Whether you're looking forward to your next straightforward upgrade or thinking of jumping ship to a different manufacturer I'll summarise what's coming when and whether it's worth getting excited about. We've gone with the flagship handsets here, as those generally attract the most attention before release and we've stuck to the big guns too, rather than include niche or unusual designs that will probably never see the light of day (we're looking at you Project Ara). This list will be updated regularly as we get more information about exciting releases, although we'll cover most of the handsets here in more depth in their own individual rumours articles - look out for the links in the copy below.

Huawei P9 - April

Huawei is steadily upping its game and has big ambitions to become one of the world's biggest smartphone producers. Not only that, it wants to thrust its flagship handset into the limelight and have it compete against the Galaxy S7 and iPhone 7. With last year'sHuawei P8 we found that the phone was exceptionally well made and looked fantastic, but the battery life and speed let it down a little compared with the competition. If Huawei can fix these two issues for the P9, then it stands a good chance of producing one of the year's most desirable Android phones.

Things are certainly looking good, with recent leaks suggesting that the company is developing its own Kirin 950 SoC. According to leaked benchmarks, reported on byWCCFTech, the Kirin 950 looks like it's going to be a lot faster than the incredibly quick Exynos 7420, Samsung's current flagship SoC. That's not all, either. The P9 is also set to have 6GB of RAM, a Full HD 5.2in display and a 16-megapixel resolution. While some rumours said that the phone would appear at CES 2016, that date has come and gone. More realistically, we'll have to wait until April, one year after the P8 launched, to see the new phone. I'm certainly excited and a bit more high-end competition has got to be a good thing all-round.

Samsung Galaxy S7 - March/April

Samsung's handset plan for 2016 is as predictable as Apple's. The Samsung Galaxy S7 will follow the current Galaxy S6 as night follows day. The timing of the announcement might be edged forward a little in the year but I can't see the phone being available much before March even then and I wouldn't be surprised if it came out in April as usual.

With the move from plastic to a metal chassis handset in 2015, I'm not expecting another radical redesign this year. A bigger question is whether Samsung will continue to produce standard and curved screen variants of its flagship handset. Personally, I'd like to see the current design tweaked to make it less slippery, as it's very hard to get a grip on at present.

There's also talk of a 4K display, but given that there's no support for such resolutions in Android at present, which caused problems for us in the 4K Xperia Z5 Premium, I can't see that happening quite yet. Other rumours point to a return to a Snapdragon chipset, at least in some regions, as Samsung again confuses us with multiple iterations of the same handset 

Digsby

IM, Email, and Social Networks in one easy to use application!

http://kvors.com/click/?s=88377&c=89569&subid=21039

iPhone 7 - September

Apple will undoubtedly continue its usual tick-tock strategy of handset releases. 2014 gave us a the iPhone 6, 2015 brought the updated iPhone 6S and so 2016 will provide a whole new hardware design in the form of the iPhone 7. I'd be amazed if the new phone wasn't called that (although I suppose iPhone Air is a possibility) and it will certainly be launched in late September, as in previous years.

Not much is known about the new design yet, but some rumours are circulating. There's much talk of the phone getting rid of the headphone jack, using Lightning port and wireless headsets instead. This could, in turn, allow the phone to become slimmer still, although battery life could be a concern. There's also talk of a camera with multiple sensors to improve image quality and focus speeds.

Digsby

IM, Email, and Social Networks in one easy to use application!

http://kvors.com/click/?s=88377&c=89569&subid=21039

^ As well the iPhone 7 there are rumours of an iPhone 6C, based on the iPhone 6 but with more colour

HTC One M10 - April

HTC will also be releasing a new Android flagship in the spring. Unlike the Galaxy S7 though, the new HTC handset is due a big design overhaul from the look-a-like One M8and One M9 models. In fact, given the update, I'm not even sure the name M10 will be used. We were most impressed by the recent HTC One A9 and hope that some of that design is moved across to the new phone.

One thing that looks certain for the new phone is the inclusion of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset, which should improve performance and battery life across the board. Other than that though it's hard to know what to expect, the A9 used an AMOLED screen so I'm hoping for one here too, while a different approach to the camera is in order too, after the last two failed to impress.

Surface Phone - August

Rumours have been circulating, mainly coming from Windows Central, that Microsoft is working on a Surface-branded phone running Windows 10. The new handset has now been placed under the development of Panos Panay, now in charge of the Devices Division at Microsoft, and is completely separate from previous work done by Nokia on such hardware.

With the success of the Surface Pro 4 and the allure of the Surface Book (yet to be released in the UK), such a phone could easily be the most exciting handset of the year, and not just because it would be something truly new. Rumours point to an Intel-designed chipset along with the usual magnesium alloy chassis. There's little more to say at present except I'm, very excited about the idea of this handset.

^ This mock up is a pretty exciting idea of how it would look Credit: Nadir Aslam

LG G5 - March/April

Yes, it's another Android heavyweight and the only phone here to have a plastic-bodied predecessor in the form of the LG G4 (though you could get a stylish cowhide rear panel). With everyone else moving to metal will LG follow suit? It would certainly be odd to be the last plastic flagship around but if the design is right LG might get away with it.

Again rumours point to a move to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset, though if everyone listed here switches to it, you might find a shortage of handsets to go around, so order early. It's an attractive proposition with big increases in performance and battery life. The camera doesn't need any extra work from the LG G4, with its optical stabilisation and laser autofocus. Not a lot to go on here, admittedly.

00:20

Pros

• Stylish aluminium case
• 13-inch screen in a 12-inch body
• Very long battery life
• Great value

Cons

• Would like one more USB port
• Webcam in odd position
• FHD screen isn't the very best

Review Price £849.00

Compare all prices

Key Features: Sixth generation Intel Core CPU; Aluminium and carbon fibre body; Backlit keyboard

Manufacturer: Dell

What is the Dell XPS 13?

Mere months ago Dell wowed me with its first 2015 XPS 13 laptop. Featuring a slick design, powerful components and a beautiful display the XPS 13 waltzed in and won the coveted TrustedReviews Awards Best Laptop award.

In fact, the XPS 13 was so good that I couldn’t think of any serious ways Dell could improve it at the time. But with the new year approaching, Dell has done just that with its latest XPS 13 refresh.

Related: Best Laptops, Ultrabooks and Hybrids

Dell XPS 13 – Design

From a distance the XPS 13 looks identical to its predecessor, though this is no bad thing. The XPS 13’s metal frame and compact 304 x 200 x 15mm dimensions give it a sleek premium look that rivals Apple’s Macbook.

Dell’s InfinityEdge screen tech is another pleasing feature. This reduces the screen’s bezel size to mere millimetres and according to Dell makes the XPS 13 the “world’s smallest 13-inch laptop”.

I’ve not verified the claim, but can tell you that, compared to competing ultrabooks such as the Lenovo Yoga 900, the XPS 13 is noticeably smaller and more travel friendly. The non-touch model I reviewed fit neatly into my satchel and survived all the usual wear and tear expected of a laptop when dragged around London, with no scratches, chips or blemishes. The laptop’s 1.2kg weight – 1.29kg for the touchscreen version – also meant the laptop never felt like a burden to lug about.

Dell’s done a decent job of taking advantage of what little surface real estate the XPS 13 offers and has loaded it with a reasonable selection of ports. Along its right and left sides you’ll find two USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI, headphones socket, Noble Lock slot, SD card reader and Dell Thunderbolt 3 connector.

In a perfect world I’d have liked to have another USB 3.0. But considering the laptop’s super-slim dimensions and the fact that most competing ultrabooks don’t feature three USB connectors, this is a very small qualm and the XPS 13 will meet most users’ needs.

The inclusion of the Thunderbolt 3 connector will be useful in the future, though it’s not really a big deal now. Thunderbolt 3 aims to offer radically better performance the competing USB 3.0 and USB C standards. The connector is the same shape as USB-C, but, on paper, offers data transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps – four times the speed of USB-C.

Dell’s also managed to load more storage into its refreshed XPS 13 and is now offering it with 128GB SATA, 256GB PCIe, 512GB PCIe and 1TB PCIe SSD options.

My only other issue with the XPS 13’s design is that, once again, its front-facing webcam has been placed on the bottom left of the screen. It means whenever I take video calls on Skype or Hangouts, the person on the other end gets treated to a wonderful view directly up my nose.

Dell XPS 13 – Keyboard and trackpad

I found the backlit keyboard comfortable to type on despite the laptop’s slightly squished dimensions.

The keys have decent travel and a pleasantly reactive, tactile feel that makes typing smooth and pleasant. The backlight also ensures you can still type quickly when using the XPS 13 in dim lighting conditions – I used the XPS 13 at some poorly lit launch events without issue.

The carbon-fibre-esque finish around the keyboard further aids the laptop’s appeal, and acts as a comfortable place to rest your hands when typing.

The trackpad is fairly large, despite the XPS 13’s limited real estate. It’s also suitably reactive and in general I never had any issues using it.

Dell XPS 13 – Display

Dell’s offering the XPS 13 with a choice of two resolutions for its 13-inch display: FHD or QHD+. The QHD+ option also adds touchscreen functionality. Sadly I reviewed the more basic non-touch, FHD option.

I’d have liked to use the QHD+ version, but found the FHD to be still pretty good. To the naked eye icons and text are universally sharp. Viewing angles and brightness levels are solid and I didn’t notice any backlight bleed.

However, I did notice a couple of niggling flaws. Whites are suitably clean but blacks are not the deepest I’ve seen at this price point, while colours also don’t appear as vibrant or balanced as on some competing devices, such as the Surface Pro 4.

Whacking out my trusty X-Rite i1 Display Pro colorimeter, my naked eye impressions of the XPS 13’s screen rang true. The screen features a warm 7971K colour temperature that’s well above the 6500k ideal. Its 2.13 Delta E – a measurement of the distance between colours – is also a little high. Ideally you want the Delta E to be floating around or below 1.0.

The screen covers 88.3% of the bog-standard sRGB colour spectrum, which is more than good enough for regular laptop users. But for designers, it covers a barebones 65.4% of the Adobe RGB – which is the standard used by most digital photographers and creatives. For serious photo editing or design work you want a display to cover at least 90% of the Adobe RGB.

Dell XPS 13 – Software

The XPS 13 comes preinstalled with the Home version of Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 operating system.

The OS is a marked step forward from Microsoft’s previous Windows 8 effort. It brings an enhanced, more robust security update cycle, improved user interface, with the much-loved Start button reinstated, and the Cortana digital assistant.

The only issue I had with the XPS 13's software stems from Windows 10's touch focus. It’s still quicker to enact various commands and actions using touch inputs than it is using the keyboard and trackpad. On a few more occasions than I’d like to admit, I found myself poking at the XPS 13’s non-touchscreen out of instinct.

This isn’t too big a problem, as Dell is offering a touchscreen option – though it will require you to shell out extra cash for it.

Dell’s also taken a pleasantly light touch with Windows 10 and hasn’t loaded it with excessive bloatware. There are a few custom apps installed, but in general they’re limited to things like McAfee Home Security and can be uninstalled. This makes the interface noticeably cleaner than competing consumer laptops, like the Lenovo Yoga 900.

Dell XPS 13 – Performance

Dell’s offering the XPS 13 in a variety of configurations. The unit I reviewed is powered by a sixth-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Intel HD Graphics 520 and 8GB of RAM. Those who wish to can upgrade to a more powerful core i7 processor and up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM.

The XPS 13 performed well during my standard set of benchmark tests. The laptop ran in with a 6242 multi-core score on Geekbench. On the GPU-focused 3DMark Cloud Gate benchmark the XPS 13 scored 5844.

The scores are a step up from Dell’s earlier XPS 13, which scored 5618 on Geekbench and 4835 on Cloud Gate. However, the scores put the XPS slightly below Microsoft’s stellar Surface Pro 4. The i5 version of Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 scored 6727 on Geekbench and 6019 on Cloud Gate.

The XPS 13 is more than powerful enough for most users. Apps opened instantly and the XPS 13 ran most productivity apps, like Office 365, without issue. Gaming isn’t its strong suite, as is the case on all laptops with Intel HD Graphics. But the XPS 13 still proved capable of playing moderately demanding titles such as Deathwatch: Tyranid Invasion – so long as the graphics settings aren’t cranked.

Dell XPS 13 – Battery

The XPS 13 is powered by a 56WHr Dell quotes as offering 18 hours of mixed use off one charge. I never once squeezed 18 hours of life out of the XPS 13, but found its battery is still pretty decent.

Using the XPS 13 as my primary work machine it easily breezed through a full work day and discharged 7-14% per hour. The day involved constant web browsing and word processing, occasional photo touch-up work and watching a couple of videos on Netflix during lunch.

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/0000368e0/9a0f_orh616w616/Dell-XPS-13-flipped.jpg

More demanding tasks, like video streaming on Netflix, made a slightly bigger dent in the battery. Streaming video the XPS 13 lost 14-18% of its charge per hour. Gaming put a similar drain on the battery.

Dell XPS 13 – Sound

Laptop speakers generally aren’t very exciting, especially in small devices. Most small laptops I test have poor, underpowered speakers that offer tinny, unbalanced audio with close to no bass. The XPS 13’s stereo speakers don’t completely change this trend, but are pretty good by portable laptop standards.

The speakers don’t have terribly strong low end and do begin to distort when you crank them to their maximum volume. But they are more than good enough for watching Netflix or playing games. They don’t have the tinny, nasal quality I hear on most laptop speakers and at low to middle volumes offer reasonably balanced audio.

Should I buy the Dell XPS 13?

The first 2015 Dell XPS 13 was one of the best portable ultrabooks around. Offering a compact design, solid performance and comfortable typing experience, it was an exceptional mobile productivity aid.

As a result, it’s no surprise that the refreshed sixth-generation Intel-powered model is also excellent and easily outclasses competing ultrabooks, such as the Lenovo Yoga 900. If you want a portable laptop then you should definitely consider the XPS 13.

However, the basic £850 version's display isn’t the best I’ve seen. Those with the cash would do better to invest in the more expensive QHD+ touchscreen model.

If you’re not dead set on getting a proper laptop, there are also a number of convertibles at the same price point, like the Surface Pro 4, that are also worth a look.

Verdict

The Dell XPS 13 is one of the best no-nonsense portable laptops around.

Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/dell-xps-13-2015-review-battery-life-performance-and-verdict-page-3#DAz4KBLaW2MUd1wQ.99

00:14

former Governor Rashid Ladoja of Oyo State reportedly received N100 million from Tony Anenih, ex-chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), according to recent revelations in which more than $2 billion of defense funds were diverted to political purposes. Mr. Ladoja's Accord Party, which backed former President Goodluck Jonathan in his failed reelection bid, has acknowledged that the former governor received the funds. Investigators believe that the funds, handed over by Mr. Anenih, were part of more than $2 billion that Mr. Dasuki distributed to a number of high-profile political figures. 

Anthony Anenih, former Chairman of the PDP Board of TrusteesState House Photo

Accord Party was one of several small political parties that chose not to field a candidate in the 2015 presidential election. Instead, the party endorsed Mr. Jonathan, who was handily beaten in the March 28, 2015. The N100 million received by Mr. Ladoja was meant to smooth the way for the Accord Party's support.

In a letter titled "Release of One Hundred Million by Chief Tony Anenih,” a representative of the Accord Party told Ibrahim Magu, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), about the circumstances surrounding the funds. Signed by one "Hon. Adisa," the January 8, 2016 letter drew attention "to a newspaper report that the sum of One Hundred Million Naira was released to the Accord [Party] leader, Senator Rashidi Ladoja by Chief Tony Anenih, the (former) chairman BoT of the PDP."

The letter continued: "We confirm that the sum of One Hundred Million Naira was given to the Party through our leader after [a] series of meetings between the leadership of Accord and Chief Tony Anenih in preparation for the 2015 general elections. The following issues were discussed at the meetings: the need to support the presidential candidate of the PDP since ACCORD had no presidential candidate; the need to ensure that peace was maintained to enhance peaceful movement during periods of campaign, elections and after the elections; the need for the PDP to support ACCORD campaign effort."

The Accord Party spokesman revealed that the N100 million Mr. Anenih released to former Governor Ladoja was meant to serve the purposes agreed on by the two political parties.

23:59

The world-renowned Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was arrested early Friday morning by Mexican Marines in Los Mochis, a city in his home state of Sinaloa. Media reports have said that his arrest came after a fierce gun battle with Marines and loyalists working for Mr. Guzman.

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman arrested in 2014CBS

Mr. Guzman is considered to be the world’s most notorious narcotics trafficker and is head of the Sinaloa Drug Cartel which sells the majority of its drugs and cocaine in the United States. According to the New York Times, Mr. Guzman was incarcerated “in the most secure wing of one of the most secure prisons in Mexico.” Subsequent reports revealed that he fled through a mile-long tunnel cartel members dug under the prison leading to his jail cell.

Today’s news was broke by a Tweet from the Mexican President Pena Nieto saying, in Spanish, “Mission Completed: We have him. I would like to inform the Mexican people that Joaquin Guzman Loera has been detained.”

Mr. Guzman’s arrest is widely considered a victory for President Nieto, who was criticized following Mr. Guzman’s sensational escape from prison. In the weeks following his escape Mr. Guzman taunted Mexican and international authorities, including US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The question many analysts are asking is whether the Mexican government will try to keep Mr. Guzman incarcerated again or whether they choose to extradite him to the United States. Turning the notorious drug kingpin over to the US would implicitly admit weakness on the part of Mexico, according to analysts speaking with the New York Times.

“Extraditing him is a way to say we cannot cope with this with our own institutions,” said Pablo A. Piccato, a history professor at Columbia University in New York City, to the New York Times.

23:56

Litigants with cases at the Federal High Court in Lagos have to wait as the Chief Judge, Justice Ibrahim Auta, has approved the transfer of some judges to other divisions.

Among those leaving the Lagos Division are Justice Okon Abang, Justice Mohammed Yunusa, Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke and Justice Musa Kurya.

Justice Abang, who barred the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) from arresting Senator Buruji Kashamu for illicit drug dealing allegations, was transferred to Abuja.

His pending cases are: Former Presidential Adviser Kingsley Kuku Vs. Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Honeywell Group Vs. Ecobank Plc.

Justice Yunusa, who granted the order restraining anti-graft agencies from arresting former Aviation Minister Princess Stella Oduah, was transfered to Enugu State.

Justice Aneke was transfered to Benue, while Justice Kurya to Plateau.

Justice Ibrahim Buba, expected to be moved to the North, will remain in Lagos.

Among cases before Justice Buba is: Former Director-General of Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA)  Patrick Akpobolokemi, on trial for fraud.

With the transfers, cases before the judges would begin afresh (de novo).

It was learnt that some litigants were unhappy that their cases would be further delayed.

A human rights group, Access to Justice (A2Justice) decried the transfers, saying such “arbitrary and routine” transfers of judges affect the speedy dispensation of justice.

A2J lamented that the transfer of judges, who have commenced but not completed trials, could have drastic and traumatising effects on litigants and escalate the cost of litigation.

“Such transfers of judges often times occur after the case has spent years on the docket of the court of the transferred judge,” it said.

According to A2J, to re-start cases that have spent years on a cause-list afresh is painful, agonising and hard on litigants.

“This would entail recalling witnesses and re-tendering evidence. Some of the cases affected  may also be fundamental rights cases, where issues of constitutional rights – including liberty or movement – may also be in question.

“These administrative transfers force litigants to outspend themselves to resolve disputes or find remedies, in view of additional expenses involved in re-litigating a matter.

“Transfers take their toll on, and burden witnesses too, some of whom may be unable, on health or other grounds, to return to court to give evidence again.

“When witnesses are unable to reappear to give evidence and a case is thereby prejudiced, this perpetuates, replicates and amplifies negative public impressions about our court system and its ability to uphold the rule of law and dispense justice freely and efficiently.

“No person affected by these transfers would have a positive impression of the court or how the courts take their responsibility to dispense justice,” A2J said.

The group urged the National Judicial Council (NJC) to “adopt and issue a clear, enforceable policy that prevents any judge from being transferred or relocated from his or her court or division without an impact assessment of the effect of such transfers on cases.”

23:55

The Bayelsa State police command has threatened to sanction personnel who escort their principals to polling units during Saturday’s supplementary election in Southern Ijaw council area and in 101 units across six local government areas of the state.

Seriake Dickson And Timipre SylvaPunch Newspaper

Spokesman of the command Asinim Butswat, a Deputy Superintendent of Police said violation of the order amounts to indiscipline and disobedience, adding that any officer caught will be dealt with severely.

According to him, “VIPs, political appointees are advised to desist from using security men as escorts to polling units.

“They should equally restrict themselves to their polling units after voting, as movement to other locations will amount to intimidation, campaign and a gross violation of extant electoral laws.

“Police officers, i.e SPU, PMF, Counter Terrorist Unit among others, are hereby warned to desist from escorting their principals to polling units on election date.

Any violation to this order will amount to indiscipline and disobedience to lawful order. Any officer caught will be dealt with severely.

“The affected electorates are advised to go and cast their votes for candidates of their choice without fear as adequate security measures have been put in place to curtail the activities of miscreants.”

source: SaharaReporters

23:54

Eclipse Msx Finally Releases The anticipated

NewGrounds EP.

Msx House

''We hope you enjoy this Compilation from the Msx House

our Goal Is to create Music different from the regular in Our Music industry and that is why each track differs distinctively from the other''

Bringing A Different Sound To The Nigerian Music Industry

Pls Listen And Enjoy

Follow on twitter @EclipseMsx

Instagram:  EclipseMsx

New Facebook page: www.facebook.com/EclipseMsx

Website: EclipseMsx.blogspot.com

     01.Eclipse Msx- We Ball Prod. By Barish

                                           

                                                  02.Eclipse Msx- Pon The Thing Prod. By Eclipse Msx                                                   

                           03.Eclipse Msx- Addicted (Final Mix) Prod. Mb Beatz

                  

                                                   04.Eclipse Msx- New Grounds Prod. By Steve Chea and EclipseMsx 

                      05-EclipseMsx- Zone Prod. Prod. By EclipseMsx   

               06.Eclipse Msx- Winner Prod. By Eclipse Msx

                 07EclipseMsx-Sensational Prod.By EclipseMsx

                           08.Eclipse Msx- I dont know Why Prod. By Mb Beatz

                       09.EclipseMsx- Best for You Prod. By Black Friday

                         

Credits:

All Mix and Mastering By Msx House

Lyricist: Eclipse Msx

15:39

After several calls and expressions of concern by a number of well-meaning Nigerians, the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) is constrained to issue a statement to clarify the circumstances surrounding a N50m donation made to the NGE by the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan:

1. On 10 April, 2014, the NGE held a fundraising dinner at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, to raise N850m (eight hundred and fifty million Naira) for the purpose of building a befitting secretariat in Abuja which shall be called The Editors Plaza. It was a public event, attended by several dignitaries among them federal cabinet ministers, state governors and captains of industry or their representatives. 

2. Former President Goodluck Jonathan was invited to the event at which he was represented by the former Minister of Information and National Orientation Mr. Labaran Maku

3. At the event, Mr. Maku, among other donors, publicly pledged N50million as the federal government’s contribution towards the building project. Indeed, the announcement of this donation has been on the website of the NGE since April 12, 2014; and is still there for those who may wish to verify.

4. Shortly after the event, the federal government redeemed its pledge through a transfer direct into the Zenith bank account of the NGE. For the avoidance of doubt, neither Mr. Femi Adesina, who was the President of the Guild at the time nor any other official of the Guild collected cash from the government as has been erroneously alleged by Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, publisher of THISDAY newspapers in a letter he sent to the EFCC and made public on Monday, January 4, 2016.

5. Funds collected by the Guild during the fundraiser have so far been invested in two projects viz:
(I) The purchase of a property in Lagos which we have named The Editors House 
and is located at No. 24, Mojidi Street, Off Toyin Street, Ikeja-Lagos.

And

(II) Paying compensation, clearing, and fencing of our 5, 600 Sqm piece of land at Guzape, Abuja, which is the site of the proposed Editors Plaza. 

In Lagos, we have since commissioned a team of engineers and architects for the purpose of renovating the property, a twin duplex, preparatory to our moving in hopefully in the first quarter of 2016; while in Abuja, we have already commenced the process of obtaining a building permit from the authorities of the FCT preparatory to the groundbreaking ceremony for the Editors Plaza building later in the year 2016.

6. It is regrettable that an earlier statement by the Guild on the anti-corruption war of the government of President Mohammadu Buhari may not be unconnected with recent attempts to drag the Guild into the matter in which it has no case to answer whatsoever.

7. The Guild wishes to thank the public and all those who have stood by it over the years, including its founding fathers and those media organizations that took the time to check the claim with the leadership of the NGE and reported their findings accurately. and assures the public and all stakeholders that it would continue to remain a responsible and accountable professional group.

Signed:
Garba Deen Muhammad
President, NGE. 

08:46

The Transition Monitoring Group, (TMG) has urged candidates in the supplementary poll in Southern Ijaw and polling 101 units across Bayelsa State to shun violence that marred the Dec. 5, 2015, election.

TMG, an observer election coalition that made the call in a statement issued by Mr Armsfree Ajanaku, Media Manager of the Non-Governmental Organisation on Thursday, said it will deploy 99 election observers to monitor the poll.

"TMG calls on the political parties and the contestants to ensure the sad incidents of December 5, 2015, are not repeated come January 9, 2016.

"TMG calls on the security agencies to ensure the area is secured for the peaceful conduct of the poll on January 9, 2016.

"Above all, TMG urges eligible voters who are coming out to exercise their franchise in Southern Ijaw and other affected polling units, to conduct themselves with utmost decorum," Mr Ajanaku said.

The December 5, governorship election was marred by violence that compelled the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the polls in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area (LGA) and declare the election inconclusive.

TMG regretted that the security agencies were unable to deal with the violence despite early indicators in its report shared with INEC, security agencies, and other stakeholders.

"All this happened in spite of early warning signs from TMG Pre-Election Observation reports, which indicated a likelihood of violence in a number of LGAs.

"It will be recalled that the Bayelsa governorship election of December 5, 2015, was declared inconclusive as a result of violence that undermined the process.

"Political actors mobilized militants to do their bidding resulting in the harassment and intimidation of voters, election observers, and INEC officials," TMG stated.

According to Mr Ajanaku,  TMG will use its 'Quick Count' election observation methodology based on well-established statistical principles and sophisticated information technologies to provide timely and accurate authentication of results declared by INEC.

"Throughout the supplementary Election Day on January 9, 2016, TMG Quick Count observers will keep an eye on the process in Southern Ijaw and other affected polling units.

"The Quick Count observers will be at their pre-assigned polling units all day to report on various processes, including the set up by INEC officials, accreditation, voting, counting, and the announcement of results.

"Immediately after INEC announces, TMG Quick Count will VERIFY the final result as announced by the electoral umpire.

"The Quick Count verification of the result will be based on impeccable data from a representative random sample of polling units," it stated.

TMG further said that the Quick Count data would give the electorate, political parties, voters and other stakeholders important insights on whether the outcome of the election reflects the vote cast by the people of Bayelsa State or not.

08:42