₦airaland Forum

The race for the senate presidency took an
interesting dimension on Friday as fresh
facts emerged that two leading contenders,
Senator Ali Ndume and Senator Bukola
Saraki, had agreed to work together in the
overall interest of the country.

Both Saraki
and Ndume were said to have perfected the
arrangement on Thursday night after an
exhaustive consultations with their
supporters and loyalists within and outside
the senate.

Our correspondent learnt that Saraki agreed
to support Ndume if the leadership of the All
Progressives Congress decided to zone the
position to the North-East, while Ndume
volunteered to be Saraki’s deputy if the
position is zoned to the North-Central.

A Senator-elect, who did not want his name
mentioned, told our correspondent that
Ndume attended the Pro-Saraki’s rally held
early in the week in Abuja.

Sixty-four other senators-elect also attended
the rally.
Ndume, who is the Chairman, Senate
Committee on Millennium Development
Goals, was the Minority Leader in the House
of Representatives between 2007 and 2011.

One of Ndume’s aides said the senator was
worried that the North-East had not put its
house in order going by the position of the
12 senators from the zone, who held a
news conference and rejected the
emergence of Ahmed Lawan as their
consensus candidate for the post.

He was said to have expressed concern that
lack of cohesion within the North-East
senate caucus was enough to rub the
region of the position.

The aide said there was apprehension
among the senators-elect that if the North-
East caucus picks Ndume for the office of
the senate president, Lawan might rely on
the alleged backing by the APC leadership
and go ahead with his ambition.

He cited the one page advertisement placed
in some newspapers last week Friday by the
Yobe State caucus in the National Assembly
declaring support for Lawan as another
indication of a crack among the North-East
caucus.

Ndume’s aide claimed that the
advertisement was at variance with the
position of the North-East caucus, which
distanced itself from the purported
endorsement of Lawan by other caucuses.

He, however, said both Ndume and Lawan
met during the week and agreed to abide
by the decisions of both the APC and the
North-East caucus on the issue.
Ndume, in a telephone interview, declined
comments but said, “We are appealing to
the party leadership to zone the office of the
Senate President to the North-East
considering our peculiar condition.”

The factors being considered in favour of
the North-East include adverse effect of
terrorism especially since it had been
established that the zone was the most
devastated by the Boko Haram insurgency
and one of the poorest regions in the
country.

Senators from the zone, while advancing
their argument to produce the next senate
president, claimed that the people of Borno
and Yobe states had always been voting for
the opposition parties since 1979.

They argued that if justice was to prevail,
now that opposition party had taken over
the national government, North-East,
particularly Yobe and Borno states, should
be compensated.
Meanwhile, the other two gladiators in the
race, Senators Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North)
and George Akume, (Benue North-West),
continued their campaigns by holding secret
meetings with senators individually and at
caucus level.

A group of people who are campaigning for
the emergence of Akume as senate
president had started pasting posters in
strategic areas of Abuja to drum up support
for the former Benue State governor.

Lawan , on the other hand, has started
making moves to ensure that all the
senators in the North-East and South-West
who had already endorsed his candidature
remained intact.

He paid a visit to the Chairman, Senate
Committee on Science and Technology,
Senator Ajayi Boroffice, on Tuesday as part
of his interactions with those within the
caucus that had endorsed him.
Boroffice, an APC member from Ondo North
Senatorial District, assured the leadership of
the All Progressives Congress that the
endorsement of Lawan, would not cause
any rancour among the lawmakers from his
zone.

rayopt:
Sylva for the job nawni

Former Bayelsa State Governor Timipre Sylva
and Chairman, Silverbird Group, Mr. Ben
Murray-Bruce on Tuesday shunned Bayelsa
Peace Accord for political office contenders
in Yenagoa.

Sylva is the standard bearer for the All
Progressives Congress in Bayelsa East while
the entertainment guru, Murray-Bruce, is
flying the flag of the Peoples Democratic
Party for the same district.

Also, Bayelsa Central senatorial candidate for
Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Emmanuel
and his counterpart for Bayelsa West, Dr.
Foster Ogola, were also not at the peace
meeting organised by the Bayelsa State
Police Command.

However, many other contenders including
Speaker, Bayelsa House of Assembly, Mr.
Kombowei Benson attended the peace
accord presided over by the Assistant
Inspector General of Police, Zone 5, Mr. Musa
Daura.

Daura said the peace accord became
imperative as part of the measures to have
rancour-free general elections.

The AIG, who stressed the importance of
peace in the conduct of elections, said the
police were poised to ensure the coming
polls were free, credible and hitch-free.

He admonished the candidates to shun acts
capable of undermining the general
elections, before, during and after the polls.

He also solicited the cooperation of
stakeholders, saying there was no way only
the police could succeed in the task of
providing security without assistance from
Nigerians.

He said, “I wish to remind you that our
major concern is to stress the importance of
peace before, during and after the general
elections.

“Peace and stability is one of the major
concerns for the elections. The same peace
accord was signed by presidential
candidates for various political parties in
Abuja. The peace accord was directed by the
Inspector General of Police to ensure the
coming general elections are free, fair and
credible.

“I wish to remind all the candidates to
adhere to all existing laws and regulations
pertaining to the polls especially guidelines
by the Independent National Electoral
Commission, electoral acts and the 1999
Constitution as amended.”

Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State, Mr.
Valentine Ntomchukwu, read the provisions
of the Peace Accord before calling on
individual candidate present at the meeting
to sign the document.

He said as the candidates had signed the
Peace Accord, they must ensure they adhere
strictly to its provisions in the interest of
peace.

Speaking on the propriety of the accord, APC
House of Representatives candidate for
Ekeremor/Sagbama Constituency, Mrs.
Rosemary Okieghazi, said the peace accord
was a step in the right direction.
“The police are the defenders of the people.
We expect them to uphold the law. They
must do this by protecting all candidates
equally. I have faith in the police,” she said.

In his comment, a candidate for PDP and
current member, BSHA, Tonye Isenah, said
he noticed that unregulated social media
campaign was not in the Peace Accord.

He said the accord was silent on social
media platform, where he claimed his
candidates were being attacked.
He expressed confidence in the police but
added that the military should also be
drafted to assist the police.

Source: www.punchng.com/news/sylva-murray-bruce-others-shun-bayelsa-peace-accord/

Following changes in dates for the general
elections, NEDG cancels presidential election
debate, scheduled for Sunday, February 8,
says new date will be announced.

BackDatAssUp:
You are wasting your vote. And i am wastin my time like i always do

Redoil:
you might be my missing ribb that i have been serching for what sayest thou?

utytill:
why?this is political conspiracy.this man was screened by apc primaries/nomination panel and i believed he was certified qualified.But looking at how he got that bank's loan to pay for the nomination form through phone call(s) with no documentation,he might as well pass primaries screening through phone call(s).looking forward to see the or any certificate meanwhile, lets move nigeria forward. GMB TILL 2019 till i start seeing well

Redoil:
Add

[b]Another suit seeking the disqualification of
the presidential candidate of the All
Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen.
Mohammadu Buhari (rtrd.), was filed before
a Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday.

It made the third suit that has been filed to
seek an order declaring Buhari ineligible to
contest the February 14 election.
Apart from the disqualification suit, there is
a pending direct criminal complaint against
Buhari before a Federal Capital Territory
Magistrate’s Court in Abuja asking the court
to direct that the former Head of State “be
brought to book” for allegedly claiming on
oath that he had a certificate he did not
obtain.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High
Court in Abuja has already fixed February 9
for hearing in the two previous suits.

The judge had separately on Monday and
Tuesday ordered service of court papers
through substituted means through
publication newspapers in the two suits.

The fresh suit, which is the third seeking
Buhari’s disqualification was filed by Dr.
Ayakeme Whiskey on Tuesday.
The INEC and Buhari are the two defendants

in suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS68/2015.
Like the plaintiffs in the two previous suits,
Whiskey anchored his on the same grounds
of alleged failure of Buhari to accompany his
Form CF001 submitted to the Independent
National Electoral Commission, with his
certificates of academic qualifications.

He argued that failure of Buhari to do so
had rendered him ineligible to participate in
the poll as he failed to comply with
provisions of sections 131 and 318 of the
1999 Constitution and section 31(3) of the
Electoral Act, 2010. His supporting affidavit
read in part, “That the documents submitted
2nd defendant did not show evidence of
school certificate, whether first or
secondary.

“That by not providing and attaching his
certificates as required, the 2nd defendant
has left the question of his qualification for
the election to conjecture.
“There is no way to know whether or not
the 2nd defendant has the requisite
educational qualification necessary to
contest the position of President of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

One of the two earlier suits numbered FHC/
ABJ/CS/14/2015 was filed by Max Ozoaka.
The other with number FHC/ABJ/CS/01/2015
was filed by Chukwunweike Okafor.

The fresh suit by Whiskey has not been
assigned to a judge and no date has been
fixed for the hearing.[/b]

Scream:
Jona is a non executive President...the executive presidents, Ngozi, Stella, Allison and Patience (according to Obasanjo) did nothing.

mekaboy:
go and die adam.

Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole says
his grouse with President Goodluck
Jonathan is that the President abandoned
Edo State and did nothing for the state
despite securing 95% votes of Edo people
for his re-election in 2011.


The Governor said the people of the state
are however wiser now and will vote the
President out for abandoning them.

Speaking at separate rallies of the All
Progressives Congress in Ehor, Uhumwode
Local Government Area and at Igueben,
Igueben Local Government Area on
Saturday, Oshiomhole said in spite of several
letters to the Federal Government to come to
the aid of the state on erosion ravaging
parts of the state, the Jonathan
administration abandoned the state after
cajoling them to vote for him, as their
brother, in 2011.

According to Oshiomhole: “the last time, we
voted for President Jonathan. He got 95% of
the total votes in Edo State. Yet, I cannot
think of any meaningful thing he has done
in the state.

“We have written volumes of letters to Abuja
on the Queen Ede erosion site. That erosion
was caused by the Federal Government as a
result of the design errors in the course of
constructing the road to Asaba. It started as
a small erosion, over time it has escalated”,
he said.

Governor Oshiomhole added, “I have written
for support from the ecological funds which
we are entitled to, to rebuild and reclaim the
place. It has destroyed some houses,
destroyed farmlands, destroyed a secondary
school and right now almost destroying a
Catholic Church yet the Federal Government
has done nothing.

“Last year, President Jonathan gave N2
billion each to some PDP States even where
he lost election to deal with erosion. Those
that don’t have flood erosion were given
money for desertification but we in Edo
state that voted for him got nothing.

“I am not lamenting this. We have learnt
from it and are determined not to repeat
our mistakes but the good news is that we
have secured funds from the World Bank on
our own effort to rebuild Queen Ede erosion
and restore it and save the lives, farmland
and properties of the people who live
around there. Soon the construction work
will start.

” For 16years, the only federal thing I see in
Edo State is the resurfacing of Ofosu up to
Benin old dual carriage way which they only
started after our government decided to
construct additional lanes all the way to
Ugbowo. I can’t see any other thing they
have done in 16 years,” the governor stated

Geoxpress:
By the way.. who's up for a battle? 7bars.

jingh:
.......named GOODLUCK does not bring goodluck to people around you.

febuhari on my mind
rip to d dead

Darkrebel:
aimless peeps?
shut up bbitch !!!

PaulThor:
Looks desperate.. But composure is okk.. But not impressive.. Would hve been better wit better end rhyme executions..

sosiqdude:
miss what brings u here..

Are you looking for sosiqdude? ''Jhena''

goshikid:
henhen jhena

Leomi:
Aiite Open Call Out =D

rayopt:
SAI BUHARI. . . All d way!

rayopt: i shudnt be doin vhiz buh 4 d sake of jhena sha

08177680334

wait a minute. . . did u add me on fb?