Few days after the called of APC led federal government through Minister Of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Muhammed to all political appointees of President Muhammed Buhari who defected to People Democratic Party, PDP with their Political leader ( Senator Bukola Saraki ) should resign their appointment or face sack.

Malam Bolaji Abdullahi who recently resigned as spokesman of All Progressives Congress, APC and defected to People Democratic Party, PDP has again follow the path of honour by announcing his resignation as the Chairman of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC).

Malam Bolaji Abdullahi announced his resignation from the board via his Twitter handle @BolajiAbdullahi

According to him “Following my resignation as National Publicity Secretary of APC and my decision to quit the party, I announced to the board this morning that I have resigned my appointment as Chairman, Nigeria Sugar Development Council,”.

The National Sugar Development Council is a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment. The council articulate policies and programmes that will bring about rapid development of the sugar sector.

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Helen Paul took to Instagram yesterday to wish her friend and Jara Co-host Uti a Happy Birthday. The Big Brother Africa 5 Winner, was much celebrated by dear friend with a long heartfelt note.

The Comedian posted a series of pictures that has the duo in it. She went on to caption the post with this beautiful words:

“Happy birthday to a brother, colleague, friend and partner! You waltzed into my life 8 years ago as my co presenter on JARA and ever since then, it’s been a wonderful experience working with you. You bring warmth, zest, and energy when on set and working with you never gets boring! When working with you, it doesn’t matter how many tines we have to ‘cut’ and ‘take one’ this is because it’s fun all the way!”

Helen went on to say “you have been helpful in delivering my lines, whether within or without the scripts. Wow, 8 years! When I reminisce, I can only say thank God for your life! On this special day of yours, I want to tell you that you haven’t even started to scratch the surface of what God has in stock for you. People do not know you. And those that know you do not know you well enough. To them you are that fine boy, model and fashionista. But, as the Bible says. Deep calleth unto deep. To me, you are deeper than what they see on the outside.”

“For starters, I’m impressed by how spiritual you are (you never joke with your God), you are quick to appreciate people, and you respect people. You are quick-wilted, funny, and you always like to face your fears and laugh heartily! You are easily moved by the challenges and trails that people face, you have compassion for the needy and wish you have that magic wand that can heal the world of its sicknesses, diseases, plagues, and what have you! She maintained.

Tired? Helen didn’t stop there, she went on “you have ideas all up in your head and only time will tell! The whole world will soon celebrate you and those ideas. Your life revolves around values, morals, and principles which every good man out there should hold dear; you are quick to celebrate other people’s accomplishments. You have a good heart. Beyond your art, you are openly human- you laugh but you don’t try to impress anyone with masculine ego by bottling up your feelings and pains, you also cry when you observe the desperate wickedness of the world. You are simply profound and profoundly simple!

“I wish you long life, peace, prosperity and every wonderful gift from God. And lest I forget, may God not only give you those six cars! Happy Birthday! @ Siruti “ she finally concluded.

Phew! Long and touching, this two friends and colleagues seem to care and respect each other so much.

We wish we find someone that cares so much to write such a long heartfelt note about us. But all the same, Happy Birthday Sir Uti!

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Kamarudeen Ogundele, Ado Ekiti
The Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the July 14 governorship election, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, is presently at the election petition tribunal in Ado Ekiti to file his petition.
He is challenging the electoral victory of the All Progressives Congress candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Details later…

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The menace of “One chance” seems to be on the increase in the FCT, in this piece Friday magazine exposes the dangers public commuters are exposed to on daily basis.

In the typical Nigerian state a lot of commuters are usually in a hurry to get to their destination which could be because they left their homes late or because of the need to beat traffic, this therefore orchestrated the one chance terminology which is used by bus conductors in most commercial cities to inform willing passengers that the vehicle which could be a bus or vehicle needs one more passenger to board so that it can convey its passengers to their respective destination in ample time.

The conductor who is saddled with the responsibility to encourage passengers to board the vehicle, has a job is to take your money and give you a ticket and must convince passengers that the bus is almost full and will not stay long at the bus stop, so he or she has to make it clear that the vehicle has one more space remaining.

This automatically lead to the term ‘ONE CHANCE’ as you will hear conductors chant one chance, one chance and in a twinkle of an eye a passenger will board the bus as he is sure that he would not have to spend a minute longer at the park waiting for the bus to get filled up.

As guinea as the intention was behind the slang, some miscreants decided to cash in on this to perpetrate crime. Pardon me but it actually started in Lagos state. What this criminal element decided to do was they get a bus or vehicle depending on their target, fill it up with their group or gang and then decided to pick up unsuspecting passengers at the bus stop.

Along the course of the journey, this unsuspecting person or persons as the case maybe are disposed of all their belongings by the members of the syndicate group, who had earlier posed as guinea passengers. In most cases the driver and conductors are also members of the group, who are usually armed to ensure that their innocent passengers have no option but to release all their possessions.

Surprisingly in the FCT the case of One Chance seems to be on the rise as a lot of persons have been robbed, beaten and in some cases abandoned in solitude places after they have mistaking fell into the hands of one chance.

Mummy Roy as she prefers to be addressed, narrated her encounter to our correspondent when she unknowingly fell into the hands of One Chance, she says the experience still gives her the chills whenever the thought flashes through her mind.

‘‘ My husband lives in the united states so most times he sends me money in bulk to cover most of our pressing issues, the money is in my account and since I do not like to move around with cash, I ensure that I have my ATM card with me. So on that faithful day I had my card in my bag as usual. It happened in December on my way back from work, just after the Christmas holiday. I boarded a vehicle from the popular berger under bridge to kubwa unknown to me that it was a group of One Chance’.

“There was a lady seated in the front seat with the driver and another in the back seat so I took the seat next to him. The conductor called out and another passenger got in so we were 3 in the back seat.

“After we had driven for 15 minutes there about the last passenger closest to me brought out a gun, he pointed it at me and asked me to hand over my bag. I just knew that it was not my lucky day. They had in their possession a POS machine with them which they forcefully made me release my pin and there in the taxi all the money from my account was withdrawn. I was advised to cooperate with them so that I will be released unharmed. In the end I was thrown off the car at kubwa federal housing after they emptied my account. Whenever I remember that day I still have a feverish feeling pass through my body like it happened yesterday. All in all, I am thankful to God that they did not do anything worse to me because I have heard of worse cases.

Painfully but truly, Mummy Roy is 1 out of 5 public commuters who are exposed to the dangers of One chance. How do people who do not own a private car get to their destinations either work place or home if they do not engage the services of a public transportation. Is it to say that the FCT is no longer a safe haven for residents were stories of theft and one chance is on the increase?

It is however a duty for the FCT administration to ensure that this menace is nib in the bud as the FCT is the center of unity of the nation and should not be associated with such menace.

And for those who have decided to take up One Chance as a means of livelihood, be rest assured that the long arm of the laws will catch up with you very soon because crime does not pay.

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Alia Ghanem, the mother of deceased al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden has given her first interview to Western media, telling The Guardian newspaper that her eldest son was ‘brainwashed’ into extremist ideology.

Speaking at her family’s home in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Ghanem said bin Laden was a shy, academically capable boy, who turned into a strong, pious figure while an economics student in Jeddah in his early 20s.

“The people at university changed him.

“He became a different man,’’ she told the newspaper, which said bin Laden had met Abdullah Azzam, a Muslim Brotherhood member, who became his spiritual adviser, at the university.

“He was a very good child until he met some people, who pretty much brainwashed him in his early 20s.

“You can call it a cult; they got money for their cause.

“I would always tell him to stay away from them and he would never admit to me what he was doing because he loved me so much.’’ (dpa/NAN)

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Saraki Delivering Speech at PDP NEC Meeting

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FORMER special adviser on Revenue Matters to Taraba State government, Joshua Augustine has been convicted of a two-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust, misappropriation and conversion of public funds. The federal government had in 2012 provided financial assistance to the tune of N400 million for the procurement of relief materials for victims of 2012 flood disaster. Two committees were set up for which Augustine was appointed to lead one of them. The sum of N214,795,870 was given to the committee, out of which a total of N5,452,580 was diverted. He was accused to have between October 20, 2012, and December 29, 2012, as secretary of the Procurement Sub-Committee ‘A,’ Northern and Central Zones, “dishonestly misappropriated the sum ofN4,702,580 out of the total sum of N214,795,870.” Augustine was first arraigned before Justice Filibus Andetur of the Taraba State High Court in March 2016. At the end of the trial, the prosecution presented five witnesses and tendered several documents to prove its case against him. In finding him guilty, Justice Andetur sentenced him to one year in prison on count one with an option of N100,000 as fine, and six months on count two with an option of N50,000 as fine to run concurrently. The trial judge, however, added that “in consideration that the convict has made considerable refund, almost all, the court suspends the sentence against the convict with the payment of the outstanding balance of N300,000 which the convict misappropriated as restitution to government and if he doesn’t pay, he goes to prison as the sentence stands.” In a related development, the trial of Abdullahi Mohammed, a businessman arraigned before Justice Filibus Andetur in June 2018 on a nine-count charge of criminal breach of trust and forgery, has been adjourned to October 30, 2018, due to the inability of the defence to “perfect its appearance.” Mohammed was entrusted with grains by one Alhaji Jubrin Maida, but allegedly disposed of the items and diverted the money to personal use. The defence counsel led by Isa Buba told the court that he was not in a position to proceed with the case as his brief was just perfected “this morning. “I have also not been able to interview the defendant to prepare for his defence,” he added. He thus pleaded with the court to extend the interim bail given to his client in order to perfect his bail conditions.

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Senator Aliyu Wammako has arrived Sokoto  State, after Tambuwal defected from the All Progressives Congress, APC to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

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Governor Aminu Tambuwal, who abandoned the All Progressives Congress on Tuesday, lost the popularity contest between him and his former godfather, Senator Aliyu Wammako, at least in the eyes of Twitterati, following the unprecedented crowd that received the Senator and his party in Sokoto today.

Sokoto was literally shut down as the surging crowd, came out in a show of solidarity with Wammako, President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress.

Immediately the plane carrying the senator landed at the Sultan Abubakar III International Airport, motorcyclists ran onto the tarmac to offer a guard of honour.

And from the airport to the town, traffic moved at snail speed.

Abu Bunza, who monitored Wammako’s arrival wrote on Twitter: “I knew Wamakko’s homecoming will be mad today. Those that were busy celebrating Tambuwal’s defection know nothing about Sokoto’s politics”.

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Sen. Aliyu Wamakko (APC Sokoto) who staged a grand homecoming to Sokoto today said defectors to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties from All Progressives Congress (APC) will surely regret their actions.

Wamakko stated this on Saturday at a special rally in support of President Muhammadu Buhari and APC organised by loyalists, in the wake of the defection of Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal to PDP from the ruling APC on Aug. 1.

He described PDP as a dead political party and categorically ruled out Tambuwal’s exit being a threat to APC hold on the state.

He said the Sokoto APC still has two Senators, seven members of the Federal House of Representatives and 12 state assembly members, beside the high percentage of political elders, youths, women and others in the state.

He conveyed President Buhari’s goodwill message to Sokoto residents.

He debunked Tambuwal’s statement that the Federal Government has not executed any project in Sokoto.

Wammako said many projects have been executed and many have been proposed across the state.

He thanked Sokoto people for the warm reception as well as huge support for President Buhari’s administration.

He urged the people to sustain the support to ensure Buhari amd APC victory in 2019 elections.

” The present political situation in Sokoto is not between mw and Governor Tambuwal but between APC as a political party and the dead PDP”, he said.

The Senator enjoined Nigerians to shun detractors and support the good leadership of President Buhari and APC at all levels.

State APC Chairman, Alhaji Sadiq Achida, said APC is still in control of the state and the control will continue.

Goodwill messages were received from former Kebbi State Governor, Nasamu Dakingari, Umaru Gwandu, representative of Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara state and Muhammad Bello, who attended the rally, to show solidarity with the people of Sokoto people.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report Wamakko was received by a massive crowd that even delayed the landing of the aircraft for hours as motorcyclists and people troop onto the runway.

NAN report that the mega rally witnessed a long motorcade, a long chain of tricycles and thousands of pedestrians who trekked from the Sultan Abubakar III International Airport, down to Senator Wammako’s residence in Gawan Nama in Sokoto metropolis. . (NAN)

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Rilwan Akiolu, the Oba of Lagos on Saturday compared President Muhammadu Buhari with other Nigerian past leaders and delivered a verdict: Buhari is a non-materialistic leader.

“If you watch the life of President Buhari, he is not materialistically minded like the other people”, Akiolu said.

The Lagos monarch made this remark when the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Mudashiru Obasa led the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria to his palace on a courtesy call.

Nigerian Pilot reports that the visit was part of the activities for the 2018 Conference of Speakers which commenced on Friday in Lagos.

“God loves this country and we are very lucky. My appeal to you, my sons and daughters is that let peace return to this country. Nigeria is not going to break.

“If all of us will cooperate, Nigeria will move forward. We are all one and we should regard ourselves as that.

“Cooperate with the national government. I believe in the corporate existence of Nigeria,”he said.

Akiolu urged the speakers to help address the challenges facing Buhari’s administration.

He lamented that the major problem of Lagos was the concessioning of Apapa Port.

“You have seen our problem. This is not politics. I beg all of you to join your voices with us as we request for a Special Status for Lagos State, ” he said.

He urged politicians to have the welfare of the citizens at heart and ensure security of lives and property.

The Oba, a former Assistant Inspector General of Police, called for more funding for security agencies.

He called for cooperation in the area of intelligence gathering for security agencies to end the ongoing security challenges facing the country.

Akiolu also commended Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for massive investments in security.

He urged media practitioners to be professional and avoid sensational reports in a bid to build a strong and united country.

The Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, Alh. Isamaila Kamba said Akiolu was the Commissioner of Police in Kebbi State when he was a commissioner for Agriculture.

“He (Akiolu) served and left very remarkable marks during his service and he played a fatherly role to ensure peace. Everybody in Kebbi always remember this indefatigable commissioner of police,” he said.

Kamba, who is also the Speaker, Kebbi State House of Assembly, said that apart from deliberations on national issues, the conference would discuss the autonomy for state legislatures.

Lagos speaker Obasa described Akiolu as a mentor, counsellor, father and benefactor, who had dedicated his life to public service.

Obasa said that Akiolu had worked to ensure peace and tranquility as well as the political development of Lagos State.

He urged other speakers to support the quest for special status for Lagos State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the visit had in attendance speakers or their representatives across the 36 states Houses of Assembly.

The conference is expected to be rounded off on Sunday with a communiqué. (NAN)

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A presidential hopeful, Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi, has ruled out the possibility of leaving the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for any other political party if he does not win the party’s ticket for the country’s top job in 2019.

He said he would rather quit politics, instead of joining any other political group.

Makarfi said this on Saturday while addressing newsmen at the PDP secretariat in Minna, the Niger State capital.

NAN reports that Makarfi is in Minna to drum up support for his presidential bid in 2019.

“If I leave PDP, I would leave politics. If I was to leave PDP, I could have defected a long time ago.So that possibility is not there,” he said

The one time governor of Kaduna said he predicted the recent mass defections to PDP, adding that the biggest challenge is managing it.

“I welcome all the defectors and as a matter of fact I predicted it. I said it that after the APC convention you would see a lot of defections and that’s what has happened.

“But the challenge is how to manage it. If we manage it well, the party would be better for it but if we don’t we may run into problems,” he said.

His position in Minna on the defectors, is softer than what he said in Lokoja on Friday, when he warned his party against giving them special treatment.

The said if not for the steadfastness of committed members, PDP could have become history.

“Some people when you pinch them like this (touching his arm), they will run to another party. When the going was tough, I stayed on… but you accept them into your house and give them your guest room. Next, they take the Master Bedroom; next, they drive you out of your house. We must not allow this, nor give undue advantage to them, so that we do not alienate our people.

“Modu Sheriff was brought from another party; they said he had three jets; he had billions, but what did he do? He was taking the party down, but I, the ‘bush boy,’ with the support of others, I was able to make members close ranks, and today, we can all see.”

Makarfi said Senator Bukola Saraki should be left alone as Senate President because he has not breached any provision of the constitution on account of his defection from APC to PDP.

“The constitution says the senators should elect from among themselves and not from the majority party”, said Makarfi, who also was a senator from 2007 to 2011.

“Party affiliations are only attached to other positions like minority whip, majority leader and so on

“Therefore, Saraki should be left alone because he was elected based on constitutional provisions and his continued stay is lawful,” he added

He noted that addressing issues of insecurity, unemployment, power, infrastructure and national unity would be his top priorities if given the chance to lead the country.

“A basket of issues including security, infrastructure and power would be top of my priorities.

“National cohesion is also key because we are divided and getting more divided by the day.

“And this national cohesion is where the issue of restructuring comes in as it will address unemployment,” he added.

NAN reports that Makarfi is a former governor of Kaduna State and immediate past national chairman of the PDP (NAN)

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Former world women’s tennis number one Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Rogers Cup in Montreal for what she called “personal reasons”, Tennis Canada said on Saturday.

Tennis Canada said Williams’s decision to pull out was made for personal reasons, but it did not elaborate.

“Of course, we are disappointed that Serena will not be joining us. Fans were very much looking forward to seeing her in action,” tournament director Eugene Lapierre said in a statement.

“But beyond the disappointment, the tournament as a whole remains a high-level competition.

“The entire top 10 is here, along with 22 of the top 25. There are exciting matches in store from the outset.”

The development has now delayed the 23-time Grand Slam winner’s start to the North American hardcourt season.

The tournament opens on Monday with world number one Simona Halep as the top seed.

Caroline Wozniacki, who pulled out of the Citi Open earlier this week with a leg injury, is number two.

Williams, who has not played since losing the Wimbledon final to Germany’s Angelique Kerber last month, will have her place in the draw taken by Germany’s Tatjana Maria.

The 36-year-old American has been making a slow but steady return to competitive tennis since returning in March following the birth of her first child Alexis Olympia.(Reuters/NAN)

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The Senators representing Bauchi Central and Kwara South respectively, Isa Hama Misau and Rafiu Ibrahim have warned their counterpart from Katsina South, Abu Ibrahim and his fellow travelers in the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to foment any trouble when the Senate resumes on September 25, as the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki will never resign from the position.

Misau and Ibrahim, in a statement jointly signed by them in reaction to an interview granted by the Katsina Senator to the Cable online newspaper, stated that Abu Ibrahim and his colleagues will meet their match if they tried anything illegal even with all the deployment of security forces which they might have been assured of by the executive arm of government.

“It is obvious from the statements of Abu Ibrahim that he and his cohorts are not democrats. They do not believe in the rule of law, the provisions of the constitution, the standing order of the Senate, parliamentary procedure and the due process.

“How will a supposed democrat be threatening disruption of peace in the parliament because his party lost members and lost its majority status? His statements showed why one of them led thugs to disrupt the proceeding of the Senate, steal the mace, the symbol of authority of the legislature, and yet there is no consequence. Both the mastermind and his thugs have been protected from being prosecuted. Now, Abu Ibrahim has given us an insight into what they are planning and we will be ready for them. He has also shown an indication of how he, as the chairman of the Police Affairs Committee, has been misusing the police against other Senators.

“APC should note that they are now the minority party. PDP has more members. When we resume, if they push us, we will move for a head count of members and change some of our principal officers to reflect party strength. Today, by the list paraded by APC themselves, they have only 48 Senators and PDP has 54, APGA has 2 and ADC has 2. There are two vacancies. That is the distribution in the Senate. Let them continue to deceive themselves.

“We will use our strength to defend the position of the present leadership of the Senate under Dr. Saraki and Senator Ike Ekweremadu. We will defend democracy and rule of law against the pretenders. We will show that every Senator represent different constituencies in our country.

“Our colleague from Katsina State has equally demonstrated that even though he has spent four terms in the legislature, he has not imbibed parliamentary ethos. Even his knowledge of the provisions of the law and the Senate rules is suspect. That is why he misrepresented the provisions of Rule 12 order 1, 2 and 3 of the Senate about the process of reconvening the Senate after it properly adjourned. By the provision, without all the leaders of the four parties initiating the reconvening of the Senate before the adjourned date, nothing can legally happen. Also without the consent of the Senate President, nothing can happen.

“We urge him and his colleagues to know that if they tried anything illegal and indecent, we will resist it through legal means. They saw an instance with the way our colleagues in the House of Representatives quickly gathered to foil their failed coup early this week.

“Abu Ibrahim and his cohorts have shown that they are desperate to win the 2019 elections at all cost by all means. We are surprised that this defection is making APC so uncomfortable that they are ready to bring the country down because some Senators left their party. We gave them all the opportunities to make amends from their destructive, non-inclusive and dictatorial ways. They did not take the chances and were behaving as if nobody matters. They are running a government by cabals, serving selfish interests and forgetting all the promises the party made to the people before being elected into office.

“The APC government has always demonstrated serious contempt for the legislature. That is why they have sent only a paltry 11 executive bills to the National Assembly in 38 months despite their promise of reform in various sectors of the country, The APC government came in 2015 and the first proposal they put forward was to have emergency powers in a democracy. Thank God we did not fall for their antics.

“We call on all Nigerians and the international community to take note of the threat by Abu Ibrahim and know that if there is any illegal move to reconvene the Senate or there is breakdown of law and order in the Senate, the man has leaked their plan. The APC cabal in the Senate should be held responsible. Nigerians and the global community should know the type of people in charge of Nigeria now and how they seek to desecrate and destroy democratic institutions at will”, Misau and Ibrahim stressed

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…says nobody will be short-changed

National leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Saturday assured its members of adequate protection, accommodation and a level playing ground at every level of political engagement and aspirations ahead of the 2019 general
elections.

There has been uneasy calm in some state chapters of the PDP following the defection of high profile politicians over the control of the party structures in the state.

There are also fears that the national leadership of the party may shut out its old members and give automatic ticket to the returnee PDP members.

The PDP national publicity secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan said the party has taken note of all concerns raised by highly respected and committed leaders of the party, as it concerns accommodation of interests as well as new alignments, and has since taken extensive measures that would ultimately ensure that no person or group is, in anyway, short-changed.

“While the PDP appreciates and values such concerns, it is instructive to inform that the national leadership of our party has already envisaged the challenges of an enlarged family and has since made adequate arrangements that would effectively cover all interests for the task ahead.

“The repositioned PDP has amply learnt from the past. All members must therefore dispel every fear in relation to control of our structure as well as processes for selection of candidates for election, especially on the choice of our Presidential candidate, as such will be handled with the strictest adherence to the principles of internal democracy and zero tolerance for imposition.

“Our great party has now, more than ever before, become a centre of the new patriotic and broad-based engagements by overwhelming majority of Nigerians, across board, in the renewed democratic realignment that places priority on rescuing our nation from the misrule of President Muhammadu Buhari and his anti-people All Progressives Congress, APC.

“Whereas the APC has the colossal misfortune of being stuck with a very unpopular and unimpressive Presidential candidate, who has brought unpardonable pain and anguish to millions of innocent citizens, the PDP remains open, as the only dependable platform for all Nigerians, across board, to democratically and transparently coalesce and throw up that credible pan-Nigerian President and a government of national unity to move our nation out of the woods which we have been plunged by the dysfunctional APC.”

The PDP urged all its members to join forces with millions of compatriots who are already rallying on our rebranded platform to achieve this collective quest, which has become to them, a national emergency, come 2019.

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The National Coordinator of Buhari/Osinbajo Again, BOA 2019 Yahya Hammajulde, has emerged as the state chairman of African Democratic Congress, ADC in Adamawa state.

Announcing the outcome of the state congress, held in Yola, the Congress committee chairman, Alh. Umar Mijinyawa Kugama commended the ADC supporters for their maturity in the conduct of a free and fair congress.

He expressed optimism that with the caliber of people in the new exco the days of APC in the state have been numbered.

The new chairman called for support from party members ahead of the 2019 general poll.

Leader of the party in the state, Senator Abdul-Azeez Nyako led thousands of members of the political structure of his father and immediate past governor of the state, Admiral Murtala Nyako into the Congress.

Yahya Hammajulde who emerged chairman of the party was until his election the national coordinator of a political organization, Buhari/Osinbajo Again, BOA.

Those elected into the state exco consisted mainly of members of the APC parallel exco. However, chairman of the parallel exco, Dimas Ezra and the Publicity Secretary, Usman Ibrahim were conspicuously absent.

Recall Senator Nyako was part of the three senators who decamped to ADC in the gale if defections at NASS.

The young senator, lambasted the APC government and promised that his new party was poised to wrest power from APC in the state.

A total of thirty six member exco emerged.

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The Presidency on Sunday appealed to the National Assembly (NASS) to reconvene as urgent matters pending before it may affect the running of Nigeria and matters affecting Nigerians.

The appeal was made by the Senior Special Adviser (SSA) to the President on National Assembly Matters, Sen. Ita Enang at a news conference in Lagos.

Nigerian Pilot recalls that the Nigerian Senate, on April 24 adjourned sittings for the next two months.

President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki announced the adjournment at plenary following a motion on the siege on Saraki and the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, by security operatives.

The Senate is expected to reconvene on September 25th.

Nigerian Pilot however reports that some of the pending urgent issues before the adjournment included the approval of a supplementary budget to fund the 2018 budget and the 2019 general Elections.

The supplementary funds would enable the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to commence preparation for the 2019 polls.

Also pending are several key appointments for the EFCC, ICPC, Deputy CBN Governor and AMCON among others.

Enang said that although the Senate had lined up those matters before the adjournment, there was need for them to resume because of the urgency required for the approval.

“We are appealing to Senate leadership and all caucuses of the National Assembly to see this as a clarion call for the good of the nation.

“As the Liason Officer between NASS and the federal government, I know it is not the intention of the Lawmakers to make Nigerians suffer.

“The NASS vacation is usually planned to coincide with school vacations so that members can spend time with their children. However this is an election year and the budget has just been appended to hence the urgent need to give approval for Supplementary funds for it.

“We are not compelling them, we are appealing to them. As a liason officer between the Presidency and the NASS, my duty is to make sure that both arms stay together and work in harmony” he said.

On the defections in the house, Enang explained that it had nothing to do with the performance of President Muhammadu Buhari and that the issues for defection were personal and domestic to the political actors.

According to him, the defections are perennial and usually happens in election years where politicians look for platforms to achieve their aspirations.

“In all the defections, they have maintained that they do not have problems with the federal government.

‘There is too much competition within the major political parties. Politicians study the platforms and would not want to be where they may not get the tickets especially for those seeking re-election. Some need automatic tickets but their party may say no.

“Defections are not a sign of anything to worry about in a political party. None of the defectors is complaining about executive treatment of their people but about winning nominations for tickets outside,” he added. (NAN)
CHOM/

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Life condition in some IDP camps in Zamfara is compelling some victims to take a bitter option of fleeing back home, not minding the risks involved.

Investigation by Nigerian Pilot in Government Arabic Day Secondary School Zurmi where estimated populations of over four thousand displaced persons were settled indicates that most of the victims were surviving under very difficult condition.

Observation by the Nigerian Pilot indicates that there was insufficient feeding, near-absence of clean drinking water, general unhygienic condition while all the victims sleep on bare floor.

This situation calls for fear of possible outbreak of epidemic due to over congestion, open defecations by children and drinking poor, contaminated water.

Our reporter, who visited the camp on Friday, saw seven trucks fully loaded with IDPs who on their own volition, decided to risk going back home despite possible danger involved.

A victim from Mashema community Shehu Alhassan who talked to our correspondent, said “many of us reached a consensus to voluntarily go back home due to the unending suffering we face in the camp”, explaining further that, feeding provided by the authorities is far below adequate, while for our period of eight days in this camp, we have been sleeping on bare floors and majority of us have colds” he laments.

Another victim from Kwashabawa complains that children defecate everywhere and the only open reservoir in the camp can pose serious health hazards within the crowded camp, complaining that their farms were left unattended, thus “there was need for us to go”.

The first class emir of Zurmi Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, also the chairman IDP camp welfare in his emirate, who declined to comment on the situation, said he would not say anything saying “the only solution to the situation is prayers”, he laments.

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Deputy Director General of the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Council, Hon. Bamidele Faparusi, has described the attempt by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP governorship candidate in the July 14 election in Ekiti State, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, who is challenging the election, of Dr, Kayode Fayemi, as an effort in futility, saying the election reflected the will of Ekiti people and that not even the petition filed by Olusola or any other party can upturn the verdict.

The former House of Representatives member noted that the party will assemble highly experienced legal team that would confront the PDP and its candidate and prevent them from getting victory through the backdoor.

Fayemi, the candidate of the APC polled a total of 197, 459 to defeat Olusola, who got 178, 121 votes in the keenly contested election.

In the petition filed by the head of his legal team, Mallam Yusuf Ali, Olusola, is asking the Tribunal to declare him the winner of the July 14 election, saying he had majority of lawful votes in the election.

Faparusi, in a statement in Ado Ekiti, weekend appealed to APC members across the State to be peaceful and see the present legal challenge as one that won’t yield any fruitful result.

The APC chieftain described the election as the best in Ekiti since the advent of democracy in 1999, saying the allegations of ballot stuffing and snatching, falsification of results and brazen abuse of powers by APC to win the election only existed in the demented imagination of the PDP as a political party.

He said: “Prof Olusola asking that he be declared winner of an election he lost was a tall dream that won’t be realized. The whole world could attest to the credibility of the election.

“Several credible observer groups with the exception of those sponsored by Governor Ayodele Fayose had given the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, a thumb up over its transparency in the conduct of the election. The European Union and other global bodies that monitored the governorship election praised the electoral commission for doing a great job.

“Since the advent of democracy in 1999, this election stood out to be the most keenly contested with the winner defeating the loser with a marginal edge of 19, 338 votes. This confirmed and substantiated how transparent INEC had been in the conduct of this election.’ He said

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Governorship aspirant in Enugu State under the umbrella of All Progressives Congress, APC, Barr. Ifeanyi Nwoga has said that APC was the party to beat come 2019 because the ruling party, PDP had fallen short of the expectations of the people.

Speaking at the weekend at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu, while formally declaring his intention to vie for governorship in 2019, Nwoga, a former Attorney General, and Commissioner for Justice, noted that some critical sectors such as education, health, water and sanitation infrastructure , among others have been in shambles under the watch of the PDP led government since 1999.

The governorship hopeful, who promised to fix the sectors if elected, said, his administration would introduce free tuition levy for indigent students as well as embark on aggressive infrastructural development in all the three senatorial districts of the state.

“Our people have been taken for granted for too long, so, if it pleases God, and man, (you people), I will be contesting for the governorship of Enugu state in 2019 under the platform of APC. I will run an anti-corruption led government.

“I have not come here to run down or castigate anybody, but to address issues as they affect our people, because APC do not believe in hate speech” Nwoga said.

The governorship aspirant said that left to him, when elected, he would have loved to call former governors to come and account for their stewardship but said that he would confine himself to bettering the lot of the people insead of pursing the shadows of his predecesors.

Addressing the mammoth crowd, Enugu state APC chairman, Dr. Ben Nwoye, posited that with the declaration, the dynamics of 2019 politics in the state has changed, disclosing that Nwoga has brought to three the number of gubernatorial Aspirants that have indicated interest to contest under the party’s platform, a development he noted has not happened in the last 5 years.

Nwoye, who applauded the Aspirants bold steps and courage, called on electorate in the state and South east Nigeria, to embrace APC, for the political interest of the region.

He said the party has the necessary structures to send PDP packing from the lion building government house and other political offices in 2019.

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