DAVID MARK SACKED

The Court of Appeal, Makurdi Division  has voided  the election of the immediate past Senate President, Senator David Mark.

The court  ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to  conduct fresh election  in the Benue South Senatorial District within 90 days.

Mark’s victory, at the March 28, 2015 senatorial election, had been  challenged by Daniel Onjeh of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who petitioned the Benue State Legislative Houses Elections Tribunal, asking for the cancellation of the election and an order  to conduct fresh election in the district.

The Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu-led  panel, on October 7, 2015, dismissed Onjeh’s petition on the grounds that evidence  tendered before the tribunal was  documentary hearsay.

In a unanimous judgment read, yesterday, by Justice Peter Ige, the appellate court   dismissed the judgment of the tribunal and upheld the plea of the appellant that Mark’s election failed substantially to meet the provisions of paragraphs 39 and 40 of  INEC guidelines and  Sections 73 and 74 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

The panel of jurists also questioned the failure of the trial court to admit the evidence tendered by the appellant to canvass his case.

Meanwhile, Mark said, yesterday, he will win any election in the senatorial district even if it were to be conducted 100 times.

In a statement, the former Senate President  urged   his constituents   to remain calm   and be law abiding,  just as he asked them not to be deterred by the verdict, but be strengthened ahead of the re-run.

In a statement by his Media Assistant, Paul Mumeh, he said he believed  he won the election convincingly, adding that he had  no doubt that his constituents would turn out en masses to vote for him again.

Stay at home...we are at home

http://www.vanguardngr.com

SUICIDE BOMBER KILLED 21 IN GARUN MALAM

An interstate procession by followers of Zaria-based Shitte preacher, Sheik  Ibrahim El-Zakzaky  turned  bloody  yesterday following  an attack by   suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers at Samawa village in Garun Malam Local Government area of Kano State.

No fewer than 21 members of the Shitte sect were feared killed and many others wounded in the attack.

El-Zakzaky himself was not in the procession.

The Shitte members had stopped over in the village to observe the jumat prayers when   an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) apparently carried by one of the two infiltrators went off, maiming and killing people.

Sources said that the suicide bombers sneaked into the crowd, “and one of them blew himself in the midst of the crowd.”

“I counted up to 21 dead bodies of children, women and men while many of our members were seriously injured.”

Security agents responded immediately and evacuated the dead and the wounded to government hospitals in the city.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Musa Katsina, who confirmed the incident on the telephone, said a man suspected to be an accomplice of the dead suicide bomber was arrested and is currently in police custody.

The CP said: “The truth is that they were not able to carry out the dastardly act in Kano because of the tight security situation.

“They were two suicide bombers who infiltrated the procession. One of them was caught while the other person blew himself up. I cannot ascertain the number of casualty for now because we are still at the scene of the incident.”

The police boss urged residents to move about their normal business as security agencies are in control of the situation.

“Security is everybody’s business and I call on residents to feed police with useful information.”

Spokesman for the Shitte sect, Malam Aliyu Yusuf Kakaki, confirmed the death of 21 people in the explosion.

Forty people were wounded, he said by phone.

He said that the sect was “unperturbed by the action of the enemy.”

The sect members were on their way to Zaria from Kano in commemoration. We have proceeded with our journey to Zaria and we have prayed that Allah will grant the dead forgiveness and give them a place in paradise.”

The long walk by the Shitte members from Kano to Zaria   was in commemoration of   tribulation and killing of   Imam Husain (AS), son of the Holy Prophet’s daughter Fatima, by forces of Yazid son of Mu’awiyyah.

The muslim group departed Kano on Thursday afternoon  for Zaria.

The suicide bomber attack is the latest in the travails of El-Zakzaky and his followers.

In July last year, three  sons of El Zakzaky’s and 23 other members of the sect were killed during a clash  between the sect members  and soldiers at Sabon-Gari in Zaria,  Kaduna State.

http://thenationonlineng.net

MINISTERS TAKE HOME

Barely three weeks in office, President Muhammadu Buhari has shocked Ministers with poor salaries and austere allowances.

He has also imposed dos and don’ts on the ministers including travel restrictions.

Most Ministers were said to be embarrassed by the perks of office accruable to them in office.

The only leverage the Ministers will enjoy is the privilege of flying in a Business Class on trips.

These conditions of service for Ministers were contained in a letter  given to them during the week by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Engr. Babachir David Lawal.

The letter said: “I am pleased to inform you that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR,  has  appointed  you as  a  Minister in  the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

“The appointment takes effect from 11th November, 2015 under the following Terms and Conditions of Service as contained in “Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders(Salaries and Allowances, etc) (Amendment ) Act 2008.”

“I am to add that your tenure terminates at the end of this Administration unless otherwise decided by Mr. President. Please accept my heartiest congratulations and best wishes on your appointment.”

The SGF’s letter gave the details of the perks which the ministers will enjoy in office as long as they last in the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

While the substantive minister will earn N2, 026, 400 Annual Basic Salary($8,514.285), Minister of State is to get N1.8million($7,563.025) per annum.

Other  highlights of the conditions include: Estacode Allowance($900 per diem); Duty Tour Allowance(N35,000); Utilities Allowance(Telephone/ Electricity/ Water)–30% of Annual Basic Salary (N607,920); Domestic Staff Allowance(75% -((N1,519,800) of Annual Basic Salary; Medical Facilities (in accordance with NHIS Policy);  Special Assistant (To be provided in kind); Security (To be provided in kind); Air Travel (By Business Class); Newspaper Allowance (15% of  Annual Basic Salary-N303,960).

The letter said: “As a Political Office Holder, you must obtain permission from Mr. President before you travel out of Abuja. If the trip is official, Ministers are entitled to a Duty Tour Allowance of N35,000 per diem. However, all private journeys will attract no Allowance.

“Severance Allowance of 300 %of Annual Basic Salary payable after full tenure of office with government. The allowance will be pro-rated after a minimum of two years tenure.

It added: “200 % of Annual Basic Salary (N4,052,800) will be paid to you to enable you to acquire accommodation of your choice in line with monetization policy.

“Furniture  Allowance. 300 %(N6,079,200) of Annual Basic Salary will be paid once in every four years. The allowance will be paid annually at the rate of 75% (N1,519,800) of Annual Basic salary.

“Motor Vehicle Fuelling Maintenance Allowance. 75% of Annual Basic Salary (N1,519,800) for the maintenance of your vehicle(s) as Government no longer provides chauffeur  driven vehicles to Political Office Holders/Public Officers for house to office running.

“Annual Leave (30 calendar days for each leave year or calculated on pro-rata basis, with 10% of Annual Basic Salary(N202,640) as leave grant); Personal Assistant Allowance (25% of Annual Basic salary to enable you to employ a Personal Assistant of your choice).”

Investigation however revealed that some of the ministers were uncomfortable with the salary and allowance package because it might not be able to pick their bills.

The package has caused rumbles in the cabinet because while Nigerian ministers earn $8, 514.28 Per Annum (N2,026,400),  their counterparts in Ghana are on $50,000 (N11,900,000) and those in South Africa (the highest paying in the continent) were said to be taking home  about $302,521 per annum.

A reliable source said: “Most ministers have been sad since they received their letters of appointment because the salary and allowance package was a far cry from where they were coming from. We hope that ministers will eventually not steal if they have to serve this nation on hungry stomach.

“We have ministers in this government who left high-net worth job of $10,000 to $20,000 per month, how will they settle their bills? Some ministers have headed corporate. You can imagine a minister managing about $3billion portfolio now getting $8,521 per Annum.

“Some ministers have children in Ivy League universities where they are paying as much as $40,000 to $60,000 per annum. How will they be able to cope to meet up with their responsibilities?”

WHAT IS IN YOUR MIND? ... SAY YOUR MIND WE ARE AT HOME.

POPE FRANCIS IN UGANDA

Pope Francis landed in Uganda Friday on the second leg of a landmark trip to Africa, with choirs and dancers waiting to greet him, an AFP reporter said
Francis arrived in Uganda after three days in neighbouring Kenya, where vast crowds turned out to an open air mass, and where the pontiff lashed out at corruption and wealthy minorities who hoard resources at the expense of the poor. Francis travels to Central African Republic (CAR) on Sunday.

WANT TO STAY FIT; READ

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Stay at home ...we are at home. 

BOKO HARAM NO DEAD LINE YET

Nigeria says it cannot meet President Muhammadu Buhari’s December deadline to crush Boko Haram’s Islamic uprising in the northeast.
Air Commodore Yusuf Anas of the Center for Crisis Communication said on Thursday the deadline was “not tenable.”
He warns Nigerians to not view December as a “sacrosanct date when all suicide bombings will end.”
Forces from Nigeria and neighboring Chad earlier this year drove the extremists out of areas they had proclaimed an Islamic caliphate. Recently, the Nigerian Air Force and ground troops have reported destroying numerous Boko Haram camps and freeing more than 1,000 kidnap victims.
In June, Buhari ordered the military to crush the insurgency by December, but the extremists have pushed back with village raids and urban suicide bombings that have killed more than 1,500 people.

MOURINHO EXPECT ARSENAL EXIT

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho would like to see Olympiacos progress to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League at Arsenal’s expense.

The two sides are set for a thrilling Group F finale on 9 December, with the Gunners needing to beat Olympiacos by two goals – or a one-goal win, scoring more than three times themselves – if they are to progress.

Mourinho has a close relationship with the Greek side’s Portuguese coach Marco Silva and is eager to see them win the battle to progress as a result.

He told reporters: “I would always like English teams to qualify, first.They [Arsenal] are in a group where a kid friend of mine is the manager of Olympiacos and it would be fantastic for the kid’s career to go through.

STAY AT HOME... WE ARE AT HOME

POPE IN AFRICA, CELEBRATE MASS

Pope Francis on Thursday called for respect for women and family values when he led thousands of Christians in celebrating his first Holy Mass in Kenya.

The Pope spread the gospel, calling for deep respect for the elderly and love for children during his homily, which also focused on the need to preserve family unity.

“Our faith calls for us to defend the dignity of the men and women for the good of the family.

WOMAN CHARGED FOR ABANDONING CHILDREN

An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court on Thursday sentenced a 40-year- old mother to one month community service for abandoning her two little children at a railway crossing in Ilupeju.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Bola Osunsanmi, gave the order following the guilty plea of the mother and her appeal that the court should be lenient because one her children was sick.

“You are hereby sentenced to one month community service at the Children Center, Idi Araba, Lagos, where you must perform any duty assigned to you for two hours each day for the next one month.

“Under the child right law, it’s an offense to abandon your child to the government to care for them,’’ Osunsanmi said.

She added that the convict should report at the Ministry of Women and Poverty Alleviation center after serving her sentence.You are to report to the WAPA office at Alausa, where you will be trained to be self-sufficient and how you are to appropriately care for all your children. They are your responsibility,” Osunsanmi said.

The chief magistrate also ordered that the children be kept in the government children’s home.

Ekweremadu the drama

Last week, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu set out to act what typifies a Nollywood film by causing the publication of a so-called “attempt to assassinate him.” Ekweremadu in a statement by his media aide, Uche Anichukwu said the attempt occurred at about 10:00am between Apo Flyover and Dantata Construction Company’s yard, close to the Old Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Headquarters junction on his way to the National Assembly.

He claimed   the suspected assassins operated in an unmarked, tinted, brand new, white-coloured   Mercedez Benz AMG E63 and were chauffeured by a man who looked like someone from the  Middle-belt.

He said the development had already been reported to the security agencies. What has been the outcome of the investigations? Nigerians would want to know because this is a country where people would   arrange for their kidnap to give certain impressions to certain people.

The story appears well scripted but has some loopholes. For instance, the Senate President has a police escort   with guns attached to him for his protection. Were they not in the convoy where a car made several efforts to ram into his car?   What were the policemen with guns doing? Were they also watching the movie or were they under instruction not to apprehend the intruders? Without being a policeman you do not need any formal training to be able to apprehend the intruders referred to as “assassins” in the Ekweremadu story line.

What is needed is to fire at the tires of the intruders car to demobilise it and then easily arrest the intruders and make them confess who sent them to assassinate the Deputy Senate President. Did the policemen attached to Ekweremadu claim that anybody prevented them from apprehending the suspected assassins? This gives away the alarm as a cock and bull story that has no merit whatsoever except the commencement of a cheap blackmail against the ruling party.

Again, to say that the suspected assassins   driver was dressed in clothes like persons from the Middle belt presupposes that Northerners want to eliminate an Igbo man who is the nation’s number five citizen. Again, this fabrication does not hold water because it only seems to whip up ethnic sentiments that some Nigerians would gullibly fall for. Interestingly, this could be read in between the lines of the press statement of Ohanaeze Ndigbo youths.

To lend credence to this line of reasoning, 24 hours after Ekweremadu flew the kite, his kinsmen, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, called on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, to ensure a thorough investigation into the alleged attack on the Deputy Senate President. The President of the Ohanaeze Youth Council, OYC, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, raised an alarm that “the highest Igbo political office holder is being hunted for elimination, warning that killing of the Deputy Senate President portends danger for the country.

According to them, any harm on Ekweremadu amounted to a declaration of war against Ndigbo which must be resisted at all costs. They also   said they   were prepared to provide security for their son   to ensure his safety. Haba Ekweremadu! He has positioned the youths of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to pick up the false alarm from where he let it off. This kind of mess happens only in a country like Nigeria. Ekweremadu is positioning as the mouth piece and leader of Ndigbo and possibly positioning for Igbo presidency. Otherwise why would he embark on this intellectual voyage of scripting this movie?

Who wants the life of Ekweremadu? Why would anybody want to kill him? Since the APC government took over from the clueless PDP administration, how many people have been assassinated in Nigeria? Ekweremadu is only   making mountains out of mole hill. He is just on an expedition of cheap blackmail against a party he is reaping from   without sowing.

Ekweremadu needs to be thoroughly investigated by the Inspector General of Police.   Why the sudden escalation   of the agitation for Biafra few weeks   into   the coming on board of the APC Federal   Government? Nigerians must keep a watch on Ekweremadu. He certainly have something up his sleeves.

MTN knows soon

President Muhammadu Buhari may eventually be the one to decide the fate of MTN Nigeria over the N1.04 trillion ($5.2 billion) fine slammed on it by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for violating regulatory orders.

Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, who spoke to Technology Times, said that final decision on the N1.04 trillion fine will be taken by President Buhari at the appropriate time “in public interest.”

Speaking on the sidelines of the Alliance 4 Affordable Internet Nigeria Coalition conference in Lagos, Shittu reiterated government’s determination to ensure that final decision taken on the fines will be in the public interest.

“The issue is now before Mr. President. He will take the necessary decision at the appropriate time. I think Nigerians will expect that Mr. President would do the best to ensure that the public interest is guaranteed,” the minister said.

Responding to questions on alleged conflicting signals on government’s stance on the fine, the minister said: “I don’t think there is any conflicting position on where government stands on the MTN issue.

READ WHAT'S HAPPENED IN RIVERS STATE

Rivers State Police Command on Saturday said the kidnapped Registrar of Ken Saro Wiwa Polytechnic, Mrs. Lilian Davies has been rescued by the police.

Mrs. Davies was kidnapped on November 17, 2015, while on transit along Bori-Yaghe road.

According to a statement by the Command’s PRO, DSP Ahmad Muhammad, she was rescued at the bush around Kaani in Khana Local Government by special tactical outfit set up by the Commissioner of Police to tackle the menace of kidnappings in the state.

The rescue team during the operation has a fierce gun duel with the kidnappers resulting to the death of four kidnappers.

“One AK47 rifle, one locally made pistol, one magazine, 25 rounds of 7.62 live ammunition and five cartridges were recovered at the scene after the operation.

“Criminal elements in the state are advised to relocate from Rivers State as the police are determined more than before to take the onslaughts to their hideouts.”

SHOCKING NEWS IN KOGI STATE

The Governorship election in Kogi State was held on Saturday the 22nd November 2015 and at the end of the election the candidate of the All Progressives Congress Prince Abubukar Audu had won in 16 Local Government Areas and was leading in the total number number of valid votes cast in the election. However, the Independent National Electoral Commission declared the election inconclusive and ordered supplementary election to be held in a date to be announced in due course.

According to INEC the reason for declaring the election inconclusive was because the differences in the votes scored by two leading candidates in the election was less than votes expected in some areas where election was cancelled. While Nigerians were waiting when INEC would fixed the date of the election the unexpected happened. The authoritative online news agency, Sahara Reporters in a breaking news this evening announced the death of Prince Audu. The pertinent question is what become of the election that was held on the 22nd November 2015 in view of the death of Prince Audu? It is submitted that the death of Prince Audu has rendered the Kogi State Governorship election held on the 22nd November 2015 but which was declared inconclusive null and void. It has ipso facto also rendered the supplementary election which INEC had announced would be conducted to determine the winner of the election held on the 22nd November 2015 otiose. It would have been otherwise if Prince Audu had been declared the winner before his death. In such a circumstance, the Deputy Governor elect would have naturally stepped into the shoe of the deceased Governor elect.

https://www.today.ng

BOMBING IN CAMP

A suicide bomber has killed at least seven people in a transit camp in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The National Emergency Management Agency sources said the explosive was reportedly detonated by a female suicide bomber evacuated to the capital city alongside other displaced persons from Dikwa local council.

Locals of the area trapped by Boko Haram insurgents before its liberation were being screened for onward movement to official makeshift camps in Maiduguri when the incident happened.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Boko Haram is largely suspected to be responsible.

The terrorist group has claimed responsibility for similar attacks in the past.

The attack came on a day that the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, reiterated his commitment to ending the activities of Boko Haram in the northern part of the nation.