George Weah, Liberian Football Hero Becomes Senator

December 28, 2014

Liberian opposition politician and former football star, George Weah has won a landslide victory in Senate elections in Ebola-ravaged Liberia.

Official results showed today that Weah got 78 percent of the vote in Montserrado county in the December 20 poll to fill half the seats of the Senate. He defeated his rival, Robert Sirleaf, the son of Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who contested the election as an independent. He got 10.8 percent of the vote.

Turnout for the election was said to be about 25 percent, according to the national election commission. The election was originally due to be held in October but was postponed over the Ebola outbreak in Liberia.

Weah, in 1995, became the first and only African yet to win the Ballon d’Or as European footballer of the year and who played for AC Milan, Paris Saint Germain and Monaco.

Montserrado county, in northwestern Liberia, is the west African country’s most populous region and home to nearly a third of its population of four million.

Liberia tops the number of Ebola deaths in the current outbreak with 3,384 fatalities, but it has seen a clear decrease of new transmissions in the past month.

Ebola has killed 7,693 people, almost all of them in the West African epicenters of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Weah, a popular figure in Liberia since his days as a deadly centre-forward, won the first round of the 2005 presidential election, but lost the runoff to Johnson Sirleaf. A 2011 election campaign was also unsuccessful. [myad]

It Is Not Possible For Jonathan To Lose 2015 Election, Asari Dokubo Insists

Greenbarge Reporters

December 28, 2014

Leader of the Niger Delta People’s Salvation and Volunteer Front (NDSVF), Alhaji Asari Dokubo has made it clear that it is not possible for the incumbent President, Goodluck Jonathan to lose the 2015 election.

Asari Dokubo who spoke at the burial ceremony of Late Princess Preba Abigail Prince Ekineh, Asari’s grandmother, at Buguma in Asari Toru Local Government Area of Rivers state, Jonathan who is the Presidential candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) must win and has even won the election long before the election.

He said that Jonathan who is from the Niger Delta region of the country cannot lose the election that would return him for the second term in office.

According to him, the next year’s election election is a walk over for the President, adding however that he does not know how it will be done but that measures have been put in place for the success of the election in favour of the president.

“2015 Goodluck Jonathan will win, in whatever way they want him, he will win. I am not afraid of anybody. My confidence is that he has already won, but in River state I don’t know because there is injustice in Rivers state.”

“The injustice in Rivers state is that one set of People cannot rule. Rivers state is a multiethnic state and all the ethnic nationalities must have access to government. So whoever is encouraging this perfidy does not mean well for the people because it will explode one day. The only way out is for justice to be done in the state and that means an Ogoni candidate should be feed in all the political parties.”

[myad]

Don’t Try It, Borno PDP Stakeholders Warn Against Changing Guber Candidate, Gambo Lawan

Greenbarge Reporters

December 28, 2014

Concerned elders and stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Borno State have warned against move to substitute Alhaji Gambo Lawan as the party’s governorship candidate for Borno State in the 2015 election.
Lawan, who is former Chairman of the Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM) and ex-Chairman of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, had picked the party’s governorship ticket at a process in Abuja which was supervised by President Goodluck Jonathan as part of his intervention to resolve the lingering disagreement over the PDP governorship ticket in the state.
The former GDM chairman and founding leader of PDP in the state was affirmed by the party’s delegates and a Certificate of Return issued to him after the election.
In attendance during the primary election were Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, Senate President David Mark, PDP National Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu, Chairman PDP Board of Trustees Chief Tony Anenih, Borno State PDP Chairman, Minister of State for Power Muhammed Wakil, and BOT members and other stakeholders from the state.
But on the eve of the submission of parties’ governorship flag bearers to the Independent National Electoral Commission, Lawan’s name was, however, substituted by the PDP National Chairman with that of Mohammed Imam, a nominee of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.
In an open letter to President Jonathan dated December 26, 2014, the PDP stakeholders called for a reversal of the wrongful substitution in the interest of justice and fair play.
The petition was signed by Aminu Yakudima, Ibrahim Abatcha and Salisu Aliyu.
Speaking about the process that produced Lawan, they said, “the process and composition of the people present is first of its kind in the history of our great party, which Your Excellency described as the Supreme Court of the party whose decision is final. You may wish to recall further that Gambo Lawan having emerged from the old PDP as the Candidate, you directed the new entrants to the Party to nominate the Candidate for the Deputy Governor.
“It is disheartening to note that 14 days after the nomination and affirmation of Gambo Lawan as the Candidate, he was wrongly and illegally substituted with Mohammed Imam on the eve of the closure for the submission of the Gubernatorial nominees to INEC.
“We want to believe that Your Excellency is unaware of this ugly and sad development particularly in a nomination process of this magnitude that was conducted by the highest office of the Federation. In this regard and in the best interest of the party, we call for the immediate reversal of the decision to substitute Gambo Lawan.
“Your Excellency may wish to note:
1. Gambo Lawan is the only Candidate who is recognized and acceptable to the party and party faithfuls in the State because he is the one elected and holds the Certificate of return to fly the party flag.
2. It is completely unacceptable to have Mohammed Imam (a nominee of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff) as the PDP Governorship flag bearer. It is on record that Imam contested and lost the House of Representatives seat in the 2011 general elections to the incumbent, Hon. Kaka Kyari Gujbawu of the PDP.
3. In the 2011 general elections, the PDP did well, having won two Senatorial seats in the process of which the then incumbent Governor, Senator Ali Sheriff was defeated by the PDP Candidate for Borno Central Senatorial seat. In addition, two House of Representatives and six House of Assembly seats were also won by the PDP.
4. In the spirit of accommodation and in spite of the Senator Ken Nnamani Reconciliation Committee’s template of sharing 60/40 in favour of the old PDP, the new entrants were allowed to have two out of three Senatorial seats, five out of ten House of Representatives seats and fifteen out of twenty eight House of Assembly seats. These concessions were agreed to by the old PDP as a result of the fact that the Governorship Candidate in the person of Gambo Lawan has already emerged from the old PDP. All these concessions and magnanimity notwithstanding, the new entrants surreptitiously took over the Governorship Candidate of the party in total disregard of the spirit of give and take extended to them. This is tantamount to short-changing the old PDP members and the party in the State.”

[myad]

Jonathan Jets To London For Undisclosed Mission

Greenbarge Reporters

December 28, 2014

President Goodluck Jonathan took off for London today for reason he did not disclose, other than it was private.
A three short paragraph statement from his special adviser on media and publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati simply said the President was on a brief private visit to the United Kingdom.
Abati also was not specific on the officials that accompanied the President, but that they include “some of his principal staff and personal aides.”
The presidential spokesman said that the President would return to Abuja tomorrow ahead of official engagements at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, including scheduled audiences with groups from Delta and Lagos States.
[myad]

We Sheat Our Sword, APC Pledges: Says It’ll Accept 2015 Election Results

Greenbarge Reporters

December 28, 2014

”On our part, in addition to other efforts aimed at ensuring a peaceful election, we pledge to accept the result of an election that is not only free, fair,
credible and transparent, but one that is also seen to be so. We hope other parties will make a similar pledge.”
These were the pledges made today by the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
It assured Nigerians and the international community that it will do all in its power to make sure that the 2015 general election is violence-free, adding that the rising apprehension about the polls among the populace is inimical to the conduct of a successful election.
In a statement issued in Lagos today by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party, however, wanted the PDP-led federal government, which has a propensity for using the security agencies to harass and intimidate the opposition and ordinary citizens to follow suit.
APC asked the federal government to take all measures necessary to ensure that the elections are free, fair and credible, since rigging and other acts of electoral malpractices constitute the immediate trigger for anger and violence during and after elections.
”We have heard from Nigerians who are so afraid about possible violence during the forthcoming election that they are even willing to relocate to other countries until after the elections. But, as the biggest opposition party in Nigeria and a major stakeholder in our nation’s democracy, we are assuring, on our part, that there will be no violence.
”Though our party has no history of violence, we have commenced a nationwide effort to sensitize our members and supporters to the need to eschew rancour and embrace non-violent methods, even in the face of the kind of provocations to which we were subjected during the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, when our members were needlessly harassed, arrested and detained by partisan security agencies acting under orders from the federal government.
”If the federal government allows a level playing field for all contestants, if the security agencies stop acting as the armed wing of the ruling PDP, if the electoral umpire will carry out its duties without fear, favour or bias and if citizens are allowed to exercise their franchise unmolested, the stage will be set for a non-violent, free, fair and credible polls. In other words, the government has a major role to play in making the forthcoming polls peaceful.”

[myad]

Bird Returns Arik Aircraft To Abuja From Yola

Greenbarge Reporters

December 27, 2014

Bird caused Nigeria’s carrier, Arik Air, flight W3 408 to make a return from Yola back to Abuja today.

According to the airline, the bird strike affected the aircraft’s wind shield and the Captain (pilot in command) had to return to Abuja for safety reasons.

The airline said safety of its passengers came first at Arik Air, and so it would not compromise safety.

It also apologised for whatever inconvenience the air return might have caused its esteemed guests.

Alternative arrangement was made to fly the affected passengers to their destination with another aircraft, the statement said. [myad]

Okonjo-Iweala To Governor Oshiomhole: You Lied, $30 Billion Not Missing

Greenbarge Reporters

December 27, 2014

Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ngozi Okojo-Iweala has said that governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state lied in his recent allegation that the federal government could not account for $30 Billion Excess Crude Account.
A statement issued today in Abuja by the spokesman of the minister, Paul Nwabuikwu, Okonjo-Iweala said: “the widely published comment by Gov. Adams Oshiomhole alleging that 30 billion dollars is missing from the Excess Crude Account is shocking and totally untrue.
“The comments reflect, once again, the unfortunate tendency of some political players to politicise the management of the economy on the basis of half-truths and sundry distortions. This is not good for the country.”
The minister said that Oshiomhole’s comments gave the impression that the Federal Government doles out whatever it wished to the states from the Federation Account.
“But anyone who is familiar with the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) process knows that this is simply not true.
“The meetings are held every month and Commissioners of Finance and other officials represent their states and agreements are reached on issues including the distribution of proceeds from the Account.
“There is no 30 billion dollars missing from the Excess Crude Account as alleged by Governor Oshiomhole.” [myad]

Babangida Receives Jonathan In Minna, Says He Means Well For The Country

Greenbarge Reporters

December 27, 2014

Former Nigerian Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, today, had a closed door meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, whom he said means well for this country.
Babangidan, who received President Jonathan in his Minna, Niger state country home today, told newsmen after the meeting: “what I will say is simple: the President means well for this country and he is working well for this country.
“Anybody who means well for this country should support the President to make sure that Nigeria survives as a united country.”
Accompanied by the National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd.); his Chief of Staff, General Jones Arogbofa (rtd.); Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Muhammed; former Governor Peter Obi and Senator Ahmadu Ali among others, President Jonathan also told news men that his visit was in the spirit of the Christmas and New Year festivities and also to commiserate with him on his recent return from overseas medical treatment.
“First and foremost, I have to use this opportunity to appreciate our leader, President Babangida for his leadership. His commitment to ensuring that this country is united and we leave in peace.
“Of course, you know that this is the end of the year. Within this period, people pay visits. So I have come to visit him. “You know he just came back from a hospital abroad, not too long ago. Since he came back, we have not seen. I need to see my father to know how he is feeling. I am quite pleased the way I have seen him.”
President Jonathan linked his visit too to the security challenges facing Nigeria, which he said, is not only Boko Haram in the North but also the South that is not safe as a result of commercial kidnapping and robbery.
“He (Babangida) is one of our experienced leaders. As somebody who is sitting where he was before, I need to see them from time to time to listen to their suggestions. That is one of the areas how we can collectively move the country forward and ensure that Nigerians live in peace.
“That is the key thing and I am quite pleased that we had fruitful discussion.” [myad]

Michelle Shares Throw-Back Photo, Wishes America appy Festive Period

Greenbarge Reporters

December 27, 2014

America’s First Lady, Michelle Obama has shared a throw-back photo with her husband, the President of United States, Barack Obama as she wishes the nation a happy festive period. The first lady tweeted the photograph on Thursday, December 25, 2014 showing her with President Obama in their younger years as they stand beside a Christmas tree. She accompanied the photo with the words: ‘Merry Christmas!’ The couple got married in 1992 and they are blessed with two kids, Malia and Sasha Obama. [myad]

If You Don’t Want Us To Collect Bribe, Pay Us Well, Judge Tells Government

Greenbarge Reporters

December 26, 2014

The Chairman, Magistrates Association of Nigeria, Nasarawa State Chapter, Victor Manga has called on the state government to improve the salaries of Judicial workers in the state if the government should wean them out of bribery and gift collection.

The chairman, who made the call today in Lafia during the end of year meeting of the association, said that improved salaries would help in quick dispensation of justice, adding: “if judicial staff, especially judges, are well paid, it will go a long way in changing their orientation, especially, in accepting gift or bribe to influence judgment.”

Manga said that most criminal cases in the state were handled by magistrates hence the need to take care of their welfare for better service delivery.

He appealed to the state Chief Judge and the state government to urgently look into the request.

In a remark, the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Umaru Dikko commended the magistrates for their dedication to duty and promised to urgently address their complaint.

Dikko, however, warned them against any act capable of undermining their integrity in the course of their duties, saying that anyone caught would face the wrath of the law. [myad]

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