Niger PDP Lauds OBJ, Others Over Peace Moves

THE Niger State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday lauded the peace moves made by elders of the party, particularly ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo and former dictator Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, describing them as “true elders of the country who want peace.”

2015: Don’t Overheat The Polity, INEC Warns Politicians

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Tuesday in Abuja cautioned politicians against acts that were capable of overheating the polity ahead of the 2015 elections.

Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, gave the warning during the third quarterly consultative meeting held between the commission and political parties.

Calls For National Sovereign Conference Unconstitutional – NLC

The Vice-President, Nigerian Labour Congress, Mr. Issa Aremu, has said that the NLC is opposed to the agitation for the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference because the call is diversionary and unconstitutional.

Speaking to journalists in Ilorin on Tuesday, he said SNG was no longer a global trend. He argued that since Nigeria had elected representatives, it would be unlawful to convoke the SNC.

N6.4bn Fraud: EFCC Appeals Discharge Of UBEC Officials

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has asked the Court of Appeal, Abuja, to set aside the September 19 ruling of the Abuja Federal High Court in which it discharged former Deputy Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Prof. Bridget Sokan, and six others standing trial in a N6.4bn fraud charge.

Why Some States Can’t Pay Salaries — Uduaghan

Delta State Governor  Emmanuel  Uduaghan in this interview with journalists, speaks on the need to diversify Nigeria’s economy from its current dependence on oil. JOHN ALECHENU was there. Excerpts:

Why is it that states find it difficult to pay salaries each time the Federation Account Allocation Committee fails to meet to share money?

Senate Investigates Abuja Killings

The Senate on Tuesday asked its committees on National Security, Intelligence and Judiciary to immediately start investigations into the circumstances that led to the death of eight people in the Apo area of Abuja following an encouter they had with security operatives last week Friday.

Jonathan Ineligible To Run In 2015 – New PDP

The leadership of the New Peoples Democratic Party has  said that  President Goodluck Jonathan is not qualified to seek reelection in 2015.

The reasons why he cannot contest, according to the group, are: The 1999 Constitution, an agreement the President  entered into and his open statement in Turkey in 2011.

Military Deploys More Fighter Jets In Borno, Others

Strong indications have emerged that Islamic militants from some North African countries are coordinating attacks against the Nigerian military in the North Eastern part of the country.

A military source told one of our correspondents in Abuja that security operatives came to this  conclusion when they   discovered  that many Arabs of Shuwa descent  and fair-skinned  people from Mauritania, Sudan, Somalia, Algeria and Niger, were among those whose bodies were found  after some of the recent encounters with the militants.

Floods Wreak Havoc In Ibadan, Kill Two

The rain that fell for almost two days in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has claimed  lives of two people and destroyed property.

The rain began on Sunday and continued till Monday night, sending panic through the flood-prone city. The Oluyole Local Government Area of the state was mostly affected by the downpour.

Confusion As Kaduna Assembly Impeaches Speaker

The crisis in the Kaduna State House of Assembly deepened on Tuesday with the impeachment of the Speaker, Mua’azu Gangara.

A new speaker, Shehu Usman Tahir, was elected.

But Gangara led 15 other members of the House, including the principal officers, to announce that he remained the Speaker. He insisted that those who impeached him did not meet the constitutional provision for their action.