Jonathan Remains Likely Winner of Elections – Campbell.

Jonathan Remains Likely Winner of Elections – Campbell.




Former United States’ ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell has said that President Goodluck Jonathan remains the likely winner of the

John Cambell

March 28 polls despite the strength of the opposition.

Campbell made this declaration in a new report published and released by the US’ Council on Foreign Relations.

The report titled Nigeria’s 2015 Presidential Election: Contingency Planning Memorandum Update,’ read “The APC is stronger than its predecessors (Action Congress of Nigeria and Congress for Progressives Change) and reflects a splintering of the political classes.

“The government’s inability to defeat Boko Haram, the economic hardships brought on by falling oil prices, and a growing public perception that the Jonathan administration is weak has fuelled support for the All Progressives Congress. Though the APC’s voter base is in the North, it enjoys support all over the country, unlike the opposition in 2011.

“It is uncertain whether any provisions will be made for voters in the three northern states placed under a state of emergency because of Boko Haram, as well as the estimated one million people displaced by the insurgency.

“These displaced voters would likely support Buhari and the APC; their exclusion would benefit Jonathan and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Thus despite the strength of the opposition, Jonathan remains the likely—but not certain—winner.”

Obasanjo is Nigeria's number one enemy

Obasanjo is Nigeria's number one enemy


Obasanjo is Nigeria's number one enemy, he is a cancer in PDP - Fayose

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the number one enemy of Nigeria.

He equally described him as a “confusionist, who has lost his status as a statesman and Nigerians should simply ignore him”.


The governor, who expressed confidence that President Goodluck Jonathan will be reelected to complete his eight-year term, added that; “Obasanjo is only fighting President Jonathan because he prevented him (Obasanjo) from ruling Nigeria from his Ota Farm”.

In a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said “Obasanjo is a cancer in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Nigeria that may never get cured in a lifetime.

“The moment Obasanjo is not the one controlling a house, he will want the house pulled down but this time around, he has failed”.

The governor said; “Obasanjo has always benefitted from the misfortune of others and he is living with the impression that he is the wisest person in the whole world.

“When Murtala Mohammed was murdered in 1976, Obasanjo was the beneficiary.

“In 1993, he said the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, late Chief MKO Abiola was not the Messiah Nigeria needed. Instead of Obasanjo to join the clamour for the actualisation of Abiola’s mandate, Obasanjo was canvassing for an Interim National Government, which he was scheming to head.

“MKO Abiola died in detention in 1997 and Obasanjo became the beneficiary of his (Abiola) death.

“Despite the fact that it was the blood of MKO Abiola that Obasanjo matched on to power, not even a street was named after Abiola throughout Obasanjo’s eight years as president.

“Today, Obasanjo is fighting President Jonathan, the man who has done what he failed to do for Abiola, the Yoruba people and Nigerians as a whole when he was president for eight years, simply because he does not want anyone to equal his record as Nigeria’s longest serving president.

“President Jonathan has made it impossible for Obasanjo to run his presidency for him and for this reason, he is supporting Buhari, hoping that he will be the one to nominate ministers for Buhari if he becomes president.

“However, I have this bad news for Obasanjo. Nigeria is not his football that he can kick around as he likes. President Jonathan will be reelected, and Nigeria will be freed from his (Obasanjo) bondage once and for all”

Locals Arrest Military Vehicle That Dropped Damaturu Female Suicide Bomber At Park

Locals Arrest Military Vehicle That Dropped Damaturu Female Suicide Bomber At Park


There are new serious details about the Damaturu female suicide bomber whose detonation today took at least 7 lives and injured over 30 at a busy motor park.

Witnesses reveal that the suicide bomber was brought into the motor park by a military Hillux car which dropped her where cars traveling to Gashua are located.

As soon as the military car along with 3 soldiers got to the gate of the park, the bomb exploded! Eye witnesses immediately rushed to the gate and prevented the military Hillux from leaving the park. The soldiers were then apprehended and handed over to the state military command.

We are following for more details as well as contacting the Nigerian security services for their official statements.

SHEHU SHAGARI THROWS A BOMBSHELL AT BUHARI: QUIT NOW.

SHEHU SHAGARI THROWS A BOMBSHELL AT BUHARI: QUIT NOW.


FULL TEXT OF LETTER FROM ALHAJI SHEHU SHAGARI TO BUHARI
My brother, you have contested the Presidential elections 3 times in this country and in all these times,you have never asked me or my people at Shagari village to support your bid. It is very obvious why you can’t do that. You don’t have the courage after what you did to me.
You truncated democracy with a dastardly coup and took away power from me. You humiliated me and made me to suffer, and you took away my opportunity to RULE Nigeria. You said you do not want democracy in Nigeria.. The same democracy you truncated, you are fighting hard to get with desperation and diabolical power.
You have entered into unholy alliance with some known elements of disunity in the south but let me warn you.
You will suffer hard in the hands of Tinubu and his political merchants who will use and dump you as they did to Nuhu. In 2011, you cried publicly when you lost election, and you made provocative and inciting statements that plunged this country into untoward unrest. You provoked our hot-blooded youths with war cries which erupted into post election violence, that brought Boko Haram into existence, over 500 innocent Nigerians died instantly, most of them youth corpers deployed from one of the unifying agencies of this country. Personally, I do not have a problem with your ambition.
It is your arrogance that bothers me. If you cannot summon the courage to ask me and my family to vote for you because you know we would not, why do you think Nigerians would look kindly on your past record of destroying a progressing democratic institutions painfully put in place by some respected fathers of this nations like Awolowo and Azikiwe. No my brother. It is time to wake up from your delusion and do the needful if you still have some conscience.
I am not writing this to you with vengeance intention. I am a practicing Muslim and we leave matters of vengeance to Allah. I write to you as a Nigerian, your brother and a statesman who is deeply concerned. Quit the presidential race now and save this country from the dangling sword of Damocles being menacingly wield by the crooks who surround you. This elections is not about you or President Goodluck Jonathan. It is about the unity of Nigeria which can only be assured by being fair. By this I mean, being fair to the people of Niger Delta.
We can only do this by either re-electing Goodluck or substitute him with any of his kinsmen from the South-south as that can only count fair for a people who are entitled to 8 years in the office of the President. For the elders council in the north, we have come to the conclusion to work towards realizing that fairness. 4 years more is not eternity. It is not too much of a concession for us to make to move Nigeria forward as one indivisible and united country under one God.
May Allah open your mind to see reason.
God bless Nigeria.

‘EFCC Arrests Nyako’s Son, Abdul-Aziz

EFCC Arrests Nyako’s Son, Abdul-Aziz


Barely two weeks after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, declared former Adamawa State Governor, Murtala Nyako and his son, Abdul-Aziz, wanted, operatives of the anti-graft agency, have arrested the son of the former governor. According to a statement by the Head, Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, Abdul-Aziz Nyako was arrested yesterday morning at his hideout in Gombe, Gombe State. He was immediately flown to Abuja where he is currently being grilled by a crack team of detectives who had been working on the Adamawa investigation for several months.

Abdul-Aziz, who was declared wanted by the EFCC in the case of stealing, abuse of office and money laundering, is currently telling investigators all he knows about illicit funds traced to companies where he has interest. The Junior Nyako who is currently the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senatorial Candidate for the Adamawa Central Senatorial District was declared wanted in connection with money laundering , amongst others.

According to the EFCC, “Specifically, he will have to explain how over N15billion funds belonging to Adamawa State was laundered into the accounts of five companies owned by him-Blue Opal Nigeria Limited, Crust Energy Nigeria Limited, Blue Ribbon Multilinks Limited, Tower Assets Management Limited and Blue Ribbon Bureau De Change” The funds were said to have been channelled into the accounts of the companies from Adamawa State accounts domiciled in a new generation bank by the account officer who incidentally is the manager and an in-law to ex-governor Nyako. The manager claimed he transferred the funds through verbal instruction from the former governor for purposes which are not stated. Investigations revealed that from 2007 to 2011 within Nyako’s tenure in office, before he was impeached in 2014, he had directed that all of the state owned accounts domiciled in various banks be transferred to the new generation bank . Abdul-Aziz’s company, Blue Opal, is said to own, among other investments in Nigeria, an estate in Abuja, while his father’s account officer owns several properties and investments scattered around Abuja, Yola and Kano. Former governor Nyako is however still on the run, and it is not clear if he will turn himself in with the arrest of his son.

Amaechi Blew Rivers’ N300bn –Wike…Owes Zenith, GTB, Fidelity, Access Banks N112billion

Amaechi Blew Rivers’ N300bn –Wike…Owes Zenith, GTB, Fidelity, Access Banks N112billion


The lid is gradually being lifted on the management of the finances of Rivers State by Governor Rotimi Amaechi as Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, who had been his bossom ally and confidant, has alleged that the governor cannot account for N300bn belonging to the state.Wike said Amaechi had mismanaged the money, out of which he also alleged, N11billion was allegedly given to Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to finance his campaigns.


Amaechi, The UNION learnt, had been pencilled down to become Chief of Staff to Major-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, in the event he becomes president. Wike, who is also PDP governorship candidate in Rivers State, further said that Amaechi’s administration is the “most corrupt regime in the country”, alleging that the governor had between January and November 2014 squandered over N298billion that accrued to the state from the Federation Accounts and loans obtained from various commercial banks. Barrister Wike further alleged that Amaechi had between December 2014 and January 2015, through the Government House and the Office of the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, expended N11billion, believed to have been channelled into the Buhari Campaign Organization.


A statement signed by Wike’s media aide, Simeon Nwakudu, and made available to The UNION, quoted the governorship hopeful as speaking during the Rivers State PDP Governorship Campaign Rally in Port Harcourt Local Government Area last Tuesday. Barrister Wike said that the massive corrupt expenditure of the over N300billion just for 2014 and the first month of 2015 excludes the internally generated revenue of Rivers State, which has been pegged at several billions of naira monthly. Giving a breakdown of the alleged mass corrupt practices by the outgoing governor, Barrister Wike stated that between January and November 2014, the Amaechi administration received N185billion from the Federation Account. He added that within the same period under review, the administration took loans from Zenith Bank, Guarantee Trust Bank, Access Bank and Fidelity Bank totalling over N112billion.


Wike said: “These are facts duly obtained from government sources. They are not newspaper reports. They are authenticated facts of revenue received by the outgoing government of Rotimi Amaechi. Before the people of Nigeria, this is the most corrupt administration ever seen in this state. This is an administration that has short changed our people. “From the details of expenditure at our disposal, these funds have been used to sponsor opposition activities and the campaigns of General Muhammadu Buhari. Most of the monies were channelled to non-existent or non functional projects, with the funds pocketed by the outgoing governor.


For instance, Amaechi paid N500million for a non-existent new bridge in Abonnema. He paid N2billion for the Trans-Kalabari road where nothing has been done by his administration. For the Port Harcourt Centenary celebration, Amaechi expended almost N1billion and he released N1.7billion for the production of international passports”, Wike said. He added that the outgoing administration expended N330million for the protection of Rivers State from terrorism. Also speaking at a rally in Obio/Akpor, Wike, who described Amaechi as a hypocrite, further said the governor lives outside what he says publicly. According to him, Amaechi takes N800million monthly as special impress while in May 2014 the governor allegedly took N1billion from the coffer of the state government for court cases against the Rivers State Government. Wike alleged that the court matter does not exist. Wike further claimed that in January 2014, about N6billion was released for undisclosed projects at the Government House. Wike, who was once Amaechi’s Campaign Director, also alleged that the governor allegedly sold a power plant in the state for $140 million and used $33million of it to sponsor APC presidential primaries in December last year while another N75 million was spent funding APC visit to Chatham House London..


Wike further alleged that in May 12, 2014 Amaechi released N5billion for the failed monorail project with another N1 billion spent on the same project last December while N2 billion was purportedly spent on the establishment of mega transport terminal. Wike challenged Amaechi claims to be fighting corruption and asked the governor to show the world any project he executed or completed last year, despite the huge internally generated revenue base of the state which average is about N8billion monthly. According to Wike, Amaechi planned to invade Obio/Akpor during the elections so as to perfect an alleged APC rigging scripts because Obio/ Akpor boast of more than one million voters out of the 2.8 million registered voters in the state. The former chairman of Obio/Akpor local government council accused the governor of not fulfilling his promises to Obio/Akpor people such as the building of a model secondary school in the area while several roads in the area are impassable due to neglect.


The rally which has a carnival mood featured performances by various Nigerian artistes while actors and actresses from Nollywood addressed the rally. The Rivers State PDP Governorship candidate said the lack of accountability in the Amaechi administration explains why he is fronting for known cultists to take over the administration of the state. He noted that the Rivers political leadership and the followership have jointly resolved never to allow another corrupt administration to emerge from the outgoing Amaechi’s corrupt regime.


Also speaking, National Deputy Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus alleged that the outgoing Rivers governor had procured Army, Naval and Police uniforms to be distributed to his political thugs from the state, and others imported from the north, to ensure that they rigged the election if it had been held on February 14. He said the same procurement of uniforms was carried out by APC governors, adding that the plan of the APC was to plunge the nation into needless crisis. Secondus said despite APC’s evil machinations, President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP will win the forthcoming elections. Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara, who also graced the event, said Amaechi failed the people of Rivers State by merely squandering their resources with no projects on ground to show. Also at the rally was former governors Peter Odili and Celestine Omehia.

INEC Officials Swindle Prospective Voters In Imo

INEC Officials Swindle Prospective Voters In Imo


Hope of the people of Imo State to elect their preferred candidates in the rescheduled 2015 general elections may have been dashed. This followed the reports around the state that officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,are charging prospective voters between N2,000 and N3,000 issuance of their Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs). Since the postponement of the election by the commission as a result of the insecurity and inadequate distribution of the PVCs, there has been an upsurge in the number of people seeking to collect their PVCs in various local government headquarters, wards and polling units across the state. This came as most employers in the state demanded the cards as a prerequisite for payment of January and February salaries to their employees. While the exercise was successful in some local government areas and wards in the state, it did not see of the state and in many other areas, it is complaints of extortion or between the sum of N200 and N3000. Some of the affected areas visited byThe UNION included many polling booths in Owerri Municipal; Mbaitoli Local Government Headquarters, Nworieubi; Obazu Mbieri and Obakuru Mbieri as well as Emeabiam in Owerri West Local Government Area. While no prospective voter has received the cards in the three wards in Atta in Njaba LGA, in Owerri North LGA, only three wards—Amakohia, Akwakuma and Awaka/Ihitte Ogada— out of the 12 wards have got their PVCs.

As at the time of filing this report, while the people of Umunam Atta were only told by INEC officials in Njaba LGA to report on Monday February 16 at the community centre to get their cards, there seems to be no solution for those of Owerri North LGA. This has since generated public outcry. This is despite the concerns raised by the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Dr. Gabriel Ada, that the people were yet to collect the less than 60 percent PVCs available for the state. Ada had said at a press conference last month that “the statistics of the card distribution in the state is still below 60 per cent and this does not augur well for a full participatory democracy which we anticipate. This is totally unacceptable to the Commission”. He had stated further that, “given this, the Commission has recommended that we go back to the field for another ten days to distribute these PVCs to their rightful owners, but at the Registration Area (Ward) level. This is in bid to ensure that every Nigerian is given an opportunity to exercise his/her franchise.” When The UNION visited Holy Ghost College and Uzii Primary School, Owerri, it was observed that the INEC officials were charging people N200 before they were issued their PVCs.

One of the prospective voters who paid to collect her card, Mariana Ibeh, told The UNION that she “felt embarrassed when the guy there told us to pay N200 each before we could collect our PVCs. The reason is that I didn’t even come with any money apart from the one I was to use to jump keke. But a nice guy there just helped me out with the money.” Investigations by The UNION reveal that it is the same story at Uzii Primary School, Ikenegbu Girls Secondary School among other polling units in the municipal council where they told the people to pay N200 or they should go to the INEC headquarters. Similarly, at Nwaorieubi the Mbaitoli Local Government headqurters where hundreds of people trooped out from various communities to get their cards, there was an ugly skirmish between the INEC officials and some of the prospective voters over the high amount of money charged them to collect their PVCs by the officials. According to an eyewitness, who simply identified himself as Desmond, “we came here at Nwaorieubi, and noticed that the condition to collect the PVCs is that you will pay N500 and those with the money were told to queue on line. We were patiently standing on the line waiting for our time to collect the card”.

Trouble however started when a young man who claimed to have come from Port Harcourt told them to help him with his PVC, the officials were said to have told him to drop something higher. “Instantly, the guy gave them N3,000 and they abandoned those of us who were in the line to attend to the guy and gave him his own PVC instantly. This led to a friction and a boy switching off their generator causing them to abandon their work that day. This is too bad for our people here because many poor people don’t even want to come near to the area because they see any reason they should pay for a card they don’t derive benefit from”. Also, in Obazu Mbieri and Obakuru Mbieri wards in Mbaitoli LGA as well as Emeabiam in Owerri West LGA, prospective voters were made to part with the sum of N200 and N1000 respectively, though secretly.

According to investigations by The UNION, the style the INEC officials use is that when they look at somebody that can pay or somebody from a far distance, they tell the person that his turn to collect the PVC is in three days time, knowing that many people would not want to return back for it and are likely to pay for it. With this, those who have money are compelled to pay between N2000 and above. Also in a case where the prospective voter does not have his temporary voter card, he is made to pay even more. One of the aggrieved prospective voters from Alaeze Ogwa community in Mbaitoli LGA, Ubanze Chima expressed his feelings thus: “They are simply hoarding the cards but when you bring money, they will fish out your own. They should just make the thing open so that we become aware that we should pay before we collect”He added “Since they extended the date for the election, I have not seen them in any voting booth or ward distributing the cards, rather they seem to have also postponed the distribution of the cards.

The REC should direct his men to go back to town and start distributing the cards once again before any complaints arise again”. Ubanze described the INEC’s actions as a threat to poor masses who would now go and hide forever without collecting. Calling on the Hot FM phone-in programme weekend, Mr. Nokky Ebikam from Obazu Mbieri “In my own polling booth a woman was actually requesting for the N200 from people. When she saw me, she started doing as if she was joking. What I am saying is that INEC should treat us the way they treated those from the North whose traditional rulers and village heads were given the cards to share among their people. INEC should order their staff to go back to the polling units to start giving out the PVCs”, he state.

Another caller who called into the radio programme, Dr. Oben Obichere from Owerri North opined that the issue of the PVC was a critical issue in Owerri North. “It’s amazing that people are saying that they have paid to collect. In Owerri North, INEC seems to have no answer for the where about of Owerri North PVC. For those of us who registered in 2011, out of 12 wards in Owerri North, we have been able to get PVCs for three wards—Amakohia, Akwakuma andEgbu/Ihitte Ogada wards. “You can imagine INEC assuring Nigerians that they were ready to conduct elections within the next 24 hours. You can imagine the number of Nigerians that would have been disenfranchised if INEC had gone ahead to conduct this election on 14th February.

Even as I talk to you, there is no answer to the Owerri North PVC. Owerri North is not alone in this saga. INEC is completely confused and they look to me like a people that has different agenda altogether. You can imagine a war-torn Borno State has got up to 80 percent of the PVCs and more than a place like Lagos. To me Jega has a different agenda”, he fumed adding “since this postponement, you don’t see any INEC official in any polling booth”.For Mr. Michael Duru from Umunam Atta community whose community is yet to get the PVCs, INEC should allow those without the permanent Voters Cards to vote with their temporary voters cards since it was obvious that the commission was not ready to give out the PVCs to the people of the community. Reacting to some of the complaints, the Public Relations Officer of the INEC in Imo State, Mrs. Ben Okpara, said the commission could only act if it gets the complaint from the members of the public concerned. “As I’m talking to you now, I am in the office now. I am not in the field to know what is happening there.

So, my brother, do us favour by getting us the names of the people collecting money before issuing the cards. Get us the name of the polling units and the person from whom they collected the money. Through this way, we will be able to track down these people you mentioned. “But I can tell you that INEC is not collecting money to issue any PVC. It is not the practice here because the issuance of the PVC is free of charge”, Okpara said. However, speaking with our reporter, the INEC official whose identity could not be ascertained at the Owerri Municipal Council explained that they were not charging people but to make up for the logistics According to him, “It’s not as if we are charging them to collect their PVCs, but it’s only those who don’t have the TVCs that we charge a little amount for inconveniences such as the photocopying of the forms and the gums we use here. As you can see, it is not adequate for everybody that wants the PVC.”
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