EBONY9JA MEDIA

A coalition of civil society organizations (CSOs), under the umbrella of “The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room,” have rejected the process embarked upon by the National Assembly to change the order of the 2019 general elections already set by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Recall that the House of Representatives effected the change through an unexpected amendment of the Electoral Act (2010). But, addressing journalists in Abuja on Wednesday, the convener of the group, Mr Clement Nwankwo, described the move by the legislatures as an unwarranted interference in the constitutional powers of INEC to determine the conduct of elections. Nwankwo also said that it would further interfere with the powers of INEC to carry out its electoral duties without directives or control from any person or authority, using the instrumentality of legislation. “This is unacceptable and is hereby condemned; the National Assembly needs to backtrack fr...

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, on Wednesday warned President Muhammadu Buhari, ahead of 2019 election. The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors Forum warned Buhari to heed to advice and step aside. In a series of tweets via his Twitter handle, the Ekiti State Governor maintains that the end has come for Buhari. According to Fayose, Nigerians will vote against Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC, come 2019. He wrote, “My name is Peter, The Rock, the wise people in APC should tell Buhari to avoid hitting his head on the rock. “The end has come for Buhari, the oppressor and suppressor of Nigeria and its people. “Power to change this fraudulent change belongs to Nigerians and in 2019, they will exercise that right appropriately. Today, the only alternative to the oppressive govt of Buhari is a PDP govt.”

Members of President Muhammadu Buhari campaign groups at the weekend endorsed Atiku Abubakar for President in the forthcoming 2019 general elections. The members, under the aegis of IamAtikulated2019, said that majority of them came from the various support groups that vigorously campaigned for Buhari as President in the 2015 general elections. Addressing newsmen in Abuja at a press conference, the national coordinator of the group, Ike Bishop Okoronkwo, called on Nigerians at home and in the diaspora, to reject President Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress in all future elections. The Coordinator, who said that their objective is to support Atiku to be chosen as the flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 presidential election, added that “majority of the members of this platform, came from the various support groups that vigorously campaigned for General Muhammadu Buhari as president in the 2015 general elec...

Keshi was one of only two men to win the Africa Cup of Nations tournament as both a player and coach [Getty Images] Nigerian football icon Stephen "Big Boss" Keshi is being honour by Google on what would have been his 56th birthday.  The search engine changed its logo in Nigeria on Tuesday to an illustration of the legendary sports star.  Keshi was one of only two men to win the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and coach.  But the later part of his career was described as turbulent by some after quitting over unpaid wages and later being sacked. This is his story: Big boss Born in Azare, Nigeria in 1962, Keshi started his football career as a defender , and was among the first Nigerians to play professional football abroad. He developed his career and passion in mainly  Belgian clubs. He was later educated in the US as a coach. He was known as the "Big Boss" because of his leadership dri...

Samuel Ortom, Governor of Benue State, has insisted that the killings perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen in the state was “deliberate.” The governor said the herdsmen were attacking communities because they wanted residents to “embark on reprisal” attacks. Ortom spoke during an emergency stakeholders meeting in Makurdi, the state capital, yesterday. The governor insisted that no amount of attacks will make the state repeal the anti-grazing law. According to Ortom,“Because of the crisis, we are now faced with over 80,000 internally displaced persons, IDPs, in camps located at Daudu, Gbajimba, Utsav, Anyiin and Ugba. “Let us continue to be firm. Let us continue to be law-abiding and not take the law into our hands or embark on reprisals. What we see happening now is deliberate. “They want us to be angry and do their desire but we are not going to do their bidding. “No matter the intimidation, blackmail and name-calling there is no going...

Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom has declared his readiness to face Cattle Rearers who have taken him to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague. Ortom said he was ready to challenge cattle breeders association, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore at the ICC after the organization dragged him to the apex court for implementing the anti-grazing law. He made the revelation at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Benue Peoples’ House in Makurdi on Monday. “I heard that they have taken us to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Who is the criminal in this case? I am ready to meet them there. We will work together and succeed for the sake of posterity. When our collective interest is threatened, we need to come together and fight. We need to fight this common goal and until justice is done. I will not stop until justice is done to Benue people,” he stressed. A former leader of the Northern Elders Forum, Paul Unongo, said the Benue people could not...

1 we have gathered a list of states that have volunteered to provide free land for Cattle Herders. 16 states agreed to the establishment of cattle colonies, an idea engineered by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh as a means to end the Herdsmen crisis rocking the nation. Almost all the Northern states have agreed to establish cattle colonies except Benue and Taraba states. The states include Adamawa, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Borno, Jigawa, Yobe, Niger, Kogi and Kwara states. All the 16 states have agreed to volunteer 5,000 hectares of land each. Meanwhile, all the 17 states of Southern Nigeria have refused to volunteer land for the cattle herders.