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CHAIRMAN of Transition Committee of Onitsha South Local Government Area, Prince Emeka Asoanya, yesterday, said that the incumbent governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, will emerge the governor of Anambra State in November 18, 2017, because of the legacies of his ongoing government. Chief Willie Obiano Prince Asoanya in an interview with Vanguard in his office said that the governor’s records are very clear even to the blind that his second term race to office will easily be won. He said other contestants will lose because of the good works of the governor. He particularly cited security as one of the works of the governor. “There is stability in the state and the people are happy with him, that the government of the day in the state has brought stability. You can see that the roads in the state are the best, there is no part of the state that is not linked with goods roads, the challenges we have are the Federal roads and yet the Governor is partnering with the ...

THE  people of oil-rich Ogba Egbema Ndoni Local government area, ONELGA, in Rivers State, have decried the neglect of the area by government and oil multinationals doing business in the area and issued a 14-day ultimatum to government and oil companies to begin practical moves to address the anomalies or face unpleasant consequences. Briefing newsmen, yesterday, at Omoku, headquaters of the local government area, Chairman, ONELGA Stakeholders Forum, Chief Nelson Ekperi, said the area, with 507 oil wells, 13 oil fields and four oil mining leases, had remained in deplorable and sad state since oil exploration activities commenced in the area. They said the ultimatum was also extended to Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG and the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, saying, “We request that both the Rivers State and Federal Governments should produce a blue print to develop ONELGA   as a mega city. We, therefore, issue another 14 days ultimatum to address ou...

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte blasted Premier League schedulers over his side’s short turnaround from Champions League action before facing high-flying Manchester City in a top-of-the-table clash on Saturday. Chelse’s Conte Conte’s men put in a brilliant performance to inflict only Atletico Madrid’s second Champions League defeat on home soil in 24 games on Wednesday, when Michy Batshuayi’s 93rd-minute winner sealed a 2-1 victory. However, the Italian lamented the advantage handed to City, who played their Champions League fixture at home to Shakhtar Donetsk 24 hours earlier on Tuesday. “I think we are a bit penalised and in this case, it is very important to analyse, before taking these decisions, the different situations of the team,” said Conte. “City played yesterday at home. We played tonight away and we will return to London around four o’clock (in the morning).” City lead the Premier League from Manchester United on goal difference, with Chelsea three points back in third. ...

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has denied that he  offered a bribe to Governor of Imo State,  Rochas Okorocha, ahead of the 2015 presidential election. In a statement released by his spokesman, Ikechukwu Eze, Jonathan said he did not offer “huge sums of money and an influential ministry” to Okorocha in order to make him dump the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). “We offer to quickly dismiss these claims as lies, because we are clear in our minds that such conversation never happened. “We are wondering whether this truly came from the governor because we are sure that even governor Okorocha himself did not believe that anybody would accept these claims. “In the first place, it sounded irrational and absurd. Besides, it was obvious to all and sundry that the south-east, being Dr. Jonathan’s political stronghold, the ex-President did not need Okorocha to win in the zone. “However, to set the records straight, we make bold...

Controversial retired President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Isa Ayo Salami, has been named by the National Judicial Council as the head of the committee to try looters in the country. The information was contained in a statement made available to the press on Wednesday by the spokesman of the NJC, Soji Oye. Justice Salami was suspended on August 18, 2011 for nine months by the NJC after he refused to apologise to the council and the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, after a panel of the council found him to have lied against the CJN. Justice Dalhatu Adamu was appointed immediately to take over as the President of the Court of Appeal, being the most senior justice of the court. On Wednesday, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, approved the establishment of the Corruption and Financial Crime Cases Trial Monitoring Committee and named Salami as the head. Oye explained that the decision was taken on Wednesday...

There was trouble in Bengaluru, India on Sunday night as some Nigerians took the Biafra battle to the streets of India. One person was reportedly killed while the city police are now looking for the concerned persons so as to deport them, a source told Times of India. According to the report, there had been earlier attacks and counter-attacks but in the altercation that ensued on Sunday, a group of students said to be Nigerians in Hennur allegedly attacked the residence of one Elvis Ohachosim, 39, a fellow national, and set his car on fire. The pre-dawn attack was in retaliation to Elvis attacking two Nigerian friends the previous evening. Police said Sunday’s arson is the latest skirmish between two groups of Nigerians since September 3, when N Chigozie, a resident of Hennur, and a Nigerian national himself, allegedly died in suspicious circumstances, after clashes between the gangs at an African restaurant in Kothanur. “We have filed four cases against these two gro...

The Peoples Democratic Party has told Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State not to waste his resources on his presidential ambition, saying the party’s candidate for the 2019 election will come from the North. The party said all its members were aware of the zoning formula it adopted for both its presidential ticket and the position of the national chairman. Fayose had sent letters to some leaders of the party to inform them about his decision to run for the Presidency on the platform of the PDP. The event, according to a copy of the letter sent to our correspondent, will hold in Abuja on Thursday. The letter was signed by the governor under the banner of Ayo Fayose Presidential Campaign Organisation. It read in part, “My dear leader, it is with deep sense of responsibility that I write to inform you of my intention to seek the ticket/mandate of our party to contest the 2019 presidential election, considering your support and commitment towards our great party,...

A former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, has connected the reported fight between members of a Nigerian music group, the P-Square to the call for separation and restructuring by several groups in the country. According to Omokri, God is using the P-Square situation to teach Nigerians a lesson. In a message he shared via @renoomokrion twitter handle, the former Presidential aide hinted that the real cause of the brothers fighting each other was because they needed restructuring from unitary partnership to true federalism. He wrote, “Perhaps God is using@PeterPsquare & @rudeboypsquare to teach lessons on the options before Nigeria-division, restructuring or family fight. “Even P-Square wants to restructure from unitary form of partnership to true federalism. You are Peter, I am Paul. Together, we are P-Square! “If Peter and Paul cant live in peace, is it our own little Republics that will automatically lead to peace? Restructuring is a b...

The presidency has waved aside claims that a certain cabal had taken over the presidential villa, sidelining the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo since the return of President Muhammadu Buhari from London. While revealing that Osinbajo remains Buhari’s closest confidant, the presidency described the allegation as a recycled hate campaign. This was contained in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the president on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu. He said, “To begin with, it is absolutely nonsensical and absurd to write that in one week of the President’s return, the Vice President has been sidelined. Quite to the contrary, the Vice President remains the confidante and the closest adviser to the President. “He has attended all the President’s engagements all through the week with the exception of two: one, the VP was away to Taraba State and two, the Juma’at Muslim prayer because he is a Christian. “It is difficult to understand what anyone wants ...

Senators from the South East on Tuesday met with President Muhammadu Buhari over the tension generated in the region as a result of the activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB. The Senators, who were led by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu said the South East zone was shortchanged by the current Federal Government. Addressing State House Correspondents after the meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Ekweremadu said they had fruitful discussion with the president over pressing issues affecting the South East. The Deputy Senate President stressed that the South East is of the option that dialogue remains the best bet in addressing some of the issues affecting the region. According to Ekweremadu, “For us from the South East, we believe that dialogue is better than any other form of engagement. “So, we decided to visit the President and present to him some of the concerns of the South East including the issues of roads, general...

Apostle Chibuzor chinyere The nomination of the General Overseer of the Omega Power Ministry Apostle Chibuzor Gift Chinyere by various individuals in the country for the CNN Heroes Award has been hailed by the National Coordinator of the Youth Say yes Organisation.  Barr. Kingsley Frank of the Youth Say Yes said the nomination of the OPM Leader by various individuals in the country has shown that what he is doing in Rivers state and the country is not going unnoticed. Kingsley Frank praised the philanthropic disposition of the revered man of God whom he said has shown the good side of being a religious leader. He commended the educational advancement efforts of the General Overseer as well as his efforts at ensuring that cultism as well as human trafficking is eliminated from the state. Apostle Chinyere Baptising a former sex worker While commending the Port Harcourt based cleric on all his human development efforts, Kingsley Frank admonished other clerics ...

When Sen. Baba Kaka Garbai was elected as Senator to represent Borno Central Senatorial zone on the 31st of October 2015, little did most sceptics realise that he will become a success story in the red chambers . As one of the sceptics then, I must say that I am very elated and proud of what Sen. Kaka has done since he was sworn into the Senate. As I write this piece, I must stress that I am not swayed by political considerations rather by an objective appraisal of the impact of the Borno Prince turned politician. Sen. Kaka who happens to be the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Business has not been a bench warmer in the Senate like some others rather he has shown an enigmatic and proactive character in the Senate which has earned him the respect of his colleagues  and Nigerians as a whole. The attitude displayed by Sen. Kaka who came to the Senate after the death of Sen. Mohammed Zanna has given the likes of my humble self the belief that there are good polit...