NIGERIAN NOTCH

The Acting Chairman of the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, was for the second time in three months, rejected by the Senate, yesterday, as the upper chamber refused to confirm him as the substantive chairman of the anti- graft agency after screening him for about one hour forty minutes. The lawmakers anchored their decision on the Department of State Service, DSS report on Magu and his poor performance at the screening. They consequently, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to forward a fresh nomination for the prime anti-corruption post. On a day that Magu accused the DSS of not giving him fair hearing with the security agency insisting that he failed the integrity test and would constitute a liability to the anti-graft war, the decision of the Senate elicited mixed views in the polity. While a host of senior lawyers and some eminent Nigerians said Magu cannot be re-nominated for the position, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Corruption,

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has dashed the hopes of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the Anambra Central senatorial district election as it dismissed the suit by Sharon Ikeazor seeking to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to accept her as a substitute for Dr Chris Ngige. Ikeazor had dragged INEC before Justice Anwuli Chikere, asking the court to compel the electoral umpire to accept her as the candidate of the party in place of Ngige who has withdrawn from the election. However, delivering judgment on, Justice Chikere held that the time for political parties to nominate candidates for elective position in respect of the 2015 elections had elapsed. He said: “The time for the nomination, withdrawal or substitution of candidates for the court ordered election in Anambra Central senatorial district election has elapsed. As decided by the Court of Appeal in the case of Labour Party against INEC, there is no room for fresh candidates in a court orde

The crisis in Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, continued yesterday, with the two key actors, Chairman of the national caretaker committee of the party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, and national chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, accusing each other of working against efforts at restoring peace. Senator Makarfi, who also disclosed that the party was in alliance with 15 other political parties ahead 2019, also faulted the recommendations of the Governor Seriake Dickson’s committee which said the party should hold it’s convention in June. He said: When Dickson came to meet me on his committee’s report, I told him, you are one of the governors that met with former president Goodluck Jonathan and he spelt out the proposal of peace plan which he communicated to the NASS, communicated to us (caretaker committee) and other organs of the party. ‘’I asked him, are you now removing yourself from that? Why didn’t you table what you have before your colleagues? I also asked him whether he has taken pai

Last week, I received in my Abuja home today, the CAF Presidential aspirant and President of Madagascar Football Association, Mr. Ahmad Ahmad, in furtherance of his wide consultations and the attendant campaign geared towards the forthcoming CAF Presidential election in Addis Ababa on thr 16th of March, 2017. Amongst other things, the consultation centred on football development in Nigeria especially as it relates to its optimization for youth advancement and other developmental components connected thereto. I also shared and discussed some of our ideas and initiatives in Anambra State with him as it concerns football-inspired youth development, particularly the Football Made in Anambra (1 Family - 1Footballer project) which is billed to kick off within the first quarter of this year and how CAF under his watch can partner with us. We also exchanged views on our ongoing construction of the Games Village in Ozubulu/Nnewi, Anambra State and its siginificance as an effective capacity bu