APC candidate, David Umoru, Declared Winner of Niger East Senatorial Election

The National Assembly election Tribunal sitting in Minna, Niger State, has nullified the election of Dr Shem Nuhu Zagbayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last Niger East by-election and has ordered that David Umar of All Progressives Congress (APC) be returned as the duely elected Senator for Niger East senatorial district of Niger State.

Justice Ibrahim Bako gave the ruling on Friday in the state capital causing wild jubilation in the town.

 

Culled from Olu famous

Flavour shows off babymama and daughter

Babangida: All Presidential Candidates Have My Support-Davidson Iriekpen

 General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd.)



After his seeming endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan and then shortly afterwards the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), and promising to mobilise retired military generals to support the latter, former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (rtd), on Thursday decided to be more generous with his support, saying that he endorses all 14 presidential candidates in the forthcoming election.

Babangida stated this during a talk show on Channels TV, adding that all the candidates had displayed passion for the unity of the country.

Asked by the presenter of the programme, Ms. Kadaria Ahmed, if he had thrown his weight behind Jonathan, Babangida said he alluded to it.

“I did allude to that. I said I found him as someone who has a very strong belief about the unity of this country.

“Those of us who fought the civil war and I still carry a bullet here as a permanent reminder in me, so anyone who talks about Nigeria’s unity, I get impassioned about it.

“So what I said is that the president believes in the unity of this country and any other person who believes in the unity of this country should support the president to keep the country one,” he said.

Continuing, Babangida said as far as the presidential election was concerned, all the 14 presidential candidates had his blessing.

“The only difference and I did mention it, is that I have not been able to read what they have to offer to this country and I am going to do that. Whoever offers what I was looking forward to I will cast my vote,” he said.

Babangida also spoke on the late Gen. Sani Abacha, saying that it never crossed his mind that his successor was going to seize power from the head of the interim government, Chief Ernest Shonekan, to whom he handed over power in 1993.

“It never crossed my mind that Abacha would overthrow the interim government, quite honestly, it never did. But when he executed the coup, it didn’t come to me as a surprise because all of you in this country gave him the wherewithal to do it. A coup always succeeds if there was a frustration in the society and that frustration was orchestrated.

“I governed for eight years using decree, that interim government was given a constitution and that constitution was supported by a law. So as far as I’m concerned, it was not illegitimate. It was legitimately done as it’s done in military governments all over the world,” he said.

He called on Nigerians and Muslims to stand up and fight against Boko Haram, saying that the group had carried out acts that are contrary to the tents of Islam.

“Nigerians have to mobilise against the Boko Haram and that will make it easy to win the war,” he said.

He added that he had no regret over anything he did during his regime but admitted that if there was anything he would have done differently, it would have been to include a provision for a two-party system in the Nigerian constitution.

Culled from Thisday

I’m Good Enough to be Nigeria’s President – Davido

During a 45 second speech for MTV Base’s Choose or Lose Vox Pop – the outspoken Davido for an unknown reason spoke about some of the things he’ll do if he becomes Nigeria’s president:
“Yes I’m voting, I want my voice to be heard, there’s no point in complaining if you are not going to vote.
“I think I’m good enough to be president, because it’s me, I want to be the president. I’ll fix all the bad roads, I’ll fix up the currency of course, and different other things, as much as I can do in a day I’ll do.”

My celebrity and I

Afenifere Endorses Jonathan-Jaiyeola Andrews in Abuja and Favour Shuaib in Lafia

President Goodluck Jonathan

•   President may have ruled out Sambo as successor
•   PDP leadership, President disown Maku

After what had appeared as a group's indecision, Afenifere,  the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural body, on Tuesday endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan for the February 14 election.

The endorsement was the outcome of the meeting the president had with the leaders of the group in Akure, Ondo State.

The meeting was held at the residence of the Leader of the group, Chief Reuben Fasoranti and attended by leaders from the South West geoplitical zone of the country.

At the end of the meeting which lasted about one hour, the publicity secretary of Afenifere, Mr Yinka Odumakin said the decision of the group was due to the commitment of the president to the National Conference.

He said  Afenifere believed that the confab is the only thing that can liberate the nation.

He said the president had expressed his commitment to implement the report of the confab report.

Odumakin said the president informed them at the meeting that Yoruba were the ones that were in the forefront of the clamour for the confab.

Also speaking, Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko said what Afenifere did was an unequivocal endorsement of the president.

Mimiko said Afenifere expressed belief in the transformation agenda of the president describing it as systematic and strategic for the development of the nation.

The group, which had fraternised with the Jonathan administration, had before now prevaricated on a full support scale to the Jonathan re-election bid.

But in his response, a former governor of Anambra State and Deputy Director General of South in the PDP campaign organisation, Mr Peter Obi said he was not surprised at the Afenifere endorsement, stressing that, "Afenifere has always committed itself to the best interest and unity of Nigeria", adding that the endorsement meant that, "Nigeria will endorse Jonathan".

Meanwhile in an apparent nod to a younger generation of leaders, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday effectively eliminated Vice-President Namadi Sambo as his successor should he win next month’s presidential election, saying the next Nigerian president must be below the age of 60. Sambo is already 60 years old and will be over 64 by  2019.

Jonathan, who spoke to the crowd at the Lafia Township Stadium during his presidential campaign rally in Nasarawa State, said his administration believes in the youths and would do everything possible to support the younger generation.
“Obasanjo was president at 70, Yar’Adua at almost 60 and me close to 60, so the next president must be younger than me,” Jonathan stated.

Jonathan stressed that his administration would invest in the younger generation and promised a place for them in the future, adding that youth empowerment would be a major plank of his government, if he is re-elected president.

He also told his supporters that the crash of the price of petroleum products would make the  federal government focus more on solid minerals, which Nasarawa State has in abundance as part of the diversification process.

Jonathan also publicly disowned former Information Minister Labaran Maku, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

Maku, who is former information minister in the Jonathan administration, is APGA's governorship standard-bearer in Nasarawa State and he was alleged to have claimed that the president encouraged him to defect to the party.

Jonathan said he had at no time had any discussion or encouraged Maku to join another party.

The president stressed that  PDP is against anti-party activities, and as the president and leader of the party, he would never flout its rules and regulations.
He assured the people of the state that  the mineral resources that abounds in it would be tapped.

He also gave an assurance that Doma Dam would be completed soon, as it would act as catalyst to dry season farming.

"What is good for you we will not wait for you to demand before you get what is rightly yours.

"We want to change the concept that farming is for the poor but that it is for the rich because the farmers in America are millionaires. We have changed the entire process of agriculture and added the value chain to make it a business.

"We want power to stabilise in the state so as to also boost the agriculture sector in the state", Jonathan said.

His deputy, Sambo, noted that "PDP is Nasarawa State and Nasarawa State is PDP."

While canvassing for votes, Sambo reeled out the achievements of  Jonathan's administration, which included power, education, rail, agriculture, transportation, adding that the president would do more should he return to power after next month's elections.

Also joining in the bashing of Maku, Senate President David Mark called on him to apologise and retrace his steps,  before he could be accepted back to the party.

Mark, who took a swipe at Maku calling him a liar, also told the crowd that "don't be deceived by any son of yours that says he has been put in another party to run for the governorship. Mr. President is PDP from top to bottom."

Mark stressed that the North-central zone was solidly behind Jonathan and would vote for him as  he had brought democracy dividends to bear on the region.

Mark, had earlier told the students of the College of Agriculture, Lafia that the present administration had shown uncommon commitment to education, youth employment and development.

Mark, who addressed the students from his official car shortly before the president landed in the school compound in his chopper, cited the YouWin programme and establishment of the universities under this administration as a demonstration of Jonathan's commitment to youth development.

"The emphasis that the current administration is putting on education is in the right direction. I know that most people are complaining of unemployment but the government is generating employment through YouWin, youth programmes, SURE-P. These are areas in which government is putting a lot of attention.

"For those of us in the parliament, we are also putting emphasis in making sure that there is enough money in the budget for all the educational institutions to run them properly. Unless there is enough money, you will not be able to practise agriculture. It is good to learn agriculture on paper but you must also get the practical experience.

"So the PDP government is committed in continuing these laudable programmes" Mark said.

On his part, Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, also said the North-central would vote for Jonathan  because of his achievements.

He expressed confidence that PDP would win back Nasarawa State,  describing APC as a party of liars and propagandists.

A former national chairman of the party, Dr. Amadu Ali, also described Maku as an "ungrateful animal", saying despite using the platform of the party to rise to stardom, he jumped the ship because of greed to team up with APGA.

He said Jonathan never asked anybody to join any party to canvass for him, noting that Maku's plot was to smear the image of Jonathan and portray him as a religious bigot.

He accused Maku of dropping the name of the president in his bid to realise his ambition, an ambition Ali said would never come into fruition because Maku lacks the integrity needed to realise such ambition.

Ali said Maku's  people now treat him (Maku) with disdain because he does not portray leadership qualities.

He said Maku was a commissioner, a deputy governor and a minister all on the platform of the party, placing a curse on him that he would continue to fail henceforth except he retraces his steps, return to the party and apologise.

Culled from Thisday

Femi Kani kayode attacks Soludo, says he's confused, vengeful & has axe to grind

The Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign, Femi Fani Kayode, has responded to the article  attributed to  former CBN governor, Prof. Charles Soludo. For criticizing president Jonathan's economic policies, FFK said Soludo is confused and has lost touch with reality.

According to Punch, Fani Kayode  said he would be gentle with Soludo because of the soft spot he has for him

"Soludo has criticised the President, his government and his handling of the economy. Meanwhile Nigeria has just won the prestigious award of being designated as the largest economy in Africa and this has happened under the watch of Pres. Jonathan and no-one else. Should any right-thinking person, who has the nation’s interest at heart be complaining about that? Needless to say my friend and brother Charles Soludo is confused and conflicted. He seems to have lost touch with reality and this is what often happens when you spend too much time with the Buharists. I pray that sooner than later, he comes to his senses and he sees the light." FFK said

Omotola Jalade’s 20th Anniversary Dinner in Abuja with Joseph Yobo, Larry Koldsweat, Osita Iheme, Uti Nwachukwu

Nollywood actress, Omotlola Jalade Ekeinde, had a dinner party in Abuja on the 24 of January 2015, to mark her 20th year in entertainment.
The dinner party was held at Sandralia Hotel, Jabi and top celebrities who were spotted at the event includes Larry Koldsweat, Osita Iheme, Uti Nwachukwu and footballer, Joseph Yobo.

Culled from my celebrity and i

Shekau's take over of Monguno

Written by Dr. Peregrino Brimah
Boko Haram has proven Nigeria is in grave danger by demonstrating that the National Security Adviser not only does not know what he says but gets the entire picture of the terror situation wrong side up.

NSA Sambo Dasuki had said in his speech delivered to the British at Chatham house last week that Nigeria was on top of the situation (after the Baga massacre of over 2500 defenseless civilians) and had sent troops to Monguno ahead of a mission to reclaim Baga.

Quoting Dasuki:
"As we speak we have sent in more troops to Monguno which is just the next town up, that is where the troops from Baga went to work towards recovering Baga. Hopefully by sometime towards the middle of next week it would be recovered."

But the reverse rather happened. 

As Nigeria's president left Maiduguri Saturday, it was rather Boko Haram that sacked and conquered Monguno, the last forte holding a Nigerian military barrack in the northern half of Borno. Nigeria lost one more local government to the terrorists.

The lack of capacity to understand the state of the war and determine the right military approaches to the battle against Boko Haram has been listed as a main factor in Nigeria continuously losing lives and territory to the terrorists.

NSA Dasuki's total misreading of the battle dimensions questions his credentials and capacity to occupy the seat as the nation's head of security.

There have been calls for his immediate sack among other top security officials and army chiefs for jeopardizing the lives and integrity of Nigeria.

The people of Monguno based on the wrong calibration by the army heads, and as recommended to them by NSA Dasuki, were told to stay in the town and not evacuate against better reasoning. Luckily many of them did not listen to the words of the NSA and the army commander who came and swore to the town head that Monguno will be defended.

Those who were unfortunate to believe the word of the army and NSA are now either dead or being raped and forcefully conscripted into Boko Haram with their blood and heroine rituals.

Also disturbing and calling for attention were remarks made by the NSA that Chad president, Idriss Deby had links to Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram’s leadership. Apart from Nigerians being insulted and angered that the elaborate presentation the security head gave on Boko Haram, was to the western audience of Nigeria’s former colonial master (UK), and no such address was ever presented to Nigerians at home; the indictment of Chad in terror by the NSA was an important verification of suspicions that definitely deserved further and thorough expatiation.

What role does Nigeria’s neighbor have in the crises that are centered at the border regions of the two nations? Why is Boko Haram on a mission to exterminate life indiscriminately on Nigeria’s side of the border?

The NSA said in his remarks that “we cannot go and punish Idriss Debby…” [Nigeria can!]

This is definitely a priority issue of national security that can just not so easily be brushed off. There is need for total accountability and responsibility in the response to the deadly war Boko Haram. Those who cannot properly assess the situations and responsible for grave blunders that cause the deaths of thousands at the nation’s top security level and abroad should be held to account. Nigerian lives matter.

Dr. Peregrino Brimah

http://ENDS.ng [Every Nigerian Do Something] 

Email: drbrimah@ends.ng Twitter: @EveryNigerian

Check out Omawunmi with her Growing Baby Bump

Amber Rose to Host D’banj’s 10th Anniversary Event at Ocean View Lagos

..And they also Attacked President Jonathan in this Advert (SEE PHOTO)

A political group, Defenders Of Democracy (DOD) placed this advert on The Nations Newspaper, saying Jonathan should stop comparing himself with the likes of Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela, Lee Kwan Yew and Marting Luther King, that he belongs to the likes of Idi Amin, Mobutu Sese Seko, Robert Mugabe. and Blaise Compraore.

When will all these end? Why attack each other with expensive newspaper adverts. Our politicians should  just stop behaving like children. 

 

Culled from NTA blog

Shock as Nun rushed to hospital with severe stomach pains gives birth to baby boy

 

A nun has stunned her mother superior and sisters after giving birth to a baby boy after complaining of severe stomach pains.The sister, who belonged to an order in Macerata, in the eastern Italian region of Le Marche, claimed to have no idea she was pregnant when she was rushed to hospital in agony, after which she gave birth.

The 31-year-old nun said she had no idea that she was pregnant and thought her labour pains were just "stomach cramps".An ambulance was called after the pregnant nun collapsed in the nunnery.

Local media refused to name the nun, who is currently recovering in Bartolomeo Eustachio Hospital in San Severino with her sisters reportedly at her bedside.The newborn baby boy is in good health but will stay in hospital for medical checks.
The mother's convent has yet to issue a statement but reports suggest the sisters have shown interest in taking charge of the baby, L'Unione Sarda reported.

The case bears a striking similarity to that of a 33-year-old Salvadorean nun in Italy, who gave birth to a baby boy last year, whom she named after Pope Francis.

She told her social worker she did not feel guilty and would raise the child saying: 'I am so happy. 'He is a gift from God. I feel more of a mother than a nun.'

Culled from express.co.uk

Actress mourns the death of Muna Obiekwe

After the unfortunate event of Nollywood actor Muna Obiekwe's death, fellow actress Tonto Dikeh shared a lengthy tribute to him on her Instagram page.

"Just sitting here gazing at a picture of a boy I know but now gone because of an illness that would have been managed. The thought of his lifeless body brings me so much pain and sadness and it is not because I was close to him nor that I cared so much about him but just a mere reflection of how wicked the world is, the extent we go just to hide our pain to avoid being a laughing stock,Gossip item, abused, bullied on social medias and even betrayed by some trusted friends & even our so called Families"

"Oh yes that is the awful world we live in,We develop thick skin because we re betrayed almost everyday by people we love and trust so now we try to go through the difficult and trying times alone without sharing with anyone or letting them know what we re going through. "

"Be a Neighbor and a friend that really cares,try and be trustworthy in this wicked and heartless world. I know that there are some good people out there,where re they? We all can't be evil na,let's show others hope,love and reason to live again,a tree can't make a forest,we need each other in one way or the other. "

"HE WAS A SHINING STAR AND THUS YOU WILL THINK HE WILL HAVE TRUE FRIENDS OR A TRUE FRIEND TO LEAN ON AT DIFFICULT TIMES. Its quite sad that I can't trust anyone with my pain and anytime I wake up I think about death,I think about the freedom and peace that comes when i am gone from the world of hate,betrayal, deceit,Greed,Jealous,anger,Revenge.. I can only wish there is life after death,life that will be void of bad things we have experienced in this current life....May the soul of Muna and the souls we have lost so far Rest in perfect peace..Amen"

May he rest in peace.

Culled from NTA  Blog

Oil Jumps as Saudi King’s Death Spurs Speculation Over Policy-Ben Sharples in Melbourne

.

Photographer: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia speaks before a meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State at his private residence in the Red Sea city of Jeddah on June 27, 2014.

Oil jumped after the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, the biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Futures rallied as much as 3.1 percent in New York and 2.6 percent in London after the Saudi royal court announced the death in a statement. Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz will succeed Abdullah on the throne. The kingdom, the world’s largest crude exporter, led OPEC’s decision to maintain its oil-production quota at a meeting in November, exacerbating a global glut that’s driven prices lower.
“The passing of King Abdullah is going to increase uncertainty and increase volatility in oil prices in the near term,” Neil Beveridge, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., said by phone. “I wouldn’t expect a change in policy in the near term to be known, but the passing comes at a challenging time for Saudi Arabia.”
Oil fell almost 50 percent last year as the U.S. pumped at the fastest rate in more than three decades and OPEC resisted calls to cut output. Crude stockpiles in the U.S., the world’s biggest oil consumer, rose by 10.1 million barrels through Jan. 16, the Energy Information Administration reported on Thursday. That was the biggest volume gain since March 2001.

Policy Uncertainty

West Texas Intermediate for March delivery climbed as much as $1.45 to $47.76 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $47.16 at 1:39 p.m. Singapore time. The contract dropped $1.47 to $46.31 on Thursday. Total volume was about 49 percent above the 100-day average. Prices have decreased 3.1 percent this week.
Brent for March settlement advanced as much as $1.28 to $49.80 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The European benchmark crude traded at a premium of $2.34 to WTI, compared with $1.04 on Jan. 16.
King Abdullah oversaw a fivefold expansion in the size of the Arab world’s biggest economy and met the Arab Spring with a mixture of force and largesse. He died after almost a decade on the throne. He was born in 1924.
“The market is reacting bullishly to this news because it may usher in a period of uncertainty as far as Saudi policies going forward as new leadership takes over,” said Andy Lipow, the president of Lipow Oil Associates LLC, an energy consultant in Houston, Texas.

Market ‘Tensions’

King Salman, in his previous capacity as crown prince, read a speech on behalf of the monarch on Jan. 6 that confirmed the continuity of Saudi oil policy in the face of market “tensions” caused by slow growth in the global economy.
A key indicator will be whether Salman, 79, retains the oil minister, Ali al-Naimi, who has driven decision-making since 1995. Al-Naimi, who turns 80 this year, has said he’d like to devote more time to his other job as the chairman of the science and technology university named after the late sovereign.
“There’s the possibility that Ali al-Naimi could be replaced as oil minister,” said Phil Flynn, a senior market analyst at the Price Futures Group in Chicago. “The biggest concern is uncertainty. But, because the world is awash in oil, the reaction was muted.”
The king’s death also raises the question of whether instability across the Middle East will intensify, according to Flynn. King Abdullah had “done a good job trying to subdue” insurgents in the country, and Saudi Arabia may face increasing pressure from them now that he’s gone, he said.

Global Supplies

Middle East nations account for half of OPEC’s 12 members. The group, which supplies about 40 percent of the world’s oil, maintained its collective production target at 30 million barrels a day at a Nov. 27 meeting in Vienna. Output averaged 30.2 million in December, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Saudi Arabia pumped 9.5 million a day last month.
“Any form of economic instability after the death of the king will create a little bit of uncertainty,” said Jonathan Barratt, the chief investment officer at Ayers Alliance Securities in Sydney. “The market is exceptionally short, so even if there’s a bit of a slight err, you could see a rally of some substance. The supply story is still out there.”
U.S. crude inventories have risen to 12 percent above the five-year average for this time of year, based on Thursday’s report from the EIA, the Energy Department’s statistical arm. Production surged to 9.19 million barrels a day through Jan. 9, the most in weekly records dating back to January 1983.
In China, crude imports from Saudi Arabia climbed to 4.52 million metric tons in December, up 13 percent from the previous month, data from the General Administration of Customs in Beijing show. The Asian nation is the world’s second-largest oil consumer, according to the International Energy Agency.

Source Bloomberg

Davido Shows Off His SUVs

We don’t have Buhari’s certificate – Army

The Nigerian Army yesterday responded to the controversy surrounding the educational certificate of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.
The Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. General Olajide Olaleye, at a press conference in Abuja, said neither the original copy, Certified True Copy (CTC) nor a statement of result of Buhari’s West African School Certificate (WASC) results is in his personal file.
Gen. Olaleye, however, said Buhari’s application was duly endorsed by the Principal of Provincial Secondary School, Katsina, who also wrote a report and recommended him as suitable for military commission. Full text of Olaleye’s statement on the issue reads: “I will begin with the Major-General Muhammadu Buhari certificate controversy. Gentlemen, let me state clearly that the Nigerian Army holds the retired senior officer in very high esteem and respect and would not be a party to any controversy surrounding his eligibility for any political office. Suffice to state that Major-General Buhari rose steadily to the enviable rank of Major-General before becoming the Head of State of our dear country in December 1983.
“The media hype on retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s credentials as well as the numerous requests made by individuals and corporate bodies to the Nigerian Army on this issue have necessitated that we provide the facts as contained in the retired senior officer’s service record. Records available indicate that Major-General M. Buhari applied to join the military as a Form Six student of the Procincial Secondary School, Katsina on October 18, 1961.
“His application was duly endorsed by the Principal of the school, who also wrote a report on him and recommended him to be suitable for military commission. It is a practice in the Nigerian Army (NA) that before candidates are shortlisted for commissioning into the officer’s cadre of the service, the Selection Board verifies the original copies of credentials that are presented. However, there is no available record to show that this process was followed in the 1960s.
“Nevertheless, the entry on the NA from 199 at the point of documentation after commission as an officer indicated that the former Head of State obtained the West African School Certificate (WASC) in 1961 with credits in relevant subjects: English Language, Geography, History, Health Science, Hausa and a pass in English Literature. However, neither the original copy, Certified True Copy  (CTC) nor statement of result of Major-General Muhammadu Buhari’s WASC result is in his personal file.
“I hope this explanation will put to rest the raging controversy surrounding the secondary school credentials of Major-General Muhammadu Buhari as it affects the Nigerian Army,” Gen Olaleye said.
Meanwhile, Buhari will today address a press conference on the certificate saga. A statement by Garba Shehu of the Directorate of Media and Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign Organisation last night said the event will hold in Kano at 9am.

Culled from The sun

I Gave up my Booming Career for Marriage – Actress Uche Elendu

Nollywood actress Uche Elendu fizzled out of the limelight after getting married in 2012. She admits she gave up her booming career for marriage because it’s important in a woman’s life. The actress who is back to take her spot told Sun
I was at the peak of my career when I got married. I still believe that marriage is important in a woman’s life. After I got married, I had a three-year break because I had to take care of my daughter and keep my home. And after that, I returned to my job.
On how easy it was getting back in the limelight..
It wasn’t easy, but funny enough, the way God made it; I didn’t have to make much effort. The movie that launched me back was Ada Mbano.
On Staying Scandal Free…
I am not in a position to judge anybody. Marriage is a union between two different people with different background and mental­ity; different thought processes, different ambitions, different characters and behaviours. Con­sequently, it is a normal thing for couples to have problems but it is your ability to keep your head down and bring things back to the way they used to be that matters. It is not as if I don’t quarrel with my husband. If you stay with a man for 24 hours in the same house, you are bound to have arguments, but it is your ability to be mature about it and the pres­ence of the Holy Spirit in your life that can turn things around for good.
On not having any endorsements…
Actually, I think it is because I took a break as a result of my marriage, and the fact that I have always been in the East. But this year, I am moving high.

Culled from my celebrity and i

FG reduces pump price of fuel; statement by the Petroleum Minister

 

What Diezani Alison-Madueke said this evening as she announced a reduction in fuel price...

As you may be aware, there has been a lot of volatility in the oil market in the past few months and due to this the importation prices of our petroleum products have been impacted.

Therefore, with the approval and directive of Mr. President and by virtue of Section 6 clause 1 of the Nigerian Petroleum Act, it is my responsibility as Minister of Petroleum Resources to hereby announce a reduction in the pump price of Petroleum Motor Spirit (Petrol) from the current Ninety Seven Naira (=N=97) per litre pump price down to Eighty Seven Naira (=N87=) per litre pump price, effective from twelve (12) midnight Sunday, 18th of January 2015.

Accordingly, I have directed the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to ensure strict compliance of this price adjustment by all marketing companies.

It is my hope that all Nigerians will benefit from this adjustment.  I thank you and God Bless you all.

 

Culled from NTA Blog

Justin Bieber Goes On A Shopping Spree After Reuniting With Selena Gomez

Just-in do it?

On Friday afternoon Justin Bieber indulged in a little bit of retail therapy at Niketown in Los Angeles, and the 21-year-old pop star was joined by at least two big bodyguards. He may look like a tough guy with tons of tattoos and saggy pants, but let's all keep in mind that he's 5'9" -- and that's likely on a good day, with shoes on.

But who cares about his height (or lack thereof)! The night before his shopping spree, the Biebs had dinner with on-again/off-again girlfriend Selena Gomez at Mastro’s Steakhouse in Beverly Hills. According to HollywoodLife, Justin picked Selena up from a hotel in West Hollywood, and though the restaurant was already closed, they went in and spent about 30 to 40 minutes together.

And then? The two got back into his car and went back to her hotel, but Biebs didn't get an invite to her room. Instead, the two spent about 25 minutes talking inside the car, she eventually got out and met up with a girlfriend and walked back to the hotel.

You KNOW Biebs wanted to show her his Calvins! Kudos to SG for playing hard to get, but we have a feeling he'll be making her say "Baby, baby, baby, oh!" by the end of the weekend. #jelenaforever

P.S. We love the fact that the Biebs ALWAYS has times to snap selfies with his fans:

Culled from x17.com

Ex Beauty Queen, Munachi Wows Singer Tekno With Her Hotness (PHOTO)

Nigerian singer Tekno seemed to be 'overwhelmed' by the aura which emanated from the Most Beautiful Girl In Nigeria (MBGN) 2007 winner, Munachi Abii...The singer who posed for a snap with the beauty queen and a friend looked as if he couldn't concentrate on the 'mission' as he had his eyes fixed on cuteness with admiration written all over his face

Source; National Helm

Don Jazzy Receives His Creative Person of The Year 2014 Award at the Sun Newspaper Creative Industry Awards 2015

Culled from my celebrity and i

Jonathan's response to the 5 Strong Questions from Obasanjo

 A seemingly remorseful President Goodluck Jonathan, could only plead for understanding and corporation when he visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo, to seek for his blessings ahead of the February 14, 2015 presidential election.

It was gathered that Jonathan, in the presence of the respected pastors present at the meeting, appealed for the support of Obasanjo, choosing not to respond to some of the questions posed to him.

The president had after his re-election campaign in Abeokuta, Ogun State, gone with the overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye and founder of Living Faith Church, Bishop David Oyedepo, to the residence of Obasanjo to seek his forgiveness and support.

At the meeting, the former president had asked his estranged god-son the following questions:
 (1) Did you agree to run for only one term or not?
(2) What did you tell me was your reason for not going after Boko Haram insurgents even when I told you this will boomerang?
(3) What happened to Nigeria’s external reserve and Sovereign Wealth Fund?
(4) Did you give licence to Niger Delta militants (Dokubo and Tompolo) to import arms in the name of their privately owned companies? If so, for what reason?
(5) Did you not get correspondence from the United States consulate that a certain citizen named Buruji Kashamu is indicted for drug trafficking? Why did you appoint the same Kashamu as South West leader of PDP rather than hand him over to the US? And did the PDP give automatic Senate ticket to a wanted and convicted drug baron?

However it was gathered that Jonathan who either could not respond to the question or decided not to pleaded for Obasanjo’s understanding and corporation as he goes into the election.

A PDP source further hinted that the choice of the two revered pastors was to soften the ground for the former president to attend to him.

Obasanjo had since refused to endorse Jonathan’s re-election bid.

 

Culled from olu famous

BREAKING NEWS: Serious Fire Outbreak in Marina Lagos

The cause of the fire is yet to be known  but it is  serious  and may spread filling  other buildings. All hands must be on deck to salvage the situation

Jonathan, Buhari, Others Sign Undertaking to Maintain Peace-By Chuks Okocha and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

 President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd)... Photo: Sunday Aghaeze

Determined to ensure that the pockets of violence preceding the general election neither continue nor escalate, the presidential candidates of all political parties participating in the election, including President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday signed an accord to ensure non-violent polls.

In the undertaking signed in the presence of eminent personalities such as the former Secretary General of the United Nations, Dr. Kofi Annan, and former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, all the presidential candidates of the parties pledged to refrain from campaigns that could involve religious incitement, ethnic or tribal profiling and to get their agents to toe similar line.

All the candidates of the various parties also agreed "to refrain from making, or causing to make our names or that of our party, any public statements, pronouncements, declarations or speeches that have the capacity to incite any form of violence, before, during and after the elections".

Other presidential candidates present at the ceremony included Tunde Anifowose Kelani of Action Alliance (AA), Dr. Rafiu Salau of Alliance for Democracy (AD), Ganiyu Galadima of Alliance Congress (AC), Alhaji Mani Ibrahim Ahmad of ADC, Chief Sam Eke of Citizens Popular Party (CPP), Ambrose Albert Oworu of Hope Party, Prof. Oluremi Sonaiya of KOWA Party and Chief Chekwas Okorie of Unity Progressive Party (UPP).

In his speech, President Jonathan said contrary to the belief that past violence were as a result of electoral malpractices, a closer study of the situation had shown that the issue could be related to other human factors.

According to him, politicians more often than not, utter provocative statements and whip up unnecessary sentiments and instigate violence as soon they notice that they have lost an election.

He said another factor is that of the religious leaders who preach the hate message, instigating their followers to be confrontational and sometimes by labelling some candidates as the enemies of their fate.

"If religious leaders do that kind of preaching, what do you expect? We always follow what our religious leaders say and if our religious leaders keep preaching such hate messages what do you expect in that instance? Your followers are not going into the election based on internationally known election principles, they will think they are going for war.

"There is also the pronouncement of our traditional rulers who make provocative statements as if they want to divide the country. This has never helped because as leaders, you have your subjects and followers. When you make these provocative statements, you are indirectly instigating them to become extremely violent," he said.

As a way forward, the president cautioned that political party leaders, religious or traditional rulers must stop making provocative statements.

He further assured Nigerians that the federal government would strengthen security, especially due to the challenging situation in some parts of the north.

The president also spoke on the future of Nigeria's elections and proffered ways to ensure the issues that lead to violence are addressed through the constitution.

He said: "We need to rejig our laws in a way that they will not encourage violence. If you look at the presidential system, we borrowed it. We lack the technology. I believe that the key thing is not just about violence in 2015 election, but how do we make sure that from 2019, violence is basically reduced in this country.

"If we must end electoral violence and we continue with this method, we will just be talking and talking and nothing can be done.

"The idea in Nigeria that in parliamentary election, the winner takes all is a problem.

"If you take a state, made up of three senators, the first senate result, one party has 51% while the other has 49%, the party with 51% takes the Senate. In the second Senatorial poll one party has 52% and the other party 48% the party with 52% takes the seat, the third Senate seat, the first scores 55% and the second 45%  and the one with 55% takes the seat. But if you aggregate the total votes, you will see that one has about 51% of total votes while the other 49%. Based on the winner takes all policy, the party that came first takes the three seats but the other party that is almost at par takes nothing.

"So, there must be tension in that kind of situation. That is why in other kinds of democracy they vote first and share the seat based of the performance of the parties. So the party that is also popular can get something. But based on the winner takes all the party that scored 49% will have nothing in that state. They will not go and sleep but continue to create problems in that state. So the National Assembly will need to revisit the issues of winner takes all in terms of parliamentary election.

"At the executive level, we should come up with a system that will ensure that when a party wins the governorship or the president at the national level, in forming cabinet, the parties that did very well will also, by right, by law and not by privilege or discretion of Mr Governor or Mr. President, be meant to have a share of appointments in that government.

"If  this is done, they will be mindful of their conducts and utterances. Some country say 50+1 votes. In Nigeria, they say you must get majority of the votes in 25% of the 2/3 of the states, but in some it is 51+1 and the other party with 49% is completely out of the government. They cannot just go and sleep. So I believe that there must be a way out of these violence even if we made them unique to Nigeria.

"We can also have a panel instituted by the chief justices of the federation or chief judge of the states, so that if any candidate is disqualified, they can know why the person is disqualified. If they are not convinced, then that person can go and contest.

On the distribution of permanent voters card (PVC), President Jonathan called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that every voter receives his or her card and to educate Nigerians properly regarding the deployment of any technological innovation intended to improve voting system.

"There are certain things happening now that if not properly handled could lead to violence. First, a number of Nigerians are complaining that they don't have PVC. If some people don't have, the assumption is that from the beginning, INEC is going to rig the election and there is the tendency for those people to go violent.

" I have mentioned it to the INEC Chairman to make sure that every eligible Nigerian votes. If they are not able to make sure that every Nigerian votes, that is a recipe for violence,” he said.

While reacting to the critics of the recent disbursement of monies for the settlement of victims of post 2011 election violence, President Jonathan said the reason Kaduna got the lion's share of N3 billion was because the level of destruction in the state surpassed others.

Buhari in his presentation, said much of the crisis associated with the conduct of elections and its outcome had to do with a flawed process and inability to secure justice by the affected persons.

He cited several examples of frustrations he had gone through in an effort to protest what was believed to be flawed electoral processes and results, including his experiences at the courts.

"In 2011, I said, I as a presidential candidate will not go to court, but I made sure that my party went to the court. We went there, I think for about nine months or so and again it is the same story. There is no way the ruling party will lose judgment. This is nasty experience, if one looks at how the Supreme Court was split and how relatively other international observer teams made their own ruling that the election was messy.

"Again, it was said that before every election, there must be an Electoral Act. There was one in 2002 for the 2003 elections, there was one in 2006 for the 2007 elections, there was one in 2010 for the 2011 elections, Whereas 30 days to the elections we are still waiting for the amended Electoral Act for this year’s elections. I am yet to see one. So on paper, you can’t catch Nigeria.

"So, on paper, you can't cage Nigerians. You can only cage Nigerians on the field. In terms of practical documentation, go to any ministry or parastatal, you will get instruction on how the place should be managed from the cleaner to the permanent secretary and even the minister when he comes.

"You will also get financial instruction on how to spend the money. I am afraid because of my personal experiences having gone through the system. All these credible, tested intellectual instruction may have been thrown into the waste basket, " he said.

The former United Nations Secretary General, Annan, who was the special guest of honour while presenting the keynote address, urged the aspirants to avoid inflammatory statements as the elections present an opportunity for the country to prove itself before the international community.

He admonished the politicians to ensure a peaceful election, stating that with the strategic position of Nigeria on the African continent, it cannot afford to get it wrong come February. He urged all political parties to take the agreement seriously.

"Aside from being the eigth largest importer of oil, Nigeria has become a player in telecoms, agriculture and in banking. She is a major contributor to UN peace keeping and is now at the UN Security Council," he said.

While declaring the event open, the Chairman of the workshop, Chief Anyaoku, said the objective of the workshop was to get all the contestants taking part in the 2015 national elections to renounce violence during elections.

"Regrettably, we cannot deny that in our country, we have history of violence occurring before, during and after elections. Already, explosion, burning of buses have been reported in some states, and we are also witnessing increasingly acrimonious pronouncements by candidates and spokespersons of political parties, " he said.

Speaking more on similar vein, the  Special Adviser to the president on Inter- Party Affairs, Senator Ben Ndi Obi, said the workshop "is a product of extensive and inclusive consultations between his office, the ruling party on the one side; and all opposition parties.

“The workshop will also emphasise the role of political parties and contesting candidates in creating the enabling environment for a peaceful election in 2015 through their conduct and behaviour, and highlight the negative consequences of electoral violence in our national security.”

“It had led to a wanton destruction of lives and property in the past, cast a dark cloud of uncertainty over our nation and threatened national security and our collective existence even in elections that were adjudged to have been efficiently and credibly conducted," he said.

Addressing the gathering, INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, identified some of the reasons why the country's elections always result in violence.

He said apart from INEC and security agencies constitutionally required to do their jobs without bias, political stakeholders and all Nigerian as well have much to do.
He blamed lack of internal democracy within political parties, accountability, lack of conflict resolution mechanism, supremacy of rules, uncertainty of electoral outcome, unwillingness to accept outcome, need for moderation by the party leaders and their spokespersons, having trust in institutional redress, promotion of inclusiveness and training of staff on some of the ingredients of violence.

However, despite the various reasons advanced by the candidates as provocations for electoral violence, the United States (US) State Department believes that the hightening terrorist attacks are because of the 2015 elections.
In a statement on Tuesday the US State Department said it believes the February 14 elections in Nigeria is a factor behind the sharp increase in attacks by Boko Haram, a group which has killed thousands since launching an uprising five years ago.

Red Cross official, Umar Ahmed, who was on the scene of the blast, said the bomber and two other people were killed. An official at the hospital where the casualties were brought, Ibrahim Garba, said the emergency ward was treating 14 people for blast wounds. Some were in critical condition, he said.

The US State Department yesterday said Nigeria’s election in February could be a factor behind the sharp increase in attacks by Boko Haram Islamist militants in the north of the country.

Spokeswoman Marie Harf said, however, that the February 14 presidential election should go ahead in spite of the violence, which has forced about 20,000 Nigerians to flee to neighbouring countries in recent weeks.

“There has been a sharp escalation in the number of reported casualties. We do believe the election is a factor,’’ Harf told a daily briefing.

Harf said Boko Haram previously used events such as elections to stir up tensions.
However, the election is expected to be a close contest between President Goodluck Jonathan and his leading challenger, Buhari.

“Boko Haram has tended to, particularly around something like an election, use political issues or sensitivities to try to enflame tensions.

“We have seen that as one of their tactics and that is why it is so important to move forward with the election, because we believe it is important,’’ she noted.
Boko Haram’s insurgency began in 2009, but the number and scale of the attacks has risen sharply since 2015 after the government imposed emergency rule in three worst-hit states in northern Nigeria.

Amnesty International has said Boko Haram may have killed some 2,000 people around January 3 in Baga in northern Nigeria.

However, Harf said it was hard to independently verify that figure.

Culled from Thisday

APC Seeks Dialogue With PDP on Violence-free Polls-Omololu Ogunmade, Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and Sheriff Balogun in Abeokuta

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Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, national chairman of APC

•   Ruling party loses six senators to opposition party, three to allied parties

Worried by growing incidences of pre-election violence, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked for a parley with the rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on how both parties and indeed the electoral process can run smoothly without violence.

The APC spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, on Tuesday in a statement noted that the desire for the parley derives from a meeting held last May.

In the statement, the party said such a meeting would send a powerful message of zero tolerance to violence to the supporters of both parties as well as other parties and indeed the entire people of Nigeria and serve to douse the tension that is building up ahead of the elections.

It said the call is a follow-up to the practical steps that had been taken by the party (APC), dating back to May 2014, when it first wrote to the leadership of the PDP calling for such a meeting.

''Following up on a meeting of representatives of both parties in Washington, DC, US, April 7-8 2014 under the auspices of the CSIS Nigeria Election Forum, at which it was agreed that a joint meeting of both parties be convened to discuss and agree on the crucial issue of a Code of Conduct for the campaigns and the elections, we wrote a letter to the PDP suggesting a bipartisan meeting to address the issue.

''We have since been following up on the letter, the latest effort being on December 28th 2014, when we again called for the holding of the bipartisan meeting. Apart from its reply to our initial letter, the PDP has not responded to our peace overtures till date,'' APC said.

The party, however, said that whether or not the PDP signs on to such a meeting, the APC - as a peaceful party - would continue to educate its members and supporters on the need to eschew all forms of violence before, during and after the election.

APC restated its pledge to continue working for violence-free polls next month, even though the opposition party had been at the receiving end of a series of grave acts of violence in recent times.

''It is common knowledge that our supporters were shot at while travelling to Port Harcourt for the inaugural presidential campaign on January 6th 2015. The police even prevented those of them who were hospitalised and treated for gunshot wounds from being discharged.

''Also, our office in Okrika was bombed on January 11th 2015. Another major incident is the burning of the Jonathan campaign buses in Jos, which is a PDP-on-PDP violence in the wake of the intra-party crisis in Plateau after an apparently unpopular candidate was rigged in as the party's governorship flag-bearer in the state. The APC had nothing to do with the Jos violence, even though the PDP has tried to spin it in order to portray our supporters as being behind it.

''Even then, our presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, moved fast to condemn the violence in Jos. On the contrary, neither President Jonathan nor any of his party leaders has condemned the shooting of our supporters and the bombing of our office in Okrika,'' the party said.

It said only the PDP could benefit from acts of violence, because it does not want the forthcoming elections to hold, having seen the handwriting on the wall, adding: ''We suspect that is why the party has been cold to our persistent calls for a meeting of the leadership of the two major parties to avert violence.''

APC said as a party waiting in the wings to assume office at the centre on the strength of the votes of Nigerians next month, it could not allow violence to scuttle the will of the people.

The party also expressed curiosity at the escalating Boko Haram crisis in the North-east, saying it fits perfectly into the strategic plan of the PDP to depopulate areas where it is not popular ahead of the elections.

It said, however, that Nigerians would reject violence and vote en masse to bring about the much-needed change in the country, instead of the continuity of insecurity, poverty, corruption, bad economy, impunity and bad leadership which the PDP is clamouring for.

Obasanjo Charges Candidates on Corruption, Economy, Infrastructure
Aside the issue of violence, former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday tasked the two leading presidential candidates -- President Jonathan of the PDP and General Muhammadu Buhari of the APC – to make the issue of security, corruption and security top their agenda.

Obasanjo had, at different times, played host to both presidential hopefuls on Monday when they variously stormed Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, in furtherance of their presidential campaigns.

The former president and President Jonathan had recently exchanged some brickbats, with the latter declaring that “some statesmen are mere motor park touts”, in a veiled reference to the former president who had earlier attacked him on the mismanagement of the Nigerian economy.

Obasanjo while addressing the Buhari/Osinbajo campaign train that visited him at his Hilltop residence, Abeokuta, told the team that “I will just beg all of you who are contesting to add economy, corruption and security on your agenda.”

He said: “For all political parties that are trying to woo us to vote for them in the coming election, let's go away from red-herring, let's go away from trivialities, let's face issues and tell the people of this country what we will do to deal with these crying problems of our country.”

He continued: “Having said that, I will also say that while a party must be a microcosm of a nation - and in a nation you will have near saints, devils, rapists, armed robbers etc., and so a good party must have all these in them.”

He therefore said that what matters was that when that party has to go into government, it must look for men and women of character.

“And we have them in all parties; we have them throughout the nooks and crannies of this country. Again I wish you well as you go around,” he added.

Buhari, who spoke earlier, said he would not come to Abeokuta in whatever capacity without calling to pay his respect to the former president.

According to him, “We have been going around three fundamental issues: security, economy, corruption. This vicious circle is what the APC is determined to break.”

He said without security, there is no way the country can settle down not to talk of living in it, adding:  "So many people, educated and uneducated, some said up to 60 per cent, will say Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gun powder."

While speaking on corruption, he said his party believed that if they are able to stop corruption, a lot of resources would be available to invest in infrastructure, get the factories to reopen, get jobs, and get goods and services.

"So, security, economy, in terms of employment, production, manufacturing, goods and services, and then agriculture will again give impetus to employment," he said.

He added: "We have to be systematic and work to make sure that the vast land we have is cultivated not only to produce food, but to produce raw materials for agro-allied industries, which used to be very viable but which we allowed to die because everybody has concentrated on getting oil money. Now the oil money is dwindling rapidly; I think we better come back to our senses."

He however said: "This is what we intend to do and this is contained in our manifesto. We are not going to be inflexible the way some people accused us of doing it."

"We are going to be dynamic as we go along and that's why I said we are here to seek your understanding and your support, in spite of the political card you hold," he added.

Meanwhile, the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation has praised the Nigerian president for joining world leaders in denouncing the senseless killing of 19 French citizens in Paris in his statement on Tuesday, January 7th.

The campaign organisation, however, said in a statement signed by the Director of Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, that the same level of compassion and empathy should be shown to Nigerians who have suffered similar tragedies at home.

"Nothing less should be expected of any leader worthy of the name. Our request to Dr. Jonathan is that he forgot to do the same for the families of Nigerians senselessly killed in Baga, Borno State where 150 as confirmed by the Spokesman of the military high command or 2,000 as claimed by the local council chairman. Nigerians are equally deserving of such soothing words of compassion and empathy.

"These victims of violence are not mere statistics. They are human beings. One dead Nigerian is as good as 150 or 2,000. We urge Mr. President to look inward and bring succour to his own people,” he said.

PDP Loses Nine Senators to Other Parties
But while both parties explore the possibility of a violence-free election, the ruling PDP may have suffered a knee-jerk jolt as nine of its senators have defected to opposition parties like APC, Labour Party (LP) and Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA).

The defections are fallout of the PDP primaries of last November in which many of the serving senators lost their re-election bid.

They alleged that PDP was hijacked by their state governors in collaboration with the national leadership of the party.

Some of the senators, who had been warmly received by the opposition parties, had been handed governorship and senatorial tickets respectively in their states.

The senators are Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi Central), Barnabas Gemade (Benue North-east), Bassey Otu (Cross River South), Mohammed Magoro (Kebbi South), Ita Enang (Akwa Ibom), Nurudeed Abatemi-Usman (Kogi Central), Saidu Alkali (Gombe North), Helen Esuene (Akwa Ibom South) and Ahmad Zanna (Borno Central).

While Bagudu is now the governorship candidate of APC in Kebbi State, Otu is the senatorial candidate of LP in Cross River South, while Abatemi-Usman is the senatorial candidate of PPA in Kogi Central.

In the same vein, a former National Chairman of the PDP, Gemade, has picked APC senatorial ticket in Benue North-east following the insistence of Governor Gabriel Suswam to fly the PDP flag in Benue  North-east senatorial district at the April 14 election.

Also Zannah and Alkali emerged senatorial candidates of APC in their respective senatorial districts, while Enang who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business and Esuene also left PDP for APC in protest of Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio's alleged decision to deny them a level playing field in the senatorial and governorship primaries in the state last year.

However, the duo did not defect to APC to seek elective positions but rather in expression of their grievances over the alleged shoddy conduct of PDP primaries in the state. Esuene is one of the aggrieved 22 governorship aspirants in the state who rejected the outcome of the governorship primary in which Emmanuel Udom was declared winner.

This recent development has further altered the configuration of the Senate.

With the defection of 11 senators from PDP to APC on January 29, last year, APC's ranks in the Senate swelled, although PDP still retained its majority in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.

The configuration of the Senate at the time was altered to PDP – 61, APC 44; LP – three and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) – 1.

But the defection of six senators from APC in recent times brought the number of APC senators down to 38 while the number of PDP senators rose from 61 to 67.

In the same vein, the three LP senators -- Akinyelure Patrick Ayo, Boluwaji Kunlere and Joshua Dariye dumped LP for PDP.

Besides, Senators Ayo Adeseun (Oyo Central), Solomon Ewuga (Nasarawa North) and Chris Anyanwu formerly of APGA also joined PDP.

On the other hand, while three other APC senators from Ogun State, Adegbenga Kaka (Ogun East); Olugbenga Obadara (Ogun Central) and Akin Odunsi (Ogun West) had left the party for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), another senator, Femi Lanlehin (Oyo South), left APC for Accord Party. Therefore, the current configuration of the Senate is PDP - 58; APC - 45; SDP -3, Accord -1, PPA- 1 and Labour - 1.

Culled from Thisday