₦airaland Forum

By John Owen Nwachukwu




A National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has said that there was no basis for the one year tenure extension given to the John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee, NWC, by the party’s National Executive Council, NEC.

He said this is because the tenure extension violates the constitution of Nigeria and the party.
Earlier, the Lagos State chapter of the APC, had rejected the extension, saying it was against the constitution of the party.

Speaking with Independent on whether the former Lagos Governor was privy to the meeting and gave his backing, Tinubu’s Special Adviser, on Media and Publicity, Tunde Rahman, said his principal did not in any way support the extension of the tenure of the NWC because it was against Nigeria’s and APC’s constitution.

He insisted that the NWC and all those who benefitted from the extension should seek re-election when their tenure expires, Tinubu said the APC should always strive to do things in accordance with the constitution, noting that that was the only thing that separated the APC from other political parties.

Rahman said, “I don’t know if Asiwaju Tinubu was privy to the meeting or whether he was consulted or not before the decision was reached.

“But I do know that he has always spoken in support of doing things constitutionally.

“Did the so-called elongation of tenure of the party executives follow the country’s constitution, and even the APC’s constitution?
“Section 223 of the 1999 constitution talks about election of executives of political parties periodically.

“And the section further explains that the election of the party executives will be deemed to be periodical if done every four years.

“What is the fear of those behind the elongation? The executives can contest for re-election and if they are re-elected, so be it.

“No one can deny them that right, but why circumvent due process? Why thwart constitutional process?

“Asiwaju Tinubu would wish that due constitutional process was followed because that’s what has always made the difference between the APC and the other parties.”

He added, “In 2014, three conventions were done in a space of seven months, including the election of new party executives, presidential primaries, and even amendment of some aspects of the party’s constitution, and heaven did not fall.”

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By Ifreke Inyang 


The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has mistakenly paid the Athletics Federations of Nigeria (AFN) $150,000 (over N54million) instead of $15,000 (over N5million).

The money was a grant for 2017 and the body is demanding for the balance of $135,000 (over N48million) to be returned.

However, the AFN claim they don’t know where the money went.

Explaining the issue, AFN Vice President, Olamide George told The Guardian: “I think the money came just when we were taking over from the past administration.

“But the truth is that it is only the AFN secretary who knows how he received the IAAF money.

“If the money was paid into AFN account, it could have gone through the Treasury Single Account (TSA). I am sure the secretary used his personal account to collect the money from IAAF, which I think is wrong.

“The secretary was transferred from AFN before, but the sports minister (Solomon Dalung) brought him back. They should tell Nigerians what happened to the IAAF money.

“I cannot be part of AFN board and all sorts of things are happening behind the scene. We must not fold our hands until IAAF sanctions Nigeria because of this issue.”

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Siphathisiwe Tshuma


A TSHOLOTSHO-BASED prophet has turned the world of a mother and daughter upside-down.
Now Thekele Moyo and her daughter Nyaradzo Chivuze (19) are fighting over the love they get from Prophet Makeiz Mpofu.

It all began when Mpofu set base at Moyo’s homestead as a visitor on a healing mission at Mphafeni area.

Mpofu was to graduate months later and become Moyo’s husband thereby making Chivuze his stepdaughter.

“He came as a visitor but later became Moyo’s husband. We found it strange but we accepted it,” said a family source.

The source added that in no time, Mpofu started spending time with Chivuze and she fell pregnant.

“He impregnated his wife’s daughter but the pregnancy mysteriously disappeared. At that point we thought Moyo would see the light and get rid of him,” the source said.

Instead she tried to consolidate her ground and win her man back from her daughter. It wasn’t easy and eventually the daughter fell pregnant for the second time.

“Her daughter has since given birth but Moyo still feels she stands a chance. I think the prophet is using juju on the two,” added the source.

The prophet told B-Metro that he was now in love with Chivuze and by the time of going to press he was going to see her in hospital where she gave birth.

“I am in love with Chivuze and I want to marry her,” he said.

He said he was there for Moyo in her hour of need but does not love her.

“I helped her a lot as a widow because she was facing many difficulties. As I was dealing with people whatever I obtained from the villagers I gave her,” said Mpofu.

Efforts to talk to Moyo and Chivuze were fruitless as their phones were unreachable because they are deep in the rural areas where network coverage is a challenge.

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CYRIACUS IZUEKWE


A 26-year old self acclaimed Islamic scholar, Alfa Babatunde Samuel has been arrested for defrauding a woman to the tune N500,000 and engaging her in ‘sex deliverance’ that was to last for one month in Lagos.

The incident happened at Jofolo Street in Iyana Ipaja area of Abule-Oke where the suspect took the victim for the sex deliverance.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the deliverance started but did not last for the one month Samuel had planned after the Police at Area M Command, Idimu busted the plan and arrested Samuel.

Ondo State-born Samuel who informed the police that he was into selling of films before he changed and became Alfa, gave the victim a prophecy that put fear into her.

According to the victim, Samuel met her and informed her that she will soon die and therefore needed deliverance to cast out the spirit of
death from her life. It was gathered that Samuel told the victim things related to her and her family and she asked for the solution to avert those calamities.

P.M.EXPRESS scooped that it was then that Samuel took her to the place where he gave her the conditions which involved paying the said amount of money, buying a goat and sexual intercourse with him that will continue for one month before she will be totally delivered.

It was gathered that the victim collected the whole money from her sister and fulfilled other requests from Samuel including the sex romp in the form of deliverance.

However, the whole thing got exposed after Samuel continued to make demands of money and sex from her. She then confided in her sister what she was going through and how she gave Samuel the money she collected from the sister.

The matter was reported to the police; Samuel was trailed, arrested and taken to the Area M Command, Idimu.

Police sources said that during interrogation, Samuel accepted that he was Alfa but he gave the victim a false prophecy to obtain money from her and had carnal knowledge of her which he had expected to last forat least One month.

He was charged before Ejigbo Magistrates court for the alleged offences. He pleaded not guilty.

The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. J.O.E. Adeyemi Ajayi granted Samuel bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.

The prosecutor, Supol Kenneth Asibor did not object to his bail condition.

The court also ordered that surety must deposit another N100,000 into Court Registrar’s account as one of the conditions for his bail.

Samuel was remanded in prison custody pending when he will perfect his bail condition.
The matter was adjourned till 26 March, 2018

One year after a round of violence in Ile-Ife, another clash between the Hausa community and the Yoruba people may have been averted in the town.

Daily Trust gathered that some northerners came to Ile-Ife enmasse to do menial jobs and when the Ife indigenes sighted them, there was apprehension.

It was learnt that the matter got the attention of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi and he sent some top chiefs to handle the matter but those that he delegated could not manage the situation.

The chiefs, according to reliable sources, invited the Sarkin of Arewa community of Sabo Ile-Ife, Alhaji Mahmoud Madagali and mandated him to sign some documents before the northerners could be allowed to stay in Ife but the Sarki declined on the basis that as Nigerians, the northerners should be allowed to stay in Ife.
This led to serious altercation. Sources said that the Ile-Ife chiefs were infuriated.

Governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola heard about the matter and set up a committee led by his aide on Ethnic Matters, Bashir Husain, to douse the tension.

The Lagos state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has kicked against the elongation of the tenure of the party’s national and state executives, saying it is against the constitution.

Rising from a consultative forum held at state house Marina, Lagos and attended by party elders from across the state, the leaders said the extension of the tenure of John Oyegun, chairman of the party, and his executives by one year is also against Nigeria’s constitution.

“Section 223 of the 1999 constitution as amended provides for periodical election on a democratic basis for principal officers and members of the executive committee of political parties,” the party said in a statement.

“According to the constitution, election of the officers or members of the executive committee of a political party will be deemed to be periodical if done at regular intervals not exceeding four years.

“Article 17 of the party’s constitution also provides for a four-year tenure for its national and state executives, which is renewable for another four years.”

Tajudeen Olusi, leader of the party in Lagos central senatorial district, later addressed reporters.

We have taken reports of the state APC chairman in respect of the NEC meeting held in Abuja. We have also had the privilege of receiving great reports from our leader from the reconciliation committee,” he said.

“We have considered the issue of extension of tenure and we are of the firm belief that the decision is a breach of the constitution of our party and of the country. We are against the elongation of tenure. We shall continue to make our decision known to the party and to the president.

“In extending the tenure, the APC National Executive Committee had relied on Article 13.3 (ii) of its constitution which states that The NEC can discharge the functions of the convention in a period of emergency.

Article 13.3 (ii) of APC Constitution specifically states that the NEC of the party is empowered to;
“Discharge all functions of the National Conventions as constituted in between Conventions”.

“But the provision in Article 13.3 (ii) is not limitless and open-ended. It is a responsibility restricted by the same constitution, which provides exclusively under Article 30 (i) that: “This Constitution and Schedules hereto can be amended only by the National Convention of the Party.”

Posted By: Blessing Olaifa, Abuja.


President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday said his administration is doing everything possible to ensure that the kidnap of the Dapchi School Girls and the recent attacks on humanitarian aid workers in Rann, Borno state, by the Boko Haram terrorists never happen again.

He however appealed to the nation’s elite and the media to avoid creating fertile ground for clashes among Nigerians through “what is said and what is done”. Nigerian elite should hold Nigeria together by our actions and utterances as well as our values, the president stated.

President Buhari maintained that the persistent attacks of the terrorists on soft targets such as the kidnap of the girls and the incident at Rann were to create the impression that the terrorists are still very much around, insisting that compared to when he took over the reign of governance in 2015; the insurgents have been effectively degraded.

The President said since the kidnap of the girls, the nation’s armed forces have been fully mobilized to Borno and Yobe states to ensure the security and safety of the people as well as schools in that part of the country.

The President made the remarks at the National Defence College, Abuja, while declaring open the 8th Edition of the National Security Seminar 2018 organised by the Alumni Association of the National Defence College in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Defence College, NDC.
The Theme of the Seminar was “Fighting Tomorrows’ Warfare Today.”

The President who was represented by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, asserted that Boko Haram had been thoroughly degraded contrary to the views being held by Nigerians on the status of the insurgent group.

Said he: “Boko Haram as we all know rejects authority and strives to take over territory, establishing a caliphate in line with ISIS objectives. Between 2012 and 2015 they seemed to be well on their way to achieve their objectives by annexing some territory of Nigeria and contesting territory with it.

“As of march 2015 Boko Haram controls about 20,000square kilo. of Nigeria, that is about the size of Belgium, from the eastern border of Cameroun to parts of Lake Chad. In Borno 20 out of 27 local government are under Boko Haram control, including Mubi in Adamawa and some villages.

“In addition to this, their footprints were registered in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano with the bombings of UN building and Police HQ in Abuja. That was the state of affairs as of early 2015. . Today BH does not occupy any local government area in Nigeria. And they no longer has the capacity to hold a territory and challenge the sovereignty of the state.

“Gone are the days they operate outside the precincts of the northeast, leaving behind carnage and bloodshed. They are now operating as desperate criminal gang mostly in relics or groups taking over some communities, using children as suicide bombers, kidnapping innocent girls and children”.

Buhari who lauded the gallantry and bravery of the nation’s armed forces, said Nigerians and the present administration would remain grateful to them for their sacrifice, stating that “as things are today, the situation would have been worse without the gallantry of our armed forces”.

He said with the objectives of the Boko Haram group to establish a caliphate in Nigeria now made impossible by the military, the government, the people and the military must come to the understanding of the deception that is at the heart of the current spate of attacks and kidnapping that the group was bent on creating the impression that they are still very much around.

President Buhari, who said the administration would rekindle the determination of the armed forces to subdue Boko Haram permanently, further assured that a multi-dimensional approach would be adopted to tackle the insurgent headlong.

According to him, the administration would strengthen the intelligence gathering capabilities of the armed forces, adopt cutting edge technology to fight the insurgents and develop counter narratives that would make recruitment of young men and women into the Boko Haram group impossible.

He also stated that besides the Safe School Initiative, the government would rebuild and secure communities destroyed by the insurgents, adding that all material conditions that make people take up arms against the state would be addressed.

The Minister of Defence, Mansir Dan Ali said the current efforts of the military to rescue the Dapchi girls and the Chibok girls would take the centre stage, stressing that satellite communications system and other technological method would be deploy to rescue the girls.

The Minister who was represented by Dr Hassan Abdullahi, a Director in charge of the army in the Ministry, said it was heart-warming for the organisers of the seminar to come up with the idea to address the multi-faceted security challenges facing the country.

Dan Ali said from the look of things the Boko Haram insurgent group was taking advantage of technology, especially the social media platforms to create panic, terror and confusion in the society and urge the nation’s armed forces to move ahead of them by doing away with analogue technology and embracing digital technology.

He also lamented that Nigeria’s reliance on foreign defence products are unhelpful in the fight against terror and other criminal activities in the country, regretting that the cyber space is being dominated by criminals.

The federal government, he asserted, would not only partner with critical stakeholders to address the security challenges facing the country, but that scientific and technological solutions would be adopted to defeat terror.

Dan Ali acknowledged the loss of lives and livelihoods, destruction of farm lands across the country, the activities of cattle rustlers, as well as destruction of communities, promising that government would do everything possible to restore hope and rebuild effected areas.

The Commandant of the College, Rear Admiral Adeniyi Osinowo said the NDC was pleased to host the workshop with the tittle Fighting Tomorrows’ Warfare Today as a way of addressing the current security challenges holistically.

Rear Admiral Osinowo said: “The theme of this seminar is well thought out for several pertinent reasons. Firstly, given the influence of technology on warfare and its overarching influence on wars since the cold war era, nations have invested in new and emerging technologies to improve their military for national power.

“Secondly, notwithstanding possible return of interstate wars, the reality is that post-cold war Africa has been involved more in intra stat wars.

Thirdly, contemporary warfare involves non-state actors, insurgents and terrorists groups in particular, and the majority of these wars have assumed greater dimension.”

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Popular independent broadcaster in Ekiti State, Dele Alagbon, has escaped death after attacks by unknown individuals who considered his programmes ‘offensive.’

Alagbon, who is also known as ‘Omo Olope’ in entertainment circles, was waylaid and attacked by a three-man gang on a motorcycle on his way home along Igirigiri road, Odo Ado, Ado-Ekiti last Wednesday night.

The embattled presenter hosts programmes on radio and television stations within and outside Ekiti State.

The broadcaster said he abandoned his black colour Mercedes Benz C-Class car marked YEE 66 AE and fled the scene to escape.

Narrating his ordeals to our correspondent, Alagbon disclosed that the incident happened at about 10.30 pm not far from Ado Local Government secretariat.

According to him, he had earlier in the day hosted a programme, ‘Isejoba rere’ on Radio Nigeria Progress 100.5 FM between 11am and 12 noon during which many listeners called in to condemn the state government’s alleged failure to pay workers’ salaries.

Alagbon said other callers slammed the government for what they called “massive hunger ravaging Ekiti without any solution in sight.”

The broadcaster also disclosed that the same scenario played out during another programme “Ekiti O Ni Baje,” on a private radio station Voice 89.9 FM, Ado-Ekiti on Saturday February 24 from 9.30 pm to 10.30 pm.

Alagbon said the public outrage on the two radio shows might have been responsible for the attacks on him.

The broadcaster said: “I am not an enemy to anybody. I am a professional broadcaster contributing my quota to Ekiti development.

“I had concluded my programme on Progress FM that fateful day and went to my office to do some editing and attend to speak people after which I headed home at close of work.

“I noticed that three men on Okada were trailing me from Ijigbo roundabout and they caught up with me along a bad portion of road near the local government secretariat in Odo Ado.

“They double crossed me as I stopped to know who they were and they started hitting my car with machetes in their hands.

“They said I am too vocal on my programmes and that I allow people to criticise Governor Ayo Fayose during the phone-in segments.

“As they moved to the back of the car to continue hitting it with machetes in their hands, I suddenly opened the door and ran as fast as my legs could take me.

“I had to abandon the car and ran for my dear life and in the course of escaping from the scene, I lost my phones and I only recovered the lines this morning.”

Alagbon disclosed that the incident has been reported at Odo Ado Police Station along Poly Road and the Police have launched investigation into the attack.

He explained that the incident caused anxiety in his hometown, Ayegbaju-Ekiti in Oye Local Government Areas, where he was summoned by elders of the community who were fully briefed on the incident.

When asked whether he would back down on the perceived threat to his life, Alagbon said he remained committed to his numerous listeners and viewers.

He said: “My security is in the hands of God and he will continue to protect me. I will continue to be loyal to my listeners and viewers of my programmes as those shows give them opportunities to be heard.

“I will continue to present those programmes despite my predicament. In fact, I am preparing to host another edition of ‘Ekiti O Ni Baje’ tonight.

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Fred Itua, Abuja


Embattled Kogi senator Dino Melaye is presently trapped in the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Daily Sun can authoritatively report.

The Senator who represents Kogi West was today arraigned in the Federal High Court following a suit against him by the Federal Government over alleged false assassination claims.

Daily Sun gathered that the road leading to the high court as at the time of filing in this report was barricaded by heavily armed personnel of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The court premises was sealed off and all attempts to gain entry by newsmen proved abortive.

It was further learnt from sources locked in the premises of the court that the SARS operative have been given a directive to arrest the lawmaker if he makes any move to exit the Federal High Court.

The security personnel were reportedly dispatched from Lagos state.

Further investigations revealed that the team were allegedly deployed at the instance of the Kogi state governor Yahaya Bello with whom Senator Dino Melaye has had a running battle.

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Iyobosa Uwugiaren, Senator Iroegbu and Damilola Oyedele in Abuja


Tuesday’s meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ended on a confusing note after the party, in contravention of its constitution, declared that it had extended the tenure of the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, other members of its National Working Committee (NWC), and that of the 36 state executive committees, including the FCT, by one year.

The party explained that the tenure extension for the elected and appointed executive officials of the party was done in a bid to avert a pre-election crisis that might arise from the multiple congresses and convention ahead of the 2019 elections.

Citing Article 13 of the APC constitution, which empowers the NEC to carry out the functions of the convention, the party said NEC decided to extend the tenure of the current NWC members and other executive committees at various levels for another 12 months, starting from June 30, 2018.

But by Tuesday night, in realisation that it may have goofed at the NEC meeting by announcing the tenure extension in contravention of the constitution, APC leaders were scrambling to point out the anomaly in the 12 months extension, with one suggesting that the party was likely to issue a statement Wednesday to reverse itself.

To buttress this position, a statement issued Tuesday night by the Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum and Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari said the decision reached at the NEC meeting was a “mere expression of interest”, adding that it is only at the National Convention of the APC that a constitutional amendment can be carried out to extend the tenures of the executives.

The constitution of the party provides for a four-year tenure for its executives.
The current executives were elected in June 2014 for a four-year mandate, which is expected to lapse on June 30, 2018.

According to Yari, “What has been done is a mere expression of interest. The power of the convention to extend tenure is exercised only by way of a constitution amendment.

“The power of the National Executive Committee of our party cannot go beyond doing so by way of constitution amendment.

“Article 30 of the APC constitution states that the ‘constitution and the schedules hereto can be amended only by the National Convention of the party’.

“The process of amending the constitution is also expressly provided in Article 30 sub section 2.

“What was done today (yesterday) was only an expression of a desire to extend the tenure of the Chief Oyegun-led national executive.”

Also reinforcing Yari’s position, party sources who spoke to THISDAY Tuesday, said the tenure extension granted to Oyegun and others had no legal backing, as a constitutional amendment was still required for the decision to be valid.

“As it stands, the decision can lead to a series of litigations and crises which is what the party is trying to avoid. The tenure extension can only be done with a constitutional amendment. And this amendment can only be done by the National Convention of the party.

“Even if we have to consider Article 13 of the constitution which was cited today (yesterday), it is still debatable if NEC can assume the power of the National Convention or whether it can legally carry out an amendment of the constitution.

“So, as it is, what transpired was an anomaly and has to be rectified to prevent law suits challenging the legality of the tenure extension,” said one party source.

Another official of the party further pointed out that the decision of the NEC even contradicted the position of President Muhammadu Buhari, who at the National Caucus meeting of the party held at the State House, Abuja on Monday, had spoken in support of the conduct of congresses and elections at all levels of the party.

Accordingly, the official wondered how 24 hours later, the NEC of the party departed from the president’s speech at the caucus meeting.

The president had directed the leadership of the ruling party to begin plans for various congresses of the party.

Buhari, who gave the directive against the backdrop of the 2019 election timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), added that it was about time the party prepared for its ward, local government, state and national congresses.

He also advised the APC leaders to uphold what he described as the party’s culture of internal democracy in the conduct of the elections and urged them to ensure that they work together, irrespective of the outcome of the elections.

The tenure extension for Oyegun and others was the outcome of Tuesday’s NEC meeting, which had Buhari, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, virtually all the governors of the party, National Assembly members, and other leaders in attendance.

Pro-Buhari forces in the party, sources disclosed, had pushed for the extension, predicating their decision on the fact that the president’s re-election bid would be in jeopardy under a new executive team, especially if cracks were to appear after the conduct of congresses and a convention to elect new executives at the state and national levels.

THISDAY also gathered that a majority of governors were all for the tenure extension except for a few who appeared to be uncomfortable with the Oyegun-led executive.

Deciding on the tenure elongation with 104 votes for, and four votes against, an insider who spoke with THISDAY, said that the extension was a middle of the road compromise from four years to the two-year extension proposed by the Forum of State Chairmen of the party on Monday.

NEC also by a unanimous decision, passed a vote of confidence on Buhari and the party’s NWC led by Oyegun.

Announcing the extension at the end of the NEC meeting, Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello said that the extension was to give the Tinubu-led reconciliation committee time to do its job appropriately.

Bello, who was in the company of other governors and party officials, said it relied on Article 13 of the party’s constitution in arriving at its decision.

Bello also stressed that the tenure had to be extended in order to avoid a formal convention/congresses that could potentially plunge the party into crisis close to 2019 elections.

He cited the examples of Ekiti and Osun States where the congresses were postponed because of fear of internal party divisions that might derail the electoral fortunes of the APC in both states.
He said: “At the end of the National Executive Council meeting today, a major decision was taken in line with the constitution of our party.

“We are all aware that the tenure of the current NWC and the executive members of this party both elected and appointed comes to an end in June this year.

“Considering the time left for the party to conduct all the congresses and convention, and considering that our leader, Senator Tinubu has been charged with the responsibility of reconciling all aggrieved members of our party, we cannot afford to approach the general election with more disputes and crises.

“So, relying on Article 13 of our constitution, which empowers the NEC to carry out the function of the convention, the NEC has decided to extend the tenure of the current NWC and other executive committees at various levels for another twelve months, starting from June 30th.”

On the planned convention and other activities, Bello remarked: “Let me tell you that this will not stop the convention of the party but to go into elective congresses is what we are trying to avoid, relying on the constitution of our party.

“As a matter of fact, Mr. President believes in ensuring that there are congresses and conventions across the board. However, how would you manage the crises that may arise thereafter?

“Let me give you instances, in Ekiti and Osun States, their state congresses were postponed just like in 2014 ahead of the elections, to avoid crises in the states. So, that is why this decision was taken.”

On when the Tinubu panel would wrap up its work, the Kogi governor said: “I don’t have the terms of reference that were given to our leader and I want to believe that there is no committee that is set up without a timeline.

“So, I’m not in a position to tell you the timeline given to that committee. Also, every member of this committee, whether a one-man committee or multiple-man committee, I want to assure you that every member of APC is co-operating 100 per cent with our leader, Sen. Bola Tinubu.”

In the same vein, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, in a statement issued immediately after the NEC meeting, confirmed the tenure elongation of the party officials.

Abdullahi also said that the party passed a vote of confidence on Buhari, Oyegun and the NWC members.

“At the end of the 5th meeting of the APC NEC, it was generally agreed by members to extend the tenure of all elected and appointed officers of the party in the 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and at the national level,” Abdullahi said in the statement.

He noted that the current tenure will end on June 30, adding that by this decision, all affected officers will continue in their acting capacity for another period of 12 months after the expiration of their current term.

“NEC also by a unanimous decision, passed a vote of confidence on President Muhammadu Buhari and the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), led by the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Buhari who also spoke at the NEC meeting, blamed the face-off between the executive arm of government under his leadership and the legislative arm for the slow progress in governance, but assured his audience that any differences will be resolved.

He also acknowledged that his administration had not met the expectations of many party members.

“I must acknowledge that the government has not met the expectations of many within our party. But few of us know or appreciated the depth of the rot when we took office and that we spent the last two years bringing the country out of the mess we met it.

“Furthermore, the stand-off between the executive and the National Assembly slowed down the process of government. We are working hard to resolve the differences so that the country can move forward,” he said.

According to the president, the current leadership of the country had successfully stabilised the nation, noting: “I am happy to report that slowly and steadily, we have managed to stabilise the country and redirected the ship of state.

“We have restored prudence to the management of resources and confidence in Nigeria has been restored. On February 23, Nigeria floated 12-year and 20-year Eurobonds in the international market, which were both oversubscribed. The 12-year bond was, within days oversubscribed by 332 per cent, while the 20-year bond was oversubscribed by 372 per cent.

“We have stabilised the naira and increased our foreign reserves from $20 billion to $40 billion. The inflation rate is down. With considerably fewer resources available to the country, we have improved all the indices towards a stronger economy.

“Above all, we must pay tribute to the Nigerian people who massively support the government in spite of distractions from proponents of business as usual.

“Nevertheless, I am not asking us to relax and take things easy. We all know that the elections are looming on the horizon. We must, therefore, get our acts together.

“Accordingly, I implore all members of the party to give the Asiwaju committee full co-operation to resolve existing differences among our members in the states affected.

“It is perhaps inevitable that there will be differences of opinion within the party. If we resolve them, then we can build a genuinely democratic party.

“But we must not lose sight of our common purpose as a party to break the mule of Nigerian politics and take the country to new heights.”

While commenting on the Tinubu reconciliation panel, Buhari said he had asked the national leader of the APC to “lead this process of restoring order, manage the differences and strengthen of the party”.

“Soon, primaries at the wards, local government, states and the centre will be due. I urge all members to take account of the fact that APC has a history of conducting free and fair primaries whenever consensus on any position is not reached.

“Regardless of the outcome of the primary processes which is imperative, we should all work together to ensure victory for our party,” he added.

Earlier, Oyegun had in his welcome address, informed the NEC that a voice was raised in favour of the NWC members at the caucus meeting held on Monday night at the State House.

“My colleagues from the NWC, we had a voice raised on our behalf during the caucus meeting and I want to assure you that as quickly as possible we will have a welfare package before the next NEC meeting so that our welfare can be better catered to.”

Tuesday’s meeting was also attended by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu; Senators Magnus Abe, Francis Alimikhena, Abdullahi Adamu, Andy Uba, Sani Yarima; Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal; Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom; Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha; Bauchi State Governor Muhammed Abubakar; Jigawa State Governor Badaru Abubakar; Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun; Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari; Kastina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari; Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai; Niger State Governor Sani Bello, Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; and Chief Whip of the House, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, among others.
The President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, were absent at the meeting.

Saraki could not attend the meeting, as he had to appear at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Tuesday in continuation of his trial for false assets declaration.


After Mock Session, Senate Adjourns

Meanwhile, the Senate Tuesday adjourned its plenary for members of the APC in its fold to attend the NEC meeting of the party convened to resolve its “internal issues”.
Senate Majority Leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan, at Tuesday’s opening of the session, urged the Senate to adjourn plenary for APC members to attend the NEC meeting.

“I want to plead with all our colleagues here across party lines to show understanding, just as we have shown understanding when the minority party, PDP (Peoples Democratic Party), had to go for congresses or whatever.

“Based on this, Mr. President, very distinguished colleagues, I move that we stand down all the items on the order paper to another legislative day, to enable our colleagues to attend the NEC of the ruling party,” he said.

Laughter, however, erupted in the chamber when some lawmakers mocked the APC and described it as the “All Progressives Crises”.

The laughter continued when the Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, wished the APC lawmakers “safe landing”.

“Before I second the motion, I want to join my colleagues from the other side and wish them safe landing. That the number of policemen we have is short because of the crisis, I don’t know how many we’ll dispatch there to supervise the meeting.

“So, Mr. President, having advised as such, I pray that there will be a safe landing,” he said, eliciting more laughter from the lawmakers.

Presiding, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu joined in the jokes by implying that there was a fire in APC’s house.

“Very distinguished colleagues, I want to thank the minority leader and the minority members for their understanding. You know when your neighbour’s house is on fire, you must allow him to go and quench it,” he said.

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The National Executive Committee of Nigeria’s ruling party has endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari to seek a second term in an election next year, two senior party sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

Buhari, who took office in May 2015, has not yet said whether he intends to seek re-election. The 75-year-old leader spent five months on medical leave in Britain last year for an unspecified ailment, raising questions about his ability to run Africa’s most populous nation.

The National Executive Committee of the president’s All Progressives Congress (APC) party, which takes decisions on the party’s direction, held a one-day meeting which concluded late on Tuesday.

“The party made it clear that this endorsement is not an automatic ticket for the president,” one of the sources said, adding that the party would still conduct a presidential primary to be fair to other potential candidates.

A spokesman for the president could not immediately be reached for comment.

Nigeria’s political parties must select their candidates for the 2019 presidential election between Aug. 18 and Oct. 7 this year. Presidential and parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place on Feb. 16, 2019.

Adebayo Shittu, Minister of Communications who played a prominent role in Buhari’s 2015 campaign, said in January he would chair a group to support the re-election of Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Campaigning for the re-election of a president in Nigeria has often started with such support groups before the incumbent declares his intention to run again.

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A former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman Ibrahim Lamorde advised former First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan on where to save her money, according to former Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr Waripamo-Owei Dudafa.

Dudafa stated this in a statement on oath he filed before Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court in Lagos in a suit by Mrs Jonathan seeking to unfreeze her accounts with $15.5million.

Dudafa said the multi-million dollars and other currencies belonging to Mrs Jonathan were cash gifts, inheritance and funds she holds in trust for others.

The former aide said his duties as Special Assistant on Domestic Matters to the former President meant he was in charge of household affairs, social events involving the First Family, as well as “meeting the domestic needs of the former president and his wife”.

By virtue of his position, he said he had daily interactions with Mrs Jonathan.

“It was during one of those interactions with the plaintiff that she informed me of the funds belonging to her, which said funds consisted of her personal inheritance and monies which she held in trust for her siblings, as well as gifts from friends and well-wishers over the years,” Dudafa said.

According to the deponent, on several occasions, visitors to the State House brought cash gifts to Mrs Jonathan, and that such gifts were “a continuous and regular feature at the State House during the period I served”.

He said the gifts were brought during social events and holidays such as wedding anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas, Salah and Easter celebrations; launching of non-governmental organisations, among others.

“Several dignitaries from all over the country used to visit the State House and make cash donations and gifts to the then first Lady,” he said.

Dudafa told the court that during the burial of Mrs Jonathan’s mother, Charity Oba, “several individuals, corporate bodies, well-wishers across the country brought so much gifts to the Plaintiff both in cash and materials that are quite substantial.”

He said in a bid to safeguard the funds, Mrs Jonathan sought Lamorde’s advice on the best way to save the monies without violating the Money Laundering Act.

“Consequently, I was then invited to a meeting between myself, the then chairman of the EFCC Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde and the plaintiff at the Presidential villa, where Mr Lamorde advised and recommended that personal and corporate accounts be opened for the purpose of safeguarding the plaintiff’s money to enable her foot her medical bills and other sundry personal needs whenever she travels abroad.

“Sequel to the advice given to the plaintiff by Ibrahim Lamorde, the plaintiff instructed me to coordinate the opening of the accounts for herself and her family members.

“In carrying out the said plaintiff’s instructions, I contacted one Sompre Omeibi, a reputable business man from the private sector to assist in safe guarding the funds.

“Sequel to the directives of Sompre Omiebi, the officials of Skye Bank brought to the plaintiff in my presence five Automated Teller Machine cards (ATM) for her use.

“I got in touch with Sompre Omeibi and the bank and requested that the names on the mandates should be changed to make the Plaintiff the sole signatory.

“Consequently, Mr. Oladipo Oshodi, an official of the bank, got in touch with the plaintiff, pleaded with her to use the cards whilst he would make necessary arrangements to effect the changes as soon as possible.

“I know as a fact that the bank and Dipo Oshodi are fully aware that the sums of money in the said accounts belong solely to the plaintiff.

“I know as a fact that the plaintiff is the owner of the funds contained in the bank accounts of the third, fourth and fifth defendants (companies), notwithstanding the facts that the accounts bear their names,” Dudafa said.

Four companies – Pluto Property and Investment Company Ltd, Seagate Property Development And Investment Co. Ltd, Trans Ocean Property and Investment Co. Ltd and Avalon Global Property Development Ltd – through their representatives, had on September 15, 2016 pleaded guilty to laundering the $15.591million when they were arraigned before Justice Babs Kuewumi of the same court.

EFCC is contending that the money is “proceed of crime” and should be forfeited to the Federal Government.

The commission, in its defence to Mrs Jonathan suit, said the former First Lady could not have genuinely earned the $15.5million as “she does not run any business from which she could have earned such huge sums”.

EFCC said its investigations show that the money was allegedly stolen from the Federal Government and its agencies, and that it does not belong to the former First Lady.

“There is no way the plaintiff (Mrs Jonathan) could have genuinely earned the monies. She is the wife of the former president, a civil servant and a retired Permanent Secretary in Bayelsa State. She does not run any profit and interest yielding business venture to generate such money.

“Investigation conducted by the first defendant (EFCC) revealed that the plaintiff is not the owner of the funds in the accounts of the third to fifth defendants (companies), which funds were discovered to be proceeds of fraudulent activities of Dudafa,” EFCC said.

Justice Idris adjourned until March 26 for continuation of hearing.

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By Sylvester Ugwuanyi 


The federal government on Monday assured the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and entire workforce of the country that the new national minimum wage will commence, latest by end of September this year.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, who made this known in Abuja at an event marking the 40th anniversary of NLC, disclosed that the federal government would announce the new minimum wage before the end of the third quarter which is September.

He said, “In furtherance to the determination by the federal government to attain the decent work agenda which involves opportunities for works that are productive and deliver a fair income, security in workplace, and social protection for families; there have been overtime, three minimum wage reviews and currently the tripartite committee on national minimum wage is set to review the current minimum wage.

“Memoranda are being received from relevant bodies are persons to enable the determination of a new minimum wage for the nation. By the third quarter of this year, a new minimum wage will be announced for the country.”

The minister appealed to workers for more time and understanding because the government wants to ensure compliance by all state governments.

“Better late than never because some State governors are still owing and cannot pay the current N18,000 minimum wage to workers, that’s why we are ensuring we bring all stakeholders along and announce the new minimum wage at the appropriate time.

“But I can assure you that the third quarter is the maximum time the new minimum wage will be announced,” he said.

A Chinese female cyclist, Huang Shuang , who rode from Morocco to Lagos , Nigeria , within five months , says she is convinced that anybody can achieve anything he or she determines to do .

Huang , also known as CICI , told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Monday that she was inspired to embark on “ cycling around the world ’’ after riding around her country .

The cyclist said that her experience in China motivated her to begin global cycling in America where she covered about 5 , 500 km in two months .

“ I am glad that I have also been able to ride from Morocco to Lagos , Nigeria . This is an indication that irrespective of our sex, we can achieve anything we set out to do .

“ The whole idea about my cycling started when , one day , I decided to embark on a cycling trip around my country, China .

“ After the trip around China , I was motivated to take my first cycling around the world to America , where I covered about 5 , 500 km in two months .

“ Now, I am in Lagos from Morocco , after I flew from America to France , where I cycled around Europe for four months , before taking a ferry from Spain to Morocco , ’’ she said .

Huang said that she always travels with money, noodles , tent , sleeping bag , clothes and bicycle repair accessories.

The cyclist, who left Morocco for Lagos on September 6 , 2017 , said her trip was fascinating though she experienced tiredness , robbery, accidents and had had to sleep under bridges and in gas stations.

Huang told NAN that she crossed the desert within six days and was well received by many African villages.
The cyclist said sometimes , she happily ate local meals made by the villagers .

“ I have happily sung and danced with children in different African villages and communities where I passed the nights or stopped to cook .

“ I have seen the most beautiful sunset , the most stunning mountain views , breath - taking lakes and virgin forests across Africa .

“ My trip has also exposed me to many African children still living in poverty , hunger , without education and basic amenities , ’’ she said .

The Chinese said she would be cycling to about 33 countries in the next three years, adding that she would continue her cycling from Lagos to Cameroon , Gabon , Congo , Angola , Namibia , South Africa , East Africa and some other countries .

Huang said her cycling was also informed by her desire to interact with children in African communities before inaugurating a free lunch for them in 2018 .

She said she hoped to raise some money for the benefit of about 2 , 000 children . (NAN )

By Dayo Johnson, Akure


SEEKING spiritual assistance from Oladele Ayuba, an lslamic cleric in Arigidi-Akoko area of Akoko North West, Ondo State, after being battered by life challenges, is like jumping from frying pan to fire or, better still, entering the lions’ den to be devoured.



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*Left: Ayuba (third right) with some security agents; right;: The car and charms allegedly recovered from him


Instead of taking the burden off the shoulders of his clients, the cleric allegedly added to it by defrauding them and having carnal knowledge of some of the women.
He was alleged to have defrauded his clients to the tune of N36m after hypnotising them.

Sunday Vanguard investigation showed that the cleric, nicknamed ‘Young, also allegedly had his hands in kidnapping and ritual killings.

The paramount traditional ruler of the town, the Zaki of Arigidi-Akoko, Oba Yisa Olanipekun, banished Ayuba from the town following reports of his alleged shady deals.

Olanipekun wrote a letter to security agents to lodge a complaint on the alleged criminal activities of the cleric.

The Oba alleged that the cleric had his fingers in nefarious activities ranging from kidnapping to ritual killing, sex with childless women seeking spiritual help and fraud.

According to him, many alleged crimes said to have been committed in the town and environs were traceable to Ayuba.

The traditional ruler was quoted to have said that he did not want to see the suspect in his community anymore.

Ayuba is presently in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ondo State Command.

Speaking on the activities of the suspect, a resident of Arigidi-Akoko revealed that Ayuba would instil fear in the minds of those seeking spiritual help from him after they might have been hypnotised and assured of spiritual cleansing.

It was learnt that his victims include those who visited him for solution to spiritual matters ranging from barrenness to lack of husband, spiritual attack, stagnation at work, lack of good job and terminal diseases.

“He would request for money from his clients to help them prepare fetish substances that would deliver them from their enemies”, the resident, who spoke anonymously for fear of reprisal, said.

The cleric reportedly had a shrine where, the moment victims entered, would lose their senses and then remotely be controlled to look for money at all costs.

Ayuba, according to one of the victims, always warned them not to tell anybody failure which their problems would double and they would eventually die.

He was paraded alongside two other suspects for alleged offences, including obtaining by false pretence, illegal possession of counterfeit money and vandalism of transformer, by the State Command of the NSCDC.

The Corps Commandant, Pedro Awili Ideba, gave the names of the two other suspects as Abiodun Oluwaseun and Jayeola Tosin.

Pedro said Ayuba, who claimed to be an Islamic cleric, was involved in advanced fee fraud and had duped many who went to him for prayer of various amounts ranging from N300, 000 to N36m.

According to him, “but he was arrested following a complaint by one of his victims, Tajudeen Ekundayo, who lost N4.3m”.

He went on, “Immediately the complaint was lodged at the Command headquarters, my men swung into action and arrested the man who is alleged to be the kingpin of a syndicate in Arigidi-Akoko while other members are still at large”.

Pedro alleged that several criminal activities, ranging from kidnapping to ritual killing and fraud, had been traced to the cleric who, according to him, hailed from Ilorin, Kwara State.

The Commandant recalled that Oba Olanipekun had petitioned the State Command of the NSCDC to lodge a complaint about “criminal activities, including kidnapping, ritual killing and fraud, traced to Ayuba”.

He added, “Oba Olanipekun has given instruction that he does not want to see the man in his community anymore because he is a bad example to youths”.

Sunday Vanguard was informed that youths of the town equally advised him to return to llorin where he came from.

Petrol said items recovered from the cleric include fetish items, blood stained clothes and a car with customised registration number ‘Young 1’.

Also paraded was one Abiodun Oluwaseun, who allegedly belonged to a gang which specialized in the printing and spending of counterfeit Naira, saying he was arrested after using N 24,000 fake N1, 000 notes to buy goods from a provision seller.

According to Pedro, the woman reported the case to the State Command and the men of the Corps trailed the syndicate and arrested one of its members while others remained at large.

The Commandant added that one Jayeola Tosin, known as Asala, was also arrested in Ikare-Akoko for vandalizing transformer cables.

According to him, the suspect was arrested by men of the Nigerian Army and handed over to the Corps for investigation.
Pedro assured that justice would prevail in all the matters.

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South African police have busted Mancoba Seven Angels Ministry, a church run as a cult, with no fewer than 100 sex slaves, among them girls as young as 12, nursing tiny babies and with leaders who regard themselves as angels.


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The room of the sex slaves in the Mancoba church. Photo Credit: City Press



The church, called Mancoba Seven Angels Ministry, was sacked Saturday after some members of the church attacked a police station in the tiny Eastern Cape Town of Engcobo, killing five policemen.

Leaders of the church, who see themselves as angels, were alleged to be the masterminds of the attack at the police station.


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The Mancoba brothers behind the Evil Angels Ministry, a church run as a cult



“In this church it is forbidden to have identity documents. Children are not allowed to have birth certificates and they are not allowed to attend school,” said National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sithole.

The rescued girls were kept in about 10 corrugated iron shacks. Inside, mattresses lined the floor and clothes hung from wires or were dumped on the beds.

A high-ranking police officer told City Press that the cult, in the centre of Nyanga village, was established by a Mr Mancoba, who died in 2015.

Mancoba’s seven sons refused to follow their father’s successor. The “seven angels” and their mother subsequently became the leaders of the breakaway cult.

They soon ran out of money, which the officer said could explain why they attacked the police station and bombed two ATMs in town.

“They need money and are desperate. People of that church are brainwashed. They only live in their own world.”

The officer said at least three of the seven men killed in Friday night’s shooting were among the “angel” brothers, who had masterminded the massacre. One of them is on the run.

“The guys, known as angels, drive very expensive cars, but do not work. They are well known here in Engcobo,” the officer said.

“There are people here in this town who go to that church. People would give up all their pensions and donate them to the church,” said the officer.

City Press of South Africa reported that three of the seven Mancoba brothers suspected of involvement in the murders of the officers were killed during a shoot-out with police on Friday.

Sithole said the rescued girls were “indoctrinated and brainwashed” girls. They have been taken to social workers for counselling.

As City Press reported, the cult – run by the seven Mancoba brothers and their mother – was flagged by the government since 2016.

A report by chapter 9 institution the CRL Rights Commission, which was presented to Parliament’s portfolio committee on cooperative governance and traditional affairs in October last year, warned it was a disaster waiting to happen.

Commission chairperson Thoko Mkhwanazi-Xaluva told City Press she interviewed the cult leaders in 2016 during her investigation into church practices and made the parliamentary committee aware of her “serious concerns”.

“Everyone [at the cult] was sitting waiting for Jesus to come. We told Parliament that this was a high risk and these people need urgent attention.

“We warned that there will be something else [that will happen] once their money runs out. Look what has happened,” Mkhwanazi-Xaluva said.

“This has been a ticking time bomb. We said either these people are going to commit suicide or something else will happen.

“We questioned the sanity of church leaders, who saw themselves as angels sent by God.”

The Eastern Cape social development department knew about the cult.

Spokesperson Mzukisi Solani said officials went there in 2016 and rescued 18 children. They were taken to places of safety after the department obtained a court order. After the raid, they alerted the CRL commission to the cult.

On Friday night, police tracked down those who allegedly attacked the police station. They were found 3km outside Engcobo and about 500m from where two of the five slain policemen were executed before their van plunged into a gorge. Seven cult members were killed in the ensuing shoot-out and 10 were arrested.

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Posted By: Yusuf Alli



The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are poised for intense battles in at least 15 states in next year’s elections, going by the opposition party’s plans.

Top on the list of the states are Kano, Kaduna, Osun, Imo, Kogi, Bauchi, Kwara and Jigawa.

The rest are Benue, Plateau, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Ekiti, The Nation gathered last night.

Hints of what PDP has in stock to ‘wage the battles’ may have informed the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to raise the Tinubu Reconciliation Committee, and overrule the National Chairman the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on the way forward for the party.

The PDP, sources said, has its plans well laid out including a resort to the use of religious sentiments to bait voters, where and when necessary.

It is also not relenting in wooing some APC governors, ex-governors and no fewer than 22 Senators and 50 members of the House of Representatives to switch camps.

Among those being targeted are Senate President Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara.
Tinubu has however had talks with Saraki and Dogara.

Details of the talks are yet unknown.

The 22 Senators and 50 Representatives are said to be priming their possible defection for what a source described as a “strategic time when APC would have been decimated and too late to salvage anything.”

Sources cited the recent decision of the National Assembly to reorder the sequence of the 2019 elections, its rejection of some executive plans and alleged growing hostility to the Buhari administration as “forewarned signals” of the battle ahead.

Investigation revealed that the APC and PDP currently have a 50 – 50 per cent of winning the 14 fluid states depending on “tactical manoeuvres in the next two to four months.

The two parties have launched into talks with formidable leaders and game changers in the said states.

A highly placed source said although politicking is not yet in full swing for the 2019 elections, APC and PDP “are locked in a cold war of engaging in covert realignment and reconciliatory talks.

“The PDP is desperate to decimate APC and give the ruling party a good fight in the affected 15 fluid states.

“The presidency and some APC leaders have realized that the party machinery, as currently constituted, cannot respond to what is branded as ‘PDP menace’.

“This is why President Muhammadu Buhari empanelled Asiwaju Tinubu and others to find remedial solutions.

“It is tough for the two sides. While APC has internal crises in some of its strategic and huge votes’ states, PDP has time constraints and funding as its major problems. It is only the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike that is heavily funding the party.”

The scenarios in the affected fluid states are as follows:
In Kano, the PDP is desperately wooing Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso to team up with ex-Governor Ibrahim Shekarau and other matchmakers to reclaim the state from APC.

But there is challenge for the PDP in this regard: the irreconcilable political differences between Kwankwaso and Shekarau.

A source said: “The two leaders are like oil and water. Oil will always float on water. If Kwankwaso returns to PDP, he will want the party’s presidential ticket and make a case for his stooge as the governorship flag bearer. He cannot have his cake and eat it.

“PDP leaders in Kano State are saying that since Kwankwaso is politically frustrated, it is the party which should dictate its terms.”

To checkmate PDP in Kano, Buhari’s strategists in the presidency are trying to woo Shekarau who used to be a staunch political ally of the president.

A source said: “Were it not for the strain in Shekarau’s relationship with Buhari, his natural political habitat should be APC.

Most of Shekarau’s friends, including the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, are in Buhari’s government.

“Apart from wooing Shekarau, the presidency and some APC leaders prefer reconciliation with Kwankwaso who they know Governor Abdullahi Ganduje cannot match.

Although a recent visit to Kano by the President was tumultuous, it was more of love for Buhari than a measure of electoral support. It may be a different ball game in 2019.

“The alternative is to let Kwankwaso go to PDP and APC can scramble for votes with the opposition in Kano. Some opted for this option because Kwankwaso appears to be an anointed candidate of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.”

The APC looks good to retain Osun State largely in view of the weak opposition offered by the PDP.

The opposition party is facing a serious internal crisis.

Sources said one way by which the PDP could make an impact in the governorship election in the state is for former Deputy Governor Iyiola Omisore to forego his governorship ambition.

The APC’s choice of its governorship candidate may also make or mar its chances.

With the victory of Mr. Ademola Adeleke, in last year’s senatorial election, PDP is confident that APC is beatable in the coming governorship poll. But if achievements were anything to go by, Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s landmark performance has overshadowed PDP’s rule in Osun State.

The situation in Kaduna is dicey because of the bitter rivalry between Governor Nasir el-Rufai and APC stalwarts who cannot be wished away.

The unending guerrilla attacks on Southern Kaduna is an albatross which may take on religious colouration and affect the chances of the APC in Kaduna State.

While APC and el-Rufai are clinging to the last straws, PDP is capitalizing on the combustion in APC to return to power in the crocodile state.

The erratic nature of Governor Rochas Okorocha, his controversial policies, monarchical tendencies, and his plan to impose his son-in-law as APC governorship candidate, have left a huge flank for PDP to exploit to get back to power in the state in 2019.

The wedge between the governor and his deputy has further made the state slippery for APC. It might be too late for Okorocha to retrace his steps.

In Zamfara State, ex-Governor Ahmed Sani Yerima still holds the ace.

Although Yerima is in APC, he is a beautiful bride being wooed by the PDP.

The unusual quietness of the Sharia advocate is worrisome for APC because his loyalty to the ruling party is suspect. There are indications that the APC may not allow Yerima to produce the next governorship candidate of the party because the powers that be in the presidency appear to prefer the Minister of Defence, Gen. Mansur Dan Ali.

The controversy trailing the tenure of the Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulazeez Yari, the killings in the state, and alleged mismanagement of the state are causing an image crisis for APC. And with a former Minister of Defence, Gen. Aliyu Gusau in PDP, the opposition party may have the upper hand in 2019.

As for Kogi State, APC is already in turmoil with the winner-takes- all style of Governor Yahaya Bello.

All that PDP requires to dislodge APC is to look for a credible governorship candidate from Kogi East which has a huge voting population strength.

Bello is, no doubt, rabid in his ambition for a second term regardless of allegations of non-performance, non-payment of salary and pension arrears and autocratic tendency. Apart from Kogi Central, Bello might not get much support in Kogi East and Kogi West Senatorial districts.

The herdsmen attacks on hapless citizens have made Benue State a lost territory for APC in 2019 going by the anger of the people of the state.

Governor Samuel Ortom is said to be one leg in APC and another in PDP or any party depending on political exigency.

PDP is already profiting from the crisis in Benue State with Governors Nyesom Wike and Ayo Fayose already pleading with Ortom to leave APC. The governor has also reconciled with the PDP financier in the state, ex-Governor Gabriel Suswam.

But APC depends on the magic wands of Sen. George Akume, political dexterity of the Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh and others to bail it out. APC may dump Ortom to try its luck of retaining the state. Whether PDP will accept Ortom back or not is a matter of conjecture.

Unless Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State is more circumspect, the anger over herdsmen attacks on farmers in the Benue-Plateau valley may take a toll on APC’s chances in the state.

Lalong first made a costly slip in his remarks on the invasion of Benue State but he quickly apologized after realizing the political implications of blaming Ortom for the killings. PDP is already painting APC and Lalong in bad light.

The fate of PDP hangs in the balance in Ekiti State despite the vociferous nature of Governor Fayose who seems to have lost touch with the grassroots.

The national secretariat of PDP seemed to have come to terms with the possibility of losing the state to the APC when it inaugurated a committee headed by ex-Senate President David Mark to wade into the crisis in the state.

If Fayose persists with his plan to impose his deputy as the PDP governorship candidate, the party may be running the risk of losing Ekiti.

Even the APC has to get it right in picking its own flag bearer.

Bauchi appears unpredictable having been ruled previously by the PDP and the defunct ANPP.

It has a reputation for causing political upset and tension is already building up on account of the disagreement between the APC governor and some leaders like Speaker Yakubu Dogara and those regarded as Abuja-based politicians.

If the APC resolves its intra-party squabbles, it can laugh last, otherwise the PDP may bounce back with the support of heavyweights like former Governor Isa Yuguda and ex-FCT Minister, Bala Mohammed.

Dogara who comes from a minority group in the state may not wield much influence unless he works with the Hausa-Fulani.

The APC and PDP can boast of being well entrenched in Adamawa, the home state of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who is determined to make a strong showing to prove a point.

The First Lady Aisha Buhari, Governor Jibrilla Bindo, SGF Boss Mustapha, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Aisha Dahiru Modibbo (Binani),among others, to contend with.

Ex-Governor Aliyu Wammakko of Sokoto State seems to hold the ace in deciding the fate of APC and PDP in the state.

The Senator, who was made the chairman of Northern Senators Forum last week in a palace coup, has proved to be a game changer. It is taken for granted in APC that Governor Aminu Tambuwal might exit PDP because of his political friend (Governor Nyesom Wike) who is working day and night to get him the PDP presidential ticket.

The presidency is battling to hold Wammako down in APC with a wild card to state his terms. Yet, he is a loyalist of Senate President Bukola Saraki whose next political destination remains unknown.

Kwara State looks a seamless ride for the Saraki Dynasty but the jolt it suffered from PDP during the last local government elections in the state is a pointer to a dangerous pattern that an upset is not impossible.

It is uncertain if Saraki will remain in APC or return to PDP.

There are strong rumours that he is headed for PDP which sparked a protest last week by some PDP members in the state.

There are also reports about his most trusted ally, one Tunde Morakinyo, being regularly sighted with the National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus. There are fears that something is in the works. But if Saraki returns to the PDP, the fight with APC in 2019 may turn out very dirty.

The heavyweights in PDP are mostly products of the dynasty who have turned against their political roots. These political “rebels” may shift base to APC to tackle Saraki. The low performance of Governor Abdulfatai Ahmed has created much dilemma and liability for Saraki. Although the Senate President has launched a subtle plot to regain lost grounds, he needs to do more homework than a cosmetic solution.

In Jigawa, the PDP is giving the APC sleepless nights with the rebound of ex-Governor Sule Lamido who is much loved by the people of the state.

Concerning Nasarawa, Governor Umar Tanko Al-Makura needs all the tact in the world in choosing his successor to create a sense of belonging for all, otherwise the PDP may take advantage of any implosion in APC to win the state.

The earlier the APC allows the Tinubu Committee to reconcile all without let or hindrance, the better for it.

The forthcoming National Convention of the party will go a long way to define its stake in 2019.

For PDP, it is already consolidating its gains by poaching APC members in the National Assembly.

A source said: “PDP has perfected plans to decimate APC through mass defection, playing the religious card and propaganda.

“The abduction of 105 girls from the Science College in Dapchi, Yobe State has put APC on electoral edge even in the North. A timely rescue of the girls can boost the chances of APC. Or else, the incident will be a political weapon for PDP.

“APC has a long road to travel. It needs to reconcile, renegotiate and reunite. Above all, the President is central to the unity of APC because he has not been politically large -hearted enough to many leaders of the party who toiled for him to win the 2015 poll. They are all afraid of giving him a second chance.”

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Nigeria's former Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has been appointed into a High Level Group on Governance of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Prof. Ben Maloney, Communications Officer, Commonwealth Secretariat, said in a statement that the High Level Group would make recommendations on governance of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The Commonwealth, however, denied that the group was constituted to secretly begin considering who might succeed the Queen as its head.

“At their last Summit in Malta, Commonwealth heads of government directed the Secretary-General to form the Group.

“Today members are discussing the scope of the group’s work and the areas of governance it will examine over the coming months.

“The process is open and the High Level Group reports to the heads.

“The issue of succession of the Head of the Commonwealth is not part of the Group’s mandate,” the statement said.

The group is chaired by Anote Tong, former President of Kiribati from 2003 to 2016.

Okonjo-Iweala, the Coordinating Minister of the Economy during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, is among the seven-member group.

Others are Lord Howell, former British Energy Secretary; Louise Frechette, former UN Deputy Secretary-General; and Robert Hill, former Australian Defence Minister.

Dame Miller, former Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados and Dr George Vella, former Foreign Minister of Malta are also members of the group.

The group operates independently of the London-based Commonwealth Secretariat and would report only to the heads of Commonwealth governments.

However, further members may be appointed, the Secretariat said.

The group is expected to report to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London in April, which is likely to be the last that the Queen would attend. (NAN)

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By Hamisu Kabir Matazu Damaturu


Ninety four students are still missing following attack by suspected Boko haram members on Government Giris Secondary School Dapchi, in Yobe state on Monday.

A source in the school told Daily Trust that the number of missing students was realized after an afternoon roll call on the students.

"After the roll call, 610 out the total number of 704 students have returned. We are still searching for the remaining 94 students", he said.

On whether the students were abducted, he said, "We cannot say, because the insurgents went into the students hostel, and many of these students scaled fence to the bushes. Until final list of these students no one can tell if they are abducted or not".

He said some parents have also reported to the school authority that there children had reached their homes safely, "And, we are calling on parents to help the school update its list by reporting immediately if their children arrived home safely."

The State Commissioner of Education, who is outside the state on official assignment, said a competent team has been dispatched to the school.

"The team is profiling the students to know those who are missing? And, how many of them were able to return or ran to their families at home", he said.

The Police commissioner, Yobe State command, Abdumaliki Sunmonu, said there has been no case of abduction in the girls school.

Olusola Fabiyi , Abuja


The Peoples Democratic Party has set up a reconciliation committee headed by a former President of the Senate , David Mark, to settle the rifts among its members in Ekiti State.

Mark, it was learnt, would be assisted by the Deputy Vice Chairman of the party in the South - West , Dr . Eddy Olafeso , and others whose identities were not known as of the time of filing this report .

The National Publicity Secretary of the party , Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, confirmed the setting up of the committee in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Monday .

He said , “ Yes , it is true we have set up a committee headed by Senator David Mark on Ekiti State . The committee is credible and its members were carefully chosen with a mandate to settle the rift.

“ The state is important to us and we don’ t want to play with it because after winning there , we will then move to Osun State to liberate them . ”

The crisis in Ekiti deepened when Governor Ayodele Fayose allegedly picked his deputy , Prof. Kolapo Olusola, singlehandedly as his successor and the candidate of the party in the coming governorship election .

Aggrieved leaders of the party led by a former National Publicity Secretary of the party , Prince Dayo Adeyeye , vowed that the adoption would not stand and called on the national leadership of the party to intervene to avoid its defeat in the election .

Apart from Adeyeye , other prominent aggrieved party members are the Senator representing Ekiti- South in the Senate , Mrs. Abiodun Olujimi and Nigeria’ s former Ambassador to Canada, Mr. Dare Bejide .

The trio , who have indicated interest in running for the office of the governor on the platform of the party in the July 14 election alongside a former aide and Commissioner for Justice to Fayose , Mr. Owoseeni Ajayi , jointly issued a statement describing the governor’ s action as “ pedestrian and undemocratic . ”

But when our correspondent contacted Adeyeye on the peace initiative , he said he had yet to be informed about the committee.

“Well , I have not been contacted ; but if contacted , I will take part. We are all desirous of winning the election and I can also tell you that I will win the primary . ”

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Posted By: Gbenga Omokhunu



The All Progressives Congress (APC)- led federal government has received high performance ratings in the management of the nation’s economy, even as the government has continued to save up to N24.7 billion monthly as a result of Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy.

A professor of Economics from the Nassarawa State University Uche Uwaleke who gave an in-depth assessment of the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari within the last two and half years in office, also revealed that about N108 billion has been saved from removal of maintenance fees payable to banks before TSA.

Speaking yesterday in Abuja at the week-long leadership training programme organised under the auspices of the National Committee of Buhari Support Groups (NCBSG) for its coordinators nationwide, prof. Uwaleke said the sudden and unexpected drop in crude oil price from a peak of US$114.6-O/bbl in June 2014 to under US$30] bbl by February 2016 created financial crises for the government.

“Effective implementation of the Treasury Single Account, entrenching transparency and accountability. N108 billion has been saved from removal of maintenance fees payable to banks before TSA.

The nation is being saved N24.7 billion monthly with the full implementation of the TSA and implementation of the Bank Verification Number (BVN), thus tackling corruption by plugging loopholes for siphoning of public fund and tracking of illicit funds through multiple accounts.

According to him, Buhari led administration has expended over N1.2 trillion on capital/infrastructure projects nationwide last year was a milestone in the nation’s history.

“Improvement in transport infrastructure (rail and road); construction work ongoing on the Lagos-lbadan Expressway, renovation of Abuja international Airport runway, completion of Abuja Kaduna Railway among others.

“Support to states: Bailout of cash crunch states; about N689 billion to 27 states of the federation to pay salaries in 2015. Complete refund of Paris loan deductions to states (unprecedented) played a part.”

By Ronald Mutum



The Police Service Commission (PSC) has written a letter to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) directing him to withdraw a recent recruitment advertisement into the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Daily Trust gathered yesterday.

A source yesterday said the commission wrote the IGP over two weeks ago after the advert was published in newspapers and circulated across the country.

The source raised concerns over the legality of the recruitment process, hinting that the entire process could be challenged in court as recruitment into the Police Force is the responsibility of the commission.

The source said the IGP does not have the mandate to carry out any recruitment into the police. The source further said already the commission is aware that the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari had written the Finance and Budget ministers to review budget proposals made to the commission for the recruitment exercise.

The source said Kyari had requested the two ministers to review the recruitment budget of the commission, recommend funding option and revert on or before today, February 19, 2018.

When contacted yesterday the spokesman of the PSC Ikechukwu Ani refused to comment, but said only the Chairman of the Commission Mike Okiro could speak on the matter.

However, sources familiar with the planned recruitment exercise by the IGP, said recruitment into the rank and file of the police can be done exclusively by the IGP.

The police source said the IGP obtained a presidential approval to carry out recruitment of thirty one thousand police men at the rank of constable for five years.

The source added that the commission is only responsible for recruiting into the officer’s cadre of the Police.

The spokesman of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) Jimoh Moshood could not be reached at the time of filing this report.

A group of Nigerian youths drawn from all works of life gathered in Lagos and other states of the Nation to declare the intention of young Nigerians to take over power from the old leadership sect come 2019.

The group, under the umbrella of Youth Take Over initiative powered by Yaga Foundation, pointed out clearly that the greatest challenge facing the Nigerian Nation is that of leadership. According to them, if leadership is in order every other thing will fall in place.

The National Coordinator of the movement, Comrade Gabriel Ashibi lamented over the epileptic state of the Nation’s economy, infrastructural decay and the acrimonious poverty bedevilling the people. He said that the worrisome state in which we find ourselves is all a product of leadership failure.

He added that with improvements in information technology and new standards in global communication, Nigeria should have been reckoned with as a top player internationally. He, therefore, pointed out that it has become inevitable that a new leadership regime must take the centre stage in the governance of our dear Nation so as to bring to bear fresh ideas and innovative abilities of the younger Nigerian generation.

The Kano State publicity secretary of the movement comrade Shuaibu Abubakar added that the era of recycling old leaders is over and that 2019 presents itself as the best chance for the youth to take over power and put an end to the stagnation, redundancy, and underdevelopment that have been witnessed over many decades of our Nationhood.

Comrade Oladipo Aberuagba, an exco member of the movement pointed out that Nigerian youth had performed brilliantly in all fields of endeavor especially sports, entertainment, ICT and general business.

They are top executive managers in both private and public sectors and it is very disappointing to know that some people are still selling the idea that Nigerian youths are not experienced or matured for leadership.

The Lagos State coordinator Comrade Nwoko Cosmos regretted that it is quiet unfortunate that an oil producing Nation like Nigeria should still be importing fuel at this stage of global awareness.

According to him, all that Nigerians are yearning for is basic amenities, peace and security, and the protection of life and property for all Nigerians. He added that the era of lies and propaganda is over and that Nigeria must give way for a more creative and dynamic leadership team that will help us all achieve the much talked about Nigerian dream.

The National coordinator used the opportunity to call on all Nigerian youths to compulsorily register and get their PVCs and make sure that they play an active role in the next electoral exercise.

He urged them to shun all forms of electoral violence, thuggery, rigging, ballot box snatching, and other forms of destructive activities during the polls. He opined that the future of this great nation lies in the activities of the youth population.

It was a peaceful, warm and an interactive gathering.

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Taiwo Amodu - Abuja



The cold war between the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the embattled national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie Oyegun played out at the national secretariat of the ruling party on Wednesday when the former visited the national working committee led by the latter.

The former Lagos state governor was last Tuesday announced as chairman of a reconciliation committee by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Addressing the gathering of his guest and his colleagues in the national working committee, Chief Oyegun feigned ignorance of the assignment Asiwaju Tinubu has been saddled with as he pleaded to be informed of the terms of reference of the troubleshooting team while equally assuring the former Lagos state governor of his leadership support.

Oyegun said:’’ I welcome you here, there is no question at all that there are major issues in the National Assembly, major issues in Kano, Kogi and Benue which is the current challenge.

‘’We promise to make your assignment the most successful one, you are most welcome and I know you are here to brief us and tell us how you want to proceed and how we fit into the picture and the way we will take it up.’’

In his response, Tinubu declared that President Buhari was worried about the crises rocking certain state chapters of the party across the federation. He further said, putting the party in good shape in those states was imperative ahead of the 2019 general elections. He also stated that while the crises in states chapters were known to all and sundry, he would be willing to hear from Chief Oyegun if the national secretariat was also embroiled in crisis.

He said: ‘’ It is a great honour to be before you as one of the leaders of this party. I am here to consult since you are already aware of the directive and announcement of the President who is the leader of our party and the President of this country.

‘’I came here for consultations.

Consultation, since you are aware of the assignment given to me by the president and I, am all ears to listen to various challenges that we have. We have this party and we all worked hard.

After the last convention of the party, congresses were held from various wards to elect representatives from the ward, local government and states levels as well as the national level.

‘’We worked hard for victory. We have never governed before, but we won the confidence of Nigerians to govern. We have a creed to really serve the country, change and reform the country. It is not easy to have those changes implemented like instant coffee. We have to grow it and face challenges. I sympathize with us and we should equally look at ourselves.

Since we won the election, the expectations were very high and the goodwill was extremely high. But where are we today? The solution is to seek opinion and advice on the various complex around some states or if there is any national one, to reconcile, move the party in a cohesive manner and reposition if any and build the confidence in ourselves.

‘’The challenges faced by our government and the president is enormous. It is only because people are not paying attention to the various statistics that are available and we have to push that I won’t touch those areas yet. The challenges of security, the challenges of reforms and re-engineering the finances of this country, stopping the corruption and challenging the status quo to change and reform ourselves is there. It doesn’t go away overnight.

You work on and work hard at it. For us, we have been patient, we have persevered to have this victory, but how are we now? We should equally face the immediate medium and serious challenges that politically, we will be facing.

I believe that our party is the hope of Nigeria to improve quality of lives and we will do that.’’ The meeting later dissolved into a closed-door session.

Speaking with newsmen at the end of the meeting which lasted for almost four hours, Asiwaju Tinubu said he came to the party national secretariat as part of his consultation.

National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi said the party national working committee was ready to cooperate with the former Lagos state governor to ensure the success of his assignment.

‘’ We are all happy to work together, we are delighted that Asiwaju has been given this assignment as our leader and we are all ready to cooperate with him. In this meeting, we all made it very clear that we want to work with him and we want to work together and the national chairman said whatever way we need to support him in this assignment, we shall all do.’’

Asked on the terms of reference of the Committee, Mallam Abdullahi ‘’said the terms of reference was very clear. To look at areas of the country, where we have issues. As a political party, definitely, we must have issues. We know what the issues are. So, the terms of reference are very clear. Where we have the disagreement, we must make amends as we prepare ahead for the next election.’’

On the composition of the troubleshooting team, the party publicity secretary, however, said ‘’only AsiwajuTinubu knows those to work with.

He has been given the assignment, he is going to decide how to run the assignment. He has consulted with us and we are going to work with him.’’

Nigerian Tribune checks revealed that the former Lagos state governor and the national chairman of the party had in 2016 engaged each other in media diatribe following the controversy that trailed the Ondo state governorship primary that produced Rotimi Akeredolu, the incumbent governor as the party standard bearer for the November 2016 election.

Tinubu in a scathing statement entitled, “Oyegun’s Ondo fraud: The violation of democracy in the APC,” demanded Oyegun’s resignation.

The former Lagos state governor said the APC’s democratic credential had been dealt a big blow by Odigie-Oyegun’s conduct, especially with his handling of the outcome of the Ondo State governorship primary. He said the APC was a party borne out of the quest for democratic good governance, arguing that the ideology was currently under a critical threat ‘’by those who managed to be in the party but were never part of it.’’

“If the party can not justly govern itself, it will find it difficult to establish and maintain just government throughout the nation,” he said.

On October 8, 2016, few days after his meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, the APC National Chairman released a full response to the allegations levelled against him by Tinubu, over the outcome of the Ondo State governorship primary election.

Oyegun, in a rejoinder he personally signed titled ‘The Facts – 2016 Ondo State APC Governorship Election Primaries,’’ described the content of the widely publicized statement by the media office of Tinubu as “reckless and baseless.”

Oyegun said he was angered by the false accusation of corruption, rigging the outcome of the primary and overruling the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) “vote” on the Election Appeal Committee Report.

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Peter Dada , Akure


A man , 32- year - old Toluwalase Ojulowo, became violent in a branch of First Bank Plc at at Alagbaka area of Akure , Ondo State, on Friday , destroying expensive equipment and beating up an official at the bank in the process .

The customer was said to have entered the banking at about 1 pm to complain that his account was wrongly debited .

According to an eyewitness , the man went to the customer care unit of the bank to lodge a complaint but the explanation by the officer in charge of the customer care unit infuriated him and he started beating the officer .

The eyewitness said , “After leaving the customer care desk, he went straight to the counter where he started destroying many computers with an iron rod . He also smashed one of the money counting machines and ordered all the workers to get out of the bank immediately.

“ He started shouting ‘ I will bring down this bank . Everybody should leave now , I am a citizen of this country , why will they deduct my money without explanation . Bleep everybody here, ” he was heard saying .

For about 30 minutes , activities in the bank were halted while the other customers in the bank rushed out for safety . The bank officials too quickly rushed out of the banking hall. The bank was said to have closed work for the day following the incident .

It was learnt that a soldier who was in the banking hall when the incident happened invited policemen that took the customer away .

When contacted , the Police Public Relations Officer in the state , Mr Femi Joseph confirmed the incident , saying the command had commenced investigation into the matter.

“ We are yet to ascertain the sanity level of the man but he is with us . We have commenced investigation into the matter, ” Joseph said .

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