2015: Vote for my husband, Patience begs women

The wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, on Monday in Abuja pleaded with Nigerian women to vote for her husband, President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 Presidential election.

According to her, only Jonathan can protect and defend their rights among all the aspirants for the seat.

She also asked women to actively participate in the on-going electoral processes in the country, saying it was time for them to compete favourably with their male counterparts for elective positions.

Photos: US defence secretary Chuck Hagel resigns

US President Barack Obama has accepted the resignation of Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel, who he said requested last month to leave Pentagon’s top post.

According to US media, Hagel was pressured by Obama to quit, as Pentagon embarks on a new strategy to deal with the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL).

Taraba Assembly confirms deputy as Acting Gov

Members of the Taraba State House of Assembly on Monday unanimously confirmed the Deputy Governor of the state, Alhaji Sanni Danladi, as the Acting Governor.

The confirmation came barely 72 hours after Danladi was reinstated by the Supreme Court’s ruling which nullified his impeachment two years ago by the House.

FG asks Cameroon, others to unite against B’Haram

The Minister of Defence, Lt.-Gen. Aliyu Gusau (retd.) has called on the countries in the Lake Chad Basin to adopt intensified collaborative action against terrorism in the area.

Gusau said there was no better time than now for the countries in the Lake Chad Basin-Nigeria, Cameroun, Niger and Chad – and the Republic of Benin to become united against terrorism, irrespective of the existing differences.

The minister’s comments were contained in an address read on his behalf by the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, at the fourth meeting of ministers of defence, chiefs of defence staff, and heads of intelligence and security of the member-countries of Lake Chad Basin commission and the Republic of Benin, in Abuja, on Monday.

Sani slams Jonathan over N’Assembly invasion

A northern-based pro-democracy activist, Mallam Shehu Sani, said on Monday in Kaduna that the security operatives’ siege to the National Assembly   last week demonstrated the degree of desperation and abuse of power by the President Goodluck Jonathan-led government.

Sani, who is the President of the Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria, also condemned an alleged “assault” on the secretariat of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos by soldiers and the Department of State Security.

He said the actions pointed to “visible symptoms of tyranny and a retrogressive slide to totalitarianism by the Jonathan government.”

Senatorial slot: Refund my N5.5m, Kalu tells PDP

A former Governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Kalu, has said he is no longer running for the Senate on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The former governor has therefore asked the party to refund the N5.5m he paid for the nomination and expression of interest forms, which he paid thinking that he would contest the party’s ticket for Abia North Senatorial District.

National debt rises to N10.8tn

The total debt of the Federal Government,   the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory rose from N8.32tn on September 30, 2013 to N10.84tn on September 30, 2014.

This means that the nation’s total debt stock rose by N2.52tn or   30.29 per cent within one year period.

Statistics obtained from the website of the Debt Management Office in Abuja on Monday indicated that the N8.32tn did not include the domestic debt of the states in 2013.

Details of the current debt status of the country showed that the external debts of both the federal and state governments stood at $9.52bn or N1.48tn.

Court frees suspected Nyanya bomber, cites shoddy prosecution

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday struck out the terrorism charges instituted against Aminu Ogwuche, the alleged mastermind of the April 14 blast, which killed over 75 persons in Nyanya, a suburb of Abuja.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola struck out the charges filed by the Inspector General of Police on the grounds of want of diligent prosecution.

The case had suffered many adjournments due to failure of the police to produce the accused, who had been in the custody of the Department of State Services since he was repatriated from Sudan to Nigeria.

The police and the DSS, through their respective lawyers, had also during court proceedings jostled for the prosecution of the accused persons.

Sultan, Oritsejafor clash over Boko Haram

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, on Monday openly disagreed on the continued violence being unleashed on parts of the country by Boko Haram.

While Abubakar said Islamic leaders had “tried so much” to preach against the activities of the sect, Oritsejafor said they had not done enough in reaching out to the insurgents and making them understand the true teachings of Islam.

Senators initiate move to impeach Jonathan

Some Peoples Democratic Party’s senators on Monday started impeachment moves against President Goodluck Jonathan over what they described as the high level of impunity and corruption allegedly being condoned by his administration.

Investigations by our correspondent revealed that the PDP senators had started compiling impeachable offences against the President.