Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has formally defected from All Progressives Congress(APC) to Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), an action long expected.

Tambuwal made the announcement while addressing supporters at Government House, Sokoto on Wednesday.

He tweeted:I 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 @OfficialPDPNig.

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 Kwara.

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 gamble.

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 adamant.

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 ago.

Tambuwal, 52, was born 10 January 1966. He attended Usmanu Danfodiyo University, where he obtained his law degree.

Source: NAN

By Victor Adeoti

An election observer and monitoring group, Yiaga Africa, has described vote buying as a new way of elections rigging by politicians in Nigeria.

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 Osun.

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 menace.

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 process.

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-buying.

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.

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 standards.

Also speaking, Safiya Bichi, the Pre-election Observation Manager, said the NGO would embark on pre-election observation between Aug.4 and Sept.19.

Bichi said the essence of the pre-election observation was to find out what could be an impediment to a credible election.

On his part, Paul James, the Training Manager, said the NGO would be using PVT methodology to observe the governorship election in the state.

According to James, PVT is an advanced Election Day observation methodology that uses well established statistical principles and sophisticated information technology.

The PVT allows Yiaga Africa to present an accurate and comprehensive assessment of the election processes, James said.

Source: NAN

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 orders.

Justice Stephen Pam gave the order following Yakubus absence in court for the third time.

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 court.

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 Mali.

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 him.

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. 2014.

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 dog.

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 charge.

The contempt of the contemnor to this court can no longer be tolerated and it should not be allowed to fester, the judge said.

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 29.

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. 8

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 court.

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 matter.

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 matter.

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 chairman.

Counsel to Oguebego, Mr James Odiba had prayed the court to commit Mahmoud to prison for not obeying the order.

He had told that court that on the contrary, INEC and its chairman were relating with another faction of the PDP in Anambra.

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 chairman.

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 law

Source: NAN

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 Wednesday.

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 APC.

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 verified.

The legislator, who belongs to the camp of former Governor Aliyu Wammako, said he and 11 other members of the house rejected Tambuwals bribe.

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 elected.

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 APC.

No amount of intimidation, political harassment as well as monetary inducement will make us change our political stand.

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 said.

He said he and 11 other colleagues rejected the bribed to join the PDP because they have their names to protect.

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 committed

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 said.

He called on APC teeming supportersto participate in the ongoing continuous voters registration exercise.

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 said.

Tambuwal, 52, defected to the PDP in a huge ceremony in Sokoto today. His deputy, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, remains in APC.

Source: NAN

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 calm.

The man died after soldiers fired live ammunition during opposition protests in downtown Harare, AFP reporters said.

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 past.

But the mood quickly descended into anger and chaos as supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) opposition declared they had been cheated.

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 people.

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 vote.

MDC supporters burnt tyres and pulled down street signs as protests spread from the party headquarters in Harare.

Now is the time for responsibility and above all, peace, wrote Mnangagwa on his verified Twitter account.

At this crucial time, I call on everyone to desist from provocative declarations and statements.

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 process.

It called for transparency in the release of results.

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 party.

On many occasions, preparation, financing, media and hopefully not in the counting it was advantageous for the ruling party, he told AFP.

Mnangagwa, 75, had promised a free and fair vote after the military ushered him to power in November when Mugabe was forced to resign.

Under Mugabes 37-year reign, elections were often marred by fraud and deadly violence, with the EU observers banned since 2002.

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 41.

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 headquarters.

MDC leader Nelson Chamisa, 40, said the presidential results were fraudulent.

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 it!

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari will begin a 10-day working holiday in London from August 3, the media adviser, Femi Adesina said on Wednesday.

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 said.

According to the statement, while the President is on vacation, the Vice President will be act as President.

Source: NAN

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 country.

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 probe.

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 said.

He claimed Mueller was totally conflicted and denounced his probe as a disgrace to USA.

It was Trumps most direct demand yet that Sessions, who infuriated the president by recusing himself from the investigation, intervene to end the probe.

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 Comey.

Russian Collusion with the Trump Campaign, one of the most successful in history, is a TOTAL HOAX, Trump said Wednesday on Twitter.

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 accounts.

In a tweet, Trump portrayed his former campaign chief as a respected adviser to prominent US political leaders like Ronald Reagan and Bob Dole.

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 fumed.

Source: NAN

Kwara State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed on Tuesday took the long awaited decision to switch from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The defection of the Governor was relayed in a terse statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant (SSA), on Media and Communication, Dr Muyideen Akorede in Ilorin on Tuesday.

It was timed to coincide with a similar declaration by his mentor, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who announced on Twitter his exit from the APC.

Following due consultations with the people and in response to calls by major stakeholder groups in the state, Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed today defected to the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), the statement said.

According to the statement, Gov Ahmed declared that APC can no longer serve as a platform for achieving the aspirations and expectations of his people.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the Governor held a meeting with APC stakeholders last week Thursday where the people prevailed on him to lead them to the PDP.

Ahmed is the second APC governor to join the PDP, following Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state. Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal is expected to join them.

Source: NAN

The President of the Senate Dr Bukola Saraki has officially quit the All Progressives Congress (APC). This coincided with a similar action by Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed of Kwara State, who also announced that he was leaving the party for the Peoples Democratic Party.

In a tweet on his twitter handle @BukolaSaraki, Saraki announced that he had decided to take leave of the APC.

He wrote: I wish to inform Nigerians that, after extensive consultations, I have decided to take my leave of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

I wish to inform Nigerians that, after extensive consultations, I have decided to take my leave of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Bukola Saraki (@bukolasaraki)

Saraki was however silent on joining any other party.

Meanwhile, Governor Ahmed also declared his decision to dump the APC for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ahmed in a a tweet on his twitter handle @AbdulfataAhmed, said: Following consultations and in response to calls by major stakeholders in the state, I have moved to the PDP as APC can no longer serve as a platform for achieving the aspirations and expectations of my people.

Following consultations and in response to calls by major stakeholders in the state, I have moved to the PDP as APC can no longer serve as a platform for achieving the aspirations and expectations of my people.

Alh Abdulfatah Ahmed (@AbdulfataAhmed)

The departure of the duo came as an anti-climax as it was long expected, since the duo had openly romanced with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in recent months.

Sarakis resignation also came amidst expectations that the APC would formally expel him and Speaker Yakubu Dogara from the party.

Both senior members of the ruling party had been accused of disloyalty and anti-party activities, the latest of which was the joint statement issued by the duo accusing President Muhammadu Buhari of masterminding the political crisis in Benue state.

On Monday, the National Working Committee of the APC stripped Saraki and Governor Ahmed of the control of the partys structure in the state, by dissolving the executives from the ward to the state level, an indication that the party was finished with them.

The party appointed a caretaker committee to take control of the party affairs. The party hinged its action on the partys constitution.

Source: NAN

LeBron James, the basketball superstar called out President Donald Trump on Monday night for escalating racial tensions.

Hes kinda used sports to kinda divide us, James told CNNs Don Lemon. And thats something that I cant relate to because I know that sport was the first time I was around someone white.

Trump has repeatedly slammed professional athletes, some for refusing to visit the White House as has been customary after championships, and others for kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice.

Sports has never been something that divides people, said James. Its always been something that brings someone together.
James also said that while racism has always been around, Trump has enabled some of the racists.

The president in charge now has given people, they dont care now they throw it in your face now, he said.

Lemon asked James what he would say to Trump if he was sitting across the table from him.

I would never sit across from him, James said. Ive sit across from Barack [Obama] though.

James, who signed with the Los Angeles Lakers last month, was speaking to Lemon at the opening of the I Promise school for at-risk children, a joint venture between his foundation and Akron Public Schools.

*First reported by The Des Moines Register.

Source: NAN