TODAY IN THE NEWS Former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar 2015: Atiku declares, says corruption worse under Jonathan– Punch A former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has formally declared his intention to contest the 2015 Presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress. Abubakar, at a ceremony held at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja on Wednesday, explained that his desire to become President was born out of the need to give back to the nation. Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and the Publisher of Leadership, Sam Nda-Isaiah, had also declared interest in the APC presidential ticket. A former Head of State and National Leader of the APC, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, and Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, have been reported to also have interest in the ticket. A confident Abubakar told his supporters during the ceremony that he had the capacity to bring people together and turn things around for the better in the country. President Goodluck Jonathan More Hurdles as Jonathan is Dragged to Court of Appeal over Eligibility- This Day • Court urged to quash president’s endorsement as sole PDP candidate Apart from the endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2015 presidential election, the president has more hurdles to scale as he has been dragged to the Court of Appeal over his eligibility to stand for the election. The Court of Appeal was also urged to quash the resolutions of the National Executive Committee (NEC), the Board of Trustees (BoT) and the PDP Governors’ Forum that endorsed President Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate of the party in the 2015 presidential election. In an appeal number CA/A/574A/M2013 between Cyriacus Njoku as appellant and President Jonathan, PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as respondents, Dr. Umar Ardo as an interested party applicant, is asking court to grant an appeal in suit number: FCT/HC/CV/2449/2012 between Cyriacus Njoku vs Goodluck Jonathan delivered on March 1, 2013 TB Joshua-Synagogue Church Synagogue: Police set up team to probe building collapse - Vanguard Police authorities, over the week, constituted a team of detectives to carry out thorough investigation into the circumstances which led to the collapse of a six-storey building within the premises of the Synagogue Church of All Nations, SCOAN. Reliable police sources said the team is led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of one of the Area Commands in the state. This was even as the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has put the official figure of the death toll at 131. Vanguard gathered that the police team which had already swung into action, would in the course of the investigation, drill Prophet Joshua extensively, on the issue of a low-flying aeroplane which he alleged, had hovered severally around the building before its collapse. Catholic Bishop faults CAN President- The Nation The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria has accused Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor of smearing the image of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), saying it is wrong for his plane to be associated with the scandalous “arms deal” in South Africa. Speaking on the BBC Hausa Service monitored by our correspondent in Kaduna yesterday, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, Archbishop of Jos and President, Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria, said they had been watching with sadness how Oristejafor had been hobnobbing with the Presidency for long. He accused the CAN President of dragging Christianity into the mud. He faulted the way Pastor Oritsejafor was running CAN and urged the authorities to investigate the matter dispassionately and ensure that those found guilty are punished. Babatunde Fashola, Governor, Lagos State Lagos switches on additional 8.8 megawatts of power October 31– Business Day Additional 8.8 megawatts of electricity is to be added to existing capacity from embedded generation in Lagos State from next month. The 8.8 megawatts are coming from the Mainland Independent Power Plant (IPP) which is to be switched on by Governor Babatunde Fashola on October 31, as part of activities to mark the 2014 Energy Conservation month in the state. The Mainland IPP located within the Government Reserved Area (GRA), Ikeja, will bring to four, the number of IPPs so far embarked upon by the Lagos State government in partnership with some private investors. Among the existing IPPs in the state include the 12.15 megawatts Akute IPP which currently enables the Lagos Water Corporation to pump over 130 million gallons of water daily, the 10 megawatts Lagos Island IPP which supplies 24-hour electricity to selected public institutions and facilities on the island, and the 10.4 megawatts Alausa IPP supplying power to the state secretariat complex. Reps to investigate $50,000 bribery scandal– Daily Independent House of Representatives has resolved to probe an allegation that $50,000 bribe was offered to lawmakers to douse the rising anger over the $9.3 million arms deal scandal involving two Nigerians and an Israeli national in South Africa. A private jet, with the Nigerians on board together with the Israeli, reportedly conveyed the $9.3 million cash into South Africa. The money was believed to be intended for procurement of arms and ammunition in South Africa. However, the South African government apprehended the suspects and seized the cash because it was above the limit legally permitted into the country. A motion seeking to investigate the scandal brought about disagreement between Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) members in the House on Tuesday. Boko Haram: We’ve killed Shekau –DHQ- National Mirror • Says impostor, Mohammed Bashir, also killed in Konduga 135 insurgents surrender in Maiduguri The Defence Headquarters, DHQ, yesterday said that Mohammed Bashir, who assumed the name and roles of the late Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, has been killed. The DHQ insisted that the original Shekau had since been killed. Director of Defence Information, DDI, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, who confirmed this at a press briefing in Abuja, warned that henceforth, “anyone who bears or comes up with that name, Abubakar Shekau, remains the target to be killed by security forces.” Olukolade, also said that 135 insurgents had since surrendered to troops since their ring leader, who mimicked Shekau was killed in the battle of Konduga on September 17. He explained that 88 surrendered at Mairiga/ Buni- Yadi and 45 around Mubi- Michika. Confusion over release of Chibok girls– Tribune Rumours that the Chibok girls, abducted 162 days ago, had been released was the trend all over the social media on Tuesday. The excitement of Nigerians was, however, cut short as the Defence Headquarters refuted the story earlier attributed to them by online media, including the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The Defence headquarters, on its Twitter handle, stated that “the story circulating in respect of release of the Chibok girls is untrue. Buses drove into the barracks but conveyed other individuals.” Few hours later, the BBC, in another story, said, “Nigeria’s military has retracted its statement that some of the schoolgirls abducted from Chibok town in April by Islamist militants had been freed.” Foreign fighters aiding Boko Haram—Jonathan •Says world must help fight insurgency- National Mirror President Goodluck Jonathan, on Wednesday, said foreign fighters have added a new dimension to the emerging phase of terrorism in the world. Addressing the United Nations (UN) Security Council High-Level Meeting on the threat of terrorism to global peace and security, President Jonathan said the world must act immediately to stop the new phenomenon of terrorists and foreign fighters attacking and trying to hold parts of sovereign nations. He said the international community must do more to support countries like Nigeria, which are in the frontline of the war against terrorism. Jonathan lamented that from targeted attacks by Al-Qaeda a few years ago, “there are now mobile bands of thousands of terrorists sweeping across vast areas, destroying lives and even attempting to hold territory,” a development he described as unacceptable. French President: Islamic extremists beheaded French hostage– CNN French hostage Herve Gourdel was abducted and beheaded, a killing shown on video, French President Francois Hollande told the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday. You will understand that today I am speaking before you with a particularly high level of emotion because one of my compatriots has just been subject of a cowardly assassination, Hollande said. He was a man who was full enthusiasm. He loved the mountains. He thought he would be able to pursue his passion moving into the Ouzou area in Algeria. Hollande said the attack wont affect Frances role in the battle against terrorism. France will never give in to blackmail, to pressure, to barbaric acts. Quite to the contrary, France knows what is expected, Hollande said.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 09:15:19 +0000