APC alleges Akwa Ibom REC of plot to impede inspection

The Akwa Ibom State All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Resident Electoral Officer (REC), Mr. Austin Okojie, of planning to scuttle the inspection of electoral materials as ordered by Justice Adedayo Oyebanji of the National and State Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Uyo, the state capital.
Justice Oyebanji, on May 8, granted a prayer by the counsel to the petitioner, Chief Assam Assam (SAN), for the tribunal to grant leave for the inspection of the polling materials to verify the authenticity of 450,0000 votes.
The 450,000 votes were said to have been scored by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate in Akwa North West Senatorial District and Governor Godswill Akpabio.
The tribunal also ordered that the inspection be carried out within 10 days in the presence of the respondents or their agents and security agents.
But a chieftain of the APC, Mr. Akanimo Edet, alleged that Okojie had directed 10 Electoral Officers (EOs) in the senatorial district to mix up the senatorial election ballot papers alongside other ballot papers used during the general elections.
Edet said the action was meant to halt the successful inspection of the over 450,000 ballot papers used in the March 28 senatorial poll.
According to him, investigation revealed that efforts by the petitioner, Chief Inibehe Okori, inspect the materials had been undermined by the electoral body on the prompting of Akpabio.
Edet said: “The commissioner had summoned a meeting of the Eos, where he instructed that the senatorial ballot papers should be mixed up with others to make the inspection nearly impossible to cover up the fraud.
“Our Investigation also reveals that there is massive ongoing filling of incidence forms in a bid to make up for the bogus figures declared for Akpabio. This is at variance with the card reader analysis records, which is one of the contentious issues the governor is battling to provide answers to in the tribunal.
“When lawyers to the petitioner went to the electoral commission to facilitate the inspection, as ordered by the tribunal, INEC officials declined to oblige the petitioner the right for inspection. They said the REC and the Head of Operations were not available to approve the inspection. They insisted that the REC who was nowhere to be found must approve the tribunals order.
“The duo making themselves unavailable is part of the conspiracy between the REC and Akpabio to ensure that the inspection does not go unhindered. It is also part of a plot to ensure that the inspection does not take place within the 10 days period allowed by the tribunal. The tribunal has a 180 days lifespan and a total of 35 petitions are before it.”
But Okojie described APC’s allegation as false.
The REC said he had been ill for three days and was in a hospital in Benin, the Edo State capital, for treatment.
He said: “As I am talking with you now, I am in a hospital in Benin. I took ill about three days ago. I have a problem with my health. Which time will I now have to start telling the people to mix up ballot papers to confuse other people?
“That is rubbish. I have not even been able to call any head, nor speak with any electoral officer. I left about three days ago. Even the date for inspection, I did not even know it. It was the legal officer who mentioned it to me a few days ago.
“Then I said if they should go about the inspection, it would take them a long time to go through the 31 local government areas of Akwa Ibom State. Instead, I asked that all the election materials be brought to the headquarters so that the people could come to one place and inspect the materials. It was a way they could safeguard the idea of time and to ensure that things were done properly. And in these local government areas, we do not have good storage facilities…”

Going to US is like jumping into fire says Kashamu

Senator-elect and a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Mr. Buruji Kashamu, on Saturday, denied any past trip to the United States and ruled out any possibility of ever visiting the country in the future.

In an interview with Sahara TV, which was closely monitored, the PDP chieftain likened such a visit to leaping into fire.

Asked by the interviewer to clarify his alleged involvement in a United States criminal case as detailed in a popular prison memoir-turned-TV series by American, Piper Kerman, Kashamu refuted the claims.

He said, “I am a Nigerian. I am not running away from my fatherland. If anyone thinks he has a case against me, he should follow due process and we will take it up from there. I am not under any obligation to go to the US to answer the same charges after the true judgment of the British court has exonerated me of the same allegations.

“Asking me to take the next available flight to the US so as to clear my name is like asking me to jump in a fire-may the Almighty rescue me from it. If the US prosecutor could hide important evidence that later exonerated me in the UK court, only God knows what they will do in their country.

“I have done a lot of things to clear my name. I spent four years in detention at the hands of the US authorities to prove my innocence before I was eventually exonerated. This was also in the presence of the US prosecutors and other agencies in various countries, like the Republic of Benin, Nigeria. It was after a rigorous trial with pictorial and documentary evidence that I was discharged.”

Kashamu further explained that the case was taken to London and he was acquitted. He added that his accusers should follow legal process if they believed their claims held water.

“I have cleared my name and myself in London. If anybody believes that they have any other case against me, they should come through due process. I am ready to challenge it. I am ready to face it without any problem.

“I have never in my life put my foot into the United States. I have never demanded for their sticker. I have been a businessman right from 18 years old. Up till today, I continue doing my business. My last submission is that I know nothing about what they are saying over there,” he said.

OPINION: No One Is Afraid Of Buruji Kashamu By Adekoya Boladele

Naturally, I find it nauseating to respond to this recidivist asinine posing as a philanthropist and would have directed him to face his drug trial in the United States just like Asiwaju Tinubu did but for posterity and record purposes, one now have to utter this rebuttal.
It is shameful that in a society like ours, individuals like Kashamu can summon such effrontery to distort such indelible and notorious allegations on his criminality let alone aspire to seek political office. It is more gross that such questionable individual will have to sit in the upper chamber of our country's legislative house to make laws and rules that may be used to bring his peers to justice.
I understand to individuals like him, integrity remains oblivious having been traded in the Hulls, on one of his numerous voyage to deliver the crystalline compound, so he may find it hard to believe there are still individuals in the world who expresses themselves without being paid to do so and no volume of parochial write ups can take the place of undiluted conviction.
I am from Ogun East and possess the locus to demand that an alleged fugitive like him, spuriously dragged into the upper chamber to represent my district cleanse himself of the scandalous accusation of drug-related charges. It will be a further dent of whatever is left of the goodwill of this country with someone like him moving round the exalted title of the Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with drug or heroin baggage still as front pocket badge.
If truly Kashamu believes he is innocent of these allegations, I will advice he divert his resources on proving his innocence by visiting the United States, albeit such visit should be embarked upon with adequate backpacks in case of extended stay.
I will be more than willing to organise a mammoth crowd to welcome him at the airport and further organise a grand reception for him if he is acquitted.
Signed
Adekoya Boladale

Chinese billionaire spent about $50m to takes 6,400 staff on holiday to Paris

 Chinese billionaire, Li Jinyuan, the chairman Tiens Group Company, has taken 6,400 of his staff on a 4-day holiday to France which finished with a world-record breaking human chain in Cote D'Azur. 

According to Mail Online, Jinyuan, 57, (pictured right in white) booked up 140 hotels in Paris where the group visited the Louvre and various cultural sites in one of the world's most famous and revered cities. The huge group of tourists then made their way to the glamorous Cote D'Azur, where they booked 4,760 rooms in 79 four-and five-star hotels in Cannes and Monaco.

 It took 147 buses to take the tourists from their hotels to the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, where Guinness World Record officials where on hand to validate the world's biggest ever human chain

The group were expected to spend 13million euros in Paris, home of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc De Triomph and The Louvre.

Nice was expected to be 20million better off thanks to the visit - and many of the guests stayed in hotels Cannes, where the famous film festival is to be held next week, and Monaco, long known for being a playground of the rich and famous. 

Li Jinyuan, 57, is listed as a billionaire on the Forbes rich list and took more than half of his staff to the region to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the founding of the company.

Photo: Farewell and thanksgiving service in honour President Jonathan and wife

Chidi Mokeme mark son's birth with a Range Rover gift to his wife

To mark his son's birth,actor Chidi Mokeme have gifted his wife with a new Range Rover Sport Supercharged to showcase his love for her dedication in the family.
He also shared some sweet words in her honour:

You may be treated like the maid, You may be treated like the gardener, You may be treated like the Day Care, You may be treated like the Chauffeur, You may be treated like many things, But One Thing is for sure, YOU WILL ALWAYS BE LOVED! All that I have, All that I am, All that I hope to be, will be incomplete without YOU! So this is for all the times that I forgot to say THANK YOU! You and our prince deserve to ride in Style! #PushPresent #SuperCharged #Wife #Mum #Boo #OtherHalf #RideOrDie #LoveYouForeverAndADay

 @chidimokeme You, My Love, are two divine gifts in one. The gift that I want and the gift that I'm supposed to be with. A true gift from above. How Blessed can one man be? Today I honor you for all that you have given, all that you have done, all that you are. On this Special day, I hope this token on wheels will remind you just how SuperCharged a wife and mum you are! #PushPresent #RangeRover #SuperCharged

PDP in disarray over Muazu

The agitation for resignation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Mallam Adamu Muazu, has polarised the party’s governors.
 Several PDP Northern governors have thrown their lot with the embattled party boss. Championing his exit are the Southsouth and Southeast governors as well as Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State. Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State yesterday publicly identified with their position.
Muazu is under increasing pressure to resign following the PDP abysmal performance in the recent elections. The immediate past governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, yesterday joined in the Muazu-must-go campaign.

The party chair himself has warned that continuation of the tradition of use- and- dump, which terminated the tenures of his predecessors, is not in the best interest of the party. He said in a statement penultimate weekend that the only way forward for the PDP in the aftermath of the recent election is to rebuild and re-strategise ahead of the 2019 polls.

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday promised to work with the PDP Post- Election Review Committee to return the party to its lost glory. He told the Ike Ekweremadu-led committee in Abuja that everything will be done to ensure that PDP does not only present a credible opposition for the country but also work to return to power in 2019. Multiple party sources disclosed that the Muazu-must-go campaign is threatening to put PDP Northern governors and their Southern counterparts on collision course.

One source said that at a recent meeting PDP Northern governors resolved to mobilise party chieftains across the North to resist the move to sack Muazu, and what is seen as an attempt by the Southeast and the Southsouth to hijack the party. “Governors at the meeting insisted that the plot to remove Muazu does not enjoy the support of President Goodluck Jonathan. “According to them, those behind the divisive move are merely popularizing their intention by dropping the name of the President,” the source said.

The convener of the meeting, a Northwest governor, reportedly said he had spoken with Jonathan on the issue and the President swore he is not a party to the plan to change the leadership of the party before or after his exit from office. The governors agreed to remain in the PDP and ensure that all organs of the party are allowed to complete their tenure, the source said. Another source said that following the stand of the Northern governors, their Southern counterparts tabled a modified plan to replace the Muazu-led executives with a caretaker committee. This was also reportedly rejected by the PDP Northern governors, who similarly kicked again an alleged plan to install President Goodluck Jonathan as chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the party. One of the sources said: “There is an imminent clash of interest amongst the governors. “There seems to be no way to bring them to an agreement because some governors, especially those from the Southsouth, are still going about how to reposition the party without Muazu and his executives. “Even as we speak, they had a meeting where it was resolved that the Southsouth should produce the next chairman while the Southwest should retain the Secretary. “The decision of three Northern governors who were previously part of the ‘Muazu Must Go’ plot to pull out could not even convince these governors to dump the plot. “So unless something gives way soon, any plan to change the leadership of the party and even the BoT in the nearest future will pitch our governors against one another along regional lines. This is obviously not good for the PDP.” Jonathan backs moves to revive PDP President Jonathan receiving the at PDP Post- Election Review Committee at the State House yesterday said he was in support of efforts to return the party to its lost glory. Chairman of the committee and Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, told State House correspondents after the committee met with President Jonathan said he assured the committee that everything would be done to ensure that PDP does not only present a credible opposition for the country but also return to power in 2019. He said:

“Mr. President has given us his word that he will encourage and support this process and that he is interested in the party returning to its past glory and that he is going to do everything to ensure that we remain intact and we also agreed that all bickering have to stop so that we have a position that will enable us to rebuild our party.”

Asked why the party could not manage its success, Ekweremadu said: “When you have this kind of situation, the first reaction will be blame game. But I think we have been able to absorb that shock and right now I can assure you that all that bickering has stopped. “We are now ready to rebuild our party and be able to present a credible opposition for this country that will ensure us return to power in 2019.
Aliyu, Ohakim back Fayose, demand Muazu, others’ resignation Governor Aliyu of Niger State and the immediate past governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, yesterday joined in the call for the resignation of the members of the Peoples Democratic Party’s National Working Committee (NWC) led by the party’s chairman, Mallam Adamu Muazu. Like Fayose, they said Muazu and other PDP’s NWC members should take a cue from the leaders of the British Labour Party,UKIP and the Liberal Democratic Party who resigned as soon as it was clear that their parties had lost last Thursday’s election. Aliyu, speaking in Dutse, Jigawa State capital, at the inauguration of a township road named after the ‘G7 Governors’ by Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, said any politician, who leads his party to defeat , has no reason to remain in office. “It is unfortunate that people have to be called to resign.

The leaders are supposed to voluntarily resign their positions for the loss at the just concluded general elections,” he said. “It is unfair that they are threatening to form a factional PDP because they were asked to resign,” he added in reference to the crisis brewing in the party on account of its disastrous outing in the polls. He said the PDP members must imbibe morality and principle if the party must succeed in the future, arguing that what happened in the United Kingdom election on Thursday was a reflection of those virtues. In a separate statement, Ohakim said more people will, in the days ahead, demand Muazu’s exit because “regardless of the defeat it suffered at the just concluded general elections, Nigerians believe that the PDP should be nurtured back to life to play the role of a creditable opposition for the growth of our democracy.”
 He said Muazu should quit without further delay, adding: “I am aware that for reasons that have to do with the Nigerian factor, Mallam Muazu may find it difficult to submit to the wishes of Nigerians.” Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State had engaged PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, in a war of words over the defeat of the party in the 2015 general elections, calling on Muazu and others in the party’s National Working Committee to resign. Muazu vowed penultimate weekend that he won’t quit.
He said the PDP should be tired by now of its impunity of using and dumping its chairmen. At the Dutse event yesterday, Aliyu, who expressed delight on the naming of streets after the ‘G7 Governors’, commended Lamido for his vision in terms of history.
 G7 refers to the seven PDP governors who walked out of the party’s national convention in Abuja in 2013 to protest alleged undemocratic tendencies in the party. These were Lamido,Aliyu,Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers),Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto),Murtala Nyako (Adamawa),Ahmed Abdulfatah (Kwara), and Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano). All of them save Aliyu and Lamido later teamed up with the then ACN, ANPP and CPC to form the APC.

WHO certified Liberia Ebola free

The World Health Organization (WHO) has finally declared Liberia Ebola-free after no new cases were recorded in 42 days. In a statement on Saturday, may 9, WHO said “the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Liberia is over." Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told the BBC, "we will celebrate our communities which have taken responsibility and participated in fighting this unknown enemy and finally we've crossed the Rubicon. Liberia indeed is a happy nation." As the country celebrate the end of sorrowful episodes, WHO has warned against complacency, saying that there is a high risk that infected people cross into Liberia – given the region’s exceptionally porous borders. The last confirmed death from Ebola in Liberia was on March 27. - See more at: http://www.9janewsarena.com/2015/05/liberia-finally-certified-ebola-free.html#.dpuf

Dakore Akande lecture mothers on parenting (Must Read)

In her most recent blog post Nollywood actress Dakore Akande talks about the challenges of raising children in a world that has had more advancement in technology than the one she grew up in.

In the post titled ‘Digital Media, My Babies & I’ she talks about having to be extra vigilant with the things are daughters are exposed to. 

Read her post below:

On today’s post I want to share the challenge I face as a parent on a daily basis as it concerns digital media/new technology/television.

Growing up we didn’t all have access to it or only had ‘restricted’ access. In my case when school started we weren’t allowed to watch TV so we could concentrate. Yeah, my folks were hard-core like that. We didn’t have much choice in terms of what to watch, it was either “Voltron”, “Sesame Street” or “She-Ra” on television or music videos on Betamax or VHS cassette. Wow, my age don dey show o!

Nowadays my daughters are spoilt for choice as to what to watch on TV with so many different cartoon channels and YouTube on my phone or iPad. I have nothing against mankind’s advancement in technology considering it has made life a lot easier in many ways and saved lives especially in medicine, etc., but as a new parent it’s something we all need to be mindful of.

My 1st born is already a whiz on my phone and IPad and I usually let her watch her favourite shows like “Sofia the 1st”, “Frozen”, “Peppa-Pig”, etc and I did not worry about it too much because most times I have to help her type what she wants to watch so that way I can monitor what she’s doing. Right? Well, sort of. It turns out that there are so many suggestions that pop up based on previous history that can lure kids to get into some adult stuff with parodies of these shows such as “Barbie life in the Dream House”- let me just say it was borderline porn! I was shocked but of course I had to play it cool and just changed it to something more wholesome! Phew!

From then on I always ensure to extra double check what she’s up to. It is not as if she’s deliberately searching for naughty stuff because she’s only 3 years old, but if it’s dangled in front of her like a lollipop, then I can’t blame her for her curiosity but it will not be curiosity killing my little kitty if I can help it! That was my first shocker so I brought my husband’s attention together we became more vigilant.

Another issue is with music videos and shows. As we all know, we live in a highly sexualized world where sex sells just about everything and I find myself worrying about the impact that has on the children we are raising today. In my household we are huge lovers of music of all genres, be it our very own Naija pop, hip-hop, or R&B. And one of my favourite things to do is to dance with my daughters. In the past, I would leave the TV on and watch TraceTV or SoundCity and let it keep showing, now I have to be extra vigilant with all the nudity and shaking of bum-bums. This is coupled with the fact that I have two baby girls and I can’t particularly say I’m happy with the way certain women allow themselves to be portrayed. However that is an entirely different topic for another day.

But back to the matter at hand, I find I have to reduce watching those shows or leave it to when they’re asleep or play the audio version only, or just switch to another channel entirely. When the video that comes up is too risqué and that always causes troubles with my feisty 3 year old.

We really have to contend with a lot these days and I want to encourage us as Mums to be more vigilant with our kids so they don’t grow up too fast and start dealing with things they don’t understand.

Till next time.

Blessings,

Dakore.

Photos: Tunde & Wunmi Obe host Kate Henshaw, Ras Kimono, Femi Kuti, others at their mansion

Celebrity couple, Tunde and Wunmi Obe played host to superstars Femi Kuti, Kate Henshaw, Dare Art Alade and DJ Jimmy Jatt at an exclusive event for their entertainment industry colleagues at their home. The celebrities gathered to celebrate with the couple on the launch of their latest album, T.W.O PLUS. Other Guests Include Essence, Funke Kuti, Gbemi Olateru Olagbegi, Kenny Saint Brown, Ras Kimono,Yeni Kuti, Tony Okoroji, Tosyn Bucknor and Yinka Davies.

See Picture below:

8 years old boy found in suit case at Spanish border

An 8-year-old boy from Ivory Coast was found locked up in a suitcase in a failed smuggling attempt into Spain.
CNN reports that he was bundled up tightly in a fetal position, in a pink, medium-sized polyester suitcase, that also contained a few personal belongings. He was locked up in the suitcase for several hours.

The boy, who is now in custody of Spanish police, was discovered Thursday in El Tarajal, a terrestrial point of entry at Spain’s border with Morocco.

According to the report, here is how the boy was discovered:

On Thursday, police officers in El Tarajal became suspicious when a 21-year-old woman, a Moroccan National, showed signs of nervousness as she attempted to cross the border wheeling the suitcase down the street.

“Our officers asked her if she needed help as the wheels began to give in,” a police spokesman said.

Suspecting a drug smuggling case, police brought the suitcase in for an x-ray. That is when they found the boy.

He was immediately taken to a state child custodian and awaits judicial process, the official said.

A man who is apparently his father, identified as A.O., was arrested a few hours after the boy was found. The man, who has permanent residency in Spain, awaits formal charges.

Photo Credit: CNN.com

Toni Payne Set For Baby No.2

 Toni Payne, the controversial ex-wife of one Nigerian singers 9ice, hinted via her Instagram page, plans to add a little princess to her growing family.
 

The single mum-of-one who has a 6-year-old son called Zion for 9ice, shared the above quote on her page, making it clear that she’s ready to have a baby girl – whom she intends to spoil rotten like a princess.

Her friends and followers who commented on her post, were literally egging her on to make the move and get pregnant.

Since her very messy public split from ex 9ice, Toni hasn’t been linked with any man.

Hilarious: Woman discovered her twins were of different father

Jersey only discovered that her twins have different fathers after she had DNA testing done to establish paternity when the children were 20 months old. This is not a photo of the twins in question. 

One New Jersey woman got the surprise of a lifetime when she discovered that her 2-year-old twins have two different fathers. 

The mother (identified as “T.M.” in court documents) got the news this winter, when she received the results of a paternity test mandated by family court as part of her application for public assistance, The New Jersey Law Journal reported on Thursday. The Passaic County Board of Social Services had required the mother to establish paternity of the twins — in order to make the toddlers’ father pay child support — because she revealed that she’d been intimate with another man during the same week in which she believed her children were conceived with her former partner. DNA test results revealed in November that T.M.’s partner was the father of only one of her children. 

Karl-Hans Wurzinger, the laboratory director of the Identity Testing Division at Laboratory Corporation of America where the DNA was tested, reportedly testified at the subsequent child-support hearing that, “The twins born to T.M. were born from two eggs that were fertilized from different fathers during the same menstrual cycle.” 

According to Passaic County Superior Court judge Sohail Mohammed’s ruling, “An article Wurzinger published in 1997 said approximately one in every 13,000 reported paternity cases involved twins with separate fathers,” reports the New Jersey Law Journal. (Wurzinger declined Yahoo Parenting’s request to comment on the case). 
 The phenomenon, known as “heteropaternal superfecundation” is so rare, a rep for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologistsconfirms to Yahoo Parenting that they don’t even have statistics on it, though a couple of instances have been chronicled in years past on the talk show Maury, previously called the The Maury Povich Show.

“This is definitely one of those, ‘Wow,” stories,” Shari Brasner, an obstetrician at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, tells Yahoo Parenting. But it may occur more often than we realize, she adds, because “paternity isn’t always contested so there are probably scenarios in which this has happened but nobody knows. You don’t blink an eye at fraternal twins looking different after all.” 

How it happens isn’t all that complicated actually. “Twins in general, especially fraternal twins, result from two different eggs being fertilized by two different sperm,” says Brasner. “But ovulation doesn’t necessarily happen in the same moment.” Sperm is viable for up to five days, says Brasner, so if a woman has sex with a man, ovulates, then has sex with another man within that five-day window, it could result in twins from two different men. “It’s not the most common thing I see in my practice,” she adds. “But I could see scenarios where that happens. It’s definitely possible.” 

And with the use of reproductive technology on the rise, it may happen more often in years to come. “Fertility drugs are designed to stimulate ovaries to produce more than one egg in ovulation cycles,” says Brasner, noting that there are also instances in which another man’s sperm is deliberately added to the mix. “Combining donor and spouse sperm improves the chances of conceiving in general,” she says, “and that creates yet another scenario that could result in twins from two different men.” 

I party with fans and friends after my election loss says Funke Adesiyan

Popular Yoruba actress, Funke Adesiyan, didn’t go home to sulk after losing in the last election. The reverse is just the case for her.

Funke, who fought for a legislative seat in Oyo State under the Peoples Democratic Party, said she is not feeling bad at all.

“I threw a party immediately after the election. Didn’t you hear about it? Ah! I don’t feel bad at all. I threw a big bash where I invited my fans and friends to come and celebrate with me. There was no need for me to feel bad in any way,” she said.

The actress said she is going back to her acting career and nothing is going to dampen her mood.

 

Court to decides Kashamu’s extradition suit May 27

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has fixed May 27, 2015 to decide on a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by the senator-elect for Ogun East Senatorial District, Mr. Buruji Kashamu, seeking protection against the alleged plot to extradite him to the United States.

Kashamu, in the said suit, accused the Inspector-General of Police and 11 others of plotting to abduct and forcibly transport him to the US to face trial on alleged drug-related offences.

He alleged that he had uncovered plans by the defendants doing the bidding of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to arrest him during his swearing in as a senator and to transport him to the US in a private plane to face trial before Judge Norgle.

He therefore prayed the court to declare the alleged abduction and extradition plot as an infringement on his fundamental human right to liberty, freedom of association and freedom of movement as provided by sections 35, 40 and 41 of the Constitution.

Moving the application on Friday, Kashamu’s lawyer, Dr. Alex Izinyon, said his client had rushed to court to seek protection because “when you see a danger coming, you don’t have to wait until it takes place.”

He said the law allowed an applicant to seek the court’s protection when he sees that a danger “has been, is being or is likely to be” unleashed on him, adding that Kashamu fell within the perimeter of “likely to be.”

Besides, Izinyon argued that none of the 12 respondents sued had controverted the alleged plot to abduct his client.

But counsel to the Inspector-General of Police and the Interpol National Central Bureau, Mr. David Igbodo, said Kashamu failed to show any proof of the alleged move to abduct and extradite him.

Igbodo, who described Kashamu’s action as speculative, urged the court to dismiss the suit.

“My Lord, what the 1st and 5th respondents are simply saying is that this application is speculative. The 1st and 5th respondents have not made, are not making and are not likely to make any attempt to abduct the applicant as alleged by the applicant.”

Igbodo added that abduction is a criminal offence, which the IGP, as the foremost law enforcement agent in the country, would never engage in.

The other respondents who, through their counsel, urged the court to dismiss Kashamu’s suit were the Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission; Director General, Department of State Service; and the Attorney General of the Federation.

Others were the Clerk of the National Assembly; the National Security Adviser to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission; Nigeria Customs Services; the Nigeria Immigration Service; and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

Earlier, Justice Okon Abang refused an application by the counsel for the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Joshua Okah, to join Obasanjo as a respondent in the suit.

Okah said, “My Lord, we have perused the affidavit in support of the applicant’s originating summons and we observed that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo featured prominently and serious allegations were levelled against him; we have brought this application that he should be joined as a necessary respondent for the complete and effective determination of this matter.”

But Izinyon, who described the application as an abuse of court processes, said it was an aberration for a respondent in a suit to seek to join another respondent.

Ruling on the arguments, Abang upheld Izinyon’s argument and dismissed the application to join Obasanjo as a respondent in Kashamu’s suit.

Kashamu is seeking, among other reliefs, an order of the court directing the IGP to “provide a security detail of at least six armed police officers to protect the applicant at all times of the day and to prevent (him from) any attack or abduction.”

He also prayed for an order directing the Clerk of the National Assembly “to accord the applicant every facility, right and privileges due to a senator-elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria until he takes his oath of office and thereafter as is due to a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

He prayed the court to restrain all the respondents and their agents from preventing him from entering the National Assembly hall.

Four Nigerians win in UK election

In one of the most keenly contested general elections in British history, four Nigerians won seats to the revered parliament, making it the first time such feat would be recorded

Against all odds, David Cameron has won his re-election bid in one of the fiercest polls in British history.

Cameron, Prime Minister of Britain, led the Conservatives to almost a landslide victory against the Labour Party – a development that forced arch-rival – Ed Miliband to step down as head of the opposition.

With the victory, Cameron returns to the iconic Number 10 Downing Street, the official residence of British Prime Ministers to continue with his work of massive reforms and making Britain greater.

But it is not only Cameron that has been left smiling following the announcement of winners – four politicians of Nigerian descent also tasted victory during the general elections in the Queen’s land.

Before Thursday’s keenly contested polls in Britain, not many within and outside it were familiar with Chuka Umunna, Helen Grant, Chi Onwurah and Kate Osamor. But by mid-day Friday, the four have almost become celebrities of sort after an elaborate media focus on them.

The four Nigerians won seats into the British parliament, making it the first time such would be happening in the highly conservative United Kingdom. While Umunna, a Labour Party politician who has served Streatham as Member of Parliament since 2010 and has enjoyed a meteoric political rise in recent years is a relatively known face outside Britain, the profile of the other three was largely unknown until Friday, a day after the keenly contested elections, even though Grant and Onwurah had been Members of Parliament over the last five years.

Umunna

Born on October 17, 1978 to a Nigerian father – Bennett and British mother – Patricia, Umunna began his education at Hitherfield Primary School in Streatham, South London, and the Christ Church Primary School in Brixton Hill. He later moved to St. Dunstan’s College, Catford, Southeast London where he played the cello and became a respected prefect in the school.

Pursuing higher education, the eloquent Umunna bagged an upper second class in English and French Law from the University of Manchester before going to study for one term at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France. He would later pick up an MA at the Nottingham Law School.

Umunna did not just get to the top all of a sudden – he slowly but vigorously climbed his way to the centerpiece of British politics. In 2002, after graduating from the university, the 37-year-old began working as a solicitor for Herbert Smith, a law firm based in the heart of London. Four years later he joined Rochman Landau, specialising in Employment Law.

However, he soon began writing and providing commentary on the Labour Party, as well as broader social and economic issues, usually in his capacity as a member of the Management Committee of the Labour-aligned Compass pressure group. He also wrote articles for the Financial Times, Tribune, The Voice, The Guardian and the New Statesman, and began to appear on various radio and television programmes as a commentator. Umunna would later go on to establish and edited an online political magazine, The Multicultural Politic.

In early April 2013, his law firm was linked to favourable updates made on his Wikipedia page in 2007, which included a reference to him being tipped as the “British Barack Obama”. Earlier in June 2010, he was elected a member of the Treasury Select Committee while in October of that year, he was appointed to serve as a Parliamentary Private Secretary and, in May 2011 rose to the position of Shadow Minister for Small Business and Enterprise until his promotion to the Shadow Cabinet.

Grant

Grant, born on September 28, 1961, is a Conservative Party politician and solicitor who was first elected into the British parliament in 2010. By that feat, she became the first black woman to be selected to defend a Tory seat and the Conservatives’ first female black parliamentarian. She has served as Minister for Sport, Tourism and Equalities.

In September 2012, Grant received her first government appointment when she earned the dual roles of Under-Secretary of State for Justice and Under-Secretary for Women and Equalities. She was born in Willesden, North London to an English mother and Nigerian father but grew up with her mother’s family after her parents separated. She lived with her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Onwurah

Onwurah, born on April 12, 1965, is a Labour Party politician, who was elected at the 2010 general election as the Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne Central. Onwurah is Newcastle’s first black MP.

During the depression of the 1930s, her maternal grandfather was a sheet metal worker in Tyneside shipyards. Her mother grew up in poverty in Garth Heads on Newcastle’s quayside. Her father, from Nigeria, was working as a dentist while he studied at Newcastle Medical School when they met and married in the 1950s.

After Chi’s arrival in 1965, her family moved to Anambra State when she was still a baby, only two years before the Nigerian Civil War. The situation forced her mother to take the children back to England while her father stayed back to fight for the Biafran army. She had been a strong voice in the parliament and her victory this time around only goes to confirm her rising reputation in British politics.

Osamor

Osamor, a National Health Service manager, would be representing Edmonton constituency in London on the platform of the Labour Party. A respected trade union activist and women’s charity trustee, she made funding the NHS and standing up to government cuts the main theme of her campaign.

Emerging one of the Labour Party’s shining lights during a generally poor election outing, Osamor was declared winner in the North London seat with 25,388 votes. Her closest rival, Gonul Daniels of the Conservative Party ended up with 9,969 votes, making it an overwhelming victory for her.

The triumph of the four parliamentarians is seen as a major boost to Nigeria’s international image especially at a time when leadership has also changed hands at the centre in the oil-rich country. The victory is also viewed as cheering news for Nigerians resident in the United Kingdom who are often the subject of racism and segregation in the highly conservative region.

Denrele Edun about to wed

It really came as a surprise when the news broke that weird presenter, Denrele Edun, is set to wed especially when his sexuality is unclear to so many people.

In an exclusive interview earlier granted, the entertainer had said that although he had a lady in his life, he was not fully committed.

“There is somebody in the picture but we are not so sure of our status right now. We have been tossing it back and forth for a while. We are still deliberating. The person is fully committed but I am not really ready. I feel like I have frustrated her to a large extent and she has tolerated me for a very long time. We have been friends for a while. I am a very inconsistent person; she could call or send a message and I will not reply until after five days. I will not use my job as an excuse because it would be a wrong thing to do,” he said.

It seems he has changed his mind and is ready to walk his lady down the aisle. In a telephone conversation during the week, Denrele said that he would get married this year.

“It is true that I am about to get married but it is not now. I would get married later this year. It was meant to be a secret but I don’t know how everybody has heard. I just hope ‘bad bele’ people would not jinx the marriage for me and make the girl that wants to marry me change her mind. She is the same girl I spoke about with you during our last interview. I cannot explain how the girl captured my heart but everyone would find out on the D-Day. I don’t want to share the identity of my wife now. When the time comes, people would know who she is,” Denrele said.

Pacquiao is a coward and sore loser says Flody Mayweather

Floyd Mayweather has branded Manny Pacquiao a “sore loser” and a coward and says he won’t delay his planned retirement to grant the Philippine icon a rematch next year, in an apparent U-turn, AFP reports.

And he dismissed Pacquiao’s claim that he had been carrying an injury in Saturday’s one-sided win for Mayweather, the American calling it “Excuses, excuses, excuses.”

Mayweather took his unbeaten record to 48-0 in Las Vegas with a 12-round unanimous decision over Pacquiao in a welterweight world title bout that will go down as the most lucrative in boxing history.

In an interview recorded this week to be aired on Showtime television on Saturday, Mayweather says he did text ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith that he would grant Pacquiao a rematch — but he has changed his mind. Now it is a No! No!!

The 38-year-old says he couldn’t detect any physical problem for Pacquiao during the bout, after which the Filipino and his camp said he was suffering from a right shoulder injury.

“Absolutely not,” Mayweather said. “He was fast. His left hand was fast. His right hand was fast and he was throwing them both fast and strong.”

Although Pacquiao had arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Mayweather said his plea of injury was nonsense.

“He lost. He knows he lost. I lost a lot of respect for him after all of this,” said Mayweather.

As to the flip-flop on a possible rematch, Mayweather said, “I change my mind.

“At this particular time, no, because he’s a sore loser and he’s a coward… If you lost, accept the loss and say, ‘Mayweather, you were the better fighter.’”

Pacquiao, 57-6-2 with 38 knockouts, is expected to be out of the ring for nine months to a year.

Mayweather has said his last fight will be in September, when he will complete his six-fight deal with Showtime and then retire.

With a victory in that fight against a still-to-be-named opponent, Mayweather would match Rocky Marciano’s iconic 49-0 ring record.

He has insisted he would be happy to retire with that mark and wouldn’t be tempted to stay around and try to make it a round 50 victories.

Liz Anjorin blows fire over husband snatching mess

Recently, it was learnt that popular Yoruba actress, Liz Anjorin, was in a relationship with London big boy who is known as Wese Peckham. It was well pronounced all over the social media that the man chased his seven-month pregnant wife out of his home in order to get married to Liz in a few weeks.

But reacting to the allegation, obviously angrily looking Liz claimed she didn’t know where the story was coming from. She denied having any amorous relationship with the said Wese.

While admitting Wese is her friend and ‘confidant,’ Liz said she has business relationship with the man and there is nothing more to the relationship.

“I buy things whenever I go to London and I pay the Naira equivalent into his account. He is a very nice person. I am not the only one close to him; other actresses are close to him as well. If I actually date this guy, I would tell you confidently and perhaps, beg you to protect my interest and not let the world know. How can a celebrity like me go to London to date a man? I have a lot of guys in Nigeria here. How would I go to London to date a married man with a pregnant wife?

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 “I have not really been so much bothered about stuffs said about me. But I feel pained in this because they said I chased a pregnant woman from her home. It is not possible for such to happen in London. You cannot send your girlfriend packing in London, let alone a pregnant wife. Women rule the home in London. So, how possible is it that a man would send his pregnant wife away?”

Liz has vowed not to take it lightly again if such stories keep coming up about her.

“If any woman is having problem with her husband, let the woman call her husband or his family and settle the problem. They should stop fighting their battles with celebrities’ names. In fact, if they continue this talk, I would go ahead and marry the guy. If anybody dared put my name again and accuses me of anything I didn’t do, I would go ahead and get married to the man in question. By the way, if I am dating your husband and you are not comfortable with it, then you can go to blazes. Your husband is not a virgin and you are not a virgin. This is a free world. You don’t know the kind of relationship I have with your husband and you are just assuming I am in a relationship with him. It is not fair at all.

“I heard it was his wife that is scandalising my name. I don’t know how true this is. Even if she is not the person, I don’t care anymore. I don’t know her. She is not my friend. But let the truth be told, I am not dating her husband,” she exclaimed.

Permanent secretary suspension: Senate wade in

The Senate on Tuesday waded into the suspension of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Danjuma Sheni. President Goodluck Jonathan ordered the suspension of Amb. Sheni over his alleged role in the recall of Nigeria envoy to South Africa.
The Federal Government claimed that Sheni recalled the envoy without clearance from President Jonathan. The Envoy, Martin Cobham, was recalled over the controversy trailing the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa. Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Abdul Ningi, brought the suspension to the attention of the Senate on Tuesday. Ningi, (Bauchi Central Senatorial District) pleaded passionately for the Senate to prevail on the Federal Government to recall the permanent Secretary. Ningi said, “Recall that this Senate through a motion which all of us endorsed asked the Presidency to recall the Nigerian High Commissioner in South Africa over the Xenophobic attacks in that country. “Recall too, that the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been suspended and placed under an investigation for recalling the Ambassador without jurisdiction and without the clearance of the President who is the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces. “Aware that the President and Commander-In-Chief is responsible for such recall and also aware that the Permanent Secretary has no powers whatsoever to recall an Ambassador without a clear directive by the government. “Knowing the anger and the mood of this country and believing that the Senate and indeed the National Assembly did the right thing in suggesting and urging the executive to recall the Ambassador. “I therefore want this Senate not to look the other way but to urge the President, Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces to tamper justice with mercy. “It is indeed his responsibility, powers and jurisdiction and I think it is important at times like this that the Senate President should urge the President to tamper justice with mercy, so as to say the Permanent Secretary should not be dismissed. “He did the wrong thing at the wrong time and he should not have done it because of the mood so the President, a humble man should tamper justice with mercy.” The Senate did not debate of the issue but Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said the issue would be conveyed to President Jonathan. Ekweremadu added that “the recall of an Ambassador is a very sensitive matter.”

Jimi Agbaje gets tribunal’s nod to inspect poll materials

The Lagos State election petitions tribunal has granted leave to the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, to inspect all polling documents and devices used for the April 11 election in the state.
The tribunal chairman, Justice Sylvanus Oriji, granted the prayer of the petitioner while ruling on an application filed by Agbaje through his counsel, Clement Onwuenmonor.
Justice Oriji also ordered the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to provide certified true copies of all polling documents including printed data from card readers in each polling‎ units in the state.
The two orders were given out of five prayers filed by the petitioner‎ before the tribunal.
The tribunal had earlier ‎taken the submissions of Agbaje’s counsel and that of the All Progressive Congress, Ademola Sadiq.‎
‎In his reaction to the ruling, the APC counsel noted that the ruling was made on point of law.
‎Meanwhile, Justice Oriji has warned lawyers against delaying the petitions before it.
He said the tribunal would not tolerate strategies aimed at delaying the expeditious hearing and determination of petitions by lawyers.

Rivers commission begins sitting, Witnesses testify

The Commission of Inquiry into politically-motivated killings in Rivers State yesterday began its sitting in Port Harcourt. It was earlier reported last week that a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt restrained it from sitting. But chairman of the Commission, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, who presided over the yesterday’s inaugural sitting, said no member has received any court order restraining it from sitting.
Odinkalu who is also the chair of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said “so far we have received about 30 memos from members of the public” pointing out that it would be fair and transparent to all concerned.
He appealed to petitioners and any aggrieved parties in the matters that would be tabled at the commission t to come up with verifiable evidence to enable the commission do its job without bias. During the yesterday’s sitting, four witnesses appeared, testified and were cross-examined. The witnesses that appeared are: Mrs Patience Adube, wife of late Chief Christopher Adube who was assassinated in his house in Obrikom, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area alongside three of his children and two others on April 3.
Another witness was Mr Anthony Onyemachi Ogarabe, a businessman in Obrikom who also testified in the case of the late Adube. Mrs Precious Adube, the second wife of the late Adube who is the mother of the three children that were killed, also testified. The names of the three children are Joy, John and Lucky. Mr. Kennedy Ahiaidu, an employee of the Federal College of Education (Technical), Omoku also told the commission that on January 14, 2014 a group of young men numbering about 50, attacked her house but did not succeed in killing anybody in the family house.
He said during the election campaigns, they re-grouped, came back and to kill his father, the late Chief Ahiaidu. After testifying, the petitioners prayed the commission to fish out the perpetrators of these dastardly acts and their sponsors and bring them to justice.

Fear of Extradiction: Kashamu sue IGP, NDLEA, 10 others

Prempting his likely extradition to the United States for alleged drug offences, Senator-elect, Prince Buruji Kashamu, has dragged the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and 11 others before a Federal High Court in Lagos to forestall such move.
 In an Originating Summons brought before Justice Okon Abang, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain alleged that there was a conspiracy between the law enforcement agencies of Nigeria and the U.S to humiliate as well as prevent him from being sworn-in as Senator.
  Joined as defendants with the IGP in the fundamental rights suit marked FHC/L/CS/508/15, are Chairman, Nigerian Drug Laws Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA); Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC); Director General, Department of State Security, (DSS); The Interpol National Central Bureau, (NCB); and Attorney-General of the Federation, (AGF).
Others are – the Clerk of the National Assembly; the National Security Adviser to the President; Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC); Nigeria Custom Services (NCS); Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Kashamu is seeking nine declarative orders from the court to restrain the defendants from arresting, detaining or otherwise effecting his abduction upon spurious allegation, that defendants’ actions are illegal, unlawful, ultra vires and a breach on his rights. He also wants the court to direct the clerk of the National Assembly to accord all facilities and privileges due him as Senator-elect.
When the matter was called for hearing on Monday, counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, who said he was yet to see the court processes, prayed for an adjournment to enable him find out which of the agency’s offices was served. He told the court that the commission was yet to reply to the suit because he hasn’t laid hands on the processes.
Apologising for stalling the proceeding, Oyedepo noted that it would be in the interest of justice if EFCC was given a short adjournment to reply to the suit. But lawyer to the applicant, Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN), urged the court to discountenance EFCC’s application for an adjournment, on grounds that the matter should be determined expeditiously. He argued that there was no material fact before the court to exercise its discretion, adding that since EFCC had conceded that they were served and failed to respond after 12 days stipulated by Order 8 Rule 3 of the court, there was no room for extension. Aside the EFCC, the NIS also pleaded for a short adjournment to enable its lawyer reply the applicant’s brief.
He told the court that the NIS has not been able to respond to the application as a result of the ill health of its counsel.