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The leadership of the African Action Congress (AAC) has clarified its stand on the endorsement of its Rivers State governorship candidate by the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying it has "no alliances or coalition with the APC or any other parties in Rivers state".

At a meeting with APC supporters in Rivers State on Wednesday morning, Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation and leader of the APCin Rivers State and the South-South, had pitched his tent with Awara Biokpomabo, the AAC governorship candidate in the state, saying: “This morning, the leadership of the party met and agreed that we would work with a party called African Action Congress (AAC), while we are still in court to reclaim our mandate.

“So, on Saturday (March 9), we will vote for AAC. You must go home and vote for AAC. There should be no excuse not to vote, because there will be security for everybody. You must prepare and make sure you win the governorship election."

However, in a denouncement conveyed in a press release signed byits Deputy National Chairman (Administration), Dr. Malcolm Fabiyi, AAC said: "We were made aware of the APC’s recent endorsement of the AAC’s Rivers State gubernatorial candidate in the forthcoming elections on the 9th of March. Rotimi Amaechi, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, has pitched his tent with Awara Biokpomabo, our governorship candidate in the African Action Congress (AAC).

"While we have no influence over who other parties might choose to endorse, we wish to make it unequivocally clear that we have we not entered any alliances or coalitions with the APC or any other party in Rivers State, neither have we made any decisions to dovetail parties or seek strategic alliances as we approach the state elections in a few days."

Fabiyi reassured the public that "the AAC, led by Omoyele Sowore, promised Nigerians a different style of governance at the national level; we also believe we can bring this new promise of transparency and progress to bear at the state level".

"We urge all PVC-bearing Nigerians to come out en masse on the 9th of March and vote for transformation and a true paradigm shift, the kind that only the African Action Congress can bring," he said.

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The leadership of the African Action Congress (AAC) has clarified its stand on the endorsement of its Rivers State governorship candidate by the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying it has "no alliances or coalition with the APC or any other parties in Rivers state".

At a meeting with APC supporters in Rivers State on Wednesday morning, Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation and leader of the APCin Rivers State and the South-South, had pitched his tent with Awara Biokpomabo, the AAC governorship candidate in the state, saying: “This morning, the leadership of the party met and agreed that we would work with a party called African Action Congress (AAC), while we are still in court to reclaim our mandate.

“So, on Saturday (March 9), we will vote for AAC. You must go home and vote for AAC. There should be no excuse not to vote, because there will be security for everybody. You must prepare and make sure you win the governorship election."

However, in a denouncement conveyed in a press release signed byits Deputy National Chairman (Administration), Dr. Malcolm Fabiyi, AAC said: "We were made aware of the APC’s recent endorsement of the AAC’s Rivers State gubernatorial candidate in the forthcoming elections on the 9th of March. Rotimi Amaechi, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, has pitched his tent with Awara Biokpomabo, our governorship candidate in the African Action Congress (AAC).

"While we have no influence over who other parties might choose to endorse, we wish to make it unequivocally clear that we have we not entered any alliances or coalitions with the APC or any other party in Rivers State, neither have we made any decisions to dovetail parties or seek strategic alliances as we approach the state elections in a few days."

Fabiyi reassured the public that "the AAC, led by Omoyele Sowore, promised Nigerians a different style of governance at the national level; we also believe we can bring this new promise of transparency and progress to bear at the state level".

"We urge all PVC-bearing Nigerians to come out en masse on the 9th of March and vote for transformation and a true paradigm shift, the kind that only the African Action Congress can bring," he said.

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Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stopped short of calling Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a “poor student of statistics” on Thursday.

At a press conference held in Abuja to analyse the 2019 presidential election, Oshiomhole specifically referred to Atiku’s statement rejecting the result of the presidential election on the basis of “statistical impossibilities”, among other reasons.

He congratulated APC supporters and Nigerians in general, just as he commiserated with the families of those who lost their lives during the election, and called on government to bring those behind the violence to justice.

He went on to say Atiku deserved to lose in the election, as he is a candidate of “doubtful integrity”.

His words: “I believe that what happened last Saturday was a referendum between a man of integrity and a man of doubtful integrity and Nigerians have resolved the issue satisfactorily and we believe Nigerians have spoken.

“However, yesterday, the PDP candidate who lost, and who was a signatory to the peace accord, went into this race knowing that Nigeria cannot possibly elect two presidents. Only one president will emerge.

“Having suffered defeat, which I believe he deserved, he went on to say that he rejects the result and adducing very laughable argument as the basis for his decision. But I have found out that in this country, you recycle lie over and over, some people begin to think that there is truth in it. The conventional wisdom is that there is no smoke without fire. But in Nigerian politics, there is huge smoke and yet, there is not fire at all.

“Now, I want to speak to some facts as we know them and I challenge you as members of the media to crosscheck from your own records, as a way of enabling yourselves to debunk effortlessly the falsehood that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar tried to parrot yesterday in order to discredit what otherwise represents the very peaceful election, in spite of those isolated incidents and I am happy that the international community, as well as the Nigerian observers, are unanimous that this election and no election anywhere in the world is perfect. We have people in some parts of the western world who are leaders of democracy, who are still conducting enquiry into how their own last election was conducted. So, it’s not about whether this election was perfect. It is whether it is substantially free and fair and whether indeed, it represents the will of the Nigerian people.

“I am convinced as INEC has announced that this election reflects the will of the Nigerian people and that for us is something for which we beat our chest and we congratulate the great people of Nigeria. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar describes what he calls statistical impossibilities and he claimed that the two zones where he is strongest, that votes in those areas were smaller, and that the margin of victory was also small. He specifically referred to the South-South and the South-East. I want to refresh the minds of Nigerians and indeed, all those who are interested, by just rolling out the voting pattern since 1999.”

Oshiomhole went on to reel out figures from elections in past years, and how the card reader had affected those votes, adding that “When Alhaji Atiku Abubakar talks about statistical impossibilities, I don’t want to call him a poor student of statistics. But talking about statistical impossibilities, I invite you to reflect on the number of new registered voters.”

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Adams Oshiomhole, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has revealed that party members collected dollars on offer by Atiku Abubakar in the leadup to the 2015 presidential election.

However, he said that they still ended up handing the party’s ticket to President Muhammadu Buhari. 

Oshiomhole said this on Thursday during a 'World Press Conference' he held in Abuja, as a follow-up to the one by Atiku on Wednesday, dring which the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate described Saturday’s election as the worst in Nigeria’s history.

After attacking Atiku for jumping from party to party since leaving office as Vice President in 2007, Oshiomhole recounted how Atiku bribed APC members ahead of the 2014 presidential primary of the APC: “He joined us in Lagos, rolled out the dollars, and President Muhammadu Buhari had to say to APC people, myself inclusive: ‘I have no dollars to give. I do not have Intel or Itel [sic]; I do not have foreign account, and even if I have I will not give. All I offer is all my heart. 

“The APC guys who couldn’t resist Atiku’s dollars collected those dollars, and voted for Buhari as our candidate.”

More to follow..

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A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has ordered the removal of Dumo Lulu-Briggs as the Rivers State governorship candidate of Accord Party.

The presiding judge, Justice E.A Obile, declared Precious Baritordoo as the authentic candidate of the party in the March 9 election.

Lulu-Briggs and his media team are yet to respond to the development .

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The African Action Congress (AAC) has restated its commitment not to give up the movement aimed at rescuing the country from the “failed ruling class”.

The party also said the just-concluded presidential and national assembly elections were marred by irregularities.

A statement issued by Victor Lijofi, the AAC Secretary in Osun State, congratulated all members of the movement, noting that the party has won the battle of ideas and is setting the pace for the future.

The statement read: “We congratulate all #TakeItBackers for their roles during the just concluded presidential and National Assembly elections. As a movement, we won the battle of ideas and have our candidates setting the pace for the future of a New Nigeria for all working people, where the welfare of the majority will matter than the wealth of a few.

“As events unfold and history is made, it is necessary to attempt review of some factors that affect the 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections and the lessons therein for the future of our movement and the people.

“Electoral procedure of a close to 60-year-old country like ours is expected to be conducted under an organized system that is free of bias and fair practice. Looking at the situation that has made this election exclusively aggressive in character and an open robbery in nature: from the failure of the ruling class to organise the electoral process using appropriate accurate data and technology in order to allow ease during the general election.

“Many INEC permanent and ad hoc staff members were also compromised by the major parties to aid and abet electoral malpractices because the President Buhari-led administration is practically corruption-friendly. The whole process was marred with irregularities, such as killings of the electorate and electoral officers officially numbering 275, vote buying and selling, ballot snatching/burning/stuffing, intimidating voters to vote against their conscience, card reader failures and other malpractices. It was also evident that the APC and President Buhari engaged in the highest degree of electoral violence, using the military, paramilitary and political thugs.

“Nevertheless, our movement on the mission to take back our country from these old guards, has successfully waken a sleeping people from their slumber to take their destiny their hands. The AAC/TIB is a party that is designed to mobilize Nigerian people to take back their country using pro-people demands by supporting all unions, groups and individuals’ demands for a just society on the streets, because the present ruling class and their party have failed to build a Nigeria of justice, peace and unity for all.

“Contesting the political space with every present anti-people political party through principles, ideas and programs becomes expedient. As it is, the present situation is such that should inspire change seekers to be more focused and become a part of a strategic move towards reorganizing a focused movement like the TIB and make it rooted in the working class and youths in all the nooks and corners of the country.

“However, as revolutionaries, we must be aware of the lessons and consequences of the process. First, the electoral process is just one means of societal change. It is achievable when the electoral laws and process accommodate all voters and contestants. Hence, we have a duty to be part of various struggles to ensure the electoral system reflects the need for a modern society.

“Also, it is very clear that illiteracy has eaten deep to the bones of our people. Hence, it is our duty to ensure that we give appropriate political education to our people across all walks of life. Furthermore, we must ensure that we reach out to our people from the grassroots of all localities with our programs, while we prepare for the next political years, because all politics are local. We also have a duty to be part of every political process in the next coming years. We have to organize, mobilize and educate.”

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Rotimi Akeredolu, Governor of Ondo State, has given a "marching order" to members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state to begin mobilising for the next week state house of assembly election.

SaharaReporters gathered that the essence of the mobilization by the NURTW members is to prepare them for “war” if candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) do not emerge victorious in the House of Assembly election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rescheduled the state houses of assembbly election in the country for Saturday March 9, 2019, with no less than 250 candidates from the different political parties in Ondo fielding candidates for the 26 constituencies that make up the Ondo House of Assembly.

Many of the candidates have been campaigning vigorously and wooing the votes of the electorate in Ondo State with food stuffs and money.

However, it was exclusively learnt on Thursday that Akeredolu held a secret meeting with the Chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Mr. Jacob Adebo, popularly known as ‘Idajo’, where the plan to rig the poll was perfected. 

SaharaReporters can report that Idajo has been a machinery of destruction for Akeredolu’s APC government of Akeredolu led APC in Ondo State.

A source confirmed to our correspondent that the meeting was held inside Government House in Akure, the state capital, and that it held at the instance of the Governor. He added that Kayode Fayemi, Governor of Ekiti State, was also at the meeting.

According to the source, the secret meeting was summoned as a result of the defeat suffered by the ruling party in the Saturday's election in the state.

"Having realised that they lost in the presidential election and with their poor performance in the National Assembly election, Mr. Governor decided to call the secret meeting with the view to plan and also probably strategise ahead of the coming House of Assembly elections in the state.

"In fact, the Governor of Ekiti State Kayode Fayemi and some of the top government officials such as the SSG, Ifedayo Abegunde, were at the meeting, which was held right in the Government House in Akure from about 11am to 12 pm on Wednesday.

"They invited the NURTW Chairman, Idajo, and some executive members of his union to the meeting with the concluded plan that they should go and work for the victory of the APC in the forthcoming election.

“The two governors concluded that it is a 'must' for APC to win the House of Assembly election in all the LGAs and constituencies area so that the ruling party can still have the numbers to control the parliament.

"So, they have instructed ‘Idajo’ to begin mobilise thugs and members of the NURTW for the elections, and their mandate is to cause violence on election day and even snatch or destroy ballot boxes where APC is not popular.

"They even forced ‘Idajo’ to sign a post-dated resignation letter, which would come to effect if his boys do not help APC win next week, and they instructed him to begin clamp down on any stubborn members of the opposition parties in the state. 

"Don't forget that Mr. Akeredolu was not happy about the results of the last week Saturday's presidential and national assembly election in the state because he failed to deliver the state for Buhari despite his promises to the President.

"The Governor and his counterparts in Oyo have been mocked by some Abuja cabals for failing woefully to deliver their state to Mr. President, even when he got to Abuja shortly after the secret meeting, some of the governors were jokingly mocking him for his faliure.

"And since the President has been re-elected for a second term in office, Akeredolu wants to make up and have all his foot soldiers in the Ondo House of Assembly so that it will not be a double loss.

However, a source at the NURTW local branch office in Idanre could not immediately confirm the story when asked by SaharaReporters. But he confirmed that a meeting of chairmen of all local branches had already been summoned by Idajo.

"Well, I cannot really tell if they held that meeting with the Governor but I received a call yesterday night that our State Chairman, Idajo, would be meeting with all the branch chairmen today 

"And as I am speaking with you now, I am in Lagos to attend to my family but I have told my branch Secretary to attend the meeting and give me feedback later in the day. But I know the meeting is about the house of assembly elections in the state because the State Chairman told us on Monday evening that the Governor was not happy over last weekend’s election results."

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The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has mocked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) despite having the inferior number of votes at Saturday’s presidential election in the state.

President Muhammadu Buhari, the APC candidate, secured 150,710 votes in Rivers while Atiku Abubakar, the PDP candidate, had 473,971.

However, Tonye Cole, the Rivers State governorship candidate of the APC, believes the party’s outing is more a victory than a defeat.

“The result of the just concluded presidential election is an indication of a new beginning and trajectory with respect to elections in Rivers State,” he said while addressing journalists in Port Harcourt, capital of the state, on Wednesday.

“All that is required of anyone desirous of the truth is to compare the 2015 electoral figures where total votes cast was 1,584,768 with APC getting 69,238 while PDP got 1,487,075; to that of 2019 where total votes cast was 666,585 with APC getting 150,710 (even after 72,000 votes in Emohua was unconstitutionally removed) and PDP getting 473,971 and the story would clearly unfold.

“APC has withstood a judicial lynching that has long since baffled legal luminaries of how the Justices Nworgu, Yahaya and Omotosho judgements came about. That PDP would interfere with another party’s internal process in a court of law and secure a judgement that prevents their major competitor from campaigning in any form or manner, barring any of their candidates from being on the ballot, is mind-boggling, especially against clear Supreme Court judgements that prevent one political party from interfering with the affairs of another as in the case of Alhassan v Ishaku, PDP v Sylva, PDP v Angodi etc.”

Cole also said he and other candidates contesting for various positions are sure their names will be on ballot paper in the March 9 election.

He expressed confidence that the judiciary would rule in their favour, as the main substantive case to their fate is yet to decided by the Appeal court.

FULL TEXT OF THE MEDIA BRIEFING

TEXT OF APC RIVERS STATE PRESS BRIEFING ON LAST SATURDAY’s PRESIDENTIAL & NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS IN RIVERS STATE.

RIVERS APC; THE TRUE VICTORS OF DEMOCRACY

Good morning ladies and gentlemen of the press, the people, citizens and friends of Rivers State, Nigerians home and abroad, our expatriate community, electoral observers, party faithful’s, ladies and gentlemen. You are all welcome.
Over the past few days, Rivers State has once again been in the headlines globally for all the wrong reasons. In a nationwide election that sought to elect a President for the Federal Republic of Nigeria and members of the National Assembly, our dear state was characterized with armed conflict which unfortunately led to the death of innocent Nigerians that had simply sought to exercise their civic duty of participating in an electoral process.

At this juncture allow me to express my most profound and sincere condolences to the families who lost loved ones last weekend. In particular, we reach out to the family of Miss Ibisaki Amachree who was shot while on duty. One death is one too many and no one has the right to kill in the name of power and politics. May the souls of all those who died this weekend Rest in Peace and the families be rest assured that the Federal Government will seek justice for them, no matter how long it takes.

It has been my personal plea and mantra as well as that of the APC that the violence meted out on our members and citizens of the State in 2015 and immediately thereafter has no place in any modern society, especially one that desperately needs to grow economically and develop for the betterment of her people. We have called for peace and peaceful elections at every stage, but it is unfortunate that there are people hellbent to cling on to power at any cost, even to the taking of human lives.

I have been shocked and saddened by statements and comments attributed to the Rivers State Governor that Prof. Charles Dokubo-Quakers, Prince Tonye Princewill and I are responsible for the carnage and deaths in Abonnema last weekend. These malicious and unfounded allegations are being investigated and our lawyers will advise on possible libel suits to take against those who have peddled these wicked falsehoods.

For anyone willing to expose the truth, the task is relatively easy and the motive particularly clear. Nigerians in their vast numbers were shocked to learn of militant kingpins that were rewarded for their role in the 2015 elections with positions in the State House of Assembly, Local Government Councils and State Government appointments by the Rivers State Government. This is common knowledge and the names of these individuals are known to many.

In Akuku Toru in particular, Hon. Rowland Sekibo, currently at large, is the Chairman of the LGA and under his watch, Abonnema was brazenly under the control of several deadly cult groups. Like in several LGA’s across the state and operating under the cover of the Local Government Authority, militarized cult groups have held Akuku Toru hostage over the past few years and in the run-up to this election, intelligence reaching us was that strict directives had been issued to the Chairman not to permit APC from delivering the Local Government of its gubernatorial candidate and in particular, his polling unit and Ward 12.

We witnessed this playing out in the postponed presidential election on February 16 and again on the 23rd. The amateur videos of what the town looked like on Election Day has gone viral and it is clear that no one who loves life would venture onto the streets under such intense firepower. Of greater importance, I wish to congratulate HE President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR for his re-election as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to address the impressive achievements by Rivers APC at the polls in spite of the many forces that have conspired to hamstring the party from the days of wanton killings and beheadings of APC supporters to the internal battles and court cases of recent times.

The result of the just concluded Presidential elections is an indication of a new beginning and trajectory with respect to elections in Rivers State. Gone are the days when political thugs would hijack electoral materials and allocate hundreds of thousands of imaginary votes to their party. The results from the various units, wards and Local Government Areas confirms this and further highlights the depth of rigging and manipulation of the 2015 elections that APC as a party had complained about.

All that is required of anyone desirous of the truth is to compare the 2015 electoral figures where total votes cast was 1,584,768 with APC getting 69,238 while PDP got 1,487,075; to that of 2019 where total votes cast was 666,585 with APC getting 150,710 (even after 72,000 votes in Emohua was unconstitutionally removed) and PDP getting 473,971 and the story would clearly unfold.
APC has withstood a judicial lynching that has long since baffled legal luminaries of how the Justices Nworgu, Yahaya and Omotosho’s judgements came about. That PDP would interfere with another party’s internal process in a court of law and secure a judgement that prevents their major competitor from campaigning in any form or manner, barring any of their candidates from being on the ballot is mind-boggling, especially against clear Supreme Court judgements that prevents one political party from interfering with the affairs of another as in the case of Alhassan v Ishaku, PDP v Sylva, PDP v Angodi etc.

Our party also had to contend with numerous court battles, a brutal internal conflict with Senator Magnus Abe that disenfranchised members of the party, many of whom have now openly decamped to the PDP, multiple attacks on the party at campaign rallies of the opposition and severe attempts to break the spirit of the party faithful. It was indeed a resounding success to see the turnout of APC voters across the state.

This was in spite of an INEC body that was swift to obeying the PDP sponsored judgement but resolute in its decision not to obey an order of Stay of Execution. Our concerns were further affirmed by Rivers State’s INEC’s refusal to include the over 72,000 votes in favour of the APC from Emohua LGA after being duly collated and announced by the LGA collation officer whose duty it is to so do in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act. It therefore means that the Rivers State office of INEC cannot be said to be truly independent as it had no hesitation in allowing the result of Khana, Andoni and other Local Government Areas in favour of the PDP.

In the wake of INEC not affirming the relisting of our candidates, we had promised the people of Rivers State that APC will closely follow every ballot box, every vote cast and every result declared to its final conclusion. We affirmed not to allow the votes of the citizens to be stolen and to ensure the results will be as close to reality as is humanly possible. That was the mandate we gave to our people and that is the mandate we delivered.

That in the midst of such heavy intimidation and array of forces squarely aimed at destroying the Rivers APC, in an election where we had no candidates, APC faithful still turned out with well over 200,000 votes, while the PDP unencumbered by money, full array of candidates, robust campaigns and incumbency power was strictly restricted to the unpleasant reality of recording just over 450,000 votes, the lowest tally of votes they have ever recorded.

This is the true victory and a loud statement of intent that the people of Rivers State are sick and tired of governments that promote fear and intimidation, extol violence as a virtue and only come around during election times to make promises they have no intention of keeping while spreading falsehoods aimed at hoodwinking an electorate with the hope they can steal another election before the people wake up to the truth.

Unfortunately for them, the people are now awake.

Finally, as we head towards the next set of elections, we urge our party members, supporters and Rivers people to remain calm and peaceful. We are confident that INEC would now do the right and proper thing by restoring all our candidates, including those for the National Assembly, back on the ballot and the people will have the choice to come out without fear of further violence and vote for the change they truly desire but up until now have been afraid to express.

Thank You and God bless you.

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The killing of 14-year-old Keira Gross became an anti-migrant rallying point. But the facts told a different story.

Tosin Owobo, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has told Justice Chukwujeku Aneke of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, how Air Marshal Jacob Bola Adigun, a former Chief of Accounts of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), used his companies to siphon the sum of N12billion from the NAF intelligence account domiciled in Zenith Bank.

Adigun is the second defendant in a N22.8bn fraud charge preferred against Adesola Amosu, a former Chief of Air Staff.

Amosu is being tried alongside two other officers of the Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Jacob
Adigun and Air Commodore Gbadebo Olugbenga.

The trio are standing trial alongside other companies, namely: Delfina Oil and Gas Limited, Mcallan Oil and Gas Limited, Hebron Housing and Properties Company Limited, Trapezites BDC, and Fonds and Pricey Limited.

Led in evidence by Rotimi Oyedepo, the prosecution counsel, Owobo told the court that sequel to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Air Force, the total sum of N3billion was paid into the NAF Special Emergency Operation Account domiciled with Zenith Bank Plc in three tranches of N1billion on different occasions.

Owobo further said the money was paid into Right Options Oil & Gas Limited, Judah Oil Limited, Delfina Oil & Gas, McAllan Oil & Gas Limited and Lebol Oil & Gas Limited.

He said: “As part of the investigation, we invited the Managing Directors of Right Options Oil & Gas, Judah Oil & Gas and Lebol Oil & Gas Limited, who stated that they were Bureau De Change (BDC) operators and not oil dealers.

“They said when the monies were paid into their accounts, they gave the dollar equivalents to the account officers of the NAF Special Emergency Operation Account for the second and third defendants. They also stated that their companies were registered as oil and gas companies because they were given a high threshold of monies that could be transferred with fewer deductions.”

While giving further evidence on the account opening packages of Delfina Oil & Gas and McAllan Oil & Gas, Otobo told the court that the CAC documents that were used in opening the accounts bore Adigun’s name as Director.

According to Otobo, investigations further revealed that certain monies that did not originate from NIMASA were paid from other NAF accounts into the NAF Special Emergency Operation Account. The money, he said, was in turn paid into McAllan Oil & Gas Limited, Delfina Oil & Gas Limited and Trapezites BDC to the tune of about N15billion.

He explained that investigation revealed how these funds were used to acquire properties located in Abuja, Ikoyi, Victoria Island and United Kingdom, respectively.

In the first count, the EFCC alleged that the accused conspired to covert a total sum of N21.4 billion, property of the Nigerian Air Force “which sum they reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of a criminal breach of trust”.

The anti-graft agency alleged that the accused persons diverted the sums using several companies.

The prosecution said the accused committed the offences on March 5, 2014, and the offences contravened the provisions of Sections 15 and 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.

The three defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Justice Aneke adjourned the case until Thursday, March 7 2019, for continuation of trial.

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Tosin Owobo, an investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has told Justice Chukwujeku Aneke of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, how Air Marshal Jacob Bola Adigun, a former Chief of Accounts of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), used his companies to siphon the sum of N12billion from the NAF intelligence account domiciled in Zenith Bank.

Adigun is the second defendant in a N22.8bn fraud charge preferred against Adesola Amosu, a former Chief of Air Staff.

Amosu is being tried alongside two other officers of the Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Jacob
Adigun and Air Commodore Gbadebo Olugbenga.

The trio are standing trial alongside other companies, namely: Delfina Oil and Gas Limited, Mcallan Oil and Gas Limited, Hebron Housing and Properties Company Limited, Trapezites BDC, and Fonds and Pricey Limited.

Led in evidence by Rotimi Oyedepo, the prosecution counsel, Owobo told the court that sequel to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Air Force, the total sum of N3billion was paid into the NAF Special Emergency Operation Account domiciled with Zenith Bank Plc in three tranches of N1billion on different occasions.

Owobo further said the money was paid into Right Options Oil & Gas Limited, Judah Oil Limited, Delfina Oil & Gas, McAllan Oil & Gas Limited and Lebol Oil & Gas Limited.

He said: “As part of the investigation, we invited the Managing Directors of Right Options Oil & Gas, Judah Oil & Gas and Lebol Oil & Gas Limited, who stated that they were Bureau De Change (BDC) operators and not oil dealers.

“They said when the monies were paid into their accounts, they gave the dollar equivalents to the account officers of the NAF Special Emergency Operation Account for the second and third defendants. They also stated that their companies were registered as oil and gas companies because they were given a high threshold of monies that could be transferred with fewer deductions.”

While giving further evidence on the account opening packages of Delfina Oil & Gas and McAllan Oil & Gas, Otobo told the court that the CAC documents that were used in opening the accounts bore Adigun’s name as Director.

According to Otobo, investigations further revealed that certain monies that did not originate from NIMASA were paid from other NAF accounts into the NAF Special Emergency Operation Account. The money, he said, was in turn paid into McAllan Oil & Gas Limited, Delfina Oil & Gas Limited and Trapezites BDC to the tune of about N15billion.

He explained that investigation revealed how these funds were used to acquire properties located in Abuja, Ikoyi, Victoria Island and United Kingdom, respectively.

In the first count, the EFCC alleged that the accused conspired to covert a total sum of N21.4 billion, property of the Nigerian Air Force “which sum they reasonably ought to have known formed part of proceeds of a criminal breach of trust”.

The anti-graft agency alleged that the accused persons diverted the sums using several companies.

The prosecution said the accused committed the offences on March 5, 2014, and the offences contravened the provisions of Sections 15 and 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.

The three defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Justice Aneke adjourned the case until Thursday, March 7 2019, for continuation of trial.

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President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to return to his hometown, Daura, after his second term in office.

He stated this on Wednesday, just before he addressed the nation on the forthcoming governorship and national assembly elections.

On the elections, he called on Nigerians to ensure that the governorship and state houses of assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, March 9, 2019, are better than the February 23 presidential election.

The President also restated his commitment to ensuring that he does the best for Nigeria.

His words: “At the end of this second and final term, I will, God willing, return to Daura and settle down. Until then, I will continue to do my best for Nigeria, in security, infrastructure, jobs, fighting corruption. I will work even harder than I have done; I will not let Nigerians down.”

In his national broadcast on the Saturday elections Wednesday evening, Buhari urged Nigerians not to be complacent but ensure active participation in the elections.

THE FULL SPEECH

The second and final phase of the 2019 general election comes up on Saturday, March 9, with Nigerians voting for governors and members of the Houses of Assembly in the states.

Let me once again extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and who sustained injuries as a result of accidents or criminal violence during the elections.

The onus is once again on qualified people to turn out in large numbers to exercise their civic rights. With the presidential poll behind us, let us not become complacent or fail to vote in the gubernatorial poll. The forthcoming elections are as important for good governance as that of the presidency and the National Assembly.

Indeed, governance at the state level is closer to us and should touch our lives more directly. That is why it is vital for us to participate in the choice of who governs us at the state level. I, therefore, urge you to troop out massively on Saturday to elect your governors and state lawmakers.

As a member of the All Progressives Congress, I recommend those standing on the platform of the party to you as we are guided by progressive ideals and would not disappoint you. Equally, I urge you to comport yourselves properly as you turn out for the elections. Avoid all deviant behaviours like ballot stuffing, ballot snatching and any other action that does not conform to best electoral practices.

I assure you that the security agencies will be on hand to protect the voters, and ensure that the process is not undermined in any way. Let us make the gubernatorial polls much better than the presidential, which local and international observers have adjudged to be free and fair. May I repeat my appeal to our young people: Do not allow yourselves to be used to cause violence or to break the law or otherwise disturb the peace.

I pledged decent and credible electoral system for our country. I stand by that promise. Let us together do the right thing on Saturday so that the best hands can emerge in the states and take us faster to the next level.

Thank you and God bless our country. Amin.

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A Federal High Court Yola Division has nullified the election of Abdurrauf Abdulkadir Modibbo, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who was returned elected in the just concluded National Assembly polls.

Consequently, the court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw Certificate of Return issued to APC's Abdurrauf Abubakar Modibbo.

The Presiding judge, Justice Abdulaziz Anka, ordered that Abdurrauf, who was elected on February 23, should vacate the seat for the runner-up (Jafar Suleiman of the Peoples Democratic Party) on the ground that the primary election that produced him was inconclusive.

The suit, filed by Lawal Abubakar Garba, current member of House of Representatives, had the APC, Abdurrauf and the INEC joined as first, second and third respondents respectively.

"I hereby order the 2nd respondent, Abdurrauf Abdulkadir Modibbo, to vacate the seat for the member House of Representatives for Yola North/Yola South/Girei Constituency in the National Assembly," Justice Anka ruled.

"I hereby order that INEC withdraws the certificate of Return issued to him and issue same to the runner up in the general election conducted on the 23rd of February, 2019. This is the decision of the court. All parties have right of appeal."

SaharaReporters can report that Jafar Suleiman, candidate of the PDP, was runner-up in the February 23 national assembly election, having polled 48,476 votes to trail Abdurrauf of APC, who polled 80,453.

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Civil Society Organisations under the aegis of Save Democracy Group have staged a peaceful protest at the National Human Rights Commissions (NHRC) against the killing of Nigerians during the February 23 presidential election.

The protesters, who are mainly women, besieged the headquarters of the commission on Wednesday in Abuja wielding placards with various inscriptions to convey their message to the world. 

Speaking on behalf of the group, the convener, May Ubeku, said they were protesting against the senseless killings of voters by the Nigerian military during the election.  

"We are here for a singular reason. Last Saturday's election, we believe it was a total charade. Categorically, the President said that he would deploy military for the election. This is against our constitution because there are three court judgements of Federal High Court in Lagos, Sokoto and Abuja that the President lacks power to deploy the military to supervise a democratic election " 

She stressed that Nigeria is not at war and there is no basis for military presence during election.  

She expressed shock at the brutality and harassment of innocent Nigerians who came out to exercise their franchise by the army.  She, however, asked the President to play the game by the rules, not to send military during the governorship election to prevent another bloodshed. 

Ubeku urged the human rights body to come out of their comfort zone and protect Nigerians from the jack boot army who are killing harmless citizens. 

"The human rights cannot be here and army are killing our people. We want this killing to be investigated by the human rights commission and we are also using this opportunity to tell Mr. President, you cannot claim you have integrity when you cannot obey court judgement," Ubeku noted.

Responding on behalf of the human rights commission, Director of External Linkages, Lambart Opara, said the commission had been working round the clock in monitoring of the election.

He assured the protesters that all the allegations raised in the petition would be thoroughly investigated.

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The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) and the Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Bayelsa State have called for the immediate redeployment of the state Resident Electoral Commissioner over his “unholy alliance” with the All Progressives Congress in the state.

The groups at a press conference on Wednesday in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, stated that they have lost confidence in the ability of the REC to conduct free, fair and credible elections on Saturday due to what transpired during the last presidential and National Assembly polls.

Tari Edwin, the CUPP Chairman, said: “We will not tolerate any manipulation this time around. There is an unholy alliance between the REC and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in the state to undermine the forthcoming state assembly elections.

“We are calling on INEC to immediately redeploy the state REC due to his poor handling of the last presidential and National Assembly elections where elections materials were stolen under his supervision.

"We don't see any reason he should conduct the Saturday elections. In the last elections you’re are all aware that materials were hijacked and carted away by thugs. A total of 63 card readers were stolen during the exercise in different parts of the state namely: Brass 1, Nembe 23, Sagbama 8, Southern Ijaw 24, and Yenagoa 6 council.

"The law stipulates that card readers must be used during the elections, but here where card readers were carted away and elections did not take place, results were announced.”

Also speaking, Eneye Zidougha, the state IPAC chairman, said they had lost confidence in the state election umpire.

“Another election is about to be conducted. We don't have confidence in the REC anymore. There is connivance between security personnel and INEC officials,” said.

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Tunde Ayeni, the former Chairman of Skye Bank (now Polaris Bank), and Timothy Oguntayo, the bank’s former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, were arraigned before an Abuja High Court on Wednesday.

They are standing trial on a four-count charge on allegations of fraud amounting to the sum of N456.6billion.

According to the charge, the offences were committed between January 2014 and December 2016, and involved depositors’ funds.

The offences contravene the provisions of section 96, 97 and 315 of the Penal Code Law.

They, however, pleaded not guilty.

Meanwhile, Ayeni and Oguntayo are already standing trial on different charges before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Ahmed Raji (SAN) and E.O. Akoni (SAN), counsel for the defendants, appealed to the court for bail. In response, Justice Valentine Ashi granted the request and admitted them to bail in the sum of N500million each, and two sureties in like sum.

The sureties must resident in Abuja or have landed property in Abuja.

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Festus Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and spokesman of the President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation, has responded to former President Olusegun Obasanjo's coment that he would continue to criticise Buhari because he is his boss and he had held the position of President longer than anyone else.

Obasanjo made the comment in his remarks at an event organised to celebrate his 82nd birthday on Tuesday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

“The point is that I have been in that position longer than any Nigerian could ever be there. That is the truth because if any Nigerian comes in now and have two terms, he will not have almost four (4) years of military rule," he had said.

“I have been there longer than any Nigerian will ever be there. So, when I say something, I know what I am talking about. So, Kabiyesi, anytime you say ‘leave my boss alone’, I agree, he is your boss, but I am also his boss. So, you might also ask your boss to leave his boss alone or do what is right that his boss wants him to do.”

However, responding via his Twitter handle on Wednesday, Keyamo disagreed, arguing that Yakubu Gowon, not Obasanjo, has held the position for the longest period of time.

Keyamo wrote: “Just to set the records straight: The boss of ALL bosses today in Nigeria is Gen. Yakubu Gowon who holds the record of the SINGLE longest unbroken rein as Head-of-State. He’s  senior to ALL. And as access is always guaranteed, he goes into the Villa ANYTIME to offer useful advice.”

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The Association of Foreign Airlines and Representatives of Nigeria (AFARN) has disclosed that Nigeria is losing billions of naira in revenue to neighbouring African countries in cargo flights due to multiple taxation, improper planning and inadequate space at its airsides nationwide.

Kingsley Nwokoma, the President of AFARN, disclosed this to newsmen on Wednesday at the Lagos Airport.

He expressed worry that if the bottlenecks were not checked, Nigeria may soon lose its status as a hub in cargo operations to other countries within the sub-region as it has lost passenger regional hub to Ghana.

Nwokoma lamented that in order to arrest the unpleasant situation quickly, the association made several calls to the government, but all to no avail.

He noted that since the diversion began, investors had also lost millions of dollars; this is aside billions lost by the country.

Nwokoma called on the government to, as a matter of urgency, address the situation, warning that this may lead to industry collapse if not nipped in the bud.

He suggested that the creation of a cargo village by the Nigerian government would also help in salvaging the situation for the country. He further called on the government to revisit the ease of doing business policy, saying that the policy had been “bastardised”.

He said: "If the airlines and stakeholders are complaining, it simply means there is a problem. Nigeria is very expensive. The cost of doing business is high comparatively to other African countries.

"Every businessman will want to go where the cost is comparatively good. These are things the government should look into. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) should look at this, because the more the merrier. 

"If you are too expensive, if airlines are complaining of coming in here, if they are paying so much on landing, parking and other multiple charges, it is discouraging. So it is something we have to look at, so as to move the industry forward and also make it competitive.”

He, therefore, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to consider expanding the airports’ tarmac and increase the parking bays at the different airports to facilitate free flow of cargoes without hitches.

According to him, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), due to inadequate space, cargo aircraft are often moved to the passenger tarmac because the cargo apron cannot accommodate more than two aircraft depending on the aircraft type, leading to disruption in aircraft network punctuality.

“Once two aircraft are parked in that tarmac, we don’t have space for additional aircraft to park. So what is usually done is for them to ask the aircraft to go to the passenger terminal, which is also time consuming and also causes more fuel consumption. Network punctuality is also disrupted. Because if I have an aircraft coming to Lagos and it is supposed to be in Accra or Nairobi at a particular time, and it moves from one place to the other, there is always time wastage," he added.

He noted that incidents are recorded at the apron as aircraft wings sometimes collide in an attempt to park.

“The expansion of the apron is very vital. We implore the government to look into that. We have had some incidents due to parking in the apron in the past and we all know how expensive it is when there is even a little scratch on the aircraft. In order to avoid all these, we should look at how to put them in the budget,” he stated.

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Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency, Ondo State, have accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of colluding with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to “rig” the just-concluded presidential and National Assembly elections.

A statement by Agbajuni Oluwafemi, APC's Publicity Secretary in Okitipupa Local Government Area, noted that the election which held on February 23, 2019, was marred by irregularities.

In the statement obtained by SaharaReporters, the party asked INEC to declare Albert Akintoye, the APC candidate, winner of the election.

The party gave instances of happenings during the election, which was characterised by violence and irregularities, “purportedly organised by PDP in connivance with the electoral umpire (INEC) and security agents”.

The statement read: “Below are parts of the evil perpetrated in Okitipupa/Irele Federal constituency. In Okitipupa, the National Vice Chairman South-West of PDP, Olorogun Eddy Olafeso, led thugs who carried dangerous weapons and charms to Okitipupa.

“They chased voters away and manipulated the results of various units. For instance, card readers were not allowed to be used in Okitipupa ward 2 units 002, yet they recorded 66 for APC, 102 for PDP, and in unit 019, they recorded 54 for APC and136 for PDP without the use of card readers.

“Same thing happened to the entire three wards in Ilutitun, the home town of the PDP House of Representatives candidate, Mr. Ikengboju Gboluga, where voting materials for units 14 and 15 were burnt down by PDP thugs. As if that was not enough, card readers were not allowed to be used in virtually all the three units in Ilutitun. Yet, votes were unjustifiably awarded to PDP, which culminated into unwarranted allotment of the highest number of votes to PDP by INEC in the entire federal constituency.

“In Ode Aye ward 1, unit 002, thugs beat up APC members and did not allow the use of card readers. This incident led to the cancellation of the result of the unit. Also, Igbotako was not left out of this ill act as thugs invaded unit 001 of Igbotako ward 2. The unit is situated in the homefront of erstwhile deputy governorship candidate of ACN, Otunba Paul Akintelure. The thugs beat up whoever they sighted and set ablaze the election materials in the place. Also in Akinfosile unit, men in Army uniform snatched away already counted ballots and whisked away the corps member, who was the INEC ad hoc staff on duty for hours.

“Card readers were also not used in unit 011of Iju Odo/Erekiti ward where thugs casted all the votes, but then INEC still awarded votes at will to that unit. In Irele LG, virtually the elections in all the units were marred with various forms of irregularities ranging from no usage of card readers, ballot snatching, use of dangerous weapons and charms, to burning of electoral materials in the full glare of security personnel.

"Our prayer Sir, is that Honourable Albert Akintoye, the APC's flagbearer in Okitipupa/Irele federal constituency, should be declared the winner of the election more so that the candidates of other political parties concurred that Albert Akintoye genuinely won the election.

“Not this alone, there were series of protests on the streets of towns and villages in Okitipupa and Irele local governments against the conduct of the election.”

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