Illegal Arms possession charges: Dasuki's pleads not guilty.

Nigeria’s former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday to a charge of illegally possessing weapons including assault rifles and bulletproof vehicles.

Dasuki, who played a key role in advising the government of former president Goodluck Jonathan on the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency, was granted bail at his appearance at the federal court in the capital Abuja.

The Department of State Security (DSS) has said it recovered arms and ammunition after credible intelligence led it to search Dasuki’s properties in Abuja and Sokoto.

It said it searched three properties of Dasuki’s properties in July and recovered assault rifles, several magazines of bullets and other military gear, as well as new vehicles including some that were bulletproof.

Prosecutor Mohammed Diri read out a charge sheet including a list of the items seized.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola adjourned the case and scheduled the trial to take place on Oct. 26.

As part of the bail conditions, the judge ordered the DSS – which had seized Dasuki’s passport – to leave his travel documents with the court to prevent him from leaving Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari, who took office in May, replaced his defence chiefs including Dasuki in July as part of an effort to tackle Boko Haram insurgents who have killed thousands in a quest to create an Islamic state in northern Nigeria.

Fresh crisis hits PDP over chairmanship position.

Acting National Chairman, PDP, Uche Secondus

THE Peoples Democratic Party is embroiled in a fresh crisis over who leads the former ruling party.

The PDP, after 16 years in power, lost the 2015 general elections amid internal crisis, at the peak of which five of its governors defected to the then opposition All Progressives Congress, which eventually won the presidential election.

The latest crisis has its roots in the desire by the North to regain the chairmanship of the PDP, barely three months after Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu resigned from the position.

Mu’azu, from Bauchi State, had resigned from the party’s chairmanship on the heels of its abysmal performance in the 2015 polls thus paving way for his deputy, Uche Secondus, from Rivers State, to assume office as acting national chairman since June.

A former aide of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Ahmed Gulak, however stormed the Wadata House headquarters of the PDP in Abuja on Tuesday and asked Secondus to vacate the seat.

Gulak said he wanted to take over the seat though sources said he was fronting for certain northern interest.

He was on the entourage of a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Bala Mohammed, to Ado Ekiti about two weeks ago, where Mohammed had gone to ask for Governor Ayodele Fayose’s support to become the PDP national chairman.

Fayose, however told the ex-FCT minister that it was the turn of the South-West to produce the chairman of the PDP at the national level.

The Ekiti governor said Mohammed should go to his ward and start rebuilding the party, saying there was no need for a substantive national chairman now and that Secondus should be allowed to finish Mu’azu’s tenure, which should end in March 2016.

The former FCT minister, also from the same Bauchi State like Mu’azu, had told Fayose that he merely wanted to complete the former national chairman’s tenure.

Gulak told journalists on Tuesday that he had informed members of the National Working Committee of the PDP that Secondus should leave office immediately.

He said he had submitted a letter to the NWC, informing the members that another person from the North-East should replace Mu’azu.

He said, “My visit was to bring in writing to the notice of the party my intention to replace the former National Chairman of the party, after his voluntary resignation”.

“As a member, and by virtue of the constitution, I know there’s a vacancy. So it needs to be filled and I’m here to fill it. We need vibrant, bold and courageous leadership in PDP.

“The resignation of the former chairman was done voluntarily. And maybe due to the disastrous outing of the party in the last elections, he decided to resign as a man who wants to take responsibility for his actions

“The position of the constitution is that when a principal officer of the party resigns, the replacement should come from the zone from which the former person had come.”

He berated the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, for suggesting that the South-West should produce the next national chairman of the party, saying that the governor must be ignorant of the party’s constitution.

He said, “Fayose should avail his mind to the provisions of the party’s constitution. This, if he had, he should have known that a replacement for the resigned chairman should come from the North-East. I didn’t say so, the party’s constitution did.

“If the National Secretary had resigned, then it would have been natural for the successor to come from the South-West.”

He denied being pushed by any interest group to raise the dust, saying that “I believe that I’m enough a force in this party to push myself.”

But, the party’s National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo, while reacting to the Gulak’s “letter”, said Jonathan’s former special adviser on political matters was ignorant of the workings of the party.

Oladipo denied seeing Gulak at the party’s secretariat let alone receiving any letter from him.

He said, “Gulak should know that the current acting chairman is not leading a Caretaker Committee, and the constitution provides that he, being the Deputy National Chairman, should assume office in the event that the chairman is not there.

“And there is no time limit for such a situation as this. So, there is no vacancy for anybody to come and occupy until the NEC decides on what to do at a congress.

“Gulak is a lawyer, and so is the acting National Chairman; and they both, I believe, should be conversant with the party’s constitution.

“The NWC is not afraid to hold NEC meeting. We just lost an election. It is not our character to lose election. This is the first time we are losing election.

“We need to look at how we got it wrong and where we 
erred. We have been meeting regularly, consulting with stakeholders.

“We don’t call NEC for the sake of NEC. We are waiting for the Ike Ekweremadu committee to submit its report. We have had two NEC meetings before now and we are supposed to meet again.”

The PDP National Legal Adviser, Mr. Victor Kwon, also said there was no time limit for Secondus to remain at the head of the party.

He cited relevant sections of the party’s constitution to buttress the NWC position.

He said, “Section 47(6) of the party’s constitution enables the NEC to, in the event of any vacancy, nominate somebody to occupy the position. And there is really no time limit under second 45 (2) where an acting national chairman may cease to act.

“So, it is still within the constitutional provision that the acting national chairman continues in his capacity until a congress is called by the NEC and a nomination is made thereto.”

Also, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, said the party’s NWC was waiting for the Ekweremadu-led Committee’ report before it could call for a NEC meeting.

“We are waiting for Ekweremadu-led committee report to know the next step to take. The decision to either make an appointment from anywhere lies with the NEC,” Metuh added.

Others jostling for the PDP national chairman job are Prof. Ahmed Alkali, a former special adviser on political affairs to Jonathan; former Minister of State for Power, Mohammed Wakil; and PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Jalo Abdullahi.

It was gathered that some northerners are of the opinion that the PDP is now becoming a regional party.

A chieftain of the party from the North-West, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondent that “the composition of the party, it’s management, it’s actions are anti-North.”

The source added, “When the former National Chairman of the party, Chief Vincent Ogbulafor resigned, they quickly replaced him with Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo.

“But now, they are dragging their feet when it is our turn to replace the chairman that came from the North and left. These are part of the crises that caused the party to lose the last general elections.”

The PDP has only two governors from the entire 19 states of the North.

The states are Kogi and Gombe.

Governorship election is to hold in Kogi State on November 21, while the APC is contesting the result of the last governorship election result in Gombe State.

Meanwhile, the party has said it will not discipline Gulak and others who have been agitating for the removal of Secondus.

Metuh, who stated this in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja, said that the former presidential aide remained a respected member of the party.

Metuh said, “We are not going to discipline him. Why are we going to do that? He is a respected member of the party. He has paid his dues and he remains a staunch member of the party.

“We respect his view as well because he’s just expressing his fundamental human right. The only thing is that we are always encouraging our members to follow the right channel of communication.

“But to think that we are going to sanction him or anyone asking for this, we won’t. We would only ask them to use the right form of communication.

Defamation: Blogger gets N3m bail.

Seun Oloketuyi

A Federal High Court in Lagos on Tuesday granted bail in the sum of N3m to a blogger, Seun Oloketuyi.

He was arraigned by the police for allegedly publishing a defamatory story against the Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, Nnamdi Okonkwo.

Oloketuyi had been remanded in Ikoyi Prisons since August 25, 2015 after he was arraigned on two counts of malicious publication against Okonkwo before Justice Mohammed Yunusa.

The accused blogger, who is the organiser of the Annual Best of Nollywood Awards, was granted bail on Tuesday following argument by his lawyer, Dr. Muiz Banire.

Banire, who led a team of nine lawyers, said Oloketuyi had the right to be granted bail by virtue of Section 158 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, which stipulates that an accused should be presumed innocent until the prosecution is able to prove otherwise.

He also questioned the propriety of the charge filed by the police against the blogger, adding that “the offence with which the accused was purportedly charged is a bailable offence.”

Banire contended that the charge sheet did not disclose enough evidence against the accused and urged the court to exercise discretion in his favour.

“There is no proof of evidence; there is no list of witnesses that the prosecution intends to call; somebody just woke up one morning and wrote something on a sheet of paper, unleashing it on the court.

“My Lord, there is even no charge properly filed before this court in the first place. My understanding of the law is that you cannot just bring an ordinary sheet before Your Lordship,” Banire contended.

Banire, who said his colleagues and he took up the case on pro bono, said there was no element of crime in the charge filed by the police against the blogger, saying what anyone who felt maligned with his publication should have done was to sue for libel.

He, however, pleaded with the court to consider the trauma that the aged mother of the accused, who was accompanied to court by the popular comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka, had been going through since the blogger was remanded.

Banire also said the blogger had a wife and two children that he was responsible to, adding that he had been through much trouble in the last one week due to the poor condition of the Nigerian prison.

The blogger’s counsel also claimed that prior to being charged to court, operatives of the Department of State Services had harassed and inflicted physical injuries on the accused blogger.

Banire assured the judge that if granted bail, Oloketuyi would not abscond, saying he was a responsible young man and an entrepreneur, who had employees working for him in his media outfit.

But the police prosecutor, Mr. Olakanmi Omisope, urged the court to refuse the bail application, saying the accused blogger was a serial blackmailer, who was currently being investigated by the DSS for other related offences.

In a bench ruling, however, Justice Yunusa granted Oloketuyi bail in the sum of N3m with two sureties in like sum.

The judge said one of the sureties must be a blood relation of the accused and must depose to an affidavit of means.

The surety must also be an owner of a landed property in Lagos, the Certificate of Occupancy of which must be verified by the prosecution.

Nigeria billionaire Antonio Deinde Fernandez dies at 79.

Nigeria’s billionaire, Antonio Deinde Fernandez, is dead. He was 79 years old. Ovation Publisher, Dele Momodu, announced the death of Fernandez in a personal tweet yesterday evening.

Momodu said of the late Fernandez: “Nigeria, and indeed Africa, has just lost one of its greatest sons. Ambassador Chief Antonio Dehinde Fernandez is gone!”

His profile on Wikipedia states that the multinational businessman was born in Lagos into the Fernandez family that originated from Brazil and the first European migrant to Lagos State. A former diplomat, the late billionaire had several links with several countries and at a time, served as advisor to the Angolan Government on Economic Matters.

He held this position for two years until his appointment as Deputy Permanent Representative of Mozambique to the United Nations in 1984. He ran an oil company called Petro Inett, which obtained 50 percent share with South African-based Energy Africa Limited in a deal with the state oil company for exploration rights in 1996.

In 1992, he was appointed as Special Adviser to the President of Mozambique on International Economic Matters, a position he held for three years.

Osinbajo attends swearing-in of Adeshina as AFDB president.

Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) receives flowers from Princess while Her Excellency Ambassador Ifeoma Jacinte AKABOGU- CHINWUBA, mni, Head of Mission of the Embassy of Nigeria in Côte d'Ivoire looks on.

Darius Dickson Ishaku Taraba State Governor, Gov Umar Ganduje Kano State Governor, Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), Daniel Kablan Duncan Prime minister, Côte d’Ivoire at the swearing in ceremony of president of AFDB.

Dr. Kayode Fayemi Former Governorof Ekiti State, Amb. Ifeoma AKABOGU-CHINWUBA, Head of Mission Embassy of Nigeria in Côte d’Ivoire Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina as President of the African Development Bank, AfDB , Mrs Adesina Wife of President of AfDB,Governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, Gov Umar Ganduje, Kano State Governor,Darius Dickson Ishaku, Taraba State Governor,Cecilia Akintomide Vice President African Development Bank, AfDB.

Chris brown says he owns 14 Burger King restaurants.

Chris Brown can seem like a man of mystery sometimes, but in a short piece for US Weekly called “25 Things You Don’t Know About Me,” he’s letting fans in on a few facts about himself.

Some of the many things he reveals is that he doesn’t eat beef or pork and that he’s a “neat freak.” But there’s one thing on the list that I don’t think many people knew at all: Breezy owns 14 Burger King franchises!

People have said he needs to “grow up,” but this suggests he’s not immature when it comes to securing his financial future! (Everyone knows this music thing may not last)!

Learn a few things about Chris and peep his entire list below:

1. I am a neat freak.

2. I listen to Sango and Hippie Sabotage on Pandora.

3. I’m the only singer who has been incarcerated and had a No. 1 record at the same time.

4. I’ve trained in martial arts and boxing.

5. I own 14 Burger Kings.

6. I paint monsters that are mirror images of people’s negative views of me.

7. I was 13 when I got my first tattoo.

8. I don’t bite my tongue.

9. I freestyle all my songs.

10. I love to paint murals, and then I donate most of the profits to charity.

11. I recently went to church for the first time in 15 years and loved it.

12. I am a huge comic book fan.

13. I direct or codirect and edit all my videos.

14. I bought my mom a $1 million dollar house when I was 15 years old. 

15. I don’t eat beef or pork.

16. I talk to a pastor twice a week.

17. When I was 6, I witnessed a relative attempt to commit suicide.

18. I’m a man of many emotions.

19. My first car was a Lamborghini.

20. I smile a lot because this world doesn’t allow for people to cry.

21. After creating my clothing line, I made $4 million in the first year.

22. I love dancing with my daughter [Royalty, 15 months]. 

23. I love to help choose my daughter’s outfits.

24. Success or money never changed who I am as a person.

25. I think the best thing God created was just me.

Eazy-E Daughter Erin Wright prepared documentary about late father.

With Straight Outta Compton still topping the box office for a third consecutive week, more and more discussions (and/or gossip) surfaces about N.W.A. and the circumstances surrounding Eazy E’s untimely passing.

The 23-year-old daughter of the late rapper, Erin Wright, is on the verge of continuing the legacy of her father: Not only with her own music (an EP titled We Want EB), but also a documentary about his life. The doc is titled A Ruthless Scandal: No More Lies and will shed more light about her father’s stuff she says wasn’t covered in the film. She says they are looking for funding and plan on releasing it during the second half of 2016.

 "A lot of Eazy E's storyline was missing but that's okay because I'm producing a documentary that will show everything including his death,” she said. “The main focus is the scandal surrounding my father’s death, what happened to his estate, and all the people that were involved: the good, the bad,
and the ugly, and it’s gonna touch a little bit more on his life. It will get more in-depth than the
movie.

Erin says she likes the film, but thought they could have included more info about Eazy’s success after the group disbanded. “He did discover Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, one of the biggest rap groups of all time. The movie managed to show the successes that Dre and Ice Cube had outside of N.W.A, but not my dad,” she said.

About her own music, Erin says people expect her to rap because of who her father is, but actually, her sound is more pop, and her access to music industry comes from her mother, who is a music manager. “I do have hip-hop influence, but I make pop music. I have musical background on my mother’s side,” she said. “My great grandfather sang back up for Sammy Davis Jr. I actually don’t get my musical talents from my dad.”