Rivers PDP Secretariat on fire, less than 24 hours after anti-Wike rally

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Secretariat
along Port Harcourt/Aba Expressway in Port
Harcourt, has been set on fire in the early hours of
today by unknown persons after tying up the
security guards on duty.
Confirming the fire incident, Jerry Needam, the
Special Adviser to Felix Obuah, Chairman of PDP,on
Media said early arrival of state fire service helped
to put out the fire.
Also confirming the fire incident, Obuah said that
“An attempt to burn the party secretariat has being
carried out by desperate politicians who want the
party to postpone the party’s ward and local
Government Congresses scheduled to take place
tomorrow, Saturday. They have failed because
arrangements have concluded and we are going
ahead. Nobody can stop it. PDP will come tops”.
“We have watching on news of some desperate
politicians threatening the party.” Obuah said.
The fire incident is happening less than 24 hours
after 15 governorship aspirants held a mega rally
insisting on rotation of power in the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, at the Liberation Stadium.
Many of the aspirants urged President Goodluck
Jonathan and national leadership to intervene in
crisis rocking the state branch of the party allegedly
hijacked by the Nyesom Wike, former Minister for
Education who also has ambition to be governor.
At the time of this report, fire fighters were at scene
to put out the fire.

BREAKING: #OsunElectionTribunal – #AIT Apologises and Withdrew False Story

AIT management has withdrawn the false story inspired by desperate Omisore campaign team which allege that Omisore has been getting more votes from ballot recount by the tribunal. This was part of the wicked agenda and desperado and misleading script fashioned by the defeated PDP candidate to upturn by hook or crook the outcome of popular mandate won by APC’s Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola at the 9 August Guber polls. Below is the retraction by AIT website: "The management of DAAR Communications wishes to retract and apologise for a news story posted earlier today on our website at www.aitonline.tv titled ‘Osun Election Tribunal: PDP Aspirant Gets More Valid Votes’. We sincerely apologise for any embarrassment the story might have caused to any group or individuals affected. Do accept our sincere apology. Source : www.aitonline.tv/post-osun_election_tribunal__pdp_aspirant_gets_more_valid_votes___retraction_and_apology

Africa gets first white president in Zambia

Zambia’s President Michael Sata — nicknamed “King Cobra” for his sharp tongue and manner — has died, officials said Wednesday, making his vice-president Africa’s first white head of state in decades. Sata, 77, died Tuesday while undergoing treatment in London’s private King Edward VII hospital for an unspecified illness, the Zambian government said. Vice- President Guy Scott, 70, was named interim leader — making him the first white president of an African nation since FW de Klerk ruled apartheid South Africa more than 20 years ago. Scott, whose parents were from Scotland, is not eligible to stand in the upcoming presidential election — which must be held within the next 90 days — because of a rule in Zambia’s 1996 constitution barring heads of state with foreign parents. “Dr Scott will act as president of the Republic of Zambia until the country goes for a presidential by-election” said Defence Minister Edgar Lungu. Scott issued a statement confirming his temporary promotion and the 90-day period for the elections. He added that national mourning for Sata would begin Wednesday. “We will miss our beloved president and comrade,” he said, – From train station cleaner to president – Sata was elected in 2011 to preside over his landlocked, southern African nation of 15 million people. It was a triumphant post for a man who rose from sweeping London railway stations, through to being a policeman and trade unionist. Once in power, though, he proved to be an authoritarian populist who inveighed against political foes, the media and sometimes even allies, earning him his snakey sobriquet. His admirers saw him more as a no-nonsense man of action. Rumours of him being seriously ill persisted during his final months in office. Frequent denials by the government — and legal action against activists claiming he was dying — did nothing to dispel them. Sata had not been seen in public since returning from the UN General Assembly last month, where he failed to make a scheduled speech. The announcement by cabinet secretary Roland Msiska on Wednesday that Sata had died created little surprise. “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing on of our beloved president,” Msiska said in an address to the nation. Speculation was turning to who might become Zambia’s next president. Even before Sata’s death, analysts had said a power struggle for Zambia’s top job was already well under way within the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) party. When Sata flew to London just over a week ago for treatment he appointed his defence minister as acting president. But Lungu, who also holds the justice portfolio, is seen as just one of several potential candidates within the faction-ridden party. And outside the PF, former president Rupiah Banda, who is facing graft charges, has hinted at a possible return to active politics. “I am legally eligible to stand,” he told AFP early this month, citing calls from his supporters to return to the political fray. – Tributes to Sata – African leaders meanwhile paid tribute to Sata. Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta hailed him as an “outstanding son of Africa”. “He was gifted with unique, admirable abilities and strong values,” Kenyatta said in a statement. South Africa’s ruling ANC said: “Zambia has lost not only a president who prioritised the poor, but also led the Zambian government at a time when the continent is working to reclaim its place in the global governance and economy.” Sata rode to power on the back of resentment against the Chinese resource firms that dot Zambia, describing them as “infesters”. His government had recently cracked down on political opponents and critical journalists who reported on his long- suspected illness and frequent “working trips” abroad, apparently for medical treatment.

Full text of Tambuwal’s speech at APC’s special convention in Abuja

It is an honour and privilege to join you all today at this Special Convention of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). I am really glad to be part of the APC family. Indeed, I have been overwhelmed by the massive outpouring of goodwill and welcome that I have received from the members of our great party and other well meaning Nigerians since the formal notification of my membership of APC. From the depth of my heart, I say, thank you. And in appreciation of your warm hand of fellowship, I hereby rededicate myself to the task of building and growing our Party, and helping our party achieve its mission of lifting Nigeria to glorious heights and restoring hope to the citizens of our great country. In this regard, I hereby call on all other like minded Nigerians to join this movement to deliver on the promise of a new Nigeria. The APC is the party where the progressive ideals of good governance to which I subscribe are wholeheartedly embraced and applied for the betterment of Nigeria. I have embraced the APC platform as a veritable instrument for genuine change and enduring national development. We must constantly remind ourselves that Nigerians yearn for true change and APC represents the hope for this change, and a promise of a brighter tomorrow. The Programmes of the APC are very attractive and will bring about radical changes in the way we do business in Nigeria. The kind of change Nigeria truly needs. The work may appear tedious and the road ahead may appear long and hard, but our party is amply endowed with all the key ingredients of success. We need unity and solidarity in our ranks in order to face the challenges ahead. In the weeks ahead, we will engage party men and women and Nigerians on the future direction of our nation and means of rescuing her from the malaise of youth unemployment, insecurity, institutionalized corruption, poverty, socio- economic decline and infrastructural decay. May Almighty God guide our deliberations at this Special Convention, guide our path, bless our great Party, the All Progressives Congress. And may He bless and protect the Federal Republic of Nigeria

After collecting their N24m, PDP rejects two presidential aspirants

A fresh crisis is brewing in the Peoples Democratic Party over the insistence of some of its members to contest its presidential primary with President Goodluck Jonathan. But the national leadership of the party has refused to sell its presidential nomination and expression of interest forms to two other presidential aspirants. Two of the aspirants, Dr. Abdul-Jhalil Tafawa-Balewa and Prof. Akasoba Duke-Abiola, were at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja on Tuesday to purchase the forms, but they were turned back. First to arrive was Tafawa-Balewa, who hails from Bauchi State. He is also the son of Nigeria’s First Republic Prime Minister, the late Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa. It will be recalled that all the caucuses of the party, including the National Executive Council had endorsed President Jonathan as its sole presidential candidate. Tafawa-Balewa had on September 21 condemned the action, which he said was a plot by the leadership of the party to frustrate other presidential aspirants. He insisted that he would not be intimidated by such a decision and vowed not to be cowed. He wondered the type of democracy that was being practised by the PDP. He had asked, “What type of democracy do we have? Is the PDP a communist party? Where is the place of internal democracy?” On Tuesday, Tafawa-Balewa stormed the party’s national secretariat with his supporters and bank tellers, with which he had hoped to purchase the presidential nomination and expression of interest forms. The bank tellers indicated that he deposited N22m into the account of the party with Zenith Bank. The breakdown of the fees showed that he paid N20m as nomination fee and another N2m for the expression of interest form. He paid the money into the party’s account Number 1012436478 with the Zenith Bank. Rather than being issued his forms, the aspirant claimed that he was told by officials of the party that the forms were not ready. The party is expected to stop the selling of forms to all the aspirants on Thursday (tomorrow). Tafawa-Balewa said he was told that all other forms were on sale except the presidential nomination and expression of interest forms. He said, “I have paid for my forms. I was however told that they don’t have the forms ready. No matter, I am still here. I will send some of my people here on Thursday to come and pick the forms.” He said he went to the office of the Secretary of the party, Prof. Wale Oladipo, and the National Organising Secretary, Alhaji Abubakar Mustapha, but was denied the forms. Asked whether he was not aware that all the party organs had endorsed the President, Tafawa-Balewa said those organs were mere little organs of the party and were not superior to its Constitution. Speaking on the refusal of the party to present her with her forms, Duke-Abiola, who is one of the widows of the late Chief MKO Abiola, described the action of the party as questionable. Displaying the Diamond Bank Teller with which she paid her N2m to the party’s bank account, Duke-Abiola wondered why the party would issue her receipts and refused to sell the forms to her. Female aspirants, like her, are expected to pay just N2m for the expression of interest form while the nomination form is free for them. The party claimed it took the decision to encourage female aspirants to run for elective offices. The presidential aspirant said she was told by the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu and Mustapha that the party printed only one form. She said, “I have the receipt from the party after paying my money. But they said they printed only one presidential nomination form, even though the guidelines do not say that. “The NOS and the National Chairman said the party printed only one form. I asked that they should give the one they printed to me since I was there. They laughed and said whether I didn’t know who they printed it for. This is a fraud.” She said that she would not ask for a refund of her money, but that the party must sell the forms to her, having paid for them since she said there was vacancy in Aso Rock. In his reaction, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, said he was not aware that the aspirants came. He said he would need to find out from Mustapha before he could react to the allegations. Asked if the party would sell presidential forms to other aspirants, he said he would also consult Mustapha. “I will have to find out from the national Organising secretary, because I’m not directly involved in the selling of that forms. I’m only involved in the management of the image of the party,” he said.