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Protest Rocks Ogun PDP Over Gov'ship Primaries

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<b>Hundreds of members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State on Monday embarked on a protest over an alleged plot to withdraw the mandate which produced Gboyega Isiaka as the party’s governorship candidate ahead of 2015 poll.</b></div>
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The national office of the PDP had rejected the outcome of the primaries that produced Mr. Isiaka. The party denied knowledge of the election.</div>
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But some leaders of the party in the state have insisted that Mr. Isiaka is the right candidate.</div>
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On Monday, leaders of party from the Ogun Central Senatorial District warned the party leadership against any attempt to impose a candidate for the vacant senatorial seat in the district.</div>
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The zonal leaders in a communiqué signed by Ademola Adeshina, Bolanle Tejuoso and Lijadu Majekodunmi, at the end of its meeting, approved the primaries which produced the three</div>
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candidates for its House of Representatives.</div>
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The candidates were Ibrahim Olaleye -Abeokuta North/Obafemi-Owode/Odeda, Yomi Ajayi -Abeokuta South, and Nathaniel Sodipo -Ewekoro/Ifo.</div>
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Meanwhile, protesters in support of Mr. Isiaka, at the party secretariat located along Presidential Boulevard, were armed with placards.</div>
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Some read: Ogun West will not disappoint PDP, GNI is the roadmap 2015, We salute PDP for the choice of GNI, GNI is symbol of success, and On GNI mandate we stand.</div>
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The notable elders of the zone, who led the protesters and spoke at the venue include; Ebun Oyagbola – a former Minister, Salmot Badru – a former Ogun State Deputy Governor, Iyabo Apampa, and Semiu Sodipo – PDP State Secretary, among others.</div>
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All the speakers at the protest venue declared they would not relent in their efforts to ensure the elected governorship candidate was not robbed of his mandate, particularly as the zone he was from was yet to produce a governor since the creation of the state 39 years ago.</div>
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Ms. Oyagbola said, “I am happy to be here today. All evil plans against us shall be scuttled and not see the light of the day. Is it a crime to come from Ogun West? The zone is yet to be in power since creation of the state.”</div>
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Ms. Badru said there was no going back on the mandate given to Mr. Isiaka. </div>
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“We are here in solidarity and in support of one of our own, Gboyega Isiaka, who has been picked as PDP governorship candidate,” she said. “We have come today to tell the whole world that we leaders in Ogun West are united and in support of Gboyega Isiaka becoming Governor in 2015. We are determined more than before. Since the creation of Ogun State we have not attained a governor seat. We are saying enough is enough. We’ve been supporting other zones. Now, they should support us now. This is our time; we must work towards that.”</div>
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The Ogun Central leaders in their communique declared that they stood behind the previous primaries which produced candidates for the lower house at the National Assembly.</div>
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They said these candidates emerged from a very rigorous and well supervised process monitored by the officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the State Security Services, Police, and state party chieftains and journalists.</div>
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On the postponed senatorial primary for the zone, the communique declared that any attempt to impose any candidate would not go down well with the party. It said the state chairman of the party, Dayo Bayo, had earlier publicly announced the postponement of the primary, hence, the need to conduct a fresh primary for the contestants which included Lanre Laoshe, Bisola Sodipo-Clark and Adebo Fijabi.</div>
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The communique said the leaders could not afford destabilisation from outside Ogun Central as an independent people they would not subject their choices to any manipulation.</div>
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“Since the inception of our party, the PDP, we have never been known for brazen imposition and abuse of process,” the communique said. </div>
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“Election in 2015 is a must win for the PDP and we have to say that Ogun Central is the battle ground given that the governorship candidate of our rival the All Progressives Congress, APC, is from Ogun Central.”</div>
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The body also emphasised two prayers in their communique, which stated thus: “All the House of Representatives candidates that emerged through the primaries held on the 6th December, 2014 should be upheld as they reflect wishes of our people and enjoy overwhelming majority.</div>
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“We recognise that these aspirants namely; Lanre Laoshe, Bisola Sodipo-Clark and Adebo Fijabi have been in the race but we insist that the choice of who represent Ogun Central at the Senate must be decided by Ogun Central themselves via a free,f air and transparent primaries. But if exit polls on the field are anything to go by then Hon Lanre Laoshe seems to enjoy popular support.”</div>

Protest Rocks Ogun PDP Over Gov'ship Primaries

Hundreds of members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State on Monday embarked on a protest over an alleged plot to withdra...

Jonathan Is Like Jesus Christ - Doyin Okupe

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<b>"People do not understand the burden this president is bearing. He’s like Jesus Christ. He’s bearing the burden of everybody,” Okupe said while commenting on the state of the nation on <i>Channels TV Sunrise Daily</i>.</b></div>
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According to him, the efforts of the government in fighting the Boko Haram insurgency as well as in power were being hindered by external factors, even as the nation gears up for the 2015 elections, which Okupe said would be impossible for Jonathan to lose.</div>
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“I can’t see GEJ losing this election; It’s not possible.”</div>
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On managing serious challenges in Nigeria and also campaigning for a second term in government, Okupe noted that “the beauty of executive is being able to multitask,” which he said was one quality the President had.</div>
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However, there have been complaints concerning two major issues – security and power.</div>
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On electricity, Okupe explained that Nigeria has been “under-powered” for many years, noting that in Ikeja, Lagos State, the electrical infrastructure on ground is about 35 years old.</div>
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He admitted that “power is a problem”, which was why the government was working to improve generation and distribution, through the power reform.</div>
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He also noted that the equipment were expensive which had caused the private owners to borrow billions of dollars. “We are not there yet but we are certainly on an irreversible road to better power supply,” he further insisted.</div>
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Asked why the government did not first work on changing equipment before increasing generation, which also costs money, Okupe said that there was a limit the government could do as power was controlled 100% by the private sector.</div>
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“In the power situation, we are not there yet. We are definitely on a road that cannot change,” he emphasised, hinting that the government is working on huge dam projects to allow the private owners work effectively on distribution.</div>
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He also claimed that government efforts were being sabotaged by politicians who sponsor vandals to attack gas pipelines.</div>
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“We noted that there were 10 NIPP projects which were performing below 50 per cent”, he disclosed, alleging that some persons were making sure they underperformed so as to make the government appear incompetent.</div>
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He, however, added that the rate of sabotage had reduced in the past year.</div>
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On the state of security in Nigeria’s North East region, Okupe commended the government’s efforts, noting that all aspects of the war against terror, including funding, administration were being worked upon.</div>
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“Today, the Nigerian Army is in total and perfect control,” of North East, he added.</div>
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On the recent comments made by Governor of Borno State, Okupe said the governor “never fails to amaze me”, adding that majority of problems of insurgency was situated in his state but he was travelling to Lagos, London and other nations, to discuss insurgency but failed to meet the President on the matter.</div>
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Okupe argued that Boko Haram was a “multinational, international insurgency arrangement in Nigeria” as the group had links with ISIS, Al Qaeda, and other international terrorist groups.</div>
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He also said he did not know about the identity of the sponsors as he was not working with security.</div>
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He also claimed that there were huge political considerations in the fight against Boko Haram, making an example of General Buhari, who Okupe said had polled over 12 million votes in the North in the last election.</div>
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Okupe alleged that Buhari had said any attack on Boko Haram was an attack on the North and that Buhari’s recent condemnation of Boko Haram was as a result of his fourth bid to become Nigeria’s president.</div>
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<b>#BringBackOurGirls Not Time Bound</b></div>
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Speaking about the 219 schoolgirls in Boko Haram captivity, Okupe said “the issue of Chibok girls was (an) emotion(al) tragedy but it is a tragedy that we must bear with fortitude,” noting that issues such as rape, murder and other atrocities were common in war.</div>
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“Chibok girls are a major thorn in the flesh of the administration,” he explained, stating that “If it was possible to get them yesterday I know that this government would have done it”.</div>
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He also called for caution in the rescue mission, noting that “any mistake will lead to their death” and that there’s no time limit for returning the girls alive.</div>
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You can watch the video below.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="420" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/4Xp8QfopgVY" width="640"></iframe>

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<b>Credit: SaharaReporters</b></div>
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<b>Video: Channels TV</b></div>

Jonathan Is Like Jesus Christ - Doyin Okupe

"People do not understand the burden this president is bearing. He’s like Jesus Christ. He’s bearing the burden of everybody,” O...

We Can't Defeat Boko Haram, Army Commander Writes Jonathan

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNd6cKSRph8Rp306qwI8Y63C9dPieHKjkcCbT-9XCxG2uHE9a1cKHhinj0JQ5tTFqjqlNHCWd2Yp9I_3Tf1PHi-jcmiQqgNvWNHD7kndwiBJSv1ZIy2XTmBzqTFkZRH7Jj23tSRnP9D0/s1600/Jonathan_commander-in-chief.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNd6cKSRph8Rp306qwI8Y63C9dPieHKjkcCbT-9XCxG2uHE9a1cKHhinj0JQ5tTFqjqlNHCWd2Yp9I_3Tf1PHi-jcmiQqgNvWNHD7kndwiBJSv1ZIy2XTmBzqTFkZRH7Jj23tSRnP9D0/s1600/Jonathan_commander-in-chief.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>In a desperate letter to President Goodluck Jonathan and Senate President David Mark leaked to <i>SaharaReporters</i> this past weekend, a commanding officer stationed in  Nigeria's northeast details several troubling issues plaguing troops combatting Islamist terror group Boko Haram in the region.</b> </div>
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The officer stated that, corruption, maladministration, lack of resources and troops motivation has militated against a successful campaign to end Boko Haram's deadly reign of terror in the northeast. </div>
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The officer's lengthy complaint which he claims would lead to a threat to his life forewarns that if his pleas continue to be ignored by the country's leadership that both the Nigerian Army and the country will crumble under the insurgency. </div>
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"If all issues raised in this letter are not urgently addressed, the Nigerian Army will soon be history and by implication there will be no country called Nigeria," the officer gravely states. "No country without a strong army will survive."</div>
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Below is the full text of the officer's letter addressed to President Goodluck Jonathan</div>
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 <b>PLEASE MR PRESIDENT SAVE THE MILITARY AND NIGERIA FROM COLLAPSING</b></div>
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1. Sir, I am constrain to write you this letter which I consider it a matter of more than great importance for me to inform you and put to record issues that are happening in the North East (Operation Zaman Lafiya). I choose this medium to write you this open letter because I have written similar letter but no action was taking which I believe some forces have blocked it are now after my life. Sir I have served in 7 Division as staff officer and presently I am the commanding officer of 103Bn in the field. My combined wealth of experience as a staff officer and now commanding officer are the disturbing fact that necessitated me to write you this letter. While as a staff officer, I was among those who believed that the commanders in the field are not doing well. But presently, as a commander in the field, I found out that it is not the fault of any commander that the defeat of the so called BOKO HARAM (BH) has not been achieved.</div>
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2. First and foremost sir, the Nigerian Army is poorly equipped in the North East, if all the battalions are well-equipped as required; it will not take the Army more than two weeks to flush out the BH. Presently there are four units in my location here in KONDUGA including 21 Armoured Brigade HQ. If all the units are provided with all their requirements, we can advance and flush out BH out of North East. Mr. President sir, the Nigerian Army is well-trained and capable of defending our nation. It has demonstrated the capacity to even successfully enforce peace in other nations. Why not in our own country Nigeria?</div>
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3. The fact about NE operation is that we are poorly equipped, understaffed, high corruption from Army Headquarters down to battalion level. Commanders see it as opportunity to make money. My predecessor has complained of the same problem. Instead of ASA addressing the issue raised by him, the army authorities decided to Court Martialled him. All the units in NE are understaffed, but on payroll their strength are complete just to collect more allowances than what each unit is supposed to. The commanders see it as a personal money making venture rather than taking care of men and equipment. This ugly trend led to loss of many officers and soldiers and thereby having adverse effect on the moral (sic) of troops. Majority of soldiers in the operation area wear mufti (civil cloths) under their military uniforms in case there is an attack and the troops cannot withstand the BH, they found it easy to disguise as civilians to enable them escape. This is not the traditional practice in the NA. Though it is lack of adequate equipment and poor administration from the higher authority that resulted to this ugly trend by our troops</div>
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4. Sir, another bad and unprofessional act is that soldiers don’t take to orders from their superior officers because they have lost confidence/trust from them. The case of former General Officer Commanding 7 Division Major General A. Mohammed is enough evidence to show that all is not well in the Nigerian Army. It will interest you to note that worse cases has been recorded before that of the former GOC and more are still happening, but nobody is ready to investigate the root cause of problems facing the troops in the field.</div>
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5. This brings me to a recent occurrence which is my main purpose of writing this letter. As I mentioned earlier, due to the failure of the authority to address issues that I made mentioned, when a unit is attacked and overran by the BH not because the soldiers are unable to fight, but lack of weapons, ammunitions and communications equipment, the soldiers on many occasions will ran away, and a commander cannot stand and fight alone as a result of this. Presently seventy percent of commanders in the NE are facing Court Martial due to the reasons mentioned. We the commanding officers are very worried over this development. This is because we many soon find our self as victims of this maladministration from our higher authorities.</div>
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6. There is no sincerity in this operation; this is because the present acting GOC has never visited any location outside Maiduguri town not to talk of principal staff officers in Army Headquarters or even the COAS. But we keep on hearing all sorts of lies that Generals are leading the fight against BH. These are facts that can be confirmed from officers and soldiers in this operation including those in the 7 Division Headquarters. The GOC is so afraid that even with the Divisional Headquarters; he doesn’t go out and always locked himself inside his office. Infact it is a common knowledge among officers and soldiers in this operation that the acting GOC is here to make his money and earn his promotion to the detriment of the operation. The completion of his mansion at No 8 Gwamna Road in Kaduna which the GOC ignorantly disclosed that when he completed it, will be among the best houses in Kaduna, has turned to be a subject of discussion among troops.</div>
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7. The former 21 Armored Brigade commander is facing Court Martial today because the acting GOC does not want to see him and his garrision in Maiduguri town simply because of the huge monthly allocations from the Borno State government to the brigade garrision. He wanted to be collecting his money by using 7 Div Garrison, but in reality 7 Div Garrision does not have troops to claim such money. It is worthy to note that the GOC received 33,000litres of AGO and PMS each, 600 bags of rice monthly from Borno State government. All these items are diverted for his personal use.</div>
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8. Recently the newly appointed 21 Brigade commander lead 3 units to flush out the BH, that operation was successful, almost 300 BH were killed, weapons and vehicles were recovered from them, in the process the troops exhausted their ammunitions from the Div, the GOC simply replied that there was no ammunition this made all the troops to withdraw back to KONDUGA.</div>
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9. Presently more than 3000 officers and soldiers are either killed in action, deserted, captured as POW or on AWOL. But due to lack of proper administration the army directed that their salary should be stopped. This affect the families of those that are either genuinely killed in action or captured as Prisoners of War. It has also affected some of the troops that are still participating in this operation.</div>
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10.  Mr. President sir, if all issues raised in this letter are not urgently address, the Nigerian Army will soon be history and by implication there will be no country called Nigeria. No country without strong army will survive. I decided to write you this letter because the life of officers and soldiers trusted in my care are no longer save. My life is also at the stake because the NA authority as usual will say I have communicated directly to you as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces and may sanction me. As a citizen of this country and a commander in the operational area, with all the points I have mentioned in this letter, it is clearly that the Military authorities have failed the country, as such they should be held liable for their misdeeds. I have consulted seasonal constitutional lawyers if writing you this letter will be an offence, but they said it is my constitutional right to inform the C in C about what is happening in the NE and within the military which if not address will affect the survival of Nigeria.</div>
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<b>Credit: <a href="http://saharareporters.com/2014/12/15/why-we-could-not-defeat-boko-haram-army-commander-writes-powerful-letter-president">SaharaReporters</a></b></div>

We Can't Defeat Boko Haram, Army Commander Writes Jonathan

In a desperate letter to President Goodluck Jonathan and Senate President David Mark leaked to SaharaReporters this past weekend, a co...

Miss South Africa Crowned Miss World 2014

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Miss South Africa, 22-year-old Rolene Strauss, was crowned Miss World 2014 at the contest’s glitzy final in London on Sunday. Miss Hungary, Edina Kulcsar, was judged the runner-up and Miss United States, Elizabeth Safrit, came third in the 64th annual competition, contested by women from 121 countries</div>
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Medical student Strauss clasped her hands together in surprise and was crowned by the outgoing Miss World, Megan Young of the Philippines, to huge cheers in the ExCeL exhibition centre.</div>
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South Africa this is for you,” Strauss said. “I think I will brace myself for what’s about to happen.</div>

Miss South Africa Crowned Miss World 2014

Miss South Africa, 22-year-old Rolene Strauss, was crowned Miss World 2014 at the contest’s glitzy final in London on Sunday. Miss Hung...

Child Abuse: Ugandan Nanny Gets 4 Years Sentence [Video]

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhkEOOTQqLOPmKfs9pRK0N-8SY903kkYrWX2oVxGZfVvS7BpXjJe8nOkZF7WtU82AWdcx1nfcPf1st0rD4oHkY-fzqD8rXkk9aadNu-1QR9lARPbyVws_Ae1vLEXg-_fbf2dyCQQf-t4/s1600/Ugandan+Nanny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOhkEOOTQqLOPmKfs9pRK0N-8SY903kkYrWX2oVxGZfVvS7BpXjJe8nOkZF7WtU82AWdcx1nfcPf1st0rD4oHkY-fzqD8rXkk9aadNu-1QR9lARPbyVws_Ae1vLEXg-_fbf2dyCQQf-t4/s1600/Ugandan+Nanny.jpg" /></a></div>
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An Ugandan maid that appeared in a graphic video assaulting a toddler in a case that shocked the world has been jailed for four years for abuse.</div>
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The 22-year-old maid, Jolly Tumuhiirwe, originally pleaded guilty last week to torture, but later the charge was reduced to abuse, to which she also pleaded guilty on Friday.</div>
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Chief Magistrate Lillian Buchan told Tumuhiirwe she had committed an “unjustifiable and inexcusable” crime.</div>
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She gave her a four-year sentence due to the “ruthlessness exhibited” on an “innocent, helpless child”.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pKyFjr6s-AkrkUcXOsU_-iroeStRTqPRY-szsxbhuugYh8F2d5D6YmHPhVTeiFBO8R1HTfJxpbsymWH4CkCMm1BfWZEeS97R2N2lrK3HkiyM1NrSEhinLhCt2chc5lR-uevikeFXaug/s1600/Uganda+Maid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5pKyFjr6s-AkrkUcXOsU_-iroeStRTqPRY-szsxbhuugYh8F2d5D6YmHPhVTeiFBO8R1HTfJxpbsymWH4CkCMm1BfWZEeS97R2N2lrK3HkiyM1NrSEhinLhCt2chc5lR-uevikeFXaug/s1600/Uganda+Maid.jpg" /></a></div>
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Worried parents, who installed a hidden camera to film when they were at work, were shocked to see the footage showing the maid throwing their 18-month-old daughter to the floor.</div>
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Tumuhiirwe is seen trying to force feed the child, before slapping her hard. After the girl vomits, the maid throws her facedown on to a hard floor, and then hits her with a torch on the bottom.</div>
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She then kicks the child’s face and stomach before putting her entire weight on the girl’s back, and then drags her out of the room, apparently unconscious.</div>
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The video has been seen or shared hundreds of thousands of times on social media.</div>
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Tumuhiirwe on Monday remained apparently emotionless as her sentence was handed down in a court in Kampala.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUhzpjKZoPVbUV4eEuwrnGEVY0BpQ5456e2wPpYV-haFa9NAYJ20w71fnyoFdK0MqlScXElX4Mrkoe4b8as6KvF8m7P6Yz87n4gVXjOIy52CNtNgqix4VHj2weY2y2-fjR3aTzGhE1Wo/s1600/Ugandan+Nanny1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUhzpjKZoPVbUV4eEuwrnGEVY0BpQ5456e2wPpYV-haFa9NAYJ20w71fnyoFdK0MqlScXElX4Mrkoe4b8as6KvF8m7P6Yz87n4gVXjOIy52CNtNgqix4VHj2weY2y2-fjR3aTzGhE1Wo/s1600/Ugandan+Nanny1.jpg" /></a></div>
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Ugandan newspapers called the footage “spine-chilling” and “very disturbing”.</div>
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The child was left bruised and shaken.</div>
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The case has gathered wide attention in Uganda, where many middle class parents hire maids to look after their children. Maids in Uganda are often poorly paid, and regularly live in the houses where they work.</div>
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In case you missed the story, you can watch the heart-breaking video below:<br />
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<b>WARNING:</b> <b>This footage contains disturbing images. Viewers discretion is advised.</b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="420" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0jNA1Tt5ebQ" width="640"></iframe>

Child Abuse: Ugandan Nanny Gets 4 Years Sentence [Video]

An Ugandan maid that appeared in a graphic video assaulting a toddler in a case that shocked the world has been jailed for four years f...

Insurgency Will Soon End - Emir of Kano

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNifluHrzimXqI4WfJi0XN7JMvXkXXXhEqNjRtax5aIGTZ1A1gPHeuvYmtYwoPDBRx4i2rBJQNasGnyDAsiWMoyuaUkIZcMrwBYd5ZXWfkGUQ-GXbiDGqkFZm4VkO1BWgCanIRqwJ4GSA/s1600/emir_sanusi_Kano.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNifluHrzimXqI4WfJi0XN7JMvXkXXXhEqNjRtax5aIGTZ1A1gPHeuvYmtYwoPDBRx4i2rBJQNasGnyDAsiWMoyuaUkIZcMrwBYd5ZXWfkGUQ-GXbiDGqkFZm4VkO1BWgCanIRqwJ4GSA/s1600/emir_sanusi_Kano.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, has expressed optimism that the Boko Haram insurgency which has claimed some 13,000 lives will soon be over, <a href="http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/sanusi-boko-haram-will-be-defeated/196751/">ThisDay</a> reports. </b></div>
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“I say help is on the way. Terror must and will be defeated,” Sanusi tweeted on Sunday.</div>
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“All it requires is the good leaders, uncommon courage and unrelenting determination, and victory will be ours.”</div>
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According to Business Standard, Sanusi, Nigeria’s second most powerful Islamic leader, was presumably referring to the emergence of former military ruler, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, as the candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in next year’s presidential election.</div>
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Buhari will challenge President Goodluck Jonathan’s ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the country’s top job on February 14.</div>
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“We will together see the end of them and their reign of terror,” Sanusi said.</div>
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Sanusi became emir earlier this year after being suspended from his post as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), where he was one of the government’s high-profile critics.</div>
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Last month, he voiced support for vigilantes fighting Boko Haram in the volatile North-east, urging others to form civilian militias and questioning the competence of the military to end the five-year-old insurgency.</div>
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<b>Credit: <a href="http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/sanusi-boko-haram-will-be-defeated/196751/">ThisDay</a></b></div>

Insurgency Will Soon End - Emir of Kano

The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, has expressed optimism that the Boko Haram insurgency which has claimed some 13,000 lives...

[Must Read]: Why PDP May Not Contest In The 2015 Presidential Election

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHn88xz5eTed3l8QmcTmhf4-HAXxT60gD30_iEWiKxQUiCwJLet2IqIdTMdnOMZD6JQKEeSxDMhCiTXF5XCxFZtPcGE_lSpyC5QO1gtorZN2cMmEIuFgRuy1vvWix_DPdbSuWR__qcvmE/s1600/PDP-logo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHn88xz5eTed3l8QmcTmhf4-HAXxT60gD30_iEWiKxQUiCwJLet2IqIdTMdnOMZD6JQKEeSxDMhCiTXF5XCxFZtPcGE_lSpyC5QO1gtorZN2cMmEIuFgRuy1vvWix_DPdbSuWR__qcvmE/s1600/PDP-logo2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Despite all the hypes and bold faces being put up by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that all is well and they are fully ready to take on any challenger in the 2015 Presidential election, my findings have revealed the opposite. Informed sources said there is a heightened tension in the Presidency over the judgement to be delivered by the Supreme Court tomorrow, Tuesday December 16 on the eligibility of President Goodluck Jonathan to stand in election.</b><br />
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It will be recalled that the Supreme Court had okayed the appeal filed before it by a chieftain of the PDP, from Adamawa State, Dr. Umar Ardo, for hearing on a day Jonathan insisted he was legally qualified to contest the 2015 presidential election.<br />
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The president, through his lawyer, ‎Mr. Ade Okeaya-Inneh, SAN, told the court that he had cited legal authorities backing his re-election bid.<br />
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He argued that Ardo had no case against him‎, insisting that he is permitted by the 1999 Constitution to go for a second tenure in office.<br />
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Meanwhile, Jonathan challenged the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court where Ardo lodged an appeal to ‎set aside that decision of the appellate court which he said was flawless.<br />
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He further contended that Ardo was not a party before the High Court and did not show any good ground on why he should be joined at the Appeal Court.<br />
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‎Jonathan noted that whereas the main appeal by Njoku was filed on April 16, 2013, Ardo waited till September 23 to apply with a view to be allowed to seek his disqualification from participating in the 2015 election.<br />
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Njoku, a member of the PDP in Zuba Ward, Abuja, had, in his appeal, insisted that the lower court misinterpreted the law to favour Jonathan, even as he urged the court to go ahead and determine “whether Section 135(2) of the Constitution, which specifies a period of four years in office for the president, is only available or applicable to a person elected on the basis of an actual election or includes one in which a person assumes the position of president by operation of law, as in the case of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.”<br />
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Arguing that Jonathan is constitutionally barred from contesting the presidency in 2015, the plaintiff prayed the court to determine “whether Section 137(1) (b) of the Constitution, which provides that a person shall not be qualified for election to the office of president, if he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections, applies to the first defendant, who first took an oath of office as substantive President on May 6, 2010 and took a second oath as President on May 29, 2011.”<br />
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He is also seeking a declaration that ‘the president’s tenure of office began on May 6, 2010 when his first term began and his two terms shall end on May 29, 2015 after taking his second oath of office on May 29, 2011; and by virtue of Section 136 (1) (b) of the Constitution, no person (including the first defendant) shall take the oath of allegiance and the oath of office prescribed to in the Seventh Schedule to this Constitution more than twice.<br />
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He further asked the court for an order of injunction restraining president Jonathan from further contesting or attempting to vie for president after May 29, 2015 when his tenure shall by the Nigerian Constitution end.<br />
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Competent sources said that the Presidency was worried that the case could upset its political permutations should the Supreme Court rule against Jonathan running in the election.<br />
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The main headache of the Presidency is that if the apex court rules that its principal could not run in 2015, it would be difficult for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to organise another National Convention to elect another candidate to meet the deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said to be December 18, two days after the hearing.<br />
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The case was said to have been on the radar of presidential minders believed to have also made contacts to know how the case could go and the justices to sit on it.<br />
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Meanwhile, Jonathan’s opponents, particularly from the core North, it was learnt, were expectant that the case would be decided against the president having taken the oath of office twice for the office.<br />
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Our source gathered from judicial sources that top officials of the Supreme Court were aware of the heightened interest in the case, slated for hearing on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 and were working hard to block undue access to the case file.<br />
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The heightened tension, according to the sources, manifested in unceasing enquiries over the composition of the panelists to hear the crucial matter.<br />
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Although the case was filed during the tenure of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Aloma Mukthar, the sources said there had been intense pressure on the current CJN, who took over about two weeks ago, to reconstitute the panel.<br />
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Those in support of Jonathan were said to be rooting for a justice sympathetic to his cause to head the panel while those who want the president disqualified from running in the 2015 election, favoured a neutral and fearless arbiter to preside over the case.<br />
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A top judicial official confirmed that the CJN was yet to re-constitute the panel to hear the case at the close of work on Friday even though he was aware that the case had been slated for hearing on Tuesday.<br />
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The official said it was normal in a very crucial judicial matter of that nature for the CJN to interfere in the composition of the panelists to ensure that justice is delivered to all the parties concerned.<br />
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He said: “The eligibility case filed by some persons against President Jonathan is a serious matter, which the CJN has taken notice of and the normal process of setting up the panel, a few hours to the hearing, will be done.<br />
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“As at the close of work at the weekend, no panel had been raised by the CJN and we believe that, because of the sensitive nature of the matter and the interest it has generated, the CJN will empanel a team to handle it at the right time.<br />
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“This is not the first time such a case is coming before the Supreme Court and there is an established procedure for dealing with such matters.<br />
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“In a case of this nature, the CJN might want to put in neutral justices in the panel taking into consideration where they come from, their maturity, objectivity, and how they have handled similar critical assignments in the past.<br />
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The anxiety over the case follows the declaration by INEC that the different parties must submit to it the names of their candidates for the 2015 elections in the shortest possible time as stipulated by the law.<br />
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The commission said, last night, that it was awaiting the parties to forward to it lists of candidates and their running mates where necessary.<br />
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But it said it will only recognize candidates that emerged from primaries supervised by its officials, warning politicians who conducted parallel party primaries not to approach it with any list. Mr Kayode Idowu, Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, who spoke in a telephone interview with Sunday Vanguard, said the electoral law was clear on the time frame, and asked all parties to rectify their problems where necessary with a view to forwarding their candidates to the electoral body.<br />
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So, if the case is against President Jonathan, the party has no time to hold a convention to elect a presidential candidate. And, to make matters worse, only President Jonathan stood for election at last week's convention.</div>

[Must Read]: Why PDP May Not Contest In The 2015 Presidential Election

Despite all the hypes and bold faces being put up by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that all is well and they are fully read...

Mind Your Business - APC Replies PDP

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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">By Wale Odunsi, Daily Post</span></i></div>
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The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Sunday asked the presidency to stop its obsession with the party’s internal decision processes and decisions.</div>
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In a statement by the spokesperson of the APC in Rivers State, Eze Chukwuemeka, on Sunday, the party reacted to a tweet by presidential aide, Doyin Okupe.</div>
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Okupe had on Thursday tweeted that a joint ticket involving APC’s presidential flag bearer, Muhammadu Buhari, and the Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as Vice President, would be a “fatal error”.</div>
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Responding, Chukwuemeka said “This is an issue that does not concern Dr Okupe, who is not a stakeholder in APC but the fact remains that if Buhari/Amaechi ticket is a fatal error then Jonathan/Sambo ticket is not only a disaster but an ectopic pregnancy that must be evacuated to save the life of the mother, in this case our nation.</div>
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“Anyone who fails an examination is asked to repeat; but when the failure is so dismal the person is asked to leave as Nigerians are asking President Jonathan and VP Sambo to leave as they have not only failed woefully but have endangered our nation to the extent that the need of Buhari/Amaechi ticket becomes imperative to save our nation from imminent extinction”, Mr. Eze said.</div>
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He also said Mr. Okupe’s comment is a sign of cowardice by the Presidency, “which lives in perpetual fear of Mr. Amaechi and has been having nightmares since news filtered out that Mr. Amaechi is in strong contention to emerge as Mr. Buhari’s running mate.”</div>
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The spokesman insisted that a Buhari/Amaechi ticket in 2015 was APC’s best bet of removing the PDP from power.</div>
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“With the myth surrounding Buhari, combined with the bravery and sagacity of Gov. Amaechi, PDP’s days in the Aso Presidential Villa will surely become history by 2015.</div>
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“It is left to the APC power brokers to give a chance to this union if they are serious about ending the embarrassment that PDP has become in the politics of our nation”.</div>
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<b>Credit: <a href="http://dailypost.ng/2014/12/15/mind-business-apc-replies-pdp-buhariamaechi-ticket/">Daily Post</a></b></div>

Mind Your Business - APC Replies PDP

By Wale Odunsi, Daily Post The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Sunday asked the presidency to stop i...

Buhari's Emergence, A Fatal Error - Presidency

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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkhaa2YdQG4MZFYPypq8oBCQsfQ6LzAWc7mnH_jJWGVbM8_xIA5c9tnPhgHFH55DCEUPTd14HviEzXPsEH8DRbY4xw32ZpXnrcl8D0r7uvjQYc2dut-GbYypGuI_LiGLVPlMBybCDxWA0/s1600/Buhari3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkhaa2YdQG4MZFYPypq8oBCQsfQ6LzAWc7mnH_jJWGVbM8_xIA5c9tnPhgHFH55DCEUPTd14HviEzXPsEH8DRbY4xw32ZpXnrcl8D0r7uvjQYc2dut-GbYypGuI_LiGLVPlMBybCDxWA0/s1600/Buhari3.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">By Nnenna Ibeh, Premium Times</span></i></div>
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The emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as the flag-bearer of the All Progressive Congress, APC, is a fatal error, the Nigerian presidency has said.</div>
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Speaking in an interview with <i>Channels Television</i> on Monday morning, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, said the opposition party made a grave mistake at a time Nigerians were clamouring for development and a dissociation from anything or anyone that has anything to do with the country’s past.</div>
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“When Major Buhari emerged as the APC flag bearer, I knew that was a fatal error,” he said. “It’s a fatal error because number one, Nigerians are looking for future development, you know, a disengagement from everything that has got to do with our past. You are looking at Major General Buhari, Babangida, Abdulsalam, Obasanjo. These are very respectable elders and leaders who have done their best but they are a phase of our leadership that is passing off.”</div>
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Mr. Okupe, a member of the ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said the opposition could not be talking about change with someone who would remind Nigerians of their gloomy history.</div>
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He said it was important to note that Nigerians needed to make a clear decision between having a transformation agenda that had worked and produced results and one which, he said, did not have vision.</div>
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“For APC to have now brought, you know, part of our past history that we are not so proud of and then you are talking about change, you know, how can you make a change with somebody who was part of our problem?” he asked.</div>
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“We know that Nigerians are not stupid, you know, a clear decision will have to be taken between having an agenda – transformation agenda – that has worked, that has produced and having listened, you know, Buhari has spoken about three occasions – at his declaration, at his inauguration, I mean, at his primaries. I have asked people; nobody can remember anything that Buhari has said.</div>
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“There is no vision, you know. The only thing that has been told to us – not even by him but by other people – is that Buhari has integrity and he is honest and he is incorruptible which are also not true,” he said. “At the appropriate time, these issues will be taken up.”</div>
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He also said he was sure his boss, President Goodluck Jonathan, would defeat Mr. Buhari and win the 2015 general elections.</div>
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Mr. Buhari, a former Nigeria’s Military Head of State emerged the presidential candidate of the APC on December 10 following the party’s presidential primary election that also included a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar; Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha; Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso and the publisher of Leadership Newspapers, Sam Nda-Isaiah.</div>
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Mr. Buhari will be contesting against Mr. Jonathan at the presidential election scheduled for February 14, 2015.</div>
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<b>Credit: <a href="http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/173298-buharis-emergence-apc-flag-bearer-fatal-error-presidency.html">Premium Times</a></b></div>

Buhari's Emergence, A Fatal Error - Presidency

By Nnenna Ibeh, Premium Times The emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as the flag-bearer of the All Progressive Congress, APC, is a fatal...