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Atiku signs peace accord, asks Buhari to sign electoral bill BTS MEDIA  December 12,2018  The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday appeared before the National Peace Committee convened by Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd) and Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Fr. Mathew Hassan Kukah, where he signed the peace accord for the 2019 general elections. Speaking shortly after signing the peace deal, Atiku commended President Muhammadu Buhari for accepting to sign the accord, but also advised him to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018. “I commend the President for accepting to sign the peace agreement. But let me also advise him to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill”, Atiku said at the event witnessed by many PDP stakeholders and supporters. Those at the event included, the PDP national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus; former governor of Ogun S...

2019: ELECTION IS ‘FREEDOM FROM BONDAGE IN LAGOS – Jimi Agbaje The federal house of representative, Ikorodu constituency candidate of the PDP, Hon. Popoola Omotolani flagged off her campaign on Sunday 9 th December at Ikorodu, Lagos State.           The event which had in attendance party leaders, the Party Governorship candidate as well as the party members was a good opportunity for Lagos PDP to show that they are ready to end the reign of the ruling party, the APC in the state.           The Governorship candidate, ‘Jimi Agbaje’ was impressed with the large turnout of party member. He said the election for 2019 is a “Freedom from Bandage” from the present government of the state. He described Hon. Popoola as a candidate with a very great capacity, saying the party trusted in her capacity to give better representation to Ikorodu constituency in the house of representative. ...

Ajimobi shows support for state police BTS MEDIA  December 11,2018  Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State has called for the establishment of state police to curb crime in the country. Ajimobi made the call at the inauguration of the Oyo State Safe City Control Centre aimed at improving the security network in the state. “As important as concepts such as democracy is, go around the world and see the best of democracies, there is none of them without its state police, all the states in America, France and other countries. “State police will be staffed with people from the local communities where they have deep knowledge about the terrain and the inhabitants therein. That is why no crime goes unsolved in the western world,” he said. Ajimobi said that the control centre was one of his administration’s efforts to ensure the restoration and sustenance of peace in the state. “Before our administration came on board in 2011, what we had in the state was hooliganism, ...

FG, ASUU reach partial consensus BTS MEDIA  December 11,2018  The Federal Government and the striking  Academic Staff Union of Universities have reached a partial agreement, Dr Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, announced on Monday. Ngige made the announcement at a reconciliation meeting in Abuja aimed at finding ways of resolving the strike which commenced on November 5. He said, “we have finished our deliberation for today. I am happy to report that we touched some areas of understanding in implementation from the Memorandum of Action which we agreed to in 2017. “Some of these areas we have substantial compliance and some other areas have not been fully dealt with. “Like the issue of shortfall in salaries of some Federal Universities’ workers and lecturers,  ASUU has given a list to the Accountant-General’s Office and we have agreed that by Wednesday that list should be cross-checked by the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Au...

FG to inaugurate new Abuja airport terminal before Dec 31, says FAAN MD BTS MEDIA  December 11,2018  Mr Saleh Dunoma, Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, says the new terminal building of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport will be inaugurated before the end of December. The  News Agency of Nigeria  reports that Dunoma gave the assurance during a collaborative meeting between FAAN’s contractors and commercial banks on Tuesday in Lagos. Dunoma, who was represented by the Director of Engineering, FAAN, Mr Salisu Daura, said that the aviation industry was highly technical and capital intensive. He said that the sector had recently undergone extensive transformation aimed at making the nation’s airports comfortable, safe, secure and conducive for commercial purposes. He said, “We recently inaugurated our new international terminal at Port Harcourt Airport with plans to inaugurate that of Abuja before the end of the year. “We w...

We won’t approve aviation ministry’s 2019 budget unless minister shows up —Reps committee BTS MEDIA  December 11,2018  The House of Representatives Committee on Aviation has threatened not to approve the 2019 budget of the Federal Ministry of Aviation and all its parastatals for the failure of the Minister and the heads of parastatals to appear before the committee. The chairman of the committee, Rep. Nkiru Onyejeocha (PDP-Abia), issued the threat on Tuesday at a meeting on the 2018 budget performance with the committee, which the Chief Executives did not attend, though they sent representatives. Onyejeocha said that the committee was not happy with the ministry and all its agencies for always making excuses not to interface with the committee. According to her, their excuses are either about one director-general who is not in the country or about the other that has traveled out. “We cannot ask questions and get a reply. The budget implementation is zero, to ...

I don’t understand Agbaje’s #freeLagos mantra – Sanwo-Olu BTS MEDIA  December 11,2018  The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said that he doesn’t understand the ‘Free Lagos’ mantra of Jimi Agbaje, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party. Sanwo-Olu said this during an interview with  Television Continental in Lagos on Tuesday. He said to the best of his knowledge, Lagosians’ movement were not hindered in any way. Sanwo-Olu added, “Are you in shackles or bondage? In the 21 st  century, he is referring to freedom. Freedom from what? That you cannot move freely from here to your house? That you cannot pick your kids from school? Or you cannot buy things in the market? Why are we trivialising our lives as if we are living in some 16th-century regime?” The APC candidate also responded to reports that his party is not loved by Igbos in the state. He said the ruling party...

LASIEC clears two candidates for Bariga bye-election BTS MEDIA  December 11,2018 The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission has cleared two candidates for the December 18 councillorship bye-election for Ward C in Bariga Local Council Development Area of the state. The commission’s Head of Public Affairs, Mr. Oladapo Olatunde, made this known in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday. The  News Agency of Nigeria  reports that the election is to fill the vacuum left by the death of Mr. Solomon Awokoya, the APC councillor who represented the ward. Olatunde gave the names of the cleared candidates as Mr. Nurudeen Olufemi of the APC; and Mr. Taiwo Sunkanmi of the Peoples Democratic Party. Olatunde said the candidates were cleared after a validation exercise. “The list of the names of the validated candidates has been pasted on the notice at the headquarters of the commission,” he added. Olatunde said LASIEC had been stepping up preparations to...

Don’t be afraid of federal might, Saraki tells Kwarans BTS MEDIA  December 10,2018  The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, on Sunday urged his supporters in Kwara State not to be afraid of federal might which he said supporters of the All Progressives Congress were relying on to win the forthcoming general elections. He said the Peoples Democratic Party would win the elections if right strategies were adopted. Saraki spoke at the inauguration of a 42-member PDP Campaign Committee in the state. He said he confronted federal might in two previous elections and won. While admitting that the next elections, like other elections, have their challenges, he said experience had shown him that with the right tactics and strategies, the PDP would win the state again. Saraki said, “Do not be afraid. I have heard all the talks of the opposition about using federal might but we have seen it all. “We saw it in 2003, we saw it in 2015 or don’t you know that they use...

Why we have not adopted any presidential candidate – YCE BTS MEDIA  December 10,2018  The Yoruba Council of Elders has said it will not adopt any of the presidential candidates without getting a firm commitment from  them on the  restructuring of the country and  abolition  nomadic pastoralism. The Secretary-General of the YCE, Dr Kunle Olajide, said this in an interview with our correspondent in Lagos on Friday. Olajide said the council  had not adopted any of the presidential candidates, in spite of the fact  that some Yoruba leaders  had adopted the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Olajide said, “We have not declared our support for any presidential candidates. As far as we are concerned, we have our aspirations for Nigeria and of course for the  Yoruba nation. We are still not satisfied and we want to discuss our aspirations and get commitments from the candidates who are wi...

Presidential candidates back Buhari on unsigned electoral law BTS MEDIA  December 10,2018  The Forum of Presidential Candidates on Sunday backed President Muhammadu Buhari for declining assent to the Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2018. The forum took the decision at a meeting held to review the matter. According to a statement made available to our correspondent, the 40 presidential aspirants under the forum said they supported Buhari’s position that the planned amendment to the bill came too close to the general elections. The statement was jointly signed by the presidential candidate of the Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance, Alhaji Shitu Kabir; and presidential candidate of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy, Danjuma Muhammad. The statement read, “The time left between now and when the 2019 elections will start is too short for INEC to recruit relevant staff and give them adequate training. “We also think that the electoral body may not be in a p...

Akpabio insists APC will win in Akwa Ibom BTS MEDIA  December 10,2018  The Senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West, Godswill Akpabio, on Sunday said he would ensure the victory of the All Progressives Congress in Akwa Ibom State in 2019. He said he had no doubt that with the massive support and commitment of party members, victory for the APC was a done deal. Akpabio said this in his country home Ukana, in Essien Udim Local Government Area, while addressing his supporters at the inauguration of his senatorial election campaign. He said, “Akwa Ibom today is 98% for APC.  It is not about me but God. Because you people are praying to God to save Akwa Ibom from the misrule of the PDP, we shall continue like this until victory is ours in 2019. “Even the blind man can see already that the APC will win convincingly at the centre, in the state and at the House of Assembly.” The former Senate Minority Leader said people of the state were appreciative of Preside...

Unsigned electoral bill: INEC, political parties meet this week BTS MEDIA  December 10,2018  The leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission will, this week, hold a crucial meeting with the leaders of political parties towards the coming 2019 General Elections.  President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to withhold assent to the Electoral Act (Amended) Bill 2018, it was learnt, would top the agenda of the meeting. The PUNCH gathered on Sunday that despite threats by some federal lawmakers to override Buhari on the rejected bill, opposition political parties feared that the National Assembly as currently constituted might not get the required number of members to do so.  They have therefore resolved to look beyond the parliament in finding a way out.  The first national spokesperson for the Coalition of United Political Parties, Imo Ugochinyere, confirmed these in an interview with our correspondent on Saturday. He said, “The leade...