Bukola Saraki in the House of Representatives February 15, 2016 at 2:06 am   Senate President Bukola Saraki has made fresh moves to reach out to President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, following the Supreme Court judgment on his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. The Supreme Court had on February 5 ruled that Saraki’s trial should continue at the CCT. The apex court had affirmed the propriety of Saraki’s trial at the CCT on 13 counts of false asset declaration. In the 13 counts initiated by the Federal Government, Saraki was said to have made false asset declaration in his forms at the Code of Conduct Bureau as a two-term governor of Kwara State. The CCT had on Friday said Saraki’s trial would resume on March 10. It was reliably gathered that since February 5, Saraki had been making moves to indirectly reach out to Buhari and Tinubu. A top gove...

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta State has suffered a setback following the defection of over 300 of its members in Aniocha North Local Government Area of the state to All Progressives Congress, APC. “I have always hoped that we could help PDP to reform itself but that has not happened. The more we try, the more it seems that the party is terminally ill. So, it came to a point that I think that what is best for me and my people, and what is best for Nigeria, is being in APC which has actually appeared to be charting a path for Nigeria. Although it is slow, I think Nigeria is on the path of progress.Leading the defectors, Mr. Dada Ogoli-Egbune, a former chieftain of the party in the state, said: “Our decision to leave the PDP is because after the party suffered terminal illness at the last general election, it has refused to reform. “It is not easy, we must realize that for 16 years the PDP almost destroyed this country and people did not say anything. ...

Governor Adams Oshomhole of Edo State has appealed to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria - Muhammadu Buhari to grant Presidential pardon to 66 soldiers who were convicted and sentenced to dealth but were recently commuted to 10 years imprisonment by Nigeria Army Authorities for offences ranging from insurbodinate behaviour to mutiny, among others. The governor said based on the strength of the recent revelations on the $2.1 billion fund for arms purchase which was mismanaged by the last aministration, the President should in the spirit of theArmed Forces Remembrance Day, spare them the jail term but could dismiss them from the Army for their acts of indiscipline. The governor made this appeal while delivering his speech at the grand finale of the 2016 Armed Forces Remembrance Day in Benin City on Friday. The governor said it would be injustice if the military personnel who were sent to the war front without arms were made to wallow in prison while th...

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has presented the state’s 2016 budget of N 111.5 billion to the state House of Assembly for approval. Tagged “Budget of Finishing Well” the 2016 budget is 12.6% lower than the 2015 budget which was revised downward to N127.01 billion due to economic realities. While presenting the budget, Governor said the “reduction is in line with current economic realities, especially developments in the international oil market and the dwindling inflows from the Federation Account.” He said the policy focus of the Year 2016 Budget is the completion or near completion of on-going road construction/rehabilitation projects across the State. Noting that  roads at various stages of completion will be accorded priority. Capital expenditure will take N 58.9 billion representing 52.84% of the total budget, while the proposed recurrent expenditure is N 52.6 billion representing 47.16% of the budget. A breakdown of the budget shows that Education and Heal...

By Dele Cole RECENTLY two Ijawcitizens have come under the light of the agents charged with corruption – Mrs. Deziani Allison-Madukwe, and Chief D. S. P Alamieyesiegha. One was arrested in London plushest address at 1 Park Lane, another one was being sought out by the British police to answer charges of money laundering. This piece in no way condones their alleged corrupt practices and no one should read it as such. For the benefit of doubt Mrs. Deziani Allison-Madueke was charged for corruption; the NNPC over which she presided was the Sodom and Gomorrah of corruption and the stories about how allegedly corrupt NNPC was a legion. As for Governor DSP Alamieyesiegha, he ran away from Nigeria to undergo a tummy tuck operation in Germany, when the warrant for his arrest was issued in Dubai, he ran to London where he was thoroughly watched by the Secret Services of Britain. He left London, according to some sources, with the active connivance of the British authorities...

on December 16, 2015   Former governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili, has denied reports that a former Minister of State for Finance, Mr Bashir Yuguda, gave him N100 million out of the money collected from the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd). In a statement yesterday, Dr Odili said he never had any dealings with the former National Security Adviser or Mr Yuguda, so the issue of collecting N100 million does not arise. He explained: “As part of preparations towards the 2015 election, the PDP set up contact and mobilisation committees across the six geo- political zones and I was appointed the Chairman of the South-South mobilisation committee. “Consequent upon this, the party, not the former NSA or Yuguda, gave the South-South Committee, through me,  the sum of N100 million along with other zonal Chairmen, at the house of the National Chairman, Dr. Adamu Mu’azu, for the assignment. This amount was subsequently disbursed ...

Following Wednesday’s ruling by the three-man Court of Appeal panel sitting in Abuja, which struck out the appeal filed by Governor Nyesom Wike, seeking a dismissal of the judgment of the Rivers election petition tribunal which sacked him as governor of the state, Wike has called on all his supporters and the people of Rivers State to remain calm, even as he has instructed his lawyers to appeal the judgement at the Supreme Court. Wike In a 110-page ruling delivered by Justice M.B. Dongban-Mensem, the Court ruled that the election of Nyesom Wike did not conform with the electoral act. The Court ordered a rerun in 90 days. Delivering a final ruling, the Court of Appeal decided all the seven issues raised by Governor Wike in favour of Dakuku Peterside and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). In a statement issued today, by Simeon Nwakaudu, Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor on Electronic Media, Governor Wike stated that he disagree...