PDP unsettles APC over Senate Presidency

Abuja - Fresh plots by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to ensure that David Mark and Ike Ekweremadu retain their positions as Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively has thrown the All Progressives Congress (APC) into confusion, reports New Mail.

The fresh plots followed the indecision of the APC to agree on a consensus arrangement for the various principal offices in the National Assembly.

Ahmed Lawan and  Bukola Saraki are currently locked in a battle of popularity for the Senate Presidency seat.
The PDP leaders believed that with block votes by its 49 senators, the party could win the most coveted seat with a simple majority.

To thwart the efforts of the PDP to retain these principal positions, the APC has summoned its federal lawmakers to a meeting on Thursday..

Read more New Mail.
Read more on: 2015 elections

Senate approves Buhari’s request to appoint 15 advisers

Abuja - The Senate on Wednesday gave its nod to the request of President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint 15 special advisers, reports Punch.
The approval comes less than 24 hours after the Senate received Buhari’s request to appoint the special Advisers, who will assist him to carry out his functions as President.

The approval was given through a voice vote.
Senators present at Wednesday’s sitting overwhelmingly supported the approval with a resounding ‘ayes’.
The names of the 15 special advisers were, however, not revealed.

Read more at Punch.
Read more on: 2015 elections

APGA drags el-Rufai to tribunal

Kaduna - The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Kaduna State has fixed July 16, for pre-hearing in the petition filed against the election of Governor Nasiru El-Rufa’i.

The governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in the April 11 polls, Polycap Danladi, filed the petition challenging El-Rufai’s victory.

The APC and INEC were joined as second and third respondents respectively.
In the petition, Danladi asked the court to nullify the election and order for fresh polls.

“The first respondent was not duly elected in accordance with the provision of the Electoral Act.
“The election of the first respondent is void by reason of non compliance with the provision of electoral act.
“The total votes cast in the election was 1,660,109 and in the event that the unlawful votes stated herein were deducted, the first respondent would not have been declared winner,’’ he stated.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared El-Rufai of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the governorship election in the state.

El-Rufa’i had defeated 14 other candidates to emerge winner.

The three member panel, chaired by Justice A.A. Adebara, adjourned sitting to July 16, to begin pre-hearing into the petition.
- NAN

Buhari endorses Lawan as Senate President

Abuja - Although President Muhammadu Buhari has not come out openly to endorse any particular candidate as the next Senate President, his body language suggests he prefers Ahmed Lawan, reports New Mail.
Buhari disclosed his preference for Lawan during a meeting he had with the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday in Abuja.

Buhari told members of the committee that the North Central zone has held the Senate Presidency for long enough.

He noted that the position should be allowed to move to another geo-political zone in the interest of fairness.
In pushing for Lawan, Buhari told members of the committee that it was important for the party to entrust the Senate presidency with a person who is both a long-serving senator and a person of impressive personal attributes.

Read more at New Mail.
Read more on: 2015 elections

Media rights group petitions Buhari to seek protection

08:58 04/06/2015
Lagos - The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a nonprofit organisation, has urged the new administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari to uphold the rights of the media.

“As Nigeria aspires to strengthen its democracy, your government must show that it can tackle Nigeria's challenges, including the fight against the Boko Haram insurgency and the use of terror tactics, but can do so without compromising democratic principles, whose core elements include press freedom and freedom of expression,” CPJ petitioned Buhari.

The organisation added, “The success of the democratic government you now lead will depend largely on the guarantee that journalists are free to inform the society about their commonwealth.”
CPJ congratulated Buhari following his inauguration but insisted on the protection of the media.

“As Nigeria prepares to enter a new chapter in its history, we urge you and your administration to take steps to ensure that journalists are able to work freely and openly in the country without fear of reprisal of any form,” stated CPJ.

The media rights group pointed out that Buhari, in his inaugural speech on May 29, identified insecurity and pervasive corruption in Nigeria to be among your immediate concerns.

“You also recognized the country's ‘vibrant’ press and appealed to the media to exercise ‘its considerable powers with responsibility and patriotism.’ It is our belief that a patriotic press is also a critical press,” said CPJ.
“To achieve your objective in tackling the challenges Nigeria faces, it is vital that your government prioritize press freedom so that journalists may ask questions and expose corruption at all levels of society without fear of harassment or intimidation. Nigerians and the world must be left without any suspicion or uncertainty about the transparency of your government.”

CPJ is an independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide.

- CAJ News

10 songs that turn 10 in 2015

10:04 04/06/2015

Cape Town – The words we hear the most are probably: Time flies!

Well, to be honest, it does!

And to celebrate this we decided to go and look for songs that turn 10 in 2015, so here's to feeling old:
1) Coldplay – Fix You

This song is from their third studio album X&Y, released on 6 June 2005.


2) Kanye West – Gold Digger feat. Jamie Foxx

This is from Kanye’s second album, Late Registration, released on 5 July 2005.


3) Plain White T’s – Hey There Delilah

This song is off their album All That We Needed, released on 25 January 2005.


4) Eminem – When I’m Gone

This song is off Eminem’s first compilation album, Curtain Call: The Hits, released on 6 December 2005.


5) Rihanna – Pon De Replay

This song is from her debut album Music Of The Sun, released on 30 August 2005.


6) Nickelback – Photograph

This song was the first single from their fifth studio album, All the Right Reasons, released on 20 September 2005.


7) The Black Eyed Peas – My Humps

This song is off their fourth studio album Monkey Business, released on 20 September 2005.


8) The All-Americans Rejects – Dirty Little Secrets

This song was released as the lead single from their second studio album, Move Along, on 6 June 2005.


9) 50 Cent – Candy Shop feat. Olivia

This was the second single by rapper 50 Cent from his second commercial album, The Massacre, released on 15 January 2005.


10) Rob Thomas – Lonely No More

This song was released on 8 February 2005 as the first single from Rob Thomas's debut album, …Something to Be.

- Channel24

Amaechi claims corruption probe a mere witch-hunt

10:04 04/06/2015
Abuja - Former Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, has accused his successor, Nyesom Wike, of threatening, coercing and blackmailing officials of the past administration to implicate the former in corruption.
Amaechi said the governor was approaching especially civil servants to make false, phony and bogus statements that would make legitimate government transactions appear as corrupt practices.
Speaking through his media aide, David Iyofor the ex-governor urged Rivers people, the media and the public to be watchful, vigilant and discern the fraudulent acts of the current governor to make him and his administration look bad.
“As I noted earlier in a previous statement, Nyesom Wike is going ahead with his plan of attempting to deride and discredit me and my administration by blackmailing and arm-twisting key government officials to distort legitimate government transactions in his desperation to cook up, and fabricate baseless, concocted and unfounded cases of corruption against me and the administration I ran” Ameachi said

He alleged the current governor has tried to threaten, harass, and force Permanent Secretaries and Directors of Finance and Administration (DFA) in various ministries, parastatals, agencies in the state into doing his bidding of painting me as corrupt in the administration of the State.
“The State bankers and some of our contractors are also not spared in his mission of tarnishing my reputation. As a matter of fact, Wike has only one agenda as he governs Rivers State - the agenda to portray me as corrupt, by whatever means, no matter how ridiculous and phony it looks”
Ameachi added
Amaechi also described as a fraud the video and pictures of the looted and vandalized Government House the current governor is circulating.
“The images are a fraud, arranged and executed by Wike to enable him vote billions of Naira from the state treasury to renovate and refurbish the place, as well as accuse me of corruption. I repeat, this is clearly a game, a grand conspiracy to siphon state funds under the sub-head of renovating and refurbishing a supposedly 'vandalized and looted' Government House, while also falsely smearing my image,” he said.

- CAJ News