Preliminary Report Of Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) On The Gubernatorial Election Held In Delta State On 6th January 2011. 

Once again the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), a coalition of over 400 civil Society Organisation  in Nigeria has once again blazed  the trail of civil society independent election observation in Delta state. Today the 6th of January 2011, the TMG deployed trained observers to various political wards in the 25 local government council areas of Delta State to monitor the Gubernatorial Election in the state.

 In fulfilment of its decision to observe the election from the start up to the end.

The Ribadu Campaign Organisation has threatened to take legal actions against the Jonathan/Sambo campaign organisation to stop what it terms gross violation of the intellectual property rights of its campaign and Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, a presidential aspirant under the banner of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). The issue in question is the slogan A NEW NIGERIA IS POSSIBLE, a creation of the Ribadu Campaign Organisation that has been used in

The trial of james Ibori in London for alleged money laundering witnessed another epochal moment today as two alleged accomplices of the former governor of Delta State pleaded guilty to V-Mobile shares theft charges. Daniel McCann and Mr. De Boer were charged for forgery and money laundering in relation to the sale of V-Mobile telecoms shares owned by Akwa Ibom and Delta States.

They are accused of violating the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act of the UK by creating fake documents between Delta State and “Africa Finance Ltd,” and also between Delta and “African Development Company.”

UPDATE! An Abuja High Court today refused to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from participating in PDP's presidential primary election slated for Friday this week but ruled that the party must respect its zoning principle as enshrined in Article 7.2 (c) of its constitution. 

Justice Ishaq Usman Bello  struck out the suit filed by Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, Hon. Dubem Onyia and Alhaji Lawal Kaita, and okayed President Jonathan's preliminary objection saying that it was too early to seek to disqualify President Goodluck Jonathan or anyone as the PDP has not chosen a flagbearer.

PEOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate during the just concluded  re-run, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan has been sworn as Governor for the second time. Delta State Chief Judge, Justice Abiodun Smith administered the relevant oaths which were subscribed to by the Governor Uduaghan and his deputy, Professor Amos Utuama (SAN). 

Respect Nigerians Coalition (RNC) is happy to inform Nigerians and the international community that following the appearance of Prof Okey Ndibe at the State Security Service (SSS) office in Lagos as directed today, his Nigerian and international passports have been released to him and the agency has given an undertaking that no further action is to be taken against him. Professor Ndibe arrived at the SSS offices at about 9:55 A.M. Nigerian

Members of the Team Ribadu USA and UK have written the leadership of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to adopt Nuhu Ribadu as its presidential candidate if the party hopes to win the 2011 presidential elections. The ACN has fixed January 14 for its presidential primaries.

The two groups wrote independently and warned that if the ACN fails to nominate Mallam Ribadu as its presidential flag bearer, the party

PDP disqualifies Prof. Olu Agbi (Our "corrupt" high commissioner) from Ondo senatorial race: Jubilation galore in Sydney.--The Nigerian High Commissioner to Australia, Professor Olu Agbi  has been disqualified for the primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Ondo state (read below). This is great news

By International Legal Strategists Group, PART I of II:

The successful take-off of the 4G network in Nigeria shows a remarkable achievement in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. With such a high speed broadband network, more individuals and corporate bodies will optimise their use of information systems. Those whose businesses have not gone

First term governors, some Senators and Reps on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, easily swept to victory in the party’s gubernatorial primaries held nationwide, yesterday. But there are few surprises!

Niger Delta International Initiative (NDII) believes that the much talked about Delta State re-run election has come but not gone because the assessment of the whole exercise is very poor.  The re-run election is not free and fair; in short, the re-run is worse than the cancelled 2007 election. It is a shame on Jega, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and his subordinates because Delta State re-

Let me make it clear that I share the same tribe and faith with Alhaji Atiku Abubukar and we are also from the same state. The height to which he has taken his desperation for the presidency of Nigerian is unheard of in the history of any nation. He is virtually at war with everybody from his  home state Adamawa, his party the PDP, the INEC,  the governors and even those of us ordinary Nigerians who are supposed to vote for him in the elections.

Partners International Foundation Releases Initial Assessment Report on the Proliferation of Improvised Explosive Devices in Nigeria and the Niger Delta Issues Warning but Identifies Opportunities for Peace. September 2010 Report Predicted the Current Wave of Violence - Sounded an Ominous

Warning but Identified a Real Opportunity for Peace and Reconciliation

 

Saharareporters has just reported that the Nigeria Security Police, SSS at MMIA in Lagos arrested and detained Okey Ndibe, a US based columnist and professor. According to the report, Mr. Ndibe arrived on Turkish airlines at 9:31 PM (Nigerian Time). An Immigration officer handed his passport to an State Security Service (SSS) who instructed him to get his luggage and come with them. One SSS officer named "Mr. George" told Mr. Ndibe his supervisor needed to see him on the first floor at room 1062.

1)    Preamble: The Delta State governorship re-run election held on Thursday, January 6, 2011. On Monday, January 3, 2011, three days before the polls the Election Project of the Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development (CEHRD) issued its special pre-election report entitled: “DELTA RE-RUN ELECTION; GLOOM CLOAKS THE BIG HEART”. In this special post-election edition, CEHRD focuses on election preparations, observation, violence, fraud around the process, turnout, results etc. On Thursday, January 6, 2011 re-run election in Delta State was held.

 

Dear President Goodluck, We are compelled to write regarding the recent Federal Government directive shutting down all primary and secondary schools in the country until 30 January 2011 because of the voters’ registration exercise scheduled to begin on 15 to 29 January 2011. The directive also stated that SS3 students who are preparing for their final examinations are exempted. The directive failed to mention JSS 3 students and those

“Fight in the name of Allah and in the way of Allah. Fight against those who disbelieve in Allah. Make a holy war…” - Sahih Muslim 19:4294 

These violent injunctions in Islamic scriptures (Quran and Hadith) clearly promote hostility and aggression towards non-Muslims, and largely explain Muslim proclivity to religious violence as evident from the incessant terrorist attacks – over 13,000 since 9/11 and counting.

Another violent clashes killed at least 11 people in central Nigeria city of Jos on Saturday amid fresh tensions linked to a political meeting and an attack on buses carrying Muslim passengers, a military commander said. The violence occurred in the city of Jos, where a series of Christmas Eve bomb blasts and resulting attacks left at least 80 dead. Jos and the surrounding region have long been hotspots of ethnic and religious friction in Nigeria, and

Not being a Christian, I don’t give a damn about Christmas. Nonetheless I couldn’t help but notice the upsurge in Jihadist attacks against Christians around the world this past yuletide season (and even previous ones), obviously intended to ruin the Christmas/New year celebration for Christians:- Christmas eve 2010, Jos Nigeria. Five bomb explosions in Christian neighbourhoods killing over 80 people, and wounding more than hundred.  An

Former military administrator of Lagos State, Rtd General Buba Marwa Friday announced he is leaving the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Gen Marwa was a gubernitorial aspirant for Adamawa State.At a news confernce, Marwa said he is dissatisfied with the conduct of the Adamawa Governorship Primary. 

Also Friday, Jigawa Senators Defected from the ruling Party. Senator Saminu Turaki Lead the other Legislators from Jigawa State out of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP into Action Congress Party of Nigeria, ACN.  The Senators said they were merely obeying the yearnings of Jigawa people whom they represent. 

Nigeria President, Goodluck Jonathan has done a U-turn and reviewed the Resumption for schools In Nigeria. The new date is 30th January, 2011. This comes as most private schools in Lagos have started calling and sending sms messages to parents that there school resumption remains 10th January in defiance to the Federal Government directives that postponed it to February 4, 2011. There position is that they were neither consulted through their union

A few weeks ago, precisely on Dec. 5th 2010, we alerted Nigerians to the surreptitious and dangerous moves being made to silence our leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, by those who are worried by his prime role in the ‘hurricane progressive’ that is sweeping across the South-west, and making its way to other parts of the country.

We said these desperadoes will use everything in their arsenal, including the power of the state and even the final solution, a la Bola Ige, to silence Asiwaju Tinubu. We said President Goodluck Jonathan is under tremendous pressure to sign on to the plan, and that he had - as at the date we raised that alarm - resisted the pressure.

Uche Okafor, a defender on two Nigerian World Cup teams and a stalwart player for the Kansas City Wizards in the U.S., committed suicide this week at his Dallas-area home, authorities said Friday. He was 43. Associated Press says Okafor's body was discovered Thursday afternoon by his wife in their house in Little Elm, a town about 30 miles northwest of Dallas, Detective Oscar Hinojosa said. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office said

I read with great interest the unfolding drama of the Delta elections. The outcome so far is that of disbelief and shock as Uduaghan is again about to be empowered to continue his rape of the state economy even when it is common knowledge that he is incompetent and fraudulent. The question now is are we not stupid as a people to bring him back to power again, are we bereft of men and ideas to get things right in the state?

A former Associate Deputy Attorney General of the United States, Bruce Fein has called on the United States Justice Department to commence money laundering investigation of Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President of Nigeria, who also is now in the race to become President of Nigeria. It is highly likely that a Justice Department action based on the damning evidence established by the Senate report will lead to criminal prosecution.

Mr. Fein, who is a noted constitutional lawyer and author of two best-selling books, made the call in an article published by the Huffington Post on January 3, 2011.