AUDU’S DEATH: NOW WHAT?

It is the type of story you can’t make up. In the middle of a hotly contested election, while leading by a narrow margin, Prince Abubakar Audu dies. Now what? The APC candidate has tossed the legal system into a maelstrom, with many lawyers offering their views on what the possible solution might be. All agree on one thing: there is no precedent for something like this. The electoral act provides options for when a candidate passes away before an election and after he has been duly sworn in. But none of this applies here. Prince Abubaka Audu died after the elections began and before he could be sworn in. More importantly, he was yet to be declared winner. Politicians like to be prepared for everything. But it is safe to say that neither the APC nor PDP foresaw this happening—as evidenced by the persistent silence from both camps. In such situations, the ruling is likely to rely on several bylaws, with several potential decisions.

Forge On with the Election
Never mind the distracting case of a burial, the elections should still be held. That is the view offered by some lawyers. Jiti Ogunye, a constituional lawyer shared his views, calling on INEC to continue the election.
“The way forward is that the election will be concluded and a winner will be declared. One can hastily opine that the election will have to be cancelled because Audu, who was a leading candidate, is dead and that the election be conducted afresh.
“But Audu and Wada are not the only candidates in the election. The parties that were involved are more than the APC and the PDP and by law; no governorship candidate can emerge without a deputy governorship candidate. It is a joint ticket and the party is also involved and that is why in an election petition challenging an election, the candidate and the party can sue. For instance, in Ekiti state, Fayemi said he has accepted the result of the election but the APC said no and when to the tribunal. There is a shared destiny between the party, the deputy governorship candidate and the governorship candidate.”
He pointed out that Audu did not die before the election, which would have warranted a postponement as legally outlined int he electoral act.  “He didn’t die on the eve of the election to warrant a postponement because the Electoral Act and the constitution allow for the postponement of election if the candidate of a political party dies and provides for the substitution of a candidate. But in this case, the election has been conducted, certain results have emerged, some results have been cancelled and INEC has declared a supplementary election.”

Declare APC the Winner
In 2007, Rotimi Amaechi became governor of River State, without actually contesting an election. In making it decision, the Supreme Court ruled that it was the PDP presented on the ballot, which meant that the party—not a specific individual—won the election. So whoever was the candidate of the party would be declared governor.
This view was echoed recently echoed by Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN in an interview with Premium Times, ‘’In Adamawa, after Obasanjo picked Atiku, who had already won the governorship election in the state to be his running mate, the opposition led by Bala Takaya kicked against the decision to pick Haruna as a replacement for Audu. The opposition went to the Federal High Court to stop it and the matter dragged to the Supreme Court that it was right for Haruna, who was Abubakar’s running mate to become the governor. The opposition demanded for fresh election but that was rejected by the Supreme Court.”
Like most lawyers, Ngigie agrees that the situation is unique. ’This a peculiar situation. What is happening now is a combination of a lot of issues. In Rotimi Amaechi’s case the court ruled that it was the party that owned the ticket. It also said that the party owned the votes. So, such a scenario may play up this time again. The situation we have at hand is called a reccondite situation in law. And it will require a lot of interpretations. I foresee a very stormy and testing period for INEC. The judiciary will also be put on trial.
Audu may have passed away, but for a few hours on Sunday, he was considered by many to be the Governor Elect, signifying a win for the APC. One suspects that within the APC, there are bylaws on what to do to replace a deceased candidate—most likely choosing the next runner up in the primaries.
The problem with this approach is that APC were yet to win the election. INEC ruled the result inconclusive because the margin of Audu’s win over Wada (41,000) was less than the canceled voted (49,000). This means that Wada could still become governor if he was somehow able to make up the deficit by winning a 100% of the cancelled votes.

Declare Wada the Winner
If a court should rule that Audu’s death somehow invalidates his party’s right to the office, then room would be open for Wada’s potential return as governor. But this is less likely a decision than the former because it does a disservice to the other candidates. PDP and APC are undoubtedly the two major political powerhouses in the country. But it is important to remember that they are not the only parties involved in an election. INEC’s final list for candidates vying for the position lists no less than 22 different candidates, including Wada and Audu.
Which brings to fore the question: would the elections have been cancelled if any of the other candidates had passed away? Or is the gravity of the situation that much steeper because it involves one of the two major political heavyweights.

Announce a Fresh Election
It is still early, but already there are calls for a fresh election. Many consider this to be the fairest decision to all the candidates involved. The PDP is likely to point out–correctly–that without Audu, Wada’s victory would have been all but certain. The surest way to prove this is to conduct a fresh set of polls, scheduled for a date in the near future.
In an interview given to the Vanguard, Dr Tunji Braithwaite and legal icon observed that the unique situation in Kogi calls for a fresh governorship election in Kogi.
“If the front runner in an election drops dead, the next person with higher votes cannot automatically be declared winner. The deceased according, to INEC scored higher votes. Audu’s death calls for another election. The incumbent, Capt Idris Wada will continue as governor until another election. There must be another election.’’
When asked for his legal opinion, Barrister Bisi Adegbuyi, a stalwart of the Afenifere Renewal group, ARG echoed a similar view, ‘There is nothing other than holding another election. APC should be allowed to present another candidate. Since the election has not been concluded, the deputy governorship candidate cannot take his place, he is not the candidate,’

Reactions to Audu’s Death
A lot is still unclear as to the exact nature of Audu’s death. Some reports suggest he slipped into a coma shortly after returning from casting his vote on Saturday, while others claim that his death was brought on by the pressure of the election process. His death however puts into sharpness the finality of life and the increased pressure that comes with running a Nigerian office.
An aide best summed up the general opinion “To me I believed that his time was up; nothing any man can do to stop it”.
Audu was born on October 24, 1964.
The Nigerian Twittersphere has been all agog to know the exact cause of his death with so many speculations spreading. Below are some reactions on twitter….

 by Chinda Moses watchdognews

Nigeria: Man Kills Four Own Children in Kaduna

A middle aged man, on Wednesday in Kaduna slaughtered four of his children and attempted to kill himself after an alleged quarrel with his wife.

Neighbours said that the man had quarrelled with the wife throughout the night, forcing her to leave the house located on Ahmadu Bello street in Kawo area of Kaduna metropolis.

Thereafter, the man allegedly locked the entrance to the house and used a knife to slaughter the four children aged between six to one year.

One of his children who was not in the house at the time, alerted the ward head of the area, when he found the door to the residence locked from inside on Wednesday afternoon.

When the neighbours and some policemen forced the door to the house open, the children were already dead while their father was still alive but in serious condition.

Police spokesman in the state, Zubairu Abubakar, said that the man and the children had been conveyed to St Gerards General Hospital in Kakuri, Kaduna.

He said that the police had commenced full investigation into the matter.(NAN)

OVER LOADING THE SYSTEM OF NIGERIA

 

 

                                When you combine Ministry of works, Housing and Transport.

This is what the combination of works housing and transportation look like, imagine the Government of Nigeria under the ruling of President Mohammed Buhari merging up Agency and offices that had been manage by different minister, now to be single handed by one of the most corrupted leader of Nigeria.  Some week back the President appointed Rotimi Ameachi as the overall Minister of Transportation due to this merging this put all transport system under him.

Rotimi Ameachi is among the 20 most corrupt politician listed that was released by CNN.
He was the past Governor of River State who single handling used the state fund to support the presidential election of Mohammed Buhari under the ruling party of APC. This is a man that Nigerians were waiting for the law to come up on him but instead the law protected him and even put him in charge of all Transport system in Nigeria..

Ameachi is loaded with responsibility that we break him down due to his age and physical strength, to the president you cant fight corruption by over loading the system, A time is coming when the system will be crashing down because of its load and lack of management and maintenances

The Government is over loading the system of Nigeria and this might lead to the breaking up of Nigeria as a system.

PRESIDENT BUHARI HAS ORDER THE IMMEDATE ARREST OF DASUKI AND OTHERS

 

How Did We Come This Far. What Become of Our Nation and Integrity? Of What Benefit Would One Derive Seeing Poor Nigerians of Massacred on Daily Basis. Can Nigeria Judiciary Be Up and Doing and Deliver Justice? God Please Come Down and Rescue Your People!

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE PRESIDENT BUHARIRECEIVES INTERIM REPORT OF INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE ON ARMS PROCUREMENT, ORDERS ARREST OF INDICTED PERSONS

On the authority of Mr President, a 13 man committee was set up by the Office of the National Security Adviser to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the Armed Forces and Defence sector from 2007 to date. While the committee which was inaugurated on 31 August 2015 is yet to complete its work, its interim report has unearthed several illicit and fraudulent financial transactions. As part of the findings, the committee has analyzed interventions from some organizations that provided funds to the Office of the National Security Adviser, Defence Headquarters, Army Headquarters Naval Headquarters and Nigerian Air Force Headquarters, both in local and foreign currencies. So far the total extra budgetary interventions articulated by the committee is Six Hundred and Forty Three Billion, Eight Hundred and Seventeen Million, Nine Hundred and Fifty Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty Five Hundred Naira and Eighteen Kobo (N643,817,955,885.18). The foreign currency component is to the tune of Two Billion, One Hundred and Ninety Three Million, Eight Hundred and Fifteen Thousand US Dollars and Eighty Three Cents ($2,193,815,000.83). These amounts exclude grants from the State Governments and funds collected by the DSS and Police. It was observed that in spite of this huge financial intervention, very little was expended to support defense procurement. The committee also observed that of 513 contracts awarded at $8,356,525,184.32; N2,189,265,724,404.55 and €54,000.00; Fifty Three (53) were failed contracts amounting to $2,378,939,066.27 and N13,729,342,329.87 respectively. Interestingly, it was noted that the amount of foreign currency spent on failed contracts was more than double the $1bn loan that the National Assembly approved for borrowing to fight the insurgency in the North East. The committee also discovered that payments to the tune of Three Billion, Eight Hundred and Fifty Million Naira (N3,850,000,000.00) were made to a single company by the former NSA without documented evidence of contractual agreements or fulfilment of tax obligations to the FGN. Further findings revealed that between March 2012 and March 2015, the erstwhile NSA, Lt Col MS Dasuki (rtd) awarded fictitious and phantom contracts to the tune of N2,219,188,609.50, $1,671,742,613.58 and €9,905,477.00. The contracts which were said to be for the purchase of 4 Alpha Jets, 12 helicopters, bombs and ammunition were not executed and the equipment were never supplied to the Nigerian Air Force, neither are they in its inventory. Even more disturbing was the discovery that out of these figures, 2 companies, were awarded contracts to the tune of N350,000,000.00, $1,661,670,469.71 and €9,905,477.00 alone. This was without prejudice to the consistent non-performance of the companies in the previous contracts awarded. Additionally, it was discovered that the former NSA directed the Central Bank of Nigeria to transfer the sum of $132,050,486.97 and €9,905,473.55 to the accounts of Societe D’equipmente Internationaux in West Africa, United Kingdom and United States of America for un-ascertained purposes, without any contract documents to explain the transactions. The findings made so far are extremely worrying considering that the interventions were granted within the same period that our troops fighting the insurgency in the North East were in desperate need of platforms, military equipment and ammunition. Had the funds siphoned to these non performing companies been properly used for the purpose they were meant for, thousands of needless Nigerian deaths would have been avoided. Furthermore, the ridicule Nigeria has faced in the international community would have been avoided. It is worrisome and disappointing that those entrusted with the security of this great nation were busy using proxies to siphon the national treasury, while innocent lives were wasted daily. In light of these findings, President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that the relevant organizations arrest and bring to book, all individuals who have been found complicit in these illegal and fraudulent acts.

Femi Adesina Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity) November 17, 2015

 

 

 

ALL LIFE MATTERS

Remember in April the 147 students that were killed in Kenya? I didn't see any Kenyan flags on fb profiles unfortunately this didn't make the "trend"

The Boko Haram killing in Nigeria also did not make the ''trend''

 

The Mali war left many dead and homeless also did not make the ''trend''

 

 

 

All Life Matters .. its so sad seeing what is happening all over the world , the killing, the plane crash and other life treating issues, I mourn for France and the world at large this few days has been terrible, let equality stand among us and let hold hands together to fight against what fight against us. If we mourn let mourn and acknowledge it together in countries and over the social media. #alllifematters 

DRUGS IN AFRICA

Drugs are one of the many things that have a negative outcome on young people. They influence youth to commit many dim-witted actions that oftentimes lead to distress, pain, or even death. Youths have developed a certain character or habit toward Drug and alcohol consumption. According to my findings the rate of Drug users in the world today is alarming, in the past few years Drugs were only consume and used in the western world due to their ways of living mostly especially idolizing their role models. Drug and Alcohol is being use today by youth in developing their confident and trying to belong to a certain kind of class in other to boost their ego.

According to my research from www.ncadd.org “about 10.4 million Americans and Africans between the ages of 12-20 had at least one drink last month; of these 6.8 million were Core drinkers." core drinkers are those that consume five or more drinks at one occasion. Yet, youth often times have reasoning for their consumption of these hazardous drugs and beverages. As the saying goes, "for every action there is a reason as well as a cause that leads to an effect." There are many reasons that youth turn to drugs, that consist of but are not limited to, peer pressure and even rejection from their families. Most Africa parent lack the parental skill to bring up their children, during my search in Africa have come to discover that the youths do this things as fun and its used as a way of showing up to their peer how smart and Nigger hood they are, why some are the effect of parental crisis others are being brought up by money, their parents or caretakers hardly provide enough time for them all in the name of gotten busy or chasing after wealth which have resulted negatively in the life of their children today.

The effects of taking drugs can lead to devastating results such as seizures, heart attacks, short-term memory, rape, disease, disgrace

and   even worse death.

Many youth have been confronted with some form of peer pressure, whether it was good or bad. Peer pressure has a huge effect on whomever it may be enacted upon; however, youth oftentimes are the ones to give into it. Most times they desire to be a part of the crowd; they cannot deal with the thought of being left out, or being a loner and this are the part where parent needs to pay close attention to the youth. Youth desire to feel some type of connection, to be accepted and appreciated. They long for attention by others, In Africa most especially this love for belonging have lead many youths to their early graved by getting involved in cultism and other criminal act in other to feel protect or belonging to be active.

 According to researches youth give into peer pressure at one time or another." They fear being rejected by others, or sometimes just don't know how to handle the situation. For these reasons, many youth are influenced to take drugs as well as consume alcoholic beverages. They feel that this will allow them to seem more grown-up. Youths also feel that drugs or alcoholic beverages will give them a sense of peace or calmness. It allows them to forget about their troubles and worries of live and this is where upbringing matter the most, parent have forgotten their religious duties in the family and have giving the family over to the devil and family destroyer known as the (Juvenile delinquents) are usually the ones who are abandoned from their home or they were brought up in the criminal family record where they did not get enough attention mostly in the Africa worldtoday  teenagers tend to follow what their companion friends are doing and this often time have negative impact on their life

Effect of cocain

 

In this world today, drug use is associated with crime and particularly juvenile delinquency. The research on drug use in my recent  researches in some part of the world shows that , parent lock their kid away from their selves  pretending to be giving them the best education in Life, while forgetting that a teacher is a teacher their role in our children life are limited. Because of their limited role and rules the schools today is known as where to find cannabis, cocaine and other drugs, many today have end up giving their children the most costly education service by turning them into high rated drug users.

 

 

Ronaldo targeted by Chelsea in sensational £70-plus million deal

ROMAN ABRAMOVICH is lining up an overhaul at Chelsea — and plans to build a new team around Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Stamford Bridge supremo is prepared to make Real Madrid an offer they cannot refuse for the Portuguese superstar. And he is willing to sell Eden Hazard, Nemanja Matic and Oscar to fund the sensational move.
Seven defeats in their opening twelve games have seen the Blues flop to 16th spot in the Premier League.
And reports in Spain suggest Abramovich sees the three-time Ballon d’Or winner — who has been strongly linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain — as the man to revitalise the faltering champions.
The Blues’ nightmare start has led to speculation boss Jose Mourinho could soon be shown the door.
Ronaldo, 30, played under Mourinho in Madrid, but Abramovich will push ahead with the deal regardless of whether the Portuguese coach is still at the club.