LONELY

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State has rejected and dismissed the purported dissolution of party executive at the ward, local government and state levels by the national chairman, Adams Oshiomole. It said the action of the National Working Committee (NWC) was not only outrightly unlawful but also null and void. The position of the party was contained in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Sulyma Buhari. The State Executive Committee is perceived to be loyal to the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki. Buhari said in the statement: “We confirm that there is no case of lacuna in the party leadership in Kwara State and there was no ground for the purported dissolution. Thus, the NWC erred in law. Furthermore, the purported dissolution is null and void. “We recall that for many weeks, party members worked assiduously and painstakingly to elect party leadership at the ward, local government and state levels in Kwara State. The party structure was ce

Manchester United’s pre-season tour has been far from ideal thus far. There are key players missing through injury and post-World Cup breaks, but that isn’t enough to excuse the worrying performances we’ve been subject to in the United States. The two draws against Club America and San Jose Earthquakes were followed by a win on penalties versus AC Milan and a 4-1 hammering at the hands of Liverpool. It’s a pre-season tour and the lads look like they’ve been ordered to sit back, soak pressure and rarely attack. What’s the fun in that? With Gareth Bale set to stay at Real Madrid and Toni Kroos available for selection, it will be intriguing to see whether Julen Lopetegui starts with the two United targets. Kroos was always an unlikely one, while Bale gave us false hope. In the early hours of Friday morning, we take on Champions League winners Real Madrid. Manchester United XI for the game. Grant – Fosu-Mensah, Bailly, Tuanzebe, Shaw – McTominay, Fred, Pereria – Chong, Sanchez, Mata

Some stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara state have suspended their plan to carry out a protest at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja against Senate President Bukola Saraki. The concerned party members had earlier planned to stage a protest Tuesday at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja against Senator Bukola Saraki for alleged anti-party activities, but later dropped the idea. THISDAY gathered that the group which is loyal to the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had complained bitterly against the alleged antics of the Senate President and the suspicion that he was behind the recent defections that hit the party, especially in Kwara state. The suspension of their protest followed Monday’s decision of the APC national leadership to sack the elected state party executives in Kwara state. A source in the Kwara APC told THISDAY that as soon as they got the information on the dissolution of the party executives, it was decide

Following the arrival of Brazilian winger Malcolm at Barcelona, there have been claims that Dembele could exit the Catalan outfit, just a year after signing for them for a stunning £97m from German club, Borussia Dortmund. The 21-year-old struggled for game time and form last term, an issue not helped by injuries; he has been linked with a move away from the La Liga leaders. Unai Emery is said to be a big fan of the player, which could play a part in Dembele’s decision making, given that he believes he doesn’t have the full trust of his current manager, Ernesto Valverde. What would the Arsenal team look like with Dembele in attack? We hazard a guess… Goalkeeper Bernd Leno impressed in the 5-1 mauling of PSG over the weekend in the International Champions Cup and will be confident of being number one come the start of the season. He made good saves and looked assured. Defence At left-back, Sead Kolasinac has played a lot in this pre-season and has shown signs that he is likely t

Many believe that Kante is the best holding midfielder in the world. And the Blues star now has a World Cup winners’ medal to back up those assertions. Yet, while Kante’s stock soars year-on-year, Chelsea appear to be hitting a sticky patch. That’s lead to claims that PSG have started talks to sign Kante. And in the Times on Tuesday, Chelsea’s response to PSG’s advances is revealed. Chelsea offer ‘Paul Pogba money’ to Kante After the 2018 January transfer window, news outlets all reported on the top earners in the Premier League. Man United’s Alexis Sanchez is highest paid player in the Premier League. The Chilean earns a staggering £500,000 per week at Old Trafford. Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil is the second highest earner on £350,000 per week. While Paul Pogba is the third in the list as the French star pockets £290,000 per week. According to the Times, Chelsea are willing to significantly up Kante’s pay-packet to be on par with Pogba: Chelsea have offered N’Golo Kante a new con

The story was about the future of the Brazilian national team. Willian has said that he’s not retiring from international football anytime soon, and he will keep working as soon as he returns ‘to his club’ this summer. That’s when reporter Mauro Naves asked if by ‘his club’ he really means Chelsea, as the player has been heavily linked to several European sides in the past couple of months. Embed from Getty Images “No, I’m back to England. I’m very happy at Chelsea. I’m very happy living in London,” Willian told Globo. Willian’s words make it clear that he’s not the one who would ask for a transfer. He’s said many times how much he loves to live in London, and it seems like his feelings for Chelsea are pretty good as well.

Segun Showunmi, spokesman of the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, has revealed that it would be disastrous if the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) fails to field his principal as its candidate in the 2019 presidential election. Showunmi said Atiku deserved the presidential ticket of the PDP because he had been deeply involved in the Nigeria’s political system and understands the peculiarity of the nation’s democracy very good. According to him, Atiku had built consensus, and is a nationalist that has the ears of the people, adding that he remained the only person who could give President Buhari a run for his money. Speaking with Daily Sun on why Nigerians should queue behind Atikun in 2019, Showunmi said, “There are many Nigerians but he has unique political qualities that distinguished him from others. Many of the aspirants cannot generate exciting emotions outside of their zone. Some of them are just looking at presidency like ambition; they cannot articulate what they want t

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured people of the South-East of massive infrastructural development under his administration. He assured that he would leave the zone a better place than he met it. Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina gave the assurance while representing the President at the inauguration and flag off of a 5.5km road in Isieketa community, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State, over the weekend. He lamented the infrastructural decay in the country, inherited by his administration. Buhari assured that he would do all to ensure the infrastructural deficits were tackled. He said, “One thing that is dear to the heart of President Buhari is infrastructure, roads, railway, power, etc. “Nigeria has a lot of deficits in infrastructure and President Muhammadu Buhari is determined to reverse that deficit. “We will see that by the time this administration ends Igboland will never be the same again. Igbo will be far better beyond

The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum has stated that President Muhammdu Buhari should be held responsible for any chaos in Benue State. The group called the attention of the international community to alleged anarchy by the Buhari-led Federal Government in Benue State. The Middle Belt group in a statement jointly signed by Yinka Odumakin South West, Senator Bassey Henshaw South South, Prof Chigozie Ogbu South East and Dr Isuwa Dogo, Middle Belt said the ongoing unrest in the state had the backing of the federal government. The statement reads in full. It has been reported that a ruthless and desperate plot was hatched this morning which involved drafting policemen from Abuja and neighbouring states to force the majority 22 members of the State Assembly out of the Assembly complex to pave way for the impeached Speaker,Hon Terkimbi Ikyange and six others to sit. The gangsteric operations which was said to have been led by Benue State AC OPS,Emmanuel Adesina saw the minority

The governor told journalists on Monday that the impeachment plot does not make sense. He noted that the eight APC lawmakers led by the former Speaker, Terkimbi Ikyange, held the plenary illegally after a court order restraining him from parading himself as Speaker. “The impeached Speaker and other principal officers paraded themselves in disobedience of the Benue High Court order that they should not do so until the substantive matter was heard. As law-abiding citizens that is what we encourage. “They sat illegally without the clerk of the House or his deputy. “Eight lawmakers claim to have suspended 22 members. Is this not laughable? It is only in a shithole country that you can do this kind of a thing. The same members without forming a quorum claim to illegally move a motion to serve an impeachment notice on me. “It doesn’t make any sense, it doesn’t mean anything. We are learned people, we have read the constitution, we know the provisions,” he said. Governor Ortom then call

Eight lawmakers of the Benue state House of Assembly under the All Progressives Congress, APC, have served impeachment notice to the Governor of the state, Samuel Ortom. Ortom The lawmakers who sat in the state’s Assembly complex on Monday, 30th July, 2018 gained access to the state assembly complex while the police barricaded further access to the house, Ortom’s aide has confirmed. According to Ortom’s spokesman, Tahav Agerzua, the lawmakers took over the Assembly complex to sit and pass the impeachment notice while the police blocked further access. Meanwhile, a detachment of heavily armed policemen have currently shutdown the Benue State House of Assembly. The policemen blocked the entrance to the Assembly complex, denying workers access. Meanwhile, youths from Benue state have, in the early hours of Monday, as at 5:am, trooped en masse to block the Benue Assembly complex over what they claimed was plots by some politicians loyal to the All Progressives Congress, APC, led Federal g

President Muhammadu Buhari said Sunday night that he was not bothered about the defections in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The President, who was responding to a question during an interactive session with the Nigerian community in Togo at the Nigerian Embassy, Lome, said most Nigerians appreciated the performance of his administration. According to him, “I am not bothered about the defections. Ordinary Nigerians have developed confidence in us and are defending us. I assure you, majority of Nigerians back home are appreciative of our efforts.” Expressing delight in seeing the Nigerians who had travelled from the five regions of Togo to welcome him in Lome, President Buhari said he was pleased to hear them commend the performance of his administration. He assured them that his administration had remained steadfast in keeping to its three campaign promises of providing security, improving the economy and fighting corruption. The President noted that if past governments h

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, may dump the All Progressives Congress (APC) this week. Dogara, who was absent at a parley by the APC House caucus with the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) recently, delayed his planned defection from the party last week (Tuesday) when 36 six of his colleagues decamped to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The Guardian learnt that the speaker, who has allegedly been sidelined from the affairs of the party in his home Bauchi State due to a disagreement with Governor Mohammed Abubakar, is billed to formerly announce his defection at his Bogoro/ Dass/Tafawa Balewa federal constituency this week.Already, a group of concerned members of the House of Representatives under the auspices of Parliamentary Democrats Group (PDG), has applauded the decision by Dogara to dump the APC. Members of the group rose from an emergency meeting yesterday, warning the APC to desist from surreptitious attempts to pr

The raging battle between the presidency and powerful interests in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, is far from over as more senators are planning to dump the ruling party. A senior legislative source has given an insight into the “discussion” President Muhammadu Buhari had with the senators that are left standing with the APC last Wednesday. The meeting at the Presidential Villa was called after 13 senators elected on the platform of the party dumped it for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the day before. At the meeting, It was gathered that after dinner was laid out, the president thanked the federal lawmakers for keeping faith with the party, before launching into what the senatorial source described as “self-praise.” “Can you imagine that the president didn’t ask what the problems were with those who defected, those who returned after defecting and those who put off defection at the last minute, those who are still a

The Enugu State Police Command has arrested a suspected fake currency note producer. The Command’s spokesman, SP Ebere Amaraizu, in a statement in Enugu on Sunday said that the suspect, one Collins Oputa, was nabbed on July 26. Amaraizu noted that the feat was achieved by police operatives of the Ogui Police Division of the Command. “Oputa, who claimed that he is a native of Ohaji community in Imo State but residing at 4 Fatimo Close in Ijegun, Lagos State, was nabbed in Lagos. “His arrest followed a manhunt initiated based on intelligence information gathered on his alleged criminal activities of producing and giving the fake currency naira notes to his agents for circulation,’’ he said. Amaraizu said that the suspect had been helping police operatives in their investigation in relation to his alleged criminal activities with his cohorts. Upon interrogation, Oputa blamed the situation on satan and pledged to quit the illicit business if he was forgiven.

 A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo State, Hon. Charles Idahosa, has reminded Nigerians how the Senate President disrespected his (Saraki’s) father, Olusola Saraki, because of his personal ambition in Kwara State. He said this while insisting that there was nothing like Reformed All Progressives Congress, R-APC, but corruption fighting back. With 2019 getting nearer, Idahosa told Vanguard that whether Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara stayed in the APC or not, President Muhammadu Buhari will win the presidential election. “There is nothing like Reformed APC. Those are junk politicians. If you read a newspaper interview I gave some time ago, I said Muhammadu Buhari was doing very well but that, very soon, corruption will fight back. What you are seeing now is corruption fighting back. “The money in the hands of these people is so much that they are ready to muscle every opposition. What is R- APC? In 2014, 2015, a group

Senator Abdullahi Adamu representing Nassarawa west in the Senate has revealed what the APC loyalists in the Senate will do to Senate President, Bukola Saraki if he joins the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Speaking to Dailytrust, Adamu said; What does the gale of defections in the Senate portend for the polity as we approach the 2019 elections? Take it from me that our colleagues who are now members of the PDP have made the mistake of their lives; they have committed a political blunder. You can start counting the days of failure that confronts the PDP. All along, the Tuesday you referred to was only watershed. Those of us who are following the political activities knew they have been plotting to go. But they were not honest enough with themselves let alone the party that they didn’t want to do so at the expense of the offices they hold. They wanted to defect and retain their positions, because they knew the position of the constitution clearly. They tried to stuck on so

Professor Ben Nwabueze, has told whoever is planning Presidency for Ndigbo in 2023 that Igbo Presidency is no longer on the cards of the nationality. They rather said that what would be more beneficial to Ndigbo and indeed the entire Nigerians is a restructured country, where Presidency would become less attractive and no longer an instrument for ethnic jingoism. The group also warned that the country is close to being equated with a failed state given the level of insecurity with attendant killings across states. It also spoke on the popular restructuring mantra and warned against escalated nepotism that it described as ‘political corruption.’ ILT made their positions known, Saturday, after two days meeting in Enugu, where the group said the focus of the meeting was anchored on the state of Nation and the National question. Addressing Newsmen after the meeting, Deputy Chairman of ILT, Prof Chiweyete Ejike together with the Secretary General of the group, Prof Elochukwu Amucheaz

President Muhammadu Buhari has asked his supporters to suspend campaigns for his re-election in order to avoid breaching the rules of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The president said this in a statement which Femi Adesina, his spokesman. Buhari said he appreciated his supporters’ enthusiasm “borne out of their desire to garner support for an administration that is actuated by nothing else, other than service for motherland”. He added that there would be ample opportunity for them to showcase his administration’s achievements and campaign for him when the time comes. “It has been observed that some fervent supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari have begun what may be interpreted as political campaigns in their advocacies and advertisements in the mass media,” the statement read. “We appreciate their enthusiasm, borne out of desire to garner support for an administration that is actuated by nothing else, other than service for the motherland, but we hereby

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on Friday claimed that the governors of Sokoto and Kwara states, Aminu Tambuwal and Abdulfatah Ahmed respectively, would leave the All Progressives Congress. Amaechi also claimed that Tambuwal had presidential ambition and that President Muhammadu Buhari would win in Sokoto, Kano and Bauchi states in the 2019 general elections even if he (Buhari) is taken to the states “on a sick bed”. The minister told journalists that although he did not wish to speak about political matters, he was sure that despite the defection by the APC members at the National Assembly, the party would win the 2019 presidential election. When told that the APC might be heading for a collapse considering the gale of defection in the party, the minister said, “That’s according to you. Look, you are not a politician so you can’t be commenting on what you don’t know. In fact, let’s look at it. Unfortunately, I don’t want to speak about this but you are putting me

Jannah Leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement and former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has reacted to the comments by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole, berating members of the party who defected to the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP. Oshiomhole had described the defectors before State House Correspondents in Abuja, as ‘big masquerades with no electoral value’ in their constituencies. Kwankwaso, who was among the 14 senator that defected during the week, has asked the APC chairman to wait till 2019 to see what they could prove. However, speaking to newsmen in Abuja through one of his aides, Binta Sipikin, the senator said yesterday that Oshiomhole should not be in a hurry to test their political weight but should wait till the next general elections. Sipikin, who said her boss’ electoral values would speak out in 2019, said: “Let me remind him on how Kwankwaso nearly emerged the APC presidential flagbearer in 2015, which clearly s

The Senator representing Kwara South in the National Assembly, Rafiu Ibrahim, has revealed that there were plans to impeach the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu last Tuesday. Senator Ibrahim was one of those who dumped the All Progressives Congress, APC for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, last Tuesday. According to him, while security agents stopped the presiding officers from coming out of their homes, there were plots to impeach them at the National Assembly. He also told Punch that the call for Saraki to step aside as Senate President if he finally joins the PDP was not possible. Ibrahim said, “How is that possible? He remains the presiding officer. They need two-thirds majority to remove a presiding officer, so they should attempt that (to remove him) and let us see how they are going to do it. “And I know that the majority they are claiming is a phoney claim. But you will see; the list will come out. Why they are crying out n

Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje ‎says the defection of Sen. Rabi’u Kwankwaso and other lawmakers to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not affect the chances of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019.‎ This is contained in a statement signed by Abba Anwar, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor and made available to newsmen on Friday in Kano. ‎”Their defection will not constitute any problem to our great party, the APC, at all levels. People should keep their eyes (open) to what will happen during election. “Our dear President has been doing the needful in terms of developing the nation, coupled with his efforts in efficient service delivery. “Good governance is at its peak and the war against corruption is successfully being waged. “I want you to go and study the situation on ground in Kano, his (Kwankwaso ‘s) defection does not change the political mood in the state. Nobody cares to be disturbed by their action,” Ganduje said. The