The mother of Funmilayo Adeyemi, the nanny who kidnapped the Orekoya kids and was the foot-soldier of a kidnapping syndicate in Lagos, says her daughter was committing all of the crimes under some sort of hypnosis.

Mother Esther Adeyemi who earns her wages as a prophetess, has actually asked for an opportunity to take off the spell from her daughter.

Prophetess Adeyemi was speaking to the Sun Newspapers. She said her daughter left home to attend school and never returned.

“She told me that she was going back to school and never came back home. She left us eight years ago. They kidnapped and hypnotized my daughter. All has always been well till their fa­ther died. He was killed during the Ife and Modakeke fight. During that time, we were based in Calabar and as expected we were evicted from the barracks and we relocated to Osun State. He died as a Chief Superintendent of Police. Luckily, I am a prophetess and I de­cided to embrace my ministry. I had to get closer home and most importantly close to the mountain. By the grace of God, I became popular in Lagos and Ajah. As the first daughter of the house, I want­ed the best for her, so I invested in her edu­cation. She got admission to study Survey at Osun Polytechnic. After her graduation, she worked briefly as a receptionist till one day in 2005, she came to me that she wanted to go back to school for her HND. I gave her enough money to sustain her for months. This was the last I heard from her. I was worried but anytime that I attempted to call the police, she will call her sister and tell her that she is fine. This always happened anytime I go to the mountain to pray. She is 35 years and old enough to be a mother but I never knew that I had four grandchildren from her.”

She pleaded for forgiveness on her daughter’s behalf and for an opportunity to undo all of the damage the devil has wrought on her child.

“They kidnapped my daughter and placed her under a spell. What sort of human being from a Christian background will suddenly decide to sell their soul to the devil?

“Please, forgive my daughter and give me the chance to break the spell. You all heard that she claimed that she wanted to expand their family wealth. Which normal woman would be working for a man who has refused to marry her after four children? Please, have mercy on my daughter. I thank God that none of the kids died in the process.

Her little daughter brought the opprobrium to her notice via whatsapp.

“She called me that a lady who looks like my daughter is on her whatsapp. I waved it aside till I saw her pictures every­where. It was a great shock. I prayed for the ground to open and swallow me. The shame was too much but no matter how bad a child turns out to be, a mother cannot abandon him or her. I am ashamed but all the same I thank God that she is truly alive. It could be God’s way of rescuing my daughter from the hands of those criminals. She is under a spell and almighty God will help me deliver her”.

Some spell, that.

The post Mother Of Kidnapper Nanny Says Her Daughter Was Hypnotized, Begs For Opportunity To Take Off Spell appeared first on Ekekeee.

There’s been an explosion at a military facility in Plateau State and the number of casualties at the time of filing this report, remains sketchy.

An eyewitness who relayed the news to ekekeee said the bomb tore through the Nigerian Army’s 3rd Armoured Division barracks at Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, at about 9:45 a.m. on Saturday.

This is a developing story.

The post A Bomb Has Just Gone Off In Plateau State appeared first on Ekekeee.

By Ohimai Godwin Amaize

PDP was a great party. It is still a great party, but more instructively, great in the nostalgic sense of what rose from a political party founded on nationalist ideals in the wake of Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999, to a behemoth at the prime of its glory in 2007 when former President Olusegun Obasanjo was winding up his tenure in office.

Carried away by the lust and lure of political power, the party’s misfortunes can be traced to the days when it began to put politics above leadership and national interest. It was a fancy tale in Nigeria how PDP was Africa’s largest political party, how the house of Nigeria’s political heavyweights was too solid to collapse and how the party was going to rule Nigeria for the next 60 years. Such were the brazen expressions signature of the heydays of the PDP as Nigeria’s ruling party.

The PDP Titanic ship may have been sunk in 2015, but the party’s head-on collision with the icebergs of public perception had become evident as far back as 2011. By the time Nigerians went to the 2011 presidential polls, the public reputation of the PDP had become so battered that the average Nigerian considered those three letters – P.D.P. – synonymous with impunity, corruption and incompetence. It was so bad that President Goodluck Jonathan was voted into office in 2011 largely on his individual goodwill.

As Nigerians grumbled and public opprobrium mounted against the ruling party, the party leadership, just like the autocratic Bourbon monarchy of France, heeded little or no attention. So much was taken for granted. What the PDP did not say in words, it communicated loud and clear to Nigerians in a body language that seemed to be telling Nigerians to their face: “Rave all you can. We have the formula for winning elections. We really don’t need your votes!”

It was a costly mistake.

Within the party itself, party members who attempted to spearhead internal reforms were branded rebels or reduced to pariahs. Some left. The incurable optimists who believed in the dream that birthed the party, stayed behind. Some were muzzled into silence. That a man the caliber of Chief Alex Ekwueme lost his voice in the PDP; that shining stars of the party like Donald Duke, Frank Nweke Jnr, Nasir El Rufai etc became relegated to the fringe of events, speak volumes of the ill breed of politics that had taken over the party. Plagued with a humongous reputation crisis, lack of internal democracy, insistence on maintaining the old way of doing things and a myriad of internal disaffection – the last of which led to the formation of the Baraje faction of PDP in 2013 and its eventual defection to APC, there is no way the party was going to survive the impending onslaught without effecting radical changes in its organizational modus operandi. It was only a matter of time. Something had to give.

I joined the PDP in 2012 as a young Nigerian professional at the age of 28. My attraction to the party was largely anchored on what could be termed for want of better description, the audacity of faith – faith in a dream that was and is still possible. A good number of young Nigerians like me joined the party with the conviction that somehow, with the collective strength of our will, we could continue the struggle for internal party reforms which by extension would rub off on the quality of leaders the party produced at various levels of leadership in Nigeria. One of the first battles we had to fight was to correct the anomaly of a National Youth Leader who was over 60 years of age! At the time we were done, he had been replaced with a National Youth Leader who was barely 30! It was a hard-won victory, but the real struggle was yet to even begin in a system that saw its youths at best in the mold of thugs fit only for electoral malpractices!

Fast forward to 2015, Nigerians are screaming for change. Nigerians are saying they would rather go back to the past to return a leader who led Nigeria with an iron fist as a military dictator over 30 years ago! What went wrong? The simple analysis here is that PDP lost power at the center, not so much because of what the All Progressives Congress (APC) did right but much more because of what the PDP did wrong consistently over 16 years as the ruling party! That the APC ran a presidential campaign that made the PDP look like it was the opposition party is a pointer to how much the PDP had disconnected itself from the strategic thinking required for strategic outcomes.

But where do we go from here? Beyond the PDP’s battle for political survival, it is instructive to note that Nigeria needs a strong opposition to keep the ruling party in check. But for PDP to effectively play the opposition, it needs to reform, refocus and reposition itself. It is time for PDP to become honest with itself.  The party must be ready to confront the truth as it is. To live in self-denial would be tantamount to a self-inflictive imprudence that would rest the party in irreversible oblivion.

The first thing PDP must do is to embark on a truth and reconciliation process where all members who have been or have cause to feel mistreated for any reason whatsoever, have the opportunity to express their grievances. PDP cannot make progress by pretending that all is well, burying its head in the sand or sweepings its problems under the carpet. Key stakeholders of the party must be able to ventilate their grievances before the party leadership and the leadership must be ready and seen to be willing to listen and take necessary actions. Grievances from the just concluded elections alone would be enough to keep the party busy for the next few months. But this is the first pragmatic step to true healing for the PDP.

Secondly, the PDP will need to embrace a new way of doing things. The party must rebrand. By rebranding, I am not talking about another opportunity to make money at the expense of the work that needs to be done. Such a rebranding exercise must be internal and external and a team of credible professionals should be immediately assembled to midwife this process. It may be necessary, but it will not be enough to change the party’s name or logo. More importantly, what needs to change is the way the party conducts its affairs. The party must be ready to project new faces that command credibility and endear the admiration of Nigerians. With all due respect, some of our elders in the party have lost the respect of most Nigerians. Yes, we still need the wisdom and counsel of our elders in the party, but they must now step aside to project and support credible fresh faces that will take the party to the next level. It is better to be an elder statesman in a party that is successful than to insist on occupying positions even if it means the party fading into extinction.

Thirdly, the PDP must invest in youth engagement. The PDP must become receptive to innovation, creativity and new age ideas by paying attention, empowering and strengthening the capacity of its brightest youths. At the just concluded elections, the PDP under-utilized some of its brightest brains. A situation where most of the key youth actors in the presidential campaign had to spend their personal resources campaigning for the party, is unacceptable. Elections are not cheap. To win elections, you must spend money and ensure your resources are put in the hands of those best equipped to deliver. For instance, during the just concluded presidential campaigns, we saw a state-of-the-art situation room of the APC manned by passionate young professionals. In a 21st century political environment, the PDP had nothing close to a functional situation room for its presidential election, manned by young professionals. 90 percent of the PDP’s social media campaign was created and executed by young people who took initiative on their own without a single shred of support from the party. Yet the media is awash with reports of huge sums of money that were released for the campaign. What is wrong with us? Elections are not won like this. At least, not in this revolutionary age of communication explosion.

Going forward, the PDP must open up the space for more young Nigerians to become card-carrying members of the party. This is the best time to attract young Nigerians who want to be in the opposition. And there are millions of them! The process of registration should be made easier and technology-oriented. In most wards across the country, the story usually is that PDP membership cards are not available. This is because the cards are being hoarded owing to a systemic deficiency that seeks to shut the door against new members. The party cannot continue like this.

Finally, the PDP must begin to take the media more seriously by constantly engaging this critical sector of our national life. The media is the chief custodian of perception creation and management. A party that wants to make progress must be ready to go the extra mile to woo the media to its side. Nothing in Nigeria is free or cheap. PDP must be ready to make huge sacrifices and investments to transform its tattered image. Credible professionals should be engaged to manage media relations for the party under the supervision of the relevant party officials. The sense of media engagement must also be considered beyond the boundaries of traditional broadcast and print media. The new media space is the new battleground for socio-political engagement. The PDP can ignore the new media only to its own peril.

*Ohimai is the Special Adviser (Media) to Senator Musiliu Obanikoro and Convener, Rethink Nigeria – a group of young professionals affiliated to the PDP

The post Ohimai Amaize: The Way Forward For The PDP appeared first on Ekekeee.

At it stands, the Taraba runoff election scheduled for Saturday, April 25, may hardly change the current reality.

Already signed, sealed and delivered in the INEC book is PDP’s Darius Ishaku polling 317,198 votes against Aisha Alhassan’s 262,386. A difference of 54,812 votes. But the canceled votes totaled 127,125.

The major reason the election was declared inconclusive was the cancellation of the whole Donga Local Government votes. Donga has a total 95,657 registered voters.

What caused the cancellation of Donga votes was some cases of election malpractices recorded in five units in the local government. Donga is unarguably a PDP stronghold. Should APC’s hopes remain alive because of Donga? No. It’s like PDP raising hope to win where they are less popular. For instance, had there been any cause for runoff ballotage in the last presidential election, say because of the cancellation of Kano votes, it’ll be quite unlikely for PDP to win the runoff. Kano is APC stronghold, while Donga, nay Taraba is PDP stronghold.

Apart from 95,657 Donga votes, there are still pockets of polling units cancelled in places where Aisha Alhassan is not the favourite, findings show. The votes totaled 31,468. If you sum up the numbers, you will arrive at 127,125 registered voters.

It’s unlikely that voter turnout will be above 50 percent after accreditation. At 50 percent voter turnout, the disputed votes will shrink to about 65,000. Remember, Mama is going to the poll with a burden of 54,812 to first level the tally and then increase the tally against her rival at a battleground where her rival stands in pole position.

But some political analysts would argue that APC bigwigs in Donga, like the former deputy governor, Uba Maigari, may give APC a ray of hope. But Maigari, who recently defected from PDP to APC, lost his polling unit to PDP in the April 11 polls.

I lost hope for Mama in the election when I hear APC calling for the cancellation of the whole Taraba election, seeking fresh election as precondition for participation in the run-off.

To me, INEC only forced Mama to be the proverbial donkey resting with the burden of load on its back.

Mama has given a good fight, and her outing was really radiant, but the odds are clearly against her.

By Jaafar Jaafar

The post Opinion: Can Mama Taraba Make It? appeared first on Ekekeee.

Five ad hoc officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Imo were on Saturday arrested for thumb-printing ballot papers in the governorship re-run election in the state.

The officials were arrested at Omuma Primary School in Oru East local government following an order by Mike Igini, one of the Resident Electoral Commissioners deployed to Imo for the election.

The REC for Imo, Gabriel Ada, who confirmed the arrest, said the officials were already in police custody.

Mr. Ada said the ad hoc workers connived with agents of a political party to thumb-print ballot papers leading to their arrest.

In the same vein, the election has been cancelled in Ozuh Primary School, Omuma following the arrest of 25 persons claiming to be INEC officials, by military men.

The arrested persons and the election materials in their possession were taken to the Oru East local government headquarters.

(NAN)

The post In Imo State, 5 INEC Officials Have Been Arrested For Thumb-printing Ballot Papers appeared first on Ekekeee.

Nigeria’s First Lady, Patience Jonathan, was conspicuously absent at the 5th and last Presidential Prayer Breakfast Saturday, Premium Times reports.​

Here’s why the news site thinks the first lady’s truancy was some big deal:

Mrs. Jonathan always attended the presidential breakfast prayer which was initiated ​by her husband, ​President Goodluck Jonathan.

​The first lady, who was vociferous before the March 28 presidential election, has stayed out of spotlight and has not made any public appearance after the president lost the poll.

Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress, APC, won the election.​

​​​Mrs. Jonathan w​as also absent at the Easter ​church ​celebrations and has since not made any appearances at events she would normally attend.

The post Patience Jonathan Was Missing From The Presidential Breakfast Today And That’s A Big Deal appeared first on Ekekeee.

Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State has been declared the winner of the Imo State Governorship election after a re-run on Saturday. He won in 20 out of the 23 LGAs in Imo; polling 31,326 votes. His total vote tally stood at 416,996 votes out of the total 806,764 votes cast in the election.

Trailing Rochas was Ihedioha of the PDP who polled 320,705 votes and Emmanuel Ihenacho of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) who came a distant third with 28,434 votes.

There was a festive mood at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Imo soon after the results were announced.

In neighbouring Abia State, the decision of the electoral officers to allow alleged concocted figures to stand in Osisioma, Obingwa and Isiala-ngwa from the April 11 vote, handed Dr Okezie Ikpeazu of the PDP victory. The INEC collation officer, Prof Ozumba, had announced the cancellation of votes from the three LGAs on April 12 owing to widespread irregularities, but curiously reversed himself soon after the Abia State Governor, T.A Orji, stormed the collation center alongside other PDP bigwigs.

Some swear that the electoral officers in Abia State had been financially induced to reverse the decision and one source suggested that President Jonathan had placed a phone call through to Ozumba to reverse himself as well.

Ozumba, while announcing the result at about 4:54am Sunday, April 26 after close of proceedings from the rerun, said Mr. Ikpeazu polled a total of 264,713 votes to beat his closest challenger Alex Otti of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, who garnered 180, 882 votes.

Mr. Otti is a former Managing Director of Diamond Bank and there are suggestions he would contest the result at the election petition tribunal.

The post Okorocha Bags Re-election In Imo, Ikpeazu Wins Abia Governorship Amid Controversy appeared first on Ekekeee.

Just about everyone has been blamed for President Jonathan’s loss at the ballot to the APC backed Muhammadu Buhari and now is a good enough time to blame Patience Jonathan, it appears.

Bayelsa State publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Osom Makbere, said first lady Patience Jonathan was such a meddlesome interloper, she alienated most of the State Governors on board her husband’s cause.

“President Jonathan was a victim and target of international cum domestic esoteric codes and conspiracies. On the international level, the passage of the anti-gay legislation led to criticisms and face-off with the US, and the West”, Makbere told The Punch in a chat.

He added that “The aforesaid international factors found room to flourish given the obstinacy and impudence on the part of Mrs. Jonathan. The end result of her personal ambition to plant ‘self-made’ governors triggered face-offs with some governors.”

We don’t need to look any further than Rivers State for one of those “planted Governors” if Makbere’s allegations are anything to go by.

Patience Jonathan inflamed passions on the campaign trail ahead of the general elections. In one instance, she said “everyone who says CHANGE(the APC’s mantra), stone that person” and in another, she mocked the Almajiris in Nigeria’s north; thereby putting a wedge between her husband and the north of Nigeria where Jonathan’s numbers dipped as Buhari’s soared during the final tally.

The post This PDP Chieftain Blames The First Lady For President Jonathan’s Loss [READ] appeared first on Ekekeee.

In Saturday’s rerun election in Taraba State, the PDP’s Darius Ishaku is coasting home to victory ahead of Sen. Aisha Alhassan of the APC.

In some eye-catching results, in Kofar Sarki in Takum Local Government polling unit, the PDP had 588 votes against the APC’s 7.

At Suntai Daaji in Donga Local Government Area, the PDP got 1,139 against the APC’s 74.

At Asibiti ward in Donga Local Government Area, PDP polled 4,412 while APC had 604.

Aisha Alhassan’s dream of being Nigeria’s first elected female Governor may have been deferred as the electoral umpire gets set to announce Ishaku of the PDP as winner of the governorship election in Taraba State.

The post In Taraba, The PDP Governorship Candidate Is Practically Coasting Home To Victory appeared first on Ekekeee.

Months have slimmed down to weeks, and soon we will be counting days and hours to the historic change of baton between President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. Soon and very soon, Buhari will start dominating the headlines: Buhari did this, Buhari did that. Jonathan will take the back seat, except he wants to be like that megalomaniac interloper in Abeokuta. The front-page pictures of the newspapers will be all Buhari. The subject of discourse by columnists and TV analysts will be Buhari. If the weather is too hot, it will be Buhari’s failing. If a policeman collects N20 bribe somewhere in Ode Omu, it will be Buhari’s fault. That’s the way we are.

God save Buhari if the PDP propaganda machinery is half as effective as that of the APC: he would be in hot soup from the word go. But the PDP, as things stand, is crushed and in disarray, and it may take the party years to get its bearing. So Buhari should at least have some breathing space in the meantime. Given the global goodwill he enjoys — backed by his reputation as an honest and modest man — Buhari will likely be given a chance. Typically, electoral success produces the initial euphoria, followed by the honeymoon after inauguration. Next, the people begin to size up the new leader and, finally, the hard reality sets in. That’s the way life goes.

Buhari won the presidential election promising “change”. Now that APC has captured power, “change” must move from slogan to action. During the campaign, “change” was a noun, an idea, a jingle. “Change” must now function as a verb, an active verb at that. Verb, we were told in primary school, is a “doing” word. Active verb “does”; passive verb is “done”. So Buhari must change Nigeria else Nigeria will change him. He must be the subject, not the object. If he does not “do”, he will be “done” for. If he does not “change” Nigeria very soon, trust Nigerians to become nostalgic and romantic about the past. You’ll start hearing: “Even Jonathan was not this bad!”

In Nigeria, we always think a former president is better than the current one. After all, it was suggested at some stage that Gen. Sani Abacha was better than President Olusegun Obasanjo. I heard arguments about how Abacha kept the exchange rate at N80 to $1 and how it had fallen to N120 under Obasanjo. While I would agree that Abacha and Obasanjo were alike on many counts, I wouldn’t suggest Abacha, who spent five years torturing and murdering Nigerians, was better. However, if people could say late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua — who did virtually nothing — was better than Jonathan, then I have seen it all.

Three things will define the Buhari administration in its infancy: one, his first cabinet; two, his first decisions; and three, his first budget. Will his first cabinet be dominated by jobbers, losers and other hopeless nominees intended to settle political IOUs like Obasanjo’s team in 1999? Will Buhari spend his first days in office reversing policies, instituting politically motivated probes and cancelling contracts like Yar’Adua did in 2007? Will Buhari’s first budget be overloaded with overheads and subsidy payments like Jonathan’s in 2011? These could end up shaping the direction of any administration. The morning foretells the day in many instances.

For Buhari to make a difference, he must start from his first cabinet. If he gets it right, he has a good chance of getting his initial decisions and first budget right. If he gets it wrong, he will have misappropriated his goodwill so quickly. One of the most enduring self-destructive traditions of new governments in Nigeria — and I include states as well — is the tendency to assemble cabinets that are heavy on regular politicians and light on men and women who have more than politicking to offer. The conventional wisdom is that the full-time politicians helped the president to power and he will need them for re-election. Hogwash. You only need a few full-time politicians in the cabinet.

If I were to advise Buhari, he just has to break with tradition. At 72, he has seen it all. He has nothing to lose. I don’t think he is planning to build more houses or buy private jets or marry more wives. He can afford to throw himself into changing a system that has ruined us for ages. He has to put his feet down on the kind of cabinet he wants. He must resist the suggestion to transfer people from APC headquarters to the federal executive council. Those who have proved that they can manage party affairs very well should continue to do so — after all, APC still has a lot of electoral battles to fight. You don’t disband a structure that has served you so well.

In setting up his first cabinet, Buhari should insist on having nominees who must have more than politicking to offer. He should state the criteria. They must be men and women who have demonstrated competence in their fields and careers, not only in partisan politics. I would suggest that rather than getting one nominee per state, Buhari should request at least three so that he can have a choice and will be able to weed out those who are not fit and proper to be in his team. At every turn, he must maintain that only the best should be nominated so that he can have a quality shortlist of 36 ministers, as provided for in the constitution.

In my opinion, a ministerial nominee should be asked to prepare a brief proposal, stating their preferred ministry, highlighting the sector’s problems and proffering the solutions. The nominee should then defend the proposal before Buhari and an interview panel. It will be very glaring if the nominee knows what he is saying or he is just a piece of matter seeking to occupy cabinet space. A tough nomination process will serve Buhari extremely well. If you have a competent team, your job is half done. All you need do is give them the political backing and the leadership needed to translate “change” from a noun to a verb, from slogan to action.

In 2003, Malam Nasir el-Rufai actually faced a panel chaired by Obasanjo, with Vice-President Abubakar Atiku and Chief Audu Ogbeh, then PDP chairman, in attendance. According to el-Rufai, Obasanjo asked him specifically: “If you are appointed FCT minister, can you restore the Abuja master plan?” El-Rufai responded: “Of course, I can do it if I get your backing because those violating the master plan are your friends!” At the end of the interview, it was clear to all that el-Rufai could do the job. We remember what followed. This shows the importance of screening, matching nominees with positions and allowing them to prepare for the job ahead.

If Buhari makes the mistake of appointing funny characters into his cabinet without a thorough fit-and-proper test, he should just forget about “change”. We would return to the very thing we are trying to run away from — that system of patronage at the expense of Nigeria’s development. The time has come for us to put our best feet forward. The cabinet must be dominated by bright minds who must understand the technocratic and political skills needed to deliver reform. If Buhari gets that right, it has the potential of ballooning his goodwill and sending a clear message to 170 million Nigerians that, indeed, something is about to happen.

And Four

Other Things…

XENOPHOBIA VS XENOPHILIA
I have noticed, with concern, threats by Nigerians to “retaliate” the xenophobic attacks in South Africa. I can understand the anger, worsened by the pronouncements of South African leaders who are too shallow to recognise the ramification of their tacit endorsement of the barbaric behaviour of these street urchins. However, we should not allow this uncivilised behaviour to change who we are. Nigerians, by nature, are xenophilic: we are very accommodating of foreigners. We should not allow them to infect us with xenophobia. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. That is what Apostle Paul said. Maturity.

SULEIMAN’S SACK
Before his appointment as the inspector-general of police, Mr. Abba Suleiman came highly recommended. All I ever heard about him was that he was a thoroughbred professional, one who was above board and very straight. But there is something about Nigerian politics that keeps killing our best. His misadventure into trying to remove Aminu Tambuwal as speaker of the House of Representatives, even brazenly attempting to interpret the constitution — a preserve of the judiciary — damaged him. He has now been sacked, reportedly for almost turning himself into the ADC of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari after the March 28 presidential election. Opportunism.

MIGRANTS’ MISERY
Every African, every African leader should be ashamed of the Mediterranean migrant tragedies, which have claimed up to 1,700 lives this year alone — and a possible 30,000 overall by year end. The image of desperate Africans who sardine themselves into unseaworthy boats on illegal journeys to Europe breaks my heart. It is all the more saddening because most of the people on these boats are not running away from war or persecution. They just have this perception that they are better off as second-class citizens in a developed country. So what are we going to do about our continent? Distressing.

BUHARI AND JONATHAN
I hope I’m not getting too excited about this, but I never imagined that I would see an outgoing president and an incoming one — from opposing parties — behave so responsibly in the transition period. I’ve been impressed by President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari so far. They’ve held several meetings and always come out with warm smiles. It could well be for the cameras only. It could well be that after May 29, it will be fire-for-fire and media war over legacy issues. But, please, let me enjoy this unusual moment in Nigeria’s political history while it lasts. Gratifying.

The post Simon Kolawole: Dear Buhari, Change Is Actually An Active Verb appeared first on Ekekeee.

In a video that will make everyone coveting an iPhone 6 cry a little bit, Ukrainian YouTube celebrity TechRax drops a supposedly “brand new” one into a pan of boiling Coca-Cola.

While you will not hear the voice of Siri crying out for help in this clip, you will see a fair amount of the phone’s material slowly melt away.

“The results made my house smell like smoke for 2 hours,” the tech blogger writes in the stunt’s description on YouTube. “I would NOT recommend trying this at home.”

READ MORE The Best iPhone Apps You Should Download This Week

The footage has racked up more than 1.8. million YouTube views so far since it was uploaded a couple of weeks ago. Turns out this mad scientist-type blogger has also baked an iPhone 6 inside a turkey for four hours and drilled a hole into one with a power tool.

Although, we could see parents using this video as a threat to sons and daughters who will not stop texting during family meals over the holidays.

–Time

The post Don’t Try This At Home: WATCH What Happens When You Boil Your iPhone 6 Inside Coca Cola appeared first on Ekekeee.

Nigerians who have been yearning for their first elected female Governor, can go home now.

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Taraba, Aisha Al-Hassan, has been defeated by Darius Ishiaku of the PDP.

Cumulative votes from the April 11 and April 25 elections have shown Ishiaku polling 360,318 votes to the APC candidate’s 275,985.

At the end of collation of votes from Saturday’s supplementary election in the state, Ms. Al-Hassan got 13,599 votes to trail the Peoples Democratic Party’s Darius Ishiaku, who garnered 53,120 votes.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will soon declare the PDP candidate winner of the Taraba vote.

The post Sorry Folks, Mama Taraba Has Been Defeated In Taraba appeared first on Ekekeee.

All Progressives Congress candidate in the just-concluded governorship election in Taraba State, Sen. Aisha Alhassan, has rejected the results of the poll as announced by INEC on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference in Jalingo, shortly after the announcement of the results, Alhassan described the entire elections process as a “daylight robbery” and said the party would challenge the results in the elections petitions tribunal.

“The combined governorship elections in Taraba were characterised by violence, massive rigging, ballot snatching and abuse of the card readers in substantial parts of the state by the PDP and their allies,” she said.

She contended that results ascribed to Wukari, Donga, Takum, Sardauna, Zing, Yorro, Kurmi and some parts of Ussa, Karim-Lamido, Bali, Ardo-Kola and Lau local government areas were not acceptable as they did not reflect the true results of the election in Taraba.

Alhassan said all the complaints on the irregularities and abuse of the election guidelines were promptly reported to INEC, but that no action was taken.

–The Punch

The post “Daylight Robbery” | Senator Alhassan Of The APC Rejects Taraba Governorship Result appeared first on Ekekeee.

When the electoral umpire called the Abia State governorship election for Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) just before daybreak on Sunday April 26, I allowed myself a smirk of some sort. As far as anyone knows, Ikpeazu will only be Governor for a few months before he is sent packing by an election tribunal.

A Pyrrhic victory is all this is, really and the PDP can savor this for a few months while they still can. It’s after all what election riggers are due.

I have also been left disappointed by the reaction and body language from the rest of the country as the sad events from Abia have unfolded. First, we screamed about the antics of Governor T.A Orji before the election and all we got was some scant attention. Then we yelled that the inflated results from Osisioma, Isiala-ngwa and Obingwa shouldn’t be allowed to stand and the rest of the country looked the other way. We yelled and beat ourselves up over Governor Ochendo’s act of storming the INEC collation center alongside PDP bigwigs to force the hands of the electoral officers to rescind a decision with far reaching consequences, and few paid our cries any attention. We drew the attention of the world and the rest of the country to how thugs on the Governor’s payroll were beating up persons loyal to the cause of APGA, we tore our hair out and screamed that the Governor was going to rewrite the results of the Abia election and allocate figures as he deemed fit long before he did; and the rest of the country looked the other way.

Worse, we called the attention of the INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega to the shenanigans, shibboleth and brazen theft of the people’s mandate that was the Abia governorship vote and Jega shrugged and paid us scant attention. Jega didn’t lift a finger even when it was clear to the watching world that the figures from Obingwa, Osisioma and several parts of Abia had been doctored and concocted.

You see, those of us who crave for good leadership and justice in the country do not want to believe that we have been left to our fate in Abia. We do not want to believe that the rest of the country doesn’t care about what happens in a corner of that same country. We will hate to think that what happens in Abia stays in Abia. We believe that the parameters of justice and fair play should apply across the country and we believe that the people of Abia shouldn’t be allowed to stand alone in their moment of need and agony.

You see, what occurred in Abia in the last fortnight has been a sad commentary on our institutions, electoral body and the fabric of our society. What happened in Abia has been the case of the people’s mandate being stolen and their rights trampled on.

As Alex Otti heads to the election petition tribunal to retrieve the people’s mandate, we’ll like the rest of the country and the rest of the world to join us. We’ll like the media to beam its searchlight on Abia more than it is presently doing. For once, let’s act like injustice done in one part of the country is injustice wrought in all parts of the country. Election thieves like the Ochendos of this world shouldn’t be allowed to get away with murder, with theft, with brigandage if only for the values we now seek to entrench in our country.

What happens in Abia shouldn’t stay in Abia.

*Ifeanyi Amanze wrote from Umuahia 

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President-elect Muhammadu Buhari has said his administration will find out if $20bn had taken a walk from the treasury as alleged by former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido.

Sanusi’s whistle blowing action got him the sack from the President Jonathan led administration and Buhari has said he’ll be revisiting the allegation once he assumes the reins after May 29.

“I heard that some people have started refunding money, but I will not believe until I see it”, Buhari said as he received a delegation from Adamawa State led by the state’s governor-elect, Bindow Jibrilla, in his campaign secretariat in Abuja.

He added that; “His royal highness, the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was removed from the Central bank because he said that about $20 billion was missing. Instead of the government to investigate the matter, they refused, instead they sacked him. As God will have it, he is now the Emir of Kano and that is exactly what he wants to be.

“He has already written all the detailed report on it. The incoming government will not ignore it, even though we have promised to draw a line, but $20 billion is too big to ignore. This is Nigerian money and it must be investigated,” Buhari said.

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(Reuters) – Burundian police shot dead two protesters and wounded at least one other on Sunday, the Red Cross said, in demonstrations against the president seeking a third term which critics say would violate a constitutional limit of two terms.

Witnesses said police used water cannon, tear gas and in some cases live bullets to disperse demonstrators across Bujumbura. The authorities earlier banned all protests either for or against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s renewed candidacy.

African leaders and Western nations have urged Nkurunziza not to run again, and the United States and the European Union have indicated they could take punitive steps if violence erupted as a result.

“We counted two protesters killed by police, four others were injured and one is in coma in hospital after being hit by a bullet,” Alexis Manirakiza, Burundi Red Cross spokesman told Reuters.

Police had no immediate comment on the casualties.

Burundi’s ruling CNDD-FDD party nominated Nkurunziza as its presidential candidate on Saturday. Those opposed say this not only violates the constitution, which limits leaders to two terms in office, but also goes against the spirit of a 2000 peace deal that has kept Burundi calm for a decade since a civil war between ethnic Hutus and Tutsis ended in 2005.
RADIO STATION STORMED

United Nations and Rwandan officials say just over 17,000 Burundians have fled into neighboring Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo since mid-March due to rising fear of violence in the run-up to the June 26 presidential election.

Interior Minister Edouard Nduwimana said on Sunday that the demonstrations were illegal.

“We have asked whoever is against the third term to follow legal procedures. Only the constitutional court can judge if Nkurunziza has the right to run or not,” he told Reuters.

Dlamini Zuma, chairwoman of the African Union Commission, urged the Burundian government to practice restraint.

“Political actors must use appropriate channels to seek redress in grievances, including disputes on elections. Violence begets violence,” she said on her Twitter feed.

A Reuters witness said the interior minister and the minister in charge of security joined police in forcing their way into the premises of private radio station RPA.

At first they threatened to shut the station down, accusing staff of inciting people to revolt, but then ordered them to stop airing any live material from the protests.

Protests began in four suburbs of the capital and by late afternoon had subsided in three, but a protest in the district of Musaga remained intense, with police attempting to disperse it using water cannon, the Reuters witness said.

Nkurunziza’s supporters say his first term should not count because he was chosen by parliament rather than by a popular vote.

(Additional reporting by Clement Uwiringiyimana in Kigali; George Obulutsa in Nairobi; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Raissa Kasolowsky)

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With the conclusion of the 2015 general elections, reality has no doubt, dawned on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that they are not invincible and can be unseated, contrary to their beliefs and self-delusion.

Before the 2015 elections, the PDP had told all who cared to listen that they will be in power for 60 years before any opposition party can taste power. While they continued with business as usual, the opposition perfected its strategy and made history, not just by defeating an incumbent president but dismantling the stronghold of the PDP in the north and returning an incumbent governor for the first time in the history of Oyo State.

As expected, Nigerian politicians did not disappointed as they trooped en-mass to join the APC, the new bride of Nigerian politics, thereby setting the stage for the demise of the PDP and the laying of the foundation stone for a one party state. Out of the 28 registered political parties in Nigeria, only about 14 of them participated in the general elections. The others played safe by endorsing popular candidates. Everyone knew it was going to be a two horse race between the APC and the PDP.

The merger that birthed the All Progressive Alliance into the political terrain is a welcome development and one that should be applauded. Before their arrival, the PDP carried on as if Nigerians had no option and that it was the PDP or nothing. CHANGE has come but we must also guard against drifting into a one party state structure, a situation that will not augur well for our fledgling democracy. This is the sad reality that stares us in the face.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) therefore needs to dust off this defeat, bounce back and become a credible opposition to the All Progressive Congress (APC).  With its national spread (which it still has and enjoys), the PDP has what it takes to become a force to reckon with again as there are many who still believe in the ideology of its founding fathers as a party that can provide a covering for all. Its slogan “Power to the People” needs to be awakened in the hearts of Nigerians again. Before it can do all this however, it must first set its house in order. The People’s Democratic Party needs to embark on an immediate rebuilding or remodelling process and strengthening of its party structure if it hopes to survive in the coming years. It needs to ‘borrow ’a ‘broom’ from the APC and sweep its house clean. The game has changed and they must also change in order to make impact in the coming years. I therefore propose thus:

1. That it takes a critical look at its ‘founding’ ideology and rediscover itself
2. That the founding fathers of the PDP be consulted and their counsel applied as part of their survival strategy going forward
3. An extra ordinary assembly or convention be summoned
4. That its current BOT be dissolved and reconstituted, bringing fresh ideas with a long term focus
5. Its officers at the national level should be relieved of their duties. Interim officers can be appointed
6. Party officers, leaders or elders at state level, especially where such leaders have overseen two or more elections without recording any success, should be relieved of their duties. Aspirants in these states should be brought together and given direct responsibilities in their states
7. Inject fresh blood and ideas into the party. Let the elders lead from behind, let the youths lead from the front.
8. Embark on new strategies for recruitment drive, involving the youths
9. Establish a feedback mechanism

This is not exhaustive but it is a start.

It is instructive to note that it took just about two years of rigorous work on the part of the APC to succeed in the 2015 elections. The PDP has 4 years to the next elections and can start working assiduously to give the APC a run for their money. They should not wait till 2018. The PDP needs to set up watch towers and monitor the activities of the APC, especially making sure they deliver on their election promises.

The loss in the 2015 elections should be an eye opener and a wake-up call for the political class in Nigeria that power is transient and that the will of the people supersedes theirs.

Mistakes have been made, and it’s time to apply the lessons from those mistakes. Nigerians are now more politically enlightened than ever and they want to get involved in the political process. Most Nigerians today are looking for political parties that fit their ideology; that can carry them along and that can compete in the political landscape. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has the golden opportunity of reaching out to such Nigerians and giving them a sense of belonging going forward. The time is now.

*@paulutho is a political communicator & a strategic planner

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Members of the  Ondo State House of Assembly this morning drove the final nail into State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Ali Olanusi’s coffin, impeaching him for what they referred to as “gross misconduct”.

Majority Leader of the House of Assembly, ‎Ifedayo Akinsoyinu moved the motion for the impeachment of the deputy governor–a motion which was hurriedly seconded by the Deputy Majority leader of the Assembly, Oyebo Aladatan.

The House claimed Olanusi violated section 188 (9) of the 1999 Constitution.

The House had earlier received the report of the 7-man panel set up by the State Chief Judge, Olasehinde Kumuyi.

22 members of the House backed Olanusi’s impeachment; ending the game of musical chairs that has been his lot since he defected to the APC after a falling out with State Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

Olanusi had alleged that Mimiko often treated him badly as his number two man, kept him in the dark on State affairs; that he only showed up at his office to read newspapers and was seldom handed any official assignments as Deputy Governor.

He had dared the lawmakers to impeach him a fortnight ago and today’s development means that they duly obliged.

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The All Progressives Congress on Monday rejected the impeachment of Ondo State Deputy Governor, Ali Olanusi, saying the process leading to his removal violated provisions of the impeachment clause in the 1999 Constitution.

The party said the action of the State House of Assembly was in disobedience of a court order which asked all parties to maintain status quo in a suit the deputy governor filed challenging the plot to impeach him.

The party’s National Vice Chairman in charge of South-west, Pius Akinyelure, faulted Mr. Olanusi’s impeachment in a statement he issued in Lagos, noting that the decision of the state assembly, which he said acted as Mimiko’s rubber stamp, would not stand.

Mr. Akinyelure described the impeachment as a mockery of constitutional order, which he said the governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko and all members of the State House of Assembly swore to uphold.

He lamented that despite the decision of a High Court sitting in Akure that all parties should maintain status quo until the substantive suit is determined, the legislative arm of the state went ahead to impeach the deputy governor.

He said the House of Assembly committed three different infractions to the 1999 Constitution in the process of removing the deputy governor, who had travelled out of the country for medical check-up before the impeachment procedures started.

He cited the violation of section 188(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, stipulating that the Speaker of the House of Assembly “shall, within seven days of the receipt of the notice of impeachment, cause a copy of the notice to be served on the holder of the office and on each member of the House of Assembly and shall also cause any statement made in reply to the allegation by the holder of the office…”.

Mr. Akinyelure said the above provision was not complied with or observed by the House of Assembly before the deputy governor was illegally or unconstitutionally removed from office.

At the time the impeachment process commenced about fortnight ago, the vice chairman said the deputy governor had travelled out of the country for medical check-up, noting that the House of Assembly did not serve the notice of impeachment on him or place it in any national daily as required by the 1999 Constitution.

Mr. Akinyelure also accused the Assembly of violating section 188(6) of the Constitution, which states that the holder of the office, whose conduct “is being investigated under this section shall have the right to defend himself in person or be represented before the panel on inquiry by a legal practitioner of his own choice”.

As required under section 188 (6) of the 1999 Constitution, Mr. Akinyelure said the deputy governor was not offered the opportunity to defend himself, noting that he was not in the county when the impeachment proceedings started.

He said the deputy governor “has not returned to Nigeria since he travelled out. He was not given opportunity to defend himself. And the panel has three months to conclude its assignment as indicated in section 188(7)(b), out of which it has not exhausted two weeks. Why is the panel acted in a hurry? Why can it follow due process?”

The APC chieftain also accused the lawmakers of breaching Section 188 (2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that the holder of such office is guilty of gross misconduct in performance of the functions of his office detailed particulars of which shall be provided.”

Mr. Akinyelure said the impeachment of the deputy governor did not comply with this provision, noting that the impeachment did not show substantive particulars of impeachable offences brought against him

On these grounds, the vice chairman argued that the impeachment of Mr. Olanusi “left so much to be desired and that the decision of the panel would not stand, noting that the party would challenge illegal impeachment of the deputy governor”.

–Premium Times

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The death toll from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck near the capital of Kathmandu, Nepal on Saturday, has now risen above 4,000; according to latest reports from the country. The Nepalese government has declared a state of emergency and the international community has joined in with aid and relief efforts.

Hospitals are overcrowded and hundreds more are feared to be trapped in the rubble dotting the landscape.

United States Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement of condolences Saturday and announced that the U.S. would be joining in the effort to help Nepal recover.

Kerry also announced Monday that the U.S. government is sending an additional $9 million to aid in the relief effort, bringing the total funds sent thus far to $10 million.

“The images that everybody has seen are gut-wrenching. Extraordinary devastation, young children carried away in ambulances, whole villages reduced to rubble,” Kerry said Monday during a joint-press conference with his Japanese counterparts. “We are working very closely with the government of Nepal to provide assistance and support.”

The earthquake is the country’s worst in 81 years.

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