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Anambra election: PDP aspirant urges delegates to shun monetary inducement
Dr Godwin Maduka, a major contender for the gubernatorial ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Nov. 6 election in Anambra has urged party delegates to shun financial inducement. Maduka, America-based medical practitioner-cum politician, made the call while addressing journalists on Sunday in Awka on the need for party delegates to cast their votes without fear or coercion. He advised delegates to shun monetary inducement and develop boldness to vote for a candidate who has the capacity to develop the state.a He said though he has enough money to buy delegates at any cost but saw an act as undemocratic and should be discouraged for the people to get a sound polity. “Our delegates should be political active and not be passive any more in affairs that concerns their generation ...
South East group warns governors, others angling for vice presidency
As discussions surrounding the 2023 presidential election gathers pace, South East Governors and other politicians from the region have been warned against ‘angling for the position of Vice President’. The Association of South East Past Presidents-General, which gave the warning in Enugu at the weekend, said the zone would not accept any one reducing it to ‘second fiddle political status’ in 2023. At an official public presentation of the former Chief Judge of Anambra State, Justice Peter Umeadi, who is also a Professor of Law, the association said the general consensus by equity, justice and fair play was that the next President of the country should emerge from the South East. The former PGs, who lead the over 2000 Igbo communities in the past, stressed that with such understanding, it w...
Anambra guber: Zoning favours APC, not APGA, PDP – aspirant
An All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant, Dr Amobi Nwaokafor, has argued that if zoning is to be a consideration in the Anambra State governorship election, the APC should be favoured since it has not ruled the state. Speaking after submitting his declaration of interest and nomination form at the party secretariat he insisted that having governed Anambra State previously, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should allow APC to test the seat. He also argued that since Awka indigenes never occupy the position too, he stands a better chance to benefit from zoning. The former President General of Awka Progressives Union also described himself as the best candidate for the race to occupy the states’ number one seat. He argued that with his wealt...
Nigeria records 49 new coronavirus infections
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has registered 49 new cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,901. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Wednesday. According to the centre, no new death linked to COVID-19 was recorded in the past 24 hours. The public health agency noted that the newly recorded infections raised the country’s tally of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 165,901 and the death toll from the disease to 2,067. It disclosed that additional four people have been successfully treated and have been discharged from its isolation centre, bringing the active caseload across the country to more than 7,300. The NCDC noted that additional recoveries reported on Wednesday increased the country’s numbe...
Dennis Bergkamp named Premier League Hall of Fame inductee
Dennis Bergkamp is the latest former player to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. The Dutchman joins ex-Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry as well as Alan Shearer, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane and Frank Lampard in receiving the League’s highest individual honour. “It feels special to be part of a small group of players who got the recognition of playing in the strongest league in the world,” said Bergkamp. “I’m honoured.” His arrival at Arsenal in 1995 from Inter Milan was the catalyst for a transformation of the Premier League, the playmaker adding a new level of technical ability and skill that elevated the competition and attracted other stars from overseas. ‘THE PL MADE ME A BETTER PLAYER’ “I’m extremely proud if people say that I was one of the first foreign players who added s...
Harry Kane tells Tottenham he wants to leave this summer
Harry Kane has reiterated his stance that he wants to leave Tottenham this summer. The 27-year-old has grown frustrated over the club’s inability to compete at the highest level, having seen his side fall out of contention to secure Champions League football for next season. Spurs have long been reluctant to entertain bids for their talisman but the England captain is hoping that they will soften their stance after his long service to the club. Daniel Levy will demand a huge fee for Kane – who prefers a move within the Premier League – as he is on a long-term deal until 2024. Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are potentially viable destinations, although it is still unclear as to whether a move will materialise. All three of the aforementioned Premier League giants have signif...
Bernd Leno: I don’t want to leave Arsenal
Bernd Leno has insisted that he does not want to leave Arsenal while outlining his ambition to help the club reach the Champions League again. Leno completed a £23 million ($33m) move to Emirates Stadium from Bayer Leverkusen in 2018, venturing outside of Germany for the first time in his professional career in the process. The 29-year-old has since nailed down the number one spot in Arsenal’s team; however, it has been suggested that he is one of several first-team stars likely to depart in the summer transfer window. Mikel Arteta is being tipped to reshape his squad after a turbulent 2020-21 campaign, but Leno has dismissed the ongoing speculation surrounding his future while revealing he intends to see out the final two years of his contract. “I don’t want to flee here, I feel good and ...
Firm cautions Nigerian government over sale of national assets
Agusto Consulting has cautioned the federal government over its plan to relinquish national assets to private hands, saying, the risk involved is unquantifiable. Agusto Consulting, in a report titled “Rethinking Nigeria’s Models for Infrastructure Development,” noted that, the benefits of relinquishing control to the private sector are glaring, but remain difficult to implement. Noting that the federal government’s handing off certain critical assets of the country that have been dormant over the years will positively impact on the country’s budgetary allocation, but added that this decision has caveats and risks associated with operating models that involve private sector participation regardless of the levels of participation. “First is the high level of corruption in the country and the...
ASCAB: Kaduna governor sacked over 60,000 workers in six years
Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), and the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond say Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has sacked over 60,000 workers since he took office in May 2015. They, therefore, endorsed the five-day strike across Kaduna State which will begin on Monday. ASCAB in a statement on Sunday called on all NLC affiliates and supporters to join the “essential strike” adding that a “firm action is needed to reverse the massive attacks on jobs and poverty induced insecurity in Kaduna State.” Falana said the economy of Kaduna was traditionally built around textile factories and the public sector but in the decade before the administration of el-Rufai, the last four major textile factories were closed with many of the workers not receiving any terminal benefits ...
Thomas Tuchel reacts as ‘unlucky’ Chelsea suffer back-to-back FA Cup final defeats
Chelsea suffered late VAR heartache as they slipped to back-to-back FA Cup final defeats after a 1-0 loss to Leicester City, Youri Tielemans’ second-half strike proving decisive. In front of a reduced, yet undoubtedly noisy, Wembley crowd, it was Chelsea who made the brighter start, Timo Werner showcasing his electric speed to test the Foxes backline early on. Despite controlling the opening exchanges, the first real chance of the match fell to their opponents, Timothy Castagne getting in down the right and teeing up Jamie Vardy inside the area, the veteran striker’s effort well blocked by Reece James. At the other end of the pitch, Thomas Tuchel’s men almost fashioned a chance of their own, Thiago Silva’s dinked cross agonisingly evading the head of Cesar Azpilicueta at the back post, aft...
Oliver Kahn rules Bayern Munich out of race to sign Erling Haaland in summer due to high fee
Erling Haaland moving to Bayern Munich is “unimaginable” at this time, according to the club’s future CEO Oliver Kahn. Haaland has established himself as one of the most prolific frontmen in Europe since joining Borussia Dortmund in January 2020, and is attracting attention from a number of top clubs heading into the summer transfer window. Bayern are among those being linked with a swoop for the Norwegian, but Kahn claims that they won’t be able to match his price tag in the current financial climate. “Sorry, whoever spoke about that didn’t understand the situation,” the Bayern director, who will succeed Karl-Heinz Rummenigge as CEO later this year, told Bild. “A package that costs – as we heard – over €100m is unimaginable for FC Bayern at the moment.” Kahn went on to insist that Bayern ...
Oyo council poll: Police, OYSIEC collaborate to ensure hitch-free elections
The Oyo State Police Command on Monday showed its commitment towards ensuring free and fair local government elections in the state. The Command, in its efforts to secure hitch-free before, during and after the poll, has disclosed its partnership with the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), engaged the stakeholders involved, stressing that all hands must be on deck to ensure free, fair and credible elections. The development according to a press release that was made available to pressmen in Ibadan, the State capital, stated that the Command, in conjunction with the Management of Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), today Monday 10th May 2021, played host to principal political actors and critical stakeholders in the state in readiness for the 22nd May 2021...
