Muawuya Zakariah Adam Gombe

Share President Goodluck Jonathan President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday warned the 523 automatic delegates from the North-Central zone that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) risks losing the April 2011 presidential election if they vote for any aspirant other than him in the January 13, party primary election. He said he and Vice President Namadi Sambo possess the qualifications needed by Nigerians at this time for development because, according to him, they symbolize national unity. The president spoke before a large number of delegates and stakeholders of the party in the zone as well as governors of Nasarawa, Benue, Plateau and Kogi States when he visited Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, which is also the North-Central headquarters of his campaign organization. He was there to meet with the delegates and seek their votes in the January 13 presidential primary election. Addressing the delegates, Jonathan said, “the PDP primary e...

Prof. Lamido SanusiThe last has not been heard about the jumbo pay of federal legislators as the Speaker of House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, has taken a swipe at the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, (CBN) Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi over his claim that the National Assembly consumes 25 percent of the nation’s budget. At a lecture delivered at the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Bankole revealed that about N130 billion was earmarked for the National Assembly in next year’s budget but CBN got about N300 billion. “So, if we take 25 percent, he takes 50 percent, “ the Speaker pointed out. According to Bankole, gone are the days when public officials will just play to the gallery by dishing out spurious figures in order to get 15 minutes of fame. “Nigerians can no longer be fooled, “he added. The Speaker also said that “you can fool some of the people all the time, you can fool all of the people some of the time but you can’t fool all the people all of the time.”The Speaker said th...

EX-FREEDOM fighters in the Niger Delta, yesterday, described as inciting recent statements by former military President, General Ibrahim Babaginda (rtd) and former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, that President Goodluck Jonathan should be prepared for violent change if he made peaceful transition impossible, saying it was ‘a call for a coup’ against the Jonathan government by the North.. The repentant combatants, under the aegis of Ex-MEND Commanders Forum, were reacting to a statement credited to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, in which the presidential aspirants warned that “if Jonathan made peaceful transition impossible, he should be prepared for the inevitability of violent change.” The ex-MEND Commanders, in a statement signed by High Chief Bibopre Ajube (aka Shoot at Sight), ‘General’ Ezekiel Akpasibewei (ex-leader of the Deadly Underdogs) and ‘Commander’ Micah Kpenfi (aka Ota 1) said the statements t...

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday raised the stake in the political crisis plaguing the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with a warning that “ that those who make peaceful change impossible, make violent change inevitable.” His warnings were also echoed by former military President, Ibrahim Babangida who alerted that the party will lose credibility and may be perceived as lawless if it ignores its own rules, particularly on zoning. They insisted that it is the turn of the North to occupy the Villa. Babangida warned at a national stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja that taking the Presidential ticket away from the North will portend danger and send the signal that rules and laws can easily be ignored. Said he: “Any attempt to disrupt this arrangement therefore portends ominous prospects to the electoral fortunes of the party, but more seriously endangers orderly political transition in the nation. “The way I see it is that our task has now been clear...

Share Hon. Dimeji Bankole The House of Representative yesterday adopted the report of its Ad-Hoc Committee on Foreign loans which recommended the approval of $3.702 billion foreign loan for both Federal and state governments. President Goodluck Jonathan had earlier in the year, asked the House to grant him approval to borrow about $5 billion from foreign sources to finance what he called “critical infrastructure” in the country. “The projects in the 2010 external borrowing plan are valuable to the nation and need to be encouraged,” the committee observed in the report. The MPs however, rejected the request by the Kano, Kaduna, Lagos, Cross Rivers and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to borrow a whooping sum of $130 million to finance Entertainment, ICT, whole sale, Retail and Tourism arguing that, loans should not be used for such bogus and unrealistic projects. In a letter addressed to Speaker Dimeji Bankole, the President said the...

In exercise of the powers conferred on the Independent National Electoral Commission by the Electoral Act, 2010 and of all other powers enabling it in that behalf, the Independent National Electoral Commission (in this Time Table and Schedule of Activities referred to as “the Commission” hereby issues this Time Table and Schedule of Activities for 2011 General Elections S/N ACTIVITY DATE REMARKS 1 Issuance of Notice of election 23 rd November, 2010 Section 30 (1) of the Electoral Act, 2010 provides not later than 90 days before the election. 2 Conduct of Party primaries Commence 26 th November 2010 End 15 th January, 2011 To enable Political Parties democratically nominate candidates for the elections as required by Section 87 of the Electoral Act, 2010 3 Campaign by Political Parties in public Commences on 1 st December, 2010 Section 99(1) of the Electoral Act, 2010 provides 90 days before polling day. 4 Collection of Form CF001 (Affidavit/Personal Particul...

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar Former Vice President and presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar has said that tolerance for dissenting views and opponents remains an integral component of democracy. Atiku made the statement last night in reaction to President Goodluck Jonathan’s threat, which was ostensibly a reaction to the former Vice President’s widely reported comment on the consequences of resisting change. Atiku had at the national stakeholders conference warned that “those who make peaceful change impossible make violent change inevitable.” He had also added that “this (violent change) is not what we want for Nigeria.” In a statement by his campaign organisation in Abuja last night, the former Vice President said that he and his supporters will not be deterred in the commitment to ensure that the PDP abides by its zoning arrangement in line with the party’s amended constitution. “Atiku is a democrat...