Pro-Jonathan Protest Rocks Enugu

Some Igbo youths took to the streets of Enugu yesterday in protest against the alleged "persecution" of Patience Jonathan by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Some bank accounts, reportedly belonging to the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan had been frozen by the anti-graft agency.

The protesters, under the aegis of Concerned Igbo Youths, said Patience’s travail was an attempt to humiliate former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Brandishing placards and chanting solidarity songs, the group led by its coordinator, Victor Ezenagu, marched to the Enugu office of the EFCC, where they submitted a petition to the South-East zonal head of the commission, Mr. Johnson Babalola.

Some youths also protested in front of the Enugu State Government House.

In the petition entitled, ‘Unjust persecution and desperate plan to humiliate Goodluck Jonathan,’ the youths demanded an immediate unfreezing of Patience Jonathan’s accounts.

The petition read in part:

“While we salute the commitment of the present administration towards fighting corruption in the country, we express our disaffection to the manner the war is being prosecuted by the commission under your watch.

“Some of the actions of the commission in recent time leave no one in doubt that certain persons have clearly been singled out to be humiliated.

“A case in point is that of a former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, who is currently being prosecuted by the EFCC. We see the freezing of her personal accounts and ongoing prosecution as an attempt to discredit former President Goodluck Jonathan.”

The youths said they were miffed that Jonathan was being victimised by the EFCC, even after sacrificing his ambition “for the sake of the country’s future.”

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2017 Budget Approved By FEC; to be laid before NASS soon

The Federal Executive Council, FEC, has approved the 2017 budget estimates.

Rising from a meeting which appeared to be very unusual, as it took almost the whole day at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, who briefed State House correspondents, alongside his colleague in Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola and the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, stated that the details would be made known when the President presents the document to the National Assembly, NASS.

On what day the document would be presented to the National Assembly, Udoma said

the Presidency would communicate formerly to national assembly, saying ultimately, the timing would be decided by the Parliament He said: “The budget has been approved by the Federal Executive Council, the details will be revealed when the President presents the budget to the National Assembly.

“With regards to the date, the President will be communicating to the National Assembly and, of course, it will be at the National Assembly’s discretion ultimately. The President will write to them and after they confirm, then the President can come to address them.”

Speaking on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework, which was described as empty by the some lawmakers, the minister denied any form of emptiness, saying the document was well prepared. 

He said: “The MTEF was a very well prepared document after extensive consultations. We consulted the private sector, NGOs etc.”. 

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Policemen asking me for money since I won Ondo election — Akeredolu

Ondo Governor-elect, Rotimi Akeredolu of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has urged the high command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to pay the allowances of security personnel deployed for the election in the state.

Akeredolu said this on Wednesday in Akure while delivering his acceptance speech at INEC office after he was given his Certificate of Return along with his deputy-elect, Agboola Ajayi.

Akeredolu lamented that security operatives had been coming to his house since the election to ask for money from him, stressing that they were stranded and have become a burden to him.

He disclosed that the security operatives complained to him that their allowances were not paid since they were deployed for the election last week.

"They have been coming to my house to beg for money telling me that they were not paid their allowances. How can you deploy your officers for such assignment without paying them? I am saying this so that the DIG can take care of the issue," he said, urging the security bosses and Force Headquarters to cater for their personnel.

But the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Femi Joseph, denied the allegations on the non-payment of election allowance for the police officers deployed for the election.

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Why I omitted Tinubu from my victory speech – Akeredolu

Ondo State governor-elect, Rotimi Akeredolu, has said he did not acknowledge a national leader of the All APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in his victory speech because it was not expedient to do so.

He said having acknowledged President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the recognised national leader of the party, and the National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, it was safe to infer that he had acknowledged all the party’s leaders.

Akeredolu said this while answering State House correspondents’ questions shortly after he and his deputy, Mr. Agboola Ajayi, met Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

They were led to the meeting, which was their first after their victory, by the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress Campaign Council in Ondo State, Governor Simon Lalong.

The governor-elect, who said the relationship between him and Tinubu was cordial, explained that mentioning the name of Asiwaju specifically would have amounted to him mentioning the names of about 37 other leaders of the party.

He said, “On the names that were mentioned in my speech when expressing gratitude and that I didn’t specifically thank Bola Ahmed Tinubu. I thanked the President and the leader of our party profusely for the leadership which he showed leading to this election.

“I also thanked our indefatigable chairman for standing by the truth and for his position on this matter that led to this election. I have no reason to do otherwise.

“Party structure, to the best of my knowledge, is very clear. You have the leadership of the party and that is represented by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

“After an election, a chief executive emerges, he becomes a leader of the party, you don’t have to personalise and be looking for leaders all over the place."

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Aisha Buhari Replies Her Husband Again..."I Have My Right To Say How I Feel

This whole saga is about 'political power', inside sources have told OluFamous.Com. Aisha Buhari is not happy that Mr President did not allow her have office of First Lady for her to wield power. But in all their marriage is suffering and things could get even worse if not resolved immediately.

Rather than allow for peace, Aisha Buhari has granted another hot interview.

Recalled that she had granted an interview a week ago in which she suggested her husband’s administration had been hijacked. She claimed President Muhammad Buhari did not know more than half the people he had appointed and some of the appointees did not share his vision.

Perhaps the most explosive part of the interview was her assertion that without any major changes, she would not support him for a second term bid come 2019.

President Buhari reacted to his wife’s statement while on an official trip to Germany. His attempt to make a joke of the situation backfired as he claimed she belonged to his ‘kitchen and other rooms’.

Well, some political leaders in APC have been talking to Aisha on phone but she's not backing down and in a new interview with the same BBC, she reiterating her concerns.

“I have my own right to say how I feel about something,” Aisha declared in English and criticized her husband again in the new interview.

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