Today's National Newspaper Headlines/News - 9/4/2015

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PUNCH

****COURT REFUSES TO STOP FAYOSE’S IMPEACHMENT

Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose and his deputy, Kolapo Olusola, have raced to a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the 19 All Progressives Congress members of the state House of Assembly from impeaching them.

But they met a brick wall as the judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed, turned down their request and granted only the prayers contained in their ex parte application relating to the service of the court processes on the defendants.

Fayose and Olusola, in the ex parte application, asked for an interim order stopping   the impeachment notice served on them and the moves to remove them from office.

Rather than granting the prayers for interim injunction, Justice Mohammed ordered the defendants in the suit, including the Speaker of the House, Adewale Omirin, and the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Ayodeji Daramola, to appear in his court on April 16.

They are to show cause why the order of interim injunctions being sought by the plaintiffs   should not be granted.

Apart from Omirin and Daramola, the other defendants in the suit are the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, and the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The plaintiffs,apart from Fayose and Olusola, are the House of Assembly and Olugbemi   Dele, who was appointed by seven Peoples Democratic Party lawmakers as their speaker.

Counsel for the plaintiffs,Ahmed Raji, had in the ex parte application dated April 7 urged the court to set aside the impeachment notice and restrain the defendants from taking any further steps in that direction.

The lawyer argued that the impeachment notice signed by Omirin amounted to impersonating the “incumbent speaker (Dele).’’

He said, “The kernel of our complaint is that a former speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, in the person of the 1st respondent (Omirin) is trying to impersonate the 1st plaintiff (Dele), who is the current speaker of the parliament.”

Part of the orders sought by the plaintiffs are: “An   injunction restraining the 1st defendant (Dele) and other errant members of the 2nd plaintiff (House of Assembly) from further taking any step or engagining in unlawful activities relating to the impeachment of Ayodele Fayose and Kolapo Olusola as governor and deputy governor of Ekiti State.

“An interim order of injunction restraining the Chief Judge from taking any step or action in relation to the request of the 1st defendant (Omirin) for the purpose of appointing a panel of seven persons to investigate the purported allegations of gross misconduct against Fayose and Olusola.

“An interim order restraining the police from continuing to abet, give cover, protection or lend credence to the activities of the 1st defendant and other errant members of the 2nd plaintiff for self-help in disruption of legislative proceedings in the House of Assembly.

“An interim order setting aside the purported notice of impeachment and all the steps taken by the 1st defendant and other errant members of the 2nd plaintiff in relation to the purported issuance and service of the notice of impeachment for the purpose of commencing and concluding impeachment proceedings against   Fayose and Olusola.”

The plaintiffs had urged the court to grant the prayers and make the interim injunctions to subsist pending the determination of their motion on notice for interlocutory injunctions seeking the same set of prayers.

Raji urged the court to grant the prayers “in the interest of justice, public order, peace and safety of the people of the state.”

But the judge rather than granting the interim injunctions ordered the parties to appear in court to convince him on why the plaintiffs’ prayers   should not be granted.

Justice Mohammed ruled, “The order is hereby made directing the 1st to 4th defendants (Omirin, IG , INEC and Ekiti CJ) to appear before this court on April 16, 2015 and show cause why the interim order sought by the plaintiffs via an ex parte motion dated April 7, 2015 should not be made by this court.”

****APC TO RATIFY BUHARI'S MINISTERIAL LIST

The leadership of the All Progressives Congress will ratify the list of persons to be appointed into the Federal Executive Council before presentation to the National Assembly.

It was learnt in Abuja on Wednesday that party leaders were seeking to restore the party supremacy which some alleged was lost during the 16 years that the Peoples Democratic Party held sway.

A prominent northern leader of the party, who pleaded for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the APC was working to avoid the pitfalls which led to the collapse of the PDP.

He said, “We are looking at a situation where the party will direct the affairs of government in line with our manifesto. Recall that this was largely the case during the second republic.

“But since 1999, what we have seen is the rise of individuals whose personal interests took precedence over the general interest of the party and the people.

“The APC cannot afford to let this happen because we have a social contract with the Nigerian people who voted for the party based on the promise to bring about change in the polity.”

According to him, under the APC administration, there is no way the President’s wife would have the latitude to meddle in the party affairs to the extent of dictating who got appointed and who did not.

He said, “This time around, the party will make an input into how its elected public office holders conduct the business of delivering on promises made, because we, as a party, will share in their success and will also share in the blame, should they fail.”

In an interview with The PUNCH, a leading member of the party and former governor of old Abia State, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, said as a party, the APC would be guided by the constitution.

While responding to a question as to how members of the cabinet would emerge, Onu said the APC was a party which was determined to do things differently to ensure that Nigerians get value from government.

He said, “In forming government, you have to make consultations with the party. We are a party of change, we are a party that is looking forward to building a Nigeria that many of the problems we have today will be solved, and we can’t do things the way they were done before; knowing that the way they were done before didn’t give the results that were desired.”

***JONATHAN IS A GOOD MAN - IBINABO

Ibinabo Fiberesima, the President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria president, has said that Nigerians will miss a great leader in President Goodluck Jonathan who brought greatness to the country.

Ibinabo the thespian, who was a staunch supporter of the re-election bid of the president, said that she had no regret supporting him and asked people to respect her decision.

“He is a very good man. Nigeria has just lost the one who was brought to us to set a solid foundation for greatness.

“The reactionary forces overwhelmed him especially from within. My friend and brother “GEJ’’ is a good man.

“It is well with him. We fought a good fight. Thanks to all of you who believed in him. It was not a wasted confidence. He has more to give to the world.

“Once again I say thank you. Congratulations Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Party (APC).

“Nigeria belongs to us all. Let us love her,” she wrote on her social media page. (NAN) - 

*No plans to shift Ekiti election -INEC

*Power firms now free to fix tariffs – NERC

*Nanny absconds with three kids one day after employment

*We are taking appropriate action on Akiolu – DSS

*US protesters decry police ‘culture of racism’

*Civil war: Danjuma blames Ojukwu for not emulating Jonathan

*Impeachment notice on Fayose valid – Falana

*Stay off polling centres, IG warns police escorts

*PDP condemns Buhari’s apathy to national issues

*I won’t leave PDP, says Mark

*Obasanjo, Elechi meet over Ebonyi gov election

*Women are agents for change, says el-Rufai

*Nigeria’ll become one-party state under APC – Balarabe Musa

*PDP, APC intensify campaign to win Benue

VANGUARD

*OPC assures Igbo and non indigenes safety

*Buhari, like Abraham Lincoln, Abdoulaye Wade

*Defection galore as Zwingina,

Gulak, Reps, others dump PDP

*Okrika agog for Patience Jonathan

*Buhari to unfold APC’s job creation master plan on May 29

*F/Eagles captain ‘vanishes’ from U-23 Camp

GUARDIAN

*Jonathan meets Danjuma, extols Mark's virtues at 67

*NERC, Discos adopt embedded generation to cushion electricity shortage

*How APC plans to rig Lagos gov, assembly polls, by PDP

*Court restrains DStv over hiked subscription fees

*NSE's All-share index slides by 2.1 per cent

*Adesina on course for AfDB's presidency

*French far-right family feud as Marine Le Pen jettisons father

*Obama and Castro to break Cold War ice in person

 *Traders predict further drop in prices of food items after guber elections

THISDAY

*Power: NERC Cedes Right of Tariff Determination to Consumers, Discos

* Italy Considers Military Action against Boko Haram

*UNHCR: We Never Said Chibok Girls May Have Been Killed

*Mark: I Won't Leave PDP Even If I'm Left Alone

*FG Closes Land, Sea Borders Ahead of Saturday Elections

*Jonathan Hails Mark's Contributions to National Development

*Group Wants INEC to Reshuffle Ad hoc Staff in Abia

*Beware of Sycophants, HDP Warns Buhari

 *Council Boss Accuses Suswam of Burning INEC Office, Petitions NHRC

TRIBUNE

*Probe human right abuses in Ekiti - NANS

*Impeachment: Monarchs, Elders, Clerics meet in Ekiti

*'Akiolu's statement cannot stop Igbos from voting Ambode'

*Chibok girls not killed yet - FG

*Olunloyo's daughter, PDP, Accord Reps, others join APC

*Buhari to unfold APC's job creation, security master plan on May 29