The Akwa Ibom Liberation Movement (AILM) has condemned the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the timing of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the state.

AILM President, Prince Emmanuel Sam, in an open letter on Saturday, said the decision of APC to fix Friday, 28th December 2019, for the flag-off of Buhari’s second term campaign has been received with mixed feelings.

The letter addressed to Buhari explained that echelon of the traditional institution in Ibibio, the majority ethnic group in Akwa Ibom State, had scheduled the coronation of her President General (Oku Ibom) on the same day.

Read More: https://www.thenewsbook.net/apc-akpabio-under-fire-over-buharis-election-campaign-in-akwa-ibom

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, does not have the power to unilaterally stop payment of salaries and allowances to convicted Plateau Central senator, Joshua Dariye, Saraki’s spokesperson has said.

Reacting to an inquiry Sunday morning, Saraki’s media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said the Senate president does not possess such power except the Attorney-General of the Federation hands in a request.

Until this is done, Saraki cannot go ahead to declare the seat vacant, he said.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/bukola-saraki-why-national-assembly-cant-stop-joshua-dariyes-salaries-allowances

Manchester United interim coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised his players after they gave him the perfect start to his reign with a 5-1 victory at Cardiff.

The five star performance came just days after Jose Mourinho was sacked.

Former United striker Solskjaer had just two days to prepare his players for his first match as caretaker manager.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/manchester-united-in-five-star-performance-for-solskjaer

The PDP Presidential Campaign Organization said it has noted with consternation what it termed the deliberate reliance on falsehood by President Muhammadu Buhari in his budget presentation at the National Assembly on Wednesday and demanded his immediate apologies to Nigerians.

The position of the PDP was contained in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Friday.

It said: “Nigerians and the international community were shocked as fact-checks reveal that a large part of the claims made by Mr. President, particularly on projects he claimed to have completed, were outright falsehood, apparently designed by the Buhari Presidency to mislead the nation and the world.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/pdp-accuses-buhari-of-lying-in-budget-presentation-demands-apology-to-nigerians

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State were yesterday locked in a fresh spat after the state government allegedly denied APC the use of Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri for the flag-off of its governorship election campaign.

Oshiomhole branded the governor’s action anti-party and derided his style of governance. Although Okorocha is an APC member, he is vehemently opposed to the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Hope Uzodinma, whose election he has threatened to work against. The governor, who is supporting his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, for the governorship race on the platform of Action Alliance (AA), fired back at Oshiomhole, dismissing the allegation that he denied Uzodinma the use of the stadium as untrue, adding that only Oshiohole could believe it. Okorocha and members of the state cabinet boycotted yesterday’s campaign of APC.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/okorocha-locks-out-oshiomhole-imo-apc-chiefs-from-stadium

National Chairman, All Progressive Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, on Wednesday expressed hopes that the National Assembly won’t ‘distort the 2019 budget’ as presented.

He also described President Muhammadu Buhari’s presentation of the 2019 Budget as “a successful outing.”

Oshiomhole spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria shortly after Buhari presented the budget at the National Assembly in Abuja.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/adams-oshiomhole-i-hope-national-assembly-wont-distort-2019-budget-as-presented

A political group in Nigeria has strongly condemned the unruly attitude and chants of Peoples Democratic Party lawmakers during President Muhammadu Buhari’s presentation of the 2019 budget.

The Initiative to Save Democracy (ISD) explained that the chant of ‘lies’ and rowdiness persistently carried out by the opposition party, was a disgrace to the country in its entirety.

President of ISD, Sunday James Akinloye, said the lawmakers made a mockery of themselves on national television, with the rest of the world watching how their unruly behavior painted Nigeria in a very bad light.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/2019-budget-pdp-lawmakers-total-disgrace-to-nigerians-group

Peoples Democratic Party lawmakers booed President Muhammadu Buhari during 2019 budget presentation at the joint session of the National Assembly.

The protesting lawmakers booed and interrupted President Buhari as he listed achievements of his administration.

According to Punch, as President Buhari mentioned each achievement, they chorused, ‘No!’ The development forced the All Progressives Congress lawmakers to clash with the opposition lawmakers.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/2019-budget-pdp-lawmakers-boo-buhari

Onofiok Luke, Speaker, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, has expressed optimism that Governor Udom Emmanuel’s achievements in office will return him to the Hilltop Mansion in 2019.

Luke stated this in Uyo on Tuesday when he visited the palace of His Eminence, Ntenyin Solomon Etuk, the Oku Ibom Ibibio and Paramount Ruler of Nsit Ubium local government area.

He said the political calculation would be in order when Emmanuel was supported to return to the Government House in 2019, as former Governors Victor Attah and Godswill Akpabio were supported for their second terms.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/onofiok-luke-achievements-political-calculation-will-return-udom-emmanuel

The Peoples Democratic Party on Monday advised President Muhammadu Buhari to return to his house in Daura and take a deserved rest.

Responding to Buhari’s plea for more time to fix the nation, the PDP said the job of returning the country to the path of glory would not be given to a man who had been asked to always sleep and rest.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, told one of our correspondents that the President should return to his house in Daura, Katsina State, where he said he (President Buhari) should take a deserved rest.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/76th-birthday-pdp-advises-muhammadu-buhari-to-go-back-to-daura-and-rest

Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, yesterday, accused his predecessor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, of plundering the N18 billion Paris Club refund to the state.

Fayemi wondered how Fayose, could still be owing workers between four and eight months salaries and pension arrears of 10 months, despite the huge amount of money that accrued to the state from the Paris Club refund.

He also expressed worry over why the former governor preferred to divert the fund for other use, rather than attending to workers remunerations.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/kayode-fayemi-ayodele-fayose-wasted-ekitis-n18-billion-paris-club-refund

Ahead of the 2019 elections, President Muhammadu Buhari says he will give the opposition party opportunities he never had in the past.

Buhari said this when he received a delegation from the US’ International Republican and National Democratic Institute at the presidential villa on Monday.

He promised to ensure a level playing field for all contestants into various political offices in the 2019 elections.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/muhammadu-buhari-ill-give-opposition-opportunities-i-was-not-given-in-the-past

The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has expressed concern over the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to assent the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, describing it as a bad signal for the electoral process.

The group in a statement issued by its Chairperson, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, stated that the ECOWAS protocol on which the Presidency hinges part of the decisions that forbids amendments to laws six months to an election must be properly situated and the context within which that provision was made properly articulated.

It stressed that the amendment as it is, gives no candidate any advantage but rather it provides a level-playing field to all the players in the elections, adding that the argument of the ECOWAS protocol was therefore not tenable.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/tmg-buharis-refusal-to-sign-electoral-bill-bad-signal-for-electoral-process

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says it is amazing that two months into the 2019 general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is still not presenting any alternative governance agenda to Nigerians.

Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC National Publicity Secretary, made the observation in a statement in Abuja.

“Sadly, the main opposition party appears at a loss as to how to face Nigerians, knowing it would have to explain why it so badly mismanaged this country at a period of surplus.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/apc-challenges-pdp-on-governance-agenda

For admitting that the economy of the country was in bad shape and that Nigerians should tighten their belts, the immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has told President Muhammadu Buhari to resign and save Nigerians the agony of continuous rule by a clueless president.

Fayose, who spoke on Saturday through his Media Aide, Lere Olayinka, said: “In saner climes, a leader, who admitted that he has failed and passed vote of no confidence on himself won’t be seeking reelection, he will rather excuse himself and quietly return home.”

He likened President Buhari to a football coach who kept boasting that he had the capacity to take a team out of the middle of the league table to the top three.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/fayose-to-buhari-since-you-admitted-to-have-failed-resign-and-go-home

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to explain N11 trillion looted by some interests in the All Progressives Congress (APC) during his administration.

The main opposition party, also, Nigerians did not deserve another four of sufferings under the Buhari leadership, citing a statement the president made at the meeting of the National Economic Council saturday that more hardship awaits Nigerians in next year.

The party expressed the concern in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, describing the declaration of the president as shocking and coveys the height of Buhari’s insensitivity to the sufferings of Nigerians.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/pdp-asks-buhari-to-explain-looting-of-n11tn-oil-fund

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has described the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari and his deputy, Professor Yemi Osinbajo at the burial of soldiers killed by Boko Haram in Metele, Borno State as ‘totally unacceptable’.

In a statement he personally signed yesterday, Atiku said it was even more painful, when the federal government refused to send a delegation to represent it at the funeral.

He called on Buhari to learn from the French President, Emmanuel Macron, who on March 28, took a whole day off to attend the funeral of Lt. Col Arnaud Beltrame, who was killed by a terrorist after a March 24, 2018 terror attack on the South of France.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/atiku-chides-buhari-osinbajo-for-not-attending-slain-soldiers-burial

A political group in Nigeria says Vice President Yemi Osinbajo showed the gulf in class between him and other Vice Presidential candidates as he blew his compatriots away with his insight on constitutional, economic, security and social development issues.

The Initiative to Save Democracy (ISD) explained that Osinbajo who is seeking reelection in office alongside incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari, riveted his class as the best Vice President in Nigeria’s history.

President of the group, Sunday James Akinloye said Osinbajo, a proficient orator and inarguably Nigeria’s favourite Vice President proved that he was no fluke as he displayed his dexterity, aura and finesse at the Vice Presidential debate which held at the Transcorp Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital on 14 December 2018.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/group-scores-yemi-osinbajo-higher-in-vice-presidential-debate-than-peter-obi-others

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has described the Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi, as a politician with a penchant for cooking up figures and twisting facts

This according to BMO was clear from the series of half truths the former Anambra state governor reeled out during the Vice Presidential candidates’ debate organised by the Nigeria Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON) in Abuja

It said in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke that Obi did not disappoint Nigerians who have been following his political trajectory since he left the Government House in Awka.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/vp-debate-bmo-attacks-peter-obi-on-lies-wrong-figures

The Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party, (SDP), Donald Duke, says he will appeal the judgement, removing him as the party’s presidential flag bearer.

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday declared Jerry Gana, a former Nigerian Minister of Information, as the presidential candidate of the SDP.

Mr Duke had been declared as the presidential candidate of the party after the primary election held in October 2018 in which Mr Gana was also an aspirant.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/donald-duke-reacts-to-court-judgement-removing-him-as-sdp-presidential-candidate

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has pulled out of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) it had earlier signed on with 39 other political parties with the aim of presenting a consensus candidate for 2019 presidential election.

The party in statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mohammed Alfa, in Abuja, said that the decision was taken at the National Working Committee meeting of the party on Monday in Abuja.

The CUPP had on Dec. 5 announced the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as it consensus candidate for 2019.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/sdp-pulls-out-of-cupp-ahead-of-2019-presidential-election

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday set the tone for rancour-free 2019 electioneering as he joined 67 other presidential candidates to sign a peace accord anchored by the National Peace Committee.

The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was, however, absent at the signing ceremony, citing communication gap between his party and the secretariat of the peace committee.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/2019-muhammadu-buhari-67-others-commit-to-peaceful-electioneering

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday carpeted the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government’s security records, saying under its watch, more Nigerians had been killed than during the Civil War that ended in 1970.

Secondus spoke as a guest of ‘Morning Show’ programme of Arise TV, a broadcast arm of THISDAY, and said, “More people have been killed in the last three years than the Civil War that took place in 1967 to 1970, yet we are not at war.”

The main opposition party chairman lamented the state of insecurity in the country, saying President Muhammadu Buhari had failed the nation in that regard.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/secondus-more-nigerians-killed-under-apcs-watch-than-civil-war

Vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Peter Obi, has faulted the current administration’s style in the fight against corruption.

Obi who said that fighting corruption is easy, added that Nigeria is not fighting corruption.

“We are not fighting corruption,” Obi said during a Unity Summit 2018, organised by the Youth Wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN).”

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/peter-obi-nigeria-not-fighting-corruption

About 20,000 former members of the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State on Monday defected to the Peoples Democratic Party.

Those who left the APC included units, wards and chapters’ officers from the 31 local government areas of the state.

They were received into the PDP at a ceremony held in Uyo, the state capital.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/mass-defection-hits-apc-in-akwa-ibom

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has accused politicians of inducing voters with money tucked in slices of bread on election days.

Speaking in the same vein, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, implored INEC, police and other security agencies to ensure free, fair and credible 2019 polls in the country.

Also at the occasion, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, expressed worry over the distribution of cash to the public by the federal government ahead of the 2019 elections.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/inec-politicians-sandwich-naira-in-bread-to-buy-votes

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday warned the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, to stop harassing perceived political opponents of President Muhammadu Buhari or risk exploding the country.

“The country is on a keg of gunpowder at the moment as a result of your hatchet job for the ruling government and I warn you to get away from this illegitimate job of using instruments of state to harass and intimidate opponents,” the main opposition party chairman stated in a press statement by his media adviser, Mr. Ike Abonyi.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/stop-harassment-of-political-opponents-secondus-tells-magu

A national leader of All Progressives’ Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has congratulated former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for winning the Global Lifetime Award for Anti-corruption.

Tinubu, in a letter on Sunday in Lagos, described the award as a testament to Ribadu’s dedication in fighting corruption.

The award administered by Doha, Qatar-based think tank, Rule of Law and Anti-corruption Centre (ROLACC), celebrates corruption fighters, academics and campaigners from around the world.

Read more at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/anti-corruption-award-bola-tinubu-lauds-nuhu-ribadu

The Catholic Church has banned Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka of Adoration Ministries Enugu Nigeria (AMEN) from endorsing politicians seeking for elective offices.

Bishop Callistus Onaga of Enugu Catholic Diocese announced the ban at the weekend while speaking at Priestly Ordination in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Emene Enugu.

According to Bishop Onaga, the church has also asked Mbaka to send a written apology to former Anambra State Governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vice presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over their recent altercation.

Read more at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/catholic-church-bans-ejike-mbaka-from-endorsing-politicians

A frontline northern socio-political think-tank, Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) Saturday warned that it would be dangerous to deny Nigerians free, fair and credible elections in 2019, a situation that might result in political conflict.

The Chairman of the NEF, Prof. Ango Abdullahi expressed this concern at a news conference he addressed in Zaria, Kaduna State to mark his 80th birthday.

Abdullahi said anything short of free, fair and credible elections “will be an invitation to avoidable crisis. o deny the possibility of fair and credible elections in 2019 will be dangerous for the country.”

Read more at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/northern-elders-call-for-free-credible-polls-to-avoid-conflict

A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’Abba, has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Na’abba, from Kano State, was Speaker between 1999 and 2003.

He announced his resignation in a letter addressed to the APC Chairman of his Sharada Ward of Kano Municipal Local Government.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/former-house-speaker-naabba-dumps-apc

A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt Thursday issued two bench warrants directing the Rivers State Police Commissioner to immediately arrest and produce a former Majority Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly and Director General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Tonye Cole’s Campaign Organisation, Chidi Lloyd, to appear before it for attempted murder.

This is coming as the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has raised the alarm that it has uncovered a plot by Governor Nyesom Wike, and his aides to blackmail the party.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/rivers-court-orders-arrest-of-coles-campaign-dg-for-attempted-murder