Global Spotlight is Firmly Fixed on Nigerian Elections - Op-Ed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and U.K. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. Press release March 21, 2015.

Nigeria’s more than 70 million voters will soon go to the polls to choose their country’s leader for the next four years. Whether the victor is incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan or opposition challenger General Muhammadu Buhari is entirely for Nigerians to decide. Around the globe, Nigeria’s friends will be united in hoping that the vote will be peaceful, transparent, and fair and that—win or lose—all sides will respect the outcome. There are good reasons why the international spotlight is firmly fixed on Nigeria during this critical period and why we have come together to support an open and credible electoral process. Nigeria is Africa’s largest democracy and what happens there will have an impact well beyond its borders. A successful election, free from violence and with wide participation, accurate vote counting, and responsible leadership from the candidates would inspire the region and spur future progress and prosperity. It would also be a historic show of support by Nigerians for democratic values and an equally firm rejection of the brutal terrorist group, Boko Haram, and others who advocate or perpetrate violence. As friends and democratic partners of Nigeria, we urge that the voting for president and parliament go forward as scheduled on March 28; there should be no further delay of this crucial vote. We are heartened by the fact that Nigerians from across the political spectrum appear to recognize the necessity of inaugurating a new president by the constitutionally mandated deadline of May 29. Obviously, we share Nigerians’ concerns about violence, both related to elections and more generally. In 2011, more than 800 people died in post-election clashes, and a recent survey shows that half of Nigerians are concerned about political intimidation this time around.  The good news is that President Jonathan and General Buhari have repeatedly and publicly stressed their commitment to nonviolence before, during, and after Election Day. Both candidates have affirmed their intent to act solely through legal channels in pursuing any concerns that might arise regarding the fairness of the vote. It is imperative that they—and their backers—live up to this pledge. Elections should be decided at the ballot box and, if necessary, in the courts; not through efforts to coerce others. Respect for the constitutional process and the independence of Nigeria’s Independent National Election Commission, INEC, is the right approach, and the only one that offers a sustainable way to address Nigeria’s many challenges. The countries we represent, the United States and the United Kingdom, strongly support the pledges articulated by the Nigerian candidates. The elections must be decided in accordance with the rule of law. It follows that any person who incites violence at any stage in the electoral process, or who seeks power through unconstitutional means, should be held accountable and should understand that the consequences will be severe, both domestically and internationally. After an election, it is natural to focus attention on the winner, but in any democracy, the unsuccessful candidates also have critical roles to play. No one expects any political leader to retreat from firmly-held policy positions or beliefs, but a losing candidate owes it to his or her country to acknowledge defeat as soon as the popular verdict is clear, to urge supporters to accept the outcome, and to advocate unity in the face of national threats. That is the kind of leadership Nigeria needs. A free, fair, and peaceful presidential election does not guarantee a successful democracy, but it is nevertheless an essential ingredient—especially now in Nigeria. This is a country rich in resources and blessed by a creative and dynamic population. Its leaders can be extremely effective as evidenced by their swift action to prevent Ebola from establishing a foothold in their nation—thus saving thousands of lives. Overall economic growth rates are healthy and parts of the country are doing well. And yet, Nigeria has been held back by local tensions, a wide disparity between rich and poor, the lack of an adequate safety net for the disadvantaged, shortages of electricity, a rigid bureaucracy, and widespread corruption. These challenges have made the country vulnerable to internal conflict including the kidnappings, murders, and other atrocities perpetrated by Boko Haram. Nigeria’s next government will need the support of all its citizens to address these challenges, and its unity will make it easier, on the security side, for regional neighbors and the larger international community to provide necessary help. We urge all eligible Nigerians to vote, to resist those who attempt to incite violence, and to come together as one country to defend against terrorist threats and to build the shared prosperity and enduring freedom all Nigerian citizens deserve.

WE SUPPORT INEC TO USE CARD READER -US

The United States government has thrown its weight behind the Independent National Electoral Commission to use the Permanent Voter Cards and the Smart Card Readers in the March 28 and April 11 elections. The introduction of the PVC and the card reader for use in the general election has been a subject of hot debate and several litigation in Nigeria. The American government on Wednesday through its Vice President Joe Biden, spoke with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party and the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj Gen Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) on the forthcoming presidential election. On Thursday, in a statement issued by the US Embassy in Nigeria and made available to the media, the US Vice President commended President Jonathan and General Buhari for signing the Abuja Accord in mid-January as a show of their commitment to non-violence throughout the election process. The statement read in part, “The Vice President further expressed the United States’ support for the Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission and its work to deliver free, fair, and credible elections, in part through its essential efforts to distribute Permanent Voter Cards and help ensure that electronic voter card readers are in place and fully operational.” Biden also noted his concern about the violence during some recent election-related events and re-emphasised the need for both presidential candidates to make clear that such violence has no place in democratic elections. The US vice president stated further that the American government would stand with the Nigerian people in support of credible and peaceful elections, and would continue to stand with the Nigerian people whatever the outcome of the presidential poll.

WE SUPPORT INEC TO USE CARD READER -US

The United States government has thrown its weight behind the Independent National Electoral Commission to use the Permanent Voter Cards and the Smart Card Readers in the March 28 and April 11 elections. The introduction of the PVC and the card reader for use in the general election has been a subject of hot debate and several litigation in Nigeria. The American government on Wednesday through its Vice President Joe Biden, spoke with Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party and the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj Gen Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) on the forthcoming presidential election. On Thursday, in a statement issued by the US Embassy in Nigeria and made available to the media, the US Vice President commended President Jonathan and General Buhari for signing the Abuja Accord in mid-January as a show of their commitment to non-violence throughout the election process. The statement read in part, “The Vice President further expressed the United States’ support for the Nigerian Independent National Electoral Commission and its work to deliver free, fair, and credible elections, in part through its essential efforts to distribute Permanent Voter Cards and help ensure that electronic voter card readers are in place and fully operational.” Biden also noted his concern about the violence during some recent election-related events and re-emphasised the need for both presidential candidates to make clear that such violence has no place in democratic elections. The US vice president stated further that the American government would stand with the Nigerian people in support of credible and peaceful elections, and would continue to stand with the Nigerian people whatever the outcome of the presidential poll.

BLESSING OKAGBARE SLAMS JONATHANS' CAMPAIGN GROUP FOR USING HER IMAGE IN POLITICAL ADVERT.

Track & field queen, Blessing Okagbare is not happy over the use of her image and footage by a body said to be working for President Jonathan. The advertorial by GoodHouse Nigeria has been running on various electronic media in Nigeria and also on Youtube and the athlete is infuriated over the use of her image, especially because they didn't even ask her permission to use the image or footage. According to Punch, Blessing Okagbare said in a statement sent by her agent that; “Now, I am here struggling on my own to pay my coach, nutritionist, doctor and others to make sure I am in good shape for the All African Games and the IAAF World Championship in Beijing, China later in the year, and some people back home are using my image and footage for presidential campaign ad without seeking for my approval. This is fraudulent because I am totally not in support of it. We called the people (GoodHouse Nigeria) and they denied using my image and footage for PDP presidential advertorial. Who did it then? Why are they lying?” Blessing also told Punch's correspondent that she was condemning the act not for financial gain or support, but because of two reasons. First, 'It is about me and what I represent,' she said and also because those involved were not doing the right thing for sports to grow in Nigeria.

APPEAL COURT HAS STOPPED THE EXERCUTION OF SOLDIERS CONVICTED BY COURT MARSHALL.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has stayed the execution of the death sentences passed on threee of the twelve Nigerian soldiers court-marshalled by the Army authorities last September. The soldiers were tried under the General Court Marshal which sat at the Army Headquarters Garrison, Mogadishu Cantonment in Abuja, on sundry allegations of offences  ranging from attempts to commit offence, disobedience to particular order, insubordination, false accusation criminal behavior, conspiracy to commit mutiny and mutiny under the Armed Forces Act 2004. All the twelve soldiers who stood trial before the General Court Marshal were convicted on 15th September 2014 variously sentenced to life imprisonment and death for the respective charges following the trial which commenced earlier on last July. Three of the convicted soldiers, CPL Stephen Clement, CPL Igomu Emmanuel and PTE Andrew Ngbede, however approached the appellate court through their lawyer, Chief Godwin Obla, SAN, to challenge the decision of the Court Marshal which convicted and sentenced them to life imprisonment and death. The convicted soldiers raised eleven grounds of appeal each in their separate appeals alleging  many fundamental irregularities and improprieties characterizing the entire trial at the General Court Marshal and asked the court to stay the execution of their sentences pending the hearing and determination of their appeals. Upon the institution of the appeals by the convicted soldiers, an apparently incensed Nigerian Military authority which had earlier acknowledged the receipt of the application by the convicted soldiers' lawyer for the release of the record of proceedings at the court marshal to enable him compile the record of appeal, blatantly ignored the application and vehemently refused to release the record of proceedings at the General Court Marshal, all in the bid to frustrate the appeals. A series of correspondence by Obla to both the Chief of Army Staff and the President and Commander In Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, wherein he expressed apprehension on the likelihood of the Army to execute the death sentence on the three soldiers following their refusal to release the record of proceedings of the General Court Marshal, also failed to attract any response from the military authorities. In a desperate bid to save the lives of his clients, their lawyer, Obla, last February initiated another correspondence with the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, seeking the commission's intervention to prevail on the Army to release the record of proceedings to enable him prosecute the appeal of his clients. The effort yielded no positive result as the army still refused to release the document. However, while delivering its ruling on the application for stay of execution filed before it by Cpl Igomu Emmanuel and Pte Andrew Ngbede, two of the convicted soldiers on Monday, the Court of Appeal restrained the Nigerian Army or its agents from carrying out the execution of life imprisonment and sentence if death imposed by the General Court Martial and ordered that the convicted soldiers be granted access to their lawyers. The court presided by Justice Abubakar Jega Abdulkadir, also ordered the Nigerian Army to avail the convicted soldiers of the record of proceedings of the General Court Martial which tried and convicted them to enable them compile records for their appeal. The application for stay of execution filed by the third convicted soldier, Cpl Stephen Clement,  is yet to be heard as it was not listed on the court’s list on the day those of the other convicted soldiers were heard.

GEJ SACKED SURE-P BOSS FOR ATTENDING OBASANJOS' BIRTHDAY.

The Media Presidential spokesperson Reuben Abati a few hours ago announced the sack of SURE-P boss, General Martin Luther Agwai (Rtd) who was the former Chief of Army Staff. There are reports that he was sacked for attending former president Obasanjo’s birthday event last week. General Agwai was fired for flouting a presidential instruction that no government official or member of the ruling PDP, should attend the birthday event of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, last week. Sources within the presidency told said that all government functionaries were instructed by President Jonathan to boycott Mr Obasanjo’s birthday event. The information said when informed of the president’s warning, General Agwai, who climbed to the pinnacle of his career under the Obasanjo administration, said he will go ahead and attend the function, more so, in view of the president’s directive. A source said for daring the president, it was clear General Agwai would be fired. One source said it appears General Agwai was informed ahead of the announcement of his removal Tuesday, as the former defence chief arrived early at the SURE-P office to pack his belongings. General Agwai himself replaced Christopher Kolade, who left office after criticising the president.

FORMER IVORY COAST PRESIDENT LAURENT GBABO’S WIFE; SIMONE GBABO HAS BAGGED 20 YEARS JAIL TERM.

Ivory Coast’s former first lady, Simone Gbagbo, has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for her role in the violence that followed the 2010 elections. The 65yrs old Simone Gbagbo had been charged with undermining state security. Her husband, former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo, is awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court. (ICC) More than 3,000 people died in the violence that followed the presidential poll after the ex-leader refused to accept defeat to Alassane Ouattara. She and her husband were arrested in 2011 after troops stormed a bunker where the pair had taken refuge in the capital Abidjan. And it was in the same city where Simonee Gbagbo that was once refered as “Iron Lady” faced trial. She was also accused of disturbing public order and organising armed gangs. The court unanimously sentenced her to 20 years, twice as long as the prosecutors had asked for. Her daughter, Marie Antoinette Singleton said the sentence was unfair and a sign of “political justice”. “Why would you want to double it? It’s not about justice, it’s about getting rid of political adversaries.” “If we say that something wrong happened, it happened on both sides. Nobody looked into bringing all responsible parties to trial,” she said. Laurent Gbagbo, is facing four charges at the ICC in The Hague, including murder, rape and persecution. Laurent Gbagbo himself has been held for three years in The Hague facing charges of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC). But Ivory Coast has repeatedly refused to hand his wife over to the ICC on the same charge. The presidential couple were arrested April 11, 2011 after five months of fierce fighting following a final push by French forces against their residence. Fervently Christian, but ruthless by reputation. Simone Gbagbo has never sought to deny exercising political influence after her husband rose to power in 2000 elections in which former prime minister Alsanne Ouattara was barred from standing on the grounds he was a foreigner. "All the ministers respect me, and they often consider me above them. I've got what it takes to be a minister," she told the French newsweekly l'Express in 2001, justifying her stance after a life she said had been dedicated to activism. "I engaged in political struggle against the former regime alongside men. I spent six months in prison, I was beaten, molested, left for dead. After all those trials, it's logical that people don't mess with me." A key issue in her trial was whether she played a part in directing the death squads that ran amok in the weeks after the disputed vote. Judicial authorities argued that the proceedings were a test of the west African country's capacity to conduct a fair trial, while contributing to national reconciliation. As observers noted at the December 26 opening of her case when Gbagbo appeared in a bright yellow dress, carefully plaited hair and a defiant air. She is not inclined to wilt in the face of adversity. Born in the predominantly Christian south in 1949 as one of 18 children of a policeman, she studied linguistics and history before becoming a trade union activist. Her militancy led to a jail term in the 1970s for openly criticising then President Felix Houphouet-Boigny; Ivory Coast's first leader after independence from France in 1960. When he rejected opposition calls for multi-party elections. She and Laurent Gbagbo married in 1989 after founding the opposition socialist Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), and she was later elected to parliament in the world's leading cocoa producer. Her husband sought to change relations with former colonial master Paris, arguing that previous regimes had been servile, and the first lady proved a fierce critic of "neo-colonialism", once famously describing France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy a main mover in her husband's downfall as "the devil". Supporters of Simone Gbagbo's commitment to political causes hailed her as "the Hillary Clinton of the tropics". But for detractors, the "Iron Lady" became the "Blood Lady", amid allegations by human rights activists that the regime used teams of killers to deal with opponents. Those concerns were reinforced when she was implicated by a French judicial inquiry into the sinister disappearance of French-Canadian journalist Guy-Andre Kieffer in Ivory Coast in 2004. Gbagbo frequently mingled politics with the evangelical faith she practised after "miraculously" surviving a car crash and starting prayer meetings at the presidential palace. "God is on our side, God is with us," she told a joyful crowd after her husband rejected electoral defeat. "God has already given us victory." Families of victims have said previously they cannot win even if Gbagbo is convicted by a domestic court, while rights monitors had been keen to see how far the trial may venture in tackling crimes against humanity on home ground.    

HOW I ESCAPED FROM UK,US PRISONS - EX-FEMALE DRUG TRAFFICKER.

As a teenager in the 70s, Mrs. Iya­bo Yomi’s greatest dream was to climb the social ladder at all costs. That quest pushed her into joining a drug trafficking cartel which landed her in and out of several prisons across the world. After several jailbreaks and series of unfinished prison sentenc­es, she was arrested in Ghana where she decided to turn a new leaf and complete her 10-year jail term. Broken but grateful to God for having spared her life, Iyabo, who is in her early 60s, went down memory lane to tell Satur­day Sun the story of journeys through sev­eral prisons including how she broke out of UK prison twice and once in US prison. She is currently involved in a ministry that sees to the rehabilitation of persons going in and out of prison.  “I got it all wrong from the very beginning. It was all about enjoying myself and climbing the social ladder at all costs. Shortly after my secondary education in 1975, I told my parents that I wanted to travel down to London to further my edu­cation. Every big boy and girl was travel­ling to London for business or studies then. Initially, my mother refused, insisting that I was too young to be alone. She, however, took me to Mecca twice, and I became an Alhaja at 18. “I was able to convince my mother and she allowed me to travel out of the coun­try. I got to London and made some friends. During the period I spent in London, I was able to research the possibility of owning a shop in London. “I came back, was able to raise 500 pounds and prepared to travel back to Lon­don. My aunty gave me a parcel to help de­liver to a friend in London. I never knew that she added Indian hemp in the package. When they called me to open my bag at the airport, I innocently opened the bag, and they found the wrap. I was arrested and tak­en to Reading police station and later sent to Holloway prison”, she stated In the prison, she was convinced that drug peddling was the key to the success that she sought.  “I met a lot of Nigerians, it was there that they told me the worth of what I was carrying. I couldn’t believe it, that I just got the key to my wealth. Luckily, I was given three years suspended sentence and later deported back to Nigeria.” Insatiable lust for wealth Back home in Nigeria, all that was in Iyabo’s mind was how to start moving In­dian hemp from Nigeria to London.  “I im­mediately got another passport with another name and started my trip with packs of Indi­an hemp. It was a good business and money started to flow. I continued till 1981 when I was arrested. I was pregnant with my sec­ond child. I was 26 years old and full of en­ergy. For the sake of my pregnancy, I was also given suspended sentence and deported back to Nigeria. “The more they arrested me, the more I became crazy and determined to continue in drug pushing. I kept strategizing and perfecting my skills. I was young and very rich. I did not know the value of money then, I was ready to spend it on anything. At the age of 20, I bought the latest car, BMW sports for myself.” Still not satisfied, Iyabo got another passport and returned to London. “Getting passports was easy then, unlike now that is very difficult. I got a new passport with a new name and entered London again. After several successful trips, I was arrested again and jailed. Then I was pregnant and almost due to deliver. I actually gave birth there and handed over my baby to my friend. I did that because I needed to come out and claim my baby. If they discovered that there was no body, government would claim that child. “They later transferred me to Asken grange where I met those who were in for much more terrible offences. We hatched a plan and escaped by jumping through the fence. I was able to get a travel certificate after I bought a British birth certificate from a white friend and moved over to Holland. I went to the Nigerian embassy and told them that I lost my things in transit. They gave me ticket and a covering passport back to Nigeria. This did not change me. Naturally, as a mother, I am supposed to slow down and face my family but I had so much mon­ey and left them at the mercy of my mother, relatives and friends.” While in Holland, Iyabo got a connec­tion to start trafficking heroin. “It was much better and you can carry as much quantity as possible. I decided to try US and it was a huge success. I could travel every two weeks to US with wraps of heroin. I suc­cessfully moved drugs in and out of US for more than 24 times before I was caught. I was remanded at MCC in New York and sentenced to five years imprisonment. I was later moved over to West Virginia prisons in US, where I was to serve my remaining sen­tence. It was there that I met a friend from Columbia, her case was worse than mine. We also hatched a plan and escaped after spending several months. We scaled the wall and ran away. They declared a man­hunt but because everything about me was fake including my passport, it wasn’t easy to find me. I quickly made arrangements and got the services of a man who posed as my husband. We got a ticket from Boston to Washington and then to London. “Whites love couples and they believe so much in them, so it was easy for me to move ahead of the man and just wave that my hus­band was right behind me with my passport. Since I had a boarding pass, they would let me through. I immediately disappeared in the crowd. In London, I told them that I was in transit, that I did not know what was holding back my husband. They allowed me through and promised to help sort it out. This was how I landed in Nigeria. “But instead of change of mind, I became worse than I was before. I changed location, from Bangkok, India, Thailand, Pakistan and different countries in Europe and Asia. My craze continued even after giving birth to five kids. One thing I never did was to take drugs. Most successful drug couriers do not take drugs. I was very confident of myself and never wore anything with metal to avoid the machine from asking me to re­turn. The machines then could not detect if you were carrying hard drugs. The officer would only watch if you are nervous. I was so perfect that even with my body heav­ily laced with drug, I will stop a drug en­forcement agent and request for direction to where I was going to. I also stayed away from Mecca and Israel because these coun­tries are sacred. As I said earlier, I became an Alhaja at the age of 18, I only visited the country to seek God’s forgiveness. I feel bad when I see those who carry drugs to Mecca and Israel in the name of seeking the face of God”, Iyabo narrated.

MOROCCAN KING MUHAMMAD VI SNUBS PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHANS' REQUEST FOR TELEPHONE CONVERSATION.

The Moroccan monarch, King Mohammed VI, has rejected a request from President Goodluck Jonathan for a telephone conversation, saying it was an “inappropriate” move by the Nigerian leader to curry electoral favour just weeks before a crucial poll. Mohammed VI snubbed Mr Jonathan’s request last week, saying it was more of an attempt to seek electoral favour than a genuine diplomatic act, the country’s foreign ministry said Friday. “The request by Nigerian authorities for a phone conversation between His Marjesty King Mohammed VI and Nigerian President was refused by the Monarch who deemed it inappropriate on grounds of the upcoming elections in Nigeria,” the Moroccan Foreign Affairs ministry said in a statement. The statement explained that the monarch rejected the request for a phone chat and the sending of a Nigerian envoy to the country because Mohammed VI viewed the overture as an attempt by Mr Jonathan to take advantage of Morocco’s influence to secure Muslim votes in the forthcoming election. Confronted by an increasingly popular opposition, in perhaps the closest election in Nigerian history, Mr Jonathan is frantically exploring unusual avenues for support, particularly from the largely Muslim northern region of the country. Mr Jonathan’s closest rival, Muhammadu Buhari, comes from Northern Nigeria and has a cult following in the region. A move to patch the diplomatic relation with the influential Moroccan monarch is seen as a potentially impressive step that may endear the president to some Muslims. Relations between Nigeria and Morocco have been anything but cordial for years, largely over Nigeria’s decision to support the independence of the Western Sahara region of Morocco. Nigeria recognises the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic declared by the separatist group, the Polisario Front. The Algeria-backed Polisario Front has led an armed insurrection against the Moroccan government for decades. Western Sahara is a largely desert region but rich in petroleum and phosphate deposits. Nigeria has lobbied the United Nation to set up human rights monitoring group to investigate right abuses by Moroccan forces in the area, a position the Moroccan monarchy frowns at. The Moroccan foreign ministry made it clear in its statement that King Mohammed VI refused to speak to Mr Jonathan partly because of “Nigeria’s positions regarding the sacred national, Arab and Islamic causes”. The Moroccan monarch is one of the two surviving sovereign monarchs on the continent. While the monarch’s decision appears popular in the North African country, some Moroccans have also questioned the judgement of the King in apparently discarding a fresh opportunity to normalise relations with Nigeria, and win over a strong ally. “If the Palace’s foreign affairs’ advisers recognize the role Morocco can play in Nigerian politics, why haven’t they use it to persuade the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan to change his hostile positions on the Western Sahara?” asked Hassan Masiky, a Washington-based Moroccan blogger. “Notwithstanding the fact that Abuja is strong supporter of Algerian positions, in reaching out to King Mohammed VI at the height of a close presidential election, Nigerian officials show how much they value the role the Monarch could play in their country,” Mr. Masiky wrote in an article published by the MoroccanWorld News. “Moroccan diplomats give the impression that they don’t have a plan on how to use the Kingdom’s religious clout to advance ethnic and religious reconciliation in Nigeria. If Rabat takes the initiative once the political uncertainty ends, it will certainly offset Algeria’s plan in the region and create an opening for a smoother relations with Nigeria’s next president,” he added. Mr. Masiky also criticised the Moroccan authorities for not offering “aggressive and vocal religious advice and assistance to the Nigerian authorities in the fight against the extremists of Boko Haram”.

I'M BACK TO DEFEAT JONATHAN - GEN BUHARI.

I’M BACK TO DEFEAT JONATHAN/PDP ON MARCH 28 – GEN BUHARI. Presidential hopeful and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), retired Major General Mohammadu Buhari returned to the country earlier today, saying that he is physically and mentally fit to launch the last leg of his campaign to dislodge the Goodluck Jonathan led PDP government in the March 28 elections. Speaking to newsmen at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, shortly after returning to Nigeria from the United Kingdom aboard a British Airways flight at about 5:40am local time, Buhari dismissed insinuations that he was ill saying he had no problem with his health . He had left the country on Thursday, February 19, 2015 for London where he addressed the international community at the Royal Institute of International Affairs popularly called Chatham House, London on Thursday, February 26, on his plans for the country. However the trip was given different interpretation with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claiming that he was in London for medical reason .Clad in a black flowing gown , Buhari was full of smiles and waved to the crowd of supporters who were at the airport to welcome him. Responding to a question on whether he went abroad to seek medical attention, the APC candidate simply said “I just went off for a couple of weeks to rest. That’s all I did.” Asked if he ever visited any hospital while in UK, he said “What is wrong for me to go to hospital? Am I not here now? Aren’t you seeing me? Are you seeing a sick man? On his engagements in London, he said “I went to Chatham House. I read an address and there was a question and answer session. That’s all.” The APC candidate who was flanked by the Deputy Director General of his Campaign, Senator Olorunimbe Mamora and other chieftains of the party said he is back to focus on the coming election.

WORLD BOOK DAY: GUANTANAMO BAY RESTRICTED LIBRARY. Today's World Book Day celebrates and encourages reading. What will you pick up today? Some Shakespeare, a classic fairy tale such as Puss in Boots perhaps, or something weightier like Dostoyevsky’s Crime & Punishment? For Guantánamo detainees, however, none of these books are options; they are banned from reading them. The reading material requested by detainees is vetted and some books fail to make it through. To say the decisions are curious would be an understatement. Russell Brand’s Booky Wook 2 is forbidden. Franz Kafka’s The Trial is permitted. The protagonist in The Trial, Josef K, is arrested and prosecuted without ever learning of the charges brought against him. If any book were deemed too close to the bone, surely it would be The Trial. The incendiary, inappropriate material in banned stories such as Cinderella and Jack and The Beanstalk is obvious. Other books appear to have been vetoed for their titles alone, regardless of the content – Crime and Punishment, John Grisham’s The Innocent Man, and Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent, for example. The ban on The Innocent Man was lifted after Grisham wrote an article in the New York Times about Nabil Hadjarab, the man who had requested the book. Tom Bingham’s The Rule of Law is prohibited. In this book, published towards the end of his life, the former Lord Chief Justice discusses law as the basis of a just society and the potential erosion of a fair legal system under the threat of terrorism. Shaker Aamer’s lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, has suggested that prisoners have been denied access to materials that might help them learn English. This stretches as far as banning the New Dinkum Aussie Dictionary. Just as communication seems to be frowned on by the US military, so does creativity. A poetry collection, Poems from Guantánamo: The Detainees Speak, was published in 2007 despite suspicion and opposition from the Guantánamo staff. A restricted library is one of the lesser human rights violations experienced by Guantánamo’s detainees. Nonetheless, the arbitrary, sub rosa process of book censorship follows a pattern of decision-making that began when the GTMO military prison was set up in 2002.

I will not support any interim government & their will be no election annulment says Obasanjo. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says he will not be a part of any plans to constitute an interim government that may be formed after the general elections. He said this while addressing a group of Concerned Nigerians who had come to allay their fears about the upcoming general elections at his home in Abeokuta, Ogun state this morning. He also said that there is no possibility of the election being annulled "You need not to worry about anything. There can never be any June 12 annulment again. Buhari is not Abiola, he is a trained and highly intelligent soldier. Oyegun is not Anenih, Osinbajo is not Kingibe. Jega is not Nwosu, Jonathan is not IBB and this time around, Obasanjo will not support any interim government. Obasanjo will rather support a free, fair and credible election.”he said.