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Tag: President

  • Omo-Agege proposes law to oust immunity for President, governors, others for criminal, corruption, thuggery offences

    Sitting Presidents will no longer enjoy immunity from criminal matters if the alteration being proposed to the 1999 Constitution by the Senate sails through.

    Also to be affected are Vice-Presidents, governors and their deputies. This followed the second reading of a Bill titled: “A Bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to qualify criminal liability for certain public officers under Section 308”.

    The bill sponsored by Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege,contains the proposal.

    The explanatory memorandum of the bill states: “This act provides for qualification of the immunity clause to exclude immunity for Public Officers referred to in Section 308 from criminal liability where the offence involves misappropriation of funds belonging to the Federal, State or Local Government and also the use of thugs to foment violence.”

    Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) reads: “(1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Constitution, but subject to subsection (2) of this section –

    “(a) no civil or criminal proceedings shall be instituted or continued against a person to whom this section applies during his period of office;

    “(b) a person to whom this section applies shall not be arrested or imprisoned during that period either in pursuance of the process of any court or otherwise; and

    “(c) no process of any court requiring or compelling the appearance of a person to whom this section applies, shall be applied for or issued:

    “Provided that in ascertaining whether any period of limitation has expired for the purposes of any proceedings against a person to whom this section applies, no account shall be taken of his period of office.

    “(2) The provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to civil proceedings against a person to whom this section applies in his official capacity or to civil or criminal proceedings in which such a person is only a nominal party.

    “(3) This section applies to a person holding the office of President or Vice-President, Governor or Deputy Governor; and the reference in this section to “period of office” is a reference to the period during which the person holding such office is required to perform the functions of the office.”

    Read Also: Insecurity: Senate panel gets seven days to submit report
    But Omo-Agege’s bill provides that a President, Vice-President, Governors and Deputy Governors shall lose their immunity if they are investigated by security and anti-graft agencies, including the courts.

    The bill seeks that: “Section 308 of the Principal Act is altered by (a) Substituting for subsection (2), a new subsection “(2)” –

    “(2) The provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall not apply –

    “(a) to civil proceedings against a person to whom this section applies in his official capacity or to civil or criminal proceedings in which such a person is only a nominal party; and

    “(b) to persons who hold the office of Vice-President, Governor or Deputy Governor, if it is determined either by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, Nigerian Police and State Security Service through a collaborative investigation that the said person is indicted by a court of competent jurisdiction for:

    “(i) Financial misappropriation of funds belonging to the Federal, State or Local Government; or

    “(ii) Sponsoring of thugs to perpetrate violence that cause injury or death of political opponent, a member of his family, agent or personal representative.”

    Also yesterday, a bill which prescribes a degree certificate as a minimum qualification for any one aspiring to the Office of the President also scaled second reading.

    Senator Istifanus sponsored the bill titled: “A Bill for an Act to alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to provide for the amendment of Sections 65 (2) (a), 131 (d), Section 106 (c) and Section 177 (d) therein, to provide for minimum qualification for election into the National and States Assembly, Office of the President and Governors, and other related matters, 2020.”

    The bill seeks to alter Section 131 (d) of the 1999 Constotution which deals with minimum requirements for anyone running for the office of the President.

    Section 131 (d) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) states that the person seeking the office of the President must have “been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.”

    The states: “Section 131 (d) is now rephrased to read: ‘He has been educated up to at least HND level or’ its equivalent.”

    It also seeks to alter Section 65 (2) (a) of the Constitution which deals with the qualifications for intending members of the National Assembly.

  • Senate proposes HND as minimum qualification for president, govs

    Senate, on Thursday, passed for second reading, a constitution amendment bill which prescribes Higher National Diploma or its equivalent as the educational qualification required for anyone seeking to contest the office of the Nigerian President or state governors.

    The bill sponsored by a member of the Peoples Democratic Party from Plateau State, Senator Isfifanus Gyang, also prescribes National Diploma or its equivalent as the minimum qualification for federal and state lawmakers.

    The bill seeks to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to provide for the amendment of Sections 65 (2) (a), and 131 (d).

    It will also amend Section 106 (c) and Section 177 (d) on minimum education qualification for those seeking election into the State Assembly, Governor, National Assembly and office of the President.

    The bill seeks the alteration of section 65 (2) (a) of the Constitution which deals with the qualifications for intending members of the National Assembly

    The current law, which the bill seeks to amend reads, “A person shall be qualified for election under subsection (1) of this section if he has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.”

    Section 65 (2) (a) has now been rephrased to read “if he has been educated to at least a National Diploma level or its equivalent.”

    The bill also seeks the alteration of Section 131 (d) which deals with minimum requirements for anyone running for the office of the governor.

    The current Section of the Constitution states that the person must have “been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent”.

    Section 131 (d) is now rephrased to read, “He has been educated up to at least HND level or’ its equivalent.”

    For House of Assembly, the bill seeks the alteration of section 106 (c) of the Constitution.

    According to the existing law, anyone aspiring to be a member of the House of Assembly must have “been educated up to at least the School Certificate level or its equivalent”.

    But Section 106 (c) is now rephrased to read, “If he has been educated up to National diploma level or its equivalent.”

    The bill seeks the alteration of section 177 (d) of the Constitution for governors.

    As it is currently, the Section states that the person must have “been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent”.

    However, Section 177 (d) is now rephrased to read, “If he has been educated up to at least Higher National Diploma Level or its equivalent.”

    The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, referred the bill to the Committee on Constitution Review after the senators passed the proposed amendment for second reading.

  • FG charges Surveyors Council’s President with abuse of office

    FG charges Surveyors Council’s President with abuse of office

    The Federal Government has filed charges against the President in Council, Surveyors Council of Nigeria (SCN), Joseph Olorunjuwon Agbenla for alleged abuse of office.

    Agbenla, who retired as the Permanent Secretary / Surveyor General, Lagos State, is charged with receiving about N5million as allowances for conferences not attended.

    The four-count charge, marked: CR/1124/2019, now before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Zuba, Abuja was filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).

    Agbenla was to be arraigbed on Tuesday before Justice A. O. Obong, but the exercise was put off owing to his failure to attend court.

    Prosecution lawyer, Evans Peters said he was surprised the defendant was absent in court even when he had been served with the charge and was aware of the day’s proceedings.

    Defence lawyer, O. O. Poroye said Agbela was absent because he was just recuperating from an accident.
    Poroye said his client was advised not to travel because he was still nursing the injury he sustained in the accident.

    The defence lawyer also told the court that his clinet has repaid the morney involved in the case and was working on an out of court settlement.

    Although Peter countered, arguing that the defence lawyer presented to documentary evidence to support his claims as to why the defendant was absent, Justice Obong noted that it was impossible for the court to conduct any business in Agbela’s absence.

    The judge later adjourned until February 10, 2020 for arraignment.
    The charge reads:

    *That you, Survey Joseph Olorunjuwon Agbenla (M) on the 19th December, 2017 or thereabouts, within the e jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, being a public officer with the Surveyors Council of Nigeria, conferred corrupt advantage upon yourself when you received the sum of N2,500,000 paid into your Guarantee Trust Bank account Number 0108278960 through bank transfers from one Ezekiel Okunola on behalf of the Surveyors Council of Nigeria as Duty Tour Allowance and other expenses for a monitoring and evaluation exercise to the South region of Nigeria, but failed to embark on the said tour, but rather claimed to have used the money for other personal purposes, and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

    *That you Surveyor Joseph Olorunjuwon Agbenla (M) on the 19th April, 2018 or thereabouts, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court being a public officer with the Surveyors Council of Nigeria conferred corrupt advantage upon yourself when you received the sum of N2,410,000 through your Guarantee Trust Bank Account 0108278960 through bank transfers from one Ezekiel Okunola on behalf of Surveyors Council of Nigeria to enable you attend the 2018 International Federation of Surveyors conference which held in Turkey, but which you failed to attend rather claimed to have used the money for other personal purposes, and thereby committed an offence contrary to ‘d punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

    *That you Surveyor Joseph Olorunjuwon Agbenla (M) on the 19th December, 2017 or thereabouts within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, being a person entrusted with the sum of N2,500,000 received through your Guarantee Trust Bank account Number 0108278960 through Bank transfers from one Ezekiel Okunota on behalf of the Surveyors Council of Nigeria as Duty Tour Allowance and other expenses for a monitoring and evaluation exercise to the South region of Nigeria dishonestly used the said money for your own personal use in violation of the discharge of the trust of embarking on the said monitoring and evaluation exercise, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 311 of Penal Code Law (Cap 89 Laws of Northern Nigeria 1963) and punishable under Season 312 of the same Law

    *That you, Surveyor Joseph Olorunjuwon Agbenla (M) on 19th April, 2018 or thereabouts within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, being a person entrusted with the sum of N2,410,000 which you received through your Guarantee Trust Bank account Number 0108278960 through bank transfers from one Ezekiel Okunola on behalf of Surveyors Council of Nigeria as expenses to attend the 2018 International Federation of Surveyors conference which held in Turkey, dishonestly used the said money for your own personal use in violation of the discharge of the trust of attending the said conference, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to section 311 of Penal Code Law (Cap 89 Laws of Northern Nigeria 1963) and punishable under Section 312 of the same law.

  • SDGs: UNGA President urges concerted global action against illicit financial flows

    The President of the UN General Assembly, Amb. Tijani Muhammad-Bande, has called for concerted global action against illicit financial flows (IFFs) to actualise the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    Muhammad-Bande made the call in his remarks during the closing session of the 74th UNGA General Debate at the UN Headquarters in New York.

    He said with IFFs robbing the global economy of 2.6 trillion dollars annually, curbing it would save more than enough resources to meet the additional 2.4 trillion dollars required to fund the SDGs.

    “The High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, the first since the adoption of the Addis Ababa Agenda, highlighted the need to mobilise resources to implement the SDGs.

    “To honour our commitments, we need an additional sum of $2.4 trillion.

    “One place to start is by curbing illicit financial flows which siphon 2.6 trillion dollars every year from the global economy,’’ he said.

    Muhammad-Bande also called on UN member states to prioritise good governance to “ensure that corruption does not continue to derail progress and fuel conflict as we approach the year 2030’’.

    The global financial system must meet the needs of all member states and “move them away from unsustainable commitments and high indebtedness,’’ he said.

    Muhammad-Bande made a case for small Island Developing States, which had shown resilience and leadership in hard times.

    “Now, it is up to the world to assist them in every way possible, and to ensure that they participate as equal partners in global economic activities.

    “By helping them we are also helping ourselves and living up to the requirement of our humanity.

    “Fortunately, partnerships underscore all of our actions here at the UN. We will not achieve progress without engaging all stakeholders as equal partners,’’ he said.

    Beyond the High-Level Week, Muhammad-Bande said he looked forward to member states joining forces with the UN to galvanise multilateral efforts towards poverty eradication, quality education, climate action and inclusion.

    According to him, current and emerging challenges confronting the world are beyond the powers of individual nations, hence the joint efforts in the search for solutions.

    “Seventy-four years after the founding of the United Nations we remain connected by the search for solutions to current and emerging challenges which cannot be tackled by one Member State alone.

    “The General Debate demonstrated that we have far more that unites us than that which divides us.

    “Many leaders at the General Debate made reference to similar challenges: conflict; violent extremism; nuclear proliferation; migration; climate change; and persisting inequalities.

    “Member states called for a more representative Security Council and cost-effective Secretariat and General Assembly.

    “We have listened and now we must take heed as we move forward collectively throughout the 74th Session,’’ he said.

    Muhammad-Bande thanked all members of the UN, and the U.S for providing the security that made the event successful.

    “I also salute the dedicated staff of the United Nations, notably, the safety and security personnel, the staff of the Pass Office, the protocol teams, the interpreters, the entire members of staff of the DGACM, and of course, the Office of the President of the General Assembly (OPGA).

    “You have proved that you, the staff members, are the resource that the UN relies upon to accomplish its mission and serve the world,’’ he said.(

  • Tunisia’s parliament speaker sworn in as interim president

    Tunisia’s parliamentary speaker, Mohamed Ennaceur, has been sworn in as the country’s interim president, the official Tunisian news agency TAP reported.
    The appointment of the interim president comes just hours after the death of president Beji Caid Essebsi
    Ennaceur took the oath of office at the assembly in the capital Tunis, the agency said.
    According to the Tunisian constitution, the head of the parliament can temporarily serve as president for a maximum period of 90 days.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that following Ennaceur’s statement on national television, the country’s ministry of interior said that Tunisia’s security situation is stable and that the ministry is carrying out its national duty.

    The country will hold presidential elections ahead of the previously scheduled Nov. 17 date.

  • IMF boss, Christine Lagarde to take new appointment as President of European Central Bank

    The Managing Director of International Monetary Fund (IMF), Ms. Christine Lagarde has temporarily relinquished her job at the fund for a likely appointment as president of European Central Bank.
    Lagarde who confirmed her nomination as president of the European Central Bank on Tuesday in a statement, she said: “I am honored to have been nominated for the Presidency of the European Central Bank. In light of this, and in consultation with the Ethics Committee of the IMF Executive Board, I have decided to temporarily relinquish my responsibilities as Managing Director of the IMF during the nomination period.”
    The European Council officially nominated her for the position. She would succeed by Mario Draghi.
    Ms. Lagarde, who has led the IMF since 2011, will take up the position of head of the European Central Bank as a self-confessed economic outsider who has preferred to emphasise her ability as a listener and tough negotiator for the period she held the fort at the IMF.
    If confirmed, Ms. Lagarde would take over a central bank struggling to jolt economic growth in Europe.

  • Presidential poll: I’m a full blooded Nigerian; fit to be president, Atiku replies Buhari, APC

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has faulted the claim by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that he is not a Nigerian by birth and, therefore, not fit to be President.

    Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the February 23 presidential election, said he is a Nigerian by birth and was born on November 25, 1946 in Jada, Adamawa State by Nigerian parents and he is, therefore, a citizen of Nigeria by birth.

    He said this in a joint reply he filed with his party to the response filed by the APC against their petition before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) sitting at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

    Atiku, who gave details of his early life, also spoke about his working life and political career in Nigeria to support his claim that he is and has always been a Nigerian by birth.

    Atiku and the PDP argued that it was late in the day for the APC to query his qualification for the election, having not done so at the pre-election stage.

    They said: “Contrary to the allegations contained in paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the 3rd respondent’s (APC’s) reply, the petitioners state that the 1st petitioner (Atiku) is a citizen of Nigeria by birth and thus qualified to vote and be voted for and returned in the election to the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, held on Saturday 23rd February, 2019, going by the relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    “The 1st petitioner was born on 25th November, 1946 in Jada, Adamawa State by Nigerian parents and he is therefore a citizen of Nigeria by birth.

    “The 1st petitioner’s father, Garba Atiku Abdulkadir, was a Nigerian by birth who hailed from Wumo in present day Sokoto State while the mother, Aisha Kande was also a Nigerian who hailed from Dutse in present day Jigawa State.

    “The parents of the 1st Petitioner are both Fulani, a community/tribe indigenous to Nigeria.

    “The birth of the 1st petitioner in Jada, in present day Adamawa State of Nigeria was occasioned by the movement of his paternal grandfather called Atiku who was an itinerant trader, from Wumo in present day Sokoto State to Jada in the company of his friend, Ardo Usman.

    “That in Jada, Atiku, the grandfather of the 1st petitioner, gave birth to Garba who in tum gave birth to the 1st Petitioner and named him after his own father Atiku.

    “The 1st petitioner’s mother, Aisha Kande, was the grand-daughter of Inuwa Dutse who came to Jada as an itinerant trader too from Dutse in present day Jigawa State.

    “All averments concerning Germany, British Cameroons, League of Nations and Plebiscite are false and misleading in relation to the 1st Petitioner and therefore completely irrelevant, more so that the 1st Petitioner is a Nigerian by birth within the contemplation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic ofNigeria, 1999 (as amended).

    “The averments in the aforesaid paragraphs are indeed fabricated, contrived, made in bad faith and designed to embarrass the 1st petitioner.”

    The APC had, in its response to the petition by Atiku and the PDP, argued that, by virtue of his not being a Nigerian by birth, Atiku was not qualified to have contested the last presidential election.

    It contended that by Section 131(a) of the Constitution, a person must be a citizen of Nigeria by birth to be qualified to contest for the office of the President of the country. It noted that Atiku was born on November 25, 1946 in Jada, now Adamawa State, then in Northern Cameroon, “and is therefore a citizen of Cameroon.”

    The APC said: ”Atiku had no right to be voted for and returned in the election to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria held on Saturday 23th February, 2019 having regard to the clear provision of Section 131(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFRN) 1999 as amended, which unequivocally stipulates inter alia, that for a person to be qualified for election to the office of President, he must be a citizen of Nigeria by birth.”

    Atiku and the PDP, in their reply, also faulted the APC’s claim that the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) did not transmit the results of the election by electronic means, by using a server.

    They said: “In reaction to paragraph 29 of the 3rd respondent’s reply, the Petitioners aver that the data and scores in the 1st Respondent’s Server were as transmitted by the 1st Respondent’s officials and those scores are valid, and legitimate.

    “The conduct of elections and declaration of results by the 1st respondent is the subject of the present petition.

    “Contrary to paragraphs 31 and 34 of the 3rd respondent’s reply, the petitioners contend that the figures and scores in paragraph 22 of the petition are neither false nor contrived or concocted by the petitioners.

    “Indeed, the ad-hoc staff and officials of the 1st respondent in obedience to the training/instruction by the 1st respondent (INEC) transmitted the scores they got from the polling units to the 1st respondent’s server.

    Atiku and the PDP, in their reply further argued that contrary to contention by the APC, the election tribunal has the jurisdiction to entertain the issues they raised about President Muhammadu Buhari’s educational qualification.

    They said: “The issue of the qualification of the 2nd respondent (Buhari) to contest the presidential election under scrutiny, which is at the epicentre of the Petitioners’ grounds (d) and (e) of paragraph 15 of the Petition, is not only a pre-election matter but also a post-election matter within the relevant provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) as well as the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) and therefore competent and not statute-barred.

    “The issue of non-qualification of the 2nd respondent is fundamental and can therefore not be waived as erroneously alleged by the 3rd respondent.”

    They added that their petition is competent and meritorious and the return of the 2nd respondent (Buhari) by the 1st respondent (INEC), “is undue and wrongful.”

    The petitioners argued that “the 3rd respondent’s reply does not answer the points of substance in the petition but same is full of extraneous facts, contradictory, diversionary, evasive, speculative and vague assertions.”

  • Uganda expresses willingness to offer amnesty to ousted Sudanese president

    Uganda expresses willingness to offer amnesty to ousted Sudanese president

    Uganda is willing to offer asylum to former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir should he apply, a state minister for foreign affairs on Tuesday said.

    Henry Oryem, Uganda’s minister of state for international affairs, told the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs that the ousted leader is a guarantor to the South Sudan peace process.

    “If Bashir applies for asylum here that is something the government of Uganda can consider because Bashir is a guarantor to our peace talks,” said.

    Oryem, while presenting the ministry’s budget requirements for financial year 2019 to 2020 said, Bashir and Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni are the guarantors to the peace deal in the neighbouring South Sudan.

    “We wish and urge that Sudan should remain intact whatever happens, no one should have aspiration or desire for Sudan to break.

    “This is what Uganda is urging, privately and publicly. We don’t under estimate that what happens in Sudan has an effect on Uganda.”

    The minister said the authorities in Kampala were closely monitoring the ongoing events in Khartoum, where street protests have continued after the military removed Bashir from power last week.

    “We are watching Sudan very closely and we classify Sudan as our immediate neighbour.

    “The transition is very volatile and as far as we are concerned we urge the government in Sudan to respect the will of the people,” said Oryem.

    The Sudanese army ousted and detained Bashir on April 11 in response to four months of nationwide protests against his three-decade rule.

  • 82-yr-old Algeria president vows to quit early if re-elected

    82-yr-old Algeria president vows to quit early if re-elected

    Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika pledged Sunday not to serve a full term if re-elected at April polls after huge protests against the bid to extend his 20 years in power.

    The ailing leader, who suffered a stroke in 2013, vowed in a letter read out on state television to organise a “national conference” that would set a date for early polls which he would not contest.

    “I pledge not to be a candidate in that election which will ensure I am succeeded in undeniable conditions of serenity, freedom and transparency,” the letter read.

    “I listened and heard the cry from the hearts of protesters and in particular the thousands of young people who questioned me about the future of our homeland”, it said.

    FIFTH TERM

    Bouteflika’s bid to placate demonstrators came after tens of thousands of Algerians took to the streets against his bid for a fifth term in office in the biggest challenge to the authorities in years.

    Just after the announcement his campaign director formally submitted his candidacy for the April 18 poll ahead of a midnight (2300 GMT) Sunday deadline.

    Following that move a fresh demonstration erupted in central Algiers, and elsewhere in the country, with several hundred young people marching in the streets still opposed to Bouteflika’s candidacy.

    Bouteflika remains in Switzerland where he has been for a week undergoing what the presidency describes as “routine medical tests”, but there was no legal requirement for him to submit his candidacy in person.

    WHEELCHAIR

    The veteran leader uses a wheelchair and has rarely been seen in public since his stroke.

    Hundreds of students staged new demonstrations against the president on Sunday in Algiers and other cities, two days after the tens of thousands of protesters thronged the country.

    Chanting “Bouteflika go away”, the students rallied near the main city centre campus of the University of Algiers, which was cordoned off by police, AFP journalists said, while others demonstrated at other campuses.

    Police fired water cannon to prevent protesters from reaching the Constitutional Council, where presidential bids were formally lodged, security sources said.

    PROTEST RALLIES

    Rallies inside and outside campuses in the northeastern city of Annaba also drew hundreds chanting anti-Bouteflika slogans, a local journalist said on condition of anonymity.

    The TSA news website reported other protests in Algeria’s second and third cities, Oran and Constantine.

    Bouteflika’s announcement in February that he would seek another five-year term despite his failing health has unleashed pent-up frustrations in the North African country.

    The presidency has not detailed when he will return from the Geneva hospital.

    On Saturday, Bouteflika sacked his campaign manager Abdelmalek Sellal, a former premier who successfully oversaw the president’s past three re-election bids, state media said, without giving a reason.

    Sellal was replaced by Transport Minister Abdelghani Zaalane.

    OTHER CANDIDATES

    Alongside Bouteflika, several other candidates have registered, including prominent retired general Ali Ghediri, who was the first to announce he would run and has promised change.

    A Sunday editorial in El-Moudjahid newspaper, a government mouthpiece, said protesters would be “disappointed” in their campaign to force Bouteflika to pull out of the April election.

    On Friday, clashes erupted between police and protesters in Algiers as tens of thousands of people took to the streets.

    Riot police used tear gas and batons to keep some protesters from marching on the Government Palace which houses the prime minister’s office.

    According to a police toll, 56 police officers and seven demonstrators were hurt and 45 alleged stone-throwers were arrested in Algiers.

    ENDED CIVIL WAR

    Bouteflika has been in power since 1999, initially gaining respect from many for his role in ending a civil war that officials say killed nearly 200,000 people.

    Authorities have warned that the protests risk dragging Algeria into instability, comparing the rallies to those that sparked Syria’s ongoing war.

    Protesters have been mobilised by calls on social media, as many young Algerians struggle to find jobs in a country where half the population is under 30.

    In France, Algeria’s former colonial power, several thousand people on Sunday joined anti-Bouteflika rallies in Paris, Marseilles and other cities.

    “Out out,” shouted crowds in the Place de la Republique, central Paris, where protesters waved placards and some wrapped themselves in Algerian flags.

  • Why Atiku can never be Nigeria’s president – Oshiomhole

    The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on Thursday said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was destined never to be President.

    He also said the APC was prepared to meet the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in court.

    Addressing a news conference on the outcome of the Presidential and National Assembly elections and the decision of the PDP candidate to reject the results, Oshiomhole said Atiku was desperate to be President of Nigeria and has been jumping from one party to the other to actualise his ambition.

    He said it smacks of arrogance for the former Vice President to believe that the destiny of Nigerians is tied to his being President.

    He stressed that Atiku and the PDP were never committed to the peace accord, accusing them of only being interested in being winners.

    According to him: “I think it is arrogance for Atiku to think that our future is tied to his Presidency. Atiku is destined never to be President of Nigeria and I ask you to review his character. Leadership is about character.

    “Atiku’s desperation is so obvious. He is so desperate that in 2003, he challenged his own boss, Obasanjo. He decamped to join ACN and we offered him the ticket and he lost the election and returned to PDP.

    “He contested again and lost the nomination and because he has only his interest at heart, he decamped again from PDP.

    “He joined us in Lagos and rolled out the dollars but we voted for Buhari as our candidate. He knew that he cannot defeat Buhari in the primary and went back to the PDP.

    “Do you think that such a political rolling stone, does he think that Nigerians are so insincere as to think that a man who is not stable and whose interest is about himself will be a possible candidate to be elected?

    “What makes him have that sense of entitlement that he must be President of Nigeria? You cannot deny anyone the right to dispute the outcome of an election however free and fair.

    “So, we hope and we are looking forward to meeting Atiku Abubakar in court. We might also choose to also cross petition because there were many areas we can dispute.

    “In Adamawa state, he had already lost the election before he did some magic that gave him that narrow victory in Adamawa state.”

    Oshiomhole said the turnout of voters in the north east especially in Borno state was a reflection of the substantial peace that has returned to the area.

    He argued if the former Vice President does not know about the peace in the area, it could be because he does not go home regularly.