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.