June 8, 2015 : Kazeem Busari 

 

 

Flying Eagles coach Manu Garba

African representatives at the FIFA U-20 World Cup have recorded a major feat for the region as the four teams – Nigeria, Mali, Senegal and Ghana – all made it to the knockout stage of the competition on Sunday only for the second time in the history of the tournament.

The only other time was in 2007 when Nigeria, Zambia, Congo and Gambia reached the round of 16, with Nigeria eliminating Zambia at that stage.

While Ghana, the only African side to have won the U-20 World Cup in 2009, will face Mali on Wednesday, Nigeria, the African champions who defeated Hungary 2-0 on Sunday, will meet European champions Germany on Thursday. Senegal will face Ukraine on Wednesday.

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This fixture means that at least one African team will make it to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

Nigeria, who lost their first game to Brazil 4-2, bounced back into contention with their 4-0 bashing of Korea DPR in their second game, and only needed a draw to book their place in the knockout stage.

But two goals from Taiwo Awoniyi in the 33rd and 54th minutes pushed the Flying Eagles to second place in Group E, behind Brazil, handing them a second round ticket to face the top scoring side, so far, in the tournament.

Hungary, however, still qualified as one of the best losers and will face Serbia in the next round.

Thursday’s match will be the third between Nigeria and Germany at the U-20 World Cup. The Flying Eagles beat the Europeans 2-0 at the group stage in the 1999 edition in Lagos, and Germany knocked Nigeria out in the round of 16 after playing 3-2 at the 2009 edition in Egypt.

Nigeria coach, Manu Garba, believes his team will be up to the task when they face Germany, insisting that they must overcome the best teams if they must win the tournament.

He said, “It (the Hungary game) was a very good match for us. We wanted to score more, but still I’m happy with the 2-0 result. The Hungarians play more from the wings but we were able to control the game and the outcome.

“Our next game is against Germany but we are ready for any team, because if we want to be champions we have to be ready for them.”

Hungary coach, Bernd Storck, said it was difficult for his team to play against the Flying Eagles.

He said, “Our players’ fitness level was not at 100 per cent, as it was against Brazil, and to keep pace with an opposition like Nigeria is difficult. We started well for the first 15 minutes but they were better. I wanted to give a chance to all my players so I can test their level against these quality sides and I am happy that I managed to do that.”

June 8, 2015 : Agency Report

 

When you are in your twenties, it is a great time to establish healthy financial habits that can go with you for the rest of your life. The habits that you form now will follow you. It is important to work now to create habits that will benefit you in the future. Even the small things may end up costing you a lot more in the future. Here are five habits that can cost you a lot later on.

Paying off your credit card

If you are only paying the minimum on your credit card, you are primarily paying the interest, and you will likely continue to pay on the card for years instead of months. One great way to find out how much this habit is costing you is to look at your bill. Each monthly statement has a box that tells you how much you paid in interest this month, how long it will take you to pay off the card by paying the minimum and the amount that you need to pay to pay it off in three years. The interest payments can be huge, and if you are only paying the minimum amount, you will not make any real progress on your debt.

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Eating out

When you are single, it may not seem like that big of deal to eat out a couple of nights a week. Without the extra cost of children, it may be nearly as inexpensive as cooking at home. Of course, this depends on where you eat out and what you cook at home. If you are eating out at five star restaurants, you can definitely cook for less. But eating out becomes a habit that can be harder to break once you are married and have kids. If you estimate that an average family of four would spend about $25.00 eating out at a fast food restaurant, and that you can make a similar meal for a bit under $10.00 at home, you can see a savings of $15.00 a meal. If you cut out the eating out twice a week, you can save $1560 a year. The savings can be even more if you are eating at more expensive restaurants. Menu planning and make ahead meals can help you if you feel the time crunch around dinnertime.

Smoking

Smoking can be expensive in a lot of ways. First there is the cost of the cigarettes. The average cost is around $5.00 a pack. If you smoke one pack every two days, you will spend about $912.50 a year. If you smoke a pack a day, you will spend $1825.00 a year. However, the added costs may come later in life as you deal with serious health issues from the side effects of smoking. The pack a day habit will cost you $150.00 a month, which you could spend on other things.

Gambling

Gambling is a habit that can really hurt you over time. If you are facing a gambling addiction, then you may be in danger of losing your home, your family and your job. The costs can add up quickly, because it really can be difficult to stop. If you do an occasional bet on a big game or plan an annual trip to Vegas, chances are you do not need to worry about this, as long as you can stop when you have lost the money you set aside for the trip. However, if you find yourself constantly gambling or playing online poker and losing, you may need to seek help for your addiction. Lottery tickets fit into this category too. You may want to stop your scratch off habit, because you are not earning out what you put into it.

Impulse shopping and deal hunting

Impulse shopping can add up quickly and it can be difficult to calculate just how much you spend on it each year, because the purchases are usually mixed in with other expenses that you needed. Another problem area may be hunting for the perfect deal, and then finding another deal that is just too good to pass up—even if you did not really need the item in the first place. These deals can end up costing you a lot of money on things that you do not really need. First, you need to create a list of things you want or need to buy with a deal. For example, if you know that you need to buy a new tent in the next year, you can take the time to hunt for a deal rather than purchase it at full price. Force yourself to have a cooling off period of twenty fours before you make a purchase unless it is on the list of things that you need to buy right now. If you think you have a real shopping addiction, you may need to seek help for your shopping issues.

June 8, 2015 :

Miss Yemi Idowu

The Event Manager, D’Chillers Concept, Miss Yemi Idowu, in this interview with IFE ADEDAPO, speaks about best practices in events management, among other issues

Why is it important for every corporate event to have a theme?

A theme enhances the effectiveness of a corporate event and it has a way of helping the company achieve the purpose for which the event was planned, besides adding fun to the event.

Themed corporate events are memorable and they build strong connection between the organisation and the attendees. Using themes at conventions and seminars pulls together a common party thread that leads to the success of the event.

Appropriately selected and executed themes have a lot of effect on the success of an event, though it could be complex at the planning stage.

Also in a situation where the organisation intends to cut down on menu thereby saving cost, a themed event can help in achieving that. For instance, take a theme that says ‘let’s go green,’ with this, you have been able to channel the menu to fruits only, thereby cutting off the cost of meat, fish and other menus that can be quite pricey .

What kind of disappointment do you encounter when planning events?

I will say every industry faces its own disappointment, of course the event management industry is not an exception. The fact that there is a disappointment during an event does not mean the event has failed or will fail. In fact, your ability to salvage the situation is what makes you an event manager. Your services would probably not have been needed if the event was meant to be hitch-free. In this industry, I will say the disappointment we face mostly comes from vendors. Vendors see themselves as superhuman, always seeing the possibility of juggling events on the same day, sometimes at the same time. So if not properly followed up, vendors can be a pain in your neck.

Sometimes, inability of the client to make prompt commitment (financially) could lead to disappointment. Take for instance, your venue search exercise is completed and the client has approved of a particular venue, you have taken your hall decorator to the venue and you already have a perfect picture of what your outcome is. If quick financial commitment is not made towards securing the venue and when you think you are ready, the venue may not be available again, you can imagine the stress of having to start all over again.

How do you manage disappointments?

You are meant to experience some measure of disappointments. The role of an event planner is to properly manage them. If they are not well managed, it will improve your expertise and this will determine your delivery. For vendors, irrespective of how long I have been working with them, I follow up to the last minute. We have a culture of having a last hour rehearsal before the major event and it’s usually fixed a day before the major event. A vendor’s absence at this rehearsal is simply taken as a major signal that the person will disappoint, except an alternative arrangement has been made by the vendor. Besides, we try to have a backup for each services and we also have internal control measures to keep vendors in check.

How do you manage a small budget?

No matter how much cash people have in their coffers, looking for ways to save money makes sense to everyone. Our ideal practice at D’Chillers is actually not to propose budget to our clients but rather work with the budget our client proposes. From the inception, we arrange for a meeting with our client where we discuss details of the event like the number of guests he /she is expecting, the type of party, choice of venue, menu, drinks and others. After having these, we give our client a list detailing different services such as venue rental, menu, drinks, ushers etc. All these services are categorised according to grade, we then leave our clients to work out his budget by himself, though giving our professional advice can be necessary.

What are the common mistakes event planners make?

One of the major mistakes on the part of an event planner, I will say, is not having a contingency plan. This is a major error on the part of planners and it is always due to the eagerness of getting the project from the client at any cost. This can go as far as affecting almost all aspects of the services you provide, the menu and quality of vendors. The best approach is to confront the client, let them know your budget needs to be adjusted. The best practice is to always give allowance for unexpected occurrences.

Another is the communication gap between an event manager and a client and sometimes between the event manager and the vendors. Assumptions are not permitted when sealing an event deal. I will suggest that the client should be invited to few of your briefs with vendors so that all form of misunderstanding can be addressed and you have all parties on the same page.

How can a strong brand be built in a highly competitive market?

The essence of branding is to ensure that a good or service is able to set a niche above the competitor so that the target market can differentiate it from others in the same market hence leading to increase in sales.

The main objective of branding is to deliver a clear message about a certain good or service and how it is more credible as compared to others in the same market. The work of brand acceptance starts with the manufacturer, because the manufacturer must be able to come up with a product that is desired by the intended target audience. After this has been achieved, efforts must be made to pry into competitor’s brand so as to produce a brand that has corrected the lapses experienced in competitor’s brand. These form the unique selling points for the brand.

A logo and colour scheme should be adopted for easy identification. Branding message should be consistently marketed for solid brand to be realised. After putting all these in place, it is necessary to identify an online store with large online visitors. Strategies such as having frequent display of brand per second [a pop} to draw visitors’ attention , discount offer, raffle draw, incentive offer would draw to the brand. The more interest one is able to generate, the more the sales prospect.

How does distributor management work?

After a product has been launched, there is a need to make it available to the market. One of the ways of achieving this is via distributor recruitment. Distributor recruitment is that act of recruiting existing reputable distributors to distribute your brand while distributor management is managing relationship between manufacturers and dealers so as to continually meet customers’ need, hence increasing sales.

What income-earning potential or business opportunity does distributor management hold for young people?

I would say the distributor management business is a lucrative one. Opportunities abound right from the marketing of brand to distributors, preparation of questionnaire, listing of distributors, interview session with distributors, selection process, agreement documentation, product distribution, relationship management and many more. These are areas where young people from different fields of study can function.

June 8, 2015 : Adelani Adepegba and Friday Olokor 

The Federal Secretariat complex, Inset: Ugwu
| credits: Nairaland, Friday Olokor

A senior official of the Federal Ministry of Health, Martins Ugwu, who has been practising as a ‘medical doctor’ for over nine years, has been arrested by the police upon discovery that he stole the licence from his friend.

Ugwu, who is a Senior Medical Officer II on Grade Level 13, was found to have impersonated his friend, Dr. George Daniel, who is undergoing a residency training programme in Jos, Plateau State.

He allegedly stole the licence from his friend for whom he was best man during a wedding in 2006. They both hail from Orukpa in the Ogbadibo Local Government Area of Benue State.

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PUNCH Metro learnt that Ugwu, who was due to be promoted to an Assistant Director in the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, a parastatal of the Federal Ministry of Health, has been working in the civil service since 2006 under the name, Dr. George Davidson Daniel, until he was indicted by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria as an impostor.

Ugwu who was arrested by the police last Thursday, was, however, released a few hours later, fueling speculations that the policemen might have been compromised.

Ugwu’s arrest was sequel to an investigation by the MDCN, which registers all Nigerian doctors and regulates their practice after investigations, the MDCN uncovered two Dr. Daniels- the same name on two separate identity photographs.

The MDCN in a letter to the Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission, dated June 4, 2015, signed by the Registrar, Dr. A. Ibrahim, described Ugwu as an impostor, adding that the case had been reported to the police for further investigation and action.

It reads, “Records available to the council revealed that this “Dr.” Davidson Daniel George is an impostor as he is impersonating another Dr. Davidson Daniel who is the genuine doctor and he currently undertakes his residency training in Jos, Plateau State.

“The council summoned and interacted with the genuine doctor who gave some vital information on the impostor. The council has reported the matter to the law enforcement agency as a case of impersonation; with the genuine doctor deposing to a statement with regard to what happened between him and the fake doctor whose real name is Mr. Martins Ugwu.

“As it is, Mr. Martins Ugwu is an impostor. You may therefore wish to take further actions to deal with this matter in accordance with the provisions of the law.”

The MDCN said it was dissatisfied with the manner with which the police handled Ugwu’s case and promised to take up the matter with the Inspector-General of Police.

The council cited a previous arrest of a fake doctor arraigned for prosecution, insisting that the prosecuting police officers had never called the council’s investigators to court as witnesses while the case stalled in court.

The council said it was investigating and prosecuting about 40 cases of quacks in courts.

Ironically, Ugwu was part of a government committee that met more than 200 contingents returning from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea where they had volunteered to help fight Ebola under an African Union mission, last week in Abuja.

The Head of Inspectorate Department, MDCN, Dr. Henry Okwuokenye, who led the team of investigators, confirmed Ugwu’s arrest to one of our correspondents on Sunday in Abuja.

He said, “When we looked at our archives, we discovered there was actually somebody that bears the name, Dr. George Daniel, but the picture is not the same as the one that was sent to us. The Daniel under investigation had a photocopy of a practice licence and a provisional licence- the first temporary documentation for new doctors valid for only two years- but the unique folio number matched a real Dr. Daniel on MDCN files.”

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Linus Awute, fingered Ugwu as the head of a gang “scandalising and intimidating heads of agencies under the ministry and extorting money from them.”

He explained that the impostor had been handed over to the police, noting that the process of his sacking from the civil service had commenced. She said all the monies he had received as salaries would be recovered.

Awute said, “We are making efforts to get the other members of his (Ugwu’s) gang. He has been on the payroll of the government all these years but nemesis has caught up with him. He is the leader of a gang that has been operating in the ministry, intimidating and extorting money from heads of agencies under the ministry. They have approached me to negotiate in the belief that money has come to the ministry to be shared.”

When contacted, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Anjuguri Manzah, said the police were investigating the matter.

“The matter is under investigation, though the suspect has been released on bail for now,” he stated.

June 8, 2015 : Agency Report 

Osinbajo and Adeboye

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, and the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Chuch of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, on Sunday urged Nigerians to be faithful, diligent and honest in all that they do so as to attract favour from God and man.

The News Agency of Nigeria reported that they said this at the 8th Annual Conference and Reunion of the Redeemed Christian Church of God Apapa Family, Lagos Province 20, with the theme ‘Riding on the wings of Change’.

Osinbajo said at the event, which took place at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos, that the country needed faithful men who could be relied on to do a good job of nation building.

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“If you are a typist, if you are a receptionist, if you are a security man, be faithful in the little things you are doing.

“It is that faithfulness, it is that trustworthiness, it is that loyalty towards the things you are doing and to people you are serving that will lift you up.

“That is the change our nation needs. I trust that we, as the children of God, will be not just harbingers of that change, but will be that change.

“Our country is waiting for us; I trust that we are all going to be that change that the nation needs,” he said.

Also, Governor Akinwummi Ambode of Lagos State said that the theme of the conference was appropriate, especially with the current situation in the country.

“The theme of the conference aptly sums up our expectations and collective desire as individuals; no meaningful progress can be achieved without a purpose driven change in the right direction.

“Our prime focus and concern shall be to serve diligently; as we embark on this journey, no one, irrespective of status, strength, ability or disability would be left behind,” Ambode said.

The governor also prayed that God would grant him wisdom, knowledge and understanding as he governs the state.

“I request of the Lord divine wisdom and knowledge like King Solomon,” he said.

Adeboye prayed that the new leaders would rule Nigeria with the fear of God.

He said that those in power should remember that power belongs to God and that at the end of the day they would give account to Him.

“Anyone who wants to ride on the wings of change must be humble, kind, patient so that everything that Nigeria has lost will be fully restored,” Adeboye said.

NAN reported that Osinbajo, Ambode and Adeboye were given Apostles of Change awards by the RCCG Apapa family at the event.

June 8, 2015 : Femi Makinde 

Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola

The Peoples Democratic Party has advised Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, to sell the helicopter purchased for security surveillance and stop ‘wasteful spending’ in order to raise money to pay salaries of workers in the state.

The Director of Media and Strategy of the PDP in Osun State, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, gave this advice in a statement made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Sunday.

The statement read, “The PDP is urging the government to sell the helicopter Governor Aregbesola said was procured for the state. He should also stop frivolous trips to Cuba.

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“What this administration told us was that the helicopter was to be used for surveillance, but we have since discovered that the machine is only serving the travelling needs of Mr. Aregbesola and his family. This remains one draining pipe that must be blocked.

“The governor and his aides should also forthwith stop travelling in chartered aircraft around the world. If President Muhammadu Buhari could be travelling on British Airways, even when aircrafts in presidential fleet are available, there is the need for Governor Aregbesola to borrow a leaf.”

The opposition party also accused the governor of wasting the state’s resources on politics and arming of a group of youth he called “State Boys.”

The PDP called on the newly elected members of the Osun State House of Assembly not to turn themselves to rubber stamp of the executive arm of the government.

According to the party, the people of the state now place their hope on the lawmakers to check the ‘excesses of the governor’ in the interest of the masses.

The statement read further, “The whole world is aware of the fact that former Ekiti lawmakers were heavily bribed on the bill of Osun State for several months, where they mapped out strategies on how to impeach Governor Fayose.

“It is also fresh in minds the huge amount Ogbeni Aregbesola expended on the last Ekiti State governorship poll, Lagos State governorship poll and the Presidential project of the All Progressive Congress.

“Also, a group of miscreants called “State Boys” are being illegally armed and financed by the government to unleash terror on many indigenes of the state by the ruling party.

“All these actions and many others wasteful spending led us to where we are now, which if they could be reversed, could bring financial reserves to the state.

“But if Ogbeni Aregbesola will not treat this advice with disdain, and henceforth, begin to act as the governor of all, we believe at least he will be able to pay few months of the backlog of salaries owed workers and retirees.”

However, the governor described the suggestions and allegations from the opposition party as infantile.

Speaking through a statement issued by his media aide, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, Aregbesola said the PDP was just seeking cheap publicity with their suggestions and spurious allegations.

The statement read, “The suggestion shows clearly how degenerate the PDP has become in the thinking process of its leaders to have come up with the selling of a mere helicopter in order to pay salaries.

“It is disheartening this is how degenerate the PDP has become in their thinking process. They screamed ignorantly about two years ago that Osun procured a helicopter with a sum of N8bn. We had asked them to find out the cost of a Boeing plane, let alone a helicopter which was only leased and it was to beef up the Osun Swift Action Squad (SAS) for its aerial surveillance. This was clear to all in the state that the helicopter was procured as part of the Rauf Aregbesola administration’s comprehensive security measures to drive criminals far away from the state.

“For the PDP in its narrow and pedestrian thinking to tell us to sell the helicopter is a sign of intellectual laziness. The allegations that Aregbesola uses the helicopter for his personal use lack any evidence.

“It is obvious that the PDP, after it has reached its final bus stop of defeat rigmarole, as typified by the Supreme Court decision of May 27, is merely looking for something to keep it relevant.

“But come to think of it! What could be relevant in a party that never had any touch with the people? What could be relevant in a party that cannot even organise itself to give credible and virile opposition? It is therefore certain that allegations, such as Aregbesola financing Lagos, Ekiti and Muhammadu Buhari’s elections are not only laughable; they demonstrate the fact that the PDP cannot even be rescued from its self-inflicted tragedy. It is a party eternally rejected.”

“This certainly cannot be the path to go if its intention is to be an opposition party. An opposition party that will help the people to know what the people want.

“The people of Osun need adequate security which PDP failed to provide throughout Nigeria in its 16 years of misrule. The People of Osun require good governance which the PDP could not give them. I therefore advise that shameful lies such as those Odeyemi cooked up again and threw to the media would not help the party. They would help sink it deeper.”

June 8, 2015 : Olalekan Adetayo 

 

President Muhammadu Buhari in Munich, Germany for the G-7 Summit...on Sunday.
| credits: State House

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President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday arrived in Munich, Germany, at about 15.25 hours to begin a two-day official visit, in the course of which he will participate in the G-7 Outreach Programme for invited heads of government and global institutions.

According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President was received on arrival by the Vice Minister-President of Bavaria, Mrs. Inge Aigner.

Buhari was accompanied on the trip by Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State; former Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN); a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.); and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Paul Lolo.

According to the statement, other invited Heads of State and international institutions who will join Buhari at the working session with G-7 leaders on Monday at Elmau include President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, President Macky Sall of Senegal, President Beji Caid Essebsi of Tunisia and Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn of Ethiopia.

Others scheduled to participate in the Monday’s session with G-7 leaders are the Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi of Iraq; the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki Moon; the Secretary-General of the OECD, Mr. Angel Gurria; the Managing Director of the IMF, Mrs. Christine Largarde; the President of the World Bank Group, Dr. Jim Yong Kim; the Director-General of the International Labour Organisation, Mr. Guy Rider; the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mrs. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma; and the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation.

Before leaving Munich for Nigeria on Monday, Buhari will hold bilateral talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada on the sidelines of the G-7 Outreach Programme.

He is also expected to meet President Barack Obama, President Francois Hollande of France, Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain and other G-7 leaders in the course of the Outreach Session and a working lunch at the Elmau Castle.

The Head of the Bavarian regional government is scheduled to host a dinner in honour of Buhari and other leaders invited to the G-7 Outreach Programme on Sunday (evening).

Government officials who saw Buhari off at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja, on Sunday included the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase; Commander of the Brigade of Guards, Brig.-Gen. Anthony Omozogie; an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr. Sikiru Akande; and the Assistant Director, Security, Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Nebere Yeih, among others.

Meanwhile, the security problem being witnessed in parts of the country, efforts aimed at waging war against corruption and the nation’s power problem will top the list of requests President Buhari will present to G7 Summit, holding in Germany.

Shehu, who is currently on Buhari’s entourage, disclosed this in a statement from Munich on Sunday.

Shehu said Buhari arrived in Munich, Germany, on Sunday armed with the “wish list” of Nigeria in line with the demand of the G7 industrialised countries.

He said the G7 had earlier requested Buhari to prepare a shopping list and come with it for their consideration in what is seen as an excellent goodwill gesture towards the new leader and the country.

He said top on the list the President would tender before the G7 leaders is on the problem of security.

“We have a problem which they know,” Shehu quoted Buhari as saying.

He further quoted the President as adding that he had used every opportunity at his disposal ahead of the meeting to discuss the country’s needs with specific reference to terrorism and development needs at person-to-person meetings and telephone conversations with some of these leaders.

“These development issues, many and varied as they are, touch on the economy, combating corruption, increased foreign direct investment; power and energy, infrastructure, environment, enhanced transparency in elections and good governance,” he added.

Buhari announced that the leaders of the industrialised nations have shown a preparedness to work with Nigeria to help the country out of her problems.

The President will hold meetings on the sidelines with the host, German Chancellor, Angela Merkel; the French President, Francois Hollande; Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper; the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe; and the World Bank President, Dr. Jim Yong Kim.

June 8, 2015 : John Alechenu, John Ameh, Sunday Aborisade and Toluwani Eniola 

Saraki and Dogora

The crisis within the All Progressives Congress over the choice of candidates for the speakership and the Senate presidency of the 8th National Assembly deepened on Sunday as candidates not endorsed by the party’s leadership vowed to contest the elections on Tuesday.

Findings in Abuja on Sunday showed that the candidates – Yakubu Dogara (House of Representatives) and Bukola Saraki (Senate) had intensified   lobbying   the Peoples Democratic Party incoming lawmakers.

Senators-elect and their counterparts for the House began accreditation for the Tuesday election at the National Assembly in Abuja on Sunday.

The immediate past Minority Leader,   Femi Gbajabiamila, had at the party’s mock election   on Saturday emerged the APC consensus candidate for the post of speaker. He   polled 154 votes as against     Yakubu Dogara’s    three votes.

A total of 183 members registered for the mock election but the votes of four   were declared as invalid.

Bukola Saraki’s group boycotted the primary conducted for senate presidency , but the APC picked Ahmad Lawan, who got 32 votes.

Votes allocated to Dogora, a fraud, says Jibrin

But on Sunday, the spokesperson for the 8th Assembly Consolidation Group which is Dogara’s campaign body,   Abdulmumin Jibrin, warned that the APC was a on a path of self-destruction by sticking to the outcome of the primary.

Jibrin, a former Chairman, House Committee on Finance and contestant for the speakership until last week when he stepped down to support Dogara, insisted that there was no election.

“The mock election is a blatant lie. It was very shameful and disgraceful and the party only made a mockery of itself.

“We walked out of the hall and we never participated in the election. Therefore, the votes allocated to us were a fraud and we will not accept them,” he told a news conference on Sunday.

Jibrin   claimed that members of the group had received threats of disciplinary actions from the party since Saturday, but he restated the resolve of Dogara’s supporters to ignore the APC and nominate him(Dogora) for Tuesday’s (tomorrow) election.

Disclosing   that the group   had petitioned   Buhari to wade into the matter, he said it was regrettable that   in just a week after the APC formed the government at the Federal level, it appeared set on “derailing” from the ideals which propelled it to power.

“We have decided to write a petition to Buhari to intervene in this matter; to call the party to order. We will go ahead to nominate Dogara on the 9th and we will not back out,” he said.

The group seized the opportunity to unveil   Lasun Yusuf, a member from Osun State, as Dogora’s running mate .

The same Yusuf, had last week, announced that he was backing Gbajabiamila, only to make a U-turn on Sunday.

Support us, Gbajabiamila’s secretariat tells   Dogara

Shortly after the news conference, The Gbajabiamila   Secretariat in Abuja   called on the Dogara group to bury the hatchet and join the Lagos State lawmaker to build the House as from Tuesday.

It noted that had Dogara won the mock election instead of Gbajabiamila, the former minority leader would have supported him, being the candidate so chosen by the party.

The   secretariat, also said there was nothing strange in conducting a mock election, which it argued was not different from the primaries members participated in before their election to the National Assembly.

Dickson Tarkighir, who spoke for the secretariat said, “It is unfortunate that some members sought for intervention of the party before their election into the National Assembly but suddenly realised that the unbiased intervention of the party in the mock election is inappropriate.

“Definitely, these are not agents of change. The party gave members-elect the platform to elect a popular candidate that would represent the party in the House and we are glad that at the end of that exercise, it was res ipsa loquitur.

“Had Dogara won the mock election we would have all queued behind him now but as a mark of discipline and respect for the party, we are all behind Gbajabiamila.”

However, The PUNCH gathered that Gbajabiamila would most likely emerge as the speaker, barring any major alterations in the support structure he already had among members-elect.

It was learnt that flowing from his victory on Saturday,   the North-West and North-East caucuses of the House resolved to sustain their support for him on Tuesday.

He was said to be already assured of the votes of 47 out of the 48 APC members from the South-West.

Findings revealed that the North-West, with 87 APC lawmakers, had over 84 backing Gbajabiamila.

A returning member of the House, who asked not to be named said , “Kano, with the largest state caucus, has 24 members; 21 voted for Gbajabiamila on Saturday and will repeat the same on Tuesday.

“Jigawa has 11 members, all whom are with Gbajabiamila.’’

Investigations also indicated that 35 out of the total 39 APC members from the North-East were firmly backing Gbajabiamila.

A top APC member, who also spoke with The PUNCH in Abuja on Sunday, said,     “The project in the House is tied to the project of Senator Ahmed Lawan, who is contesting the President of the Senate.

“It is the same project and we will keep to it until victory is won on Tuesday.’’

It was learnt that the North-West and the North-East started plotting in May to edge Dogara out of the contest when they prevailed on   Mohammed Monguno, a former contestant for the speakership, to step down for Gbajabiamila.

Monguno was later asked to team up with Gbajabiamila as his deputy for a single ticket, a move meant to block Dogara in his North-East .

On the other hand, the North-West was said to have asked to be given no higher position than the Majority leader in the 8th House.

A former President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists and member-elect from Kano State,   Sani Zoro,    confirmed that the North was the main support base of Gbajabiamila.

Zoro said, “For someone who has served the opposition well for 12 years, he (Gbajabiamia) deserves to be rewarded.

“In a parliamentary system of government, he would have become the prime minister without debate.”

Findings showed that even the PDP Caucus with 193 members, was divided, an indication that Gbajabiamila and Dogara might share the votes of the minority camp on Tuesday.

“There is no guarantee of a block vote anymore because the two camps will share the votes of the PDP.

“The APC’s mock election of Saturday also spoke volumes of what to expect on Tuesday,” another member stated.

A group of senators-elect who are canvassing for the emergence Saraki as President   also insisted   on Sunday that the Kwara State senator would contest the position on Tuesday.

The group, in a statement by two of its members, Dino Melaye and Ahmed Rufai-Sani, argued that the mock   primary that produced   Ahmad Lawan as the APC concensus candidate, was manipulated by the party leaders.

The senators-elect noted with regret that the leadership of the APC did not carry the pro–Saraki group along while the Lawan group was allegedly informed ahead of the meeting.

The group explained that it went to the International Conference Centre venue of the meeting in Abuja with just five members to discuss the modalities for the conduct of the election on Tuesday.

It said, “The Unity Forum (Lawan’s group) insisted on open ballot voting which we discovered is different from the electoral process used to conduct the earlier election with the House of Representatives members -elect.

“To us, this open ballot voting is primitive; undemocratic and against universal electoral norms and practice.In the light of the above, we the Senators elect of Like Minds hereby insist on our position of Open ballot.

“Secret voting process which we believe is in consonance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the universal electoral values.

“As responsible citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and leaders in our own right, we have resolved and hereby state that we shall not be part of a process that promotes undemocratic electoral process.

“Such undemocratic process may resort to rancorous and uncivil situations which inhibit the rights of individuals to vote for the candidate of their choice, as this process will further divide us than unite members of our party.

“In conclusion we the Senators-Elect of Like Minds wish to state categorically that we will participate only in the constitutional election scheduled for Tuesday, the 9th of June 2015 in line with the rules of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The group vowed to address a news conference with 65 senators-elect across the APC and the PDP, who had already endorsed Saraki’s candidature for the post.

Investigations by our correspondents had revealed that 33 out of the 59 APC senators – elect voted for Lawan at the mock primary, leaving Saraki with the remaining 26.

Already the Saraki group are claiming to have the support of 49 PDP senators – elect who will give him their votes on Tuesday.

An incoming PDP senator, who confided in The PUNCH on the lobbying by the candidates, said, “The candidates have been reaching out to us, but we in the PDP are not united.”

APC cautions aggrieved candidates

The APC has however enjoined   the aggrieved candidates and their supporters   to   put its interest and that of the nation above their personal interests.

It said in a statement on Sunday   by its National Secretary, Mala Buni, that it was natural for people to feel disappointment after losing a contest. .

The party said, “ However, we must put the interest of our party above personal interests and avoid a situation whereby any other candidates, apart from those picked by the party, will emerge as Senate President and House Speaker on Tuesday.

‘‘Any outstanding issues will be resolved by the party so we won’t go into Tuesday’s election with more than one candidate each for the two posts – Senate Presidency and speakership.”

The party said it would amount to an act of shame if, despite its majority in   the National Assembly, it   was unable to produce a Senate President and Speaker of its choice.

It therefore appealed to all the aggrieved members to sheathe their swords and allow peace to reign.