₦airaland Forum

Op shut up..... Why u no go probe Jonathan result

Brain Teaser
Can you work it out?

5+3+2 = 151022
9+2+4 = 183652
8+6+3 = 482466
5+4+5 = 202541
THEN ;
7+2+5 = ?

KakiP:
No 2 is the lie.

Yo... U are wrong.... Am a Chelsea fan and I don't eat beans

Suspected Boko Haram militants kidnapped 80
people from northern Cameroon
Two dozen of the abductees were freed during
an army operation Monday, officials say
A local official says Cameroonian soldiers had
been chasing the militants back to Nigeria
(CNN)— A military operation in northern
Cameroon has freed 24 of 80 people kidnapped
by suspected Boko Haram militants, according
to Cameroonian officials.
On Sunday morning, the militants targeted the
villages of Mabass and Makxy in the Mayo-
Tsanaga division of Cameroon's Far North
Region, razing more than 80 houses and taking
captives.
Three of those abducted were later found dead,
state-run media reported.
Mijiyawa Bakary, the regional governor, told
CNN on Monday that soldiers from the
Cameroon army's Mobile Intervention Battalion
freed some of the captives during an operation
against Boko Haram.
"The 24 people regained their freedom as the
soldiers were chasing the Boko Haram militants.
The insurgents were fleeing back to Nigeria
from whence they came," he said.
Col. Didier Badjeck, a Cameroonian Defense
Ministry spokesman, confirmed the captives had
been freed.
Communication Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary
said Sunday's mass abduction was the largest
that Boko Haram has conducted inside
Cameroon.
The kidnappings came as some 2,000 Chadian
troops arrived in Cameroon to help fight the
insurgents.
The deployment followed Cameroonian
President Paul Biya's call for international
cooperation in the fight against Boko Haram.
Cameroon has already deployed about 7,000
troops across the Far North, where Boko Haram
has scaled up attacks over the past six months.
Boko Haram has terrorized northern Nigeria
regularly since 2009, attacking police, schools,
churches and civilians, and bombing government
buildings.
It has also kidnapped students, including more
than 200 schoolgirls who were abducted in April
-- and remain missing.
The Islamist group has said its aim is to impose
a stricter form of Sharia law across Nigeria,
which is split between a majority Muslim north
and a mostly Christian south.
Initially, Boko Haram militants crossed the
border into neighboring Cameroon to steal food
or kidnap foreign nationals, but more recently
the group has attacked military installations.
While Chad is the first country to put boots on
the ground in Cameroon, the international
community and regional bodies are also
expressing concern.
The U.N. Security Council is expected to
condemn Boko Haram by name in a strongly
worded statement later Monday.
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/19/africa/cameroon-boko-haram-kidnap/index.html

Good Roman Catholics do not need to breed like
"rabbits", the Pope has said, but should practice
"responsible" parenting instead.
Pope Francis spoke as he returned from the
Philippines, where he met former street children
abandoned by parents unable to afford to care
for them.
Standing firm against artificial birth control, he
said new life was "part of the sacrament of
marriage".
But he said population experts advised three
children per family.
Pope Francis raised eyebrows last week when, in
the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo killings in
Paris, he said it was wrong to provoke others by
insulting their religion.
He told journalists as a joke that his assistant
could expect a punch if he ''cursed his mother''.
At the same time, the Pope defended freedom of
expression.
'Excuse my expression'
Speaking to journalists while heading back to
Rome from the Philippines on Monday, Pope
Francis was asked what he would say to families
who had more children than they could afford
because the Church forbids artificial
contraception.
He replied with an unexpected turn of phrase:
"Some people think that - excuse my expression
here - that in order to be good Catholics we have
to be like rabbits."
"No. Parenthood is about being responsible. This
is clear."
The Pope said he knew many ways allowed by
the Catholic Church that could ensure families
only had as many children as they wished.
He cited the case of one woman he had met
who had had seven children by Caesarean
section and was expecting her eighth - a
pregnancy he said was irresponsible.
"She said, 'I trust in God.' But God gave us the
means to be responsible," the Pope said.
But he added that for the poorest, a child was a
treasure for its mother and father.
To a separate question, the Pope said that most
importantly, no outside institution should impose
its views on families.
Progressive, Western ideas about birth control
and gay rights were increasingly being imposed
by groups, institutions or nations there, often as
a condition for development aid, he said.
"Every people deserves to conserve its identity
without being ideologically colonised," the Pope
said.
During his trip to the Philippines the Pope
defended traditional Vatican teaching, which
opposes artificial contraception.
On Sunday, an estimated six million people
attended an outdoor mass he celebrated in the
capital, Manila.
Pope Francis in quotes

On freedom of speech: "If my good friend
Doctor Gasparri [who organises the Pope's
trips] speaks badly of my mother, he can
expect to get punched. You cannot provoke.
You cannot insult the faith of others. You
cannot make fun of the faith of others.
There is a limit."

On homosexuality: "If someone is gay and
he searches for the Lord and has good will,
who am I to judge?"

On abortion: "It is not 'progressive' to try to
resolve problems by eliminating a human
life... This defence of unborn life is closely
linked to the defence of each and every
other human right."

On hunger: "With all the food that is left over
and thrown away, we could feed so many. If
we were able to stop wasting and start
recycling food, world hunger would diminish
greatly."

I love beans with my life
I am a Chelsea fan
I'll vote for Buhari if given the chance

The Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Sa’ad
Abubakar III has expressed fears that unless
something is done urgently, millions of Nigerians,
would be disenfranchised as they are not able to
collect their Permanent Voter’s card, PVC. The
Sultan said he is yet to collect his PVC.
Speaking in Sokoto when he received President
Goodluck Jonathna in his palace when the latter
paid him homage while on a campaign rally in
the state capital. .
According to the Sultan, President Jonathan
should ensure that the Independent National
Electoral Commission provides all eligible voters
with their cards.
The Sultan also enjoined the President Jonathan
to ensure that government takes every steps to
respect the peoples wishes and deliver credible,
free and fair elections.
“Let’s respect people’s wishes, let’s not try to
disenfranchise anybody. We have had issues of
the Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) and I want to
tell you that even myself, I don’t have a PVC, so
it means I will not vote on 14th February.
“So, we have to look for a way out, it is for your
government to now look for what to do, how to
ensure that all the cards get to the voters
before the voting day or in the alternative, find a
way out because in any problem there is a
solution and we believe you will find solution as
regard this very serious hitch facing us because
millions of Nigerians seem to be heading towards
disenfranchisement and they won’t be able to
vote but I have heard comments from the INEC
Chairman, we are still waiting for our cards to
come.”
The Sultan said the difficulties in obtaining the
PVC was one of the challenges bothering him
and other leaders as it appears million of
Nigerians would be disenfranchised during this
year’s general elections.

The Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office said on
Monday that six foreign mining companies and
Dangote Group of Companies would commence
mining of gold, iron ore, coal and lead/zinc in
2015.
The Director-General of the Office, Mr
Mohammed Amate, made the disclosure in an
interview with Newsmen Agency in Abuja.
Amate said the companies were Kogi Mines Ltd,
Segilola Nig. Ltd and Mines Geotechniques Nig.
Ltd.
Others are Northern Numero Resources Ltd,
West African Polaris Investment Ltd. and Tongyi
Allied and Mineral Services Ltd.
He said Kogi Mines; an Australia Mining
Company based in Kogi had concluded
exploration programmes, adding that it would
commence mining of iron ore in Agbaja in the
state in 2015.
Amate said that the company had completed its
four-year exploration and that it had delineated
more than 500 million tonnes of iron ore.
He said Segilola Nig. Ltd would also begin
mining of gold in Iperindo area of the IIesha
Schist belt of Osun.
Amate said that so far, the companies had also
carried out the same exercise and delineated
more than one million ounces of gold in the area.
He said that Mines Geotechniques Nig. Ltd and
Northern Numero Resources Ltd, both Australian
companies and would begin mining of gold this
year in Kebbi.
Amate said the Federal Government had last
year signed Memorandum of Understanding with
the companies to commence mining t in the
state.
He disclosed that Dongote would conclude its
coal exploration in 2015 and was expected to
immediately commence mining of coal in Kogi
and Benue.
He said that Dangote had been working toward
commencing coal mining in both states, adding
that the company held mining titles covering
limestone, coal and gypsum.
The director-general said the West African
Polaris Investment Ltd, a Chinese company,
would commence mining of tin and columbite in
Nasarawa State.
He said the Tongyi Allied and Mineral Services
Ltd, another Chinese company, would begin
mining of lead/zinc in Wasa, Plateau State.
Amate said the two companies would commence
major mining operation in various locations in the
two states as they have delineated their
reserves.
He further said that 169 Small Scale Mining
Companies had already begun mining gemstone,
gold, lead/zinc, columbite/Tantalite among others
across the country.
Amate advised the miners to carry out their
operations legally, pay their fees promptly to the
government as well as reclaiming mines sites
after activities as provided by the law.
He also warned miners not to discharge any
harmful materials into any environment that
could pose danger to lives.
“If you are discharging anything you make sure
that you discharge safety. You make sure you
check the acidic, PH value. Do not discharge
anything harmful,’’ he stressed.
He said Nigeria had been losing a lot of money
to illegal mining but the government had put in
place measures to checkmate the challenge.
“A lot of gemstones are being smuggled and a
lot of other minerals are being smuggled out of
this country,’’ he told newsmen.

The Lagos State Police are currently
investigating the death of a 57-year-old man
allegedly stabbed to death by his friend during a
disagreement over sachet of dry gin worth N30,
in Otto community, an outskirts of Lagos.
Meanwhile, Police officers have gone on a
raiding spree in the community. They were said
to have roused some people from sleep and
taken them away. The officers, it was gathered,
came twice to raid the community and allegedly
whisked away about 30 suspects.
It was gathered that the victim, identified as Mr.
Abudu (aka Baba Timo), who had moved from
Bariga to Otto some months ago, was cooling
down with local gin at a joint with his friend
(names yet unknown) when trouble began.
Vanguard gathered that the disagreement, which
started as a joke at 8p.m., last Friday took a new
dimension at 10 p.m., after the duo engaged in a
fight, using dangerous weapons such as broken
bottle and cutlass on each other.
It was learned that because of the harmattan
cold, most residents had gone to bed while
others could not intervene because of the use of
dangerous weapons by the two parties.
Baba Timo reportedly inflicted machete cuts on
his friend’s head and hand, while his friend used
a broken bottle on his (Baba Timo) neck.
Unfortunately, Baba Timo died on the spot while
his friend who sustained injuries on his head and
neck is currently receiving treatment at an
undisclosed hospital in Lagos.
Narrating how Police officers raided houses in
the community, Mrs Titi Balogun, whose husband
and son were arrested, told Vanguard: “At few
minutes past 11p.m., I woke one of my sons to
put off the generator, immediately he did that
and locked the back door, I noticed movement
outside through my window and later someone
began to hit on the back door very hard.
“I came out of my room and went to open the
door and behold, they were police officers. One
of them asked me why we put off our generator,
and I said because it was late. They then went
into one of the rooms and woke my husband,
who was sleeping. They entered the other room,
woke one of my sons and his friend and then
arrested them.”

Oil prices recouped some early losses, yesterday,
but remained under pressure after the World Bank
cut its global economic growth forecast, doing
little to end a rout that saw prices touch their
lowest in nearly six years in the previous session.
Crude prices turned positive in the early
afternoon, but failed to stage a significant rally
as a weaker outlook from the Washington-based
financial institution reinforced worries about
sluggish growth in energy demand.
“This is just a little bounce after the very steep
falls we’ve seen recently,” said Christopher Bellew,
a trader with Jefferies Bache. “We’ll be
rangebound for a while before it goes down
again.”
February Brent crude gained 20 cents to trade at
$46.79 a barrel by 1510 GMT, while West Texas
Intermediate crude for February rose by 65 cents
to $46.54.
While the market is watching for an inventory
report from the U.S. Energy Information
Administration Bellew said the impact of the
figures has fallen as the United States curtailed
its crude imports amid the shale oil boom.
“The two things that could check the speed of the
decline are storage and whether China is building
strategic reserves,” Bellew said.
Oil prices that have fallen by about 60 percent
since June are wreaking havoc on economies that
depend on commodities. Russian Finance Minister
Anton Siluanov called for a 10 percent spending
cut on everything but defense on Wednesday.
At the same time, Europe is on shaky ground
despite the European Central Bank’s bond-buying
stimulus plan.
“The global economy is running on a single engine
… the American one,” the World Bank’s chief
economist, Kaushik Basu, said. “This does not
make for a rosy outlook for the world.”
Analysts said prices would remain weak as a
result of oversupply, prompting cuts to price
forecasts for 2015 and 2016.
Oil had tumbled nearly 5 percent on Tuesday
before closing down 1.8 percent, with global
benchmark Brent briefly trading at par with U.S.
prices for the first time in three months as some
traders moved to take advantage of ample U.S.
storage space.

Null

Lawyers in their Hundreds took to the streets
Wednesday in Lagos to drum support for the
Muhammadu Buhari and Pro. Yemi Osinbajo
presidential ticket under the platform of the All
Progrssives Congress (APC).
The lawyers who tagged their outing a “‘Walk for
Change” said this is necessary to create
awareness on why Nigerians must support
change of government through the forthcoming
general elections.
According to the National Coordinator of the
group, Mr. Adesina Ogunlana the lawyers under
the aegis Lawyers4Change who walked through
some major streets in Ikeja also campaigned for a
change of government at the federal level at the
February 14 elections.
The ‘Walk’ took off from the Bar Centre of the
Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja, through Oba
Akinjobi way, Oba Akran road, Obafemi Awolowo
way, Allen Avenue, Toyin street, Olowu street and
back to the centre.
Ogunlana while addressing the crowd at Obafemi
Awolowo junction and Alade market, said that the
presidential candidate of the APC, Buhari and his
Vice, Prof. Osinbajo would bring integrity into
governance of the country.
He further said that the combination duo
represented honour, integrity, hardwork and
entrenched for rule of law in the country.
He therefore urged the people to ensure that they
collected their PVC so as not to be
disenfranchised on election day.

LAGOS—Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos
State, yesterday, publicly disagreed with President
Goodluck Jonathan over the statement that his
generation has failed Nigeria, saying, “You
(Jonathan) failed Nigeria because my generation
did not fail this country.”
President Jonathan made the statement last
Thursday while addressing youths at the flag-off
of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP campaign
held at the Tafawa Balewa Square, TBS Lagos.
Fashola however reacted at the 2015, First
Quarter of the Town Hall meeting with
stakeholders in the transportation sector held in
Agidingbi, Ikeja, which also had in attendance
Governorship candidate of the All Progressives
Congress, APC in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi
Ambode and others.
The governor urged Jonathan to accept
responsibility over his failure to address the
challenges confronting the nation over the last six
years of his administration rather than point
accusing fingers to past leaders, “late President
Musa Yar ‘Adua’s short tenure was better than
that of this administration.”
Fashola said; “He (Jonathan) said his generation
has failed, he should account for himself because i refuse to join the generation the President was
referring to.
I refuse to join the generation the generation
According to him, “He is in his 50s, I am also in
my 50s, and we appear to be, because I don’t
even want to join that generation because my
own generation has not failed, I have done well
on my job and I am proud to say so. If he has
failed, let him account for himself, he should not
join us”.
Fashola described the present administration as
“A failed government that has lost total focus.
Seven years ago, they started with Vision 2020
but later they said that they are transforming.
And all these have yielded no result. And that
was why they have stopped working.
On Boko Haram
He lamented that the situation in the North-East
region of the country was pathetic because
citizens have become refugees in their father land
due to the inability of the present administration
to tame the Boko Haram insurgency.
“And rather than the President using the recent
campaign in Lagos to gain the support of the
citizens the president was busy telling you they
tried to kill him four years ago and we did not
know. That is a serious national security issue
because nobody wants our Commander in Chief
dead. If anybody tries to kill him, we should have
known. And if I was Commander in Chief, and the
person who tries to kill me is in a South African
jail, I will ask that he should be repatriated to
Nigeria to come and face punishment.
“He (Jonathan) also claimed that General
Muhammadu Buhari (retd) didn’t buy arms in
1985. And after Buhari left office, the Nigeria
army got recognition for their role in protecting
West Africa and was the guns bought 30 years
ago be effective to fight today’s insurgency.”
Fashola added that President Jonathan made the
statements to gain the sympathy of the electorate
and woo them ahead of the presidential election.
He said: “In 2011, it was no shoes, now he is
saying they tried to kill him, it won’t work this
time. This time it is the job record, the promise
that you must look at”.

The independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) has published names of 14
presidential candidates for the 2015 general
elections.
Details of the names were released on the
Commission’s website on Tuesday, showing that
one presidential candidate and four vice
presidential candidates are females.
The candidates are Sen. Tunde Anifowose-Kelani
as the presidential candidate of Accord Alliance
(AA) and Mr Ishaka Paul as his running mate,
Rufus Salawu as Presidential Candidate of AD
and Akuchie Clif as his vice president.
Also published on the commission website were
Alhaji Ganiyu Galadima and Ojengbede Farida as
the presidential and vice president of ACPN, as
well as Dr Mani Ahmad and Obianuju Murphy-
Uzohue as president and vice president for ADC.
Others are Ayeni Adebayo as president and
Anthony ologbosere, female for APA, Muhammadu
Buhari and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as president and
vice president for APC, while CPC has Chief Sam
Eke as its presidential candidate and Hassana
Hassan as vice president.
The Hope Party has High Chief Ambrose Owuru
and Alhaji Haruna Shaba as president and vice
president, while KOWA party has
Comfort Sonaiya and Alhaji Seidu Bobboi as
president and vice president.
NCP has Chief Martin Onovo as president and
Ibrahim Mohammed as vice president, while PDP
presidential candidate is Dr Goodluck Jonathan,
and Namadi Sambo as his running mate.
The PPN has Allagoa Chinedu as presidential
candidate with Arabamhen Mary (female) as vice
president, while Godson Okoye is the presidential
candidate of UDP and Haruna Adamu as vice
president.
For the UPP, the presidential candidate is Dr
Chekwas Okorie and Mr Bello Umar as his running
mate. (NAN)

The All Progressives Congress Presidential
Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) has said
General Muhammadu Buhari will lift the veil of
secrecy and shadiness that has characterised the
transactions of the Nigeria National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) if he is elected into office in
the February 14 presidential election.
A press statement from the Directorate of Media
and Publicity of the campaign in Abuja on
Tuesday said it is apparent that the reason the
country’s economy comes under heavy shock any
time there is instability in the global oil market is
because of corruption and lack of transparency
and honesty in the way the NNPC is run.
The statement signed by Mallam Garba Shehu,
Director of Media and Publicity of the campaign
assured that if elected into office an APC-led
government will promote credible book-keeping in
the day-to-day workings of the NNPC.
“To create a level playing field for all operators
and investors in the oil and gas industry, there is
an urgent need to have a clear and transparent
regulatory and fiscal framework for the upstream,
midstream and downstream activities,” he said.
According to him, for about fourteen years, the
petroleum sector has undergone several reforms
to bring its operations – legal, regulatory and
organizational framework – in line with
international best practices.
The APC Campaign, however, regretted that in
spite of the huge human and financial resources
that have been expended on these reforms, not
much has been realised as a result of lack of
commitment and political will of the Jonathan
administration.
The APC Campaign said that to shore up the
nation’s capacity to absorb any shock arising
from the flexibility in the global oil and gas
market, Buhari will ensure the following reforms:
comprehensive review of the entire petroleum
revenue collection and reporting system to ensure
full disclosure and accountability to Nigerians;
create a level playing field for all investors,
operators and service providers in the oil and gas
sector and reduce wastage and improve efficiency
to ensure maximization of government revenue.”

ONE person was killed, 60 houses
razed and over 400 persons rendered homeless in
a disgraceful inter-communal crisis that broke
out, weekend, between youths of Ikot Umiang and
Ikot Edah communities, Nkpat Enin Local
Government Area, Akwa Ibom State.
90-year-old woman and the remains of her house
and property;
Niger Delta Voice learned that the fracas that
caused extensive havoc to the residences of the
Village Head of Ikot Edah, Ete Idung Sunday
Usoro, and councillor representing Ikpa Ikono,
Ward 2, Mr. Nkreuwem James, was kindled by a
dispute between two boys from both communities
over a girlfriend.
Besides property running into millions of naira
and money that were looted, about 40
motorcycles, bicycles and ancestral heritages
were torched. Two cars belonging to the monarch
were also destroyed.
A dependable source told Niger Delta Voice: “A
young man, who hails from Ikot Umiang and
residing in Ikot Edah had a minor
misunderstanding with his friend, an indigene of
Ikot Edah, over a lady both of them had dated
previously.
“What really transpired between them is not clear.
But it was so serious that in the evening of the
following day, when the Ikot Umiang boy was
passing through Ikot Edah after his normal
business, the Ikot Edah-based lover boy and his
gang waylaid and stabbed him to death.”
Revenge
In an apparent reprisal attack, youths of Ikot
Umiang invaded Ikot Edah at about 8a.m with
guns, machetes, axes, fuel and other dangerous
weapons, burning all the houses in the
community.
The invaders manhandled aged people, especially
the women who tried to plead with them.
Our source said inhabitants of the community,
mainly peasant farmers and traders, were setting
out for their farms and shops on the ill-fated day,
when the invaders stormed the town.
A villager, Aniete Bradforth, said: “The Ikot
Umiang youths came in like soldier ants with
guns, petrol and matches and before we knew
what was happening, this house (pointing to a
residence) was on fire.
“They beat up a 90-year-old woman, who lives
here, leaving her with injuries all over her body.”
The village head, Usoro, said: “I watched my
house set ablaze with N2 million cash inside.”
Usoro said he was on his way to the Police
Station to lodge a report that a corpse was
abandoned in the community when armed youths
of Ikot Umiang invaded Ikot Edah.
He said the attacking youths were armed, but
that police were able to make some arrests.
A fish seller, who is in her 60s, Mmayen Bassey,
bemoaned: “I have been keeping money in my
wrapper for over 10 years to buy a piece of land.
It has amounted to over N200,000. Today, I am
as good as dead as they all got burnt; not even
to talk about my goods.”
Niger Delta Voice observed during a visit that the
houses in Ikot Edah were completely razed. There
was uneasy calm in the community as victims
wailed and called on government and public-
spirited individuals to come to their assistance.
Ikot Umiang deserted
At Ikot Umiang, it was discovered that the
community had been deserted by villagers for fear
of possible arrest by the police, while economic
activities and social life in the town have been
paralyzed.
Chairman of Mkpat Enin Local Government, Mr.
Eph-raim Akpan and Divisional Police Officer, DPO,
in-charge of the area, CSP Abri, rushed to the
community as soon as report of the incident
reached them, to ascertain the cause of the
fracas and extent of damage.
They were accompanied by Mr. James, Deputy
Leader of the council’s legislature, Ekaette Akpan,
Chief Whip, Mr.Isaac Akpan, councillors for Ibiaku,
ward 2, Mr. Ini George and ward 4, Mr. Michael
Daniel.
For over five hours, they trudged through the
ruins of the devastation with the chairman
practically weeping.
Council boss sues for peace
Mr. Akpan cautioned the warring parties to
maintain calm, while security agents carried out
investigations into the matter with a view to
bringing the guilty to book.
The council boss, who described the situation as
heart-breaking and sorrowful, however, assured
that no culprit would escape the wrath of the law.
He said: “There is no situation that would warrant
this barbaric act at the beginning of the year.
This is heart breaking and I cannot hold back
tears. But as I said, there is no point retaliating
as the police, who have done very well already,
will investigate the matter and bring all the
culprits to book.
“On our part as a government, the council will
ameliorate the situation and as a matter of fact,
12 hours from now, we will assemble all villagers
of this community and give them some relief
materials.
“It is pathetic that the only property of these
people now have are the clothes on their body,
but we will do our best.”
He said a committee would be set up to evaluate
the mayhem and come up with intermediary
measures to cushion the sufferings of the
affected persons.
Over 25 suspects nabbed
A police officer said police were making plans to
evacuate the remains of the Ikot Umiang youth
that was killed in Ikot Edah, adding that about 25
persons have been arrested in connection with the
crisis.
He disclosed that the arrested suspects were
handed over to men of the Criminal Investigation
Department, CID, Uyo.

Five feats achieved in 2014 by Real Madrid and
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo who on
Monday won the Ballon d’Or world player of the
year for the third time:
+ Champions League goals record
Ronaldo led Real Madrid to their 10th European
crown — La Decima — in sensational style by
smashing Lionel Messi’s record of 15 Champions
League goals in a single season with 17 in just 11
appearances.
+ King of the hat-trick
After the conquest of La Decima, there has been
no letting up from the 29-year-old Ronald this
season as he has already bagged four hat-tricks
in La Liga.
His latest treble against Celta Vigo in December
was a record-breaking 23rd in the Spanish top
flight to take him clear of Real legend Alfredo di
Stefano and Telmo Zarra, who both managed 22.
+ Portugal’s all-time leading scorer
Ronaldo unseated Pauleta to become Portugal’s
all-time leading marksman with 52 international
goals.
He also became the first Portuguese player to
score in three World Cup finals, but his solitary
strike against Ghana was not enough to prevent
the 2006 semi-finalists bowing out at the group
stage.
+ Unstoppable at the Bernabeu
Ronaldo was impossible for opposition defence to
tie down at Real Madrid in 2014. He scored in
every La Liga game in which he played at the
Santiago Bernabeu, striking 23 times in just 14
games.
+ Fastest start to a season yet
Despite the presence of Messi and a niggling knee
injury which forced him to miss a league game
early in the season, Ronaldo has almost certainly
wrapped up a third Pichichi award for La Liga’s
top goalscorer in 2014-15.
The former Manchester United man has smashed
in 26 goals in just 16 games to also become the
first man to in Spanish history to score more
than 25 times in six La Liga seasons.
List of award winners at 2014 Ballon d’Or
ceremony held in Zurich on Monday:
Ballon d’Or: Cristiano Ronaldo (POR/Real Madrid)
Woman player of the year: Nadine Kessler (GER/
Wolfsburg)
Men’s team coach of the year: Joachim Loew
(GER/Allemagne)
Women’s team coach of the year: Ralf
Kellermann (GER/Wolfsburg)
Puskas prize for best goal: James Rodriguez
(COL/Real Madrid)
Fairplay: Brazil 2014 World Cup volunteers
Presidents prize: Hiroshi Kagawa (JPN), oldest
journalist (89) at 2014 World Cup finals which
was the 10th one he had covered.
Team of the year:
Manuel Neuer (GER/Bayern Munich); Sergio
Ramos (ESP/Real Madrid), Thiago Silva (BRA/
Paris SG), David Luiz (BRA/Paris SG), Philipp
Lahm (GER/Bayern Munich); Andrés Iniesta (ESP/
Barcelona), Toni Kroos (GER/Real Madrid), Ángel
Di Maria (ARG/Manchester United); Arjen Robben
(NED/Bayern Munich), Lionel Messi (ARG/
Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (POR/Real Madrid)

it was a pitiable sight on Monday, January 5,
2015 seeing the immediate past Vice Chancellor
of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Prof.Osayuki
Oshodin, at his official residence in GRA, Benin
City, as bulldozers were unleashed on the building
on the orders of Edo State government. It was
about 5pm that day when the bulldozers went to
work. Oshodin, who was relaxing after the day’s
job, was shocked.
The mission of the bulldozers was straight
forward: Enforce the order of the High Court,
Benin, which declared that the about 18 properties
given to the University of Benin in 1970 by the
government of the defunct Midwest State, led by
Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, were the properties of the
Edo government and not that of UNIBEN.
The properties, as Sunday Vanguard was told,
were given to the university by Ogbemudia to
assist the staff of the university since it was then
a brand new university on Benin soil. Ever since
then, the properties have been within the
possession of the university. It was, however,
learnt that the Prof.Osarhiemen Osunbor
administration started the process of recovering
the properties after it was alleged that they were
attempts by some staff of the UNIBEN to sell
them. It was said that the Osunbor
administration published a caveat emptor where
the state government urged members of the pubic
not to buy any of the properties. That process of
recovery was on until the administration of
Governor Adams Oshiomhole came in, in 2008.
However, tension between the university and the
state government heightened after the High Court,
Benin, presided over by Justice E.O.Ahamioge,
ruled in favour of the state government on
December 16, 2014. UNIBEN had dragged the
state government to court and canvassed five
issues but the court rejected all of them and ruled
that it should vacate the properties after it failed
to prove ownership of the properties.
Dissatisfied with the judgment, the university
reported filed an appeal and application for stay
of execution of the judgment. But the state
government on Monday rolled out bulldozers on
the disputed properties and Oshodin and others
became the victims. The former UNIBEN VC, who
described the action as illegal and wicked,
narrated his ordeal: “I was in the house here
when I saw over 2,000 people from Edo State
government who came to demolish my house. I
was shocked because there was no notice from
anybody.
Even if you want to enforce a court order, is it
with this large number of people? Apart from the
fact that we have filed an appeal against the
judgment, why don’t you wait till the appeal is
heard? What the governor is doing is illegal and
that is very bad. As a teacher, what I have are
my books, including some which I used during my
primary school days. They have destroyed most
of them, no opportunity to pack out my things. I
have not seen this kind of wickedness before and
that is why I am shocked”.
Also speaking, counsel to the university, Hannibal
Uwaifo, narrated: “After the judgment on
December 16, 2014 which gave the state
government ownership of the properties, on the
23rd, unidentified agents of the state government
mercilessly beat up and forcefully threw out the
staff of the university. We are worried because of
the use of people like this to enforce a court
judgment. One of the reasons we are always
reminded that we live in a civilized society is the
presence of the regular courts by which
conflicting claims between members of the
society are ideally independently and impartially
resolved. We have pending appeal and motion for
stay execution before the court, yet the state
government went on to destroy the properties and
that is illegal”.
But the Edo State Attorney General and
Commissioner for Justice, Henry Idahagbon, said
they did not demolish UNIBEN properties but only
took possession of Edo State government
properties based on a court judgment of
December 16, 2014. He went on: “First of all,
there was no stay of execution and clearly we did
not engage in any demolition of property. What
we did was to take possession of government
property after judgement was validly given by a
competent court of jurisdiction. It is a 65-page
judgement delivered on December 16, 2014
wherein the judge asked UNIBEN to deliver
forthwith possession to the Edo State
government.
“UNIBEN took government to court. They
canvassed five issues and they lost each and
every issue they canvassed. They said the
government of Midwestern Nigeria gave them the
documents. But no documents whatsoever
showed that the land was transferred to them.
They have appealed, there was no copy of stay of
execution. An appeal does not act as stay of
execution. They are just making noise. As I
speak, the four respondents involved in this case,
which include the Edo State government, the
governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the
Attorney-General of the State and the
Commissioner for Lands, have not been served
with any court processes since the 16th day of
December, 2014 when judgment was given.
‘I will resign if…’
“I also want to state categorically that if the
University of Benin and their counsel are able to
show proof of service of any application for stay
of execution of judgment on any of the four
respondents, I Henry Idahagbon will resign as
Attorney-General of Edo State and go back to my
village to farm. They may have filed, that I am
not aware because, after filing, they have to
serve. It is the service of court processes that
invokes the jurisdiction of court. Until a party is
served, the party is known before court and since
the 16th of December when judgment was given,
the case at the High Court effectively ended. If
they are starting any appellate process, the four
people, that is, the respondents mentioned earlier,
must be served personally and none of us has
been served.” He further clarified that what was
done by the state government was not a
demolition exercise but a possession exercise in
pursuant to the court judgment, stressing that the
court gave judgment that UNIBEN and the
occupants of the buildings should deliver
possession forthwith.
He said, “Every hour after the delivery of that
judgment, they ought to have parked their
properties and given up the possession, but
instead, they were insinuating that they are
Federal Government, that they have a hundred
thousand students. For goodness sake, this
country is still being run by the rule of law and no
institution of government, no matter how
powerful, no matter the number of persons under
your control, can be bigger than the government
or the law. Those living in the lodge were given
quit notices since 2011 and the court rightly held
that they were not tenants to Edo State
government but that they were licencee”.
He said, in 1981, UNIBEN had gone to court on
the same matter where in the late Justice
Ugbobine also gave judgment that the properties
did not belong to the University of Benin.
Protest
The demolition of the properties elicited
condemnation from the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) in Edo, UNIBEN students and members of
the university’s Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU). The irate students burnt
down a luxury bus belonging to the Edo City
Transport, and blocked the Benin-Lagos Road for
several hours.

Ok let's play a game. Its called the last man/
woman standing. This is how it goes. You will
comment with a sentence and then the next person
will start a sentence with the last word of the first
sentence. It will go on till nobody will be able to
make a sentence with ur own last word. Then u
become the last man/woman standing. E.g let's
go. And then the next person will make a sentence
starting with go.

my likers go to hell....

let's go

Ok let's play a game. Its called the last man/
woman standing. This is how it goes. You will
comment with a sentence and then the next person
will start a sentence with the last word of the first
sentence. It will go on till nobody will be able to
make a sentence with ur own last word. Then u
become the last man/woman standing. E.g let's
go. And then the next person will make a sentence
starting with go.

idumuose:
APC is likened to an analogy Christ gave.

John the Baptist came not eating and drinking.You said he had a demon.

The son of man came eating and drinking.You said he is a wine bibber.

Ihejirika was accused of using excessive force on boko haram by the northern elders

El rufai accused the military of genocide.

Buhari opposed the state of emergency in the north.

Buhari accused Jonathan of killing bokoharam militants in other to reduce the population of the north.

The northern elders threatened to drag Ihejirika to the hague for ethnic cleansing..

APC i'm sorry to say is giving tacit support to boko haram.They are in support of these killings so that they can play politics with it.

The north is it's own enemy.They are the ones losing.Jonathan will keep doing his best to contain your shenanigans.

what's APC business with the northern elders....ain't there no northerners In PDP....pls stop being tribalistic

buhari is our only hope

Yanaye Grema hid for three days between a wall
and his neighbours’ house, as Boko Haram
fighters ransacked his hometown of Baga on the
shore of Lake Chad in Nigeria’s far northeast.
The 38-year-old fisherman already knew the
attack was serious: he joined civilian vigilantes to
defend the town but their simple weapons were
no match for the Islamists’ superior firepower.
“People fled into the bush while some shut
themselves indoors,” he said of last Saturday’s
attack.
“The gunmen pursued fleeing residents into the
bush, shooting them dead,” he told AFP from the
Borno state capital, Maiduguri.
But it was only after breaking cover on Tuesday
night that he realised the true scale of the attack,
which it is feared may be one of the worst in the
six-year insurgency.
“For five kilometres (three miles), I kept stepping
on dead bodies until I reached Malam Karanti
village, which was also deserted and burnt,” he
said.
Local officials this week said the attack forced at
least 20,000 people from Baga and other
settlements in and around Lake Chad to flee,
many of them across the border.
Nearly 600 others had been stranded on an island
on the lake without food, water or shelter.
– Looting and burning –
The attack wasn’t the first on Baga. Nearly 200
people were killed in April 2013, when militants
stormed the town and set much of it on fire,
prompting fierce fighting with the Nigerian
military.
This time, the Islamists met less resistance and
were able to take over the town and overrun the
headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task
Force, which is based there.
At least 16 towns and villages in the area were
razed.
Security analysts believe the targets of last
weekend’s attack were the civilian vigilantes
helping the military in the counter-insurgency.
Hiding from view between the wall and the house,
behind a roadside stall and the cover of a thick
neem tree, Grema said the rampaging Islamists
unleashed mayhem.
“All I could hear were ceaseless gunshots,
explosions, screams from people and chants of
‘Allahu Akbar’ (God is greatest) from the Boko
Haram gunmen,” he added.
“I remained in my hiding place until Tuesday
evening.
“Every night when it was dark, I would furtively
scale the fence into my house to quickly eat garri
(processed cassava granules) and drink water
and go back to my hideout.”
His family was not at home. They were in
Kukawa, 40 kilometres (25 miles) away, paying
their respects after Boko Haram killed his wife’s
cousin about two months ago.
“Some of the Boko Haram gunmen camped
outside the Baga main market just 700 metres
from my hideout,” he explained.
“At night I could see lights from the power
generator they ran. I could also hear their
cheering and laughter.
“Luckily on Monday some of the gunmen
withdrew while others stayed in the town. This
reduced their number, which made it difficult for
them to patrol the whole town. It worked to my
advantage.
“On Tuesday they began looting the market and
every home in the town… Around 6:00 pm (1700
GMT) they set fire to the market and began
burning homes. I decided it was time I leave
before they turn in my direction.
“Around 7:30 pm I ventured out of my hiding and
started to walk away from the noise coming from
the gunmen. It was dark, so no-one could see
me.”
– Nomad herdsman –
In the bush, Grema chanced upon an old man at
a nomadic Fulani herdsmen’s settlement, who
advised him to move west to avoid running into
the militants.
“His warning frightened me but made me more
determined to get away. I thanked him and
moved on,” he said.
“I quickened my pace. I soon caught up with…
four women. One of them was carrying a baby on
her back.
“They told me they were among hundreds of
women that were arrested by Boko Haram and
detained in the home of the district head which
Boko Haram had converted into a women’s
detention centre.”
Three of the women had been separated from
their children, he added.
Grema said he pushed out on his own, as the
women were “too slow”, running and walking
throughout the night, before arriving at Kekeno
village near Monguno, 65km away, the following
morning.
On Thursday, he took a bus from Monguno to
Maiduguri.
“I will never forget this experience and I will
forever be grateful to the old Fulani nomad for
his life-saving advice,” he added.

AHEAD of next month’s general elections, the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP conducted its
primaries last year to field candidates for the
election based on the guidelines and timetable
provided by the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC.
The PDP primaries may have come and gone, but
their memories will linger for a very a long time
especially against the backdrop of the
performance of Jonathan’s men who resigned to
contest. Many of them, at the end of the day,
came out wounded, some humiliated, defeated
while some won with the support of some
powerful connection and influence.
One very interesting aspect of the primaries was
the mass resignation of Ministers, Special
Advisers and Special Assistants, those that could
be described as the President’s men who left the
cabinet to contest for the governorship position in
their respective states. Following the tendering of
letters of resignation, the Ministers decided to
test their popularity in their various states, by
contesting the governorship primaries on the
platform of PDP.
Many overrated themselves and some possibly
had the notion that their states belonged to them.
There were those who felt that the name of
President Jonathan rang enough bell to earn them
tickets. They believed in the powers of the
Presidency to do and undo. They relied on
President Jonathan. Having served the President
well, it became a seeming statutory right to
emerge governors in their states.
If a minister in
a President’s
cabinet
resigned to contest for a higher political office,
the conclusion was that such ambition must
naturally enjoy the President’s support and
approval, after all they were President’s men.
They enjoyed the blaring of siren each time they
visited their States and had become not only
special but also high class people in their states.
Again, as top government officials money was
not going to be the problem.
Labaran Maku resigned from his position as
Minister of Information for the Nasarawa
Governorship race; Emeka Wogu resigned from
the Labour and Productivity Ministry for the Abia
race; Musiliu Obanikoro resigned as Minister of
State, Defence to contest for the Lagos State
governorship ticket; Nyesom Wike left his office
as Minister of State, Education for the Rivers
State governorship race; Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu
resigned as Minister of Health for the Ebonyi
race; Dr. Samuel Ortom resigned as Minister of
State, Trade and Investment for the Benue State
governorship race; Darius Ishaku resigned as
Minister of State, Niger Delta to contest the
Taraba State Governorship position and Elder
Godsday Orubebe resigned to contest for the
Delta State governorship ticket.
Besides the Ministers who resigned, there were
also Special Advisers, Special Assistants, heads
of parastatals like the Federal Character
Commission, FCC, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust
Fund, NSITF, among others.
As aspirants commenced campaigns ahead of the
primaries and because of the strength of the
office of the president, many aspirants dropped
his name as they went along in their respective
states, telling those who cared to listen that they
enjoyed the support of President Goodluck
Jonathan. The President’s men thought they had
all what was required to navigate the murky
waters of Nigerian politics, having worked at the
federal level, with the President and attending
Federal Executive Council meetings. They
represented President Jonathan through their
ministries.
The Ministers had also concluded that the mere
mention of the President’s name or the mere
thought that they worked with the leader of the
party, would be enough to frighten and scare
away other contestants. At worse, even if they
lost, the President may influence the outcome in
their favour, after all, they all sought his approval
to quit the cabinet in pursuit of more juicy
political package. They either got it wrong or
were wronged by the system they had served
doggedly. Yes, some suffered protest votes and
what irked those who resented them was their
association with the Presidency and the perceived
arrogance even if there was non. And the man
they expected to help them looked the other way,
especially in keeping with democratic principles.
The ministers had possibly dreamt of the past
where a sitting president would impose
candidates on the people in various states
without allowing such persons test how popular
they were. But as it turned out, President
Jonathan appeared too busy to put a word cross
to the handlers of the primaries in various states
or force other contenders to drop their dreams.
But there alleged cases where his kinsmen
ensured the emergence of the President’s
favoured candidates. However, they remain
allegations even as eyebrows are being raised on
Rivers, Taraba and one or two other states. The
leadership of the party was accused of having
taken side with some like in Akwa Ibom following
its quick endorsement of Governor Godswill
Akpabio’s zoning arrangement, that of Adamawa,
among others. In Delta, the President’s kinsmen
had their candidate. But what picture does the
President’s non interference in many other cases
where his men failed paint? Is it a case of being a
true democrat, leader and father to all?
During campaigns, former Minister of
Information, Mr Labaran Maku who was so
optimistic of getting the PDP ticket for the
Nasarawa governorship race even boasted after
he appeared before the PDP governorship
screening committee at the Legacy House, Abuja
that his DNA was PDP. Said he: “I believe in the
party, I believe that people should be in the party
as a matter of ideology and principles.
“Political parties are not just platforms for
elections, they are philosophical foundations for
the construction of our own democratic
infrastructure.
“As for me even if you test my DNA, it is PDP. I’
am saying so because recently some of my
opponents who are so afraid of me in Nasarawa
State, who are scared of my popularity in the
party, who are scared of my grassroots
followership made my posters under APC, they
even designed some billboards under APC and
claimed that I have left PDP. “The reason was
because when we were rebuilding the party they
left to other parties, when they came back the
party was solid and we were everywhere.
“I’ am very confident because it has been years of
hard work, years of loyalty to the party, since
1999. I have served this party in different
capacities. I was commissioner of information,
deputy governor. I contested for the seat in 2007.
Somehow, I did not leave the party like some
others who migrated to other parties looking for
platforms to contest.
“I am bringing an experience beginning from
student unionism to journalism, a development
agent before going into politics where I served as
a commissioner, deputy governor and a minister.
If I go there I will be the unifying force, I will
bring development to my people using my wealth
of experience that I have gathered throughout
these years of service to the nation. So I am
ready to change my state.”
After much political intrigues, manoeuvring,
backstabbing, permutations, the President’s men
lost out in the race of picking the governorship
ticket of their states. Even Maku whose
performance as minister of information was a
shining light for the Presidency failed to enjoy the
support of the same Presidency even if you may
not attribute his failure to that.
Except for former Minister of State, Education and
former Minister of State, Niger Delta, Nyesom
Wike and Darius Ishyaku who emerged
respectively as Rivers and Taraba Candidates,
other ministers like Labaran Maku; Emeka Wogu,
Musiliu Obanikoro; Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu;
Samuel Ortom; Prof. Sylvester Monye, among
others failed to get tickets.
At the end of the PDP gubernatorial primaries,
the following persons emerged. Akwa – Ibom –
Udom Emmanuel; Lagos – Jimi Agbaje;
Adamawa – Nuhu Ribadu; Enugu – Ifeanyi
Ugwuanyi; Jigawa – Aminu Ringim; Oyo – Teslim
Folarin; Cross River – Benedict Ayade; Kaduna –
Muktar Yero; Gombe – Ibrahim Dankwambo;
Rivers – Nyesom Wike; Delta – Ifeanyi Okowa;
Abia – Okezie Ikpeazu; Nasarawa – Yusuf Agabi;
Plateau – Gyang Pwajok; Niger – Umar Nasko;
Benue – Terhemen Terzoor; Imo – Emeka
Ihedioha; and Ebonyi – Dave Umahi.
Others were Auwal Jatau for Bauchi; Senator
Abdallah Wali for Sokoto State; Salihu Sagir Takai
for Kano; Adamu Maina Waziri for Yobe; Gambo
Lawan for Borno; Engr. Musa Nashuni for
Katsina; Darius Ishaku for Taraba State, Alhaji
Mahmud Aliyu Shinkafi who was defeated during
the 2011 election became the candidate of the
party for Zamfara State, among others.
Wike and Ishaku got theirs because of the
support from first lady Patience Jonathan and
former Minister of Defence, General Theophilus
Danjuma respectively.
Aside the governorship race, some of Jonathan’s
men who were very loyal and still loyal like
governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State who
had wanted to come to the Senate to represent
Delta South; Sullivan Chime of Enugu; Martins
Elechi of Ebonyi, all with senatorial ambitions lost
out. Uduaghan did not contest as he withdrew
few days to the election allegedly on the advice
of Mr. President who wanted his fellow Ijaw man
James Manager to continue after 16 years as
senator. The emergence of Ifeanyi Okowo also
had the Ijaw touch although huge credit should
go to Uduaghan for providing a level playing field.
Ijaw man is Okowa’s running mate and PDP
appears to be united in Delta although some
candidates believed to be loyal to Uduaghan are
being substituted by those they defeated in the
primaries. Will they defect too? Will APC gain
from this? That’s for Delta
Just as Senate Majority Leader, Senator Victor
Ndoma- Egba; Chairman, Senate Committee on
Rules and Business, Senator Solomon Ita Enang,
Chairman, Senate Committee on Women Affairs,
Senator Helen Esuene, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri
representing Bayelsa West, among others lost
out. Manager is tipped to replace Victor Ndoma-
Egba as Majority Leader in the Senate.
Presidential power, you may say but he and few
others who enjoyed such support also played
their game well. And why did others fail? Was it
an indication that the Ministers were merely
Abuja politicians, even though Ortom and Maku
have dumped the PDP for the All Progressives
Congress, APC and the All Progressives Grand
Alliance, APGA respectively as their governorship
candidates for next month’s election? Maku has
succeeded in flushing out his PDP DNA now and
having that of APGA. May be after the election,
he would then have a combination of both.
Why the abysmal performance of Jonathan’s men
at the primaries? Could it be an indication that he
left them to be on their own or was it that he
worked against them and what with those who
suffered protest votes as associates of the
President?
These were those who were believed to parade
their association with the President as their only
quality and suffered protest votes. Wike in Rivers
would have suffered same but for the doggedness
of his team coupled with the intimidating support
of Patience Jonathan who was allegedly quoted
as vowing that Wike would emerge the next
governor of Rivers State. So what happened to
the other President’s men? What does their failure
portend to the party in next month’s election?
Would it have an implication on President
Jonathan’s re- election bid? Will those who lost
out still remain committed to the victory of the
president?
Saturday Vanguard sought to know from PDP
leaders, Stakeholders on the implication of
Jonathan’s men losing at the primaries as the
party begins campaigns ahead of next month’s
general elections and here are their comments.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa
Metuh noted that their failure to get the tickets
will not affect the President’s re- election bid.
He said that some of them like Obanikoro are
powerful in their states which explained why the
PDP would want them to remain.
Also in his contribution, former Edo State
governor, Professor Oserheimen Osunbor said, ”
This is a direct consequence of the internal
contradictions and manipulations which
characterised the primaries generally. I believe
that those who lost out know that President
Jonathan was not responsible for what happened
to them and have no reason to get back at him
by working against his reelection.”
In his remarks, former Senate Chief Whip, Senator
Rowland Owie, said, “No implications at all for
Jonathan’s re-election. The problem with most
appointees to the Executive arms at the federal
and state levels,is that as soon as they assume
duties, they lose touch at the grassroots, to fulfill
the destructive parable of ” A FRIEND IN
GOVERNMENT, IS A FRIEND LOST”
“They no longer get in touch with the local leaders
and those who worked for the party to win the
elections on which basis they got the
appointments. Such appointees certainly can’t
win party primaries. However there are good ones
who maintain good relationship with their
constituents and when such seek elective
positions, they will surely get through. In addition
the failure of such Aides of the President at
various party primaries, go to show that Mr.
President does not interfere with party primaries.”
Also reacting, the Political Adviser to Vice
President Namadi Sambo, Mallam Abba Dabo
who noted that it will not have any negative
effect on the party because they did not lose to
other parties, said that what happened was a true
democratic process, an indication that the
President never wanted to interfere in the election
process as against the wishes of the people,
adding, “Contest in PDP is very keen, people think
that as a minister, once you come out, the deal is
sealed, it is not true, the party is democratic,
everyone can win, we had an array of
contestants. In other smaller parties, once you
come out to contest, you become a colossus, it is
not the same in PDP. PDP allowed both the
Ministers and non ministers to come out and
contest.”
In his contribution, former Minister of Transport
and member, PDP Board of Trustees, BoT, Chief
Ebenezer Babatope said, “Not at all, it will not
have any effect on President Goodluck Jonathan’s
re- election bid. What happened to them was that
he did not lift his hand to influence the process,
he did not influence the decision of the electorate;
it is a plus for the president, what happened
boosted the image of Jonathan as did not
interfere in the choice of the people.”
But there are party faithful who are not
comfortable that many of those who remained
loyal to the President and were known to have
played tremendous roles in serving the party were
schemed out or outplayed in the primaries.
“You can’t ignore the influence of some people
who will not likely to be committed to the
Presidential election any more,” one PDP party
faithful said. For the fear of being tagged anti
party he preferred anonymity. Same with a party
chieftain who spoke from Enugu. Said he:
“There’s no way this crash by President’s
loyalists will not reflect in the election results. It
will not make Jonathan lose but he will surely
lose some votes.”
Many in the opposition parties feel that the crash
of President’s men will be to their advantage.
Even a sitting governor has moved his loyalists to
another party in Ebonyi State.
Also contributing, former Member, House of
Representatives, and Executive Secretary, Anti-
Corruption Network, Otunba Dino Melaye said,
“Nine Ministers have resigned from Jonathan’s
cabinet to contest political offices primaries.
(Nyesom) Wike (Rivers PDP governorship
candidate) bulldozed to win. Seven Ministers lost
their primaries. That is the pronouncement of the
disenchantment of Nigerians against the
government of Jonathan. The PDP is a Trojan
Horse, Nigeria is in the Intensive Care Unit,
Nigeria is in the Hospital. The time for our
rejuvenation is now. General Muhammadu Buhari
is the only answer, antidote and remedy to
corruption.”
In his contribution, a member of the 2014
National Conference and Executive Director,
Human Rights Monitor, Barrister Festus Okoye
said, “Different considerations other than the
political travails of some of the Ministers and
Special Advisers will determine the outcome of
the 2015 elections. Some of the Ministers had no
concrete base in their states and relied on
Federal might. Unfortunately for some of them
domestic realities played a major role in their
defeat. Barring electoral fraud and Violence ,
Religion,ethnicity, money, incumbency and
performance will determine the outcome of the
2015 elections.”
In his contribution, former governor of Anambra
State, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife who described
the primaries conducted as imposition by those
he described as cabal in the system, stressed
merit, success and ability were thrown out, just
as he said that the Ministers went to conduct the
primaries and the people told them how they
assess them, adding that the defeat of the
Ministers during the primaries would not have any
connection with the President’s re- election.
He said, ” we are not doing democracy, I will talk
on this after the election. I have always spoken in
support of a two party system. A cabal is bringing
out people instead of the people doing that. Only
direct primary election is the way forward. What
we have now is imposition by a cabal and not
democracy. APC does not do direct primary, PDP
does not do direct primary, you must select
candidates on the opinion of the people and not
on persons.
“In Ebonyi, the Minister of Health who fought
Ebola with international recognition and who
ought to have won the primaries was not given,
merit does not count, success does not count,
ability does not count, only who supports you. “

the game is so expensive