Ekiti Election Process Badly Skewed In Favour Of PDP, Says APC

 It is no longer news that the governorship election in Ekiti State has been won and lost, and that our candidate, Gov. Kayode Fayemi, has shown rare sportsmanship by conceding defeat and congratulating the winner, Mr. Ayodele Fayose. We are very proud of Gov. Fayemi for his conduct and comportment before, during and after the election, and we hail him as a true democrat in the true spirit of the APC's belief that election is never a do or die affair, and that Nigerians must always be free to elect those to govern them. After all, it is said that the just powers of governments are derived from the consent of the governed. Gentlemen, election is a process, and whatever happens on the voting day is only an integral part of that process. What happens before, during and after the voting day complete the process. If, therefore, we view the just-concluded election in Ekiti as a process, then we can confidently say that while the events of the voting day itself may have led many to believe that the election was free and fair, the same cannot be said of the events before, during and after the election. We therefore believe that we owe it a duty to the continuous improvement of our electoral system and indeed the sustainability of our democracy to X-ray this election within the context that we have outlined above and draw the necessary lessons Incidents before election day We believe that the events leading to the D-Day in Ekiti negate the principles of a free, fair and credible election. From the militarization of the election to the police attack on our supporters, arrest and detention of our leaders across the state and the use of huge funds to induce voters, the federal authorities skewed everything in favour of the PDP. Militarization of the process: With thousands of armed troops, police, state security and civil defence personnel deployed to Ekiti, the state was simply under a total lock down. While we believe that the police and the civil defence indeed have a role to play in providing the necessary security for the election, we do not see why soldiers  and NDLEA operatives who were armed to the teeth need to be deployed to a non-belligerent situation like an election, especially at a time that their services are more needed in the North Eastern part of Nigeria where over two hundred abducted girls are still missing and where innocent Nigerians are being killed daily. The questions to ask are: who ordered the deployments of the troops and for what purpose. Who gave the orders to stop Gov. Rotimi Amaechi from reaching Ado-Ekiti, as the Army captain who stopped and threatened to shoot him said he was acting under ''orders from above''. What role the did the Ministers of State Defence, Senator Musliu Obanikoro and his counterpart in the ministry of Police Affairs Mr Jelili Adesiyan  play in all this especially given the fact that these two public servants passed by the spot where Amaechi was being molested and simply sped by. It is worth mentioning that the physical prevention of Gov. Amaechi from joining his colleagues at the final campaign rally of Gov. Fayemi in Ekiti is a direct function of the unnecessary deployment of troops to Ekiti for the election. This event will go down as the biggest affront to democracy in our country in recent times. Also worth mentioning is the flagrant abuse of national institutions that led to the country's aviation authorities shutting down airports in Akure and elsewhere on the same day that our party had its last campaign rally in Ado-Ekiti. This act of impunity was targeted solely at the opposition, and it runs against global standards. Airports are never shut without the issuance of a NOTAM -  Notice to Airmen. Again, who gave the orders for the closure of these airports. Incidents during Election Day On the eve of the election and on election day, without any reason, security personnel  arrested APC leaders and supporters across Ekiti, ferrying them far away from where they could vote or monitor the conduct of the election. This is an attestation to the fact that the security operatives were in the state more for a sinister motive than just to provide security for the election. In fact, the compromise by the security operatives became more obvious when a so-called Special Task Force comprising of Military, Police, SSS and NDLEA officers were summoned to a meeting Friday afternoon - a day before the election, near the Tantaliser fast food eatery at Ado-Ekiti. In the presence of AIG Bala  Nasarawa, Mrs Florence Ikhanone (National Director of SSS) and Brig.-Gen. Momoh, who was the head of the military to the election, Mr Ayo Fayose's Chief Security Officer, Kayode Adeoye, and Chris Uba addressed the curiously-named Special Task Force which included 67 SSS operatives, 30 soldiers, 30 NDLEA operatives and 70 mobile policemen. Adeoye and Uba reminded the officers of the Special Task Force of their duty to President Goodluck Jonathan, who was identified as their benefactor, and how the officers must ensure that their benefactor wins the election.This was the same team that went round the state from Friday evening and throughout the duration of the election picking leaders of the APC from across the state in specially-designated black buses with Presidency plate numbers. The case of the Campaign Manager of Gov. Fayemi, Mr. Bimbo Daramola, was particularly traumatic and saddening. His fiancee and aged father were harassed by armed soldiers who invaded his country home in the middle of the night, with guns being pointed at them as if they were common criminals. The Campaign Manager himself, an honourable member of the House of Representatives, was hounded into an unknown place by soldiers....all this because of an election! Also on the receiving end of the brutality by security agents were accredited journalists, some of whom were ''deported'', so to say, to neighbouring Kwara State by paid agents of state who turned themselves to enforcers for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Incidents during and after Election Day While our leaders and supporters were being hounded and arrested across Ekiti during and after the voting, some PDP ministers and PDP stalwarts were  moving around freely, with armed escort, even with a restriction on movement in place. What business did these Ministers and their cohorts have in Ekiti during the election? What was their role in the election?  These are questions begging for answers. Conclusion At a press conference addressed by our Chairman on June 20th, we warned that our democracy was in clear and present danger from anti-democratic forces who are bent on winning elections, at all cost. Today, we restate that warning and call for a reversal of the incidents that made sure a level playing ground was not provided for all the candidates at the just concluded election in Ekiti. While voting on Election Day may not having been characterized  by the usual brigandage and violence,  we submit that the entire process was everything but free and fair. If an integral part of the process was badly tainted as we have clearly and fully demonstrated above, then the entire process cannot but be tainted. Voting in Ekiti may have been free of the usual violence or manipulation at the collation centres, but the entire electoral process in the state was neither free, fair nor credible. Therefore, in order to prevent a recurrence of what happened in Ekiti, especially the militarization of the process, the harassment and intimidation of citizens, especially those in opposition, my party has decided to challenge in court some of these constitutional breaches and will also encourage our leaders and supporters, who were arrested, harassed and intimidated to seek the enforcement of their constitutionally-guaranteed fundamental rights that were recklessly abridged by the security agencies. In this regard, we commend the good people of Nigeria who have spoken out openly against this bare-faced acts of hooliganism and brutalism by the very agents of state paid by taxpayers to prevent such acts. Our decision to act is not only to ensure that these irresponsible and unconstitutional acts are not repeated in subsequent elections, especially that in Osun in August and next year's general elections, but also because we have always said that evil thrives when good men do nothing! * Being Communique issued at the end of the inaugural meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja on Thursday, June 26th 2014

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Suspects Arrested Over Abuja Bomb Blast…Govt Confirms 21 Killed, 17 Wounded In Shopping Malls’ Explosion

Less than two weeks after the Nigerian security agencies alerted of fresh plot by Boko Haram to attack Abuja, the nation's federal capital city, the insurgents struck today setting off bomb explosions at the town's two biggest shopping malls, Bannex and Emab Plazas, killing at least 21 persons while 17 others are critically wounded. The National Information Centre (NIC) which confirmed the bomb explosion that occurred between the popular and busy Bannex and Emab Plazas situated in Wuse II district of the Federal Capital City said security and rescue agencies have cordoned off the area to restore calm. This is even as the police confirmed that some arrests have been made in connection with the blast. A statement issued by the Coordinator of the Centre, Mike Omeri advised residents of the FCT to remain calm and go about their normal business saying security agencies have fully mobilized to the scene of the incident and are handling the situation. Omeri further said that every step is being taken by the government to check the activities of insurgents in the country and advised Nigerians to remain vigilant and conscious of movement of unidentified people around their areas. He expressed the sympathy of the federal government to the families of those that lost their lives just as he wished the injured speedy recovery. Meanwhile, the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed has condemned Wednesday’s bomb blast which he described as a savagery act even as he again directed free medical services for all those injured. He spoke during his visit to the scene of the bombing and the Maitama District Hospital, where most of the injured were receiving treatment. The Minister also restated his directive a fortnight ago for stricter security in all public places and other soft targets which usually witness large gathering within the FCT. He said security plans of action are being developed to forestall further attack by insurgents. Senator Bala Mohammed described the incident as most unfortunate stressing that the softest target, a busy road corridor, was the target of the attackers. He commended the security agencies for their efforts in combating terror in the FCT and pledged more support for them by the FCT Administration. He also praised the emergency services especially the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the FCT Hospital and Human Services Secretariat. The Secretary of FCT Health and Human Services Secretariat, Dr. Demola Onakomaiya said those injured were rushed to Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse and National Hospital by emergency workers. He added that the victims of those who died had also been deposited at the various morgues in these hospitals. The Nigeria Police Force PRO, Mr. Frank Mba said that arrests have been made by the security forces in connection with the bombing. Those who accompanied Senator Bala Mohammed during the visit by the FCT Minister of State, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, the FCT Permanent Secretary, Engr. John Chukwu, the Force PRO, Mr. Frank Mba, the Director of State Security Services (DSSS) in FCT, Mr. John Okojie and other officials.  

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Security Agents Intercept Suspected Boko Haram Members With Bus Load Of Military Uniforms In Enugu

Barely days after security agencies arrested 486 suspected Boko Haram members in Abia state and the discovery of a bomb in a church in Owerri, Imo state, the military assisted by the police have today intercepted and arrested a bus load of suspected members of the sect in Enugu state. The suspects numbering 21 were said to be traveling to Kano with several military uniforms conceived inside the luxury bus owned by Young Shall Grow Transport company conveying them. The arrest was made by the National Task Force (NATFORCE) at Amala in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu after the suspects left Aba, Abia state where they bought the military uniforms at about 2pm local time on Tuesday heading for Kaduna. They were however intercepted in the early hours of today at a boarder community in Enugu state which links the northern part of the country. An army sergeant on special duty at Xerox Construction Company in Ohaofia Abia state is being fingered as the one who procured the military uniforms and employed the services of the suspects for onward delivery to an army corporal in Kano for yet to be ascertained mission. The State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Abubakar who confirmed the arrest of the suspects assured that full scale investigations will be carried out to authenticate the true mission of the 21 suspects. “I wouldn’t tell you we arrested people with arms or whatever but all that I know is that we have arrested some people and we did not say they are Boko Haram because people can speculate. For us we don’t speculate until we investigate and after the investigation, we come up with the facts. "We have arrested some people from Obolloafor and the matter has just been transferred to us from Obolloafor, but we have not yet gone into the facts of the case, the moment we get details, we will call you back or do a press release. People should know what is happening”, he stated. The suspects whose age range between 20 and 35 years were driven into the premises of the state police headquarters by heavily armed military and police escorts at about 11.30am local time today, after which they were led into the office of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for interrogation.

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Scared Of Boko Haram, Confab Delegates Hide Their Names To Discuss Abuja Bomb Blast, National Security Behind Closed Doors

Twice on Wednesday, and for the first time since the National Conference was inaugurated on March 17, delegates to the conference held closed-door sessions to discuss issues bordering on national security. The delegates who were stiff scared of Boko Haram had to go into hiding and also hid their names in the record of proceedings released in their regular statement to the public.
The first session which started at about 9.30 am was meant to consider the Report of the Conference Committee on National Security headed by a former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Muhammmed Gambo Jimeta and former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Chief Albert Horsfall.
 As Conference resumed in the afternoon to consider the recommendations contained in the report and some proposed amendments, information about plans by Boko Haram to burn down 50 communities in Borno State was raised and discussed by the delegates.
As the discussion progressed, news of a bomb blast at a shopping complex in Abuja was received by the delegates. After deep discussions, the Principal Officers of the Conference agreed that a closed session to discuss the Boko Haram phenomenon would hold on Thursday morning.
However, the plan changed when Femi Falana, SAN, raised an objection to the arrangements and asked the Conference to reconsider its position and go into a close session immediately in view of the seriousness of the issues involved.
At this point, Chairman of the Conference and former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Idris Kutigi, GCON, mandated his Deputy and former Minister of External Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, to clear the gallery and proceed with the closed-door session where delegates discussed freely on Boko Haram.
The session started with a retired general who led the Conference through the strategies involved in the war against Boko Haram. He traced the history of the insurgency and dazed delegates with information on what should have been done at the beginning that were not done.
In addition to poor intelligence gathering, he said low morale among the soldiers from remuneration to kitting, to provision of ammunitions were responsible for failure in the war against Boko Haram.
He said in fighting war against a group that exists in splinters, a group whose membership exists principally in the imaginations, would require extreme intelligent gathering and implementation without any attempt at politicking with facts.
Another speaker, a politician, said Boko Haram is thriving because they have been allowed to outsmart security agents in the area of funding and morale-boosting.
It was his view that people entrusted with the management of funds and proper application of other forms of resources meant to combat insecurity in the country have diverted such resources to personal use; a development which has resulted in the current state of affairs.
Another delegate, a journalist, said the growth and strength of Boko Haram were based on the wrong impression that the violent sect is a northern conspiracy against the southern parts of the country; especially the South South.
 According to him, such a belief and other misconceptions have made the war against Boko Haram a failure when actually the real victim in the entire bloody affair is the Nigerian State.
 “I don’t believe Boko Haram is a Nigerian issue,” said one of the outspoken female delegates from the far north.
 She explained further: “I believe Nigeria is being invaded. But because we have massacred ourselves already, we are not organized to confront them. We must be united with government against terror. We are facing a declaration of war.”
Another delegate, a former ambassador, said the seeming failure of the war against Boko Haram was traceable to the inability to implement recommendations contained in various reports submitted to government by different formal and informal groups.
He said: “We must know how this thing started. We must know who the sponsors are. We must know the people involved. We must know the mission of Boko Haram.”
The delegate disclosed that Boko Haram has grown to a level where “its funding is offshore; its weapons accumulation is offshore; its training is offshore and its strategy is offshore.”
It was also disclosed that the war against Boko Haram cannot be won purely by military might except the country improves on its intelligence gathering method and most importantly win the hearts of the people.
 A Christian religious leader in his contribution said it was time for everyone to open up on the issue of Boko Haram rather than pretend that nobody knows where the executors of the insurgency live or how they get their food. These insurgents, according to him, are no spirits. They live among the people, interact with the people and get their supplies from the people and communities. The genuine involvement of the local communities will go a long way in tackling the problem.
 He said, “Boko Haram phenomenon is not a northern phenomenon. Boko Haram is a Nigerian phenomenon. A time has come for us to unmask the masquerade. A time has come for someone to tell us the home truth about Boko Haram.”
 The delegate challenged his colleagues and other Nigerians especially those from the operational base of Boko Haram to locate the source of Boko Haram and identify who does the recruitment and expose the members to ideological thoughts.
 It was his view that if the war against terror must be won, the sponsors “who give the terrorists weapons that are even superior to those used by the military must be exposed; even the parents who handover their children to be so radicalized must be brought to book.”
 Another delegate from the North East said the action of security men who carry out reprisal attacks on communities where Boko Haram carry out their operation contributed to the lack of confidence and trust being exhibited by the people.
 He said there was need to show genuine concern to the people and communities attacked by Boko Haram; and there must be concerted effort by the leadership of the country to show that the people deserve the required care and compassion.
 It was also suggested that those who divert monies meant for security matters must be made to face the law if the trend must stop and if the security agencies must have the required equipment and logistics. The morale of the countries security agencies and forces must receive adequate boost and the people must enjoy the trust and confidence of the leadership as a first step to fighting insurgency and other forms of criminal activities in the country, it was recommended.

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Resettle Bakassi People, National Conference Tells FG

  The National Conference on Tuesday asked the Federal Government to, having lost the ownership of Bakassi Peninsula through the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), come up with a policy of resettlement of Bakassi indigenes.
 The resolution was unanimously adopted following consideration of the Report of the Committee on Foreign Policy and Diaspora Matter headed by Professor Ibrahim Gambari and Ambassador Lawrence Ekpebu, as deputy chairman.
 It was also agreed that there should be a clearly defined operational agenda to guide the implementation of the nation’s foreign policy goals and objectives at four critical levels: Lake Chad Basin Commission; West Africa (ECOWAS), Africa (Africa Union/ECA) and the world at large (United Nations and other fora).
Conference however turned down a proposal that Nigeria should review the Green Tree Agreement it entered in respect of the ICJ ruling on Bakkasi Peninsula with a view to reclaiming the ceded portion of the country’s territory.
 Delegates resolved that government should promote discipline within the Economic Community of West African States through sanctions for violations and rewards for team players.
 Nigeria, Conference also resolved, should use its position to encourage the establishment of what it calls ECOWAS Brigade Standing Force.
To ensure better economic transactions within the West African sub-region through promotion of trade and investment, Nigeria should work towards early introduction of a single currency in ECOWAS
Conference wants the National Assembly to be encouraged to conclude its work on the Bill to create Diaspora Commission so that the president can give his assent.
 The commission is to facilitate the engagement and accrual of full benefits including social capital remittances in the form of knowledge and experience and other dynamic benefits from millions of Nigerians in the Diaspora.
 In addition, Conference proposed that Nigerians in the Diaspora should be included in all relevant state affairs depending on their knowledge and expertise for the development of the nation and not only for cash remittances purposes.
 The conference also proposed that the Ministry of Forewing Affairs develops and publishes travel guides as is being done by other countries to serve as Nigerians travelling to some volatile countries either for business or pleasure.
 As part of the country`s duty to protect and defend the interest of its nationals   wherever they are, including Nigerians serving prison terms in foreign countries, the conference proposed that prisoners exchange between Nigeria and any other country should be on equal terms.
 In carrying out the prisoner’s exchange, the conference stressed the necessity to fully screen any prisoner who purports to be a Nigerian before any prisoner exchange is undertaken. This is to guard against cases of foreign convicts bearing Nigerian passports in foreign jails.
 The conference in its proposal also called for the curtailment of the excesses of first ladies and politicians who frivolously use diplomats abroad for unofficial purposes thereby distracting them from concentrating on their official duties.
 The National Conference also wants the federal government to regulate donations by foreign agencies to Nigerian Non-Governmental Organizations  
The creation of an agency for External Aid that will coordinate all aid giving processes in the country was also part of the conference proposal. The agency which would be a parastatal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would have representatives from the Ministries of Finance, National Planning, Defence, Trade and Industry, Justice as well as Central Bank on its board.

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PDP Can Never Win Rivers State —APC •Says Loss Of Ekiti Will Make Party Stronger

  The All Progressives Congress (APC), Rivers State Chapter, has dismissed as a fluke, last Saturday’s defeat of the party by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the governorship election in Ekiti State. “This development, which was unexpected, does not portend anything any danger for the APC in 2015, especially in Rivers State. The Ekiti election has come and gone and we have learnt our lessons which will ensure better outings in other elections. That election will go a long way to unite and strengthen us the more to present a better APC to Nigerians for the battle to rescue and reposition Nigeria gets hot,” Rivers APC Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya said. Dr. Ikanya, who was responding to enquiries on the fate of APC in view of what happened in Ekiti, emphatically declared in a statement he issued today in Port Harcourt: “It is erroneous to think that what happened in Ekiti affects or will affect Rivers State politics come 2015. The factors that led us losing Ekiti are well known but totally different from the reality in Rivers State. No matter the challenges or odds, Rivers remains an APC State. I am supremely confident that the good people of Rivers State will renew their covenant with APC with a landslide in 2015.” The Rivers APC Chairman gave an idea of how the party would run the 2015 elections and obliterate PDP in the state. “One thing going for us in River State is that we have a President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP whose hatred for our state and her people is legendary not minding that he is from our sister state Bayelsa and our in-law and we gave him the highest number of votes that made him the President. Our campaign strategy will be centered on this hatred, which has manifested in the hounding of Governor Chibuike Amaechi, the ceding of our oil wells to Bayelsa and Abia states and refusal to direct Akwa Ibom to pay us the proceeds of our oil wells she kept for many years. Mr. President has also refused to site any meaningful project in Rivers State, so how can we support him or any PDP candidate in 2015? “In any case, the feats of the Amaechi administration are enough to give us victory in future elections. These feats, which are well known, include making Port Harcourt the World Book Capital City, eradication of militancy, dogged fight for the oil wells and other rights of Rivers State and her people, as well as award-winning achievements in Education, Agriculture, Health, etc.” Dr. Ikanya said that, in addition to all these, “we will ask the good people of Rivers State to make their choice of the characters and vision of those in PDP (insecurity, ungodly, etc) and the vision and characters in APC (godliness, security and concern for the future of our state). These are the issues for Rivers State to use to decide which of the parties governs River State come 2015.” He concluded by advising APC faithful in the state not to panic or fear about the future of the party, as “Rivers people have since adopted APC as the party of their choice and there is nothing the doomed PDP or any other party can do about that.” 

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Boko Haram Is A Torn In My Flesh- Gov Shettima…Expresses Worry Over Abduction Of Another 60 Women In Borno

‎Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state has confessed that Boko Haram insurgents have become a thorn in his flesh even as he expressed worry over yet another abduction in part of Damboa local government area of the State. The Governor has since directed the chairman of the affected local government area and other government officials from the affected areas to make very urgent but accurate enquiries from communities and report to him as soon as they can.
A statement by the state government today says "While the Governor views the reported abduction with all the seriousness it deserves, he is also worried that weighty developments such as information concerning the abduction of 60 persons requires careful enquiry in order to obtain information that is comprehensive and beyond any reasonable doubt. The Governor is worried that only recently, leaders of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breaders Association was reported refuting media reports that some 30 fulani women were kidnapped at a community in Chibok. The Association relied on what it called comprehensive investigation that involved making enquiries from all of its members not only in the area the kidnapp was said to have taken place but also in the entire Borno State.
"The Governor very much appreciates the urge of the media to inform the public about happenings not only in Borno State but everywhere in the world given the fact that the public has a right to know and they ought to be informed. However, he feels ‎the Nigerian is very competent enough to deploy means by which comprehensive and accurate information can be gotten. The Governor appreciates that both the media and Government at all levels, are working in unusual ways given the nature of the unfortunate insurgency attacks  that have remained persistent in some parts of Borno State. He knows and understands the difficulty but at the same time, he calls for patience at all times so that collectively, the media and government can in giving out information, be sure of exactly what happened, how it happened, when and who is or are involved. Governor Shettima stands by those who have been affected and shares their pains and those of their families even as we await the outcome of enquiries going on, hoping, the outcome will be as soon as possible, without compromising accuracy of information. Governor Shettima once again expresses profound appreciation to the Nigerian and International media for their very critical support which has no doubt been very helpful in the circumstance. The Governor is hopeful that the schoolgirls abducted in Chibok will by the intervention of God, be rescued and so will those recently affected, if ongoing enquiries confirm reports about the unfortunate incident.
"Governor Shettima assures the citizens of Borno State, other Nigerians and the International community that his administration is working very hard, doing all it can and should do, collaborating actively with relevant bodies both the military and community members, to find a lasting solution to the crisis that has been a big thorn in the Governor's flesh. Part of the measures being taken are yielding fruitful results that aim at enhancing security of lives and property in the State. Peace has been relatively achieved in major towns and peace will by God's grace, be achieved, in the entire State within the shortest possible time. The Governor deeply appreciates the patriotic efforts of citizens who have been helping with useful information to counter the unfortunate situation in the State and calls on all good citizens to remain resolute in that regard. Our peace and security, we should always remember, begins with what we tell appropriate institutions that are lawfully established to protect us."

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Gunmen Kill 49 In Attacks In Kaduna, Delta

No fewer than 38 persons have been killed in attacks on two villages in Sanga local government area of Kaduna State in the early hours of today. This is even as dare-devil armed robbers hijacked a bank bullion van in Asaba, Delta state where they killed 11 persons including four policemen escorting the bullion van. Sanga local government Chairman, Emmanuel Adamu who confirmed the number of those killed in media interviews today, said the attack started at about 10pm local time on Monday and lasted till the early hours of Tuesday. According to him “The attack lasted for several hours claiming the lives of 21 people at Kabamu village and 17 at Ankpong village.” He condoled the affected families and appealed to people of the local government to remain calm as security measures were being put in place to forestall a re-occurrence. While reacting to the incident, the State Police Command however said the casualty figure was not up to 38.  According to the state police spokesman, Aminu Lawan "I am not aware of any incident in Sanga where such a number of people were killed."  Residents however said the attacks were carried out by Fulani herdsmen and confirmed the casualty figure given by the Council boss. Meanwhile, armed robbers also today unleashed terror at Ubulu-Okiti along the Benin-Asaba expressway in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State killing four policemen and seven civilians before carting away huge sums of money being conveyed in a bullion van from Agbor in Ika South local council area to the head office of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Asaba, the state capital. According to sources, the robbers numbering about 15 rode in two vehicles and were dressed in red T-shirts and faz caps. Spokesman of the Delta State Police Command, Celestina Kalu while confirming the robbery attack, Feigned ignorance of any casualty in the attack but added that  those injured were receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital. “Yes, there was a robbery incident this afternoon when armed robbers ran into our men after robbing a bullion van coming from Agbor. They met our men while escaping after attacking the bullion van. I do not have record about any death as a result of the incident. What I have is that our men were injured and they have been taken to the hospital for medical attention. Even the civilians that were injured have been taken to the hospital as well”, she stated.    

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How Security Operatives Barred Governors From APC Rally In Ekiti

Efforts by some All Progressives Party (APC) governors to attend the party’s mega rally in support of Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi’s re-election was frustrated on Thursday by armed security operatives who halted their movement to Ado-Ekiti, citing orders from above. The mega rally which was the APC final rally for the Saturday’s governorship election took place at the newly constructed State Pavillion, in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. The APC governors that were prevented by the security operatives from attending the event are Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi; Governor Rabiu Musa Kwakwaso of Kano; Governor Aliyu Wammakko of Sokoto and Comrade Adams Oshiomhole of Edo. While Governor Amaechi’s plane landed at the Akure Airport, he was prevented from entering Ekiti State as he was stopped at Iju, a border town in Ondo State. He returned to Lagos by road after about five hours delay at the spot as the security operatives insisted they had orders from above to ensure he does not enter Ekiti. The armed security operatives rebuffed entreaty from some APC chieftains who pleaded with the soldiers to allow the governor into the state to attend the rally which is within the provision of the Electoral Law. His aircraft was however grounded at the Akure Airport following a ‘fresh order’ barring any plane from landing and taking off from the airport. The aircraft conveying the duo of Governors Kwankwaso and Wammakko was prevented from landing at the Akure Airport, while Edo State Governor, Comrade  Oshiomhole was   prevented from taking off from the Benin Airport. The security operatives that prevented Governor Amaechi were said to have cleared the road for the duo of Minister of State for Defence, Mr Musiliu Obanikoro and his Police affairs counterpart, Jelili Adesiyan, to continue with their journey to Ekiti State. Condemning the development, Governor Fayemi and other APC leaders at the mega rally, described it as a descent to dictatorship, urging Nigerians to resist moves by the federal government to use security operatives to undermine governors and  subvert the will of the citizens. “A situation where State Governors and other citizens can no longer move freely in the country is highly condemnable. This is the height of intolerance. What has happened to freedom of movement, freedom of association, freedom of expression and  freedom of choice, which are well entrenched in the constitution of the country?”, they queried.

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Atiku Warns Against Impunity, Says Nigeria Sliding Into Police State

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned the federal government against turning the country into a police state following the restrictions placed on the way of some All Progressives Congress (APC) governors and party members, to attend the campaign rally for their Ekiti State counterpart today.

 A press statement from the media office of the former Vice President noted that the action of the PDP-led federal government in stopping the governors of Kano, Rivers and Edo from attending the APC governorship campaign rally in Ado-Ekiti, in a Gestapo-like manner is capable of turning Nigeria into a Banana Republic where fundamental rights of citizens are trampled upon with impunity.

 The Turaki Adamawa was particularly miffed at the way the federal government has been dragging the military and police into politics warning "the government must stop instigating state security agents paid from tax payers money against helpless, hapless and law abiding Nigerians."

 The APC top chieftain who promised at the party's recent national convention that he would lead the vanguard to unseat the Jonathan administration he described as inept and incompetent, enjoined "our gallant military men should remain focused on securing and protecting the territorial integrity of our great nation, especially in this time of terror attacks and insurgency across the country."
 Atiku also reminded Nigerians "a government that deprives its citizens from access to jobs and education as manifested by the on-going closure of some tertiary institutions, such as polytechnics, to be shut for nearly a year, has alienated itself from the masses and will definitely suffer the repercussion at the polls, use of force or not."

 He stressed that the only viable alternative to the PDP-led government is the APC, which he said, "is a prescription for socio-political peace, progress, equity, security, unity and national development."

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Abuja Court Stops House Of Reps From Probing Petroleum Minister Alison-Madueke Over N10b Scam

Efforts by the House of Representatives to probe how Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke spent over N10 billion of public funds to hire jets for personal pleasure suffered a temporary setback today as Justice Ahmed Ramat Mohammed of the  Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the federal lawmakers to stop the investigation. Justice Ramat Mohammed gave the order at the resumed hearing of the legal action instituted by the Minister against the House of Representatives and the Senate to stop  the plan by the House Committee on Public Accounts to carry out the probe on June 25, 26 and 27. Counsel to the plaintiffs, Mr. Etigwe Uwa (SAN) had asked the court for a preservative order pending the hearing of the substantive suit. He had urged the court to make the order, alleging that a letter dated May 23, 2014, by the House Committee on Public Accounts, inviting his clients for the probe, constituted a disrespect for the court. The plaintiffs are in their substantive suit, asking the court to declare that the National Assembly and the House of Representatives, who are the two defendants in the suit, lack the power to summon them without the consent of President Goodluck Jonathan. The judge in his ruling said the Committee on Public Accounts had no genuine reason to continue the probe on June 25, 26 and 27, 2014, having been aware of the pending suit seeking an order to restrain them from carrying out the investigation. He said the filing of the suit did not amount to usurping the legislative power of the National Assembly as the House Committee had argued in its letter. “The court has inherent power and the duty to intervene to protect its integrity in determining its processes; and the second defendant is bent on interrupting the processes filed in this suit. I hereby direct parties to maintain status quo in the matter from now till the next adjourned date when the matter will be heard,” the judge said. Justice Mohammed said the House of Representatives, in its letter, portrayed itself as if it could not be sued in court, adding that the court was created by section 6(1) of the constitution and given the judicial powers in section 6(6)(b) of the same constitution to determine “disputes between persons or between governments and between governments and persons”. The judge, who quoted the letter of invitation sent to the plaintiffs in his ruling, also dismissed the contention of the House that the suit filed by Alison-Madueke and others amounted to a usurpation of its legislative power. His words: “In fact the quoted portion of the second defendant’s (House of Representatives) letter is simply saying that the suit before this court is an usurpation of its powers under the constitution. The second defendant went as far as calling the conduct of this suit ridiculous and disrepute. “The House of Representatives, [2nd defendants] have issued a second letter to the plaintiff inviting her to appear before its Public Accounts Committee. In the said letter of invitation, the House of Representatives  said it derived its powers from section 4 of the 1999 constitution adding that such powers cannot be usurped by anybody or agent of government as such usurpation would bring the House into great disrepute and ridicule. “Now the 2nd defendant is bent on proceeding with the probe even when it is not only aware of the matter in court but also sent a legal representation. While agreeing that the House is acting within its constitutional powers, where any of its powers is challenged in court, the court can intervene and is so empowered by the provisions of section 6 [1] and [b] of the 1999 constitution. “This provision of the constitution gives the court the powers to determine dispute between persons, government and its agencies and I have not seeing or come across any law that says the National Assembly cannot be sued in court. “No institution should be restrained from carrying its constitutional duties but where in this case, the defendant is aware of the pendency of this case but desires to proceed with the issue before the court, the court has inherent powers to intervene. “Accordingly, I hereby order that all parties should maintain status quo pending the hearing of the suit which is adjourned to July 3, 2014. While I agree that the legislature has constitutional powers to exercise, I cannot, however, agree that where any of the powers of the legislature is being challenged in the court of law, the court should turn its back to the plaintiff for the fear of being accused of usurping the legislative power of the National Assembly.” Counsel for the House of Representatives, Mr. Aminu Sadauki had earlier urged the court to refuse the application for an interim order insisting that it would amount to determining the relief of the plaintiffs in the substantive suit. He also refused to give an undertaking as requested by the plaintiffs’ counsel that the probe would be stopped pending the determination of the suit, stressing “I cannot stand here and give an undertaking that an arm of government will not carry out its constitutional duty.”

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Confab Recommends Life Imprisonment For Corrupt Public Officials

Except otherwise decided, henceforth, judicial officers convicted of corruption or perversion of justice will be liable to 50 years in prison and loss of all official entitlement including gratuity and pensions without an option of fine. The National Conference sitting in Abuja said on Thursday that the decision was based on the examples of some Asian countries where the enactment of such laws helped to restore sanity, reduce corruption, abuse of office, instill due process and the rule of law. Still on corruption, Conference resolved that legislation be enacted by the Federal Government that would stipulate life imprisonment for anyone found guilty of stealing pension and any public fund. These resolutions followed thorough consideration of the Report of the Committee on Civil Society, Labour, Youth and Sports headed by Mrs. Bola Ogunrinade and Comrade Issa Aremu as deputy chairman. Conference equally resolved that a law be enacted by the Federal Government to provide for life imprisonment with hard labour for any person convicted of rape; while other laws should be enacted to criminalise the use of children for child labour and for alms. It was also resolved that henceforth, any group of workers that remain on strike for more than four weeks shall not be entitled to and not be paid salary for the period and any other time after the four weeks. To revive the education sector, Conference proposed 26% allocation for education in annual law at the federal, state and local government levels. It is believed that with such increased allocation, the ailing educational system would be revived and sustained. Conference also agreed that government provides an intervention fund as a matter of priority to revitalize abandoned skill acquisition and vocational training centres throughout the country. To boost employment in the country, delegates resolved that athe National Directorate for Employment (NDE), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the Community Services Women, and Youth Employment Project (CSWYE) and Graduates Internship Scheme be merged into a single national job creation agency. Conference in taking the decision, said this would lead to a coordinated job creation approach. Conference observed the growing incidence of casualization in the economy that is driven in part by employers’ penchant to cut cost and enhance profitability. It said currently, most employers of labour do not respect the legal provision that after six months of work, the casual workers must be permanently employed. To circumvent this law, such employers resort to terminating the appointment of employees after a couple of months and then quickly re-engaging them on a fresh contract. It was therefore resolved that all multinational companies and government agencies that have employed casual workers for more then six months should be mandated to take immediate steps to convert them to permanent workers. On the National Youth Service Corps, Conference said it should be split into three phases for it to be repositioned for relevant youth empowerment. It said the first phase will be a one month orientation; followed by six months of primary assignment, integration and industrial exposure; and lastly, five months of vocational and entrepreneurial skill acquisition.

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Democracy In Danger As Nigeria Comes Under Creeping Fascism, APC Raises Alarm

Being the text of a World Press Conference addressed by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Oyegun,in Lagos on Friday, June 20th 2014

I have called this World Press Conference today to alert Nigerians and our international friends of the grave threat posed to our democracy and indeed the very survival of our nation by an increasingly-tyrannical federal government.

Less than 48 hours after I released an open letter to President Goodluck Jonathan, warning him to halt the impunity in Ekiti and not to plunge Nigeria into a political crisis, the federal government has now overreached itself and turned Ekiti into a war zone, where constitutional guaranteed rights have been suspended.

The final electioneering campaign of our candidate in the Ekiti election, Gov. Kayode Fayemi, provided the perfect setting for the Jonathan-led administration to bare its fangs with a series of arbitrariness and unconstitutional acts that threaten the very fabric of our democracy.

First, several APC Governors were prevented from attending the rally. The helicopter that was to ferry Gov. Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State from Benin to Akure was denied permission to take off by the aviation authorities apparently acting on ''orders from above''

Then while the plane bearing Gov. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors' Forum, was allowed to land at the Akure Airport, his convoy was stopped by soldiers at the border of Ondo and Ekiti state, and ordered to return to Akure by the leader of the troops, an army captain who said he was under orders not to allow him into Ado Ekiti and threatened to shoot him if he defied his orders.

Gov. Amaechi was detained along the road in the bush for as long as it suited the soldiers before he was forced to return to Akure. While the Governor was being detained on the road, the convoys of the Minister of Police Affairs and the Minister of State for Defence sped past and were not stopped by the troops.

But the worst was yet to come. On arrival in Akure Airport, he found out that the airport has been shut, leaving him stranded. By the time other Governors, including Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and Ibikunle Amosun of Rivers, and party leaders including myself, Chief Bisi Akande and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu arrived at the Akure Airport for their onward journey to their various destinations, they discovered that the airport has been shut, apparently on the same nebulous ''orders from above''.

Thus, all the party leaders and supporters who came to the rally from across the country, including Sokoto, Abuja, Kano, Owerri, Port Harcourt and Lagos, were forced to travel by road back to their destinations, with the dangers inherent in such night journey.

Against the background of my narration, and the over-militarization of Ekiti State ahead of Saturday's election, many questions come to mind

1. If one of the candidates in the election could be prevented from holding his final rally with the full compliment of his party leaders and supporters, a treatment that was not meted out to other candidates, can we honestly say that a level playing field has been provided for all the candidates in the election?

2. If a state Governor, despite the high office he occupies and the constitutional immunity from arrest which he enjoys, could be detained and ordered around by security agents, what fate will befall ordinary Nigerians under this administration that is increasingly sliding into fascism?

3. If key institutions of state can be abused so brazenly just to stop the opposition from moving freely because of a state governorship election, what will happen during next year's general elections?

4. Where in the world are airports shut at the whims and caprice of the ruling party just to punish the opposition? Is it not true that in recent times, the airports in Kano and Gombe, among others, have been shut just to prevent the opposition from using them?

5. If an army captain and his troops can enforce unlawful orders, as was done when Gov. Amaechi and other key leaders of our party were denied their constitutionally-guaranteed rights of free movement, free assembly and free speech, just to mention a few, can't the same troops be given orders to hijack ballot boxes or tamper with the electoral process in Ekiti on Saturday?

Doesn't this give a cause for concern in view of the over-militarization of Ekiti State ostensibly to provide security for the election but now obviously to stifle the process and rig the election?

6. Is President Jonathan aware of the treatment being meted out to elected Governors under his watch. If so, what he is doing to stop this madness before it gets out of hand?

These are some of the questions agitating our minds and, indeed, the minds of all Nigerians.

Now, let us place the events of the past 24 hours side by side with the events of the past few days leading to the elections in Ekiti viz:

1. On June 8th 2014: Our supporters, armed with nothing but brooms, were engaged in a peaceful procession on the streets of Ado Ekiti when they were attacked by gun-totting policemen acting on ''orders'' from above. One of them was killed and when Gov. Kayode Fayemi attempted to intervene, he was teargassed and threatened with arrest by the Mopol Commander

2. Within the past three days, two aircraft, one a Beechcraft 1900 and another a Hawker 900, made a total of three trips to the Akure airport ferrying cargoes of money for the Ekiti election. When one of these cargoes burst open, naira notes with wrappers bearing the name of a popular bank spilled out. The offloading of these cargoes, which were then loaded into bullion vans heading for Ado-Ekiti, was supervised by Minister of State for Defence, Mr. Musiliu Obanikoro, as widely reported in the media and yet unrefuted. Placed against the background of a statement credited to a PDP leader that huge amounts of money have been made available by the FG for the Ekiti election, this raises huge concerns.

3. Last week,over 200 boxes of electoral materials were intercepted by security agents in Ekiti. INEC quickly claimed that the boxes contained wasted materials, contradicting the story by the driver of the vehicle carrying the materials. To date, Nigerians have yet to be provided with full and credible information on these suspicious materials.

4. On June 18th, a pro-Fayose and PDP gang was busted in a resort owned by Fayose's Campaign Manager thump printing ballot papers ahead of Saturday's election. The 22 young men, who were arrested, were also caught preparing INEC form EC8.

5. Under the guise of providing security for the election, Ekiti State has been turned to a war zone, with thousands of armed policemen and troops as well as fearsome armoured personnel carriers dotting the entire Ekiti landscape. Never before has an election been held under such armed invasion! The truth is that security for any election does not have to be so invasive, except it is programmed to achieve one thing and one thing only: to intimidate voters!

Against this background, my party, the APC, doubts very seriously whether a free, fair, credible and transparent elections can be held in Ekiti on Saturday .

Beyond the elections, we are concerned that the PDP-led federal government has grown so desperate to capture Ekiti State at all cost that it is willing to do anything, and I mean anything, to scuttle the electoral process and even threaten the very survival of our country.

In view of this, we have resolved to:

1. Alert all Nigerians to the antics of the federal government in witch-hunting the opposition through an egregious abuse of power as well as abuse of national institutions. We urge all the good people of our dear nation to speak out against this unprecedented acts of desperation and impunity. Never in the history of our democracy has a sitting Governor been so shabbily treated as was meted out to Gov. Amaechi on Thursday. Not even in the days of the abhorrent military rule were such brazen abuse of national institutions committed by the federal government.

2. We call on our international partners to condemn this growing impunity by the ruling party and the government it controls at the centre. Actions have consequences, and whoever fails to condemn the acts of impunity being perpetrated by the central government will not have the moral right to condemn the reactions that such actions may elicit.

3. We state clearly that our party will not accept the outcome of any election in Ekiti State that does not comply with the best practices. The people of Ekiti must be allowed to vote freely and without molestation for the candidates of their choice on Saturday, and the votes must not only be counted, but they must count.

Also, we want to call the attention of Nigerians to the fact that under the Electoral Act, troops are not supposed to be deployed to polling stations. Also, police personnel deployed to polling booths are not expected to carry arms. All these stipulations of the Electoral Act must be strictly adhered to on Saturday.

We also have it on good authority that a detachment of troops will be sent to the Ekiti State House on Saturday to escort Gov. Fayemi to vote and then put him under virtual house arrest thereafter. This is totally unacceptable.

Finally we need to ask: What is the role of the Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, in the Ekiti election? Is he now the chief enforcer for the PDP? It is important to clarify this issue.

4. We urge President Goodluck Jonathan to live up to his pledge, made several times over, that he would always ensure that elections held under his watch are free and fair, and that his ambition is not worth the life of any Nigerian. The President should call his dogs of war to order before their precipitate a serious crisis in Ekiti.

5. We remind the President not to allow Nigeria to unravel under his watch, through acts of omission or commission. We urge him to take a lesson from history, and to realize that the crisis of 1965, 1983 and 1993 all started from the South-west over elections that were either manipulated or annulled. Our country is still reeling from the effects of those crises and we cannot afford to plunge the nation into another crisis.

6 Finally, we urge the good people of Ekiti to go out and vote massively for the candidates of their choice on Saturday. They should not allow the overwhelming presence of security agents to intimidate them, if that is what their deployment was programmed meant to achieve. They must defend their votes to the hilt and reject any attempt by a band of desperadoes to choose their leaders for them. After all, ultimate power flows from the people.

Chief John Oyegun National Chairman All Progressives Congress (APC) Lagos, Jan. 20th 2014

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Soldiers Abduct Fayemi’s Campaign DG, Finance Commissioner…As PDP Begins Rigging Ekiti Guber Polls

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over the role of the military in Saturday's governorship election in Ekiti State, following the arrest of APC leaders by soldiers on the eve of the election. In a statement issued in Lagos on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the part said armed soldiers arrested the Director-General of the Fayemi Campaign Organization, Hon. Bimbo Daramola, and the state Commissioner for Finance. Mr. Dapo Kolawole, on the eve of the poll. It said both Daramola and Kolawole were arrested in their country homes in Ire and Iloro respectively, and that their whereabouts remain unknown as at the time of this report. ''The role being played by the military in the Ekiti elections gives reason for concern, because an institution that is supposed to unite Nigerians has descended into the area of partisan politics and it is now seriously undermining democracy,'' APC said. ''Whoever the misguided soldiers in Ekiti are working for, they should know that their actions can only destroy the nation's democracy. We therefore call on the military hierarchy to defend the integrity of the institution by calling the partisan soldiers in Ekiti to order before it is too late. The consequences of a rigged election in Ekiti will reverberate far beyond the state,'' the party said. It reiterated its earlier warning that the APC will not accept the outcome of an election in which the military and other security agencies skewed the whole process in favour of a certain candidate, to the detriment of others. ''The APC seeks no favour from any individual or institution for Saturday's elections. What we demand is a level playing field for all the candidates, and a conducive atmosphere for the people of Ekiti to cast their votes without harassment or intimidation,'' APC said.  

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Security Agents Clamp Down On APC Leaders, Deport Journalists From Ekiti

 The All Progressives Congress (APC) has alerted Nigerians and the international community to the massive clampdown on the party's leaders as well as journalists during Saturday's ongoing governorship election in Ekiti state. In a statement issued in Lagos on Saturday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said Mr. Awodolu and 22 others were arrested at Egbe-Ekiti and taken to Ikere-Ekiti ; two leaders were arrested from Ilawe while 11 others were picked up from Ado-Ekiti. It said those arrested at Ado Ward A units 1, 6, 8 and 11 include Charles Fashuba, Tolu Ajayi, Elesun, Olu Hero, Gboyega Fabuero, all of whom were pointed out to security agents by one Femi Ogunleye, a member of the PDP. APC said those arrested, who are the party's leaders at their ward and local governments, were apparently being picked up to prevent them from casting their own votes, monitoring the election and subsequently being present at the collation centres. ''Ekiti has witnessed a massive turnout of voters despite the massive deployment of troops and policemen, ostensibly to provide security for the election but in reality to intimidate and harass voters to stay away from the polling units. ''Now that the strategy of the PDP-led federal government has failed despite their over-militarization of the state, they have unleashed security agents on the leaders of the APC to prevent them from monitoring the collation of results,'' APC said. The party said the same security agents have also descended on journalists who were duly accredited to cover the election, with at least five of them forcefully taken to the boundary of Ekiti and Kwara States by a detachment of police men led by Mopol Commander G.B. Seleke It listed the affected journalists, who were arrested at Ifaki Ekiti by over 50 mobile policemen, as Jadesola Ajibola of Inspiration FM; Toyin Yusuf, Oyetunji Ojo, Akin Ogunsola, and Aremu Awolola, all of the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC). APC also said security men, who said they were acting on ''orders from above'', locked out voters and election officials at the Ekiti state government college, Ado Ekiti (wards 13, unit 18) are agitated. The party listed some of the other infractions as including the following: - The names of APC members are clearly missing on the list brought by INEC officials to Wards 3 and 4 Gbonyin LGA - Harassment of the fiancee and aged father of the campaign manager of Fayemi, Hon. Bimbola Daramola, by gun-wielding security agents. - Plan to burn ballot boxes if APC should win ward 2 Ifaki unit 7, LGA Ido-Osi - Fake soldiers purportedly from the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, acting under the command of PDP chieftains, are harassing and intimidating  voters in Ekiti State. It called on local and international observers to pay urgent attention to the infractions and ensure they are rectified in the interest of a free and fair election in Ekiti State.

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Ekiti Guber Polls: PDP Candidate Ayo Fayose Coasts To Victory With Early Lead In Declared Results

Polls results being announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ad hoc officials at the various polling units and wards across the 16 local government areas of Ekiti state have put the PDP governorship candidate, Ayo Fayose in a comfortable early lead position.

Results already announced at the polling units and wards across the state put Fayose far ahead of the incumbent Governor Kayode Fayemi. Some of the election results as reproduced below are however not official yet until INEC formally announce the result. Iworoko Polling unit 008 :PDP - 109, APC - 63 Usi Ekiti Unit 009, Usi Grammar school : PDP-79, APC- 41, LP-3, Accord- 0, CPP- 1, PPA-1, PDC-2. Ado LG, Unit 004 ward 004 : PDP- 199, APC-84, LP-21. Iworoko ward 005 :PDP- 64, APC-37, LP-8. Iworoko Ward 009 : PDP-78, APC-19, LP-10. Okeyemi, Ward 005, Unit 11 : PDP- 162, APC, 57, LP-8. Onikoye's Palace IKLG, Unit 16: PDP- 78, APC-50, LP-5. Erinmope ward 2 Unit 006: PDP- 47, APC-66, LP-4. Imesi Ekiti Ward 5 Unit 003 : PDP-36, APC-46, LP-2, PDC-1, PPA-1, NCP- 1. Methodist Polling Unit, Ifaki-Ekiti : PDP-51, APC-1, LP-1 Ikere Ekiti Health Centre Ward 010 Unit 7: PDP- 270, APC-81, LP-6 Health Centre Ward 010 Unit 8: PDP- 252, APC-81, LP-18. Ward 10 Okemesi: Emiloju: PDP 59, APC 25 Saloro: PDP 26, APC 13 CAC: PDP 47, APC 18 Ita-Ode: PDP 36, APC 6 Adetoyinbo: PDP 67, APC 39 Town Hall:  PDP 80, APC 45 Aro/Saba: PDP 40, APC 36 Obalekosi: PDP 74, APC 44 Ogborodo:PDP 47, APC 56 Obalogbo: PDP 58, APC 29 Akeji:PDP 3, APC 14 Kanmodi:PDP 11, APC 9 Ikole LGA: Odo Oro:PDP 748, APC 564 Igbara Odo ward 8: Unit 02 PDP-75,APC-52,  LP-7 Unit 11 PDP-73,APC-33 and LP-2 Unit06 PDP-70,APC-51 and LP-3. Unit 09 PDP-68,APC-22,  LP-5. Unit 13A PDP-98,APC-55,  LP-5. Unit 13B PDP-108,APC-26,  LP-8. Ara Ekiti Polling Unit 002 PDP 102, APC 32 Igbara - Odo Ekiti Ward 8, Polling Unit 009 APC 32, LP 11, PDC 01, PDP 69 Polling Unit 008 PDP 62, APC 47, LP 2 Imesi Ekiti, Ward 5, Polling Unit 003 PDP 36, PDC 1, PPA 1, NPC 1, APC 4 Ilawe Ekiti: APC 12, PDP 69, LP 2 Ward 1, Polling Unit 1 PDP 46, APC 21 Eyio Ekiti Polling Unit 001 PDP 72, APC 40 Polling Unit 002 PDP 102, APC 30 Polling Unit 003 PDP 67, APC 64 Polling Unit 004 PDP 93, APC 23, LP 5

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Soldiers Detain House Of Reps Speaker Aminu Tambuwal In Kaduna

Stern looking armed soldiers earlier today in Kaduna detained the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, insisting his official car must be searched before he could be allowed into an international conference he was due to deliver a speech. Angered by the conduct of the soldiers,  the Speaker came out of the car and trekked into the venue.

The incident occurred at Hotel 17, venue of an  International conference on security and development challenges of pastoralism in West and Central Africa organised by the office of the National Security Adviser. This is coming barely days after four state governors of the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC were treated in the same manner by soldiers acting 'on orders from above'

While Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa was prevented from flying from the Yola airport, Governors Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano and Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state were prevented by soldiers from entering Ado Ekiti to attend the final campaign rally of Governor Kayode Fayemi, all also acting on 'orders from above.' Tambuwal is believed to be top on the target of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration for his critical stance against the executive.

The Speaker,  who arrived the venue of the gathering at exactly 9.16 am for the 10.00 am local time opening ceremony, had his convoy stopped by soldiers who insisted they must search his official car before he could be allowed into the venue.

Despite much entreaties by security details attached to the Speaker, the soldiers refused, with some saying they have orders from above to search the Speaker. Incidentally, other VIPs, especially Governors,  who attended the conference were allowed access into the hotel without hindrance. The Speaker is the number Four in protocol hierarchy in the Federation,  after the President, Vice-President, and the Senate President.

When contacted for his reaction, Tambuwal's spokesman,  Malam Imam Imam, decried the conduct of the soldiers, saying their attitude undermines the institution of the legislature. "It is not about the person of the Speaker, but the office he is occupying. What we expect is for the security agents to show respect for the office of the Number 4 citizen of the country, " he said.

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This Glove Makes You Beethoven

“Have you ever seen the Matrix?” Thad Starner excitedly asks me over the phone. “There’s that scene where they need to fly a helicopter and Trinity just says, “hang on” and then uploads the instructions to her brain. That’s the future of what I’m doing.”

What started as a wearable experiment for the Georgia Tech professor could possibly make anyone a master at guitar, piano, Braille or even dance steps at superhuman speed.

All you have to do to play like Beethoven, Starner tells me, is slip on this glove he’s made called the Mobile Music Touch and it’s just bzzz, bzzz bzzz… bzzz bzzz…bzzz bzzz buh bzzz bzzz bzzz. Pretty soon you’re playing Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” like a pro.

Starner, by the way, is a current technical lead on Google Glass. He’s actually been wearing some kind of computer on his head for over 20 years. In fact, he built a wearable computer with a mounted display back in 1993. He’s also heavily involved in AI and techniques in human computer interaction (HCI) using wearable tech.

His glove is like one of those fingerless leather gloves you’d see at the gym for weight lifting, but with a robotic box of wires fixed at the back containing a Bluetooth radio and microcontroller. This means you can hook it up to your laptop or mobile device and start to play a song.

Mobile Music Touch has been something of a study in haptic learning for Starner for the past couple of years. That repetitive buzz from the device infuses a kind of muscle memory that, in theory, can really cut your time for learning things like playing the piano.

But it has a much wider potential for teaching not just patterns but also language. He lists off a series of other applications like sign language and Braille.

He’s also studied the effects the glove might have on those with spinal cord injuries. “We looked at those with fractured spines between the fourth and seventh vertebrae and found that using the glove actually helped them gain some sensation back in their hands.” This was over the course of a year and without other rehabilitation efforts, according to Starner.

The remarkable thing is that those studied in the injury actually pick up skills faster if they don’t think about it. It’s an idea called Passive Haptic Learning (PHL). If you’ve ever been a dancer or played guitar you know you’re better when you just move to the rhythm instead of thinking about what you are doing. Starner says it’s kinda like that.

The PHL activities associated with Starner’s glove allows an individual to learn one skill through their sense of touch while performing another, unrelated activity.

“And do you think a baseball player improves his pitch if you just show him a video of what he’s doing wrong?” he asks. Maybe? “Who knows? I don’t know…but what if he had something that could teach him how to throw right while he’s throwing?” Rad.

We’re far off from learning to immediately fly a helicopter, according to Starner. And of course you don’t suddenly become Beethoven just by putting on the glove. But the research does indicate you can master skills at a much faster pace and with more precision than just trying to do it on your own.


SOURCE

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Google and Nest Acquire Dropcam For $555 Million

Remember those rumors a few weeks ago that Google was looking to acquire the plug-and-play security camera company, Dropcam?

Yep. It just happened.

Just months after being acquired themselves, the now Google-owned Nest has just announced that they’ve acquired Dropcam. We’re digging for more details on the deal now, but have confirmed that the final sale price was $555 million in cash.

Wondering what the heck a Dropcam is? They make a few different things, but their namesake device is a WiFi-enabled security camera ($149 or $199, depending on video quality) that requires little-to-no-effort to maintain. You plug it in, get it up on your WiFi, and you’re set. If you just want to be able to check in on your cameras remotely, that’s free; if you want Dropcam to keep an archive of recorded footage on their servers, that’ll cost you anywhere from $10 to $30 a month (depending on how long you want archives kept).

In a blog post on the acquisition, Dropcam founder Greg Duffy explains the move:

Nest and Dropcam are kindred spirits. Both were born out of frustration with outdated, complicated products that do the opposite of making life better. After numerous conversations with Nest Founders Tony and Matt, it was clear that we shared a similar vision.

If privacy advocates were bothered by the idea of Google buying a thermostat, this acquisition will probably send them up the wall.

Right off the bat, Nest founder Matt Rogers started working to sooth the inevitable concerns in his initial announcement of the deal:

Like Nest customer data, Dropcam will come under Nest’s privacy policy, which explains that data won’t be shared with anyone (including Google) without a customer’s permission. Nest has a paid-for business model and ads are not part of our strategy. In acquiring Dropcam, we’ll apply that same policy to Dropcam too.

According to Crunchbase, Dropcam had raised just shy of $48M to date.

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Autopilot Launches CoPilot Sales Automation Tool

Those campaigns can be tweaked based on a client’s behavior, and CoPilot automates follow-ups based on the recipient’s actions. The service also provides sales teams with a real-time feed of a prospect’s actions from within the email.

Unsurprisingly, CoPilot is integrated with Autopilot’s Prospect Ace, which allows companies to verify their email lists using social profiles. The service also allows companies to import their existing lists using CSV files. The team tells me the service is also integrated with Salesforce Sync, and the plan is to add more solutions and data providers directly over time, so users won’t need to rely on CSV files.

CoPilot is now available for sign-up, with prices starting at $39 per month and seat, which allows a company to send up to 5,000 monthly emails.

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Microsoft Does Us A Solid By Accidentally Confirming That The Surface Mini Is Real

Microsoft declined to comment. Earlier today, a manual published to help users dig into their new Surface Pro 3 devices contained multiple mentions of the currently Super Secret Surface Mini. Oops.

Surprised? Don’t be. Microsoft had originally planned to debut the Surface Mini alongside the Surface Pro 3. I’ve heard from people with knowledge of the matter that the decision was made close to the cusp, making the mistakes funny, if not particularly surprising.

Keep in mind that Microsoft also slipped up — perhaps the accident wasn’t much of an accident — and outed the coming Surface Pro 3 before its official announcement.

Today, of course, marks the first day of general availability for the Pro 3. Hence the user guide. Does this mean the Surface Mini will go on sale in the future? No. But it does underscore how far along the device got before it hit the weeds.

Is a smaller Surface a good idea? There has been success by some — the Dell Venue Pro 8 comes to mind — in selling smaller Windows-based tablet devices. However, given the Surface line’s focus on keyboards, and docs, and the ability to do more than consume content, the smaller form factor is slightly hard to parse.

Just for fun:



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Lenka Might Be The Black-And-White Photographer’s Dream App

Photo apps have evolved from adding filtering, to being social, to smashing up the two. Instagram grew like a weed based on this philosophy. EyeEm has grown by making your feed of friends photos look so good, you know you just have to take great photos as well (there’s some clever algorithms at work there). Now a new app, designed by one of the world’s best photographers, wants to bring it all back home: to the picture itself.

And not just any picture. The new Lenka app for iOS is like having Kevin Abosch — who has photographed everyone from Steven Spielberg to Yoko Ono — hovering over your shoulder, reminding you that all you have now is your eye.

Developed by a team in France, the app uses proprietary image processing with automatic exposure. Costing $2.99 and requiring iOS 7, it’s built for the iPhone 5 series but can be used on any iPhone.

With Lenka, Abosch has stripped back the process of photography to its bare essentials. Lenka shoots only in Black and White, and will only allow you one ‘filter’ which is a high contrast mode, will only allow you to light a subject with the iPhone light switched on, or off. There is no flash. It’s this kind of discipline he demands, and it shines through in the app he has had produced.

Now, while there are competitors include Hueless and the ‘Dramatic Black & White’ app, when you fire up Lenka you immediately realise that it’s capable of much more subtle greys and textures than most normal camera apps. There is a feeling of quality and simplicity about it.

Its auto focus and auto exposure makes the process of shooting fast and easy. Editing it also paired-down. You can crop or rotate a photo. That’s it. After-all, that’s probably all Abosch does himself. You can almost hear him saying ‘just take the best photograph *first*’.

Instead of a flash, you can switch the iPhone light on continuously – again, this is to help you take the best photograph, not the best quick snap. You can also choose between a rectangular or square aspect ratio with a pinch.

No serious photographer would use the poorer front-facing camera. Thus, with Lenka, that is not available to you. What real photographer chooses a worse lens, after all?

You can’t post-process other photos from the camera roll. Either you take pictures in Lenka, or you don’t. Again, Abosch is almost saying, ‘hey, I do this for a living, trust me.’

Lenka is not a social network, but you can export your images to Instagram, Twitter or Facebook or via email or message. Your images are also saved in the app’s own gallery and the camera roll.

When I first saw Lenka images I realised quickly that the subdued monochromatic character of the images set it apart from many other smartphone images I’d seen.

Abosch says his team spent a lot of time analysing the characteristics of the iPhone camera sensors, modelling their behaviour, and compensating for inherent weaknesses through real-time image processing. It shows.

Applying a filter to a color photo is “just not the same as previewing and conceiving an image in black & white from the start,” he Abosch. “For me the story now is about changing people’s approach to taking pictures,” he says.

“Up until now, it’s all about frequently shooting and then considering what to do with the results. Trying to turn mediocrity into something greater through post filters. Lenka encourages thoughtful creation. When I think of black and white I think of the moon set against a black sky… In alchemical teachings this represents feminine energy, so I always thought of this app in this sense.”

But where does the name comes from? “I’ve always been drawn to early Czech photographers like František Drtikol. I picked a popular Czech name… Lenka.”

Lenka appears to have been well-received on the app store already. Abosch guesses it might be “a reaction to the overly complicated apps that in my opinion, get in the way of just… taking the photo.”
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