SWEET NAIJA GIST BLOG

As the crisis rocking members of the APC in the National Assembly deepens over choice of candidates for the election of National Assembly leadership, the PDP Senators and House of Representative members have picked the two main aggrieved APC contestants, Senator Bukola Saraki and Honorable Yakubu Dogara as their candidates for Senate President and Speaker, House of Representatives respectively. The National Assembly members will be electing their new leaders for the 8th assembly today June 9th.

National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has dropped a very shocking statement over President Buhari and the leadership of APC . According to him, President Buhari is not the Leader of the party(APC). He went ahead to describe Buhari as “mere Product of the party”. Mohammed Ali said this amongst others when he was speaking to Channels Television. When asked if the President is the Leader of the Party. He said: ” The Chairman of the party is Chief John Oyegun, the President of the country is by virtue of being the President of the whole of the country. “We have many Leaders in the party and i don’t want to be boxed whether the President is the Leader of the Party” “The President is a Product of the party”.. ” The President is not the party and i don’t see any contradiction, the party did not get involved but the party had to ensure that there will be no divisio...

An effort to resolve the leadership tussle in Nigeria’s National Assembly involving lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress witnessed a setback, as Senator Saraki and some other lawmakers refused to show up at a meeting called by the party’s leaders. The infighting started after some lawmakers walked out of a mock election held to choose the party’s candidate for the leadership of the Senate and that of the House of Representative. Senator Saraki is vying for the Senate presidency, but Senator Ahmed Lawan was chosen in the mock election that was spearheaded by members of the National Working Committee of the ruling party. At the end of Monday’s meeting, the APC leadership asked aggrieved members in the incoming Eight Assembly to sheathe their swords and work together for the party’s official candidates when nominations are called on Tuesday. The party in a statement by the party’s spokesman, Honourable Mai Mala Buni, urged its members to put the interest of the APC above personal ...

The All Progressives Congress on Saturday night picked Senator Ahmed Lawan and Senator George Akume as sole candidates for the position of President and Deputy Senate President of the 8th Senate. This followed a mock election conducted by the National Working Committee of the APC at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. According to the National Secretary of the Party, Mala Buni, who served as returning officer, 33 Senators were accredited to vote after which Lawan got 32 votes and one vote was declared invalid. Buni said, “By the powers conferred on me by the NWC of the APC as the Chief Returning Officer of this election after having certified that Dr. Ahmed Lawan has fulfilled all the requirements of the party, he is hereby nominated as the sole candidate of the party for the position of Senate President of the 8th Senate.” A similar procedure was adopted in the election of Akume. Akume got 32 out of the 33 votes.

The embattled governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, has called on his supporters to take to the streets of Ado-Ekiti, the State capital on Tuesday, to prevent All Progressives Congress’ lawmakers from impeaching him. In a live television broadcast Monday evening, Mr. Fayose pleaded with the Ekiti people not to allow his government to be truncated by the 19 APC lawmakers. “They have come again and you people should not allow them to spoil Ekiti State,” Mr. Fayose appealed. He particularly called on the unions of motorcycle riders, as well other organised pressure groups to rally round him to prevent the lawmakers from carrying out the threat to impeach him. Governor Fayose and the APC lawmakers have been locked in a prolonged battle since Mr. Fayose’s re-election in 2014. The governor ejected the lawmakers from the state for months as they made moves to remove him. The lawmakers, emboldened by the inauguration of Muhammadu Buhari as President, threatened to re...

Criticisms have started flying in from different corners just days after the inauguration of President Buhari. The latest is the issues that have risen from his refusal to declare his assets publicly. One of such criticisms is from Professor Itse Sagay, SAN, who averred that Buhari’s public declaration of assets is the first step towards showing Nigerians his credibility. “That is where credibility starts,” he said “I have no doubt that he will make it public because that is where credibility starts. That is where Jonathan started losing credibility. Sagay recalled that late Umar Yar’Adua forced the immediate past president to declare his assets in 2007, and he reluctantly did but did not give a damn when he became a man of his own and that was where he started having issues with Nigerians. “So, Buhari has no choice, it is absolute for himself and Osinbajo if change and credibility are going to be sustained. There is no other way out, so I expec...

As Buhari takes over as Nigeria's President, the people's expectations from him within the first 100days in office are very high owing to the promises he made to the masses during his campaign. Here are some expected things Nigerians from selected worths of life will want him to do in his first 100 days in office. Culled from Vanguard Buhari must revive  the energy sector  –  Ebun-Olu   Adegboruwa, lawyer “Gen. Buhari should address the problems surrounding energy in this country as a matter of urgency. Power generation is critical to the development of this nation. He should break the cabal controlling the importation of fuel, diesel, candles, rechargeable lamps and other imports that benefit importers to the detriment of the Nigerian populace, and revive the entire power sector so that the generation, transmission and distribution companies should be totally working. By this approach, generator and diesel importers will also be encouraged to invest ...

The Governor-elect of Benue state, Chief Samuel Ortom, has recounted his grass to grace experience as a motor park tout, adding that his election as governor was a divine arrangement from God. Speaking to  The Punch  in an exclusive chat in Makurdi, Ortom, admitted his elevation to hard work and firm believe in God. He said,  “My journey from being a motor park tout to an elected governor is purely a divine arrangement. I cast my mind back to when I dropped out of school in Form 2 but I remained hardworking and I did not engage in crime to survive. “One thing I know is that hard work pays and you must keep faith with God; power belongs to God and He alone gives it to whoever He will.” The former Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment said he had dropped out of school in Form 2 due to lack of funds but this did not force him to engage in criminal activities to survive.

President Goodluck Jonathan seems to have improved on his relationship with former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, after sending him a rare message of commiseration on the death of his sister, Adunni Oluniola Eweje-Obasanjo. Since Obasanjo’s letter to the president went viral in December 2013, the president stopped all forms of felicitation or commiseration with the former head of state. Before then, though, Jonathan had “nothing but the greatest respect for Obasanjo” and he had said he would not probe his benefactor. “The president has nothing but the greatest respect for Chief Obasanjo’s very notable contributions to national growth and development over many years and far from taking offence or seeking retaliation, will always welcome objective criticism and advice from the very highly-regarded elder statesman,” Reuben Abati, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, wrote in 2013. Evidence of a sour relationship between the duo came t...

President-elect Muhammadu Buhari and VP-elect, Professor Yemi Osinbajo will be led on a facility tour of Aso Rock by President Jonathan and Vice President Namadi Sambo today May 28th. This is part of the procedures leading to the handing over ceremony which takes place tomorrow May 29th.

President Jonathan has asked president-elect Buhari not to single out his administration for any probe his administration may carry out when he assumes power. Speaking during the valedictory session of the Federal Executive Council in Abuja today May 27th, Pres. Jonathan said those who are calling for probe should also demand for probe on how oil wells were allocated in past administrations. (I.e T.Y Danjuma..lol). Recall the Former Defence Minister last week called on Gen Buhari to probe the GEJ administration when he assumes power. "Some people are even calling for the probe of the government, but I think in Nigeria, there are a lot of many things that will be probed, very many things, even debts owed by states and debts owed by this country from 1960 up to this time. They say it is Jonathan's administration that owes these debts. I believe that anybody that is coming for probe must also ensure that this probe is extended beyond the Jonathan administration. Otherwise, to me...

Kaduna state governor-elect, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai today announced the appointment of key officials who will work with him in his government come May 29th. In a statement he signed personally, Mallam El-Rufai named Malam Balarabe Abbas Lawal as Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Bala Yunusa as deputy Chief of Staff (Legislative Affairs) and Samuel Aruwan as his Special Assistant, Media. The statement stated that their appointments takes effect from May 29th.

The Imo State Chapter of the PDP has expelled Senator Ifeanyi Ararume and 19 others from the party over alleged anti-party activities during and after the 2015 general elections. This is a statement signed by state party chairman, Chief Nnamdi Anyaehie, the party said after a full scaled investigation carried out, the expelled members were found guilty and expelled accordingly. "After a full and exhaustive deliberation on the reports of the activities of the underlisted persons against the interest of our great party in the just-concluded general elections whose actions openly evidenced gross anti-party activities, the state executive committee at its meeting of Monday, May 24, 2015 accepts the report and recommendations and accordingly expels the under-listed from the party.” the statement read Others expelled include Jerry Chukwueke, Humphrey Anumudu, Gibson A. Njemanze (Oyiga), C. Y. Amako, Azubuike Ekwegh, J.I.J Njoku and Stan Nzekwe, Kingsley Ononuju, Ethelbert Okere, J...

Former Minister of Defence, Haliru Bello, has emerged the acting Chairman of the PDP's Board of Trustees. The decision to make him the acting Chairman was taken by key party officials at the presidential villa yesterday May 25th. He was the only one nominated by those present at the meeting. Dr Bello replaces Chief Tony Anenih who resigned as the party's Board of Trustees Chairman last week. The meeting which started at about 9pm was presided over by President Jonathan, and had Senate President David Mark, his deputy Ike Ekweremadu, PDP Women leader Josephine Anenih and others in attendance

Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi says despite the effort by First Lady Patience Jonathan and the president to remove him from office, they are all leaving government at the same time. He said the president and his wife had wanted him to leave office before the end of his tenure but he is now seeing the end of his administration. While speaking at the presentation of a special documentary titled 'The Amaechi Years', the governor said Patience Jonathan interfered with operations of the military apparatus in the state, ordering the transfer of military officers in the state just because they greeted him. "People have asked me why I opposed President Goodluck Jonathan. When the fight started, instead of receiving money from the Federal government, we were sending money to the Federal Government. Have you seen a country where the Commissioner of Police reports to the wife of the President? That is happening in Rivers State. Have you seen a country where a Brigade Comm...

It's getting serious in Burundi. The leader of a Burundian opposition party was shot dead today Saturday May 23rd along with his bodyguard, following weeks of anti-government unrest. Zedi Feruzi was the head of the Union for Peace and Development (UPD) and was walking home with a bodyguard in Bujumbura's Ngagara district when he was attacked by gun wielding men. An AFP reporter at the scene saw the bloodied bodies of both Feruzi and a police bodyguard lying outside the house soon after the shooting. Residents said a third person, believed to be another police officer tasked with protecting Feruzi, was seriously injured in the incident. "We heard around 20 gunshots, everyone fell to the ground, people saw a Toyota car speeding away," said a neighbour, who did not witness the shooting himself. Around an hour after the attack police had yet to arrive at the scene. Meanwhile, two barricades of tyres were set alight in the district, where local youths w...

President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari and Petroleum Minister, Dieziani Alison-Madueke are currently on-board the same British Airways plane heading to London. According to  Sahara Reporters , Alison-Madueke was billed to travel next week Tuesday May 26th and had already bought her ticket but on hearing that the President-elect was heading to London today, she allegedly asked that her ticket be fast-tracked so she can perhaps have some audience with Buhari. The British Airways plane departed at about 9.am this morning. Buhari's reason for traveling is not unknown but he is expected back to Nigeria on Tuesday May 26 ahead of the inauguration ceremony which comes up May 29th.

In an interview with select media houses in Lagos today, outgoing governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola said President Jonathan's decision to concede defeat after the presidential election helped to avert evil in Nigeria. He said he sees President Jonathan's action to concede as courageous.  "I won’t join the debate because it is a raging debate; some say he is now a statesman, some say he is now a hero, others say he is not a hero as he did what he was expected to do. I will just say that first you must understand what we have become. All of us are looking at an election. Do we normally, as a people, accept that we have been defeated? Let us ask ourselves that question. Let me animate it a little: can you remember how many times in football that we lost – we can’t qualify – and some people will still be saying ‘no, if somebody beats somebody by 20-0, we will qualify?’ And they will continue to raise hope where, clearly, hope is gone. ...

Ahead of the May 29th heading over to the Buhari-led government, President Jonathan will on Wednesday May 28th dissolve his cabinet. This will however be preceded by a valedictory session in the presidency which is to hold on May 27th.

The vice-president elect, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has stated that the incoming government ofMuhammad Buhari have their task cut out for them. According to Osinbajo, the economy is “the worst in history”. “We are concerned that our economy is currently in, perhaps, its worst moment in history. Local and international debts stand at US$ 60 billion. “Our debt servicing bill for 2015 is N953.6 billion, 21 per cent of our budget. On account of severely dwindled resources, over two-thirds of the states in Nigeria owe salaries. “Federal institutions are not in much better shape. Today, the nation borrows to fund recurrent expenditure.”