Mr. Jimi Agbaje, has withdrawn from the chairmanship race of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the party’s national convention kicks off at the Eagle Square, Abuja, on Saturday, December 9, 2017. A total of nine candidates are fighting for the position, with 7 of them from the South West. Agbaje said the number would not work in the zone’s favour, urging other candidates from the South West to pull out of the race in order to cut the number down to just two. The statement reads: “Our great party, The Peoples Democratic Party has from inception, adopted certain principles…
Author: David Folami
Senator Rashidi Ladoja has also announced his withdrawal from the PDP national chairmanship race. The four who earlier exited the campaign are Chief Bode George, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, Otunba Gbenga Daniel and Mr. Olusegun Aderemi. He said, “At the close of nominations, seven (7) Aspirants from the Southwest Zone obtained and returned nomination forms for the position of the National Chairman of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). “From consultations with stakeholders from various zones, we gathered that from all zones, the stakeholders who preferred to back the South West Zone for the position suggested that we should…
Buruji Kashamu has rejected his suspension from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The party’s national caretaker committee led by Ahmed Makarfi had suspended Kashamu for a month – no reason was given for the action. He has said the action “offends all known principles of justice and fair hearing.” Kashamu further said, “The news of my purported suspension is coming on the heels of a pending appeal with a motion for injunction that has been properly entered and served on parties. “This renders the purported suspension a nullity as it offends the principle of ‘lis pendens’. “Therefore, I reject the…
Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that some of his friends had tried to break him out of prison while he was imprisoned. While recounting the time he spent in captivity, he said, “Some of my international friends sent a message that they were ready to storm the Yola prisons and rescue me in a helicopter and take me to safety in Cameroon, but I said no, if you do that I will not leave the prison.” He said, “When I learnt that Shehu was first arrested I asked Abacha. He said he was not aware. I said it is not possible…
Muhammadu Buhari has ordered law enforcement agencies to punish those who import, distribute and sell illicit drugs in the country. “The Customs is already doing a good job and I am happy that I got someone who is efficient, strong and trusted to lead it in the person of Hameed Ali, a former governor of Kaduna State. “I have charged them and other law enforcement agencies to go after those trafficking in illicit drugs that are causing much harm especially among young people,’’ he said. President Buhari also promised the religious leaders that the war against corruption would be prosecuted…
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Friday inaugurated a N6bn World-Class Postgraduate Business School at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, reports have said. Samaru, Zaria, the CBN Deputy Governor, Alhaji Suleiman Barau has said the gesture was part of the bank’s corporate social responsibilities. He appreciated the crucial role education played in driving the economy. “The Centre of Excellence Project in ABU was conceived in April 2009 and awarded in Oct. 2009 to Messrs AFDIN Nigeria Limited. “In conceiving this project, the aim of the bank was to ensure students at postgraduate levels in Economics, Accounting, Banking and…
Simon Lalong has said that the Plateau and Kaduna State Governments are working as hard as possible with security operatives to have the Plateau PDP Chairman, Chief Damishi Sango, released. He said that the state governments were working for their unconditional release without delay. “I received with deep concern the news of the abduction of Hon. Damishi T. Sango, Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Plateau State and four others at Jere, Kaduna State on their way to Abuja. “To say the least I am most saddened by this act of inhumanity to man that must be condemned totally,” he said. Lalong…
Akinwunmi Ambode has advised Nigerians to forget the challenges of 2017 and plan effectively for a more profitable future. “We need to look beyond the challenges of today and plan ahead for a more profitable future. “Recent developments in the business and investment environment require that we should take a critical look at the structure of corporate governance in the management of investments in an ethical and legal framework. “Businesses are virtually transacted across artificial borders, jurisdictions and regulatory considerations, which impact on our economic development, wealth generation and job creation, ‘’ Ambode said. “It is time to focus attention…
Pep Guardiola, not Jose Mourinho, is playing football better suited to Manchester United’s traditions. And if Manchester City win the derby this weekend, the title race will be over, according to Andrei Kanchelskis. “Some games I am not happy,” he said. “It is not like we played under Ferguson. We always played with wingers. “Now it is City who play with wingers and you can see City are scoring a lot of goals. “It would have been better to keep Ryan Giggs. Try him. He had worked all his life at United, he understood everything. The fans would help him,…
David De Gea has warned Manchester City they will face a buoyant and in-form Manchester United side this weekend. He told Sky Sports: “Well, can City stop United as well, no? We play at home, with the fans, a special game of course, it’s a derby. We are confident, we feel really strong and we want to win.” De Gea added: “We are in a really, really good moment. We won two away games, difficult games, so we are confident, we are strong, we know we play an important game and, like I said before, we really want to win.”…
Jose Mourinho has cautioned derby referee Michael Oliver to watch out for Manchester City players diving at Old Trafford on Sunday. He has said he is concerned some City players have a tendency to “lose their balance very easily.” He is not the first Premier League manager to accuse Pep Guardiola’s side. Sean Dyche claimed Bernardo Silva cheated to win a penalty in October, while Arsene Wenger accused Raheem Sterling of diving to win a penalty against Arsenal last month. “City are a good team,” said Mourinho. “They defend well, they react well to the moment they lose the ball.…
Cristiano Ronaldo has no doubt in his mind that he is “the best player in history,” the Real Madrid star told France Football upon winning his fifth Ballon d’Or award on Thursday. “No other player has won as many individual trophies as me. And I’m not only talking here about the Ballon d’Or,” Ronaldo said. “That says something, no? “It’s not only the work that I’m doing in the gym, like people think. It’s a combination of many things. Legends like Floyd Mayweather or LeBron James, they didn’t get to this level of perfection by chance. It must be many…
Unai Emery has said his defenders are among “the best in Europe” despite letting in five goals in their last two matches. “Our defence is one of the best in Europe. We cannot look at just two matches out of 23 played — I have every confidence in my defence.” Emery said Silva was “among the best central defenders in Europe” and played down rumours of a fight because the player felt he should have been substituted more quickly. “I speak often with Thiago,” he said. “He is our captain. He is very professional and very experienced. “Since the end…
David Moyes hailed West Ham United for carrying on the positives of their performance in defeat to Manchester City after they inflicted a fourth Premier League loss of the season on Chelsea at the London Stadium. “It was a really good start to the game by us and then we got a goal, which was really well worked,” the Scot said. “Then it was a very disciplined, organised performance. Maybe with a little bit more quality at times we could have got ourselves a second or a third goal, especially on the counter. “I think going into the game we…
Antonio Conte has concluded that Chelsea are not in the title race after suffering their fourth Premier League defeat of the season at West Ham United. “To talk about the title race after a defeat I think is a bit strange,” he said. “Especially as this is the fourth defeat this season in 16 games. When you have this task it is impossible to think that you are in the title race. It is impossible. “My experience is this, that if you want to stay in the race for the title, in the first part of the season you can…
Shkodran Mustafi is out of Arsenal’s trip to Southampton on Sunday as the defender has not recovered from a thigh injury, Press Association Sport reports. The Germany international was forced off early on in last weekend’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester United and will sit out the game at St Mary’s. The 25-year-old has looked more assured in the three-man defence Arsene Wenger has largely fielded since towards the end of last season “It is a possibility,” Wenger said earlier in the week when asked if Mustafi could play at Southampton. “It is a little thigh problem. A small one.” “He…
Zinedine Zidane has said he agrees with five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo’s own opinion that he is the best player in football history. Zidane told a news conference that he agreed as he could not argue with Ronaldo’s 418 goals in 412 games for Madrid along with the 26 team trophies he has won across his career. “Yes,” Zidane said. “There have been many players who have made history at this club. But nobody has done what he has — the statistics speak for that. What he has done is impressive. So I think yes [he is the best…
Arsene Wenger has said he held a “clear the air” meeting with his players after Arsenal’s loss to Manchester United, and insists the team is ready to forget that disappointing defeat. “You clear the air straight away. When you have a defeat like that, a disappointment like that, you try to analyse it straight away with the players, to get it out of their system and focus on what is in front of you,” Wenger said ahead of Sunday’s trip to Southampton. “In our job there is always in the next game that you can show that you have digested…
Organizers of The Headies Awards have announced that the next edition will hold next year. The award which is Nigeria’s most authentic awards for pop music and urbane culture, will skip a year for the first time since 2006. Instead, the ceremony will be restructured, and the new version will take place on March 24, 2018. The Headies was held yearly in March for many years since inception in 2006, before the committee moved the event to the last quarter of every year. But they are taking it back to its original format. According to founder Ayo Animashaun, the event…
Wizkid is featured on Jeezy’s new album! US Rapper, Jeezy has released the tracklist of his forthcoming album titled “Pressure”, and Wizkid a guest on the project. The singer is featured on a record titled ‘The Life’, together with Trey Songz. Other featured guests on the album include Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Rick Ross, Puff Daddy, Tory Lanez, and YG. “Pressure” album is set to drop on December 15, 2017. Wizkid recently beat Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, Cardi B and others to win the Best International Act award at the just ended Music of Black Origin (MOBO ) Awards.