Good Morning! Today in the news.

NASS Siege: Hold Jonathan responsible – Tinubu


Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu while reacting to the NASS gate lock down said that “No Commissioner of Police will ever embark on such an action without the clearance of the Inspector General of police and no IGP will order his men out  without approval by the Presidency. Nigerians know where the buck stops. The Jonathan Presidency must take full responsibility for the attack on the leadership of the National Assembly.” 

Jonathan’s performance as President Below Average – Obasanjo

Nigeria’s former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, on Friday delivered a damning verdict on the performance of the Goodluck Jonathan administration, describing it as “below average”.
Speaking at the ongoing Ake Arts and Book Festival in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Mr. Obasanjo also said security is the greatest danger Nigeria is currently facing.
“I rate this current administration below average,” Mr. Obasanjo said in response to a question about Mr. Jonathan’s performance.
The former president also said he deserved credit for helping an individual from a minority tribe become Nigeria’s President.
“Rather than take blame for bringing Jonathan to power, I should be taking credit,” he added.

T.B. Joshua asks court to block his summons over Synagogue building collapse.

In an application filled before Justice Lateefa Okunnu of the Lagos High court in Ikeja, SCOAN  pastor TB Joshua asked the court to prohibit the coroner court of Lagos State and Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe who presided over the court, from exceeding their jurisdiction in investigating the disaster.
Below is his application:

 “The coroner who relied on his personal knowledge of the facts of the case is not a proper person to preside at the inquest. Adding that the coroner relied on extraneous matters not borne out of the records to reach his conclusion that the 2nd applicant (T.B Joshua) is a necessary witness when in fact is not is a breach of the rules of natural justice and fair hearing.
“Prohibiting the coroner from conducting further inquest/proceedings for reasons of his bias/likelihood of bias and for and/or from taking evidence/proceedings relating to the construction of the collapsed building which facts are clearly outside the scope of a coroner’s inquest.
“An order prohibiting the respondent from insisting on the personal attendance of the 2nd applicant as such will be without or in excess of jurisdiction, unconstitutional and lawful; restrain the respondents as presently constituted from further conducting any inquest into the collapsed building of SCOAN, as 2nd respondent has demonstrated personal interest in the subject matter and his neutrality clearly compromised”.
Mr. Joshua also sought an order restraining the coroner from continuing to take evidence/proceedings on the issue of approval and construction of the collapsed building which issues are clearly outside the scope of a coroner’s inquest.

TAMBUWAL PICKS SOKOTO GOVERNORSHIP FORM


The speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, has obtained nomination forms to contest as governor of Sokoto State.
The speaker will contest on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The Speaker picked his nomination form in his home state, Sokoto, on Friday, three days after he dropped his ambition to run for the office of the president.
Mr. Tambuwal’s spokesperson, Imam Imam, confirmed on Twitter on Friday that the speaker has obtained the forms.
“I am here to honour the call of Sokoto people to return home and serve,” Mr. Imam tweeted the Speaker saying. “I am here to continue the work of our leader, Governor Aliyu Wammakko.”
Mr. Tambuwal is believed to be favoured by the state’s governor to succeed him.

Katsina Governor, Shema, caught on video urging supporters to “crush”, “kill” political opponents

A video depicting the Katsina Governor, Ibrahim Shema, prodding his party members to physically assault and possibly “kill” opposition politicians in the state, has gone viral on the internet.
The amateur video was first posted on the internet on November 12.
It shows the governor, dressed in white agbada and brown sandals, standing on a red carpet, and addressing a crowd in what seemed like a political rally. He spoke in Hausa.
Mr. Shema likened opposition politicians to “cockroaches” before asking the crowd what to do if they found the nocturnal insect in their apartments.
The crowd chorused “Kill them!”
“Crush them!” the governor responded, agreeing with the crowd.

Watch the video.....

We Will Not Recognise Outcome Of Any Rigged Elections – APC

In a statement issued in Lagos on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said that what Gov. Rotimi Amaechi said at the APC’s Salvation Rally, which has now rankled the presidency into a state of delirium, was simply to reiterate the stand taken by the party before the last Osun State Governorship election.

”Those who are fretting about this statement are those who are planning to rig the elections and they should be warned that Nigerians will no longer accept the outcome of any fraudulent polls. Those who incite the people are those who steal their mandate.

”What we made is a conditional statement. If A happens, then B will follow. That means if elections are not rigged, there will be no problem. It is therefore laughable that anyone will call that statement treasonable,” it said, adding that there is no higher treason than the subversion of the people’s will.

”Let us remind the presidency, in case it has forgotten, that election fraud triggered a civil war in Algeria in the early 1990s, led to the killing of over 1,000 people in post-election riots in Kenya in 2007/2008 and fired a near revolution in Iran in 2009/2010. Electoral frauds also corrupt democracy and breed dictatorship, and risks making the people to lose confidence in democracy. Why then would any government react violently if warned against election rigging?” the party queried.

OUSTED EKITI SPEAKER, DR.OMIRIN TAKES PDP LAWMAKERS TO COURT


The embattled Speaker of the Ekiti State Assembly, Dr. Adewale Omirin, and his deputy, Tunji Orisalade, have approached an Abuja Federal High Court for the restoration of all their rights and privileges.

The duo were impeached on Thursday by 10 persons who sat in the chambers, among whom were three individuals whose identities have remained unknown.
A member of the Peoples Democratic Party’s caucus, Mr. Dele Olugbemi, who had acted as pro tem Speaker during the controversial Monday’s plenary was elected as the new Speaker.

The lawmakers replaced Orisalade with a female lawmaker who recently defected from the APC to the PDP, Mrs. Abeni Olayinka, representing Ado Constituency 2.

The APC have branded the three as “fake legislators and impersonators,” challenging the seven PDP lawmakers to unveil their identities.

In the originating summons with suit no FHC/ Abj/Cs/885/14 filed on Thursday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, the plaintiffs presented 12 prayers before the court.

The originating summons is supported with a 14-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Mr. Patrick Bisong, a litigation clerk in the chambers of Tunji Abayomi and Co.

Omirin and Orisalade also filed an interlocutory application in which they are seeking a mandatory order directing the defendants to immediately open their offices and restore any and all aides and benefits to them pending the determination of the suit.


DAMAGE CONTROL;PDP REPS MOVE AGAINST PLANS TO IMPEACH JONATHAN


The Peoples Democratic Party members of the House of Representatives have begun mobilising against moves by All Progressives Congress lawmakers to impeach President Goodluck Jonathan.

House insiders confided in Saturday PUNCH that members were advised against listening to their APC colleagues, especially now that the country was facing serious security challenges.

The message to all members was that any impeachment of the President would only worsen the situation of the country, “with obvious consequences for our democracy and all Nigerians.”

One source said, “This is just not the time to talk about impeachment.

“The PDP caucus will stop them; what we should be talking about is how to address the security situation in the country.

“There is insurgency and the extension of the state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, which was rejected by the House on Thursday.

“That is what we should concern ourselves with, not impeachment that will do nobody any good.”