NaijaCarryGo

Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has called on Nigerians to ask the All Progressives Congress leaders on how they acquired their private jets.







Fani-Kayode, was reacting to an allegation by the Director of Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mallam Garba Shehu, that the President Goodluck Jonathan administration was planning to use the Ministry of aviation to ground the jets belonging to senior members of the APC and frustrate the party’s campaign.



He said it was interesting that APC had admitted, for the first time, that their leaders owned private jets.



He said, “It is interesting that the APC has, for the very first time, admitted that some of its leaders own private jets. It will be interesting to know from the APC how these leaders, who either occupied public offices or still occupy public offices, acquired these jets.



“In fact, where did the money, with which they procured the jets, come from?





“And this is the APC whose leaders pretend to occupy a moral high ground and accuse everyone else, except themselves, of malfeasance.



“Once again, it is clear that the APC leaders have become prisoners of their own delusions and they are being held captive by their own hallucinations. This is a clear case of extreme paranoia.



“They are running under the bed when nobody is chasing them. There are no plans to clamp down on anybody in the opposition. Our only plan is to humiliate them before the Nigerian people on March 28 by giving them a crushing defeat.”



via nigerianeye

A Colombian woman recently changed her name to include all 26 letters in alphabetical order. Her first name is Abcdefg Hijklmn while her last name is Opqrst Uvwxyz.





Before the latest change in nomenclature, the 36-year-old was called ‘Ladyzunga Cyborg’, a name she came up with along the line. She is notorious for the act but her latest stunt is believed to be extremely bizarre.



The Colombian in a recent television interview said: “I started looking for a name that nobody had in Colombia, or the world, so I thought about ABCDEFG HIJKLMN OPQRST UVWXYZ.



“I’ve changed my name so people wouldn’t know it’s me. It’s not because I was disturbed by it, but because I always wanted to bring an element of surprise.”



Well, she sure did surprise Colombian National Registry officials with her highly unusual request. While they’ve accepted her previous name changes with raised eyebrows, they seemed to be particularly bothered by this latest one.



According to telegraph.co.uk, the woman actually started the process to change her name to alphabet in 2012 but spent a year fighting against government red tape before receiving an official ID card in 2013.



The 36-year-old works as an arts teacher and fashion designer during the day while going about her strange lifestyle at night.



via nigerianeye

Obiageli Ezekwesili, former Education Minister has stated that once Nigeria’s democracy matures people like Assistant Inspector General of Police, Joseph Mbu will not be the face and voice of Nigeria’s police.



Ezekwesili was reacting to Mbu’s attempt to clear himself of a statement attributed to him.







Mbu who was recently transferred to Zone 2 was quoted as warning that 20 civilians would be killed for every one policeman killed in the area of jurisdiction during the forthcoming elections.



“When in due course our nascent democracy climbs higher on the maturity ladder; people like AIG Mbu cannot be the face and voice of the police,” she wrote on her Twitter page.



She followed that with several tweets. “What is sickening though is that AIG Mbu may not even have received a ‘CAUTION’ from his bosses for yet one more of his serial noxious acts.”

Mbu

Then she concluded that Mbu needed help of some sort. “If AIG Mbu is not sent into Democracy Assimilation program as quickly as possible, the system does both him and Nigeria injustice.”



Ezekwesili who was a co-founder of Transparency International then said: “There is no context that permits a police officer (Snr) in the land to threaten extra judicial killing. That’s what AIG Mbu did.

She then offered Mbu some advice. “My free advice, AIG Mbu is this. It is not yet late to stop “being carried away”. We are in a Democracy and it is founded on The Rule of Law.”



“Talking and acting like an “imperial majesty” because you may have a Direct Line to the Presidency is unwise. We, the Citizens PAY YOU to serve,” she wrote.



She noted that: “The Police IG (Suleiman Abba) should get AIG Mbu to publicly sign a ‘Peace Accord’ with the public that he serves. He has created too much ‘Discord’.



She concluded by saying: We really miss Gani Fawehinmi. He would have helped us show AIG Mbu everyday, how to respect The Rule of Law. I so so miss Gani'” she tweeted.



via nigerianeye

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday reiterated that the card readers for the general elections have been subjected to assurance and functionality tests.





Responding to a question, the chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, Kayode Idowu, said “the Card Reader units have been broadly subjected to simulation Quality Assurance, Integrity and Functionality tests and INEC has full confidence in their performance for election purposes.



“The device has also been subjected to Performance and Conformance Test, both locally and in Texas, United States, laboratories by the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Research Centre, and found to be of the highest quality grade.



“Besides all these, and with additional time resulting from the rescheduling of the 2015 general elections, the Commission has directed that Stress Test be conducted on the Card Reader device in mock election scenarios – two statesin each of the six geo-political zones – ahead of the new election dates. (Details of this exercise will be unveiled by the Commission next week.)



via nigerianeye

Luis Suarez's hot streak continued on Saturday as the Uruguayan inspired Barcelona's 3-1 win over Granada in La Liga.



The former Liverpool star, who netted twice in Wednesday's 2-1 Champions League triumph at Manchester City, scored his fourth goal in as many matches and had a hand in two more, ensuring Barca bounced back from their shock 1-0 defeat to Malaga last weekend.





Suarez played a crucial role in Barca's first, setting up Ivan Rakitic for an easy finish with just under half-an-hour played at Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes.



And the pair switched roles at the start of the second half, as the Croatia playmaker teed up Suarez to open a two-goal lead.



Granada swiftly responded, as Fran Rico buried a 53rd-minute penalty, but the Catalans killed off any hopes of a revival in the 70th minute, with Lionel Messi tapping in for his 27th league goal of the season following more impressive play by Suarez.



The visitors had no problems holding on to their lead and they could have made the victory even more comfortable, but regardless of missing late chances, the triumph sees Barca move back to within a point of Real Madrid, who face Villarreal on Sunday.



(Goal.com)



via nigerianeye

A Wayne Rooney brace gave Manchester United a comfortable 2-0 win over Sunderland at Old Trafford on Saturday but the match was overshadowed by a massive refereeing error.



Roger East awarded a penalty after John O’Shea fouled Radamel Falcao in the box – leading to Rooney’s opener – but the official then showed Wes Brown the red card, despite O’Shea’s protestations.





With the Black Cats down to 10 men Rooney doubled his tally in the 84th minute as Louis Van Gaal’s men picked up three vital points to move into third in the Premier League table.



Rooney headed a corner wide at the near post in the fourth minute as United made an encouraging start, although Sunderland soon fired two early warnings of their own.



Connor Wickham, one of three players recalled by Gus Poyet following last week's goalless draw with West Brom, raced towards a backpeddling home defence and drew an excellent low save from David de Gea, before Jermain Defoe curled a strike narrowly over in the seventh minute.



United looked to hit back quickly, and Ashley Young drove a shot over the crossbar when Lee Cattermole partially cleared, before Defoe failed to trouble De Gea with a 16th-minute chance.



An unsettled home crowd almost had something to cheer when Young hit Antonio Valencia's right-wing cross goalwards at the back post, but O'Shea slid in to divert the ball against his own crossbar.



That 25th-minute opportunity prompted an increase in tempo from United, but they were unable to find the breakthrough before half-time.



Van Gaal sent his side out early for the second period and replaced the ineffective Angel Di Maria with Adnan Januzaj.



Sunderland found themselves under intense pressure after the resumption, with Marcos Rojo lashing a shot over from Falcao’s knockdown.



Januzaj then sent a rasping 20-yard effort wide following a poor headed clearance from Anthony Reveillere, before East made an unlikely hash of a relatively straightforward penalty situation, and Rooney kept his calm to pick out the bottom corner from 12 yards.



Sunderland goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon was a busy man as United poured forward during the closing stages and, when he could only parry another firm Januzaj strike, Rooney was on hand to head home his second and ensure Sunderland's winless Premier League run extended to four matches.



via nigerianeye

Two women believed to be suicide bombers today caused explosions blowing up themselves in a failed attempt at a suicide mission in Yobe on Saturday.



The suicide bombers unfortunately killed two other persons while waiting by roadside to go to Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State.





NigerianEye learnt that the incident happened at Ngamdu village, as they waited for a bus to convey them to Damaturu, some 35km away.



Witnesses said the two women who showed up in Ngamdu village both looked strange.



An eyewitness, said the women came from no where to Ngamdu village, 100km away from Maiduguri and 35km distance to Damaturu, where they join other would-be travellers in waiting for a commercial vehicle to take them to the Yobe state capital.



According to the witness, who does not want his name mentioned in this story, a smart bus driver whom the women flagged down to convey them to Damaturu, suddenly, became suspicious after observing how disheveled they both looked and quickly declined by pretending that he was not getting as far as Damaturu.



“Some of us were slightly suspicious when we saw them, but we felt they may not be what we suspected them to be”, said the witness who spoke to NE by phone.



“But when the driver stopped by to pick them, he later changed his mind and said he was not going as far as Damaturu; that he would only get to the next village about 5km ahead and then turn back to Maiduguri. One of the women who looked desperate insisted they should join the driver so that he could take them back to Maiduguri so that theey could get a vehicle from there to Damaturu because they had waited all day without getting a vehicle, The driver declined and drove off; but we all knew the driver was actually going to Damaturu”.



‘Minutes after the driver had left them, one of the women tried to move a bit then we heard an explosion which instantly killed her and her colleague as well as two other innocent travellers who were also waiting for a bus. Seconds later, another bomb exploded from the body of the other woman who was with the first suicide bomber. That was when we realised that the women were actually on a mission to kill in Damaturu”.



The two women according to many witnesses may have been out on a suicide bombing mission, and didn’t mind where they got to carry out the deadly mission.



via nigerianeye

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APCPCO) has condemned as bestial and undemocratic the dastardly plot by the Jonathan-led ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to clip the electoral success wings of the opposition APC, through a proposed grounding of aircrafts and freezing of bank accounts belonging to stalwarts of the party.



In a statement issued by Garba Shehu, Directorate of Media and Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign, he said the plot to destabilise the APC and cripple its flag-bearer, General Muhammadu Buhari, may be linked to the unsettling global attention on the party after the opposition candidate’s triumphant performance at the United kingdom’s think tank, Chatham House on Thursday, 26th February, despite futile public protestation by a PDP rented crowd in London.







“In as much as we understand politics to be a game of wits and guts, yet the desperate way and manner the PDP and its henchmen are going is anathema, criminal and inimical to our nascent democracy and civilised human behaviour. Hence, any attempt by anyone to cripple the APC and its presidential candidate will be foiled by the citizens who have taken over the movement of change as symbolised by General Muhammadu Buhari.



“The hint we gather from sources is that the government, through its agents, is plotting to ground aircrafts and freeze bank accounts of APC stakeholders. But history has shown that the forces of evil can never succeed against the zeal of men and women of virtue and good deeds,” said Malam Garba Shehu, Director of Media and Publicity of APCPCO.



“Information at our disposal has uncovered the ruinous plan by the Jonathan administration to use the Aviation Ministry and secret arm of the Security Service to hound and clampdown members of the APC, by prospecting obnoxious means that would ground private jets belonging to senior members of our party, in order to halt and slow down Buhari’s world-acclaimed phenomenal popularity as President-in-waiting.



“There is also a plot to block or freeze the bank accounts of APC chieftains like Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Rotimi Amaechi (Director General of APC Presidential Campaign Organisation), and other prominent leaders believed to be funding the General’s campaign; and availing him their aircrafts for electioneering purposes,” Shehu disclosed.



Shehu recalls that private jets conveying APC Governors, Amaechi of Rivers State and Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, were either prevented from taking-off or landing during crucial political occasions, particularly during the infamous Ekiti State gubernatorial elections that saw PDP’s Ayodele Fayose ‘defeating’ Dr Kayode Fayemi, in a most controversial “military-assisted” contest now known as “Ekiti-gate Tape.”



via nigerianeye

An Egyptian court has sentenced four members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood organisation to death and 14 to life in prison.



Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie and his deputy Khairat al-Shater were among those sentenced to life on Saturday, along with former lawmaker Mohamed el-Beltagy and party head Saad el-Katatni and his deputy, Essam el-Erian.







Three co-defendants of Badie were also sentenced to death in the same trial.

Those convicted were accused of murder, inciting murder, attempted murder, possession of firearms and several more. The verdict can be appealed.



In December 2014 the court sentenced the four men to death and referred the sentences to the grand mufti for consideration. The mufti endorsed the court’s December decision.



The case stems from clashes near the Brotherhood’s headquarters on June 30, 2013, four days before the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi.The fighting left 11 people dead and 91 wounded.

Badie has already been sentenced by three separate courts to three life terms, and he was also handed two death sentences that were later overturned on appeal.



Morsi himself is facing several trials on charges that are punishable by death, while his group have been designated a “terrorist group”.

Some 22,000 people have been arrested since Morsi’s ouster, including most of the Brotherhood’s leaders, as well as non-Islamist activists swept up by police during protests.



via nigerianeye

The Peoples Democratic Party has challenged the All Progressives Congress to come out clear and explain to Nigerians the links between it and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, which informs and propels its interest in his stay in office.



PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, said it was more than curious that the APC has continued to fabricate stories and show undue interest in Jega, adding that such raise a lot of questions for the opposition and the INEC Chairman.







He said, “Undoubtedly, the frenzy, hysteria and spate with which the APC has been inventing stories regarding Prof. Jega’s stay in office, even when nothing suggests that such was on the table, raise a lot of issues.



“We ask, is there any underlining issue or arrangement between APC and Prof. Jega which the opposition is hell-bent to protect, informing its anxiety and apprehension towards his stay in office?



“While it is noted that the APC is a party of one week, one lie, we in the PDP look beneath the surfaces to the deeper issues propelling the lies.



“We therefore challenge the APC to come out clean and tell Nigerians the real reason behind their false alarms and uncontrolled nervousness regarding Prof. Jega ahead of the 2015 general elections.



“Finally, we wish to remind the leadership of INEC that Nigerians are monitoring its activities and series of unfolding political events ahead of the elections, and will not accept anything less than the conduct of credible, free and fair general elections come March 28 and April 11, 2015.”



via nigerianeye

Thousands of people marched in Cameroon's capital on Saturday to protest against Nigeria's Boko Haram insurgency and support the Central African nation's army, which is fighting alongside regional neighbors to defeat the Islamist group.








The march in Yaounde was aimed at informing the public, especially in the southern regions, about the threat posed by Boko Haram, which has carried out regular cross-border raids in the far north, one of the organizers said.





Yaounde is located in the central region of the country.



"It was important to tell Cameroonians that we are at war and a part of the country is suffering," said Gubai Gatama, a newspaper editor who was among the march's organizers. "About 150,000 people have been displaced by the conflict."



In addition to its own citizens forced to flee the violence, thousands of refugees have poured into Cameroon from northeastern Nigeria, where Boko Haram is seeking to carve out an Islamist emirate.



"Some 170 schools in Cameroon's northern region have been closed," Gatama said.



Boko Haram's six-year insurgency in Nigeria has spread to neighboring countries, where the group has launched attacks over the past year, burning villages and kidnapping residents.














(Reuters)









via nigerianeye

A farmer from Abia State, Mr. Sergin Onuka Ibe‎ has approached the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, begging it not to allow Major General Muhammadu Buhari, rtd, to contest the March 28 presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.



‎The plaintiff, through his lawyer Mr. U.O. Ukairo,‎ prayed the court to invoke its original powers and compel ‎Buhari to not only withdraw from the presidential race, but to equally stop parading himself as a bonafide candidate for the poll.





He contended that the 1st defendant (Buhari), is not legally fit to vie for presidency in view of the pendency of a perjury charge against him.



The plaintiff maintained that Buhari violated the provision of section 31 of the Electoral Act by lying on oath about his educational qualifications.



He told the court that a personal investigation he conducted revealed that Buhari lacks the basic educational qualifications, adding that the information the 1st defendant supplied to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in his Form CF001, were false.



‎Aside Buhari and the APC, INEC was also joined as a defendant in the suit marked FHC/UM/C9/13/15.



Meantime, Justice Ademola Adeniyi has ordered the service of the court processes on Buhari at his official residence at 4A and B Sultan Lane, Off Sultan Road in Kaduna.



‎The Judge said the defendant could as well serve the Originating Summons on the 1st defendant via substituted means, to wit; publishing same in any national daily.



The case was subsequently adjourned to March 26 for hearing.



Specifically, the plaintiff is among other things, praying the court to make ‎a “declaration that the information contained in Form CF001 the 1st defendant supplied on oath to the 3rd defendant in accordance with section 31 of the Electoral Act, are false.



“An order that upon ‎determining the falsity of the above depositions that the 1st defendant is thereby disqualified from contesting the Presidential election holding on March 28, 2015, on the platform of the 2nd defendant.



“An ord‎er directing the 3rd defendant (INEC) to remove the name of the 1st defendant as a candidate in the Presidential election holding on March 28, 2015.



As well as, “An order directing that any votes accredited to the 1st defendant at the election shall be null and void, he being disqualified ab-initio as a candidate in the election.



‎In a 14 paragraphed statement of claim, the plaintiff, told the court that he is a citizen from Amaekpu-Ohafia in Abia State and is a farmer/politician.



He said he was formerly ‎elected as a Councilor ‎that represented Isiama ward in Okasia Local Government Area of Abia State and a registered voter who is entitled to vote in the forthcoming general elections.



He averred that, “The first defendant in order to be eligible to contest the presidential election submitted to the 3rd defendant an affidavit which is by the nomenclature of the 3rd defendant, known as Form CF001.



“Th‎e said Form CF001 contains, on oath, the personal particulars of the 1st defendant.



“The 3rd defendant in accordance with electoral procedure published the said particulars of the 1st defendant in Umuahia, Abia State, being one of the constituencies of the 1st defendant.



“The plaintiff inspected the said Form CF001 and has reasonable grounds to believe that the following information are false:



“‎(1) All my academic qualification document as filled in my presidential form, ApC/001/2015, are currently with the Secretary military board as at the time of this affidavit. (2) WASC-1961‎.



“The particulars and or facts upon which the plaintiff founded the reasonable grounds are: 1) The Nigerian Army like other organisations do not keep certificates of serving or retired Soldiers, but copies only, a fact known to the 1st defendant as a past military Head of State of Nigeria.



“(2) Accordingly ‎the “academic qualifications documents or some or one of them do not exist.



“(3) the defendant knowing that he does not have “WASC-61″ academic qualifications resorted to lying on oath, failed to attach any certificate.



“(4) There is a presumption against unnatural events to the effect that where a person claims that his certificates are with the office that ‎regulated his previous services, it is probable that no such certificate is in existence.



“(5) There is no office known under any law at all as “The Secretary Military Board”, a fact known or ought to be known by the 1st defendant, a retired General of the Nigerian Army.

‎”(6) Arising from above, the plaintiff has no place at which he could verify the deposition of the 1st defendant.



“The plaintiff is “a person” under section 31(5) of the Electoral Act and accordingly has the requisite locus standi to file this suit.



“The plaintiff upon inspecting the said Form CF001 applied to the 3rd defendant for a copy of it at its office at Umuahia but the 3rd defendant refused to give any copy to the plaintiff but directed the plaintiff to submit the application to its Abuja office.



“The plaintiff in obedience to the directive of the 3rd defendant at its Umuahia office submitted another application at the Abuja office of the 3rd defendant. (a copy of the lett‎er is hereby pleaded and will be relied upon at the trial) .



“Regrettably, the 3rd defendant has continued to refuse to give a copy of the said Form CF001 to the plaintiff for which reason the plaintiff went to the notice board of the 3rd defendant and took photographs of the Form CF001 with a digital Samsung Tablet which the plaintiff will be relied upon at the trial.



“The plaintiff has demanded that the 1st defendant withdraws from the presidential election but he continues to parade himself as a candidate”



via nigerianeye

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Saturday will celebrate his 91st birthday will a million dollar bash attended by thousands of faithful party supporters.



As elephants are slaughtered for the feast at a luxury hotel in Zimbabwe’s famed Victoria Falls, critics are questioning the scale of the festivities, calling them “obscene” in a country where millions live in poverty.







Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, is the world’s oldest leader.



While he is hailed by many of his African peers as a liberation hero, critics say that over the following decades he turned the “breadbasket of southern Africa” into a basket case, trampling human rights, justice and democracy.



Mugabe’s violent seizure of white-owned farms triggered food shortages and hyper-inflation, while Europe and the United States imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe over elections seen as rigged.



via nigerianeye

An Egyptian court on Saturday declared Hamas a “terrorist” organisation, a judicial source said, weeks after the Palestinian Islamist movement’s armed wing was given the same designation.







Since Egypt’s military ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, the authorities have accused Hamas of aiding jihadists who have waged a string of deadly attacks on security forces in the Sinai Peninsula.



via nigerianeye

By Fidel Njamanze





Deputy Chairman, Finance Committee of the Presidential Campaign Organization, Dr. Ngozi Olejeme has expressed confidence that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan would be returned to power in the March 28 Presidential Elections.



"PDP will have a resounding victory. That is very clear” she told Niger Delta youths on Saturday in Asaba



Olejeme who sought the support of the young and old to make Nigeria great said President Jonathan would work closely with all Nigerians.



“The youth are Nigeria's future. To this end, the PDP government will continue to spread employment opportunities across the country and ensure every youth has access to quality education that could secure them a place in a globalized and highly competitive job market.



Promising that President Jonathan will continue to accelerate the social, political and economic development of Nigeria, Olejeme cited environmental protection, social safety nets for the vulnerable population, development of the agricultural, livestock and fishing industries, expansion of infrastructural projects, especially roads, energy and transport, expansion in jobs, food security, national security, people-led governance, quality education, health care, and national unity as top priority items in the Jonathan led PDP government.



The Jonathan led PDP government; she said, not only put in place transparent systems but revitalized the country's manufacturing, agriculture and tourism sectors.



“President Jonathan established twelve Federal Universities. His administration through the National Universities Commission (NUC) gave rise to quality international and local private universities across the country. He tarred over twenty-five thousand kilometres of the thirty six thousand kilometres (36, 000 km) Federal Roads. He completed over 90 per cent of narrow gauge rails. He implemented the Nigerian content law in the oil industry, thus improving the participation of Nigerians in the industry. He also implemented the cabotage law with Nigerians now owning ships and more Nigerians employed in the shipping industry. He also established Maritime University for high-powered man-power development in the Maritime Sector”



“President Goodluck Jonathan will continue to advance the rights of the marginalized. He will bring peace and security to the country and fast-track economic development in all parts of the country. He will shape our country for the better, foster unity, ensure economic growth for all and greater transparency in public life, business and civil society,"



"He will continue to provide grants to young people so that they can set up and run their own businesses. He will continue to focus on issues that resonate with the public.



“President Jonathan’s transformation agenda will continue to focus on ways of ensuring a strong, inclusive, non-inflationary economic growth, employment generation, poverty alleviation, and sustained improvement in the well-being of all classes of Nigerians as well as value re- orientation that targets a robust anti-corruption campaign.



His administration will continue to focus on security, the investment cycle, job creation and also meet the great expectations' of the people. ” she added.



via nigerianeye

The All Progressives Congress has said the “sickening and outlandish claim” by the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation that the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, plans to become Vice President through the back door is designed to divert attention from the success of the party’s presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), at the Chatham House in London on Thursday.







In a statement in London on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the PDP and the Jonathan Administration still did not have any answer to what the APC described as “an epochal moment that has separated the wheat from the chaff.”



The APC said, ”Our presidential candidate’s globally-acclaimed outing has presented Nigerians, and indeed the global community, with a choice between a bumbling, ineffective, incoherent, clueless, visionless and incompetent President and an assertive, knowledgeable, dignified, purposeful and principled President-in-waiting.



”Having failed to discredit the (United Kingdom) outing with a rented crowd, some of whom confessed to have been paid to carry placards they did not even understand, the PDP and the Jonathan Administration have now resorted to making nauseating claims that are totally untrue, absolutely incomprehensible and nothing but sheer bunkum.”



APC described the claim as the latest in “a series of desperate moves” by the PDP and the Jonathan Administration since the emergence of Buhari as the APC presidential candidate, and “the clearest indication yet that they have no answer to the unstoppable momentum of a man of history.”



It added, ”They have thrown everything imaginable at Gen. Buhari, but he has continued to wax stronger and stronger: They said he was not qualified, that he was too old, then they fabricated a medical report of an illness of their own choice, sponsored death wish adverts against him and instituted a myriad of court cases to stop him.



”After they failed to stop him, they went after the election itself, using the PVCs as a tool to launch a campaign for postponement and, when they realised that would not work, came up with the bogey of insecurity in the North-East to force a postponement of the election, hoping they can buy enough time to revive their electoral misfortune.



”With everything working against them, they engaged in a show of shame at The Chatham House that backfired badly, on the heels of their bare-faced lies that Gen. Buhari was hospitalised in London. The preposterous claim of a secret oath – reminiscent of what they do in their own party – by the apparently ailing spokesman for the Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, is their latest desperate act.”



APC said in as much as it had so far refrained from engaging Fani-Kayode in what the party called “his game of character assassination, abuses and irresponsible name calling, the party is becoming seriously concerned that he may be caving in under pressure and reverting to his undignified past of substance abuse.”



via nigerianeye

Former Nigerian president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia berated the exploitation of African scientists in Europe, America and Asia continents, lamenting that their efforts on global horizon is fast regressing.



Obasanjo speaking while delivering paper entitled: “The African Scientist In A Fast-Changing World” presented at the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences in honour of Late Professor Ali Al’Amin Mazrui, however, noted that on the aggregate, African scientists have not been push-over over the ages.







He disclosed that his choice of the topic was borne out of the fact that, “since my friend, Ali Mazrui, was a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences and we are celebrating him at the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences, I have decided to reflect with you today on “The African Scientist in a Fast-Changing World,” Obasanjo revealed.



He lamented that: “sadly today, the place of eminence of the African scientist on the global horizon is fast regressing. In a fast-changing world, we are getting far left behind. Our contribution to the science, technology and engineering scholarly literature is the least of all regions of the world.



“Our universities are at the bottom of global league tables of world-class universities with the region having the least number of Nobel Prize winners in science. Even, a good number of our local problems are being solved by scientists from outside our region.



“Yet, we have some of the best intellectually-endowed scientists in the world. The laboratories in Asia, Europe and North America, where breakthroughs are achieved to drive our fast-changing world, are populated in part by brain-drained African scientists,” Obasanjo stated.



Balogun of Owu Kingdom observed the efforts of United Kingdom in recent time, in science and technology, which according to him, “could take the nation to world view.”



According to him: “During the last two weeks, the fast-paced world of science and technology reported the British government voting to allow a new technique involving babies created from three people. If passed by the House of Lords, the UK will become the first country in the world to offer this medical procedure, which can be used to treat mitochondrial diseases.



“Other exciting things in the world of science in the last two weeks include use of biodegradable nano particles to kill brain cancer cells in animals and lengthen their survival and the selection of 100 astronaut candidates for the Mars One project which will land four people on Mars.



“New drugs to counter diabetes and hypertension ravaging Africa and the rest of the world are in different stages of development. The technology in surgery has also advanced in recent months. Consider surgery when a patient is to get his or her diseased heart, liver or spleen removed with minimal invasion through new technologies being developed by biomedical engineers in the University of London and at Harvard.



“By 2050, the scenario that surgeons envisage is one where a patient with an organ failure walks into a hospital, gets a 3-D printed organ to replace it in a few hours.



“It may be twenty years or more before these drugs and surgical techniques become available for the masses. However, when they do, the health of the people will be better secured than what we have today,” the former Nigeria President posited.



Obasanjo further disclosed that, “this situation notwithstanding, when we aggregate the efforts of the global community of scientists through the ages, the African scientist has not been a complete pushover.



“You will recall that some of the well-known contributions of ancient African science include one of the first intensive agricultural schemes; metallurgy, including the mining and smelting of copper, practised in Africa as far back as 4000 B.C.; and the system of hieroglyphic writing and the use of papyrus.



“The science of architecture also reached new heights with the pyramids.They were amazing accomplishments both in terms of construction and the mathematical and astronomical knowledge necessary to build and situate them,” Ebora Owu as fondly called submitted.



via nigerianeye

The Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State, Mr. Tunji Shele, has described the statement made by the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, over President Jonathan’s visit to the state as an indication that the “governor has become jobless.”



Shelle, in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Friday, said he used to have a lot of respect for the governor, but that his recent actions were unbecoming of a state governor.



Fashola had at a political rally in the Ifako/Ijaye Local Government Area of the state on Thursday accused the President of distributing dollars during his five-day visit to the state last week, and that the President’s planned visit to Lagos on Sunday would amount to nothing ahead of the forthcoming elections.





He said the President never visited the state when it was facing its biggest challenge (during the Ebola outbreak) and that his recent visits were hypocritical.



Shelle, in his reaction, said the governor had abandoned his work of governance to that of gossiping and spreading rumours, adding that the governor was “jeopardising the interest of Lagosians by doing what he should not be doing and looking at the direction he should not look at.”



He added, “It’s very sad that something like that would come out from a governor. I am the chairman of PDP in Lagos State and I know the President didn’t distribute any money to anybody. He inaugurated some projects during his visit and had meetings with various groups. It is the figment of Fashola’s imagination and evil machination.



“The governor is now jobless, and to say that Mr. President was in Lagos to share dollars means that he doesn’t have work to do; all he is now doing is gossips and spreading rumours.



“He did the whole job he wanted to do in the first few months of his first term, not even the entire term. I won’t say he has not done anything, he planted flowers, did a few roads, and at what cost? What values has he added to the people than the fact that he succeeded in offending an average Lagosian, including traders and civil servants? However, we know that his master will not allow him to work even if he has any idea at all.”



via nigerianeye

Picture credits: Reuters



via nigerianeye

An aide to Governor Chibuike Amaechi and Deputy Press Secretary, Freddy Ndiagbara, who was abducted on Sunday February 22 was freed last night.







Ndigbara who spoke with newsmen was reluctant to give details of his ordeal but was grateful to members of the press, his constituency and everyone who piled pressure on the kidnappers to set him free.



Asked if he was tortured he said: “That is normal…because of the pressure piled up for my release in the media they wondered why I should be telling them that I am just a civil servant attached to Government House”.



“Each time I argued and disagreed with them, I was starved for two days. All the same, I give glory to God for being alive. I thank God for my safety”.



It is not clear if ransom was paid before he released.



Ndiagbara (popularly called Freddie), works with the Government House Press Unit. He was kidnapped during ward rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Kaani 1 (his community), in Khana Local Government Area of the State.



Freddy also acts as Government House official Master of Ceremony. He is a trained journalist and has worked in Tribune Newspaper. He is a graduate of the University of Benin.



It was also gathered that the gunmen that abducted him stormed an APC rally in a Toyota vehicle shooting sporadically into the air.



via nigerianeye

Passengers at the International Airport have been evacuated in response to a bomb scare, several fire trucks and bomb disposal Units are on standby as you read this..



More details Later



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The Nigerian military on Friday said it has recaptured two more communities from Boko Haram militants in the North Eastern part of Nigeria after intense fighting.



The Defence Headquarters said Friday that government troops flushed out Boko Haram terrorists from Gulag, Madagali Local Government Area in Adamawa State, and Bara in Gulani LGA in neighbouring Yobe State.







The military also said assorted arms, ammunition and vehicles were recovered while others were destroyed during cordon and search operations in the communities.



“We have also flushed out Terrorists from #Gulag, #Madagali LGA HQ in #Adamawa state, earlier today.



#VictoryForNigeria. After 2 Days of intense operations, troops have finally routed terrorists from #BARA, Gulani LGA in Yobe,” the defence headquarters tweeted.



Other areas said to have been cleared include, Shikah, Fikayel, Tetebah, Buza, Kamla and Bumsa.

The announcement came two days after the Nigerian Army Chief, Kenneth Minimah, assured that troops would likely reclaim Madagali by the weekend, before targeting Gwoza in Borno State.

Mr. Minimah gave the hint while visiting Baga on Wednesday.



Baga and Monguno were recaptured in the last three weeks by the Nigerian armed forces as they apparently stepped up their campaign against the Boko Haram group. Mubi had earlier been retaken in November.



President Goodluck Jonathan visited Mubi and Baga on Thursday where he praised the soldiers for their effort in recapturing the seized territories.

He assured the soldiers that they would be duly rewarded for their bravery and patriotic service to the nation at the successful conclusion of ongoing operations against Boko Haram.



The President said that with their recent successes, which have overwhelmingly turned the tide against Boko Haram, the Nigerian military has proven beyond any doubt that it remains fully capable of defending the territorial integrity of Nigeria.



Mr. Jonathan, who was accompanied on the trip by the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki and all the Service Chiefs, assured the troops that the Federal Government would ensure they received all the equipment and logistics they require to complete the ongoing mission to reassert government’s effective control over all areas formerly held by Boko Haram.



via nigerianeye

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has described the shortage of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, as “artificially induced,” warning Nigerians against panic buying.







The agency on Friday said it had injected an additional 688 million litres of the product into the system, but did not state while the addition was necessary.



(NAN)



via nigerianeye

The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has said Governor Ayodele Fayose’s blackmail of its candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), cannot stop him from winning the Presidential election.


It said the governor’s criticism of Buhari, was driven by self-preservation over the governor’s past misdeeds and not in the national interest.



According to the party, the governor is fighting the battle of his life that runs contrary to the general mood of the nation.







It advised him to concentrate his energy on how to ensure victo‎ry for PDP’s candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, instead of lecturing APC on why it should not field General Buhari as its candidate for the March 28 presidential election.



A statement by the state APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, said Nigerians had made up their minds to have Buhari as their President, adding that, “No amount of blackmail and rhetoric fueled by selfishness will change the course of change sweeping across the country.”



Reminding Fayose that APC was not the same thing as PDP, ‎Olatubosun noted, “PDP has an agenda to kill all institutions of government as it is currently doing and make corruption a creed. Never in the history of this country have we recorded cases of frauds and scandals as we have today in Nigeria. These are the legacies that PDP can flaunt. ‎Unfortunately, Fayose is equating PDP to Nigeria.



“Fayose has turned APC to a PDP affair. He said former President Olusegun Obasanjo imposed a sick man, the late Umaru Yar’Adua, on PDP in 2007 and President Yar’Adua died after two years in office. The question is; is Buhari in PDP and he is now being imposed by Obasanjo again? How does Buhari’s old age threaten PDP’s bid to rule for 60 years?

“Again, Fayose said he had a vision that Buhari will never be president. If he is sure of his vision, why is he breathless about Buhari’s candidacy?”



Olatubosun noted that the governor was being hypocritical in his criticism of Buhari and the allegations he‎ was raising over his health status, saying that his actions pointed to the fact that Buhari was the favoured candidate among a vast majority of Nigerians.



“The battle Fayose is fighting is for self-preservation and not because he wants a younger Nigerian to take the mantle of leadership to avoid the repeat of President Yar’Adua’s scenario. He is convinced that Buhari is the preferred candidate and that is why he is talking about Buhari as old-man-President.



“He doesn’t want a honest and disciplined President that will not tolerate impunity and lawlessness because he (Fayose) knows he can’t survive in any system where the law works‎. He is also haunted by his past and the fraud through which he was declared the governor in the June 21, 2014 election.

“Fayose is still facing criminal trial in Justice Adamu Hobon’s court at the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti, over alleged N1.3billion poultry project fraud. There are several unresolved murder cases during his first stint. Ekiti election fraud on tape and video being watched across the world is also there. He knows he can only survive these if his preferred candidate is the president.”



“For what Fayose is, he will spare nothing in his campaign for self-preservation in a nation of 170 million people who want a reversal of what Fayose represents in private and public life,” he said.



via nigerianeye

The Department of State Services has said the recent spate of Boko Haram bomb attacks recorded in Yobe, Kano, Borno and Plateau States were meant to distract security forces.



The service however stated that the sustained air raids and intense combat operations by the military on Boko Haram insurgents’ positions in the North-East have effectively degraded the capacity of the terrorists.







The DSS in a statement by its Deputy Director, Public Relations, Marilyn Ogar, on Friday in Abuja, stated that the insurgents are in disarray and have resorted to taking out their anger on hapless civilians and soft targets.



It therefore called on operators of motor parks to properly screen vehicles, passengers and luggage entering their premises.



The agency also advised motor park managers to look out for new faces who show up as drivers and bus conductors.



It cautioned members of the public to be vigilant, adding that they should also desist from boarding unmarked vehicles along the road.



“It has become evident that following the successful sustained air raids and intense combat operations by the military on insurgents’ positions in the North-East which have effectively degraded the capacity of the terrorists, its members are now in disarray and have resorted to taking out their anger on hapless civilians and soft targets.



“This development accounts for the recent spate of attacks recorded in Yobe, Kano, Borno and Plateau States with intent of distracting security forces,” the statement said.



The agency further encouraged residents of recaptured towns and communities to return to their homes.



It said there was no need for people to relocate to any part of the country because of the forthcoming elections “as adequate steps have been taken by security forces to guarantee security of lives and property.”



The service called on citizens with useful information of untoward activities in their localities to forward same to security agencies.



“We wish to restate, once more, the commitment of security forces to bring to an end the activities of terrorists and unscrupulous elements in our country,” the DSS stressed.



via nigerianeye

The Independent National Electoral Commission has put the percentage of Permanent Voter Cards collected by voters at 78.93 per cent.



This was contained in the report released by the commission in Abuja on Friday.







The figure was based on the report released by the commission on Friday.



While it put the number of registered voters at 68,833,476, it added that it had delivered 67,206,600 PVCs across the country.



However, the commission said that only 54,327,747, which represents 78.93 percent of the cards, had been collected.



Jigawa, Gombe and Akwa Ibom States top the list of states with highest collection of PVCs.

While Jigawa State has a total of 1,831,276 registered voters, 1,794,646 of them had picked their PVCs. This figure represents 98 per cent of PVCs collection.



Gombe State with 1,120,023 registered voters has recorded the collection of 1,064,577 PVCs which amounts to 95 per cent.



Akwa Ibom State came third with 94.46 percent PVC collection out of its 1,680,759 registered voters. This means that 1,587,566 voters had picked their PVCs.



Leading from the rear is Ogun State where only 808,590 out of the 1,829,534 registered voters had collected their PVCs. This figure represents a mere 44.20 per cent.



However, the figure released by the commission indicated that 1,387,401 PVCs had been delivered to the state.

In the Federal Capital Territory, only 62 per cent of the 881,472 registered voters had collected their PVCs.

Lagos State with 5,822,207 registered voters had recorded 63.44 per cent of the PVCs collection. This shows that 3,693,355 of the cards had been picked by their owners.



But the commission said that 5,558,062 cards had been delivered for voters in the state.



Meanwhile, the commission has also explained the use of Card Readers for the elections.



It said for the the first time in Nigeria’s electoral history, electronic voter authentication system, with the aid of smart card readers, is being deployed for the 2015 general elections.



In an explanatory note, the commission said Card Readers have enormous advantages.



Once configured, the Card Reader can only read PVCs issued by INEC, adding that any person that shows up at the polling unit without a PVC or with a card not issued by INEC will not be allowed to vote.



The commission added that the “Card Reader reads the embedded chip on the PVC, not the barcode, and it shares a secret code with the PVC; thus it is impossible to falsify the cards.



via nigerianeye

The First Lady of Nigeria, Dame Patience Jonathan yesterday stated that her husband, President Goodluck Jonathan deserved the support of women in the country because he had delivered on the promises he made to Nigerian women in 2011.



She spoke during the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Women Campaign Rally held in Makurdi, the state capital.



Dame Jonathan said, “today pregnant women enjoy free antenatal care, we have realized our 35 percent affirmative action and more women are beginning to realize their potentials under this administration.







She told the women to reject Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC, “What does a 72-year-old man have to offer Nigerians?...A 72 year old man has nothing to offer Nigerians.”



Wife of the Benue state Governor, Arch. Yemisi Suswam, in her speech lauded the efforts of Dame Jonathan for carrying women along, particularly in the actualization of 35 percent affirmative action for women.



Mrs Suswam said Benue women were desirous of President Goodluck Jonathan’s return to Aso Rock because of his impressive achievement in all sectors of Nigeria’s economy.



Wife of the Senate President, Mrs Helen Mark, in her speech said the women of the state would vote the PDP in all the elective positions, and urged all women to turn out en-masse to vote all PDP candidates in the elections.



Governor Gabriel Suswam, on his part described the first lady as a reliable woman who had remained firm in supporting her husband to record resounding success in governance.



via nigerianeye

Actor Leonard Nimoy, who won a worldwide fan base as the pointy-eared half-human, half-Vulcan Mr Spock in the blockbuster “Star Trek” television and film franchise, died Friday at age 83, US media reported.



His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed the death to the New York Times. Nimoy had been suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.





Mr. Nimoy announced that he had the disease last year, attributing it to years of smoking, a habit he had given up three decades earlier. He had been hospitalized earlier in the week.



“I quit smoking 30 yrs ago. Not soon enough. I have COPD ... Smokers, please understand. If you quit after you’re diagnosed with lung damage it’s too late. Grandpa says learn my lesson. Quit now. LLAP,” Nimoy tweeted in separate posts last year.



Earlier this week, Nimoy tweeted for the last time, writing, "A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP," signing the tweet with his iconic phrase "Live Long and Prosper."



via nigerianeye

Mexico has captured the most-wanted drug lord in the country, Servando “La Tuta” Gomez, head of the Knights Templar cartel, police said on Friday, delivering a boost to a government battered by gang violence.





The 49-year-old former teacher was the prime target of President Enrique Pena Nieto’s effort to regain control of Michoacan, a western state wracked by clashes between Gomez’s Knights Templar cartel and heavily armed vigilantes trying to oust them.



The early morning arrest comes as Pena Nieto seeks to quell public outrage in Mexico after the late September abduction and apparent massacre of 43 trainee teachers by corrupt police in league with gang members.



That incident triggered Pena Nieto’s deepest crisis. Attorney General Jesus Murillo, under fire for months over his handling of that investigation, will step down, a senior government official said on Friday.



An announcement about the change would probably come later on Friday, a separate official from Murillo’s office said.



After months of intelligence work, federal police captured Gomez and some people with him at a house in the Michoacan state capital of Morelia, police said. No shots were fired.



“He will be brought to Mexico City in the coming hours to make a declaration,” a police spokesman said.



Last week, police seized many properties in the area and arrested a handful of people connected to Gomez. Local media reported that those busts had led to his arrest.



A father of at least seven, Gomez is wanted by the United States for trafficking methamphetamine and cocaine. The Justice Department said he was also involved in the 2009 murder of 12 Mexican federal police officers.



Mexican authorities had placed a bounty of 30m pesos ($2 million) on his head.

Since the Mexican government began a military crackdown in 2007 on drug cartels, more than 100,000 people have been killed in gang-related violence.



(AFP)



via nigerianeye

A Christian group, Northern Christian Leaders Eagle Eyes Forum, which endorsed the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), said the members now live under threat.



Specifically, the group on Friday raised the alarm that its leaders’ lives were under serious threat following its endorsement of Buhari.







Addressing journalists in Kaduna, Chairman of the Forum, Pastor Aminchi Habu, simply described the tenure of President Goodluck Jonathan as a disappointment.



Habu said in 2011, the Christian community overwhelmingly voted for Jonathan but regretted that the President had failed the entire nation, adding that Jonathan’s “poor performance” informed the body’s decision to support Buhari.



He said the Forum could not be intimidated in any way to vote for Jonathan on the basis of religion or ethnicity.



The Christian body argued that they believed that Buhari could rid the country of insecurity and underdevelopment.





Habu said, “Our decision to endorse Buhari was informed by our patriotic commitment to build a free, fair and a secular society, where the inheritance should be justice to all.



“After the endorsement, our members, especially the Chairman of this Forum, have continued to receive threats through phone calls and text messages, labelling them a sell-out, who have abandoned a Christian candidate in the person of President Goodluck Jonathan.



“We supported the present government in 2003, 2007 and 2011. However, after critical analysis, the Forum decided to endorse General Muhammadu Buhari, based on the abysmal performance, the security challenges, outrageous corruption in public places, coupled with economic downturn in the country today.



“Our enemies accused us of collecting N500m from General Buhari. This accusation is not only wrong, but a blatant lie from the pit of hell. We charged anybody with concrete evidence of any money, collected by anybody on behalf of the Forum, to come forward with such evidence.



“The endorsement of Buhari was done publicly, and not secretly like our accusers will do; yet a segment of corrupt minds is employed to water down the good intention of the Forum, which is to build bridges and promote peaceful co-existence within our complex diversity.



“We shall not betray our trust as religious leaders for any monetary consideration. We shall do everything humanly possible, within our calling, to protect the interest of our image.



“We are therefore calling on Christians not to be deceived by these religious bigots and shun sentiment by voting the right candidate in the forthcoming general elections.”



via nigerianeye

Residents of Gulak town, the headquarters of Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State, burst into wild celebration in Yola on Friday after they were informed that their homeland had been freed from the control of Boko Haram, which captured the town last year.



The residents had fled to Yola, the state capital, after the insurgents captured the town.





Some of the indigenes of Gulak, who had sought refuge in Yola, were seen at various drinking joints, dancing in celebration of the freedom of their homelands from the captivity of the dreaded sect.



Some of them, who spoke to our correspondent, could not but expressed gratitude to President Goodluck Jonathan for boosting the morale of the troops during his unscheduled visit to the state on Thursday.



Musa Aliyu, one of the displaced residents of Gulak, told our correspondent that he heard of the news of the liberation of Gulak on BBC Hausa Service.



He added that some of the residents of the communities, who still lived on mountaintops, also called the refugees in Yola to tell them of the sacking of Boko Haram from Gulak and its environs.



Aliyu, who spoke at one of the popular drinking joints in Yola, said, “Because of the good news, our people are jubilating and have already started planning returning to our ancestral homes and begin normal lives again.”



via nigerianeye

Presidential Campaign Organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party has alleged that a former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is plotting to become the President of Nigeria through what it called the back door.



It said the plot by the former governor, who is a stalwart of the main opposition party, the All Progressive Congress, was to take over as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the event that the APC candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), wins the March 28, presidential election.



Director of Media and Publicity of the PDPPCO, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, made this allegation at a press conference in Abuja on Friday.



He nevertheless said the campaign team of the PDPPCO wished Buhari a long life.







Fani-Kayode said skeletal information available to the PDPPCO suggested that the Vice Presidential candidate of the APC, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, was picked by Tinubu and “forced to take an oath” to resign his appointment six months into the new cabinet, should the APC win the elections.



After his resignation, the PDPPCO further alleged that the party would field Tinubu as his replacement and to wait for the health condition of Buhari to worsen to Tinubu’s advantage.



He asked Buhari to “watch his back,” adding that the “gang-up” against him and Nigerians was situated on the calculation that his health would deteriorate and lead to his death, paving the way for the expected “new vice president” to take over power.



Fani-Kayode said, “It should baffle well-meaning Nigerians why Tinubu has decided to draft Buhari, despite his age, acrimonious background and questionable health status, into the presidential race whilst ensuring that his stooge, Prof Osinbajo, was foisted on the general as vice presidential candidate.



“The reason is that the PDPPCO wishes to use this forum to expose the ungodly plan by Tinubu to seize the presidency of Nigeria by subterfuge.



“You will recall how Tinubu wanted to be running mate to Buhari in spite of the nationwide resentment for Muslim-Muslim ticket that he and Buhari planned to foist on their party men and women.



“Senator Tinubu had justified the (planned) ticket by saying that competence was the important thing and not the issue of religion.



“But when he and Buhari could not push through the agenda within the APC, he (Tinubu), after been given the opportunity to nominate a vice presidential candidate, decided to prop up his stooge in the person of Prof Osinbajo.



“Now, the real reason Tinubu nominated Osinbajo has been made known to us and we hereby offer a public service to the Nigerian people by drawing national attention to it. Credible pieces of information at our disposal indicate that Tinubu has perfected plans to come to power through the back door.



“Tinubu, according to our information, has compelled Osinbajo to swear to an oath that after six months in office, he would resign as the vice president, in the unlikely event that their party wins. The wicked plot, as laid out by them, is to force Osinbajo to resign for Tinubu to be nominated by Buhari as his replacement.”



Fani-Kayode added, “The ultimate objective of this plot is to ensure that Tinubu becomes President. The script is simple: given the questionable health of Buhari, Tinubu, who is desperate to be president for his own selfish reasons, will simply bid his time in the evil expectation that Buhari will not be able to go the whole hog.



“How wicked can those that hatched this plan be? How unfair can they be to the North, to Buhari and to Nigerians? We wish Buhari long life. Senator Tinubu’s dangerous plan is about getting power. This is sad. No thoroughbred Yoruba man or indeed Nigerian wants to get power through the misfortune of another person.



“But this is the perfidious path that Tinubu is passing through. This is repugnant.”



via nigerianeye

The exit of Prof. Atahiru Jega as the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission will take a natural course, the Federal Government has said.



Supervising Minister of Information and Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, said this when he met with newsmen at the headquarters of the Ministry of Information in Abuja on Friday.





While answering a question on whether the Federal Government planned to send Jaga on terminal leave before the expiration of his tenure in June, Duke said Jega would not be sacked as President Goodluck Jonathan had pledged but added that his exit from the electoral body would follow a natural sequence.



The minister said, “On the issue of the INEC chairman, I align myself with what the president said that he has no plan to sack the INEC chairman.



“That is not to say that if it is time for the INEC chairman to naturally exit his office, then the natural course of things will not take place.



“It is like saying, a civil servant has done 35 years or achieved the age of 60; we now begin to say that he must not retire or he must retire. I think all of that is in the terrain of the presidency and he has spoken.”



Duke added, “I will also like to say once on that issue. I recall that for several weeks now; people keep threatening the president on the shift in the date of the poll. You begin to wonder that parties have a couple of extra weeks in order to reinvigorate their campaigns and try to reach as many voters as possible. Rather than do that, you begin to identify imaginary pockets of unlikely developments and then focus your attention on them and then when you lose election, you begin to complain.”



Members of the All Progressives Congress in the Senate had on Thursday alleged that there was a fresh plot by the Federal Government to prevent Jega from superintending over the forthcoming general elections.



The APC senators, led by George Akume, told a news conference in Abuja that they heard from a reliable source that the Head of Service would direct Jega to proceed on his pre-retirement leave next week.



“We have received information from a very credible source that next week, the Chairman of INEC will be given a letter from the office of the Head of the Civil Service to proceed on a terminal leave,” they said.



The opposition senators alleged that the Federal Government was trying to use a circular from the HoS dated August 11, 2010 to place Jega on compulsory pre-retirement leave.



They said, “Whether the letter emanates from the HoS office or the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, it does not make sense. Even if we go by the terms of the Civil Service circular of August 11, 2010, (it) is not applicable whatsoever to the INEC chairman.”



The lawmakers explained that the circular, with reference number HCSF/CMO/1772/TI/11, talks about clarifications on pre-retirement leave, which is only applicable to tenured officers who are career civil servants.



They said anyone who has spent 30 years in service or has attained 60 years of age was bound to disengage officially from the service. The senators however said that the case of Jega did not fall into any of these.



The lawmakers claimed that Jega’s offence was his readiness to conduct the elections when the Peoples Democratic Party-controlled Federal Government was not.



The opposition senators insisted that using the issue of card readers to discredit Jega would not work because the National Assembly appropriated money for that purpose.



via nigerianeye