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Saturday, 7 September 2013

Meet the African contestants at the 2013 Miss World pageant

Miss Angola - Maria Castelo - 23

Meet the 21 African queens contesting at the 2013 Miss World pageant which will hold September 28 at the Sentul International Convention Center in Indonesia. See all the queens after the cut...and tell us which queen you think is the most beautiful...

Miss Botswana - Rosemary Keofitlhetse - 20

Miss Cameroon - Denise Valérie Ayena - 22

Miss Cote D'Ivoire - Aïssata DIA - 18

Miss Equatorial Guinea - Restituta Mifumu Nguema - 19

Miss Ethiopia - Genet Tsegay Tesfay - 22

Miss Ghana - Carranzar Naa Okailey Shooter - 23

Miss Gabon - Brunilla Novela Ekoumbi Moussadingou - 19

Miss Guinea - Mariama Diallo - 24

Miss Kenya - Wangui Gitonga - 23

Miss Lesotho - Mamahlape Caroline MATSOSO - 19

Miss Namibia - Paulina MALULU - 24

Miss Nigeria - Anna BANNER - 18

Miss Seychelles - Agnes GERRY - 19

Miss South Africa - Marilyn RAMOS -22

Miss South Sudan - Modong Manuela MOGGA - 21

Miss Tanzania - Brigitte LYIMO - 19

Miss Tunisia - Hiba TELMOUDI - 22

Miss Uganda - Stellah NANTUMBWE - 22

Miss Zambia - Christine MWAABA - 24

FFK withdraws intimate relationship comment about Bianca Ojukwu

A week after Bianca Ojukwu threatened to sue him for claiming in an article he wrote a few weeks back that he had an intimate relationship with her, former Minister Femi Fani Kayode has withdrawn the comment.

He released the statement below through his lawyer, Rotimi Akinola, yesterday

“As our client said earlier through his press secretary some of the words he used to describe his friendship with Ambassador Ojukwu in his article titled 'A Word For Those Who Call Me A Tribalist” were indiscreet. He hereby withdraws those words

"They were good friends at the time and they had a few mutual friends who are still alive today. The bizarre, absurd and inexplicable assertion that they were not friends and that Ambassador Ojukwu has never met our client is patently false. Though he has not seen her for over 25 years he spoke to her on the phone when her husband passed on last year"

So if he's withdrawing the comment, it means he never dated her, bah? So why write it?

Beverly Osu storms Abuja!

The Real Chase steps into Abuja! Beverly who set a record as the Housemate never up for eviction throughout the duration of BBA The Chase is live in Abuja for a major media tour, promotional appearances, club storm, show bookings, press conference, autograph signing and a major welcome back party! See dates, time and places she will be visiting after the cut...

FRIDAY:

Airport pick up
10am

Cool fm /Wazobia fm
11am-1pm.

Hot FM

1:15-2pm

KISS FM
2pm-4pm

(Night)
-

Epic Lounge
10pm -12:30am

-Avatar Lounge
12:30am - 1:30am

-Selavee Lounge Games Village
1:30-3am

SATURDAY

Afternoon---------
-Press conference @ Silverbird Galleria (Special Appearance by the Bruces')

-Popcorn Sales upstairs Silverbirrd

-Photoshot @ Shibhon Stores Silverbird for TOAST Magazine Nigeria

-Visit to Drumstick
4pm-5pm

-Visit to "Runway" Abuja organisers
5-5:30pm

-Visit to Selara Faces Makeovers
5:30-6pm

-Visit to the "Hope of Survival" Orphanage in Gishiri Maitama Extension.
6pm

-Night ---------- Main Welcome Party at PUB 360, Sheraton.

Hosted by Denrele.
By 11pm

SUNDAY

- Hosting @ Ketchup Sharwama.

6pm- 8pm

-Appearance @ Eden Garden
8pm

-Appearance @ Club Vegas
10:30pm----1am

Kate Henshaw writes an autobiography

Actress Kate Henshaw is getting ready to launch her memoir titled Kate Henshaw: The World of an Actress - My Story. The book is a compilation of her 18 years in Nollywood, her struggles in the entertainment industry and a history of Nollywood from her own eyes...with photos. The book will be launched in Lagos sometime this month.

Group protest against Miss World in Jakarta,say event must not hold

The 2013 Miss World pageant is scheduled to hold at the Sentul International Convention Center in Jakarta, Indonesia on Saturday September 28th..but it won't hold if the Muslim women in the country have their way.

For days now, members of an Islamic group called Hizbut Tahrir have been protesting against the pageant in Jakarta. Yesterday, they converge outside the office of the local organizer of the beauty contest, MNC media group, warning them not to stage the pageant in the city.

Other cities are also holding protests, demanding that the permit to hold Miss World pageant in their country be revoked, saying that the pageant runs against their culture.

MNC Group and Miss World Organization say it's too late to find a new location but promised that contestants would not be allowed to wear bikini at the event.

Same thing happened in Nigeria in 2002.

Police hunt for bizman who tied apprentice for 10 days without food in Lagos

When Thankgod Nwabisi, 23, left his village in Adani, Uzo-Uwani L.G.A of Enugu State to serve as an apprentice to an auto -parts dealer in Ladipo, Lagos, popularly called Elopee, members of his family heaved a sigh of relief, believing that their only child was making a positive headway in life.

Little did they know that the secondary school holder will end up being traumatized by his master. He was thoroughly tortured, tied with ropes and dumped inside a room in the master’s house for about ten days without food or water. According to him, he was accused of not reconciling their sale’s book properly resulting in the loss of N4,000.

The ugly incident which took place at Number 1, Bisi Yusuf area, Kainde in Ayobo, a suburb of Lagos State, aroused the anger of their neighbours who promptly alerted policemen on patrol from Ayobo division and they swiftly responded. The eagle-eyed policemen reportedly broke into the premises after making frantic calls without response while the agonising cries of pain was coming from one of the rooms in the house.

The victim lying on the bare floor inside the kitchen.

When they succeeded in gaining entry into the building, they were shocked to see a 23-year-old boy, tied hands and legs and dumped like an animal in one corner of the room. He had bruises all over his body and his head was smeared with caked blood. They quickly rescued the poor boy and while searching the house, they saw a female teenager who claimed to be a relation to the wife of his master and they took all of them to their station for questioning.

His plight

Police sources said while narrating his plight, the boy disclosed that his master, Elochukwu Ikwueze, is from Akama-Oye in Eziagu L.G.A. of Enugu State. According to sources, the boy signed agreement to serve the man for seven years, and he had already served five years. They were living in a two-room apartment at Number 43, Eyegun street, Mafoluku, Lagos before his master got married and moved to his own house at Ayobo. They normally spent weekdays at Mafoluku but always spent weekends in the man’s house at Ayobo.

The boy narrated that on Sunday, 25th of September, while they were at Ayobo, they all embarked on cleaning the house and it’s surroundings in the morning. They continued with the exercise till evening and when he requested for food, both his master and his wife ignored him.

He said his master later started questioning him about their sales the previous day and he explained everything to him. “He complained that about N4,000 was missing from a sale of N28,000 we made but I explained everything to him yet, he insisted that the money was missing. Later, I went into my room .

Few minutes later, he came into the room, armed with a huge stick and started beating me. He called on my second and both of them tied my hands and legs with a rope, dragged me into the kitchen and locked the place up. I was abandoned inside the kitchen for about three days until I noticed that somebody slipped a plate of food through an opening to me.

Hungrily, I ate the food. I was defecating and urinating inside the same place until seven days later when the pains became unbearable. I then started crying and raising my voice, calling for help. It was then that I knew that the small girl living with us, a relation of my master’s wife, was also left in the house and she was the person that slipped food into the kitchen for me.

How he was rescued

“After sometime, I overheard people shouting at out gate, calling for the door to be opened. Later, they broke into the premises and I saw they were policemen. They rescued me and took both of us to their station where I narrated all that happened to me.”

Crime Guard gathered that after Policemen broke into the house, they found the female teenager in the parlour. She led them to the kitchen where they saw the boy, tied like a goat with splashes of his urine and excreta all over the room. The divisional Police officer, Musa Lariski reportedly directed his men to quickly rush the boy to the nearest hospital where he was giving proper medical attention beofore he was brought back to the station.

It was learnt that since then, all efforts made by detectives to trace the owner of the house and his wife yielded negative results.A team of policemen were also said to had gone to his shop at Ladipo market only to discover that he had not shown his face since the the boy was rescued from his house. It was gathered that one of the market leaders assured the police that they will trace his whereabouts and bring him to the station.

Meanwhile, when Crime Guard had a brief encounter with the distraught boy, he was crying and lamenting the fate that befell him. In tears he said, “My fear is that he has my identity card and he may fram me up. I did not take even a kobo from his money, he was only trying to avoid settling me after my stewardship.

That is how he has been treating all the boys that suffered for him, he will frame you and deny you reaping the reward of your stewardship. Whatever happened, I am happy with the police for rescuing me alive. Who knows what could have happened to me later,” he questioned.

Rejection of victory by PDP candidate divides Nigerians

| credits: Chukky Nwakky

Missouri man exposed 300-plus to HIV, police say

(CNN) -- Prosecutors in rural Missouri have charged a man with exposing his partner to HIV and say he may have exposed more than 300 other people to the virus that causes AIDS.
David Mangum told police he had at least that many unprotected sexual encounters with people he met online or in parks since he was diagnosed with HIV in 2003, Dexter, Missouri, detective Sgt. Corey Mills told CNN. Mills said it will be difficult to find and warn those people, since Mangum "usually only knew his partners' first names."
Mangum was arrested after his former partner told police that Mangum had lied to him about his status, a police affidavit states. He was arraigned Thursday morning in Stoddard County, about 160 miles south of St. Louis, with bail set at $250,000. The former partner has tested positive for HIV, according to police.
Mangum, 36, told police that between 50 and 60 of his partners lived in Stoddard County, according to court records.
Knowingly exposing someone to HIV without their consent is a felony under Missouri law that can bring prison terms up to 15 years. Infecting someone can bring a life term.

How I was tricked into a pornographic movie – Charles Inojie

Popular comic-actor, Charles Inojie is still wondering how he was tricked into featuring in that lewd film titled ‘Calabar Girl’ directed by Jerry Don Nwachukwu. The film was produced by Divine Ezeibekwe and banned immediately after it was released sometime in May, this year by the National Film and Video Censors Board. Charles recounts the story of how he got involved in the production. He also talks about the coup that catapulted him to the top while working as an Assistant Director under Lancelot Imasuen among other issues. Excerpts:

A comic-actor!

Do you know that I am not aware that I am a comedian? There are places I visit today and I tell people that I am not a regular comedian;someone you see and you start laughing or someone who is ever ready to act as a clown when the occasion does not call for it. I see myself as a very serious person. I see myself as a good actor.

If I do comedy roles well, it is only because that is where I have probably, been most tested and again not a function of any kind of training I had. Except that I probably just have it in me. I believe that my late grandmother had the strongest sense of humour that I ever found in anyone and I benefited generously from her talent. Maybe, I am one of those you would say are naturally gifted as humourist.

School of hard knocks

I hate it when I hear people say, I am self -made. There is no one on earth that is self made otherwise people like us are not supposed to be where we are today. When I picked my bag one morning and told my father I had secured admission into the University of Port Harcourt , the man only laughed at me. We were living in Ogun State then, and I hail from Edo State .

*Charles Inojie

He said, ‘you did not try to gain admission into the now Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma or University of Benin so that your financial challenges could be better courtailed . But now that you are going to UNIPORT, would help come your way?’.

In school, it was just me and my closest neighbour which is poverty. When I woke up in the morning, the first person that told me good morning was poverty. But I think, God gave me a special grace. Beyond all these travails, there was always a point I wanted to get to, and that was to graduate from the university at the end of the day.

I graduated from the University in 1999, and in 2000, I was already on set with Lancelot Imasuen as an Assistant Director. I was part of the productions he did in the early 2000, such as Last Burial, Isakaba, August Meeting and many others. Therefore, I would say joining Nollywood was not as difficult as it has been for most of my colleagues. This is because I had someone who provided the platform for me to launch my acting career.

Beyond that, when I became a full-fledged director, I had the producers to contend with, who were always driven by the passion to expand their profit margin. I am a gift from God because in spite of all that I passed through, one happened to be one of the very few people who have enjoyed prime patronage and I thank God for His mercies.

Relationship with Lancelot Imasuen

That is another story altogether. I was telling some of my close friends recently that Lancelot is my friend because a lot of people believe that we are brothers. I actually met Lancelot in 1992, at UNIPORT where we sat for the entrance examination for the Certificate Programme in Theatre Arts. He was in the company of another friend of ours known as Kennedy Ovbiahon who’s now late.

After sitting for the qualifying examination, we returned to our different locations and later had to meet again when we were offered admission. Lancelot was as poor as I was, while on campus. It was only natural for us to share the same apartment in school. And since then, we have been good friends.

Joining Nollywood

We have made some humble contributions to acting. As a matter of fact, my very first movie as a full- fledged director was titled Police Recruit, then Two Bad Boys. I shot back to back for OJ Productions. I also played one of the lead roles then. Thereafter, I starred in Tortoise, another movie produced by OJ and directed by Adim Williams. I was an Assistant Director in that film. At the time, the three lead roles were given to John Okafor, Okey Bakassi and Victor Osuagwu.
As a second year student in 1997, I had done a movie with Adim also directed by Lancelot Imasuen. It was a comedy titled, The Year 2000. Adim played the lead role while I had about 12 scenes. Adim asked me to play the role but the producer did not want me. But when the flick was released, it was a big hit. The film that gave me my break was when I played the role of Mr. Dumbra in Corporate Maid.

Venturing into acting

I am a very shy person. I am not one of those who would have ended up as an actor. I am a great lover of literature. The late Professor Bode Osanyin of the University of Lagos then had a place in Ijoko, Ota in Ogun State called Writers Resort. What the Resort does was to invite literary enthusiasts, writers, poets, dramatists and literary critics to a retreat.

The guest reader for the month would read his poems or plays and respond to questions from the gathering. Being fresh from secondary school then, I and my friend, Malik Ibitoye, now a journalist, would make it to the literary gathering. This particular month, late environmentalist, Ken Saro Wiwa was hosted by the resort.

Before then, Bassey and Company, a popular soap opera was already a rave on television and Saro Wiwa was already making waves on the international scene with his Ogoni struggle. Saro Wiwa was large and because we have read some of his plays, the enthusiasm to meet him was very high. Usually, we went to the resort that fateful Saturday evening, arrange the chairs and cleaned the environment. Late Professor Bode Osanyin urged us to stage a short play for Wiwa. Initially, I refused to be part of the play, preferring to do something different.

But somehow, I was encouraged to be part of the short play. Immediately, the last scene was over, I ran backstage to hide myself. While I was hiding, they invited me back on stage. But lo and behold! Saro Wiwa singled me out and asked if I had acted before, I replied in the contrary. He asked what I was doing, I said I was a Jambite and wanted to read Law.

He asked if I had secured admission, I said I was waiting for my JAMB result. He reasoned that it would take about eight to 12 months and he advised me to enroll for Certificate programme that would last for 10 months. When we left, Malik and some of my friends encouraged me to do so. That was how I secured an admission to do certificate programme in UNIPORT. While doing the programme, I discovered I had only come face to face with my destiny. So, I did not spare any time to seek admission for a full time degree programme.

Growing pot belly

In fact that is the more reason we have to thank God for Osofia’s life, if not, people would still believe that big tummy is part of the requirement for one to become a comedian. Osofia has been able to proof that you don’t need to have a big tummy to be a successful comedian. It was common problem most of us had to contend with then but thank Gos Osofia has proven it has nothing to do with it.

I cannot stab myself in the stomach to reduce it but I discovered that it is easier to acquire it than to shed it.

Starring in “Calabar Girl”movie

This is what I cannot even explain. Some time ago, a senior colleague of mine invited me to be part of his new production. For over 15 years, he has not shot a single movie as things were really rough for him. He was staging a comeback and needed my support. I have known him for several years and as an undergraduate, storming Lagos those days to attend auditions, he was one of the foremost directors in Nollywood then. There was no way I could have refused to support his return to the industry.

That was how I ended up starring in that movie. To win my sympathy, he narrated how a marketer once rejected his film simply because he did not feature regular faces in the film. I appeared in few scenes in the movie which was shot in three days. I have no idea whatsoever regarding what lewed scenes he had previously shot.

In fact, I’m yet to understand why he decided to shoot such movie. I think he took his desperation too far. I’m surprised that he used my face to promote pornography because the very day I saw the movie jacket, I knew something was wrong with it. There was no way I could have been part of the movie if I knew from the out set that what he has shot was something close to an adult film.

Wife’s reaction

I thank God that I married my friend. I try as much as possible to be truthful to my wife. She saw the movie and got convinced that my character was not in any way connected with those dirty scenes in the movie. In fact, she has nothing whatsoever to be angry about.

What I learnt from the project

What I have learnt is that next time, I should be wary about who comes to ask for my help in disguise. Next time, I would insist on seeing the previous script before accepting to be part of any make-up scenes in a movie.

Meeting my wife

I met my wife the way other people meet theirs.

Marriage experience

Marriage is wonderful. I was talking to one of my senior colleagues the other day and I told him, I now know why he wanted me to get married. I think I am a better person now than before. Things that you would ordinarily react to are things you now take a second look at. Marriage has calmed me down. I am a lot more mature now and I am happy.

Stowaway teenage boy: Father accuses wife of insincerity

The crisis between the mother of the stowaway teenage boy, Mrs Evelyn Oikhena and her husband, Mr Osaigbovo, deepened last Monday, when the latter appeared at the Edo State Government House during a scheduled meeting between Governor Adams Oshiomhole and the family.
Ever since the incident, the father was never in the picture until last Monday. Governor Oshiomhole met with the stowaway boy, Daniel with a view to have insight as to why he decided to embark on what many could describe as a suicidal trip. Officials of the Ministry of Women Affairs were also in attendance.
But before the meeting took off, Mr Osaigbovo told newsmen that his wife decided to deny people access to him since the incident started, explaining that he decided to leave the house where he resided with the family after the wife refused to move to another apartment which is affordable for him. Forty-four year-old Osaigbovo,a driver by profession, told journalists that contrary to reports that he was sick and bed ridden, he was living separate from the family due to his disagreement with the wife.
Mr Osaigbovo, Daniel’s father and Madam Evelyn Ohikhena, mother
Mr Osaigbovo, Daniel’s father and Madam Evelyn Ohikhena, mother
He stressed that the wife refused to stay in the house where he could afford the house rent, therefore, he decided to leave and stay alone in order not to go into criminality. He disclosed that he moved out of the house a year ago to stay where he could afford , adding that “ I decided to come here today to tell the world that I am the father of Daniel. Initially, when I heard the news, I thought my son was kidnapped. But my wife said I should calm down that when everything is okay, she will call me.
I never dreamt of going to America, I am not married to another woman. My wife refused to give my number to Sthe DSS. As a result of my low income job, I decided to move to an apartment that I can afford and told my wife that they should move with me, but she refused and continued to stay in the three bedroom flat at 7, Ehigiagbe, off Goodwill, Ekenwan Benin City”.
Mr Osaigbovo who said he resides at Siluko Road, narrated that “I used to pay the school fees of my children and feed them contrary to claims that I abandoned my family. It was when I packed to the present place I am staying that my wife refused to go with me”. He further accused the wife of making it look as if he was dead by denying people access to him.
Saturday Vanguard learnt that since last Monday, the crisis in the family deepened as the family of the man accused the wife of denying them access to the son.
Mrs Evelyn cried to Saturday Vanguard that she was still shocked with the way and manner the husband and his people are persecuting her despite what she has gone through recently with the disappearance of Daniel who was later found in Lagos. According to her, “my husband has been disturbing me and accusing me wrongly. There was no time I told anybody that he was dead. All I have been battling with is to sort out my son’s problem.
And as we are talking now, I am even struggling to get N40,000 for my daughter to go back to school and I told my husband to assist because she is equally his daughter but he said he does not have. My daughter has to go back to school.
I don’t know why all these things are happening. They thought they gave me money. He does not even care about the welfare of his son. They just came to bother my life”.
A close family source who does not want his name in print told Saturday Vanguard, “this is a disgrace really. This woman has been taking care of their four children for over one year now that the man left the house but suddenly, he appeared thinking that government will give them money to share.
The man does not care about the children. Since this incident happened, he didn’t come around. He only came when he heared that the Governor invited the boy and the mother. He decided to come because he felt the Governor would give them money. We learnt that ever since they visited Government House, Osaigbovo has been bothering the woman because he thought they gave her money. And it was even because of the fatherly care that the boy lacks that made him behave that way.
They were left only with their mother and even if any benefit or help is coming from the government, it is the mother who has been suffering with the kids that should benefit and not somebody who wants to reap where he did not sow”. Saturday Vanguard learnt that Mrs Oikhena may have to report the matter to the Ministry of Women Affairs if the husband continues to bother her. By Simon Ebegbulem, Benin City

Our Cultural Heritage:Abiriba Obina Dance Repackaged

Abiriba is a community in South Eastern State in Nigeria . It is an autonomous community with an urban status. Autonomy here implies that it is not under the traditional rulership of any monarch but on its own. It is one of the three communities that make up Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State. It is a community known for her rich display of cultures,customs and traditions among which is the celebration of EKEMBU/IRI NDI known as new yam festival, which is done on every ninth month of the year (September).

“Ekembu,” which means the 1st Eke (New Year) of the year, is the period for the celebration of New Year in Abiriba and it is celebrated with yam, the king of crops (Eze erimeri). Ekembu is an important day in the lives of the Abiriba people. It is a day of thanksgiving to the Almighty God and their ancestors for keeping them throughout the past year. It is also a day of merry making when the people share the gifts of life bestowed on them

Obina Dance Highlight of Abiriba Iri Ndi (new yam) festival is the annual dance of the maidens from Amanta in Ameke community of Abiriba Kingdom,called Nmaku Eziali maidens.This maidens who are also believed to be Virgins,pure and undefined by any man performs this sacred dance and any maiden who is not a virgin from this clan dare not participate in the dance Athough I cannot categorically tell you the repercussion if such happens.

This is the time that the young girls who are now ripe enough for marriage show off their beautiful figures and dancing prowess to young men from Amanta and other prospective husbands from other communities making up the Abiriba Kingdom. There is usually great excitement heralding this dance especially to the young men who sees it as an opportunity to get their brides,as some of them will tie palm fronds on the legs of their desired brides,which is called # Igbai Omu# in the traditional Abiriba language,signifying that the maiden had been taken and other suitors should steer clear and the young man (men) will now take up the marriage proceedings from there.

As a little girl growing up in those days,I’ve heard so much about the maidens dance and had witnessed it only but once in my life several years ago( yea,am proudly Abiribarian,a proud daughter of Usukpam) because I know you must be wondering now!
The dance starts as early as 6 a.m at the Obina Dance Square in Amanta with the Nmaku Eziali Maidens leading the troupe,looking beautiful in their # okara akpuru ikpakpa# a type of wrapper designed with corn seeds

,with their beads on their waists and nzu (local chalk)designing their bodies .

Civilisation and the embrace of Christianity has changed so many aspects of this dance as in the olden days,the maidens used to dance stark naked showing off their erect and pointed breasts ! Supriseeeeeeed? Though you can still see some of the maidens showing off their breasts while their womanhood is perfectly covered.

The dance is called OBINA NDE AMANTA and this year’s own (2013) was done this morning as you can see on the pictures above.
It is indeed a sweet culture though things have changed.

!”This culture needs repackaging for global consumption in other to ensure sustainability ” Ojebslaw Ojebe Ojebe.
“While I appreciate the dance,I am glad that the nudity aspect of it had been greatly repackaged to suit our modern day trends” Gracious Grace Nmah

Is there any of your community’s historic culture or tradition that you wish to share with us? We are waiting!

Thursday, 5 September 2013

Tukur declares war on Baraje, 7 nPDP govs

ABUJA — The crisis rocking the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, took another turn yesterday as the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur vowed to declare vacant the seats of senators, House of Representatives members and other elected officers who identified with the seven governors that formed a parallel executive of the party.

Some of the affected lawmakers and other stakeholders of the party have, however, dismissed Tukur’s threat as an empty boast that has no legal basis and advised him to go and read the Electoral Act on the issue and be properly guided. This came as the Kwara State chapter of the party aligned itself with the Baraje-led faction, saying the Tukur-led executive no longer exists.

Also yesterday, the Tukur-led PDP approached an Abuja High Court, asking it to commit new PDP Chairman, Baraje and other officilas of the nPDP to one year in prison, even as it emerged yesterday that Tukur’s confidence might have taken root from the presidency..

Addressing journalists in Abuja, yesterday, Tukur, who claimed that he was fully in charge as the National Chairman of PDP, stressed that there was no faction in the party and there was no room for such a claim under any guise.

Tukur who threatened to send men of the Department of State Service, DSS; the Police and other security agencies after the rebellious governors and their sympathiszers for operating illegally, however vowed that the party will not hesitate to declare vacant, seats of the 26 senators and the 102 members of the House of Representatives, as well as other elected officers of the party that have dclared for the new PDP (nPDP).

But in a swift reaction, the chairman of nPDP and former Acting National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje described Bamanga Tukur and others who might not understand how party politics works, as jokers.

He said: “They are all jokers, they don’t know what party politics is. We are not surprised because he (Tukur) is ignorant of party politics. In any case, the process of declaring a seat vacant or recalling members of the National Assembly is well known in the constitution; to wake up and say he is going to recall people or declare their seats vacant is sheer ignorance. He is not fit to be called the National Chairman of the PDP.”

Speaking in a similar vein, spokesman of the House of Representatives, Rep. Zakari Mohammed said: “The man should go and read the Electoral Act and be guided as that will guide his utterances. This is about the law. What he does not understand is that when a party is factionalised, I can decide to say that I belong to PPA today, it doesn’t matter because it is public knowledge today that we have two factions of the PDP and nobody can pretend about it”.

Tukur’s statement

Alhaji Bamanga Tukur who simply read a two-page statement that was made up of eight paragraphs without taking any further questions from journalists said: “Gentlemen of the press, you are aware of the current developments in our great party. Our reason for being here is to inform you without any iota of doubt that the Peoples Democratic Party has no faction and there is neither room nor reason whatsoever for such a claim under any guise.

“The PDP has only one duly elected National Executive Committee (NEC) under my chairmanship. I wish therefore to state with all emphasis that any group of persons parading themselves as leaders of NEC or any other organ of our party are impostors and I urge all Nigerians, especially the security agencies and other institutions of democracy to regard them as such.

“Let me state categorically that the PDP as the sole custodian of the sacred mandate of over 160 million Nigerians and which in the last 14 years has lifted high the banner of democracy will not fold its arms while some undemocratic and unpatriotic elements destroy our common destiny by causing divisions and confusion among the people.

“Consequently, we shall ensure that any person who is not duly elected into any leadership position in our great party and has not been duly assigned any role but goes ahead to arrogate such to himself will be made to face the full wrath of the law.

“Similarly, all persons elected on the platform of our great party at all levels who identify with these enemies of the oneness and greatness of our party shall have their seats declared vacant as required by law.

“We shall leave no stone unturned to ensure that such persons and indeed any other individual who attempts to subvert the leadership of the PDP shall reap in full, the consequences of such actions.

“I wish to emphasize that the PDP has adequate mechanism for internal conflict resolution. All party members are, therefore, advised to ventilate their grievances through this medium. There is only one lawfully recognized PDP and I am firmly in charge. I thank you and may God bless you.”

Tukur’s confidence, it was learnt, followed President Goodluck Jonathan’s apparent rejection of the demands of the rebel governors at the Tuesday night meeting he had with loyalist governors.

At the meeting, President Jonathan was said to have flatly rejected the requests of the rebel governors that he should among others not contest the 2015 presidential contest.

Sources close to the presidency disclosed that the president was quoted as saying that he would not lose sleep over the matter saying “those who ignited the fire should go and quench it.”

A presidency source privy to the development was quoted as saying: “What is happening in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has nothing to do with the president; it is not his headache at all and he is not losing sleep over it.

“The president believes that those who ignited the crisis should also look for ways to put it off. And from security reports, former President Olusegun Obasanjo is behind it; he cannot start a crisis and now pretending to be finding a solution to it.”

Presidential aides it was learnt, are worried that former President Obasanjo and his associates may be determined to use the crisis to stop President Jonathan from seeking reelection using the opportunity offered by the crisis.

PDP urges court to commit Baraje, others to prison

The Bamanga Tukur-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has also urged a Federal High Court, Abuja, to commit to prison for alleged contempt of court, factional chairman of the party Alhaji Kawu Baraje, the faction’s National Secretary Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and Dr Sam Jaja.

The party wants the court to jail the three for a minimum of one year each for allegedly violating a judgment of the Federal High Court, delivered on January 11.

In the judgement delivered by the Federal High Court, which was said to have been violated by the alleged contemnors, the court had nullified Oyinlola’s candidacy as a nominee of the Southwest Zonal Chapter of the PDP.

The Tukur-led party however argued that Oyinlola, “with guilty knowledge” “appointed and declared” himself as the National Secretary of the PDP “for the purpose of rendering the judgment of this Honourable Court nugatory and of no effect.”

The motion on notice for committal of the alleged contemnors, filed yesterday, was brought pursuant to Order 35 of the Federal High Court Rules 2009.

Counsel to the PDP, Mr Ajibola Oluyede, who made the court processes available to newsmen at briefing in Lagos, said he was directed by the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur-led PDP to file the action.

He said they have also filed a Preliminary Objection against the suit filed by Oyinlola, Baraje and Jaja at the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja.

Kwara PDP backs Baraje

Meantime, Kwara State chapter of PDP, yesterday, aligned itself with the Kawu Baraje-led executive of the party, saying the PDP under the chairmanship of the Tukur-led executive council no longer exist.

The party leadership in the state expressed its resolve to back the Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje nPDP because of his sterling leadership qualities which brought the party to its peak when he held sway as the acting national chairman of the now troubled party.

The state chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Ishola Balogun Fulani speaking at a press conference at the party secretariat in Ilorin, recalled that Baraje was able to maturely handle all the crisis in the party to a minimal level and even won more electoral victories for the party.

According to Fulani, who was represented by his secretary, Prince Yemi Afolayan,”the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP has violated the constitutional breaches and its national working committee should vacate office in the interest of the growth of the PDP.

“It was under Bamanga Tukur-led national leadership that leaders of the party have been treating members without following due process, causing disaffection among members of the party.

“As far as the PDP is concerned now in Nigeria, Abubakar Kawu Baraje remains the only leader that can salvage the PDP from its present predicament and so Bamanga Tukur has gone”, he added.

According to him,”we are authentic PDP in Kwara and no one group can lay claim to it any where”. While describing the politicians behind the claim to PDP in the state as “hungry people”, the chairman stressed that,” Baraje remains our national chairman of new PDP and Senator Bukola Saraki is also our leader and no one can lay claim to the PDP leadership except the affected leaders”.

Tukur’s not in tune with realities—Ugochinyere

Also, a Chieftain of the New Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, has likened the purported threat by the embattled Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur to suspend lawmakers that have given support to Alhaji Kawu Baraje-led faction as a desperate crying speech of a reckless fisherman that had lost control of his boat.

Ikenga Ugochinyere who is the Convener of the New PDP Stakeholders Forum in a statement in Abuja, yesterday, said that Tukur was not in tune with realities on ground, accusing him of destroying a party that was once united.

The statement which was titled, “reaction to Bamanga Tukur’s drowning fisherman press conference” read: “The attention of the PDP Stakeholders Forum and die-hard supporters of the New PDP which is on a rescue mission has been drawn to the ranting and impotent statement made by the drowning PDP factional chairman Alhaji Bamanga Tukur to the emergence of the popular new leadership of the party.

“I want the press to know that the statement made by Tukur at his today’s (yesterday) press conference is nothing but a desperate crying speech of a reckless fisherman who has lost control of his boat as a result of recklessness and is fast sinking.

“We urge members of the party to ignore the speech like they have ignored the ranting of the impostor Chairman in the past.

“Tukur is not in tune with realities on the ground. We urge him to stop crying and bow his head in shame for destroying a united party. We dare him to use his impotent childish suspension option which has faded away with his dislodged rotten reign.

“As Tukur continues to hallucinate, more National Assembly members, members of the State Assemblies elected on the party’s platform, members at all levels, Governors, BoT (Board of Trustees) etc continue to join the new PDP rescue mission.

“Let nobody listen to a man who is not even a member of the party. Let him face the legal battle fired on him and forget noise making as he lacks the power to declare anybody’s seat vacant as such power is with us now,” he stated.

How it all started

It will be recalled that last week Saturday at the Special National Convention of PDP, there was crisis when the party split into two parallel National Working Committees, NWCs, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and seven northern governors staging a walk out to later address a press conference on the formation of a new PDP with governor Chibuike Amaechi in attendance.

Baraje had named himself the National Chairman and announced Sam Sam Jaja as Deputy National Chairman and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as National Secretary.

The governors who were at the venue of the convention until 2.45 pm last saturday when the names of candidates to be voted for were read and discovered that the name of the immediate past Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja was removed leaving only the former National Organising Secretary, Prince Uche Secondus as the sole candidate, with others screened out had to immediately leave for Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre to address the media.

They were governors Sule Lamido of Jigawa; Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara; Aliyu Babangida of Niger; Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto State; Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers; Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano; and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa.

Others were deputy governors of Sokoto, Murktar Shagari; Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano; Ahmed Musa Ibeto of Niger state; former governor of Kwara State, Senator Shaaba Lafiagi; former Acting National Chairman of PDP, Abubakar Kawu Baraje; former governor of Nasarawa state, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; immediate past National Secretary of PDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; immediate past Deputy National Chairman, Sam Sam Jaja; Senator Magnus Abe; chairman, House Committee on finance, Honourable Abdumumini Jibrin; Honourable Farouk Lawan, other members of the national assembly, state houses of assembly, among others.

It will also be recalled that Bamanga Tukur’s vexed address to members of the new party was coming barely twenty four hours after the leaders and Stakeholders of the party postponed the meeting earlier scheduled for Tuesday, just as the meeting was designed to brainstorm with the aggrieved governors as a way of nipping in the bud, the political quagmire.

The meeting was fixed to hold with President Goodluck Jonathan; Vice President Namadi Sambo; chairman, Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the aggrieved governors of Kano, Rivers; Sokoto; Niger; Kwara; Adamawa and Jigawa.

Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of PDP, Chief Tony Anenih who noted that some if aggrieved governors have genuine grievances, however explained that the peace talks, scheduled to continue in Abuja were postponed at the request of the governors of the party who stormed out of the venue of the party’s special national convention on Saturday.

According to Anenih, the peace talks with the aggrieved governors would now continue on Tuesday, next week, after selected party leaders would have met with former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday as part of wider consultations demanded by parties to the crisis.

He disclosed that the aggrieved governors told the Presidency and the PDP leadership that they needed more time to make wider consultations, just as he said the Presidency and the PDP leadership were not averse to wider consultations.

He had explained that the Presidency and PDP leadership were taking advantage of the postponement to also consult widely on how to amicably resolve the crisis, adding, “Part of the wider consultations is the meeting of selected party leaders with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday morning and thereafter, we will meet with the governors on Tuesday, next week.”
By HENRY UMORU, DEMOLA AKINYEMI & JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU : Vanguard