Women Affairs Minister Alhasan dispels resignation rumour
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alhassan added the letter in circulation in the social media does not in any way mean or suggest resignation1 by saidu adamu1 alhassan disclosed this while speaking in a phone interview with the news agency of nigeria nan on thursday1 contrary to insinuations especially in the social media i only sought for permission from president muhammdu buhari to begin consultations1 this is preparatory to my seeking nomination from our great party the all progressive congress apc to contest for the office of the governor of taraba state in 2019 which he has graciously accepted she said1 hajiya aisha alhassan the minister of women affairs and social development says she has not resigned her position as a member of the federal executive council fec1 the letter is straight forward and unambiguous1 our esteemed supporters and loyal party men and women in taraba should please disregard any rumour of my resignation1 when the time comes for me to resign i will do so in accordance with the laid down procedure and regulations1 alhassan said she is presently preoccupied with the task given to her by president buhari as minister of women affairs and social development1 i am also helping in mobilising support for him and the apc for the 2019 election she said1

How 1,307 vehicles involved in road accidents in May
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by johnson eyiangho4 the corps maintained that speed limit violation remained the major cause among 872 factors identified as responsible for road crashes in the country1 the corps said in its report of road traffic accidents for the month which was made available to the news agency of nigeria nan in abuja on thursday that cars came top in the number of vehicles involved in the crashes with 469 cases1 this figure it said represented 35.9 per cent of the total number followed by minibuses with 258 cases representing 19.7 per cent while motorcycles trailed with 233 which accounted for 17.8 per cent1 the corps said trucks recorded 158 cases representing 12.1 per cent1 a total of 1307 vehicles were involved in road traffic accidents across the country in may according to the federal road safety corps frsc1 the report said that private and government vehicles followed with 508 or 38.9 per cent and 14 and 1.1 per cent in that order1 the corps identified the kaduna-abuja road as recording the highest accidents in may with 51 cases with 14 vehicles or 22 per cent less than that of april1 the route also recorded the highest number of deaths for the period with 29 cases while the oyo-ogbomosho road and kaduna-zaira road had the least record of deaths in accidents during the period with 14 and 13 cases respectively1 the frsc appealed to the federal government to provide it with special intervention fund to enable it to through aggressive public enlightenment stem the contributing factors to accidents and deaths1 it said that vehicle categorisation indicated that a total of 785 vehicles involved in road traffic accidents during the period under review were commercial vehicles representing 60.1 per cent of the overall figure1

Buhari meets security chiefs, departs for Bauchi
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dan-ali noted that the joint operation had successfully arrested some suspected armed bandits and recovered arms and ammunition1 after a meeting with security chiefs president muhammadu buhari on thursday in abuja departed for bauchi1 president buhari who presided over the meeting which lasted for about four hours immediately departed for bauchi bauchi state on official engagement1 in a statement at the end of the meeting the minister of defence mansur dan-ali said he updated the national security council on security situation in the country1 the minister said that he also reminded the council that the nations armed forces in collaboration with other security agencies were doing all they could to address the turbulent security situation across the country1 he said in order to forestall future security incidences in zamfara sokoto and birnin-gwari axis operation sharan daji has been extended to cover up to the fringes of niger boarder1 the operation has recently been reinforced witlh more troops from the nigerian armed forces nigeria police and department of state services and is supported by the intelligence surveillance and recognisance wing of 207 quick response group of the nigerian air force1 the held behind closed door was also attended by minister of defence retired brig.-gen. mansur dan-ali at the presidential villa abuja1 he announced that security agencies had been directed to checkmate the criminal activities along abuja-kaduna highway through increased patrols along the axis to address cases of attacks and kidnappings1 the minister also reiterated the need for the deployment of the nigeria police and the nigeria security and civil defence corps in all areas liberated by the military in the north-east1 he said this had become imperative in order to consolidate on the gains of military operations as well as to enable the military push forward in its clearance operations1 dan-ali stated that he informed the council that operation delta safe had sustained its operations against illegal activities in the niger delta region with resultant reduction in illegal oil bunkering militancy and pipeline vandalism1 the minister however requested for provision of more equipment for the armed forces in order to sustain the tempo in the fight against insurgency and other security challenges across the country1 other members of the national security council include chief of defence staff gen. gabriel olonishakin the chief of army state lt. gen. tukur buratai chief air staff air vice marshal sadique abubakar and chief of naval staff rear admiral ibok-ete ekwe ibas1 others are the inspector general of police ibrahim idris the national security adviser retired maj.-gen. babagana monguno the director general of the department of state service dss lawal daura and the director of national intelligence agency nia ahmed rufai abubakar. nan1

Lagos-Ibadan rail ready December
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he said that the one at apapa and the other at ebute-meta would be expanded to accommodate a mall and hotel1 the lagos-ibadan standard rail line would be commission in december transport minister rotimi amaechi gave the assurance in lagos on thursday1 he said the contractors handling the project would commence work on the lagos axis next week on both the standard gauge lines1 the minister said the lagos state government had been very helpful in the payment of compensation to those affected1 the federal government he said was looking for private partnership to build the two mega stations in lagos1 after a closed door meeting with gov.akinwunmi ambode of lagos state amaechi thanked members of the communities whose property were affected by the construction1 amaechi said discussions were also on with the contractor handling the narrow gauge lines1 he explained that newly awarded contract for tin can-oworonshoki-ojota road would also aid in evacuating cargoes from the ports in addition to the two rail lines which would both terminate at the apapa seaport1 host ambode thanked the federal government as well as the minister of works power and housing for expediting action described the efforts being made as a two-prong approach to ease the apapa gridlock1 he reiterated the state governments commitment to collaborate with the federal government on the project as it would alleviate the sufferings of the people1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that both the federal and the state governments have been making concerted efforts in the last few weeks to find lasting solutions to the traffic gridlock which had caused a lock down on both businesses and private activities in the apapa axis.nan1

Pet pig saves family from thieves
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an indiana familys pet pig has thwarted the plans of some thieves who attempted to break into the home of its owner1 indianapolis police said the attempted burglary on the citys east side tuesday may have been unsuccessful after the would-be thieves came across the familys fearless pig1 the officers were guessing when the thieves broke in they were probably surprised i had a pig and were like we dont want to deal with this1 the cop was like we definitely think they got in and made it to where dumplin was and thought nope. we dont want no part of this the homeowner who asked not to be identified told fox591 the intruders didnt steal anything from the home but ruined the back door after smashing it in according to the homeowner1 the incident was one of three home burglaries in the neighborhood on the same day1 dumplins owner also said she was just relieved the full-grown pig didnt get hurt during the incident and said she wishes more people would adopt pet pigs even if they wont always keep criminals away1 there are tons of pigs in shelters that dont have homes and theyre great animals she said1

NRC begins online ticketing September MD
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by taiye elebiyo-edeni3 nan recalls that the corporation had received a lot of complaints from passengers on racketeering by officials which okhiria said the only solution was the web-based ticketing1 okhiria said this in an interview with the news agency of nigeria nan in abuja on thursday1 he said that nrc was at the final stage of the web-based ticketing after completing the technical and commercial process saying that its a public private partnership ppp arrangement to provide the infrastructure1 according to him eight bidders have so far expressed their interests in the web-based ticketing and the winner will be selected this week to complete the whole process1 before september or october we will go online so that people can buy their tickets online we want to make sure that the arrangement is secure and that is why we are taking our time1 mr fidet okhiria managing director nigeria railway corporation nrc said the web-based ticketing for railway services in the country will commence in september1 also by september people can buy their tickets online from their respective homes we are trying to have many vendors1 okhiria however said that his focused for 2018 was to have an improved locomotives output with the arrival of the spare parts that was ordered in 2017 which would boost the reliability1 the nrc boss attributed the poor movement of haulage by rail to inadequate rolling stock and locomotives liability which is low compared with the demand1 he said a large number of haulage can be moved by rail when the tracks are worked on with enough rolling stock and locomotives to meet up with the high demand1 we also have nrc app that you can download on play store we are going to that stage very soon1

Zimbabwe hours away from presidential election result
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in mashonaland central province the ruling party made a clean sweep of all 18 constituencies1 zimbabwes presidential election results will be announced at 11.00pm todaynigerian time zimbabwe electoral commission commissioner dr qhubani moyo has said1 in the parliamentary election results already announced the ruling zanu-pf has won more than two-thirds majority clinching 144 seats out of the 207 constituencies whose results were announced by the zimbabwe electoral commission zec1 the seven-party mdc alliance managed only 61 seats with the mugabe project the national patriotic front npf winning one seat1 only one independent candidate mr temba mliswa won. he retained his norton seat1 in 2013 the ruling zanu-pf won 160 seats to the then mdc-ts 49 with one seat going to the mdc then led by professor welshman ncube who is now an mdc-alliance principal1 zanu-pf dominated its traditional strongholds of mashonaland central mashonaland west mashonaland east masvingo midlands matabeleland south and manicaland provinces1 moyo made the announcement at the national election results centre in harare where zec is regularly announcing election results for senate provincial council and proportionate representative1 it also made significant headway in opposition strongholds such as bulawayo where it snatched bulawayo south1 despite losing the parliamentary election the opposition mdc alliance has been claiming victory in the presidential election after accusing the zec of tampering with the result1 mdc presidential candidate nelson chamisa had claimed in a tweet early on tuesday that he won resoundingly a claim justified by the verdict given by voters only in harare and bulawayo. the results from other parts of the country were not so good for mdc alliance1 mdcs claim and protests against alleged vote rigging in harare on wednesday led to a clash with the army and police. three persons were reportedly killed1 president emmerson mnangagwa has sent condolences to the families of the victims of the violence which he said was orchestrated by mdc1 i wish to extend my sincere condolences to the families of the victims of yesterdays violence he said1 all human life is sacred and their deaths are a tragedy irrespective of the circumstances. i would like to also wish a speedy recovery to all those injured in yesterdays events. they alongside the families of the victims are in my thoughts and prayers at this difficult time. the most important thing for us now is to move beyond yesterdays tragic events and to move forward together1

PDP glorifies rebels
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secondus especially commended the national assembly members for opening the door of defection to the party1 the peoples democratic party pdp has honoured some of the rebels of the all progressives congress apc who defected to its fold as heroes of democracy1 secondus said that the defectors took the bold steps of switching allegiance from the apc to the pdp not only for themselves for their families but also for the interest of the country1 this is a selfless effort but because it has something to do about our nation with about 200 million people1 they took this decision because they cannot continue to sit and watch what is happening in our country today1 we need to honour them. they are heroes of democracy. their decision is to defend our democracy1 secondus reminded the defectors it is going to be a long walk to freedom1 he gave the assurance that the pdp would conduct free primaries that would be the hallmark of democracy in nigeria1 the national chairman of pdp prince uche secondus addressed the defectors at the glitzy transcorp hilton hotel abuja where he described them as true heroes of democracy1 he called on people yet to make up their minds about defecting to pdp to do so while assuring them of level playing field in the pdp1 we have assured you before. we are reassuring you that everything will be in your favour1 sen. dino melaye representing kogi west senatorial district spoke on behalf of the one dozen senators who left the apc1 melaye who was also a former member of the party commended the pdp leadership for welcoming them back1 he claimed that more senators would be joining the pdp in next coming weeks1 mr. bode ayorinde representing owoose federal constituency ondo state spoke on behalf of members of the house of representatives1 he said they decided to rejoin the pdp because they saw it as rebranded party1 ayorinde said contrary to views that they left apc because there was no money to share they joined the pdp to put an end to hunger poverty killings and dictatorship in nigeria. nan1

APC orders Saraki to resign
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i have been consistent with that during the campaign i have been consistent since i was sworn in. i have made the points in my acceptance speech i have emphasised this when i met with the senate caucus and speech1 proud of still maintaining majority with 53 senators the all progressives congress apc caucus rose from a meeting with president muhammadu buhari on wednesday and ordered defecting senate president bukola saraki to resign1 oshiomhole told state house correspondents in abuja that the senate president should as a matter of honour leave the crown in the house that the crown belongs1 some senators elected on the platform of the apc led by the senate leader ahmed lawan were also at the meeting held with the president buhari at the presidential villa1 but whatever is the reason we can decamp from the party but we cant decamp from nigeria1 the only thing is that there are other consequential issues that every man or woman of honour who had taken such decisions would be expected to follow through1 i mean you should not collect a crown that belongs to a family and wear it on behalf of the family if for your personal reasons which he has enumerated that he has gone to another family. it is just a matter of honour to leave the crown in the house that the crown belongs to oshiomhole said1 he maintains that the ruling party still has the largest party in the senate1 as it stands even now apc is still the largest party in the senate we have 53 senators that is much more than pdp has or apga has1 the national chairman of apc mr. adams oshiomhole called for sarakis resignation when he emerged from a meeting with president muhammadu buhari1 i have emphasised this when i met with the house of representatives caucus that we are ready to do justice to anyone who is genuinely aggrieved and whose grievances are such that we can deal with them provided we enthrone justice fairness and all sides purge themselves of any arrogance1 to the best of my knowledge all senators house of reps members were happy the ones that are not negotiable there is nothing we can do about it1 oshiomhole also claimed that the defection is not surprising. according to him the defectors had previously given clear signs before now1 nobody in the apc will be surprised about the development in fact they have stayed a little bit longer than we thought1 last week the kwara has state governor was alluded to have said he was leaving but he didnt say when1 so we are not surprised at all1 saraki defected to the opposition peoples democratic party pdp on tuesday he party he and some of his supporters including five governors left in 20141 he said his return to the party after winning the senate presidents seat on the platform of apc according to him was to enjoy a greater sense of belonging and in the interest of a greater number of nigerians1 similar to what happened in 2014 saraki has left apc with governors of kwara sokoto and benue state for now also with his protg apc spokesperson bolaji abdullahi1

PDP scampers to save Ortom
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gov. seriake dickson of bayelsa who spoke on behalf of the governors assured ortom of his colleagues support in his trying times1 opposition peoples democratic party pdp has hurried to makurdi benue state capital on a solidarity visit to gov. samuel ortom of benue where it described threats to impeach him as illegal1 the pdp said it was in benue to support the governor and welcome him back to the pdp family1 earlier in the year some governors of pdp paid solidarity visits to the governor over what the clashes between farmers and herders1 pdp governor nysome wike of rivers state donated money to ortom when he visited an act viewed as attempt to woo the embattled governor to the opposition party1 the defection of ortom is not without consequences as some lawmakers has vowed of the national ruling all progressives congress apc have vowed to oust him1 pdp national chairman uche secondus who on wednesday led some pdp governors and senators on the visit met with ortom at the government house in makurdi1 secondus described the impeachment plot initiated by eight members of the benue legislature as an act of illegality and urged nigerians to rise against it1 the house has 30 members eight members cannot form a quorum to seat much less plot an impeachment process he said1 he assured him that the pdp would stand by him urging him to ignore recent allegations hurled at him by people angry that he had left the all progressives congress1 the party said it stood by the governor who defected from ruling all progressives congress apc to pdp last week1 dickson described the impeachment notice to ortom by a minority group at the benue state house of assembly as nonsense vowing that the governors would never allow it1 democracy and the rule of law must be given the proper respect in nigeria he said1 he decried the spate of killings of innocent nigerians in different parts of the country and urged the federal government to tackle the phenomenon1 dickson called on the people of benue to stand by their governor especially now that he was passing through a trying moment1 responding ortom described himself as a prodigal son and pleaded that pdp should fully receive him back into its fold1 he described pdp as his home saying that he had returned to his family given that he was no longer comfortable in apc1 he charged the federal government to respect democratic norms and principle saying that he would resist any attempt by any agency of government or persons to intimidate him1 the governor decried the withdrawal of police personnel from the internally displaced persons camps in the state and described the action as very dangerous1 also speaking the state chairman of pdp mr john ngbede admonished the governor to remain firm and not be intimated saying that the pdp family was solidly behind him in his travails1

Buhari, APC brainstorm on defection
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okorocha who briefed state house correspondents on the outcome of the meeting on wednesday night said president buhari means well and he is willing to fight corruption and you all know if you are fighting corruption it will fight back1 president muhammadu buhari and his embattled all progressives congress apc have met to brainstorm on the gale of defections and to assess the fortunes of the party1 senate president bukola saraki and his supporters including governors of kwara sokoto and benue as well as some senators and members of house of representatives have returned to their old party pdp1 they claimed they were marginalised in apc and that they wanted a haven for their comfort1 the apc deliberated on the defections on wednesday at that high level meeting with president muhamamadu buhari1 two of our colleagues left our party. this is politics it is unfortunate that they have to go the chairman of apc governors forum and imo state governor rochas okorocha said on wednesday1 we have 22 states 53 senators now. nobody is leaving the party anymore. those who have left we are aware that they will leave long ago1 okorocha has assured the nation that no governor will defect from the party anymore1 in what is similar to political re-alignment in 2014 some key political gladiators that defected from then ruling peoples democratic party pdp have again taken their exit from apc1 this is whats happening he said1 the apc national chairman adams oshiohmole who also spoke on the outcome of the meeting said the governors were on a solidarity visit to president buhari1 those governors that attended the meeting included gov. abubakar badaru of jigawa gov. akinwunmi ambode of lagos state and gov. yahaya bello of kogi1 others were gov. jubril bindow of adamawa gov. kashim shettima of borno gov. atiku bagudu of kebbi and gov. abiola ajimobi of oyo state1 also at the meeting were ogun state governor ibikunle amosun gov. simon lalong of plateau gov. rochas okorocha of imogov. abdullahi ganduje of kano state and niger state governor sani bello1 gov. nasir el-rufai of kaduna state gov. tanko almakura of nasarawa gov. godwin obaseki of edo and osun deputy governor grace laoye-tomori were also in attendance1 however gov. abdulaziz yari of zamfara who is the current chairman of the governors forum as well as governors of bauchi and yobe states were absent at the meeting.nan1

Lagos hosts confab of speakers
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the three-day conference of speakers of state houses of assembly involving 36 speakers will hold in lagos beginning from aug. 31 the lagos state house of assembly would host the conference the chairman house committee on information strategy and security mrs adefunmilayo tejuoso has said1 the conference will deliberate on national issues especially those that have to do with the legislative arm of government tejuoso said1 the lawmaker representing mushin constituency i at the assembly said that the three-day event would feature deliberations anchored on presentation of papers among others1 she said that the visiting speakers would attend a dinner on friday organised by the host governor mr akinwunmi ambode1 the event proper takes place on saturday where papers will be presented. in between presentation of papers on saturday the speakers will visit the national leader of the all progressives congress apc asiwaju bola tinubu1 they will also visit the oba of lagos his royal majesty rilwan akiolu1 the speakers will later present their resolutions through a communique after the meeting she said. nan1

Woman chops off husbands genitals over second wife
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dpanan a woman in northern india has chopped off her husbands genitals for allegedly neglecting her and staying with his second wife police said on thursday1 yunus ahmed 45 has been admitted to a hospital in uttar pradesh states muzaffarnagar district and the woman has been arrested area police chief anil kaparwan said1 ahmed married the second time with the consent of his wife in 2017 since they did not have a son1 police said the two often had quarrels over his staying at the second wifes residence1 on wednesday their fight flared up and the woman who repeatedly accused him of not spending time with her and ignoring her cut his genitals using a knife kaparwan said1 he was rushed to the hospital in a serious condition and is receiving medical treatment kaparwan said adding the woman was detained after the victims relatives filed a complaint with police1 the woman faces charges of causing grievous hurt and bodily harm and could face a maximum of 10 years in jail police said1

Breaking: Tambuwal quits APC
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gov. aminu tambuwal of sokoto state has formally defected from all progressives congressapc to peoples democratic partypdp an action long expected1 tambuwal made the announcement while addressing supporters at government house sokoto on wednesday1 he tweetedi have consulted widely especially with the people of sokoto and they have confidently assured me of my next political move. i hereby defect officially to the @officialpdpnig1 tambuwal a lawyer and former speaker of the house of representatives is the third governor to defect to pdp following the footsteps of samuel ortom of benue and abdulfatah ahmed of kwara1 by defecting tambuwal has now crossed the red line in his relationship with his godfather senator aliyu wammako who played a lot of role to instal him as governor in 2015. wammako remains a pillar of apc and has reportedly warned tambuwal about the political gamble1 but the former speaker who has a presidential ambition and was also a former member of the peoples democratic party up till 2014 when he joined the apc was adamant1 nan learnt that he does not have the support of all members of the state legislature and his former cabinet leading to the dissolution of the cabinet several weeks ago1 tambuwal 52 was born 10 january 1966. he attended usmanu danfodiyo university where he obtained his law degree1

How vote buying is new rigging method Observer group
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by victor adeoti2 the pvt allows yiaga africa to present an accurate and comprehensive assessment of the election processes james said1 cynthia mbamalu the projector director of the ngo said this on wednesday in osogbo at a media round table discussion tagged watching the vote during sept. 22 governorship election in osun1 mbamalu said vote-buying was becoming a threat to nigeria electoral process adding that all hands must be on deck to put an end to the menace1 she said now a days the more money you give the more votes you get and this is becoming a problem and a challenge to our electoral process1 mbamalu said since the introduction of card reader machines election rigging had reduced to the barest minimum but that the new way found by politicians to compromise electoral process was vote-buying1 an election observer and monitoring group yiaga africa has described vote buying as a new way of elections rigging by politicians in nigeria1 she said the primary objective of the project was to help promote free fair peaceful credible and legitimate elections in nigeria in accordance with international and regional standards1 also speaking safiya bichi the pre-election observation manager said the ngo would embark on pre-election observation between aug.4 and sept.191 bichi said the essence of the pre-election observation was to find out what could be an impediment to a credible election1 on his part paul james the training manager said the ngo would be using pvt methodology to observe the governorship election in the state1 according to james pvt is an advanced election day observation methodology that uses well established statistical principles and sophisticated information technology1 on osun election she said the ngo would deploy 500 election observers in 250 polling units across the state. mbamalu explained that the organisation would also engage in voter education before the election.1

INEC boss Mahmood risks jail over PDP Anambra crisis
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the judge faulted the letter by awomolo dated july 27 making an excuse for the inec chairmans absence in court on the grounds that the letter of awomolo contradicted that of the inec chairman dated july 291 the federal high court abuja on wednesday issued a bench warrant for the arrest of prof. mahmood yakubu chairman independent national electoral commission inec for flagrant disobedience of court orders1 on july 5 and 10 justice pam ordered mahmoud to appear in court and show cause why he should not be sent to prison for contempt of court1 at the resumed hearing mr adegboyega awomolo san counsel to mahmoud told the court that his client was absent in court because he was attending an urgent national assignment in mali1 justice pam in a short ruling held that the reason given by mahmoud was not tenable because he had refused three times to honour the court summons to defend the contempt charge against him1 the charges were brought against the inec chairman by mr ejike oguebego for his refusal to recognise him as chairman of the peoples democratic party pdp in anambra in compliance with a supreme court judgment of dec. 20141 justice pam maintained that the court would not fold its hands and allow a party who was a professor of law to turn it into a toothless dog1 it is sad that the contemnor and his counsel a senior lawyer have chosen not to obey the orders of this court in respect of this contempt charge1 the contempt of the contemnor to this court can no longer be tolerated and it should not be allowed to fester the judge said1 justice stephen pam gave the order following yakubus absence in court for the third time1 justice pam thereby ordered that mahmoud should be arrested for his flagrant disobedience of court orders by refusing to appear in court and adjourned the matter until aug. 81 a bench warrant is hereby issued against prof. yakubu mahmoud inec chaiman this repeated act of disobedience to court order to show cause can no longer be accepted by this court1 earlier the court struck out the fresh motion filed by awomolo on july 31 for stay of proceedings pending the outcome of an appeal on the matter1 the judge struck out the motion on the grounds that it was in contravention of section 360 of the administration of criminal justice act acja which did not allow a stay of proceedings in a criminal matter1 it will be recalled that oguebego had initiated contempt proceedings against the inec chairman for refusing to comply with a supreme court judgment of dec. 2014 to recognise him as pdp chairman1 counsel to oguebego mr james odiba had prayed the court to commit mahmoud to prison for not obeying the order1 he had told that court that on the contrary inec and its chairman were relating with another faction of the pdp in anambra1 in an interview with newsmen awomolo said that the judgment on which the contempt proceeding was initiated was delivered in 2014 when mahmoud was not yet inec chairman1 odiba however also told newsmen that government was a continuum and it behoved on whoever was in office to obey the judgment adding that no one was above the law1

I was offered N13m by Tambuwal, says Sokoto lawmaker
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we are happy with the recent political development in our state and we will continue to work towards promoting the lofty ideals of our party he said1 a sokoto legislator has made a stunning claim of bribery against gov.aminu tambuwal who left the all progressives congress to the peoples democratic party on wednesday1 he said he rejected the money and appeared to insinuate that the 18 other members who followed tambuwal to the pdp accepted the bribed. the claim has not been verified1 the legislator who belongs to the camp of former governor aliyu wammako said he and 11 other members of the house rejected tambuwals bribe1 we were offered n13 million each to move to the pdp. i along with 11 other members of the housedeclined the offer and remain inthe party with which we were elected1 we remain loyal to apc our leader sen. aliyu wamakko and president mohammadu buhari. we cannot join pdp because we cannot return to darkness which the opposition party represents having experienced the light in apc1 no amount of intimidation political harassment as well as monetary inducement will make us change our political stand1 the member of the state house of assembly who declined to follow the governor to the pdp said he was offered n13 million by the governor as an inducement to dump the apc1 he said he and 11 other colleagues rejected the bribed to join the pdp because they have their names to protect1 we have since embarked on house to house sensitization to our teeming supporters on why we remain in our party and why we want them to remain politically committed1 we want everybody to remain loyal to our party leaders shun political thuggery and violence because as progressive we must be seen to be promoting peaceful coexistence for the overall political growth of our party he said1 he called on apc teeming supportersto participate in the ongoing continuous voters registration exercise1 any body that offers you money collect it because it is your money that is supposed to be used in providing democracy dividends but diverted for selfish interests he said1 tambuwal 52 defected to the pdp in a huge ceremony in sokoto today. his deputy alhaji ahmed aliyu sokoto remains in apc1

Protests in Zimbabwe over polls, one killed
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european union observers had earlier said they found an improved political climate in the elections but an un-level playing field and lack of trust in the process1 protests in zimbabwes historic elections turned bloody on wednesday as a man was shot dead during demonstrations over alleged vote fraud and president emmerson mnangagwa appealed for calm1 the polls the first since autocratic president robert mugabe was forced out by a brief military takeover in november had offered zimbabwe the chance of turning the page on a brutal chapter of its past1 but the mood quickly descended into anger and chaos as supporters of the movement for democratic change mdc opposition declared they had been cheated1 you said you were better than mugabe you are the picture of mugabe shouted one young male protester wearing a white t-shirt. we need security for the people1 official results showed that the ruling zanu-pf party had easily won the most seats in the parliamentary ballot strengthening mnangagwas prospects of holding onto power in the key presidential vote1 mdc supporters burnt tyres and pulled down street signs as protests spread from the party headquarters in harare1 now is the time for responsibility and above all peace wrote mnangagwa on his verified twitter account1 at this crucial time i call on everyone to desist from provocative declarations and statements1 the man died after soldiers fired live ammunition during opposition protests in downtown harare afp reporters said1 it called for transparency in the release of results1 eu chief observer elmar brok said there were efforts to undermine the free expression of the will of the electors through inducements soft intimidation pressure and coercion to try to ensure a vote in favour of the ruling party1 on many occasions preparation financing media and hopefully not in the counting it was advantageous for the ruling party he told afp1 mnangagwa 75 had promised a free and fair vote after the military ushered him to power in november when mugabe was forced to resign1 under mugabes 37-year reign elections were often marred by fraud and deadly violence with the eu observers banned since 20021 the zimbabwe electoral commission zec said wednesday that of 210 parliamentary seats 153 had been counted with zanu-pf winning 110 and the mdc alliance 411 the results are biased trying to give the impression that zanu has won said lawrence maguranyi 21 an mdc supporter and university student protesting at the party headquarters1 mdc leader nelson chamisa 40 said the presidential results were fraudulent1 zec seeks to reverse the peoples presidential election victory. the strategy is meant to prepare zim mentally to accept fake presidential results he tweeted. we won the popular vote and will defend it1

Buhari goes on 10-day vacation in London
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president muhammadu buhari will begin a 10-day working holiday in london from august 3 the media adviser femi adesina said on wednesday1 in compliance with section 145 1 of the 1999 constitution a letter has been transmitted to the president of the senate and the speaker house of representatives to that effect adesina said1 according to the statement while the president is on vacation the vice president will be act as president1

Trump says Mueller probe a disgrace, wants it stopped
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us president donald trump on wednesday called on attorney general jeff sessions to end the wide-ranging probe into russian election meddling and possible ties between his campaign and moscow slamming it as a disgrace to the country1 the presidents latest tweet on the investigation led by special counsel robert mueller came on the second day of the trial of former trump campaign chairman paul manafort on unrelated bank and tax fraud charges that nevertheless stemmed from the probe1 this is a terrible situation and attorney general jeff sessions should stop this rigged witch hunt right now before it continues to stain our country any further trump said1 he claimed mueller was totally conflicted and denounced his probe as a disgrace to usa1 it was trumps most direct demand yet that sessions who infuriated the president by recusing himself from the investigation intervene to end the probe1 it comes amid mounting pressure as mueller delves into whether trumps campaign colluded with russias attempt to sway the election in the republicans favor and if the president sought to obstruct justice during the investigation by firing former fbi director james comey1 russian collusion with the trump campaign one of the most successful in history is a total hoax trump said wednesday on twitter1 the first trial arising from the investigation opened tuesday with prosecutors accusing manafort of hiding from us tax authorities millions of dollars from past lobbying work for the pro-russia president of ukraine and failing to report his foreign bank accounts1 in a tweet trump portrayed his former campaign chief as a respected adviser to prominent us political leaders like ronald reagan and bob dole1 he worked for me for a very short time. why didnt government tell me that he was under investigation. these old charges have nothing to do with collusion a hoax trump fumed1