Obasanjo’s exit unsettles Jonathan, PDP

Olusegun Obasanjo. (File: AFP)

 

Abuja - There is disquiet in the camp of Presisdent Goodluck Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the exit of former president Olusegun Obasanjo from the party, reports NewsDay.
Obasanjo’s decision jolted the party that it quickly convened a meeting of the leadership of the party few minutes after the former President announced to the world that he was dumping the party for good.
The meeting was attended by President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President Namadi Sambo; National Chairman of the party, Adamu Muazu; BoT chairman,  Tony Anenih.

Others that attended the meeting were Senate President David Mark, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, PDP deputy national chairman, Uche Secondus, National Security Adviser (NSA), Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) and Political Adviser to the President, Ahmed Rufai Alkali.

Read more at NewsDay.
Read more on: 2015 elections

Man arrested for raping four-year-old girl

2015-02-16 10:18
Abuja - A 25-year-old man has been arrested in Lagos State after it was alleged that he had raped a four-year-old girl, PUNCH has reported.

The suspect, Kingsley Churchill, is allegedly to have raped the girl on January 24 after inserting two fingers into the minor's vagina.

The case was reported to officials after the girl's parents discovered that she had been assaulted.

The defendant has appeared before the Ebute Meta Magistrate's Court on one count of sexual assault. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Churchill has been granted bail of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum.
The case has been adjourned to March 4.
Read more at PUNCH

Chinese man rams car into US Consulate in Shanghai, hurts 1

2015-02-13 13:02
Beijing — Chinese authorities say a man has rammed a car into a barrier at the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai and injured a military police officer.

Shanghai police said the man was placed in custody and told officials that he felt he was being chased by assassins and needed to get some attention.

Police said the man, identified as Liu Daojie, hit the barrier late Thursday. All foreign embassies and consulates, as well as major Chinese government buildings, are guarded by military police.

Police said on their official microblog that the case is under investigation.
The consulate did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

- AP

PDP splits over Jega

Abuja - Less than a day after the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation accused the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, of partisanship, the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Adamu Mu’azu, has passed a vote of confidence on the him to conduct the March 28 and April 11 general elections, reports Punch.

Mu'azu, who was speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, said the party has confidence in Jega, especially as President Goodluck Jonathan, who appointed him, has said he does not intend to remove him and members of his team in INEC.

He stated that although the election was postponed because of INEC’s unreadiness, the party was confident that Jega would deliver free, fair and credible elections.

He noted that the postponement of the elections would enable Jega and his team to distribute the remaining voter cards.

Mu'azu"s position contradicts sharply that of the PDP, which called for the ouster of Jega from INEC.
Read more at Punch.

Read more on: 2015 elections

APC cries out over hacking of Tinubu, Amaechi’s phones

Lagos - The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Presidency of hacking the phones of some of its leaders, reports Vanguard.

The party listed the leaders whose phones have been bugged to include the National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun; the  National Leader, Bola Tinubu, Senator Bukola Saraki, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, former Gov. Timipre Sylva and the party’s National Publicity Secretary. Lai Mohammed.
The leaders have also be placed under surveillance by security agencies

The party in a statement issued by Mohammed in Lagos on Thursday said that its leadership and members would not be intimidated by the latest alleged clampdown by the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration in the run-up to the March general elections.

He noted that Nigerians should hold the Jonathan administration responsible if anything happens to the party’s leaders.

Read more at Vanguard.

Read more on: 2015 elections

I won't Islamise Nigeria - Buhari

Lagos – The All Progressives Congress party's presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly said he won't Islamise the country if he is elected president in the forthcoming elections.

According to The Nigeria Newsroom, Buhari, who was addressing Christian leaders in Abuja, urged Nigerians to reject those who sought to manipulate religious differences for religious gains.

Buhari himself a Muslim northerner, has, according to reports, previously been said to have given his support to Sharia but has denied allegations he has a radical Islamist agenda.

Read his profile on BBC here.
This proved a problem for him in the 2003 polls, as he failed to secure much support among Christians in the south, where he was viewed with some suspicion.

He is going to face incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, who is from the southern Niger Delta region, for a second time at the polls on 28 March.

Buhari said despite what his opponents said, he was not a religion fanatic and that he had never supported extremism.

- News24

Nigeria political parties top world's most corrupt

Lagos – Transparency International (TI)'s global corruption barometer shows that at least 94% of people in Nigeria think that the country's political parties are affected by corruption, making them (parties) the most corrupt in the world.

TI declared this in a graph that was published on its Twitter account on Thursday.
In the graph titled: "Where most people think political parties are corrupt" Nigeria appeared at the top with 94%, followed closely by Mexico and Cyprus with 91%. Spain was at the bottom, with 83%.