13:12

 Filippo Inzaghi says AC Milan's fans have every right to be "fuming" over the club's current condition but is nonetheless pleading for patience from the Giuseppe Meazza faithful, and claims his side can will all 16 of the remaining Serie A fixtures. The Rossoneri dropped to 11th in the table last weekend after losing 3-1 to Italian champions Juventus in Turin, thus turning up the heat on their already under-fire coach.
However, Inzaghi has been buoyed by Milan's transfer dealings during the January transfer window, which resulted in the arrivals of Mattia Destro, Alessio Cerci and Salvatore Bocchetti, and feels that the San Siro side are capable of finishing the season with a flourish, starting with Sunday's home game against Empoli.
"We have to be fuming with our position in the league table, but you only come out of tough moments with work and desire," the former Italy international told reporters on Saturday.
"The fans have been very patient, but they know me and they know about the desire I possess to do well and so I will give my all.
"At the end of the 90 minutes we will be ready for the jeers or the applause if we deserve it. The criticism doesn’t worry me because I am strong enough to fight against everyone and everything.
"It’s not right to look at the league table at the moment, we need to play with some of the conviction that we showed in the last match. At the end of the year we will then see where we finish.
"If we give performances worthy of Milan, then we can win every one of the next 16 matches.
"I believe that with the new signings we have improved and there is everything in place to do well."
Inzaghi hinted that Destro, who has joined on loan from Roma until the end of the season, is likely to lead the line against Empoli, but Atletico Madrid loanee Cerci is only fit enough for a place on the bench.
"Mattia has an excellent attitude, he trains very well, he’s a smashing lad but I don’t want to load him with responsibilities that put excessive pressure on him," the Rossoneri coach added.
"Cerci was on the way to peak condition, but he has been out for a couple of days because of a minor knee problem. I can only use him for 30 minutes because he hasn’t trained much."

F

13:06

Pos		Team	P	W	D	L	GS	GA	+/-	Pts
1		Chelsea	25	18	5	2	55	21	+34	59
2		Manchester City	25	15	7	3	51	25	+26	52
3		Manchester United	25	13	8	4	43	24	+19	47
4		Southampton	25	14	4	7	38	17	+21	46
5		Arsenal	25	13	6	6	47	28	+19	45
6		Tottenham Hotspur	25	13	4	8	39	34	+5	43
7		Liverpool	25	12	6	7	36	29	+7	42
8		West Ham United	25	10	8	7	36	28	+8	38
9		Swansea City	25	9	7	9	28	33	-5	34
10		Stoke City	25	9	6	10	28	33	-5	33
11		Newcastle United	25	8	8	9	31	37	-6	32
12		Everton	25	6	9	10	31	35	-4	27
13		Crystal Palace	25	6	9	10	27	35	-8	27
14		West Bromwich Albion	25	6	8	11	24	34	-10	26
15		Sunderland	25	4	12	9	22	36	-14	24
16		Hull City	25	5	8	12	23	34	-11	23
17		Queens Park Rangers	25	6	4	15	26	43	-17	22
18		Aston Villa	25	5	7	13	12	34	-22	22
19		Burnley	25	4	9	12	24	43	-19	21
20		Leicester City	25	4	5	16	22	40	-18	17

12:59

The Super Eagles forward got his side’s curtain raiser as they caged the Falcons in a Turkish league game played on Saturday evening

Nigeria’s Emmanuel Emenike got Fenerbahçe first goal in their 5-0 defeat of hosts Gaziantepspor at the Kamil Ocak Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Emenike put the Yellow Canaries ahead with just seven minutes gone in the game after Dirk Kuyt provided him with an assist.
A second half brace from Moussa Sow and goals from Kuyt plus Emre Belozoglu ensured İsmail Kartal’s men got the maximum points.
With this win, Fenerbahçe sit atop the Turkish League summit with 46 points from 20 games and will host Akhisar Belediyespor on February 23.

12:57

RealMadrid boss Carlo Ancelotti insists that he is not in the least bit perturbed by Cristiano Ronaldo's three-game goal drought.

The Portugal international struck 28 times during his first 17 games of the Liga season but has not managed to find the back of the net since bagging a double in the 3-0 win at Getafe on January 18.

Ronaldo received a great deal of criticism after going ahead with his 30th birthday celebrations following last weekend's 4-0 humbling at the hands of city rivals Atletico Madrid and failed to silence his critics in Saturday's 2-0 win over Deportivo, with Isco and Karim Benzema instead inspiring Los Blancos to victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, Ancelotti sees no cause for concern, pointing out that Ronaldo played his part in Real's triumph with an assist for Benzema.

"Cristiano didn’t score but created danger throughout the match," he told reporters afterwards. "He assisted on a goal and didn't misplace passes.

"It wasn't an easy match. We had a complicated week but we won in the end. Our fans helped us."

Lucas Silva made his first appearance for Madrid following his January transfer from Corinthians. Ancelotti was pleased with what he saw from his new recruit during the Brazilian's 15-minute cameo and also found time to praise in-form attacking midfielder Isco.

"Lucas came on for Asier Illarramendi and had a good debut," the Italian coach added. "I think that he is ready to play as starter.

"Isco, meanwhile, is enjoying a very good moment and we should enjoy his performances."

Madrid's victory over Depor moves them four points clear of Barcelona at the top of the Primera Division, with the Catalans set to host Levante at Camp Nou on Sunday.

Source: Goal.com

12:51

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Saturday said that President Goodluck Jonathan may be working towards a controversial poll and possibly, exit from office, the same way former Ivorian president, Laurent Gbagbo, did in his country.
Mr. Obasanjo, who said this during an interview with journalists at his Presidential Hilltop residence in Abeokuta, advised Mr. Jonathan not to destroy his name for selfish reasons.
He also cautioned the President to do away with the phobia of the possibility of being dealt with by his successor after leaving office, and be weary of those surrounding him as the same set of people will deny him when the chips are down.
Speaking further in the interview which lasted for 45 minutes, the former President said the sudden postponement of general elections was uncalled for, stressing that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Attahiru Jega, was forced to do so.
“The observable and what would appear to be happening is that the president has a grand plan, a grand plan to ensure that by hook or by crook, he wins the election or if it all fails, they scuttle it and create chaos, confusion and unpleasantness in the whole country,” Mr. Obasanjo said.
“It is the duty and function and responsibility of the security officers to provide security. The President is the Chief Security of the country and he is the Commander-in-Chief and if security is required anywhere anytime, it is his duty to provide it, failure to provide it, is dereliction of duty, pure and simple.
“Either the President, following his own grand plan, or his aides and associates, are working a script. They are playing a script which must not got his endorsement if not initiated from him.
“It looks to me ithat the President is trying to playing Gbagbo. Gbagbo was the former President of Cote d’Ivoire and Gbagbo made sure he postponed the election in his country until he was sure he would win and then allowed the election to take place. He got an inconclusive election in the first ballot and I believe this is the sort of thing Nigeria may fall into if I am right in what I observed as the grand plan and then in the run-off, Gbagbo lost with 8 per cent behind Ouattara and then refused to hand over.
“All reasonable persuasion and pleading was rebuffed by him and he unleashed horror in that country until nemesis caught up with him. I believe that we may be seeing the repeat of Gbabgo or what I called Gbagbo saga here in Nigeria, I hope not,” Mr. Obasanjo emphasised.
On the excuse given by Security Chiefs that they cannot guarantee adequate security during election, Mr. Obasanjo said it was disappointing adding that the he thinks the military might have been forced to make that excuse.
“That’s what I said it was strange to me, it wasn’t the duty and responsibility of Security Chiefs and Service Chiefs to tell INEC, ‘we are not in the position to provide security for you’ because it is their job, when they have failed, they can as well go home. Their job is to maintain law and order and provide security and at any time, at any place, they said they cannot do it, they have failed.
“I want to believe that this was forced on them. I want to believe that, but whether it was forced on them or it was there initiative, it was bad, very bad. I hope we will never‎ have a bit performance of this in this country again because the unfortunate thing is this, it is over-exposing themselves or they are being over-exposed by whoever brought about that way of doing things and for me, a monumentous decision like that cannot be taken and implemented by Security Chiefs”.
“It was even made worst when the President in the media chat on the 11th of this month claimed not to have knowledge or not to have authorized it. I get worried, very worried that if the President of Nigeria is not in-charge of security, maintenance of law and order and such a decision can be taken behind him, assuming that is true, then the President must be reigning and not ruling and then who are the shadow figures that are ruling us? It means that one day we will find out this country would be plunged into chaos, into commotion, into confusion and the President would say, ‘I do not know about it’. Of course, the President can run but he cannot run past God”.
On speculation that Mr. Jonathan is afraid that he will not be re-elected, Mr. Obasanjo said he believes the President’s is not afraid of life after office.
“I believe the President’s concern of fear is not life out of office per se, because he and I have had occasions to talk about this, both seriously and jovially. ‎I believe the President would want an opportunity to disengage peacefully and have a nice, descent and a glorious exit”.
“I believe the President’s fear is particularly motivated by who he sees as his likely successor, that is General Buhari.
“I believe people would have been telling him that Buhari is a hard man, he would fight corruption and you may end up in jail if not in grave. I believe people must have told him all sort of things and he is not the only one, there are other people who may be afraid of Buhari, but why?”
“I don’t think the President is afraid of being out, there’s life after Aso Villa. It may depend of course, to a large extent how his exit takes place. Because out there in the International World, there’s so much need for the wisdom and experience of people who have done it before, they also want people who are creditable and credible,” Mr. Obasanjo said.
“Again and I appeal to President Jonathan again not to listen to those who are creating phobia – phobia of Buhari, phobia of enquiry and all that. President Jonathan has done well to the best of his ability and he has made history as the first elected Nigerian from a minority tribe and nobody can take that away from him. He can even make a second history, if it turns out that way, if he contests a fair, free and transparent election and if he loses to have a dignified descent and a dignified exit. He will be in the mountain top and he would be acclaimed as a true patriot and a true democrat, what stops him from doing this?”

12:44

 

Pandemonium broke out on Tuesday in Warri, Delta State when the Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on New Media, Mr. Reno Omokri and armed thugs working under his instructions allegedly burglerized a house in Bendel Estate, Warri. Early reports say the perpetrators carted away the sum of N25million naira for a pro-Jonathan's support group to buy votes for President Jonathan during the March 28, presidential election.
Impeccable sources who witnessed the incident, told SaharaReporters that Omokri had stormed the apartment in DPPA Housing Estate Warri with armed thugs and some mobile policemen who later fled the scene carrying a “Ghana must go bag” filled with the N25 million naira.
SaharaReporters learned that the property in question belongs to Omokri’s late mother, who is already the subject of litigation after his bid to forcefully evict the occupants from the building.
Omokri and the occupants of the building, the Oyoros, have been engaged in a legal battle over the building which has been leased to Oyoro's wife, Fina Maiki by Omokri's late mother. Fina Maiki was friend to Omokri’s late mother, who passed while the lease agreement was in force.
“Omokri and his armed thugs who arrived the compound in commando like style, shooting sporadically into the air, ransacked the apartment, and stashed the money in a ‘Ghana must go bag’ which they also stole from the apartment. They were well armed and they gained access to the compound after cutting the padlock gate and climbing onto the roof. The perpetrators are said to have left a note behind with the inscription: "eviction notice" bearing Omokri's name, which they had wanted to paste on the wall of the building.
“A similar incident happened in 2014 when the estranged Omokri had, after a court proceeding on the case instituted by him, mobilized some people to the premises and boldly painted on the fence the inscription: “This house belongs to Bemigho Omokri, Fina Oyoro is being evicted at Customary Court in case No 561/2012 even when the court was yet to decide on the matter. Omokri is using the presidency to intimidate everybody,” the source stated.
According to a source the building, which is located at plot 17, 19 street, of DDPA Housing Estate, Ugborikoko-Effurun, opposite the Warri residence of former governor of the state, Chief James Ibori was abandoned for four years. It was in a dilapidated condition prior to the lease agreement, but was given extensive renovation by the Oyoros after the lease agreement they had with late mother of Omokri, Ms Helen Igbene who then resided in Enugu state.
Narrating the incident to SaharaReporters, the occupant of the burglarized apartment and former PDP Ughelli North/Udu Federal Constituency Aspirant, Prince Alex Oyoro, confirmed the story, saying he was away in Abuja when he received a call that armed men led by Reno Omokri unlawfully and illegally invaded and burgled his home.
“Omokri for a long time now has been harassing, threatening, and intimidating my family with the presidency over the disputed property which no court of competent jurisdiction had adjudicated on. My wife called me, saying that some armed thugs have invaded my house and that they came with hammer, cutters, ladders and other items. About six of them wore police uniforms and the others on mufti and they came with three cars. They broke the gate, some flew the fence about 8: am and try to force their way into the house.
“When they couldn’t, they used the ladder to climb through the ceiling and started ransacking the house, for what I don’t know. They saw a “Ghana must go” bag containing N24million and carried it. The money belong to South-South Mandate, and I was to deposit the money the follow day when I return from Abuja but it appears they calculated I was not in town and that was when they stormed my house. As soon as they got the bag they fled but unfortunately for them they left vital information which contains the name of Reno Bemigho Omokri who happened to be the Special Assistant to the President on New Media.
“Before now, this Omokri have been harassing me, claiming that he is the owner of the house and that I should leave the house. Before now he had also taken me to court on the same issue and the matter is still pending in court but he has been trying to get justice through the back door. I don’t know why a man who claim he is working for the President should use the seat of the president to intimidate law abiding Nigerians during this electioneer time.
“I believe the attack was political because if it was a landlord and tenant issues, they could have just pasted the purported eviction notice which ordinarily goes with court judgment, but in this case it was not so, they invaded the house, ransacked it and stole from it while shooting sporadically in the name of eviction. So I believe it was political because Reno Omokri, we know his antecedent. He was an aide to Atiku Abubakar and it was through him that they planted him in the presidency again. So if he is working from the opposition and he is a mole in the presidency this incident would reveal it.” Oyoro stated.
Continuing, Oyoro who is a coordinator of Jonathan/Sambo support group, South-South Mandate, called on the police to investigate the matter and ensure that those who invaded his house and stole from it were brought to book.
“If Omokri is hiding under the umbrella of the presidency to commit crime-the world would know because this is injustice. The trauma we have passed through would not be left to go let that. We have been sleeping in this roofless house like for three days now- it is unfair, injustice and oppression of the higher day and I pray the law must take its course.
“I am also crying to the civil society organization to stand by me on this because this is oppression in high places, I have not done anything wrong to Omokri. I was not the one who took him to court, he did and the courts are yet to decide so where have I gone wrong that Omokri is after our lives?” Oyoro said.

Source:sahara

 

12:21

Gombe State government on Saturday declared a 24-hour curfew on the state capital and surrounding areas after a failed attempt by the deadly Boko Haram sect to capture Gombe metropolis.
The military engaged the sect in a fierce battle that lasted over three hours before the capital could be secured.
The imposition of the curfew was contained in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Sule Bage.

12:15

Independent National Electoral Commission National Commissioner, Hajia Amina Zakari, has reiterated the commission’s determination to announce the presidential and governorship elections results within 48 hours after voting.

She spoke on Saturday in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, during a public sensitisation and practical demonstration of accreditation and election processes.

Zakari said that the demonstration was to enable the commission to make amendments in areas of difficulty.

According to her, the demonstration will also enable electoral officers to be familiar with the process of accreditation and smooth election.

She appealed to registered voters to ensure they were in queue on time for accreditation, assuring them that collation of votes would be done properly after voting.

She said that the new modifications for the 2015 general elections would ensure free, transparent and fair elections.

Zakari said changes in the date of the election had enabled the commission to perfect the process.

“The commission would treat observations and ensure smooth conduct of the election proper and to avoid hitches and criticisms,” she said.

She also promised that adequate security would be provided at all stages of the elections.

According to her, the working relationship between INEC and security agencies is cordial.

12:15

The governments of China and Botswana on Friday signed an agreement of sending the 14th Chinese medical team to Botswana.
Chinese Ambassador to Botswana Zheng Zhuqiang and Botswana’s Minister of Health Dorcas Makgato-Malesu signed the agreement in Gaborone, capital of Botswana.
According to the agreement, the 14th medical team will have 46 members including 30 doctors, 10 nurses and 6 staff.
Makgato-Malesu thanked Chinese government’s assistance in Botswana’s health development since the first medical team was sent in 1981.
She said because of China’s support, Botswana has seen great development in providing health services to locals.
Besides sending professional medical members, Chinese government also donated health equipment and gave supports on human resources training.
Zheng Zhuqiang said health area has long been one of the top priorities in China’s assistance to Botswana. Alongside sending medical teams, China is also exploring possibility of sending short-term medical experts to Botswana. and China is willing to join hands with Botswana to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in various areas including health sector.
The first Chinese medical team started work in Botswana in 1981 with 13 members, while the number has increased to the current 46. Up to now 13 Chinese medical teams and 373 team members have served in Botswana.

12:13

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan appealed for more US help in fighting Boko Haram, as the Islamists struck again on Saturday and called for a boycott of upcoming general elections.

Jonathan, for the first time, claimed direct links between the Sunni radicals who have been waging a six-year insurgency in Nigeria and the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

He told the Wall Street Journal in an interview: “Are they (the United States) not fighting ISIS? Why can’t they come to Nigeria?

“They are our friends. If Nigeria has a problem, then I expect the US to come and assist us.”

But Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said there are no plans to send US troops to Nigeria.

“I can tell you that there are no plans as I speak here to send unilaterally, to send or to add US troops into Nigeria. There are no US troops operating in Nigeria,” he told reporters.

Kirby said the United States was in the early phases of helping establish a multi-national task force of African nations to help Nigeria defeat Boko Haram.

Jonathan’s comments were published as hundreds of Islamist fighters invaded the northeastern city of Gombe, firing heavy guns and throwing leaflets calling for locals to shun the elections.

The attack, which began at about 9:00 am (0800 GMT), saw residents flee and the authorities impose a 24-hour lock-down in the city, which Boko Haram has repeatedly targeted.

Boko Haram has opened up two new fronts in its campaign to create a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria, pushing into neighbouring Niger last week and for the first time on Friday, Chad.

It has also increased the frequency and intensity of its attacks on northern Cameroon. The increasing regional threat has led to the deployment of troops from all three countries, reflecting security fears.

Jonathan and his government have long sought to portray, the insurgency as being fuelled by outside forces and he has previously called Boko Haram “Al-Qaeda in west Africa”.

Critics have interpreted his attempt to blame foreigners for the violence that has left more than 13,000 dead and displaced more than one million since 2009 as a diversion from national failings.

Boko Haram, which loosely translates from the Hausa language widely spoken in northern Nigeria as “Western education is forbidden”, started out in 2002 as a largely peaceful Islamist movement.

But it has been transformed in the last six years from a rag-tag group of guerrilla fighters into a conventional army, seizing territory and dozens of towns in three northeast Nigerian states.

The group has generally not been thought to have any direct operational links with overseas jihadis, although some fighters may have received training from Al-Qaeda-linked militants in north Africa.

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has previously mentioned IS group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in videos but has not pledged allegiance to the outfit.

The Nigerian group’s tactics of extreme violence and mass casualty hit-and-run raids, bombings and suicide attacks also predated those carried out by the IS group.

But Jonathan told the US newspaper that Nigeria had intelligence reports that Boko Haram was receiving “training and funds” from IS militants.

Any direct US military intervention would constitute a marked shift in Nigeria’s attitude towards the conflict. It has repeatedly insisted that it can take on the militants alone.

The United States has provided surveillance and intelligence specialists, as well as aerial drones, to help in the high-profile hunt for 219 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram last April.

But bilateral ties have since been fraught over Washington’s refusal to provide military hardware because of concerns about human rights abuses in the Nigerian army.

The latest attack in Gombe, south of Boko Haram’s centre of operations, coincided with the original date for presidential elections, at which Jonathan is seeking a second four-year term.

The vote was postponed last Saturday after the electoral commission was advised that regional forces needed more time to tackle the insurgents and would not be able to provide security on polling day.

But the six-week deadline to effectively secure and stabilise the northeast and allow hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the violence to vote has been seen as unrealistic.

Jonathan on Friday maintained that postponing the elections until March 28 would give the security agencies time to “clean up” the three states worst hit by the insurgency for voting to take place.

12:12

Following assurances by the Federal Government that it would battle the Boko Haram insurgency to a standstill in six weeks, the #BringBackOurGirls coalition on Saturday in Abuja launched a six-week countdown to the rescue of the 219 Chibok school girls in Boko Haram captivity and an end to terrorism in the country.

The group said the launch date marked 10 months since the abduction of 276 Chibok girls from their school dormitory by the terrorist group.

The BBOG spokesman, Rotimi Olawale, in a statement said the movement has, over the past months, sustained its advocacy, including daily sit-outs in Abuja and regular sit-outs in Lagos and Ibadan as well as several other protests held across the world.

It noted that assurances by the FG that the girls would be rescued alive very soon and reports in the media that some of the girls were sighted as recent as November last year, offers a ray of hope that if urgent actions were taken, the girls would be rescued alive.

The group insisted that it would continue to pursue its singular purpose of ensuring the safe returns of the chibok girls and all other abducted Nigerians by the deadly sect.

According to the BBOG, the countdown will help them monitor the activities of the multinational forces toward the eradication of the insurgents and the rescue of the Chibok girls from their captors.

12:12

 Stunning Presenter Stephanie Coker covers the 77th issue of Exquisite Magazine features. The presenter of popular youth video request show 'Street Request at MTV Africa and her new show Hook me up Steph, is in love, loving life and in control of her life.
Other interesting editorials in this issue includes  a new column etiquette finesse with Janet and Manspective, which talks about "what he thinks of your number"

This is a must have issue.

05:46

A former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo has said Gen. Muhammadu Buhari will perform better than President Jonathan if given the power to rule. Obasanjo made this statement during an interview with the Financial Times at the launch of his autobiography titled My Watch in Nairobi, Kenya.

“The circumstances he (Buhari) will be working under if he wins the elections are different from the one he worked under before, where he was both the executive and the legislature – he knows that. He is smart enough. He is educated enough. He’s experienced enough. Why shouldn’t I support him?,” he said.

He went further saying he was confident that the General would be able to effectively tackle insecurity and corruption.


On fighting against Boko Haram, Obasanjo believes Buhari will be the best candidate for that. He went further on saying.  President Jonathan betrayed the armed forces by allowing corruption to undermine their operations.

“It is a question of leadership – political and military. I think you need to ask Jonathan how he let the army get to this extent. Many things went wrong: recruitment went wrong; training went wrong; morale went down; motivation was not there; corruption was deeply ingrained; and welfare was bad,” he said.

He also added that it saddens him the rate at which the nation’s resources were dwindling. He said when he left office, Nigeria had $45bn in its reserve but the resources had been depleted by more than half despite the increase in oil prices.

05:11

South Africa’s parliament descended into chaos as
opposition members of parliament were removed by
force after disrupting President Jacob Zuma’s annual
address, an unprecedented sign of discontent at his
administration.
The president’s first State of the Nation speech since
his re-election last May had been billed as an
opportunity to highlight the achievements of the ruling
African National Congress (ANC) and its plans for the
year ahead.
But he received a hostile reception from MPs from the
leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led by former
ANC youth leader Julius Malema, who started to
challenge him about corruption allegations.
Zuma had barely begun speaking on Thursday when EFF
members began interrupting, demanding to ask the
president about when he would repay part of a $23m
state-funded security upgrade of his rural home.
A clearly angry Speaker, Baleka Mbete, warned several
EFF members to sit down before ordering that they be
removed by security officers, prompting a brief brawl
in which several people were injured, witnesses said.
“We have seen that we are part of a police state,”
Malema, whose T-shirt was torn in the fracas, told
reporters after being bundled out of parliament.
MPs from the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA)
also left the chamber.
Zuma then delivered his speech to claps and cheers of
support from ANC politicians as he highlighted the
strides South Africa has made since the end of white-
minority rule two decades ago.

23:29

A former Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi,
has said that some soldiers are ready to testify in
support of the leaked audio file on how chieftains of
the Peoples Democratic Party connived with the military
to rig the June 21, 2014 governorship election in
Ekiti.
The audio file released by Sahara Reporters, an
online medium, detailed how the then PDP candidate,
now Governor Ayodele Fayose; former Minister of
State for Defence, Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro; Senator
Iyiola Omisore; Minister of Police Affairs, Mr. Jelili
Adesiyan and the military allegedly rigged the poll.
Fayemi, who spoke on a live programme, “APC Change
Hour”, on an Akure, Ondo State-based Adaba 88.9
FM , monitored in Ado Ekiti on Thursday said the
postponement of the 2015 general elections was not
about security but about a secret plot to rig the
polls.
He said, “We are taking every step to ensure this
does not go unpunished. There are many soldiers
willing to testify.
“There are many Captain Sagir Kolis who are willing to
give evidence in the court of law. I am just appealing
to all Nigerians to be patient as events unfold.”
He said the All Progressives Congress would resist
militarisation of the election based on a judgment of a
Federal High Court, Sokoto, which ruled against the
use of soldiers for electoral duties.
“We in the APC will not allow the use of the military
to oversee the conduct of the elections because we
know and we are aware that they have sown fake police
uniforms, they have sown fake army uniforms but we
will not allow them,” he said.
On his defeat in the June election in Ekiti, Fayemi said
the APC that had three senators, six members of the
House of Representatives, 25 House of Assembly
members, council chairmen and councillors could not
lose so scandalously, saying “the latest revelations
had proved the fact that the poll was rigged.”
He said, “Fayose is a desperate man, he is more
desperate than (President Goodluck) Jonathan. He is
one of the apostles of interim government. Gen.
Momoh is a victim; he wants promotion.
“He believes that all his atrocities will come to hunt
him; the judges that were beaten, the legislature that
was sacked and the civil servants that were harassed.
“They are now using the military to rig elections and
Nigerians must be vigilant. It is when the situation
cannot be handled by the police that you call in the
military.
“If you hear what Captain Koli said, he said they were
given instructions (to rig Ekiti polls). Chris Uba, who
is not a military officer, was giving order to military
officers.
“It was soldiers that drove vehicles that conveyed PDP
members to arrest APC members. Our members were
arrested and they were not released until the election
was over.”
On why he conceded victory a day after the poll,
Fayemi said there was a “grand plan” from Abuja to kill
as much people as possible after the election should
there be any demonstration or protest against the
result.
Speaking on alleged plot to remove the Independent
National Electoral Commission’s chairman, Prof.
Attahiru Jega, Fayemi urged Nigerians to hold Jonathan
by his words that Jega would not be removed.
The former governor also urged Nigerians to use their
votes to flush out what he called “an incompetent
government” during this year’s general elections,
saying Nigerians needed to be vigilant in the days
ahead to ensure that nobody tampered with their
votes.

23:23

The new Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone
2, Joseph Mbu, has warned that his men will arrest
any governor or politician with unruly attitude during
the forthcoming elections.
Mbu said this on Thursday in Abeokuta, Ogun State,
during his official visit to the Ogun State police
command headquarters, Eleweran.
He ordered the men of the command, who would be on
electoral duty, to arrest promptly anyone caught with
arms near the voting centres.
He said, “I am here to encourage, support and advice
you because we have a critical part to play in the
forthcoming elections.
“Our actions and activities will go a long way to
decide on this election, so, I have come to tell you
that we must remain impartial in ensuring free, fair,
peaceful and violent-free polls.
“As far as the law is concerned, we are not going to
respect anybody and whoever is coming to the booth
should vote and leave peacefully.
“Anyone who comes there to campaign even if it is the
chief executive of the state, a constable at that
polling booth would stop him.”
Mbu, who debunked the notion that he was sent to the
zone to do an hatchet job in the forthcoming
elections, said he had been commissioner in Oyo, Ekiti
and Rivers states as well as in the Federal Capital
Territory. He said his current posting as the Assistant
Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 7, was
not in any way different from his previous assignments.
He said, “I am here to make sure everywhere is calm; I
am not here at Zone 2 only for elections. The Zone
2 must not just fail during the elections. I am here to
make sure everything goes on peacefully, but the
police will arrest anybody that commits any electoral
offences.
“Anybody found with arms would be arrested by the
police and anyone that cannot be arrested; we will
recover the arms by force.
“No politician or any of their followers must shoot at
any policeman; if you shoot at any policeman, my
policemen would shoot back in self defence.
“Our duty is to make sure that the elections are
conducted freely, fairly and peacefully and violence-
free. There must be a code of conduct that you have
to uphold to make sure that we actualise our goals.”

23:21

The main market in Biu, the largest town in the
southern part of troubled Borno State, was attacked
on Thursday with a bomb detonated by a female
member of the terrorist group, Boko Haram.
The blast led to the death of five persons, including
the female bomber who was believed to belong to the
terror group that planted the bomb at the market.
The incident also left 10 other persons injured and
caused panic in the town, which witnessed such an
incidence for the first time.
According to one of the traders who claimed to have
witnessed the incidence, Ibrahim Shaffa, the female
suicide bomber was caught trying to set up the
explosive device very close to the market at about
3.30pm on Thursday.
He said, “The youth and traders around the area, who
are not aware of what the woman was trying to do
only accosted her and told her to carry what she
dropped. It was during the argument that the explosive
device detonated and killed five persons, including the
woman.”
Shaffa added that 10 other persons were injured in
the explosion, stressing that they had been taken to
the Biu General Hospital for treatment.
He revealed that security agents visited the market
almost immediately after the explosion to ascertain the
level of destruction.
“They have restored normalcy to the area and the
initially apprehensive traders have started going about
their normal activities again,” he said.
A medical doctor at the hospital, who spoke
anonymously to one of our correspondents, confirmed
that 10 persons were brought to the hospital with
varying degrees of injury.
He said, “I cannot however confirm the number of
those that died in the incidence as they were not
brought here, but I learnt that they were five, including
the woman who was trying to plant the bomb.”
Attempts to get the Public Relations Officer of police
in the state, Gideon Jibrin to comment on the blast,
were unsuccessful as calls put through to his mobile
telephone did not go through.
Meanwhile, the Nigerien Army on Thursday said that its
soldiers had killed 260 Boko Haram fighters between
February 6 and February 13.
The spokesperson for the Nigerien Military, Col.
Moustapha Ledru, who disclosed this on Thursday,
added that troops also arrested some fighters of the
sect and seized some of their weapons. He did not
give details of how many of the fighters were arrested
and the quantum of weapons seized.
Niger had launched attacks on Boko Haram after the
sect’s fighters attacked some villages in the Diffa
region of the country late last month.
Ledru was quoted by some online publications to have
said that the cross-border attacks would continue until
the Boko Haram fighters were defeated. He urged
Nigeriens living in border towns with Nigeria not to
panic, adding that the military had taken steps to
establish peace and secure the people.
In a related development, the Federal Government on
Thursday raised the alarm that the Boko Haram sect
may have started recruiting and training new recruits.
The Coordinator of the National Information Centre on
the War against Terrorism, Mr. Mike Omeri, raised the
alarm at a press briefing in Abuja, citing intelligence
reports.
Omeri said, “In the general effort to contain acts of
insurgency in the North-East and secure the entire
area for the forthcoming general elections, the centre
wishes to alert the general public on very recent
intelligence reports which indicate a considerable
movement of Boko Haram recruits from such locations
as Geidam, Mairi and Dupcha (all in Borno State) to
training camps within the general area.
“Previous major attacks by insurgents, including the
siege to Bama and Monguno military bases, were
preceded by such massing up of fighters in training
camps within the proposed targets.
“This recent development which points to the same
direction has also been alluded to by the Boko Haram
group in its recent boast about having a 30,000 to
50,000-strong force to disrupt elections in
Maiduguri.”
Omeri, however, assured that the Nigerian military
forces had fully mobilised and deployed against the
insurgents whom he claimed were being chased and
roundly subdued.

23:20