₦airaland Forum

Suleiman Abba Esq.
Acting Inspector-General of Police,
Police Headquarters,
Louis Edet House,
Abuja, FCT.

ILLEGAL POLICING OF THE REPUBLIC

Since you were appointed the Acting Inspector-General of Police by the President of the Republic on July 31, 2014 the Nigeria Police Force has been involved in partisan politics to the detriment of law and order in the country. Permit me to draw your attention to three glaring cases of political bias recently displayed by the Police under your leadership.

Firstly, the Osun State governorship election which took place on August 9, 2014 was almost marred by the Police and other security forces which arrested and detained over 700 leaders of the All Progressive Congress (APC). Indeed, some electoral officers who were assumed to be members of the APC were also railroaded to police custody. But for the personal intervention of Professor Attahiru Jega, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the said electoral officers would not have been released. Thus, the election would have been disrupted by the police and other security forces whose duty it was to maintain law and order during the democratic exercise. However, the detained APC leaders who were released after the election have not been charged to court for breaching the provisions of the Electoral Act or any other law whatsoever.

Secondly, Mr. Joseph Mbu, the controversial Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 7 of the Nigeria Poilice Force announced a ban any rally demanding for #bringbackourgirls within the federal capital territory. The ban was designed to assuage the feelings of some officials of the Federal Government who are embarrassed by being reminded of their constitutional duty of rescuing the over 200 Chibok girls who were abducted 6 months ago by the nihilist boko haram sect. In a judgment delivered last week, the Federal Capital Territory High Court declared the ban illegal, null and void on the ground that it constituted an infringement of the fundamental rights of the patriotic campaigners to freedom of assembly and expression guaranteed by the Constitution. In spite of the judicial indictment you have not deemed it fit to call Mr. Mbu to order for the reckless abuse of police powers.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/femi-falanas-open-letter-to-sacked-inspector-general-of-police-suleiman-abba/

In a statement from his Media Office titled: ‘I do not need your praise’ and signed by his media adviser Sunday Dare, Tinubu said:

“Our attention has been drawn to the recently advertised letter by Mr. Buruji Kashamu to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in which he described Tinubu in superlative terms and as his role model. Kashamu needs to stop this cynical fawning. It will not work.

“The days of false adulation are gone in Nigerian politics. Fake praise singers like Kashamu will find that their particular craft is no longer in vogue. During this election cycle, their practice has dramatically turned from the way things are to how things used to be.

“Henceforth, there will be consequences for the positions a politician takes and the words they utter.

“Politicians will no longer be able to change direction and loyalties as if they were changing clothes. Those in politics must know that responsibility and accountability shall now follow them. One can no longer walk both sides of the street at the same time. In case Kashamu has not noticed, the politics of principle defeated the politics of posturing.

“That Kashumu undermined the democratic process by buying his victory does not mean he is part of the new Nigeria. He is merely an isolated vestige of a dying past. The man is an extinct species the realisation of which will soon dawn on him.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/tinubu-to-kashamu-i-do-not-need-your-praise/

President Goodluck Jonathan has finally signed the National Biosafety Agency Bill, which is a milestone in the domestication of modern biotechnology in Nigeria, into law.

Recall that the biosafety bill, sponsored by the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) was initially passed by the 6th National Assembly in 2011 but was not assented to by the president and it became time barred.

Commending President Jonathan and members of the National Assembly for the quick assent of the bill, director-general of NABDA, Prof. Lucy Jumeyi Ogbadu, said it would allow for the safe application of biotechnology to boost economic development in Nigeria.

Prof. Ogbadu said, “Signing the biosafety bill is a milestone in the domestication of modern biotechnology in Nigeria. It is a giant stride that will allow the country to join the league of countries advanced in the use of this cutting edge technology as another window to boost economic development in Nigeria. It will create more employment, boost food production that will put a smile on the faces of farmers and elevate hunger.”

Highlighting the purpose of the law, Ogbadu said it is an act to provide for the management of biosafety and other related matters and it seeks to harness the potentials modern biotechnology has to offer under a legal regulatory regime; ensure environmental, human and socio-economic safety while harnessing the benefits associated with the practice of modern biotechnology and its outputs and exercise the sovereign right over all the nation’s natural resources and authority to regulate access to such resources, among others

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/president-jonathan-signs-biosafety-bill-into-law/

The Afenifere Renewal Group yesterday condemned the attacks on the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, over the incendiary statement he made at a meeting with Igbo leaders living in the state, reiterating the threat of the monarch that those working against the interest of the state would be swalllowed by the lagoon.

The group said: “It is believed that those working against Lagos interest would be swallowed up by the lagoon.”

It however, congratulated all elected officials in the South-west states for their victory during the just concluded elections, while thanking all the voters in the region for voting their conscience and for voting peacefully.

The Afenifere Renewal Group expressed disappointment with the scale of attacks on the monarch in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kunle Famoriyo, saying those hiding under democracy “to malign the person and office of Akiolu must not forget that democracy cannot obliterate traditions and cultural privileges.”

It explained that the Yoruba culture “is self-regulatory and leaves room for check and balances. No one needs to teach us how to put our house in order. We therefore condemn all the uncharitable calls for sanctions and apologies.

“For explanatory purpose, it must be emphasised that the Oba is supreme in Yoruba cultural context and in Lagos, the lagoon is seen in the traditional context as the defender of Lagos’ interest. It is believed that those working against Lagos’ interest would be swallowed up by the lagoon.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/afenifere-work-against-lagos-interest-be-swallowed-by-the-lagoon/

The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega has said there was no evidence of electoral fraud Rivers State before the commision. He also said the commission lacked the power to cancel results of elections after they had been announced. The commission’s chairman, who spoke at the Civil Rights Situation Room‎ held in Abuja stated that the Commission after getting the petition of irregularities in Rivers State sent three national Commissioners to investigate it. According to him, the reports submitted by the team did show any irregularities in the election.

“We have no power to cancel elections results once returns have been made. On the petition against election irregularities in Rivers State, the commission sent three national commissioners to the state to investigate it and found no irregularities in the election in the report. Some people don’t want elections to hold, they are the ones calling for cancellation.

“We investigate the allegation of fake result sheets in Rivers and our reports showed that there was nothing like that,” he stated.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/jega-no-evidence-of-electoral-fraud-in-rivers/

President-elect Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration will focus on re-activating the Lake Chad in addition to deploying enormous resources to resume vigorous search for oil along the Chad Basin in parts of Borno State.

This is just as he gave assurance that his incoming government would accord priority to ending the insurgency ravaging the north eastern states to bring stability back to the region.

General Buhari gave the assurances on Sunday at his Kaduna residence while responding to requests made by Borno State, Governor Kashim Shettima, the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Elkanemi and some elders of the state who went in a delegation to congratulate the president-elect.

General Buhari also assured the delegation that the receding of Lake Chad would be addressed through the transfer of water from the Central African Republic to the lake to boost its commercial activities for fishing and irrigation farming.

He recalled that he once read a document raising fears about the receding of the Lake Chad which he handed over to then President Olusegun Obasanjo but now that he would be coming as president, he would address the matter himself.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/ill-resume-oil-search-in-chad-basin-buhari/

Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), on Sunday faulted the decision of President Goodluck Jonathan to reject, in its entirety, the 70 amendments the National Assembly had proposed to the 1999 Constitution.

Falana also warned that the 70 proposed amendments might suffer the same fate that led to the rejection of the 108 proposed amendments to the 1999 Constitution in 2006.

He expressed grave concern over the reasons the president gave for rejecting the 70 proposed amendment to the constitution in a statement he personally signed, thereby warning against throwing baby away with the bath water.

As argued in his statement, Falana identified some controversial sections in the newly proposed amendments, which he said the president should have withheld his signature rather than rejecting the entire amendments.

The human rights activist identified the controversial provisions to include the section that sought to pay pension for life to former leaders of the National Assembly, which he described as outrageous and scandalous.

He said the letter, which the president addressed to the National Assembly, called for a sober examination of the reasons he adduced for rejecting the controversial amendments, which Falana said are patently illegal and unconstitutional.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/falana-faults-jonathan-for-rejecting-amendments-to-1999-constitution/

After a series of preparatory meetings ahead of its assumption of control on May 29, the incoming ruling party, All Progressives Congress, has drawn up a zoning arrangement for key federal legislative and executive positions. Barring any last minute changes, a document ratified by the APC national leadership and national caucus members Thursday night may form the basis for the allocation of executive positions and emergence of principal officers of the National Assembly from across the six geopolitical zones. The office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation is zoned to the South-east. The incumbent SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, a former senate president, is from Ebonyi State in the South-east.

The zoning to South-east puts paid to speculations that the director-general of the APC presidential campaign organisation and Rivers State governor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, may become the next SGF. It also ends the alleged spirited effort by some APC governors from the North-east to produce the new SGF, with the current Secretary to the State Government of Borno, Ambassador Ahmed Baba Jida, widely suspected to be the choice of the governors.

In other positions, the post of Senate President is zoned to North-central, the same zone of the outgoing holder of the position, David Mark, who is from Benue State. Speaker of the House of Representatives is given to South-west, where the vice president-elect, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, hails from. Osinbajo is from Ogun State.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/apc-zones-speaker-to-southwest-secretary-to-the-government-of-the-federation-to-seast/

Vice-President, Namadi Sambo on Monday presided over the federal government’s transition committee’s meeting where the terms of reference and guidelines for preparing the handover briefs for the incoming government to be led by General Muhammadu Buhari were discussed.

The meeting was held at the vice-presidential wing of the Presidential Villa, in Abuja.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim, who fielded questions from State House correspondents shortly after the closed-door meeting, said the committee met to discuss the terms of reference and prepare the guidelines for preparing the handover briefs.

He disclosed that the committee adjourned to April 20 for a second meeting.
Asked if any timeframe was set for the harmonisation of the two committees, the SGF explained, “After we have collected our own briefs from the MDAs and we put them together, we will then interface with the other (Buhari) committee so that whatever clarification they want, the questions they have, then we will be able to address them.”

When also asked if he was aware that the incoming government was raising its own committee, while saying he was aware, Anyim added that the development was normal.

“Ours it to collect our own handover briefs, prepare the briefs, and prepare the president’s handover notes

“The terms of reference of our own committee is to collate relevant information for the handover briefs from all the MDAs, prepare them and interface with the incoming administration’s transition committee,” the SGF stressed.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/fg-transition-cttee-meets-discusses-guidelines-for-handover/

Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company is to create about 15,000 direct and indirect jobs starting next month, the company’s Managing Director, Mr. Garba Haruna, has said.

The Managing Director said in a statement issued in Kaduna that the jobs creation was part of the company’s strategic growth plan which was anchored on the employment of young, dynamic and energetic workforce that would propel the company to achieve its set objective of providing efficient power to its customers.

Garba said the company had set up a recruitment portal, where both internal and external candidates could apply for the available openings.

He said existing staff of the company whose contracts expire at the end of May this year were eligible to reapply for the available jobs and they would go through a screening and selection process before a formal interview session to determine their suitability.

The statement said external candidates were expected to submit their curriculum vitaes and fill a pre interview form on the portal. Candidates who were found suitable shall be invited to a 1st and 2nd level interview sessions.

Click link to site to Register
http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/kaduna-distribution-company-to-create-15000-new-jobs-registration-ongoing/

Akinwunmi-Ambode

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has been declared winner in the just concluded election in which he polled 811, 994 votes.

The Returning Officer of Lagos state, Prof. Isaac Adewole formally declared Ambode at the Lagos Office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Yaba as the winner in the governorship election, which was keenly contested by his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenger, Mr. Jimi Agbaje who polled 659,788 votes.

Adewole, who is the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, said having the requirements of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended) and 2011 Electoral Act (As Amended), Ambode “is hereby declared the winner of the state governorship election.”

As indicated in the governorship election result, Ambode, who had previously served as the Accountant-General of Lagos State and Auditor-General for Local Governments in the state, convincingly won the contest by 154,206 votes.

Read full Analysis of result
http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/apc-to-continue-in-lagos-state-as-ambode-emerges-winner-in-guber-polls/

Sokoto State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate and Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has been declared winner of the April 11 governorship election by the state returning officer, Professor Abubakar Abdullahi Bagudu.

Making the declaration at about 07:12 pm at the Sultan Maccido Institute of Qua’ranic and General Studies, Sokoto, venue of the state collation centre for the exercise, Bagudu commended the people for their resilience and patience.

In his submission, Bagudu said, a total of 958, 736 votes were cast with 926, 682 as valid and 320, 54 as invalid.

While summing up the votes polled by each party from across the 23 local government areas, Bagudu said, the AA got 111, Accord Party 47, ACPN 265, AD 285, ADC 403, APA 2905, APC 647, 609, APGA 1571, CPP 874, ID 374, LP 272, NCP 243, NNPP 301, PDC 442, PDP 269, 074, PPA 1163, PDM 211, SDP 118, UDP 155, UPN 136 and UPP polling 123 votes cumulatively.

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Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi on Sunday broke the second term jinx, when he defeated 11 governorship candidate of other political party to the coveted governor seat.
Also, the defeated governorship candidates of the PDP, Senator Teslim Folarin, including the FCT Minister of State, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, Accord Party candidate, Senator Rashidi Ladoja and Seyi Makinde of the Social Democratic Party in the last Saturday governorship election, lost their local government areas to the APC.
The election of the incumbent governor and his return to the Agodi Government House might force both Ladoja and Akala into retirement.
Before the final result was released, the PDP candidate, Folarin had conceded defeat to whoever wins the election.
Folarin in a statement aired in a private radio station in Ibadan noted that with the results being released by INEC, his party cannot win the election.
Announcing the result, the state chief returning officer, Professor Ayobami Salami, disclosed that the governor scored 327,310 votes as against his arch-rival, Senator Rashidi Ladoja of the Accord Party who piled 254,522 votes.
While Labour Party’s Alao-Akala scored 182,723 votes, the PDP’s candidate, Folarin polled 78,119 votes
Other results were SDP 54,740 votes, Yinusa Kazeem of the DPP, 1,654 votes, and Mustapha Rukaya of the NNPP, 4,258.
Salami who is the deputy vice chancellor (Administration), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, said the governor won in 20 local government areas, Accord Party and Labour Party won in six local government areas of the state respectively.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party candidate, Chief Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala has congratulated the Governor Abiola Ajimobi on his victory at the poll.
Akala’s Public Affairs Director, Oludare Ogunlana said in a statement that Akala had called Ajimobi on phone to congratulate him.
All the representatives of the participating political parties signed the election result sheet with the exception of Accord Party’s National Secretary, Nureni Adisa who claimed that the party’s mandate had been stolen.
He said that the result of the election would be challenged at the election petition tribunal.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner disclosed that the APC won 18 seats in the state House of Assembly while Accord Party had 8 and Labour Party F seats respectively.

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Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi state, Mr Emeka Nworie ,was in the early hours of Saturday shot dead by gunmen in his residence at Ezzagu in the council area.

The body has been deposited at undisclosed mortuary.

Also, another person in Ikwo local governmen,t Mike Ojon, was reported to have been killed by people suspected to be members of the opposition party.

Ojon was killed on Friday night at his Ikwo residence.

Meanwhile, electoral materials arrived polling booths as earlier as 8a.m with people already queuing patiently for accreditation.

Harping on the development, the PDP deputy governorship candidate, Barrister Kelechi Igwe said they were not happy that the election was not peaceful considering the peaceful conduct of the presidential election.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/breaking-news-pdp-council-chairman-one-other-person-shot-dead-in-ebonyi-state/

With the bickering caused by comments made by the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu about the Igbos for their perceived massive support for the opposition in the state, the Igbo leaders in Lagos State yesterday said they have forgiven the monarch and moved on with their lives.

The Igbo leaders in the state who made this known after a meeting with the traditional rulers in Amuwo Odofin local government, at the council Secretariat, Festac Town Lagos said they have also unanimously endorsed the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode.

Speaking at the meeting, the chairman of Ndi Eze, Lagos, Eze Gordian Dim refuted the comment being circulated in the social media attributed to the Oba of Lagos, saying it was meant to cause disaffection between the tribe and the monarch.

He said, “What transpired at the Oba’s palace was not what was painted by some media organisations. I engineered the whole process, and I can say confidently to you that the Oba’s statement was misconstrued and should be discarded.

“His statement was a joke and we all laughed through it, we even promised him a wife.”

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/igbos-in-festac-town-forgive-oba-of-lagos-endorse-ambode/

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday claimed that he had information that the security agencies want to collude with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to postpone the election; to conduct it after the president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari would have been sworn in.

Wike made the claim in Port Harcourt during a meeting of the leadership of both parties and service commanders representing the Army, Navy, Airforce, and the police.

The interactive peace session was facilitated by the state Commissioner of Police, Hosea Kama, at the headquarters of the state police command, along Moscow Road.

The PDP governorship candidate stated: “We need assurance that the security agencies and the APC are not planning to postpone the governorship election. We also need assurance that the security agencies and the APC are not planning to do something that will lead to the cancellation of the election that may lead to the election being conducted again under Buhari’s administration.

“We are fully prepared for the election. If they like let them bring the chairman if APC to conduct the election, we will still win.”

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/rivers-guber-poll-wike-alleges-plot-to-postpone-elections/

Deputy Senate president, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday assured his supporters that he would not defect to the opposition over the recent defeat of President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the March 28 Presidential Election.

Ekweremadu, who gave the assurance during his meeting with stakeholders of the party in Enugu West Senatorial zone held at his Enugu residence, however stated that Ndigbo have nothing against the president-elect, Major General Mohammadu Buhari (rtd).

He said that Igbos would work hand-in-hand with Buhari in line with their regional agenda and overall development of Nigeria, adding that they would give him all the support to succeed because he was elected as the president of Nigeria, and not president of APC or any section of the country in particular.

Ekweremadu, who was re-elected as the senator representing Enugu West Senatorial district in the National Assembly, said though he would not hold brief for all the PDP stalwarts in the South East, he could assure that “on PDP we stand”.

He averred that PDP leaders in the South east were committed to further repositioning the party, adding that “we may not have the presidency, but are strong in the states and remain the party to beat”.

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The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was hatching a plot to impose a one-party system in the country.

The party, however, said it would cooperate with the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to foster unity and development in the country.

Speaking at a pressing conference in Abuja, PDP national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, also boasted that PDP would return to power in the next four years.

He said: “Our nation and its citizens are facing a serious threat. We are at the verge of a quick slide into dictatorship and the personal freedom we all enjoy today is about to be obliterated.”

Metuh claimed that APC had no clear agenda on how to govern the country, adding that “rather than concentrate on how to manage the mandate they now hold, they have resorted to seeking ways to stifle opposition and impose a one-party system and complete totalitarian rule in our country.”

According to him, “reports reaching the PDP leadership from across the country show that the APC has been desperately seeking ways to destabilize our ranks and weaken our formations by approaching some senior members of our National Executive Committee (NEC) with phantom promises and threats, ostensibly to use them to inject crisis in our fold and pave the way for our elected members to cross over to APC.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/pdp-apc-of-plot-to-impose-one-party-system-in-the-country/

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and other joint venture firms, Total Exploration and Production (E&P) Nigeria Limited and Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited have realised $2.437 billion from sale of their interests in two oil blocks – oil mining lease (OML) 18 and OML 29 and the Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) and related facilities in the Eastern Niger Delta.

The companies completed sale of their interests in assets last week bringing an end to the controversies that trailed the transaction since last year. The transaction on the two assets ought to have closed since last year alongside other two blocks OMLs 24, 25, but because OMLs 18 and 29 were considered juicy when compared to others and besides there were issues of capacity and capability on the side of the preferred bidders, the transaction lingered till last week.

According to SPDC’s Corporate Media Relations Manager, Precious Okolobo, Shell’s interests in OML 18 were assigned to Eroton Exploration & Production Company Limited and total cash proceeds for Shell amount to $737 million while OML 29 and the NCTL were sold to Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production (E&P) Company Limited and total cash proceeds for Shell amount to some $1.7 billion.

This divestment is part of the strategic review of SPDC’s onshore portfolio and is in line with the Federal Government’s aim of developing Nigerian companies in the country’s upstream oil and gas business, he added.

Shell, he said, has been in Nigeria for more than 50 years and remains committed to keeping a long-term presence there – both onshore and offshore. Through SPDC and its other Nigerian companies, Shell responsibly produces the oil and gas needed to help fuel the economic and industrial growth that generates wealth for the nation and jobs for Nigerians.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/shell-rakes-in-2-437b-from-two-oil-blocks-sale/

There was an uproar in the country on Monday over the threat made by the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, warning Igbo residents to vote for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, otherwise they would perish in the Lagos lagoon.

But even as the APC and Oba’s palace scrambled to “clarify” his statement, which was published by several print and online media, the audio and video recordings of Akiolu’s hate speech to Igbo leaders who had met with him at his palace Sunday had gone viral, resulting in a social media backlash against the Oba, his candidate, and the APC.

Akiolu’s clarification, signed by the Opeluwa of Lagos, Chief Lateef Aderibigbe Ajose, on behalf of the palace, said: “My attention has been drawn to a publication in a national newspaper where HRM Oba Riliwanu Akinolu was alleged to have threatened Igbos in Lagos to make them vote for Ambode.

“Last Sunday, all honorary Eze Ndigbos in Lagos paid a courtesy call to HRM Oba Akinolu. At the meeting the visitors praised the Oba for his fatherly support for and cooperation with Igbos in Lagos.

“They assured him of their continued good neighbourliness with other tribes in Lagos and support everything that will further strengthen that harmony.

“Oba Akiolu on his part acknowledged the enviable performance of Governor Fashola and his contribution to the growth of investment in Lagos. He gave the assurance that he was not disturbed or angry with South-east and South- south votes for President Jonathan as perceived by the Eze Ndigbos.

“The Oba thereafter called on the Igbo chiefs to show appreciation to Lagos State by supporting his candidate Mr. Ambode for continuity of excellence as they have earlier promised.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/oba-of-lagos-clarifies-remarks-against-igbos/

Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO), Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, yesterday denied reports that he criticised the tenure of office and legacy of President Goodluck Jonathan.

A statement by Fani-Kayode’s media consultant, Sufuyan Ojeifo, however urged the public, especially those in the social media to be wary of false publications and always check their sources.

He said, “The assertion that Chief Femi Fani-Kayode went to a book launch in Lagos last week and criticised the person, tenure of office and legacy of President Goodluck Jonathan is pure falsehood.

“Chief Fani-Kayode was not in Lagos last week; he did not attend any book launch there or anywhere else and he did not attack or criticise President Jonathan or his legacy.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/fani-kayode-i-never-criticised-jonathan/

President-elect Muhammadu Buhari has commended the positive disposition as well as the forgiving spirit displayed by the Emir of Borgu, Dr. Halliru Dantoro, as well as other past leaders who were detained by his military administration between December 1983 and July 1985.

Buhari, who made the remarks while receiving the emir and members of his council during their congratulatory visit on Sunday in Abuja, said leaders such as the Emir never held it against him when they were detained and had gone on to establish very strong and cherished personal relationship with him.

The president-elect stated that as the commander-in-chief during his military dictatorship, responsibility for all actions of government belonged to him, adding that “even where he did not direct government action with respect to detentions, as the leader at the time, had accepted responsibility for the actions that took place under his regime”.

He also cited cases such as the former Minister of Finance and later Agriculture, Adamu Ciroma, who suffered incarcerations during his military dictatorship but never held anything against him.

Buhari, who held discussions with the emir’s delegation in Hausa, said he had accepted the goodwill of all such past leaders who did not hold him personally responsible for the actions of his military government.

He promised that as an elected president, he would ensure equity, fairness and justice for all.

Read full story
http://monitor9ja.com/2015/04/military-detention-buhari-thanks-emir-of-borgu-others-for-forgiving-him/

BORNO STATE: Unit, 050 Maiduguri Borno state Presidential:
President
APC 422,
PDP 7

Senatorial:
APC 389
PDP 37

Representatives:
APC 394
PDP 3

JIGAWA STATE: Kudai Gabas Dutse PU
PDP 21
APC 576

JIGAWA STATE: Kasarau 3pu in Dutse Jigawa presidential
PDP 16
APC 536

JIGAWA STATE: Takur addu’a in Dutse Jigawa
Presidential
APC: 287
PDP: 34

KOGI STATE: Nigeria 2015 Polls Result Updates: In Kogi, At Jakura Unit in Lokoja Ward A
Reps:
APC- 172
PDP-120
LP- 15

KOGI STATE: Nigeria 2015 Polls Result Updates: In Kogi, At Jakura Unit in Oworo. Kogi West –
Senate
APC- 113.
PDP-23.
AP- 12

KOGI STATE: Nigeria 2015 Polls Result Updates: From Polling Unit 002 Koto-karfe Town, Ukwo Ward,
Presidential
APC: 313
PDP: 8

KOGI STATE: Presidential election: Okene LG, Kogi state, Idoji ward, Unit 4.
APC – 128
PDP – 4


See More Result
http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/latest-unconfirmed-election-results/

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the poor working of the PVC card readers in the Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections across the country could have been avoided if INEC had listened to sound advice from well meaning individuals and organizations including the party regarding their deployment without proper testing.

National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh in a statement on Saturday said the last minute resort to manual accreditation by INEC hours into the exercise against its earlier guidelines clearly shows the failure of the system.

“The unfortunate development is a vindication of our earlier position that as good as the idea of card readers is, it was too virgin to be successfully used in a general election without proper testing especially in an environment as ours that is not entirely digitally proficient”, it said.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/pdp-card-reader-was-a-national-embarrassment/

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked INEC to extend the time for accreditation and voting to make up for the delay being experienced across the country by the use of card readers.
In a statement issued in Lagos today by its National PublicitySecretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said extending the time for accreditation and voting will ensure that Nigerians who have queued up patiently at their polling units as early as 8 am will not be disenfranchised.
It also urged INEC to recognise the letters from the various political party agents, since INEC was not able to fulfill its promise to accredit party agents, which used to be done by the parties themselves.

APC commended Nigerians for their patience in getting accredited,saying by waiting patiently to get accredited, they have shown an unprecedented commitment to the growth of democracy in the country.

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A car bomb exploded at the WTC Primary School Polling Booth in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State at about 7.38 am Saturday.

There was no casualty as the bomb exploded before the accreditation commenced but voters were scared and it is feared that the incident might lead to voter apathy.

However, the police anti-bomb unit was able to defuse three other unexploded bombs at the centre.
The bombs was planted in a Honda Accord car with registration number KUJ 971 LB, Abuja and parked behind the WTC primary school by unknown persons awaiting the commencement of voting.

Officials of the Police Bomb Unit who rushed to the scene after policemen posted to the centre raised an alert, said one of the bombs exploded inside the car while the second did not explode before they arrived.

The bomb experts dismantled the second bomb which was timed to explode during the voting.

Voters at the scene were scared.

The second bomb was detonated at 8.45am by the police bomb operatives.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/breaking-news-bomb-explodes-at-enugu-voting-centre/

A car bomb exploded at the WTC Primary School Polling Booth in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State at about 7.38 am Saturday.

There was no casualty as the bomb exploded before the accreditation commenced but voters were scared and it is feared that the incident might lead to voter apathy.

However, the police anti-bomb unit was able to defuse three other unexploded bombs at the centre.
The bombs was planted in a Honda Accord car with registration number KUJ 971 LB, Abuja and parked behind the WTC primary school by unknown persons awaiting the commencement of voting.

Officials of the Police Bomb Unit who rushed to the scene after policemen posted to the centre raised an alert, said one of the bombs exploded inside the car while the second did not explode before they arrived.

The bomb experts dismantled the second bomb which was timed to explode during the voting.

Voters at the scene were scared.

The second bomb was detonated at 8.45am by the police bomb operatives.

Read full story
http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/breaking-news-bomb-explodes-at-enugu-voting-centre/

President Jonathan after waiting for about 30minutes as just being accredited on the forth card reader.

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The Borno State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Samuel Madaki on Friday said elections would be held in eight of the 27 local government areas of Borno State which were safe for the exercise.

Speaking to journalists on preparation made to have free and fair elections in the state, Madaki said the state was classified into three by INEC, safe, unsafe (high risk) and relatively safe.

He said the high risk areas were 12 , the relatively safe were 10 and those that are safe enough were five.

According to him, election were going to be held in the safe local government areas and some of the relatively safe councils including Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), Jere, Magumeri, Bayo, Kwaya-Kusar, Hawul, Shani, Damboa and Gubio.

He said no fewer than 70, 485 displaced victims of Boko Haram in various Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps who were registered voters in Borno would be allowed to vote.

Madaki, who said adequate arrangements had been made to ensure displaced persons from other local governments were not disenfranchised as they would be given opportunity of voting at IDPs camps.

He said: “There are 70, 485 displaced persons who are registered voters from 16 local governments at IDPs camps in Maiduguri. We’ve made adequate arrangement for them to vote. The security agencies will be providing security for them”.
He also said a total of 1,763,860 permanent voters cards (PVC) were received by the commission in Borno out of 1,838,514 registered voters, adding that 1,417,750 have been distributed so far.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/inec-elections-to-hold-in-eight-councils-in-borno/

The federal government has said it will source $2 billion from the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) under the 2012-2015 External Borrowing Plan to help in the implementation of the 2015 budget.

The loan is primarily targeted at addressing foreign exchange demand and strengthening of the naira, which has been devalued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) following the increasing pressure on the local currency largely precipitated by a fall in the price of oil.

The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who spoke in an interview in Abuja yesterday on efforts to address the foreign exchange challenges, the value of the naira and the 2015 budget, said: “We have entered negotiations with international financial institutions — that is specifically, the African Development Bank and World Bank.
“You know they have some resources for us already programmed, which is in the borrowing plan.
“We have asked them to turn these resources into budget support for us… We are negotiating for $2 billion that will come in foreign exchange.

“Remember that the terms of this loan from the ADB are quite reasonable (3 – 4) per cent compared to what you can get outside, and this is money that they had committed aside for us and we have decided to draw on it, and use it in the form of budget support.
“We will use it to get the naira equivalent given to us by the central bank. It will come in two tranches. It will bring in the needed foreign exchange that will help our private sector people to have access to foreign exchange, so it will alleviate the situation.
“It’s something that we are working on. We are communicating day and night with them. We have to address the needs of manufacturers and others. That is one more thing we are doing and I hope that will help to ameliorate the situation.”

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/fg-to-secure-2bn-from-world-bank-to-fund-budget/

A Federal High Court in Abuja has finally cleared the hurdles for the presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress APC, General Muhammadu Buhari to participate in the Saturday Presidential Polls.

The court has finally adjourned further hearing in the suit seeking to disqualify Buhari till April 22 and 23. This adjournment has finally laid to rest the speculation that the court would be used to stop Buhari from taking part in the Saturday polls.

About four different plaintiffs have approached the court seeking to disqualify Buhari from participating in the presidential polls over alleged certificate forgery and perjury‎.

The trial judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola at the resumed hearing Tuesday refused the joinder application brought by one pro-democracy activist, Ebunoluwa Adegoruwa and another lawyer, Chukwuma Ochu seeking to be joined in the matter.

Ruling on their application, the court held that none of the parties seeking to be joined had shown enough interest that could warrant their joinder.

The court described them as interlopers and busy bodies.

It was on that note that the court refused their application.

The court later adjourned till April 22 and 23 for hearing of the matter against Buhari.

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http://monitor9ja.com/2015/03/court-removes-legal-suit-against-buharis-participation-in-saturdays-polls/

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, on Tuesday released the processes and procedures for the elections as well as the processes of releasing the results during the polls by the presiding officers.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ summit with political parties, Jega informed those present that accreditation of voters would take place from 8a.m. till the last person to join the queue at 1p.m. is accredited, while voting would commence at 1.30p.m. and would end when the last person on the queue has voted.

The INEC chairman further said only persons with the permanent voters’ cards (PVCs) would be accredited, stating that the card readers would be used during the accreditation process.

He said each political party is entitled to an agent at the polling station and that the agent must be properly accredited in accordance with the regulations and guidelines.

According to Jega, “On March 28, three ballot boxes will be used in each of the polling/voting points. Ballot boxes with red cover is for putting a thumb printing ballot paper by a voter for the presidential election, ballot box with a black cover is putting thumb printing ballot paper by a voter for the senatorial election and the green ballot box is for putting thumb printed ballot paper by a voter for the House of Representatives.

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