Breaking News! Bomb blast at abuja surburb.

(Loud News Today-Abuja) Bomb blast experienced Ynaya bridge.abuja.full details shortly as enormous security personnels seen around the scene of the incidence .

CRISIS IN APC: Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Odubu, Disagree.

Gov Oshiomhole

(LOUD NEWS TODAY-BENIN CITY) APC, ward congresses, took place in Edo State, yesterday but did not go down well with former South- South Vice Chairman of the party, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who lambasted those sent to conduct the exercise, saying that people came out to vote, but there were no result sheets and materials and warned that the party must not be allowed to destroy itself.

But the deputy governor, Dr. Pius Odubu, disagreed, as he hailed the exercise, commending Governor Adams Oshiomhole for allowing “us to show our strength because this is the best form of democracy.”
In Edo North senatorial district of the state, where Governor Oshiomhole hails from and Edo Central where Chief Tom Ikimi comes from, the leadership of the party agreed to harmonise their list of executives, making the congress a family affair.

The party leaders in these areas agreed to harmonise after series of meetings with Oshiomhole, who stressed the need to avoid crisis as a result of the congress.

The story was, however, different in Bayelsa State, as anxiety has gripped members of the party in the state, following the decision by party leaders to adopt harmonised system of selecting officers to head the 105 wards in the eight local government areas of the state.

According to a party source, the decision to adopt the harmonized system of selecting ward officials of the party was taken, Monday, during an enlarged meeting of the party leaders and supporters from the local governments.

The meeting was reportedly presided over by the Interim state leadership of the party, Chief Tiwei Orunminigha and supervised by the two-man ward Delegate Committee headed by Professor Ottis from Cross Rivers State.

Others at the meeting, it was learnt, were Sunday Frank-Oputu, former Chief of Staff to former Governor Timipre Sylva, Sam Ogbuku, among others.

My BirthDay Gift for My Governor, Adams Aliu Oshiomhole.

Gov. Oshiomhole

By Prince Kelly Udebhulu.

My Governor, what could have been your response if these ever growing youths of Edo State gathered at Ogbe stadium to celebrate your birthday just as you did recently for Edo State youths  that was attended by renowned agberoes, hoodlums and "egbe wejas" to self-acclaimed great politicians?

What could have been your response if you are still the NLC president when Nigerian youths died during the botched NIS interview, or the innocent students killed in their dormitories or the Polytechnic students who have been out of school for over 9 months or the thousand of senior school leavers at home and unable to pursue their university education due to the truncated academic calender due to protracted ASUU strike whilst their mates in neighboring countries are in their 100 or 200 levels respectively?

What could have been your response if you are still the NLC president when Nigeria has been declared by the World bank as one of the countries on earth with extreme poverty, with 3 hours electricity in 3 weeks?

What could have been your response if  you are still the NLC president towards exploitation, extortion and exorbitant tuition fees charged on Nigerians today?

 I have other questions I wish to ask you that I know you have different answers; different from the answers you will give me as a Governor today but I will not ask more questions because this is your birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY GOVERNOR.

Governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, Preaches the Catchy Gospel of “Delta Beyond Oil”.

Gov. Uduaghan

(LOUD NEWS TODAY-LONDON) In a furtive search for an alternative economy that can flourish the state beyond the allocations from oil rent, the governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, has been preaching the catchy gospel of “Delta Beyond Oil”. That crusade had taken him to several parts of the globe, baiting foreign investors with all the lures and prospects offerable by the Delta economy. Not many such investors have been converted by his preachments, perhaps because of other variables outside the control of the Delta State government.

But undeterred, Gov Uduaghan was in London last week, to address a session of British parliamentarians on the imperatives and benefits of investing in the Delta economy.

He spoke on “Nigerian Environment: Beyond Politics and Amalgamation”.
In his detailed address, delivered eclectically, Uduaghan displayed a deep knowledge of both the Nigerian history and the dialectics of Nigerian politics. He argued that most of the challenges facing the country were caused by three factors which are: Ethnic distrust, Religious distrust and Political distrust.

The failure to spare a thought for the people who owned the land from which oil was being explored, according to Uduaghan,  is the root cause of the unrest in the Niger Delta. He argued that with the continuous exploration of oil, the ecosystem of the surrounding communities was irretrievably destroyed, noting that this led to the failure of the natural resource of the people like land and river to yield their increase. He told stories of how literally people could be boiling palmnut (banga) on fire and dash down to the river and kill some fishes with which the  “banga meal” soup would be prepared; lamenting that over the years, the effects of oil exploration had completely despoiled the natural resources of the people.

According to him, the consequence is that the people could no longer feed themselves, resulting in hunger, with the correlative consequence of anger. “When there is hunger, there will be anger. When there is anger there will be violence, and when there is violence there will be unrest”, Uduaghan said.

He noted that the shortcomings of managing the oil wealth in Nigeria has inadvertently triggered the growth of criminality.
He said it is in a bid to have a proper developed economic environment that the Delta State government had long launched the crusade for Delta Beyond Oil, knowing that oil is a wasting asset.

In pursuit of the new economic template, the governor said his administration has thus focused attention on the agricultural and tourist potentials of the state. He told the investors that even the business of creating and boosting the fashion quest in Delta State held a lot of fortune and prospect.

While running through the narrative of his three point agenda: peace and security, infrastructure development, and human capital development, the governor narrated

the ugly experiences he had as a governor at inception, given the level of insecurity at the time.
Hear him, “Taking the oath of governor, at the time was like going on a suicide mission. You cannot be afraid in dealing with anything, no matter how dangerous it looked, in dealing with the security situation”.

Although he said the state had overcome that level of insecurity that circumscribed peace in the state, there were yet the malaise of kidnapping, crude oil theft and armed robbery still plaguing the Nigerian nation.
But he enthused that, “the future of Nigeria is very bright”.

He argued that the resources endowed on all parts of Nigeria are enough to grow the nation, and so the lamentation about the 1914 amalgamation should stop forthwith.

He had barely finished that sentence when a voice shouted from the back of the hall, “that is your own opinion”. The governor affirmed that it was his own opinion, but the intruding voice did not relent. The pitch of his voice rose even higher. He declared that the amalgamation was grave injustice and that “the people of Biafra should be allowed to renegotiate their membership of a skewed nation”. The intruding voice soon got some measly support from his ilk, many of them voicing seditious verbiages, in some ill-established British accent. One of them, spotting a Biafran emblem and badge on his shirt, refused to be introduced as a “young Nigerian”, preferring to be addressed as a “Biafran”.

The same fellow had challenged the organisers on why the short presentation of the Sokoto State governor, Aliyu Wamakko was not followed with a question-and-answer session. The explanation that Wamakko had a flight to catch little assuaged his anger.
On several other occasions, a number of the “Biafran speakers”, questioned the continued existence of the Nigerian entity claiming  that the Igbos have been made serial victims of the Nigerian enterprise.

It soon became a matter of tact and wisdom in managing the angry fellows, one of them an old man, who all seemed kitted to cause some chaos. The creases on the forehead of Tunde Alabi, the Executive Director of African Partnership Development, the  organiser of the British–African conference, had increased with the confusion brewing from the “Biafran patriots”.  He had to repeatedly appeal for calm.

Earlier, the Chair of All Party Parliamentary groups in Nigeria, Mrs Meg Hillier, a British MP,  had commended Nigeria for improving on the areas  of human right, women right and environmental right, regretting however that  “Nigeria is still seen as the greatest source of trafficked children to the UK”.

A UK-born Nigerian, Chi Onwurah, who had been serving in the British Parliament since 2010, regretted that most news on Nigeria in the UK media centred on insecurity, fraud and scam, implying, without saying it expressly, that these were hindrances to attracting foreign investors.

But Dr Joe Okemena, a Special UN envoy and Chair of Nigerians in the UK Labour Party, blamed the Nigerian leaders for not doing enough to develop the country. He informed that there was $200 trillion fund in the UN dedicated for the development of Africa, and that various countries and even states within the continent can benefit from the fund by placing their regular annual budgets as counterpart funding to qualify them to draw from the fund.

Even when the session ended, the young bearded spokesman of the “Biafrans” continued his agitation in high-pitched voice attracting the attention of the Metropolitan Police, who promptly seized him and whisked him away to a far corner for questioning. The harsh freezing autumn breeze did not allow yours sincerely to know what eventually happened to the Biafran crew, many of whom had abandoned the one that was nabbed.

Keshi Emerged the Winner of the Supremacy Battle with the NFF Leadership.

(LOUD NEWS TODAY-ABUJA) There are indications that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) officials have given up in their quest to subject Super Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Keshi to their control

It is now obvious that Keshi has emerged the winner of the supremacy battle with the NFF leadership.

A very top management staff of the NFF, who did not want his name in print told Loud News Today that they have lost their authority on the Coach he said they employed.

He said Keshi no longer heed to their instructions and does whatsoever he wants with impunity.

The NFF top management staff attributed Keshi’s insubordination to the backing from the Presidency, stating that as a result, Keshi no longer has regard for their president, Aminu Maigari who personally made it possible for him to be employed in the first place.

“It is so pathetic that  Keshi has to treat us the way he has been treating us. We fought for him to be given the job and we have supported him which is why he has achieved the much he has achieved since he took charge,” the NFF official said.

“We are very much aware of the call from Nigerians that some of our players who are doing well in their clubs in Europe be included in the provisional list. But there is very little we can do because he will not listen to us and it is really unfortunate. Every coach all over the world work with their FA to decide the player that would be invited for a crucial tournament like the World Cup.

“The problem is that Nigerians have so supported him against us and he is enjoying the support of those at the higher authority. This is why he is undermining us and flaunt our order with impunity.”

Keshi and  the NFF have been locked in a supremacy battle over the number of players to be included in the provisional World Cup list. Keshi had refused to appear before the NFF technical committee when he was invited to defend his list and he had said recently that he will only make his list public whenever he is ready.

INEC hopeful on diaspora voting-Jega.

(LOUD NEWS TODY-ABUJA)The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, on Tuesday, assured that the commission would not relent in its aspiration to make Nigeria’s electoral system more inclusive by accommodating citizens in the diaspora in the future elections in the country from the 2015 general election.

Professor Jega  gave the assurance in Abuja, when he accepted an invitation to INEC by the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia to observe voting by Indonesians in Nigeria, as part of the Asian country’s parliamentary elections.

Diaspora voting by Indonesians in Nigeria would hold this Saturday, in Lagos and Sunday, April 6, in Abuja, at the country’s consular offices.

The voting would be conducted as part of the parliamentary elections in Mainland Indonesia scheduled for April 9 this year.

The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, H. E. Sudirman Haseng, extended the invitation to INEC when he paid a courtesy visit to Professor Jega in Abuja, on Tuesday.

According to the envoy,Indonesia has a total population of about 240 million, out of which 180 million are eligible voters,saying that,” the diaspora voting is applicable only to the Jakarta constituency in the parliamentary election.

He added that besides the parliamentary election, Indonesians would go to the poll for presidential election on July 7 this year.

Responding,, Professor Jega commended the Ambassador for inviting INEC to observe the diaspora voting; noting that Nigeria has a lot to learn from Indonesia’s electoral experience.

According to Jega, “In Nigeria, we are doing our best to open up our system for citizens in the diaspora to be able to vote. Unfortunately, there are presently legal inhibitions, because our laws prohibit diaspora voting. This is not directly so; but there is a provision in our laws that requires every eligible person to cast their ballot at the polling unit where they have registered as a voter. The implication is that for people in the diaspora to participate in our elections, they will have to come home to register as voters, and subsequently cast their votes at the polling units where they registered.

“But we have made recommendations to the National Assembly for an amendment of that provision so as to allow people in the diaspora to vote; and we are hopeful that our recommendation will be taken on board. It is good to know that Indonesia does it, because we are looking out for the best model that can be adapted to our country when the time comes,” he said

The INEC Chairman added that conducting elections in a country like Nigeria was quite challenging; but he restated the commission’s confidence that, given the ongoing preparations, the 2015 general election would be much better than 2011 and would comply with global best standards.

HOUSE OF REP. SPEAKER, AMINU TAMBUWAL CHALLENGES PDP`S ACTION IN THE COURT, SUPPORTS OPPOSITION, APC, PUBLICLY.

Tambuwal & Buhari

(LOUD NEWS TODAY-ABUJA). House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal has appealed against Monday’s judgment by Justice Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja, restraining some defecting members of the House from altering the current composition of its leadership.

In a notice of appeal filed in Abuja, on Tuesday, by his lawyer, Mahmud Magaji, the appellants faulted Justice Ademola’s reasoning and urged the Court of Appeal, Abuja, to set aside the judgment.

The judgment was in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/4/14, filed by PDP against the House of Representatives, its principal officers and members, who defected from PDP to the opposition APC.

The appellants, who raised seven grounds of appeal, with a promise to add more, argued that the judgment was “perverse and not supported by the reliefs sought by the plaintiff,” adding that the trial judge “erred in law when he granted reliefs not sought by the plaintiff.”

The appellants contended that the judgment was against the weight of evidence, adding that the judge erred “when he granted the reliefs sought by the plaintiff and went further to hold that the first to 39th respondents ought to have resigned their seats as members of the first appellant.”

They  argued that the judge erred when he held that the reliefs of the first respondent (PDP) were justiciable and proceeded to  grant the reliefs sought without considering the provision of Section 30 of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act Cap L12 Law of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

The section provides that: “Neither the President nor the Speaker, as the case may be, of a legislative house shall be subjected to the jurisdiction of any court in respect of the exercise of any power conferred on or vested in him by or under this Act or the standing orders of the Constitution.”

The appellants argued that the trial judge wrongly assumed jurisdiction over the suit, which was predicated on the internal affairs of the House of Representatives, while further arguing that the reliefs sought by the PDP were not justiciable, yet the trial judge proceeded to grant the reliefs.

They contended that the PDP lacked the locus standi to institute the case because it was not predicated on any recognised legal interest; while the reliefs sought were not supported by any legal evidence.

They held that that the judge failed to reckon with the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Fawehinmi vs Akilu (1987) 12 SC 136, Amaechi vs INEC (2008)1 LRECN 1.

The appellants faulted the trial judge for holding that the suit was rightly commenced with originating summons, without regard to the provision of Order Three Rule Six of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2009.

They also argued that the judge was wrong to  have held that the claims of the PDP did not amount to an abuse of court process when there were similar cases involving the same parties still pending before the court.

Also, the APC Caucus in the House of Representatives accused Justice Ademola for doing the bidding of PDP in the suit filed against 37 of its members.

Briefing newsmen on behalf of APC caucus in the House, the minority whip, Honourable Samson Osagie, maintained that “we shall not give in to the attempt of some of our PDP colleagues in collusion with a certain judge to turn facts and law on its head to achieve some sinister ends.”

He added that, the judgement was an attempt by the court to meddle in the internal affairs of the parliament, adding that this was not the import of the doctrine of judicial review.

“As we speak, our colleagues have appealed the vexatious ruling and we hope to get justice soon. We believe the House of Representatives will take due notice of the appeal in this case,” he said.

According to him, “we were not surprised because, in the course of the proceedings, the same judge had earlier issued a preservative order as soon as the arguments against his jurisdiction in the case was taken. This was our first apprehension at the commencement of the case.”

He added that “our fears were further confirmed when the judge, after granting the reliefs sought in the suit, went ahead to render an opinion on issues that were not before him, nor solicited by the plaintiffs.”

Osagie lamented that a section of the media and, indeed, the public had been misled by the court ruling into believing that the said judgment had effectively terminated the tenure of office of the affected members.

“This is not only untrue, but also a mere obiter dicta expressed by a judge who veered off the course of the case before him, in order to do the bidding of the ruling party.  At best, the judgment has turned law on its head and cannot stand,” he said.

How judgment stalls Tambuwal’s defection to APC.

The judgment, it was gathered, stalled the planned defection of Honourable Tambuwal to APC.

This came just as the House Leader, Honourable Mulikat Adeola-Akande, convened an emergency PDP caucus meeting, to review the judgment.

Loud News Today gathered that the Speaker had been under intense pressure from his home state, Sokoto and lawmakers from his state, who had also defected alongside others.

Lawmakers from Sokoto who were affected by the suit included Kabiru Marafa Achida, Aminu Shagari, Isa Salihu Bashir, Abdullahi Moh’d Wammako, Sa’adu Nabunkari, Aliyu Shehu, Shuaibu Gobir, Musa Sarkin’adar and Abdullahi Balarabe Salake.

Sources in the House told the Nigerian Tribune that the Speaker had already perfected plan to defect to the APC alongside others, but the court judgment stalled the move.

One of the sources informed theLoud News Today that Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto was not happy with the Speaker for his continuous stay in PDP.

The PDP caucus meeting, the Loud News Today learnt, was held at Hearing Room 028 of the House of Representatives, where members extensively deliberated on the outcome of the judgment.