Fayose ‘ll defeat APC again, says aide

                                                Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose

The Special Assistant to Governor Ayodele Fayose on Information, Youth and Sports, Mr. Lanre Ogunsuyi, has said the outcome of the Saturday’s election signalled the end of the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State.

The Peoples Democratic Party won all the three senatorial districts and the six House of Representatives seats in the state.

Ogunsuyi, who spoke in Ado Ekiti on Monday, said the election results proved that the June 21 governorship election won by Fayose was not rigged as claimed.

“It is now confirmed to whoever is still doubting whether Fayose is indeed a super political champion that the man is more than that, he is also a rare breed.

One dies as police, OPC clash in Lagos

                                                                              Some riot policemen.

Members of the Oodua People’s Congress and policemen clashed at the Tolu Police Division, Ajegunle, Lagos State on Saturday evening.

One member of the OPC, identified as Dauda Apampa, lost his life, while a police corporal, identified simply as Emeka, sustained gunshot in the incident.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the fracas was caused by a disagreement over the release of an unidentified man from OPC’s custody.

It was learnt that prior to the fracas, the man at the centre of the disagreement had been arrested by OPC men on Friday for allegedly raping an 18-year-old girl.

Sanusi financing terrorism, FG, SSS tell court

                                                            Mallam Lamido Sanusi

The Federal Government and State Security Service have accused the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, of financing terrorism.

They made the allegation in their counter-affidavits before a Federal High Court opposing a suit instituted by Sanusi, who is seeking a perpetual injunction to restrain the SSS and the police from arresting him.

Sanusi’s lawyer, Mr. Kola Awodein, who raised the allegation in open court on Monday, denied it, describing it as an afterthought which government came up with after seizing his clients passport.

He said, “The seizure of the applicant’s international passport by the third respondent, is a derogation of his freedom of movement.

PDP condemns APC’s attacks on Jonathan, others

                                        PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party has condemned the alleged attacks by the All Progressives Congress on certain individuals and institutions of government using a section of the media.

A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, in Abuja on Sunday, alleged that the APC had been using resources meant for the development of their states to castigate, discredit and ridicule PDP officials and other well-meaning individuals in the country.

In response, the APC dismissed PDP’s claims saying the ruling party was a party of drowning politicians clutching at straws.

Buhari leads with 2m votes …as INEC declares 18 states, FCT only

                                                      Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd)

Results from 18 states and the Federal Capital Territory so far released by the Independent National Electoral Commission on Monday showed the All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari coasting to victory.

He polled 8,520,436 votes in the states and the FCT while his Peoples Democratic Party counterpart and incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan had 6,488,210 votes.

The Daura, Katsina State-born former Head of State won 10 of the states and Jonathan, eight plus the FCT.

The states cleared by Buhari are Kaduna, Kwara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Oyo, Ondo, Osun, Kogi and Ogun.

US VP phones Jonathan, backs card reader for elections

                                                                            US Vice President Joe Biden

The United States government has thrown its weight behind the Independent National Electoral Commission to use the Permanent Voter Cards and the smart card readers in the March 28 and April 11 elections.

The introduction of the PVC and the SCR for use in the 2015 general elections has been a subject of hot debate and litigation in the country.

The American government conveyed its approval of the card readers through Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

Biden spoke with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and the presidential candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on the forthcoming election, a statement on Thursday by the US embassy in Nigeria indicated.

Only INEC can monitor election– Jega

                                                                 INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, says only INEC has the power to monitor elections.

Jega said this while addressing election observers in Abuja on Thursday.

He also said INEC had distributed 81 per cent of Permanent Voter Cards.

He said an election monitor is part of the administration of the election while an observer has no oversight function. He, therefore, warned observers to understand electoral laws properly before going to the field.

He said, “An election monitor is an integral part of the election management structure and has a role in the administration of the election. In Nigeria, only INEC and its duly authorised personnel are empowered to monitor elections. An observer on the other hand does not have any role in the administration of the election nor any control or oversight functions.

Power grabbers want to truncate Nigeria’s democracy –Soyinka

                                                                                 Prof. Wole Soyinka

Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has raised the alarm that “illegal, sinister and power-grabbers” are bent on scuttling the country’s current democratic process.

The power-grabbers, according to him, are the ones pushing for the imposition of interim government on the country.

He said during an interview with SaharaTV, a United States-based online broadcast station operated by SaharaReporters, that what he was sure of, was that President Goodluck Jonathan knew such people.

The 80-year-old playwright, who on   Wednesday told a German radio station, Deutsche Welle, that he feared there were “clear indications of a military intervention,” said with the current political situation     and the insurgency in the North-East, Nigeria was facing its most dangerous period.

No waiting at polling booths after voting – IG

                                                          Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba

The Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, on Thursday   warned voters to go back to their homes after casting their votes on election days.

Abba, who addressed accredited observers for the   general elections in Abuja, said the possibility of committing electoral offence was very high   if voters stayed back at the polling booths for votes to be counted.

He said that each polling unit would have at least two or three policemen to protect the votes   cast by the electorate.

The IG said, ‘‘Two to three police officers will be attached to each polling unit, and we would provide more officers for the collation centres and for the managers of the elections.

Don’t be afraid of jail, Buhari’s wife tells Patience Jonathan

                                                                  Patience Jonathan; Aishat Buhari

AISHAT Buhari, wife of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has told President Goodluck Jonathan’s wife, Patience, not to have the fear of going to jail if Buhari emerged winner in the forthcoming March 28 presidential poll.

The APC presidential candidate’s wife, who said the country had long suffered bad governance, said her husband would not have time to witchhunt anybody.

Aishat, who spoke on Thursday in Edo, the Benin State capital, where she interacted with women in the state, was reacting to statements credited to Patience that Buhari would jail women if elected as President.

Missing $20bn issue not adequately addressed – Sanusi

                                                                                Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi

Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and   the current Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, says the issues surrounding the missing $20bn oil money have not been adequately addressed by the Federal Government.

Sanusi, who is now known as Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II, had last year raised the alarm about missing $20bn but was removed shortly after by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The Federal Government later hired an international audit firm, Pricewaterhousecoopers, to audit the account of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. The PWC   report stated that NNPC must remit $1.48bn to the Federation Account.

However, Sanusi, said during an interview with Christiane Amanpour on   the Cable News Network on Wednesday, that the level of corruption in the oil sector was still high.

Buhari’ll restore hope to Nigeria, says Utomi

                                                                                        Professor Pat Utomi

Renowned Political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi, has urged Igbos and Nigerians at large to vote for the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), whom he said would restore hope to Nigeria.

Utomi, who is a founding member of the Ndigbo Lagos group, said Igbos have been branded as people who sell their votes to the highest bidder. He, therefore, urged the people of the South-East to vote wisely in order to shed this reputation.

Utomi said this during the unveiling of a Pan-Igbo group, Igboekulie, in Lagos on Wednesday.

While fielding questions from journalists at the event, he said Buhari’s ascendancy can be likened to what happened in the United States in 1981 when the Americans were disenchanted with the Jimmy Carter administration with inflation as high as 29 per cent.

My husband is the messiah, Patience Jonathan says

                                                                                       Patience Jonathan

Wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, on Tuesday in Ilorin, Kwara State, said her husband was the messiah hence she told Nigerian women not to vote for Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress.

“Nigerian women, if they (APC) come, tell them that your mother said you should not listen to them. They have nothing to offer. They have nothing to give you, Nigerian women; because the battle has already been conquered, God has opened the way for us. God has brought down the messiah for us. And PDP is the messiah. Goodluck is the messiah,” the President’s wife said at the Peoples Democratic Party’s women presidential rally in Ilorin.

Switzerland to return N75.2bn Abacha loot to Nigeria

                                                     Former late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha

Swiss officials have said the $380m siphoned off by the family of the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, and confiscated by the Geneva authorities, will be returned to Nigeria. The amount is about N75.2bn at N198/dollar interbank rate.

The file on the matter, opened since 1999, would be closed, the officials said in a statement on the website of the Geneva public prosecutor’s office.

According to the office, the move comes now that Nigeria and the Abacha family have struck a deal.

The Federal Government has long been chasing funds looted by the Abacha clan while the matriach was in power from 1994 to 1998.

The prosecutor’s office said overall, the Abacha clan was thought to have diverted about $5bn from the Nigerian treasury, adding that much of it ended up abroad.

Elections may not hold in liberated towns, villages

                                                    Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Minimah

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, on Tuesday hinted that elections may not hold in North-East communities recently liberated from Boko Haram insurgents.

Minimah told journalists after a Security Council meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja that government structures needed to be restored in the town and villages before issues about elections could be discussed.

The presidential election is billed for March 28 while governorship and National Assembly polls will take place on April 11.

The COAS however said that the Independent National Electoral Commission needed to re-assess the situation in the communities before a final stand could be taken on elections.

Thugs attack Buhari’s wife’s convoy in Ilorin

                                                                                          Aishat Buhari

The convoy of Aishat Buhari, wife of Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, was on Monday attacked by suspected political thugs in Ilorin, Kwara State .

Aishat and some APC women were returning from a visit to the Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Zulu-Gambari, when the attack took place. They were in the city for a two-day voter education summit for women in the state.

Our correspondent learnt that no one was hurt in the incident that left no fewer than 10 vehicles in the convoy damaged.

The state APC chairman, Ishiola Balogun-Fulani, who confirmed the attack to journalists, accused a Peoples Democratic Party chieftain of being behind it.

Jonathan, wife planning to kill me –Father Mbaka

                                                                                               Ejike Mbaka

Enugu-based Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, has alleged that President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Patience, were planning to kill him over his criticism of the Federal Government and his opposition to the President’s re-election.

Mbaka, in a new video currently trending on YouTube, made the allegation during a sermon he delivered in his church.

The congregation erupted in a howl when Mbaka said, “President Jonathan and his wife are planning to kill me.”

The Roman Catholic Priest, whose recent comments on the general elections generated ripples, said the plan to assassinate him showed that the President no longer had the fear of God.

ICC to probe Patience Jonathan

                                                                           Mrs. Patience Jonathan

The Internal Criminal Court on Monday said Nigeria’s First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, is liable to prosecution.

The global criminal court added that it had begun conducting preliminary examinations relating to the situations in Nigeria.

In an email written to our correspondent, the Office of the prosecutor stated that it received the petition written by the major opposition party in Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress, asking the ICC to prosecute President Goodluck Jonathan’s wife for making inciting comments that might lead to violence.

The email read, “Under Article 15 of the Rome Statue, the Prosecutor of the ICC may receive information on crimes within the jurisdiction on the Court (also called ‘Communication’).

Armed pro-Jonathan groups protest against Jega in Lagos

                                                    The pro-Jonathan protesters in Lagos ... on Monday

Thousands of Odua Peoples Congress and the Coalition of Concerned Nigerians members   loyal to the Peoples Democratic Party took to three major roads in Lagos on Monday demanding the sack of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

The protesters, who wore T-shirts with PDP inscriptions and pictures of President Goodluck Jonathan, started gathering in front of the Federal Road Safety Commission near the old Lagos Toll Gate on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway as early as 7am.

From there, they proceeded on foot and in about 100 buses to the front of the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, causing traffic snarl on the ever busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ikorodu Road and   Funso Williams(Western) Avenue in the city.

The demonstrators, who wielded broken bottles and knives,   also displayed banners and posters calling for Jega’s removal.

Resigning’ll amount to disservice to Nigerians –Jega

                                                             INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega

The Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has denied allegations that he is under pressure to resign.

“I have a job to do and it would be a disservice to Nigerians for me to resign,” Jega told a town hall meeting in Abuja on Monday.

He also gave assurance that voters whose fingerprints might not be recognised by card readers would be allowed to vote after they must have filled incident forms.

The INEC boss said that protests and calls   by some groups for his resignation would not deter him and his team from delivering   free and fair elections to Nigerians.

He said, “I have heard of the several calls for me to be removed. In fact, I am aware that some groups have been protesting. Well, I have a job to do and I will do it. Nobody has asked me to resign and all of us at INEC are focused on ensuring that this election is free and fair.”

I’m not ready to feed Jonathan in prison – Patience

                                                                                    Mrs. Patience Jonathan

Wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, has said she is not ready to feed her husband, President Goodluck Jonathan, in prison.

The President’s wife spoke in Ado Ekiti, on Monday, during the rally of the women’s wing of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Making a reference to the All Progressives Congress, she asked, “What did they forget in Aso rock? If you vote PDP and Jonathan, it would be better for you. If you vote APC, you will go to prison. How can you jail somebody for 300 years? I’m not ready to carry food to my husband inside prison oh!”

She openly admitted that the Office of the First Lady, which she occupies, is illegal.

Don’t attempt to kill Buhari, APC tells PDP

The All Progressives Congress has called on the Peoples Democratic Party and the Federal Government to shun any plan to assassinate Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

The APC also raised the alarm over an alleged plot by ruling party to discredit Buhari.

But the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Abdullahi Jalo, has urged the APC to provide evidence of any of such plan by the ruling party to assassinate Buhari.

The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr. Lai Mohammed, told The PUNCH that the PDP-led government had security men specially trained as snipers to eliminate those opposed to President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election bid.

APC has evidence of Jonathan’s interim govt plan –Fayemi

Ex-Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has said the All Progressives Congress has strong evidence against President Goodluck Jonathan over his alleged plot to foist an Interim Government on the country.

He said the allegation made by the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that his life was being threatened confirmed the desperation of the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government and Jonathan.

Fayemi, who said this in Aramoko Ekiti on Saturday during the 40-day Fidau for the late Pa Jejelola Akingbolu and Mrs. Raliat Akingbolu, also lambasted Governor Ayodele Fayose for allegedly lying against the APC Presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), over his health status.

Bloodbath in Benue

SUSPECTED Fulani herdsmen numbering about 70 on Sunday   slaughtered   95 people, mostly women and children   in Egba,   Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State.

A survivor, who gave his name simply as Oche, said the herdmen arrived the village between 5am and 6am and started attacking them in their houses.

Oche did not give the number of those wounded but he claimed to have seen 80 dead bodies being evacuated by security operatives and volunteers.

He said,“They came with arrows, locally-made guns and knives when most of us were still asleep and started killing us . It was a very bad day for us. I believe that those killed are between 95 and 100 as I counted up to 80 bodies being taken away by people in uniform.”

OPC, Jonathan campaigners lead Lagos anti-Jega protest

The Oodua Peoples Congress and the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation in Lagos on Monday morning led other protesters to storm the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, demanding the sacking of the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, before the March 28 elections.

The bus of the campaign group and the members of the OPC, who massed at the 7UP/Toll Gate end of the expressway, led the protesters, who were chanting anti-Jega songs, giving reasons why Jega should be sacked.

The OPC members carried guns, cutlasses, pocket knifes among other weapons, occupying one end of the busy highway while some members of the groups harassed some motorists and passers-by plying the road.

Some people, who were clad in black vest, said to be beneficiaries of the SURE-P, also constituted a sizable portion of the protesters.

I don’t care what people say about my dressing –Susan Peters

                                                                                             Susan Peters

She may not be a wonderful actress but Susan Peters is certainly as popular as all the A list actresses put together.

With one controversy or the other trailing her, Susan is one actress that doesn’t care whose ox is gored; she does what she wants to do, like her or hate her.

And in fact, the diva pulled another one last Saturday when she stepped out at an event in Lagos in an outfit that left most mouths agape. Those who couldn’t bear it just burst into laughter.

Shortly after she unveiled the look on her instagram page, her fans opined that the dress was not appropriate for the occasion.

Sad tales of Nigerians condemned to life without a smile

                                                                    Dr. Amy Traore Shumbusho

He sat a few yards away from where the other children were playing. Calm but unhappy, he watched dejectedly as the rest of the pack chased one another excitedly in a hide and seek game that afternoon. He used to be part of the frenzy until recently when the price became unbearable. At only 11, it has been a tortuous journey for Ekene Igwe. Born with protruding teeth and lips, little Igwe has often been the subject of ridicule among peers and even relatives who call him all sorts of names.

 Sometimes taunted to tears, the 11-year-old has become more withdrawn lately in an attempt to escape limelight and all the unpleasant remarks hurled at him. He hardly laughs or smiles when in the midst of people except family members for fear of being mocked for his flawed dentition. His dream of becoming a banker is under severe threat. He may never grow into a normal boy.

Clark carpets EFCC as commission denies probing Tinubu, Atiku

                                                                                    Chief Edwin Clark

A Former Federal Commissioner of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, has said that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has lost focus.

He called on President Goodluck Jonathan to re-organise the anti-graft agency for effective discharge of its duty.

Clark spoke while addressing a press conference in Abuja on Friday.

The Ijaw leader said the anti-graft body had lost focus of prosecuting corrupt officials but now go after those involved in cyber and petty crimes.

Clark spoke against the background of the claim by the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) that his fight against corruption would start on May 29, 2015 if he wins the March 28 election.

MASSOB protests in South-East, demands Jega’s sacking

                                                         INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega

Members of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra on Friday protested in the five South-East states to demand the removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Atahiru Jega.

In Enugu State, the placards-carrying MASSOB members, in their hundreds, marched through major streets, chanting “Jega must go!”

They asked the Federal Government to remove Jega in order to prevent violence that might trail the general elections the INEC boss was allegedly planning to conduct in favour of the All Progressives Congress.

The group stressed that Jega was not capable of conducting free and fair polls.

Jonathan says I didn’t offer Tinubu interim govt slot

                                                                    President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday said there was no truth in the claim by a national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, that he offered the former Lagos State governor the opportunity to serve as Vice President in a proposed Interim National Government.

Jonathan, who spoke with State House correspondents in Abuja through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, described Tinubu’s claim as absurd and ridiculous.

Tinubu had in a statement by his media office on Thursday claimed that the recent attacks on his person were because he rejected the offer by Jonathan to serve as the Vice President in an ING.

He claimed that having refused the offer, the President was looking for ways to take him out either by killing him or getting him arrested based on trumped up charges.

Jonathan denies speaking with Moroccan king, orders probe

President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday admitted that he had not at any time engaged King Mohammed VI of Morocco in a telephone conversation as claimed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said he had also not told anybody that he spoke with the Moroccan monarch.

Jonathan made the clarification in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati.

There is an ongoing diplomatic row between Nigeria and Morocco over whether or not Jonathan recently engaged the monarch in a telephone conversation.

While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement claiming that Jonathan spoke with the Moroccan king, authorities of the Kingdom denied the claim and thereafter recalled their ambassador to Nigeria.

INEC poorly prepared for elections –PDP govs

L-R: Governors Sule Lamido, Jigawa State; Babangida Aliyu, Niger; Godswill Akpabio, Akwa Ibom/Chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum; Jonah Jang, Plateau; and Olusegun Mimiko, Ondo, during the PDP Governors’ Forum interactive session with the media and Civil Society Organisations, in Lagos...on Tuesday.

The Peoples Democratic Party Governors’ Forum has kicked against the use of card readers for the March 28 and April 11 general elections.

The governors, at an interactive session with the media and civil society organisations in Lagos on Tuesday, also faulted the Independent National Electoral Commission   preparedness for the elections.

Before the interactive session titled ‘Sustenance of Democratic Values and National Development,’ ended, The PUNCH learnt that   INEC had summoned leaders of all the   political parties in the country to a meeting on Thursday over the polls.

As if acting a script with its governors, the PDP also on Tuesday sent a letter to the electoral body detailing its observations on Saturday’s Card Readers mock in 12 states.

Jonathan fires Agwai as SURE-P chairman

                                                                 Lt. Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (retd.)

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday sacked Lt. Gen. Martin Luther Agwai (retd.) as the Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, five days after the former Chief of Army Staff delivered the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s 78th birthday lecture.

The President has named Mr. Ishaya Dare Akau as Agwai’s replacement.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President attributed Agwai’s sacking to the continuation of government’s efforts to continuously reposition Federal Government’s agencies for optimal delivery.

Agwai had, while delivering the Obasanjo lecture last Thursday, said change in the national leadership was inevitable and that the country’s leaders must accept it and move with it.

Kaduna denies Buhari access to rally venue – APC

                                                                   Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)

The All Progressives Congress in Kaduna State on Tuesday said the Kaduna State government denied the party’s presidential candidate, Maj. Gen Muhammmadu Buhari (retd.), access to the Murtala Mohammed Square, Kaduna, for his North-West zonal rally ahead of the rescheduled March 28 and April 11 general elections.

Our correspondent learnt that preparation for the rally, which is expected hold today (Wednesday), had reached an advanced stage when the zonal office of the party was informed that the state had refused the party the permit to use the facility.

“The PDP is jittery already. They are simply afraid of the popularity strength of the APC in the state and indeed the northern part of the state,” a party official, who asked not to be named, said.

PDP, APC disagree on card reader test outcome

         PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh and APC’s National Woman Leader, Ramatu Aliyu

The Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress on Sunday disagreed on the outcome of the mock testing of the card readers conducted on Saturday by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary,   Olisa Metuh , said it had noted a series of complaints by Nigerians regarding   lapses experienced during the exercise.

It   therefore challenged on   the commission   to tell the public the outcome of the testing

The party claimed that   the   fall-out of the test “vindicates earlier widespread calls by stakeholders that the card readers should be thoroughly tested to ascertain their workability   before   the general elections. “

The PDP expressed worry over the alleged   lapses which it said included but “not limited to non-verification of voters’ fingerprints even after authenticating their PVCs, slow accreditation process as a result of poor internet server operations in some locations, and apparent inadequate knowledge of the card readers by both INEC officials and voters.”

Army begins trial of General, 22 others today

                        Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade

The military authorities will on Monday (today) commence the trial of a Brigadier General, four colonels, seven Lt. Cols, and 10 other officers of the Nigerian Army in Lagos.

The soldiers are being tried for alleged negligence and complicity in the invasion of the 21 Artillery Brigade, Bama, by Boko Haram insurgents on September 2, 2014.

The Lagos trial promises to be the biggest of the recent military court martial in the country.

For the first time, 23 very senior officers of the service would be arraigned for offences bordering on the counter-insurgency operations in the North-East zone.

The PUNCH learnt that the 23 Army officers would be prosecuted for various military offences under the 81 Division, GCM, Lagos, scheduled for inauguration at the Ikeja Cantonment today.

PVC collection deadline extended for two weeks

                                                                    Nigerian permanent voters card

The All Progressives Congress, the Peoples Democratic Party and   lawyers on Sunday lauded the Independent National Electoral Commission for extending the deadline for the collection of permanent voter cards from March 8 to March 22.

The commission, in a terse statement on Sunday   by the Chief Press Secretary to its Chairman, Kayode Idowu, said “the latest extension offers the last opportunity for registered persons to collect their PVCs before the March 28 and April 11 general elections.”

“INEC hereby calls on registered persons that are yet to collect their PVCs to use this last opportunity in doing so, in order to participate in the forthcoming general elections,” Idowu added.

The commission had last Wednesday said that it had succeeded in distributing 80.24 per cent of the PVCs to their owners.

APC reports Patience Jonathan to ICC

                                                                       Mrs. Patience Jonathan

The presidential campaign organisation of the All Progressives Congress has reported the wife of President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, to the International Criminal Court.

Two weeks ago, Patience had, while campaigning for her husband in Calabar, Cross River State, told the supporters of the PDP to stone anyone canvassing for change in the state.

The campaign organisation said the letter of complaint was signed by its Director-General, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, who is the Governor of River State.

It said that the letter would be delivered to ICC on Monday (today), adding that the Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, and the National Human Rights Commission would also be sent copies of the letter.

Fresh explosion rocks Borno market, kills five

                    No go area: The road to the bombed Maiduguri market and security operatives ... on Saturday

There was another bomb attack on a market in Borno State on Sunday where five persons were killed, a member of the youth vigilante group Boko Haram, who does not want his name in print told one of our correspondents on the telephone.

He said, “The insurgents planted a bomb at the entrance to the Beneisheikh market around 10am on Sunday and this led to the death of five persons while 15 others were injured.

“Today, being the market day in Benisheikh, villagers do come to buy and sell grains and other farm produce but they had bad news to tell as a bomb suspected to be planted by a suspected Boko Haram insurgent exploded leading to the death of the five people.”

I love acting, music equally –Gabriel Afolayan

                                                                                           Gabriel Afolayan

Gabriel Afolayan is an award-winning actor and up-and-coming musician. He talks about his foray into music

Is there a difference between Gabriel Afolayan, the actor and G-Fresh, the musician?

Gabriel Afolayan is my name and G-Fresh is my nickname. I do not necessarily consider G-Fresh my stage name; the brand remains Gabriel Afolayan, whether for movies or music. Gabriel and G-Fresh are the same and there is no dual personality.

Some people see music as a means of making extra income; would that be the reason you ventured into music?

Moroccan king snubs Jonathan

                                                                         President Goodluck Jonathan

King Mohammed VI of Morocco has refused to accept a phone conversation with President Goodluck Jonathan based on the notion that it is politically inclined.

According to www.moroccoworldnews.com, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a communique released on Friday, said a request by Nigerian authorities for a phone conversation between Mohammed and Jonathan was refused by the Monarch who deemed it “inappropriate on grounds of the upcoming elections in Nigeria.”

The king refused to accept the request which he deemed “inappropriate” on grounds that it is linked to the important elections in Nigeria and also because of Nigeria’s positions regarding the sacred national, Arab and Islamic causes, the Ministry said in a statement.

INEC card readers pass mock exam

                                                                              INEC Boss, Attahiru Jega

The field testing of card readers which was held on Saturday was largely successful but not without some hitches.

These irregularities in the exercise that was meant to be a dress rehearsal according to findings by our correspondents ranged from the inability of the card reader to identify some finger and thumb prints and slow pace of the process.

However, occurrences of success permeated most of the poll units visited by our correspondents.

The major grouse of electorate in Niger State was the time spent on the accreditation of each voter. This, many of the participants in the mock polls described as “too slow”

This drew the attention of both the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressive Congress in the state on Saturday which commended the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Jonathan in fitness walk, pledges special funds for sports

                                                                                   Abuja presidential exercise

President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday promised to institute a special fund for the country’s sports sector if re-elected for a second term on March 28.

Jonathan made the promise while addressing sportsmen and others at a solidarity rally organised for him at the Eagle Square, Abuja.

Vice-President Namadi Sambo in his short remark at the event said Nigeria could not afford to be governed by a 73-year-old President.

The event put together by a Non-Governmental Organisation, Desire for Greatness Foundation, saw the President walking from the Presidential Villa, Abuja to the Eagle Square.

He was joined in the long walk by Sambo and President of the Senate, David Mark, among other top government officials and presidential aides.

Tinubu, Aregbesola, Osinbajo tackle PDP at Lagos APC rally

                                                                Lagos one-million-man march

Thousands of members and supporters of the All Progressives Congress, on Saturday, held a ‘one-million-man march’ in Lagos for the March 28 and April 11 elections.

The march began at Maryland in Ikeja, the city’s capital, at 8.20am.

The train moved from Maryland through Ikorodu Road to Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere.

Those who led the march included former Governor of Lagos State and national leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu; Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola; Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker, Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji; APC governorship candidate in Lagos, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; and APC candidate for Lagos-Central Senatorial District, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

Tinubu superior to Afenifere leaders —Opadokun

Former Secretary-General of the Afenifere and ex-General Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition, Chief Ayo Opadokun

Former Secretary-General of the Afenifere and ex-General Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition, Chief Ayo Opadokun, speaks on the crisis in Afenifere and the controversial endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan by leaders of the pan-Yoruba organisation, in this interview with LEKE BAIYEWU

There are different stories on what led the lingering crisis among the Yoruba leaders under the umbrella of Afenifere. What is your take of the state of the organisation today?

First, I want to remind you that I was the General Secretary of Afenifere for 15 years. We came to irreconcilable relationship in 2001 and since then, I have been out of that body. I have resisted every effort to make me to comment on Afenifere. Mr. Wale Oshun (President of Afenifere Renewal Group, a breakaway faction of the Afenifere) wrote about ‘Afenifere and the Kiss of Death.’ Sometimes in 2000 after we had won (governorship) election in six states in Yorubaland, two sets of middle class of Yoruba people came knocking on my door for almost five months.

Shame on PDP —Senator Tinubu

                                                                       Senator Oluremi Tinubu

The senator representing Lagos-Central Senatorial District, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, at the All Progressives Congress rally in Lagos on Saturday described the way the country is being run by the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration as shameful.

She told SUNDAY PUNCH that the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government had run the country in a shameful way, which had drawn ridicule from the global community.

She described the rally as a march for change.

Tinubu said, “It is the month of March. Here, we are ready for a change in the way this country is being run. Everyone on the side of change has to join the movement.

Jonathan visits Ooni, monarch demands Oduduwa State

                                                                           Jonathan visits Ooni

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, on Saturday, demanded a total representation of the South-West in the cabinet of President Goodluck Jonathan and the creation of the Oduduwa State with its headquarters in Ile Ife.

The monarch made the requests among others when Jonathan led notable chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party, including the National Chairman of the party, Adamu Muazu, on a visit to his palace in Ile Ife, Osun State.

About 50 other traditional rulers from Osun State and environs were present to receive the president. This is the second time Jonathan would be visiting the palace to solicit the support of the royal fathers and the people of the state to ensure victory in the March 28 presidential election.

The Ooni delegated the Orangun of Oke Ila, Oba Adedokun Abolarin, to speak on his behalf. He said, “ We want total representation. There are ongoing projects in Osun State and we know there is paucity of fund but we want you to finish all the projects.”

I did not attend secondary school — Prof. Adeniran

                       Former acting Vice-Chancellor of the Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Prof. Adekunle Adeniran


Former acting Vice-Chancellor of the Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Prof. Adekunle Adeniran, tells OLUFEMI ATOYEBI how he got his two biggest promotions in his academic career in one day

Kindly shed light on your career.

I was born in 1935 and like the life of most Ibadan people of my generation; life for me began in the rural area. My grandfather moved out of Ibadan central to settle in Ogeye village in Lagelu council area of the city. At six, I started schooling at Methodist Primary School, Kelebe, a village that is one kilometre away from Ogeye. I also attended Christ Apostolic Church School and returned to the village and attended St. Luke’s Primary School, St Andrew’s Primary School and then back to Ibadan central to complete my primary school education at Agbeni Methodist School.

Anti-Buhari protesters at Chatham House were paid —Graham

                                                                                                     Rose Graham

Nigerian freelance journalist in the United Kingdom, Mrs. Rose Graham, whose footage of anti-Muhammadu Buhari protesters at Chatham House two weeks ago has now gone viral, tells TOBI AWORINDE that she was not paid by the All Progressives Congress for her support

What happened at Chatham House on March 26, the day of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s talk?

I had never been to Chatham House; that was my first time there. I was given a description and saw a young, dark-skinned man. I just knew he was going there, so I followed him. When I got to Chatham House, right in front of the building, I saw the demonstrators getting ready. I felt General Buhari was not in yet and that it would be embarrassing for him because these people would put their placards in his face. I then told myself that before his arrival, I would quickly find out from the people why they were there and allow them to vent their anger about the military rule in the 1980s.

Man accused of raping neighbour’s pregnant wife

                                                                      Tinubu Magistrate’s Court.

Twenty-five-year-old Monday Maule has been accused of raping one Mrs. Chinyere Samuel, his neighbour’s wife, who is eight months pregnant and has four children.

Maule was said to have committed the act on Monday, February 23, 2015.

It was gathered that Mr. Samuel, Chinyere’s husband, was not always at home due to the nature of his job. Samuel, a Ghanaian by nationality works with a Chinese construction company and hardly returns home to his family.

Our correspondent learnt that Maule allegedly committed the act by sneaking into the couple’s apartment during the early hours of the day (5am) at Friends Colony Agungi, Lekki, Lagos.