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  Following rumours that the present board of the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC will be dissolved soon after Muhammadu Buhari takes over as President, the re has been divergent views from various quarters as to the good of such dissolution on the people and its developmental aspirations. This comes also as a group the Association of Niger Delta Professionals has raised the alarm over alleged plans by some unnamed political office holders to cause the dissolution of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC’s) Board as presently constituted under Barr Bassey Dan Abia and replace it with their stooges. At a press conference in Abuja yesterday addressed by Barr Osi Olisah, the group said “certain persons” especially one of the outgoing governors from Niger Delta zone, had resorted to using his new found relationship with the president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, to effect the dissolution. “We are aware that he has already procured some youth...

Reports that majority of members of the House of Representatives from the North West were behind the aspiration of Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila for the position of speaker in the 8th Assembly has been disputed. Hon. Ahmed Rufai Chanchangi (Kaduna/APC) had made the claim in Abuja on Tuesday. According to him, out of the 92 reps-elect from the North West, between 75 and 80 were backing Gbajabiamila’s speakership bid. Dismissing the position, some lawmakers from the zone said majority of the North West lawmakers were with Hon. Yakubu Dogara. Hon. Ibrahim Babangida Mahuta (Katsina/APC) told journalists yesterday that: “There is no way Femi Gbajabiamila will get 75 people from the North West. “We have done all our analysis and discovered that Dogara has more lawmakers than Femi in the zone. So, we don’t know how they came up with that.” He said Dogara has 13 lawmakers behind him in Kano, nine in Katsina, 16 from Kaduna, 10 from Sokoto, six in Zamfara, making 54, while ...

Mrs. Patience Jonathan Wife of the President, Patience Jonathan, has pledged to support the wife of the President-elect, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, in any of her projects that will promote peace and women empowerment in the society. She said, “I will make sure that I support my sister, the incoming First Lady to make sure Nigerian women are safe.” Mrs. Jonathan spoke at the inauguration of the Defence and Police Officers Wives Association Skills Acquisition Centre, in Abuja on Thursday. She said that the President was able to complete his four-year tenure in office with ease because of the support he got from the military and security chiefs in the country. ADVERTISEMENT The President’s wife said that the security chiefs in the country were committed to democratic growth and were ready to sacrifice their lives for national unity and democracy. Mrs. Jonathan, who commended the service chiefs and the women association for their support for the President esp...

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke. There are indications that the incoming Muhammadu Buhari presidency may discard the regulations drawn for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), The PUNCH has learnt. The regulation, a subsidiary legislation derived from provisions of section 43 of the EFCC (Establishment) Act 2004, is believed to be hampering the independence of the anti-graft agency in prosecuting high profile corruption cases. A senior lawyer, who is familiar with the incoming administration’s anti-corruption strategy, disclosed to our correspondent that the regulation drawn by Adoke would be dropped or reviewed. ADVERTISEMENT According to the source, the independence of the EFCC as the Buhari government will desire in its bid to deliver on its promise to fight corruption, cannot be guaranteed under such regulati...

President Goodluck Jonathan President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday said he conceded defeat to Muhammadu Buhari in the March 28 presidential election because of his desire to keep the country away from conflict. He said having been involved in solving many problems in African countries for more than five years, he knew the enormity and cost of conflicts and would not want Nigeria to witness such. A statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, quoted the President as speaking while receiving members of the African Ambassadors’ Group, who were on a farewell and solidarity visit to his boss at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He said he would always be committed to strengthening democracy in Nigeria and Africa. Jonathan added that his decision to concede defeat was to show example to the world that democracy could survive and thrive in Africa without conflict. The President said, “I believe that character matters in leadershi...

Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu The impeachment plot against the Niger State Governor, Aliyu Babangida, may have been stalled as the members of the state House of Assembly pushing for the governor’s removal have been paid N17m each. Our correspondent gathered that the lawmakers after receiving the N17m each were also promised by the state government that their other demands would soon be met. Consequently, the lawmakers have decided to stop the impeachment move against the governor. Though the Speaker, state House of Assembly, Isah Kawu, refused to comment on the issue when our correspondent sought his reaction to the development, sources at the assembly complex including lawmakers, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed the development. ADVERTISEMENT The speaker, who spoke to our correspondent on the telephone said, “I cannot speak on this issue on the telephone or anywhere on the matter.” But one of the lawmakers confirmed this t...

  Chief Bisi Akande Contrary to expectations, a former acting National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Bisi Akande, has said that the party will not choose the next President of the Senate through zoning. Akande, who spoke with some journalists in Ikeja, on Tuesday, explained that zoning was strange to the APC. A member of the APC’s Board of Trustees, Akande said the party’s constitution did not recognise zoning, adding that zoning was a creation of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party. The former governor of Osun State said the leadership of the party shot down the idea of zoning when it was brought up by the party’s current National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. ADVERTISEMENT He said, “Zoning is very, very strange to the APC. There is no zoning in our constitution. We don’t want to copy the PDP in whatever we are doing. We have the best of brains and culture among our leadership. We want the best for N...