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He became the second Nigerian leader to die of natural causes while in office, as the late dictator, Gen. Sani Abacha, who died on June 8, 1998. Other Nigerian leaders who had died in office were Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa Maj.-Gen. Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi and Gen. Murtala Muhammed. They were killed during attempts to overthrow their governments in 1966 and 1976 respectively.

Presidential Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, told The Associated Press that Yar’Adua died at 9pm on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, with his wife, Turai, at his side. Adeniyi, whose voice cracked with emotion as he spoke did not give a cause of death.

By virtue of Section 146 of the 1999 Constitution, Acting President Goodluck Jonathan automatically becomes the President. It reads, ”The Vice-President shall hold the office of President if the office of President becomes vacant by reason of death or resignation, impeachment, permanent incapacity or the removal of the President from office for any other reason in accordance with section 143 of this Constitution.”

THE PUNCH learnt that news of Yar‘Adua‘s death first filtered out shortly after he breathed his last when some presidential aides briefed Jonathan and the National Security Adviser, Lt.-Gen. Aliyu Gusau (retd.), about his death.

The Federal Governmment immediately declared today as a public holiday. It also declared seven days of mourning, during which flags will fly at half-mast.

Yar’Adua spent much of his time as the governor of Katsina State (1999-2007) battling a kidney-related ailment. But his supporters he claimed had recovered sufficiently to contest the 2007 presidential election, after he got a kidney transplant.

At a point during his tenure as governor, Yar‘Adua spent six months at a stretch in a German hospital. But not long after he won the presidential election and was inaugurated, his health failed and he had to be flown abroad on a few occasions for treatment.

Although the exact nature of Yar‘Adua‘s frequent illness was never truly known, as his medical trips abroad were always shrouded in secrecy, the Presidency gave an indication of the nature of the sickness after he was flown to Saudi Arabia on November 23, 2009 for medical treatment.

His personal physician, Dr. Salisu Banye, told newsmen on November 26 that Yar‘Adua was being treated for acute pericarditis, an inflamation of the membrane surrounding the heart.

However, Saharareporters, an online medium, had, in a series of reports, insisted that the President suffered from the terminal Churg Strauss syndrome.

Last November, he was admitted to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he spent 93 days before being flown back to Nigeria under the cover of darkness.

After his return on February 23, he was kept incommunicado at the Presidential Villa and was shielded from his deputy. In fact, in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation last month, Jonathan said the President‘s family was shielding Yar‘Adua from him.

He said he had only been able to meet with the President‘s wife while attempts to see Yar‘Adua and assess his condition were rebuffed.

Due to the uncertainty that surrounded Yar‘Adua‘s medical condition, the National Assembly on February 9, 2010 passed a resolution declaring Jonathan as the Acting President.

The news of the President‘s death immediately spread like wildfire across the country, with many Nigerians expressing shock and grief at the 58-year-old President‘s demise. Also, various cable channels across the world broadcast news breaks of Yar’Adua’s death intermittently.

Reactions started pouring in within a few hours of his death. Kwara State governor Bukola Saraki, who is also the chairman of Nigerian Governors’ Forum, said, “As a Muslim, the first reaction is that everyone will pay the ultimate price and death will come when it will come. The passing on of the President at this point in time in our national history is not only tragic but devastating. It‘s indeed a colossal loss to the nation and Africa.”

Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, in his tribute, wrote, “What passes for the Nigerian nation is nothing more than a tragic arena, and Yar‘Adua is only the latest tragic figure. The vampires, including those within his own family, turned him into a mere inert resource for their diabolical schemes.

“They have a reckoning with their conscience, assuming they know what the word means. One can only hope that, while mouthing sanctimonious platitudes such as ‘Power belongs to God,’ they have now learnt that the politics of Do-or-Die cannot guarantee who does and who dies. They must stop playing God. I pray for the repose of the soul of their latest, much abused innocent victim. Wole Soyinka.”

In his reaction, Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko described the President‘s transition as a sad loss to the nation. Mimiko, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Kolawole Olabisi, described the late President as an apostle of democracy, who maintained a firm belief in the Rule of Law and fairplay.

In his reaction, Kogi State Governor Ibrahim Idris said in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Richard Elesho, “We would like to keep our fingers crossed, taking into cognisance that the power of life and death are the in the hands of God. We have to accept it as the will of God. We condole with the family and pray God grants them the fortitude to bear the loss. The man suffered for so long. It’s indeed a big loss.”

For more than nine hours yesterday, the former minister of the federal capital territory, Nasir El-Rufai was quizzed by detectives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission who had declared him wanted for allegedly misappropriating N32 billion.

Dressed in white caftan and a red cap, Mr El-Rufai arrived the commission’s Abuja office at about 10am accompanied by his lawyer and family members. He was only allowed to go home a little after 7pm, although it was not immediately clear whether he would be required to go back for more interrogation today.

The former minister arrived the country over the weekend after more than one year in exile and the EFCC directed him to visit their office on Tuesday to account for his tenure.

On his arrival, EFCC spokesperson, Femi Babafemi told reporters that el-Rufai will be questioned over the missing funds which dates back to his time as minister of the federal capital territory.

Mr el-Rufai was only seen to come out of the EFCC offices about three times to observe his prayers at 2, 4, and 7pm.

Though he declined to talk to journalists, el-Rufai’s lawyer, Abdulhakeem Mustapha told reporters who had gathered at the EFCC headquarters since early morning, that his client had submitted written statements to the EFCC...

Efforts to make the former minister address the press as he had earlier promised failed and he just entered an SUV which drove furiously away. In the process, a number of journalists crowding around the car were pushed down.

When asked if Mr el-Rufai was gagged by the EFCC, Mr Mustapha said “only he can answer that question.” Mr Babafemi also declined to confirm if the EFCC has placed a gag order on the former minister. He equally denied reports that the charges against Mr el-Rufai had been reduced, saying there was nothing of such.

Asked to speak on the journalists who were almost run down, an aide to Mr el-Rufai said the vehicle was actually driven by an EFCC operative and that his boss will not like to comment on it.

NEXT learnt that Mr el-Rufai was given an administrative bail, though neither Mr Mustapha nor Mr Babafemi would say when he is expected back.

Cecilia Ibru, former managing director of Oceaninc Bank, was also at the EFFC office today for a routine appearance which was part of her bail conditions. Mrs Ibru, who came in a black Lexus Jeep, almost fell as her aides tried to shield her from journalists during the five minutes visit. She refused to answer questions thrown at her, until a reporter asked if she knew the whereabouts, or had contacted her former nanny, Nanashetu Abdullahi. She gave a bemused smile and hurriedly entered her car.

Eco Bank Nigeria Plc on Tuesday released its audited results for the year end 31 December, 2009 revealing a loss before tax of N5.944 billion and a loss after tax of N4.588 billion, disclosed Jibril Aku, its managing director yesterday at a press conference.

Mr. Aku said the bank had faced challenges just like every other bank in the industry following the banking industry crisis and the required provisioning for non performing loans.

“A major reason for the results is from the Fees and Commission section (which consists of trade transactions, payment turnover, compensation) which rose to N17 billion, from N10 billion the previous year and the provisioning we had to do.” The bank had an increase in its turnover to N59, 864.0 billion from N55.156.0 billion in its financial year end, 31 December, 2008. Fixed assets also rose to N21.382 billion from N18.818 billion in December 2008. Cash and other balances however fell to N9.524 billion from N18.768 billion in December 2008. Other credit balances fell to N38, 297 billion from N89.966 billion in December 2008 but the banks working capital increased by about 400 per cent from N33.416 billio in December 2008 to N172.442 billion in December 2009.

Mr. Aku said the bank did not really suffer any imbalance arising from the common year end as it has usually closed its books in December, yearly.

Moving forward

The managing director said the bank has experienced a few changes in the last one year, including the takeover of a new managing director, the introduction of three executive directors from other countries to shore up its Nigerian base and meet the present challenges.

“There were also changes in the local board like the board chairman and so on and some other people have also joined the board.

“We have slightly amended our businesses, following the happenings in the industry. Our services are now divided into two, corporate banking and domestic banking. The credit process is stronger now. There are now more portfolio reviewers, stress testing have improved, it’s a whole new remake now of the credit process to tighten it”.

“We want to promote the strength that we have. We hope that we see very strong trade links in Africa very soon. Our companies in about 30 African countries and alliances with NED Bank in South Africa and a representing company in Dubai and Eco Bank France are positioning us to be able to bridge financial businesses within and outside Africa.

Mr. Aku became the bank’s helmsman in March this year taking over from Offong Ambah who was elevated to Group Executive Director, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated in charge of Ecobank Capital.

Prior to this appointment, Mr. Aku was the Executive Director in charge of Treasury & Financial Institutions.

Mr. Shahzad was arrested just before midnight Monday aboard an Emirates flight. He was charged in a

five-count complaint with crimes including conspiring to use weapons of mass destruction in what Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. called a “terrorist plot aimed at murdering Americans.” Speaking at a
news conference in Washington, Mr. Holder said Mr. Shahzad had been
talking to investigators and had provided “useful information.”
Officials had previously said that Mr. Shahzad had implicated himself
in statements after he was pulled off the plane. At the same time, President Obama said federal investigators were looking into whether Mr. Shahzad had any ties to terrorist organizations.

Mr. Shahzad, 30, a naturalized United States citizen from Pakistan, had apparently driven to the airport in a white Isuzu Trooper that was
found in a parking lot with a Kel-Tech 9-millimeter pistol, with a
folding stock and a rifle barrel, along with several spare magazines of
ammunition, an official said. He told the authorities that he had acted
alone, but hours after he was arrested, security officials in Pakistan
said they had arrested seven or eight people in connection with the
bombing attempt.

Pakistani officials identified one of the detainees as Tauhid Ahmed and said he had been in touch with Mr. Shahzad through e-mail, and had met
him either in the United States or in the Pakistani port city of
Karachi.

Another man arrested, Muhammad Rehan, had spent time with Mr. Shahzad during a recent visit there, Pakistani officials said. Mr. Rehan was
arrested in Karachi just after morning prayers at a mosque known for
its links with the militant group Jaish-e-Muhammad.

Investigators said Mr. Rehan told them that he had rented a pickup truck and driven with Mr. Shahzad to the northwestern city of Peshawar,
where they stayed from July 7 to July 22, 2009. The account could not
be independently verified. Mr. Shahzad, who lives in Bridgeport, Conn.,
spent four months in Pakistan last year, the authorities said..

The criminal complaint charging Mr. Shahzad says that after his arrest he admitted attempting to detonate the bomb in Times Square and told
investigators that he recently received bomb-making training in
Waziristan.

The complaint says that about an hour after the prepaid phone received the calls from the Pakistan number, he called the seller twice and
later bought the Pathfinder.

The complaint also describes how investigators were able to get the Pathfinder’s vehicle identification number – pulling it from S.U.V.’s
engine block -- even though it had been stripped from the dashboard
before the S.U.V. was left in Times Square. Investigators were then
able to track down the registered owner, who had passed the vehicle on
to another person, who in turn had sold it to Mr. Shahzad.

Mr. Shahzad seemed more interested in the vehicle’s cargo compartment and seating area than its engine, even though the seller warned him
that it had mechanical problems, according to the complaint, which said
he never lifted the hood to look at the engine.

And he did not take the car for a test drive the first time he examined it, although he did so the second time, on April 24, before he bought
it for the agreed on price of $1,300, paid in 13 $100 bills in a
Bridgeport shopping center parking lot.

At that point, according to the complaint, when the seller sought to complete a bill of sale, Mr. Shahzad told the seller there was no need,
explaining that he had his own license plate, which he displayed to the
seller, who then gave him the keys and he drove the car away.

The complaint also indicates that the Pathfinders’ windows were not tinted when it was sold, but that it had tinted windows when it was
parked in Times Square with the backseat and cargo compartment packed
with gasoline, propane, fertilizer and fireworks.

May 3 (Bloomberg) -- Investor Marc Faber said China’s economy will slow and possibly “crash” within a year as declines in stock and commodity prices signal the nation’s property bubble is set to burst.

The Shanghai Composite Index has failed to regain its 2009 high while industrial commodities and shares of Australian resource exporters are acting “heavy,” Faber said. The opening of the World Expo in Shanghai last week is “not a particularly good omen,” he said, citing a property bust and depression that followed the 1873 World Exhibition in Vienna.

“The market is telling you that something is not quite right,” Faber, the publisher of the Gloom, Boom & Doom report, said in a Bloomberg Television interview in Hong Kong today. “The Chinese economy is going to slow down regardless. It is more likely that we will even have a crash sometime in the next nine to 12 months.”..

An index tracking Chinese stocks traded in Hong Kong dropped 1.8 percent today, the most in two weeks, after the central bank raised reserve requirements for the third time this year. The Shanghai Composite has slumped 12 percent this year, Asia’s worst performer, as policy makers seek to rein in a lending boom that’s spurred record gains in property prices. China’s markets are shut for a holiday today.

Copper touched a seven-week low and BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s biggest mining company, fell the most since February on concern spending in the world’s third-largest economy will slow and after Australia boosted taxes on commodities producers. Rio Tinto Ltd., the third-largest, slid as much as 6 percent.

Chanos, Rogoff

Faber joins hedge fund manager Jim Chanos and Harvard University’s Kenneth Rogoff in warning of a crash in China.

China is “on a treadmill to hell” because it’s hooked on property development for driving growth, Chanos said in an interview last month. As much as 60 percent of the country’s gross domestic product relies on construction, he said. Rogoff said in February a debt-fueled bubble in China may trigger a regional recession within a decade.

The government has banned loans for third homes and raised mortgage rates and down-payment requirements for second-home purchases. Prices rose 11.7 percent across 70 cities in March from a year earlier, the most since data began in 2005.

The government has stopped short of raising interest rates to contain property prices. Within an hour of the central bank announcement on reserve ratios, Finance Minister Xie Xuren said that officials remained committed to expansionary policies to cement the nation’s recovery.

Stocks ‘Fully Priced’

The nation’s economy grew 11.9 percent in the first quarter, the fastest pace in almost three years. The government projects gross domestic product growth for the year of about 8 percent.

The clampdown on property speculation may prompt investors to turn to the nation’s stock market, Faber said. Still, shares are “fully priced” and Chinese investors may instead become “big buyers” of gold, he said.

BlackRock Inc. is among money managers reducing their holdings on Chinese stocks on expectations that economic growth has peaked. The BlackRock Emerging Markets Fund has widened its “underweight” position for China versus the MSCI Emerging Markets Index to about 7.5 percent from 4.6 percent at the end of March, the fund’s London-based co-manager Dan Tubbs said.

Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd., China Construction Bank Corp. and Bank of China Ltd, the nation’s three largest banks, are trading near their lowest valuations on record as rising profits are eclipsed by concern bad loans will increase.

Local Governments

Citigroup Inc. warned in March that in a “worst case scenario,” the non-performing loans of local-government investment vehicles, used to channel money to stimulus projects, could swell to 2.4 trillion yuan by 2011.

Housing prices nationwide may fall as much as 20 percent in the second half of the year on government measures to curb speculation, BNP Paribas said April 23. Under a stress test conducted by the Shanghai branch of the China Banking Regulatory Commission in February, local banks’ ratio of delinquent mortgages would triple should home prices in the country’s commercial center decline 10 percent.

Shanghai is projecting as many as 70 million visitors to the $44 billion World Expo, more than 10 times the number who traveled to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. More than 433,000 people visited the 5.3 square-kilometer (3.3 square-mile) park on its first weekend.

Quite Strange that Al Qaeda is losing its touch as two failed attacks on American Soil have occurred .

A man has been arrested in connection with Saturday's attempted car bombing in New York's Times Square.

The suspect is Faisal Shahzad, a 30-year-old U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent. The Connecticut native was captured at JFK International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Dubai. According to a colleague, CNN's Deb Feyerick "reports the suspect was taken off the plane when he was arrested."

Statement from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder:

This investigation is ongoing, as are our attempts to gather useful intelligence, and we continue to pursue a number of leads. But it's clear that the intent behind this terrorist act was to kill Americans..

FBI agents are working with their state and local counterparts in New York, Connecticut and other jurisdictions to gather evidence and intelligence related to this case. We are also coordinating with other members of the President's national security team to ensure we use every resource available to the United States to bring anyone responsible to justice.

We continue to gather leads in this investigation, and it's important that the American people remain vigilant. The vehicle in Times Square was first noticed on Saturday by a citizen who reported it to authorities, and, as always, any American who notices suspicious activity should report it to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

This investigation is ongoing, it is multi-faceted, and it is aggressive. As we move forward, we will focus on not just holding those responsible for it accountable, but also on obtaining any intelligence about terrorist organizations overseas.

Because of the fast-moving nature of this investigation, I am not able to make any further information public at this time. But the American people should know that we are deploying every resource available, and we will not rest until we have brought everyone responsible to justice.

Written by Kola Oyelere
Saturday, May 1, 2010

When news of the delivery of a new grand-child got to Madam Keziah Umeh, she must have been beside herself with joy...

This news, coupled with the fact that she had not seen the new mum in a while, informed her decision to pay her daughter a visit. She packed her personal effects and a few local food items not readily available in Kano, where the new mum resides. Little did she know that she was embarking on a journey of no return.

Several days after she left, two young men paid a visit to the home of Innocent Chukwu Umeh at Egbe road in Sabongari on the pretext of rejoicing with them over the birth of their new baby.

They came in a Golf car and one of them went to the door and knocked. Initially, Mrs Ifenyinwa Okafor, one of Madam Umeh's daughters, was reluctant to open the door for the strange visitor.

According to her, "the young man came knocking at the door, at the initial stage, I didn't want to open the door for him, however, when he kept on knocking, I decided to open the door.

"I came down and asked him who he was looking for and he told me 'Mama', he was speaking the Igbo dialect of Anambra; he was stammering, holding a bottle of wine inside a nylon. I asked him who he was and he told me that he knew all of us; he even mentioned names of other members of the family. That was when I became convinced and I opened the door for him," the woman said.

The strange man told Mrs. Okafor that he wanted to see 'Mama' to seek her help in preparing for his wedding. During the course of their discussion, she realised that some of the issues the young man was talking about was better addressed by Madam Umeh, so she directed him to where she was.

"After informing him of her whereabouts, he assured me that he knew the place and he went on his way. I even congratulated him on his upcoming wedding; he smile and went away," the woman told Saturday Tribune.

She further said, "Immediately he left, I went to the corridor to peep, but I did not see him again. I climbed the stairs and tried to look for him and that was when I saw one Golf car parked very close to a church, I did not pay much attention to it, thinking that the car broke down and the owner was looking for somebody to assist him.

"Suddenly, the car just came alive and drove off at top speed. It never crossed my mind that it was the car the young man came in. I went back to my task of preparing my mother's dinner. That was around 5.00 p.m.,' she said.

Shortly after that, Mrs. Okafor's husband called to say he was going to see his in-law who had called for him. He told his wife that he would give her the details of the visit upon his return. He later informed her that those same young men went to her sister's place, pretending to have come to rejoice with them on the birth of the baby.

Okafor immediately left for her sister's place and there, she was told how the young men came to the house and after being entertained, left only to return later, saying they had forgotten their car keys. When they were let into the house, they were brandishing a gun.

"The men said they had been sent to eliminate all of them, and that was when my sister broke down in tears and started begging them to take all the money she had on her. Meanwhile, they had instructed my mother to lie down and they had tied the houseboy's hands and legs.

"Later, they covered my sister's mouth, tied her hands and legs and told my mum to go with them. As she stood up to follow them, she was staggering.

"She was taken out and we did not hear anything about her until evening, some minutes after 8.00 p.m. that same Monday. They called to tell us they wanted N35 million."

By this time the family had contacted all other relations and they started negotiating with the kidnappers. The family told the kidnappers that they could only afford N5 million. The payment modalities of N2 million now and the balance later were agreed upon.

The kidnappers directed Mrs. Okafor's sister to bring the money to an agreed location and warned them against telling anyone about the incident. The entire family was threatened that they would be placing their lives at risk if they involved a third party. They seemed to get the message loud and clear, a fact that prevented them from reporting the incident to the police or involving them in the negitiations.

Meanwhile, Madam Umeh had not been enjoying the best health as she was said to be diabetic and had suffered a partial stroke. In a bid to get out of the kidnappers' clutches early, she was said to have offered an additional N150,000.

After the money had been handed over to the kidnappers, they called to say that the old woman would be released the next morning.

They called again sometime later, telling them to come and pick the woman at a private hospital along Hadejia road. On getting to the hospital, the family discovered the woman had died.

The Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), SP Baba Mohammed Azare, while speaking on the matter, said the affected family did not inform the police while negotiating with the alleged kidnappers.

"They were said to have been playing along with them, which didn't allow the police to intervene. Had they informed the police, it would have been easy to arrest them while the negotiation was going on, but they were doing everything on their own without alerting any security operative over the matter," he said.

Confusion in Yar'Adua's camp *Turai, cabal members disagree over planned resignation, overseas medical trip

CONFUSION is said to be reigning in the camp of ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua, following disagreements over the next step to take on the ailing leader.

Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune indicated that members of the cabal around the ailing leader have now abandoned the First Lady, Hajia Turai, in view of what was described as her intransigence in finding the way forward.

It was gathered that while some Northern leaders had recently joined the search for a practical solution to the Yar'Adua situation, as they were said to have reached out to the first lady and other members of the cabal, it was learnt that the first lady got many of the interested parties angry with her insistence that her husband should be allowed to remain in the villa..

A source said that the Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, appeared to have consigned the Yar'Adua issue to history after his decision to approve fresh funds for treatment of the ailing president was turned down by Turai.

A source said that the first lady viewed the release of the funds with suspicion, as some members of her own inner cabinet were said to have expressed fears that removing Yar'Adua from the Villa could empower the National Assembly and the Executive Council of the Federation to declare him an invalid and permanently incapacitated.

While some members of the cabal were said to have agreed with Turai that allowing Yar'Adua to embark on another medical trip abroad could mean the end of his presidency, they, however, disagreed over his continued stay in the villa.

A source close to the administration informed that other top members of the cabal had now abandoned Turai, following her refusal to adhere to the suggestions by some northern leaders who had proposed a "soft landing" for the ailing president.

A source confirmed that some northern leaders had reached out to the acting president and other influential Nigerians and had come up with the solution that they believed would please all parties.

Their suggestion was to the effect that Yar'Adua should not be disgraced out of office but should be allowed to resign and leave the villa honourably, said a source at the weekend.

It was, however, gathered that Turai was afraid that things would no longer remain in her control if she moved her husband to Katsina.

It was learnt that Yar'Adua's most trusted friend, Alhaji Dahiru Mangal, was one of those displeased with Turai's decision and had subsequently decided to stay away for now.

Sources confirmed that the first lady had expressed the confidence that her husband could suddenly regained consciousness and that she remained hopeful that Jonathan would not move against him.

"She has seen that Jonathan is well disposed to her husband and is not orchestrating his removal and she wants to latch onto that and remain in the villa for as long as possible. She even believes that she could end the tenure in the villa with her husband, but interests in the North are already seeing this as harmful to the politics of the zone," a source stated on Sunday.

The campaign for the former military dictator has resumed with Oshiomole of Edo and Now Former Biafran Warlord Ojukwu extending their arms over his ambition for a second crack at the Top Job.

Ojukwu pledges support of Igbos for IBB

Monday, May 3, 2010

The Ikemba of Nnewi gave this pledge when a group of IBB campaigners under the aegis of Campaign Network for IBB 2011, South East Zone, paid him a courtesy visit at the weekend..

“Tell your principal that Igbos are for him. He has my support and by extension he has the support of the whole Igbo people both at home and in the Diaspora. He is my friend and I am stoutly behind him,” Ojukwu said.

He used the occasion to rechristen Babangida as Okechukwu. “He is now Ibrahim Badamasi Okechukwu Babangida. That is his new name. I wish him success.” Earlier, the leader of the group, Chief Tony Emeka Ani, said the group had come to solicit the support of Ojukwu for the presidential aspiration of IBB, adding that the group had just been inaugurated in the South East.

On the entourage of Ani was Mr. Yemi George, leader of the group in Europe, who came down from Germany to grace the occasion.

'N2.8bn withdrawn from INEC's account in two days'

The sources, who are privy to happenings in the accounts department of the commission, told our correspondent in Abuja on Sunday that the withdrawal made the electoral body's most senior officer, Mr. Philip Umeadi, to freeze the accounts on Friday.

It was learnt that cheques for the sum were backdated to cover payments for contracts and other projects by the commission.

Our sources, however, did not say who gave the directive for the issuance of the cheques and who signed them.

The former Chairman, Prof. Maurice Iwu, who was directed to proceed on pre-disengagement leave by Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, is yet to hand over to Umeadi..

One of the sources said, "The amount of money withdrawn from the commission's account in the last few days is unprecedented in the history of the commission.

"This is so because this is not an election year and we are not involved in any major contract. But now, we are almost broke due to the massive withdrawal of money."

THE PUNCH gathered that Iwu, due to complete his tenure in June, lobbied to be retained for a second tenure of five years.

The professor of Pharmacology was said to have told his close friends in the commission that since he was just going on terminal leave, he would still be accessible till June 13.

However, our correspondent gathered that there were moves by Iwu to lobby some Peoples Democratic Party governors to convince Jonathan to allow him hand over to Prince Adedeji Soyebi, a national commissioner in charge of Logistics.

Investigations on Sunday showed that while Umeadi became a national commissioner in August 2006 and is due to complete his first tenure in August 2011, Soyebi on the other hand was appointed a national commissioner in September 2007.

Before then, Soyebi was a resident commissioner in the commission and was elevated to the position of national commissioner when Mrs. Kemi Odebiyi died.

When contacted on Sunday on the alleged withdrawal of N2.8bn from INEC's account, the Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Umenger, politely declined comments.

Umenger had in a statement on Friday said that with Umeadi's assumption of office, the alleged vacuum in INEC's leadership had become a non-issue.

"This development should naturally put an end to insinuations from some segment of the media that there is a vacuum in the leadership of INEC at the moment," Umenger said in statement.

Cases of financial abuses involving INEC staff are pending in court, including a corruption charge against Iwu's Chief Press Secretary , Mr. Andy Ezeani.

Ezeani is facing a two-count charge of corruption at an FCT High Court, Abuja.

In the suit filed on behalf of the Federal Government by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ezeani, a deputy director with the commission, was accused of criminal misappropriation and dishonesty.

He was alleged to have fraudulently deducted N5. 9m from the N7.7m donated to the Abuja chapter of the Nigerian Union of Journalists by the commission.

Besides, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties had last year petitioned the EFCC over an alleged N28.8bn fraud in INEC.

The coalition, in the petition, said the fraud was committed in transactions relating to the printing of ballot papers, buying of communicating gadgets, among others.

A former governor of Kaduna State and CNPP chairman, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, signed the petition.

Others signatories were Chief A. Nwodo of Progressive Action Congress; Mr. Mani Ibrahim of African Democratic Congress; Mallam Yunusa Tako of National Conscience Party; Mr. Milson Ezegwu; and Mr. Osita Okechukwu.

Detailing the allegations, the CNPP said that the commission on January 4, 2007 awarded a contract for the printing of ballot papers for the last presidential, national assembly, and governorship election to the Minting Company, Abuja at the sum of N6,580, 200,000.00.

It said that while INEC paid 80 per cent of the sum, the company failed to abide by the contractual agreement, which required it to deliver the materials within 10 weeks from the date the contract was awarded.

It explained that since the minting company had no facility to execute the contract, the INEC re-awarded the contract to some British and South Africa firms to print the same set of paper "at a much high cost."

The CNPP, in the petition said, "To our consternation, not only did the contractors default in execution of the project, indeed none was utilised for the conduct of the elections and up till date no refund of the said sum has been made to the coffers of the Federal Government of Nigeria."

On Radio equipment, the conference alleged that while a contract of N222m was awarded by INEC for the activation of existing VHF radios in the states to a favoured contractor, 'the contractor defaulted as the radios were not activated up till now. "The said sum of N222m has not been refunded," CNPP alleged.

On voters' registration, it was alleged that a contract was awarded for a supply of 33,000 units of Direct Data Capture machine at a cost of N4.95bn.

The conference further alleged that the while the term of contract was breached, the company also did not supply the actual number that it was asked to.

It said, "This led INEC to fraudulently change to laptops, commercial fingerprints and cameras and the N4.95bn unaccounted for."

President Barack Obama of the United States(U.S) has been asked to list Nigeria as a "Country of Particular Concern (CPC) because of the incessant religiouse crises, abuses and violence, especially in the Northern part of the country. A Statutory Independent Panel, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) se up by the government to advise the country's President on Religious Freedom worldwide, said Nigeria has a "10-year terrible record" of religious crises and violence since 1999.