SABINEWS EVENING NEWS UPDATE – MARCH 2, 2019
Okorocha can only be suspended at ward level, Imo APC replies Oshiomhole
The Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Saturday called on the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole, to tender his resignation letter for suspending the governors of Imo and Ogun states. At a press conference in Owerri, the APC chairman in the state, Daniel Nwafor, said that the suspension of Governors Rochas Okorocha and Ibikunle Amosun was null and void. Nwafor said that since Oshiomhole emerged the national chairman of the ruling party, he had been disregarding the constitution of the ruling party. Saying that the state chapter of the APC would not honour the “purported suspension” of Okorocha from APC, Nwafor said that the former governor of Edo state had outlived his usefulness in APC.
Elections: Corps members will not work as ad hoc staff in insecure areas —NYSC
The National Youth Service Corps says corps member deployed as Independent National Electoral Commission ad hoc staff will not be allowed to work in security-challenged areas in the country. Mrs Adenike Adeyemi, NYSC Director of Press and Public Relations, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Saturday, ahead of the upcoming Governorship and House of Assembly polls slated for March 9. Adeyemi, who said that no corps member died during the Presidential and National Assembly Elections, which held on February 23, assured that the safety and security of corps members remained a top priority for the scheme.
March 9: Suspension of Amosun, Okorocha, will not affect our victory – APC
The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the suspension of governors Rochas Okorocha and Ibikunle Amosun of Imo and Ogun respectively, will not affect the party’s victory in the March 9, Governorship and State House of Assembly election. Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, the APC National Publicity Secretary, gave the assurance while speaking with the Newsmen on the development on Friday in Abuja. Recall that the APC National Working Committee (NWC) at its Friday meeting, suspended Okorocha and Amosun, alongside the Director General of Voice of Nigeria (VON) Osita Okechukwu and the Minister of Niger Delta Usani Usani. “As to the effect it will have in the coming Governorship and State House of Assembly elections, the real negative effect will come when we allow our members who are in a position of influence to undermine our candidates.
Alleged election rigging: We have assembled more than 18 lawyers –Secondus
The National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, Uche Secondus, on Friday, said the party had assembled more than 18 lawyers to go to court to contest the declaration of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, President Muhammadu Buhari, as the winner of the February 23 presidential election. He stated that the party was not under pressure by the National Peace Committee headed by a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd), or any other group not to go to court.
Poll results: Osinbajo justifies APC’s victory
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) has justified the victory of the All Progressives Congress at the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections. At the meeting the Abdulsalami-led committee had with the Vice President on Thursday night, the committee members were told that the APC did not rig the elections. It was gathered that Osinbajo, a professor of law and an ordained pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, said the ruling party’s victory was not a fluke. Sources at the meeting said the vice-president analysed the voting pattern and concluded that there was no way the PDP would have won the elections as being claimed by members of the main opposition party.
Agbaje salutes Lagos voters, calls for violence-free election
Towards the governorship and state assembly election in Lagos next weekend, governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Jimi Agbaje has called on politicians to respect the wish of the people on their choice of candidate. Agbaje who expressed disappointment on voters intimidation that played out during the elections last week said, “when you have a situation where thousands of people are put in danger just because they chose to exercise this right and the government turns a blind eye, it has broken that contract. I visited some of the areas that were affected by violence and it’s understandable why voters are disappointed and angry, even afraid. I get it but when good people do nothing, evil prevails. Last week, the oppression was at the polling stations, this week, business activities were threatened, tomorrow, God forbid, it could extend to our homes so, the only way to stop this tyranny is to vote out the tyrants.”
We must rescue Ogun workers from Amosun — NLC President
The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said it must rescue Ogun workers from some alleged anti-labour practices of the state governor, Mr Ibikunle Amosun. Mr Ayuba Wabba, the NLC President made the position of the Congress known in a statement on Friday night in Abuja. Newsmen report that there has been a confrontation between the state governor and the leadership of NLC over non-payment of workers’ salaries and arrears and the recent sack of the NLC state chairman by the governor. The NLC leadership also accused Amosun of non-remittance of statutory deductions from workers’ salaries and his refusal to pay gratuities of retired state and local government workers since 2013.
Abia Accord party guber candidate withdraws for APGA counterpart
Barely eight days to the governorship elections, the Abia State Accord Party guber candidate, Emeka Uwakolam took his supporters and party members to the state campaign Office of his APGA counterpart, Alex Otti and announced his withdrawal from the contest, declaring support for Otti. He said that though he had and still has passion to serve the state, he was withdrawing from the contest to partner with Otti whom he described as the candidate with higher capacity; saying their joint endeavor would rescue the state from the Ikpeazu led PDP government to enthrone good governance, adding that his decision was not induced as they both share the same ideology.
Alao-Akala absent from coalition meeting to oust APC, rejoins party
As the gladiators in the Oyo State governorship race strategize to govern, governorship candidate of Action Democratic Party [ADP], former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala was absent at a meeting held yesterday at the Ondo Street, Bodija residence of former Governor, Rashidi Ladoja in Ibadan.
It was gathered that Otunba Alao-Akala was the one who convened the meeting. Speaking on the development, governorship candidate of People’s Democratic Party [PDP], Seyi Makinde said he could hold brief for the former governor to explain why he was absent from the meeting. Makinde however said negotiations still continued till today, saying the press would be briefed after today’s meeting, adding that he is out for the benefit of Oyo people, saying anything that would help oust the All Progressives Congress [APC] government, he is for it.
Elections: EFCC stopped from probing plane loaded with cash
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been barred from investigating a private jet loaded with money on February 15, 2019, the eve of the aborted presidential and National Assembly elections. Our correspondent gathered that the plane which was billed to fly to Ilorin, Kwara State, from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos failed to take off due to the weight of the money on board. Multiple sources said the EFCC operatives thereafter stormed the plane after a tip-off from some people about the cargo. They demanded the source of the money, its owner and destination. The crew was said to have informed the operatives that the money was meant for election expenses in Kwara State, but the detectives reportedly insisted on taking away the cash haul.
Don’t let politicians use you for violence, CP tells transport unions
The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Zubairu Muazu, has warned transport unions in the state against being agents of violence for politicians during the March 9, 2019 governorship and state House of Assembly elections. Muazu gave the warning on Friday while meeting with all transport unions, Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers in Lagos. He said the meeting became necessary in view of the conduct of some members of the transport unions, particularly, the motorcyclists who disregarded the restriction during elections. He said, “Don’t allow your members to be used by politicians to cause problems in Lagos. Let them come out on Election Day to vote and go back home. On March 9, it is going to be total restriction. All the transport leaders here should go back to their members and tell them to be law abiding.”
Russian Nobel Prize winner for physics, Alferov dies at 88
Zhores Alferov, the 2000 Nobel prize winner in physics and a member of Russia’s parliament, has died aged 88 in St Petersburg, the Russian Communist party said on Saturday. Alferov shared the nearly one million dollar award, which recognised his research work in the 1970s in information technology, which paved the way for computers, CD players and mobile telephones, with two US scientists, Herbert Kroemer and Jack Kilby. A staunch believer in communism, Alferov was born in 1930 in Belarus, then part of the Soviet Union.
8 hurt in aborted take-off at London airport
Eight people suffered minor injuries during an aborted take-off at London Stansted Airport, causing flights to be suspended for around three hours.
Crew on the Laudamotion flight to Vienna suspected engine problems on the runway shortly after 8:00 pm (2000 GMT) on Friday. Passengers reported a bang rocking the cabin. Thomas Steer said there was a “big bang on the side of the aircraft which skidded to a stop”. The estate agent, 24, from Essex, eastern England, said: “It was scary. And then staff shouting ‘evacuate evacuate’.
Syria force battles into last jihadist pocket
Kurdish-led forces battled jihadists defending their last village on Saturday as the operation to flush out the Islamic State group from eastern Syria resumed after days of humanitarian evacuations. The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces pushed into Baghouz, a tiny hamlet near the Iraqi border where IS fighters are making a desperate last stand. As the sun rose above the palm trees lining the Euphrates River, the crackle and thud of gunfire and shelling echoed across the farmland while SDF artillery units could be seen taking up positions, AFP journalists near the front line reported.
Thai King sacks staff for allegedly committing adultery
Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn has sacked a member of his staff for adultery. According to a royal gazette announcement published, on Saturday, a male staff member of the royal chamberlain committed “an extremely evil act’’ by having an affair with a married woman when he himself is married. “His action has caused family conflicts and bad reputation for his unit. His behaviour is unfit for his rank and position,’’ the statement read. Although the king’s dismissals of his staff and military personnel over “extremely evil acts’’ for a variety of wrongdoings is not unheard of, it is the first time the dismissal is solely based on an extra-marital affair.
SpaceX successfully launches unmanned crew capsule into orbit
For nearly a decade, NASA has been reliant on Russian rockets to put their astronauts into orbit. But if SpaceX’s most recent test goes according to plan, that may soon change. Today, SpaceX launched a new Crew Dragon capsule to demonstrate their readiness for manned spaceflight. At 2:49 a.m. ET today, SpaceX launched their latest Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. While Falcon 9’s have completed many successful lift-offs, today’s was special because it is the first outing for SpaceX’s new Crew Dragon module, designed to take astronauts into orbit. Carrying 400 pounds of crew supplies, an Earth plushie toy, and a test dummy called Ripley, the rocket and attached capsule headed skywards without a hitch. Around 11 minutes later, the Falcon 9 boosters and capsule detached from one another successfully.
