ONDO DEPUTY GOVERNOR DETECTED TO APC

Ondo state Deputy Governor, Ali Olanusi has dumped PDP and  defected to APC just two days to the general elections. He announced his defection this morning March 26^th, in Akure, the state capital. 

PHOTO: SOLDIERS SIGHTED PATROLLING PARTS OF LAGOS THIS MORNING

 Platoons of soldiers were sighted patrolling the Victoria Island/Lekki and Fola Agoro in Surulere axis of Lagos this morning. Probably they were doing this in preparation for Saturday's general elections.  Hopefully, they will help protect the citizens against any election trauma. More pictures after the cut...

PHOTO OF THE DAY: JONATHAN & BUHARI TODAY @ PEACE ACCORD SIGNING IN ABUJA

Here is the photograph of President Goodluck Jonathan and APC presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari @ a peace accord signing in Abuja this morning ahead of Saturday's Presidential election. 

The meeting was facilitated by the national peace committee chaired by Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar. See another photo after the cut...

MUST READ: IBB WARNS PRO-JONATHAN CAMPAIGNERS TO STOP INSULTING THE MILITARY

General Ibrahim Babangida, former Military president, has called on pro-Jonathan campaign groups to desist from insulting the military in any of their campaign documentaries. In a statement he signed and released yesterday March 25th, General Babangida said:...

"In clear attempts to whip up support for President Goodluck Jonathan, certain persons, groups and individuals have embarked on several campaigns of calumny against former military Heads of State and presidents who have had the opportunity to govern this country. Of particular reference is a one-hour documentary aired on Silverbird Television on Tuesday night; 24th March, 2015 that deliberately impugned the integrity of Generals Olusegun Obasanjo, Muhammadu Buhari, my humble self; Ibrahim Babangida, the late Sani Abacha, Abdulsalami Abubakar, and T.Y. Danjuma; all of whom have had the privilege of presiding over the affairs of this great country at various levels.

 It is either that those promoting the hate documentary are intellectually delinquent or they suffer memory loss; or a combination of both. I have my very strong reservations about the contents and thematic focus of the said documentary. Apart from promoting hate campaign which clearly undermines the modest contributions of these former presidents, the commentaries in the documentary against the former presidents leave a sour taste in the mouth. Nobody is stopping anyone from campaigning for their preferred candidates contesting various positions in the elections, but to do that at the expense of the reputation, contributions, patriotism, loyalty and sacrifice of former presidents to the Nigerian state is, to say the least, immature. The military is at present combating the dreaded Boko Haram sect to restore Nigeria’s territorial integrity. What law under a democracy forbids retired military personnel from participating in politics and presenting themselves for election? Over 90 per cent of American Presidents have military background.

 Leadership training is better grounded in the military than any other profession. And the military parades some of the best brains in any country, including Nigeria. In fact, some of my military students that I tutored have Doctorate Degrees. It is, therefore, callous, wicked, out-of-sync, cynical and a show of crass ignorance for anyone to undermine the military institution by embarking on mudslinging campaigns against former presidents and leaders with military background. While those campaigners are pointing their accusing fingers at us, they forget to recall that the present Director-General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation is actually a retired military officer. It is this form of demonisation and stigmatisation that often compels us to exhibit esprit de corps amongst ourselves in support of our military institution and colleagues when the stakes are high.

 As disciplined military officers, we are patriotic Nigerians and must be treated with utmost respect and decorum. The military is an institution that is so dear to my heart. It is an institution that nurtured my growing up and my achievements in life. I am not only sold to the military institution and by extension the Nigerian state, I am betrothed to it. 

As a profession, retirees are bound to participate in politics and democracy as an all-inclusive process, same way that doctors, lawyers, teachers, nurses, and civil servants get involved in it. It is the reason why I ventured into politics in 2003 before I quit in 2010. It is the same reason why General Obasanjo participated and got elected; and now General Buhari. 

It is therefore very curious that promoters of President Goodluck Jonathan’s aspiration would attempt to demonise and stigmatise former military leaders and cast aspersions on them in order to malign their reputation. This is very unfair. Fact is; the military fought a civil war to keep this country together. What I suffer today is a consequence of the injuries I sustained during the Nigeria Civil War. I am not sure there is any patriotism that is more than that. Some of us were prepared to die for the country.”he said in the statement

TAYLOR TO SERVE THE REST OF HIS JAIL TERM IN UK...COURT ORDERED

Ex-Liberian President Charles Taylor has been ordered to serve the rest of his jail term in the UK, after losing a request to be transferred to Rwanda.

Taylor complaining about not being able to see his family, Taylor argued he was being held "effectively in isolation" because he was "too much of a target and too vulnerable" to be kept with other inmates of the Frankland prison in the northern English city of Durham. He also said he wanted to be on the African continent, where people would share a "cultural affinity" with him.

However, the judges rejected this argument, saying the rejection of his wife's visa was "due purely to his wife's failure to comply with the United Kingdom visa requirements and her ignoring the assistance offered to her [by the registrar's office] to re-apply".

It is important to know that the Special Court for Sierra Leone trial was held at The Hague on the agreement that he was jailed elsewhere. An act of parliament was passed to allow for Taylor to serve his sentence in the UK, at the cost of the British government, following his conviction.

Taylor was sentenced in 2012 and arrived in the UK last October, having unsuccessfully challenged the decision to be detained there.

MURDERED SILVERBIRD STAFF AISHA MUSTAPHA LAID TO REST

Aishat Noble-Mustapha, a staff of Silverbird group who was murdered close at her residence by yet to be identified person on Saturday March 14th was laid to rest yesterday March 25th.

Family and friends gathered at the Atan cemetery in Yaba, Lagos to bid her farewell. It was gathered that the autopsy conducted on her corpse showed that she was not pregnant as at the time of her death and that she died as a result of internal bleeding. The police say, investigations into her death will still continue.

JUST IN: CRISIS @ OSHODI AREA OF LAGOS

Sources are saying there is a riot going on @ the moment in Oshodi. According to them, commercial buses heading towards Oshodi from Apapa are said to be making a U-turn @ Ladipo Bus-Stop. Some say they can hear gunshots. No one knows what the cause of the crisis is. Military men are said to have arrived in the area demanding all passersby to raise their hands as they walk through the road.