NIGERIA : Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign billboard burnt in Abuja over election postponement

The incident was said to have taken place following earlier rumours that the Independent National Electoral Commission had postponed the February 14, 2015 Presidential election.

The billboard is located on the ever-busy Suleija-Kaduna Expressway at the Federal Housing junction, beside the office of the National Emergency Management Agency in Kubwa.

On it was boldly written, “On February 14, vote Goodluck, vote PDP, The Goodluck Thumb.”

It was learnt that the arsonist drove to the billboard, parked his car, brought out a tyre and set it on fire.

But the arsonist, according to officials of NEMA, who pleaded anonymity, came back in the night and on seeing that the fire didn’t do much damage poured petrol on another tyre and set it ablaze.

It was not however clear who was responsible and what prompted it.

But a taxi driver within the vicinity, who simply identified himself as Yahaya, said, “The incident happened following earlier rumours that the February 14 presidential election has been postponed.”

Our source saw ashes of the burnt billboard during a visit to the site on Sunday.

Some youths had recently pelted the convoy of President Goodluck Jonathan in Katsina and Bauchi states and burnt his campaign vehicles in Jos.

The Nigeria Posterity Project had expressed concern over the use of stones and destruction of campaign posters belonging to Jonathan by some northern youths.

According to the organization, northern leaders should tone down their utterances and allow free campaigns by all candidates in all parts of the country.

The National Coordinator of the NPP, Mr. Louis Ebodaghe, had said, “The burning of President Jonathan’s campaign vehicles in parts of the North and the pulling down of his posters in parts of the North can only be likened to Nazi Germany where, for the fear of Hitler, everybody must fly the Nazi flag even against their conscience. This cannot be tolerated in modern day Nigeria and should not be encouraged.”

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress in Cross River has disclosed plans to embark on a One- Million Youth March in the state to reiterate support for the party’s presidential candidate, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), despite the poll shift.

The party condemned the postponement of the general elections earlier scheduled for February 14 and 28, saying it was obvious that the leadership of the PDP was afraid of impending defeat at the polls.

Speaking on behalf of the party after a crucial meeting on Sunday, the state APC Youth Leader, Mr. Effiom Otu, said the youth wing of the party would organise a one-million youth march in solidarity with the APC presidential candidate and other APC candidates to garner support for the party ahead of the elections.

Otu also said the youths had endorsed a door-to-door campaign for the party, adding that the objective was to educate and sensitise the electorate in order for them to be convinced.

He said the campaign would ensure that all the 2,283 polling units in the state were aggressively covered in the exercise.

Otu said, “We will organise a one-million youth march in the state capital soon in solidarity with our presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) and other candidates to garner more support for the party ahead of the elections.

“We (the youths) have endorsed a door-to-door campaign for the party in the state. The objective is to ensure that those who hold suspicious view about the person and capacity of the party candidates for the election are educated and sensitised to jettison their held conviction.”

He castigated the Presidency for using insecurity as a reason for the polls shift, explaining that there was no strength in the argument advanced for the postponement.

Otu said, “The Presidency was caught in another web of cajoling by feigning insecurity as the reason for the postponement because it could not convincingly pull through the issue of PVCs collection as initial reason for the shift.

GRAMMY AWARDS: Birdman Denied Entry To Nicki Minaj’s Pre-Grammy Party

According to TMZ, Birdman and his huge entourage were turned away from Nicki Minaj’s Pre-Grammy party in West Hollywood early Sunday morning. Apparently, Birdman and his crew showed up to the party at 1:45 am to be turned away with an explanation that the club was about to close.  It could be as simple as that, but you would think that Nicki would make a way for the CEO of Cash Money Records, the parent company of her mentor Lil’ Wayne’s label, Young Money. Maybe Birdman was just too tardy for the party, or maybe Nicki is making it known who she is siding with in the beef Birdman is currently experiencing with Lil’ Wayne who wants to cut all ties with him and is rumored to be suing him for the advance of the delayed Carter V album.

In other news, Grammy weekend is shaping up to be pretty crazy. TMZ also reports that someone was shot to death outside of Hollywood’s Supper Club where Snoop Dogg, Schoolboy Q and Wiz Khalifa were partying inside. The rappers had nothing to do with the shooting, but police report two men were involved in an altercation which resulted in one man being shot in the head and rushed to the hospital where he died. Cops have a suspect in custody and say it looks like the men may have been gang-affiliated.

We hope these Grammy festivities can turn down just a tad so these celebs can win some awards, party safely and go home.

Cairo, Egypt: 25 people killed in Egyptian soccer match riot (PHOTOS)

A pickup truck bursts into flames as a riot breaks out outside of a soccer match between Egyptian Premier League clubs Zamalek and ENPPI at Air Defense Stadium in a suburb east of Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015.

 
CAIRO (AP) — A riot broke out Sunday night outside of a major soccer game in Egypt, with a stampede and fighting between police and fans killing at least 25 people, authorities said.

The riot, only three years after similar violence killed 74 people, began ahead of a match between Egyptian Premier League clubs Zamalek and ENPPI at Air Defense Stadium east of Cairo. Such attacks in the past have sparked days of violent protests pitting the country's hard-core fans against police officers in a nation already on edge after years of revolt and turmoil.

Two security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the violence killed at least 25 people.

Egypt's public prosecutor issued a statement ordering an investigation. After convening an emergency meeting to discuss the violence, the Cabinet announced that it was postponing upcoming soccer matches until further notice, Egypt's state television said.

What caused the violence wasn't immediately clear. Security officials said Zamalek fans tried to force their way into the match without tickets, sparking clashes. Fans have only recently been allowed back at matches and the Interior Ministry planned to let only 10,000 fans into the stadium, which has a capacity of about 30,000, the officials said.

Zamalek fans, known as "White Knights," posted on their group's official Facebook page that the violence began because authorities only opened one narrow, barbed-wire door to let them in. They said that sparked pushing and shoving that later saw police officers fire tear gas and birdshot.

Fans of Egypt's Zamalek soccer team flock in droves outside the Air Defense Stadium to watch a match between Egyptian Premier League clubs Zamalek and ENPPI in a suburb east of Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015.

The Zamalek fan group later posted pictures on Facebook it claimed were of dead fans, including the names of 22 people it said had been killed. The AP could not immediately verify the images.

Egypt's hard-core soccer fans, known as Ultras, frequently clash with police inside and outside of stadiums. They are deeply politicized and many participated in the country's 2011 uprising that forced out President Hosni Mubarak. Many consider them as one of the most organized movements in Egypt after the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, which the government later outlawed as a terrorist organization following the 2013 military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

The violence comes as police face increasing scrutiny following the shooting death of a female protester in Cairo and the arrest of protesters under a law heavily restricting demonstrations. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has pledged to bring stability to Egypt amid bombings and attacks by Islamic militants, but also has said Egypt's emergency situation meant that some violations of human rights were inevitable, if regrettable.

Soccer fans hold lit flares at the stand as they watch a match between Egyptian Premier League clubs Zamalek and ENPPI at Air Defense Stadium in a suburb east of Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015

The deadliest riot in Egypt soccer history came during a 2012 match when Port Said's Al-Masry team hosted Cairo's Al-Ahly. That riot, at the time the deadliest worldwide since 1996, killed 74 people, mostly Al-Ahly fans.

Two police officers later received 15-year prison sentences for gross negligence and failure to stop the Port Said killings, a rare incident of security officials being held responsible for deaths in the country. Seven other officers were acquitted, angering soccer fans who wanted more police officers to be held accountable for the incident and other episodes of violence.

In response, angry fans burned down the headquarters of Egypt's Football Association, also protesting its decision to resume matches before bringing those behind that 2012 riot to justice. They've also protested and fought officers outside of the country's Interior Ministry, which oversees police in the country.