Obama condemns ‘brutal, vicious’ Nemtsov killing

US President Barack Obama condemned what he called the “brutal” and “vicious” murder of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin who was shot dead in Moscow on Friday.“We call upon the Russian government to conduct a prompt, impartial and transparent investigation into the circumstances of his murder and ensure that those responsible for this vicious killing are brought to justice,” Obama said in a statement.“Nemtsov was a tireless advocate for his country, seeking for his fellow Russian citizens the rights to which all people are entitled.”“I admired Nemtsov’s courageous dedication to the struggle against corruption in Russia and appreciated his willingness to share his candid views with me when we met in Moscow in 2009,” added Obama, calling Nemtsov a “dedicated” and “eloquent defender” of rights.

Mugabe turns 91 with million dollar birthday bash

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Saturday will celebrate his 91st birthday will a million dollar bash attended by thousands of faithful party supporters.As elephants are slaughtered for the feast at a luxury hotel in Zimbabwe’s famed Victoria Falls, critics are questioning the scale of the festivities, calling them “obscene” in a country where millions live in poverty.Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, is the world’s oldest leader.While he is hailed by many of his African peers as a liberation hero, critics say that over the following decades he turned the “breadbasket of southern Africa” into a basket case, trampling human rights, justice and democracy.Mugabe’s violent seizure of white-owned farms triggered food shortages and hyper-inflation, while Europeand the United States imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe over elections seen as rigged.

PDP’s claim of Tinubu/Osibajo oath outlandish, shows desperation – APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the sickening and outlandish claim by the Jonathan campaign Organization that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu plans to become Vice President through the backdoor was designed to divert attention from the runaway success of the APC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, at the Chatham House in London last Thursday.In a statement, Saturday, in London by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the PDP and the Jonathan Administration still do not have any answer to what has now become an epochal moment that has separated the wheat from the chaff.”Our presidential candidate’s globally-acclaimed outing has presented Nigerians, and indeed the global community, with a choice between a bumbling, ineffective, incoherent, clueless, visionless and incompetentPresident and an assertive, knowledgeable, dignified, purposeful and principled President-in-waiting.”Having failed to discredit that outing with a rented crowd, some of whom confessed to have been paid to carry placards they do not even understand, the PDP and the Jonathan Administration have now resorted to making nauseating claims that are totally untrue, absolutely incomprehensible and nothing but sheer bunkum,” it said.APC said the claim is the latest in a series of desperate moves by the PDP and the Jonathan Administration since the emergence of Gen. Buhari as the APC presidential candidate, and the clearest indication yet that they have no answer to the unstoppable momentum of a man of history.”They have thrown everything imaginable at Gen. Buhari, but he has continued to wax stronger and stronger: They said he was not qualified, that he was too old, then they fabricated a medical report of an illness of their own choice, sponsored death wish adverts against him and instituted a myriad of court cases to stop him.”After they failed to stop him, they went after the election itself, using the PVCs as a tool to launch a campaign for postponement and, when they realized that would not work, came up with the bogey of insecurity in the North-east to force a postponement of the election, hoping they can buy enough time to revive their electoral misfortune.”With everything working against them, they engaged in a show of shame at The Chatham House that backfired badly, on the heels of their bare-faced lies that Gen. Buhari was hospitalized in London. The preposterous claim of a secret oath – reminiscent of what they do in their own party – by the apparently ailing spokesman of the Jonathan Campaign Organization, Femi Fani-Kayode, is their latest desperate act,” the party said.APC said in as much as it has so far refrained from engaging Fani-Kayode in his game of character assassination, abuses and irresponsible name calling, the party is becoming seriously concerned that he may be caving in under pressure and reverting to his undignified past…The party said it would be a real tragedy if the obviously-disturbed spokesman of a doomed presidential campaign will have to be rushed to a back house in Ghana for therapeutics, hence the need for his handlers to quickly put him on a leash before it is too late.

Boko Haram back to urban warfare – Experts

Bomb attacks in Nigerian towns and cities look likely to increase in the run-up to forthcoming elections, despite the military claiming increasing successes against Boko Haram in captured territory.At least 86 people were killed in explosions blamed on Boko Haram this week alone, all of them at crowdedbus stations in the northeast, wider north and also in the country’s central region.The style of attack — using either explosives left in bags or suicide bombers — has prompted the government in Abuja to issue a warning for increased vigilance at “soft targets”.But with elections on March 28 that Boko Haram has already vowed to disrupt, security experts said there will be renewed fears about the safety of voters, particularly at polling stations.“I think it’s safe to say that as multi-national counter-insurgency operations continue in the northeast, Boko Haram will intensify its urban terror campaign,” Ryan Cummings, chief Africa analyst at Red24 risk consultants, told AFP.“Boko Haram will know that it lacks the resources or capacity to engage the Nigerian Army and its allies in conventional warfare, so its retributive attacks will increasingly focus on asymmetric warfare, which is resource-light but nevertheless damaging.”– Tactical shift –Attacking towns and cities recalls Boko Haram’s previous tactics before it began capturing and seizing territory in the northeast in mid-2014, declaring some part of an Islamic caliphate.Cities such as Kano and particularly the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, were hit regularly until the government declared a state of emergency in May 2013 in three northeast states.The military and civilian vigilante forces managed to push the rebels out into more remote, rural areas, where violence continued and in many cases intensified.With soldiers thin on the ground in the countryside — and with apparent dissent in the ranks about the provision of weapons and equipment — Boko Haram launched its unprecedented land grab.But since the attack on Baga on January 3, where hundreds of civilians, if not more, are thought to have been killed, and rebel strikes in Chad and Niger, there has been a concerted fight-back.Nigerian troops, aided by soldiers from Cameroon, Chad and Niger, have bombarded rebel strongholds in northeast Nigeria and claim to have recaptured territory, including Baga last weekend.President Goodluck Jonathan visited the ravaged town on the shores of Lake Chad on Thursday, telling troops that the conflict, which has killed more than 13,000 since 2009, would soon be over.Observers have framed the claimed successes against the backdrop of upcoming elections in Nigeria, which were postponed for six weeks from February 14 because of the ongoing military operations.Nigeria’s national security advisor said at the time that troops would not be available to provide security on polling day.– Further delay? –Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau vowed in a recent video that the elections, now scheduled for March 28, “will not be held, even if we are dead”.Militants have even distributed fliers calling on people not to vote.Mark Schroeder, from political and security risk analysts Stratfor, said the recent bombings in Kano — the north’s biggest city — and the central city of Jos, raised a new security threat.“The Nigerian military, with renewed government backing, may achieve the easy steps of a counter-insurgency of asserting control in remote urban areas of the northeast,” said Schroeder.“But stopping Boko Haram from counter-attacks against civilians elsewhere is very difficult.“You could say Boko Haram is merely being displaced while the Nigerian government publicises gains in Baga and elsewhere.”Boko Haram, which has invigorated its propaganda campaign with slick, Islamic State-style videos, will nodoubt claim that such attacks put paid to government claims that it is being defeated.Cummings argued that the return to guerrilla tactics in towns and cities could stretch security resources.Abdullahi Bawa Wase, a Nigerian security analyst who tracks the Boko Haram conflict, described the bombings as “desperation” on the part of the militants.But he noted that such attacks had not stopped during the change in tactics to seize territory but were nowtaking place in tandem with hit-and-run strikes, “to show they still have the capability”.“We are only going to see an intense increase of this bombing in the next weeks,” which could possibly force another postponement in the election, he added.

Egypt court declares Palestinian movement Hamas ‘terrorist’

An Egyptian court on Saturday declared Hamas a “terrorist” organisation, a judicial source said, weeks after the Palestinian Islamist movement’s armed wing was given the same designation.Since Egypt’s military ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, the authorities have accused Hamas of aiding jihadists who have waged a string of deadly attacks on security forces in the Sinai Peninsula.

Jonathan will be re-elected – Olejeme

Deputy Chairman, Finance Committee of the Presidential Campaign Organization, Dr. Ngozi Olejeme has expressed confidence that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan would be returned to power in the March 28 Presidential Elections.“PDP will have a resounding victory. That is very clear” she told Niger Delta youths on Saturday in AsabaOlejeme who sought the support of the young and old to make Nigeria great said President Jonathan would work closely with all Nigerians.“The youth are Nigeria’s future. To this end, the PDP government will continue to spread employment opportunities across the country and ensure every youth has access to quality education that could securethem a place in a globalized and highly competitive job market.Promising that President Jonathan will continue to accelerate the social, political and economic development of Nigeria, Olejeme cited environmental protection, social safety nets for the vulnerable population,  development of the agricultural, livestock and fishing industries,  expansion of infrastructural projects, especially roads, energy and transport, expansion in jobs, food security, national security, people-led governance,  quality education, health care, and national unity as top priority items in the Jonathan-led PDP government.President Jonathan testing one of the warships after inauguration, while the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral. Jibrin Usman watch.The Jonathan led PDP government; she said, not only put in place transparent systems but revitalized the country’s manufacturing, agriculture and tourism sectors.“President Jonathan established twelve Federal Universities. His administration through the National Universities Commission (NUC) gave rise to quality international and local private universities across the country. He tarred over twenty-five thousand kilometres of the thirty six thousand kilometres (36, 000 km) Federal Roads. He completed over 90 per cent of narrow gauge rails. He implemented the Nigerian content law in the oil industry, thus improving the participation of Nigerians in the industry. He also implemented the cabotage law with Nigerians now owning ships and more Nigerians employed in the shipping industry. He also established Maritime University for high-powered man-power development in the Maritime Sector”

Putin pledges to bring Nemtsov killers to justice

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday vowed to do everything possible to bring to justice those responsible for the “vile” murder of opposition politician Boris Nemtsov in a drive-by shooting near the Kremlin.“Everything will be done so that the organisers and perpetrators of a vile and cynical murder get the punishment they deserve,” Putin said in a telegram to Nemtsov’s mother published on the Kremlin’s website

Urhobo youth condemns Asari’s call for Jega’s sack

UGHELLI – THE leadership of the Urhobo National Youth Council, UNYC has described calls for sack of thechairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahirhu Jega by members of theAsari Dokubo-led Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force as unwarranted and undemocratic.UNYC in a statement signed by its National President, Comrade Monday Oyeghe Saturday, stated that INEC is a public institution whose actions are covered by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeriastressing that it is undemocratic to call for the sack of its chairman.The statement reads: “It is the height of fallacy to describe Jega as being pretentious and hypocritical owing to the number of yet to be collected Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs in the Southern part of the country compared to some Northern States.“It is undemocratic to call for Jega’s sack because the institution he chairs is a public institution whose actions are covered by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and anything contrary to this is simply evoking the dark memories of past military dictatorships.”

APC chieftain, others defect to PDP in Bayelsa

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Publicity Secretary for Sagbama local government, Bayelsa State, Prince Vincent Dakoru along with his teeming supporters have defected to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).The former publicity secretary said he made the decision when he found out that the All Progressive Congress in the state has no ideology and discipline, especially in their conduct.Speaking with newsmen in Yenagoa the Sagbama born politician reiterated that in life, it is always good to taste  both sides, pointing out that there is no seriousness in the activities of APC in the state.He wondered why till date, the party is yet to inaugurate its executives both in the local government and at the state levels.His words, “The APC as a party is made up of characters with questionable behaviour. The change they claim to portray is full of falsehood, all they know is their stomach without the people they want to govern at their heart.“The exco both at the state and local government levels have not been inaugurated up till now, so tell me how the exco can work, not to talk of sanitizing the system. Therefore, I and my supporters have decided tocome back to PDP where there is transparency”.Prince Dakoru therefore enjoined other APC members in the state to have a re-think and come back to the ruling PDP and support other Bayelsans in making sure that President Goodluck Jonathan is given a second term to pilot the affairs of the nation.

List of dead Kremlin critics grows with Nemtsov murder

Boris Nemtsov’s name was added to the list of Kremlin opponents who have been killed or died in suspicious circumstances in recent years after the slaying of the prominent opposition leader in central Moscow Friday.Here are some of the key people to have died:— February 27, 2015: leading opposition figure and former deputy prime minister Boris Nemtsov, 55, is gunned down at around 23:15 just metres from the Kremlin, in the very heart of the Russian capital.— March 23, 2013: former oligarch and fierce foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Boris Berezovsky, 67, is found hanged in a bathroom at his country home in the UK, where he was living in exile. Coroners record an open verdict into his death after being unable to confirm it was suicide despite strong evidence that Berezovsky had killed himself.— November 16, 2009: financial lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, 37, dies after being denied medical treatment in a Moscow jail after denouncing official corruption. His death sparks a crisis between the United States andRussia after Washington passes the so-called “Magnitsky Act” to target Russian officials implicated in his demise.— July 15, 2009: human rights activist Natalia Estemirova, 50, investigating government abuses in the volatile North Caucasus region of Chechnya is kidnapped in the local capital Grozny and found dead several hours later.— January 19, 2009: human rights lawyer Stanislav Markelov, 34, and opposition journalist Anastasia Baburova, 25, are gunned down in the middle of a Moscow street after leaving a press conference.— November 23, 2006: former intelligence officer turned Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko, 43, dies after allegedly drinking tea laced with radioactive isotope polonium in a hotel in London, where he is living in exile. Two Russian businessmen and ex-KGB agents Dmitry Kovtun and Andrei Lugovoi are accused of poisoning Litvinenko by British authorities but Russia refuses to extradite them.— October 7, 2006: crusading journalist Anna Politkovskaya, 48, is shot dead at the entrance to her apartment block in central Moscow on Putin’s 54th birthday. Five men are eventually found guilty of carrying out the hit but those who ordered the murder have never been identified.— July 9, 2004: investigative American journalist Paul Klebnikov, 41, dies after being shot as he leaves the offices of Forbes Russian-language version in Moscow. Klebnikov had angered oligarch Boris Berezovsky with his reporting and also probed the war in Chechnya. Over ten years since his murder no one has yet been found guilty.— April 17, 2003: liberal lawmaker Sergei Yushenkov, 52, is taken out by a hitman with a pistol as he returns to his home in Moscow. Yushenkov had probed a spate of devastating apartment bombings in 1999 which provided the pretext for the second Chechen War that helped propel Putin to power.

Yemen troops, separatists clash

The separatist Southern Movement suspended its participation in UN-sponsored talks raising fresh tensions in Yemen, as nine soldiers were wounded Saturday in a clash with separatist fighters.The clash coincided with a drone attack that killed three suspected Al-Qaeda militants in southern Yemen, tribal sources said.An official in the southern province of Lahij told AFP that separatists opened fire on an army convoy and three soldiers were wounded in a gunbattle.The separatists last week abducted 12 soldiers and threatened to kill them unless the army handed overa military base to offset the growing influence of the Shiite Huthi militia that has seized Sanaa.Tensions in Yemen have soared since the Huthis overran the presidential palace in the capital in February and placed Western-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi under house arrest.Hadi escaped last week to Aden, where he has been reconsolidating his grip on power buoyed by support from Gulf states which have relocated their embassies to the southern city.Several countries, including Britain and the United States, closed their embassies in Sanaa over securityfears following the Huthi takeover.Hadi’s escape to Aden has turned what was the capital of an independent south Yemen before unification in 1990 into a diplomatic hub.The Southern Movement, which seeks the secession of the regions of the formerly independent south, announced overnight Friday that it was pulling out of UN-brokered talks.

Why don’t you want Jega sacked, PDP asks APC

The Peoples Democratic Party has challenged the All Progressives Congress to come out clear and explain to Nigerians the links between it and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, which informs and propels its interest in his stay in office.PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, said it was more than curious that the APC has continued to fabricate stories and show undue interest in Jega, adding that such raise a lot of questions for the opposition and the INEC Chairman.He said, “Undoubtedly, the frenzy, hysteria and spate with which the APC has been inventing stories regarding Prof. Jega’s stay in office, even when nothing suggests that such was on the table, raise a lot of issues.“We ask, is there anyunderlining issue or arrangement between APC and Prof. Jega which the opposition is hell-bent to protect, informing its anxiety and apprehension towards his stay in office?“While it is noted that the APC is a party of one week, one lie, we in the PDP look beneath the surfaces to the deeper issues propelling the lies.“We therefore challenge the APC to come out clean and tell Nigerians the real reason behind their false alarms and uncontrolled nervousness regarding Prof. Jega ahead of the 2015 generalelections.“Finally, we wish to remind the leadership of INEC that Nigerians are monitoring its activities and series of unfolding political events ahead of the elections, and will not accept anything less than the conduct of credible, free and fair general elections come March 28 and April 11, 2015.”

Ekiti seeks violence-free polls

The Ekiti State Government has urged residents to shun acts that could lead to blood shedding or violence in the forthcoming general elections.Speaking with journalists in Ado Ekiti, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Modupe Alade, said noblood of Ekiti citizen was worth shedding because of anybody’s ambition.She urged parents to warn their children and wards against being used by politicians to unleash mayhem on the people.Alade said, “We hope it will be ballot without blood. There is no blood worth shedding. We won’t allow bloodshed in Ekiti because the Governor of this State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, believes that no blood of anybody is worth shedding because somebody wants to get to a certain position.“So, we appeal to our parents to keep vigil on their wards. They should not allow them to be used as agents of destabilization. Our youths also must shun violence for Ekiti to remain together after the elections to reap the dividends of democracy.”The SSG begged civil servants and residents to be patient with the government, promising that leave bonuses will be paid.“We are not unaware of the fact that the civil servants are expecting their leave bonuses and outstanding salaries from this government. We are assuring them that all will be paid, but we are just pleading that they should exercise patience.“You are all aware of the State of the economy in Ekiti. Things are just too bad that we cannot quickly meet all these pressing demands. But we are hopeful that all shall be done in due course.“Governor Fayose is a friend of the masses, particularly the civil servants, teachers and Artisans, who are desirous of making lives easy for the people.

Explain your links with Jega, PDP tells APC

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged the All Progressives Congress (APC) to come out clear and explain to Nigerians the links between it and the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, which informs and propels its feverish fixation and huge interest in his stay in office.PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh in a statement, Saturday, said it is more than curious that the APC has continued to fabricate stories and show undue interest on Prof. Jega, adding that such raise alot of questions for the opposition and the INEC Chairman.“Undoubtedly, the frenzy, hysteria and spate with which the APC has been inventing stories regarding Prof. Jega’s stay in office even when nothing suggests that such was on the table, raise a lot of issues.“We ask, is there any underlining issue or arrangement between APC and Prof. Jega which the opposition is hell-bent to protect, informing its anxiety and apprehension towards his stay in office?“While it is noted that the APC is a party of one week, one lie, we in the PDP look beneath the surfaces to the deeper issues propelling the lies. We therefore challenge the APC to come out clean and tell Nigerians the real reason behind their false alarms and uncontrolled nervousness regarding Prof. Jega ahead of the 2015 general elections.“Finally, we wish to remind the leadership of INEC that Nigerians are monitoring its activities and series of unfolding political events ahead of the elections, and will not accept anything less than the conduct of credible, free and fair general elections come March 28 and April 11, 2015”, the party said.

How Nigeria can help to end the war in Ukraine – Russian envoy

The Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Nikolay Udovichenko, speaks on the war in eastern UkraineDo you think eastern Ukraine should be part of Russia?I think the question sounds a bit strange, since never had Russia questioned the integrity of Ukraine. Quite the opposite, we consistently advocated and supported the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. Our position did not change even after we saw a constitutionally elected government overthrown by a US-backed coup d’etat in Kiev, in February 2014.Why does Russia care so much about what happens in Ukraine?Nikolay UdovichenkoIt is not surprising that we take to heart everything that happens in Ukraine. It is well known that Ukrainian and Russian people are a single ethnic Slavs nation. Historical ties between the two nations are very close. For almost 80 years, our people lived in one state, the Soviet Union, where economic, cultural, social and family ties were fully integrated. Now we have millions of mixed families with Russians and Ukrainians living in both countries, speaking the Russian language.We can’t remain indifferent when the rights of Russian speaking people, specifically our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and children, are rudely and shamelessly violated. Their only offence is that they did not support a nationalist coup in the country and demanded respect for their rights.As the crisis in Ukraine grows, there looms interruption of economic relations that existed between our twocountries. The problem is not only that Ukraine is a recipient of Russian gas and a transit country for Russian gas supplies to Europe, but also in close commercial ties, including industrial and aerospace complex. The conflict affects both the economy of Ukraine and Russia, on those of its strategically important sectors, which are closely related to the enterprises located on the territory of Ukraine.Recall that the south-east of Ukraine is home to large industries where transformers, various parts of motors, manufacturing and industrial equipment, etc. are being produced in cooperation with Russian companies and shipped to Russia. Today, the partnership between the two countries in these sectors is hanging.Russia has long denied military involvement in Ukraine but the passports of many Russian troops have been found in Ukraine territory. How do you explain this?Russian regular armed forces are not involved and have never been involved in the conflict in Ukraine. No wonder neither the Ukrainian officials nor NATO have been able to present real evidence on that. As for all the funny fables or fake photos about the flow of Russian troops and arms, they provide them in abundance. Indeed, the show must go on. The serious institutions like the OSCE (Organisation on Security and Cooperation in Europe) saw no Russian regular military troops in Ukraine’s east.It is no secret that citizens of different countries are taking part in combat operations in the south-east of Ukraine. We, in turn, also can’t forbid Russian volunteers from going to Ukraine and protecting their relatives and families, while Ukrainian authorities use mercenaries from Great Britain, Sweden, Poland andother countries. The US has recently sent military advisers to Ukraine clearly not to engage in agriculture development.As for the Russian passports Poroshenko juggled, it again comes from the same stories, of which I spoke earlier. Besides, Russian military personnel don’t have passports, what they have is a special military ID.How hard does Putin want to go on the shelling on eastern Ukraine?Let’s look at the facts. Shortly after the violent coup, the new Kiev regime, not Russia, started using enforcement bodies and police against ethnic Russians in south-eastern Ukraine who did not agree to such a revolution and refused to accept a new order in Kiev. Using the army, the new regime tried to carry out punitive operations with heavy artillery, prohibited worldwide weapons, such as cluster munitions, against residential areas and settlements.Self-defence forces in Ukraine’s east were forced to defend themselves and responded by fighting. So I can’t accept your question. Russia is the least of all that would like to see military action in a neighboring friendly Ukraine, because it is a direct threat to our national security. You should look for those who benefitfrom it.Is Russia affected by the sanctions imposed by the US and its allies?Of course, sanctions imposed on Russia in violation of international law are not very helpful but they will not achieve their goals. At the same time we see a positive side of that. Russia had focused too much on the European market and integration with it, the sanctions have forced us to further develop domestic production, strengthen relations with other parts of the world such as Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Besides, all sanctions have a boomerang effect hitting the economy of the initiators. Whatever they say, businesses in Europe suffer losses.What’s going on, on the sanctions the United States previously imposed on Russia?These sanctions are also counter-productive and affect everyone, including Russia, but Russia will emerge from this situation with an advantage. The countries that triggered the spiral of sanctions will not escape the negative effects in light of the global redistribution of economic and social power. So it’s not our problem. As I mentioned earlier, we have a good opportunity to develop our economy.I want to emphasize another important point. It’s necessary to clearly understand that Russia has emerged as a sovereign country pursuing an independent, assertive foreign policy designed to defend its own national interests and to ensure peace and international security as the number of conflict areas in the world is growing and it doesn’t happen by itself. These sanctions are attempts to punish Russia for its independent foreign policy, its sovereignty and its unwillingness to blindly obey the outside demands.Eastern Ukraine peace remain uncertain. When do you think solution will be found in Ukraine?Russia is interested in a speedy resolution of the conflict in Ukraine more than any other country. We are convinced that the Kiev government is not able to resolve the conflict by military means.We do want the Ukrainian people to restore their unity but it should be done on the basis of real nationwidedialogue. Moscow is consistently and patiently calling for the start of direct talks between Kiev and Donetsk and Lugansk on practical steps to restore the common economic, social and political space withinthe territorial integrity of Ukraine. The Kiev government should learn to listen and talk to the people in the eastern part of Ukraine. This is the only way to find a really long-lasting solution to the conflict.Is Russia ready for peace talk?We are not just ready, but unlike many partners, we are doing everything possible to scale down tensions and to achieve a political settlement in Ukraine. We firmly believe that there is no alternative to an exclusively peaceful settlement. Given the acute crisis in south-east Ukraine, only the people of Ukraine without any foreign interference must determine their future. Direct contact between Kiev and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics are of fundamental importance in this context.All other formats involving external players, including the Normandy and many other formats, as well as the OSCE activities, must be aimed at assisting a direct and sustainable dialogue on issues that need to be resolved to settle the crisis. On its part, Russia will continue to assist the creation of favourable conditions to settle Ukraine’s formidable problems in this spirit.We also want the EU and the US to increase their influence on Kiev and to urge the new regime to speak with its citizens as they have done in other conflicts like in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan where they called for dialogue with the opposition forces, part of which consisted of very radical groups. Now we are disappointed to see a totally different approach to everything that concerns the crisis in Ukraine’s east.

Police warn of terrorist attack ahead of Bundesliga match

Security will be tightened around Werder Bremen’s home Bundesliga clash against second-placed VfL Wolfsburg on Sunday after police warned of a possible terrorist attack in the Hanseatic City.Bremen police have specifically warned about Islamic terrorists at large in the city on Saturday morning, while there has been a nationwide alert to potential terrorist activity since Friday night.Werder Bremen’s spokesman has said the league match will not be postponed, but the club are in constant contact with the police’s operations centre and security measures will be stepped up for the game.The match is one of the league’s top clashes this weekend with Bremen unbeaten in their last six outings which has taken them from last to eighth.

Egyptian court declares Hamas a terrorist group

An Egyptian court has declared Hamas a “terrorist” organisation, weeks after the Palestinian movement’s armed wing was given the same designation, reports said.A judicial source told AFP news agency that the court issued the verdict on Saturday, a ruling seen as keeping with a systematic crackdown on Islamist groups by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.The verdict resulted from two separate private suits filed by two lawyers against the de facto rulers of the Gaza Strip.In an interview with Al Jazeera, Ghazi Hamad, a deputy foreign minister, rejected the court decision as “very dangerous.”“They are now saying that the [Palestinian] resistance and struggle against the occupation is a crime,” he said.Mustafa Barghouti, a senior Palestinian official who is neither from Hamas or Fatah, told Al Jazeera in aseparate interview that the verdict “is a very unwise decision” that carries political complication.“Hamas is part of the Palestinian national unity movement, and this decision is not useful.”

Iraq reopens Baghdad museum 12 years after looting

Iraq’s national museum officially reopened Saturday after 12 years of painstaking efforts during which close to a third of 15,000 pieces looted during the US-led invasion were recovered.The reopening was brought forward in what officials said was a response to the destruction of pricelessartefacts by Islamic State group jihadists in the northern city of Mosul.“We have been preparing to reopen for the past couple of months, the museum should be open to everyone,” Qais Hussein Rashid, the deputy tourism and antiquities minister, told AFP.“The events in Mosul led us to speed up our work and we wanted to open it today as a response to whatthe gangs of Daesh did,” he said, using an Arabic acronym for the IS group.On Thursday, the jihadists who have occupied Iraq’s second city of Mosul since June last year released a video in which militants smash ancient statues with sledgehammers in the city’s museum.Militants are also seen using a jackhammer to deface a colossal 40-tonne Assyrian winged bull in an archaeological park in Mosul.The destruction sparked global outrage, calls for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and fears over the fate of other major heritage sites in areas under IS control.The Mosul destruction was the worst disaster to strike Iraq’s treasures since the national museum in Baghdad was looted in the chaos that followed the toppling of Saddam Hussein.The pictures of jihadists gleefully hacking away at treasures dating back several centuries before Christ drew comparisons with the 2001 dynamiting by the Taliban of the Bamiyan buddhas in Afghanistan.One jihadist speaking to the camera claims they are destroying them on religious grounds because the statues are symbols of idolatry.But officials and experts argue the IS militants are seen destroying the pieces that are too bulky to be smuggled and sold to finance their self-proclaimed “caliphate”.

Ex-ADC’s killing in Bauchi shocks Uduaghan

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State has expressed shock and disbelief over the death of his former aide-de-camp, Chris Eza, who was killed in Bauchi on Thursday night by a police corporal.Until he was shot to death by the unnamed police corporal over a yet-to-be-ascertained matter, Eza was the Commanding Officer, Mobile Police Force 10, in Bauchi.Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Sunny Ogefere, said Uduaghan was visibly shocked and speechless when the news of the death of Eza, a Superintendent of Police, got to him.The governor added, “This is heartbreaking; it is a personal loss. For a very young man to die in his prime in that manner is devastating.“Chris was a gallant, courageous and dedicated police officer, who was never afraid to take on any challenge.“I pray that God Almighty will grant us, particularly the family and the Police, the fortitude to bear the loss.”

OAU accounting students resolve crisis over summit fund

Students of the Accounting Department, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, under the aegis of NigerianAccounting Students Association, has resolved the crisis generated by the financial report of a conference organised by the students.A parliamentary sitting held by the students last Friday to clear grey areas of the financial report led to an exchange of blows by the students.The Director of Socials of the association at the sitting was suspended and the President, ‎Vincent Adebola, ‎reportedly walked out of one of the sittings.Also, a campus journalist, Lasisi Afeez, was reportedly attacked during the fracas.‎When contacted on the telephone, the president, however, said the crisis had been taken out of proportion.Adebola said, “The issue is that we were there to present the financial report of our Nigerian Students’ Economic and Leadership ‎Summit‎, but in the process of giving that report, there were lots of interjections from the members of the ASRC.“It was just a minor issue and we were able to resolve it. There was nothing like fighting.”‎‎‎The OAU Accounting Students’ Representative Council in a ‎statement by its Speaker, Famakin Olajide, and Clerk, Annie Umorien, also said the issues surrounding their financial report had been resolved.The resolution of the ninth Parliamentary sitting, held on Monday, claimed that there was no misappropriation of funds by the executives.It was gathered that about N1.7m was expended on the submit.The resolution read in part, “‎It is very ‎important at this juncture to know that both the ‎parliamentary and the executives of the association are ‎working towards a common goal, which is the ‎progress of the association. It should not be seen that ‎an arm is working against the progress of the ‎association ortrying to paint the image of the ‎association (in a) bad (light).The resolution also stated that‎ the executive members responded to the ‎demand of ASRC by coming topresent the reports on ‎NISELS 2015; NUASA software training, association and the various ‎offices of the executives.It, however, denied that the General Secretary, Oladiti Oladotun, was suspended.The resolution added, “‎The ‎NISELS report has been submitted and has ‎been ratified by the House. Currently, the ASRC‎ wants the whole Nuasites to know that there has not ‎been any misappropriation offunds and nobody has ‎embezzled the association’s money.“On the issue of the suspension of Director of Social, this ‎is to notify all Nuasites and staff that the suspension has been lifted during ‎the 9th Parliamentary sitting, ‎after the Director of Social brought an ‎apology letter for‎ his misconduct during the 8th Parliamentary sitting of the House.“Currently, the association has no suspended member. ‎The House did not suspend the General‎ Secretary.”

Jonathan woos Benin chiefs for re-election bid

In a bid to gather more support from the South South geopolitical zone, President Goodluck Jonathan ha‎s urged traditional rulers in the Benin Kingdom to support his re-election bid, as a “son of the Benin palace.”‎Jonathan made the appeal on Friday, when his campaign team paid a courtesy visit to some palace chiefs at the Holy Arousa Cathedral, Benin, the traditional place of worship of the Oba of Benin.The Coordinator of the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who conveyed the message of the president, said the Jonathan administration had performed creditably well and deserved a second term in order to complete his good works in Edo and other parts of the country.Listed among the laudable Federal Government projects in the state are the rehabilitated Ofosu end of the Benin-Ore dual carriageway and the ongoing dualisation of Benin-Auchi-Okene road.Others are the approval for the building of a new Federal Government Girls’ College, to be sited at Ehor, and ongoing construction of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company headquarters at Iyekogba in Benin.While noting that the role of the Oba in national development was instrumental to the decision of the president to seek re-election, Ize-Iyamu urged the chiefs for royal blessings and support for the PeoplesDemocratic Party at all levels.“I therefore ask that you pray for him, as elders of the land, because in 2011, Edo South voted overwhelmingly for him and this time, he expects more from you. “He is not the only one contesting and voting for him alone may put him in danger, as he requires capable people to work with him at the national level. Therefore, he asked that our National Assembly and state Assembly candidates should also be voted for in this election,” he said.Also speaking, a former deputy governor of the state, Chief Lucky Imansuen, and the Edo South PDP senatorial candidate, Mr. Matthew Urhoghide, described the party’s presidential candidate as an achiever, whom they said was working “silently” to develop Nigeria.

PDP’s oath-taking allegation against Tinubu outlandish, reactionary – APC

The All Progressives Congress has said the “sickening and outlandish claim” by the Goodluck JonathanCampaign Organisation that the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, plans to become Vice President through the back door is designed to divert attention from the success of the party’s presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), at the Chatham House in London on Thursday.In a statement in London on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the PDP and the Jonathan Administration still did not have any answer to what the APC described as “an epochal moment that has separated the wheat from the chaff.”The APC said, ”Our presidential candidate’s globally-acclaimed outing has presented Nigerians, and indeed the global community, with a choice between a bumbling, ineffective, incoherent, clueless, visionless and incompetent President and an assertive, knowledgeable, dignified, purposeful and principled President-in-waiting.”Having failed to discredit the (United Kingdom) outing with a rented crowd, some of whom confessed tohave been paid to carry placards they did not even understand, the PDP and the Jonathan Administration have now resorted to making nauseating claims that are totally untrue, absolutely incomprehensible and nothing but sheer bunkum.”APC described the claim as the latest in “a series of desperate moves” by the PDP and the Jonathan Administration since the emergence of Buhari as the APC presidential candidate, and “the clearest indication yet that they have no answer to the unstoppable momentum of a man of history.”It added, ”They have thrown everything imaginable at Gen. Buhari, but he has continued to wax strongerand stronger: They said he was not qualified, that he was too old, then they fabricated a medical report of an illness of their own choice, sponsored death wish adverts against him and instituted a myriad of court cases to stop him.”After they failed to stop him, they went after the election itself, using the PVCs as a tool to launch a campaign for postponement and, when they realised that would not work, came up with the bogey of insecurity in the North-East to force a postponement of the election, hoping they can buy enough time torevive their electoral misfortune.”With everything working against them, they engaged in a show of shame at The Chatham House that backfired badly, on the heels of their bare-faced lies that Gen. Buhari was hospitalised in London. The preposterous claim of a secret oath – reminiscent of what they do in their own party – by the apparently ailing spokesman for the Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, is their latestdesperate act.”APC said in as much as it had so far refrained from engaging Fani-Kayode in what the party called “his game of character assassination, abuses and irresponsible name calling, the party is becoming seriously concerned that he may be caving in under pressure and reverting to his undignified past of substance abuse.”

Mbu denies order to shoot civilians

Former Rivers State Commissioner of Police and current Assistant-Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Lagos, has said he was misquoted by reports that he ordered policemen to kill 20 civilians for every officer killed in the coming general elections.Mbu in a statement signed by the Zonal Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Olugbemiga Adeoye, explained that he only “advised his policemen not to be cowardly but to be guided by Force Order 237 on the use of their firearms.”According to him, the firearms are not only meant to defend themselves but also others “including fellow police officers when their lives are in danger.”The AIG, who said he was quoted out of context, believes that reports on the issue have been fraught with political undertone.He said such reports were geared towards portraying him in a bad light and as an officer who does not uphold the rule of law.The statement said, “Although policemen are not to be seen with firearms within a specific radius of the polling area, quick response squads will be created to respond to distress calls.“There is no society in the world where policemen will be killed by hoodlums and the perpetrators will beallowed to escape justice.”He said he was also quoted out of context on the alleged order to arrest governors at polling units.“What he (Mbu) said was that no highly placed individuals in the society who have police escorts and other forms of personal guards will be allowed within the voting area accompanied by such retinue of escorts,” the statement said.

Troops recover eight more towns in Yobe, Adamawa

The Director of Defence Information, Maj.-Gen Chris Olukolade, has said that troops have recaptured more towns from the members of the Boko Haram sect.Olukolade said in a statement on Friday that the troops handed out a crushing defeat to the insurgents and recovered the headquarters of Gulani Local Government Area of Yobe State, Bara, and the headquarters of Madagali Local Government area, Gulag, from them in the early hours of Friday.He said that the troops also flushed out terrorists from other locations such as Shikah, Fikayel, Tetebah,Buza, Kamla and Bumsa, during the two-day operation.According to Olukolade, many insurgents were killed in the fierce fighting that preceded the liberation of the communities.The Defence spokesman said that the troops recovered and destroyed several arms and ammunition, vehicles and other equipment.According to him, the items recovered included anti-air craft guns, general purpose machine guns, barrel grenade launchers, rifles and mortar guns.Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan expressed confidence that troops would sustain the gains they have been recording in the fight against the Boko Haram sect.He assured that the military would recover more territories seized by the terrorist group.Jonathan gave the assurance when the outgoing French Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Jacques Champagne De Labriolle, visited him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President said the officers and men of the Nigerian Army he met on the frontline in Borno and Adamawa states onThursday were in high spirits, well prepared and determined to successfully complete their operations against the terrorist group.“We have already recovered much territory and very soon our troops will clear the terrorists out of otherareas not presently under our control.”Accepting a congratulatory message from President Francois Hollande to Nigeria for recent successes of its armed forces against Boko Haram, Jonathan restated Nigeria’s appreciation of France’s support for Nigeria and its neighbours in the fight against terrorism.He commended Hollande for organising the Paris Summit of Heads of State of Nigeria, Benin Republic, Cameroon, Niger and Chad in May 2014 to foster greater regional cooperation against terrorism and insurgency.The President pledged that beyond the ongoing military campaign in the North-East, Nigeria would continue to implement all agreements reached at the summit to ensure lasting peace and security within its borders and in neighbouring countries.Jonathan, however, reassured the international community of his commitment to free, fair and credible polls in the country next month.The President wished the outgoing ambassador well in his future endeavours and urged him to always be a “good ambassador of Nigeria’’.In his remarks, Labriolle said that France was “confident in the future of Nigeria and its ability to continue playing a huge role in Africa and world affairs.”The ambassador also expressed delight at improved trade and economic ties between Nigeria and France in the last three years, noting that over 250 French companies are currently operating in Nigeria.

Tinubu plots to be President, says PDP

Presidential Campaign Organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party has alleged that a former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is plotting to become the President of Nigeria through the back door.It said the plot by the former governor, who is a stalwart of the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress, was to take over as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the event thatGen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) wins the March 28, 2015 presidential election.Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP-PCO, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, made this allegation at a news conference in Abuja on Friday.He nevertheless said the campaign team of the PDP-PCO wishes Buhari long life.Fani-Kayode said skeletal information available to the PDP-PCO suggests that the Vice Presidential candidate of the APC, Prof Yemi Osibanjo, was picked by Tinubu and forced to take an oath to resign hisappointment six months into the new cabinet should the APC win the elections.The PDP-PCO further alleged that the party would field Tinubu as Osinbajo’s replacement after the alleged resignation.Fani-Kayode argued that given the huge financial war chest being deployed by the leader of the party and his overbearing influence at single-handedly facilitating the emergence of Buhari and Osinbajo as the party’s candidates after allegedly failing to push the Muslim-Muslim ticket, further lends credence tohis claim.He asked Buhari to watch his back, adding that the alleged gang-up against him and Nigerians was based on the calculation that his health conditions would deteriorate and lead to his death, paving way for the vice president to take over power.Fani-Kayode said, “It should baffle well-meaning Nigerians why Tinubu has decided to draft Buhari, despite his age, acrimonious background and questionable health status, into the presidential race whilst ensuring that his stooge, Prof Osinbajo, was foisted on the general as vice presidential candidate.“The reason is that the PDP-PCO wishes to use this forum to expose the ungodly plan by Tinubu to seize the presidency of Nigeria by subterfuge.“You will recall how Tinubu wanted to be running mate to Buhari in spite of the nationwide resentment for Muslim-Muslim ticket that he and Buhari planned to foist on their party.“Senator Tinubu had justified the ticket by saying that competence was the important thing and not the issue of religion.“But when he and Buhari could not push through the agenda within the APC, he (Tinubu), after being given the opportunity to nominate a vice presidential candidate, decided to prop up his stooge in the person of Prof. Osinbajo.“Now the real reason Tinubu nominated Osinbajo has been made known to us and we hereby offer a public service to the Nigerian people by drawing their national attention to it. Credible pieces of information at our disposal indicate that Tinubu has perfected plans to come to power through the backdoor.“Tinubu, according to our information, has compelled Osinbajo to swear to an oath that after six months in office, he would resign as the vice president, in the unlikely event that their party wins. The wicked plot, as laid out by them, is to force Osinbajo to resign for Tinubu to be nominated by Buhari as his replacement.“The ultimate objective of this plot is to ensure that Tinubu becomes President. The script is simple: given the questionable health of Buhari, Tinubu, who is desperate to be president for his own selfish reasons, will simply bid his time in the evil expectation that Buhari will not be able to go the whole hog.“How wicked can those that hatched this plan be? How unfair can they be to the North, to Buhari and to Nigerians? We wish Buhari long life. Senator Tinubu’s dangerous plan is about getting power. This is sad. No thoroughbred Yoruba man or indeed Nigerian wants to get power through the misfortune of another person.“But this is the perfidious path that Tinubu is passing through. This is repugnant.“It will interest you to know that our information is strengthened by the very similar act of resignation which Senator Tinubu had planned to force on Pastor Tunde Bakare which you can all watch now.“We will like to show to you some footage that is on Youtube of Pastor Tunde Bakare’s interview where he openly admitted that he refused to sign a resignation letter that would have seen him hand over his vice presidential position had Buhari been successful in his presidential campaign in 2011.“Becoming the vice president is not the destination but becoming the president! The agenda of the cabalwithin the APC is with the perceived health challenges of Buhari. They have told themselves in hushed tones that he has prostate cancer, acute asthma and that he suffers from dementia. This is their assessment and not ours. We do not know how true this is or what the nature of his illness is and neither are we interested. All these allegations of ill-health, to the cabal provide the justification for their evil plan.”He said the structures around Buhari belong to Tinubu and that the actors around him, driving his campaign behind the scenes are also Tinubu’s men.He said, “Most of the covert funding for this campaign comes from Tinubu’s friends outside the country and from Tinubu himself. So if he becomes President, Buhari will become virtually incapacitated and he will not be the one running the government. Those behind this plan would now be waiting for Buhari to pass on. That is what Tinubu wants to do to the North and to Nigeria.“This is a wicked and ungodly attempt for Tinubu not only against the North and the Hausa/Fulani but against the whole country. We are convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that most Nigerians are not with this cabal. This is because no sane or rational person would wish another person evil to actualise his political ambition.”Attempts to get the response from the spokesperson of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report. Calls to his mobile phone indicated that it was switched off while an e-mail sent to him had yet to be replied.

Jega’s removal: More confusion as FG remains non-commital

The Federal Government on Friday further compounded fears in some quarters that the Chairman of theIndependent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, could be sacked before the general elections.In an answer to enquiries on government’s stand on allegation that the INEC boss would soon be asked to proceed on a terminal leave, the Federal Government through the Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, gave a rather ambiguous answer.He said the exit of Jega from the chairmanship of the INEC would take a natural course. Duke, who is also the supervising Mtinister of Information, spoke with journalists at the headquarters of the Ministry of Information in Abuja on Friday.While answering a question on whether the Federal Government planned to send Jaga on terminal leavebefore the expiration of his tenure in June, Duke said Jega would not be sacked as President Goodluck Jonathan had pledged, but added that his exit from the electoral body would be a natural sequence.The minister said, “On the issue of the INEC chairman, I align myself with what the President said that he has no plan to sack the INEC chairman.“That is not to say that if it is time for the INEC chairman to naturally exit his office, then the natural course of things will not take place.“It is like saying a civil servant has done 35 years or achieved the age of 60; we now begin to say that hemust not retire or he must retire. I think all of that is in the terrain of the Presidency and he has spoken. Ihave nothing to add to that.”Duke added, “I will also like to say once on that issue. I recall that for several weeks now; people keep threatening the President on the shift in the date of the poll. You begin to wonder that parties have a couple of extra weeks in order to reinvigorate their campaigns and try to reach as many voters as possible. Rather than do that, you begin to identify imaginary pockets of unlikely developments and thenfocus your attention on them and then when you lose election, you begin to complain.”But members of the All Progressives Congress in the Senate and the Northern Elders Forum said that they would resist alleged plot to sack the INEC boss.The senators had on Thursday alleged that there was a fresh plot by the Federal Government to   prevent Jega from superintending over the forthcoming general elections.The Northern Elders Forum warned against attempts to remove Jega and insisted that the elections must hold within the timeline allowed by the law.The APC senators, led by George Akume, told   a news conference in Abuja that they heard from a reliable source that the Head of Service would direct Jega to proceed on his pre-retirement leave next week.“We have received information from a very credible source that next week, the INEC Chairman will be given a letter from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service to proceed on a terminal leave,” they said.The opposition senators alleged that the Federal Government was trying to use a circular from the HoS  dated August 11, 2010 to place Jega on compulsory pre-retirement leave.They threatened to resist any attempt by the presidency to either suspend or remove Jega before the March 28 presidential election.Some of the senators, who spoke with one of our correspondents on the issue on Friday, said they would employ legal and constitutional means to ensure that Jega conducts the next general elections.Akume said President Goodluck Jonathan has the right to remove Jega, but could not unilaterally do so without seeking the permission of the National Assembly through a two-third majority.He, however, said that Jonathan does not have the legal powers to suspend the INEC boss under whatever guise.He said, “Section 157(1) clearly states that the President can only remove Jega with the vote of 2/3 majority of all senators. Under whatever guise whether suspension, retirement or voluntary leave, he cannot be removed.Akume said, “ Section 157 (1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the President cannot remove the INEC Chairman from office without getting approval of the Upper Chamber.“Section 157 (1) of the constitution reads: “…a person holding any of the offices to which this section applies may only be removed from that office by the president acting on an address supported by two-thirds majority of the Senate praying that he be so removed for inability to discharge the functions of the office.”He said, “We will resist any attempt by the presidency to sack jega for any sinister reasons. We will continue to say no to impunity and any attempt to undermine the credibility of the forthcoming general elections. We would never accept.“We condemn what the Federal Government is trying to do. We will rise up and defend our democracy. This is the Road to Golgotha, the road to Armageddon. These people want to destroy this country completely and we will resist it.“We are waiting for the president to bring the notice before the National Assembly and we will decide on its legality or otherwise.”Also Senator Ahmed Lawan, (APC Yobe North), admitted that the President has the constitutional powers to remove Jega if he so wishes but that there is a procedure contained in the constitution.He said, “The National Assembly must pass a resolution backed by two-third majority of members either giving accent to the request or not. That is the only way that the Chairman of the INEC could be removed. The President cannot do it alone.”Senator Babafemi Ojudu, (APC Ekiti Central) said, “The President cannot suspend Jega because he has no such powers in the constitution. There is no law which empowers the President to suspend anyone who was legally appointed to occupy a position for a period of time.”Ojudu said his colleagues were raising the alarm because the information about the plot to sack Jega was made available to them hence they would not ignore it.He said, “We have met, and we are still going to meet over the issue. We are watching and already considering all lawful and constitutional options even pre-emptive strategies to make sure that this democracy is not truncated through Jega’s sack”Addressing a press conference, the spokesman for the Northern Elders Forum, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, said that sacking Jega now would be a recipe for disaster.Abdullahi said, “With regards to Jega’s tenure, any attempt at this last minute by this government or its agency to remove the INEC chairman is a clear message that the Presidency is determined to rig the presidential election in which its sees Jega as an impediment simply because he thinks that the commission must follow the rules for a free and fair and credible election.”While lamenting that the February elections were postponed on “flimsy, clumsy and indefensible” reasons, he said the electoral body had for several months now been consistent and emphatic on its readiness to organise and conduct the 2015 elections in February.He noted that the insecurity excuse given for the postponement of the elections must “fail because only a small fraction of the security personnel in the country are directly engaged in the fight against insurgency within the North-Eastern enclave of the country.”Abdullahi said, “Assuming that the soldiers are needed, we need to know that of the about 180,000 soldiers in uniform only about 20,000 are currently in the North-East of the country.”Meanwhile, most national and resident electoral commissioners have expressed their support for Jega over his readiness to conduct the polls.They asked him to reject alleged plan by the Presidency to send him on terminal leave.Saturday PUNCHreliably learnt that the commissioners were disturbed that the removal of Jega would erode the credibility of the polls.One of the national commissioners, who spoke withSaturday PUNCHon condition of anonymity, said there was no way the results of the elections would be fair, if the polls were not conducted by the commission’s current chairman.He said, “The whole world is watching us. Anyone who’s thinking about sacking Jega is not working for the interest of the country.“Yes, there are plans and attempts at dividing us, but we need to remain resolute in this task. We should not allow anyone to put the country into shame.”Asked if there was division among the ranks of the officers, he said it was possible as witnessed during the meetings on the postponement of the elections.Another national officer, who spoke on the issue said, “We are all the same. There is no seniority among us. We are all national officers.”It was learnt that not many commissioners were happy with the predicament of the chairman.Investigations bySaturday PUNCHshowed that those in this category included commissioners that supported the postponement of the elections and some who were against the use of card readers and permanent voter cards for the elections.Jega’s term ends on June 30, 2015 but the All Progressives Congress on Thursday alleged that the Federal Government planned to send him on a three-month terminal leave starting from next week.The chairman, who spoke to The PUNCH through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Kayode Idowu, had on Thursday said he had yet to receive any letter asking him to proceed on terminal leave.Also, Idowu told one of our correspondents on Friday that the electoral body was not prepared to join any conversation on the chairman’s exit.He said the commission is absolutely focused on preparation for elections. “It is the last thing on the mind of the chairman now,” he added.An INEC commissioner, who confided in Saturday PUNCH, identified, “the move to send the chairman onleave as one of the reasons that forced INEC to shift the elections to March 28 and April 11.”

Polls: Jonathan summons state PDP chairmen, secretaries

Worried by the continued defection of members of the Peoples Democratic Party to other parties, President Goodluck Jonathan has summoned all the chairmen and secretaries of the state chapters of the ruling party to Abuja for a crucial meeting next week.This,Saturday PUNCHgathered, is aimed resolving the crisis rocking the party across the country as well as at reviewing the extent of coverage of presidential campaigns by the respective state chapters ofthe party.For instance, the Ondo State chapter of the party has been embroiled in leadership crisis since GovernorOlusegun Mimiko and his supporters dumped the Labour Party for the PDP in October last year.Despite the party chieftains’ efforts to convince his that they are working for the President’s re-election, continued hostilities across the lines have undermined all reconciliatory efforts.The story is not different in all the other states and the President is said to be unhappy about this.According to the immediate past chairman of the party in Ondo State, Ebenezer Alabi, the President knows that all is not well with the party in some states, hence the meeting.Saturday PUNCHlearnt that a similar meeting was held two weeks ago at the instance of the President and chaired by the National Chairman of PDP, Adamu Muazu.A leader of the party in Ondo State told one of our correspondents in Abuja that the President was apparently not getting the facts of the true situation of the crisis facing the states despite the reports of reconciliation so far made available to the party in Abuja.He said, “The President feels he is not getting first hand information on the crisis, so he invited all the chairmen and secretaries to Abuja to brief him on the true situation with the party.“Because if there had been reconciliation, why are people still leaving the PDP to other parties as the elections are approaching.”The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, confirmed to one of our correspondents in Abujathat the meeting was supposed to have been held last week but was postponed due to logistics reasons.It was also gathered that the meeting which might hold anytime from next week, would also be used to placate aggrieved members of the party.Metuh said, “We are meeting again, maybe this week. The meeting is going to evaluate the campaign so far. It will also afford us the opportunity of putting our house in proper orer.We were ready for the electrons before and we are also ready today.

FAAN tests airport bombing response plan today

The Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria has announced plans to test the Murtala Muhammed Airport Emergency Response Plan.A statement by the authority on Friday explained that the testing will be done with a Bomb Simulated Exercise today (Saturday), between 10.00am and 11.00am.This, according to FAAN, is in fulfilment of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s requirements for certification.It added that the drill is intended to test the Airport’s response procedures in the event of real bomb explosion at the Terminal Building.The statement signed by FAAN’s General Manager, Corporate Affairs, Mr. Yakubu Dati, urged passengers at the Murtala Muhammed Terminal not to panic as a result of the exercise.He said, “FAAN hereby appeals to passengers and the general public not to panic as adequate arrangements have been put in place to ensure as safe an environment as possible while the exercise lasts.”“In addition, there will be no disruption to flight operations as a result of the exercise,” he added.

Ebonyi Assembly begins impeachment moves against Gov Elechi

Ebonyi State governor, Chief Martin Elechi, on Friday accused some key figures in the Federal Government and the Peoples Democratic Government of masterminding the impeachment plot against him.The governor made the allegation just as an impeachment motion was passed against him by membersof the Ebonyi House of Assembly.In his response to the plot, Elechi named the Secretary to the Federal Government, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim; Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party; Uche Secondus; and the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh as those behind the move.In the eight-count charge signed by fifteen lawmakers and read on the floor of the House by the Acting Leader, Ogbonnaya Nwifuru, Elechi was accused of gross misconduct.The lawmakers said they endorsed the notice of impeachment served on Elechi because his alleged offence was a clear violation of the Constitution.However, addressing journalists at the Executive Council Chambers of Government House, Abakaliki, thestate capital, about the same time the impeachment motion was being moved at the House of Assembly,Elechi alleged that Anyim, Secondus, Metu and others within and outside the state offered financial inducement to the lawmakers to impeach him.According to him, Anyim had earlier during a national caucus meeting of the PDP in Abuja moved a motion for his impeachment on the allegation that he, Elechi, was working against the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan.Elechi also said he was accused of meeting with former president Olusegun Obasanjo and former governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako, to work against Jonathan.Denying ever meeting with Obasanjo, whom he described as an in-law of Ebonyi State, or Nyako, whom he said he saw last during an expanded National Executive Council meeting of the PDP before Nyako’s impeachment, Elechi stressed that it was Anyim and his likes, through their activities, that were undermining Jonathan’s re-election bid in the state.Elechi said, “I mentioned this as one of Anyim’s motion (at PDP caucus meeting) because it has come tothe public domain.“I was to be in that meeting but the notice came less than 24 hours and I had billed myself for other things, so I didn’t attend.“I am relying now on the publications of various papers and other things I hear about Anyim.“I didn’t exhaust all of them like his effort to stop the bond which we are eminently qualified for, he tried that but he failed.“It is interesting for Nigerians to know that the decision to impeach the governor preceded the finding of justifiable reasons to do so.“It is simply the case of giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it.“The legislators must be convinced that an impeachment is justifiable before they can consent to it.“But because there have been no justifiable reasons, many honourable members of Ebonyi State House of Assembly received threat messages to either append their signatures or risk assassination and/or a kidnap of their family members.“Others were coerced from the National Headquarters of the PDP to give their bank particulars so that money will be paid into them.”

Ibori’s conviction cost N4.4bn –Senate

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and anti-corruption, Senator Victor Lar, said on Friday that a whopping sum of £14m (N4.4bn) was spent to secure the conviction of former Governor James Ibori, in the United Kingdom on April 17, 2012.Lar, who disclosed this while Federal Government agencies under the supervision of his committee weredefending their 2015 budgets in the Senate, however, said the case was at no cost to Nigerian anti-graft agencies.The senator stressed the need to amend the enabling laws of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and Other Related Offences Commission, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, so that they could be receiving their funds directly.Lar said, “All the convictions were secured with very limited or no funds. People are quick to celebrate the conviction of James Ibori in the UK. The truth is that to secure Ibori’s conviction, a whopping sum of£14m was expended.“That is almost N4.4bn which is more than 10 years recurrent and capital budgets of all the anti-corruption agencies put together.”Lar added that other countries were able to prosecute financial crimes successfully because a percentage of funds recovered from the proceeds of crime was usually retained by the recovering agency for funding its activities.He noted that most Nigerians are impatient and believed that politicians are corrupt and should be convicted.He said, “Once you are arrested and taken to court, it is outside the control of the enforcement agencies. So it is not entirely the fault of the enforcement agencies that there is corruption in the country.“This administration has fought corruption more than at any other time because we have more petitions, more people are taken to court and we have more convictions now than ever before.”In 2012, for instance, Lar said the EFCC secured about 87 convictions, 116 in 2013 and 136 in 2014.Heads of the anti-corruption agencies, while making the presentations, lamented the poor funding of theagencies and urged the National Assembly to expedite actions on its move to amend the enabling laws that established them in order to get more funds.

Bangladesh protesters denounce killing of blogger

Hundreds of protesters have rallied in the Bangladeshi capital to denounce the murder of a prominent Bangladesh-born American blogger, who was hacked to death outside a university in Dhaka.Students, activists and journalists gathered at Dhaka University on Friday to demand quick police action, a day after the attack on Avijit Roy and his wife Rafida Ahmed, who remains in critical condition.The protesters said the killing raised questions about the government’s ability to protect its citizens from crimes, and uphold democracy and freedom of speech.In an interview with Al Jazeera, human rights activist Khushi Kabir questioned police inaction during theattack.Witnesses have told Al Jazeera that police and onlookers were present during the attacks, but no one came to help the victims. Police were not immediately available to comment on the accusation.The couple were coming from a book fair at the university, when a group of men ambushed them, with at least two of the attackers hitting them with meat cleavers, police Chief Sirajul Islam told the AssociatePress news agency.The attackers then ran away, disappearing into the crowds. Two blood-stained cleavers were found after the attack, he said.On Friday, Al Jazeera learned from the family of the slain victim that his body will be donated to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for medical research.Avijit’s younger brother Arijit Roy told journalists that family members have taken the decision to donatethe body, according to the wishes of the victim.

Mbu denies order to shoot civilians

Former Rivers State Commissioner of Police and current Assistant-Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Lagos, has said he was misquoted by reports that he ordered policemen to kill 20 civilians for every officer killed in the coming general elections.Mbu in a statement signed by the Zonal Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Olugbemiga Adeoye, explained that he only “advised his policemen not to be cowardly but to be guided by Force Order 237 on the use of their firearms.”According to him, the firearms are not only meant to defend themselves but also others “including fellow police officers when their lives are in danger.”The AIG, who said he was quoted out of context, believes that reports on the issue have been fraught with political undertone.He said such reports were geared towards portraying him in a bad light and as an officer who does not uphold the rule of law.The statement said, “Although policemen are not to be seen with firearms within a specific radius of the polling area, quick response squads will be created to respond to distress calls.“There is no society in the world where policemen will be killed by hoodlums and the perpetrators will beallowed to escape justice.”He said he was also quoted out of context on the alleged order to arrest governors at polling units.“What he (Mbu) said was that no highly placed individuals in the society who have police escorts and other forms of personal guards will be allowed within the voting area accompanied by such retinue of escorts,” the statement said.

Gov Fashola lied against me on the altar of politics –Agbaje, Lagos PDP governorship candidate

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, in this interview withGBENRO ADEOYEandTUNDE AJAJA,speaks about his candidature and his plans for thestate if elected governorHow prepared are you for the election?You cannot be 100 per cent prepared, but we are definitely prepared. You can see there are lots of activities going on; we are very busy and everybody is occupied. We’re not afraid. We know what we have to do before the day of election and we believe once those things are done properly, victory will be ours definitely.People say it would be difficult for you to win the election as Lagos is seen as a stronghold of the APC. Do you think you have a chance?They have been in office for about 16 years, so, to that extent, we never thought it would be a tea party. We are very clear that it is going to be a tough race but we believe that at the end of the day, we’re goingto win. We have looked at what is happening and got the opinions of people and we are clear that people are more on our side than on their side. All things being equal, if we have a free and fair election, we will lead them.The APC has described you as inexperienced to run public office, calling your Bold Idea campaign bold inexperience. How do you feel about this?It is interesting. I suppose in politics, everybody plays to the gallery. When you talk about experience, do I have experience in government? No. But do I have experience to govern? Yes. Am I qualified to govern? Yes. And I think we should look at history and those that have actually changed their world, especially in governance. There are people who have done that; an example is Abraham Lincoln in the US. Such people did not have government experience but they were qualified. If you come down to Africa, Nelson Mandela did not have government experience but he was qualified. If you come to Nigeria, Obafemi Awolowo did not have government experience but he was qualified. Come to Lagos, Lateef Jakande did not have government experience but he was qualified. In fact, I laugh when they speak, because even their national leader, the only experience he could have had or had before he became the Governor of Lagos State was his three months stint as a senator in a quasi military-cum-civilian era. So, that is just mere talk. We have sense of the right way to govern, and for the lack of a better way to attack us, they have to hold on to something. So, we are clear that we are coming in from the outside. Jimi Agbaje is coming in with the prerequisite experience. Jimi Agbaje is first a professional, who has been in politics, served his profession at every level, and understands what it is in terms of service. Jimi Agbaje is coming from the background of a small-scale person. Jimi Agbaje started with a small pharmacy outlet and has been able to grow his business. Don’t forget that the way forward for societies is from small and medium scale enterprises. Jimi Agbaje is coming from that background because he knows where the shoe pinches. So, I’ve been able to grow my business in a waythat I can hold my own without anybody. I’ve been able to look after myself and give my children the best of education that they can have, not just in this country, but anywhere. That is where I’m coming from. I have experience as a politician, I have been in politics and been an active member of the Afenifere. Jimi Agbaje has shown over the years that he is clear about the kind of things that are going to move Lagos forward and that is very important if you are talking about governance. Jimi Agbaje has been able to show that there are alternatives to the way we are running government today. He has shown that he has remained consistent in what he says. It’s impossible for people to point out some things that I’ve said at one time and say that I have reversed to say something else at another time. So we are coming to show that if they claim that he doesn’t have government experience, he is very clear about what he is going to do when he gets into office. And what he is propagating are things that are there for everybody to understand. We are not saying we want to do what has never been done before, but that there are ways it has been done in other places and that it can be done in our own part of the world.Some people have said the incumbent governor has done well, and you once admitted to that before, If that is the case, what new things are you bringing on board?No. I think we have to get it right. What I meant was that someone could be progressive or conservative and do well, but what I said was that the incumbent governor had done his bit but he is not progressive. His style of governance is not progressive. Progressivism is having a more human face in terms of policy formulation and implementation. Looking at the policies of his government, we cannot say that he has tilted more to the people when you look at basic issues like housing, for example. He is on recordto have said many times that there is nothing like low-income housing. That is not a progressive way of thinking, especially when you consider, and even by admission of his government, that 70 per cent of Lagos residents live in substandard houses. So, if you claim that and you say there is nothing like housing for them, then you cannot be said to be progressive in your thinking. For example, if you have a problem withOkada(commercial motorcycles) and you have not given them an alternative way out, then you cannot be said to have been progressive. If you increase fees the way it was increased and it took the coming elections to reverse it, then you can’t be said to be progressive, but that is not to say that if you are not progressive, you are terrible. I mean to say that this government cannot take the tag of being a progressive government, in spite of whatever achievement it has, and it’s available to the jury to assess how well we have been since the government got there. We know we still have a long way to go.Why is it that when new government wants to come into power, they say so many things to discredit the administration before them. Are you not doing the same thing here?I think what is happening today is the other way round. It is the government that is going out now that issaying many nasty things about the one that is coming in. I don’t think that we can be accused of saying any nasty thing about the present government. If anything, we have been very civil about it. I have been accused of being too old to govern; I have even been accused of being a serial tax evader. With due respect, Governor Babatunde Fashola, on the altar of politics, told a big lie on my person, and even on the company that I have. It is a lie and a big lie. Jimi Agbaje is not a tax evader. I have a letter ofappreciation from the same government, commending me. There are reports that my company is owingN1.6m, which is a big lie. My company is not owing N1.6m. So, Governor Fashola has used his office in a way that is disappointing to me. He is playing politics, which he had not been shown to be very good at.How do you mean?He has not been seen over the last eight years as understanding the terrain of politics and I think it is showing. So maybe this is inexperience on his part, where you come out at a public forum to denigrate ataxpaying citizen of yours, denigrate his company and those working in the place. Like I said, we’ll handle it formally. I have asked for the papers from my company and I have said before that I have not been involved in the day-to-day running of my company since 2006, which is on record with Governor Fashola’s government. Having said that, to say that my company was/is owing N1.6m is not even true.Are you owing anything?No. That is what I’m saying. I just asked for the papers and I’m going through them. The Lagos State government wrote a letter in January 2014. The governor also made reference to my pharmacy at No. 9,Randle Crescent; my pharmacy is not at that address, but my corporate office. So, he got all his facts wrong and that is why I said it was clear that he had other motives and that is why if you are talking about one party denigrating the other, they are the ones doing that to us. From the letters that I have been given, it’s clear that there have been issues on that matter. As of January 2014, the amount due as Land Use Charge was N1.46m, of which they have paid that much, and it was also written that we could apply for a waiver, so, there is no such thing. The charge for 2014 shows that we paid the same year and not this year as presented. We have paid for this year, so, categorically, Mr. Fashola is wrong. It is alie to say that we owe that amount, even going by the documentation of the government, so he ‘s been playing politics. I think he should talk less and listen some more.Why don’t you take a legal action against him if he was wrong?What matters is that he has gone before the public and it is for us to tell the public that what he has done is a lie and that he is playing politics that is not good for our environment. I thought we had agreedthat it would be issue-based rather than mudslinging and I’m disappointed.Is it true that you plan to bring back Okada riders to the roads?I never said that. I said this government has not handled theOkadaissue properly. I am on record to say that at the level of our development today in Lagos, we cannot throw awayOkada, because if you go to all parts of Lagos, the roads are not there and there is no transportation, so to that extent,Okadaremains something that we cannot do away with. Having said that, we have to work with them in a way that they are not a threat. What I have against the present government is the way it handled the issue. There is a lot of arrogance, a lot of conservatism that I talked about, rather than progressivism. Even in the party that the government of Lagos belongs, there are states that bannedOkadabut gave the commercial motorcyclists alternatives. They made arrangements to get taxis and things like that for them, which is the way to be progressive but our own government didn’t do that. Our own government just asked them to go to hell; that once they had nothing to do, they could go to hell. Now, that is the conservatism in this government. So basically, that is what I was saying. It’s the way you handle this situation that matters a lot. It’s the human aspect that matters and that was not there the way this was handled. Then there are some restrictions that would be amended if I’m elected.You said you would cancel tolling on the Lekki-Epe Expressway, what about the agreement involved?Yeah, it’s another PPP that went wrong but I think for clarity, presently, there is no PPP arrangement in place there any longer. What we had was a PPP arrangement that was faulty and with vested interest that backfired. But now, it is a Lagos State government affair. So we have made it very clear that in the interest of those that stay along that road, because there are lots of villages there and the whole of Epe, where they have to pay to get to. The people along that axis are very clear on what is acceptable or not to them. To that extent, we are saying that ‘yes, we will cancel that toll gate’. We did not say that we would cancel the toll at the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge. We may review it and if we find out that the costing isreasonable, then we leave it. If not, then it will be reviewed downwards.You made a statement recently that generated some buzz. You said the South-South region can collapse the economy if President Jonathan loses the election. Were you downplaying the essence of democracy?Definitely not! Those who know me know I’m a democrat. It’s time for politics, so there is a lot of mischief out there. I was invited to a forum to speak about the plans I have for Lagos and so, 90 or 95 per cent of my talk was focused on Lagos. At the end, the issue of the presidency came up and I went to some extent to explain the issues as I saw them as regards Buhari and Jonathan. I looked at the pros and cons of both sides. I acknowledged what Buhari stood for and also stated his weaknesses, just as I did for Jonathan. I believed that Jonathan had done quite a bit but has been underreported. In other words, his achievements have been underreported and I explained that it was the challenge his handlerswould need to deal with over the next few weeks or months at that time. I said these were the issues. Butthen I said there was another issue that we needed to take into consideration. Don’t forget that I was discussing with an elite audience and I spoke about the other issue that we have to look at which is a reality in our country. It’s a reality that in our country, tribe and religion still play a role in our politics and that is why we still have things like federal character and zoning, even within our communities and local governments. It is a reality that as an active member of Afenifere (a pan-Yoruba group), we didn’t support Olusegun Obasanjo to become the president. But when he was going to run for a second term, even though the group was not comfortable with him, it was difficult not to support him because of the realities of our time. It was difficult for Afenifere to bring out a candidate to go against one of their own. I said that it was unjustified but that is the politics of our time. And so Afenifere did not have a candidateand had to allow Obasanjo go for a second term. Jonathan has run for the first time, so I said I saw a situation where the South-South will expect him as one of their own to also go for a second term. I said it’s unjustifiable to think that way but it is a reality. I said that we are faced with a situation before us where whichever way it goes, there could be crisis. If it is Jonathan that wins, there could be crisis in thenorth except I’m saying something that we don’t know. I said in the same way, if Buhari wins, then there is likelihood of having a crisis in the South-South. And that they have shown the capacity to shut down the system. Now, as people, the choice is yours. Which would you rather have of this sorry situation?People still feel your statement was incitable and should not have come from you.There is nothing incitable about it. No! No! No! it’s politics. People are campaigning on their strengths and people believe it’s a strong argument against those who want Buhari. That is all. It’s like you have taken a position that you want to support someone and you are reacting to an argument that tends to put you at a disadvantage, that’s the way I see it. We all know. I think a few days after that, Pastor Tunde Bakare came out and said the way he sees it, whichever way it goes, there is going to be crisis. Please, is there anything different in what I have said? There is nothing different. It is just that Jimi Agbaje said it and people feel uncomfortable that it’s a strong point, but it is a reality. I don’t like it but it’s a reality we have to think of. And we are saying that in the interest of the unity of this country.But considering the outrage that followed the statement, do you now regret making it?It’s not about regrets. I think I’m a very cautious person. I don’t utter words for speaking sake. But I think leadership is also about speaking the truth. Leadership is also about looking at the country and saying which way can we save it from destruction and so, I have a right as a leader to tell people where I stand and why I’m standing there. And I’m saying that for the unity of this country, I think we should allow the South-South. Unfortunately, because of the politics of our country, because of the fact that we still recognise that tribe and religion play a role in who gets what, that we should allow Jonathan to continue. I said in that spirit, in addition to the achievements of Jonathan, we should allow him to continue. That is my position. It’s not about having regrets about it.But following your statement, some ex-militants in the South-South have issued threats that the countrywill break down if Jonathan loses the election.But that is not Jimi Agbaje.The PDP campaign in Lagos has accused the state government of not being independent, but people look at you and see Chief Bode George and Senator Adesegun Ogunlewe who they have described as your godfathers.It’s politics time, so people throw everything at the candidate. What people said worked against me before was that I was someone that could not be pushed around. So the same people now say this man that cannot be pushed around by their own people can now be pushed around by someone else. It doesn’t add up. I did not have a godfather in the way that people look at it. Chief Bode George is a leaderin the party. You know it’s interesting, I still keep looking at this Chief George that people talk about ever since we started working together and I wonder where this position comes from. Let me put it on record,my first major decision as a candidate was to choose my running mate. I chose my running mate, nobody chose her for me. You can put that on record. I’m sure that it cannot be said of these people thatare claiming that Chief George is my godfather. I chose my running mate and presented her before the leadership of the party. The idea was that if anybody had anything strong against my running mate, they were free to say it. So that is the way it is. If anything, Chief George, as you might have observed, has been in the background. He is a leader, he has gone through this process. He has run elections for the president and has delivered the president. He wants Lagos to be won by the PDP, yes, but he is not obstructing me in any way and those who know me know that I cannot be pushed around.So you don’t have a godfather?I don’t have a godfather in the way that people look at it. So definitely not.

I want my programme to be quoted like CNN – Udy Umondak

Udy Umondak has done it all, seen it all and got a t-shirt, as the saying goes: acting, fashion design, first ladyship, television.Now, after six years of regaling audiences with profound stories of persons who triumphed over some of the most daunting challenges through her television talk show His Word Made Flesh; Udy Umondak, former First Lady of Akwa Ibom State is set to begin to air her latest television program, The Udy FactorShe chats with MORENIKE TAIRE after a private viewing.Who are you targeting with this new program?Udy UmondakEverybody, as long as you need information because the theme of the program is to impart information. If you don’t need them you just bank it. You never know when somebody might come your way who could use thatinformation.You are towing a lot of uncharted territory. Does that scare you or empower you?It empowers meHow?Yesterday’s controversy is today’s facts. This information is there, it’s just that nobody has ever put them in the public space. A lot of people are ignorant of them; most people don’t want to talk about them. For meit’s very encouraging to be the one to bring these issues.Are you not afraid of controversy?I believe that if you do something and it is not controversial then you are not doing anything. People will beable to get information that way.You have experts talking about a wide range of topics. How easy has it been sourcing them?My former program- his word made flesh- really put me in a situation where people would walk up to me and talk to me on issues so it’s based on some of the issues I got to hear on the program. Some are based on the way I sit down and watch things going on in our society.In my mind I believe there are ways that things should be done. There are ways we talk about things but we don’t carry them out.We keep talking about 35% affirmative action and the only position they ever give a woman is ‘woman leader’. It’s as though a woman is never good enough for the position of a party leader. What is the role really of a woman leader, is it to organize aso-ebi?Those are the kind of things I look at and I come up with a question. How much of the affirmative action have we successfully had and when I say successful, how many of those positions have actually empowered women in decision making cadres?Some of the people who have watched it have encouraged me and they have also opened up on topics like erectile dysfunction and have praised me for helping them realise that they were not being bewitched by their wives and girlfriend.You seem to have a natural gift for getting people to talk about themselves. How does that work?I talk about myself a lot because when you talk about yourself it’s not gossip. I believe when you talk aboutyourself it encourages people to talk about themselves and that was why with the Word made flesh I started the first episodes with me- my struggles, my pains.You cannot want to have people talk about themselves without you first talking about you. And I think that there’s a thing that God has given to me that people look at me as their friend. There’s this thing that you have that just makes people gravitate towards you .They look at you and even if they don’t know you they just see you on television, the way you laugh with people who laugh and they feel that that this is my friend. That’s basically it.There seems to be an obsession with entertainment on television these days. What’s your take on this?The thing is that looking at a lot of the programs I always want programs that add value to my life. I always think that people should be able to take one thing out of watching my program. If I cannot take one thing out of watching a program then that is not a good program.I don’t watch things that cannot add value. God always gives me a vision of a project that will add value, leave people better than I met them, encourage people and make people realize that whatever it is you are going through, it’s a natural thing that someone somewhere has gone through and that empowers you with information to know how to get out of that situation and do something about it and stop worrying andstop stressing yourself knowing that you are not alone and knowing there is a solution.Has it ever occurred to you that this could be what Nigerians really want- entertainment?Nigerians like entertainment but what percentage of Nigerians? Entertainment is fun so it’s that entertainment that will be used to draw people and hit them with information but anybody that watches that entertainment program and learns from it will definitely come backWhere exactly do you envisage taking the Udy Factor?I want to empower as many lives as possible with information because we have very interesting topics. The corruption in all of us! We look at government and we always think government is corrupt but here we are not looking at government, we are looking at ourselves.How your husband gives you money to buy foodstuffs and you end up buying aso ebi. The messenger, whocollects money just to move a file from one table to the next table. The man at the airport who says ‘bring money’. We want to look at all of us- look at our lives, look at the things we do and take the program to a point where they will be quoting: I know- I heard it on the Udy Factor! People quote CNN.