Bayelsa Governor, Seriake Dickson, leads thugs to attack, sack court in Yenagoa

The Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dicks   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QK4wIfwpdU&feature=youtube_gdata_play

eron,
on Monday led a gang of thugs to attack a
Federal High court in Bayelsa, a video
obtained by PREMIUM TIMES has shown.
The video shows the governor, dressed in
traditional Ijaw blazers, walking into the
court premises, accompanied by his police
guards and hangers on, before hooligans,
including rifle wielding police officers,
invaded and attacked the court.
The thugs were chanting “we no go gree, for
this state, e no possible” as they walked into
a court hearing. Loud gunshots could be
heard shortly before the hooligans began
breaking glasses and destroying properties
inside the court.
At least 15 lawyers, including a pregnant
woman and two Senior Advocates of
Nigeria, were in the court during the attack.
The governor walked out of the court
premises at the peak of the attack.
Most police officers seen within the court
premises during the attack either aided the
attacker or looked on, idly.
Only one police officer was seen, in the
video, after the attack, trying to help the
injured.
The thugs upturned chairs within the court
room, scattered files all over and shattered
glass windows as lawyers ducked under
tables. A female lawyer covered herself with
a chair.
Another could be heard saying her upper
arm was hurting.
An elderly man, who was seemingly brought
out of the court room by police officers,
gasping for breath, said he was badly beaten
by the thugs who came into the court room.
“The governor and his troops walked into
the court room and I was beated (sic),” the
victim said.
Why Dickson stormed the court
According to Heineken Lokpobiri, a serving
senator, the court was in session to deliver a
judgment on his case against the governor’s
preferred senatorial candidate, Foster Ogola,
over the validity of the later’s candidacy for
Bayelsa West senatorial district.
Mr. Lopkobiri claimed his party, the Peoples
Democratic Party illegally substituted his
name with Mr. Foster’s, and had filed a suit
accusing Mr. Foster of issuing false
information to INEC.
Mr. Lokpobiri added that the attack on the court was the
second, claiming that earlier, thugs had come to seal the
court and stopped the Judge from entering the court,
forcing an adjournment.
Mr. Lokpobiri told PREMIUMTIMES he was shocked and
irritated by the governor’s action at the court.
Mr. Lokpobiri said the governor has the right to support
his opponent, but has no right to bring thugs to attack the
court.
“All these things happened in the presence of the
commissioner of police and am surprised. If the governor
did not lead the thugs, it would have been a different thing
entirely,” he said.
The governor’s spokesman, Daneil Iworiso, told PREMIUM
TIMES the incumbent governor did not lead any gang to the
court.
But in the video, Governor Dickson was clearly seen
storming, and at the end of the attack, leaving the court
accompanied by thugs and police officers.
Mr. Iworiso however described the video as photoshopped.
“You know its election time and we need to ensure that no
violence occurs in our state, as soon as we heard of the
clash we went there with commissioner of police and
armed men to try to cub the situation that was when we
found out it was a case between the incumbent governor
and aspiring governor,” he said.
He explained that the governor was not there when the
clash started, stating that it was all propaganda.
“When I saw the video I was just laughing because it was
all photo shoot, and I describe that as poor representation
of what happened there and I was also there,” he said.
Mr. Iworiso accused Mr. Lokpobiri of also bringing thugs to
the just-concluded PDP primaries, stating that he is known
for carrying thugs around Bayelsa state.
Mr. Lokpobiri admitted he has a loud crowd and
followership but that his followers and loyalists are
peaceful.
“If he is accusing me of carrying thugs in the last
primaries, did they destroy anything or harm anyone
during the election,” Mr. Lokpobiri said.
Although several police officers were present when the
attack occurred, the Bayelsa Police Command said no arrest
has been made in relation to the incident.
Asinim Butswat, the state police spokesperson, said he had
no information that the governor led the thugs to the court
premises.
“What we know is that the governor visited the court and
the thugs took advantage of his visit to force the gate open
and invade the court,” Mr. Butswat said.
“The police officers on the court premises did not know the
thugs came to cause havoc because they were not armed.
“After they attacked the court, they all fled before they
could be arrested.”
Mr. Buswat denied the state police commissioner was
present when the court was attacked, saying he only visited
the court “shortly after the incident.   

10 governoship candidates step down for Ambode in Lagos

10 Lagos governorship candidates have stepped down to
declare support for the candidate of All Progressives Congress,
APC, Akinwunmi Ambode in the forthcoming April 11
governorship election in the state.
According to a press statement signed by the 10 governorship
candidates, the aspirants stated that they have shelved their
individual ambitions to be the governor of Lagos State to
support the candidature of Ambode.
” Without mincing words, we collectively as candidates of
various political parties, have decided to join hands together
with Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode of APC to give Lagosians a
deserving government at this time.
We unanimously give our unwavering solidarity to work together
with Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode of the APC come 11th April 2015,
slated by the Independent National Electoral Commission for
gubernatorial election.
We enjoin all our teeming supporters across the state to take
this declaration and sound it loud and clear that Akinwunmi
Ambode, is the candidate to take Lagos to the next level.”

BREAKING NEWS: The Kano State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Abdullahi Minkaila has been killed in a mysterious fire outbreak.

The Kano State Resident Electoral
Commissioner, Alhaji Abdullahi Minkaila has
been killed in a mysterious fire outbreak.
The deceased was burnt along with his wife,
Zulaiha and two children, Aisha and Asmau, in
an inferno when his residence was engulfed by
fire early Friday morning.
The late Minkaila and his family were rushed to
the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital
where they gave up the ghost Friday morning.
Spokesman of the Independent Electoral
Commission, Mallam Garba confirmed the
incident.
He said the bodies of the victims were already
being conveyed to the late Commissioner’s
native Dutse in Jigawa, for burial, in line with
Islamic tradition.
Similarly, the Public Relations Officer of the
Kano State Police Command, Magaji
Majiya, confirmed the sad incident.
According to him, the fire might have been
caused by a spark in the family’s generator set
at about 4a.m.
He said the fire later spread to other parts of the
house and that the INEC Commissioner and his
family tried to escape through the window of
one of the toilets in the building but were
blocked by a burglary barrier.
Majiya said the State Police Commissioner,
Ibrahim Idris, and the Deputy Police
Commissioner in-charge of Criminal
Investigation Department (CID), arrived the
scene almost on time.
They were the ones that rushed the INEC
commissioner and his family to Murtala
Muhammad Specialist Hospital, where they were
confirmed dead.
Neighbours, however, wonder how a generator
spark led to the kind of fire that engulfed a
whole building killing all occupants.
Minkaila presided over last Saturday’s
presidential and national assembly elections in
Kano.

I Still Live In Aso Rock – Patience

Patiene Jonathan has denied media reports that she has
moved out of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The first lady according to Daily Trust, made this known
while reacting to reports that she had requested her staff to
pack her personal belongings in readiness to leave the Villa.
In the said report, it was alleged that the first lady began
packing her belongings as soon as the Independent National
Electoral Commission announced that Muhammadu Buhari,
the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, had
won the election.
But Mr Ayo Adewuyi, Patience Jonathan’s spokesman in a
telephone chat with Daily Trust described the report as false.
Mr Adewuyi also dismissed insinuations that the first lady
had traveled out of the country.
He said: “She (Patience) is at home. Just leave us out
of any controversy. She did not travel to anywhere. She
is very much around in her residence.
Explaining why the office of the first lady had remained
shut since her husband lost the presidential election
he said : “You should know that she does not have to
be in the office every time”.
Meanwhile, Dame Patience Jonathan has congratulated the
wife of the president-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari,
Aisha after the victory of her husband at the presidential
election.
She has urged Nigerian women to work with Aisha Buhari
and give her the supreme support to make her succeed in
her new assignment

PHOTO: APC slams Alao-Akala over “Sai Buhari-Sai Akala” posters

The All Progressives Congress in Oyo State
has taken a swipe at the gubernatorial
candidate of the Labour Party, Adebayo Alao-
Akala, over the circulation of posters bearing
pictures of the former governor and the
President-Elect, Muhammadu Buhari,
apparently, to gain sympathy from the
electorate ahead of next week’s governorship
election in the state.
Campaign posters bearing the pictures of
Messrs Buhari and Alao-Akala with “Sai
Buhari, Sai Akala” boldly written on them
have flooded particularly Ibadan, the Oyo
State capital.
Reacting to the development, the Director of
Publicity and Strategy of the Oyo State
chapter of the APC, Olawale Sadare, described
the development as “another shameful act
coming from enemies of the good people of
the state”.
“Not a few people found it unbelievable to
see the picture of the President-elect, Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari, on Alao-Akala’s
campaign posters,” Mr. Sadare said. “Since
Wednesday evening when those disgusting
posters were sighted in parts of Ibadan, a
good number of concerned citizens have
been expressing their amazement at the
development.
“Meanwhile, the ruling APC in the state view
the action of the sponsors of such obnoxious
campaign materials as a desperation taken
too far. It is indeed another in the series of
grand delusion which most members of the
opposition have been feeding the public with
in their bid to hijack power and return the
state to the era of bad governance, official
corruption and impunity.”
He added that Mr. Buhari, given “what he
has always represented”, would not
“contemplate throwing up a corrupt element
for an election or appointment”.
In spite of the antics of the opposition in Oyo
State to mislead the public, the APC remained
confident that its candidate and incumbent
Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, would be re-
elected for an unprecedented second term on
April 11, Mr. Sadare said.