Lagos APC primaries: Dabiri, Bamigbetan withdraw as newcomers floor incumbents

All Progressives Congress, APC, Lagos chapter, yesterday held, what was described as “peaceful” Federal House of Representatives primaries across the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs.
However, the exercise saw many incumbent lawmakers being defeated by new comers.
Some of their colleagues actually threw in the towels before the actual contest that took place Sunday.
The incumbent Hon Wale Babatunde and Samuel Adedayo, of Apapa-Iganmu Constituencywere defeated by former Chairman of Apapa Local Government, Hon Ayodeji Joseph.
Moruf Akinderu Fatai lost in Oshodi-Isolo Constituency I to a new comer. Dr Samuel Adejare, also an incumbent lost to Taofik Adaranijo in Agege Constituency.
While HoAbike Dabiri-Erewa and former Chairman of Ejigbo LCDA, Hon Kehinde Bamibetan also announced their withdrawal from the Ikorodu and Oshodi-Isolo
Constituencies race respectively, at the 11th hour.

Benue South: Mark returned unopposed

The Senate President, Senator David Mark,on Sunday evening emerged winner of the Peoples Democratic Party primaries for Benue South Senatorial District.

Mark polled an overwhelming score of 384 votes.

His only challenger, Chief Mike Onoja, had shortly before the commencement of voting, withdrawn from the race, citing “interest and unity of the Idoma nation” as parts of his reasons.

In his acceptance speech, Senator Mark praised Onoja for stepping down, even as he dedicated the mandate to Idoma people.

Senatorial primaries: Gov. Aliyu, Zaynab, Halidu win PDP ticket in Niger

Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State and Senator Zaynab Kure on Sundaywon the primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party for the 2015 senatorial election for Niger East and Niger South districts of the state respectively.

In the result released in Bida for Niger South Senatorial District primaries of the party, Senator Kure defeated the immediate past Niger State Chairman of the PDP, Mohamud Enagi, with 328 votes to eight votes, while Aliyu got 281 votes to clinch the ticket for Zone B, as against 86 votes polled by his rival, Adamu Idris Kuta.

Honourable Halidu Agwara was elected unopposed for the Niger North Senatorial District of the state.

Gov tickets: PDP gladiators in battle royal

The Peoples Democratic Party is making last-minute moves to ensure that only the most popular among its aspirants are picked during its governorship primaries holding on Monday.

Sunday PUNCH learnt on Friday that senior officials of the ruling party were on the lookout for candidates that could beat their opponents from the opposition All Progressives Congress in the 2015 general elections.

The APC had held its governorship primaries on Thursday, and elected its candidates.

I ran mad shooting my latest movie — Bukola Ogundare

Bukola Ogundare is one of the fast rising stars in the Yoruba movie industry. She recently told Potpourri that she is in the acting business not just for the money but for the love of the job. Her latest movie `Ife Okan’ is out and doing very well in the market. In this interview with Potpourri she talks about her career and more.

Ndoma-Egba loses bid to return to Senate

The bid of the Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, for a fourth term in the Senate hit the rocks on Saturday in Ikom, Cross River Central Senatorial District.

Ndoma-Egba was defeated by Hon. John Owan-Enoh at the primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party for the constituency.

Owan-Enoh (PDP Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency) defeated Ndoma-Egba by 217 votes to 37, while the third aspirant, Mark Egbe, scored 20 votes.

2015: Why Tinubu, Fashola are on war path

Despite Saturday’s denial by a National Leader of the All Progressives Congress and former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that he is not at war with the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), over the 2015 elections, Ashiwaju.org  can authoritatively confirm that all is not well between the two men.
And this has mainly to do with the failure of Fashola to support Tinubu’s choice for the Lagos State governor’s seat in 2015, Akinwunmi Ambode.

The Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, has said the factors causing the continued fall in the value of the naira are beyond the control of the CBN and the Federal Government.

This, he said, informed part of the reasons the central bank chose to devalue the naira about two weeks ago, rather than continue in the defence of the nation’s currency from the external reserves.

Emefiele, who spoke at the Bankers’ Dinner organised by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria in Lagos on Saturday night, disclosed that the bank had spent a huge chunk of the external reserves in defending the naira from falling, adding that the best thing to do is to devalue it.

He said although the decision to devalue the national currency would come with pains, it would lead to benefits in the long run.

Ekweremadu, Nnaji pick PDP ticket to contest 2015 senatorial election in Enugu state

 Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and Sen. Gilbert Nnaji Chairman, Senate Committee on Communications, have won the PDP primary to contest the 2015 senatorial election in Enugu state.
Ekweremadu won the Enugu-West senatorial seat after his opponent; Gov. Sullivan Chime of Enugu State withdrew from the race in the primary conducted in Enugu on Sunday.
Nnaji, representing Enugu-East senatorial zone was returned after he secured 231 votes of the 247 accredited votes.

EXPOSED: Why Ini Edo’s marriage Crashed

It is no longer news that top actress Ini Edo’s marriage to Philips Ehiagwina has collapsed. So much has been written mostly by writers relying on third party sources as to why the marriage failed.
The widely speculated reason has been the issue of infidelity that the husband alleged.
But was that the main reason the couple went their separate ways? According to a source close to the couple and was there when the romance started in 2008, and remained close to the now divorced couple, the media has been scratching the surface of what indeed was a story of irreconciliable differences the actress endured for over six years of her marriage to her estranged husband; and why she gave her all to sustain the marriage. It is a story as told by an insider who knew the couple way back from New York, where Philips once lived, before moving to Texas, then to Atlanta and now Ghana.