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- Simi Dedicates Newly Dropped Album “Omo Charlie Champagne” to her late Dad, on her birthday
- Dj Cuppy’s new song “Abena” recieve appraisal, yet criticism
- Lilian Esoro and Tana Adelana Deliver Romantic Comedy Story in a New Movie Titled, ‘Alter Date’
- Reasons why Cheating Married Men won't leave their Wives for Side-chicks
- Get rid of 'All Men Cheat', 'all Women like Money' Mentality and other Generalisations while you're Dating
- Dear Men, Cooking is not what makes a Woman a Wife!
- Ayokunle, CAN President, Under Criticism For Allegedly “giving Buhari’s Money” To Boko Haram Victims
- Biafra: IPOB Reacts To Murder Of Prophet Nwoko, Those Responsible
- Buhari Commended By Reno Omokri
- Senator Ademola Adeleke Sends Message To Osun People
- PDP Governorship Candidate In Kano, Yusuf Wins In Court
- Nigerians Have Better Days Ahead – Fayose
- President Vacates Office Because Of Snakes
- Utomi, SERAP, lawyers preach integrity as Onnoghen is convicted
- Defection: Court sacks Ebonyi Senator
- Utomi, SERAP, lawyers preach integrity as Onnoghen is convicted
- Navy transfers suspects, weapons to INTERPOL
- Fed Govt to divest 60% stake in BoA
- Cleric condoles Owo Kingdom over death of monarch
- Court orders INEC to withdraw Buhari’s ex-aide Certificate–of- Return
- Adewale: George is killing Lagos PDP
- ‘Agbaje’s attitude ruined PDP’s chances in Lagos’
- There is no faction in Lagos PDP, says Dominic
- Ebonyi NLC commends Buhari for signing N30,000 Minimum Wage Bill
- Onnoghen case is victory for corruption fight, says Presidency
| Simi Dedicates Newly Dropped Album “Omo Charlie Champagne” to her late Dad, on her birthday Posted: 20 Apr 2019 12:30 AM PDT
Simi has dropped her much anticipated album "Omo Charlie Champagne" today, her birthday. The album has 13 tracks, with production credits going to Oscar, Vtek, Legendury Beatz, and Sess. She features Patoranking, Maleek Berry, Falz, and her hubby Adekunle Gold in album.  Writing about the album on Instagram, Simi shared: When I was compiling this album, I knew I wanted to dedicate it to my daddy, Engr. Charles Oladele Ogunleye – who passed in 2014. I'm blessed to have come this far. I'm blessed that it was possible for me. I do not take this for granted. I couldn't possibly be more thankful for this journey. To have amazing people like you supporting me everyday is absolute Magic! I love you. #OmoCharlieChampgne is OUT NOW!!!! Yessss! I'm thankful to all the amazing people that made this possible – @stevebabaeko, my forever mentor. My team @oscarackah, @vinpres, @i.y.a.n.u.o.l.u.w.a, @walesnaija, my amazing family and friends, the incredible #SimiArmy! I love you so much 💙 Thank you for making my world go round. I also want to say a massive thank you to @patorankingfire @maleekberry@falzthebahdguy and my "lover na bessss friend Adekunle Kosoko – as well as @vtekdawesome@legendurybeatz and @sessbeats If it's 12am in your area, go on all the platforms and listen to #OmoCharlieChampagne Vol. 1 In This Story: #Simi #Dedicates #Album #OmoCharlieChampagne #late #Dad #Birthday Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Dj Cuppy’s new song “Abena” recieve appraisal, yet criticism Posted: 20 Apr 2019 12:00 AM PDT
nternational DJ and Producer Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola popularly known as Cuppy is facing criticism as usual after she returns with a new single release titled 'Abena', her first release this year. While the billionaire daughter, DJ Cuppy is trying to prove unstoppable to naysayers, they appear not to relent with their attacks. See reactions to her new song "Abena" below;    In This Story: #Dj Cuppy #new #song #Abena #Appraisal #criticism Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Lilian Esoro and Tana Adelana Deliver Romantic Comedy Story in a New Movie Titled, ‘Alter Date’ Posted: 19 Apr 2019 11:30 PM PDT Lilian Esoro is back in the cinemas seeking love as she assumes the role of an accomplished writer in new movie, 'Alter Date.'
The 'Jumbled' actress is paired with Tana Adelana to deliver the romantic comedy that tells the story of two friends seeking love after too many heartbreaks. Directed by Marc Adebesin, 'Alter Date' features Iyabo Ojo, Bolanle Ninalowo, Kenneth Okolie, Frederick Leonard, Joseph Momodu, and Yemisi Banjoko. The movie is produced by Yemi Banjoko.  'Alter Date' follows the lives of three friends; Remi, Elizabeth and Timi. Remi and Elizabeth have both been unlucky with men. Remi wants a man that is rich, showers her with love and care, while Elizabeth is the hopeless romantic who falls in love with the wrong men. Timi on the other hand is the 'guy friend' whose shoulders are constantly available for his friends to cry on after a heart break.  THE ALTER DATE OFFICIAL TRAILER In This Story: #LilianEsoro #TanaAdelana #Romantic #Comedy #Story #New #Movie #Titled #AlterDate Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Reasons why Cheating Married Men won't leave their Wives for Side-chicks Posted: 19 Apr 2019 11:00 PM PDT
For the sidechick, it is usually an endless loop of promises and empty dreams. Men who cheat on their wives would always lay promises of leaving their wives in order to marry these other women. Accusations of being terrible in bed, being old and fat among other things will be thrown around against the wife regualarly. But guess what? They still won't leave her. Men who cheat on their wives always seem to thrive on juggling their lives and sharing their time between their family and their secret affair. It is like biting huge chunks out of your cake every time and still having it right there in full. These are reasons why they never leave the wife for the side chick. A thing of image Men recognize the high standing they have in the society as married people and they usually do not want to lose out on that. Many of these cheating men are respected members of society's institutions like church, mosques, companies, etc. So to leave their wife for no reason, just to be with the side chick, mistress or sugar girl will be the very last thing on their minds.  Wives enable them With statements like "all men cheat" and "it's fine if he cheats so far he respects me enough to keep it away from me," many women have given men hall passes to cheat as they want. The bar is set lower when women intentionally choose to be in the dark concerning their husband's sneaky ways. And by refusing to hold them to the expected standard of faithfulness, wives allow these men roam, waiting at home with open arms for whenever they return home. And we really can't blame women that much actually. Society has been so structured in a way that makes women believe and accept that having a man who cheats is better than being single at some certain age, or worse, being single with kids or being divorced. He loves his wife Now the idea that someone would love his wife and cheat on her may sound seriously conflicted but it does seem to happen. People who claim to love their wives have been known to have side chicks despite a staunch, unshakable decision to never let go of the wife no matter how good the mistress gets. Many times for this kind of man, the side chick is just all fun and games and he must have already compartmentalized his mind to keep it that way forever. He'd rather replace the sidechick than leave his wife for her. His kids Also, married men don't leave their wives for side chicks because they want their children to grow in a 'functional' and 'complete' family. Why disturb a formula that works? If you have been giving him sex without commitment all along, allowing him the benefit of your luscious body before he returns to his family at night, why would he suddenly want to change that? No one changes a working formula. A cheating man would always want to continue enjoying the best of both worlds. Why disrupt that? In This Story: #Cheating #Married #Men #Wives #Side #chicks Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Posted: 19 Apr 2019 10:30 PM PDT
Things like "all men cheat," and "women only want money" are well-known mantras; generalisations that the average Nigerian has heard over and over again. Due to its repeated usage, and also because of the relationship stories you may have come across, you may be fooled into thinking that there's a truth to these things. In reality, what you'll find is actually a different thing altogether, and the earlier you realise this, the better for you and your relationship, be it ongoing or forthcoming. The relationship generalisations above, and the many others that you know are not exactly hasty, because truly, many experiences may have necessitated them. However, as much as we can't discredit previous experiences people may have had in relationships, it is also not OK to be prejudiced against people in the future without even giving them a chance to express themselves.  So and so people like sex too much. This and that kind of men are cheats and will surely break your heart. Women from so and so can smell money from a mile away. Men from here are bad fathers, women from there are concubine-keepers, yada yada yada. The list goes on and on about the things certain people will do and not do to you but you cannot allow this sole thing determine how you approach relationships. People can't be judged by generalisations about people of their kind, just as books can't be judged by their covers. Even while in relationships, you need to relate with your partner based on their personalities and not based off what you think people like them like or dislike. People are absolutely different and as you must have heard, what pleases this person may not rock the other person's boat in any way, even though they may share cultural, gender, locational and even physical similarities. Until you have given someone a chance to prove their character, you can't tell if he or she will make a bad partner. And because relationships are deeply personal things involving only two people, basing your judgement of a person on anything independent of him or her is nothing but unfair. And that's exactly what you should do. Always. In This Story: #Men #Cheat #Women #Money #Mentality #Generalisations #Dating Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Dear Men, Cooking is not what makes a Woman a Wife! Posted: 19 Apr 2019 10:00 PM PDT
The list of things you would need to keep a man [or woman] seems quite endless, if articles and videos and other modes of giving relationship advice are considered. One of such advice, one which has been floated and posted and told and retold to women over the years is that 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.' To impress, get and keep a man, just feed him; the belief goes. Till date, it remains one of the most popular relationship things people say. But is that really the case? Do you really get to a man's heart through his stomach?  Easily, the answer to that, in my opinion, is a no. There are many misguided love advice and relationship myths out there and it is on those lists that this belief belongs, rather than on the list of useful tips to finding love and keeping a really healthy relationship. As good as your culinary skills are, it won't take away glaring incompatibilities, character defects, toxic behaviours, and an inability to communicate properly. It also will not accrue to you as other great characters needed to maintain a relationship. Cooking skills are good and will come in handy in the relationship if you choose to put them to use, but to pin all your hopes on those skills in your quest for a longlasting relationship is unwise. Your good meal will only get as far into the man's stomach. You won't get into his heart as you hoped if you lack other more important relationship traits. It is to these things – compatibility commitment, faithfulness, emotional intelligence, excellence of character, etc - that the best men pay higher attention to, not your ability to make a tasty meal [out of #500.] In This Story: #Dear #Men #Cooking #Woman #Wife Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Ayokunle, CAN President, Under Criticism For Allegedly “giving Buhari’s Money” To Boko Haram Victims Posted: 19 Apr 2019 04:26 PM PDT
A coalition of over 500 Christian organisations in Nigeria have rejected what they described as "blood money given to the families of the victims killed by Boko Haram members and other insurgents" in the Northeast by the embattled President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Rev. Samson Supo Ayokunle.The coalition argued that since the money may have been proceeds of what the CAN Presisent got from his regular visits to President Muhammadu Buhari and other politicians, they were rejecting it because the Presidency was not concerned over the killing and persecution of Christians in Nigeria.The resolutions of the over 500 Christian groups was contained in a communique entitled "The CAN President: A Kingdom Personal Non-Grata! You are not welcome here!", issued in Abuja on Friday after their emergency meeting held at the national secretariat of CAN.The communique was signed by the President, Arewa Christians and Indigenous Pastors Association, ACIPA, Rev. Luke Shehu; President, Coalition of Christians Groups for Good Governance – Nigeria and Diaspora, COCGOG, Engr. Daniel Kadzai; President, Patriotic Christian Youths of Nigeria, PCYN, Evangelist Timothy Nasso; Spokesperson, Arise Christian Network, Pastor Joseph Zephaniah and President, Christian Youths Integrity Group, Godwin Yilpina.The communique reads, "The blood of the believers killed in the North East are crying against the visit of Samson Supo Ayokunle. Please, we advise you to do the noble, this week like Judas whom you typified in the Church of Christ in Nigeria, lay down the money earned through conspiracy against the Christian faith and resign."You will do well, Sir, to let us know, if the CAN National Executive Council (NEC) or College of Bishops, met over your visit to make provision for funds which has enabled you to donate rice. Or is it a bread of affliction? "Our people are determined not to partake in the licking of fingers dipped in the blood of our brethren. Money gotten from conspiracy against our faith is blood money and we will never be part of it. Tell us the value that commanded your congratulatory message, and resign now!" They wondered why the CAN President would decide to visit the North East, North Central and North West, barely one month to the Presidential Election in CAN, describing it as political, but had refused to visit the family of Leah Sharibu who had been held in Boko Haram captivity for more than one year. Leah Sharibu was one of the 110 female students of Government Girls' Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, who had been held in captivity since February 19, 2018 by Boko Haram terrorists on account of her Christian faith. The coalition added, "It was a week like this that Judas kissed Jesus, have you (Ayokunle) come like Judas to kiss us in your desperation to remain in office? But Judas came to himself after he realised it was wrong for him to have sold Jesus for 30 shekels of silver. For how much was the christians in Nigeria sold? "The President of CAN will need to clarify where the money he lavishly spent during his visit to the North East is coming from. Is it part of the reward of congratulating our persecutor (Buhari), the man under whose watch as the President, Christians are maimed, killed, livelihoods destroyed and are sacked from their homes? "Today, the church has witnessed the highest number of Christians living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps under the supervision of Rev. Samson Supo Ayokunle. "There is a man who will forever be remembered by Christians for his treachery: He is Rev. Samson Supo Ayokunle, the President of CAN, the Judas Iscariot of our time. No wonder he chose to embark on tour across Northern Nigeria ahead of Easter. "The CAN President has betrayed not only the Nigeria Christians but also believers all over the world who are praying for the persecuted Christians and deeply touched by heinous killings of Christians in Nigeria "We are shocked! It was bad enough that the CAN President has battered our sacred institutions. CAN under his leadership is characterised by stinking corruption and terrible immorality amongst the officials. But the sad reality is that he has aligned himself with our tormentors just for money and relevance. "It is almost unthinkable that the CAN President can embark on a campaign visit to the North East, one month to the expiration of his troublesome tenure in office. Where was he when Christians are being abducted on daily basis, maimed and brutally murdered in the North East: Adamawa, Borno, Yobe and North Central: Benue, Plateau, Taraba, Nasarawa and also Kaduna and Zamfara in the North West? "While Christian organisations and leaders like ECWA, ACIPA, CNNC and others visited the parents of the abducted Dapchi school girl, Leah Sharibu to pray with and encourage them, the CAN President chose to look the side and was busy negotiating visits to Aso Rock. "Why is he coming few days to National Elections of CAN, when he has failed woefully and refused to constitute the Electoral College one month to the election? "It is imperative to mention the failure of Ayokunle, in uniting Nigerian Christians at the most desperate time of their needs. Also, his total disregard and disrespect for the denominational heads as spiritual leaders and Nigeria Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) is the most greatest disservice and dishonour to the body of Christ and ecclesiastical hierarchy in Nigeria. "He is not welcome, because he has brought us down and caused so much embarrassment to the body of Christ over his corrupt behaviour. He is an ethnic bigot who has turned CAN into Yoruba and Baptist affairs. Whoever is in doubt should find out the people on his entourage each time he travels or go bootlicking in Aso villa. He must not contemplate contesting the election because he has failed his church, Baptist and the Church in Nigeria." In This Story: #CANPresident #Buhari #RevAyokunle #BokoHaram Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Biafra: IPOB Reacts To Murder Of Prophet Nwoko, Those Responsible Posted: 19 Apr 2019 04:09 PM PDT
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has reacted to the murder of its member, Prophet Anthony Nwoko.It was reported on Friday that Prophet Nwoko was murdered in his Enugu home.Prior to his death, the devoted IPOB member had alleged series of threat to his life and also announced his sour relationship with Nnamdi Kanu, the IPOB leader.In a statement on Friday by the Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Emma Powerful, the group said "If the motive behind the sponsored news announcing the unfortunate demise of the Enugu based freelance 'prophet' Anthony Nwoko and his previous association with our leader, is to dampen or deflect attention from the earth shattering worldwide broadcast scheduled for Saturday April 20, 2019 on Radio Biafra, then they better be informed that their plans have failed woefully, Daily Post reports."Our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will broadcast, that mankind may know the evil that Nigeria has become. This diversionary tactics of planting a sensational story in APC sympathetic newspapers is meaningless and will never work."Who ever it was within the Nigerian security apparatus that dreamt up this ruse is a colossal failure because we IPOB have faced worse and come out stronger. "Should independent autopsy confirm any foul play in the reported death of Anthony Nwoko, then DSS and Army will be held accountable. Their recent spate of abductions and killings across Biafraland is proof, if any is needed, that they would commit whatever atrocity they can, in the hope of implicating IPOB. "We mourn the loss of every Biafran and in this regard we remember those shot dead in Asaba a few days ago on Monday 15 April, recent victims of Fulani terrorist attacks in Anambra, Delta and Abia. Our heart also go out to those unlawfully incarcerated for the unspeakable crimes at a Catholic Church in Ozubulu who have only two days ago regained their freedom. "IPOB is well aware that Nigerian government and her security agencies will go to any length to stain our unimpeachable reputation in the hope of using it as a cover to continue their ongoing unreported war against IPOB. "The media should be mindful not to prejudice the uninvestigated circumstances surrounding the passing of Anthony Nwoko in order not to become unwitting agents of dark forces that wish to tarnish the image of IPOB at any given opportunity. "As a movement rooted in the principles of democratic values and all it entails, IPOB will always welcome criticisms from all quarters because the Biafra we are seeking to build will be an open tolerant society. "We must however caution that Biafrans should be mindful of the opportunities their perceived hostility towards Biafra liberation might present to those seeking to exploit it for the benefit of the Fulani 'One Nigeria' caliphate agenda. "Enemies of Biafra within and outside the East will seek out every available avenue to damage the stellar standing of IPOB and her leadership and they will never ever stop until we recognise the danger they pose to us all. "If this APC demonic dictatorship had their way, they would have blamed IPOB for the sacking and conviction of Onnoghen in order to engineer enmity between South East and South South. Nothing is beyond them in their desperation to subdue every opposition. "We will flush out Jubril Al-Sudani the great impostor from Aso Rock. He must provide his DNA and face charges of high crimes and misdemeanours alongside Abba Kyari and the rest. Nothing our enemies does, even with the help of a media that doesn't investigate stories, will stop IPOB from liberating Biafra from the shackles of damnation and iniquity that Nigeria has come to represent." In This Story: #IPOB #ProphetNwoko, #Biafra Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Buhari Commended By Reno Omokri Posted: 19 Apr 2019 03:51 PM PDT
Ex-aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for signing the Minimum Wage Repeal and Reenactment Bill into law.Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters(Senate), Senator Ita Enang, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.The Senate had on March 19, approved N30, 000 as the new national minimum wage, with an appeal to the Federal Government to expedite action on assent and implementation.Reacting, Omokri who is a staunch critic of the Buhari led administration said the President showed good leadership by signing the bill, Daily Post reports.He tweeted , "I commend President @MBuhari for signing the Minimum Wage Repeal and Reenactment Bill into law. He had no need to do it, since the elections are over (but the court case is NOT), but he did it all the same."That is an act of good leadership on his part and I appreciate him for it." In This Story: #Buhari #RenoOmokri #MinimumWageBill Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Senator Ademola Adeleke Sends Message To Osun People Posted: 19 Apr 2019 03:36 PM PDT
Senator Ademola Adeleke has sent his Easter message to the people of Osun State to imbibe the spirit of selflessness, which is the hallmark of Easter celebration.The Senator and the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2018 Osun election, in a statement issued on the occasion of Easter celebration, recalled the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the salvation of humanity, calling for re-dedication of all for the revival, redemption and enlightenment of humanity.The statement was signed by Olawale Rasheed, the spokesperson for Senator Ademola Adeleke, Daily Post reports."I warmly felicitate with our Christian brethren on this significantly crucial annual celebration of Easter season. This is a time for introspection and re-committment to spiritual rejuvenation of humanity. Our Lord Jesus sacrificed himself for our salvation."We must not just celebrate but we must imbibe the lesson of this bitter but divine period. We must offer selfless service wherever we are. All act of kindness deepen our closeness to God and reaffirm our faith in our creator. We should never be tired of sacrificing our personal comfort for the good of humanity", Senator Adeleke said.While specifically referring to Osun state, Senator Adeleke pointed at the great sacrifice of the people under human oppression, positing that "salvation is knocking at the door as long as we keep faith in the power of Almighty God to liberate the state. "Our Lord Jesus Christ surrendered his life so that we can be saved. That is a message to us all that after pains come relief. I appeal to us to remain prayerful and persistent in our reliance on God. Happy Easter celebrations", the statement concluded. In This Story: #SenatorAdeleke #OsunState #Easter Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| PDP Governorship Candidate In Kano, Yusuf Wins In Court Posted: 19 Apr 2019 02:48 PM PDT
A Court of Appeal sitting in Kaduna has upheld the appeal filed by Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, which challenged a Federal High Court order that sacked him as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)'s governorship candidate in Kano state.Justice Tanko Hussaini, while delivering the judgement on Thursday, stated that the Federal High Court judge erred in law by assuming jurisdiction without the plaintiff, Ibrahim Little, joining the necessary party, Abba Yusuf.Little, had approached the court, challenging the process that led to the emergence of Yusuf as gubernatorial candidate of the opposition party in Kano, saying Mr Yusuf emerged as a candidate through an unlawful process, Daily Post reports.On March 4, a Federal High Court sitting in Kano nullified the governorship candidacy of Abba Yusuf on the platform of the PDP.The presiding judge of the High Court, Lewis Allagoa, ruled that the PDP did not conduct governorship primary election in the state.However, Justice Hussaini of the Appeal Court revealed that Little lacked locus standi to institute action challenging the process that he did not participate in. In This Story: #Yussuf #KanoPDP #AppealCourt Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Nigerians Have Better Days Ahead – Fayose Posted: 19 Apr 2019 01:57 PM PDT
Mr Ayodele Fayose, the immediate past governor of Ekiti State, on Friday urged Nigerians not to give up on the country in the spirit of Easter.Rather, he asked Nigerians to keep hope alive on whatever challenges they are presently facing in the nation.In the ex-governor's Easter message released in Ado-Ekiti by his media aide, Lere Olayinka, the former governor said that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ had given mankind the hope that no situation was beyond the divine power of God.Fayose also urged Nigerians to stand for the truth at all times, adding that only this could exalt a nation."That our Lord Jesus Christ never gave up on his mission for our salvation despite the betrayals, humiliation and persecution is the reason we must never give up on our country, Nigeria"By raising His son, Jesus, God Himself has established and secured our hope for a better tomorrow. "Therefore, in the spirit of Easter, we must let our hope in Nigeria be as alive as Jesus Christ," former governor said. In This Story: #Fayose #Easter #Nigeria Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| President Vacates Office Because Of Snakes Posted: 19 Apr 2019 12:58 PM PDT
Snakes have chased Liberian President, George Weah out of office.Python snakes chase President Weah out of office, forcing him to work from his private residence, the BBC reports.Smith Toby, the President's Press Secretary, told the BBC that on Wednesday two black snakes were found in the foreign affairs ministry building, site of the official office.All staff have been told to stay away until 22 April."It's just to make sure that crawling and creeping things get fumigated from the building," Mr Toby said."The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosts the office of the president, so it did an internal memo asking the staff to stay home while they do the fumigation," he said. "The snakes were never killed," Mr. Toby said, "There was a little hole somewhere [through which] they made their way back." Police and presidential security were seen guarding Weah's residence in the capital, Monrovia. A fleet of vehicles including escorts jeeps were parked outside. Mr. Toby said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs started to fumigate on Friday. "That building's been there for years now, and [because of] the drainage system, the possibility of having things like snakes crawling in that building was high," he said. The president is definitely returning to his office on Monday after the fumigation whether or not the snakes are found and killed, Mr. Toby said. In This Story: #PresidentGeorgeWeah #Liberia #Snakes Sharing is caring. Share this story  | ||
| Utomi, SERAP, lawyers preach integrity as Onnoghen is convicted Posted: 19 Apr 2019 05:55 AM PDT  The need for integrity in the judiciary and other sectors of public life dominated discourse yesterday as the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) found ex-Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Walter Onnoghen guilty of concealing assets. Integrity among public officials important, say Utomi, lawyers A Professor of Political Economics, Pat Utomi, has called for integrity among public officers in the interest of nation-building and unity. He reacted to yesterday's conviction of ex-Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, of breach of Code of Conduct for public officers. The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) chaired by Danladi Umar convicted Onnoghen, 68, and ordered his immediate removal as the CJN. The CCT stripped him of all offices he occupied, such as the Chairman of the National Judicial Council and Chairman of the Federal Judicial Service Commission. The tribunal also ordered the forfeiture of money in five accounts which Onnoghen failed to declare as part of his assets. The tribunal equally ordered that he should not hold any public office for 10 years. In an interview with NAN, Utomi said: "The times suggest that the point that we have always made about the importance of integrity is critical for nation building and individual sense of unity." Mr Wale Ogunade, a lawyer and the President of Voters Awareness Initiative (VAI), said that Onnoghen's conviction showed that no one should be above the law. He urged that corruption investigations should not be politicised. He said: "For such a step to be taken against a high ranking official, particularly against the head of the judiciary, then there is smoke behind the fire, I knew something was wrong and, indeed, he was found guilty. "I was convinced that he was guilty when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) wrote a petition to the National Judicial Council (NJC) which recommended his resignation and so on. "I was one of those who suggested, when he started, that he should eat the humble pie and resign as an honourable man but unfortunately he allowed himself to be misled by his kinsmen who believed that it was politics. "Law and politics are like water and oil, there is no way you can mix the two, the law will always stand and politics will fall like what you have seen. "It also shows that there is no sacred cow; those who think they are above the law now know they are under the law, it does not matter that you are the chief law officer." SERAP urges CCB to release details of assets of ex-presidents, ex-governors Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has requested the Chairman, Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) Dr Muhammed Isah, to provide information on specific details of asset declarations submitted to the bureau by successive presidents and state governors since the return of democracy in 1999. SERAP is seeking information on: "details of asset declarations by successive presidents and state governors between 1999 and 2019, including details of declarations made immediately after taking offices and thereafter, and for those who have left public offices, at the end of their term of office. Information is also sought on the number of asset declarations so far verified by the CCB and the number of those declarations found to be false and deemed to be in breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, by the Bureau." It urged the CCB to disclose, by publishing on a dedicated website, details of asset declarations submitted by presidents and state governors since the return of democracy in 1999; details on the number of asset declarations so far verified by the CCB and the number of those declarations found to be false and deemed to be a breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers by the Bureau. It also asked the bureau to take cases of false asset declarations to the Code of Conduct Tribunal for effective prosecution of suspects, and include banning the politicians involved from holding public offices for at least a period of 10 years and seeking refund of stolen public funds as part of the reliefs to be sought before the Tribunal. The request was made under the Freedom of Information Act dated April 18, 2019, and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare. SERAP gave the CCB 14 days within which to grant its request, failure of which it said its Registered Trustees would take all appropriate legal action under the Freedom of Information Act to compel you to comply with our request. The organisation said it welcomed the judgment by the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Justice Walter Onnoghen. "We now urge the CCB to the extent its mandates to enforce constitutional provisions on asset declarations by public officers to cover elected officers and to vigorously pursue the prosecution of any such officers who use their powers either as presidents or state governors over public funds to enrich themselves. "While judicial corruption is bad, the level of corruption involving many politicians since 1999 and the entrenched culture of impunity of perpetrators is equally appalling. Publishing the asset declarations of elected public officers since the return of democracy in 1999 to date would improve public trust in the ability of the Bureau to effectively discharge its mandates. This would, in turn, put pressure on public officers like presidents and state governors to make a voluntary public declaration of their assets." The request further read in part: "SERAP is concerned that many politicians hide behind the fact that members of the public do not have access to their asset declarations to make false declarations, and to cover up assets illegally acquired in corruption or abuse of office. The CCB can use the opportunity presented by the Onnoghen judgment to increase the accountability of politicians through the asset declaration provisions if it is not to be accused of witch-hunting the judiciary. "The persistent refusal by successive presidents and state governors to make public their asset declarations is entirely inconsistent with the letter and spirit of the 1999 Constitution and has been particularly harmful to the country and its people, especially given the widespread evidence of grand corruption among politicians holding public offices in Nigeria. "The Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended) seeks to prevent corruption and abuse of office through its provisions on the declaration of assets not just by judicial officers but by all public officers including elected officers like presidents and governors. "Nigerians can longer accept the excuse by high-ranking government officers that declaring their assets before the CCB is enough, as such pretext is not supported by the oaths of office by elected public officers. The failure by successive presidents and state governors to voluntarily make public their asset declarations would seem to suggest that they have something to hide. "Given that many public officers being tried for or convicted of corruption are found to have made a false declaration of their assets, the CCB should no longer allow politicians to undermine the sanctity and integrity of the asset declaration provisions of the Constitution by allowing them to continue to exploit legal gaps for illicit enrichment." "SERAP believes that while elected public officers may not be constitutionally obliged to publicly declare their assets, the Freedom of Information Act 2011 has now provided the mechanism for the CCB to improve transparency and accountability of asset declarations by elected public officers." "Asset declaration forms are public documents within the meaning of section 109 of the Evidence Act, and therefore, Nigerians are entitled to have access to such information. SERAP urges the CCB to vigorously push for change in the law to provide penal sanctions for politicians that fail to make public their asset declarations." "SERAP notes that provisions on the declaration of assets by all public officers in Nigeria are entrenched in the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, contained in Part I of the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Nigerian Constitution. The primary objective is to prevent corruption and abuse of office and to ensure transparency in public officers. "SERAP also notes that public officers for the purposes of the Code include the President and the Vice-President of the Federation, state governors and their deputies; the President and Deputy-President of the Senate, the Speaker and Deputy-Speaker of the House of Representatives and Speakers, the Chief justice of Nigeria, justices of the Supreme Court, the President and justices of the Court of Appeal, and other judicial officers and all staff of courts of law." Onnoghen's conviction good for judiciary, says ex-UN chief A senior lawyer and multilateral diplomat, Dr. Babafemi Badejo, said the conviction of Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen by the Code of Conduct Tribunal was good for the Judiciary. He urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to stop at Onnoghen but to remove other corrupt judges. Badejo, a former Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, said: "The conviction of a serving Chief Justice of Nigeria is a sad day in the annals of Nigerian history. "It is a precedent that does not augur well for the entire nation within the community of nations. "If the Chief Arbiter with respect to justice has been shown to be corrupt, then the world would rightly continue to see most of us as corrupt. "Judges are everywhere expected to live for higher ideals and should not to be chasing the same day to day crass materialism and have the same moral yardstick as the thieves who claim to be our leaders." Badejo, a former University of Lagos don, now a consultant to the African Union, said the judiciary's image needed redemption. "All Nigerians should support the position of the Ebun Sofunde Group of 20 SANs. "We need to redeem our image as a nation by seeing the conviction of Walter Onnoghen as a necessary sacrifice for cleaning up the sins of our country. "President Buhari, as I said earlier and supported by the 20 SANs, should not stop at Walter Onnoghen alone. "To let ago because Onnoghen has been removed would be unfair to the nation. It would be injustice. "The President needs to give a free hand to the institutions we have to clean up the Supreme Court and promote new clean judges to replace corrupt ones. "Onnoghen should be a clear indication to the world that President Buhari is not partial. "He should carry out the promises he has been making to Nigeria of giving the example of good clean governance for Nigeria and Africa," Badejo added. Share This Story. 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| Defection: Court sacks Ebonyi Senator Posted: 19 Apr 2019 05:47 AM PDT
Justice Akintola Aluko of the Federal High Court in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, has sacked Senator Sonni Ogbuoji (Ebonyi South) and ordered him to vacate the seat immediately. The court held that Ogbuoji, by defecting from the party on whose platform he was elected, flouted Section 68(1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution. The court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw his Certificate of Return and to immediately conduct a fresh election to fill the seat. Ogbuoji was also ordered to refund all monies – salaries, allowances or any order form of payment he may have received as benefits from the date of his defection to the coffers of government. Section 68(1) (g) says that "a member of Senate or House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House if being a person whose election to the house was sponsored by another political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that house was elected. Provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party which he was previously a member, or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored". In other words, any lawmaker who defects to another party when the party on whose platform he was elected was not undergoing any form of crisis, or was not part of a merger with two or more parties, shall vacate his seat. Justice Aluko, in the 71-page judgment, held that Ogbuoji, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2018, flouted the above section of the Constitution. The suit was filed by Evo Ogbonnaya Anegu, Oti Ama Ude, Uche Richard Ajali, Una Sunday Okoro and Simon Ajali Ogbadu for themselves and on behalf of members of the PDP in Ebonyi South. They sued Ogbuoji and INEC, asking the court to declare Ogbuoji's seat vacant for defecting to the APC when there was no crisis or division in the PDP. They also prayed the court to order the Ogbuoji to refund all monies paid to him since January 2018 when he defected to the APC. But Ogbuoji, in his defence, claimed that he resigned his membership of the PDP on January 27, 2017, and not January 2018 as claimed by the applicants. He noted that the crisis in the party was finally resolved in July 2017 by the Supreme Court but he had resigned his membership via a letter submitted to the PDP Secretary of his Ebunwana Ward, Ukpo Regina Agwu, in January 27, 2017. But the plaintiffs countered by providing evidence that Regina Ukpo was not the Secretary of the Ward at the time the letter was allegedly given to her, as she had been by expelled by the party on January 23, 2017. They also argued with evidence that Ogbuoji, who claimed to have left the PDP in January 2017, participated in the non-elective and elective congresses in August and December 2017 as a delegate. The court, in its findings, said there were discrepancies in the evidences provided by Ogbuoji which rendered them unreliable and doubtful. Sharing Is Caring. Share This Story  | ||
| Utomi, SERAP, lawyers preach integrity as Onnoghen is convicted Posted: 19 Apr 2019 05:27 AM PDT  The need for integrity in the judiciary and other sectors of public life dominated discourse yesterday as the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) found ex-Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Walter Onnoghen guilty of concealing assets. Integrity among public officials important, say Utomi, lawyers A Professor of Political Economics, Pat Utomi, has called for integrity among public officers in the interest of nation-building and unity. He reacted to yesterday's conviction of ex-Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, of breach of Code of Conduct for public officers. The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) chaired by Danladi Umar convicted Onnoghen, 68, and ordered his immediate removal as the CJN. The CCT stripped him of all offices he occupied, such as the Chairman of the National Judicial Council and Chairman of the Federal Judicial Service Commission. The tribunal also ordered the forfeiture of money in five accounts which Onnoghen failed to declare as part of his assets. The tribunal equally ordered that he should not hold any public office for 10 years. In an interview with NAN, Utomi said: "The times suggest that the point that we have always made about the importance of integrity is critical for nation building and individual sense of unity." Mr Wale Ogunade, a lawyer and the President of Voters Awareness Initiative (VAI), said that Onnoghen's conviction showed that no one should be above the law. He urged that corruption investigations should not be politicised. He said: "For such a step to be taken against a high ranking official, particularly against the head of the judiciary, then there is smoke behind the fire, I knew something was wrong and, indeed, he was found guilty. "I was convinced that he was guilty when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) wrote a petition to the National Judicial Council (NJC) which recommended his resignation and so on. "I was one of those who suggested, when he started, that he should eat the humble pie and resign as an honourable man but unfortunately he allowed himself to be misled by his kinsmen who believed that it was politics. "Law and politics are like water and oil, there is no way you can mix the two, the law will always stand and politics will fall like what you have seen. "It also shows that there is no sacred cow; those who think they are above the law now know they are under the law, it does not matter that you are the chief law officer." SERAP urges CCB to release details of assets of ex-presidents, ex-governors Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has requested the Chairman, Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) Dr Muhammed Isah, to provide information on specific details of asset declarations submitted to the bureau by successive presidents and state governors since the return of democracy in 1999. SERAP is seeking information on: "details of asset declarations by successive presidents and state governors between 1999 and 2019, including details of declarations made immediately after taking offices and thereafter, and for those who have left public offices, at the end of their term of office. Information is also sought on the number of asset declarations so far verified by the CCB and the number of those declarations found to be false and deemed to be in breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, by the Bureau." It urged the CCB to disclose, by publishing on a dedicated website, details of asset declarations submitted by presidents and state governors since the return of democracy in 1999; details on the number of asset declarations so far verified by the CCB and the number of those declarations found to be false and deemed to be a breach of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers by the Bureau. It also asked the bureau to take cases of false asset declarations to the Code of Conduct Tribunal for effective prosecution of suspects, and include banning the politicians involved from holding public offices for at least a period of 10 years and seeking refund of stolen public funds as part of the reliefs to be sought before the Tribunal. The request was made under the Freedom of Information Act dated April 18, 2019, and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare. SERAP gave the CCB 14 days within which to grant its request, failure of which it said its Registered Trustees would take all appropriate legal action under the Freedom of Information Act to compel you to comply with our request. The organisation said it welcomed the judgment by the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Justice Walter Onnoghen. "We now urge the CCB to the extent its mandates to enforce constitutional provisions on asset declarations by public officers to cover elected officers and to vigorously pursue the prosecution of any such officers who use their powers either as presidents or state governors over public funds to enrich themselves. "While judicial corruption is bad, the level of corruption involving many politicians since 1999 and the entrenched culture of impunity of perpetrators is equally appalling. Publishing the asset declarations of elected public officers since the return of democracy in 1999 to date would improve public trust in the ability of the Bureau to effectively discharge its mandates. This would, in turn, put pressure on public officers like presidents and state governors to make a voluntary public declaration of their assets." The request further read in part: "SERAP is concerned that many politicians hide behind the fact that members of the public do not have access to their asset declarations to make false declarations, and to cover up assets illegally acquired in corruption or abuse of office. The CCB can use the opportunity presented by the Onnoghen judgment to increase the accountability of politicians through the asset declaration provisions if it is not to be accused of witch-hunting the judiciary. "The persistent refusal by successive presidents and state governors to make public their asset declarations is entirely inconsistent with the letter and spirit of the 1999 Constitution and has been particularly harmful to the country and its people, especially given the widespread evidence of grand corruption among politicians holding public offices in Nigeria. "The Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended) seeks to prevent corruption and abuse of office through its provisions on the declaration of assets not just by judicial officers but by all public officers including elected officers like presidents and governors. "Nigerians can longer accept the excuse by high-ranking government officers that declaring their assets before the CCB is enough, as such pretext is not supported by the oaths of office by elected public officers. The failure by successive presidents and state governors to voluntarily make public their asset declarations would seem to suggest that they have something to hide. "Given that many public officers being tried for or convicted of corruption are found to have made a false declaration of their assets, the CCB should no longer allow politicians to undermine the sanctity and integrity of the asset declaration provisions of the Constitution by allowing them to continue to exploit legal gaps for illicit enrichment." "SERAP believes that while elected public officers may not be constitutionally obliged to publicly declare their assets, the Freedom of Information Act 2011 has now provided the mechanism for the CCB to improve transparency and accountability of asset declarations by elected public officers." "Asset declaration forms are public documents within the meaning of section 109 of the Evidence Act, and therefore, Nigerians are entitled to have access to such information. SERAP urges the CCB to vigorously push for change in the law to provide penal sanctions for politicians that fail to make public their asset declarations." "SERAP notes that provisions on the declaration of assets by all public officers in Nigeria are entrenched in the Code of Conduct for Public Officers, contained in Part I of the Fifth Schedule to the 1999 Nigerian Constitution. The primary objective is to prevent corruption and abuse of office and to ensure transparency in public officers. "SERAP also notes that public officers for the purposes of the Code include the President and the Vice-President of the Federation, state governors and their deputies; the President and Deputy-President of the Senate, the Speaker and Deputy-Speaker of the House of Representatives and Speakers, the Chief justice of Nigeria, justices of the Supreme Court, the President and justices of the Court of Appeal, and other judicial officers and all staff of courts of law." Onnoghen's conviction good for judiciary, says ex-UN chief A senior lawyer and multilateral diplomat, Dr. Babafemi Badejo, said the conviction of Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen by the Code of Conduct Tribunal was good for the Judiciary. He urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to stop at Onnoghen but to remove other corrupt judges. Badejo, a former Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, said: "The conviction of a serving Chief Justice of Nigeria is a sad day in the annals of Nigerian history. "It is a precedent that does not augur well for the entire nation within the community of nations. "If the Chief Arbiter with respect to justice has been shown to be corrupt, then the world would rightly continue to see most of us as corrupt. "Judges are everywhere expected to live for higher ideals and should not to be chasing the same day to day crass materialism and have the same moral yardstick as the thieves who claim to be our leaders." Badejo, a former University of Lagos don, now a consultant to the African Union, said the judiciary's image needed redemption. "All Nigerians should support the position of the Ebun Sofunde Group of 20 SANs. "We need to redeem our image as a nation by seeing the conviction of Walter Onnoghen as a necessary sacrifice for cleaning up the sins of our country. "President Buhari, as I said earlier and supported by the 20 SANs, should not stop at Walter Onnoghen alone. "To let ago because Onnoghen has been removed would be unfair to the nation. It would be injustice. "The President needs to give a free hand to the institutions we have to clean up the Supreme Court and promote new clean judges to replace corrupt ones. "Onnoghen should be a clear indication to the world that President Buhari is not partial. "He should carry out the promises he has been making to Nigeria of giving the example of good clean governance for Nigeria and Africa," Badejo added. Sharing Is Caring. 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| Navy transfers suspects, weapons to INTERPOL Posted: 19 Apr 2019 05:20 AM PDT
The Nigerian Navy (NN) yesterday handed over the nine suspects arrested on board a service boat, SEA ANGEL 3, four firearms, ammunition and other exhibits recovered to the International Police (INTERPOL). Three Greeks, an American and five Nigerians were on Sunday arrested on the boat during a joint naval operation between Nigerian and United States (US) navies within the nation's western waters. Handing over the suspects to Deputy Commissioner of Police INTERPOL, Lagos Command, Tunji Akingbola, the Officer in-charge of Tactical Command (OTC), Commodore Dickson Olisemenogor, said the captain of the boat had lied during radio interrogation that there were only five Nigerians on board, only for the special forces to discover that there were white men as well as MI-1 rifles and over 1,000 ammunition. Olisemenogor said: "Before now, we went out there to make arrest and we handed over to relevant agencies, but the activities of these criminals have continued unabated. "This time, we made a detailed search and interrogation of ships at sea. When we interrogated the captain and crew members, they made us believe that there were only five Nigerians on board. "The boat was painted in navy colour, and this aroused our suspicion. They were not shining their electronic gadget at sea, which will indicate their position, as stipulated by the International Maritime Organisation. This attracted our attention. "We boarded and discovered that there were more than five persons on board. There were five Nigerians, three Greeks and an American. "Further search on the boat revealed that they had four MI rifles that can do anything at sea and over 1000 rounds of ammunition with them, as well as various military kits. "What they are doing on our waters, we do not know. We are handing over the suspects, exhibits and boats to the Nigeria Police." DCP Akingbola, who said he was directed by the acting Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, to take over the suspects and exhibits, added that the police would begin investigation immediately. He said the police would write the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to ascertain the immigration status of the suspects, adding that findings would be made public. Sharing Is Caring. Share This Story  | ||
| Fed Govt to divest 60% stake in BoA Posted: 19 Apr 2019 05:11 AM PDT  The Federal Government yesterday said it will divest 60 per cent of its stakes in the Bank of Agriculture (BoA) as part of plans to restructure the lender. The Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Alex A. Okoh, who spoke at the meeting for the recapitalisation of the bank in Abuja, said the bank has been performing sub-optimally due to the myriad of challenges it faced since inception in 1972. He said: "The process will lead to the privatisation of equity of the bank.We envisage that the Central Bank equity will be reduced to 20 per cent, Federal Ministry of Finance (incorporated) will be reduced to 20 per cent.The government agencies equity in the new bank will be a minority of 40 per cent. We will then invite private sector investors who will own 20 per cent and the remaining 40 per cent equity will be owned by farmers and farmers' cooperatives," he said in a statement endorsed by Head, Public Communications, BPE, Amina Tukur Othman. Okoh said the new strategy envisages that bank will be transformed into a truly agriculture finance bank modeled along the lines of Agriculture Bank of China and Rabobank of the Netherlands. He said upon its establishment in 1972 to serve as an agricultural and cooperative bank to provide services of a development finance institution, it was vested with the responsibility of providing low cost credit to small holder and commercial farmers. He, however, lamented that the bank had been unable to realise its responsibilities due to its current structure, stressing that the proposed restructuring and recapitalisation of the bank seek to transform it strictly into an agricultural finance bank with functional branches in all the local government areas and major towns in the country. The Director-General said the model was sure to encourage farmers to form clusters of cooperatives and thrift societies throughout the six geo-political zones for the purpose of participating in the ownership of the Bank. Okoh added that the model would fundamentally ensure that the BoA becomes a farmers' bank owned by farmers. On the sustainability of the strategy and attracting investment, Okoh said measures would be put in place to take non-performing credit facilities off the balance sheet and books of the bank and possibly sold off to a factor agent. He said the measure was to make the bank attractive to investors and attract cheap funding from multilateral development institutions and other institutional investors with a focus on agricultural financing. Sharing Is Caring. Share This Story  | ||
| Cleric condoles Owo Kingdom over death of monarch Posted: 19 Apr 2019 05:05 AM PDT
Bishop Francis Wale Oke of the Sword of the Spirit Ministries has described late Olowo of Owo, Oba Victor Olateru-Olagbegi as a man who lived an exemplary and Godly life. Wale Oke in his condolence message to the people of Owo Kingdom and the Ondo State Government on the demise of the royal father who passed away at the age of 77 years, said the death was painful. He pointed out that the monarch contributed meaningfully to the development of his area and the state as well as the nation as a whole. While bemoaning that the royal father would be missed by all, Wale Oke prayed that God would uphold the people of his community and the state. Sharing Is Caring. Share This Story  | ||
| Court orders INEC to withdraw Buhari’s ex-aide Certificate–of- Return Posted: 19 Apr 2019 04:51 AM PDT
A Federal High Court sitting in Kano on Thursday disqualified AbdulRahman Kawu Sumaila as the elected representative of Sumaila/Takai federal constituency of Kano at the National Assembly. Shamsudeen Dambazau of the APC had sued INEC, APC and AbdulRahman Kawu Sumaila challenging the recognition of AbdulRahman Kawu Sumaila as the APC House of Representatives candidate for Sumaila/Takai federal constituency. The presiding judge, Justice Lewis Allagoa ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued Sumaila, ruling he was not the duly elected as a member of the House of Representatives member for Sumaila/Takai federal constituency. The court declared he did not participate in the primary election. The plaintiff in the suit, Shamsudeen Dambazau had approached the court, praying the nullification of Sumaila's recognition by INEC as duly elected as he never participated in the primary election of the party. He told the court through his Counsel, Barrister Nuraini Jimoh that AbdulRahman Kawu Sumaila contested for Kano South Senatorial seat at primary with Kabiru Gaya and lost the race. Justice Lewis Allagoa also ordered INEC to recognise Shamsudeen Dambazau as the duly elected House of Representative member representing for Sumaila/Takai federal constituency. Sumaila, who was represented by his Counsel, Barrister Muhammad Auwal Tofa declined to comment with journalists. However, Kawu popularly called Kawu Sumaila was the SSA to President Buhari on National Assembly House of Representatives Matters from 27 August 2015. He later resigned few months to 2019 general elections to contest for the contested federal constituency slot. Sharing Is Caring. Share This Story  | ||
| Adewale: George is killing Lagos PDP Posted: 19 Apr 2019 04:45 AM PDT
The dispute over Lagos PDP chairmanship, what is it all about? The last time we were fighting over the chairmanship of the Lagos PDP, we ended up resolving it through reconciliation by the national body. If you look at it very well, there was a judgment that sacked the Ali Modu Sherrif-led national executive. That judgment did not sack the Lagos State PDP chairman. So, those who took over merely wanted to control Lagos PDP. That is why we kept fighting over the party leadership in the state. When the national body resolved the problem on the Sherriff issue, it was an opportunity for Lagos PDP to right the wrong. Lagos is the only state where the PDP has not won governorship election. This is because of the leadership of Chief Bode George. He has never won election in his ward or local government, not to talk of the state. At the end of the day, the party's performance is getting worse. This is because the same set of people has been the ones running the show in Lagos PDP. They collect billions of naira from the national body every four years and always fail to deliver during elections. They make money through the sale of forms for local government election and others elections which run into millions of naira. I am the only chairman that has ever won six councillorship seats for the party in local government election. At the time, Bode George took Lagos PDP to Labour Party (LP). If not for personal agenda, why would he not call me and address me like a son: Adewale you cannot be chairman, but for the sake of our party let us unite. I even went as far as calling Moshood Salvador and relinquished the chairmanship to him for the sake of our party during the council election. Will the present battle resolve the problem? My battle with some elements in the party is that my tenure will end in 2021. The election that brought me in was transparent. But, after so much fighting, the national leadership reconciled us; they said Bode George should still be the PDP leader. For crying out loud, must they continue to give him the chairmanship every time? Under him, the party has never won any election in Lagos. Leadership should be based on performance and merit. With the number of years he has spent in the party, what is his performance? He has never achieved anything; they collect billions of naira every four years and share the money. They are not interested in whether the PDP wins election or not. But, we don't care; let them continue to collect the money. Things cannot continue this way, because Lagosians are tired. The PDP has put itself forward as opposition, yet they are not doing their job because they are aware that the people are really gullible. When South-south, Southeast people resident in Lagos vote for us, we waste their votes. These people are not compensated at the end of the day. The leadership of the PDP will not even call them to say we are sorry for trading your votes. I don't want this thing to continue, that is why I am fighting. I stepped down for Salvador after the reconciliation; there was no congress because the man who would have conducted the congress died. It was agreed that Bode George should provide 50 per cent of executive composition, I take 10 per cent, Aduke Maina 20 per cent and Agbaje 20 per cent; that was what happened. But, I gave my 10 per cent to Bode George, because I have reconciled with him. I did that because I was sure the party will not win as long as Bode George was in control. I had to move to Ekiti State to contest election there. So, what transpired in Ekiti? In Ekiti, I met another Bode George in Ayo Fayose, who insisted I could not contest election under the PDP. He said I could not contest, because I came from Lagos. But, I told him that my father is from Ekiti. He maintained that it was only Eleka that will fly the banner of the PDP in the state. At the end of the day, I had to contest on the platform of the Action Democratic Party (ADP). But, immediately after the election, I returned to the PDP with some of the people that went with me to the ADP. When I came back I gave those who went with me N1 million and said it was part of my contribution to the campaign for Atiku. I want to say that the selection of Adegbola Dominic as the chairman of our party is against our constitution. Is the PDP likely to overcome its challenge in Lagos? The party is united against Bode George. I make bold to say that he cannot win his ward and I am ready to put one million naira, if he wins his ward and N100 million if he wins his local government. He is working for the APC. I want to say that the moment he produces the next chairman, I will personally lead the campaign to support the APC in any coming election, because he is not serving the interest of those voting PDP in Lagos. Even when those supporting the PDP are facing persecution, but the party has never come up with any statement to denounce such uncivilized conduct meted out to its supporters. There has been accusations and counter accusations on why PDP failed in the 2019 governorship election… I am not saying that I was told, I witnessed it. Dominic himself came out openly to say that we did not work for Jimi Agbaje, because he did not give us money. The issue of money is the reason why we have been losing elections in Lagos. The money they were expecting did not come to them directly, so they decided to frustrate the election efforts of Agbaje. Agbaje on his part said I lost the election because they did not work for me. But, is that an excuse? He should have worked harder; his performance is getting poorer with each election. We must send Bode George on compulsory retirement. Let him collect all the billions and give us our freedom. I am making plans to seal the secretariat, because I am the authentic chairman. Sharing Is Caring. Share This Story  | ||
| ‘Agbaje’s attitude ruined PDP’s chances in Lagos’ Posted: 19 Apr 2019 04:34 AM PDT
The Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Mr Taofik Gani, spoke with Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN on the leadership crisis rocking the chapter, particularly the disbursement of campaign funds, the party's poor performance in the recent elections and its preparation for 2023. Why did Lagos PDP perform poorly in the recent general elections? I will not we had a poor outing. We were overwhelmed by the power of the ruling party, the APC, in Lagos State. They were extremely prepared to retain the state. There was no opportunity to improve on our campaign modus operandi, because of the overbearing or influence and control that the ruling party has over ordinary public opinion public moulders and many of the electorates. Specifically, we were faced with situations where we could not get to campaign or reach out to people in some areas. For instance, some royal fathers and chiefs were very hostile to many of our candidates for fear of being witch-hunted by the ruling party. Indeed, some government functionaries and royal fathers were bold enough to give support to some of our candidates. But, generally what played out was obvious desperate preparedness and bulldozer-like style of the APC in Lagos which overwhelmed our own planning. Unfortunately, the Lagos APC has experienced political haemorrhage and relaxation when few weeks to the start of real campaign, our state chairman, Mr Moshood Salvador, left the party. He left with some party members and we believe strongly that he left behind some party members who must have undermined the possible victory of the PDP in their areas. I will not be honest to myself and the party to brush aside the implication of a party state chairman defecting to the ruling party just few weeks to an election. The Lagos PDP also suffered defeat for inexplicable reasons, because everything was in place for the victory. I say specifically that our presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, gave maximum support morally, financially, religiously and politically to Lagos PDP. We even got to know that Alhaji Atiku visited Lagos several times without some party leaders in Lagos being aware, all in the bid to reach out and get the support of all groups and interests. To my surprise, just about 72 hours to the presidential election, actions and inactions that were obviously reactionary and defeatist cropped up. I will say that the last straw that broke the camel's back was the happenings in the last 72 hours wherein the PDP governorship candidate, Mr Jimi Agbaje, alienated some members and leaders of the party from the final disbursement of logistics. This action consequently reflected in the participation of voters for the PDP. Indeed the loss of Lagos in the presidential election as declared by INEC caused apathy, disenchantment and demoralised PDP voters. Hence, the embarrassing results in the governorship election. It is important to mention that the Lagos PDP is willing and competent to defeat the APC any day in a free, fair and credible election. Agbaje said he refused to hand-over the campaign fund to party leaders because of the way such funds were mismanaged in the past. What is your comment? If Agbaje is still trying to rationalise his apparent misdeed, then, he is not doing himself any good. I will advise him to accept that he committed a big blunder to have unilaterally disbursed logistics provided by the presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to the extent that neither the state chairman, Dr Adegbola Dominic, nor the party leader, Chief Bode George, knew anything about the manner of disbursement. I'm also aware that other leaders like Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, Chief Mrs Aduke Maina and Senator Kofo Bucknor-Akerele are still shocked that Agbaje could be that unilateral. As the image maker of the party, I'm still struggling to defend the issues surrounding the disbursement of the election logistics, because the action was such that can destroy loyalty, commitment and selflessness top the party. I will reiterate that Agbaje should find a forum to publicly apologise to the party for the manner he influenced the last actions of the presidential elections. But, for the fact that Agbaje is the governorship candidate, one would have hastily declared him as a saboteur in Lagos PDP. The money in question was not near what we knew the APC spent in Lagos. But the sum was enough to compliment the ready-made votes for the PDP. The manner of disbursement adopted by Agbaje leaves much to be desired. The problems created by the recent governorship election in Lagos PDP are such that the national headquarters must act swiftly to forestall complete disaffection within the party. Lagosians have been disappointed. Efforts must be made to restore the love and confidence of Lagosians in PDP. Do you think the PDP will ever rule Lagos? One thing that is certain is that Lagos PDP will win Lagos one day. This 2019 was to be the day, but unfortunately we lost out. I'm very optimistic that the circumstance that should have made the PDP win in 2019 will get worse in the APC in 2023. There will be worse intra party crisis in the APC. The governor-elect, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, may not also be allowed to run for second term. So, many APC members will stand up to be counted and be ready to go against the leader of the party. These and many more issues that we keep to our chest will arise in the APC, so much that by 2021 the APC would have self-defeated itself. And, in 2023, the PDP will cruise to victory. We will have our own challenges, but we will be lucky because the defeat of the APC in 2023 will most likely be self-perpetrated. Who is the current chairman of Lagos PDP? There is no other personality to be recognised as the Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State than Dr Adegbola Dominic. Anybody who is still parading himself as Lagos PDP chairman is only playing the role of an agent provocateur. The authority and chairmanship of Dr Dominic has since being confirmed by the superior organs of the party like PDP Southwest zone and the national leadership. I will advise anyone who is interested in the office to wait till when the congress comes up. People should not allow themselves to be used as weapons of acrimony and destruction within the Lagos PDP. But, Mr. Segun Adewale says he is the authentic chairman… Segun Adewale is not recognised as chairman of Lagos PDP. The Southwest organ of the party has unequivocally affirmed that Dr Dominic is the authentic Chairman. The Southwest organ said Adewale is no longer a member of the PDP, because he contested the Ekiti State governorship election on the platform of African Democratic Party (ADP). I know that on return after Ekiti election, Adewale was assigned the role of coordinator of the Lagos West senatorial district by Mr Jimi Agbaje, the party's governorship candidate. This responsibility was however outside the knowledge of the state executive of the party. I also got to know of this after the election. Some members see Chief Bode George as the problem of Lagos PDP. What do you think? They may have their reasons. No man is perfect. Much I know about Chief Bode George is that he is a thorough manager of humans. He is a very meticulous organiser. I make bold to say that but for him, a lot of party members would have left the PDP. The mistake that is common in the PDP is the inability of members to appreciate that to defeat an army you go for the commander. The propaganda, the blackmail and the mudslinging against Chief George is because he is the commander that must be brought down to defeat the army. Unfortunately for PDP members they have not realised that it is the organised opposition that is behind the "bad name" about Chief Bode George. The management of Lagos PDP is 85 per cent financially supported by Chief George. Yet, he did not get desperate to control election funds or any fund so ever. So, how is Chief George to blame for the woes of the party? The reason why Lagos has always slipped from the PDP is because the leader of the ruling party in Lagos, Senator Bola Tinubu, is surrounded by lieutenants that are 100 per cent loyal to him. The leader of the APC has at his disposal the wealth that cannot be matched by the self-generated money of Chief George. Lagos has always experienced minimum of 50 per cent sabotage of its election plans. I made bold to say that PDP members from outside Lagos, especially Abuja, usually divulge our plans to the ruling party in Lagos. Very soon, we will reel out names and periods of these saboteurs and sabotage. In This Story:#JimiAgbaje #OlabodeGeorge #AdegbolaDominic #PDP #AtikuAbubakar Sharing Is Caring. Share This Story  | ||
| There is no faction in Lagos PDP, says Dominic Posted: 19 Apr 2019 04:14 AM PDT
Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Dr. Adegbola Dominic has said that he is the authentic chairman of the party. Addressing elders/leaders meeting at the party secretariat, Ikeja, recently, he said the party was at peace, noting that the threat by Segun Adewale was not an issue. The statement reads: "I use this opportunity to formally express my appreciation to you, great members of our great party for your steadfastness, and unflinching support, commitment and loyalty to the great cause of the People's Democratic Party before, during and after the eleI commend your resilience and gallant disposition in the face of the massive manipulations and intimidation that was the order throughout the elections. Nevertheless, we wait patiently and with high expectations that justice will prevail at the various election tribunals, especially the Presidential Elections Tribunal, and our mandate that was given by the people of Nigeria to Atiku Abubakar will be restored to us. "We have learned some very good lessons from the events of the elections which should leverage the re-organisation of our party and determinedly instill in our members (both leaders and followers), an attitude of discipline, loyalty and commitment to the ideals of this great party. "In this regard, various leadership fora, including the State CWC, have met severally, and all are agreed that the following actions are necessary for the repositioning and progress of our party- Collapsing all groups and factions into one unified PDP structure. Institutionalizing Internal Democracy by letting the people, and only the people, choose their party officers and other leaders at all levels. Therefore, the practice of allotting or allocating party and other offices to individual leaders or groups or factions shall be abolished completely. Whoever wants to hold office should seek such by himself or herself from the members at all levels, beginning from the Ward. "It is unrealistic and unwise for our party to be administered on the basis of 20 Local Government areas in Lagos state, while the APC and other parties are operating 57 LGA party structures. In Lagos State, there are 57 functional Local Governments (which are also referred to as '20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs) for the purpose of conformity with the Federal Constitution. These 57 LGAs are legal entities duly recognized by the Laws of Lagos State. Therefore administering our own party on the basis of 20 LGAs will continue to put us at electoral disadvantage to other parties. "The State CWC has therefore resolved and recommended the restructuring of our party administration to conform with the 57 LGA structure. A Special Committee has been put in place to work out the modalities for implementation of these reforms. "I wish to state clearly here that there is no crisis within the Lagos PDP. Recently, a character called Segun Adewale aka Aeroland has been issuing public statements announcing himself as the chairman of our party in Lagos State, claiming that he has sacked me and my Executive Committee and has taken over our Secretariat. "That, of course, is not true, as you can see for yourselves. It is true that Mr. Segun Adewale led a gang of hoodlums, brandishing guns and other dangerous weapons, to invade this secretariat. For two consecutive days, they terrorized and harassed our staff and visitors at the secretariat, dispossessing them of their valuables. We informed the Police who moved in swiftly and arrested some of the thugs. Segun Adewale on his part, was said to have disappeared from the scene. He later surfaced at the Police station where he was seen with the other thugs. "They were eventually released on bail, and instructed to report back at the Police station on Friday 5th April. I have reliable information that they did not report back as required. They are therefore now certainly being wanted by the Police. Let me assure you that a new era has begun in the PDP. There shall be zero tolerance for any acts of criminality, indiscipline or thuggery from any quarters whatsoever. "In the case of Segun Adewale, he is NOT a member of our party; and this has been repeatedly stated by the party leadership, including myself as the Lagos State Chairman, Dr. Eddy Olafeso, National Vice Chairman, Elder Yemi Akinwonmi, the Deputy National Chairman, and our foremost leader in Lagos State, Chief Olabode George. "Even PDP members in his Alimoso community have written several letters disowning him to the Police and State and National leadership of the party. One of such letters, signed by over 750 members, is available for your perusal. Therefore, because he is not a member of our party, the issue of disciplinary action against him would not arise. "We can only hand him over to the Police, which we have done; and we are quite confident that the Police is in control of the situation." Sharing Is Caring. Share This Story  | ||
| Ebonyi NLC commends Buhari for signing N30,000 Minimum Wage Bill Posted: 19 Apr 2019 04:03 AM PDT
The Nigeria Labour Congress, Ebonyi Chapter has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for signing the N30,000 new minimum wage bill into law. Ebonyi NLC Chairman, Mr Leo Nkah, who spoke in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja, said Buhari has proved to be a caring leader. NAN recalls that Buhari on Thursday signed the N30,000 new minimum wage bill already passed by the National Assembly. Nkah called for quick release of the minimum wage table to enable workers receive the new pay as quickly as possible. Nkah, who is also, the President, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Ebonyi Chapter, expressed the hope that state governors would not hesitate to pay the new wage to their workers, since it was a collective agreement. He also commended the national leadership of organised labour for their doggedness throughout the negotiation for the new national minimum wage. Nkah stressed the need to continue the fight especially at the state level, to ensure that states adopt salary table released by relevant government agencies. Sharing Is Caring. Share This Story  | ||
| Onnoghen case is victory for corruption fight, says Presidency Posted: 19 Apr 2019 03:45 AM PDT
The Presidency says the war against corruption is all encompassing and not designed to persecute anyone for political or other reasons. Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, disclosed this in statement reacting to the conviction of suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, in Abuja on Thursday. He said the conviction of Onnoghen by the Code of Conduct Tribunal was a major victory for the anti-corruption policy of the Buhari administration. Shehu explained that the outcome of the trial demonstrated clearly that "the law is no respecter of persons, titles, social or political connections". According to him, the essence of the rule of law is to hold everyone accountable before the law, regardless of their status in the society. "The rule of law will lose its meaning and validity if only the weak, the poor and powerless are punished for their violations of the law. "Countries succeed because the rule of law is evenly upheld and enforced. The war against corruption would go nowhere if the high and mighty are spared because of their influence and connections. "You can't fight corruption by allowing impunity because the rule of law cannot function where impunity is tolerated." He pointed out that the conviction of Onnoghen would send a clear message that the dragnet against corruption would be "spread widely to hold public officials accountable, whether they are politicians, judges, civil servants or holding positions of public trust." Sharing Is Caring. Share This Story  |
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