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By Edward Jaleyemi Ahead of the September 24 primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Bayelsa State, the party super delegates have endorsed Governor Seriake Dickson as the party’s sole candidate. According to a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Bayelsa Governor, Daniel Iworiso-Markson, the endorsement was made at a meeting of the super delegates and dinner held at the Yenagoa residence of the Chairman of the Restoration Campaign Advisory Council and former Governor of the state, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. “The super delegates numbering over 250, include past and present leaders of the party, political office holders (elected and appointed), some members of the state Executive council and members of the state House of Assembly, PDP State working committee, and the leadership of the local government councils, based their support on Dickson’s impressive performance in office. “The super delegates, each has 20 delegates under them going into the p

By Edward Jaleyemi A do-Ekiti —The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti Southwest Local Government Area of Ekiti State has expressed support for the nomination of Mr. Femi Falana as a Minister in the federal cabinet. After an emergency meeting held in Ado Ekiti, the capital, yesterday, the stakeholders stated that Falana was qualified for the expected appointment, given his credentials and antecedents as an advocate of good governance and a defender of human rights. They dismissed the petitions against Falana’s appointment as ill-intentioned, warning the petitioners to desist. They described them as “mischief makers who wrote petitions to blackmail Falana challenging his nomination on grounds that he is not a card-carrying member of the party in Ekiti State.” The meeting was attended by former House of Assembly members, former council chairmen, former party state executive committee members and all the party executives in all the wards in Ilawe Ekiti community where Fa

By Edward Jaleyemi A BEOKUTA —The eldest daughter of first Premier of Western Region, late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Mrs. Omotola Oyediran yesterday disclosed that the Awolowo family wishes that one of its own becomes President of Nigeria. Chief H.I.D. Awolowo and her late husband Chief Obafemi Awolowo Oyediran stated that she had been praying that a descendant of Awolowo became President of Nigeria in the nearest future. She stated this while playing host to some prominent dignitaries who visited Awolowo family house in Ikenne, yesterday over the death of their matriarch, Chief HID Awolowo, who died last Saturday. According to Oyediran: ”I used to pray daily that, one day, a descendant of the Awolowo family will become the President of Nigeria, but I stopped and I do not know why I stopped, but I want to say it again that one day a descendant of the Awolowos will become the President of Nigeria.” Those who paid tributes at the Awolowo’s Ikenne home yesterday included Senat

By Edward Jaleyemi UYO—ORGANISED Labour has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Mr. Solomon Arase, over alleged increasing illegal activities by officers and men of Nigerian Police Force, NPF, in Akwa Ibom State. File photo: A suspected offender being forcefully arrested by policemen attached to a task force team. Operating on the platform of National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees, NUCFRLANMPE, the union specifically identified Ikot Ekpene Local Government Council, as the major area where the police perpetuated illegal activities that might lead to chaos in the state in this period of fragile security situation in Nigeria. President of NUCFRLANMPE, Mr. Boniface Akpan Isok, in the petition claimed the police in Ikot Ekpene had been harassing, extorting money from commercial motor cycle operators (Okada riders) and arresting them without cause in their homes. Isok lamented that the poor commercial motorcycle ope

By Edward Jaleyemi Diddy is said to be working on a long-awaited album but, even without his music, he was the top-earning rapper of the past year. Releasing its annual list on Tuesday, Forbes said that Diddy — whose real name is Sean Combs and whose stage names include Puff Daddy — took in $60 million from June 2014 to June 2015. His earnings come mostly through his business projects, especially his venture selling French-made Ciroc liquor, the wealth magazine said. Diddy rarely performs and last released an album, “Last Train to Paris,” in 2010. But Gizzle, an artist signed to his label, recently told the Rap-Up website that Diddy was working on a sequel to his debut 1997 work “No Way Out.” “No Way Out 2” would be the final album from Diddy, Gizzle said. Another rapper turned mogul, Jay Z, was close behind at number two by raking in an estimated $56 million, Forbes said. Jay Z put on a series of sold-out arena shows with his wife Beyonce and has earned money through

By Edward Jaleyemi L AGOS— Two persons were rescued alive, while others were trapped yesterday as a two-storey building collapsed at Lekki area of Lagos. Both victims were male adults who were rescued by residents and sympathizers before the arrival of both state and federal emergency officials as Lagos State Fire Services, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, National Emergency Management Authority, NEMA and the Nigeria Police. One of those rescued was hospitalized at First City Hospital, Osapa London, Lekki, while another was only given first aid treatment by the personnel of Lagos State Ambulance Services, LASAMBUS. The incident occurred around 8.20 am at Ajiran road, off Olufemi Olatunji Street, off Lekki\Epe Expressway when construction workers were busy at work. According to eyewitnesses’ account, alarm was raised by a resident who got wind of the situation and this attracted sympathizers who rushed to the scene. In the process, two of the victims were re