British MPs on Friday rejected Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal for leaving the European Union for a third time, raising the spectre of a “no deal” exit or a long delay to the process.
Sitting in an extraordinary session in the House of Commons, MPs rejected the text negotiated with European leaders last year by 344 votes to 286.
AFP
Manchester United have announced that current caretaker manager and former striker, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, has been appointed as the club’s full-time manager on a three-year contract.
Solskjær scored 126 goals in 366 appearances for United between 1996 and 2007 and also managed the club’s reserve team until the end of 2010.
He was appointed caretaker manager on 19 December 2018 and won his first eight games in charge on the way to an overall record of 14 victories and two draws in 19 games, amassing more Premier League points than any other club during that time.
“From the first day I arrived, I felt at home at this special club,” said Solskjær. “This is the job that I always dreamed of doing and I’m beyond excited to have the chance to lead the club long-term and hopefully deliver the continued success that our amazing fans deserve.”
Ed Woodward, Executive Vice Chairman, comments: “Since coming in as caretaker manager in December, the results Ole has delivered speak for themselves
The Court of Appeal sitting in Sokoto State, led by Justice Tom Yakubu, has set aside the judgement of a Zamfara High Court on the All Progressives Congress primary election that produced the party’s candidates for the governorship, National and State Assembly elections.
Detail later…
(NAN)
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has been re-elected for a second term.
The Returning Officer in the state, Professor Maimako Sebastian declared him winner after he polled 434,473 votes to beat his closest rival and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Emmanuel Jime who got 345,155 votes – a margin of 89,318.
The Bauchi state gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Bala Mohammed, has increased the margin of his lead in the governorship election.
Mohammed garnered 6,376 votes in the just concluded re-run election, as against 5,117 votes scored by incumbent governor Mohammed Abdullahi of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Result of the re-run was announced in Bauchi on Sunday by the governorship election Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Kyari, Vice Chancellor of Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola.
Kyari however said he was not in a position to make any pronoumement regarding the overall winner of the governorship election in the state due to the suit before a Federal High Court, Abuja over the collation of results in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that outcome of the election in respect of 19 out of the 20 Local Government Areas in the state, earlier conducted on March 9, indicated that Mohammed polled 469,512 votes while Abubakar scored 465, 453 votes.
With the release of the re-run election result, conducted in 36 polling units across 15 Local Government Areas, the total votes scored by Mohammed increased to 475,888 votes, while that of Abubakar rose to 470, 570 votes, a difference of 5,318 votes.
With the conclusion of the supplementary elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state is awaiting the decision of the Federal High Court in Abuja on the collation of results of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area, before determining the governor-elect.
Incumbent governor, Mohammed Abubakar, had dragged INEC to court to challenge the decision of the electoral body directing the continuation of collation of results of the area, having earlier declared same as inconclusive.
Judgement on the matter had been fixed for Monday, March 25.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), on Tuesday, urged Nigerians to brace for an increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) by between 35 and 50 per cent in 2019.
This will raise the VAT from the current five per cent to between 6.75 and 7.25 per cent.
The Chairman of FIRS, Mr Babatunde Fowler, dropped the hint when he appeared alongside other top officials in the Federal Ministry of Finance before the Senate Committee on Finance in Abuja.
He said the impending VAT increase was one of the areas being looked at by FIRS to meet its 2019 revenue generation target of N8 trillion.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the officials appeared before the committee to give details of the 2019-2021 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper.
Fowler’s announcement came shortly after the Senate passed the National Minimum Wage Act (Amendment) Bill in which it approved N30, 000 as the new minimum wage for the workers in the country. (NAN)
Otunba Gbenga Daniel, former Governor of Ogun State, has resign from active politics.
He has also resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In his letter to the national chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, Daniel said he decided to leave the scene to “rejuvenate my charity based organization, the Gateway Front Foundation (GFF) which will literally continue to dispense succor to our people in need, address and assist in the areas of some of their health challenges.
“I also plan on resuscitation of the non-partisan Political Leadership Academy (POLA) which I established some years ago as a platform of political education to our citizens.”
Full text of letter below
The National Chairman,
Peoples Democratic Party,
Wadata Plaza, Michael Okpara Street
Wuse Zone II, Abuja
Attention: Prince Uche Secondus
Mr. Chairman,
Resignation from Partisan Politics
This is to inform you of my intention to resign from active and partisan politics with effect from today, the 14th day of March, 2019.
My decision in this regard is entirely personal to me and having served in various capacities, including as Governor of Ogun State, I have resolved to immerse myself in some other vocations and take on some new challenges.
Preamble
My Political Journey so far
I joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State on Sunday, the 9th of September, 2001 at an event which was described as one of the most ceremonial political rallies in our recent political history in the South Western part of Nigeria. We rose from that rally to create a highly robust and effective political campaign machinery which resulted in an electoral victory for the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State in 2003; this movement and vibration affected the politics of the region positively with a victory in five (5) states of the South West.
I served as Governor of Ogun State for eight (8) years and our administration till today remains a point of reference in terms of physical, social, economic, educational and human capital development since the State was created in 1976.
Notwithstanding these widely acclaimed achievements however, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party ran into trouble waters towards the end of our administration (about the year 2009) which led to the sad loss in the election of 2011, and regrettably ten (10) years after the party has been unable to resolve those internal disputes and challenges.
Meanwhile, the PDP in Ogun State was confronted with a very difficult situation in matter of choice. Whereas the national leadership of our party, recognized one candidate for the 2019 election, by court pronouncements another candidate, and in compliance with those court orders, which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognized was on the INEC list. The candidates recognized by INEC were not acceptable to the national leadership of the party. Our situation was then compounded because the candidate which the court and INEC recognized and accepted as valid has also been expelled by the party. This was the dilemma we found ourself as we approached the March 9, 2019 Governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
Going forward, we have responded to the yearnings of our people and joined others in emplacing an administration that we believe will better serve the interests of our people than what currently exists. The rest they say is now history.
I must say that looking back, I do not have any regrets over that patriotic choice and decision, especially as several of our citizens, leaders and stakeholders in the state and outside have commended that singular action. Many stakeholders within and outside Ogun State feel fulfilled, excited and grateful about our decision to join others in putting a stop to a regime that was believed to be against the collective and general welfare of our people.
Let me also add, that in the last few months, I have had one of the rare privileges of traveling round the entire length and breadth of our great country on at least two occasions; the first being during my campaigns to become the National Chairman of our great party, and later as the Director General of the Atiku Presidential Campaign Organization (APCO).
I must sincerely admit that in the course of all these travels, I have built a network of contacts, of friends and associates in a mutually rewarding relationships which I cherished most and greatly too. I am therefore persuaded that I have fewer points to make and prove in my Political journeys in partisan politics.
My decision to quit partisan politics notwithstanding, I have decided to rejuvenate my charity based organization, the Gateway Front Foundation (GFF) which will literally continue to dispense succor to our people in need, address and assist in the areas of some of their health challenges; I also plan on resuscitation of the non-partisan Political Leadership Academy (POLA) which I established some years ago as a platform of political education to our citizens.
Without doubt, I will miss the company of my friends and associates and all those relationships I built in the course of the years all over the country..
While I crave for your kind understanding, accept assurances of my highest regards.
Yours faithfully,
Otunba (Engr.) Gbenga Daniel, FNSE, FNAEng
Governor of Ogun State (2003-2011).
Cc:
His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar GCON
Chairman, Board of Trustees (PDP)
The Headquarters of the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF) has said the leadership of Boko Haram is in disarray after a sustained air and land operation, tagged Operation Yancin Tafki.
A statement yesterday from the spokesperson of the MNJTF, Colonel Timothy Antigha in N’Djamena, Chad said, “information from captured and defected Boko Haram fighters indicates that the leadership of Boko Haram terrorist network has been overwhelmed and are currently in disarray.”
He said, “The former fighters who are receiving humane attention further divulged that morale and fighting spirit of Boko Haram fighters is very low as a result of growing insecurity and the inability to replenish stranded fighters in the islands with food, medicine, and ammunition.”
He recalled that an integral part of Operation Yancin Tafki has been a series of well-coordinated day and night Human Intelligence as well as Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
He said these are conducted by the Air Forces of the Lake Chad Basin countries; Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria, leading to successful and devastating air interdictions.
He said the morale of the terror fighters is at its lowest, while desperation has also set in, leading to intrigues and in-fighting.
Atigha said, “reliable sources say internal crisis led to change of Boko Haram leadership on 3 March 2019, it could be recalled that the Islamic State West Africa Province announced the sack of the former Boko Haram Chief, Abu Mus’ab AL Barnawi and the appointment of Abu Abdullahi Ibn Umar AL Barnawi.”
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for declaring elections in some states inconclusive.
INEC had announcement postponement of polls in Benue, Sokoto, Adamawa, Rivers and Adamawa, amid accusations that it was a plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) federal government to overturn likely victories of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Reacting, the PDP presidential candidate, warned INEC to be on the part of the people.
He tweeted: “Anti-democratic forces are at work. My counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission is as follows: Conclude on the side of democracy.
“Conclude on the side of the people. Conclude on the side of the constitution. Conclude o the side of Nigeria.”
Earlier, the PDP advised INEC to end its alleged manipulative schemes and immediately declare the result of the March 9, 2019 governorship elections in affected states.
Kola Ologbondinyan, in a statement, said the development was a premeditated plan by the APC-led Federal Government to use the instrument of INEC and security agencies to truncate the wishes of the people.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Abba Kabir-Yusuf, has got the highest number of votes from results of the 44 Local Governments in Kano State.
He has won the governorship election in Nasarawa Local Government Area, the only local government that delayed the final announcement of governorship election result in the state.
After collation of results from 10 wards of the local government, PDP scored 54,349 votes while the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), scored 34,297 votes.
President Muhammadu Buhari has sacked the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
CBN sources told Elombah News that Emefiele has also been asked to hand over to an unnamed successor within 2 weeks.
Details shortly…
A federal high court in Kano, on Monday, sacked the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in the state, Abba Yusuf.
This development is coming exactly five (5) days to the governorship and state house of assembly election
The court nullified the primary election that led to Yusuf’s emergence as the party’s candidate in the election.
Yusuf, who is the anointed governorship candidate of Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, is the main challenger of the incumbent governor of the state, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
A PDP gubernatorial aspirant, Ali Amin-little, had approached the court, challenging the process that led to his emergence as PDP gubernatorial candidate.
In his ruling, the judge, Lewis Allagoa, said the PDP did not conduct governorship primary election in Kano.
He ordered that the PDP conduct fresh primary election between today and Saturday, March 9.
