| INEC declares Peter Obi winner of Anambra State polls |
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Independent National Electoral Commission declares All Progressive Grand Alliance candidate, Peter Obi winner of Anambra State polls; ·Senate may pass another resolution on President Umaru Yar’Adua tomorrow; ·Ethiopia Airlines jet 'black box' retrieved in Lebanon ·United States President Barack Obama to hold televised summit on healthcare The Senate may tomorrow pass another resolution on the need for President Umaru Yar’Adua to abide by Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution. A competent source said the move is viewed as a last ditch effort to stem the constitutional crisis that had arisen due to President Yar’Adua’s failure to hand over to Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan 77 days after he travelled to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment. The source also called on the wife of the President, Turai, to prevail on her husband to abide by the Constitution. Governor Peter Obi of All Progressive Grand Alliance has been re-elected Anambra State governor. Announcing the result of the election in Awka, the Returning Officer, Josiah Uwazuruonye, said that Governor Obi scored 97,843 votes to secure the victory. Mr Uwazuruonye said Action Congress candidate, Chris Ngige, came second with 60,240 while, PDP candidate, Chukwuma Soludo, came third with 59,355 and the Labour Party candidate Andy Uba came fourth with 20,186 votes. Meanwhile, Governor Obi has admitted that the election that guaranteed his second term in office had its own defects. He also praised his opponents for their patriotism and gallantry. Governor Obi said the election was unique in several respects because it was the only one that was conducted throughout Nigeria at the weekend. He said although the inadequacies of Independent National Electoral Commission in terms of poor preparation, late arrival of electoral materials, manifested, they were minimal. However, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan has congratulated Governor Obi on his victory. Dr Jonathan also lauded the people of Anambra for the peaceful conduct of the election,noting that it is an indication that Nigerians are determined to make democracy succeed. The Vice President acknowledged the roles played by INEC, as well as the Nigeria Police and other security agencies towards the successful conduct of the poll. In a related development, APGA National Chairman, Victor Umeh, said Governor Obi won due to his spectacular performance in Anambra. He said Governor Obi's winning is victory for democracy and not for Anambra alone. Chief Umeh, who congratulated other candidates in the election, said the winning party would reach out to others. Still on Anambra state election, PDP governorship's candidate in the election, Chukwuma Soludo, has conceded victory to Governor Obi. Prof. Soludo,who addressed newsmen in Awka after the announcement of the results, said the election was not a fight between himself and Governor Obi, but about the future of the state. He, however, faulted the conduct of the election, noting that there were grave flaws that INEC exhibited during the exercise. However, Action Congress candidate in the election, Chris Ngige, has rejected the results. Addressing a news conference in Awka, Dr Ngige described the voters register used by INEC for the election as a plot crafted to disenfranchise the electorate. According to him, a total of 1.8 million are registered voters in the state but less than 10 per cent found their names and were allowed to vote. Action Congress has asked President Umaru Yar’Adua to, as a matter of urgency, send a letter to the National Assembly permitting Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to act as president. A statement issued by National publicity secretary of the party, Lai Mohammed said the letter was a necessary prerequisite for Jonathan to act as president. He said the party also demands that the Federal Executive Council withdraws its recent decision that the President is not incapable of performing the functions of his office. The Federal Road Safety Commission says it will soon be focusing on child-passenger safety in Lagos metropolis. FRSC Lagos State Sector Commander, Jonas Agwu said the commission is worried about how parents drive kids to school and other places without being care about their safety. He told correspondent Johnson Ayedun that parents, NGOs,and religious leaders are to be consulted for proper enlightenment, about the issue. That was FRSC Lagos State Sector Commander, Jonas Agwu. Labour Minister, Adetokunbo Kayode, has proposed that a mechanism should be put in place that would institutionalize the process of reviewing the national minimum wage. Prince Kayode said the present ad-hoc approach of reviewing wages should be dropped. The minister said the arrangement where, after about 10 years of setting a minimum wage, the labour unions begin agitating for a new minimum wage is not the best option. Officials say Lebanese search teams have retrieved the flight data recorder from the Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed in the Mediterranean. The Boeing 737 crashed on 25 January, minutes after take-off from Beirut airport during a fierce thunderstorm, killing all 90 people on board. An army official said the recorder was taken to a naval base in Beirut to be handed over to crash investigators. The search continues for the cockpit voice recorder and 75 missing bodies. United States President,Barack Obama will hold a televised, summit-style meeting to discuss healthcare reform with both Democratic and Republican lawmakers. President Obama said discussions would aim to explore "best ideas", "step-by-step". He made has made healthcare a centerpiece of his presidency but has so far failed to get a new law enacted. Meanwhile, Senate Republic leader Mitch McConnell said shelving the bill would be the best way to reach consensus. BUSINESS:Federal Government says to 9,000 mining licences ready in two weeks ENTERTAINMENT:Zambia's Lukando Nalungwe emerges this year's Face of Africa; SPORTS: Oyo State FA Chairman, Leye Adepoju flays Super Eagles Coach, Shuaibu Amodu's sack; BUSINESS Director, Mining Cadastre Office, Sheik Goni, says to engender more exploration activities in the solid minerals sector, nearly 9,000 mining licences will be ready in the next two weeks. Mr. Goni explained that the number accumulated because the processing of mineral application was suspended in the middle of 2007. He noted that the process only commenced in October 2009 and about 7,700 applications had been processed at the moment. Federal Inland Revenue Service says the ongoing banking reforms might affect its 2010 revenue target of N2.3 trillion. FIRS had realized N2.2 trillion from taxes in 2009, surpassing the budget target of N1.9 trillion, while in 2008, the service realized N2.9 trillion, against a target of N2.3 trillion. The FIRS’s latest reforms and tax drive had seen revenue growing from the non oil sector, making it more visible in the effort to diversify the economy. ENTERTAINMENT Zambia's Lukando Nalungwe emerged as this year's Face of Africa at the final held in Lagos at the weekend. The event was attended by a number of celebrities and politicians, and included performances from D'Banj and South Africa's Lira. Twenty-two year old Nalungwe, is currently studying business administration in Kabwe, Zambia and won $50 000 and an international modeling contract with O Model Africa. SPORTS Oyo State Football Association Chairman, Leye Adepoju, has expressed regrets at Shuaibu Amodu’s removal as Super Eagles coach He said the move will have negative affect on Nigeria’s World Cup chances in South Africa. Mr Adepoju condemned the timing of the change, saying the situation had thrown up new challenges for the would-be coach. John Terry's week of turmoil ended with a measure of consolation as he helped Chelsea return to the Premier League summit and apply a potentially fatal blow to Arsenal's title ambitions. Terry, stripped of the England captaincy by Coach Fabio Capello amid allegations of an affair with the ex-girlfriend of international team-mate Wayne Bridge, received vociferous backing from Chelsea's fans as he led his side into a crucial 2-0 victory. TODAY IN HISTORY February 8th 1958 - Edgar Whitehead succeeds Garfield Todd as premier of South Rhodesia ODD SIDE OF NEWS Police say a man suspected of stealing a bottle of Schnapps from a Wyoming grocery store didn't have the best escape route planned. Riverton police say the 26-year-old ran out of the store after grabbing the bottle of booze and a package of cough drops and hid in a nearby building, which happened to be the police station. Police say the man then ran out of the police station, but not before a dispatcher had spied him on the station's surveillance camera and alerted officers. The man, who police say was drunk, was caught soon after. |