Why Atiku refused to partake in the Presidential Debate.

We came here for a Presidential debate, not a candidacy debate, and I, Atiku Abubakar can not challenge or question an administration where the man at the helm of the affairs of the nation is not present to defend himself or his policies. After all you cannot shave a man's head in his absence. I do not believe in attacking a man who is NOT here to defend himself. As a leader and former vice president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, let me first apologise to all Nigerians, my fellow candidates and the moderator for the the APC Presidential Candidates absence in this debate. His non-appearance is a slight on ALL of us and our democracy.

Secondly, with all due respect to my fellow candidates, Fela Durotoye, Oby Ezekwesili,  Kingsley Moghalu and to the moderator Mark Sugar and with apologies to all Nigerians here and at home expecting an interesting debate, I regret that I will not be able to go on with this debate due to President Buhari's absence.

I however challenge President Buhari to choose a date and time for a debate where he will be present and I will be there, hopefully with the other candidates as well. 

Thank you and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Atiku Abubakar

2019 Election: Youths as Machinery for Election violence and intimidation.

A young man from the central part of Kogi State has shown his bitterness towards the recent killings and mayhem in the land. He said:

2019 Election: Youths as Machinery for Election violence and intimidation.

Ebira my father land has become something else just because of politics, we now hunt each other like we have become a hunting game in the forest.

Looking at the definition of thuggery, it's not a good name or accolade for one to strive to be associated with. KC has chosen to empower youths in this 21st century as tools for destruction of the little development we have in the society. Having walked around KC I have discovered that alot of the so called leaders in power have chosen the path of destruction to intimidate their fellow humans just because of SEMO,lets not forget so soon that we were human before politics and we musnt hunt ourselves, intimidate others because of politics, we all have equal constitutional right to belong to any political party of our choice in respective of your tribe, religion and gender, so why are we now diverting what belongs to the masses to some particular set of people to be used in intimidating and chasing ourselves, lets not forget so soon what happened in the time past which alot of people hasn't been able to renovate their houses ,we should learn from the past so such barbaric act won't happen again.

Youths: Let us wake up from our slumbers we are the leaders of tomorrow but why have we chosen to be used as Machinery for destruction??  

These so called leaders and appointees empowering us to work in the same vein with them so we will be cursed were are their children, ain't they good enough for the job? We been empowered by rides to hastened our undemocratic act and we are happy that leaders has given us something better, hmmm there is more after politics Ebira people will say *Amozi ebeba di etete ere* we will surely reap what we have sown either now or later, posterity will judge us all.

Leaders: Good name they say is better than riches keep that work you doing on.. GOD WILL JUDGE.. Onozoza orara me ome.. 

Thugs : Tao nini, Tools for violence akoro nini, it's so annoying to see our brothers been taken away for evil deed just cause of token given to them by the so called leaders..Make una wake up from slumber..

IRemaimMyHumbleSelf

#TiNo

God bless 🇳🇬

God bless Kogi State

God bless Ebira 

God bless Ihima

GYB/APC Thugs Attack Natasha/SDP’s Team (see Photos)

Barrister Natasha Apoti who is the senatorial candidate of SDP representing kogi Central District has sent an open letter to the Governor of Kogi State governor Yahaya Adoza Bellow and APC as a whole. She said:

Dear GYB (note 3),

Last night, you instructed your Commissioner for Water Resources Deedat 08039191028 to unleash mayhem on my followers.

Deedat got in touch with Okehi Sole Administrator Abdulraheem Ohiare 09074199222 and got their thugs to attack my Door to Door campaign at Obeiba ward 1 an hour ago.

Surprising is the fact that the DPO Okehi LGA Mr. Clement 07030578593 stood there with his men doing nothing.

GYB, know that by your actions, you lay a foundation for your children. 

Natasha H Akpoti

Senatorial Candidate 

Kogi Central District 

SDP

3 Kogi Players From Natasha's Tournament Resume NFF Camp

Flying Eagles: 3 Kogi Players From Natasha's Tournament Resume NFF Camp

Three players in the just concluded Soccer talent hunt organised by Natasha Akpoti Foundation have been selected to join Nigeria under-20 national team.

The players who resumed camp are Yahaya Abdulrauf Amoto from Adavi local government, Muhammed Ibrahim Onogu from Okene local government and Usman Faruk from Idah Local Government.

Speaking to journalists, the head coach of the Flying Eagles, Paul Aigbogun, said the performances of the players will determine their chances and playing time in the squad.

Aigbogun, said his team is currently preparing for the 2019 African Youth Championship (AYC) in Niger which he said will be coming up on 2nd February.

According to him, the top four African teams out of the tournament will automatically qualify for the under-20 world cup scheduled for May in Poland, adding that it is one of the reasons the boys need to prove themselves.

Speaking shortly after the boys joined their colleagues in Abuja camp, the founder of Natasha Akpoti foundation, Barr. Natasha Akpoti said, two other players for under-17 and two others for under-15 national teams will soon resume their respective camps.

It will be recalled that Natasha Akpoti Foundation in collaboration with Soccer for Peace foundation, Webster group, and Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) recently organised Soccer Talent Hunt in Kogi State where outstanding players were selected by NFF to join Nigeria national teams.

The Grassroot Soccer Talent Hunt, an initiative of Natasha Akpoti Foundation (NAF), in partnership with Soccer for Peace Foundation and Webster Group, with the approval of Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) was aimed at giving helping hands to the youths and unravel their hidden potentials to the world.

The soccer talent hunt started with screening of 45 players selected from the three senatorial districts of Kogi state held at the Kogi polytechnic field, Lokoja Kogi State, in November.

30 players were selected at the end of the screening, 10 players from Kogi Central, 10 from Kogi East, and 10 players from Kogi West. The 30 players were divided into 2 teams of 15 players each, making Team Natasha Akpoti and Team Amaju Pinnick.

The final stage of the Soccer talent talent took place in Ihima Township Stadium, OKehi local government, Kogi State on 11th November, Amaju Pinnick team won the match with a prize of one million naira and the runner up with five hundred thousand naira.

The Kogi Central SDP senatorial candidate who is famous for championing the advocacy for Ajaokuta revitalisation to boost Nigeria economy and create opportunities for the teeming youths said, she is poised to explore all avenue as well as using her connection to making the youths realise their career path.

Foreign Affairs Minister, Khadija Ibrahim, turns in her resignation

The  Minister of state for Foreign Affairs, Khadija Ibrahim, has resigned her appointment.  She tendered her resignation letter today January 9th. Accoding to Khadija who is the wife to Senator and former Governor of Yobe State, Bukar Abba-Ibrahim, she resigned to contest in the February 16th House of Representatives election in Yobe.

Khadija contested against and defeated her son-in law, Mohammed Bukar-Ibrahim, to pick the ticket of the All Progressives Congress in October 2018 during the state APC primaries

Pablo Escobar's brother is raising money to impeach Donald Trump

Roberto (El Osito) Escobar, the brother of the infamous late Colombian drug Lord Pablo Escobar, is raising money in an attempt to impeach the US president.

El Osito launched a GoFundMe campaign with the hopes of raising US$50 million in donations for his company Escobar Inc. But GoFundMe removed the page shortly after it was posted.

On the page, Escobar claimed to be “holding dirty secrets of President Trump, his family and associates.”

The appeal on his GoFundMe read:

Pablo Escobar is a South American, also known as ‘Latino,’ legendary hero, who helped millions of people in his home country of Colombia and surrounding countries.

With the strong leadership of his company Escobar Inc., founded by his brother Roberto Escobar, we will push hard to get Donald Trump impeached.

So far, everything Pablo and his family have done has become multi-billion-dollar successful ventures.

Global News spoke to Escobar about why he wants to take these steps to impeach Trump and he said:

"His discrimination of the Latino American people. We are some of the hardest-working people in the world. Trump is 100-per-cent corrupt and colluding with foreign governments. Trump is like a Chihuahua dog — small and cute but doesn’t know how to bite. I am good at biting,” 

Escobar also told Global News that he believes the GoFundMe campaign will not only help the United States but the rest of the world as well.

He said:

“It will help the world. I am going to eliminate Trump from power. I will do it. My brother Pablo killed hundreds of judges and thousands of policemen. But this time we will do it the legal way, peacefully."

He continued: “I know there is enough dirt on this guy. If we pay the right connections, they will come forward and testify in Congress and co-operate with Robert Mueller.”

When asked if he wants people from all over the world to donate, Escobar said: “Yes. The goal is that anyone in the world that feels that Trump should be removed goes and donates right now to the campaign.”

He continued: “Once we raise the $50 million, we believe we have an incredibly high chance of getting Trump removed swiftly from being the president. He has done a lot of wrong and should be held accountable. But of course, it costs money to go against a powerful guy like Trump.”

Escobar went on to tell Global News that “nobody is as bad as Trump.”

“He is the worst cockroach in history. Cockroaches don’t die easily but when they do, they do it on their backs with their feet up and intimate parts exposed. Remember that I said that,” Escobar said.

Roberto is the former accountant and co-founder of the Medellín Cartel.

In 1993, Roberto was arrested and imprisoned, at which point he was injured in a letter bomb attack that left him half blind and half deaf. Since his release from prison, he has authored several articles, books, patents and is a co-founder of Escobar Inc.

Photo: Bribe seeking police officer shoots two drivers in Kogi State

On Tuesday, a police inspector identified as Mohammed Usman allegedly shot and wounded two drivers in Lokoja, Kogi State over alleged refusal to give bribe.

The incident was said to have occurred at the Ibro Motor Park, opposite the Lokoja International Market. Ibrahim Yakubu, the branch chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), said that trouble started when one of their drivers was stopped by a police team at a checkpoint in Zango area on the Lokoja-Okene highway and ordered to offer them a bribe.

According to him, the driver refused and continued on his journey towards Lokoja. He, however, added that the policemen chased after the driver to the Ibro Motor Park. 

“We were just sitting at the park at about 11am, when we started hearing sporadic gunshots. The next thing, we saw one of our fellow drivers run to the union office. The next thing, we saw two policemen follow him. Our union officials addressed them and they left.

The driver said he left his vehicle by the roadside and when we went there, we met a police inspector inside the vehicle. We told him that we are taking the vehicle to the park and he followed us inside. On getting to the union office at the motor park, we told him that we had already settled the matter with the other two policemen.

Upon hearing that, he (Inspector Mohammed Usman) became furious and brought out his gun and first shot on the ground. As he continued his sporadic shooting, a bullet hit one of our drivers, Mohammed Attah, on the leg, while another driver, Emmanuel, was hit in the stomach.

Following the incident, the other policemen stationed outside drove into the park with their hilux bus, and quickly rescued the inspector and drove out.

We then went to B Division Police Station to report the matter and the DPO followed us with the victims to Federal Medical Centre and from there we went to the state police command, to report the matter. The CP has ordered that the policemen involved should be detained until the outcome of victims in the hospital.”

The spokesman of the Kogi State Police Command, William Aya, who confirmed the incident, explained that the policemen who were on stop-and-search operation stopped the driver, but that he refused, and as a result, they pursued him, on the suspicion that he might be carrying incriminating items.

He added that the driver got to a town near a motor park and abandoned his vehicle by the roadside and ran into the park. He said one of the policemen went after him, and that in the process, there was a misunderstanding which led to accidental discharge.

Aya said that the policemen involved have been detained, while the matter is being investigated by the State CID. He added that appropriate sanctions would be taken against those found wanting, at the close of investigation.