I did not call for military intervention Ekweremadu
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meanwhile the organized labour has warned that irrespective of several challenges facing the country it would resist any illegal and undemocratic takeover of government in nigeria1 deputy president of the senate ike ekweremadu has denied the trending report that he called for military intervention in nigeria just as the labour has warned it would resist military in politics1 according to the ekweremadu said in yenagoa bayelsa state on sunday that comments on the floor of the senate though unambiguously in defence of democracy1 the comments he said were either being twisted or misconstrued by some persons. he was a guest of governor seriake dickson when he and other african lawmakers attending the 74th commonwealth parliamentary association africa region executive committee were invited for a dinner reported.1 the denial was reported by his special adviser on media mr. uche anichukwu1 ekweremadu said he has respect for the nigerian armed forces and that comments made by lawmakers in the course of their duty should be situated within the proper context before any form of reaction1 of course some people took it out of context and said i was calling for a military coup1 i hold the nigerian army and the armed forces in high regard. they have defended our democracy our people and have acquitted themselves creditably1 if they need anything now it is encouragement because this is not the best of times for them. but we do hope that when parliamentarians make statements they the military should be able to know exactly what they said before reacting so that we dont overheat the system1 i never called for a military coup. i never said the military was planning any coup. even the militarys statement admitted that my statement was only cautionary and that we were sincere. but they went as far as saying that the international community should ignore my words of caution1 according to the the labour said it was disturbed by some subtle insinuations from some quarters that the military would venture into the politics of the country1 the association of senior civil servants of nigeria ascsn cautioned those mooting the idea to desist from throwing nigeria into anarchy1 ascsn s position came on the heels of reports credited to ekwueremadu1 in a statement issued in lagos ascsn president comrade bobboi bala kaigama and the secretary-general comrade alade bashir lawal contended that any takeover of government by military again would take the country 50 years backward1 it is common knowledge that since the elected government of sir tafawa balewa in 1966 suspended the 1963 federal constitution and imposed a unitary system of government the countrys growth has been stunted1 we are also aware that all democracies in the world including that of the united states of america canada europe etc are not perfect but are still evolving and being improved upon1 the shortcomings being experienced in building democratic institutions in nigeria were not peculiar and that with time some of the flaws would be rectified1 thus under no circumstances should individuals no matter how highly placed should begin to hint of military takeover of government in nigeria1

Body of Akwe-Doma arrives Abuja
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the body of aliyu akwe-doma former governor of nasarawa state arrived at the nnamdi azikiwe international airport abuja on saturday night1 the remains were transported in a turkish airline1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that the body was received by a delegation of the state government comprising commissioners special advisers and interim management committee chairmen1 others include rep. ogoshe onawo associates and family members of the deceased1 nan reported that the body was taken to the residence of the ex-governor in asokoro abuja from where it would depart to his home town for burial1 doma who died in a hospital in israel on march 6 would be buried in doma local government area nasarawa state on sunday1 doma was the second civilian governor of the state from 2007 to 2011. nan1

APC, SLPP lead in Sierra Leones elections
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olufemi claudius-cole of unity party up he said got 1643 votes1 the national electoral commission of sierra leone has started releasing the results of the march 7 general election with all peoples congress apc and sierra leone people party slpp leading other parties1 the results representing 50 per cent of the polling stations in each of the five districts he said had been cleared by nec tally centre information technology systems1 according to him mr. samura kamara candidate of the ruling all peoples congress apc has so far polled 566 113 votes and is followed by his key rival and candidate of sierra leone people party slpp maada bio who has 564 687 votes1 similarly he announced that national grand coalition ngcs candidate kolle yemkulla got 87722 votes while samuel sam-sumana of coalition for change c4c polled 44 685 voters1 other candidates were kamaraimba mansaray of alliance democratic party adp who secured 13 507 votes musa tarawally of citizens democratic party cdp with 5682 votes and chernoh bah of national democratic alliance nda 4 144 votes1 the chairman also announced that john odwyer of national progressives democrats npd scored 2063 votes patrick sandy national unity and reconciliation party nurp 1132 votes and baba conteh of peace and liberation party plp 2 1001 according to him francis margai peoples movement for democratic change pmdc got 5 216 votes while victor williams of republic national independent party rnip polled 1252 votes1 other results announced were 6036 votes secured by jemba ngobeh of revolution united front party rufp mohamed sowa-turay united democratic movement 2 923 henry kabuta united national peoples party unpp 1 468 votes1 the chairman of nec mr mohammed conteh declared the progressive result at the commissions headquarters in freetown on saturday1 conteh assured that nec as the only authority responsible to announce election results was committed to producing accurate results that reflected the will of sierra leoneans as expressed on the ballots1 he disclosed that the tally figures would again be released when result from 75 per cent polling stations in all districts had been cleared1 in the 25 per cent results earlier released by the commission apcs kamara polled 291933 votes and bio of slpp had 274 352 votes1 by the countrys electoral laws results of the elections would to be announced in percentages starting from 25 per cent 50 per cent and 75 per cent before the final results which would produce the winner of the contest1 a presidential candidate must receive 55 per cent of the total valid votes cast to win the election1 if no candidate reaches 55 per cent the two candidates with the most votes will participate in a run-off or second round of the election1 answering questions conteh said he was not under any pressure and that nobody could pressurise him to do something wrong1 he said that the commission for now was giving more attention to the presidential election results1 in the elections votes were cast for parliamentary and local county seats results of which were still awaited. nan1

Charley Boy apologises to Saraki over posts
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popular entertainment star turned activist charley boy has apologized to president of the senate dr bukola saraki over an unverified post to spite the lawmaker1 charley had taken to his tweeter handle @areafada1 to cast aspersion on the president of the senate over a picture where saraki was seen cleaning mud from his trousers1 apparently misled by social media posts charley boy had written e never start. saraki after he escaped the mob attack by people of lafiagi in his own state. may all those who have conspired to render us hopeless penniless and frustrated may nemesis catch up with them1 e never start. saraki after he escaped the mob attack by people of lafiagi in his own state. may all those who have conspired to render us hopeless penniless and frustrated may nemesis catch up with them1 charlyboyofficial @areafada11 however hours later and upon realizing that the photograph was taken when saraki led a delegation on an oversight visit to assess the level of oil spillage in ogoniland in 20121 the entertainment star therefore tendered an unreserved apology to the president of the senate saying apology to senate president saraki my earlier post on senate president bukola saraki was incorrect. i admit i was in a hurry to post before verifying the veracity of the story. i apologize for this avoidable error1 apology to senate president saraki my earlier post on senate president bukola saraki was incorrect. i admit i was in a hurry to post before verifying the veracity of the story. i apologize for this avoidable error.1 some nigerians who reacted to the apology commended charley boy for the bold step and urged the president of the senate to accept the apology. see thread below1

Mothers Day: Women are anchors of development Oduah
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senator stella oduah has felicitated with nigerian mothers on the celebration of the 2018 mothers day and have charged them to remain anchors of development1 in a message to nigerian mothers on the occasion of the celebration the senator who represents anambra north in the national assembly described women as special breed created for special purposes1 happy mothers day to all my sisters mothers and daughters. you are indeed the spice of the universe1 women are special breed indeed. god took out a special day to perfect the creation of women1 oduah who is the vice chairman of the senate committee on women affairs therefore charged women to use their special qualities to ensure the development of their zones stressing that women held the key to developing nigeria1 as women and mothers we must be tolerant and focused we must be the anchor of community development1 god made us tenacious for a purpose. let us work hard to build our zones for our children. the development of our zones will herald the development of our nation1 women thou are blessed. happy mothers day to you all she said1

Lightning kills 16 inside Seventh Day Adventist Church
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lightning has struck a seventh day adventist church in rwanda killing no fewer than 16 people and injuring dozens more a local official said sunday1 fourteen victims were killed on the spot as lightning hit the church in the nyaruguru district in the southern province on saturday local mayor habitegeko francois told afp over the phone1 two others died later from their injuries he said1 he added that 140 people involved in the incident had been rushed to hospital and district health centres but that many had already been discharged1 doctors say that only three of them are in critical condition but they are getting better he said1 according to the mayor a similar accident took place on friday when lightning struck a group of 18 students killing one of them1

FG hails Mo Abudu, Jalade-Ekeinde, Chimamanda
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the nigerian government has congratulated mo abudu chimamanda adichie and omotola jalade-ekeinde over the honours recently bestowed on them on the global stage calling them great ambassadors of nigeria1 in a statement issued in abuja on sunday the minister of information and culture alhaji lai mohammed said the three honorees are iconic women in the creative industry who have brought great honour not only to themselves their families and their industry but also to the country1 he described as well deserved the listing of mo abudu the chief executive officer ceo of ebonylife tv and nollywood star omotola jalade-ekeinde among the top 50 women who are doing extraordinary things on the worldwide stage by variety magazine a weekly american entertainment magazine1 alhaji mohammed also said the already well-adorned cap of chimamanda adichie has been further festooned after her novel americanah was listed in the new york times list of 15 remarkable books by women that are shaping the way we read and write fiction in the 21st century1 he said the women are role models whose achievements will inspire a generation of young nigerians to also do extraordinary things1 of more importance is the fact that these womens achievements have transcended gender nationality or race placing them on the rarefied class of global timeless achievers the minister said1 he said the great honours bestowed on the women will further focus world attention on the nations burgeoning creative industry thus placing it on the right pedestal to take the world by storm1

Studies on HIV prevention in women assuring USAIDS
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it said the dream study showed that more than 90 per cent of the women in the study used the ring at least some of the time based on residual drug levels and the hope study showed that 89 per cent of returned rings indicated that the ring was used at least some of the time within the previous month2 unaids is elated with mid-way results from two studies that show a vaginal ring releasing long-acting antiretroviral medicine to prevent hiv infection in women2 the ring which is replaced monthly slowly releases the antiretroviral medicine dapivirine and could give women an additional hiv prevention option that is discreet and that they can control2 michel sidib executive director of unaids said these results are significant. structural behavioural and biological factors make women more vulnerable to hiv infection2 so it is extremely important that they have the opportunity to protect themselves from hiv on their own terms2 the interim results are from two large open-label studies conducted in south africa and uganda which trials enrolled women between the ages of 20 and 50 years2 open-label studies are studies in which the participants know which medicine is being used that is no placebo substance or treatment with no active therapeutic effect is used2 the hope trial which began in august 2016 and enrolled more than 1400 women by october 2017 the time of the interim review found a 54 per cent reduction in hiv risk2 this means that the rate of new hiv infections was 1.9 women newly infected for every 100 participants in a given year2 based on statistical modelling the researchers determined that the rate of new infections would have been 4.1 for every 100 had the women not been offered the ring2 the dream trial which enrolled 940 women from july 2016 had similar findings with a 54 per cent reduction in the hiv incidence rate2 however the final results from both studies are expected in 2019 according to the un hiv aids agency2 unaids said adherence was shown to be high in both of the trials although the measures of adherence were not able to determine whether the women used the ring all of the time most of the time or just some of the time2 reports say that the results show that studies is up to 54 per cent effective in preventing hiv2 this is the first time that efficacy of more than 50 per cent has been observed in hiv prevention trials involving only women2 two previous phase iii trials presented in 2016 aspiremtn-020 and the ring studyipm 027 which did include a placebo group showed only modest protection 30 per cent against hiv infection for women2 women from both aspire and the ring study were included in the hope and dreams trials unaids explained2 other scientific advances in hiv prevention presented in recent years according to unaids included the proud and ipergay studies which in 2015 reported an 86 per cent reduction in hiv acquisition among hiv-negative men who took antiretroviral medicines to prevent hiv2 another is the 2011 hptn 052 trial announcement which showed that early initiation of antiretroviral therapy can reduce the risk of transmission to an uninfected partner by 96 per cent2 similarly the 2011 partners prep and tdf2 studies showed that a daily antiretroviral pill taken by people who do not have hiv infection can reduce their risk of acquiring hiv by up to 73 per cent2 finally the south africa orange farm intervention trial funded by the french agence nationale de recherches sur le sida anrs and published in 2005 demonstrated more than a 60 per cent reduction in hiv infections among circumcised men2 these important breakthroughs show just how critical it is to continue to invest in research and development into new and effective hiv prevention options sidib said2 the latest reports show that in 2016 funding for hiv prevention research and development was its lowest level in a decade with no indications that investments are set to increase2 unaids stressed that in spite of the recent scientific discoveries there was still no single method that was fully protective against hiv2 to end the aids epidemic unaids strongly recommended a combination of hiv prevention options2 these could include the correct and consistent use of male or female condoms waiting longer before having sex for the first time having fewer partners and voluntary medical male circumcision2 other options are avoiding penetrative sex the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis for people at higher risk of hiv infection and ensuring that all people living with hiv have immediate access to antiretroviral medicine. nan2

Influenza virus causes panic in Kenya
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kenyan health officials have issued an alert after samples taken from patients confirmed the presence of h1n1 prototype 9 influenza virus2 the samples were taken from the patients suffering from flu in laikipia county central kenya reports2 mr donald mogoi a chief officer in charge of health in the area said a child is suspected to have died of the flu two weeks but the deadly virus was confirmed on tuesday by the national public health laboratories2 the five-year-old boy died at the nanyuki cottage hospital and was being treated for pneumonia his dad said2 mrs evelyn obongo a clinical officer at the regional hospital nanyuki teaching and referral hospital said wednesday that her team is attending to at least 60 cases with 15 cases already admitted to the wards2 most of the patients are children mrs obongo said2 cases of the flu have been on the rise in the last two weeks she added2 the diseased is characterised by high fever diarrhoea vomiting dry cough and general body weakness2

Rapper Olamide proposes to long-time partner
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anita eboigbe2 popular rapper olamide adedeji aka baddo has proposed to his long standing girlfriend and mother of his son adebukunmi aisha suleiman1 the love birds have been together since 2011 and have a son maximilaino adedeji born in 20151 he announced the proposal on snapchat @baddosneh some hours after wishing her a happy birthday on the same platform1 the ybnl boss is said to have bent on his knee before aisha as he proposed to her birthday on thursday which coincidentally was marked international womens day with the theme press for progress1 olamide wrote my senior wife oya we have a wedding to plan1 olamide who raps mostly in yoruba has been described as the voice of the ghetto1 the bariga born artist recently released a seven minutes visual to his hit song science student amidst controversies surrounding the message of the song1 he recently bagged the listeners choice award at the just concluded sound city mvp awards1 olamide came into limelight in 2011 with his debut album rapsodi before starting his label ybnl in 20121

Disney launches first-ever cruise line
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source63 disney will in the 2019 summer launch its cruise line the first-ever round trip cruise route starting from the port of civitavecchia a town near rome italy2 disney fans will be able to see italy and southern europe in a more magical way than ever before2 the first voyage begins on june 14 with stops in italy france and spain2 guests will be able to visit salerno on italys amalfi coast la spezia a common launch point for visiting the picturesque towns of cinque terre villefranche-sur-mer and marseilles on the french riviera and spains vibrant beach city of barcelona2 the rome-based cruise is just one of seven new cruise routes that disney has to offer in europe2 the others are cartagena spain toulon provence and brest france belfast northern ireland gothenburg and nynashamn stockholm sweden and fredericia denmark according to the disney parks blog2 we dare you not to sing its a small world after all2 and closer to home for americans disney cruise line is also returning to their popular ports in alaska the bahamas and the caribbean2

The Obamas shows coming on Netflix
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former us president barack obama and his wife michelle are in negotiations with netflix about producing a series of shows for the online streaming giant according to us media reports1 obama and former first lady michelle would provide netflix with exclusive content with the format and number of shows yet to be determined the new york times reported citing people familiar with the matter1 netflix declined to comment1 as the worlds leading on-demand internet television service netflix would offer obama a global platform to delve into topics that marked his presidency such as health care immigration foreign policy and fighting climate change1 his wife michelle would also have a stage to explore subjects she was passionate about while first lady such as nutrition1 the format could include talk-show-style or documentary productions. obama does not plan to use shows to respond directly to president donald trump or other critics but instead to showcase inspirational stories according to the times1 netflix said it ended last year with about 117 million users including slightly more than 110 million paid subscribers1 having shifted its focus to original content netflix has scooped awards and helped shake up both the television and film industries with its deep pockets1 netflix is available in some 200 markets worldwide and produces programs in several languages1 it said it expects to spend between 7.5 billion and 8 billion on content for 2018. afp1

Pacquiao to fight Argentine Matthysse in June
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manny pacquiao is to fight argentinas world boxing association welterweight champion lucas matthysse in malaysia on june 24 the philippine ring legend has announced1 the 39-year-old will be co-promoting the bout after rejecting an offer to fight in las vegas on an undercard to his recent conqueror jeff horn who will be facing terence crawford on april 141 pacquiao said he considers himself the underdog against the brawling matthysse 35 who has 39 wins all but three of them via the short route against four losses1 this is going to be a tough fight. matthysse is also a knockout artist. but im excited to fight and be a world champion again he said in a statement announcing the bout late thursday1 im the underdog in this fight but im used to it. it serves as a big motivation for me to train and fight hard to win the crown said pacquiao who has won world titles in an unprecedented eight weight divisions1 i like his aggressive fighting style. thats what i want to entertain the boxing fans said the elected philippine senator adding that the argentine was not a dirty fighter1 the filipinos trainer restituto fernandez said he expects the kuala lumpur bout co-staged by oscar de la hoyas golden boy promotions to be a real brawl because matthysse is an aggressive fighter1 pacquiao winner of 59 bouts against seven losses and two draws lost his world boxing organisation welterweight title to australias horn last year1 the filipino southpaw who has enjoyed a glittering 23-year pro career retired briefly in 2016 but made a comeback to retake his wbo title from jessie vargas just months later1 the last of his 38 knockout wins came more than eight years ago. afp1

Video: FIFA World Cup Trophy lands in Lagos
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coca-cola has been a very good partner in lagos state especially in the area of sports1 by iyiola pedro1 on hand to receive the trophy at themurtala muhammed international airport lagos were amanju pinnick president nigeria football federation peter rufai rtd. nigerian footballer christian karembeu rtd. french international gernot rohr super eagles technical adviser and ikechukwu ezenwa1 others were representatives ofcoca-cola companynigeria bottling company cultural troupes and many football loving members of the public1 dr. kweku tando chairman lagos state sports commission commended the management of coca-cola and the nigeria football federation for ensuring residents of lagos had an opportunity to sight the trophy1 he therefore urged cooperate brands to support gov. akinwunmi ambodes effort to develop sports in the state1 it was the turn of lagos on friday to receive the fifa world cup trophy after it landed nigeria on march 7 as part of a global tour plan of 91 cities in 51 countries1 i encourage other corporate players to work with the lagos state government in the area of sport development and infrastructure1 we are open to more partnerships with anybody that has such ideas that would guarantee sports development and infrastructure1 we lasg wish the super eagles a wonderful and excellence outing in russia tando who represented gov. ambode said1 nan reports that nigeria is the first qualified country to be toured with the trophy1 video edited by iyiola pedro1

Canadian teenager Auger-Aliassime upsets idol in Indian Wells
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i used to watch these guys on tv growing up and now to stand in front of them its crazy but i guess thats where my level is at right now and im just enjoying it1 teenage qualifier felix auger-aliassime scored a superb 6-2 7-64 first-round victory over fellow canadian vasek pospisil at the bnp paribas open in indian wells california early today1 he pounded down 11 aces and saved all three break points he faced en route to his first career victory1 to come here beat one of my growing idols vasek it felt kind of surreal at first montreal-born auger-aliassime told tennis channel1 all the emotions kicked in. i was trying to stay calm the whole second set the whole tiebreak. after i let everything go. it felt great1 auger-aliassime the youngest player in the mens draw and who shares a birthday with roger federer aug. 8 will face another canadian in the second round 32nd seed milos raonic1 its quite funny to see these guys in my draw he said1 the 17-year-old displayed lightning-quick footwork in his bright pink shoes and delighted the packed crowd with his formidable serve and powerful forehand1 another teenager enjoying the winning feeling on friday was 19-year-old australian wild card alex de minaur who beat 56th-ranked german jan-lennard struff 3-6 7-63 7-651 de minaur ranked 141st started the year by making the final of the sydney international where he lost to daniil medvedev1 he also took alexander zverev to five sets before losing a deciding tiebreak in a davis cup tie against germany in early february1 his davis cup team mate nick kyrgios withdrew on friday ahead of his first match citing an on-going right elbow injury1 kyrgios who had not played since the davis cup tie was scheduled to play medvedev on saturday but had been replaced by lucky loser matteo berrettini1 in other matches wild card ernesto escobedo beat fellow american frances tiafoe 7-5 6-3 while lucky loser dudi sela of israel edged german peter gojowczyk 6-4 6-41

Messi announces birth of third son
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lionel messi announced today that he and his wife antonella roccuzzo have become parents for a third time1 welcome ciro thank god everything went perfectly. he and his mummy are doing very well. we are super happy wrote messi on his instagram account accompanying the post with a photo of the babys hand1 ciro is a brother to five-year-old thiago and mateo who is two1 messi had pulled out of barcelonas squad for saturdays la liga match at malaga to be present for the birth1 the club tweeted change to the squad. messi is out for personal reasons and yerry mina takes his place1 the argentinian couple both 30 first met in their home town rosario in 1996 and started going out a decade later. they were married last year in rosario1 barcelona who face chelsea in the second leg of their last-16 champions league tie at the camp nou on wednesday have an eight-point lead over atletico madrid at the top of la liga1

Rashford Mourinhos joker against Liverpool
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lukaku beat lovren to a long ball and the england international skipped inside trent alexander-arnold before smashing a shot past the helpless loris karius1 marcus rashford was jose mourinhos joker that made manchester united beat rivals liverpool at old trafford with 74855 fans on the stands1 united are now within 13 points of manchester city but barring a late season collapse by the runaway league leaders that gap looks unbridgeable. more significantly jose mourinhos men moved another huge step closer to guaranteeing a top-four finish by opening up a 12-point lead on fifth-placed chelsea1 liverpool were left to rue a slow start as rashford twice finished impressively after romelu lukaku had outmuscled dejan lovren1 the visitors dominated after the break but could only find a response via a united player when eric bailly turned into his own net 24 minutes from time1 just a second defeat in 21 premier league games leaves liverpool still in third but they could drop to fourth if tottenham win at bournemouth on sunday1 rashford may not have even have started but for an injury paul pogba suffered in training on friday1 without the 89 million 123 million french international mourinho moved alexis sanchez inside behind lukaku and handed rashford his first league start of the year on the left1 the portuguese coachs plans worked to perfection when rashford brought the game to life with a superb finish after 14 minutes1 and then after he was substituted by marouane felliani his colleagues held off a liverpool fightback to move five points clear of their visitors in second place in the premier league with a 2-1 win1 liverpool had chances for an immediate response as sadio mane just failed to get on the end of roberto firminos dangerous cross before virgil van dijk skewed a header wide from close range when unmarked from a corner1 but soon liverpools task became doubly difficult as uniteds power and pace again proved too much1 lukaku shrugged off lovren once more and when his ball through to juan mata was cut out by van dijk rashford swept home the rebound1 an eventful afternoon for rashford continued moments later when he escaped with just a yellow card for a late lunge on james milner1 and he should also have had an assist to his name before half-time when a dinked cross picked out mata perfectly only for the unmarked spaniard to send an acrobatic effort wide1 liverpool enjoyed almost complete control of the ball in the second-half but failed to find a way through the mass ranks of united defence1 the visitors did have two strong appeals for penalties waived away as ashley young pulled at mohamed salahs shirt before an andy robertson cross rebounded off antonio valencias arm1 when liverpool were handed a lifeline it came via a united boot as bailly who had excelled on his first start since november flicked manes cross into his own net1

Ronaldos brace rescues Madrid in Eibar
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zinedine zidane had insisted the success in paris was now forgotten and his starting line-up suggested as much with karim benzema the only key player rested1 cristiano ronaldo came to the rescue again as real madrid followed up their thumping win over paris saint-germain with a narrow victory against eibar1 his double means ronaldo has now scored in seven consecutive games and has a remarkable 13 goals overall in that period1 real move four points behind second-placed atletico madrid who will restore that gap to seven with a win over celta vigo on sunday. eibar stay eighth1 after securing a 5-2 aggregate victory over paris saint-germain on tuesday real swapped the parc des princes for the ipurua municipal stadium the smallest in la liga with a capacity of just over 70001 they were below their best and rode their luck late on when eibar should have converted a pair of excellent chances1 but ronaldo proved the difference again the 33-year-old taking his tally for the season to 35 goals in 37 appearances1 ronaldo scored twice his second six minutes from the end as real won 2-1 and avoided another slip-up in la liga. ivan ramis had equalised for eibar shortly after half-time1 gareth bale started up front alongside ronaldo while luka modric and toni kroos fit enough only to come off the bench in midweek returned1 isco and casemiro formed the top and tail of a midfield diamond1 real were ragged early on as takashi inui kike garcia and joan jordan all went close to giving eibar the lead1 raphael varane had to be replaced by nacho after taking a bang to the head and against the run of play real edged ahead in the 33rd minute1 a sloppy pass out from the back by anaitz arbilla conceded possession to luka modric who quickly picked out ronaldo with a sublime bending pass. ronaldo chested the ball down and slammed it in at the near post1 in front real improved but five minutes into the second half and eibar were level. sergio ramos lost his man at a corner and ramis nodded in from six yards1

Zanu-PF worries over Mugabes mingling with opposition
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source63 former president robert mugabes photograph with brig.-gen. ambrose mutinhiri the leader of opposition party the national patriotic front npf has elicited a shock-waves in the political landscape of zimbabwe1 mutinhiri is taking on the ruling party in this years election1 mugabe grinned broadly in the posed photo standing beside mutinhiri the leader of opposition party the national patriotic front npf which hopes to unseat the government in polls by august1 mutinhiris abrupt resignation from zanu-pf last week followed by his surprise announcement that he would be the presidential candidate of the new party exposed deep divisions in the governing party1 the symbolism of the photo opportunity which was featured at the top of a press release issued by the new pro-mugabe splinter party was unmistakable1 two days later zanu-pf youth league supporters chanted down with mugabe at a rally a rare outburst from the normally disciplined members of the party that mugabe led for nearly four decades1 a leader of the league pupurai tigarepi later said that if mugabe is not responsible we are going to look at him as a new enemy1 in response to the hostility the new president did little to defend the man who was once presented by zanu-pf to the world as a liberation hero and father of the nation1 there is an issue regarding the former president said president emmerson mnangagwa1 the shockwaves ripped through the party he dominated for decades the ruling zanu-pf1 the photo sort of solidifies the whole idea that the mugabe family is behind the project said gideon chitanga an analyst with the johannesburg-based regional think-tank political economy southern africa describing mugabes meeting with mutinhiri as very cordial1 other analysts said that mnangagwa had every reason to be concerned by mugabes sudden re-emergence on the political scene1 there is an understated panic especially within zanu-pf said zimbabwean political analyst brian kagoro who added that the ruling party had already struggled to formulate a response to the opposition following the death of its figurehead morgan tsvangirai in february1 it would have been a much easier task to concentrate on infiltrating the opposition but now they have to deal with uncertainty as to who is with them said brian kagoro a director of the uhai africa think-tank1 mugabe was forced to quit when the military briefly took power in november and zanu-pf lawmakers launched impeachment proceedings against their once beloved leader. since his dramatic reversal of fortune he has largely appeared to stay out of public life1 the military moved against mugabe 94 after he sacked his then-deputy and heir-apparent mnangagwa apparently fearing the nonagenarian was grooming his wife grace to succeed him as president1 the former first lady had cultivated her own factional support base within zanu-pf known as g-40 that was seen as hostile to the security establishment1 there is a fight for legitimacy among the retired military supremos said kagoro who suggested that mugabe was behaving with grand malice over his treatment1 the npf claims to have many members who are outraged by the unconstitutional and humiliating manner in which president mugabe was criminally ousted from the leadership of both zanu-pf and the country1 currently we see in the media various speculations about his activities we are not happy with what the media is saying. we dont know whether its correct or not but it is an issue we are examining1

2019: Much ado about election sequence
News & Trends •
in 1983 the order of election was changed and once we had that that is when we started having landslide victory. that was when npn started taking everything1 a news analysis by obike ukoh1 inec fixed presidential and national assembly nass elections for saturday feb. 16 2019 while governorship and state assembly elections come up saturday march 2 20191 the national assembly however reordered the sequence of the elections demanding that the national assembly election should come first and the presidential last1 the argument of those opposed to the reversal besides contending that nass has no powers to change what inec put forward was that it was targeted at president muhammadu buhari1 some senators event walked out of the chamber to protest the adoption of the reordering of election sequence put forward by inec by the senate1 senate president bukola saraki before the adoption had told his colleagues to remember that they would not be senators forever1 we will come and go but the institution will stay. we need to come up with laws that will build strong institutions. let us not be personal about this. let us behave like statesmen. we have procedures on some of these things1 there are many bills we have passed. if there are issues there are mechanisms we can use to resolve them1 abdullahi adamu apc- nasarawa a former nasarawa governor and chairman of the northern senators forum led the nine protesting senators1 they contended that the action of the national assembly breached the constitution which they claimed empowered only inec to fix dates for elections1 considering the strategic importance of the bill it does not need to be rushed. many members of the committee did not sign. we need to know why they did not. i believe that the content of the bill is not fair. we need to be fair. why the rush i will not be part of it adamu said1 andrew uchendu apc- rivers who accompanied abdullahi said the amendment would not stand1 chairman of the senate committee sen. suleiman nazif apc- bauchi who spoke on the issue outside the chamber dismissed the insinuation that the report targeted buhari1 the sequence of election came from the house of representatives. the senate only adopted what the house passed1 for the avoidance of doubt this bill which makes provision for a sequence of election different from the one earlier did not violate any provisions of the laws governing the operations of the electoral body1 this sequence had been adopted in past elections particularly in 1979 when presidential election was held last that is aug. 11 election to the senate was conducted on july 7 followed by the house of representatives election on july141 also in 1992 the senate and house of representatives elections were held on july 4 while the presidential was held later on june 12 1993. in 1999 elections to the senate and house of representatives were held on feb. 20 while the presidential was held february 271 in 2003 the national assembly election was held april 12 while the presidential held april 19. similarly in 2011 national assembly elections held on april 9 while the presidential held april 161 chairman house committee on inec edward pwajok apc- plateau also said the bill was not targeted at anybody1 the sequence of election provision in the bill is not targeted at anybody1 it is aimed at further giving credibility to the electoral process by way of giving the electorate the opportunity to vote based on the individual qualities of candidates vying for national assembly seats1 pan-yoruba socio-cultural group afenifere in their reaction described it as rare news from the national assembly1 national publicity secretary of the group yinka odumakin said the new election timetable was a positive development which will allow participatory democracy1 odumakin recalled that the election sequence which was used in 1979 recorded success as it revealed the strength of each political party1 according to him the new election sequence will allow each party express its strength and prevent bandwagon effect1 this is one of the very rare good news that has come out of the national assembly. it is a good development that will allow participatory democracy in our country1 if we go back into history in 1979 the order of elections was the one that we started with national assembly elections and ended with the presidential election1 in that election the npn that formed government at the national level then won only seven out of 19 states while upn gnpp prp npp won the rest1 you saw the strength of each party reflected1 controversy over sequence of election is on the front burner since the independent national electoral commission inec released the 2019 general elections timetable1 elections stopped reflecting the wishes of the people. this is because the presidency is the most powerful office in the land therefore once a party takes it the rest is a bandwagon he said1 odumakin said that the new sequence is beneficial as it will allow each election stand on its own1 the reason to the best of my knowledge is to ensure that each election stands on its own. people are able to make their choices not based on the fact that a party has won the presidency therefore there is no point voting for the other political party1 buhari support organisation bso enugu state chapter on its part condemned what it called the unconstitutional amendment of section 25 of the 2010 electoral act by the national assembly1 the group called on buhari to veto the bill and distinguished senators and house members to support the veto1 the group warned that obstacles or booby traps should not be planted to block president muhammadu buhari from firming the solid foundation he is laying in the provision of critical infrastructure rails roads agro and power1 gov. yahaya bello of kogi a staunch supporter of buhari said reordering of election sequence would not affect the presidents electoral fortunes1 bello who spoke recently to state house correspondents in abuja said that the president would still win by a landslide irrespective of which election comes first1 whichever order it comes this upcoming general elections i can assure you that mr president will win landslide and the good ones will return to the national assembly1 sen. enyinnaya abaribe south-east senate caucus chairman said those opposed to the reordered election sequence were those who cannot win elections except they climb on the back of president muhammadu buhari1 he said anybody who attaches himself to buhari for re-election is not fit ab initio to be a senator. it is high time politicians stopped riding on the back of some political establishments or parties to win elections in nigeria1 dr uwakwe esse in apparent reference to personal strength and popularity of politicians recounted how chief ejieke ukaegbu was elected into the eastern house of assembly during the first republic as an independent candidate1 ukaegbu represented bende the present bende federal constituency currently represented by nnenna ukeje pdp-abia1 ukaegbu was a member of the ncnc but dr michael okpara then premier of eastern region from the same cultural and political zone with ukaegbu preferred oji iheukwumere from uzuakoli as the partys candidate1 ukaegbu consulted with his constituents and he contested the election as an independent candidate and won1 in the case of ukaegbu personal charisma and acceptance gave him the victory rather than sequence1 when the issue of order of election sequence became an issue in 2014 during debate on amendment of the electoral act daily trust newspaper wrote an editorial on the issue1 the april 9 2014 editorial was titled inec can hold all elections in one day. in the editorial the paper wrote inter alia1 members were sharply divided over some of the proposals including a proposal to grant the independent national electoral commission inec powers to use electronic voting machines in future polls1 perhaps the most crucial of the bills is the one that proposes that inec should conduct all elections in one day. leading the debate on the proposed legislation sen. abu ibrahim its sponsor argued that such procedure would be in tune with global best practices and cost effective1 although inec chairman prof. attahiru jega foreclosed rather unfortunately the conduct of all elections in a single day in the 2015 elections it would be useful for the country to prepare to do that in subsequent polls1 if the yearnings and hopes for credible elections are to be addressed in a positive way holding all elections in one day is the way to go1 the huge resources that the country expends on elections are a trend that is disturbing and should end1 with only a day slated for all elections this cost will be drastically reduced1 in the last elections in 2011 staggered over three weeks inec paid the ad-hoc staff it engaged for the exercise n50 billionfor one day according to figures that sen. ibrahim referenced in arguing the bills relevance1 besides cutting cost holding elections in one day will promote greater participation of all political parties in the process even if many of them relatively do not have enough resources as the ruling party does1 crucially such a process will eliminate the so-called bandwagon effect in which the outcome of preceding election shapes voter attitude in subsequent ones1 not surprising ruling party stalwarts opposed the thrust of the proposed bill hinging their argument on the tenuous argument that inec lacked the capacity to embark on such exercise1 inec can actually set the ball rolling even in 2015 by reordering the sequence of the forthcoming elections so that the presidential poll comes last1 afterwards it can begin to plan for all-elections-in-one-day scenario in 2019 and beyond. nanfeatures1