Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe turns 91 with million dollar birthday bash

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Saturday will celebrate his 91st birthday will a million dollar bash attended by thousands of faithful party supporters.

As elephants are slaughtered for the feast at a luxury hotel in Zimbabwe’s famed Victoria Falls, critics are questioning the scale of the festivities, calling them “obscene” in a country where millions live in poverty.


Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980, is the world’s oldest leader.

While he is hailed by many of his African peers as a liberation hero, critics say that over the following decades he turned the “breadbasket of southern Africa” into a basket case, trampling human rights, justice and democracy.

Mugabe’s violent seizure of white-owned farms triggered food shortages and hyper-inflation, while Europe and the United States imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe over elections seen as rigged.

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Farmer drags Buhari to court

A farmer from Abia State, Mr. Sergin Onuka Ibe‎ has approached the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, begging it not to allow Major General Muhammadu Buhari, rtd, to contest the March 28 presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

‎The plaintiff, through his lawyer Mr. U.O. Ukairo,‎ prayed the court to invoke its original powers and compel ‎Buhari to not only withdraw from the presidential race, but to equally stop parading himself as a bonafide candidate for the poll.


He contended that the 1st defendant (Buhari), is not legally fit to vie for presidency in view of the pendency of a perjury charge against him.

The plaintiff maintained that Buhari violated the provision of section 31 of the Electoral Act by lying on oath about his educational qualifications.

He told the court that a personal investigation he conducted revealed that Buhari lacks the basic educational qualifications, adding that the information the 1st defendant supplied to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in his Form CF001, were false.

‎Aside Buhari and the APC, INEC was also joined as a defendant in the suit marked FHC/UM/C9/13/15.

Meantime, Justice Ademola Adeniyi has ordered the service of the court processes on Buhari at his official residence at 4A and B Sultan Lane, Off Sultan Road in Kaduna.

‎The Judge said the defendant could as well serve the Originating Summons on the 1st defendant via substituted means, to wit; publishing same in any national daily.

The case was subsequently adjourned to March 26 for hearing.

Specifically, the plaintiff is among other things, praying the court to make ‎a “declaration that the information contained in Form CF001 the 1st defendant supplied on oath to the 3rd defendant in accordance with section 31 of the Electoral Act, are false.

“An order that upon ‎determining the falsity of the above depositions that the 1st defendant is thereby disqualified from contesting the Presidential election holding on March 28, 2015, on the platform of the 2nd defendant.

“An ord‎er directing the 3rd defendant (INEC) to remove the name of the 1st defendant as a candidate in the Presidential election holding on March 28, 2015.

As well as, “An order directing that any votes accredited to the 1st defendant at the election shall be null and void, he being disqualified ab-initio as a candidate in the election.

‎In a 14 paragraphed statement of claim, the plaintiff, told the court that he is a citizen from Amaekpu-Ohafia in Abia State and is a farmer/politician.

He said he was formerly ‎elected as a Councilor ‎that represented Isiama ward in Okasia Local Government Area of Abia State and a registered voter who is entitled to vote in the forthcoming general elections.

He averred that, “The first defendant in order to be eligible to contest the presidential election submitted to the 3rd defendant an affidavit which is by the nomenclature of the 3rd defendant, known as Form CF001.

“Th‎e said Form CF001 contains, on oath, the personal particulars of the 1st defendant.

“The 3rd defendant in accordance with electoral procedure published the said particulars of the 1st defendant in Umuahia, Abia State, being one of the constituencies of the 1st defendant.

“The plaintiff inspected the said Form CF001 and has reasonable grounds to believe that the following information are false:

“‎(1) All my academic qualification document as filled in my presidential form, ApC/001/2015, are currently with the Secretary military board as at the time of this affidavit. (2) WASC-1961‎.

“The particulars and or facts upon which the plaintiff founded the reasonable grounds are: 1) The Nigerian Army like other organisations do not keep certificates of serving or retired Soldiers, but copies only, a fact known to the 1st defendant as a past military Head of State of Nigeria.

“(2) Accordingly ‎the “academic qualifications documents or some or one of them do not exist.

“(3) the defendant knowing that he does not have “WASC-61″ academic qualifications resorted to lying on oath, failed to attach any certificate.

“(4) There is a presumption against unnatural events to the effect that where a person claims that his certificates are with the office that ‎regulated his previous services, it is probable that no such certificate is in existence.

“(5) There is no office known under any law at all as “The Secretary Military Board”, a fact known or ought to be known by the 1st defendant, a retired General of the Nigerian Army.
‎”(6) Arising from above, the plaintiff has no place at which he could verify the deposition of the 1st defendant.

“The plaintiff is “a person” under section 31(5) of the Electoral Act and accordingly has the requisite locus standi to file this suit.

“The plaintiff upon inspecting the said Form CF001 applied to the 3rd defendant for a copy of it at its office at Umuahia but the 3rd defendant refused to give any copy to the plaintiff but directed the plaintiff to submit the application to its Abuja office.

“The plaintiff in obedience to the directive of the 3rd defendant at its Umuahia office submitted another application at the Abuja office of the 3rd defendant. (a copy of the lett‎er is hereby pleaded and will be relied upon at the trial) .

“Regrettably, the 3rd defendant has continued to refuse to give a copy of the said Form CF001 to the plaintiff for which reason the plaintiff went to the notice board of the 3rd defendant and took photographs of the Form CF001 with a digital Samsung Tablet which the plaintiff will be relied upon at the trial.

“The plaintiff has demanded that the 1st defendant withdraws from the presidential election but he continues to parade himself as a candidate”

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APC leaders should explain to Nigerians how they got the money to acquire their private jets – Fani-Kayode

Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has called on Nigerians to ask the All Progressives Congress leaders on how they acquired their private jets.

Fani-Kayode, was reacting to an allegation by the Director of Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mallam Garba Shehu, that the President Goodluck Jonathan administration was planning to use the Ministry of aviation to ground the jets belonging to senior members of the APC and frustrate the party’s campaign.

He said it was interesting that APC had admitted, for the first time, that their leaders owned private jets.

He said, “It is interesting that the APC has, for the very first time, admitted that some of its leaders own private jets. It will be interesting to know from the APC how these leaders, who either occupied public offices or still occupy public offices, acquired these jets.

“In fact, where did the money, with which they procured the jets, come from?


“And this is the APC whose leaders pretend to occupy a moral high ground and accuse everyone else, except themselves, of malfeasance.

“Once again, it is clear that the APC leaders have become prisoners of their own delusions and they are being held captive by their own hallucinations. This is a clear case of extreme paranoia.

“They are running under the bed when nobody is chasing them. There are no plans to clamp down on anybody in the opposition. Our only plan is to humiliate them before the Nigerian people on March 28 by giving them a crushing defeat.”

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IN PICTURES: Thousands March In Cameroon To Show Support For Troops Fighting Boko Haram

Thousands of people marched in Cameroon's capital on Saturday to protest against Nigeria's Boko Haram insurgency and support the Central African nation's army, which is fighting alongside regional neighbors to defeat the Islamist group.

The march in Yaounde was aimed at informing the public, especially in the southern regions, about the threat posed by Boko Haram, which has carried out regular cross-border raids in the far north, one of the organizers said.


Yaounde is located in the central region of the country.

"It was important to tell Cameroonians that we are at war and a part of the country is suffering," said Gubai Gatama, a newspaper editor who was among the march's organizers. "About 150,000 people have been displaced by the conflict."

In addition to its own citizens forced to flee the violence, thousands of refugees have poured into Cameroon from northeastern Nigeria, where Boko Haram is seeking to carve out an Islamist emirate.

"Some 170 schools in Cameroon's northern region have been closed," Gatama said.

Boko Haram's six-year insurgency in Nigeria has spread to neighboring countries, where the group has launched attacks over the past year, burning villages and kidnapping residents.

(Reuters)

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PDP questions APC: 'Tell us why you don't want Jega sacked'

The Peoples Democratic Party has challenged the All Progressives Congress to come out clear and explain to Nigerians the links between it and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, which informs and propels its interest in his stay in office.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, said it was more than curious that the APC has continued to fabricate stories and show undue interest in Jega, adding that such raise a lot of questions for the opposition and the INEC Chairman.

He said, “Undoubtedly, the frenzy, hysteria and spate with which the APC has been inventing stories regarding Prof. Jega’s stay in office, even when nothing suggests that such was on the table, raise a lot of issues.

“We ask, is there any underlining issue or arrangement between APC and Prof. Jega which the opposition is hell-bent to protect, informing its anxiety and apprehension towards his stay in office?

“While it is noted that the APC is a party of one week, one lie, we in the PDP look beneath the surfaces to the deeper issues propelling the lies.

“We therefore challenge the APC to come out clean and tell Nigerians the real reason behind their false alarms and uncontrolled nervousness regarding Prof. Jega ahead of the 2015 general elections.

“Finally, we wish to remind the leadership of INEC that Nigerians are monitoring its activities and series of unfolding political events ahead of the elections, and will not accept anything less than the conduct of credible, free and fair general elections come March 28 and April 11, 2015.”

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REVEALED: Pictures of recently captured Boko Haram members

Picture credits: Reuters

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FG shortlists four INEC commissioners to succeed Jega

The Federal Government might have shortlisted four national commissioners to take over from Prof. Attahiru Jega as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

According to Punch Newspaper, Jega might be asked to hand over to one of the commissioners in INEC and also proceed on a three-month terminal leave.

During a presidential media chat on February 11, President Goodluck Jonathan had reassured Nigerians that he had no plan to remove the INEC chairman from office. The President’s reassurance came at a time when speculation was rife that government had perfected plans to remove Jega. But some stakeholders who spoke after the interview had dismissed the President’s reassurances as needless, adding that the laws of the land do not confer on the president powers to remove the INEC chairman.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, the Supervising Minister of Information, Mr. Edem Duke, had also said the President had no plan to sack Jega.

“On the issue of the INEC chairman, I align myself with what the President said that he has no plan to sack the INEC chairman.

“That is not to say that if it is time for the INEC chairman to naturally exit his office, then the natural course of things will not take place.

“It is like saying a civil servant has done 35 years or achieved the age of 60; we now begin to say that he must not retire or he must retire,” Duke had said.

However, the minster drew parallels between Jega’s conditions of service and those of civil servants, reigniting speculation that the Presidency might go ahead with the plan to remove Jega.

Earlier, there had been reports that Prof. Femi Mimiko, brother of the Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko, had been pencilled in for the position but investigations by our correspondents showed that the former Vice Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State was no longer in contention.

Sources said the national commissioners that might take over from Jega could come from a list made up of Dr. Mohammed Wali from Sokoto State, Mrs. Amina Zakari from Jigawa State, Colonel Mohammed Kurmi Hammanga (rtd.) from Adamawa State and Dr. Ishmael Igbani from Rivers State.

It was learnt that the person that would take over would act as chairman till June 30 when the tenure of Jega would expire.

The Federal Government, it was learnt, had decided against appointing an ‘outsider’ because preparations for the elections had reached an advanced stage.

Investigations further showed that the FG had yet to decide on whether to appoint the acting chairman from the North-West, where Jega hails from or to take the post to another zone.

It was learnt that Wali and Zakari were shortlisted because they hailed from the North-West.

Igbani and Hammanga were included on the list because of the argument among some top government officials that the INEC chairmanship should not be subjected to the principle of zoning.

A top Federal Government official, on Saturday, said, “None of the commissioners have been informed because the government has not decided whether to retain the post in the North-West or take it to another zone.

“The terminal leave letter that the All Progressives Congress senators were talking about has not been written, but I cannot deny the fact that government wants Jega to proceed on terminal leave.

“Anytime the letter is written and Jega gets it, it will contain the name of the person he will hand over to.”

It was learnt that the government officials, who advocated that one of the INEC commissioners should be appointed, argued that with less than three weeks to the elections, getting Jega’s replacement from outside of the commission could be complicated.

A top government official, who is privy to the discussions in government circles in relating to Jega’s fate, said, “Time is of the essence. The truth is, if you bring someone from outside, he or she will need time to understand the place and know what is happening. It will be difficult for such a person to fully understand what is on the ground.

“However, if we get someone who is already within the system, it will be easier for the person to identify areas where errors were made and correct them within the time left.

“There are also those who are making a case for a neutral person. This set of people argue that after all, Jega himself was brought in from outside and he did a good job of the 2011 elections.”

Several calls and a text message to the Special Assistant (Media and Communications) to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Sam Nwaobasi, were not replied. Reports have said Jega’s terminal leave letter was written by the SGF.

Also, attempts to reach the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters Prof. Rufai Alkali and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe were unsuccessful. Calls to their mobile phone indicated that it was unreachable. A response to text messages sent to them were still being awaited as of the time of filing this report.

Similarly, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, could not be reached as his telephone lines were not connecting.

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What does a 72-year-old man have to offer Nigerians? - Patience Jonathan asks

The First Lady of Nigeria, Dame Patience Jonathan yesterday stated that her husband, President Goodluck Jonathan deserved the support of women in the country because he had delivered on the promises he made to Nigerian women in 2011.

She spoke during the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Women Campaign Rally held in Makurdi, the state capital.

Dame Jonathan said, “today pregnant women enjoy free antenatal care, we have realized our 35 percent affirmative action and more women are beginning to realize their potentials under this administration.

She told the women to reject Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC, “What does a 72-year-old man have to offer Nigerians?...A 72 year old man has nothing to offer Nigerians.”

Wife of the Benue state Governor, Arch. Yemisi Suswam, in her speech lauded the efforts of Dame Jonathan for carrying women along, particularly in the actualization of 35 percent affirmative action for women.

Mrs Suswam said Benue women were desirous of President Goodluck Jonathan’s return to Aso Rock because of his impressive achievement in all sectors of Nigeria’s economy.

Wife of the Senate President, Mrs Helen Mark, in her speech said the women of the state would vote the PDP in all the elective positions, and urged all women to turn out en-masse to vote all PDP candidates in the elections.

Governor Gabriel Suswam, on his part described the first lady as a reliable woman who had remained firm in supporting her husband to record resounding success in governance.

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