Tuesday, 14 April 2015

INEC announces Assembly election winners without figures

INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega

INEC announces Assembly election winners without figures

The Independent National Electoral Commission has declared Peoples Democratic Party candidates as the winners of 13 of the 14 results released so far in the 16 constituencies where elections held in Bayelsa State.

A list of the names of winners in the election released by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Baritor Kpagih, did not include the votes scored by the respective candidates and their political parties.

When he was accosted by journalists for a comprehensive result, he referred journalists to the Public Relations Officer, Mr. Timidi Wariowei, who told journalists interested in the number of votes scored by each candidate and political party to write INEC.

A look at the result released by INEC showed that the PDP won 13 out of the 14 Assembly seats released so far while the APC won one.

The election was declared inconclusive in Ogbia Constituency II while elections could not hold in Brass Constituency II because the youths allegedly insisted on sighting collation results sheets before the commencement of accreditation.

The PDP winners as announced by INEC are Abraham Ingobere, Brass Constituency 111; Ololo Ben, Ingo Iwowari; and Obiene Iniyobiyo.

Others are Monday Obolo, Igali Barapadei, Benson Friday, for the Southern Ijaw Constituencies 1, III and IV respectively.

Also, returned as winners are Salo Adikumo, Sagbama III, Dr. Parkinson Markmanuel, Ebiuwou Obiyai and Emelah Epilefa for Yenagoa constituencies 1, II and III.

The only successful candidate from the opposition APC defeated the Deputy Speaker, Victor Sam-Ateki, to win the Brass I Constituency seat.

Man Fulfills His promise To Walk From Lagos To Abuja If Buhari Wins, Presently In Niger [See Photo]

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NOTE: This article is posted as written by the source , read full story below:
Suleiman Hashimu or ‘The traveller’ as I prefer to call him is an indigene of Katsina state, Funtua to be precise. He was born in Osun state but lives in Ibadan.
The traveler promised two years ago to walk from where ever he is to the capital of Nigeria, Abuja if General Muhammadu Buhari wins the election in 2015.
BBC Hausa, Voice of America and Aminiya (a Hausa mgazine) interviewed him.
He was in Lagos when Buhari was declared the President-elect of Nigeria. He left Lagos at about 5am the next day and arrived Ibadan around 6pm.
man-NL2

He went to get a police report to allow for the smoothness of his journey but couldn’t wait and so, the D.P.O. gave him his phone number. Despite several discouragement from friends and at the same time, inspiration from friends and loved ones; he continued from Ibadan to Oyo. Then from Oyo to Ogbomoso.; And from Ogbomoso to Ilorin with much hospitality at every stop.
At Ilorin, some people escorted him for some miles and he stopped at Oloru. Oloru, to border’n Sa’ada and then to Jebba. He received so much hospitality from Jebba and unlike other villages he met a lot of people who had heard of the traveller. About 20 people set off with him from Jebba and after some miles, about 18 went back but the remaining two where determined. They met with armed robbers close to Makwa and luckily, he already met one of them in Jebba and he even gave him 200 Naira for pure water. The robber told his colleagues that he was going to see Buhari and he gave him 2000 Naira and then slapped the two men with him.
He continued his journey from Mkwa to Kudu and then to Kutigi. He is currently in Kutigi and will continue his journey to Bida tomorrow by the grace of God.
I asked him about his encounter with the different people and he said it was remarkable. Actually he gets more determined to move on from the people. He was even treated like a King in a village in Niger.
They sang tribal songs he didn’t understand and travellers stop to provide him with food and company along the way. Most of them are familiar with him because they travel the same route daily. Sometimes up to 10 cars would stop to converse with him. News travelled with the public transports to different places on his route and people from several cities, towns and villages on his route would call to check up on him and inquire about his journey.
He doesn’t know for sure if Buhari knows of him but several of his support organizations do. He intends to reach Abuja by 27th of May and celebrate with the new president at his inauguration ceremony.

Tuesday, 31 March 2015

THE QUESTION: Are the presidential election results being deliberately delayed? ⌂Back To Homepage Subscribe To RSS Feed THE QUESTION: Are the presidential election results being deliberately delayed? March 31 10:24 2015 Print This Article Share it With Friends 👤by Taiwo George  1 Comment ALthough Attahiru Jega, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), promised to announce the result of the presidential election within 48 hours, only the result of 18 states – plus the federal capital territory – have been made public three days after the election was conducted. At Sunday’s press conference at the INEC headquarters, Jega had assured Nigerians that the result would be announced in record time. “In 2011, we declared the results within 48 hours, and we want to improve on that. We have been working assiduously to beat that record,” he said. But that is not how events have unfolded. First, the commission scheduled the announcement for 12pm on Monday, saying it would give time for collation officers across the country to arrive the federal capital territory. When the exercise eventually commenced, the chairman called for four hours of recess after announcing the results of nine states. Well, those four hours were not four hours, after all. Rather than start at 8pm, collation and announcement of results did not begin until nearly 9pm. Announcement of the result INEC officials during the collation at ICC After only an hour into the exercise, Jega called for another break, this time for just 10 minutes. By then, the results of 18 states had been announced. Jega’s 10 minutes was to spiral into an hour, prompting jokes on social media such as one saying one should hit the bed if Jega says good morning! There is so much anxiety in the air; Nigerians are eager to know who their next president would be. Whether it would be change or continuity. There are fears in some quarters that the delay is intended to alter the result in favour of a particular party or, in the end, force the commission to declare an inconclusive result. Responding to TheCable’s question in that regard, Jega had said: “I’m not under any pressure to declare the election inconclusive. Election However, the continued delay has been a source of worry, and it is now believed that the governments of the United States and United Kingdom who earlier warned against interference in the collation of results, must have stumbled on some information the public doesn’t have. “The governments of the United States and the United Kingdom would be very concerned by any attempts to undermine the independence of the Electoral Commission (INEC), or its Chairman, Professor Jega; or in any way distort the expressed will of the Nigerian people,” the statement read. “So far, we have seen no evidence of systemic manipulation of the process but there are disturbing indications that the collation process—where the votes are finally counted—may be subject to deliberate political interference.” But we will not attempt to preempt the result, although there is hardly any other option in the face of the current delay. Unlike the guys who hacked INEC’s website on Saturday, we will, for now, not attempt to hack Jega’s mind. We will give him the benefit of the doubt, and hope this delay is all in the interest of transparency, fairness and the country’s overall interest.

THE QUESTION: Are the presidential election results being deliberately delayed? ⌂Back To Homepage Subscribe To RSS Feed THE QUESTION: Are the presidential election results being deliberately delayed? March 31 10:24 2015 Print This Article Share it With Friends 👤by Taiwo George  1 Comment ALthough Attahiru Jega, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), promised to announce the result of the presidential election within 48 hours, only the result of 18 states – plus the federal capital territory – have been made public three days after the election was conducted. At Sunday’s press conference at the INEC headquarters, Jega had assured Nigerians that the result would be announced in record time. “In 2011, we declared the results within 48 hours, and we want to improve on that. We have been working assiduously to beat that record,” he said. But that is not how events have unfolded. First, the commission scheduled the announcement for 12pm on Monday, saying it would give time for collation officers across the country to arrive the federal capital territory. When the exercise eventually commenced, the chairman called for four hours of recess after announcing the results of nine states. Well, those four hours were not four hours, after all. Rather than start at 8pm, collation and announcement of results did not begin until nearly 9pm. Announcement of the result INEC officials during the collation at ICC After only an hour into the exercise, Jega called for another break, this time for just 10 minutes. By then, the results of 18 states had been announced. Jega’s 10 minutes was to spiral into an hour, prompting jokes on social media such as one saying one should hit the bed if Jega says good morning! There is so much anxiety in the air; Nigerians are eager to know who their next president would be. Whether it would be change or continuity. There are fears in some quarters that the delay is intended to alter the result in favour of a particular party or, in the end, force the commission to declare an inconclusive result. Responding to TheCable’s question in that regard, Jega had said: “I’m not under any pressure to declare the election inconclusive. Election However, the continued delay has been a source of worry, and it is now believed that the governments of the United States and United Kingdom who earlier warned against interference in the collation of results, must have stumbled on some information the public doesn’t have. “The governments of the United States and the United Kingdom would be very concerned by any attempts to undermine the independence of the Electoral Commission (INEC), or its Chairman, Professor Jega; or in any way distort the expressed will of the Nigerian people,” the statement read. “So far, we have seen no evidence of systemic manipulation of the process but there are disturbing indications that the collation process—where the votes are finally counted—may be subject to deliberate political interference.” But we will not attempt to preempt the result, although there is hardly any other option in the face of the current delay. Unlike the guys who hacked INEC’s website on Saturday, we will, for now, not attempt to hack Jega’s mind. We will give him the benefit of the doubt, and hope this delay is all in the interest of transparency, fairness and the country’s overall interest.

Read more at: http://www.thecable.ng

Monday, 30 March 2015

UPDATED: INEC suspends collation till 8pm

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared a four-hour recess in the collation of results of the presidential election, which will herald the declaration of the country’s president-elect.

Read more at: http://www.thecable.ng

UPDATED: INEC suspends collation till 8pm ⌂Back To Homepage Subscribe To RSS Feed UPDATED: INEC suspends collation till 8pm March 30 16:24 2015 Print This Article Share it With Friends 👤by TheCable  0 Comments The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared a four-hour recess in the collation of results of the presidential election, which will herald the declaration of the country’s president-elect. According to Attahiru Jega, the recess was announced to give adequate time to other state returning officers “currently on their way to Abuja”. He said the collation session would reconvene at 8pm. After eight states and the federal capital territory, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has 2,322,734, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) has 2,302,978. In the interim, PDP is leading with 19, 755 votes. In Nasawara, PDP polled 273,460 ahead of APC, which had 236, 838. While in Oyo APC had 528,620 over the ruling party’s 303,376. With a total of 157,195 votes, PDP carried the day in the federal capital territory, leaving the APC with 146,399. Ondo went to the APC with a total of 299,889 and PDP ,251,368. Osun, which is the only state where the opposition won in 2011, still went to the APC. The party had 383,603 ahead of PDP, which had 249,929. With 264,851, APC won in Kogi, a predominantly PDP state. PDP had 149,987 in the state. PDP had a field day in Ekiti, securing 176,466, while APC had a total of 120,331

Read more at: http://www.thecable.ng

Friday, 13 March 2015

David Luiz was considered a clown at Chelsea, but now who's laughing?

Despite being a figure of fun when he joined PSG
last summer, the Brazilian has rebuilt his career in
France and completed his redemption on Tuesday
on the biggest stage.
Jose Mourinho made no secret of his pleasure in
offloading David Luiz to Paris Saint-Germain last
summer. Yet the amiable Brazil international center
back returned to Stamford Bridge to haunt his
former boss on Wednesday.
With Chelsea on the brink of the Champions League
quarterfinals, the defender headed PSG level from a
late corner kick. Not only did this pave the way for
the French champion to secure a dramatic victory
on away goals after extra time, but it brought
personal redemption for Luiz after he was
humiliated by his former coach.
Asked in early August if Chelsea would miss the 27-
year-old, Mourinho told the press: “As a central
defender not at all.
“David did important things here, was always a
good professional and we will miss him as a good
guy. But from a football point of view, we believe
our squad is stronger this season than it was.”
In west London, the inimitable defender came to be
seen as little more than a jovial clown.
Bullet | David Luiz's powerful header was a shot in
the arm for PSG
Luiz answered his critics emphatically during both
legs of the last-16 encounter. Not only did he land a
telling blow on the London side’s qualification hopes,
he also coped admirably with the unique physical
and psychological task presented to him by the
brutish Diego Costa. It was the kind of defensive
display the Portuguese did not believe he was
capable of.
A first-half collision between the two men at
Stamford Bridge led to suggestions that Luiz had
thrown an elbow, and Mourinho’s post-match
quotes suggested that there is still bad blood
between the Chelsea boss and his former charge.
“They can do what is fair from the disciplinary point
of view and suspend David,” the Portuguese said. In
the same breath he indicated that Zlatan
Ibrahimovic, another of his former players, should
be given a reprieve for his controversial red card.
True to his character, Luiz was rather more
complimentary about his former employer after the
game, with television pictures showing him enjoying
some jovial words with the Chelsea ground staff
who offered their congratulations to him. Minutes
later, he publicly apologized to the Blues’ fans for
celebrating one of the most important goals of his
career.
Moving to PSG has been somewhat cathartic for the
center back.
Released from the shackles of Mourinho’s cynical
negativity, he has found himself playing for a team
that offers him more freedom to express himself.
When he takes on apparently needless risks at Parc
des Princes, there are cheers of delight from the
home support and no longer gasps of fear. He has
become a cult hero because of his audacity.
Immediately prior to the second leg of the Chelsea
tie, he played a key offensive role in the domestic
fixture against Lens. PSG lacked dynamism in the
first half save for the defender’s daring forays, and
he ultimately broke the deadlock with a fizzing free
kick that he had persuaded Ibrahimovic to leave to
him. It was his fourth goal of the season and set his
side up for a 4-1 victory.
Luiz now looks more capable of playing a more
disciplined role when the occasion asks for it in
Europe. At Chelsea there were times when he
looked like a dog straining on a leash, now he is
prepared to cut a more obedient figure.
Ibrahimovic has certainly been appreciative of his
new teammate. Speaking of PSG’s central defensive
combination following the Chelsea win he said:
“Thiago Silva and David Luiz are both world-class
players. I’m happy to have them with me.”
Of course, the specter of Brazil’s 7-1 World Cup
semifinal defeat by Germany, in which he endured
the worst game of his career, will follow him for the
rest of his life. And the very nature of his personality
means that there will always be an element of risk
attached to his presence on a football pitch. But this
has now been successfully tempered in France.
The 50 million euro fee PSG paid for his services
remains an absurd price, yet for Luiz, leaving
Mourinho red faced after Wednesday’s victory will
have been priceless. Considered a clown while at
Chelsea - now who is laughing?

Report: S’Africans providing technical assistance in Boko Haram fight

Report: S’Africans providing
technical assistance in Boko
Haram fight
 Mar 13, 2015  Our Correspondent  News  0
Nigeria’s senior military commanders have
described stories in major international media and
culled by local media reporting that Nigeria is
deploying hundreds of mercenaries against Boko
Haram terrorists as a joke taken too far.
The officers insisted the foreigners, who were
identified largely as South Africans, are technical
advisers that are providing trainings and
instructions on the use of new armaments recently
procured by the Nigerian military in the war on
terror.
Some top commanders, who spoke with PRNigeria
without wanting their identities disclosed, insisted
that the news is part of the propaganda to paint the
Nigerian military as incompetent to deal with the
insurgency by desperately ascribing recent spate of
successes to ‘others’ rather than the gallant troops’
efforts.
The source recalled that only recently, some news
agencies ascribed such successes to Cameroonian,
Nigerien and “battle hardened” Chadian forces but
when it became obvious that the forces of those
countries were mainly fighting along their own
border areas, blocking free movement of terrorists,
“it became necessary to look for others” who are
helping Nigerians to fight.
PRNigeria learnt that the foreigners spotted in
Maiduguri, Borno State and other areas close to the
theatre of wars are technical partners who are
helping to train Nigerian forces on how to operate
and maintain the recently acquired equipments,
which came from different sources.
The source further cited the particular example of
the maintenance technician, who died recently,
insisting that he was not even a combatant but a
professional in fixing armour vehicles.
President Goodluck Jonathan was recently quoted
in an interview with the Voice of America (VOA)
confirming that Nigeria has some trainers helping to
get troops well acquainted with the recently
acquired weaponry.
According to Jonathan: “We now have this technical
people who are trainers and technicians, who are to
train our people on how to use them, and
technicians that help the maintenance, at the same
time training our people how to maintain this
equipment.”
He added that two companies were involved in the
training.
The source recalled with regret the several years
that Nigeria wasted while negotiating and appealing
for equipment supply from the Western allies, which
were not only rebuffed but prevented other
countries under their direct influence from selling to
Nigeria.
“The fact that we have foreign experts outside the
United States helping to train our troops is not a
secret but it is not fair for them to embark on this
blackmail simply because we got assistance from
other places when they turned us down at a critical
period,” the source stated.
When contacted on the story that mercenaries are
fighting the battle for Nigeria, the Director Defence
Information, Major General Chris Olukolade said:
“Sorry, I don’t have anything about that claim. I just
know that Nigerian military and security forces are
putting in all their resources, training and
experience acquired over the years to address the
security challenges.
“Our neighbours operating under the auspices of
the Multinational Joint Task Force are also backing
our efforts from all our borders with them. We also
have some offer of training and intelligence
assistance from foreign countries. Some of these
arrangements even predate the present operations.”

Tuesday, 14 April 2015