Akwa Ibom Police Arrest 400 Suspected Thug

On Friday February 15th Akwa Ibom State police in the early hours arrested 400 suspected thugs in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital. The suspects were arrested in their hideout in Ewet Housing Estate.
While reacting to the incident, Jeremiah Dogo, a Police Inspector, said the “arrest was made possible by the deployment of extra policemen to the state by the Inspector General of Police (IGP).”

Inspector Dogo said the suspects confessed that they were brought in from Bayelsa and Rivers states by PDP chieftains to help rig the general elections.
Reports has it that the hideout where the thugs were nabbed is believed to be owned by a PDP chieftain in the state.
The suspects are mostly indigenes of the two states. Heavy guns and ammunition were recovered from them.
Police say they have received reports of the various hideouts of the thugs and cultists that have come into the state in the last few days.
“We will make life unbearable for them,” a source in the state police command said.
The APC in the state has hailed the police for the arrest.
The APC said the arrest has brought to fore the alleged statement by the director-general of the state governor’s campaign council, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (rtd), that Governor Udom Emmanuel should prepare for war if he wanted to win the upcoming election.
The party also quoted the speaker of the state house of assembly, Onofiok Luke and Senator Bassey Albert as allegedly saying a few months ago that they would do everything possible to ensure the victory of the PDP in the general elections.
The Publicity Secretary of the PDP in the state, Comrade Iniobong Ememobong, said he was not aware of the arrest of any group of persons said to be working for the party.
But the State Commissioner of police, Mr. Bashir Makama, who confirmed the arrests, said the police was still investigating the matter to find out if the suspects were PDP or APC thugs.
Makama said the police acted on intelligence report, hence carried out raids on suspected black spots in Uyo and its environs to forestall any breakdown of law and order during today’s residential election.
The Commissioner of Police, who was also silent on the number of suspects arrested in the sting operation, also said he was not aware of any vehicle caught with money in it.

Basketball Africa League To Launch In 2020

The National Basketball Association and the International Basketball Federation are to launch a professional league in Africa in January 2020.

The Basketball Africa League (BAL) will feature 12 teams from at least six African countries.

Fiba Africa’s executive director, Alphonse Bile, said the league will help players compete in the “best possible environment”.
Charlotte Hornets’ Bismack Biyombo is one of 13 African players in the NBA.
Bile said: “The implementation of this league is vital to our young up-and-coming players in Africa as it gives them something to take aim at.”
Fiba secretary general Andreas Zagklis added: “It’s a huge joy to see our partnership with the NBA enter unchartered territory as we work together for the first time to maximise the potential of professional basketball in Africa.”
Former US president Barack Obama has backed the plans, while NBA legend Michael Jordan, who is now the Charlotte Hornets chairman, was at the launch event in North Carolina.
Former US president Barack Obama tweeted his support for the new league
How will the league work?
The NBA and Fiba will conduct qualification tournaments to identify which teams from several African countries, including Angola, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia, can compete in the league.
No more than two teams from the same country will be eligible to play in the league.
The NBA has seen 80 current and former players from Africa or with family links to the continent compete, including Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon from Nigeria and Dikembe Mutombo from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Paul Enenche Speaks On Election Shift, Tells Nigerians What To Do

The Senior Pastor of Dunamis International Gospel Centre, Paul Enenche, has urged Nigerians to remain calm, following the postponement of Saturday’s elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Enenche urged Nigerians to turn out en-masse and perform their civic responsibilities during the rescheduled elections.

The clergy man, who made the appeal during service at the Glory Dome, on Sunday was reacting to the several reactions that trailed the postponement of the Saturday’s elections.
Enenche, while urging Nigerians not to be too angry with INEC, stressed that no institution and group of people will deliberately agree to disgrace a whole nation before the world.
He said: “We have had several reactions from several quarters and I won’t say anything about the reactions but I want to appeal to us all that this coming Saturday which the election has been shifted to, we should go out and vote, don’t be tired.
“People travelled to places for this election and they have to return, please anywhere you can get money do and travel back.
“Nigeria is at a very strategic junction, the destiny of the nation is at stake. We believe the Bible and it says all things woks together for good so I believe the moment of election is meant for good to them that loves God.
“Do you remember when I said there will be many dramas and we are at the tail end of these dramas but listen to this we don’t know the details but Jehovah knows. We do what we can and leave what we can’t. It’s our duty to go out again and do what we need to do. We vote conscience, what we can defend before God, fear nothing, don’t say your vote will not count go and do it and let God make it count, God is on how side in this election and the victory is assured.
“Don’t be tired hit the road again and discharge your civic responsibility, do what you are meant to do and God will do what only him can do.
“Don’t be too angry with INEC, I can see everything turning around. I don’t think anybody or institution will deliberately decide to disappoint the whole few hours to voting, I don’t think anybody would agree to bring the whole nation to shame before the whole world. Every time you see the rat out of the hole in the day time you know something is up so don’t over curse INEC just calm down and let us do what is expected of us and God will do his way.”

Man Fights PHCN Official With Machete Over Light Disconnection In Lagos (Photos)

 
A staff of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) was assaulted and beaten with a machete while trying to disconnect light in an area in Lagos.
In a video which has gone viral on Facebook, the man and the IKEDC official can be seen engaging in a serious fight before the resident rushed to his house to get a machete.

Despite being begged by residents to stop the fight, the young man descended on the official with the weapon.
This is coming after some family members were filmed fighting IKEDC officials over disconnection of their light at Ikeja, Lagos state, last month.

Ajimobi Urges Nigerians To Accept INEC’s Reasons For Election Postponement

Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has urged Nigerians to give INEC the benefit of the doubt by accepting the reasons it gave for postponing Saturday’s election.
The Governor’s Special Adviser on Communications and Strategy, Mr Bolaji Tunji made this known in a statement made available to newsmen in Ibadan on Saturday.



Ajimobi advised against speculations and spreading fake news capable of igniting crisis in the country, calling for sober reflection among the players to ensure the sanctity of the electoral process.
“Having come this far in the country’s democratic experience, no sacrifice should be too much for individuals and institutions to pay to protect the sanctity of democracy as an all-inclusive and best form of government.
“Painful as the last minute decision taken by INEC is, I appeal to Nigerians to give the commission the benefit of the doubt by accepting the reasons they have enumerated as valid and genuine.
“I have no doubt in my mind that the INEC Chairman has his integrity at stake and would not dabble into anything that would rubbish his many years of meritorious service in the public service.
“Instead of needless hysteria and blame games, this unfortunate development should be an opportunity for key players in the election process to go on sober reflection on how good governance could be further enshrined in the country,” he said.
The governor admonished INEC to ensure that the new dates remained sacrosanct so that the confidence reposed in them by Nigerians who believed that they have the best of intention will not be eroded.
The governor called on the leaders and followers of the party to remain calm.

APC vs PDP: ‘Jega consulted with stakeholders before shifting election under Jonathan – Secondus

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Uche Secondus, has frowned at the comparison of the 2015 and 2019 election postponement by the Buhari government and those loyal to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

DAILY POST reports that in reaction to shift in dates of the 2019 general elections, APC members and supporters are insisting that a similar situation occurred four years ago under the Goodluck Jonathan-led PDP government.

On Saturday morning, Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, said the postponement was not the first and that it would the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) embark on adequate preparations ahead of the rescheduled dates.

In a statement made available to DAILY POST through his spokesman, Ike Abonyi, Secondus said: “The spine doctors chose to be economical with truth by not presenting the correct situation but instead chose to mislead our international friends and gullible public with their lies.

“The 2015 postponement was done days to the Elections and Nigerians and international observers were not yet mobilized for it, unlike the 2019 that was four hours to the election time when all Nigerians and local and international election observers were mobilized to the constituencies.

“Also in 2015, the reasons adduced for the postponement was security which the security chiefs defended by listing the dangerous areas but even at that the INEC then through their Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega declared their readiness but was only bowing to security advisories.

“For records, and for the benefit of international observers, in 2015 the then INEC Chairman Prof Jega announced the postponement on February 8 for the election that was scheduled for February 14, 2015 exactly one week away.

“The National Chairman’s call for Prof. Yakubu’s resignation is a standard practice all over the World that somebody who fails to deliver in such highly sensitive assignment should give way to another person since he is not the only person in the commission

“After all, the INEC boss was assuring the World as at Friday afternoon that the commission was ready for the February 16 poll even when he knew as a fact that the commission was having logistics challenges in the delivery of materials and he never consulted any stakeholder on it”

Secondus said that in 2015 Prof Jega consulted with various stakeholders including civil society groups and political parties before rescheduling the date.

“The National Chairman was therefore right that Prof Yakubu is liable and an accomplice in this APC grand conspiracy to undermine the nation’s democracy by creating confusion among the electorates,” the statement concluded.

Source:- post NG

“Amaechi Once Asked Me To Bomb INEC Office” – Senator Magnus Abe

The lawmaker representing Rivers South-East Senatorial district, Magnus Abe, on Friday claimed that the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi once asked him to bomb the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
He said this while rubbisshing Amaechi’s claim that he was working with the State Governor, Nyesom Wike against the interest of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

In a statement he signed, Abe, who is a factional governorship candidate of the APC in the state said: “I have received several calls this morning that the the Minister of Transportation Rt Hon Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi was on air this morning alleging that I am being used by Gov Wike to destabilise the APC in Rivers state.
“It’s unfortunate that the only time we met, at the office of the national chairman of the APC to try to find some working solution to crisis in the party, the Hon Minister of Transportation, Rt Hon Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, spent over two hour abusing me, and calling me names.
“He did not mention Rivers state or the APC once in the course of his entire diatribe. The national chairman could not call him to order or remind him of the purpose for the meeting that day. Instead the party was bullied into participating in an illegality.
“Today, rather than discuss how we can come together despite our differences to mobilise Rivers people to vote for our party and our President, Minister Amaechi was busy telling Rivers people that I am being used by Governor Wike.
“Amaechi as governor worked with me and he is aware that several times he ordered me to do things that I considered wrong, or incompatible with my principles, I not only refused to carry out such orders but I always told him to his face that I would not do them and I never did.
“When he ordered me to go arrange to bomb the INEC office in Port -Harcourt after the 2015 elections. I told him to his face that I cannot be part of any action that would involve violence and death because of politics, when he ordered the attacks on GDI at the time Governor Wike started GDI in Rivers state, Gokana was the first local Government in Rivers state that disobeyed that order, even though there were those hell bent on carrying out his orders in Gokana at time.
“So Minister Amaechi knows from personal experience that I cannot be used by anybody to do something I do not believe in. His refusal as a leader to accept responsibility for his actions is the reason the party is in this state. The bulk of the fight against Wike in 2015 was in my senatorial district, I led the fight in person from the front even in the face of clear personal danger. It is unfortunate that rather than face the real issues the Minister has continued to engage in name calling, inciting violence, and abusing those that can help to find solutions.”