All Progressives Congress (APC) has resolved to challenge the victory of PDP in four councils in the recently concluded local government elections in Kaduna state.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai said APC in Kaduna State would head to the tribunal to challenge opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

El-Rufai spoke at APC State Congress in Kaduna on Saturday and said: We gave them what they dont know, we gave them justice. Unfortunately, even with that justice they tried to cheat.

We are going to challenge the chairmanship they said they won at the tribunal. We already have 14; for the remaining five we want to have 14 plus five.

We can do that if we stay together, unite and work hard. We must be firm. Remember we are dealing with PDP people who are not honest.

They dont know the meaning of honesty, integrity, fairness, it has been taken from their vocabulary for the last 16 years.

So, we must be prepared. We want to play fair but they dont know the meaning of fairness, he said.

The governor said he was confident that under the new APC executive, led by retired Air Commodore Emmanuel Jakada, the party would grow from strength to strength.

He thanked other party members that wished to contest for their positions but who in the spirit of unity and consensus, stepped down for a smooth consensus-based congress.

I want to assure them and to say that the party and the government will not forget them, this I promise.

I want to thank the party leaders for the smooth congress that we have had, at the ward and the local government and now the state without any problem. This is because of your maturity and commitment to the party.

I also want to commend the party members for their performance during the local government elections.

When we started planning for these local government elections, we made it clear that we are a party of justice.

That we are not going to cheat in the elections. And we believe that people should be given the opportunity to choose which party they want to govern them at the local government level.

We went the extra-ordinary length to purchase the EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) so that the elections will be free and fair. We did what the PDP has never done to any other party.

We gave them what they dont know, we gave them justice. Unfortunately, even with that justice they tried to cheat.

The governor urged the party members to be prepared.

We want to play fair, but they dont know the meaning of fairness. We must not sleep but be prepared, mobilise to the remaining local government (areas) and make sure we are not cheated.

But we will not cheat anybody, we want the votes of the people to count.

APC won 14 chairmanship seats in the council polls and PDP won four seats, while elections were rescheduled in five local government areas.

PDP on Sunday rejected the results of the elections and said it would challenge the outcome in court.

Meanwhile, at the state congress held on Saturday, APC members elected Jakada as Chairman and Malam Muhammad Shuaibu as Secretary.

Mr Frank Ikpe of the APC National Congress Committee conducted the congress elections. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Chief Derin Adebiyi, the Senior Special Adviser to Governor Ibikunle Amosun on Political Affairs is the new Chairman of the state executives of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun.

In a peaceful exercise, former Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Bashiru Fadayiro and Patrick Ogunde emerged Deputy Chairman and Secretary respectively.

A former media aide to former Gov. Olusegun Osoba, Wole Elegbede, equally, emerged as the Publicity Secretary.

The Chairman of the Congress Committee, Rev. Peter Obadan, announced the result at the conclusion of the exercise.

He disclosed that a total of 1,749 delegates from 20 local governments in the state, were accredited and participated in the congress.

Obadan, who described the election as peaceful, said out of the total votes cast, 18 were voided, just as he commended the party members for giving good account of themselves.

In his acceptance speech, Adebiyi, said his executive council would ensure politics of inclusion and work to ensure victory for the party in 2019 general elections.

Adebiyi, who assured that the new exco would obey the national leadership of the party, also said the party will be firm and not tolerate indiscipline, declaring era of indiscipline is gone in Ogun APC.

He noted that the peaceful conduct of the congress was a reflection of outstanding leadership of Gov. Amosun, adding that the party will continue to follow the leadership style of the governor.

In his remark, Amosun, commended the former executives for their hard-work, endurance and sacrifice.

He urged the new executive committee members to continue working towards making the party formidable ahead of next years general elections.

Earlier, a governorship aspirant in the party, Jimi Lawal, in a chat with journalists, expressed confidence that the congress would produce capable hands to steer the party to success in 2019.

Source: NAN

By Ikechukwu Iweajunwa

Mr Hillary Ekeh has been re-elected as Imo APC party Chairman in the just concluded APC state congress in Imo.

The party delegates who described the congress election as peaceful and successful also re-elected Deputy Chairman Mr Ugochukwu Nzekwe.

However, Gov. Rochas Okorocha described the election as illegal claiming that there was a court injunction restraining the party from conducting the election.

Okorochas Chief press Secretary Mr Sam Onwuemeodo on Saturday issued a statement that the governor had obtained an injunction from an Owerri high court to stop the congress.

The party Chairman Hillary Ekeh countered the claim by saying neither he nor any member of the executive was served the injunction notice.

But the Imo police command claimed an injunction notice was served them and appealed that the congress be put on hold.

Andrew Enwerem, Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) who disclosed this added that police will not allow any illegal gathering in the state.

Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after the election, Sen Ifeanyi Araraume described the congress election as peaceful and well-coordinated.

He said there was no fracas or any form of violence during the process and commended the party chairman for his re-election.

He also lauded party delegates who in their wisdom decided to retain Ekeh as their chairman.

Asked if he has any idea of the injunction notice, Araraume said there was nothing like injunction stopping the conduct of the election.

We the party stakeholders have no idea of any injunction, but even if there is an injunction nobody had been served so our election has to move on, he said.

Sen Hope Uzodinma in a telephone interview told NAN that there was no hitch during the conduct of the election, adding that the congress in Imo indicated that democracy is growing in Imo.

Deputy Governor Mr Eze Madumere said the state congress was held successfully and the mandate of the people has been protected.

But the Deputy Chief of Staff to Gov. Okorocha, Kingsley Uju insisted that a faction of the party went into an unknown place to hold state congress even when a court injunction was served against the conduct of the election.

Source: NAN

By Victor Adeoti

Sen. Iyiola Omisore, a former Deputy Governor of Osun , has announced his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Omisore, who announced his defection in a statement made available to newsmen in Osogbo on Sunday, said he intended to contest the Sept. 22 governorship election on the platform of SDP.

He said his mission was to rescue the state from what he described as years of misrule.

According to him, the PDP in Osun is in disarray and likely to remain in prolonged political captivity over the next four years.

The statement reads partly, engaging and working with like-minded leadership, we have sought for an alternative platform that will assures both credible and legitimacy that will rescue Osun state from its current reckless misrule.

Our quest for an alternative political platform is basically in pursuit of a credible political structure that would guarantee that our people enjoy the benefits of accountable leadership at the state level from now.

Notwithstanding my enormous contributions over the past years or so to building the PDP, after very deep thought and the widest consultations with my God, my family, my supporters in and outside Osun state,

It is with great concern that I have made a very expedient decision today, to withdraw my membership from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and join the Social Democratic Party (SDP); a party that believed in a balanced, equitable and truly functional Nigeria.

On the platform of the SDP, I shall with the support of my supporters, followers, and the electorate of the state, seek the nomination to contest for, and by His grace, be elected as the Executive Governor of Osun state on September 22, 2018.

Omisore was Osun Deputy Governor on the platform of Alliance for Democracy (AD) between 1999 and 2003.

He was also elected to the Senate on the platform of PDP in 2003 to represent Osun East Senatorial District.

Source: NAN

The Nigerian Army said some courageous civilians on Sunday foiled a suicide bomb attack by a suspected female Boko Haram member on a mosque in Gashua, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe.

Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, the Deputy Director Public Relations, Theatre Command Operation Lafiya Dole, disclosed this in a statement released in Maiduguri.

What would have otherwise been a devastating suicide bomb attack on a mosque in Gashua village in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe state has been successfully foiled today by vigilant members of the community.

A female Boko Haram suicide bomber had infiltrated the mosque, while members were about to commence a prayer session but was detected when struggling to detonate a suicide vest strapped to her body.

She was quickly restrained by the locals, arrested and handed over to troops at Azare.

Members of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Component of Operation Lafiya Dole at the location have safely defused the suicide vest, while the suicide bomber is currently receiving medical attention due to injuries sustained during her arrest.

Source: NAN

Pope Francis has named 14 Roman Catholic prelates to the high rank of cardinal, the elite group of churchmen who are his closest advisers and can enter a conclave to choose his successor if they are under 80.

There was no Nigerian priest on the list, although three Nigerians are at present cardinals. They are Cardinals Francis Arinze, 85, Olubunmi Okogie, 81, and John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan, 74.

The first Nigerian to be appointed a cardinal in 1976 was Dominic Ignatius Ekandem. He died in 1995. Arinze was appointed in 1985, Okogie 2003 and Onaiyekan 2012.

The pope made the surprise announcement on the new cardinals during his weekly Sunday address. He said the ceremony to elevate the nominees, known as a consistory, would take place on June 29.

According to www.vaticannews.va, the men who will receive their red hats from the Pope include bishops from Iraq, Pakistan, Portugal, Peru, Madagascar, Italy and Japan.

The list also includes Polish archbishop Konrad Krajewski, who serves as the papal almoner in Rome, and three Italian archbishops, Angelo De Donatis, the vicar general of the Rome diocese, Luis Ladaria, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Giovanni Becciu, the Substitute of the Secretary of State and Special Delegate for the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Pope Francis said their nominations manifests the unbreakable bond between the See of Peter and the local Churches throughout the world.

Alongside them, Pope Francis also nominated to the College of Cardinals a retired archbishop of Mexico, a retired bishop of Bolivia and a priest from the Claretian order, all of whom, he said, have distinguised themselves for their service to the Church.

The names of the new Cardinals are: Louis Raphal I Sako, Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon, Luis Ladaria, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Angelo De Donatis, Vicar General of Rome.

Giovanni Angelo Becciu,Substitute of the Secretary of State and Special Delegate for the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Konrad Krajewski, Almoner of the Office of Papal Charities, Joseph Coutts Archbishop of Karachi, Antnio dos Santos Marto, Bishop of Leiria-Ftima, were also named.

Others are Pedro Barreto, Archbishop of Huancayo, Desir Tsarahazana, Archbishop of Toamasina, Giuseppe Petrocchi Archbishop of LAquila, Thomas Aquinas Manyo Archbishop of Osaka, Sergio Obeso Rivera, Emeritus Archbishop of Xalapa, Toribio Ticona Porco, Emeritus Bishop of Corocoro and Reverend Father Aquilino Bocos Merino, member of the Claretian order.

Appointing new cardinals is one of the most significant powers of a Pope, allowing him to steer the future of the 1.2 billion member Catholic Church.

After the June ceremony, Pope Francis will have nominated 74 cardinals since being elected Pope in 2013, according to statistics on the Vaticans website.

Only cardinals under the age of 80 can enter the closed-door conclave which chooses from its ranks a new pope and are known as cardinal electors.

It was not immediately clear how many of the 14 qualify.

Two of those named by the Pope are Bishop Luis Ladaria Ferrer, head of the Vaticans doctrinal department, known as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Archbishop Angelo Becciu, deputy secretary of state.

Both currently work in the Vaticans central administration, known as the Curia.

Source: NAN

The chairman of LG Group, Koo Bon-moo, who helped transform South Koreas fourth-largest conglomerate into a global brand, passed away on Sunday after a battle with a brain disease.

Koo, 73, had been ill for a year, LG Group said in a statement.

Koo had been fighting a brain disease and had undergone surgery, said a group official who declined to be identified.

Becoming the third chairman of LG at the age of 50 in 1995, Koo established three key businesses electronics, chemicals and telecommunications led a global company LG, and contributed to driving (South Koreas) industrial competitiveness and national economic development, LG said.

LG Group also established a holding company in order to streamline ownership structure and to begin the process of succession.

The countrys powerful family-run conglomerates are implementing generational succession amid growing calls from the government and public to improve transparency and corporate governance.

LG Corp, a holding company of the conglomerate, had said on Thursday its longtime chairman was unwell and it planned to nominate his son to its board of directors in preparation for a leadership succession.

Heir apparent Koo Kwang-mo is from the fourth generation of LG Groups controlling family. He owns 6 percent of LG Corp and currently heads LG Electronics information display unit.

He joined the finance division of LG Electronics in 2006 and has been involved in several businesses such as appliances, home entertainment and group strategy, LG said.

The late chairman adopted Koo in 2004 from his younger brother Koo Bon-neung after his only son died in a car accident.

The change at the helm is not expected to be disruptive to the groups business, one analyst told Reuters.

Although Koo passed away at a relatively early age, his son has already been in a senior position and I dont think there will be a big change in governance structure or strategic decisions, said Park Ju-gun, head of corporate analysis firm CEO Score.

Under Koos leadership, the conglomerate changed its corporate brand to LG from Lucky Goldstar and sold LGs semiconductor business to Hyundai, now SK Hynix Inc, under government-led restructuring in the wake of the Asia financial crisis in the late 1990s.

Major affiliates are LG Electronics Inc, display maker LG Display and electric car battery maker LG Chem.

South Korean prosecutors said this month they raided LG Groups head office as part of a probe into alleged tax evasion by family members controlling the conglomerate.

The company said Koos funeral would be held privately with family members. Visitors including Samsung Group heir Jay Y. Lee have paid their condolences at his altar.

Source: NAN

Venezuelans, reeling under a devastating economic crisis, began voting Sunday in an election boycotted by the opposition and condemned by much of the international community but expected to hand deeply unpopular President Nicolas Maduro a new mandate.

Maduro, the political heir to the late leftist firebrand Hugo Chavez, has presided over an implosion of once wealthy oil producer Venezuelas economy since taking office in 2013.

Hyperinflation, food and medicine shortages, rising crime and broken water, power and transportation networks have sparked growing discontent and violent unrest among Venezuelans.

However the 55-year-old former bus driver is expected to easily defeat his main rival Henri Falcon, a former army officer and state governor who has failed to gain the endorsement of the main opposition leaders, and an evangelical candidate, Javier Bertucci.

Wearing a bright red shirt that identifies him as a Chavista, the president arrived early at a Caracas polling station along with his wife Cilia Flores and trusted officials and claimed to be the first person to cast a ballot.

After voting, Maduro called the election a choice between votes and ballots, and pledged to respect the will of the people.

Maduro, who has a tight grip on the electoral and military authorities, faces a bitterly divided opposition which has called for a boycott.

Low enthusiasm will likely reduce voter turnout and enable Maduro to control the outcome without major social backlash, said analyst Risa Grais-Targow of Eurasia Group.

Source: NAN

By Yakubu Uba

Former Vice President and founder of American University of Nigeria (AUN), Atiku Abubakar, says education is the master key that will unlock the huge potential in Nigeria and set her on the path to full socio-economic development.

Abubakar made the observation while speaking to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the end of events marking the 10th Commencement and Presidential Inauguration of the American University of Nigeria, Yola.

The former Vice President said in order to achieve this, there must be the right mix of adequate funding of the education sector and a curriculum that promotes entrepreneurship among undergraduates, as is the practice at AUN.

Abubakar noted that with the diminishing role of crude oil as the mainstay of the national economy, it has become expedient for Nigeria to focus on the development of her most important resources, human capital, which he said was far much more sustainable than oil or any other resource.

It is becoming evident by the day that the future of Nigeria lies not in the bowels of the earth, but in what is in the head of our people, that is, the human capital, Atiku said.

He noted that there is a nexus between education, development, and security, as an enlightened, multi-ethnic society would be more tolerant leading to social cohesion and harmony.

An educated citizenry will be less prone to being willing tools in the hands of divisive elements who exploit existing fault lines. Consequently, we will have fewer crises that are inimical to national unity and stability.

The PDP presidential hopeful who is also the Waziri of Adamawa Emirate Council said that he is made more by the education he received than anything else.

According to him, his investment in AUN has generated dividends in terms of raising men and women who are problem solvers.

This (AUN) is my most fulfilling investment, not just because it provides jobs like my other endeavours, but more importantly because its graduates are change agents needed for transforming our great country to the benefit of all, Abubakar said.

Source: NAN

By Mercy Osajiugo

The Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, has warned Muslim preachers against provocative sermons capable of inciting the public during and after Ramadan.

Abubakar, who is also the Chairman, Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, gave the warning on Sunday in Bida, Niger State when he met with Imams, other Islamic clerics and representatives of market traders.

He said that religious preaching during Ramadan should be targeted at ensuring cordial and harmonious relationships among the people.

The emir said that such harmonious relationships should always be promoted to enhance peace as well as strengthen unity and the progress of Nupe kingdom, Niger state, and and the country at large.

The monarch reminded the clerics of their roles as representatives of God on earth, saying that they should always strive to be shining examples both in words and in deed.

Abubakar warned against sectarianism in Islam and appealed to clerics to fashion out ways that would propagate the genuine teachings of the religion.

He also appealed to wealthy Nigerians to assist the less privileged in the society with food items and money so that they would be able to observe Ramadan with less stress.

It is important that the highly placed individuals in the society should fathom out succour for the less privileged in the society, he said.

He also called on Muslims in the country to use the month of Ramadan to pray for the peace, unity and progress of Nigeria.

With ceaseless and fervent prayers during this Holy month of Ramadan, by Gods grace we will be able to overcome the security challenges bedeviling the country, he said.

The emir reminded Muslim faithfuls that fasting was not only about abstaining from eating and drinking, but a period within which to emulate Prophet Muhammad in deed and action.

Prophet Muhammad preach peace, love and unity and as true followers of Islam we are to emulate same so that we can enjoy blessings of God here and in eternity, he said.

The Etsu Nupe urged Nigerians to continue to tolerate one another, live in peace with one another, irrespective of religious, cultural and ethnic differences.

He also appealed to traders not to increase the prices of commodities during the Ramadan period.

This is a Holy month not a period to increase prices of commodities. It is a sin to do that, if you are in the habit do have a rethink and fear God, he said.

In his remarks, the Chief of Bida, Sheikh Adamu Liman-Yakatun, urged the people to have the fear of God in their hearts and to remember that judgment awaited them after death.

He also appealed to wealthy individuals to assist in the feeding of the less privileged to cushion the effect of fasting during the Ramadan .

I implore Muslims to spend their God-given wealth in moving the religion forward to the glory of Allah, he said.

Source: NAN