Ahmed Buhari, the initiator of Ahmed Buhari Youth Movement.
[Photo credit: Official twitter handle of the Ahmed Buhari Campaign group]

2019: Why I want to be Nigeria’s president – Ahmed Buhari

April 29, 2018 Agency Report

Ahmed Buhari, the initiator of Ahmed Buhari Youth Movement, says his interest in vying for the office of the president of Nigeria is informed by the need to have a generational change in the leadership of the country.

Mr Buhari, who is a geologist by training, stated this while speaking with journalists on Sunday in Ilorin on the sidelines of his meeting with members of the Ahmed B. Youth Movement in Kwara.

According to him, the youth have lost hope in the current system of governance which has created a wide gulf between the young and old generation, stressing that it was high time the young people participated in politics and governance of the country to avoid vacuum in government.

“Most importantly, our involvement is going to be an enlightenment to young people that it is true that we can do something.

“To let them know that the reason we are doing this is because we understand that if we do not allow responsibility to be transferred from one generation to next generation at the right time, a vacuum will be created.

“If this vacuum is created, a lot can go into that vacuum. It could be herdsmen; it could be Boko Haram; it could be kidnapping; it could be baby factory; it could be armed robbery, it could be a lot of things.

“It is because these young people do not feel any need for them to be looking up for something that hope is lost and so we are trying to revamp young people to understand that they have to participate in politics.

“While they participate in politics, they shouldn’t make money politics a front burner for them. They should be more concerned about how they will even support aspirants so that when they get to the office, those aspirants will be answerable to them.

Senator Shehu Sani Named Suspect In Murder Case, Invited By Police

Senator Shehu Sani

Kaduna State Police Commissioner Austin Iwar has invited Senator Shehu Sani for questioning in a homicide investigation.

The police said he is a person of interest to the murder saga.

They requested the kaduna Central senator to report on April 30.

A letter was routed through the Clerk of the National Assembly. A copy of it was sent to Senate President Bukola Saraki.

“This is in connection with a case of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide transferred to this office by 1 Division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna, alongside with exhibit audio CD in which your name was mentioned by the principal suspect,” CP Iwar said in a letter to Sani.

But the Senator alleged that the Kaduna State government had concluded plans to frame him up with a murder case, necessitating the move by the police to label him as person of interest.

One Isa Garba, one of the suspects in a murder case was said to have implicated the senator.

It was gathered that Sani’s name was mentioned when the suspect, said to have participated in the killings of one Lawal Madugu, implicated another person called Bashir Hamdada.

Although he did not pick telephone calls put across to him by The Nation, the police commissioner was reported to have said that the case was not politically-motivated.

Buhari supporter, Senator Omo-Agege suspended for 90 days

*Senate disbands Buhari support group 

The Senate’s hammer fell on another senator yesterday for dissent over the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (APC Delta Central), who opposed the electoral sequence reorder in the Bill alongside nine others, was suspended for 90 legislative days following the adoption of a report by the Ethics and disciplinary committee headed by Samuel Anyanwu (PDP, Imo East).

President Muhammadu Buhari vetoed the bill.

It reversed the existing sequence of election in the country, placing the National Assembly first, with the presidential election coming last. But the National Assembly is poised to override the veto.

Coming under the aegis of Parliamentary Support Group for Buhari, the group of senators held a media briefing where they openly disagreed with the Senate.

Omo-Agege said during the media briefing that 59 senators were against the bill, a claim he failed to substantiate when called upon to do so.

The Nation reports that the Senate also called on the ten senators to disband the Parliamentary Support Group for Buhari as a condition for maintaining the peace among the lawmakers. It also ordered Omo-Agege to withdraw his case from court.

Presenting the report that nailed Omo-Agege at plenary, Senator Anyanwu said the suspended lawmaker declined to make presentation to the committee on the grounds that he had already taken the matter to court.

When grilled by the Senate on the matter, an obviously overwhelmed Omo-Agege had tendered an apology for his role in the activities of the pro Buhari group. But the apology did not stop the Senate from referring his case to the Ethics and Privileges committee.

In its report, the committee recommended 181 legislative days suspension for Omo-Agege, but it was reduced following the intervention of some senators during the debate.

The report stated among others: “That the committee is of the opinion that the action by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege of going to court after apologising to the Senate was totally unacceptable, especially as an experienced lawyer and member of the committee who is conversant with the modus operandi of same, and therefore must be punished to serve as deterrent to others who might contemplate taking the Senate to court over its internal matters”.

Subtle pleas by Senators Kabiru Marafa, Bala Ibn Na’Allah and Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan for a more lenient punishment for Omo-Agege failed to the sway the senators who viewed the suspended lawmaker’s action as an affront.

Marafa said, “Omo-Agege to me has the constitutional right to express his views. But like the leader said, I think he has done something which to me deserves commendation. If someone does something that you cannot do we need to commend him. He stood on the floor of the Senate to apologise which to be is a very great thing”.

Na’Allah said, “For anybody here to go and have a press conference and say the Senate had taken a decision against Mr President, is a most uncharitable thing to do. It does not befit his office as a senator.

“But happliy enough, Senator Omo-Agege came here and had the courage to apologise for the statement. But it is much more than that. There are places you dare not talk about the President when some senators are from there. By implication, he is putting their lives at risk.

“As a family, we must have discipline and must live peacefully for this institution and the only way we can do it, is that get the consquence of what they are saying.

“Let us take away sentiments. We are going to leave here whether we like it or not; either through death or whatever. But this institution will remain. We must be very careful about it”.

Senate President Bukola Saraki said the action taken by Omo-Agege and his group smacked of insincerity, saying if they were to be any parliamentary group in support of President Buhari, he, more than anyone else, should lead such a group.

He said: “Those of us that understand politics, understand that because of our own peculiar interests, sometimes some people decide to act like they are holier than thou or more committed — at the expense of others.

“This is not something that we should tolerate, and I believe that in an institution like this, we must show discipline. But at the same time, we must also show compassion.

“Distinguished colleagues, there must be discipline. We must show that such groups must be suspended and the case in court must be withdrawn”.

Before bringing down the gavel to confirm Omo-Agege’s suspension, Saraki said there shouldn’t be any more of such groups in the Senate and that the suspended lawmaker should withdraw his case from court.

“We are not in any hurry to take anybody away from this family; and we must lay down an example by showing that there is discipline and apply some form of discipline on this matter”.

Senator Abaribe Accuses Buhari Of Gross Incompetence Over Herdsmen Comments

Thursday’s plenary at the Senate was almost disrupted following a deafening uproar following a claim by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe that President Muhammadu Buhari is incompetent.

Abaribe’s allegation followed an adopted order 43 which he raised in reference to the excuse which the President gave while in London that the killer herdsmen were allegedly trained by Muammar Gaddafi, the late Libyan revolutionary leader.

In his explanation, Abaribe said, before now, two excuses have been made public in several fora by the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahaman Dambazzau and the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim kpotun Idris, saying the wanton killings by armed herdsmen was because their pastoral routes were blocked while the latter was credited to have said that it was due to the new state laws against open grazing.

He said, “Yesterday in London, President Muhammadu Buhari said the killings in the country was as a result of the people who were trained by the late Muammar Gaddafi. This, therefore, validates my earlier position that the president has failed to take charge of the protection of lives and property across the country as enshrined in our constitution to be his primary responsibility.

"I so make bold to say that the president is incompetent,” Abaribe asserted.

But this generated an uproar as APC senators took the remark of Abaribe as a direct disrespect to Buhari, who is a member and leader of the ruling party.

Senators Ahmed Lawan, the Senate Leader and Ibn Na’Allah, the deputy leader separately raised point of orders urging the red chamber to call Abaribe to order, tender apology and for him to be guided in his remarks.

However, Abaribe, in his apology said, "If any words I used was misunderstood, I apologise".

Yet, the Abia lawmaker was overruled by order 53 raised by Ibn Na’Allah to the effect that Abaribe should not discuss the conduct of the President.

Photo: 45-year-old married father of five arrested in Lagos for killing his girlfriend after he saw her talking with her ex-boyfriend

Police have arrested one Victor Umeh who killed his girlfriend, Happiness after he saw her talking to her ex-boyfriend in  theOkota area of Lagos.

It was gathered that the suspect, a married man with five children and trader at Ladipo Market hosted a birthday party for Happiness in a hotel along Ago-Palace Way, Lagos on Saturday, July 29. As the party was going on, Victor saw her conversing with her former boyfriend and left in anger. 

A quarrel ensued after Happiness returned to Victor's house located at 5/7 Michael Osisipi Street, off Banjo Oyewele Street, Ago Palace Way. Her shout for help alerted neighbours, including a gateman, identified simply as Adamu.

The neighbours were said to have searched the flat for the victim, only to discover her lifeless body behind Umeh’s window.

“We heard them quarreling, but we thought it was a normal verbal war, until we did not hear Happiness. We decided to find out what was happening, only to meet the lifeless body of Happiness," a neighbour said.

“When Victor saw us, he tried to escape, but we held him and quickly alerted the police from Ago-Okota Division, who came to the scene and arrested him.”

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Ago-Okota Police Station, Mr. Yusuf Abdul, who confirmed the incident said that Umeh was arrested from where he was transferred to the State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department, SCIID.

"Around 12 midnight, one Osuh came and reported that they heard loud screaming coming from his neighbour’s apartment. He said when he came out to find out what was going on, in company with others, they saw the lifeless body of Happiness whose address and surname are unknown.

“We arrested one Victor, whom the deceased visited, as he was trying to escape. In a bid to frustrate investigation, the suspects hid the deceased’s phone on top of a fence after inserting it inside a packet of cigarettes that contained Indian hemp.

“During interrogation, the suspect told us that they went to a club along Ago-Palace Way to celebrate the deceased’s birthday but when they got there the deceased started talking with her ex-boyfriend and he left in anger for his house. Shortly after he got home, the deceased came to meet him and they had a fight that led to her death."

Happiness’ body has been deposited at Isolo General Hospital Mortuary for autopsy.

Meanwhile, the suspect denied killing her, adding that he did not know how her corpse found its way behind his window.

"I did not kill her. Someone else did because, I met her lifeless body outside my house."

He admitted to have met her last Wednesday at Cele Bus Stop, from where he brought her home.

According to Vanguard investigation, Happiness is said to be from Plateau State. Umeh’s wife and five children travelled to his village in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State. Immediately after the incident, the suspect contacted his wife to come to Lagos and move his property to the village. 

"Our gateman allowed her inside that night because she was seen with Victor the previous day. The gateman was first alerted by the shout for help and by the time he got close to the window, he saw somebody running" said one of the neighbours, who spoke with Vanguard.

"Her desperate shout for help was intensive, but with time it became faint until it stopped. He tried to escape and hide the deceased phone on a fence so as to make it difficult for the Police to trace her death to him. If he had succeeded we would have been in trouble.” he added.