ABUJA — Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Profesor Attahiru Jega, has invited Edo State Governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, the governorship candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria, and that of Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, General Charles Airhiavbere, in the July 12 governorship election,  to a meeting in Abuja, tomorrow.

Also invited for the crucial meeting were the national and Edo State chairmen and secretaries of all the affected political parties.

The Presidency Tuesday took a swipe at the comments of Presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), General Muhammadu Buhari, threats of bloodshed in 2015 if the elections were rigged.

While the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) described Buhari’s comments as inciting Nigerians, reckless and provocative, a Northern Christian group, Christian Awareness Initiative of Nigeria (CHAIN), said Buhari’s comments was unbecoming of a former head of state.

ABUJA — STRONG indications emerged yesterday of a split in the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP over the recommendation of the National Judicial Council, NJC for the reinstatement of Justice Ayo Salami as the President of the Court of Appeal.

Vanguard gathered yesterday that some members of the National Working Committee, NWC of the party have taken a position against the recommendation of the NJC on Salami allegedly on the basis of what they claimed to be Salami’s past injurious actions on the party and some of its officials.

President Goodluck Jonathan said on Wednesday that he had no plan to change his cabinet members contrary to speculations in the media.

A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, said there was no truth, whatsoever in the rumour making the rounds on the alleged ``impending cabinet reshuffle’’.

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday revealed how some states governors that persuaded him to withdraw subsidy on fuel abandoned him in the middle of the crisis that trailed the subsidy regime.

Speaking at the opening of a one-day Presidential Workshop on Power at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Jonathan said, "On the June 1 for the increase of electricity tariff, I do not think we have had a robust advocacy and this happened to me during the deregulation. At a point, I wanted to send a team to the states to work with the Governors and Benue state Governor said no, that if we do that, there could be crises, that the Governors should take charge.

The PDP in Edo on Monday described the death of Mr Olaitan Oyerinde, the Principal Private Secretary to Gov. Adams Oshiomhole as “wicked surprise and huge loss to the state.’’

This was contained in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Mr Matthew Urhoghide in Benin.

It stated:  “the news of Oyerinde’s death came to some of us who knew him and even those who never met this fine, respectful young man as a wicked surprise, huge loss and a very dangerous development in our state.

Governors elected on the platform of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) have demanded an overhaul of the security architecture in the country.

They made the demand when they paid a condolence visit to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State over the gruesome murder of his Private Principal Secretary, Mr. Olaitan Oyenrinde.

Ekiti State House of Assembly Speaker, Dr. Adewale Omirin, has blamed the rising insecurity in the country on President Goodluck Jonathan’s alleged plan to seek a second term in 2015.

Omirin said this in an interview with journalists in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday.

The speaker, who lamented the violence in some parts of the country, particularly the wave of bombings in the North, alleged that tensions had grown increasingly since Jonathan said his first term would end in 2015.

Omiri said, “African leaders are not honest. If somebody who begged for a term is now seeking a second term, there is no honesty in that. It is not that the Peoples Demo

The Delta State House of Assembly has been sued for its alleged refusal to fix a date for the conduct of local government elections.

Executive Director, Social-Economic Rights Action (SERAC) Felix Morka and Edwin Okoh of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) are contending that the House’s failure to announce date for the elections since April 28 last year, when the councils were dissolved amounted to a violation of the provision of Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution.

BENIN—Over four thousand members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, including the South-South Zonal Youth leader of the party, Mr. Ralph Osuomo, yesterday, dumped the party for Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN.

Receiving the defectors into the party, Governor Adams Oshiomhole accused the governorship candidate of PDP, Gen. Charles Airhiavbere of playing ethnic politics.