Lawyers ask court to stop president

Pressure mounts on president to choose new
running mate.

The Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, has
been asked to restrain the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) from fielding President Goodluck
Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the
February 14, 2015 election. The plaintiffs, Mase
Daphine Acho, Saeeq Umar Sarki, both lawyers,
and Murtala Abubakar, also asked the court to
stop Vice-President Namadi Sambo from running
along with Jonathan because the duo is ineligible
for reelection. Besides the PDP, Jonathan and
Sambo, another defendant in the suit, filed on
Friday, is the Independent National Electoral
Commissioner (INEC).
The moves to stop the president came barely a
day after his adoption by the PDP as its sole
presidential candidate for the 2015 election.
Although the party’s National Executive
Committee, which adopted Jonathan at a
meeting in Abuja last Thursday was silent on
whether or not he would run again with Sambo,
the party clarified yesterday that since both have
harmonious working relationship, the president
would run with his deputy in 2015.
Irrespective of the assurances, New Telegraph
learnt at the weekend that the president has
come under intense pressure to drop Sambo.
According to the court process in the suit seek-
ing to stop the president from running obtained
at the weekend, the plaintiffs’ counsel, Mustapha
Ibrahim, Mr. Abdul Mohammed and Aliyu Lemu,
argued that by virtue of the Supreme Court’s
decision in Marwa V Nyako (2012) 6 NWLR (Part
1296) at 199, both Jonathan and Sambo were
not qualified to be elected as president and vice-
president respectively. The plaintiffs said
Jonathan and Sambo were caught by the
provisions of the constitution which state that no
person can stay in office of the president and
vice president for a period beyond eight years.
They submitted that Jonathan and Sambo, at the
expiration of their current tenure, would have
held office for five years. The plaintiffs also
stated that Jonathan and Sambo had held office
for two terms recognised by the 1999
Constitution to wit: (i) the first term was held to
conclude the unexpired term of the late President
Umaru Musa Yar’Adua between May 6, 2010 to
May 29, 2011and the second term is still being
served from May 29, 2011 to May 29, 2015.
The plaintiffs, however, asked the court to
declare that Jonathan and Sambo do not have
the capacity to serve as president and vice-
president respectively for another term of four
years after the completion of their tenure in office
in view of the combined effect of the provisions
of sections 135(2) (a) and 137(b) of the 1999
Constitution.
They further asked the court to declare that
Jonathan and Sambo, having spent five years in
office as president and vicepresident respectively,
are not eligible to contest for the office of
president and vice-president for another term of
four years thereby amounting to a contravention
of the combined provisions of sections 135(2)
(a) and 137(b) of the constitution.
Other reliefs sought by the plaintiffs are: A
declaration that the first oath of office subscribed
to by Jonathan on May 6, 2010, being the oath
of office administered on him to occupy the office
of president for the purpose of completion of the
unexpired term of office of the late Yar’Adua
must be taken into cognizance in computing the
number of years that he has served and can
serve as president, in determining the effect of
the combined provisions of sections 135(2) (a)
and 137(1) (b) of the constitution.
An order of the court restraining INEC from
recognising Jonathan and Sambo as presidential
candidate and running mate picked by the PDP
or any other political party for the 2015
presidential election. The plaintiffs said allowing
Jonathan and Sambo to contest in the 2015
elections would amount to a breach of the 1999
Constitution, which the duo had sworn to
uphold.
They said the intervention of the court was
required for the interpretation of the provisions of
the 1999 Constitution. According to them, it will
be colossal waste of resources to allow
Jonathan and Sambo to run even when they
were ineligible to contest.
The defendants are yet to file their defence to
the suit. However, New Telegraph learnt
yesterday that the president has come under
more pressure to drop Sambo as his running
mate in the 2015 election. The pressure, it was
learnt, is coming from some powerful elements in
the party who had hitherto opposed Jonathan’s
emergence but lately decided to support him on
certain conditions. One of the conditions given
was that Jonathan would drop Sambo and
replace him with one of the serving governors
from the North-West geopolitical zone.
Those pushing this position have tipped Governor
Sule Lamido ( Jigawa State) and Governor
Ibrahim Shehu Shema (Katsina State) as a
possible replacement for Sambo. Also, Governor
Babangida Mu’azu Aliyu of Niger State may also
be considered for the position.
Although Aliyu is from the North-Central and not
North-West where Sambo hails from, the role the
governor has played in recent years as Chairman
of the Northern Governors’ Forum has made him
a prominent figure in the region. Presidency
sources told New Telegraph that although
Sambo had a cordial working relationship with
his boss, the vice-president was said to have
lacked the much needed political clout and
electoral value that could make a Jonathan/
Sambo ticket attractive to the electorate in the
North.
“A lot of politicians in the North do not reckon
with Sambo because he does not really belong to
the ‘core group’ of northern leaders. Even though
he was the governor of Kaduna State, the old
political capital of the North, Sambo is perceived
as too lukewarm and not vibrant enough to
protect the interest of the North. In fact, some
politicians in Kaduna have asked Jonathan to
drop him (Sambo) or else they will move their
support to the All Progressives Congress ( APC)
in 2015.
“The feeling among Northern politicians is that
Sambo is unpopular and if Jonathan wants to
win the votes of the North, he must run with a
Northern figure who is charismatic and
commands respect among the Northern elite,”
the source said. The vice-president may,
however, survived the plot as the PDP yesterday
expressed the hope that Jonathan will run in
2015 with him .
According to the party, the duo has been working
harmoniously and there will be no reason to
change a “winning team.” It also said the
automatic ticket granted the president last
Thursday might not extend to governors and
lawmakers seeking re-election.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa
Metuh, who described Sambo as “the second
most loyal vice-president in the country” said at
a press briefing in Abuja that many people were
trying to speculate on whether Jonathan and
Sambo would run a joint ticket in 2015. “Why
don’t we wait until the president declares?
The PDP has mentioned that it is a winning
team. The president has done very well. I believe
there is no need to maginfy or attempt to import
any difference between the president and the
vice-president. The president and the
vicepresident have worked so well.
“The vice-president has been the second most
loyal vice-president in the history of this country
besides the president when he was the vice-
president. I believe he enjoys the confidence of
the president. And by 2015 elections, if the
president accepts to run, then we will be able
take it to the next level,” he stated. On whether
governors and lawmakers seeking re-election too
will benefit from the automatic ticket given to
Jonathan, Metuh said their cases were not
similar.
“The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the
PDP, besides the national convention, is the
highest decision making organ of the party. And
it is therefore only the national caucus and
executive that can handle such decisions. Some
decisions do not go down the line to states and
local governments and so on.
There is only one NEC of the party but we have
36 states and 774 local government executives.
So the decision of the NEC can only be reversed
by the national convention,” he said.

LVG On Crushing Manchester Defeat: How Is It Possible

The Red Devils twice led by two goals against
Leicester City but conceded four times in the
second-half as Nigel Pearson's men roared back
to claim a famous win
Louis van Gaal believes Manchester United’s
inability to keep possession was their “main
mistake” in Sunday’s 5-3 defeat to Leicester City
United twice led by two at the King Power
Stadium but four second-half strikes from Nigel
Pearson's side saw them roar back to claim a
famous win after an eight-goal thriller.
The result leaves the Red Devils languishing in
13th in the Premier League having taken just five
points from their first five matches and after the
match Van Gaal admitted his team's collapse
was unacceptable.
"We had complete control,” the Dutchman told
reporters.
“How is it possible that you give this game away
Leicester has proved already in former games tha
they have strong character. But when it's 1-3 an
you can play the game with more possession unt
the 90 minutes, then you cannot do these kind of
things.
“It's always possible in football. I have [had] a
long career so I have [had] this experience in
Barcelona once already. You cannot imagine [it],
but it happens.
"I don't want to criticise personal errors because
that happens in a game. We didn't keep the ball
in possession, that was our main mistake I
believe. We created a lot of chances.
“We make fantastic goals. That's a plus, but we
lost the game, that's the most important thing s
you cannot be happy because of the first part."

4 killed in Boko Haram attack in Cameroon

Yaounde - Four civilians were killed in the remote
north of Cameroon in a cross-border attack by
Boko Haram militants, according to state radio.
Boko Haram has made several incursions into the
hilly jungle region of neighbouring Cameroon in
recent months. Cameroon has deployed troops to
the border in an attempt to repel them.
The militants launched their first assault in the
early evening on Thursday in the village of
Assighassia near the city of Mokolo.
Cameroon's army responded, and two of the
militants were killed and a Cameroonian soldier
injured, state-run Cameroon Radio Television
reported late on Friday.
"Two hours later, the terrorist group again
attacked the village of Ganse, also close to
Mokolo, and killed four civilians."
Officials in the defence ministry said on Saturday
they had been informed of the clashes and were
seeking to confirm the details.
More than 40 000 people have fled to Cameroon
to escape Boko Haram attacks in northern
Nigeria, according to the UN refugee agency
UNHCR, leaving behind few but the elderly and
the disabled in their villages across the border.
But once over the border they are still not safe
and UNHCR is seeking to transfer many of them
to a refugee camp further from the frontier at
Minawao.
Foncha Ngeh, a businessman based in
Cameroon's northern hub of Maroua, said that
hundreds of people were fleeing from isolated
border villages in Cameroon to bigger towns and
cities in search of safety.
Boko Haram have killed hundreds of people this
year, mostly in northeastern Nigeria, although
they have launched attacks across the country.

“Costa doesn’t want trouble, he is looking for goals” – Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has leapt to the Diego Costa’s
defence, insisting that the striker is looking for
goals, not trouble.
Costa has settled in quickly in England, scoring
seven times in his first four Premier League
matches. But the £32million summer signing from
Atletico Madrid, has also earned a reputation for
being feisty and combative.
“This is a completely fake point,” Mourinho
insisted.

Boko Haram 'kill several' as they loot market

Kano - Boko Haram gunmen stormed a crowded
market in Borno State, killing several people and
carting away food, witnesses said on Saturday.
Dressed in military and police uniforms, dozens of
insurgents attacked the town of Mainok, 56
kilometres outside Maiduguri, the state capital
late Thursday, firing a rocket-propelled grenade
and spraying the market with bullets.
The attackers also looted food which they loaded
onto trucks abandoned by fleeing traders,
witnesses said.
"They struck around 13:30 during peak hours by
first firing a rocket-propelled grenade at the
market before opening fire on traders", Salman
Lawan, a trader who witnessed the carnage told
AFP.
"They killed several people in the attack but it is
difficult to give a precise figure," said Lawan who
fled to Maiduguri following the attack.
Another trader Modu Kachalla, who gave a similar
account, said the insurgents were looking for
cash and food.
"They robbed traders of cash and loaded food
into trucks they seized at the market before
fleeing into the bush," he said.
"The market was full... when the Boko Haram
gunmen attacked which explained the high
casualties," he said.
"The attackers killed many people at the market
but it is difficult to give a toll because everybody
fled to save their lives," said Ibrahim Kolo,
another witness.
Boko Haram, which has seized swathes of
territory in Borno and in neighbouring Yobe and
Adamawa states, has been running short of food
in the areas they have taken, according to
residents.
On Wednesday the insurgents ambushed a truck
carrying grain to Maiduguri outside the nearby
village of Ngamdu and looted it before setting it
on fire, they said.
The news of the attack on the market was slow
to emerge due to disruption in phone services in
the region on Friday. Telecoms services were only
restored on Saturday.
Mainok has suffered repeated attacks by Boko
Haram, which wants to impose a hardline Islamic
state in the mainly Muslim north.
In February scores were killed there and many
homes destroyed by the extremists.
Their insurgency has claimed more than 10 000
lives since 2009 and left more than 700 000
homeless.
The military has come under increasing pressure
as the Islamists have captured more territory in
the volatile northeast in recent weeks.

Inside The Mind Of An ISIS Fighter

To the outside world, they're a force of
ruthless yet mysterious insurgents bent on
terrorizing civilians and expanding Islamist rule.
But as one former ISIS fighter tells CNN, the
mentality goes much deeper.
"The main and principal goal of the Islamic State
that they tell their new members is to establish
an Islamic state that will encompass the Arab
world," the man said in Turkey. "And after that,
we go to other countries."
Just two weeks ago, the man was in Raqqa, the
ISIS stronghold in northern Syria. Like many cities
across Syria and Iraq, Raqqa has been overrun by
ISIS militants who show no mercy for those who
don't follow their hard line.
Crucifixions and public executions take
place virtually every day. Women not
fully covered in niqabs are lashed with
alarming frequency.
Even store owners who leave their
shops open during times of prayer can
get beaten or sent to prison.
The former insurgent, in his 20s, left
ISIS two weeks ago because he said
the group is "spreading injustice in the
name of justice."
But he still agrees with the ideology of
the group that is forcing its beliefs on
everyday life, including in education.
"Philosophy is prohibited; they
canceled it as a kind of blasphemy,"
he said. "Many subjects have been
canceled, like music and even
sometimes sports. All of them have
been canceled from the school
curriculum."
Perhaps the only thing as disturbing as ISIS'
terror rampage is the growing number of
foreigners joining its ranks.
Thousands of foreign fighters are estimated to
have joined ISIS. And the ex-ISIS militant said
these foreigners could carry out attacks when
they go home, but security measures in those
countries could make it difficult -- at least for
now.
"Since Western fighters joined ISIS, they consider
their home country as infidels," he said. "If they
have a chance, they will carry out attacks."
The United Kingdom is already on high alert,
raising its terror threat level from "substantial" to
"severe" on Friday. Prime Minister David Cameron
has proposed a radical new measure to ban
Britons from coming home once they join jihadi
ranks abroad.
And the United States got a harsh reminder of
ISIS' reach when Douglas McAuthur McCain, a
33-year-old from the Midwest, became the first
known American to be killed while fighting for
ISIS.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has called
ISIS "beyond just a terrorist group."
"They marry ideology, a sophistication of strategic
and tactical military prowess," he said last week.
"This is beyond anything we have seen, and we
must prepare for everything."
ISIS may have wanted to show off its global
reach by having a militant with a British accent
front the videos of the beheadings of American
journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff.
And that kind of tactic could also inspire more
foreigners, the former ISIS fighter told CNN.
"It is possible that the goal was to project the
image that a European, or a Western person,
executed an American so that they can showcase
their Western members and appeal to others
outside Syria and make them feel that they
belong to the same cause."