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Saturday, 7 February 2015

INEC Chairman Admits: Security Chiefs Put Pressure On Me To Shift Polls

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, on Saturday admitted that the nation's security chiefs played a very pivotal role towards influencing a possible shift in the general elections from February to March and April respectively.

According to prof Jega, the Military was not suggesting or persuading, but "demanding a rescheduling of elections by at least 6wks in the first instance."

Eagleonline.com reports that Jega told representatives of the Civil Societies at a meeting in Abuja that he had received a letter from those at the helms of the country's security agencies that their concerns now is to defeat the Boko Haram insurgency and not to provide security for elections.

The Civil Societies however advised INEC to resist the pressure.

The statement reads:

"The NIGERIA Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) this afternoon, Saturday, 7th February 2015 met with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and with all of its 12 National Commissioners in attendance.

"At the meeting, INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega, conveyed that he had received a letter from the security services advising that he postpones the general elections on the grounds that the security agencies were engaged in a renewed battle against insurgency in the North-East that would require their full concentration.
In the letter the Military was demanding a rescheduling of elections by at least 6wks in the first instance.

"Situation room conveyed to INEC its disappointment with the letter from the security agencies pointing out that this amounted to the Military's abdication of its constitutional duties to provide security to citizens and to the Commission to enable it conduct elections and appeared contrived to truncate the democratic process in NIGERIA.

"Situation Room is further worried that the Military's position also aims to blackmail and arm-twist the Election Management Body away from its constitutional guaranteed function of conducting elections. Situation Room also condemns this advisory by security agents that they cannot guarantee the security of citizens, election officials and materials during the election.

"The Situation Room calls for the resignation of military chiefs and security heads including the Police on account of their inability to exercise their constitutional responsibility to secure lives and property at all times including during the elections.

"Situation Room also calls on Nigerians to be vigilant and be ready to protect this hard won democracy!

"The Situation Room is made up of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working in support of credible and transparent elections in NIGERIA and includes such groups as Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), CLEEN Foundation, Action Aid Nigeria, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Enough is Enough Nigeria, Wangonet, Partners for Electoral Reform and Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth & Advancement (YIAGA). Others are Development Dynamics, Human Rights Monitor, Election Monitor, Reclaim Naija, Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, CITAD, CISLAC and several other CSOs numbering more than Sixty."


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........2015 Poll: Globally Respected Think-Tank, Brookings Predicts Victory For Jonathan http://bit.ly/1v3WhPo

........Council of State endorses INEC to perform its constitutional responsibility of conducting the 2015 elections http://bit.ly/18RK1gl

-------Nigeria May Delay Next Saturday's Presidential Elections, INEC admits To Reuters http://shar.es/1ohKb8



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Exposed: Nigeria Postponing Elections So Multinational Force Can Secure Boko Haram Areas - AP

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Nigeria's electoral commission will postpone Feb. 14 presidential and legislative elections for six weeks to give a new multinational force time to secure north-eastern areas under the sway of Boko Haram, an official close to the commission told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Millions could be disenfranchised if next week's voting went ahead while the Islamic extremists hold a large swath of the northeast and commit mayhem that has driven 1.5 million people from their homes.

Civil rights groups staged a small protest Saturday against any proposed postponement. Police prevented them from entering the electoral commission headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria's capital. Armed police blocked roads leading to the building.

Electoral officials were meeting with political parties Saturday, asking their views on a postponement requested by the national security adviser, politician Bashir Yusuf told reporters. He said the adviser argued the military will be unable to provide adequate security for the elections because of operations in the northeast.

The Nigerian official, who is knowledgeable of the discussions, said the Independent National Electoral Commission will announce the postponement later Saturday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

A major offensive with warplanes and ground troops from Chad and Nigeria already has forced the insurgents from a dozen towns and villages in the past 10 days. Even greater military strikes by more countries are planned.
African Union officials were ending a three-day meeting Saturday in Yaounde, Cameroon's capital, to finalise details of a 7,500-strong force from Nigeria and its neighbours Chad, Cameroon, Benin and Niger. Details of funding, with the Africans wanting the United Nations and European Union to pay, may delay the mission.

Nigeria's home-grown extremist group has responded with attacks on one town in Cameroon and two in Niger this week. Officials said more than 100 civilians were killed and 500 wounded in Cameroon. Niger said about 100 insurgents and one civilian died in attacks Friday. Several security forces from both countries were killed.

International concern has increased along with the death toll: Some 10,000 killed in the uprising in the past year compared to 2,000 in the four previous years, according to the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations.

The United States has been urging Nigeria to press ahead with the voting. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Nigeria two weeks ago and said that "one of the best ways to fight back against Boko Haram" was by holding credible and peaceful elections, on time.
"It's imperative that these elections happen on time as scheduled," Kerry said.

The elections had been called early. Elections in 2011 were postponed until April. May 29 is the deadline for a new government to be installed.
Officials in President Goodluck Jonathan's administration have been calling for a postponement.

Any delay is opposed by an opposition coalition fielding former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari, though the opposition stands to take most votes in the northeast.

Supporters of both sides are threatening violence if their candidate does not win. Some 800 people were killed in riots in the mainly Muslim north after Buhari, a Muslim, lost 2011 elections to Jonathan, a Christian from the south.

Analysts say the vote is too close to call, the most tightly contested election since decades of military dictatorship ended in 1999.
Jonathan's party has won every election since then but the failure of the military to curb the 5-year Islamic uprising, growing corruption and an economy hit by halved oil prices have hurt the president of Africa's biggest oil producer and most populous nation of about 170 million.

A postponement also will give electoral officials more time to deliver some 30 million voter cards. The commission had said the non-delivery of cards to nearly half of the 68.8 million registered voters was not a good reason to delay the vote.

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Source: The Associated Press
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........2015 Poll: Globally Respected Think-Tank, Brookings Predicts Victory For Jonathan http://bit.ly/1v3WhPo

........Council of State endorses INEC to perform its constitutional responsibility of conducting the 2015 elections http://bit.ly/18RK1gl

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Breaking News: INEC Bows To Pressure, Presidential Election now holds 28th March

Reports reaching us from reliable sources indicate that the Independent National Electoral Commission has extended the date for both the presidential elections and the governorship elections.

The presidential election has been rescheduled from the earlier date of February 14, 2015 to a new date March 28, 2015.

The governorship election will hold two weeks later, on the 11th of April, 2015.

The polity has been heated with series of threats and possible chaos should elections go ahead; and before INEC decided to bow down to pressure from above, a new report came out on Saturday, 7th of February, 2015, highlighting the fact that the National Security Adviser to the presidency will not guarantee security to INEC officials should they go ahead with the elections.

Earlier in the week, an exclusive report from dailytimes.com indicated that the presidency was going to coherce INEC, using every means within its powers, to shift elections by six weeks.

In the same manner, we brought you the story of an INEC official admitting to Reuters News Agency that INEC may be forced to shift the general elections.

The Council of State, which met to rectify the postponement of elections on Thursday, 5th of February, 2015, however endorsed INEC to exercise its mandate of conducting the 2015 general elections.

With this latest twist in the Nigerian polity, it remains to be seen how the opposition reacts to this new development.


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........2015 Poll: Globally Respected Think-Tank, Brookings Predicts Victory For Jonathan http://bit.ly/1v3WhPo

........Council of State endorses INEC to perform its constitutional responsibility of conducting the 2015 elections http://bit.ly/18RK1gl

-------Nigeria May Delay Next Saturday's Presidential Elections, INEC admits To Reuters http://shar.es/1ohKb8

-------Has Your Life Changed Under President Jonathan's Leadership? Play This Game To Find Out (CLICK) http://shar.es/1o63ZY

------Jonathan's Performance Will Earn him Re-election, Says Segun Seriki http://bit.ly/1AtfO2O

-------Femi Aribisala: Why President Jonathan Is A Superior Presidential Material To Buhari http://shar.es/1o5AYR


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D-Day: INEC Set To Decide The Fate Of February 14 Presidential Election Today

Nigeria's election commission will on Saturday announce whether or not it will postpone national polls set for February 14, a spokesman said.

The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, met Nigeria's powerful Council of States on Thursday to discuss the country's readiness for the vote.

Concerns have centred on struggles to distribute voter identity cards to 68.8 million registered voters as well as unrest in the northeast, where hundreds of thousands face disenfranchisement because of Boko Haram violence.

Following Thursday's meeting, "the Commission has scheduled a consultative meeting with chairmen and secretaries of all registered political parties, as well as a meeting with (regional election chiefs on Saturday)," INEC spokesman Kayode Idowu said in a statement.

"Thereafter, the Commission will address a press conference to brief the nation on its decision with regard to whether or not the general elections will hold as currently scheduled," he added.

The closed-door council of states meeting — attended by past presidents, state governors, security chiefs and INEC — lasted more than seven hours and included tense discussion over the February 14 date, multiple sources said.

Jega reportedly sought to assure the council that INEC was ready and pushed back aggressively against calls for a postponement.

National Security Advisor Sambo Dasuki has publicly pushed for a delay to allow more time for voter card distribution.

Separately, the dynamics of the Boko Haram conflict have changed rapidly over the last 10 days.

Neighbouring Chad, which boasts one of the strongest armies in the region, has joined the fight, pounding Islamist targets inside Nigeria and sending in ground troops to pursue insurgent fighters.

Nigeria and Chad have claimed huge successes this week, but Boko Haram's defeat is hardly imminent and voting in the hard-hit northeast may be impossible for several months.

More than one million people have been displaced by the conflict and Nigerian law does not allow people to vote outside the district where they are registered.

The opposition All Progressives Congress is opposed to a postponement and has accused the ruling party of pushing for a delay out of fear that it is heading for a defeat.

President Goodluck Jonathan has described the May 29 inauguration of the vote winner as "sacrosanct" but has made no specific comment on the importance of February 14.
PDP spokesmen have said INEC must make the final decision but stressed the importance of distributing as many voter cards as possible.

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Source: PM News Nigeria
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........2015 Poll: Globally Respected Think-Tank, Brookings Predicts Victory For Jonathan http://bit.ly/1v3WhPo

........Council of State endorses INEC to perform its constitutional responsibility of conducting the 2015 elections http://bit.ly/18RK1gl

-------Nigeria May Delay Next Saturday's Presidential Elections, INEC admits To Reuters http://shar.es/1ohKb8

-------Has Your Life Changed Under President Jonathan's Leadership? Play This Game To Find Out (CLICK) http://shar.es/1o63ZY

------Jonathan's Performance Will Earn him Re-election, Says Segun Seriki http://bit.ly/1AtfO2O


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Football Rumour For Saturday: Dani Alves To Sign For Manchester United, Di Maria To PSG.

The agent of Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba, 21, believes he will break Cristiano Ronaldo's £80m transfer record if he leaves the Italian club this summer. (Daily Express)

Chelsea are considering a surprise move to bring Wolfsburg midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, 23, back to the club. (Sportwereld - in Flemish)

The Blues' 22-year-old winger Mohamed Salah, who is on loan at Italian side Fiorentina, says he has no plans to return to Stamford Bridge. (Talksport)

Barcelona defender Dani Alves, 31, is keen to secure a move to Manchester United with no sign of a new contract at the Nou Camp. (Daily Express)

Paris St-Germain are ready to sell strikers Edinson Cavani, 27, and Ezequiel Lavezzi, 29, to finance a move for Manchester United winger Angel Di Maria, 26. (Daily Star)

Steven Gerrard wants Liverpool to secure attacker Raheem Sterling, 20, and midfielder Jordan Henderson, 24, to longer contracts at Anfield as quickly as possible. (Liverpool Echo)

Manuel Pellegrini has urged striker Stevan Jovetic, 25, to prove his fitness if he wants to remain at Manchester City. (Metro)

Striker Harry Kane, 21, sees no reason why he cannot spend the rest of his professional career at Tottenham. (London Evening Standard)

Tim Sherwood will watch QPR's home game against Southampton from the stands at Loftus Road as he closes in on the manager's job. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho, 24, says he never considered leaving the club, despite his derby day walk-out at Anfield in September. (Guardian)


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Election 2015: The Winner Takes All Election, By Akin Osuntokun

Politics is inherently conflict-ridden with a dual and contradictory potential to either serve as a conflict resolution mechanism or generate a momentum for the escalation of conflict to crisis and ultimately to catastrophe.

The election of Barack Obama, the first African-American, to the office of the President of the United States of America (USA) is unique and indicative in several respects. It was a veritable indication of how far America has gone in functional socio-political integration and positive adaptation of social diversity. Yet it equally brought in its wake the manifestation of the negative potential of politics to serve as a predictor and harbinger of conflict and crisis.

By any standard, Obama is a distinguished political leader – a distinction made more enhanced by the manifest resilience he has been able to muster to grapple with the self-destructive disposition of the Republican Party leadership towards his presidency.

Repeatedly the point was made by the Republicans that they were prepared to ground the American economy to a halt, if that is what it takes to ensure the failure of Obama. And the bad news is that it is a disposition shared by a large swathe of the Western Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) Establishment.

A valid interpretation of this tendency is that the election of Obama harbours a higher potential of zero sum definition of American politics than previous presidential elections; and explanations for this tendency will be found in those features that make Obama uniquely intolerable and unacceptable to his political opponents. And contrary to the postulations of modernisation theory, the peculiar revelation that emerged therefrom is that tribalism (racism) dies hard in the advanced American democracy.

Such zero sum (winner takes all) political situations are generally marked by the indisposition of the winners and losers towards compromise and consensus building. The higher the degree of this negative tendency the greater the vulnerability to conflict and crisis. The ominous clouds of crisis gather in direct proportion to the accentuation of cleavages and divisions (cultural, religious, ideological and ethno regional) operative within the polity under consideration.

The countervailing balance of terror threats issued by rival regional claimants to Aso Rock villa in the 2015 elections (the Niger Delta warlords and the up North protagonists of rendering Nigeria ungovernable) is an expression of a mentality that is unable to contemplate and accept the possibility of losing the  election.

Such a loss is perceived in unbearable absolute terms and provokes the nihilistic despair of having no stake in the preservation and stability of the political system. To illustrate, I call to witness the lesson of Nigerian elections since 1959 and the extent to which they individually lend themselves to the applicability of the zero sum interpretation.

The 1959 elections were characterised by four mitigating factors. First is the shared nationalist aspiration for political independence from Britain – never mind the quibbling over the appropriate time the independence would take effect. Second is the supervision and guidance of the process by the colonial masters and the concomitant consciousness of bearing responsibility for its success or failure. Third was the Africa-wide 'revolution of rising expectations'.

Fourth was the utility of the prescribed federalism and parliamentary system of governance. The federal constitution was designed in such a manner as to minimise the attraction of the centre and thereby preclude desperation in the bid to attain power at the federal government level.

The supremacist factional crisis within the governing party, Action Group (AG), in the Western Region that ensued in 1962, set the tone for the desperation that characterised the regional and federal elections of 1964/65. The political situation in the Western Region had attained the tipping point proportions of winner takes all and loser loses all between the federal government-backed Akintola faction and the Obafemi Awolowo faction – hence the culmination of the crisis in the catastrophe of the coup and counter coup of 1966, and ultimately the civil war.

The 1979 elections and the transition of power from military rule to civil democratic dispensation generally followed the pattern of the 1959 precedent – save the presence of the safety valves of meaningful federalism and parliamentary system of government. The consequential area of overlap was the similar exercise of superintending authority and guidance over the process; and the (dictatorship) latitude to enforce compliance.

In the womb of the military rule prescribed presidential system of government and attenuated federalism was sown the seed of a zero sum degeneration of the political system. Whatever its merits, the inherent winner takes all connotation of the presidential system of government renders it singularly vulnerable to the zero sum dysfunction. And the argument was succinctly captured in the remarks of President Goodluck Jonathan at the occasion of the peace accord ceremony in Abuja the other day.

Inter alia he said: "The winner takes all syndrome is a problem. Based on our laws, we should come up with a concept that will work. We should make it that when a party wins at the state or national level, in forming the cabinet, parties that performed very well should by law and not by privilege, be made part of that government. If politicians know they will still be part of the government, when they are campaigning, they will be mindful of their utterances."

What the president was canvassing here is the antidote utility of the concept of proportional representation – 'an electoral system in which seats in a legislature are awarded to each party on the basis of its share of the popular vote'. The self-evident utility of proportional representation is the capacity to foster among all contending parties a vested interest in the survival and stability of the political system.

Four years into the Second Republic, the general election of 1983 was marred by the trademark desire of ruling political parties in the Third World to muzzle and flagellate rival political parties.
This was no less the case with the interaction between the ruling National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and the vocal opposition parties, particularly the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). The pursuit of the winner takes all ambition correspondingly resulted in the escalation of the crisis that culminated in the subsequent opportunistic intervention of the military.

In terms of the potential to attain to successful conclusion, the 1993 presidential election was guaranteed to follow suit the 1959 and the 1979 precedent. In other words, the military mentor was similarly placed and positioned to ensure success and compliance if he were that disposed.

The presidential election of 1999 was deliberately and specifically designed to be consensual and preclude any zero sum colouration. It was contrived as a national reconciliation mechanism – with the appeasement of the South-west as the core element. For the South-west and Nigeria in general, it was a unique instance of heads you win, tails you do not lose. There was the intriguing spectacle of reducing the presidential election to a Yoruba particularistic contest – between Olusegun Obasanjo and Olu Falae of the PDP and APP respectively.

The introduction and tacit acceptance of the zoning and rotation of power principle was a specific response to the need to foster and sustain the political consensus formula that ushered in the Fourth Republic. Predicated on a time specific rotation of the presidency among the six geo-political zones, it represented the semblance of an assurance that within a specific time frame, all the zones would be winners. Former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme proposed the clincher of six incumbent vice-presidents corresponding to the six zones and he was proven prescient.

The zoning formula did not anticipate the non-completion of two terms tenure for any incumbent president – either by reason of being defeated at the bid for re-election or exit by reason of incapacitation and death. At the root of the present crisis of political succession is this error of omission.

The probability is that if the late President Umaru Mus Yar'Adua had survived his illness and recovered his health, he would have been re-elected and fulfilled the zoning allotment for the North-west zone; and there would have be no zoning disruptive transfer of power to the South-south zone. There is now no denying the desperation that hovers over the forthcoming presidential election – complete with all the trappings of the winner takes all and loser loses all syndrome.

The two presidential candidates, Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP and Muhammadu Buhari of the APC respectively, have conducted themselves with decorum and decency on the rostrums and may not be held liable for the inevitable recourse to negative campaigns of their supporters – the degree may vary but it is a worldwide sub culture. Yet the two candidates have failed in the correct identification and prioritisation of the task ahead.

In the immediate aftermath of the election, the foremost challenge that faces whoever is elected president is not fighting corruption or winning the war on Boko Haram – important as they are. It is going to be the challenge of draining the poison of divisiveness and incipient fratricidal bloodletting (on industrial scale) from the system.

It is going to be the challenge of sustaining Nigeria as a corporate entity. It is going to be the challenge of reconciling the Niger Delta militants and the Northern warlords (of rendering Nigeria ungovernable) with one another and with the rest of Nigeria. You have got to have a nation first before you can hope to successfully fight corruption and Boko Haram.

If we have not learnt any lesson from the seeming intractability of the Boko Haram insurgency, we should at least know that divisions and suspicions within the Nigerian military is a crucial factor in the elusiveness of victory over the terrorist army. A house divided against itself cannot stand. It is of little consolation getting wise after the event but it was true then as it is now that the Fourth Republic should have been predicated on a foundational national conference as proposed by the NADECO opposition consortium.

If the idea of restructuring – generating national conference – was crucial before the elections, it is certain to become of urgent imperative after the 14th of February election. To avoid this response is to live in denial and opt for the strategy of postponing the evil day; see no evil, hear no evil. May the good Lord give us the president who can heal the land.

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Akin Osuntokun is the CEO of Interconsult, a public relations and communication agency.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.


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........Council of State endorses INEC to perform its constitutional responsibility of conducting the 2015 elections http://bit.ly/18RK1gl

-------Nigeria May Delay Next Saturday's Presidential Elections, INEC admits To Reuters http://shar.es/1ohKb8

-------Has Your Life Changed Under President Jonathan's Leadership? Play This Game To Find Out (CLICK) http://shar.es/1o63ZY

------Jonathan's Performance Will Earn him Re-election, Says Segun Seriki http://bit.ly/1AtfO2O

-------Femi Aribisala: Why President Jonathan Is A Superior Presidential Material To Buhari http://shar.es/1o5AYR
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Friday, 6 February 2015

Just In: Elections Petitions Tribunal Sitting In Osogbo Begins Delivering Its Judgement

The Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Osogbo over matters arising from Osun State governorship election held on August 9th 2014, has begun delivering its final judgment.

The Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime and other members of the panel filed into the courtroom at High Court premises, Osogbo at exactly 9am and started reading the judgment which is almost going to two hours as of the time of filing this report.

The judgment is most likely going to be unanimous as the chairman said "this is our judgment" when she started.

The petitioner, Senator Iyiola Omisore of the Peoples Democratic Party and the first respondent, Governor Rauf Aregbesola of the All Progressives Congress were absent at the court but they were represented by leaders of their respective parties.

Security was beefed up around the court premises as security agents manned every available space at the venue of the judgment.

Lawyers, journalists and few politicians who were allowed inside the court room were thoroughly frisked by operatives of the Department of State Security and policemen.
The court room was also combed by members of the Explosive Ordinance Department.

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Reference Source: The PUNCH
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Exclusive: Election Postponement And The Position Of The Law By Peace Njoku

As we approach the February 14 commencement of elections in the Federal Republic Of Nigeria, there has been speculation in certain quarters that elections should be shifted to another date. But, what are the possible implications of election postponement?

This article highlights four among many:

1. Only Jega Can Postpone The Feb 14 Election:

Section 26 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010 (amended) states that: "Where a date has been appointed for the holding of an election, and there is reason to believe that a serious breach of the peace is likely to occur if the election is proceeded with on that date or it is impossible to conduct the elections as a result of natural disasters or other emergencies, the commission may postpone the election and shall in respect of the area, or areas concerned, appoint another date for the holding of the postponed election provided that such reason for the postponement is cogent and verifiable."

This section of the Electoral Act strictly empowers only the INEC boss to determine the date of States and Federal election. INEC is the only body empowered by the law to shift, reschedule, or postpone the Feb 14 Presidential election. Neither the NSA, Council of State nor the President enjoys such power irrespective of their sentiment.

2. If INEC Decides To Postpone The Feb 14 Poll:

Postponing and rescheduling the Feb 14 election must be in accordance to Section 132 (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which posits that the Presidential election must be held not later than 30 days before the expiration of this tenure.

This tenure expires May 29, hence, the election must be held on or before April 28. However, with over 80% PVC collection rate (which may rise to 90% before the week runs out), I don't see any possibility of INEC postponing the poll. Even if they do, Attahiru Jega will still be in-charge. Jega tenure ends in June.

3. In Times of War

Section 135(3) of the Constitution state and I quote: "If the Federation is at war in which the territory of Nigeria is physically involved and the President considers that it is not practicable to hold elections, the National Assembly may by resolution extend the period of four years mentioned in subsection (2) of this section from time to time; but no such extension shall exceed a period of six months at any one time."

Now, some may want to hide under the Boko-haram insurgency to justify their selfish call for the Feb 14 election to be postponed after the May 29 expiry date of this tenure. For such call to be actualized, 2/3 members of the NASS must sanction it. With APC having 42 and 158 in Senate and the House of Representative respectively. There is no way officers of the ruling PDP and the President can have their way except there is a compromise from the APC camp. Hence, this option is as good as DEAD(save a compromise of APC NASS members). There is nothing NSA or National Council of State can do about this.

4. Option of Interim National Government:

The Interim National Government (ING) is alien to our constitution and the electoral act. After the election is held, whoever is declared winner other than the President becomes the President-elect. The incumbent President Jonathan will have no choice but to handover power to on May 29. This is sacrosanct.

The talk of handing power to an Interim government, whether the Army or a "coalition" government is unconstitutional and will definitely lead to constitutional crises, anarchy and breakdown of law and order(similar to what happened in Cote'd voire in 2010). In such a case, the victorious candidate could form a parallel government, which will be recognized by the international community until the illegal ING is brought down.

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Peace Njoku wrote in from Imo State.
She can be contacted on facebook: Peaceblaze Njoku.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.


_______________________________________________
Recommended Stories:

........2015 Poll: Globally Respected Think-Tank, Brookings Predicts Victory For Jonathan http://bit.ly/1v3WhPo

........Council of State endorses INEC to perform its constitutional responsibility of conducting the 2015 elections http://bit.ly/18RK1gl

-------Nigeria May Delay Next Saturday's Presidential Elections, INEC admits To Reuters http://shar.es/1ohKb8

-------Has Your Life Changed Under President Jonathan's Leadership? Play This Game To Find Out (CLICK) http://shar.es/1o63ZY

------Jonathan's Performance Will Earn him Re-election, Says Segun Seriki http://bit.ly/1AtfO2O

-------Femi Aribisala: Why President Jonathan Is A Superior Presidential Material To Buhari http://shar.es/1o5AYR



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‘Democracy is All About Freedom’ - President Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan promised Nigerians they would continue to enjoy freedom as contained in the law of the country under his leadership, if re-elected.  President Jonathan made this pledge at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign in Dutse, Jigawa on Wednesday.
Jonathan made it clear freedom was a good ingredient of democracy which every citizen must enjoy. "Democracy is all about freedom and any democracy without it is not democracy,'' Jonathan said.

The president further urged Nigerians not to lose hope and stay united in spite of the security challenges facing them, assuring that terrorism in Nigeria will be a thing of the past. He asked the people of the state to vote only PDP candidates in the forthcoming election, stating that the party and its members had worked together to develop the country.

The president further stated the PDP government had established federal and state universities in Jigawa, and within four years 80 per cent of the state universities in the country were built by PDP-controlled states.

President Jonathan concluded by pledging to support farmers in the state with constant supply of fertiliser and soft loans to boost production, helping move Nigeria forward.


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2015 Poll: Globally Respected Think-Tank, Brookings Predicts Victory For Jonathan

The world's most influential think-tank based in the United States, Brookings, have projected a President Goodluck Jonathan victory over the opposition candidate's Gen. Muhammadu Buhari in the forthcoming general elections which it suggests would be keenly contested.

According to a statement, the analysis, context and rationale of the think-tank's projections are contained in the Brookings publication titled: Foresight Africa – Top Priorities for the continent (January 2015). "Though the election is expected to be very competitive, the odds still favour President Jonathan.'

Brookings described the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a fragile anti-Jonathan establishment with a sole purpose to return power to the north. "The party is, however, a fragile one that seems united only in its quest to wrest the presidency from Jonathan or to have power "returned" to the north.

"The APC gets much of its strength from tap-ping into anti-Jonathan sentiments in the Muslim north and grievances among the Yoruba who feel that the Jonathan administration has ignored them in key political appointments."

The report indicated that the APC's strategy is hinged on a combination of popular votes from the North West, North East and "the battleground South-West" but also hinted at the possibility of the APC National Leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, not delivering the region contrary to speculations."

The statement reads further: "What remains to be seen, however, is whether Bola Tinubu—a former governor of Lagos State who played a pivotal role in the formation of the APC and is considered to be the party's strongest mobiliser in the South-West—will be very enthusiastic in delivering the battleground South-West to the APC during the elections."

"Tinubu indicated his interest in being the party's vice presidential candidate but being a Muslim like Buhari, the party's strategists felt that a Muslim-Muslim ticket might offend Christians and cement the PDP's labelling of the APC as an Islamic party."

On President Jonathan's performance, Brookings noted: "Despite Boko Haram, the country is thriving: The economy continues to grow and—with the re-basing of its GDP—became the largest economy in Africa and the 26th largest in the world. Jonathan's supporters also point to his success in containing the Ebola virus, which earned him commendations from countries and institutions around the world."

The Brookings Report also identified factors such as incumbency and numerical control of states, where PDP has 21 states and APC only 14, as giving PDP an edge.

"The greatest strength of the ruling PDP is its 'power of incumbency,' and all the institutional support that goes with it. Not only does it have federal resources to use as patronage, it also controls key institutions."

The report advised that all efforts should be deployed to ensure a free, fair and transparent elections and to avoid a meltdown as post-election violence seems very likely. "Post-election violence is therefore likely in the north if the APC loses while renewed militancy in the restive Niger Delta is likely if Jonathan does," the report noted.

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Truth And Consequences In Nigeria – Focus On Buhari By Sara Kavemi

If you care about human rights and if you care about democracy, you need to be watching the upcoming Nigerian presidential election very closely. You should also take note that the Western media's coverage of the election has largely, without explanation, omitted a few critical facts. And as Nigerians head to the polls on February 14th in what is arguably the most important election to date in their short history as a democracy, we observers need to be armed with a real understanding of what is at stake, beyond the headlines.

For me, it started few weeks ago. I noticed that I was reading a lot in the news about President Goodluck Jonathan, but very little about his opponent, General Muhammadu Buhari. After researching this presidential contender with whom the media has been rather hands-off, I was astounded by what I learned about him…and even more astounded that no one is talking about it.

Buhari is a former military dictator and an absolute pariah among the international human rights community. His record is alarming not only because of what happened during his previous reign,
but also because of what it means for Nigeria's future if this man is elected. Nigeria's democracy is young and in many ways it is vibrant, but it is also fragile. And it could be demolished in an instant if placed in the wrong hands.

When examining the record of his past regime, the overarching truth is that Buhari was characterized by a ruthless aversion to democracy. In 1983, he ousted a democratically elected president in a bloody coup (he then ruled for 18 months before being overthrown by his own military in yet another coup). Buhari of the 1980s was a brutal dictator, his appetite for repression defined his reign. He is recalled, with a shudder, for his thorough disregard for human life and human rights.

Under Buhari, there was no fair, independent judiciary. The system was structured so that the accused were often denied right to a proper trial and access to legal representation.

He jailed journalists and critics who dared to speak out against him.

In 1984, he passed his infamous "Decree 4," which criminalized the act of saying just about anything that could be construed as anti-Buhari. It is considered to be the worst anti-free speech law in all of Nigeria's recorded history.

That same year, he ordered the kidnapping of Umaru Dikko, an outspoken political opponent in London – in an incident that led to a major, years-long diplomatic row between Nigeria and Britain that included the expulsion of Nigeria's top diplomats by the British Government.

And then, fast forwarding to our current decade, there's the rather small issue of an International Criminal Court case pending against Buhari. It is alleged that during the 2011 presidential election, Buhari (who ran for president in that election as well) called on his supporters to "kill" their fellow Nigerians. And kill they did. Video and audio evidence supports claims that, on his order, Buhari's thugs slaughtered more than 800 innocent civilians. In attacks well-documented by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, Buhari devotees allegedly dragged families from their homes and butchered them en masse, raped women, and burned churches to the ground.

The reason for the violence? Because Buhari lost an election – an election that was overwhelmingly and enthusiastically deemed to be a free and fair democratic triumph by international election observers. He lost, so he wanted blood.

These are the facts. This is Buhari.

It is a frightening prospect to imagine this man, with this resume, winning the election. Yet perhaps equally frightening, given what transpired in 2011, is the thought of what he will do if he loses.

_______________________________________
Sara Kavemi is active in global human rights advocacy. She has lived in middle America, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. She has worked for several US-based international NGOs, advocacy organizations, and humanitarian aid projects.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.


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Presidential Debate: General Buhari’s Boycott Is Disappointing – By Chekwas Okorie

Presidential candidate of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Chekwas Okorie, has stated that the boycott of the scheduled presidential debate being put together by the Broadcast Organisation of Nigeria (BON) and Nigeria Election Debate Group (NEDG) by the All Progressives Congress' (APC) presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari is hugely disappointing.

Speaking via a statement by the media arm of his campaign organisation, Okorie advised General Buhari to ignore those advising him to shun the debate and participate in the debate as scheduled.

Okorie, who is the founder of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) stated that the debate, which had become a norm in most advanced countries was a welcome development in Nigeria's budding democracy and shouldn't be ignored by any candidate.

"The news that the APC presidential candidate, General Buhari, will not participate in the scheduled debate is a great disappointment," the statement stated.


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Just In: Lagos State Government Declares Today A Work-Free Day For Its Workers.

The Lagos State Government has declared Friday (today) a work-free day for its workers, The PUNCH reports.

A statement by the Head of Service, Mrs. Oluseyi Williams, said the government was desirous of ensuring that all public servants in the state participated in the voting process.

The statement urged the workers to take the opportunity of the holiday to collect their PVCs at their polling units.

According to The Punch, the government also urged private Sector employers to release their workers early to enable those of them who are yet to collect their Permanent Voter Cards to do so.

The statement added, "Enjoining private sector employers to release their workers early today for the same purpose, Governor Babatunde Fashola said the desired prosperity and the brighter rewarding future being sought after by the people, both for themselves and for their children, would be determined by their willingness to sacrifice time to key into the election process by collecting their Permanent Voter Cards for the elections."


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Opinion: The APC Is A Corruption Soaked Social Party - By Muneer Maisaje

Why would we delude our selves that a party with its Grand Patron (Asiwaju Tinubu) who some people described as one of the richest politician in west Africa, the money he acquired illegally while ruling Lagos state for 8 years, a state he is still squeezing through his installed puppet..

If you lie to a child, you have abused the MINDS of many generations to come. Tell the children the TRUTH ………….. it is the ONLY WAY to set their minds free – but APC leaders would never tell the youth the TRUTH.

Many people have been led to believe that APC is the Messiah that would redeem the economical and moral values of the country.
Knowledge and understanding of the past are very important for an individual as well as society. History can easily inspire the individual citizen to pursue better objectives which are noble and truthful to avoid acts which are FALSE and DISGRACEFUL.

In fact the study of history will surely promote national harmony and integration by telling people to appreciate and respect the sensibilities and cultures of other ethnic groups as well as their own.

Corruption is not a tribal problem nor a regional problem, all of our leaders from all tribal groups have contributed to what could be described as near malfunction of our public institutions.

Why would we delude our selves that a party with its Grand patron (Asiwaju Tinubu) who some people described as one of the richest politician in west Africa, the money he acquired illegally while ruling Lagos state for 8 years, a state he is still squeezing through his installed puppet..

It has been alleged that Bola Ahmed Tinubu has illegally acquired the following properties.
The 250-hectare land valued at about N35billion and strategically located at the Ajah junction on Lekki Road which was initially meant for a General Hospital for the people of Eti-Osa Local Government but was stolen by Tinubu and handed over to Trojan Estate Ltd – a company owned by Deji and Wale Tinubu which was developed in to now Royal Garden Housing Estate.

The 1,000 hectares of land valued at about N75billion located at Lakowe near Abijo at Ibeju-Lekki Local Government and given to Lekki Concession Company (LCC) which is partly- owned by Tinubu and Fashola which was developed as golf course and housing estate by Assets and Resource Management Ltd (ARM) as ADIVA project.

How could an overload of a party with these filthy record bring the needed sanity in our country??

If APC is a good political party why did there senators in National Assembly refused to lift a finger at the ungodly salaries and allowances to them? Does it make sense that our senators receive more salaries than there UK counterparts, with Nigeria's per capital income as $2,800 (2012 ) while that of UK is 37,849 more than 12 times that of Nigeria.

In one of the two sources of Islamic Laws (The Hadith) Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) says " If one of you sees something evil he should correct it with his hands if he can't with his tongue if can't he should hate it in his mind."

None of the so called APC Senator or member house of representative ever said it is inappropriate to be paid such amount, the amount of which when added to other allowances and expenses amount to no less than 25% of the total annual budget which is payed to 469 individuals in a country with a population of over 140 million people.

APC governed states are not any much better than PDP governed states between 1999 to 2007 no northern state was better governed than Katsina state (A PDP state till date).
Let us please stop deceiving our selves. APC calling PDP corrupt is just a pot calling kettle black.

__________________________
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.


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Thursday, 5 February 2015

Breaking News: Council Of State Rejects Election Postponement - PUNCH

The Council of State on Thursday rose from a seven-hour meeting, advising the Independent National Electoral Commission to go ahead and perform its constitutional responsibility of conducting the 2015 elections, Punchng.com reports.

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State told State House correspondents that INEC told the council that it was ready for the conduct of the election.

He said security chiefs also expressed their readiness but raised issues about some local governments currently under the control of the Boko Haram sect.

The implication, he said, is that elections will not hold in the affected areas.

But Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State claimed that the council advised INEC to consider all the inputs made during the meeting with a view to taking a decision it will announce to Nigerians later.


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Any attempt to shift the February Elections In Nigeria could be an invitation to chaos - By Rabiu Jimoh

Any attempt to shift the polls barely 10 days to go could be an invitation to chaos. Energy and resources expended would have been a colossal waste.

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party still has the restructuring trump. The stage is set for the February 14 rumble. Expectations are high. The underdog in this battle may still produce a surprise.

A calculating incumbent will spot the Achilles' heels of the opposition and let fly the arrow. Given that both parties may not be able to access the over five million votes in the North-East maximally, it will be a miscalculation now to change the battle plan in the thick of battle.

The Council of State ought to record a full house now that the survival of the country is at stake.

Although the European Union observers would not dine with the devil even with a long spoon in the North-East, not with a bloody war going on out there anyway, we have reached a point of no return.

We are still awaiting the position of the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj Gen. Muhammadu Buhari on restructuring Nigeria if he wins. It's the trump!

________________________
Rabiu Jimoh,
Jamiu Street, Ikorodu,
Lagos.

The above opinion represent the view of the writer.

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Just In: Nigeria May Delay Its Presidential Elections, INEC admits To Reuters

Nigeria may delay its Feb. 14 presidential election if the electoral commission cannot distribute enough voter I.D. cards by Feb. 8, an electoral commissioner told Reuters.com on Wednesday.

The hotly contested poll will pit President Goodluck Jonathan of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party against former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress.

"Let's see how the PVC (permanent voter card) distribution goes by Feb. 8, then maybe," Amina Zachary, a commissioner for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said on the sidelines of a news conference when asked whether or not the date could be changed.

She made it clear that no decision had been taken. INEC extended its deadline for voters to collect their cards to Feb. 8, but only 44 million out of 68.8 million have been distributed so far, with just 10 days to go before the poll.

The main issue is the uneven distribution across the states as the total is already higher than the number that voted in 2011, Zachary said.

Out of Nigeria's 36 states and its federal capital territory, Abuja, 11 have distributed less than 60 percent of the cards while 4 of those are below 50 percent.

Lagos, the most populous state and opposition stronghold, has distributed fewer than 40 percent of its voter cards.

"We've sometimes just had one person at some distribution stations … now we put two but the cost is very high … it has eaten up all the money as we have to pay INEC staff extra for staying late," Zachary said, lamenting a lack of volunteers.

________________________________
Reference Source: TheCall
----------------------------------------------


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Just In: The Meeting Of The Council Of State Is Ongoing Inside Presidential Villa, Abuja

The meeting of the Council of State scheduled to hold today, 5th of February, 2015, is ongoing inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The agenda of the meeting, which started at about 11:30 am, is to brainstorm on the readiness of INEC to conduct this month's general elections, with a possibility of shifting the pools by six-weeks should they be found unprepared to conduct the elections.

Former Presidents and Head of States in attendance are Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), Shehu Shagari, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd.), Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar and Chief Ernest Shonekan.

Punchng.com reports that former President of the Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, is the only living Nigerian leader absent at the meeting presided over by President Goodluck Jonathan.

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral
Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, and all service chiefs are waiting to brief the meeting.

Also in attendance are Vice President Namadi Sambo; President of the Senate, David Mark; Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal; Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN); Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Anyin Pius Anyim; National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki.

Governors in attendance include Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Aliyu Wamako (Sokoto), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara), Tanko Almakura (Nasarawa), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara) and the deputy governors of Borno and Yobe States.

People's Democratic Party governors at the meeting include those of Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Cross River, Niger, Kogi, Bayelsa, Adamawa, Ondo, Taraba, Delta, Enugu, Ekiti,
Plateau, Jigawa, Katsina, Gombe and Bauchi States as well as the Minister of the FCT, Bala Mohammed.

Details of the outcome of the meeting will be made known to the press the moment the meeting is concluded.


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Edo, Oyo, Yobe declare Thursday And Friday As PVC collection holiday

The Edo, Oyo and Yobe state governments on Wednesday declared public holiday in their respective states to enable voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards before the February 8 expiration given by the INEC for the exercise.

The Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi and his Yobe State counterpart, Ibrahim Gaidam, had declared Thursday, February 5 and Friday, February 6, 2015, as public holiday in their states.

The Punch reports that the "governor [of Oyo State] enjoined the people [of the state] to take full advantage of the public holiday by coming out massively to collect their PVCs, reiterating that it was an opportunity for them to connect with their future by voting for candidates of their choice.

In a similar manner, the Special Adviser to [Yobe State] Governor Gaidam on Press Affairs and Information, Mallam Abdullah Bego said, "The governor urges all workers and people across the state who have not yet collect their PVCs to use the period to collect their cards as a step towards exercising their civic duty to vote during the forthcoming elections."


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Alert: Microsoft Announces Nokia215 SIM That Has A Stand-By Time Of Up To 29 Days

Nokia 215 handset dubbed 'perfect second phone. The Single SIM has a stand-by time of up to 29 days, while the dual SIM version offers up to 21 days.

It may not be the smartest phone on the market, but Nokia's latest handset has one huge advantage – a battery that can last for a month between charges.

Called the Nokia 215, the handset is set to go on sale for just $29, and Microsoft says it is 'our most affordable Internet-ready entry-level phone yet, perfectly suited for first-time mobile phone buyers or as a secondary phone for just about anyone.'
_____________________________________
Check Out The PHONE Specifications
----------------------------------------------------
1. 2.4inch colour screen

2. The Single SIM has a stand-by time of up to 29 days, while the dual SIM version offers up to 21 days.

3. It provides up to 20 hours of talk time.

4. It cannot load new apps

5. Bluetooth.

6. MP3 player and Torchlight & FM radio.

7. VGA camera

8. It comes pre-loaded with Facebook, Twitter, web browser and Microsoft's Bing search engine.

Note:
This latest Nokia product from Microsoft will be available in green, black and white versions. It will go on sale as from March, with initial target continents being the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe.


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Has Your Life Changed Under President Jonathan’s Leadership? Play This Game To Find Out (CLICK)

A new game that measures how your life has changed under President Goodluck Jonathan has been lunched.

Since coming into office, President Jonathan has followed through on the ambitious plans laid out in his Transformation Agenda, delivering significant achievements in areas including economic growth, infrastructure development, education, and healthcare.

There is no doubt that his efforts have improved the lives of Nigerians in every state of the nation.

Play the game now to find out how much he's improved yours.

Click HERE to play the game and share with friends.

http://www.hasyourlifechanged.com/


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Why Nollywood Can’t Lose Goodluck - By Charles Novia

Let us admit it – we have never seen any President so besotted with entertainment like Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, especially the movie-making sector. And this is not a satire.

Yes, his detractors may point at "weakness" for entertainment as a signpost of an unserious mind frittering the commonwealth on 'joli-joli' matters! Even the opposition may grumble loudly that the lively engagement with the Nollywood is essentially exploitative and window-dressing – to the detriment of more important and critical sectors of the national economy.

However, no one is in doubt that the life and essence the Creative wayfarers was initially ignited by Bayelsa governor, the much maligned Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, immediate boss of GEJ around year 2000. With dizzying state support and elaborate razzmatazz, the duo of Alams and GEJ wallowed in the sudden euphoria of showbiz and the attendant media opulence only comparable to IBB's romance with PMAN's ding-a-long of 1989 – 1992 when Tony Okoroji was the majordomo.

It was no surprise GEJ flowed with the momentum when fortune made him supplant Alams as Gov. of Bayelsa in December 2005. Yet, for all his enthusiasm for professional revelries, the make-believe could not have believed their luck when good ol' providence thrusted GEJ, again, into greater prominence. In quick succession, he moved from Vice-President to Acting President and eventually President within two years! By 2011 when he assumed office, on his own stamina, the Nollywood romance had blown out of the creek waters. The two lovebirds were careering giddily on a thoroughfare peopled with great thespians, gifted producers, immaculate directors and of course a coterie of charlatans and 'waka-pass'.

With technocrats within the federal service and the movie industry, different modules of foundational interventions were crafted – and cash-backed like never before. Millions of naira were mentioned, which ballooned, to the consternation of nay-sayers, to billions of naira in creative "stimulus packages".

In the past ten years of GEJ's unstinted romance with a powerful sector of the entertainment community, it is very uncharitable (even for inveterate detractors) to say that Jonathan has not "performed". You may quarrel with the impact or management of his interventions; you may yap him and his people for mystifying the process and access to the several GEJ interventions in the Arts world. You may claim he has lost similar interest or attention to details in other critical sectors of the Nigerian state. However, no one can simply dismiss his unprecedented regard, affinity and seeming devotion to the people, practice and promise of Nigeria's movie-making community and allied sectors.

In his six years as President, GEJ has arguably awarded more national honours to our artistes than all the past regimes rolled together!
So, when you hear and see leading lights of Nollywood rooting aggressively for GEJ; when you read famed voices shouting on the roof of their cyper-pages and declaring the ceaseless glory of GEJ; when you read otherwise quiet prima-donnas spit fire and engage in internet-'gra-gra' with many of their tele-fans…for the sake of their beloved Moses (Jonathan) – you really must understand and appreciate their position – enlightened self-interest (a completely natural instinct).

They are not 'bought', 'turn-coats' or 'ass-licking' – against their will or legacy. They simply are paying good back to the man who has brought them a load of luck – and thus enhancing their means of livelihood, and embellishing their relevance. No pun intended. This 2015 presidential election is a watershed for Nollywood. They cannot see anything in the "Change"-troopers to indicate that their groovy-train will go on; GMB has not even for once coughed about any plans for Nollywood, one of the major revelations of the 2014 rebasing parameters! It does appear that GMB does not even know that Nollywood exists – beyond gyrations at campaign rallies!

So, stop yakking at Nollywooders if they have little or no sympathies for GMB – he is disconnected from them in the past decade, at least. And within that same period, GMB's main opponent has been their God-sent.

Most assuredly I say to you: a good friend is difficult to find – and keep; Nollywood can't afford to lose this Goodluck. God forbid!!

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Charles Novia is a Nigerian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, social commentator and essayist.

The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.

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Recommended:

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-------Femi Aribisala: Why President Jonathan Is A Superior Presidential Material To Buhari http://shar.es/1o5AYR


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Wednesday, 4 February 2015

Few Hours To Presidential Elections, PDP Canoe Will Sink, Says APC National Chairman

The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Odigie Oyegun, has fuelled the unending speculation that several high profile governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would decamp to the APC by confirming that at least Five of PDP governors will join the party ahead of the presidential and senatorial elections.

Chief Odigie Oyegun revealed this on wednesday in Benin, Edo State.

He said: "Let me reveal to you people today [Wednesday] that very soon, you will hear of an earthquake that will consume PDP in this country."

"As I'm talking to you people now, I have held meetings with some governors that want to join the APC from the PDP. Let me not release the cat out of the bag. But let me assure you that few hours to the presidential and National Assembly elections, the PDP canoe will sink."

"The hand writing is so clear, February 14th , 2015 is love day, that date is a special day for our party, as from that day Jonathan will start to park his belongings away from Aso Rock .

He further added that: "The elections cannot be postponed and they cannot rig it either. Just go there that day, vote and protect it. It is evidently clear that PDP and Jonathan are running scared."


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-------Femi Aribisala: Why President Jonathan Is A Superior Presidential Material To Buhari http://shar.es/1o5AYR



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Press Release: Jonathan's Performance Will Earn him Re-election, Says Segun Seriki.

Ogun State Co-ordinator of the Jonathan/Sambo Presidential Campaign, Honourable Segun Seriki has said that the performance of President Goodluck Jonathan in the last four years is a strong indication that he will be re-elected as president by the people of Nigeria.

According to him, President Jonathan has delivered so much on his electoral promises to Nigerians,  turning Nigeria into the biggest economy in Africa and the 23rd in the whole world.

His words: "if you follow the global economic trend, Nigeria is rated among the three economies to grow in the year 2015 by the CNN last week, coming behind China and Qatar at close quarters. The Wall Street Journal also listed Nigeria as the most watched country for foreign direct investment in the world. All these did not happen by accident,  but as a result of the sound economic policies of the Jonathan-led administration".

He  further said, "for the first time in the history of Nigeria since independence, agriculture, which is about food security and self-sufficiency will be driving the Nigerian budget at 22 per cent reducing the reliance on oil to just 15 per cent. Seriki however maintained that all these are not lost on many Nigerians except some self- serving politicians who are only interested in milking the common patrimony of all Nigerians, promising that there are strong indications that the president will be re-elected.

On the situation of PDP in Ogun State, Segun Seriki disclosed that the party is a strong indivisible family, and this, he said, was clearly demonstrated by all leaders in the state on Monday when they came out during the inauguration of the Jonathan/Sambo Presidential Campaign Advisory Committee.

"However, you must also not forget that President Goodluck Jonathan is the Presidential candidate of not only the Peoples Democratic Party, but several other political parties in the February 14 election, including the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and some others, so my mandate as the co-ordinator in Ogun State transcends the PDP, but covers and galvanises all the various interest groups and political parties to ensure that the president is re-elected".

"People should therefore not be surprised that we will be working across party lines with different kinds of people in the next few days. The re-election of Goodluck Jonathan is our mandate and this we have resolved to do with God on our side" he said.


__________________________
Recommended:

------Nigerians Be Prepared: The Dollar Will Sell Above N220 After February Elections. Full Story Here http://bit.ly/1F56DUW

-------Femi Aribisala: Why President Jonathan Is A Superior Presidential Material To Buhari http://shar.es/1o5AYR


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