GARETH BALE TO MISS REAL MADRID'S UCL CLASH THROUGH INJURY

Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale will miss the club's Champions League match on Tuesday at CSKA Moscow.

The Wales international suffered a muscle injury and was substituted at the start of the second half of Real's 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

"Gareth felt an issue in his abductor in the first half," Real manager Julen Lopetegui said after Saturday's match. "It made sense to take him off for precaution."

Lopetegui will also be without club captain Sergio Ramos for Tuesday's Group G match.

Other notable omissions for the defending European champions include defender Marcelo (calf) and Isco, who underwent a successful operation for acute appendicitis last week

EPL: JURGEN KLOPP VOWS TO KEEP FAITH IN OUT OF FORM SALAH

Jurgen Klopp has said he has sympathy for Mohamed Salah after his poor performance in Liverpool's draw with Chelsea, and that he is working hard to return to form.

Salah was substituted after 66 minutes for Xherdan Shaqiri following a frustrating game which saw him pass up several chances, and Klopp said it was not the forward's day.

It was tactical, he was not injured," he said. "It was not Mo's best game of his career, 100 percent.

"But coming in a game like this, constantly in situations like he comes in, that makes a world-class player. You fail, you miss, whatever, that happens. No problem with that.

"But I want him so that he wants to be decisive, to score in these situations. You could see the first ball he missed a bit it was not in the right position, and the next ball he passed! Why? He could have shot.

"It's like riding a bike. It's not that you wake up in the morning and you can't finish and you can't ride a bike any more. That's how it is. You need to work for these moments when it's clicking. That's the period he's in, no problem with that."

Daniel Sturridge scored Liverpool's equaliser with a curling effort from 25 yards, overtaking Salah in goals for Liverpool in all competitions this season, scoring four to Salah's three.

Credit- ESPN

TINUBU PUTS END TO SPECULATION BY FORMALLY ENDORSING SANWA OLU AS NEXT LAGOS GOVERNOR

The ruling party’s national leader says Akinwunmi Ambode has deviated from developmental blueprint of Lagos, urging primary participant to reject him.

Bola Tinubu has endorsed Jide Sanwo-Olu as the preferred candidate for the All Progressives Congress in the upcoming governorship election in Lagos, ending weeks of speculation about where he stands on the stand-off between the challenger and incumbent governor, Akinwumi Ambode.

In a statement Sunday evening, Mr Tinubu said the blueprint of Lagos State, his brainchild between 1999-2007, has been deviated from by Mr Ambode, calling on APC members in Lagos to reject the governor at the primaries on Monday.

The statement comes shortly after Mr Ambode used a televised press conference to launch a barrage of personal attacks against Mr Sanwo-Olu, ridiculing him as an alleged criminal and mental health patient before proclaiming him unfit for governor on those grounds.

Mr Sanwo-Olu has not responded to the attacks, but his aides told PREMIUM TIMES a decision is being made between holding a counter presser or simply drafting a statement in response.

Mr Sanwo-Olu has served Lagos State in several capacity, including as commissioner. 

He has emerged as the front-runner for the APC governorship ticket since he purchased his party nomination form about two weeks ago. He candidacy, which had long been rumoured as the handiwork of Mr Tinubu, was propelled by the endorsement of 36 out of 40 House of Assembly members and all the 57 local council chairpersons.

Read Mr Tinubu’s full statement as sent to PREMIUM TIMES at 5:30 p.m. below:

Tomorrow, our party and the people of Lagos will have an encounter with destiny. We shall hold our governorship primary.

With the holding of direct primaries to elect governorship candidates in Lagos and other states, the APC takes a groundbreaking step toward greater internal democracy and progressive governance for the benefit of all people. 

While our party is young, it has grown fast and has travelled far in a short time. This speaks well of the character of you, the party’s rank-and-file members.

What, in other nations, has taken political parties generations to achieve, we have done in a few brief years. No other party in Nigeria dare attempt what we have already dedicated ourselves to do.

I thank and commend all APC members and all Lagosians who have lent their support to this historic and humane mission upon which our party has embarked. 

We are democrats in the truest sense of the word. As such, we forever search for what is good and right for the people. With this ideal as our guide, tomorrow’s primary cannot be shaded by selfish ambition or the perceived personal grievance between this or that person. Something much greater waits in the balance. What is at stake is nothing less than the future of the people of this state and how we can best maximise our collective destiny.

By resort to direct primaries, the party places the people’s future soundly in their hands. As democracy would have it, you shall be the authors of the party’s nomination and hopefully our next state government.

I trust in the wisdom of the people and will abide it. However, as a leader of the party and as a former governor of our beloved and excellent Lagos, I would be remiss if I did not make a few observations regarding the primary.

My goal is and shall always be a better Lagos. To this objective, I have dedicated the greater part of my public life. Roughly 20 years ago, a corps of dedicated and patriotic Lagosians, put aside personal interests and rivalries, to put their minds and best ideas together for the good of the state. Out of this collaborative effort, was born a master plan for economic development that would improve the daily lives of our people.

Bestowed on me was the honour of a lifetime when I was elected to be your governor in 1999. My administration faithfully implemented that plan. The government of my immediate successor, Tunde Fashola, also honoured this enlightened plan.

Where state government remained true to that blueprint, positive things happened. During my tenure and Governor Fashola’s, Lagos state recorded improvements in all aspects of our collective existence, from public health to public sanitation, from education to social services, from the administration of justice to the cleaning of storm and sewage drains. Businesses, large and small, invested, hired millions of workers and thrived.

All Lagosians were to fully participate and justly benefit from the social dividends and improvements wrought by this plan. From the common labourer, to business leaders, to professionals and our industrious civil service. We all were to be partners in a monumental but joint enterprise. None was to be alienated. None was to be left out. And none were to be pushed aside. This is especially true for those who contributed so much to our development, whether as a business leader who has invested heavily in Lagos, the homeowner who struggles to pay his fair share of taxes or as someone employed in the hard work of keeping our streets and byways clean so that others may go about their daily tasks unimpeded.

I make no pretence that the master plan is perfect. It can always be fine-tuned. However, whenever a government departed from this plan without compelling reason, the state and its people have borne the painful consequence of the improper departure.

To ignore this blueprint for progress in order to replace it with ad-hoc schemes of a materially inferior quality contravenes the spirit of progressive governance and of our party. Such narrowness of perspective does not bring us closer to our appointed destination; it takes us farther from that destiny.

For reasons unknown to me and most Lagosians, we have experienced such deviations from enlightened governance recently.

This trend is that which most concerns me as the primary nears. We must arrest this trend before irreparable harm is committed against the people and their future. For the record, let it be known that I shall vote in this primary because I see it as one of extreme import to our state and our party. Just as I shall vote, I equally urge all party members to do so. 

We must vote in a manner that returns Lagos to its better path, the one that promises a just chance for all to enjoy the fruits of our prosperity. We must always pursue our goal of a Lagos energised by creative dynamism, tolerance of others, and guided by a leadership capable of extending a collegial hand to all stakeholders, far and wide.

I am encouraged by the emergence of a candidate in this primary who has served the state in senior positions in my administration, the Fashola administration and even in the current one. While possessing a wealth of experience and exposure, he is a young man endowed with superlative vision and commitment. Most importantly, he understands the importance of the blueprint for development. He esteems it as a reliable and well-conceived vehicle for the future development of the state. He also knows the value of reaching out and working with others in order to maximize development and provide people the best leadership possible.

With people like him at the helm, the state will write the proper history for itself. 

When the final word is given let it be said that we want all Lagosians to look to the future with the hope and optimism that our best days remain before us and not behind us.

We walk into this primary strong and confidently believing in the right course we are to take. We shall emerge from this primary even stronger and more confident that we have taken that course by returning Lagos and our party to their finest path. 

Signed:
Aswiaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

LAGOS APC CRISIS - OSINBAJO DENIES ENDORSING SANWA OLU

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has distanced himself from reports that he endorsed Babajide Sanwo-Olu, a Lagos Sate governorship aspirant contesting on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

A picture of Sanwo-Olu and the vice-president had surfaced on social media with claims that he had endorsed the governorship aspirant as the APC candidate.

However, in a statement from the office of the vice-president on Sunday, the claim was rebuffed with the assurance of support for any of the aspirants who emerged as the party’s candidate after the primary.

Osinbajo had attended the meeting of the General Advisory Council (GAC) on Saturday, and took pictures with the APC governorship aspirant just before the meeting started.

Osinbajo also met with the Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and the party's national leader, Bola Tinubu.

Shortly after the meeting, pictures of Sanwo-Olu and Osinbajo emerged on social media with some claims that the vice-president had endorsed the former.

According to the statement, Osinbajo called for a level-playing ground for all aspirants in the Lagos State governorship primary, scheduled for October 1, 2018.

AMBODE QUESTIONS SANWA OLU'S MENTAL CAPACITY

Akinwunmi Ambode, Governor of Lagos State, has questioned the mental capacity of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his main challenger in his party’s governorship primary, to lead the state in 2019.

Although he didn’t expressly mention his name, Ambode said Sanwo-Olu’s records of “rehabilitation” at Gbagada General Hospital are there for all to see.

“This particular aspirant — you can go and check, the records are there — is somebody that has been arrested for spending fake American dollars in a night club,” he said at a press conference in Lagos on Sunday.

“He is also known that he doesn’t have the competence to do what he is being propelled to do. His records are there at Gbagada General Hospital. This is somebody that has gone for rehabilitation before. 

“We don’t want to go too far; we don’t want to talk about all the things that we know, but we know that our leadership should have a rethink.

“I will not stand here on the mandate of Lagosians and then allow our great party APC to fritter away an opportunity by putting in somebody that the opposition will easily take out because of lack of credibility.”

Ambode pleaded with APC leaders to have a rethink, saying: “This is not about me. It is about greater opportunities for the APC to take the progress of Nigeria to a greater place.”

JIDE SANWA-OLU WAS ONCE ARRESTED FOR SPENDING FAKE DOLLAR AT A NIGHT CLUB. - AMBODE SHADES OPPONENT

Akinwunmi  Ambode, Governor of Lagos State, says the man “being propelled” to campaign against him, lacks credibility.

Although he didn’t expressly mention his name, Ambode was clearly referring to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the anointed candidate of Bola Tinubu, National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), to take over from him in 2019.

He warned leaders and members of the party that they had been deceived into thinking his opponent was a greter candidate than him.

“In the last two or three weeks, they’ve been put up a campaign of calumny in the social media and also disparaging our personality and our character, but we have never responded; we have never abused anybody — because we believe that there’s always a reason for us to come together as a family,” he said on Sunday while addressing a ‘World Press Conference’.

“We are one family in the APC, but the truth is this, the aspirant that is being put up to compete against us is not a fit and proper person to take this position. This is the truth.

“Party leaders and party members have been misled into thinking that this is a greater candidate than me. I have done everything in the last three and a half years to serve people selflessly and to serve the poor. Most of the projects we are doing are about alleviating the sufferings of the poor. And the only way out for us is to continue to do that in the next four years.

“This particular aspirant — you can go and check, the records are there — is somebody that has been arrested for spending fake American dollars in a night club.”

Ambode rounded off his speech by urging party leaders not to allow the opposition take away lagos from them by fielding a weak candidate.

Guess we can all bring out our pop corn and zobo while watching this unfolding drama. 

EU TO MONITOR PDP CONVENTION- SPOKESMAN

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that its forthcoming National Convention will produce a presidential candidate that would be acceptable by the party members and most Nigerians.

The convention is scheduled to take place in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on October 6 to 7.

The national spokesperson of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, told PREMIUM TIMES, Saturday, that the party was doing its best to have a peaceful and credible convention.

Mr Ologbondiyan alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the federal government were “working assiduously to ensure that PDP is plunged into crisis”.

But, he said, the PDP was determined to succeed against all odds.

“We will go into the convention as one indivisible party and we will produce a candidate that understand the problems of Nigeria and will be acceptable by Nigerians.

“The European Union has indicated interest to monitor our primary. The party is doing everything humanly possible to have a primary that will be transparent, free, and fair, and that will be acceptable to all the aspirants and the majority of Nigerians.

The convention is going to be broadcast live on television for all Nigerians to watch the process,” Mr Ologbondiyan said.

He added, “The party has put in place a process to ensure that no individual can influence the outcome of the convention.”

Former vice president of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, a former governor of Kano State and serving senator, Rabiu Kwankwaso, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, are among the numerous aspirants vying for the PDP presidential ticket.

RIVERS GUBER PRIMARIES : A PEEP AT THE CANDIDATES AS TONYE COLE EMERGES SHOCK FAVOURITE

The battle for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State is clearly between a billionaire businessman, Tonye Cole, and Magnus Abe, a senator representing Rivers South East District.

Mr Abe has, however, threatened to boycott the primaries, saying the APC was wrong to adopt indirect primaries in Rivers.

Tonye Cole

Mr Cole, a billionaire businessman, is the preferred aspirant of the APC leader in the state, Rotimi Amaechi, who is the minister of transportation. Because of Mr Amaechi’s grip on the party structure in the state, Mr Cole looks good to win the APC governorship primary in the state.

The riverine people in Rivers have been agitating to produce a governor of the state after several years. Being that Mr Cole is from the riverine area, he is likely to get massive support from there. Besides, his business background and billionaire status seem to be an added advantage.

Mr Cole, however, is likely going to encounter stiff opposition from people who are averse to Mr Amaechi’s control of the party, but it is difficult to see how much this could negatively affect his chances at the primary.

Magnus Abe

Mr Abe, currently serving as a senator, is believed to have solid political connections and enjoys massive following in the state. His greatest threat to picking the APC governorship ticket in the state is Mr Amaechi, whom he has long parted ways with.

Political analysts in the state believe that Mr Abe has the capacity to spring surprises and probably win the party ticket if the APC in the state were to use direct primary in choosing its governorship candidate.

The senator has already threatened to boycott the primary if the party fails to use direct primary.

Dumo-Lulu Briggs

The strength of Mr Briggs is that he is from the riverine area. He has been agitating that it is their turn to produce a governor of the state. He is said to enjoy some following in the state. However, most people in the state believe he does not stand a chance to win the primary.

Dawari George

Mr George, from the riverine area, is a close political ally of Dakuku Peterside. He is a former member of the House of Representatives. He once served as commissioner of petroleum and natural resources under the then administration of Rotimi Amaechi.

Credit - Premium Times.

MOURINHO REPORTEDLY REPRIMANDED SANCHEZ BEFORE THE WHOLE SQUAD BEFORE DROPPING HIM AGAINST WEST HAM

Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, reportedly reprimanded Alexis Sanchez in front of the entire squad, before dropping him against West Ham.

Sanchez was left out in the cold, as his teammates suffered a 3-1 defeat at the London Stadium.

According to a Chilean journalist, Maks Cardenas, Mourinho took Sanchez to task during training earlier in the week.

This follows Mourinho’s berating of Paul Pogba in front of his teammates, telling the Frenchman that he would no longer be vice-captain.

United’s defeat to West Ham, equalled their worst start to a Premier League season, with just 10 points from their opening seven matches.

POGBA REPORTEDLY VOWS TO CONTINUE FEUD WITH MOURINHO AS SLUMP CONTINUES

Manchester United star, Paul Pogba has told his teammates that he would go on strike.

This is as his war with manager, Jose Mourinho threatens to reach a new level, according to the Mirror.

Mourinho and the player he signed back from Juventus have been at loggerheads for much of the season.

Television cameras picked up a frosty exchange between them during training at Carrington on Wednesday morning following a defeat to Derby County in the Carabao Cup.

United’s Saturday’s Premier League match away to West Ham ended 3-1 at the London Stadium.

Pogba was withdrawn with 20 minutes remaining, and United were two goals down. The French man made minimal eye contact with Mourinho as he made his way to the bench.

The newspaper claimed that Pogba, who was also stripped of his ‘second captain’ status, has told teammates he no longer wishes to play for Mourinho if he allows their conflict to escalate any further.

Pogba is unhappy with the way Mourinho is conducting himself and managing United, and has said to teammates that he is prepared to go ‘all the way’ to get rid of Mourinho by refusing to play under the Portuguese if the atmosphere does not improve.

PRESIDENT BUHARI, WIFE RETURN TO NIGERIA FROM NEW YORK

President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife, Aisha, have returned from New York where the president participated in the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly.

President Buhari arrived Abuja on Sunday, after wrapping up other official engagements on the sidelines of the UNGA between September 24 and 29.

The president and his wife, alongside other members of his cabinet, departed New York on Saturday, September 29, 2018.

Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff, and the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, and other government officials welcomed the president back to the country.

The highpoint of the president’s participation at the UNGA was his address, where he called for world peace.

The president and his wife also attended a welcome reception hosted by Antonio Guterres, UN secretary-general, and his spouse.

The Nigerian delegation participated in a meeting on the fight against tuberculosis organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), as well as a meeting on financing the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and the World Economic Forum’s sustainable development impact summit.

Buhari also had bilateral meetings with African and world leaders, including Bill Gates with a view to promoting national and African interests. There was also an interactive session with Nigerian professionals based in the US and Canada.

While the president was away, he won the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2019 election.

OOPS! ORJI UZO KALU'S NAME MISSING IN ABIA APC'S APPROVED REGISTER FOR PRIMARIES

Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State have raised concern over the omission of the names of prominent stakeholders, including Orji Kalu, from the approved party register for Sunday’s governorship primaries in the state.

The chairman of the party, Donatus Nwankpa, said at a meeting for aspirants in Umuahia on Saturday that the register of members in Ohafia Local Government Area was not in the list approved by the national secretariat of the party.

Mr Nwankpa also said that some wards in Umunneochi and Bende state constituencies were also omitted.

However, he said that the national secretariat screened and cleared all the aspirants to stand for the primaries, adding that the State Working Committee (SWC) would abide by the decision.

He also said that the SWC would liaise with the committee from the national secretariat to give waivers to the affected members to enable them to take part in the exercise.

The information, however, jolted some of the aspirants, who feared that the development would affect their fortunes at the exercise.

In his reaction, a frontline governorship aspirant, Uche Ogah, called for urgent steps to remedy the situation in order to ensure that thousands of his supporters, who defected with him from the Peoples Democratic Party to APC, were not disenfranchised.

A House of Representatives aspirant, Ben Kalu, said that the names of some prominent members of the party, including that of Mr Kalu, were not in the approved register.

Mr Kalu said that the party constitution was explicit in Article 1: Sub 3 on waiver, saying that most of the affected aspirants did not apply to the national secretariat of the party for waiver as provided by the constitution.

The members later moved into a closed door meeting, where they resolved that the issue should be handled by the national committee, in conjunction with the SWC, ahead of the exercise.

Meanwhile, Mr Nwankpa assured the meeting that the party would provide a level playing field for all the aspirants for the primaries.

He urged them to be of good conduct during and after the exercise, saying that the ultimate objective of the party was to move to the Government House in 2019.

The party chairman further warned against any acts, including the use of arms and thugs to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the exercise.

“I have been informed that some aspirants have been stockpiling arms and recruiting thugs for the primaries,” he said.

He warned the aspirants not to do anything untoward or shed the blood of innocent people for the sake of party’s ticket.

Nwankpa said that party chieftains “with impeccable character and integrity” would be deployed in all the wards to collate the results at the end of the exercise.

In his brief remark, Sen. Chris Adighije, appealed to all the aspirants to ensure that the party remained united at the end of the exercise in order for them to work harmoniously for success during the general elections.

Reacting to the omission of his name in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Kalu said that his name was in the manual register at the ward.

Mr Kalu, who is aspiring for Abia North Senatorial seat, said that it was imperative that the party resorted to the register at the ward, subject to the authentication of the state secretariat.

The party should use the manual register, which is at the ward. It should be authenticated by the Secretary of the party for use at the primaries,” he said.

NAN reports that the meeting was attended by four governorship aspirants, including former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Martins Azubuike, Friday Nwosu, Mr Ogah and Paul Ikonne.

However, three other governorship aspirants, former Deputy Governor Chris Akomas, Ikechi Emenike and Okey Emuche did not attend.

AMBODE'S CAMPAGN ORGANIZATION FLAYS PARTY'S 'STEP DOWN' DIRECTIVE TO GOVERNOR

The Ambode Mandate Support Group (AMSG) on Saturday faulted reports in the media purportedly quoting the Governors Advisory Council (GAC) of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Lagos, asking the State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode to withdraw his second term bid, saying that such directive was inimical to the democracy which the party preaches.

Reacting to the purported endorsement of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu by the GAC and shift of the party primary earlier scheduled for Sunday, September 30, Director General of AMSG, Hon. Hakeem Sulaimon said the sudden turn of events did not augur well for democracy and unity of the party.

According to him, “I don’t think the GAC would have done such a thing as represented by Senator Anthony Adefuye, because a few days ago, the GAC came out to say that they have resolved that His Excellency the Governor will not be granted the same privilege granted fellow governors in other States and that every aspirant should go for the primaries.

“They (GAC members) were the ones who equally said before now that why was the Governor afraid of the primary and if they said why was the Governor afraid of the primary and the Governor has now told them that okay, I am ready for the primary, the next question we should ask is why are they afraid of going for the primary?

“The party said we are in a democracy and all the three aspirants should run, now they have shifted ground and they are asking the Governor to step down for another aspirant, why are they saying so if they are preaching about democracy?

“Giving this development, we are alerting Lagosians that having seen the turnout of party faithful in the meeting that the party called today and the supporters of His Excellency, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode who had about 87 per cent of the crowd that was there, they have now all of a sudden postponed the primary that we are prepared for. We hope they are not trying to do anything that would create problem in this peace-loving State.”

EKITI GUBER FALLOUT- TRIBUNAL REJECTS PDP'S APPLICATION FOR BALLOT RECOUNT

The Ekiti State Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Abuja yesterday dismissed an application by  the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the recount of ballot papers used in the July 14 poll.

The PDP and its candidate, Prof. Olusola Kolapo, are challenging the outcome of the election in court.

The respondents in the matter are Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), All Progressives Congress (APC) and Dr Kayode Fayemi, winner of the election.

Ruling on the application, the Chairman of the three-member tribunal, Justice Bolaji Belgore, declared that the application lacked merit.

Belgore noted that the state has 177 wards with 2,197 polling units in 16 local government areas but the petitioners only complained of 325 polling units in their petition before the tribunal.

The chairman said PDP and its candidate did not complain about all the 2,197 polling units in the state.

“To pray for recount in all wards and polling units across the state is to make firm nonsense of the petitioners’ pleading,” Belgore said.

According to him, pleadings are written statements of parties in a procedure wherein they clearly state the materials, including documents, they will rely on in the proceeding.

He said the tribunal could only admit where it was supported by pleading, adding that what the petitioners wanted could not be situated in their pleading before the tribunal.

The chairman further said that the evidence so generated from the recount would have no basis in the proceeding.

He added that what the petitioners wanted to do was to spring a surprise on the respondents which they would not be able to respond to as time for pleading had closed.

He stated that the tribunal was in agreement with the submission of the counsel for Fayemi, Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN), that the petitioners were fishing for evidence under the guise of recounting the ballot.

On the relief seeking  the recount to be done in the presence of two representatives of the parties in the matter, secretary of the tribunal and security operatives, the tribunal held that involving its secretary would amount to the secretary giving evidence for the petitioners.

“The secretary of the tribunal cannot be a party to do what the application wanted,” Justice Belgore stated and declared the application as lacking in merit.”

In a related development, the tribunal turned down INEC’s application from excluding the smart card reader machines used in the July 14 governorship election.

Ruling on the application argued by Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) for INEC, Belgore said that excluding the card readers from inspection would amount to setting aside the tribunal’s early order granted on July 26.

The tribunal, however, made a consequential order that the inspection of the card readers must be completed by the end of each party’s case, which would commence on Oct. 17.

The chairman declared that the consequential order was not setting aside the exparte order granted on July 26.

The tribunal thereafter adjourned the commencement of hearing in the petition until Oct. 17.

RESCUE OUR DAUGHTER - LEAH SHARIBU' S PARENTS IN RENEWED PLEA TO FG.

The parents of Leah Sharibu, Nathan and Rebecca Sharibu, have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the release of their daughter before the October dateline given by the Boko Haram sect.

The insurgents had threatened to eliminate Leah, should the government failed to meet their demands before October.

But the mother at a press conference on Saturday in Jos, the Plateau State capital, appealed to President Buhari to do all within his power to stop the terrorists from carrying out their threat and as well ensure the safe and speedy release of her daughter.

Speaking amidst profuse tears, Mrs. Sharibu thanked all those who have been standing with the family in prayers, moral and motivational support not to relent until her daughter is returned.

“Since February that my daughter alongside her schoolmates were abducted, it has been heartbroken for me as a mother, especially after her colleagues were released and she was held back.

“I’m appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to apply all efforts used in ensuring the release of her colleagues; same should be used to free her as well, because there should be no reason, whatsoever, why her matter should be different.”

In the same vein, Leah’s father said since the abduction of their daughter the family has never being the same.

Speaking to journalists via a phone call that was put on speaker after his wife’s address, Nathan, also reechoed his wife’s plea for their daughter’s release.

He further explained that since the incident happened, there has been no threat to the family whatsoever, except the frequent enquiries from individuals, groups/bodies nationally and internationally.

Also speaking, Convener of the press conference, The Revd. Gideon Para-Mallam, who is the founder of the Citizens Monitoring Group (CMG), which works with Muslims and Christians in Nigeria, also appealed to the Federal Government to the work towards the immediate release of Leah.

APC GUBER TICKET - TINUBU'S LOYALISTS THREATEN AMBODE WITH IMPEACHMENT FOR REFUSAL TO STAND DOWN

As high-wired intrigues continue to play out in Lagos State over the incumbent governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode’s re-election bid, competent sources saturday revealed that a key segment of the party led by the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has asked the governor to stand down his second term bid or face impeachment. The threat to impeach the governor is an escalation of pressure being piled on him to drop his quest for second term.

A competent party source sympathetic to the governor, who demanded annonimity since he was not authorised to speak on the intrigues and power play currently playing out informed THISDAY yesterday, “they are threatening to impeach him should he refused to bow to their demand to withdraw. The incumbent governor, who is traditionally entitled to another term is being harassed and intimidated by Tinubu’s political machine to withdraw for their new man, even though the governor had agreed to subject himself to primary. They are boasting that they will direct the State House of Assembly to immediatly begin impeachment proceedings against him.”

The APC had initially insisted on conducting direct primary election to select its governorship candidate in the spirit of democracy. But it suddenly reversed itself, directing Ambode to withdraw from the contest to enable the party present Sanwo-Olu as the consensus candidate.

It also emerged yesterday via a statement from the Vice President’s office denying endorsing Sanwo-Olu. “It was while he was coming out of the GAC meeting that Mr. Sanwo-Olu and Mr. Hamzat took advantage of the VP’S presence to take the photos which are now being falsely paraded as proof of endorsement.

“The VP did not go there to endorse Sanwo-Olu., they only took advantage of his presence,” a source at the meeting confirmed last night.”

Rather, sources at the GAC meetings hinted that Prof Osinbajo, who is believed to be supportive of a second term bid for Ambode, conveyed the view of the Buhari presidency that there should be a level playing field in the overall conduct of the primaries.

Party chieftains spoke with THISDAY yesterday in confidence on the drama that took place at the meeting of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) held Friday night. They disclosed that the APC leader threatened to impeach Ambode if the governor refused “to step down for Sanwo-Olu.” Ambode was said to have looked him squarely in the face and refused.

But Ambode Mandate Support Group condemned the call for the governor’s withdrawal as undemocratic. The group also reacted to the postponement of the APC governorship primary in the state, which has now been scheduled for October 1, saying they were confident that Ambode would fly the party’s flag in 2019 election as it has received overwhelming support from several quarters for him.

There has been uncertainty about governor’s re-election after Sanwo-Olu, currently the managing director of Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC), and former commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, declared their intention to challenge the governor in a primary contest.

As a result, the Mandate Movement, a powerful political machine of Tinubu, endorsed Sanwo-Olu for the governorship contest, heating up the state’s political climate ahead of the primary election.

Ambode’s travails had attracted the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari; former Ogun State Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba; Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF); and the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF). They all tried to persuade Tinubu to make up with Ambode.

With the presidential intervention, Tinubu decided to consult the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC), the state’s highest advisory political organ, comprising 22 APC chieftains across the three senatorial districts. But in its resolution, the GAC directed Ambode and two other aspirants to face the direct primary election.

At the GAC meeting held at Tinubu’s residence, Bourdillion, Ikoyi, Friday night, one of the party chieftains explained how Ambode addressed the leaders of the GAC, justifying point by point the reasons he decided to seek re-election in 2019.

Specifically, according to the chieftain, Ambode hinged his re-election bid on the need to complete various infrastructure projects and urban renewal programmes that his administration initiated in the last three years.

Despite his justifying his re-election bid, the party chieftain stated that Lagos Central APC leader, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, asked the governor “to step down for Sanwo-Olu. He claimed that the GAC had already endorsed Sanwo-Olu as the party’s consensus candidate.”

Another party chieftain revealed that a member of the GAC, Prof. Tunde Samuel, interrupted Olusi while he was telling Ambode to withdraw from the race, observing that Olusi’s statement did not reflect a common position of all GAC members that all aspirants should face primary contest.

In response to Olusi, however, the party chieftain claimed that Ambode simply told the meeting that he “will not step down for any governorship aspirants on the ground that it is undemocratic. He also said he stood by the earlier position of the GAC that all aspirants should face direct primary contest to foster democracy in the country.

The source stated, at this point, Tinubu, who chaired the GAC meeting, became angry and quickly interjected, threatening Ambode with impeachment, if he failed to stand down for Sanwo-Olu before the primary election earlier scheduled to hold today which was later postponed till tomorrow by the APC national secretariat.

THISDAY learnt that it was resolved at the meeting that a stakeholders’ meeting should be held on Saturday at the party secretariat, Acme road, Ogba. It was expected that Tinubu would come to the meeting to endorse Sanwo-Olu. To their surprise however, thousands of Ambode’s supporters thronged the venue chanting Ambode solidarity songs and raining curses on national leader: Tinubu ole Tinubu ole.

Eventually, Tinubu was forced to stay away.

When THISDAY contacted Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Tunde Rahman, for his reaction to the threat to impeach the governor by Tinubu’s camp, he responded, saying he did not “have any comment to make.”

Rather than attending as originally planned, Tinubu delegated a GAC leader, Senator Anthony Adefuye, to represent him.

At the stakeholders’ meeting, Adefuye acknowledged that there was another GAC meeting, which held by 10 am on Saturday, noting that the meeting was attended by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, and Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, among others.

Adefuye said, “The meeting was chaired by the APC national leader, Tinubu. This is a meeting that we started at 10am. And we could not finish early. After the meeting, I have been mandated by the GAC to announce this to you that the primary earlier scheduled for Saturday, September 30 has been shifted to Monday, October 1.

LAGOS GUBER PRIMARIES: OSINBAJO REPORTEDLY QUESTIONS PARTY'S MOVE AGAINST AMBODE

Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo on Saturday warned leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State against the dire consequences of denying the State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode a second term, saying there was absolutely nothing to justify such move.

Osinbajo handed down the warning at a meeting of the Governors Advisory Council (GAC), the highest advisory body in the Lagos APC which was held in Lagos today.

Sources at the meeting revealed that the VP unequivocally told the party leaders to be mindful of their actions, and not place personal interest above that of the masses who wants the Governor to continue in office beyond 2019.

According to an impeccable source, Osinbajo categorically said he was asked by President Muhammadu Buhari to proceed to Lagos to again appeal to APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and some leaders of the party opposed to Ambode’s second term bid to rescind the decision in the interest of the party.

The source said: “Yes, the Vice President attended the GAC Meeting that took place today and told the gathering that he had been sent in by the President for the second time to come and appeal to Asiwaju (Tinubu) particularly realizing that they should stick to their best chances in Lagos for the 2019 elections.

“The Vice President actually looked at them (the GAC members) straight in the face and told them ‘you Assembly members here, you have endorsed Ambode before; GAC members, you have endorsed Ambode before; You Femi Gbajabiamila, you brought all your House of Reps members to endorse Ambode; the whole world know that you have endorsed Ambode and all of a sudden, what shall we tell the world now that Ambode has done wrong all of a sudden after all the endorsements that you have made to warrant your current position?

“The VP queried them further that will it be enough to tell the whole world that it is for our own selfish interest that we are saying that we are not going to endorse Ambode? Is it because Ambode has not performed? Ambode has performed and everybody knows that he has performed,” the source quoted Osinbajo to have told the gathering.

Corroborating the development, another source said it was true that the Vice President was totally against the decision of some party bigwigs to move against Ambode’s second term bid.

“The VP told them that in the eyes of the populace, he (Ambode) has done well and so what is it that we are now going to tell the whole world the reason for saying we are not going to support Ambode? So, does it now mean that our own personal interest should be considered larger than the interest of the masses and the State,” he said.

Tinubu, at the meeting was said to have responded that all politics was local and later threatened that he was taking another aspirant, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to the party’s secretariat on Acme Road, Ogba to raise his hand as the candidate of the party.

However, Tinubu could not do so after realizing that the party members were ready to call his bluff, while he ran back and sent Senator Anthony Adefuye to make the announcement endorsing Sanwo-Olu on behalf of the GAC.

GOVERNOR WIKE APOLOGIZES FOR THREATENING PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANTS

Governor Nyesom Wike has apologised to leaders and presidential aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party for his anti-party outburst on Wednesday, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt. 

At a National Executive Committee meeting of the party Friday afternoon, the Rivers State governor showed remorse for his comments and assured party leaders he would be more guarded going forward, those who attended the meeting have informed PREMIUM TIMES.

“When we demanded apology from him, he apologised and the party has reconciled,” Okwesilieze Nwodo, a former chairman of the PDP who attended the NEC meeting today told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr Nwodo, a former governor of Enugu State, said it was after Mr Wike’s apology that the party went on to have a “unanimous decision” to move the party’s convention for election of presidential candidate to Port Harcourt, at the heart of Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger-Delta.

“He apologised at the meeting and promised to refrain from such comments from now on,” another source who was present at the meeting told PREMIUM TIMES under anonymity because he assumed speaking on record could damage his friendship with Mr Wike.

Mr Wike sparked political tension amongst PDP leaders and presidential aspirants when he said on Wednesday that the presidential primaries must hold in Port-Harcourt, saying unequivocally that any contrary venue would be politically costly for the PDP at next year’s presidential election.

Although some of the party’s over a dozen presidential aspirants held reservations about the outburst, they were reluctant to openly confront him, PREMIUM TIMES learnt, preferring instead to keep their misgivings away from the media.

“It is unfortunate that this man is behaving like he owns the party, but he would soon learn that no man is an island and a man who is indispensable has not been born,” a presidential aspirant told PREMIUM TIMES by telephone Friday night.

36 LAGOS ASSEMBLY MEMBERS REPORTEDLY DUMP AMBODE FOR SANWA OLU

Thirty six out of the 40 members of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Saturday endorsed an aspirant in the Lagos All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial primaries, Jide Sanwo-Olu.

According to a statement by the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, Adefunmilayo Tejuoso, the decision was taken at a parliamentary meeting of the lawmakers which took place at Lateef Jakande auditorium of the House on Saturday, a day before the governorship primaries of the party.

“The lawmakers stated that they were in agreement with the leadership of the party and the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) which had earlier endorsed Sanwo-olu for the governorship ticket,” the statement said.

The meeting was chaired by Mudashiru Obasa, the House Speaker, and the lawmakers duly signed the statement announcing the decision.

Musbau Razaq, the media aide to Mr Obasa, also confirmed the development to PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr Sanwo-Olu is believed to be the favourite candidate of the APC national leader, Bola Tinubu. He was endorsed by Mandate Group, an influential bloc in Lagos APC linked to Mr Tinubu.

He will contest for the gubernatorial slot with embattled governor Akinwunmi Ambode, the incumbent governor of Lagos State.

Mr Ambode has been in the eye of the storm lately, after reports said he fell out with his godfather, Mr Tinubu. The APC leader has however been unusually silent about the crisis brewing in the party.

Mr Razaq confirmed that the meeting was attended by 36 out of the 40 Honourable members in the House of Assembly.

The Lagos APC would hold its primaries on Sunday.

MAMA TARABA DUMPS APC FOR UDP FOLLOWING DISQUALIFICATION FROM GUBER PRIMARIES

Aisha Alhassan, who resigned her appointment as women affairs minister and also dumped the APC on Saturday, has picked the United Democratic Party (UDP), nomination form to contest for the Taraba governorship seat.

Mrs Alhassan, at a press conference shortly after joining UDP and picking its nomination form, claimed that the APC had become “the weakest political party in Taraba” with her defection.

The former minister, also called Mama Taraba, claimed that she left the APC with thousands of her supporters, adding that many aspirants seeking the APC ticket to contest various offices in 2019 would soon pick UDP nominations forms.

Mrs Alhassan, who was disqualified from seeking the APC ticket, alleged that she was dropped by the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole.

“It was not the screening committee that disqualified me; the chairman of the party personally did it.

“But, I have put that behind me. I have moved to the UDP and will seek its ticket to contest the governorship election.

“Oshiomhole has used his powers to deal with me, but it is God that gives power,” she said.

The former minister, who contested the seat in 2015 and lost to PDP’s Darius Ishaku, advised President Muhammadu Buhari to pay more attention to the activities of APC leaders so that their actions would not affect the party’s popularity.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the governorship screening committee of the APC on Thursday disqualified Mrs Alhassan from joining 10 other aspirants to fight for the ticket in the primary election slated for Sunday, September 30.