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.