IMO BREAKING NEWS BLOG

Manchester United have completed the signing of Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen on a free transfer. The former Ajax, Tottenham, Inter Milan and Brentford player has signed a three-year contract at Old Trafford.

"I still have major ambitions in the game. There is a huge amount that I know I can achieve, and this is the perfect place to continue my journey," Eriksen, 30, said.

"Manchester United is a special club, and I cannot wait to get started." Earlier in July, Eriksen agreed in principle to sign for United after his short-term contract at Brentford ended in June.

He is United's second signing under new manager Erik ten Hag after Netherlands full-back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord.

“You need a party with a structure if you want to win, a viable party and you need PDP to take over.” This is the assertion made on Thursday by the Lagos state deputy gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Funke Akindele during Channels Television’s flagship programme, Politics Today. 

Funke, a popular Nollywood actress and content creator was surprisingly picked as the running mate to Olajide Adediran who described her as large-hearted with a well-known history of service and advocacy. However, the move by Adediran popularly known as Jandor has been greeted with much scepticism in many quarters. 

The 44-year-old stressed that her reason for towing the political lines was to effect change in Lagos as she was tired of just talking about the problems facing the Metropolis. ‘I am very compassionate about people, people working with me, children. I have faced different challenges as a Lagosian and I looked at it; are we going to continue like this? No, I am tired of talking let us do something about it.”

“I will like to do this on a big scale, I will like to better the lives of Lagosians and when this opportunity came I jumped at it.” “I live in Lagos, I do not like the way we live in Lagos, and the standard of living is pretty low. Lagos is suffering from infrastructural decay and deficit.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the Continous Voter registration till July 31. Chairman of INEC Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday, saying the decision followed a recent court judgement that paved way for the extension.

Okoye stated that the verdict has affirmed that INEC is at liberty to appoint a date of its choice to suspend the CVR, provided it is not later than 90 days before the date fixed for the General Election as provided in Sec. 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022.

According to him, all legal encumbrances have now been removed following the judgement of the Federal High Court. “The CVR is hereby extended for another two weeks until Sunday 31st July 2022, thereby bringing the total duration of the extension to 31 days (1st – 31st July 2022),” he stated.

“The exercise has also been extended to eight hours daily from 9.00 am – 5.00 pm instead of the current duration of six hours (9.00 am – 3.00 pm) daily. The exercise is also extended to include weekends (Saturdays and Sundays) as against only weekdays.”

BY ONWUASOANYA FCC JONES, ABUJA

According to the publisher of Sahara Reporters and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore; former Nigerian Heads of States, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Olusegun Obasanjo and Abdulsalami Abubakar are not only positively disposed to the Peter Obi/Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed candidacy, but are also actively canvasing support for the Labour Party presidential standard bearers.

Omoyele knows the significance of this alleged understanding among Nigeria's former military leaders, but as one who sees himself as equal competitor with Peter Obi, he is bent on attempts to discredit this highly sought-after endorsement. He is trying to sway Nigerians by reminding them that these past leaders made efforts to derail our democracy, hence, Nigerians should view their support for Obi with suspicion. The truth is that Sowore or any other presidential candidate will pay anything and forfeit anything just to have any of these men speak positively about their aspiration.

The College of Past Presidents or Heads of State is one of the most revered groups anywhere in the world, including, the most developed and liberal democracies. Any politician craves the endorsement of past leaders of his country the same way any show promoter would crave the endorsement of major rock stars for their shows. Beyond the effect of their endorsements, there is also an unquantifiable technical or strategic advantage, the endorsement of such caliber of people confer on the presidential candidate who is fortunate to secure it. If you paid keen attention to Biden's inauguration speech as President, he took special care to announce to Americans the support he has received from all living former American Presidents, including sharing with the world the effort he made to visit the ailing, Jimmy Carter. The significance and power of these past Presidents is not affected by our opinions or reservations about them. While it is unavoidable that an individual who has attained such heights of power and influence must make mistakes, we cannot deny the value of their services and patriotism to our country.

Generals Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar are eminent patriots who have given the most part of their lives to the service of the country. They are also more equipped with information about Nigeria's peculiar challenges and the secrets to the management and preservation of our nationhood, than probably any other group of living Nigerians.

As responsible elder statesmen, they might have also determined that while they might have made some mistakes during their time in power, that at this twilight of their earthly existence, that they owe it to posterity to bequeath to Nigeria, a unifying, progressive and selfless leader, represented in the persons of Mr. Peter Obi and Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.

Nigerians of good conscience have nothing but gratitude for these patriotic elder statesmen who have come forward at this critical time in our national history to promote the right idea for the stabilization and progress of our nation.

MAY NIGERIA PREVAIL!

The lawmaker representing Ikeduru Local Government Area in Imo state House of Assembly, Uche Ogbuagu, has emerged the candidate of Labour Party in Ikeduru/Mbaitoli Federal Constituency of the state for the 2023 National Assembly Elections.

Ogbuagu, a former majority leader of the state legislature, emerged on Thursday after the former holder of the ticket announced his discontinuance from the race.

Speaking after his emergence, Ogbuagu said that he would replicate his superlative performance at the State legislature in Abuja if he wins.

According to him, his people had endured poor representation in the green chamber of the national Assembly, promising to rewrite the wrongs if elected.

He said " my emergence is divine. It is the wish of the Mbaike people that we have a responsible and responsive representation in 2023 in Abuja. I have proven my mettle at the state legislature and I will do more if I become the next house of representatives member for our dear Mbaitoli/ Ikeduru Federal Constituency."

Peter Obi, presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), has responded to a comment by Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in which the latter criticised the LP.

At the APC governorship rally in Osun on Tuesday, Tinubu had described the LP as “a mushroom party”.

“Think about your children and vote accordingly so you can see the future. Come out en masse. Don’t mind PDP and other mushroom parties — parties like Labour; they will labour till they die. God will not make you labourers,” he had said.

Speaking on Wednesday, July 13, at a rally organised by the LP in Osun, Peter Obi said such a comment by the APC presidential candidate comes from a place of hatred, but the LP will respond with love.

Also Read: Federal Govt. to revoke the N29billion Mubi/Yola road contract

“I listened to our National Chairman when he said that somebody said that they can labour till death. When they they talk like that, when they show you hatred, Labour Party will show them love. There is dignity in labour,” he said.

Peter Obi, who urged the residents of Osun to vote for Yusuf Lasun, the LP’s governorship candidate, said the party’s focus is on ensuring a better welfare for citizens.

“Vote for Labour Party so that your children can have jobs. Vote for people that will work for you,” he said.

“We want to change Nigeria and the only way we can change Nigeria is to remove all these people who have put Nigeria where it is for the past 23 years. This is time for them to go.

“They are owing salaries, pensions; and those that are working hard are not been paid. But this will stop once you vote Labour Party on Saturday.

“Vote for Labour Party. Vote for the future of your children. Also, vote for the candidate that will be committed to better Osun state.

“We are going to introduce you to a governor who will be committed to better Osun state, and that is what we want.”