Venuz News (Impressive Media) Blog

HIS EXCELLENCY, PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI’S BROADCAST TO THE NATION, FEBRUARY 14, 2019 Fellow Citizens, On Saturday, February 16, 2019, you will, once again, be called upon to choose the leaders who will pilot the affairs of our great nation for the next four years. This is a constitutional right which should be freely exercised by all eligible voters. 2. I wish therefore to start by assuring all Nigerians that this Government will do its very best to ensure that the 2019 elections take place in a secure and peaceful atmosphere. 3. It was indeed such free, fair and peaceful elections that made it possible for our Government to emerge, despite the fact that we were contesting against a long-standing incumbent party. 4. And as your president and a fellow Nigerian, I ask that you come out and queue to fulfill this important obligation you have to yourselves and your fellow citizens – and to our common future. 5. Let me at this point, reaffirm the commitment of th...

With barely two weeks to the 2019 presidential election, a field work conducted by the Pollster, Williams and Associates, has predicted that the candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, will win the election as posted on the website of the company yesterday. Williams and Associates had in a similar field work in 2015, predicted the defeat of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan in the last presidential election in Nigeria. Information posted on the website of the company shows that it deployed the same methodology used in the 2015 prediction to conduct the field work for 2019 election. The activity was conducted between January 11 and January 16, 2019 across all the six geo-political zones of the country. The result of the poll shows that the PDP candidate, Atiku will win other candidates in the election with 45 per cent of the total vote cast, 12 per cent higher than his closest opponent, incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, who p...

President Muhammadu Buhari says despite his administration’s war against corruption, some government agencies still perpetrate acts of corruption. Buhari disclosed this during the swearing-in of board members of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) at the state house, Abuja, on Monday. He said the ordinary people in the country understand and support his administration’s fight against corruption, adding that those opposing the fight against corruption are only pretending not to know what it is. He reminded the members that their appointment is a call to service and critical in his government’s agenda. “The fight against corruption is very crucial in our national development. This is why I have often said – if we do not kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria,” he said. “Corruption has negatively affected our political, economic and social life. Those opposed to our fight against corruption berate us for our focus, determination and single mindedness....

Ahead  of the February 16  presidential election, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that  the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) is recruiting members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as electoral officials for the election. PDP National Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, who stated this at a press briefing, in Abuja, yesterday, urged the international community to place the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, and other directors in the Commission  on a watchlist. “The PDP alerts Nigerians that INEC has been taking directives from the Presidency and the APC on how to manipulate our electoral process at various levels. “To this end, INEC has collected a list of people who will serve as electoral officials, including ad-hoc staff and returning officers at the polling units, from APC state governors and candidates, across the federation, on the directives of the Presidency. The PDP is already privy to how the lists are populat...

The trial of former governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, resumed, yesterday, before a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, with a prosecution witness, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, admitting he was a suspect and investigated.  Obanikoro, a former Minister of State for Defence, was cross-examined by defence counsel, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN. He also told the court that he was testifying against Fayose reluctantly, noting that they enjoyed a good relationship while they were both members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Obanikoro has since defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, appeared for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, while Agabi and Olalekan Ojo, SAN, represented Obanikoro and Spotless Investment, respectively. Obanikoro said despite testifying against Fayose, he wouldn’t want their relationship to be destroyed.  At a point in the course of being grilled by a defence counsel, Obanikoro burst out saying: “...

The  temporary suspension of a travel ban linked to decade-old bribery scandals paved the way for former vice president and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar to make his Washington DC trip last month, a report in Reuters said on Monday. The report quoted diplomats and those with the trip. It (report) said several U.S. diplomats and others familiar with the visit told the news service that Atiku, has been banned from entering the United States (U.S.) after he allegedly featured in two prominent corruption-related investigations. Atiku’s visit to Washington was put together with the help of two U.S. lobbying firms Holland & Knight. The firms were hired by Atiku personally in December to help him secure a visa, in part by enlisting members of Congress to request one on his behalf, according to a lobbyist for the firm. It has been paid $80,000 so far, the report said. Ballard Partners was hired by the PDP at a rate of $90,000 per month...