I’ve been in a cage for 16 years –Jonathan

             President Goodluck Jonathan during Easter Day church service at Aso Villa Chapel, in Abuja...on Sunday

President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday looked back at his 16 years in public service and concluded that he was “in a cage” during the period.

But he was quick to admit that he had yet to see anybody luckier than he had been.

Jonathan spoke while receiving residents of the Federal Capital Territory who were led by Vice President Namadi Sambo to pay him Easter homage at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said, “For me as an individual, this Easter concides with the time I am leaving(office) but I always say that I am one of the luckiest Nigerians. I have yet to see somebody luckier than me.

Why Jonathan lost to Buhari – Sanusi

                  Emir of Kano and former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the current Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, says President Goodluck Jonathan lost because of the mood of voters which was determined by the economic conditions and level of poverty across the country.

Sanusi, who is now known as Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II, said this during an interview with our correspondent on Saturday.

He said the voting showed that areas which had a high rate of poverty felt neglected by the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government over the years.

Sanusi said the presidential poll results showed that the figures of the PDP in presidential elections from 1999 had continued to dwindle significantly.

‘302 Reps won’t return to House in June’

                                           Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Tambuwal

About 302 out the 360 members of the House of Representatives will not return to their seats when   the 8th session of the National Assembly will be inaugurated on June 6, investigation by The PUNCH has shown.

Leading the pack are the Speaker,   Aminu Tambuwal; the Deputy Speaker,  Emeka Ihedioha; the House Majority Leader, Mulikat Akande-Adeola; the Chief Whip,   Ishaka Bawa; the Minority Whip,   Sampson Osagie; and the Deputy Minority Leader,   Abdulrahman Suleiman-Kawu.

Other prominent non-returning lawmakers are a former Chairman, Adhoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy Probe,   Farouk Lawan; and the Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream),   Ajibola. Muraina.

Lawan, also a former chairman, House Committee on Information and House Committee on Education, was first elected to the House in 1999.

Wike planning to cede oil wells to Bayelsa –APC

                                                                                           Nyesom Wike

The All Progressives Congress in Rivers State on Thursday alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in the state, Mr. Nyesom Wike, planned to have some of the state’s oil wells ceded to Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Abia states if the PDP wins the April 11 election.

Making the allegation in a statement in Port Harcourt by its Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, APC said Wike planned to pay N1bn monthly to the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, and some yet to be verified amount to 10 other chieftains of the PDP if elected into office.

The statement read, “This planned and unacceptable rape of Rivers State coffers, which was revealed to us by a patriotic Rivers State citizen, has made us even more resolved to prevent the emergence of a PDP-led government in our dear state.

Jonathan, family move personal effects from Aso Rock

                                                                               President Goodluck Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan and his family members have started moving their personal belongings out of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, few days after the President lost his re-election bid, Saturday PUNCH can authoritatively report.

Our correspondent sighted some buses loaded with travel bags moving out of the President’s official residence at about midday on Friday.

One of the buses, a white 18-seater Hiace bus marked PF 6244 AL, was still being loaded with bags of different shades and sizes at the time of filing this report.

It was not clear at press time where the buses were heading for.

A source said the early removal of the personal effects of the first family might have been necessitated by the need for the renovation of the residence ahead of the May 29 handover date.