President Jonathan Sacks Political Adviser, Ahmed Gulak

President Goodluck Jonathan has sacked his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, with immediate effect, presidential spokesperson, Reuben Abati, has said.

No reason was given for the removal of Mr. Gulak, a man well known for complementing another presidential aide, Doyin Okupe, in launching verbal attacks on critics and opponents of President Jonathan.

However, Mr. Abati, in a statement posted via his twitter handle @abati1990, quoted President Jonathan as thanking Mr. Gulak for his services to the present administration and wishing him success in his future endeavors”.

Parents Say 234 Girls, Not 129, Were Abducted From Nigerian High School Raided By Boko Haram

By SaharaReporters, New York
Tears flowed freely on Monday when Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima and Senator Ali Ndumi arrived Chibok, where parents said that 234 girls, not the 129 that has been widely reported, were actually abducted by Boko Haram militants last week from the Girls Secondary School in zChibok.

 They also confirmed that 39 of them have been able to escape.

During the visit, Senator Ali Ndumi, who represents Borno Southern Senatorial at the National Assembly, openly wept like a baby.

Nyanya Bomb Blast And The Fight Against Terrorism In Nigeria By General Muhammadu Buhari

Sinister terror and hatred have again reached from the shadows to steal the lives of innocent Nigerians.  In Nyanya, seventy-two people were killed by a car bomb. Hundreds more were injured in the devastation.  Their killings served no purpose except for those who exalt in evil. The bomb blast quickly came and went like the deadly thief it was; but we shall be left to endure the pain and loss from this terrible act for a long time to come.

APC INAUGURATES APPEAL COMMITTEES

Chief Akande

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has inaugurated Congress Appeal Committees to look into grievances that may arise from the states, local government and ward congresses conducted by the party before its National Convention.
Interim national secretary of the party, Tijjani Musa Tumsah, who spoke with Daily Trust yesterday,  said the committees were inaugurated for all the 36 states of the federation including Abuja.
He said that the committees were inaugurated for 24 states earlier because of some unresolved issues arising from the congresses held in the remaining 12, but it was later decided that all the committees for all the states should be inaugurated as most of the issues are being resolved in the affected states.

BUHARI THREATENS TO SUE PDP OVER ACCUSATIONS

Former head of state Gen. Muhammadu Buhari has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to retract its “wild accusation” linking him with the Boko Haram acts, and apologise or face a legal action.
In a statement he personally signed in Kaduna yesterday, Gen. Buhari said: ‘’I cannot sit back and allow my image, and that of my political party be smeared by falsehood in the name of politics.’’

Military Retracts Earlier Statement About Rescue Of Girls Abducted From Secondary School In Chibok

Via SaharaReporters

Nigeria’s armed forces have formally issued a retraction to the unfolding story of the kidnapping of more than 100 female students in the country’s northeast Monday.

The statement, issued by Chris Olukolade, a Major General who also serves as Coordinator, and the Director of Defense Information, centers on a discrepancy of fact, and concerns a mis-quote from the School Principal whose students were abducted in the Monday siege. In an attempt to set the record straight, Olukolade’s statement reads as follows:

Why Governor Yuguda Sacked His SSG, Barister Ahmed Ibrahim Dandija

Universal Reporters

That the Secretary to the Bauchi State Government (SSG) Ibrahim Dandija  has been sacked by his boss, the Governor is no news, however what is news now is why he was sacked by the Governor Yuguda, universalreporters exclusively gathered details from an inside source why governor Yuguda show the exit way for his SSG.


A close source within the Bauchi State Government House, said the sins of Dandija became too much that Governor Isa Yuguda was unable to bear and as such the SSG was shown the exit door to leave.

APC cancels ward congresses in 30 wards in Bauchi

Re-run elections will be held on April 16.

Citing election irregularities, the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Tuesday cancelled the results of 30 wards out of the 212 wards in its Bauchi State ward congresses held on April 9.
The Chairman of the State Congress Committee, Almajiri Geidam, told journalists in Bauchi that April 16 has been fixed for the re-run in the affected wards.
He also said that the committee upheld results from 182 wards in 14 out of 20 Local Government Areas of the state.
“The State Congress Committee sat on the result of the congresses and upheld the congresses in 182 wards and cancelled congresses in 30 wards out of the 212 wards.

Kano PDP Rally: You Are Heartless, APC Tells Jonathan

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said President Goodluck Jonathan is exhibiting the traits of an insensitive and utterly hardhearted leader by returning to his illegal campaign trail, barely 24 hours after 75 of his compatriots died in a bomb blast in Abuja, and as news broke that 200 school girls have been abducted by Boko Haram in Borno.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Wednesday by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also renewed its call on the President to urgently convene a stakeholders’ summit and pursue a nonpartisan approach towards ending the insurgency, as it is now very obvious that the challenge posed by it is beyond the capacity of the government.

121 Abducted Borno Girls Freed, 8 Still Missing

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) said on Wednesday that only eight of the abducted students of the  Government Girls’ Secondary School Chibok, Borno, were now missing as confirmed by the Principal of the school.

The headquarters said more students were freed on Wednesday evening.

This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja and  signed by Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, Director of Defence Information, in an update on the rescue of the abuducted students.

FG Files 9 Fresh Charges Against The Eldest Son Of Late Gen. Abacha, Mohammed

ABUJA—The Federal Government, yesterday, entered fresh nine-count criminal charge against the eldest son of the late military dictator, Mohammed Abacha, following allegation that he unlawfully hid about N446.3billion allegedly stolen from the national treasury between 1995 and 1998.

Mohammed was accused of receiving the stolen money from his late father, General Sani Abacha, and concealed same.Specifically, the Federal Government alleged that Mohammed “dishonestly received stolen property and voluntarily assisted in concealing money.”

Army, Boko Haram Working Together In Parts of Nigeria? - VOA News

By VOA News
A Nigerian soldier says he has witnessed incidents that suggest some Nigerian military commanders are working with Boko Haram, an Islamist militant group blamed for thousands of deaths since 2009.

In an exclusive interview with VOA's Hausa service, he described how his military unit, based in the northeastern Borno State region, was ambushed by Boko Haram fighters.

Nigerian Government receives reports of Gurara, Kafin Zaki Dam projects

The road from the Dam to Kaftari is to be completed this year.
Vice President Namadi Sambo on Friday received the progress reports on the Gurara Phase I and Kafin Zaki Dam Project from the Ministries of Power and Water Resources.
This is contained in a statement issued by Umar Sani, the Vice President’s Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, in Abuja.
It said the vice president expressed satisfaction with the progress of work, and urged for speedy completion of the projects.

Obasanjo’s Loyalists Participate In Ogun APC Ward Congresses

Via Leadership
Indications have emerged that former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State may have concluded plans to participate in Saturday’s ward congresses of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The chairman of the Ogun PDP loyal to the former president, Senator Dipo Odujinrin on Thursday led other chieftains of his faction to attend a strategic meeting of the APC.

Yuguda Replaces SSG,Cos

Leadership Newspapers

Gov Isa Yuguda has announced the removal of Alhaji Sallau Dandija and Alhaji Yusuf Gumli as Secretary to Bauchi State Government and his Chief of Staff respectively.

A press statement signed by Mr Ishola Micheal, Chief Press Secretary to the governor on Tuesday said they had been replaced by Alhaji Aminu Hammayo and Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed respectively.

The statement said that the new appointments took immediate effect.

Court asks 37 decampee PDP-to-APC lawmakers to vacate House of Reps

“The defendants are, therefore, not competent to vote or contribute to any proceedings in the House of Representatives.”
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday gave an order of perpetual injunction restraining the lawmakers who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, from effecting any leadership change in the House of Representatives.
Delivering judgment, Justice Adeniyi Ademola lambasted the decampee lawmakers. He said they no longer had any business, morally and legally, to stay in the House of Representatives.
He said they should honourably resign from their seats as members, having moved to another political party while their tenure had yet to expire.

SSS accuses CBN Governor, Sanusi, of financing terrorism

“The allegation against the applicant as to funding of terrorism is an afterthought by the respondents which is not backed by facts.”

A new twist has been added to the ongoing travails of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Lamido Sanusi, as the Department of State Security Service, SSS, has accused him of financing terrorism.

The SSS stated this at the Federal High Court, Lagos, while defending its decision to seize Mr. Sanusi’s international passport.

Mr. Sanusi’s passport was seized on February 20, as he arrived the Lagos international airport, hours after he was suspended as Central Bank Governor by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The new charge, which Mr. Sanusi’s lawyers described as false and baseless, tallies with a similar surreptitious but baseless allegation thrown at the bank chief by a presidential aide.