Read How 5 Ex-Governors Turn Senators Stopped Lawan

Details have emerged on how former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and the five governors who in late 2013 defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) worked against the emergence of Senator Ahmad Lawan as Senate President.
THISDAY gathered that Atiku and the five governors were uncomfortable with the rising touted political wizadry of APC national leader, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and decided to “cut him to size.”
Two of the former governors - Rabi’u Musa Kwakwanso and Aliyu Wammako (Kano and Sokoto States) were recently elected into the Senate. Kwara State Governor, Ahmed Abdulfatah, is the political protégé of the new Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.
They reportedly used their influence to stop Lawan believed to be Tinubu’s candidate.
THISDAY gathered that Wammako had also used his successor, the new governor of Sokoto State, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, the immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, to reach out to returning House members to support Hon. Yakubu Dogara in emerging the House of Representatives Speaker.

TINUBU’S WIFE SNUBS SARAKI, LAWAN TAKES OATH OF OFFICE

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday administered oath of office and allegiance on Ahmad Lawan and 27 other All Progressives Congress senators who were absent at the formal inauguration of the Eighth Senate.
The senators were gathered at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, waiting for President Muhammadu Buhari, who was billed to address them when the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji SalisuMaikasuwa, proclaimed the Eighth Senate and subsequently conducted the election.
The election, which had 23 APC senators in attendance, produced Saraki as president of the Senate, while Senator Ike Ekweremadu was elected his deputy.
Saraki, after the election, administered oath of office and allegiance on 75 other senators.
However, the others, mainly members of the Senate Unity Forum, led by Senator Ahmad Lawan, mobilised themselves to the chamber as early as 8:30am on Wednesday, waiting for the Senate president, to formally swear them in as senators.

Ronaldo’s mother caught with €45,000 at airport

Dolores Aveiro, the mother of Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, was stopped at Madrid’s Barajas Airport last month and caught carrying an illegally large amount of cash as she prepared to fly out of the country, the newspaper El Mundo reported.

According to The Telegraph, 60-year-old Aveiro, who spends long periods of time with her multimillionaire footballer son in his luxury mansion outside Madrid, was held by border police at Barajas after it was found that she had €55,000 (£40,000) in her hand luggage. Rules against money laundering state that the maximum travellers are permitted to take out of Spain without declaring the transfer is €10,000.

Aveiro had not filled out a declaration form and, according to the Spanish daily, was held by civil guard agents at the airport for a few minutes while the excess amount of cash was confiscated. She was then allowed to fly to Portugal with €10,000 in her handbag.

JENNIFER LOPEZ HIT WITH LAWSUIT FOR SEXY PERFORMANCE AT MOROCCO CONCERT

The pop singer has been hit with a lawsuit from a local educational group who were offended by her televised concert held in the nation’s capital Rabat, TMZreports.
The group reportedly objected to Lopez’s May 29 performance because it “disturbed public order and tarnished women’s honor and respect.”
The 45-year-old ’s concert at the Mawazine World Rhythms International Music Festival featured sexy dance moves and stage outfits that showed off the “Booty” singer’s famous assets.
According to the BBC, some in the conservative North African country are asking that Mustapha Khalifi, Morocco’s minister of communications, resign for allowing the performance to air on Moroccan TV.
The website added that Khalifi has rejected the idea of resigning, but wanted to meet with the ethics committee of the network that broadcast J. Lo’s show.
“What was broadcast is unacceptable and goes against broadcasting law," he also tweeted.

NA LEADERSHIP: ODDS FAVOUR SARAKI, SPEAKERSHIP TOO CLOSE TO CALL

As the Eighth National Assembly is inaugurated tuesday, the odds are in favour of former Kwara State Governor Senator Bukola Saraki to clinch Senate presidency in a contest that is certain to alter the fortunes of the APC.
This is despite spirited attempts made monday by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief John Oyegun, and governors elected on the platform of APC to unite its members-elect behind Senator Ahmed Lawan for the Senate presidency and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila for the post of speaker in the House of Representatives.
However, Saraki looks set to coast to victory following the decision last night of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to back him. PDP also adopted Hon. Yakubu Dogara, Gbajabiamila’s main rival for the speakership, making the contest in the House too close to call.
An impasse over the leadership tussle in the federal legislature snowballed when APC conducted a straw poll on Saturday that threw up Lawan and Gbajabiamila as its choice for the posts of Senate president and Speaker, respectively.
But their emergence was rejected by Saraki, Dogara, and their supporters, who cried foul over APC’s attempt to foist its preferred candidates for the coveted posts in the National Assembly.
The situation has been made more precarious for APC with PDP’s emergence as the spoiler that may determine the outcome of the contest in both chambers of the National Assembly.
But in order to resolve the impasse that had ensued, the party and its governors made attempts to unite its members-elect behind its candidates for both posts.
Osinbajo, who yesterday was scheduled to hold a reconciliatory meeting with APC members-elect, at the last minute chose to stay away from the meeting to starve off the boycott of the meeting by Saraki, Dogara and their supporters.

BUHARI: MY TACTICS AGAINST BOKO HARAM

President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed that his administration is evolving fresh tactics and strategies to tackle the Boko Haram insurgency.
The tactics, he said, included taking concrete action to build a more efficient and effective coalition of Nigeria and her neighbours against the terrorist group.
Buhari spoke in Elmau, Germany, yesterday during a meeting with French President Francois Hollande after he had participated in the G7 Outreach Programme.
G7 is a forum of the world’s seven most industrialised countries of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan which meets annually to deliberate on global economy, governance, international security and energy policy.
The G7 leaders had earlier requested Buhari to prepare his “wish list” and come with it for their consideration in what is perceived as an excellent goodwill gesture towards him and Nigeria.
Security, anti-graft and economy topped the president’s wish list to the forum. 
Buhari yesterday told his French counterpart that his government was totally committed to eliminating the Boko Haram insurgency in the shortest possible time.
He said Nigeria would welcome greater support and cooperation from France and other friendly nations for her ongoing efforts towards overcoming the insurgency as well as restoring full security and normalcy to areas affected by the sect’s atrocities.

BUHARI SEEKS INTELLIGENCE ON BOKO HARAM’S LINK WITH ISIS

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday sought greater support and cooperation from France and other friendly nations for his administration’s ongoing efforts to overcome the Boko Haram sect and restore normalcy to areas affected by the group’s atrocities.
Specifically, Buhari said Nigeria would appreciate more intelligence on the sect’s link with the Islamic States of Iraq and Syria.
According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the President made the request at a meeting he had with President Francois Hollande of France after his participation in Monday’s G-7 Outreach Programme in Elmau, Germany.
Shehu further quoted the President as saying that his administration would also appreciate more intelligence on the sect’s movements, training and sources of its arms and ammunition.
He said the intelligence was necessary to facilitate the perfection of fresh tactics and strategies being evolved to overcome terrorism and insurgency in the country and its sub-region.
The President reaffirmed his administration’s total commitment to ending Boko Haram’s insurgency in the shortest possible time.
He said his administration was already taking concrete action to build a more efficient and effective coalition of Nigeria and neighbouring countries against Boko Haram.
President Buhari reiterated, at the talks with his French counterpart, that there was absolutely no link between religion and the atrocities of Boko Haram.

APC rejects election of Saraki, Dogara as Senate President, House Speaker

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as totally unacceptable and the highest level of indiscipline and treachery the conduct of Tuesday’s inauguration of the National Assembly that led to the emergence of Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara as Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively.
”Senator Bukola and Hon. Dogara are not the candidates of the APC and a majority of its National Assembly members-elect for the positions of Senate President and House Speaker. The party duly met and conducted a straw poll and clear candidates emerged for the posts of Senate President, Deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, supported by a majority of all Senators-elect and members-elect of the House of Representatives. All National Assembly members-elect who emerged on the platform of the party are bound by that decision.
”The party is supreme and its interest is superior to that of its individual members,” the party said in a statement issued in Abuja Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed.
”Consequently, the APC leadership is meeting in a bid to re-establish discipline in the party and to mete out the necessary sanctions to all those involved in what is nothing but a monumental act of indiscipline and betrayal to subject the party to ridicule and create obstacles for the new administration,” it said.

FUNSHO WILLIAMS’ MURDER: COURT GRANTS MOTION TO RELIST SUIT AGAINST TINUBU, OTHERS

The last may not have been heard about the murder of the former governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Funsho Williams, as Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court in Lagosmonday granted a motion by one Bashir Junaid, a detainee over the murder, seeking to relist a suit against the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu and ten others.
Junaid had gone to the court to seek an order of mandamus to compel the Inspector-General of Police (IG) to re-open investigations into Funsho Williams’ murder.
However, the case suffered a set back when it was struck out by the judge on April 29, 2015, for want of diligent prosecution.
Dissatisfied with the ruling of the court, Junaid, through his lawyer, Tunji Adesheye, filed a motion seeking to relist the matter.
The motion was brought pursuant to Order 26, Rules 1, 2(1), (2), 3, 4, 6, 7(1), 18 and 20 of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure Rules) 2009 and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court.
Arguing the motion, Adesheye informed the court that his client had effected personal service of the concurrent writ of summons on the defendants that are outside the jurisdiction.
Justice Ajumogobia, had earlier granted leave to the plaintiff to effect personal service of the concurrent writ of summons in the suit on the IG by substituted means.
Other defendants affected by the court’s order are: Former IG, Sunday Ehindero, Attorney General of the Federation and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). They are the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 6th defendants in the suit.

RIBADU POISONED OVER ANTI-GRAFT WAR – OBASANJO

Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has said that the ex-chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, was once poisoned in the course of his duties as anti-corruption czar.
Obasanjo disclosed this at an international forum on Third Tana High Level Forum on Security in Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He also revealed that Ribadu created enemies for him because of the ruthlessness with which he carried out his responsibilities of tackling corruption in Nigeria.
Obasanjo, who spoke from the floor following a presentation on Illicit Financial Flow and Governance of Natural Resources made by Ribadu, affirmed that he had known from experience that the fight against corruption attracts a lot of enemies.
The former president declared that he has no fear of anyone still living in Nigeria, adding, “it is rather them that fear me.”
Saying that Ribadu took on a lot of highly connected persons in his fight against corruption, Obasanjo said that the former anti-corruption chief was once poisoned, causing a scare among concerned quarters.
“It was a matter of life and death,” the former president said, though further details of the incident were not given.