Senate President Bukola Saraki and Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima recently made very unflattering remarks about ex-president Goodluck Jonathan’s leadership style and quality. “No matter what you say about him,” began Dr Saraki sanctimoniously, “I don’t think he was someone who was desperate for power. (But) he was not someone that was prepared for leadership.” He made his conclusions with two personal recollections on business and politics, both suggesting that Dr Jonathan was obtuse in his handling of the economy and incomparably and incomprehensibly indulgent in his politics. But in drawing these conclusions, Dr Saraki inadvertently betrayed his own instinctively…
Author: David Folami
Prince Uche Secondus has formally issued the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) a quit notice, saying the political party has failed Nigerians. He said, “In the words of the 34th President of the United States of America Dwight Eisenhower, ‘If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power’. “Judging from this, it is crystal clear to all Nigerians, that APC is not a political party, but a body hurriedly assembled to…
Chief Rochas Okorocha, has said that the absence of former vice-president Atiku Abubakar from the All Progressives Congress is a minus for the party. “I have taken a holistic view of our party, it (Atiku’s exit) is not the best because no matter how anybody thinks, Atiku carries some political weight. His leaving our party is not the best,” he said. Okorocha said, “The (Tinubu’s) statement came to me as a surprise, come to think of it, I never referred to him. I refer to the governors of Nigeria including the PDP governors and I said only one or two…
Nyesom Wike has stated the December 9 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was transparent with a credible voting process. He said with the successful convention, PDP has been repositioned to serve as a credible opposition against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He said: ” This election has been quite credible. It has been very transparent. Done in the full glare of the world. “We are prepared to be an opposition as expected to the ruling party come 2019”. “If you have not done your homework well, you come forward to cry foul.It is surprising that even…
Ayodele Fayose, Governor of Ekiti State, has promised Nigerians that a bag of rice would be sold for N7,000 when the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, reclaims power in 2019. Fayose said “There is nothing wrong in a man falling, but the ability to rise again is all that matters. “To the delegates, the interest of the PDP is paramount. I urge everyone to put the interest of the PDP first. “When PDP regains power, the bag of rice selling for N20,000 will go back to N7,000.”
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a “deeply” corrupted organization. A statement released today, by the APC spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, said “the biggest political party in Africa has now been reduced to a regional party”. “In reacting to revelations of how money-for-votes and systematic rigging was brazenly perpetuated during the national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC) is mindful of the popular axiom: ‘A leopard cannot change its spot’,” the statement said. “The abnormalities that trailed the PDP national convention have further exposed the PDP as a…
Raymond Dokpesi, founder of Daar Communication, who battled the PDP National Chairmanship position and lost, has congratulated the winner, Prince Uche Secondus. Dokpesi, who had earlier blasted the process of the party’s National Convention held in Abuja on Saturday, December 9, 2017, declared that “the delegates have spoken.” “Ì appreciate the delegates for voting at the convention and congratulate the newly elected National Working Committee of the PDP led by Secondus. “You will recall that I said that the PDP must be the ultimate winner at the end of the contest. “God bless our party. Congratulations PDP as I wish…
Prince Uche Secondus is the new chairman of Nigeria’s biggest opposition party, the PDP. Secondus polled 2,000 votes out of a total vote tally of 2,296, to emerge chairman. His closest challenger, Tunde Adeniran, could only manage 231 votes. He had several things to say after his victory “On behalf of members of the National Working Committee of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, I dedicate this mandate to the Almighty God who it has pleased to make this convention successful and grant us this opportunity to serve our great party. We give all glory to God and we commit PDP into…
Aminu Tambuwal has described the late Emir of Katagum, Alhaji Kabir Umar, as a ruler whose reign brought peace and development to the Katagum Emirate of Bauchi State. He died on yesterday night after a protracted illness of five years. Tambuwal said: “I have interacted with the late Emir in the past and every time I had the opportunity of meeting him, I was left with the impression of a very honest leader who dedicated himself to the service of others. “Through his vast knowledge, he made invaluable contributions to the growth and development of Bauchi State in particular, and…
Buhari arrived his country home today, Daura in Katsina state ahead of his trip to France for the One Planet Summit. The President, who announced his arrival in Daura on Twitter, said he paid a visit to his farm where he grows fruits and vegetables and more. Buhari is expected to travel to Paris, France on Monday, December 11, to join over 50 other world leaders at the One Planet Summit which aimed at tackling climate change. Safe trip sir.
Jurgen Klopp has backed his postmatch comments following the weekend’s Merseyside derby, insisting he did not say anything that he wished to take back. Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, Klopp said: “If I would give the same interview now, I think the information I had to give would be the same. “But of course, now I am completely relaxed, but it was five minutes after the game, so I was not relaxed. “You look in the eyes of the journalists and you see they’re not interested in what you feel, and I know that already, but sometimes…
Mauricio Pochettino will battle Juventus after the Champions League round-of-16 draw, calling it a “massive challenge” against a club he has always wanted to face. “It’s fantastic because my family came from Italy, from Turin — unbelievable!” he said. “My name Pochettino is from Italy. It will be fantastic to go there for the first time. “It’s a city and a club I’ve always wanted to play and it’s now fantastic to be going to the city of Turin to play against Juventus.” Pochettino’s team have already come through a difficult group stage that included Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund,…
Txiki Begiristain has insisted Manchester City will “have to be careful” after being drawn against Basel in the Champions League round of 16. “We have to respect FC Basel and we have to be careful,” he said. “We need to be ready to play them and do our best because obviously we want to go as far as we can in this competition “We showed against Napoli that we can do well home or away. We had to fight to qualify and to win the group and I think we’ve shown the character and personality needed to do well in…
Louis van Gaal has said that Jose Mourinho coaches “far more boring football” than the Dutch manager was accused of playing when he managed the club. “I would rather watch City play than United,” Van Gaal told the Mirror. “You need quality in a squad and it’s clear City have a better squad. “If you ask me how did I do at United, I will say it was my best year ever, given the circumstances I was working under. “We played football that was quite all right. But it’s not football that is appreciated in England. “And yet, right now,…
Juventus vice-president Pavel Nedved has ordered Paulo Dybala to sort out his private life and focus on his football after the forward’s form dipped. “He’s 24 and it’s normal that he has ups and downs, and obviously he’s a player who could get to the very top,” Nedved saod. “I’d advise him to focus on his football and make lots of sacrifices in his private life and train to the maximum. “Allegri treats everybody equally and he’s always done that at Juve, so he’s not been particularly hard on Paulo. He treated Higuain and Mandzukic the same way because he…
Zinedine Zidane has said his team would not underestimate Club World Cup semifinal opponents Al Jazira when the sides meet in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. “This is a semifinal against an opponent everyone is saying will be easy to overcome, but if we thought that we would be making a mistake. We saw that last year against Kashima. “When playing against Real Madrid, everybody tries to play their best game and anything could happen.” Gareth Bale and Raphael Varane took part in Tuesday’s training session and are available for selection, Zidane said, although both are more likely to be substitutes.…
Antonio Conte has said Chelsea must have a “positive” reaction to drawing Barcelona in the Champions League round of 16 but warned that the Blues’ past successes against the Catalan giants will count for nothing this time around. “It’s the draw and our reaction must be positive,” Conte said. “As you know very well, when you are in this stage, you must be ready to face every team. In this case, we must be ready for Barcelona. The past is the past. Now is the present and it is another story.” “When you play Barcelona you must give 120 percent…
Since the early football years, football fans have argued consistently over who is the finest English central midfielder to have ever featured in the Premier League. The rift usually boils down to just three names: Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard, Chelsea’s Frank Lampard or Manchester United’s Paul Scholes, with ultimate preference generally being dictated by club allegiance. However, Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos — a pretty classy player himself — has now given his two cents by offering forth his considerable opinion on the matter. Asked as part of his #AskToni social media Q&A session which of the aforementioned trio he’d pick…
Nigeria have been sanctioned by FIFA for playing an ineligible player in their final 2018 World Cup qualifying group match against Algeria, which has now been awarded as a 3-0 win to the Desert Warriors. “The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been sanctioned for fielding an ineligible player in the match between Algeria and Nigeria on 10 November 2017,” the Committee said in a statement. “The match is declared to be forfeited and awarded 3-0 in favour of Algeria, with the NFF also receiving a fine of CHF 6 000. “The sanction relates to the player, Abdullahi Shehu, failing to…
Arsene Wenger says footballers can pick a thing or two from sumo wrestlers when it comes to respecting opponents after big matches, after the fracas that broke out after the Manchester derby. The Arsenal boss said such incidents are “part of the intensity” of big matches and that he could understand if United were upset with City’s celebrations, before pointing to a cultural lesson he learned when coaching in Japan in the 1990s. “I don’t know what happened really,” he told a news conference. “It’s difficult to take when you lose a big game when you see the 100 percent…