If Moore is elected, Sen. Collins says senators will face "tough decision"

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, says lawmakers will face a "tough decision" regarding overturning "the will of the people" if Alabama Senate candidate Judge Roy Moore wins his state's special election this coming Tuesday in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

"If the allegations are known prior to the election, which they weren't in the case of Al Franken, for example, then we have a very tough decision to make about whether it's our role as senators to overturn the will of the people," Collins said

on CBS News' "Face the Nation" Sunday. 

"I think it's a different situation if the allegations are not known, or if they occur while the person is sitting in the Senate," she said.

Transcript: Sen. Susan Collins on "Face the Nation"

Collins said she was "disappointed" in the Republican National Committee after it announced it would resume its financial support of Moore's campaign, something she says is a "mistake."

"I would point out that I did not support Mr. Moore even prior to these allegations of sexual misconduct because I was concerned about his anti-Muslim comments, his anti-LGBT comments, and also, most important of all, he'd been removed twice from the Alabama Supreme Court for failure to follow lawful judicial orders," she added on Moore. 

Collins' comments also come just one week after President Trump formally announced his full endorsement of Moore. He later held a rally in Florida aimed at Alabama voters, saying that the country "can't afford" to lose a Senate seat and have Democrat Doug Jones in the Senate. 

In light of the RNC's renewed support of the embattled candidate, Collins maintains that "Republicans care just as much as Democrats about sexual misconduct and sexual harassment."

She called it a "new awakening in our country" after three lawmakers on Capitol Hill announced they would be stepping down in light of separate allegations of misconduct.  

"This is pervasive, whether we're talking about Hollywood or Wall Street or the media, or Capitol Hill. And that's why I'm joining a bipartisan group of senators who are trying to look at our own procedures on Capitol Hill to assure that allegations of sexual misconduct involving members or staff are dealt with seriously," said Collins. 

Meanwhile, Collins did not shed any light on where she stood on the Republican-led tax bill that now awaits conference to hash out any differences between the House and Senate bills, differences that Collins says in her eyes were "major."

"I don't know where the bill is going to come out. I also obviously care very much about amendments that I was successful in getting in the bill that particularly help middle income families," said Collins.

Cross River set to host Acting President Yemi Osinbajo today.

Add Cross Rivers Governor Ben Ayade.

Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade yesterday said the stage was set to receive Acting President  Yemi Osinbajo.

Ayade spoke in Calabar on Wednesday, while fielding questions from reporters on the planned visit of Osinbajo today.

“We are working day and night to ensure that the Acting President takes a guided tour around the pharmaceutical industry and the Ayade industrial park, Calabar International Convention Centre, Monorail and Power plant among others to see all we have accomplished within two years and the galaxy of our achievements within the limits of what we have,” the governor said.

Continuing, Ayade said: “As we are running up and down in preparation of the visit, it gives us an opportunity to calibrate our efforts and look at what we have done and see where we need structural changes and certain framework that we need to institute, while we prepare for his reception.”

He added that his administration would continue to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youths in the state.

Ayade also said: “We can’t be tourism service suppliers, we want to be tourists ourselves in our state. That means we must commoditise government to bring money as well as add value,” pointing out that, “we must bring in areas of core needs of the Ayadesian theory, not just putting food on your table, but putting a hoe in your hands.”

He appreciated God for sparing the nation and keeping it together as an indivisible entity as Nigeria marks 18 years of uninterrupted democracy. Ayade enjoined those in governance to do all they can to gain economic democracy.

Sparqlzzz News.

Russia assures Nigeria of support in battling Boko Haram

The Government of Russian has reassured Nigeria of its support to end the activities of Boko Haram.

Russian Foreign Affairs Minister, Sergey Lav­rov, gave the reassurance on Tuesday in Mos­cow, Russia during an official meeting with his counterpart from Nigeria, Mr. Geoffrey On­yeama.

He said his country would continue to sup­port Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram.

The Russian minister told journalists at a joint briefing with his Nigerian counterpart shortly after the meeting, that Russia was pre­pared to improve military cooperation with Ni­geria and also support steps put in place by the government of Nigeria in the fight against ter­rorism.

He said, “We will continue to support steps taken by Nigerian government in the fight against Boko Haram.”

Russia, he stressed, will continue to cooper­ate with Nigeria in the fight against terrorism.

The minister further revealed that Russian government was consistently promoting solu­tions to African problems, we want to eliminate instability in the African continent.”

He also stressed that the problems in Africa and other troubled region could only be fully resolved through inclusive dialogue.

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Northern Senatorial District Ladies Celebrating 2 years of friendship with Cross Rivers State Governor and first Lady

Cordinator of  Northern Senitorial District Ladies Brr. Theressa Mogbor in a meeting with her excellency Dr. Lynda Ayade 

Northern Senatorial District Ladies celebrating 2 years of friendship with the digital governor and his beautiful wife prof. Dr. Mrs. Ben Ayade.

We wish you and your deputy prof. Ivara Isu God's protection and guidance to take Cross River State to the next level.

Happy Democracy Day your Excellency Prof. Ben Ayade and Prof. Ivara Isu

Watch Video Below..

God bless Ayade.. God bless Cross River State.. God bless Nigeria!!!

Sparqlzzz Tv.

THE YOUNGEST PRESIDENT SO FAR: France finally inaugurates President.

Fayose has become a legend in Nigerian politics – Shekarau

Former governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau, says “the humane nature and policies” of Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, has endeared him to the people while “his political achievements have made him a legend.”

Shekarau, also a former Minister of Education, said the affection the governor shows to the people can be seen in the “numerous humane policies and projects Fayose is executing in the state.”

According to a statement on Saturday by the Chief Press Secretary to Fayose, Idowu Adelusi, Shekarau spoke during a visit to Ado-Ekiti.

Shekarau, who was taken round some projects by Fayose, said he was overwhelmed by the close relationship between Fayose and the people of Ekiti.

He charged Nigerian leaders to emulate the Ekiti governor by identifying with their people and meeting their needs.

His words: “I am not surprised by the great performance of Governor Ayodele Fayose in Ekiti State.

“We were governors at the same time in 2003, though we were in different political parties, he did wonderfully well then too.

“I am impressed by the projects being executed by the governor despite the recession in the country and the small statutory allocations coming to the state”.

Similarly, Deputy Governor of Gombe State, Charles Yau Ilya, said he was happy at the projects and that what he saw on ground confirmed that the Ekiti governor was a true and real friend of the common man.

“This is my first visit to Ekiti State and I have heard a lot about Governor Ayodele Fayose.

“I am really happy that the governor is a living legend, whose love for the people of the state is duly reciprocated by the people who are showing their love for him too,” he said.

Sparqlzzz News.

Troops arrest top Boko Haram member, kidnappers in Yobe [PHOTOS]

Troops of Forward Operation Base, Fika, on routine patrol, yesterday, arrested a suspected fleeing top Boko Haram terrorist, named Bala Ibrahim, aged 30 years at Fika.

Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman, Director Army Public Relations, in a statement said preliminary investigation shows that the suspect is an indigene of Bulabulin village, Fika Local Government Area, Yobe State and currently under interrogation.

​”​Similarly, troops deployed at Forward Operation Base Yuga on blocking position, following a tip off from well meaning individuals, ambushed and arrested 4 suspected kidnappers at Mundu village​”, the statement added.​

​”​The suspects, Yahaya Auta, aged 25, Salisu Lawal, aged 20 years,​ ​Umar Mohammed, aged 18 years and Samaila Abubakar were found to be in possession of 1 Locally made Six Loader Single Barrel Gun​.

“They were also found with​
1 empty Ccartridge, 2 machetes, a Knife, 2 mobile telephone Hhndsets, 2 packets of Tramol tablets and the sum of Three Hundred and Sixty Naira, while on their way to commit crime​”​.

All suspects are currently being further investigated.

Sparqlzzz News.

4 killed as Boko Haram suicide bombers target Nigeria's Maiduguri University

A wall painted by Boko Haram

Maiduguri [Nigeria], May 13 (ANI): A security personnel and three suspected suicide bombers were killed in two separate explosions at a university in Nigeria's Maiduguri city early Saturday.

Two suspected suicide bombers had attempted to enter the University of Maiduguri early morning, but they were thwarted by security personnel posted at the gate, Anadolu news agency quoted National Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Abdulkadir Ibrahim as saying.

"While interrogating them, the two suicide bombers detonated their explosives devices which injured one of the security guards and killed another," Ibrahim said in a statement.

A third suspected female suicide bomber, who was present in the vicinity of a church inside the university, later also set off her explosives.

"She detonated her explosive which affected the structure of the church with no casualty," he added.

Police spokesman Victor Isuku confirmed the casualty toll and blamed Boko Haram, is an Islamic extremist group based in northeastern Nigeria, for the attack. (ANI)

Sparqlzzz News.

Trump will get Nigerians’ protest letter on Abacha loot – US Embassy

The Embassy of the United States of America in Nigeria has told Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) that it would “relay your letter to President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson requesting the Administration to attach and release to Nigeria some $500 million worth of US-based proceeds of corruption traced to former Nigerian dictator General Sani Abacha.”

The US embassy said that, “The Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are in regular communication with the Nigerian Attorney General and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding further cooperation needed to conclude pending asset forfeiture cases and to develop a mechanism for the timely and transparent repatriation of those assets.”

The embassy letter signed by David J. Young, Deputy Chief of Mission followed SERAP’s letter dated 3 February 2017 and signed by the organization’s US Volunteer Counsel Professor Alexander W. Sierck and executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni.

SERAP had in the letter told Mr Trump that, “the US Department of Justice must promptly initiate civil asset forfeiture proceedings against the $500 million proceeds of corruption so as to fulfill several non-controversial commitments by the US to assist Nigeria in recovering assets looted by former Nigerian government officials.”

In response, the US embassy noted: “Thank you for your letter regarding the recovery of Nigerian assets. As part of the 2010 Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, the US Department of Justice has sought to forfeit the proceeds of corruption by foreign officials [including from Nigeria], and where appropriate, to use recovered assets to benefit the people who were harmed. This policy is consistent with US treaty obligations, including the UN Convention against Corruption”.

“The United States Government supports the Government of Nigeria’s efforts to work with civil society to identify how harm can be remedied through the return of stolen assets. We encourage you to disclose these issues with the Nigerian Attorney General and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who are working closely with the US on the repatriation process.

“We were encouraged by civil society’s role in the development of Nigeria’s Open Government Partnership Action Plan and the commitment to strengthening laws to foster transparency and accountability in the management of recovered and returned assets.”

SERAP had in its letter said, “the $500 million proceeds are separate from the $480 million of Abacha-origin funds that have been forfeited to the US under an August 2014 US federal district court order. SERAP’s request is fully consistent with the UN Convention Against Corruption, which both the US and Nigeria have ratified.”

SERAP’s letter read in part: “We urge your new Administration to initiate discussions with the Nigerian government to fulfill these objectives within an agreed framework and timeline. Simultaneously, the Administration should instruct the Justice Department to initiate civil asset forfeiture proceedings in regard to the above-referenced $500 million in assets described above.”

“Any bilateral discussions between the US and Nigeria concerning these assets should include clear acknowledgement of the significant role that civil society plays in asset recovery matters.”

“To that end, the respective governments ought to commit to promptly sharing information with relevant civil society organizations on stolen assets of Nigerian origin located in the US or otherwise subject to US jurisdiction. This proposed commitment is similar to one between the US and Kenya as well as consistent with Articles 46(4) and 56 of the UN Convention Against Corruption.”

“SERAP notes that Article 51 of the UN Convention against Corruption provides for the return of “corrupt” assets to countries of origin as a fundamental principle. Article 43 provides likewise. Similarly, under Articles 47(3)(a) and (b) states parties have an obligation to return forfeited or confiscated assets in cases of public corruption, as here, or when the requesting party reasonably establishes either prior ownership or damages to the states.”

“In SERAP’s judgment, some or all of these requirements have been met with respect to the $500 million in proceeds described above. A resolution adopted by the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention Against Corruption in Panama in November 2013 reaffirms this obligation, by requiring state to make “every effort” to return such proceeds. to the victim state.”

“Nigeria’s Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption has recently informed SERAP that the US Government has identified another $500 million or so proceeds of Nigerian corruption subject to US jurisdiction.”

Sparqlzzz News.

In prisoner swap, Boko Haram frees 82 schoolgirls in northeast Nigeria

ABUJA/LAGOS – Boko Haram militants have released 82 schoolgirls — out of a group of more than 200 kidnapped from the northeastern town of Chibok in April 2014 — in exchange for prisoners, the presidency said Saturday.

Switzerland and the International Committee of the Red Cross helped secure the 82 girls in “lengthy negotiations,” the presidency said on its Twitter account.

President Muhammadu Buhari was to receive the girls Sunday in the capital, Abuja, it said, without saying how many Boko Haram suspects were exchanged or disclosing other details.

A military source said the girls were currently in Banki, near the Cameroon border, undergoing medical checks before being airlifted to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. From there they will be flown to Abuja.

The kidnapping was one of the high-profile incidents of Boko Haram’s insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast, now in its eighth year and with little sign of ending. About 220 grils were abducted from their school in a nighttime attack.

Over 20 girls were released last October in a deal brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Others have escaped or have been rescued, but 195 are believed to be still in captivity before Saturday’s release.

Buhari announced last month that the government was in talks to secure the release of the remaining captives.

The release of the 82 girls may give a boost to the former military ruler who made crushing the Islamist militant Boko Haram insurgency a key pillar of his election campaign in 2015.

He has hardly appeared in public since returning from Britain in March for treatment of an unspecified sickness.

Although the Chibok girls are the most high-profile case, Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands of adults and children, many of whose cases have been neglected.

The militants have killed more than 20,000 people and displaced more than 2 million during their insurgency aimed at creating an Islamic caliphate in northeast Nigeria.

Although the army has retaken much of the territory initially lost to Boko Haram, large parts of the northeast, particularly in Borno state, remain under threat from the militants.

Suicide bombings and gun attacks have increased in the region since the end of the rainy season late last year.

Boko Haram, which last year pledged loyalty to the militant Islamic State group, has kidnapped hundreds of men, women and children in its campaign to carve out a medieval Islamist caliphate.

Sparqlzzz News.

Dangerous cabal has hijacked Buhari’s government – Group

The National Coalition of Democrats has claimed that a “dangerous cabal” has succeeded in hijacking the government due to President Muhammadu Buhari’s ill health.

Addressing a press conference in Jos, Plateau State capital, on Tuesday, Melvin Ejeh, executive director of Global Peace and Life Rescue Initiative (GOPRI) and Charles Okoroji of the Action Against Oppression Initiative (AAOI), said some self-acclaimed political gladiators are “making a storm out of a tea cup in pursuit of reinventing their fledgling political stature”.

According to them, there are people who want to hide under the “pretext of Mr President’s health challenges” to grab power.

“In recent days, we have seen a cabal go to work. Members of this cabal had been secretive hitherto but they have developed a measure of boldness since Mr President took out time to rest in the last couple of weeks,” Ejeh said.

“The dangerous thing about this cabal is its ethnic tilt and composition which points to something dangerous for the country.

“In a curious but saddening case of deception, they are hiding their agenda behind the façade of national interest.

“Members of the cabal have been giving damaging information to further heighten apprehension about Mr President’s health. The categories of information agreed at a meeting some few days ago included any document that can be interpreted to imply a deteriorating health condition of the commander-in-chief, pictures and videos of Mr President convalescing.

“A point man has already led a handful of others to heighten concern over President Buhari’s health. The brief of these people, as we have learnt, is in addition to heating up the polity with their utterances to contrive a phantom constitutional impasse that politicians waiting in the wing will latch on to make trouble.

“We urge President Buhari not to allow the antics of this cabal to stampede him into cutting short his recuperation time. No one is God and health challenges occur to mortals and is not by choice”, he added.

Sparqlzzz News.

President Buhari Is Dying In Aso Rock – Perry Brimah Raise Alarm

Perry Brimah, a popular columnists has raised alarm that President Muhammadu Buhari is dying in Aso rock villa, Abuja.

Brimah, who is also the convener of ENDS (Every Nigerian Do Something), in a statement on Friday said videos of Buhari walking for Friday prayers ”bring tears to eyes, adding that his(Buhari) asthenic figure now no more than skin-and-bones
He said Nigeria was being very compassionless to its president and called on the masses to rise against “cabal” locking up Buhari in Aso rock.
His statement read; “There can be no denying how chronically ill president Muhammadu Buhari looks when he seldom does appear in public. The last time was last week Friday when Kaduna state governor Nasir el-Rufai came visiting.

“The videos of Buhari walking for Friday prayers bring tears to eyes. His asthenic figure now no more than skin-and-bones as he sat down for the Jummah service was heart-wrenching.

“How can a people be so cold they expose a grandfather to this type of extreme stress and deprive him from his needed rest and medical expert attention by tasking him to lead the world’s most complex nation?

“Have we as a people lost our humanity that we continue to task Buhari like this and not campaign for him to be relieved of our burden and rest towards recovery?

“It is insane to continue to deprive him and the nation by locking him up and burdening him with a challenge too heavy for even a strong young man to bear talk-less an old man who just returned from a 49-day leave in which he received blood transfusions and unknown cocktails of serious medications.

“For those of us in the medical profession, we recognize the president’s loss of hair on his head and facial hair as well as his reported blood transfusions as possible evidence of cancer chemotherapy.

“God forbid, however if this is the condition the president is being managed for that the cabal is hiding from the people, the wickedness of the selfish cabal that forces him to remain locked up, “dying” in Aso Rock instead of receiving best therapy, should be vehemently opposed by us masses.

“Whoever is found guilty of hiding any serious diagnosis the president may have and bundling him back to deteriorate in Aso Rock under pressure of Nigeria’s humongous burden should be dealt with according to the full extent of the law. This is not only criminal but sinful.

“A great fear is, what if (God forbid) president Buhari should collapse? This time he may not yet have handed over to Vice president Yemi Osinbajo as “acting president” and Nigeria may be thrown into the chaos that perhaps some desperate politicians eyeing the presidency seat are secretly plotting for. Nigeria cannot afford to be thrown into such state of dilemma and disarray.

“It’s time for Nigerians to demand full disclosure of the true state of health of president Muhammadu Buhari and immediate best options for him to be allowed to rest and recover instead of being locked up to literally die under the weight of Nigeria”.

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Where is President Buhari ? – Fayose

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has questioned the whereabouts of President Muhammadu Buhari’s.
He said; “Every day, what we hear is President said this, President said that without seeing the President in any official function and one is prompted to ask; where is the president?”

Fayose in a release issued in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said it was becoming obvious that a group of cabal is exercising the powers of the President.

“I saw the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Babachir Lawal on television responding to his suspension and what came to my mind was that there could actually be many presidents operating in the Buhari’s presidency.

“Perhaps, it is for this reason of possible existence of governments within the government of Buhari that confusion pervades the polity, with the President himself writing letter to the Senate to clear someone of wrongdoing and the same person being suspended three months after on the basis of the same allegation. It is also for this reason that the President nominated Ibrahim Magu to the Senate for confirmation as EFCC Chairman and the DSS, an agency under the Presidency wrote the Senate not to confirm him.

“Most importantly, the President did not attend the FEC meeting last week and the meeting did not hold this week under the flimsy excuse that Easter Break stalled it. How could Easter Break that ended on Monday be responsible for the inability to hold FEC meeting on Wednesday? Definitely, there is more to this than meets the eye.

“It has therefore become necessary that Nigerians hear the voice of their President and see him physically, not through surrogates or the cabal operating behind the scene,” the governor said.

Speaking further, Governor Fayose, who described a President as the face and image of a nation, urged President Buhari to hold regular media chat in which Nigerians can ask questions and offer suggestions on the running of the country.

“Since his first and only media chat was held in December 2015, Nigerians have not had opportunity of seeing their President address them directly and this is not the best approach to governance in a democracy,” he said.

Sparqlzzz News.

BREAKING: DAWN Commission Director General, Dipo Famakinwa, is dead

Dipo Famakinwa

The Director General of the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, DAWN, Commission, Dipo Famakinwa, is dead.

Multiple sources close to Mr. Famakinwa confirmed his death to the public on Friday morning.

Mr. Famakinwa’s organisation was responsible for designing and implementing the blueprint for better integration and governance of the six south-western states.

More details later…

Sparqlzzz News.

Top Nigerian politician in trouble as EFCC uncovers N6billion in bank accounts

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is considering declaring a former Commissioner of Local Government in Niger State, Kantigi Liman, wanted after a further N2billion was traced to his United Bank for Africa account by the agency.

An EFCC insider told the public that the discovery brings to N6 billion funds traced to accounts held by the politician and companies linked to him.

The Commission had weeks earlier traced N4billion to two accounts in GTBank, both linked to Mr. Liman.

The first account belongs to Sadiq Air Travel Agency Limited and the second to Kantigi.

Sources at the Commission however disclosed that the politician, who was a governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2015 election, has been elusive.

“He is on the run and all efforts to track him down have been futile. The next option left for the Commission is to declare him wanted,” the source said.

The source further disclosed that investigations so far indicated the funds were siphoned from the local government joint account of Niger State.

“The Commission desperately wants Liman, to confront him with the available evidence,” the source said. “He is believed to rake in a monthly interest of over N33million on the fixed deposits.”

Sparqlzzz News.

President Buhari Suspends SGF, Babachir Lawal, DG, NIA

President Muhammad Buhari

President Muhammad Buhari has ordered an investigation into the allegations of violations of law and due process made against the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Mr. David Babachir Lawal in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE). East (PINE).

A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President, Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina says the President has equally ordered a full scale investigation into the discovery of large amounts of foreign and local currencies by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, over which the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has made a claim.

The investigation is also to enquire into the circumstances in which the NIA came into possession of the funds, how and by whose or which authority the funds were made available to the NIA, and to establish whether or not there has been a breach of the law or security procedure in obtaining custody and use of the funds.

Read the full statement below:

“President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an investigation into the allegations of violations of law and due process made against the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr David Babachir Lawal, in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).

The President has also directed the suspension of the SGF from office pending the outcome of the investigations.

In a related development, the President has ordered a full scale investigation into the discovery of large amounts of foreign and local currencies by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, over which the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has made a claim.

The investigation is also to enquire into the circumstances in which the NIA came into possession of the funds, how and by whose or which authority the funds were made available to the NIA, and to establish whether or not there has been a breach of the law or security procedure in obtaining custody and use of the funds.

The President has also directed the suspension of the Director General of the NIA, Ambassador Ayo Oke, pending the outcome of the investigation.

A three-man Committee comprising the Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and the National Security Adviser, headed by the Vice President, is to conduct both investigations.

The Committee is to submit its report to the President within 14 days.

The most senior Permanent Secretary in the SGF’s office, and the most senior officer in the NIA, are to act, respectively, during the period of investigation.

FEMI ADESINA
Special Adviser to the President
(Media and Publicity)
April 19, 2017”

Sparqlzzz News.