APC Zones Senate President To North Central As Speaker Will Emerge From North East

The national leaders and national caucus of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) have officially zoned the office
of the Senate President in the 8th Senate to the North central
geo-political zone, while the Speaker of the House of
Representatives was zoned to the North-east geo-political
zone.
A source at the APC meeting which lasted till the wee-hours
of Friday told THISDAY that the party leaders accepted in
principle a prototype office sharing formula that would
accommodate all vested interests within the party.
The source said: “After deft negotiations, the leaders agreed
to cede the position of the Senate President to the North-
central and that of the Speaker of the House of
Representatives to the North-east. They also endorsed a
zoning arrangement that would see the South-west
producing the Deputy Senate President and South-south,
Deputy Speaker.”
With the agreement yesterday, the current minority leader in
the Senate, George Akume from Benue State and Senator
Bukola Saraki from Kwara State are expected to engage each
other in a fierce contest for the Senate Presidency.
It was learnt that the position of the Speaker was earlier
allotted to the South-west but had to be moved to North-
east following a strong lobby by leaders from the zone who
argued that such arrangement was necessary to compensate
them for the massive support for the party during the
election.
Apart from the sharing arrangement for the principal
positions, the APC meeting which had personalities like the
former Lagos Governor, Bola Tinubu and some governors in
attendance also considered the issue of ministerial
appointments.
Also, the APC leaders zoned the office of the Chairman of its
Board of Trustees (BoT) to Adamawa State, where the former
Vice President Atiku Abubakar is set to clinch the position
that was hitherto held by the former governor of Osun State
and former national chairman of the party, Bisi Akande.
The source hinted further that the party zoned the office of
the Majority Leader of the Senate to the South-west.
However, South-east did not get any position in the current
allocation but according to a top notch APC member, the
zone will be compensated by other appointments to ensure
some balance and equity. In all the eight senatorial seats in
the zone, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won all the
seats. This has made it impossible for the zone to aspire for
any principal office in the senate.
The same thing happened in the zone for the House of
Representatives. No single member of the House of
Representatives from the zone is from the APC. PDP won all
the National Assembly seats in both arms of the National
Assembly. In fact, in the Presidential Election, the APC did
not score up to 15 percent in any of the states in the
southeast.
Another source at the Abuja meeting said the APC chieftains
could not however conclude deliberations on the ministerial
appointments as it was decided that stakeholders in the
states and zonal levels should go back to the areas to hold
consultations on the matter.
It was resolved that the state chapters of the party would
each nominate three persons for ministerial consideration
and are to submit same to the party through the Vice
Chairmen and Deputy National Chairmen on or before
Tuesday next week.
The source added that another meeting of the party
leadership is scheduled to hold on Tuesday where they hope
to harmonize issues and finalize discussions on the
recommendations to be presented to the National Executive
Committees (NEC) of the party.
“While the President- elect, General Muhammadu Buhari had
asked the party to discuss the issue of ministerial
appointments and to advise him as appropriate, he has
insisted on retaining the transition committee list. Buhari
had in choosing members of the transition committee made
sure that each of them is tested expert in the various sectors
where they will serve. He was said to be very conscious of
their level of integrity and honesty,” added the source.
A top member of the APC who spoken in anonymity, said:
“All the positions said to have been shared are yet to be
firmed. Nothing can be confirmed until the final meeting next
week.” He advised that all reports about sharing of positions
should be disregarded until next week when a final decision
would be taken.

Why Abdulsalami Abubakar Led Alison- Madueke To Beg President Jonathan [MUST READ Investigation]

A former military Head of State, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar
(retd.), on Thursday led the Minister of Petroleum Resources,
Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to a closed-door meeting to
beg President Goodluck Jonathan.
Sources tell NewsWireNGR that the President had refused to
see the one time powerful minsters in his cabinet, shortly
after conceding defeat, Mrs Madueke was at the Villa to meet
the President over the outcome of the Elections but was
turned back.
“The President on hearing it was the Petroleum Minister that
was visiting, basically screamed at the security agencies not
to allow her in, to everyones surprise, this is one minister
you don’t turn away her visits at the Villa”, the anonymous
source at the Presidency said.
Diezani had been in the news lately when she suddenly
disappeared from the public and was rumoured to have
travelled abroad for undisclosed reason. “After the shocker
she got from President Jonathan, it led to her trip abroad,
some her aides says the BCA Reports on her seeking asylum
was actually correct seeing as Jonathan was no longer on
her side”.
An online media ran the report that she had gone in search
of asylum but that so far six countries had denied her such
request.
The NNPC however refuted the claim. It said in a statement
Wednesday that the minister had travelled abroad to rest and
would be back this week.
Reports say that the oil minister has been ‘restless’ since
General Muhammadu Buhari defeated President Jonathan in
the general election and is billed to take office on May 29,
but more importantly, she’s been confused why President
Jonathan doesn’t want to see her.
A photograph of the minister during her visit to
Abdulsalami’s house in Minna recently went viral on the
social media.
It was alleged that she went to seek for his intervention,
after Jonathan asked he didn’t want to see her only days
after the Presidential elections.
Another close aide of the current administration of President
Jonathan tells NewsWireNGR on condition that his name is
not mentioned that “Diezani contributed to the failure of
Jonathan during the elections, her arrogance with almost
everyone that matters didn’t help”.
“While other ministers were trying to mend fences to see
that the President is in the good books of those aggrieved
with the administration, the Petroleum Minister created a
‘god complex’ around herself”.
The source narrates to us what really transpired, he said
Diezani is one of those that caused the final face-off
between Jonathan and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
According to our sources, “Obasanjo had sent the former
NNPC GMD, Funsho Kupolokun, to her office for a meeting,
she did not only keep the man waiting for more than four
hours, she went on to ask her aides to send him out that
she’s too busy”.
According to our insiders account, that action angered the
former President who then called Jonathan to express his
displeasure at the way his Funsho was treated by one of his
ministers.
“I can go on and on to name the atrocities Diezani
committed, at some point she saw herself as the President of
Nigeria, if you read Obasanjo’s book my watch, he stated it
clearly. he added.
Alison-Madueke arrived the Presidential Villa, Abuja, last
night for the meeting to beg Mr President, about three
minutes after Abubakar made his way into the President’s
office.
Less than 30 minutes after both of them entered the
President’s office, Abubakar emerged, leaving Alison-
Madueke behind.
“Sources insists that if Abdulsalami hadn’t carried her along
to the Presidential Villa, there is possibly no way President
would have want to set his eyes on her again”.
Another member of the ruling PDP when questioned about
the role of the Petroleum Minister noted, “Diezani did not
release money for anything, she kept if for herself, even
money that is normally taken from leakages to fund
campaigns, she allowed the party to go on without funds”.
“If you noticed even up until when the elections where
postponed, PDP cordinators weren’t having money to fund
states to run the President’s campaign, she ignores everyone
including the National chairman”.
Although, when State House correspondents asked the
former Head of State for the purpose of his visit, the former
military leader said it was in continuation of his job as the
chairman of the National Peace Committee for the 2015
General Elections.
“As the chairman of the peace committee, there is always
interaction between the incoming president and President
Jonathan, in order to ensure that the peace we have been
able to get is sustained.
“So naturally, I am here to touch base with him and also to
give him a report of what the committee has been doing,” he
said.
When confronted with the issue of his recent meeting with
the minister and the fact that they entered the President’s
office almost the same time, Abubakar said those reading
meanings into the visit were just being mischievous.
He said he had met many times with Alison-Madueke and
other ministers, wondering why the latest meeting became
an issue.
He said, “I think people are just trying to be mischievous, I
have been meeting with a lot of people and a lot of ministers
in the course of this transition. So there is nothing strange
in me meeting with anybody.
Abubakar said he had continued to meet Jonathan and the
President-elect for the transition to go on smoothly and
maintain the peace.
On what will become of her after Jonathan, another member
of the ruling party said, “She has started talking to the APC
to refund some of the money, before the elections, she had
spoken to Bukola Saraki and now Abdulsalami is her
mediator but i doubt President Jonathan will be defending
her from the next administration.

See The Nanny Who Kidnapped The Orekoya Kids

Meet Kidnapper Funmilayo Adeyemi AKA Mary Akinloye, the
nanny who kidnapped the three Orekoya boys. She has been
arrested and has confessed to have been in the buisness with
her entire family for quite a while now.
She was being behind the dissappearance of toddlers Raphael
and Michael Esharegaran who were kidnapped from their
home in Magodo shortly after their parents employed a
nanny for them last year. She kidnapped the boys and
released them after a sum of N2.5m was paid by the
Esharegaran's family.

Nigerian Bar Association Chairman Delta Chapter Assassinated

The Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ughelli
chapter in Delta state has been assassinated. Austin Icheghe
was killed yesterday April 16th in front of his home.
According to his niece, Egunor Uviesa, who spoke with NAN,
unknown gunmen shot the deceased as he was coming down
from his car in front of his home at about 9pm yesterday.
“As soon as he came down from his vehicle, they
accosted him and shot him on the head. He was
immediately rushed to a private clinic in Ughelli where he
was confirmed dead"
Delta state police spokesperson, Celestina Kalu confirmed his
murder to NAN via a text message “Yes sir, he was murdered
by unknown gunmen last night’
Austin Icheghe is photoed with his young family above

Niger Delta Militant Leader Ateke Has A Message For Buhari

Ex-militant and leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante (NDV),
Ateke Tom, has said former militant leaders in the Niger
Delta region are ready to work with the President-Elect,
General Muhammadu Buhari.
Ateke, who disclosed this while speaking in pidgin english to
newsmen at Okochiri in Rivers State, urged Gen. Buhari to
invite leaders of genuine militant camps to discuss on how to
move the region forward.
In his words, “I am here to congratulate Buhari for his
victory. We will want good leadership; we thank God that
Buhari is now our President and we pray God Almighty to
give him wisdom to rule our country. Since Buhari is now
our President, we want him to meet with the core leaders of
the Niger Delta struggle; I mean the real leaders in the
struggle.
“He should call the real leaders and talk to them. Let us
discuss on our needs. He should also not forget the Amnesty
Programme, because we know what we fought for and that
was why they gave us Amnesty. We did not get the Amnesty
Programme from the backyard. So, let him keep to the
programme. Let the Amnesty Programme function well and
we will like it. We are ready to work with Buhari.”
The former militant leader said none of the former agitators
in the region will go back to the creeks.
Ateke said, “Some people are saying they want to go back to
the creek, or they want to blow up pipelines; no, I, Ateke Tom
will not be part of that, we don’t need all those things and
nobody will go back to the creeks. I have a say in the Niger
Delta and I am one of the top fighters; so nobody will go back
to the creeks. I advice the youths not to follow anybody back
to the creeks.
“We should not say because there is change of government
and Buhari is now the President, and somebody wants to go
back to the creeks; what are you going there to do? So, let
nobody follow anybody to the creeks. What we want is that
let Buhari meet us and treat us well