Stakeholders evaluate evidence, status of corruption in Nigeria
News & Trends •
a coalition of civil societies led by the youth alive foundation yaf in collaboration and the independent corrupt practices and other related offences commission icpc on tuesday in abuja hosted a stakeholders summit on corruption in nigeria. dr udy okon yafs executive director who spoke with newsmen at the sidelines of the event said that foreign partners such as department for international development dfid participated in the summit. the theme of the summit is towards evidence based interventi1

APC to members: No shaking, we have majority in 25 states, Reps
News & Trends •
it would appear however that the individuals involved have different considerations beyond the grievances that they were willing to discuss and which our leaders were willing to addressit said1 the all progressives congress apc has told its members and supporters not to be flustered by the loss of some elected representatives and senators to the opposition peoples democratic party pdp1 abdullahi said the buhari administration would continue to work harder to deliver on its campaign promises to nigerians1 the apc notes the development in the national assembly with the defection of some of our members from the party1 in the last couple of weeks our party leaders have worked to stave off this situation as responsible party leaders would do1 in a statement by malam bolaji abdullahi its national publicity secretary on tuesday in abuja the party said it would continue to consolidate on its majority status both in the house of representatives and 25 states ahead of the 2019 general elections1 the apc said as a truly democratic party it respects the right of every citizen to political association1 it therefore urged its members to remain calm as it continues to work hard to position the party strongly for the next general elections1 the statement added that the apc remains in firm control of 25 states of the 36 states of the federation and maintains a clear majority in the federal house of representatives and state assemblies1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that senate president bukola saraki earlier today announced the defection of 15 apc senators from the party. in the house of representatives 33 apc members also switched allegiance to pdp while 4 left for the adp1 senate president saraki is believed to be part of the senators already in pdp1

More defections loom in the House of Reps, says lawmaker
News & Trends •
the lawmaker added that they had monitored and had seen that the pdp had taken corrective measures1 a house of representatives member rep. abdulrazak atunwa who with 36 others defected from all progressives congress apc on tuesday said more members would leave the party in the coming weeks1 the legislator said that they believed in respect for the rule of law improved education social welfare of the people as the men women and youth of the country deserved better among other ideals1 sadly no sooner we formed government in may 2015 the party put itself on course to be derailed and that derailment has continued to today1 some of us have been agitating that we should go back to the ideals that brought us together but the party was not listening1 the party rather embarked on victimization and criminalisation of its members those perceived as opponents and have divergent views he said1 he said that the party set itself on the line of destruction when the aggrieved members brought up their concerns but were castigated and referred to as inconsequential and as nobody1 putting all that together and the interest of the country particularly as the apc has derailed from the ideals that will propel nigeria to advance we felt we have to take this step we took today he said1 atunwa said the defectors were interested in economic development respect for parliament and rule of law while the apc was concerned about membership to form majority1 he however said that the pdp in the past three years had learnt its lesson1 briefing newsmen in company of some of the members who moved to the peoples democratic party pdp atunwa said that tuesdays defection was just the first batch of members that would leave the apc1 he said that having been beaten at the polls in 2015 the pdp had got its acts together and was now a reformed party adding that it was the reason they felt confident to return to the party1 also rep. hassan saleh who also defected said that from the ward congress up to the national convention of the apc no fewer than 25 states in the country had parallel congresses1 he questioned the process that brought about the national convention given the issues at ward levels saying that the foundation was faulty1 according to him we cannot continue to hide our faces like nothing is wrong when the problem is there1 rep. alliyu madaki said some of the defectors joined the apc because it campaigned and promised to ensure security of lives and properties1 he said section 14 of the constitution said that the primary responsibility of government is the protection of lives and properties of nigerians1 according to him nobody is safe today in nigeria under the pdp administration l could drive from abuja to kano with myb eyes closed but now i depend on consistent prayer to arrive safely1 the news agency of nigeria nan reports that 33 lawmakers in the lower chambers defected from the apc to pdp four others to african democratic party adc while one resigned1 the house however adjourned to proceed on eight weeks break and will resume plenary on sept. 251

Buhari undaunted with defection
News & Trends •
as the saying goes all politics is local. we understand that some of the distinguished and honourable lawmakers have issues with their home states especially on zoning which bars some of them from seeking another term in their constituencies he said. he explained that none of the lawmakers who defected had any specific grievances against him or the government he leads and that the apc had done its utmost to stop the defections.1 president muhammadu buhari is undaunted with the tuesdays defection of at least 52 lawmakers from his ruling all progressives congress apc on tuesday1 no fewer than 15 senators and 37 members of house of representative defected from apc to other political parties in an alignment ahead of the 2019 general elections1 the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity mr. garba shehu said on tuesday that the president was committed to the values of democracy freedom of choice1 the president is also totally willing to work with all members of the national assembly irrespective of their political party in the interest of the nation1 instead the apc leader wished all the defectors well in their future endeavour1 also the president commended the leadership of the party for relentlessly working for its unity and ensuring success in the upcoming elections and assured members of the apc of his total support1 despite the defection the president urged party members not to despair but to see the development as a seasonal occurrence that happens on election eve1 he expressed confidence that no harm or injury will be done to the party and its aspirations by the movements1 in his reaction to the developments tuesday morning at the national assembly the president noted that none of the defecting federal lawmakers of the all progressives congress apc had any specific grievances against him or the government he leads neither did he harbour anything against any of them1 president buhari wished all the decamped members the best in their future undertakings1

17 bodies recovered in Laos floods
News & Trends •
rescuers have recovered 17 bodies after the flash floods caused by a dam breach in southern laos in thailand1 a wall of water was unleashed on monday after parts of the dam were washed away sending floods surging downstream sweeping away homes and leaving an unknown number of people missing1 there are 17 bodies recovered so far but we cannot estimate the number of missing yet chana miencharoen thai official said1 he adding roof-level flood waters have submerged several villages near the xe-namnoy dam1 all the dead are laotian more than 6000 are affected from eight villages near the dam he said from the relief centre in attepeu province where the disaster occurred on monday1 the remote area is only accessible by helicopter and flat-bottomed boats with roads badly damaged by the flash flooding or completely washed away1 communist laos is criss-crossed by a vast network of rivers and scores of dams are being built or planned in the impoverished and landlocked country which exports most of its hydropower energy to neighbouring countries like thailand1 the south korean partner in the hydropower project said wednesday it discovered the upper part of the structure had washed away 24 hours before it collapsed1 sk engineering1 we immediately alerted the authorities and began evacuating nearby villagers downstream it said in a statement1

IS claims Pakistans polling station bomb
News & Trends •
islamic state claimed responsibility for an explosion near a polling station in quetta pakistan on wednesday according to the groups amaq news agency1 at least 24 people were killed and 35 injured in the blast in the western city of quetta which happened as pakistanis vote in a knife-edge national election1 the group said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber but did not provide further detail or evidence for its claim1 the bomber targeted a senior police officer and his guards when he came to examine the security arrangements at the polling station1 there were imminent threats of violence during wednesdays voting after a deadly campaign in which more than 180 people were killed in a series of bombings1 authorities have ordered the deployment of more than 800000 troops and police to guard polling stations across the country1 militant islamic state and taliban militants have threatened to target the voting saying they considered democracy as a system followed by western infidels1 no fewer 100 million people are registered to vote in the muslim-majority country that has alternated between democracy and military rule1 no fewer than 11000 candidates are running in the national legislature and its provincial counterparts according to election authorities1

Disasters: Institute urges Nigerians to be safety conscious
News & Trends •
by gami tadanyigbe5 he therefore enjoined nigerians to be safety conscious and pro-active in order to reduce risks of disaster in the country1 mr ochagwuba edwin the registrar of the institute gave the advice in an interview with the news agency of nigeria nan in abuja1 according to him specialised education was required by nigerians to effect meaningful improvement in the global response to disaster and management1 every year thousands of people and property worth billions of naira are affected by disaster often receiving aid after a long delay and suffering1 nigeria is prone to multiple disasters like floods erosion droughts desertification terrorism conflicts and communal clashes1 the institute of disaster management and safety science idmss has called on nigerians to be more safety conscious in order to prevent and reduce the risk of disasters in the country1 we call on all nigerians to be safety conscious by avoiding any form of carelessness both at home and the office for disaster risk reduction in the country he said1 edwin said the institute aimed at positioning nigeria and africa for disaster risk reduction capacity building security management peace building and partnership through collaboration and empowerment1 the registrar disclosed that the institute conducted training programmes class room and online professional courses for various levels of stakeholders and members of the society1 the institute is a research body for human resource development capacity building professional competency certification and policy advocacy in the field of disaster risk management and safety science1 we give policy support for organisations and advice on disaster risk reduction and safety strategies for safe living edwin said1 many die or are injured needlessly as a result of inadequate social preparation untrained and ill-prepared leadership for disaster response1

Trumps Cohen hush money tape released
News & Trends •
afp25 donald trump can be heard discussing with his personal lawyer how to buy the rights to the story of a playboy model who says she had an affair with the now president on a tape released tuesday night by cnn1 now the recording is available for the world to listen to1 it involves karen mcdougal a former playboy model who says she had a months-long fling with trump after they met in 2006 shortly after trumps wife melania gave birth to their son barron1 in the tape trump and cohen talk about buying the rights to mcdougals story which she had sold a month earlier to the national enquirer for 150000. the tabloid never published the story1 in the at-times muddled recording cohen says he wants to set up a company to acquire the rights off american media the company that owns the enquirer1 during the campaign the trump team denied any knowledge of the deal between mcdougal and american media1 but in the tape candidate trump expresses no surprise when the issue comes up and cohen talks about essentially reimbursing the company for what it paid mcdougal1 the existence of the tape secretly recorded by his former longtime attorney michael cohen two months before the 2016 election was reported last week by the new york times which said the fbi seized it during a raid on cohens office this year1 when it comes time for the financing which will be cohen says at which point trump interrupts and says what financing1 well have to pay cohen says according to a cnn transcript of the conversation which also addressed other business issues between the two men1 we wont pay with cash trump asks according to the cnn transcript of a segment that is particularly hard to hear1 cohen is then heard saying no no and it is not clear what is said next1 the tape made in september 2016 two months before the election was provided to cnn by cohens attorney lanny davis1 cohen who has fallen out with trump is under federal investigation in new york for his business dealings and reportedly whether hush payments violated campaign finance laws1 i need to open up a company for the transfer of all that info regarding our friend david cohen says apparently referring to david pecker the head of american media1

Tilers jailed for stealing wrappers
News & Trends •
by mabel yakubu1 a kaduna chief magistrates court on wednesday sentenced two tilers to three months imprisonment each for stealing wrappers worth n1500001 the magistrate mr ibrahim emmanuel however gave the convicts abdullahi bala 17 and fahad ibrahim 20 an option of n5 000 fine each1 emmanuel warned them to desist from committing crimes and ordered that the wrappers should be returned to the owner1 the convicts both residents of liberia road malali kaduna had pleaded guilty to a three-count charge of conspiracy break-in and stealing1 following the guilty plea the prosecutor sgt. chris leo urged the court to try them summarily under section 286 sub 2 of the administration of criminal justice act 20151 earlier leo told the court that the convicts committed the offences on july 18 at ungwan rimi road kaduna1 he said that the convicts broke into a shop belonging to mr abdulmalik rabiu and stole the wrappers. they ran to an unknown destination until they were seen and arrested on july 20 with the said wrappers he said.1 the prosecutor noted that the offences contravened sections 117 174 and 347 of the penal code law of kaduna state 20171

NAF reactivates C-130H aircraft
News & Trends •
by doris esa2 the nigerian air force naf said it had successfully completed the in-house life extension programme on one of its c-130h aircraft naf 913 thereby improving the airlift capability of the service1 nafs director of public relations and information avm olatokunbo adesanya disclosed this in a statement on wednesday in abuja1 according to adesanya the chief of the air staff air marshal sadique abubakar had said that naf would continue to intensify efforts at reactivating unserviceable aircraft in its inventory to enhance its operational effectiveness1 the naf spokesman said that abubakar stated this while assessing the progress of work on the in-country periodic depot maintenance pdm of another nafs c-130 aircraft at 631 aircraft maintenance depot acmd in lagos1 abubakar noted that the reactivation of naf 913 was another major feat recorded by the current naf leadership to further improve nafs capability to provide logistics support across multiple theatres of operations1 he thanked president muhammadu buhari for providing the enabling environment for naf to raise the serviceability status of naf operable aircraft from about 31 per cent in 2015 to an average of 80 per cent as at date1 adesanya said the commander at 631 acmd air commodore moses onilede told abubakar that the depot had also successfully overhauled two c-130h aircraft engines while the in-country periodic deport maintenancepdm of the second c-130h naf 917 had reached an advanced stage1 he said abubakar commissioned two newly-completed and furnished officers residential quarters at the sam ethnan air force base seafb ikeja and the armed forces resettlement centre afrc oshodi1 he reiterated the commitment of the present administration toward meeting the welfare needs of personnel1

Senate President Saraki ignores police invitation
News & Trends •
senate president saraki ignores police invitation1

APC is not jittery about R-APC joining PDP - Oshiomhole
News & Trends •
apc is not jittery about r-apc joining pdp - oshiomhole1

APC leads the numbers game in Senate minus Saraki
News & Trends •
he gave the names of the 52 senators still with the apc to include adamu aliero-kebbi yahaya abdullahi-kebbi bala ibn nallah-kebbi aliyu wamakko-sokoto ibrahim gobir-sokoto and ahmed yerima-zamfara1 the all progressives congressapc caucus of the senate has said that the party remains in control of the senate even without reckoning with senate president bukola saraki who is believed to be heading to peoples democratic party1 he said out of the 109 senate seats the apc has 52 the pdp has 50 the adc has three and apga has two1 recall that we lost two of our colleagues one from katsina one from bauchi. so we have two vacancies. if you put this together we have 1091 i want to assure you that by the grace of god inec will conduct by-elections to fill in the vacancies in bauchi and katsina and by the grace of god they are our safest seats1 we are still expecting some of our colleagues in the pdp who are originally our members to defect1 they have expressed willingness to join apc and for our collleagues that have left we are still optimistic that many of them or all of them will have a change of heart1 apc remains the majority party in the senate and in the house of representatives he said1 the lawmaker said the apc lawmakers would continue to support president president muhammadu buhari to deliver on his promises to nigerians1 the leader of the senate ahmad lawan who spoke on behalf of the caucus while briefing newsmen in abuja after about three hours closed session said there was no cause for concern1 others are kabiru marafa-zamfara tijjani kaura-zamfara abu ibrahim- katsina umar kurfi-katsina kabiru gaya-kano barau jibrin-kano abdullahi gumel-jigawa sabo mohammed-jigawa shehu sani-kaduna1 they also include ahmed lawan-yobebukar abba ibrahim-yobe ali ndume-borno abubakar kyari-borno baba kaka garbai-borno sabi abdullahi-niger david umaru-niger mustapha mohammed-niger abdullahi adamu-nasarawa1 others are george akume-benue joshua dariye plateau francis alimikhena-edo andy uchendu-rivers magnus abe-rivers ovie omo agege- delta john eno-cross river nelson effiong-akwa ibom andy uba-anambra sonni ugboji-ebonyi hope uzodinma-imo ben uwajumogu-imo danjuma goje-gombe1 they further include binta masi-adamawa ahmed abubakar-adamawa yusuf yusuf-taraba oluremi tinubu-lagos gbenga ashafa-lagos solomon adeola-lagos tayo alasoadura-ondo1 they equally include gbolahan dada-ogun soji akanbi-oyo ajayi boroffice-ondo yele omogunwa-ondo south abdullahi buhari-oyo babajide omoworare-osun olusola adeyeye-osun fatima raji rasaki-ekiti1 this administration of apc is focused the federal government of president muhammadu buhari is doing so much for this country1 we need to work to support the president to ensure that nigeria reduces its deficit in infrastructure so that the social investment we are making will come to fruition1 every well meaning nigerian is supposed to support the president to fight all those few challenges that we have across the country he said1 fourteen lawmakers had earlier at plenary on tuesday announced their defection to the pdp and other parties1

Researchers unveil biometric mirror to analyse personality traits
News & Trends •
researchers at the university of melbourne in australia have developed the worlds first artificial intelligence ai system a biometric mirror that can detect and display personality traits of a subject simply by analyzing a photograph1 thebiometric mirror was unveiled on tuesday. it works by comparing the users data with thousands of other facial images in its database1 the datathat biometric mirror uses is based on crowdsourced feedback on peoples facial appearance project leader dr niels wouters from the university of melbournes centre for social natural user interfaces said1 when someone stands in front of biometric mirror the system detects a range of facial characteristics in seconds. it then compares the users data to that of thousands of facial photos which were evaluated for their psychometrics by a group of crowd-sourced responders1 biometric mirror displays 14 characteristics from gender age and ethnicity to attractiveness weirdness and emotional stability. the longer a person stands there the more personal the traits become1 the research project led by dr niels wouters from the centre for social natural user interfaces socialnui and science gallery melbourne explores the concerns this technology raises around consent data storage and algorithmic bias1 with the rise of ai and big data government and businesses will increasingly use cctv cameras and interactive advertising to detect emotions age gender and demographics of people passing by dr wouters said1 our study aims to provoke challenging questions about the boundaries of ai. it shows users how easy it is to implement ai that discriminates in unethical or problematic ways which could have societal consequences. by encouraging debate on privacy and mass-surveillance we hope to contribute to a better understanding of the ethics behind ai1

Avoid hard drugs, NAHCON warns Nigerian pilgrims to S/Arabia
News & Trends •
we have not received any complaint on feeding accommodation or any other welfare matters from the pilgrims on ground so far and i can assure you that all necessary measures have been taken to sustain or even improve on the high level of welfare of pilgrims1 by idris abdulrahman1 nahcon coordinator in madinah alhaji ahmed maigari gave the warning n an interview with the news agency of nigeria nan1 he cautioned nigerian pilgrims to adhere strictly to saudi arabia laws to avoid facing the consequences of violating them1 drug careers into the kingdom of saudi arabia risk death penalty by being beheaded while those who import kolanut in commercial quantities face fines of up to 100 riyals on each piece of the items he warned1 maigari advised pilgrims to also observe the rules regulations and preaching of islamic scholars during the exercise adding that they should strive to be good ambassadors of nigeria1 the coordinator said prospective pilgrims should prepare for harsh weather in the holy cities during the hajj and gave the assurance that the commission through its personnel on ground was fully prepared to receive all pilgrims on arrival1 the national hajj commission of nigeria nahcon on tuesday warned nigerian prospective pilgrims for this years hajj against taking illicit drugs and prohibited items to saudi arabia1 he urged them to prepare to undergo another round of biometric data capturing on arrival at the saudi airports in spite of the screening conducted in nigeria before take-off1 the thinking is that since we have done biometric data capturing in nigeria the airport authorities will only click their system to view the data but we had to do it again on arrival he said1 maigari said the commission had met with all relevant authorities including registered transporters for the hajj in saudi arabia adding that they gave an insight into the rules and regulations of the operations1 after listening and inspection of our arrangements they commended nigerias preparations for this years hajj1 the coordinator advised pilgrims who might need assistance and guidance to call a nahcon dedicated line 920008251 in the holy land1 nan reports that the advance national team including the medical and accommodation committees have already arrived ahead of the hajj while the first batch of pilgrims from kogi and the national media team landed in madinah on friday1

Police cordon off Sarakis home in Abuja: Media Adviser
News & Trends •
idris ruled the statement inadequate2 after a careful perusal of your letter to the police it was discovered that the statement requires further clarification and coupled with the fact that you stated that the full text of the statements of the suspects were not shown to you it is imperative you report to the police to make further statements after giving you the full text of the statements of the suspects2 the police have obviously corrupted and politicized their investigations into the offa robbery incident. they have turned it into an instrument for the party in power to suppress perceived opponents witch-hunt issue for blackmailing people from freely choosing which platform on which they want to pursue their ambition and a matter for harassing the people whose exit from apc would harm the chances of the party in the forthcoming elections2 in a letter sent to saraki on monday night idris asked him to make himself available to the head of the investigation team at the intelligence response team at guzape junction asokoro extension abuja at 8a.m1 the nation reported that the police only blocked sarakis convoy for about 30 minutes. the convoy was about to leave the house at about 7am when the police arrived1 when the convoy was cleared to go at about 7.30 a.m some police vehicles trailed it up to the national assembly complex1 police were said to have extracted a promise from the senate president that he would honour the invitation by the inspector general of police today1 saraki has been invited by the inspector general of police to report at 8a.m today at guzape police station to give further statement on the multiple robbery incidents that occurred in offa kwara state on 5 april in which 31 people were killed1 some of the suspects arrested claimed saraki gave them money and guns as members of a group used by the politician to cow opponents1 in a whatsapp post he also claimed the house of deputy senate president ike ekweremadu has also been surrounded by dss agents1 the police had on 4 june asked for sarakis reaction to the statement made by some of the suspects arrested in connection to the most deadly robbery in the history of nigeria. saraki wrote a statement dated 7 june1 yusuph olaniyonu the media adviser to senator bukola saraki said the house of his principal was blocked by the police tuesday morning1 kola ologbondiyan publicity secretary of the peoples democratic party corroborated unusual security presence at ekweremadus house when he tweeted security operatives block deputy senate president ike ekweremadus residence in apo abuja. ekweremadus spokesman uche anichukwu confirmed the security presence and said it included operatives of the economic and financial crimes commission1 it is in line with the above that you are requested to report to the head of the investigation team at the intelligence response team at guzape junction asokoro extension abuja on 24th of july 2018 at 8am for further investigation on the matter1 in a response last night saraki described the invitation as a mere afterthought which is designed to achieve political purpose1 both claims have not been verified. and security agents have not spoken on why the actions were taken1 i want to make it apparent that i have no hand in either the robbery incident or any criminal acitivity. the police in their haste to embarrass me sent the invitation to me at 8pm and requested that i report to the station by 8am tomorrow morning. this obviously demonstrated their desperation as i do not see why they are now in a hurry. saraki said 1 updated1

North Korea dismantles rocket test site
News & Trends •
38 north analyst joseph bermudez called the move an important first step for kim in fulfilling a promise that trump said the north korean leader made during their june summit in singapore1 north korea has started dismantling some facilities at its main satellite launch station seen as the testing ground for its intercontinental ballistic missiles according to expert analysis of recent satellite images1 after the summit trump had declared the north korean nuclear threat was effectively over and us media reports suggest he is privately furious at the lack of any subsequent progress on the denuclearisation issue1 his public statements however remain upbeat and the 38 north analysis came as the president pronounced himself very happy with the way talks were progressing with pyongyang1 the website said imagery indicated the north had begun taking down a processing building and a rocket-engine test stand that had been used to test liquid-fuel engines at its sohae satellite launching station1 sohae on the northwest coast of north korea is ostensibly a facility designed for putting satellites into orbit but rocket engines are easily repurposed for use in missiles and the international community has labelled pyongyangs space programme a fig leaf for weapons tests1 if confirmed the analysis by respected us-based website 38 north could signal a step forward after last months landmark summit between kim jong un and us president donald trump although some experts questioned the significance of the gesture1 since sohae is believed to have played an important role in the development of technologies for the norths intercontinental ballistic missile program these efforts represent a significant confidence-building measure on the part of north korea bermudez said1 trump said in singapore that kim had committed to destroying a major missile engine test site without specifying the site1 sohae has been the norths main rocket launch site since 2012 and south korea whose president brokered the landmark summit between trump and kim called it a step towards denuclearisation1 its a better sign than doing nothing nam gwan-pyo deputy director of the presidential national security office told reporters1 i believe they are moving step by step towards denuclearisation nam added1 but some experts cautioned against reading too much into the work described in the 38 north analysis1

Iran threatens equal countermeasures if U.S blocks oil
News & Trends •
iran will respond with equal countermeasures if the u.s. tries to block its oil exports the foreign ministry in tehran said on tuesday1 u.s. officials are stepping up diplomatic efforts to pressure countries to stop importing iranian oil1 if america wants to take a serious step in this direction it will definitely be met with a reaction and equal countermeasures from iran foreign ministry spokesman bahram qassemi was quoted as saying by the state news agency irna.1 supreme leader ali khamenei on saturday backed president hassan rouhanis suggestion that iran might block gulf oil exports if its own exports are stopped.1 already fraught relations between tehran and washington have worsened in recent days1 on monday iran dismissed an angry warning from president donald trump that it risked dire consequences the like of which few throughout history have suffered before if it made threats against the united states.1 irans parliamentary speaker on tuesday described trumps comments as the words of a troublemaker1 the united states is experiencing disorder and wildness in its diplomatic relations ali larijani was quoted as saying by irna.1 iran has faced the threat of u.s. sanctions since trump decided in may to withdraw the u.s. from a 2015 agreement between world powers and iran over its disputed nuclear programme. reutersnan1

Kwankwaso, Gemade, 13 other Senators dump APC
News & Trends •
details shortly2 in a letter to the president of the senate signed by 14 senators they indicated their intention to leave the ruling apc for the opposition pdp1 others senators are rafui ibrahim suleiman hunkuyi monsurat sunmonu ibrahim danbaba usman nafada and suleiman nazif1 the letter reads thus1 dear senate president after due consultation with our constituents and stakeholders in our constituencies in proper recognition of section 681g of the 1999 constitution as amended and with the fact our party the all progressives congress apc is hereby emerging factions1 we hereby inform the senate that wethe undersigned are changing our political affiliation from the all progressives congress apc to the peoples democratic party pdp1 the senators who have so far defected are rabui musa kwankwaso kano central barnabas gemade benue north-west dino melaye kogi east isa hamman misau lanre tajouso shaaba lafiagi mohammed shittu and ubali shittu1 shortly after reading the letter saraki also announced that sen. murtala nyako has also indicated his intention to leave the apc bringing the total number of defectors to 151 with this number of new senators in the pdp the party now holds the majority seats in the upper legislative chamber1 speaking after the defection saraki who expressed displeasure at the siege on his residence and those of other lawmakers said that it was uncalled for1 people have the freedom of association. i have been sitting down here and more than 15 senators have decamped or defected to one party or the other. there was no siege on their residence he said1 we thank you for your exemplary leadership1

PDP holds NEC meeting Monday
News & Trends •
the meeting of the national executive committee nec of the national opposition peoples democratic party pdp will hold on monday2 the national leadership of the party sent out an invitation to members of the committee to converge at its national secretariat monday2 the notice sent out was however silent on the agenda of the meeting which had been slated for 4pm2 the notice of the meeting was signed by the national secretary of the party sen. umaru tsauri2 meanwhile the partys threat to boycott next years elections has been criticised and that it was being hunted by its past2 the national chairman of all progressives congress apc mr. adams oshiomhole said pdp was being haunted by its past treatment of electoral contests as a do-or-die affair2 he warned that apc would not be intimidated by any threat of the pdp or any other party as it was committed to the sustenance of democracy and the sanctity of one man one vote2 the former labour leader described the move by the pdp as akin to that of a rabbit jumping out of a hole in the afternoon because a hunter has come to put fire to smoke it out2 the pdp fired back saying apc was jittery over coalition between pdp and 38 others2