ENTERTAINIC

ENTERTAINIC SOURCE At least 30 political parties under the auspices of Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) on Tuesday called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct fresh elections in Southern Ijaw and Nembe local government areas of Bayelsa State. CUPP lamented that there was no elections in most wards in the affected local government areas, alleging even its candidates for the elections could not cast their votes following hijack of materials and violence. The party chairmen and candidates, who spoke in Yenagoa, the state capital, particularly alleged elections failed to hold in wards 4, 14, 15 and 16 in Southern Ijaw as well as all the seven wards in Nembe Bassambiri. The state Chairman of CUPP, Tare Edwin, condemned the abduction of INEC officials and materials meant for the seven wards in Bassambiri and death of some persons in the area. Describing the incidents as most unfortunate, sad and unacceptable, he claimed the incidents we...

ENTERTAINIC SOURCE The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday said it had compiled with the judgement of Appeal Court and had restored candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State to the ballot in the National Assembly, Governorship and State House of Assembly elections scheduled for February 23 and March 9, 2019. This decision triggered jubilation in the camp of Governor Abdulaziz Yari, whose candidates made the list submitted to INEC by the APC headquarters. However, the APC Senator representing Zamfara Central, Kabir Marafa, whose camp was not favoured, said he had filed an appeal at the Sokoto Division of the Appeal Court, against the decision of the Zamfara State High Court, which INEC relied on for its decision. The commission in a statement signed by its National Commissioner, Mr. Festus Okoye, said it had consistently maintained that it would always obey court judgements and orders. The Court of Appeal, Abuja Judicial Di...

ENTERTAINIC SOURCE Mesut Özil returned to the Arsenal side as they secured safe passage into the last 16 of the Europa League – but head coach  Unai Emery  insists he is not certain of a regular place in his team. The Gunners went into the second leg against Bate Borisov needing to complete a comeback following a surprise 1-0 defeat in Belarus last week. They responded well and won 3-0 courtesy of a  Zakhar Volkov  own goal and headers from defensive duo Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos. Emery opted to recall Özil having left him at home for the first leg – with the highest-paid player in the club’s history relegated to a peripheral role in recent weeks and making just his second start since St Stephen’s Day. Despite a run of indifferent form, Emery has told Özil he needs to shake off his minor injuries and illness to be more consistent. The former Germany international put in a good showing against Bate and played the whole 90...

ENTERTAINIC SOURCE Gen. Tukur Buratai not to drag the Military into politics. Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan gave the advice in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. Ologbondiyan, who is also the Director, Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation urged Buratai to refrain himself from acts or actions that would suggest in any way that the military had become an arm of a political party. He said that Buratai’s allusion to the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar as well as his threats to officers and ranks to participate in the electoral process was an aberration of the laws. He said that Abubakar spoke on the side of the law and to respect the wishes of Nigerians so could not be intimidated by anybody. Ologbondiyan said that the loyalty of the military was to the state and that the president did not have the power to deploy soldiers for the conduct of elections. “Our party urges Gen. Buratai to con...

ENTERTAINIC SOURCE Pep Guardiola has urged Manchester City to impose themselves on opponents to prevail in the Champions League. Quadruple-chasing City’s European campaign resumes as they face German side Schalke in the first leg of their last-16 tie at the Veltins Arena on Wednesday. Guardiola said: “We have many dreams in our head. It’s important to score goals – the minimum one goal – but you can’t go through if you are not yourself if you don’t do your best performance. “If you want to dream, go through to the last stages, every single second you have to be incredible – impose your game, to be ourselves. That is what I want to feel.” Schalke have struggled to live up to expectations after their runners-up finish in the Bundesliga last season and are currently toiling in 14th. Former Bayern Munich boss Guardiola said: “I think the quality is there. I know Schalke are always fighting. From my period here, the expectations are high. “They could not alw...

ENTERTAINIC SOURCE Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that defender Dejan Lovren is unlikely to play against Manchester United at the weekend, after missing Tuesday's Champions League clash with Bayern Munich. Liverpool  were without Lovren and the suspended Virgil Van Dijk for the visit of Bayern, meaning midfielder Fabinho had to drop back into defence alongside fourth-choice centre-back Joel Matip. Klopp  confirmed Lovren is a major doubt for the trip to Old Trafford to face  United  on Sunday, adding to the long-term absence of Joe Gomez. Before Liverpool's game against Bayern, Klopp said Lovren was never really in contention to feature against the Germans. He said: “There was not a real doubt, to be honest. "It was not mind games but Dejan had no chance for the game today actually, I don’t think he even has a chance for the next game. He will take his time. “It was clear Fabinho and Joel have ...

ENTERTAINIC SOURCE The Fourth Annual Sudan International Mining Forum and Exhibition opened on Monday in capital Khartoum, with more than 40 countries in participation. “This forum is convened under very complicated regional and international circumstances,” said Sudan’s Prime Minister Mutaz Musa, when addressing the forum’s opening session. The current challenges need efforts to enhance partnerships in mining field, create an appropriate atmosphere and provide the required infrastructures, he noted. Musa further reiterated Sudan’s commitment to opening the doors for people willing to invest in Sudan’s mineral fields. Sudan’s Minister of Petroleum and Minerals Azhari Abdelgadir Abdullah reiterated his country’s keenness to provide investment opportunities and double the production. He explained that around 460 mining companies were operating in Sudan, saying that the traditional mining is considered the biggest sector as it employs nearly two million people. The forum...

ENTERTAINIC SOURCE Ruben Neves is once again a target of Manchester United, according to reports. The  Express  ciaims the Old Trafford giants have had the  Wolves  star ‘monitored all season’ and have been impressed by his step up to the Premier League. Which is why they reckon United are once more keen on a signing a player who has been linked with their rivals City and Liverpool. But they say they will only move if Wolves drop their £100million valuation. Wolves paid £15.8m for Neves when they bought him from Portuguese club Porto in July 2017. He helped them storm to the Championship title last season. The 21-year-old has continued to impress this term, making the step up to the Premier League look effortless at times. Neves has scored four times this season, including in Wolves’ 2-1 FA Cup victory over Liverpool, which knocked the Premier League title chasers out of the competition. And he also scored the opener at Everton as Wolves rum...

ENTERTAINIC SOURCE Nigeria's presidential election has been postponed just hours before polls were due to open. The country's election commission said it was delaying the vote to 23 February due to unspecified "challenges", amid reports that voting materials had not been delivered to some areas. The delay is expected to spark anger in Africa's most populous nation and largest democracy after many people had relocated for the chance to vote. Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said: "This was a difficult decision to take but necessary for successful delivery of the elections and the consolidation of our democracy." A review of logistics led the commission to conclude that going ahead with the election as planned was "no longer feasible," he said. Nigeria also postponed its presidential election in 2015 because of deadly insecurity in the northeast of the country, which remains under ...

ENTERTAINIC SOURCE Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has claimed that on-loan Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata can play alongside former Blues talisman Diego Costa, and the qualities of the two-time Premeir League winner are the key to getting the best out of the ex-Real Madrid flop. Speaking ahead of his side's weekend clash with Rayo Vallecano, the Argentinian heaped praise on the Brazil-born striker who was a match-winner for Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte during his time in England. The reigning Europea League champions have been forced into playing Morata alongside Antoine Griezmann, and with Costa set to return from injury the on-loan Chelsea striker could find himself pushed out of the team. However, Simeone is adament that the two Spain internationals can play together as a serious option up front for Atletico - but it is clear that he is looking to one of the two strikers to make sense of the arrangement. Morata has so far made two appearances for Madrid...

ENTERTAINIC SOURCE Garba Madami, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Kwara State has said youths suspected to be political thugs have been arrested ahead of Saturday elections in the State. Madami disclosed this on Friday during a press conference on INEC’s preparedness for Saturday election. He said the raid on the thugs by the law enforcement agents was an action that would continue during and after the elections. According to him, the raid and arrest was part of measures to prevent violence in the state. Madami said, “I got reports that we raided areas where thugs are hiding in Kwara. The action will continue during and after elections because we have another election coming up on the 2nd of March, and we need to take these thugs off the streets because it is not good to live in perpetual fear in any environment.” He also said the commission had trained security men on how to be civil and professional in th...

ENTERTAINIC SOURCE The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has said President Muhammadu Buhari will have the easiest election win ever in 2019. Oshiomhole said this at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday. He said the APC is not scared and would trounce the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). “This election is for us, no election can be easier and we will defeat PDP. There will be no violence, just vote, it will be counted and we will win”, he said. Oshiomhole urged the electorate to vote for President Buhari and other APC candidates, saying the APC-led federal government has done a lot and needs to be supported to do more. He gave several reasons why the electorate should not think the PDP has changed and will do better than it did in its 16 years in power. He described the PDP as old wine in “old poisonous wineskin”. He also said Buhari was a victim of rigging under the PDP and so the PDP is not in the moral position to accuse...

ENTERTAINIC SOURCE Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been charged by the English Football Association over comments he made about Kevin Friend after last week's Premier League match at West Ham. The German coach said Friend's performance was affected by the decision to allow Sadio Mane's opening goal, which should have been ruled out for offside. The FA said Klopp had been charged as the comments "questioned the integrity of the referee and/or implied bias". West Ham equalised through Michail Antonio's goal before the interval but Klopp said Friend "did not want to open the gap any more" in the second half. "As a human being, if I know I have made a big mistake in the first half, I don't want to open the gap any more," Klopp said after the match. "Referees are obviously human beings, and I understand that, but I didn't during the game because I had no clue that our goal was offside." Klopp has until 1800 G...

ENTERTAINIC SOURCE The Ekiti State Governorship Election Tribunal upheld the victory of Governor Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Eric Ikhilae identifies factors that informed the tribunal’s decision. D issatisfied with the result of the last July 14 governorship election in Ekiti State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Kolapo Olusola, who came second, filed a petition at the Governorship Election Tribunal. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returned the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi, as the winner. Fayemi scored 197,459 votes; Olusola, who was Deputy Governor at the time of the election, polled 178,121. In their 712-page petition dated last August 2, but filed on August 3, Olusola and his party prayed the tribunal to declare them winners, declare the election inconclusive and order supplementary rerun, or nullify the election outright on four grounds. First, the petitioners claimed that t...