NEWS -- Okonjo-Iweala responds to Oshiomhole's accusation that she spent N1bn of govt money on GEJ's re-elction

Oshiomhole accused the former minister of spending $1billion of government money for Jonathan's re-election. She has responded. Read the press statement below...

Another false, baseless allegation against Okonjo-Iweala by governor Oshiomhole

The allegation by Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State that former Minister of Finance Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala spent $1 billion out of the Excess Crude Account to fund the re-election bid of former President Jonathan is the kind of ludicrously false statement that has unfortunately become a trademark of the Governor in his public campaign of falsehood against Dr Okonjo-Iweala. 

The statement is just another example of the numerical diarrhea that seems to have afflicted His Excellency in recent times in his effort to damage the reputation of the former Minister.

He has, within the last few months, asked Dr Okonjo-Iweala to explain all kinds of totally wild and unsubstantiated figures, ranging from $30 billion, $20 billion, $2.1 billion, N720 billion and now $1 billion.

To say the obvious, the accusations are totally lacking in credibility.

Governor Oshiomhole’s published comments also contain other falsehoods. For instance, he quoted Dr Okonjo-Iweala as saying that she and the Finance Commissioners of the 36 states approved the spending of $2.1 billion out of the Excess Crude Account, adding that the Commissioners had disowned the statement. This is also a complete distortion.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala never said the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) approved spending out of the ECA. Rather as the Commissioners themselves stated, the former Minister of State Finance informed them that former President Jonathan approved the expenditure to end the debilitating fuel queues across the country.

As Nigerians know, the Finance Ministry under Okonjo-Iweala regularly published details of revenue allocations from the ECA in national media. So Oshiomhole’s tortured “calculations” based on his “four figure tables” are mere political numbers conjured to achieve a political purpose. Nigerians can see through the elaborate antics.

Governor Oshiomhole’s latest statement, like earlier ones, labours to give the impression that the entire FAAC process which involves the Federal Government and the 36 states of the Federation is a personal monopoly of Dr Okonjo-Iweala.

This is, of course not true. FAAC is a long standing national platform for allocating revenues chaired by the Minister of State Finance. The governor’s insistence on pushing this clearly fictional narrative underscores his desperation.

It is instructive that Governor Oshiomhole is a key member of the committee set up by the National Economic Council to investigate the ECA spending. His continuing attacks against Dr Okonjo-Iweala seem to suggest that he has lost confidence in this platform which he deployed to make some of his initial false and baseless allegations. The Governor does not seem to appreciate that he is undermining the very credibility of the committee.

Once again, we ask: why are Oshiomhole and his cohorts so ready to sacrifice truth, precedent and decency in this political witch hunt against Dr Okonjo-Iweala?

We are confident that they will fail because truth will triumph.

Paul C Nwabuikwu

Media Adviser to Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

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NEWS --Obama reduces sentences of 46 convicts

President Barack Obama cut the prison sentences of 46 non-violent drug offenders on Monday, including 14 who were sentenced to life in prison, saying "their punishments didn't fit the crime."
"These men and women were not hardened criminals," Obama said in a video released by the White House, noting that the overwhelming majority of the 46 had been sentenced to at least 20 years.

The move was part of a broader ongoing effort by the administration to make the U.S. criminal justice system fairer. Obama has now issued 89 commutations during his presidency, most of them to non-violent offenders sentenced for drug crimes under outdated sentencing guidelines. A commutation leaves the conviction in place, but reduces the punishment.

Obama wrote a personal letter to each of the 46 individuals to notify them of their commutations. Their sentences all now expire on Nov. 10, 2015.

In a letter to Jerry Bailey, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison for conspiracy to violate laws against crack-cocaine, Obama praised Bailey for showing the potential to turn his life around.

"Now it is up to you to make the most of this opportunity," Obama wrote in the letter, which was sent to Bailey's address at a federal correctional facility in Georgia,. "It will not be easy," Obama said, "and you will confront many who doubt people with criminal records can change."

Obama's lawyer, White House counsel Neil Eggleston, predicted the president would issue even more commutations before leaving office in early 2017. But he also said that Obama's powers to fix the problem were limited, adding that "clemency alone will not fix decades of overly punitive sentencing policies."

Obama this week is devoting considerable attention to the criminal justice system. He plans to lay out ideas for how to improve the fairness of the system during a speech to the NAACP in Philadelphia on Tuesday. And on Thursday, he is to become the first sitting president to visit a federal prison when he goes to the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution outside of Oklahoma City. While there, he will meet with law enforcement officials and inmates.

Obama said that after his commutations, there is still "a lot more we can do to restore the sense of fairness at the heart of our justice system."

Julie Stewart, president and founder of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, a group seeking changes in sentencing, said the organization was "thrilled to see that more folks serving excessively long sentences for non-violent drug offenses are going home."

"But they're leaving behind many equally deserving people," she said, "so let's keep these commutations coming, while remembering that clemency is a tool made necessary by our failure to reform mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Congress simply can't act fast enough."

The 46 sentence reductions announced Monday are the most presidential commutations in a single day since the Lyndon Johnson administration in the 1960s.

Obama has commuted the sentences of 89 people, surpassing the combined number of commutations 

FNC granted by Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush.

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NEWS ALERT --Mexican drug lord Guzman escapes again through tunnel in prison cell

Mexico City (AFP) - Mexican security forces scrambled Monday to save face and recapture drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman as authorities investigated whether guards helped him escape prison through a tunnel under his cell.

Troops and police were deployed to hunt down Guzman after he vanished late Saturday from the Altiplano prison 90 kilometers (55 miles) west of Mexico City, after just 17 months behind bars.For the second time in 14 years the head of the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel managed to flee a maximum-security prison, dealing an embarrassing setback to President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Prosecutors questioned 30 prison employees of various rank, including the warden, the attorney general's office said, signaling suspicions of an inside job.

The guards in charge of the capo's cell and those who monitored the surveillance cameras that look into the room were among those interrogated, said an official in the attorney general's office.

Authorities had already investigated a strange prison visit to Guzman in March when a woman managed to see him by using a fake ID to enter the jail.

View gallery

Policemen and soldiers check a house allegedly at the end of the tunnel through which Mexican drug l …

On a state visit to Paris, Pena Nieto said Guzman's escape was "an affront to the state" and demanded an investigation into whether prison guards helped him.

Guzman, 58, who nurtured a Robin Hood image in his northwestern state of Sinaloa while running the most powerful and one of the most ruthless cartels in Mexico, was able to slip out even though surveillance cameras were trained on his cell.

He went into his private shower and after he failed to come out guards found a hole 10 meters (33 feet) deep with a ladder in it.

The gap led to a 1.5-kilometer tunnel with a ventilation and light system that was apparently dug with the help of a motorcycle mounted on a rail to transport tools and remove earth.

The sophisticated tunnel led to a gray brick building on a hill surrounded by pastures in central Mexico State.

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Policemen search for drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman outside the Altiplano prison in A …

Prosecutors released a video showing the hole inside the building's dirt-covered floor. A bed and kitchen were in the facility, indicating that people had lived there.

- Against the clock -

As investigators tried to figure out how Guzman busted out again, police and troops manned checkpoints and searched cars and trucks on nearby roads.

Mike Vigil, a retired US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) international operations chief, warned that if Guzman is not captured in the next day or so he will vanish for good.

"If he is able to make his way to Sinaloa, his native state, and gets into that mountainous range, it's going to be very difficult to capture him because he enjoys the protection of local villagers," Vigil told AFP.

View gallery

The alleged end of the tunnel through which Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman co …

Several states, including Sinaloa, set up checkpoints. Central Puebla state said it was using X-ray technology at toll booths to see through cars.

Troops in Guatemala launched a special operation at the border with Mexico. It was in that country that Guzman was first arrested in 1993.

Guzman's first escape was in 2001, when he slipped past authorities by hiding in a laundry cart in western Jalisco state.

Marines recaptured him in February 2014 in a pre-dawn raid in a condo in Mazatlan, a Pacific resort in Sinaloa state, with the DEA's help.

He was then jailed at Altiplano, which houses several other infamous drug capos captured during Pena Nieto's administration.

Guzman's second escape overshadowed Pena Nieto's visit to France.

- Pena Nieto setback -

The government has won praise for capturing a slew of kingpins and Guzman, a diminutive but feared man whose nickname means "Shorty," was the president's biggest trophy.

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said she shared Mexico's "concern" and offered help for his "swift recapture."

Some US prosecutors wanted to ask for his extradition following last year's arrest, but Mexican officials insisted on trying him first.

"This leads to a big problem with the US government because they asked (for an extradition) and the Mexican government did not deliver him, claiming that he could be held in one of the country's maximum-security prisons," said Raul Benitez Manaut, security expert at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

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NEWS ALERT -- Human eaters found in lagos

Yesterday an angry mob striped naked two men, who were accused of eating human flesh after beating them and almost setting them ablaze. The Police  intervened and took them away.

Earlier, a passer-by along the rail line in Ikeja saw three men in tattered dresses. One of them was making a call and one eating a meat suspected to be human flesh.
The passer-by raised an alarm that attracted the mob which instantly pounced on the two suspect human part eaters. But the one making the phone call managed to escape.

Their problem was compounded when the mob moved to their hideout behind the Ikeja Local Government Secretariat fence and found a cutlass, knife, charms and meat with fat which the mob suspected to be human flesh

The two men (names withheld) are still in police custody for further investigations

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ENTERTAINMENT GIST -- 50cent declares bankruptcy to avoid paying Rick Ross' baby mama

On Friday July 10th 50cent was ordered to pay Rick Ross' baby mama, Lastonia Leviston, $5 million in damages after losing his defamation case. $2.5 million for distress plus $2.5 million in damages. In 2010, at the height of his beef with Rick Rose, he posted Lastonia's sex tape on his website.

And now that he's been asked to pay up, 50cent, worth about $150million, has declared bankruptcy. Lol. 50 lists nearly $50 million in assets but also $50 million in liabilities. 


From TMZ  

50cent is down for the count after losing a multi-million dollar lawsuit ... he's just declared bankruptcy.

TMZ has confirmed ... 50 filed for bankruptcy on Monday, 3 days after Rick Ross' baby mama won a $5 million jury verdict against him. 

50 is in a world of financial hurt. A jury awarded Lavonia Leviston the $5 mil after determining the rapper intentionally leaked a sex tape in which she was featured, in order to embarrass Ross. 50 has been ordered to produce proof of income and worth so the jury can determine punitive damages. 

According to the bankruptcy filing -- a story first reported by Page 6 -- 50 says his assets are valued between $10 and $50 million but his liabilities are also between the same range. On top of that, 50 lost a court case in which a jury socked him with a $17.2 million judgment over ripping off a headphones design.  

It's a breathtaking fall .. in May, Forbes estimated 50's net worth at $155 million.

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MUSIC ALERT: D’banj – Knocking On My Door (mp3)

Off the forthcoming #VisualEP by superstar singer/ceo “DB RECORDS” mr banga lee “D’banj” we present you “Knocking On My Door” official audio.

#VisualEP loading heavily.

Download & enjoy!

DOWNLOAD

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NEWS ALERT -- Buhari appoints new Service Chiefs and National Security Adviser

President. Buhari appoints new Service Chiefs and NSA. He has approved the following appointments;

1. Major-General Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin - Chief of Defence Staff;
2. Major-General T.Y. Buratai - Chief of Army Staff
3. Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas - Chief of Naval Staff
4. Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar - Chief of Air Staff
5. Air Vice Marshal Monday Riku  Morgan - Chief of Defence Intelligence
6. Major-General Babagana Monguno (rtd.) - National Security Adviser

The new Chief of Defence Staff, Maj.-Gen. Olonishakin (N/6901) hails from Ekiti State. Until his appointment as Chief of Defence Staff today, he was the Head of the Nigerian Army Training and Doctrine Command in Minna, Niger State.

The new Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Buratai hails from Borno State. Until his new appointment today, he was the Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force which has its headquarters in Ndjamena. Maj-Gen. Buratai has previously served as Commander of the Nigerian Army's 2nd Brigade in Port Harcourt and Commander of the Nigerian Army School of Infantry in Jaji, Kaduna State.

The new Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral  Ibas (NN/0746) hails from Cross River State. He enlisted into the Nigerian Defence Academy as  a member of the 26th Regular Course in 1979 and was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant in 1983.  His previous appointments include: Naval Provost Marshal, Chief Staff Officer, Naval Training Command, Chief of Administration, Naval Headquarters, Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command and Chief of Logistics, Naval Headquarters. Until his appointment as Chief of Naval Staff, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Navy Holdings Limited.

The new Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar (NAF/1433) hails from Bauchi State.  His previous appointments include: Chief of Standards and Evaluation, NAF Headquarters; Chief of Defence Communications and Air Officer Commanding, NAF Training Command. Until his new appointment today as Chief of Air Staff, he was the Chief of Administration, NAF Headquarters.
The new Service Chiefs will hold their appointments in an acting capacity until confirmed by the Senate.

President Buhari thanks the outgoing Service Chiefs and National Security Adviser for their services to the nation and wishes them well in their future endeavours.

Pictures of the service chiefs

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NEWS ALERT -- Muslim dad 'murdered his 3 daughters in honour killing for dating wrong boys'

A Muslim father charged with murdering his three daughters in apparent honour killings has said he would do it again - even if they came back to life 100 times.

Mohammad Shafia, 58, cursed his daughters Zainab, 19, Sahar, 17, and Geeti, 13, saying they were 'treacherous' as he likened them to prostitutes during a conversation that was recorded by police.

He is on trial for their murders after they were found dead in the family car along with Shafia's first wife, Rona Amir, 50, in the Rideau Canal, located in the Kingston area of Ontario in Canada in 2009.

Initially police thought the family had been involved in an accident and Shafia told them during an interview that he didn't know where they were. However, his version of accounts did not add up and he was arrested and charged with their murder.

Shafia, who moved to Canada from Afghanistan with his family, is polygamous and after his arrest was heard telling his second wife, Tooba Yahya, that their daughters had brought shame on the family.

He said: 'Even if, God forbid, they hoist us on to the gallows... we accept it wholeheartedly', a day after his arrest.

The court heard the recordings in which Shafia talks about his daughters and the fact that they were dating while ranting about the family's honour. Zainab had married her boyfriend - a Pakistani man - angering Shafia and causing family turmoil.

After Yahya said that she knew Zainab was 'already done' but wished 'the two others' weren't, he responded saying 'No Tooba, they were treacherous.'

Tooba Yahya, 41, and their son, Hamed, 20, are both on trial with him facing charges of first-degree murder. Hamed has denied even being at the death scene. All three have pleaded not guilty to murder.

Speaking about pictures of his daughter he said he was consoled adding, 'No Tooba, they were treacherous. When I tell you to be patient, you tell me that it is hard. It isn't harder than watching them every hour with (boyfriends).  For this reason whenever I see those pictures, I am consoled.

'I say to myself, "You did well. Would they come back to life a hundred times, for you to do the same again".' He also says that the family had been violated in the worst possible way.

He added: 'May the devil...(defecate) on their graves. Is that what a daughter should be? Would (a daughter) be such a whore?'

The jury has also seen graphic underwater video in which a pair of legs can be seen in the murky water.

One of the victims' heads can be seen facing down with hair obscuring her face, according to the Canadian Press, while blankets, a yellow bag, a body and victim's hand are visible on the passenger side. There was nobody sat in the driver's seat. 

Shaifa's first wife Rona and Sahar were seen on the back seat, their heads touching.

One of the windows was open on the car, but it appears that no attempts had been made by any of the victims to escape from the vehicle.

The family was returning from a trip to Niagara Falls when it ended up in the canal and all the victims were found to have drowned.

However, prosecutors don't know if it was in the canal or elsewhere. Three of them had bruising to the back of their heads.

Shafia and Yahya had seven children in total. The three not involved in the court case were placed in care after their parents were arrested, reported the Globe and Mail. The trial continues.

Source: UK Daily Mail

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ENTERTAINMENT GIST -- Ghanaian Actress Yvonne Nelson Blasts All Nigerian Men, Says They Are Very Good Liars (SEE DETAILS)

Popular Ghanaian actress, Yvonne Nelson, was recently interviewed in the latest issue of Genevieve Magazine.

The delectable actress opened up at length on love, relationships and dating Nigerian men.

She also addressed her relationships with Iyanya, Ice Prince.

Read The Interview Below:

On Who She Plans To Date Next:

I don’t know yet. I can’t say I want a Nigerian, or a Gambian or a Cameroonian.

When it happens, it happens. But Nigerian men can lie. Nigerian guys can lie for the whole of Africa. They will come with all the
lies because they know that women respond to the things they hear. The lies are just so crazy.

I’m not some 19 year-old who just wants to have fun. I’m not in that place anymore. So I’m taking my time to get it right.

On Being In Love

I miss the late night phone calls, and the never-ending text messages. I miss that strong sense of desire that exists between two people who can’t get enough of each other.

I miss that rush of adrenaline, the weakness at the knees and that joy that makes you laugh even when there’s nothing funny. I just miss loving someone and being loved in return.

Her relationship with Ice Prince.

I wasn’t in a relationship with Ice Prince; he was just a friend to me. I don’t understand the kind of attention he was trying to draw to himself by claiming we had a relationship.

If he wanted to say the truth, why didn’t he just say it from the beginning? All along he’d been saying that we’re friends and all of a sudden he turns around to claim that it was more Than a friendship. C’mon!

On Her Relationship With Iyanya:

We did have a relationship. I loved him at a point. It just didn’t work out.

On dating him again..

Never! It’s like eating your vomit. No way! It’s not happening ever. As a matter of fact I’m not interested in anybody in the arts, because it is not the right place to invest time and emotions. A lot of entertainers have so much on their table, so they would not give the real thing.

I know my values; I am loyal and straightforward, but a lot of entertainers
are not like that. They would just lie to you and waste your time.

That is because, like pilots, entertainers go around a lot. In every country a pilot goes to, he can decide to have a wife or girlfriend. So they can actually lead like a hundred different lives and none of these women will know.

On What She’s Learnt From Past Relationships:

Don’t believe the hype. Don’t believe all the things men say. A man who is all-
$exual from the very beginning is a no go area; he just wants to jump into bed into
you.

If a man truly loves you, and is ready to be with you, he will be there for you.

Relationships are much more beautiful when it starts as a friendship. So you are able to goof around with the person. I love goofing around. I love to be myself and do funny videos.

That’s why people think that John Dumelo and I have a thing, because John is such a perfect friend.

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NEWS ALERT -- T.B Joshua launches attack on coroners verdict

Article written by freelance Synagogue Church reporter, Ihechukwu Njoku. Read below...

Nigerian Prophet T.B. Joshua has launched a scathing attack against the verdict of the coroner’s court in Lagos yesterday which ruled the tragic collapse of a building within his church last year was due to structural failure.

"The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations rejects the verdict of the coroner on the grounds that it is unreasonable, one-sided and biased,” a statement released via their official Facebook page read, attributed to Barr. Olalekan Ojo, lead counsel to The SCOAN.

“The church maintains its stand that the incident was as a result of sabotage,” the statement continued, further adding that the public should not be misled by media reports casting sensational headlines suggesting the church was liable for prosecution over ‘criminal negligence’.

The statement highlighted that no evidence was found that The SCOAN hired incompetent professionals or used substandard materials in the construction of the building.

“There was no finding that connected the incident with the lack of a building permit,” the statement proceeded, adding that the process of procuring the necessary approval was well underway and had been assessed and accepted by relevant government agencies before the incident.

“The church disagrees most vehemently with the finding that the incident was due to structural failure,” continued the strongly worded statement, insisting the verdict failed to consider substantial evidence which pointed to sabotage and ruled out structural failure.

“It was a one-sided verdict which left many issues unaddressed and questions unanswered.” The SCOAN highlighted that the verdict failed to even recognise the CCTV footage released by the church which showed “the 6-storey building falling in less than 4 seconds – a manner consistent with controlled or externally induced demolition”.

It concluded by stating that Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe’s admission “that the conduct of the investigation of the incident was compromised... calls into question the integrity and reliability of the entire investigation.” Joshua’s supporters were vocal in their support of the ‘prophet’ in the thousands of comments posted beneath the statement, many insisting the verdict was the work of ‘the devil’.

“If you bury a lie, it will rot. If you bury the truth, it will rise,” wrote Opeyemi Oduwole. “We South Africans know what happened to the building; we know the truth. No matter how they lie, the truth will prevail,” added Bridget Mkhonto.

Joshua followed up on the statement by posting a video on Facebook highlighting the differences between controlled demolition and structural failure with the caption, “No matter how fast a lie runs, the truth will someday overtake it.”

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NEWS ALERT -- Abuja Court grants Ohakim N270m bail for N270m fraud

Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court in Abuja has granted former Imo state governor, Ikedi Ohakim bail of N270 million in a N270 million fraud case which he is standing trial for. The former governor was arraigned over a N270 million fraud he allegedly committed in 2008 while he was governor.   


While delivering his judgement, the judge ordered EFCC officials to seize the former governor's passport and other travel documents and deposit it at the office of the Deputy Chief Registrar of the court until his bail conditions are met. Justice Adeniyi however did not state where the accused will be remanded. 

Ohakim is standing trial for a three count charge of fraud which includes buying a property in Asokoro, Abuja for $2.29m and concealing the ownership of the property. He allegedly connived with Tweenex Consociates H.D. Ltd. ‎to portray him as a tenant in the property. 
One of the three count charges against him read,

“That you, Ikedi Ohakim, on or about January 26, 2013 in Abuja within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, while under arrest for an offence under the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Establishment Act, 2004 knowingly failed to make a full disclosure of your assets by not declaring your ownership of the property known and described as Plot No. 1098 Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District- it is also known as No.60, Kwame Nkurumah Street, Asokoro, Abuja and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(3)(c) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Establishment Act, 2004 and punishable under the same section.”.

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NEWS ALERT -- Court sacks 20 Rivers LG chairmen & Councillors (see details)

The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, has nullified the May 23 local government elections held in the state, effectively sacking those elected at the elections.

Delivering judgment in a case brought by the Peoples Democratic Party, which boycotted the poll, Justice Lambo Akanbi set aside the election conducted by the Prof. Augustine Ahiauzu-led Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission.

The Court said the conduct of the election was illegal since it held in disobedience of an injunction.

The PDP had boycotted the election citing court injunction, which ordered that status quo be maintained.

Then Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s party, the All Progressives Congress, won 22 of the 23 chairmanship seats in the elections. The party also won 297 councillorship seats in the 302 wards while other political parties won the rest.

Justice Akanbi said conducting the elections despite a court order was a demonstration of executive lawlessness and impunity.

The PDP had in Suit No. FHC/PH/CS/84/2015, prayed the court to declare the conduct of the elections illegal and of no effect.

The respondents in the suit were: Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), Governor Rotimi Amaechi and four others.

Meanwhile, there was pandemonium at the premises of the Federal High Court on Thursday morning as the police battled to foil an attempt by arsonists to raze the court

“There was an unsuccessful attempt to torch Federal High Court,” police spokesperson in the state, Muhammed Ahmad, told journalists “It was never an explosion as speculated. Investigation has in earnest commenced.”

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