TELL IT

By Charles Mgbolu Nollywood actress Stella Damasus and Senator Yerima were both guests on 'The Stream' a programme aired on International News Network Al Jazeera. They went head-to-head on the controversial issue of Child marriage. [caption id="attachment_412368" align="alignnone" width="412"] *Stella, Yerima[/caption] Senator Yerima re-affirmed that he married his fourth wife when she was 14 years and they both now have a son together. He said he finds nothing wrong with his actions, claiming that his 14 year-old wife had reciprocated his feelings. Stella Damascus counter-argued, citing several Child rights charters signed by Nigeria concerning marriage and the rights of the girl-child. She insisted that those breaking the agreements should be labelled criminals and prosecuted. Watch the rest of their engaging argument here...  

By EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR One-time spokesman of the House of Representatives and currently Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on National Assembly Matters, Hon. Chijioke Edeoga weekend spoke with selected journalists on various national issues. Excerpts: S ome people like Orji Uzor Kalu claim President Goodluck Jonathan will truncate the chances of the Igbo presidency if he contests in 2015. Do you agree? They are entitled to their opinions so far they fall within the ambit of the law. Orji Kalu and people who share his views can also test their popularity. Orji Kalu can speak for himself or any platform of his, but not on behalf of Igbo people neither can I speak for the rest of the Igbo people. The Igbo are wise enough to cast their votes where they feel they are best protected. I sincerely believe that if Jonathan declares an interest to contest for the presidency in 2015, a majority of the Igbo will vote for him based on his scorecard in office and for the ...

BY VINCENT UJUMADU AWKA- RESULT of the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress, APC, conducted in all the 326 wards in Anambra State Monday for the selection of the party’s candidate for the November 16 election has been announced. [caption id="attachment_180769" align="alignright" width="288"] Dr Chris Nwabueze Ngige[/caption] Senator Chris Ngige scored 53255 votes to defeat Chief Godwin Ezemo who scored 9554 votes. The result was announced at the Emmaus House, Awka collation center by the chairman of the primaries committee, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau. Shekarau commended members of the party in all the wards in the state for their peaceful conduct during and after the exercise.

Abuja -  Special Adviser to the President on Political Affair, Ahmed Gulak, said on Monday in Abuja that the PDP had uncovered the moles in its fold sent to destabilise the party. Gulak stated this in an interview with State House correspondents shortly after a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. [caption id="attachment_364348" align="alignnone" width="412"] Gulak[/caption] He was reacting to the crisis in PDP which deepened on Saturday when some governors walked out of the party’s special national convention to form a splinter group. Gulak, who did not specifically name the moles, alleged that they were sent by the opposition with the aim of breaking the party. ``The opposition out there wants the party to split and there are moles. ``They sent moles in the cloak of PDP. ``We have discovered them and Insha –Allah (God’s willing), all PDP stakeholders, especially our field commanders who are governors have discovered...

By Henry Umoru ABUJA- SENATOR Ahmad Rufai Sani, ANPP, Zamfara West Wednesday said that under the Islamic law, a girl was considered ripe for marriage based on her physical and mental maturity and not necessarily age, just as he stressed that situations could arise where a very big girl was ready for marriage at age 14, 15, 16 as obtained in other countries. According to him, the 1999 Constitution does not in any way provide for any specific age when a girl could be married, but was quick to add that the same constitution stipulates that any girl aspiring to be married must attain a full age. Speaking Wednesday in an interview on the ‘Kakaaki’ aired programme by the African Independent Television (AIT), Senator Ahmad Sani who denied backing the child marriages during the clause by clause voting on the report of the Senator Ike Ekweremadu led Constitution review, said insinuations that he supported child marriage during the exercise were untrue, misleading and however attributed that ent...

BY DAUD OLATUNJI ABEOKUTA-Former  Presidential candidate of the defunct Nigeria Advance Party (NAP)  Dr. Tunji Braithwaite on Tuesday, faulted the planned centenary anniversary of Nigeria's amalgamation by the presidency in 2014, describing it as a celebration of slavery and bad history. The Human Rights Activist and lawyer who wondered why despite the myriad of problems confronting the country, coupled with the level of poverty, the Federal government still plans to celebrate the Centenary anniversary of the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914, lamented  that the deplorable state of infrastructure in the country and  the precarious security situation are enough reason to halt the celebration. [caption id="attachment_315014" align="alignnone" width="412"] Dr. Tunji Braithwaite[/caption] Speaking  as guest Lecturer at the 2013 Jesus Carnival, 37th Diocesan Anniversary and 170th Year of Christianity in Egbaland in Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital ,Dr. Brait...

SENATORS WHO VOTED YES 1. Sen. Abdulmumin M. Hassan (Jigawa SouthWest, PDP) 2. Sen. Abdullahi Danladi (Jigawa NorthWest, PDP) 3. Sen. Adamu Abdullahi (Nasarawa West, PDP) 4. Sen. Ahmed Barata (Adamawa South, PDP) 5. Sen. Akinyelure Ayo (Ondo Central, Labour Party) [caption id="attachment_406253" align="alignnone" width="412"] UNDERAGE MARRIAGE: SENATORS WHO VOTED YES[/caption] 6. Sen. Alkali Saidu A. (Gombe North, PDP) 7. Sen. Bagudu Abubakar A. (Kebbi Central, PDP) 8. Sen. Dahiru Umaru (Sokoto South, PDP) 9. Sen. Galaudu Isa (Kebbi North, PDP) 10. Sen. Garba Gamawa (Bauchi North, PDP) 11. Sen. Danjuma Goje Mohammed (Gombe Central, PDP) 12. Sen. Gobir Ibrahim (Sokoto East, PDP) 13. Sen. Gumba Adamu Ibrahim (Bauchi South, PDP) 14. Sen. Hadi Sirika (Katsina North, CPC) 15. Sen. Ibrahim Bukar Abba (Yobe East, ANPP) [caption id="attachment_406243" align="alignnone" width="412"] UNDERAGE MARRIAGE: SENATORS WHO VOTED YES[/caption]...

By Chris Ochayi ABUJA - The Barrister Maxi Okwu’s led faction of All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA, yesterday said that the timetable released by the National Secretary of the party, Alhjai Sani Shinkafi for the November 16,  2013 Governorship election in Anambra State was fake. Barrister Okwu, who claimed in a statement issued in Abuja that his faction was the authentic, therefore, warned aspirants against picking the N2 million for expression of interest announced by Alhaji shinkafi. According to him, “the attention of the All Progressives Grand Alliance has been drawn to a purported party timetable released by one Alhaji Sani Shinkafi demanding N2 million for expression of interest form from aspirants wishing to contest the 16th November, 2013 Governorship election in Anambra State. “The authentic APGA leadership with Barr. Maxi Okwu as National Chairman dissociates itself from the fake timetable and N2million fee imposed on aspirants and warn party members to be wary of the anti...

By Henry Umoru ABUJA- AHEAD the 2015 Presidential election, Northern elders and youths yesterday stormed the National Secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Abuja to endorse President Goodluck Jonathan for the exalted position, just as they pleaded with him to make himself available and vie. The elders and youths came under the aegis of three groups, Northern Elders Forum,  North/South New Nigeria Forum, Fresh Air Continuity Group of North West and Northern PDP Youth. The groups - led by a former Education Minister under the  late Gen Abacha's regime and former Presidential Aspirant of All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, Dr Dauda Birmah,  on a solidarity visit to the PDP national Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur - declared that the North would ever be grateful to the PDP led Government of President Jonathan for creating a conducive atmosphere that made the release of the former Chief Security Adviser to late Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha possible after over 1...

By Henry Umoru ABUJA- NATIONAL chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has described the alleged suspension of former governor of Ekiti State, Chief Ayodele Fayose from the party by a faction of the PDP as a violation of  laid down procedures and cannot stand. According to Tukur, the move was an affront on the national leadership of the party without the consent of Tukur led National Working Committee, NWC, just as he  expressed surprise that such a far reaching decision involving a former Governor and a Gubernatorial Aspirant of the Party can be taken by the State Chapter without  due consultations and consent of the National Leadership of the Party. [caption id="attachment_210325" align="alignnone" width="412"] Former Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, outside the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti, after yesterday's sitting.[/caption] In a statement by his Special Assistant, Media, Prince Oliver Okpala Special Assistant,  ...

By SAM EYOBOKA, SOLA OGUNDIPE, HENRY UMORU & JOSEPH ERUNKE ABUJA— SENATE President, David Mark, yesterday, said proponents of Section 29 (4)(b) in the constitution hid under religious guise to get the section sail through during last week’s clause-by-clause voting in the on-going constitution amendment process. He said it was time Nigerians shunned religion when dealing with sensitive issues if the country must forge ahead. Already, the Christian Association of Nigerian, CAN, has concluded plans to mobilize Nigerians to protest the non-amendment of provisions of the Constitution, just as the Paediatric Association of Nigeria, PAN, has called for immediate reinstatement of the age of marriage to 18 years. Religious sentiment Mark, who said but for religious sentiment that was injected into the voting period, the section in question which tends to give support to underage marriage, would have been completely deleted from the nation’s constitution. [caption id="attachment_405725...

BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI Penultimate Tuesday’s life threatening mace attack on Michael Chinda by a colleague at the Rivers State House of Assembly (RVHA) which heralded the current crisis in Rivers State is still on the front burner of public debate. While that violent episode of the fractured Rivers Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) saga is still simmering, this week recorded fresh episodes in the diary of the crisis, coincidentally on another Tuesday. [caption id="attachment_399663" align="alignnone" width="412"] Patience, Amaechi and Jonathan[/caption] Four Northern governors on a solidarity visit to Governor Rotimi Amaechi in Port Harcourt were allegedly waylaid and stoned by placard-carrying youths, and their welcome party was not left out of the melee which occurred at the Port Harcourt International Airport. As with penultimate Tuesday’s chaos, the reported stoning of the governors fuelled another round of accusations and counter-accusations by both warri...

PRINCE KASSIM AFEGBUA is the Special Adviser to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on Media Affairs and ex-image maker for former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (Rtd). In this off-the-cuff interview with GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE in Benin City, he explained the rationale behind the state government’s recent ban on  commercial motorcycles ‘Okada’, ongoing construction of the Airport Road in the state, succession planning for 2016 and more. Excerpt T here appears to be a slowdown in governmental activities in the state compared to the zeal of the Governor during his first tenure in office. What is your take on this? We journalists have a way of  throwing up questions and insinuations just to create the news. You see, the Comrade Governor has not slowed down. [caption id="attachment_404819" align="alignright" width="252"] PRINCE KASSIM AFEGBUA[/caption] If you listened to him about two or three weeks ago, he told his audience that he is going to complete the proj...

Adedeji Doherty is a chairmanship aspirant for the Lagos State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and organising Secretary for the South-West. A professional engineer who doubles as   Chairman of Dain Group, he recently spoke with Olasunkanmi Akoni on a number of burning national issues such as the PDP’s internal problems, its chances in Lagos ahead of 2015 and more. Excerpts: H ow would  you assess the current political terrain in the country? I think the political terrain in the country right now is something that everybody can see. Good enough, the democracy in the country is developing. It is reaching a point where the electorate have a good idea of what good governance is supposed to mean and what it is supposed to give them. I believe that if one looks at the political terrain, a lot of things have to change as democracy is evolving. [caption id="attachment_404801" align="alignright" width="221"] Adedeji Doherty[/caption] First, the poli...

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM BENIN— Former Edo State representative on the Board of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Mr. Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, yesterday, said that only Nigerians can stop President Goodluck Jonathan from contesting for a second term and not Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF. Iduoriyekemwen, who also ran for the governorship primaries of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 2012 in Edo State, said it would be unfair to judge the President’s performance with just two years in office. He added that those accusing the President of not performing were those no longer benefitting from a corrupt system. He accused the North of sponsoring Boko Haram so as to distract President Jonathan and also denied that the Presidency had anything to do Rivers State political crisis. The PDP chieftain said: “The war is between the political gladiators in Rivers State and not the presidency. They are fighting for their selfish interests and people should stop accusing the President of involvement....

*Say North williingly conceded power to the South in 2011 *Condemn Rivers crisis By Luka Binniyat KADUNA—AREWA Consultative Forum, ACF, and the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, have unanimously resolved to ensure that power returned to the  Northern part of Nigeria in 2015. The groups also said the North willingly conceded power to the south in 2011, to give the zone a feeling of belonging. Briefing newsmen yesterday in Kaduna, spokesman of the groups, Prof. Ango Abdullahi called on President Goodluck Jonathan to order an immediate cessation of hostilities in Rivers State and stop using the Nigeria Police to settle  political disputes. His words: ‘’The fact that we don’t  come out in shouting matches and in abusive languages styles and so on sometimes gives the wrong impression that we do not have deep rooted  concern  for ourselves about 2015. This is not truth.  The South South is a tiny enclave of a few people, perhaps not bigger than Kaduna state. ‘’The north is determined and is insist...