President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday walked into the warm embrace of teaming supporters in Bauchi where likened defectors from his All Progressives Congress to bad eggs, which God will continue to fish out.

Buhari spoke today in Bauchi at the commencement of the campaign rally for the Bauchi South Senatorial District bye-elections and the formal presentation Gumau Lawal Yahaya as APC Candidate for the August 11 poll.

The president told the surging crowd not to be perturbed by the recent defections in the party, saying God will continue to fish out the bad eggs among us, as the 2019 general elections approach.

He said the APC-led government has remained faithful in implementing its campaign promise of improving the economy, securing the country, and fighting corruption.

The work we are doing is because of God, our country and you. I want to inform you that the knowledge we have garnered over the years, we wont allow you to be cheated.

Like we promised, what will determine a good future for the country are security, strong economy and to stop corruption.

We campaigned on these things, you voted for us and we will never forget, the President said to a thunderous applause by party supporters at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi.

Endorsing the APC candidate for the senatorial bye-election, the President who was accompanied by the party Chairman Adams Oshiomhole, Governors of Bauchi, Plateau, Kano and Imo States, and other party officials declared: we have confidence in him and we trust him.

He, therefore, urged the people of Bauchi South senatorial district to vote Hon. Yahaya in the upcoming election.

The President also thanked the people of Bauchi for defying the heavy rainfall and coming out en masse to welcome him and show solidarity to the partys candidate in the Senatorial election.

He assured the party supporters that his administration will continue to work hard to surpass its campaign promises for a better Nigeria.

Source: NAN

A Democratic Senator Jeff Woodburn has been arrested for domestic violence charges after he allegedly bit a woman on multiple occasions and forced his way into her locked home.

The New Hampshire lawmaker from Whitefield, U.S., was charged with simple assault, domestic violence and criminal mischief after the state attorney generals office said he allegedly slapped a woman, punched her in the stomach, bit her hand, and on another occasion, bit her forearm.

The incidents are said to have taken place this year and last year.

Woodburn, the state Senate minority leader, defended himself Thursday in a statement.

This afternoon, I learned that a warrant had been issued for my arrest.

I voluntarily responded to the police station, cooperated with law enforcement during the booking process, and was released.

I intend to fully address and defend against these charges in court, he said.

The New Hampshire Democratic Party has urged Woodburn to resign, as did the states Democratic congressional delegation and members of the state Senate Democratic Caucus.

The New Hampshire Democratic Party stands firm in our belief that any form of sexual harassment, sexual assault, or domestic violence is completely unacceptable behavior for anyone, let alone our public officials who should all be held to a higher standard, said State Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley.

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu tweeted that the allegations were morally reprehensible, and also said Woodburn should step down.

Woodburn is set to be arraigned on August 20.

Source: NAN

Zimbabwe opposition MDC Alliance said the election of President Emmerson Mnangagwa was based on a fake result and that it would challenge it in court.

According to Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, Mnangagwa won 50.8 percent of the vote, ahead of Nelson Chamisa of the opposition MDC party on 44.3 percent.

Mnangagwa, Emmerson Dambudzo, of ZANU-PF party is therefore duly declared elected president of the Republic of Zimbabwe, announced ZEC chair Priscilla Chigumba.

Mnangagwa won by the smallest of margins, after needing more than 50 percent of the vote to secure victory without a second-round run-off.

He quickly took to Twitter to say he was humbled to have won the election, hailing it as a new beginning for the country.

Though we may have been divided at the polls, we are united in our dreams. This is a new beginning, he said.

Moments before the official announcement, MDC spokesman Morgan Komichi denounced the vote count as fake as he took to the stage at the ZEC results centre before being removed by police.

After Mnangagwa was declared the winner, he told AFP that his party rejected the outcome. We will take this to the courts, he said.

Police and soldiers were on the streets of Harare overnight, but there were no reported protests and few public celebrations when the results were announced after midnight.

Turnout was high at over 80 percent in most of the countrys 10 provinces.

What they have been trying to do of late is to play around, Chamisa, who claimed he won the popular vote, told reporters hours before the final results.

That is rigging, that is manipulation, trying to bastardise the result, and that we will not allow.

He took to Twitter on Friday morning to explain what he called the fraud and manipulation of the will of the people of Zimbabwe.

The ZEC scandal of releasing unverified fake results is regrettable. ZEC denied our election agent access to results be4 announcement. ZEC must release proper

The National Working Committee of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has appointed Mrs. Oyeyemi Kolapo as the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party.

In a statement issued by the National Chairman of the party, Chief Ralphs Okey Nwosu, the party expressed confidence that Mrs Kolapo had the needed experience to advance the partys communication network.

Mrs Kolapo, who hails from Abeokuta, Ogun State, is a consummate professional, an outstanding media consultant, publisher, and effective leader. We are confident that she will give our party the fillip needed as we struggle to right the wrongs in the Nigerian political setting and build a model continental brand.

In our quest for a robust and effective communication network, she is a perfect fit, and her great spirit of volunteerism, patriotism, commitment to high values and progressive politics will impact our nations political space and peoples in resounding ways, he said.

Mrs. Kolapo is the Chief Executive Officer of Right-Dev Limited (Publishers and Media Consultants). She holds BSc and MSc degrees in Economics from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.

She also attended the Michigan State University, United States of America, where she completed the Responsible Governance Programme under the MSU-UJ Exchange Programme.

She served as Senior Special Assistant, Corporate Communications, to the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga, CON.

Before her appointment as the SSA to the Honourable Minister, she rose to become the first female Group Business Editor of Punch Newspapers, and maintained the popular backpage column on economic matters (Compass) for the newspaper for many years.

A Fellow of the West African Society for Communications and Administration, Kolapo is credited among the media for the successful rebranding of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, under the former administration, as a frontline Ministry as far as news coverage was concerned, in line with its new mandate as the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.

Source: NAN

The Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) has granted waiver to Dr Odiakpo Obire ahead of the 2019 governorship election in Delta State.

PPA National Chairman, Chief Peter Ameh disclosed this while addressing newsmen shortly after Obire obtained his expression of interest and nomination forms to run for the election in Delta.

He said that the decision to give waiver to Obire, who formally joined the party last week, became necessary in order to deepen democracy in the country.

Ameh, who was a former National Chairman and two-time Secretary of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), pledged that PPA would conduct transparent and credible primaries.

Our objective is to ensure that the people of Delta State have the best quality of governance. So we are not looking at the monetary term.

We are not looking at the obstacles that would thwart any credible member of our party from contesting.

For that reason, the NWC of our party has decided to grant Obire a waiver to contest the governorship ticket.

We have been very aggressive in our campaign for the electorate to collect their PVCs.

This is not just a campaign to take over government, it is a progressive campaign; it is people-driven campaign, he said.

He also advised political parties not to allowed imposition of candidates in the 2019 general elections.

Dr. Obire said his decision to contest the partys ticket was to win the election and rescue Delta State from bad governance.

In his remarks, Obire said he decided to dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) for PPA because the APC in delta is a crisis-ravaged Party.

He expressed optimism that working with PPA structure in Delta and his robust campaign team, he was certain of victory.

He said that the time has come to rescue delta and for Deltans to experience real prosperity and government that would deliver on its promises.

I am committed to seeing a new Delta that works. I am committed to great schools for our kids. I am committed to world-class healthcare for all.

I am committed to gainful employment for our teeming youths. I am committed to prosperity for all Deltans. Indeed, no Deltans will be left behind.

But I cant do it alone. I need your support. I need the support of every Deltan. We must join hands to rescue our State.

If we collectively put our minds to it, it is possible because we have the power to do so.

Source: NAN

U.S. President Donald Trump did the unthinkable early Thursday when he addressed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as Chairman while appreciating the return of 55 boxes presumed to contain the remains of Americans who served in the Korean War.

The message which came in a pair of tweets saw Trump commending Kim Jong Un for fulfilling his promise which was part of an agreement reached by Trump and Kim during a June summit in Singapore.

Thank you to Chairman Kim Jong Un for keeping your word and starting the process of sending home the remains of our great and beloved missing fallen heroes!

Trump wrote in one tweet. I am not at all surprised that you took this kind action. Also, thank you for your nice letter l look forward to seeing you soon!

It would be recalled that North Korea handed over the remains last week after a U.S. military plane made a rare trip into North Korea to retrieve the 55 cases.

Hundreds of U.S. and South Korean troops gathered for a repatriation ceremony at the Osan base in South Korea before the cases were put on military planes bound for Hawaii.

On Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence and the top commander of U.S. forces in Asia, Navy Adm. Phil Davidson, formally received the remains during the emotional and solemn ceremony in Hawaii.

Pence spoke during a ceremony at Hawaiis Hickam Air Force Base to mark the arrival of the remains on U.S. soil and the beginning of the long process of identifying them.

They were husbands and fathers, brothers and neighbours long gone, but never lost to the memory of their loved ones, Pence said.

Some of the invited guests wiped tears from their eyes during the procession.

Read more:

Source: NAN

Zimbabwes main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa said on Thursday that he had won the presidential election, and President Emmerson Mnangagwa knew he had lost otherwise the results would have been announced by now.

In his first public appearance since the vote on Monday Chamisa, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), urged his supporters to be calm and await massive celebrations for his victory.

Chamisa said he could not give any figures because he would be breaking the law.

Source:

Source: NAN

By Saidu Adamu

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 (FEC).

Alhassan disclosed this while speaking in a phone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.

Contrary to insinuations especially in the social media, I only sought for permission from President Muhammdu Buhari to begin consultations.

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 said.

Alhassan added: The letter in circulation in the social media does not in any way mean or suggest resignation.

The letter is straight forward and unambiguous.

Our esteemed supporters and loyal party men and women in Taraba should please disregard any rumour of my resignation.

When the time comes for me to resign, I will do so in accordance with the laid down procedure and regulations.

Alhassan said she is presently preoccupied with the task given to her by President Buhari as Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development.

I am also helping in mobilising support for him and the APC for the 2019 election, she said.

Source: NAN

By Johnson Eyiangho

A total of 1,307 vehicles were involved in road traffic accidents across the country in May, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

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 cases.

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 cent.

The corps said Trucks recorded 158 cases, representing 12.1 per cent.

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 figure.

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 order.

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 April.

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, respectively.

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 deaths.

The corps maintained that speed limit violation remained the major cause among 872 factors identified as responsible for road crashes in the country.

Source: NAN

After a meeting with security chiefs, President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Abuja departed for Bauchi.

The held behind closed door was also attended by Minister of Defence, retired Brig.-Gen. Mansur Dan-Ali, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

President Buhari, who presided over the meeting which lasted for about four hours, immediately departed for Bauchi, Bauchi state, on official engagement.

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 country.

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 country.

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 boarder.

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 Force.

Dan-Ali noted that the joint operation had successfully arrested some suspected armed bandits and recovered arms and ammunition.

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 kidnappings.

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-East.

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 operations.

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 vandalism.

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 country.

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 Ibas.

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. (NAN)

Source: NAN