It has emerged that President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the preparation of the case-file that would lead to the prosecution of the indicted persons in the $182 million Halliburton bribery scandal.

The president’s directive followed the requirement by the US government of evidence to show that Buhari was ready to prosecute the suspects in Nigeria for their roles in the bribery scandal before it could partner other European countries in releasing the $141million dollars allegedly looted from Nigeria and lodged in various overseas banks.

According to top security sources, Buhari, based on the outcome of investigations by the panel set up to look into the scandal, is scheduled to tell Americans officials during this week’s visit that all those indicted, including former Heads of State, a former Vice President, two former Group Managing Directors of the NNPC, will face prosecution to defend themselves.

To further convince the US government  that the kangaroo trial that took place during the Goodluck Jonathan administration, which saw a former Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs to the President being arraigned and then let off the hook following alleged connivance of certain government institutions, will not re-occur, the President will tell them that private legal practitioners, who cannot compromise because of past government patronage, will be commissioned to handle the case.

It will be recalled that the recent directive by Buhari to reopen the Halliburton bribery case led to the discovery that the $26.5 million plea bargain money released by the oil servicing firm as part of efforts to shield the company from prosecution was not in any government account.
http://www.9janinja.com.ng/2015/07/buhari-orders-re-opening-of-182m.html?m=1

The attention of Mr. Ayo Opadokun has been drawn to the falsehood published against his person as contained in The Pilot of Sunday, 28th June, 2015 on the support of the South-West for President Muhammadu Buhari in the last presidential election.

The newspaper was said to have quoted Opadokun as saying that the Yoruba, South-West Nigeria have expressed regrets over their votes for President Buhari to emerge the winner of the March 28, 2015 presidential election.

The said publication is, to say the least, a figment of the imagination of the writer as Opadokun did not at anytime make such a statement to any news medium anywhere.

The elder statesman who was out of Lagos at the time of the publication of this utter falsehood by The Pilot stated: ‘’ I did not grant any interview nor talk to any Pilot reporter at anytime, anywhere. It is a blatant lie and irresponsible journalism for any newspaper to publish such a malicious fiction.’’

It is quite disappointing that the Fourth Estate has now been taken over by people who know little or next to nothing about the ethics of the journalism profession and can, therefore, do any dirty job for filthy lucre.

It is equally unfortunate and an insult to the memory of the late foremost nationalist and elder statesman, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe that The Pilot which apparently seeks to keep alive, the memory of the famous West African Pilot published by the great Zik of Africa is now neck-deep in reactionary practices, the very anti-thesis of the real Pilot.


Prince Tunde Adeleke

Signed.

The Chadian military have seized a big stock of arms
comprising guns, rockets and ammunition in a house in
N’Djamena used by suspected Boko Haram insurgents.
Boko Haram weapons.
The officials of the security forces said the arms, hidden
under the courtyard of the house in the eastern
neighbourhood of Guinebor, were intended for northern
Nigeria.
One of the witnesses, who wants to stay anonymous, said
that the captured arms were part of a huge collection that
Baana Fanaye, Boko Haram member responsible for the
provision for northern Cameroon and Chad, was preparing
to displace to Nigeria.
The investigator said the disclosure came during an inquiry
after Fanaye was detained in a raid by Chadian police in
June.
Alghassim Khamis, the state prosecutor said the latest
weapons cache, exposed on Thursday, was found buried in
one of the houses raided on June 27.
He said Chadian officials arrested 60 suspected insurgents
and demolished their suicide attacks cells. He added that
two days later, five officers and six militants were killed
during a raid on an weapons cache.
It would be recalled that one of the leaders of the Nigerian
extremist group Boko Haram Bahna Fanaye, whose name is
Mahamat Moustapha, was detained on Sunday, along with
two others. He said Fanaye coordinated the trafficking of
weapons between Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad for the
radical Islamic attacks.
Khamis said forces seized various weapons, communication
materials, documents and more than 50 SIM cards from
Fanaye’s home. He said a man described as the financier of
the group was also arrested in another operation.
Chad has been a major military ally with Nigeria in the fight
against Boko Haram, which has publicly threatened the
Chadian president with retaliation.

www.naij.com/479140-chad-captures-boko-haram-weapons.html

1. The ones who will praise the first student to submit his booklet making every other students
look like they know nothing. “Woooooow !!! Do you mean you have finished?” They will face other students and say “can see your life oooo?, he finished within an hour, that is a well prepared student”.
2. The ones who will keep telling you the history of their lives, how they performed excellently
amongst their peers when they were in college. They will tell you they were always prepared for
any exam & the barely got “C” * if I hear*
3. The ones who will collect your question paper and go through it. They will ask “why sweating
profusely for these cheap questions? If I were you I would have finished since *if I hear*
4. The ones forming James Bond in the hall. They
will start giving testimonies of how many students they have caught cheating and have been rusticated **wetin concern us with that one ?**
5. The ones who will collect your question paper, go through the questions and shake their heads
pitifully without saying anything.
6. The ones who will glance at your answer booklet and they will ask why your booklet is blank. “Didn’t you read for this exam ?” **Abeg swerve go left jor**
7. The ones who will never accept your apology if you are caught cheating. The moment you are
caught cheating, just hurriedly obtain the next available Jamb form.
8. The ones who are very sensitive: Try communicate with any student and they will change your seat, you keep wondering how smart they really are to have noticed you.
9. The ones who are very gentle and friendly. Thirty minutes into the exams they are already sleeping. The moment you are making noise, they will wake up, walk around and return back to
their seat. Before you know it they will sleep off.
10. The ones who will force you to submit even if you still have an hour left. They will tell you
“what are you still writing when all your mates have submitted?”

Which of them annoy you the most?

Facts have emerged showing why Senate President Bukola Saraki led a delegation of Senators to meet former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his hilltop mansion, Abeokuta, Ogun state on Friday.
A source who was part of the meeting informed PREMIUM TIMES that the Senate President was in Abeokuta to beg Mr. Obasanjo to reconcile him with President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Mr. Saraki emerged as the president of the Senate against the decision of APC leaders. He was also elected when most Senators from the APC were at the International Conference Centre waiting to hold a meeting with Mr. Buhari to discuss the election of the Senate president and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
We also gathered that Mr. Saraki lamented that although the party leaders have stated that they have accepted his emergence, there was “complete communication breakdown between him, the president and the party”.
The national chairman of the APC, John Oyegun, had abruptly cancelled a scheduled meeting with Mr. Saraki last week without giving another appointment.
Likewise, we also gathered that Mr. Saraki had tried severally to meet with Mr. Buhari after his emergence, but was always denied audience.
Another source in the presidency informed us that the President was angry with Mr. Saraki and the management of the national assembly for going ahead with their election despite adequate knowledge of an invitation for a meeting with Mr. Saraki and his colleagues.
“The president considered it as a mark of disrespect for his office for Saraki to ignore an invitation to meet with him and his colleagues,” our source said.
In his response, Mr. Obasanjo promised to do his best to “ensure communication between all parties”.
However, the spokesperson for the president, Garba Shehu, said the Senate president did not seek to meet with Mr. Buhari.
“I am not aware of any request for a meeting, the president would have seen him, he represents a key institution in our democracy,” he said.
Calls to Mr. Saraki and his aide, Bamikole Omishore, were not answered.
However, the former president in his usual self also joked with the delegation, saying “ you children of nowadays only run to elders when you have finished making the damage”.
PREMIUM TIMES also learnt that after he was informed of the visit, Mr. Obasanjo called Mr. Buhari to inform him that Mr. Saraki is leading a delegation of Senators to his Abeokuta home and Mr. Buhari simply said “you have to see them now, are they not your boys?”.
Among Mr. Saraki’s delegation include former governor of Gombe state, Danjuma Goje, Andy Uba, former Zamfara governor, Ahmed Sani, Olagunsoye Oyinlola and others.

President Buhari Orders Sale of 9 Presidential Jets to Reduce Cost
SPECIAL REPORTS

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2015-06-19 10:03:47


President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly ordered the sale of nine planes in the presidential fleet as part of measures to square up to the austerity eating deep into the system.

According to reports gathered by ThisDay, President Buhari is uncomfortable with the over N12 billion spent by Federal Government is annually for the maintenance of the said presidential fleet, hence the directive.




The report further revealed that the presidential fleet, which is registered as part of Nigerian Air Force aircraft, is one of the largest in Africa and the third largest in Nigeria after Arik Air and Aero Contractors.

According to an aviation source, who is aware of the directive to sell the aircraft, the presidency has a number of serviceable and unserviceable aircraft that need to be disposed of in order to reduce the amount spent by the federal government for aircraft maintenance annually.

 “Nine, which still have market value, are to be sold immediately to reduce maintenance costs,” he said.

For years, the federal government has spent over N12 billion annually for the maintenance of the presidential fleet.

Although information on the exact size of the fleet is treated as classified information, the fleet, according to aviation sources, is believed to comprise about 16 aircraft, chief of which is the Boeing 738 BBJ, NAF 001 or Eagle One, used by the president for his travels.

With its luxury configuration comprising a master bedroom, washrooms and showers, a conference and dinning area, and a living area, the plane seats 25 to 50 passengers and would cost at least $100 million to replace today.

THISDAY also discovered that though all the aircraft are under the presidential fleet, about eight of the planes are reserved strictly for the president.

These are the Boeing 737, the two Gulfstream 550 jets, the Gulfstream V jet, two Falcon 7X planes, the Hawker Siddeley aircraft and one AugustaWestland chopper.

Others are reserved for executive airlift. Aircraft used for this function include the two Falcon 900 planes, the Dornier, the Cessna Citation, the Beechracft King Air, and two AugustaWestland choppers.

Aircraft reserved for executive airlift are used by the Vice-President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and could be used to convey African heads of states visiting or departing Nigeria.
http://elombah.com/detail.php?world=33361

ABUJA- FOLLOWING criticisms that have continued to trail the politics which played out prior to the emergence of President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara, Senator Robert Boroffice said yesterday that National leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu never imposed Senator Ahmed Lawan and Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila on the party.
Speaking with Journalists yesterday in Abuja, Senator Boroffice who represents Ondo North Senatorial District explained that the former Lagos State governor had wanted Senator George Akume and Gbajabiamila as the party’s choice for the position of Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively and not Lawan as the concensus candidateof the party for the Senate leadership position.

Senator Boroffice who noted that Tinubu’s position was that both Akume and Gbajabiamila being minority leaders in the Seventh Senate and House of Representatives should automatically assume the leadership of both the red and green chambers as Senate President and Speaker respectively.

He said, “Asiwaju Tinubu had already made up his mind to, in line with the normal, global parliamentary practice, support Akume and Gbajabiamila but the story changed along the line, when there were indications that the party leadership was favourably disposed to Lawan.

“Tinubu did not before then, had any close political interactions with Lawan. It was a senator, who is very close to the presidency that actually took Lawan to Asiwaju in Lagos, in company with another prominent party leader.

“Tinubu categorically told the two gentlemen in the presence of Lawan that his choice was Akume and pledged to consult with other party leaders before he would give his final answer to their request to support Lawan.

“I was in the known of all the process that led to the emergence of Lawan and Gbajabiamila as concensus candidates. Tinubu played the role because of his loyalty to the party. I was among the four people that he sent to beg Akume since he had already promised to support him.

“The campaign of calumny against Asiwaju was a grand conspiracy to tarnish Tinubu’s image because some people were no longer comfortable with his ever growing influence and goodwill within the party, which he earned over the years as a result of his generosity and selfless service”

According to Boroffice, the initial campaign of the anti – Tinubu lawmakers in the family of the APC was that Lawan’s emergence, being too independent minded person, coupled with his alleged closeness to the former Senate President, David Mark, would be a thorn in the flesh of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, adding, “It was when their wicked campaign against Lawan because of Asiwaju’s support for him failed, that they connived with the Peoples Democratic Party to rebel against the party’s concensus candidates of Lawan and Gbajabiamila.”

It would be recalled that there have been general outcry among some federal lawmakers on the roles played by Tinubu, towards the inauguration of the Fifth National Assembly when the election into the office of the Senate President; his deputy; Speaker of the House of Representatives and his deputy, were conducted.

Prior to the election at the National Assembly, there were however a section of APC lawmakers who were loyalists of Senator Bukola Saraki, and Hon. Yakubu Dogara that believed that Lawan and Gbajabiamila were single-handedly picked by Senator Bola Tinubu for alleged personal interests.



http://9janotebook..co.uk/2015/06/some-people-werent-comfortable-with.html?m=1

The wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, on Saturday implored politicians who may be picked to work with President Muhammadu Buhari and all his political associates to be careful the way they carry themselves.

She said such people should be wary of the fact that it took her husband 12 years before getting to the position he currently occupies and hence, they should tread with caution.

Mrs. Buhari said this during an “Appreciation Dinner” she hosted in honour of the All Progressives Congress’ women and youths at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

She said, “There was nothing that people did not say about the past administration. It is not former President Goodluck Jonathan that is not good but the people around him.

“So, the people that are going to be around President Buhari have to be very careful because this election ended peacefully.

“We are praying and hoping that people around him should know that it took him 12 years to get to that position and they must know that they are coming to serve the masses, not General Buhari.

“It is the people that are around him that will determine the political health of our state.”

The President’s wife also promised that the current administration would run an open government.

She said government under her husband would be run differently from what was obtainable under Jonathan when people were allegedly asked to be paying huge amount of money in foreign currency before they could see the President or his wife.

“I will like to inform you that in the past regime, whether it is true or false, only God knows, some people were going round and parading themselves as personal assistants.

“If you wanted to see the President’s wife, you will pay $30,000 or $50,000 and if you are seeing the President, you will pay all that you have saved in your lifetime.

“This will not happen in our regime. Whoever asks you to give a single penny in the name of coming to see the President or his wife is not our (member of) staff. He is not an APC member, it is a lie. Don’t be deceived,” she said.

Taking a look at her husband’s 12-year journey towards returning as President, Mrs. Buhari said her active participation in the last electioneering made the difference.

She said she did not take part in the campaigns of her husband’s first three shots at the Presidency because that was how those who surrounded him at that time wanted it.

This time, she said it was a national leader of the APC and a former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who encouraged her to play an active role.

She also faulted claims that made the rounds ahead of the elections on the alleged gender-insensitivity of her husband, saying they were mere fabrications.

Describing Buhari as the pillar of her success despite the generation gap between the two of them, she said it was the President who encouraged her to go to school.

Mrs. Buhari said, “Many people did not know why I was not appearing for the last three campaigns. I appeared only this time and I think it made a lot of difference. A lot of people said my husband earned four million votes as a result of my campaign.

“We were not sure but with the popularity of my husband, we thought then that he needed female support to cancel all sorts of gender bias people have been attaching to him like that he kept me under a purdah.”

“He had never kept me under a purdah even for a moment since I got married to him…

“My husband is a gender-sensitive human being, having so many girls as his own biological children and then having me as a wife, then you can see the generation gap. He allowed me to go to school. To cut the story short, he is the pillar of my success.”

She thanked Nigerian women and youths for the roles they played towards the success of the last election, saying she was aware of their steadfastness during the electioneering up until the elections proper.

These efforts, she said, contributed significantly to her husband’s success story.

Mrs. Buhari regretted that the number of women that made it to the National Assembly during the current dispensation declined drastically from the number obtainable during the last regime.

She said the current figure was not fair to women and they felt they are not represented.

Mrs. Buhari said something drastic had to be done to address the high rate of divorce in the North, the harrowing experience of widows in the South and the harassment of female students in the nation’s higher institutions.

Earlier, a former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, who was the chairman of the event, had thanked Mrs. Buhari and other women for making his job as the Director-General of the Buhari/Osinbajo Presidential Campaign Organisation easier.

http://www.punchng.com/news/serve-nigerians-not-my-husband-aishat-tells-buharis-aides/

After about five weeks of scrutiny, the Alhaji Ahmed Joda Transition Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday submitted an 800-page final report of its findings to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The event, which took place at the Defence House, Abuja, saw the committee submitting the compressed report from the over 18,000 pages it received from the Goodluck Jonathan administration to President Buhari.

Briefing State House correspondents after the submitting the report, Joda said the committee got the cooperation of several groups to arrive at its recommendations.

“We have concluded our assignment which was given to us on the 29th of April.

“We spent about five weeks going through memorandum, listening to presentations from all over the country and sometimes from Nigerians living in different parts of the world.

“And I must say that we received wonderful cooperation from everybody in Nigeria, the business community, the professional people, the non-governmental organisations, society people.

“Everybody contributed to the success of our work. And today, we submitted about 800 pages of report and recommendations to the President.

“This is now his property and I think in due course he will begin to act on them.”

Joda denied that the submission of the report had delayed the action of the president in administration and appointments but said that the president had to wait for the report.

He said that it took time to sort the report out, analyse, get experts to interview on it and make recommendations.

He also said that political appointments were at the discretion of the president, adding that, with the paper work given to him he would make up his mind on what to do which required some time.

“In this country, we have never witnessed an occasion like this in which a political party in power lost an election and a political party in opposition won the election.

“This has never happened in this country. We have changed from, very politely before, from one civilian government to another. For example from Obasanjo to Umaru Yar’Adua; we have changed our government violently, through the military coup d’etats we have had, which did not require this long process.

“We are now in a process of law and order and of due process and these processes have to be followed in our country.

“And I think, it is part of the evolution of democracy; the country has to be a little bit more patient; it cannot be with immediate effect anymore.”

He said that to be able to present the report on time, the committee worked up to the last moment.

Today marks the 22nd anniversary of the June 12, 1993
presidential election which the late business mogul,
entrepreneur par excellence, philanthropist, sport
enthusiast and astute politician, Chief Moshood
Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, was widely regarded as the
presumed winner.
According to The Nation, some eminent Nigerians today
called on the Federal Government to declare June 12
Democracy Day, in place of May 29,in order to immortalize
Abiola.
Among those who added their voice to the call were Lagos
State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Lagos State
Speaker of House of Assembly, Honourable Olatunji Obasa,
Professor of International Law and Jurisprudence, Akin
Oyebode; Human Right Lawyer, Femi Falana and former
Commissioner for Information in Lagos, Dele Alake.

NEWS
Senate Presidency: Lawan Promises 21st Century Leadership By Citizen Confidential | May 19, 2015 Tweet
The Senator representing Yobe North Constituency, Senator Ahmad Lawan of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has promised to provide 21st Century leadership for the Nigerian Senate if elected as the Senate President of the 8th National Assembly.
Sen. Lawan said his 16 years’ experience in both the Green and Red Chambers of the National Assembly would aid him to provide the needed leadership.
“I have what it takes to be the Senate President,” he said. “As someone who has spent the last 16 years in the National Assembly – working in the House of Representatives as a member, having being a senator for the last eight years and having chaired the Public Accounts Committee for the last eight years – I think I know a lot about our economic situation and what we need to do to turn around our economy.
“I want to provide 21st Century leadership for the Senate. A leadership that will work with all the segments of senators in the chamber. A leadership that will ensure that we have bipartisan approach to our issues and make sure we work with the executive arm of government in a manner that protects our independence and makes good governance possible.”
Sen. Lawan spoke at a media parley with political editors. He promised to ensure that, if elected, he believes he would bring his record of incorruptibility and credibility to the office of the Senate President.
“I believe Nigeria needs incorruptible administration,” Sen. Lawan said. “The President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, was elected on the basis of three major issues. First is his clear stance against corruption. Secondly, to fight insurgency. And thirdly, to address the economy that has become comatose. I believe that I can complement the anti-corruption fight of the President-elect.”
Sen. Lawan added that his experience in public accounting and finance would be of immense advantage to the nation as it strives to diversify the economy, plug leakages and stop the embezzlement of public funds.
“In the last 16 years, I have worked with three Speakers in the House of Representatives and the current Senate President. I have closely watched these presiding officers conduct the affairs in the two chambers. That is invaluable experience. I have worked very well across party lines in both houses. I am a team player and can work with others across the aisle. We need to build and sustain consensus between the different political parties.”
He said the Nigerian budget must work for Nigerians, indicating that spendings must be pro-poor.
“The Senate that I will lead must take the lead to balance the budget. Even if it will be in phases, we must move away from the current situation where we have an overwhelming expenditure on recurrent to something more pro-poor, pro-people.”
The Senator from Yobe, who has secured the endorsement of two caucuses in the Senate, the North East and South West caucuses, promised to run a fair campaign. He said the issue of zoning was for the party to deal with, assuring Nigerians that whomever emerges as the Senate President from the APC would be worthy of the title.

http://citizenconfidential.com/senate-presidency-lawan-promises-21st-century-leadership/

The Eze Ndigbo of Lagos State, Dr. Christian Uchechukwu Nwachukwu (JP), has urged Ndigbo to vote for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in tomorrow’s election, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode and other APC candidates.

Nwachukwu, who spoke yesterday, said: “Ndigbo should know that our relationship with the government and party has not changed and will not change. We must not allow the unfortunate statement credited to the Oba of Lagos, HRH Rilwanu Akiolu, to make us lose focus and act negatively in order not to expose our investment in Lagos to risk.”

The Eze Ndigbo enjoined the Igbo not to be afraid of their safety in the state.

He said the Igbo cannot be intimidated, adding: “My people should vote wisely by voting for Ambode and other APC candidates to cement the cordial relationship between us and the Yoruba.”

The evolution of the All Progressive Congress (APC) into the governing party and the emergence of its candidate, Gen. Muhammad Buhari as the President-elect prove a fundamental truth. A single visionary blessed with courage equal to his vision is ultimately more powerful than a vast multitude that is devoid of sight, courage and sound counsel.

Gen. Buhari, a personification of integrity, stalwart patriotism and decency, was the inevitable candidate and is the right man to be President this time. Complementing him as the necessary strategic catalyst of this great democratic feat was Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Never in the history of our nation has an incumbent President lost to his challenger. For that to happen is a profound feat. For that feat to come about through a newly merged political party is something bordering on the edge of the impossible. Yet, in our Nigeria, that is exactly how our democracy has been secured and our chance for a better future revived.

As the primary architect of the APC, and a key strategist in its drive to become the government of this nation, Bola Tinubu has earned history’s verdict as a true and committed democratic.

At moments when others threatened to quit or did quit, Tinubu stuck doggedly to the course. When the Alliance for Democracy (AD) ran into stormy weather and was hijacked by the reactionary elements funded by the government in power, Tinubu established a another progressive party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN). From his solitary redoubt in Lagos, the ACN cast its progressive message and Tinubu attracted able and committed people to the democratic cause and to his course in it.

The epic turn from governing a single state to governing a nation had begun. Few believed, as Asiwaju did, that this achievement was within reach. The ACN went on to win six states and secure the Southwest for the progressive cause.

And when the time came to re-shape the opposition nationwide into one body, Tinubu took the lead in sowing together the different political parties into a workable whole. In the face of state-sponsored attacks and spirited attempts to scuttle the merger, Tinubu led the team of political fighters to make APC a reality. The period between the formation of the party, the inauguration of the party’s executive, to its convention in Lagos, the national presidential campaign and now the elections was one charactererised by dangerous moves, plots and turns against him. Tinubu survived them all and remained standing.

As the intellectual force behind the APC, Tinubu never waivered. Gen. Buhari and Chief Bisi Akande were the strongest and most faithful of allies in this great effort.

These are statesments of high-caliber personalities who never shook when the adverse wind blew.

If along the way Tinubu had wavered, many would have wavered with him. The story today would have been a different and inferior one. He remained standing even when many tried to make him fall.

Tinubu is brave at heart and large in vision. He has the fortitude to stand when times get tough and when doubt becomes as thick as fog. He forges ahead while others succumb to fear. He stands alone when others are tired and sit down. This rare man chooses to take risks and stake everything he has for a just cause. He stands alone when he makes unbelievable sacrifices in order to achieve a greater goal. He excels in the wee, lonely hours; when others are asleep, he pours over Nigeria’s problems in search for solutions. He stands alone when he makes the tough and necessary decisions, not minding how he will be perceived. He stands alone when he refuses to join the doubters and holds on to the belief that it is possible.

For standing against the tide of greater power and might all these years, Tinubu has achieved something for all us. He is truly an architect of modern Nigeria, a driving force behind a new Nigeria and one of the fathers of a truly democratic two-party system.

Tinubu has ushered Nigeria into the meeting hall of democratic nations. By staying the course, by investing his intellect, experience and resources in the struggle for a better country and by working with people of like minds, Tinubu has helped lift the nation from its despair.

APC’s electoral success is not a fluke. It was earned. It came as a result of great sacrifices and through the effort of the key drivers and other leaders who kept steadfast even when hope seemed lost. The long hours on the road and in the air, crisscrossing the nation, spreading the message of change and urging others to join the party bore fruit. The APC ship got many on board. Not even the attacks from the PDP could sink it.

On the campaign trail, Tinubu was a firebrand. He easily excited the crowd whenever he spoke.

People were sure to taste of his wit, his incisive political jabs and his commanding vision about what APC can do to change Nigeria. Perhaps the greatest lines of the 2014/2015 presidential campaign that will never be forgotten and will remain in the books for a very long time is that from Tinubu. Responding to attacks by the PDP that the APC presidential candidate Gen Buhari was a former general and should not be trusted, Tinubu had a reply for them in full measure that shut them up. Tinubu roared at the Abeokuta campaign: “When France needed to get out of political troubles, it tapped Charles De Gaulle; when America needed solid political leadership, it called on Eisenhower; Nigeria needs fixing and the man for the job is Gen Muhammadu Buhari”. This answer and analysis from Tinubu settled the argument. It won many over and shut the mouths of the politicians on the other side. On the campaign trail from the South to the North, Tinubu was a delight. Fired up and in his elements, he was unrelenting. He saw what many did not see that APC will not form the next government and restore hope to Nigerians.

Whenever the history of this political era in Nigeria is written, it will be said that there was one man, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who stood firm in commitment and courage to make the difference for Nigeria. Tinubu is a class act and is in a class by himself. From the corporate world, he took the political storm by storm in Lagos. This was after a commanding performance in the pro-democracy struggle to liberate Nigeria from the clutches of military dictatorship. He was at the vanguard of democracy in the days of the National Democartic Coalition (NADECO) struggle. Since then, he has never looked back. As governor of Lagos state, he excelled in governance. He brought out the excellence in Lagos through a combination of pragmatic decisions and financial and social engineering that turned into a model city.

Lagos, today, is a reference point. He took over the Southwest, reshaping the political landscape in a positive and dynamic way. He was instrumental in identifying six men, who today remain some of the best governors this country has ever known. On the national stage, he was a constant voice of opposition. Unwavering, unbowed, unbeatable, Tinubu was the fulcrum of opposition politics. His voice rang out loud and clear against injustice, impunity and miss-governance.

For his progressive views and opposition to government, Tinubu suffered. His businesses suffered. His political structures came under severe assaults. Enemies sought to ruin his reputation. They dragged him to court, hoping to jail him but failed. In all, he survived and remained standing. Through all of this, he has remained humble and self-effacing.

In the explosive celebration that followed the victory of the APC in the presidential elections someone in the tiny crowd that gathered in his office said: “Your Excellency Tinubu, this is your finest hour”. Tinubu shot back, “No. This is Nigeria’s finest hour and it is the best birthday gift I can ever wish for”. He went on in his major reaction to the victory to describe the victory of the presidential candidate of the APC, Gen Buhari as Nigeria’s finest moment in its political history. “It is a moment when hope is re-born, faith is rekindled and a fresh fire of patriotism is released for the task ahead”.

That is the measure of a man who sees ultimate victory in the emancipation of his people and the triumph of good over evil. Tinubu has seen it all. Today he stands tall in humility. He has survived where others were crushed. He has achieved what others failed to achieve for our country politically. He has been this generation’s’ most consummate and strategic political mind. History will record that.

If anyone ever doubted the veracity of a sobriquet – The Last Man Standing – given to Tinubu, they should doubt no longer. The title is more than valid. More importantly, this last and only man standing dedicated himself to a great and selfless task that we all may stand to feel the morning rays of genuine democracy shine upon us. This man is a hero. What no one dared to do, he did.

Now, friend and foe alike, we are all the better for it.

Sunday Dare is Chief of Staff/Special Adviser on Media to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/tinubu-the-quintessential-political-strategist/

He was in Alake's Palace to see Oba Adedotun Gbadebo who he believed who help him. His meeting with The Alake may not yield result. Fayose, whose where about is sketchy but definitely not in Ekiti we are reliably informed that he, Gov. Fayose was in Abeokuta and had a delegation to see Oba Akiolu to persuade Tinubu.
Having been frustrated in his effort to see Olowu of Owu, Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu he approached President Olusegun Obasanjo's gate against all advice not to. He was politely informed that. Obj had traveled.
He requested to see "the man from Benue" as he shouted atop his voice. He meant Mr. Vitalise Itarse whose name he can not immediately remember.
Desperately and frustratingly he checked into Green Legacy Hotel under a different name.
The Obas we were told were warned to stair clear of the matter.
Meanwhile his Lagos entourage or emissaries have no good news for him. He departed for either Lagos or Ibadan. His complained angrily that I. G P is working with his enemies in Ekiti to destroy him. Lere Olayinka could not utter a word when contacted.
Fayose is really upset and ruffled.

Please Yorubas should help Ayodele Fayose beg Obasanjo. Omo kekere k'ole je eko koma fii ra enu.

#VoteAmbode #VoteContinuity

The Vice President-elect, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, said that he fears the people of Lagos will suffer underdevelopment if they vote for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday Punch reports.

He disclosed this during a meeting with the members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Lagos on Wednesday March 8.

Osinbajo, who was the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice for eight years in Lagos State, said the PDP-led Federal Government had always been wicked to the state, depriving Lagos of federal projects.

The vice president-elect, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said he was the one that represented Lagos at the Supreme Court when the Federal Government illegally withheld local government funds belonging to Lagos.

He said Lagos had continued to suffer as an opposition state, adding that now that the APC had taken control of the Federal Government, it would be unfair for the people of Lagos to remain in the opposition.

He said, “One of the great opportunities today is the fact that we now have the centre and we are in control of the Federal Government. It is a very crucial moment in the history of our state because this state has always provided leadership and direction in Nigeria.

“But we have always suffered because we have always been in the opposition. Everything we have done has always been at a great cost. As Attorney-General in this state, I was in the Supreme Court almost 12 times, fighting for the rights of our state and each time we had to go there, we knew we could have settled it if we were in the same party as the centre.

“In 1999, we started a 270 megawatt Independent Power Plant in Ikorodu, which was the first in Nigeria. When we installed it, we thought it would provide Lagos with power but the Federal Government said no and that we should connect it to the national grid despite the fact that we paid for it.

“If we were in the same party at the centre, this would not have happened to us.”

Prof. Yemi Osinbajo who is a pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, (RCCG) was given a send forth by his parish Olive Tree House of Prayer for All Nations in Banana Island on Sunday, April 5.

READ MORE: http://www.naij.com/417733-lagos-will-suffer-under-pdps-administration-osinbajo.html

Rather than go experimental, Governor Babatunde Fashola is asking Lagosians to, on Saturday, vote for All Progressives Congress (APC) Akinwunmi Ambode to take the baton from him. In this emotion-laden message to Lagosians, the governor says the PDP is on a mission to take the Centre of Excellence out of its comfort zone.

F irst let me thank you all for turning out to vote on March 28 and for doing so peacefully to make history by electing the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the presidential and National Assembly elections.

Once again, I must address you as we approach Saturday’s elections, when you will be electing a governor who will continue after me and consolidate on the progress we have built together.

You will also be electing members of the State House of Assembly who will make laws on your behalf to assist the governor and his team in the Executive arm.

Although your votes will be cast for one political party or the other, let me remind you that you will actually be voting for your wellbeing, security, prosperity and future.

You will also be voting for the future of your children. You will be choosing candidates and a party that you will entrust your lives to.

Think hard, think clearly and think deeply. Ask yourselves a few questions.



Running on records



Who has shown a better record and example of protecting and securing you between the political parties?

Which of the parties cares more when disasters happen?

What is the record of the parties as it relates to the promises they have made to you in the past?

Which of the parties do you see regularly and which one do you see once in a while?

Which of the parties do you see when your life or property is threatened by epidemics like Ebola or by unfortunate accidents like plane crashes?

Which of the parties is showing that you can become home-owners without knowing anybody?

Which party has responsibility for providing electricity for you, and which one is taking up the responsibility to light up your streets and communities at night?

Which of them cares more about your children and their safety?

Indeed ask yourself; which of the parties threatened you with thugs on that sad Monday of March 16th and which is seeking to protect you by supporting the police; with patrol vehicles, fuel and other equipment?

Ask yourself when last you saw the Federal Fire Service in Lagos. The proud men and women of the Lagos State Fire Service have taken over admirably.

Ask yourself who should be supporting the police and who is actually doing it?

Dear Lagosians, your choice of who to vote for will be easy if you answer these questions within yourself honestly.

Indeed, you have clear choices to make between parties that use your resources to develop your society and community on the one hand, and the party that chooses to bring money to you for distribution when election beckons.

So, you can choose between schools for your children, hospitals for your community, roads for your transportation or in the alternative, you can choose to have these services monetised once in four years.

Remember, that choices have consequences and your vote will decide the choice that shapes your lives.

Dear Lagosians, it is tempting to take the right and opportunity to vote for granted. It is tempting to think that it is too much trouble.

I agree that the process can be made much easier. But it is no excuse to refuse to vote.

Out of 5.8 million registered voters and 3.8 million Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collections, only about 1.5 million turned out to vote, on March 28.

Think of all the pain, the effort, the sleepless nights it took to get the PVCs to you. Think of the best way to show that the effort was not wasted or in vain.

It seems to me that the best way is to have all these 3.8 Million voters come out to vote.

http://thenationonlineng.net/new/why-lagosians-should-vote-ambode-by-fashola/

• ECONOMY & JOBS – Through access to finance of N1 billion annually across the five divisions in the state, our youths and unemployed will have access to adequate finance for entrepreneurial ventures.

• SECURITY – He will continue with the city lighting project by expanding the Independent Power Project (IPP) to enhance the security of lives and property across the state.

• EDUCATION – He will provide free education up until senior secondary school level to ensure that no child is denied their right to education, and endeavour to provide one free meal per day for students to guarantee them a healthy learning environment.

• HOUSING – He will provide affordable housing by collaborating through Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to increase the availability of affordable homes.

• MEDICAL CARE – He will introduce free medical care for our children below age six, pregnant women and senior citizens aged 65+

• AGRICULTURE – He will provide funding for agricultural industrialisation programmes, to encourage local food production, which will in turn provide employment for our bulging youth population.

• TRANSPORTATION – He will pursue a fully integrated transport management system that takes into consideration roads, rail, water and walkways as means of mobility for ease of movement of residents in the city centres and the suburbs.

• INFRASTRUCTURE – He will ensure the provision of good and well paved roads across the State, and ensure that all public institutions and facilities are of the highest standards and quality.

• TOURISM, CULTURE & SPORTS – He will increase the avenues to showcase our distinct and diverse Lagos culture and traditions through the establishment of museums and heritage centres. We will create community based sport centres to encourage our youth development.

• ENTERTAINMENT AND ARTS – He will partner with the entertainment industry to develop sustainable structures and frameworks to support interested and talented youth

In 1999, Asiwaju Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu had an enviable political track record before he was voted in as Governor by Lagosians and other residents. Later in 2003, he was voted to continue which is a buildup of his achievements between 1999 & 2003.

In 2007, Babatunde Raji Fashola was not just a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Chief of Staff to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu but an excellent thinker with enviable experiences in the public sector. This fast tracked his popularity and eventually aided his victory to become Lagos State Governor thru the poll. His mind blowing deliverables between 2007 & 2011earned him a reelection.

The contributions of the duo mentioned in the above paragraph towards building the cosmopolitan city we call Lagos, can neither be undersized nor can it be over emphasized. The former drew the architectural design and laid the strong foundation needed to build on, while the later has successfully built a growing cosmopolitan city on the foundation laid by his predecessor.

Now, should Lagosians choose a 'pharmacist with no experience in public service' over a globally 'certified chattered accountant with 27years of excellent public service to Lagos and a man who was consistently active in the entire metamorphosis of our present beloved Lagos'?

Stick to your conscience, do away with sentiments, and think Lagos first...

http://www.9janotebook..com/2015/04/lagos-poll-pharmacist-against-chattered.html

In this interview with DAYO OKETOLA and GBENRO ADEOYE, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, said he is more experienced than the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, to govern the state

[/b]Have you recovered from the shock of the recent election in Lagos State, which saw a close contest between your party, All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party?[b]

I’m not sure it’s appropriate to use the word — shock. Let’s go back in history: in the 2011 elections, the President and PDP recorded 1.3 million votes in Lagos State. So for PDP to have recorded about 670,000 votes in 2015 actually means that it lost over 800,000 votes when you compare the two elections. That’s the way to look at it. Fewer people actually voted for him in Lagos State this time around. That’s the way I want to look at it. Maybe the other part is to say that the margin between APC and PDP was not much. We looked at the conduct of elections in relation to how the Independent National Electoral Commission performed. In Lagos State, you will see that in most areas, a whole lot of Lagos residents were disenfranchised due to no fault of theirs which could explain the number that came out to vote eventually. Also note that there were apprehensions before the last election; the whole place was militarised and everyone felt there would be violence and that it would not be safe. That could also account for why a whole lot of people kept away from the streets and did not come out to vote. I believe strongly that we will see a different pattern in the governorship elections.

[/b]Igbo community in Lagos seemed to have voted for PDP and seems to be gaining ground politically in the state. Are you worried about the challenge posed by this population in the state?[b]

We need to quickly correct something, there is nothing like Igbo challenge. Every Nigerian living in any part of Nigeria is free to exercise his or her right and according to their choice. We have not seen any pattern evolving like that in Lagos State. So if a pattern is evolving in a particular area, we need to start analysing it. That has not been analysed yet so there is nothing like Igbo challenge. What we see is that people will stand up and vote for whoever they like. And like I told you, it wasn’t as if there was any pattern that was shown in 2011. We will see what happens next Saturday.

[/b]Are you saying the margin between PDP votes and APC votes will be wider on April 11 in your favour?[b]

Absolutely. In 2011, President Goodluck Jonathan won the presidential election by a very wide margin. 1.3 million to almost 200,000 votes but in the Lagos State governorship election, Governor Babatunde Fashola won with 1.5 million votes as against 200,000 votes of the PDP candidate. It was a reversal of the presidential situation. But it’s going to repeat itself next Saturday.

For more you can go to the link below and get more
http://www.punchng.com/feature/hotseat/why-i-reached-out-to-igbo-voters-ambode-lagos-apc-governorship-candidate/

This will surprise you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYXlwMx7jds

The Lagos State Governorship candidate while speaking yesterday in Alimosho Local Government in Lagos, in the presence of Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, Lagos State Governor, Raji Fashola and his deputy, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire and members of the Akinwunmi Ambode Kommittee of Friends, among others said a vote for PDP in tomorrow’s election is a vote that will lead to further bankruptcy of the nation’s economy. He said the present government has been retrogressive and so Lagosians should vote for a progressive party. Continue…

“Victory for the PDP in Saturday’s election will lead to further bankruptcy of the nation’s economy. Vote en masse for the APC. The victory for the party will ensure freedom and liberate the country.

“If we fail to vote and PDP is still in government, Nigeria will go bankrupt in the next four years. This election is election of freedom to liberate Nigerians from the shackles of poverty and misrule.

“Parents should vote out the PDP for the future of their children. It is not a vote of tribal, religious or ethnic sentiments, we want to vote because of the progress of Nigeria.

“If your children ask for what you have done for the progress of Nigeria, you should be able to tell them how you voted out retrogressive government and replaced it with a progressive one; we must vote the APC at the federal level,” he said.

The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has urged Lagosians to vote for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Party, Mr. Akin Ambode, to sustain the programmes of his administration.

Fashola, who spoke at the Lagos Sea Food Festival 2014 on Saturday, said supporting the candidate of the APC would also ensure that the state continued to enjoy good governance and high performance.

The governor stated that the 2014 edition of the festival would be his last as governor of the state.

He said, “I urge you all to support the new APC governorship candidate and make sure that the festival continues.

“You have a role to play; you have to register and you have to collect your Permanent Voter Cards and then you can use your vote to choose who you want.

“So, if you want this Sea Food Festival to be here next year; if you want Count Down to be here next year; if you want Beach Soccer to be here next year, the only way you can get them is to vote the government which is providing these activities in Lagos, the All Progressives Congress.”

Fashola said what his administration tried to do by instituting the festival was to bring the rural fishermen and women into the city once every year as the build-up to the end of year activities.

Other activities that would mark the end of the year, the governor said, included the Beach Soccer event, the Count Down and other Christmas festivities, which would lead to the New Year.

He said, “This has not been without the support of the people of Lagos. This is what we do with your taxes, empowering people; ordinary working people ─ farmers ─ giving them a chance to earn a living so that we can equalise the distribution of wealth so that everybody can have an opportunity and be a part of this democracy.”

Meanwhile, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, Cardinal Odunmbaku, has congratulated Ambode over his victory at the gubernatorial primaries of the party.

Odunmbaku said in a statement on Sunday that Ambode worked hard for his victory, urging APC members and all Lagosians to give him overwhelming support by voting him into power.

The statement read, “I congratulate Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode for his victory at the primaries. It is important for other aspirants who contested against him to accept that in every contest, there will always be a winner.

“Our focus now should be how the party will become successful at the polls.”

http://smooth981.fm/2015-why-you-must-vote-for-ambode-fashola-tells-lagosians/

A group, Akinwunmi Ambode Kommittee of Friends (AA’KOF), has listed reasons why Lagosians should vote for the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on April 11.

The body’s spokesman, Elder Cornelius Olopade, who spoke yesterday at the APC rally at Abesan Mini Stadium in Alimosho, Lagos, said the electorate should vote Ambode because he is a tested politician and administrator.

He said: “Of all the candidates vying for the Lagos governorship seat, Ambode is the most experienced. He is tested and can be trusted.

“Lagosians need the continuity of good governance. They need the continuity of the dividends of democracy. Ambode will provide these.

“The National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola are dynamic politicians, who have set Lagos on the right path. Residents should not allow inexperienced politicians to truncate their good ideals. This is why they should give their mandate to Ambode.”

The APC Lagos governorship candidate told the surging crowd that he was in politics to make a name.

Ambode said: “By the time I finish my tenure, I want to leave a legacy of good governance. Our party, APC, is a party with welfarist programmes, which will positively affect the lives of Lagosians. I urge them to vote for me and other APC candidates. They will not regret giving us their mandate.”

The post ‘Why Lagosians should vote Ambode’ appeared first on The Nation.

Reports reaching us indicate that President Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo and Senate President David Mark met with the Service Chiefs and the National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki. They reviewed the results and decided not to accept the results after reviewing same. They considered a first option of inflating President Jonathan’s scores in the South-South and South-East. They have ordered soldiers to seal off the International Conference Centre, Abuja which is the collation centre for the presidential elections. Results from the South-South and the South-East remain unavailable as at press time while numbers have been pouring from other parts of the country.

http://omojuwa.com/2015/03/jonathan-sambo-david-mark-meet-with-service-chiefs-and-nsa-new-plans-to-rig-exposed/

This going to be a tough battle between APC and PDP

Even Google need Change, we all need change and e must go out there to vote #GMB. after voting, wait till the INEC officials count the Vote so as to let your Vote counts. The situation on ground now is more than ordinary policemen to be intimidating we Nigerians

Doyin Okupe Leading Feasheun and Gani Adams just arrived Lagos from Abuja with crisp naira notes likely running to billions of naira. They were met by Bode Goerge and Tunji Shelle. Also read: BREAKING News: Another Defection!! PDP Guber Candidate, Others Just Decamped To APC In Ondo –Jonathan Is Finished!!

They were meant to share this money to roughnecks and thugs in the service of the duo of Fasheun and Gani who would cause mayhem in Lagos tomorrow. The pity here is that we are not only aware of this sinister plot but that the plot too has failed. Jonathan has only succeeded in creating few more billionaires at our expense because the money would end in this individuals pocket. I sorry sorry o. I sorry for Nigeria. They are just driving out of the airport.Also read: Nigeria Elections 2015: Painful Defection!! Gov. Mimiko, “Collapsed” As Ondo Deputy Governor, Ali Olanusi, Dumps PDP For APC

http://www.newsat247.com/2015/03/nigeriadecides-caught-pant-down-doyin-okupe-gani-adams-others-just-arrived-lagos-with-several-billions-naira-to/

sign of losing the Election.

Rivers State Governor Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has accused President Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP of breaching the Abuja Peace accord. He accused Mr. President and the PDP of inciting violence in the country.

Amaechi stated this Wednesday when the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa and High level Representative of the Secretary-General to Nigeria, Dr. Mohamed Ibu Chambas led other top UN Diplomats and delegation on a courtesy visit to the Governor in Port Harcourt.

Amaechi also accused the President wife, Mrs. Patience Jonathan of taking over control of the Police in Rivers State.

According to him, “Members of APC have been crying out loud to the country and the world. In Rivers State, the wife of the President, who is from Rivers State, has taken over the control of the Police Force.

On Tuesday night, the Commissioner of Police attempted to arrest a member of the Rivers State House of Assembly and the reason for doing that is to ensure that APC members don’t come out on Election Day. And as I speak to you now, the lawmaker has moved into Government House for protection.

More so, we have over 400 APC members in Police detention. The other day, I asked the Police Commissioner and he told me that those arrested were criminals and why should I ask him to release them. Do we only have criminals in APC?” Amaechi queried.

“What about the period when the APC gubernatorial candidate Dr. Dakuku Peterside led members of the Party to a rally in Okrika. The APC campaign train was shot at, by hoodlums and PDP members.

Now, ask the Commissioner of Police if he carried out any arrest? In that attack it was observed that the PDP killed a Policeman and injured several APC members.

The Commissioner of Police is totally helpless”, Amaechi explained.

Continuing Amaechi said, “In the same vein, on Tuesday, PDP hoodlums went to the House of the Commissioner of Power, Hon. Augustine Nwokocha with Military Uniforms and killed his relations, injured others and further burnt down the house of his Personal Assistant.

All these attacks and impunity can measure that the elections can be free, but, may not be fair”.
“The APC is not running election against PDP all over the states across the country. The APC is running election against the institutions of government. And they include; the Police and the Military.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Kenneth Minimah is from Rivers State. As I talk to you now, he has deployed Special Military to Opobo/Nkoro local government area where he comes from, and incidentally, the APC guber candidate, Dr. Dakuku Adol Peterside comes from Opobo.

So, you virtually expect resistance and nobody is concerned about the plight of APC. The APC is threatening to go back to the International Criminal Court (ICC) where the United Nations will witness how President Jonathan and the PDP are using the Police and the Military to trigger violence”, Amaechi said.

Governor Amaechi also condemned and described as totally unacceptable and unconstitutional the conspiracy between President Jonathan and the PDP against the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal Judgments restricting President Jonathan from deploying the Military in the March 28th and April 11, 2015 general elections.

According to him, “Imagine, there are three Judgments passed so far by the Federal High Court in Sokoto, the Federal High Court in Lagos and the Court of Appeal in Lagos restricting the President from deploying soldiers for the general elections.

The constitution of Nigeria says, the President can’t deploy soldiers for elections.”

“It is important that you put this incident on record. I don’t know why the battle is here, and may be the battle is here in Rivers State because in the past PDP used to score two million votes. And now it appears it will no longer be the same as usual. But that does not mean that lives of innocent people should be lost.

I was there when President Jonathan and General Muhammadu Buhari signed the Abuja Peace accord. Unfortunately, President Jonathan and the PDP are yet to keep any accord or any alphabet of that accord.

In the case of APC, the Party is keeping to the accord and also restricting our members and supporters from violating the accord.”

I have a friend who tells me that everybody has a fundamental right to air his or her grievances, and that right ends at my nose where my right begins. The PDP has being swinging their rights and it has touched our nose continuously with impunity.

We believe in God-Almighty that APC will win well and go to sleep”, Amaechi noted.

Amaechi equally observed with concern a statement credited to his Deputy Governor, Engineer Tele Ikuru at a PDP function in Port Harcourt saying, “even if it means for the Presidency and PDP to spill blood to win the elections, they should go ahead”, describing the statement as malicious and capable of inciting violence.

“In Nigeria, Politicians use money to buy guns. It is possible that the PDP can even provide military uniforms to hoodlums to carry arms against the APC.

READ MORE: http://www.naij.com/409426-amaechi-revealed-who-has-taken-control-of-rivers-police.html

Men suspected to be thugs almost lynched the Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Abdul Jelili Adesiyan, yesterday night in Gbongan, Ayedaade Local Government Area of Osun State.

According to Vanguard report, Jelili and his campaign train were attacked when they arrived in Gbongan for the continuation of his house to house campaign for the re-election of President Good luck Jonathan.

No fewer than ten members of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) were reportedly injured severely.

The police minister said: “As I was coming from Orile-Owu to Gbongan in Ayedaade Local Government, in continuation of my house to house campaign for the re-election of Mr. President, members of our party were brutalised by the thugs in Gbongan. As I was pleading to our party members to be law abiding and allow law to take its due course, my immediate younger brother’s wife who is on our campaign train was matcheted and she is in the hospital as I speak now.

“The thugs blocked the road and they insisted that they won’t allow me to pass and they were shooting sporadically before my security personnel chased them away.

“I want to let the whole world know that despite that PDP is committed to Abuja Peace Accord the opposition in Osun State is bent on scuttling the Saturday election but I believe the good people of the state would not allow it to happen.”

The media aide to the minister, Mr Wale Akinola, explained that some suspected thugs had first unleashed terror on members of PDP in the town, who were waiting to receive the minister’s campaign train, causing chaos in the town.

“While trying to appeal to the members of PDP to remain resolute and calm in spite of the harassment and provocation by the opposition, the minister was almost lynched by the thugs but for the rapid intervention of his security personnel who whisked him away from the scene,” he said.

One of the victims said: “We were holding a meeting when they bombarded us with cutlass and cudgel and some us were severely injured. ‎I don’t know where they took others who were also injured but I was told that an elderly woman who was stabbed in the head is in coma.”

On Tuesday, March 24, some youths and APC supporters caused mayhem when the Minister of National Planning, Dr. Abubakar Sulaiman embarked on a house-to-house campaign for the reelection of President Jonathan.

On Monday March 23, in Kaduna state, supporters of both parties also clashed during a one-million-man march for the state governorship candidate of the APC, Malam Nasir El-Rufai.

Over the weekend, the Coordinator of GoodLuck/Sambo Campaign Organization in Jigawa, Alhaji Yusuf Alasan, narrowly escaped being lynched when he was attacked by youths who participated in the Transformation Agenda of Nigeria (TAN) sponsored campaign held in Dutse, the Jigawa state capital.

READ MORE: http://www.naij.com/409427-police-minister-escapes-being-lynched-by-thugs.html