Mûrasi is 179 years old... for those who wants to know how old he is.

The Chadian President, Idris Derby, Monday, made
a volte face as he said that he does not know the
where about of the leader of Boko Haram,
Abubakar Shekau.
President Derby had in a widely circulated claim
said some months ago that he knew where the
Boko Haram leader was hiding and had warned
him to surrender or risked being killed by Chadian
forces.
But speaking with state House correspondents
after meeting with President Jonathan, President
Derby said even if he knew where the terrorist
was, he would not say where he is.
In this screen grab image taken on February 9,
2015 from a video made available by Islamist
group Boko Haram, leader Abubakar Shekau (C)
makes a statement at an undisclosed location.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau vowed in a
new video released on January 9, 2015 that the
group would defeat a regional force fighting the
militants in Nigeria’s far northeast, Niger and
Cameroon.
“I cannot tell you today that I know where Shekau
is hiding and even if I knew I won’t tell you” he
said tersely in an answer to a question.
President Derby hinted that the inability of the
Nigerian and Chadian army to carry out joint
operations may have affected the success of the on
going operations in the North east to tackle Boko
Haram.
“Is regrettable that the two armies that is the
Nigerian army and the Chadian Army are working
separating in the field, they are not undertaking
joint operation. If they were operating joint
operation probably they would have achieved more
results” he said.
He said he was in the Presidential Villa to consult
with President Jonathan on the
In this screen grab image taken on February 9,
2015 from a video made available by Islamist
group Boko Haram, leader Abubakar Shekau (C)
makes a statement at an undisclosed location.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau vowed in a
new video released on January 9, 2015 that the
group would defeat a regional force fighting the
militants in Nigeria’s far northeast, Niger and
Cameroon.
fight against terrorism and to congratulate him for
setting a good record for Africa by conceding
defeat in the just concluded election.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/i-dont-know-where-shekau-is-chadian-president/

this is a twisted story. And it goes to show the height of cluelessness on the part of the vanguardngr.com

I am APO II in Ogu/bolo LGA in rivers state...

I shall be updating nairalanders with the latest...

It is either you use any of these: Funny, funnier, funniest.
Most funniest is a tautological expression. please, OP take not and do the needful.

Most funniest is a tautology. please, OP take not and do the needful.

engrsyer:
Is there any news from NRC?

nah, not yet. I made some contacts today. they said the list is expected from next week...

engrsyer:
Is there any news about shortlisting of candidates for interview/test? Today is the day they set aside to past shortlisted candidates for interview. If you have any info can you please update us. Thank you

There is no shortlisting yet. I'm just coming from their port Harcourt office at station road.
They asked us to check back on Friday this week or Monday nxt week.
As at when I got there the railway staffers were still accepting forms. Though, they said it ended today.

Nina419:
Its for real,I went to d one in Aba n they asked me to come bak on monday.tnx op

pls what are the requirements? I really wish to apply. am in port Harcourt. pls help...

The All Progressives Congress Presidential
Campaign Organisation has raised the alarm
about reports of a fake Abubakar Shekau (Boko
Haram leader) allegedly being paraded by the
Federal Government, which it says the government
intends to use to create an impression that it is
winning the war on terrorism.
It said credible sources had alerted the APC that
the fake Shekau might become a tool to blackmail
members of the opposition “by coaching the
phantom terror chief” to say he was working for
the opposition party candidate, Maj. Gen
Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), in order to link its
presidential candidate to terrorism as it had
attempted but failed in the past.
A statement by the Director of Media and Publicity
of the APCOPC, Malam Garba Shehu, wondered
where the “new Shekau” would come from after
government, at several times in the past,
announced that it had killed the insurgents’
leader.
“The charge to the military, that they should catch
Shekau alive by the President in the last 24 hours,
lends credence to the report that indeed a fake
Shekau is about being created,” it said.
The statement noted that “the profile of the leader
of the insurgents, Shekau, of a dedicated
ideologue,” presupposed that the man was not
likely to allow himself to be caught alive.
“It is both contradictory to the ideology he
preaches and the psychological profile that the
world has of him that Shekau would allow himself
to be caught alive,” the statement said.
The APCPCO recalled that the attack in Kaduna, on
the party’s presidential candidate, was believed
by most Nigerians that it was perpetrated by
the Boko Haram.
It added, “The police that are constitutionally
empowered to investigate and report on such
incidents have not contradicted the widespread
belief that this was a Boko Haram’s attack.
“The view of the APC is that it does not make
sense for General Muhammadu Buhari to be in
league with, or be associated in any way with
people who have set out to kill him.”

http://www.punchng.com/news/fg-plotting-to-create-fake-shekau-apc/

The Defence headquarters , Monday, disclosed that
following the air and ground assault to flush out
Boko Haram terrorists from Baga, its cordon and
search operation has revealed some terrorists
disguising as women.
A statement signed by Major General Chris
Olukolade said, “The searches are also yielding
more discoveries of arms especially bombs hidden
in various locations, especially Baga town.
“Apart from those captured in the course of
fighting, many arrests of terrorists hiding in the
town are being made and troops are still busy
interrogating the suspects.
“Meanwhile, in furtherance of the mission to clear
terrorists from all their enclaves by the military, the
Nigerian Air Force has stepped up its air
bombardment of identified targets in Gwoza, Bama
and Sambisa forest, preparatory to other phases of
the mission.
“The air strikes have been highly successful as
they achieved the aims, hitting vital targets with
required precision.
“Terrorists are now in disarray as they scamper to
escape from the impact of air bombardment of
their locations in the forest.
Having successfully liberated Baga where the
terrorists have been marauding, the troops’
attention has now been focused on consolidation
of the security of the area to pave way for return of
citizens.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/baga-terrorist-who-disguised-as-woman-caught/

Guy, I no trust this movement. why the stress when data bundle ranges from N1000 and above?

[quote author=kheart post=30967748]Bla bla bla bla, ibos and abians re naturally for pdp so save ur energy and stop irking our ears abeg[/quotewhat is this one saying?

[quote author=kheart post=30967748]Bla bla bla bla, ibos and abians re naturally for pdp so save ur energy and stop irking our ears abeg[/quote
what is this one saying?

A NEW compound has blocked Human
Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV) infection
so well in monkeys that it may be able to
function as a vaccine against Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), the
scientists who designed it reported
midweek. The study was published online
by the journal Nature.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Veterinary
Medical Association (NVMA) yesterday
issued concerns over the Highly
Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)
resurgence in the country.
While the association is optimistic that
if Nigeria works together as a nation, it
could conquer the disease like the Ebola
Virus Disease; it also called on all
veterinary doctors to consider the
resurgence of the disease, also known as
Bird Flu, as a professional challenge and
should quickly rise to the occasion.
HIV has defied more than 30 years of
conventional efforts to fashion a vaccine.
The new method stimulates muscle cells
to produce proteins that somewhat
resemble normal antibodies, which have
Y-shaped heads. These proteins have
both a head and a tail, and they use them
to simultaneously block two sites on each
“spike” that the virus uses to attach itself
to a cell.
If both sites can be blocked on every
spike, the virus becomes helpless and
drifts off unattached into eventual oblivion
by the immune system.
Director of the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
United States, which supported the work,
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, said: “It’s a twofer.
It’s very impressive, and the method is
quite promising. But it’s still just in an
animal model, so we’ll need to see
evidence of whether it works in humans.”
The technique, the paper’s lead author
said, had completely protected four
monkeys for nearly a year against
repeated attempts to infect them with large
doses of several strains of SHIV, a version
of HIV adapted for use in lab monkeys.
The author, Michael Farzan, an infectious
disease specialist at the Scripps Research
Institute in Florida, described the new
compound as “the broadest and most
potent entry inhibitor described so far.”
It is simpler and works better, he said,
than the current method that scientists are
experimenting with: giving monkeys
cocktails of several different antibodies
that each neutralise only one or two
strains of HIV, sometimes imperfectly.
Describing over the telephone the way
his new compound worked, Farzan said
that he was bending his hand into a claw,
with his thumb representing the end
blocking one site and two fingers blocking
the other.
“One of my colleagues told me it’s the
grip for a two-seam cut fastball,” he said.
The work was led by scientists at his
institute but involved researchers from
Harvard, Princeton, Rockefeller University,
the University of Southern California, the
Pasteur Institute in France and elsewhere.
The next step, Farzan said, would be to
test the compound in infected monkeys
and see if it could stop the virus from
replicating further, which is what
antiretroviral medicines do. If that proves
safe and effective, he said, he hoped to
start human trials in three stages.
In the first, humans would be injected
every few weeks with just the antibody-
like protein, not with the vector that
stimulates muscle cells to produce it. If
that were successful, the vector would be
injected into humans who already have
HIV, but are not taking antiretroviral pills
because they refuse, forget or experience
bad side effects.
Finally, the compound would be given to
healthy people at high risk – such as gay
men who have frequent unprotected sex
with strangers – to see if it protects them.
The new approach uses cutting-edge
techniques that are not widely known, or
even entirely understood, by the scientists
experimenting with them.
Historically, vaccines have been made by
killing or weakening whole viruses and
injecting them; that stimulates the
immune system to produce antibodies
that recognise and attack the real virus
when it arrives.
Newer vaccines splice genes for
particular antibodies into other weakened
viruses. Generally, the genes are carried
into a cell by the virus, incorporated into
the cell’s genome, and begin producing
the necessary antibodies.
But this new method splices the desired
gene into a stretch of DNA so short that it
cannot function like a virus at all and does
not deserve to be called one, Farzan said,
who referred to it simply as “a gene
therapy vector.” It does not integrate itself
into the DNA of a cell or replicate itself.
Nonetheless, injecting that vector into
muscle stimulates cells to produce the
antibody-like protein encoded by the
gene.
“Why? We’re not really able to answer
that question,” Farzan said. “But it does.”
HIV normally targets CD4 cells, white
blood cells that act as the sentinels of the
immune system.
The virus invades them by attaching its
outer spikes – known as envelope
proteins – to two different receptors on
the outside of the cell. First it attaches to
the CD4 receptor; that exposes the CCR5
receptor. Once attached to both, the virus
can inject its RNA into the cell and hijack
its inner machinery to produce more
viruses.
But the protein produced by Farzan, bent
into its claw shape, blocks both the CD4-
binding site and the CCR5-binding site. It
does so in a very tight “match” difficult for
the virus to block by means of “escape
mutations” – changes in shape that partly
prevent engineered antibodies from
attaching.
“It fools the virus into thinking it’s
interacting with a cell,” Farzan said.
Dr. Philip R. Johnson, director of the
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Research Institute and the inventor of the
vector that Farzan used, called the new
approach “good stuff.”
“It appears to be as good as, if not
better than, anything else that’s being
tried,” he said.
Eventually, he said, he would like to see
an approach that combined known
antibodies and the new protein “so we
could target two or three areas on the
virus.”
In a chat with journalists in Abuja,
National President of the Association, Dr.
Edgar Amos Sunday, also called for the
review and streamlining of the Animal
Disease (Control) Decree of 1988 to suite
contemporary realities.
Measures to check spread
The NVMA further stressed that poultry
meat and eggs should be hygienically
processed, noted that if well-cooked, is
safe for human consumption.
The body also weighed the scientific and
other arguments concerning the use of
vaccines for Bird Flu and suggested that
government’s current policy against
vaccination as a strategy in the control of
bird flu should be sustained.
Sunday urged the public not to panic,
but called on poultry farms to ensure strict
monitoring and restriction of movement of
people and items such as crates, bags
and so on, especially between farms. The
association also canvassed strict hygiene
before and after handling poultry.
He added: “Cases of ill health in poultry
should be reported immediately to the
nearest veterinary clinic.
“The Avian Influenza Control Project
structures in various states should be
strengthened and equipped to carry out
public enlightenment, surveillance,
depopulation, disinfection and so on. State
governments in particular should invest
more in providing and upgrading
veterinary infrastructure. Active
surveillance should be carried out
immediately throughout the country even
in states where the disease has not been
reported. This is to facilitate movement
ahead of the virus.
“More veterinary doctors should be
employed by government. The situation in
some states that have less than 10
veterinary doctors in their service is
inimical to both animal and public health.
Such states cannot effectively deliver
health service and control of diseases like
bird flu.”
He further stressed: “More veterinary
hospitals, clinics and laboratories should
be constructed while existing ones should
be rehabilitated and equipped. Specifically,
the National Veterinary Research Institute
(NVRI) laboratory in Vom and its branches
should be supported to enhance the
capacity for quick and accurate diagnosis
of bird flu and other diseases.
Development partners should lend their
support in these regard.
“Standard operational procedures for
poultry business should be re-designed
and implemented.”
He called on government to provide
sufficient funds for the payment of
compensation to farmers whose poultry
had been depopulated.
Current situation
Sunday disclosed: “The current outbreak
was first reported from a commercial farm
in Kano on December 24, 2014 and a live
bird market at Onipanu in Lagos on
January 8, 2015. This was confirmed by
the NVRI, Vom. As at February 18, the
disease had been confirmed in 17 states
nationwide. These are Kano, Lagos, Ogun,
Rivers, Delta, Plateau, Edo, Gombe, Imo,
Oyo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Bauchi, Zamfara,
Katsina, Sokoto and Anambra.
“The confirmed cases are from 146
poultry farms, 10 live bird markets and 11
zoological gardens spread in 61 local
government areas. There has not been
any reported case of bird flu so far in
humans in the country and all human
samples have so far tested negative.”
He stressed, however, that the prospects
for containment were bright despite the
implications of bird resurgence in Nigeria
“The experience, technical manpower,
facilities and support used in containing
the 2006 outbreak is accessible,” he
added.

http://m.ngrguardiannews.com/en/news/national-news/198871-new-approach-to-blocking-hiv-raises-hopes-for-aids-vaccine

Nigeria’s air force on Thursday bombed Boko
Haram strongholds in northeast Borno state, killing
“a large number of terrorists”, as a four-nation
offensive against the insurgents presses on, a
military statement said.

The targets of the bombardment included the town
of Gwoza, where Boko Haram leader Abubakar
Shekau first proclaimed the existence of a caliphate
inside in Nigeria in August, and the notorious
Sambisa Forest area, where the rebels have had
camps for years.

“The air strikes which today targeted… Sambisa
forests and parts of Gwoza have been highly
successful,” defence spokesman Chris Olukolade
said in a statement.

“The death of a large number of terrorists has been
recorded.”

Nigerian military claims of successes against Boko
Haram have in the past not been consistent with
witness accounts and it was not immediately
possible to verify the details of the latest operation.

The Sambisa Forest is believed to be the area
where more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by
Boko Haram in April were taken before being
divided into groups and moved.

The Islamist militants took over Gwoza in July and
tried to encourage people to stay and live under
the group’s so-called caliphate.

The current population of the town is not known
and it was not clear if any civilians were killed in
the air force bombardment.

Nigeria and its neighbours Cameroon, Chad and
Niger this month launched an unprecedented joint
campaign to crush the uprising, claiming major
successes.

But the regional militaries have offered different
accounts of operations so far.

Chad this week said its fighters were advancing
towards Sambisa Forest after crossing the border
and overpowering the Islamists in the Borno town
of Dikwa, 50 kilometres (about 30 miles) from their
base on the Cameroon border.

Nigeria has insisted its military is leading the
operation, which aimed at containing the
insurgency which has killed 13,000 people since
2009.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/02/air-force-bombs-boko-haram-strongholds/#sthash.dS4B46eQ.dpuf

STATEMENT ON THE TIMETABLE FOR 2015
GENERAL ELECTIONS BY THE CHAIRMAN,
INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL
COMMISSION (INEC), PROFESSOR ATTAHIRU M.
JEGA, AT A PRESS CONFERENCE ON FEBRUARY
07th, 2015

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction.
We invited you here today to make known the
position of the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) on the timetable for the 2015
general elections. Let me state from the outset
that the Commission’s position was reached after
carefully weighing the suggestions from briefings
held with different stakeholders in the electoral
process.

The conduct of elections in a country like Nigeria
is invariably a collective venture that involves not
just the Election Management Body (EMB), but
also a diverse range of stakeholders, notably
security agencies, political parties and their
candidates, voters, as well as interest groups,
such as the civil society organizations and the
media. To guarantee successful conduct of
elections, there are things that are wholly the
responsibility of the EMB. But there are other
things critical for the success of elections, which
fall outside the control of the EMB.

In other words, while INEC must work hard to
perfect its systems and processes for conducting
elections, and take responsibility for any
imperfections thereof, whatever the Commission
does may not by itself be sufficient to guarantee
the success of elections. There are a number of
issues in the preparation and conduct of an
election, the most critical of which is security,
which is not under the control of INEC.

Current State of INEC’s Preparedness
On Thursday, February 5, 2015, I was invited to
brief the National Council of State, which is the
highest advisory to the President comprising past
and present leaders in Nigeria, on the level of
preparedness of INEC to conduct the 2015 general
elections. I made a presentation to the Council
titled ‘Preparations for the 2015 General Elections:
Progress Report,’ in which I gave a detailed
account of what the Commission has been doing
in readiness for the national elections (National
Assembly and Presidential) scheduled for
February 14th, and the state elections
(Governorship and State Assembly) scheduled
forFebruary 28th, 2015.

The summary of my presentation to the National
Council of State meeting is that, for matters under
its control, INEC is substantially ready for the
general elections as scheduled, despite
discernible challenges being encountered with
some of its processes like the collection of
Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) by registered
members of the public.

In addition, INEC has been doing everything it can
to facilitate the collection of the PVCs by
registered members of the public. As at 5th
February 2015, the total number of PVCs collected
was 45, 829, 808, representing 66.58% of the total
number of registered voters.

In the delivery and deployment of electoral
materials, INEC is also at a comfort level in its
readiness for the general elections as scheduled
(see the presentation to the Council of State). The
Commission’s preparations are not yet perfect or
fully accomplished. But our level of preparedness,
despite a few challenges, is sufficient to conduct
free, fair and credible elections as scheduled on
February 14th and February 28th. Compared with
2011 when, within a short time, we conducted
general elections that were universally adjudged
free, fair and credible and the best in Nigeria’s
recent electoral history, our processes aretoday
better refined, more robust and therefore capable
of delivering even better elections.

Other Variables

But as I mentioned earlier, there are some other
variables equally crucial for successful conduct of
the 2015 general elections that are outside the
control of INEC. One important variable is security
for the elections.

While the Commission has a very good working
relationship with all security agencies, especially
on the platform of the Inter-agency Consultative
Committee on Election Security (ICCES) since its
inception in 2010, it has become pertinent for it to
seriously consider the security advisory presented
to it by the Security and Intelligence Services. I
would like to reiterate here that INEC is an EMB
and not a security agency. It relies on the security
services to provide a safe environment for
personnel, voters, election observers and election
materials to conduct elections wherever it
deploys. Where the security services strongly
advise otherwise, it would be unconscionable of
the Commission to deploy personnel and call
voters out in such a situation.

Last Wednesday, which was a day before the
Council of State meeting, the office of the National
Security Adviser (NSA) wrote a letter to the
Commission, drawing attention to recent
developments in four Northeast states of Borno,
Yobe, Adamawa and Gombe currently
experiencing the challenge of insurgency. The
letter stated that security could not be guaranteed
during the proposed period in February for the
general elections.

This advisory was reinforced at the Council of
State meeting on Thursday where the NSA and all
the Armed Services and Intelligence Chiefs
unanimously reiterated that the safety and security
of our operations cannot be guaranteed, and that
the Security Services needed at least six weeks
within which to conclude a major military
operation against the insurgency in the Northeast;
and that during this operation, the military will be
concentrating its attention in the theatre of
operations such that they may not be able to
provide the traditional support they render to the
Police and other agencies during elections.
INEC’s Decision

We have done wide ranging consultation to enable
us have as much input as is necessary before
taking an informed decision. In the series of
consultations that we held with stakeholders, the
questions consistently posed to them for
consideration are:

In view of the latest development, should INEC
proceed with the conduct of the general elections
as scheduled in spite of this strong advice; and if
so, what alternative security arrangements are
available to be put in place?

Or, should INEC take the advice and adjust the
schedules of the general elections within the
framework of Constitutional provisions?
The Commission held a meeting after the
consultations, and decided to take the advice of
the Security Chiefs and adjust the dates of the
elections. We have done this relying on Section
26(1) of the Electoral 2010 (As Amended), which
states thus: “Where a date has been appointed for
the holding of an election, and there is reason to
believe that a serious breach of the peace is likely
to occur if the election is proceeded with on that
date or it is impossible to conduct the elections
as a result of natural disasters or other
emergencies, the Commission may postpone the
election and shall in respect of the area, or areas
concerned, appoint another date for the holding of
the postponed election, provided that such reason
for the postponement is cogent and verifiable”.
INEC not being a security agency that could by
itself guarantee protection for personnel and
materials, as well as voters during elections, the
Commission cannot lightly wave off the advice by
the nation’s Security Chiefs. The Commission is
specifically concerned about the security of our ad
hoc staff who constitute at least 600,000 young
men and women, together with our regular staff,
voters, election observers as well as election
materials painstakingly acquired over the last one
and half years. This concern is limited not just to
the areas in the North-eastern part of Nigeria
experiencing insurgency; the risk of deploying
young men and women and calling people to
exercise their democratic rights in a situation
where their security cannot be guaranteed is a
most onerous responsibility. Under such
circumstances, few EMBs across the world, if any,
would contemplate proceeding with the elections
as scheduled. No matter the extent of INEC’s
preparedness, therefore, if the security of
personnel, voters, election observers and election
materials cannot be guaranteed, the life of
innocent young men and women as well the
prospects of free, fair, credible and peaceful
elections would be greatly jeopardised.
Consequently, the Commission has decided to
reschedule the 2015 general elections thus: the
national elections (i.e. Presidential and National
Assembly) are now to hold on March 28th, 2015;
while the state elections (Governorship and State
Assembly) are to hold onApril 11th, 2015. It
should be noted that this rescheduling falls within
the constitutional framework for the conduct of the
elections, notably, Sections 76(2), 116(2), 132(2)
and 178(2). See also Section 25 of the Electoral
Act 2010 (As Amended).

For the avoidance of doubt, we will under no
circumstances approve an arrangement that is not
in line with the provisions of our laws. Our hope
is that with this rescheduling, the security
services will do their best to ensure that the
security environment needed for safe and peaceful
conduct of the 2015 elections is rapidly put in
place.

We in INEC reassure all Nigerians and indeed the
international community of our commitment to do
everything within the law and to conduct free, fair,
credible and peaceful elections. We call on the
security agencies to honour their commitment to
restore sufficient normalcy for elections to take
place within the period of extension. We also call
on Nigerians, political parties, candidates and all
other stakeholders to accept this decision in good
faith and ensure the maintenance of peace.
As for us in INEC we’ll endeavour to use the
period of the extension to keep on perfecting our
systems and processes for conducting the best
elections in Nigeria’s history. In particular, we
believe that we would resolve all outstanding
issues related to non-collection of PVCs, which
agitate the minds of many Nigerians.
Finally, we wish to call on all Nigerians to accept
our decision, which is taken in good faith and the
best interest of deepening democracy ion our
country.

Thank you.

Professor Attahiru M. Jega, OFR

http://www.punchng.com/news/jegas-speech-on-new-polls-dates/

Pressure mounted by President Goodluck
Jonathan’s loyalists and service chiefs on the
Independent National Electoral Commission led to
the postponement of the 2015 general elections,
SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt.
The polls were billed for February 14 (presidential
and National Assembly) and February 28
(governorship and House of Assembly).
Jonathan, candidate of the Peoples Democratic
Party, is contesting against retired Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressive
Congress and 12 other candidates at the
presidential poll.
Those who pushed for the postponement, despite
the opposition from the All Progressives Congress
and many Nigerians, include the Presidency; the
Peoples Democratic Party Jonathan’s loyalists;
the National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo
Dasuki; the Chiefs of Defence, Army, Naval and Air
Staff, among others.
Two weeks ago, Dasuki, while speaking at a forum
at the Chatham House in London, asked INEC to
postpone the elections, saying the shift would
allow for proper preparations and distribution of
PVCs by the electoral body.
In an apparent reaction to Dasuki’s call, the
United States had on January 25, 2015, advised
Nigeria against postponing the elections.
The US Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, gave
the advice after he met with Jonathan and Buhari.
Kerry urged the Federal Government not to
postpone the elections as canvassed by Dasuki.

However, the military chiefs wrote to Jega, informing him of the security implication of holding the elections
in February as earlier scheduled. This, it was
learnt, what part of what influenced shifting of the
polls.
Before the INEC chairman announced the new
dates for the elections, the commission had
insisted that the presidential and National
Assembly elections be held on February 14, while
the governorship and states House of Assembly
election be held two weeks later.
Jega, however, changed the dates of the elections
at a press conference he addressed at the
commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Saturday.
He repeatedly held the NSA and security chiefs
responsible for the shift.
The press conference came up after he met with
representatives of all registered political parties.
Jega was said to have on Saturday told the
leaders of the parties, his officers and the civil
society groups that the commission was ready for
the election as planned, but that he was worried
because of the claim by the security agencies that
they would not be able to protect members of the
staff of the commission and the electorates.
Sixteen political parties led by the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party were said to have favoured the
shifting of the elections, while nine others led by
the opposition All Progressives Congress were
against the move.
Jega also had a marathon meeting with the
Resident Electoral Commissioners of all the 36
states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
At the meetings, Jega was said to have told the
attendees that he had received a letter from
service chiefs advising that he should postpone
the general elections on the grounds that the
security agencies were engaged in a renewed
battle against insurgency in the North-East.
This, they claimed, would require their full
concentration.
In the letter, it was gathered that the security
agencies were demanding a rescheduling of
elections by, at least, six weeks.
He also told the leaders of the political parties and
the Resident Electoral Commissioners that he
received a letter on Wednesday from the NSA,
informing him that it would be difficult for the
security agencies to protect the electorates during
the election.
The Council of State had on Thursday rose from a
seven-hour meeting, advising the INEC to conduct
the elections.
Jega was quoted to have told the council that the
commission was ready for the conduct of the
election but the military chiefs were quoted to
have said they could not guarantee the security of
electoral officers, materials and the electorate
should the commission go ahead with the earlier
schedule.
Same Thursday, Jonathan’s supporters under the
aegis of the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly
led by Ijaw leader and ex-Minister of Information,
Chief Edwin Clark, called for the postponement of
the polls.
The group, at a press conference, pressed further
by asking for the sacking Chairman, INEC, Prof.
Attahiru Jega, and his arrest for allegedly
conniving with some northerners to manipulate
the presidential election against Jonathan.
Those in attendance included a former Vice-
President, Alex Ekwueme, ex-Minister of
Information, Walter Ofonagoro; ex-Governor of
Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife; Peoples
Democratic Party’s National Vice-Chairman
(South-South), Dr. Cairo Ojugboh, and the
Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee of the
recently held national confab, Senator Femi
Okurounmu, among others.
Okurounmu, who read a prepared speech jointly
signed by him, Clark and Ekwueme on behalf of
the group, said the alleged connivance with the
Northern Elders Forum was responsible for the
near 100 per cent collection of Permanent Voter
Cards in the North.
The PDP has also repeatedly called for a shift of
the polls in the past two weeks.
An INEC National Commissioner, who spoke to
SUNDAY PUNCH under anonymity after the
Saturday meetings, said it was better for the
commission to shift the elections in order to
protect the integrity of their outcome and those
that would take part in the conduct of the
elections.
He said, “You needed to be at the meeting and
see the mood of Jega. He was not happy because
his integrity was at stake and because these same
service chiefs had earlier given their words that
they were ready.
“Now, if he didn’t listen to their advice, these
same security agencies could create scenes
(problems) for the elections. They could sabotage
the distribution of sensitive materials.
“Apart from that, they could also refuse to provide
security for those involved in the elections and
could also sabotage the movement of sensitive
materials.”
The source said almost everyone in the country
was aware that the PDP-led Federal Government
was not ready for the elections.
“If the Federal Government that is funding the
security agencies and appointed their heads is
not ready for elections, how do you compel their
heads who are all appointees of the same
government to say they are ready,” another INEC
National Commissioner asked.

http://www.punchng.com/news/inside-story-brains-behind-poll-shift/

The Independent National Electoral Commission
has shifted the general elections earlier scheduled
for February 14 and 28 to March 28 and April 11,
2015.
INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, who
announced the new dates on Saturday in Abuja
after series of meeting with various stakeholders,
explained that the Presidential and National
Assembly elections would hold on March 28 while
the governorship and state Houses of Assembly
polls would hold on April 11.
Jega said the commission was empowered by
Section 26 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as
amended) to shift national elections due to some
factors.
He explained that the postponement followed
reports by the National Security Adviser, Col.
Sambo Dasuki(retd.), and other service chiefs that
their agencies would not be able to guarantee
security of INEC personnel in some parts of the
country.
Jega denied holding meetings with any opposition
figure or the Arewa Consultative Forum to rig
election in favour of any candidate, dismissing
calls on him by some people from the South-
South to resign.

http://www.punchng.com/news/inec-shifts-polls-to-march-28-april-11/

The controversy over the All
Progressives Congress, APC, General Muhammadu
Buhari’s academic certificate has shifted to the
court, as an Abuja-based lawyer, Mr. Chike Okafor
has asked a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, to
disqualify Buhari from contesting February 14
presidential election on account of false
information given by the candidate in the affidavit
he submitted to the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, in support of his nomination
form.

Okafor in suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/01/2015, predicated
the case on Section 131 of the Constitution which
prescribes a minimum qualification for nomination
to participate in Presidential elections and Section
31 of the Electoral Act that stipulates all
presidential candidates to depose an affidavit in
proof of compliance with constitutional requirement
to be President of Nigeria.

The claimant is contending in the suit that Buhari
failed to prove that he has the minimum
educational qualification to run for President.
He is further contending that Buhari’s affidavit that
he possesses the West African School Leaving
Certificate (WASC) are false, as not only did he not
attach it to his Nomination Form, as compulsorily
required, but his claim that the certificates are in
the custody of the military had been denied by the
Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier-
General Olajide Laleye.

Okafor is, consequently, praying the court to
disqualify Buhari from contesting the February 14
presidential election, citing Section 31(5) of the
Electoral Act that allows a person that has
reasonable grounds to believe that false
information has been given by a candidate in his
affidavit or document submitted to INEC, in support
of his nomination form, to approach the court for
the candidate to be disqualified.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/01/certificate-controversy-abuja-lawyer-drags-buhari-court/

All I see is see of heads.....
#Getallthe

All I see is see of heads.....

I attended their interview sometime back. when I asked what the salary was, they said it was premium. Another name for commission.

#SaiBuhari
#FeBuhari14

this is not fair, inasmuch as I used all these items, why didn't the OP include my writing black slate. u should have seen it on my neck those days. used to hang it on my neck like they wear the modern day bling-bling...

DeejayTafari:
She doesn't exude sexiness in other words, she aint sexy.

is it when she displays some extreme lascivious innuendos that u would term her a sexy babe?
I think she's just being original. And that's OK...

Bishop Oyedepo has told his Living Faith
church congregation to kill any Islamic jihadists
that they see.
In a reported video clip of the sermon, Oyedepo
is said to have told his congregation that God
anointed him to lead a revolution against these
Islamic jihadists, and told them to kill them if
they see them.
“If you catch anyone that looks like them – kill
him! Kill him and pull out his neck. I will spill
his blood on the ground. What nonsense!”
“If Nigeria waits for the church to rise, Nigeria
will disappear as a nation. You mean
government cannot protect people? What a
mess… Even the president said they (Boko
Haram) have infiltrated his government. To do
what? Must the North continue to rule? What
devils!”\
“All the Northern forces that are sponsoring
these uprisings and killings – I decree the
curse of God upon them. Lord, if it is Your will
to break up Nigeria – break it now!”

http://www.360nobs.com/2015/01/bishop-oyedepo-tells-church-members-if-you-catch-islamic-jihadists-kill-them-pull-out-their-necks/#vDyQ0ApV46w6kxVt.99