Michael Ojuroye Initiative (Ngo)

Interim National Chairman, All Progressive Congress, Chief Bisi Akande Despite its growing acceptability within the country’s political circle, all appears not to be well with the All Progressives Congress as a crisis over power sharing and control is brewing in the party. Investigation by Saturday PUNCH showed that the five governors, who defected to the APC from the Peoples Democratic Party, were locked in a supremacy battle with some leaders of the three political parties that merged to form the APC. The parties that merged to form APC are the Action Congress of Nigeria, All Nigeria Peoples Party and the Congress for Progressive Change. Saturday PUNCH’s investigations in Abuja on Thursday showed that the looming crisis was threatening the nationwide membership registration, which the party had scheduled for early this year. To forestall problem, however, the party has set up reconciliation committees in some of the affected states. The governors, who left the PDP...

President Goodluck The Presidency on Friday denied a statement credited to a Kenyan lady that President Goodluck Jonathan recently visited her country in seven private aircraft. Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, in a message on his Twitter handle, described the statement as a blatant lie. He said Jonathan traveled to Kenya with only one aircraft. In a video which has gone viral on YouTube and other social media platforms, the Kenyan lady was heard saying, “Your (Nigerian) President visited our country with seven private jets. That has never happened before, we were all excited, ‘this is Nigeria, it is the country with the highest number of private jets.’ Seven private jets, I know there could be more but for us, that is still wao! They all came in their private jets.” The video was Twitted by Nigerians including a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufa’i, forcing Abati to react. While the presidential spokes...

Isreal Government A former senator, Chief Anthony Agbo, on Saturday urged the Federal Government to enter into extensive security pact with the U.S. and Israel to check insecurity in the country. Agbo, the immediate past senator representing Ebonyi North senatorial zone, gave the advice at Mgbo, Ohaukwu Local Government Area, Ebonyi, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria. He said that the pact would provide the needed platform for the government to check the rising wave of terrorism and other related security challenges that confronts it. “Our security agencies are trying their best but it is obvious that they are being confronted with highly organised and complicated situation. “Nigeria is facing its greatest security challenge since the end of the civil war. These countries (U.S. and Israel) are the world’s best in checking terrorism and related acts,” he said. “The pact will not connote interference with Nigeria’s internal affairs as it will not necessarily mean inva...

A truck packed with explosives blew up in a city north of Baghdad yesterday, killing at least 19 people, as security forces and allied tribesmen fought an uprising by al-Qaida-linked militants who overran police stations in several Sunni cities. The truck blew up on Thursday evening in a busy commercial street in the city of Balad Ruz, 45 miles (70km) northeast of Baghdad, destroying several shops. At least 19 people were killed and 37 wounded, according to security officials and health officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Shiite-led government is trying to contain the eruption of militant violence in mainly Sunni Anbar province. The unrest has been fuelled in part by moves by the authorities including the arrest of a senior Sunni politician on terrorism charges and the dismantling of a months-old Sunni sit-in protest. In an apparent bid to assuage Sunni claims of bias, security forces also arrested a controversial Shiite cleric who leads an Iranian-backed militia...

Mr. Chidi Lloyd THE Rivers State Police Command said it had arrested the Leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr. Chidi Lloyd, for the alleged murder of his kinsman, Mr. Kingsley Ejeuo and a police sergeant, Urang Obediah. A statement made available to The PUNCHon Thursday night indicated that Lloyd was purportedly arrested on his way to join the state Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, in his private jet in order to escape justice. The statement sent via e-mail by the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ahmad Mohammad, specified that Lloyd knocked down Obediah while pursuing Ejeuo, identified to be his political opponent. Lloyd, who was still standing trial for his involvement in the fracas that took place in the State House on July 9, 2013, was said to have rammed into Ejeuo’s Passat car with a bulletproof vehicle and killed him (Ejeo). The police command pointed out that it had initially thought it was an auto accident until Lloyd relocated to another hospital, ...

 Tragedy struck in Umuogwuta, Ndegwu, Owerri West local council area of Imo State, as a lady who was giving her testimony during the New Year service suddenly collapsed and died. A villager, who spoke to Vanguard on ground of anonymity, said: “The Lagos-based lady, Ifeoma Anozie, collapsed and died while giving her testimony inside Saint John’s Anglican Church, Ndegwu.” Vanguard also gathered that Ifeoma returned to her country home not to only give testimony about her achievements in the passing year, but also felicitate with her kith and kin. “The lady had hardly commenced her testimony when she suddenly slumped and died in front of the officiating  cleric and left the congregation completely perplexed,” the villager said. Speaking also on the issue, a woman who simply identified herself as Felicia, lamented that what ordinarily should have been a double celebration for the Anozie family suddenly turned sour. “The church service was designed to be a double celebration for ...

President Goodluck Jonathan The year 2014, being the last year before  the next round of general elections is  bound to be decisive as politicians from  across different political hues take  position. Some Nigerians who are bound  to direct the pace of political activities  in the country are mentioned underneath President Goodluck Jonathan will be the centre of action in the coming year. As president of the country eligible for a second term, the pace and posture of his politics would largely determine the pattern of political activities in 2014. President Jonathan who had in the past pooh-poohed questions on whether he would seek re-election had said that he would make his plans known in 2014. With that year now at hand, the president can no longer wave aside a response to the issue. Will he or will he not? Though his body language has all but indicated that the president would be contesting the election, it is not impossible for him ...