A helicopter crash in a Kyiv suburb on Wednesday killed 17 people, including Ukraine’s interior minister and two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, his deputy Yevhen Yenin and State Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Yurii Lubkovych were among those killed, according to Ihor Klymenko, chief of Ukraine’s National Police. Nine of those killed were aboard the emergency services helicopter that crashed in Brovary, an eastern suburb of the Ukrainian capital, Klymenko said. There was no immediate word on whether the crash was an accident or a result of the almost 11-month war with Russia. A…
Author: Ifeanyi Nwagboso
Governor Simon Lalong, on Tuesday, appealed to Nigerians to allow Bola Tinubu to become the next President. He stated that it’s the turn of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate to “chop” (slang for eat). The Plateau helmsman made the remark at the party’s presidential campaign rally in Ilorin, the Kwara capital. Lalong is the Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC). “If you do me good, I’ll do you good. If you do good on the other side, we’ll do good on this side. That is Emi Lokan. Is that not Emi Lokan?”, he asked party…
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has responded to a recent claim by Dr Oby Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education, under the former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration, that Atiku Abubakar was not in charge of the economy when he was vice president. Ezekwesili had called on Atiku, the presidential candidate of the PDP, to stop misleading the public by saying he headed the Economic Management Team during his time as Vice president. Ezekwesili’s statement is coming on the heels of the claim by Atiku that he was instrumental in designing a private sector revival strategy and opening the economy for…
Ahead of the forthcoming general elections, the spokesperson for Atiku, Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation, Daniel Bwala, has slammed the opposition for making allegations he described as baseless against the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. The statement was contained in a post via his verified Twitter handle on Wednesday. Bwala’s statement is coming on the heels of recent verbal altercations between the camps of Atiku and the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate, Bola Tinubu. The duo had traded words on corruption and each other’s health status. Both also called for the disqualification of each other as well. However,…
Ahead of the forthcoming general elections, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom on Thursday described the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP governorship candidate in the state, Titus Uba as the best candidate to succeed him. The governor who lauded the vision of Uba after promising to promote agriculture and strengthen security of lives and property when elected as governor, also asked the people to vote him as Senator to represent Benue North-West in the National Assembly, Governor Ortom spoke Tuesday, when he addressed teeming party supporters at the ongoing statewide campaign rallies held in Naka, Gwer West and Makurdi Local Government Areas.…
President Joe Biden is set to host Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for talks as the US administration looks to persuade the Netherlands to further limit China’s access to advanced semiconductors with export restrictions. Tuesday’s wide-ranging talks are also expected to cover the countries’ efforts to thwart Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and an upcoming democracy summit, according to the White House. The Biden administration has been trying to get the Netherlands on the same page since the US Commerce Department announced in October new export controls aimed at China. The restrictions are intended to limit China’s ability to access…
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA) on Tuesday, slammed the presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC and his counterpart in the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar over campaigns of calumny against each other. HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement said both parties’ candidates are two sides of the same coin since both sides are claiming that their opponent has been found to have allegedly committed the same offence of money laundering they are accusing each other of. The group said instead of throwing childish campaigns here and there that do not advance Nigeria or benefit…
Kenneth Okonkwo, a Spokesperson to the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi has revealed why the party could not produce candidates to contest for various positions in the forthcoming general elections. Peter Obi has taken a relatively small Labour Party into national limelight but despite its popularity, the party failed to get candidates for a number of Senatorial and House of Representatives seats, particularly in areas that are not his stronghold. According to the list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Labour Party has only 78 candidates out of the 109 seats available. Okonkwo, who…
The National Chairman Action Alliance (AA) party, Adekunle Omo-Aje has expressed dismay over the alleged refusal of the Independent National Electoral Commission to obey court judgment. The Action Alliance Chairman threatened to petition foreign embassies and write the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami over the alleged failure of INEC to recognise its candidates for the 2023 general elections despite valid court orders. Omo-Aje who spoke on the sidelines of a programme to mark his 69th birthday organised by party members on Monday, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call INEC to order in for…
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar on Tuesday berated a former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili for being petty. On Monday, Atiku, while speaking at an event organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG, claimed he played a major role in designing a private sector revival strategy and opening the economy for private sector investments in several sectors. But Ezekwesili, who served along with Atiku during the administration of former president Olusegun Obasanjo described the ex-Vice President as a liar. However, speaking through his spokesman, Paul Ibe, Atiku accused the former minister of resorting…
Pakistan’s top election body has suspended the membership of 271 lawmakers across the country for not submitting their statements of assets and liabilities. The statements have to be filed by December 31 every year, and the lawmakers were directed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to submit their financial statements up to June 30, 2022, by January 16, 2023. It also warned that failing to submit the financial statements would result in the suspension of their respective memberships. The ECP said on Monday that those targeted include 136 Members of the National Assembly, 21 senators, and 114 Members of…
The Bauchi State Coordinator of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, and campaign council of presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Babayo Liman has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Liman disclosed his defection to PDP at a press conference in Bauchi yesterday. The NNPP North-East Zonal Secretary said he dumped the party due to lack of structure to win elections. He said: “I want to formally inform the general public, especially members of the NNPP in Bauchi State, North-East and Nigeria at large, that I have resigned as a member of the NNPP. “I have also resigned as the Zonal…
Solomon Dalung, former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, says the 2023 general election is about the quality of candidates and not their political parties. Dalung, also Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate for Langtang North/Langtang South Federal Constituency, stated this on Tuesday in Jos when he interacted with newsmen. The former minister said that Nigerians were more politically aware and that their considerations in the current political dispensation was about the qualities of candidates and not their political parties. “Don’t be deceived, Nigerians are not going to elect parties, Nigerians are going to elect individuals. “It is going to be…
Kenneth Okonkwo, the spokesperson of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has insisted that President Muhammadu Buhari lacks capacity. Okonkwo gave the assertion on Tuesday morning while fielding questions on Arise TV’s morning show. The veteran Nollywood actor was reacting to Buhari’s comments that nobody can blackmail him because he has no house outside Nigeria. “When he [Buhari] tells you he doesn’t have a house anywhere [outside Nigeria], he is being sincere about it,” Okonkwo said. “I can tell you the closest I reached to President Buhari. I can tell you that there has not been any…
Zamfara North senatorial candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Hon. Ibrahim Son-Allah Abubakar, along with the party’s candidate of Zurmi/Shinkafi Federal Constituency, Hon. Suleiman Garba Zurmi, has defected to the APC. In their separate speeches, Hon. Ibrahim Son Allah and Hon. Suleiman Garba said they joined the APC because of the impressive improvement recorded in addressing insecurity of their respective constituencies by the Bello Matawalle administration which has brought relative peace. They assured to work hard for the success of the party at all levels. Receiving them into the APC, Governor Matawalle said Zamfara people are satisfied with…
The US military’s new, expanded combat training of Ukrainian forces began in Germany on Sunday, with a goal of getting a battalion of about 500 troops back on the battlefield to fight the Russians in the next five to eight weeks, said Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Milley, who plans to visit the Grafenwoehr training area on Monday to get a first-hand look at the programme, said the troops being trained left Ukraine a few days ago. In Germany is a full set of weapons and equipment for them to use. Until now the Pentagon…
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has assured the people of the State not to be swayed from voting the candidates of their choice in the forthcoming elections because of fear that the elections may be rigged. He said the introduction of Bimodal Voting Accreditation System, BVAS, by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, will make it impossible for anyone to attempt to rig the elections. Governor Ortom, who spoke on Monday, while addressing PDP supporters at campaign rallies in Tarka, Buruku and Gboko Local Government Areas where scores of APC members and those from other political parties dumped their former…
Former Kogi West Senator, Dino Melaye has said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar is not afraid of investigation. Speaking against the background of alleged money laundering, Melaye said Atiku is the most investigated Nigerian. The spokesman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council disclosed this while featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday. Melaye said Atiku has always submitted himself for investigation. “Atiku Abubakar is a democrat; he’s a Nigerian. He has always been available for investigation. He has been investigated time and time again and come out very clean with clean status. “So, you do…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has postponed the Bola Ahmed Tinubu/Shetima presidential campaign rally scheduled to hold in Kwara on January 17. Saadu Salahu issued a statement on Monday on behalf of the Local Organising Committee (LOC). The spokesperson said President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to attend the campaign. The Nigerian leader has an international engagement this week. Salahu said the President “insists he would like to personally lead the rally” to be held in Ilorin, the capital. The party regrets inconveniences the postponement might have caused members, stakeholders and guests. The President heads to Nouakchott, Islamic Republic of Mauritania,…
Elections in Rivers State often come with intriguing twists and the 2023 election is no different from past elections in the State. With over 3.5 million registered voters and the strategic importance of the State at the national level, the battle over who controls the resources of the State becomes even more interesting. The current governor, Nyesom Wike, will be completing his second tenure by May 29. This means a brand new government will emerge and with the incumbent governor not in the race, it leaves the contest wide open. In 2019 it seemed like a one way ticket for…