Mediterranean Sea: Smugglers Locked Hundreds In Hold Of Capsized Boat

A smuggler's boat crammed with hundreds of people overturned off Libya's coast as rescuers approached, causing what could be the Mediterranean's deadliest known migrant tragedy and intensifying pressure on the European Union Sunday to finally meet demands for decisive action.

Survivor accounts of the number aboard varied, with the Italian Coast Guard saying that the capsized boat had a capacity for "hundreds" of people. Italian prosecutors said a Bangladeshi survivor flown to Sicily for treatment told them 950 people were aboard, including hundreds who had been locked in the hold by smugglers. Earlier, authorities said a survivor told them 700 migrants were on board.

It was not immediately clear if they were referring to the same survivor, and Premier Matteo Renzi said Italian authorities were "not in a position to confirm or verify" how many were on board when the boat set out from Libya.
Eighteen ships joined the rescue effort, but only 28 survivors and 24 bodies had been pulled from the water by nightfall, Renzi said.
These small numbers make more sense if hundreds of people were locked in the hold, because with so much weight down below, "surely the boat would have sunk," said Gen. Antonino Iraso, of the Italian Border Police, which has deployed boats in the operation.
Prosecutor Giovanni Salvi told The Associated Press by phone from the city of Catania that a survivor from Bangladesh described the situation on the fishing boat to prosecutors who interviewed him in a hospital. The man said about 300 people were in the hold, locked in there by the smugglers, when the vessel set out. He said that of the 950 who set out aboard the doomed boat, some 200 were women and several dozen were children.

In this image from TV, migrants crowd at the rail aboard an Italian navy vessel as it cruises toward …

Salvi stressed that there was no confirmation yet of the man's account and that the investigation was ongoing.

Iraso said the sea in the area is too deep for divers, suggesting that the final toll may never be known. The sea off Libya runs as deep as 3 miles (5 kilometers) or more.
"How can it be that we daily are witnessing a tragedy?" asked Renzi, who strategized with his top ministers ahead of Monday's European Union meeting in Luxembourg, where foreign ministers scrambled to add stopping the smugglers to their agenda.
Resurgent right-wing political parties have made a rallying cry out of a rising tide of illegal migration. So far this year, 35,000 asylum seekers and migrants have reached Europe and more than 900 are known to have died trying.
With Sunday's tragedy, demands for decisive action were going mainstream, as authorities from France, Spain, Germany and Britain joined calls for a unified response.

Map locates Lampedusa island in the Mediterranean Sea, where 700 migrants capsized their boat; 1c x  …

"Europe can do more and Europe must do more," said Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament. "It is a shame and a confession of failure how many countries run away from responsibility and how little money we provide for rescue missions."

Europe must mobilize "more ships, more overflights by aircraft," French President Francois Hollande told French TV Canal + on Sunday. "Words won't do anymore," Spain's Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, told a political rally.
Renzi said he too wants action, but he rejected calls by some Italian lawmakers for a naval blockade. That would only "wind up helping the smugglers" since military ships would be there to rescue any migrants, and they wouldn't be able to return passengers to chaos and violence in Libya.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the latest tragedy is an urgent reminder "of the critical need for a robust search and rescue capacity in the Mediterranean," in a statement released late Sunday by his spokesman. Ban said the Mediterranean has become "the world's deadliest route used by asylum seekers and migrants."
Meanwhile Sunday, rescuers were "checking who is alive and who is dead" in an area littered with debris and oil from the capsized ship. Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, whose island nation joined the effort, said only 50 survived, and called it the "biggest human tragedy of the last few years."

Migrants are seated, surrounded by emergency relief workers aboard a vessel at the Italian port of M …

The 20-meter (66-foot) vessel may have overturned because migrants rushed to one side of the craft late Saturday night when they saw an approaching Portuguese-flagged container ship, the King Jacob, which was sent to the area by Italy's Coast Guard. The ship's crew "immediately deployed rescue boats, gangway, nets and life rings," a spokesman for its owner said.

Asked whether migrants rushed to one side as the Portuguese vessel pulled close, Iraso told Sky TG24 TV that "the dynamics aren't clear. But this is not the first time that has happened."
Renzi praised the container ship for quickly responding on what would become its fifth recent rescue operation.
"Since the waters of the Mediterranean Sea are not too cold at the moment, authorities hope to find more survivors," said International Organization for Migration spokesman Joel Millman.
United Nations refugee agency spokeswoman Carlotta Sami tweeted that according to one survivor, the boat had set out with 700 migrants aboard. When it overturned, "the people ended up in the water, with the boat on top of them," Sami told Italian state TV.

An Italian Navy officer gives instruction to migrants who are waiting to disembark from Italian Navy …

"There are fears there could be hundreds of dead," Pope Francis said in St. Peter's Square, lending his moral authority to the political calls for action by urging "the international community to act decisively and promptly, to prevent similar tragedies from occurring again."
Desperate migrants fleeing war, persecution and conflict in Africa, the Middle East and Asia have long tried to reach Europe. Libya has increasingly become a more frequent point of departure in the years since rival militias, tribal factions and other political forces destabilized the country following the bloody end of Moammar Gadhafi's dictatorship.
Malta and Italy are closest to the Libyan coast, and have received the brunt of a migrant tide that carried 219,000 people from Africa to Europe last year. Some 3,500 are known to have died along the way, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres said in a statement Sunday.

In Italy's Parliament, the leaders of foreign affairs and defense commissions pushed for the EU and the UN to prepare a naval blockade of Libya's coast. Without one, "the traffickers will continue to operate and make money and the wretched will continue to die," said Pier Fernando Casini, the Senate foreign affairs commission president.

Meanwhile, about 100 migrants rescued by a different merchant vessel in a separate operation were being brought to the Sicilian port of Pozzallo late Sunday night, authorities said.

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Contributors include Nicole Winfield in Rome, Alessandra Tarantino in Pozzallo, Sicily, Stephen Calleja in Malta, Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Harold Heckle in Madrid, Barry Hatton in Lisbon, and Raf Casert in Brussels.

Vladimir Putin Is Ready To Work With United States

Russia has key interests in common with the United States and needs to work with it on a common agenda, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday in a television interview.

In his comments to the state-run Rossiya channel, Putin appeared to soften his anti-American rhetoric after being highly critical. Relations between Moscow and Washington and other Western powers have soured over the conflict in Russia's neighbor Ukraine, sinking to an all-time low.

"We have disagreements on several issues on the international agenda. But at the same time there is something that unites us, that forces us to work together," Putin said.

"I mean general efforts directed at making the world economy more democratic, measured and balanced, so that the world order is more democratic. We have a common agenda."

Putin has in the past fiercely attacked the United States and the West in general, blaming them for the Ukraine crisis, which Russia says was the result of a Western-backed "coup" against Ukraine's former leader Viktor Yanukovich.

Russia has repeatedly denied accusations from Kiev and the West that it is supporting pro-Russian rebels with troops and weapons in eastern Ukraine, where more than 6,000 people have been killed since last April.

Nigeria Election: APC Wins 19 States As PDP Takes Seven

The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday consolidated its hold on the political landscape, winning some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) strongholds as more governorship election results were announced.
The party won in Plateau, Benue, Niger, Adamawa and Kebbi states that were held by the PDP. Besides, it retained Nasarawa and Borno states.
The PDP won in Delta and Cross River states. Its ‘victory’ in Rivers, announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday – like the one in Akwa Ibom on Sunday – is in dispute.
Results from Taraba, Abia and Imo states were declared inconclusive by the electoral agency.
In Adamawa, APC candidate Jibrilla Mohammed Bindow won with 362,329 votes. Markus Gundiri of Social Democratic Party (SDP) with 181,806 came second.
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu of the PDP came third with 98,917.
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), Dr Ahmed Modibbo, scored 32,985 votes.
APC candidate Muhammadu Badaru Abubakar won the Jigawa governoship seat. He scored 648,045 votes to beat the PDP candidate, Alhaji Aminu Ibrahim Ringim, who got 479,447 votes.
Ben Ayade of the PDP won in Cross River State. He defeated Odey Ochicha of the APC with 342,016 to 53, 983. Labour Party candidate Fidelis Ugbo scored 36, 918.
In Benue State, APC candidate Samuel Ortom polled  422,932  to defeat PDP candidate Terhemen Tarzoor who took 313,878 votes.
A one-time speaker of the House of Assembly, Simon Lalong, is the Plateau State governor-elect. He polled 564,627 to defeat Senator Gyan Pwajok of the PDR, who scored 520,913 votes.
Nasarawa State Governor Tanko Al-Makura of the APC retains his seat by defeating  his closest rival and former Minister of Information Labaran Maku of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Al Makura polled 309,746 votes to Maku’s 178,983.  PDP candidate Yusuf Agabi polled 119,782.
Al – Makura said: “My victory is victory for all the people of Nasarawa State. It is victory for all the people that contested with me because by their participation in this exercise they have endured due diligence in the process of democracy and I think they should also be appreciated for having faith in the system to participate in it.
“I believe all of us are working towards one goal for the purpose of taking this state to the next level for the betterment of the people of the state.”
APC candidate Abubakar Sani Bello won in Niger State. He scored 593,702 votes against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Umar Nasko with 239, 772 votes.
Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima of APC polled 649,913 to beat Gambo Lawan of  PDP who scored  34,771 votes.
In Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa polled 724,680 votes to beat Chief Great Ogboru of Labour Party who won 130,028 votes. Chief O’tega Emerhor of APC garnered 67,825 votes. Okowa won in 21 of the 25 local government areas. Ogboru clinched the remaining four. Kebbi State Governor-elect is Senator Atiku Bagudu, who scored 477,376 votes to defeat PDP candidate Gen. Sarkin Bello, who scored 293,443 votes.
Former Minister of State for Education and PPD candidate Nyesom Wike was declared winner of the Rivers governorship elections.
INEC Returning Officer Prof. Faraday Orumwense, said he polled 1,029,102 votes.
He said Dr. Dakuku Peterside, of the APC scored 124,896 votes. LP candidate Tonye Princewill polled 10,142 votes.
Election in Emohua, one of the 23 local government areas, was cancelled, having been marred by violence, according to the INEC officer in charge of the area.
The result showed that the PDP won 25 seats in the House of Assembly elections. The APC won a seat while the exercise was inconclusive in six constituencies.
INEC yesterday declared as “inconclusive”, the governorship election in Taraba State.
The commission ordered a rerun in some polling units.
The candidate of the PDP Darius Dickson Ishaku won in nine local governments areas with 317,198 votes. Hajia Aisha Alhassan of the APC won six local government areas, scoring 262,386 votes.
The Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Kyari, said since the number of cancelled votes was more than the number of the difference in votes (margin) between PDP and APC, there was need to reconduct the election in the affected areas.
Kyari said: “Since the number of the cancelled votes is more than the difference between the two leading parties, the election in Taraba State is therefore inconclusive.”
INEC said it cancelled the polls in those areas because of irregularities and pockets of violence.
The PDP is leading with 54,812 votes. The number of the cancelled votes in all the affected polling units is 127,125.
INEC said there would be rerun in Donga Local Government Area and some polling units in Chanchanji Ward in Takum “where votes were rejected”.
The rerun in Donga will hold across the entire 165 polling units, which the PDP earlier claimed to have won.
INEC also declared the Imo State governorship election inconclusive.
Returning Officer Prof. Oye Ibidapo- Obe, said APC candidate Rochas Okorocha is leading with 385,071 votes to his PDP rival Emeka Ihedioha with 306,142 votes.
According to the Returning Officer, the election was declared inconclusive because the total number of votes in areas where election could not hold was higher than the margin between the two leading candidates.
The APC candidate is ahead with 79,0529 votes. The number of votes in the affected areas is  144,715.
Prof. Ibidapo-Obe said the results could not be authenticated and a winner declared, until rerun election was held in the places were results were cancelled.
Then units are scattered across the state with the bulk in six Wards out of the 10 in Oru East local government area.
In Abia, PDP candidate Okezie Ikpeazu is leading with 248,459. APGA’s Dr Alex Otti has 165,406 votes. The election was declared inconclusive last night by Returning Officer Prof. Benjamin Ozumba.
Prof Ozumba said there were 179,224 potential voters who wre accredited but could not vote due to various reasons including violence. He said the number is higher than the difference between the leading candidate and the second placed candidate. Ikpeazu is leading Otti with 83,053 votes.

Benjamin Zephaniah: If I Were Prime Minister

I’m an anarchist. So maybe I shouldn’t be here. After seeing what politicians of all persuasions have done to our country (and our world), there was no other way to go for me. People need to understand just how much they can do for themselves, so if I were forced to do the job I’d abolish the post of Prime Minister.

Before I put myself out of a job I’d get rid of every bit of privatisation in the NHS and have a radical shake up of health services. I’d introduce a new 999 service – for emergency mental health issues. Between 20 to 30 per cent of all police call outs relate to people with mental health problems, problems that the police are not trained to deal with.
I’d introduce new health awareness programmes for things like prostate cancer and HIV. There’s a lot of ignorance and fear and that can mean people die needlessly. Most black men, for instance, have no idea that prostate cancer is racist! 1 in 4 of them will get prostate cancer, compared to 1 in 8 men overall. Prostate Cancer UK’s Men United campaign aims to tackle that injustice through research and making sure men know their risk, and are informed about their own health. I’ve already written a comedy about prostate cancer, so I’d back Men United in research and in getting its messages out to people through football, music, comedy – any way they can.
With HIV there’s been huge advances in research and treatment since the eighties and nineties, when it was considered a death sentence. But attitudes haven’t changed. Like prostate cancer it’s still a taboo subject for some. So I’d aim to get families and communities talking about these things, understanding risks, and learning that early diagnosis can save lives. I’m currently heading an awareness campaign in the West Midlands that I would roll out all over the country. HIV, three letters, not a sentence.
A lot of this comes down to education and I would turn all schools back into good old-fashioned schools for all pupils. Forget academies, free schools, foundation schools and all those other fancy names, I’m talking about good schools, with well paid, creative teachers. There’d be excellent universal education for every student, paid for by all of us, for all of us. Everyone would have the same opportunities, and education would be wide-ranging.

I would order a review of all deaths in custody. That’s in police stations, prisons, hospitals, the lot. And that would be part of a comprehensive prison reform. My new prison system would be based on preparing prisoners for life beyond their sentence. Rehabilitation would be the top priority.I might end up pushing up the prison population though, because I’d make it a criminal offence for employers to pay women less than men. The Equal Pay Act was introduced in 1970, but forty-five years later and men still earn 17% more than women on average per hour. I’d give mandatory prison sentences to bosses who discriminated against female staff.
I’d also put a value on the work done in the home. Housework and caring for family members would be factored into the Gross National Product. There are people working very long hours at home who get no recognition for their role in underpinning the economy – I’d have to change that.
I would stop sending young men and women to fight in foreign lands, and I would get them building hospitals and trains for a nationalised rail service instead.
I would abolish the House of Lords and make all them so called Baronesses and Lords apologise for thinking they were better than us, and then I would recognise the State of Palestine.  I would also get all those police officers that beat me up in the seventies and eighties to apologise to my mother, and then stand in a truth and reconciliation commission to confess their sins.
I would get rid of that Trident nuclear war machine, tax banks appropriately, make sure that big companies don’t use loop holes and trickery to avoid paying their share of tax, stop wasting money paying for the monarchy and politicians privileges, and I would invest in the green economy. The green economy is the future no mater what anyone says, it really is just a matter of how long we delay it, and how many lives are lost before we wake up.
I would dismantle the honours system. That would include abolishing the post of Poet Laureate. Poets should be poets of the people and shouldn’t be paid to work for the monarchy, writing about living or dead tyrants, or for so called state occasions. Poets should be free spirits. They should spend their time seeking truth, beauty, and attending sex parties.
Benjamin Zephaniah is Professor of Creative writing at Brunel University. His latest novel for young adults is Terror Kid

White Police Officer Shoot Unarmed Black Man As He Ran Away

A white US police officer has been charged with murder after a video emerged of him shooting an unarmed black man in the back as he tried to run away.

Michael Slager, the officer in North Charleston, South Carolina, gunned down 50-year-old Walter Scott five times following a scuffle between the two on Saturday morning after he reportedly tried to stop him over a broken light in his car.
News of the arrest came when the video, published by The New York Times, appeared to contradict the version of events given by Slager. The 33-year-old said that he had feared for his life after his stun gun had been taken by Scott.
The video shows the officer firing eight shots at Scott's back as Scott is running away. Scott falls on the eighth shot, fired after a brief pause. The video then shows the officer slowly walking toward him, and ordering him to put his hands behind his back.
When Scott doesn't move, Slager pulls his arms back and cuffs his hands. Then he walks briskly back to where he fired the shots, picks up an object, and returns the 30 feet (10 meters) or so back to Scott before dropping the object by Scott's feet.
Anthony Scott, the victim's brother, said justice had been served but questioned whether the truth would have emerged if the video hadn't been taken.
The video, which The New York Times suggested had been shot by multiple witnesses, cast a different light on events. Slager had initially released a statement through his lawyer arguing he had “followed all the proper procedures and policies of the North Charleston police department”.
Anthony Scott, Scott’s brother, said at a press conference: "My family is in deep mourning. I don’t think that all police officers are bad cops, but there are some bad ones out there.”
"I don't want to see anyone get shot down like my brother got shot down. We've all seen the video. If there wasn't a video, would we know the truth?
"But we do now the truth now.
"Justice will be served," he added.
At a press conference, North Charleston mayor Keith Summey said a “bad decision” had been made. “When you’re wrong, you’re wrong,” he said. “When you make a bad decision, don’t care if you’re behind the shield or a citizen on the street, you have to live with that decision.”
Mr Summey said Slager had been arrested and charged with murder, in what is an usually swift decision for an incident set against a backdrop of deep distrust following a number of shootings of black men at the hands of white officers.
Race relations have been in turmoil since a police officer shot a black teenager, Michael Brown, in the town of Ferguson, Missouri, in August last year. The US Justice Department released a report in May that found systematic bias in the city's police department and courts.
In July last year black New York City resident Eric Garner died after he was put into a chokehold by Officer Daniel Pantaleo. Both officers were white. Grand juries decided not to indict either officer, setting off large protests.
The spate of incidents lead President Barack Obama to launch an inquiry entitled "Task Force on 21st Century Policing", charged with interviewing police and community leaders across the country. That committee will report back later this year.

Al-Shabaab Terrorists Storm Kenya Garissa University

At least 15 people have been killed after al-Shabaab gunmen stormed a university in Kenya, opened fire on dormitories and began separating Muslim and Christian students.

Heavy gunfire was reported in the early hours of Thursday morning at the Garissa University College, 120 miles from the Somalian border, when militants attacked the building. There were over 800 students inside at the time and only 280 have been accounted for so far.
Kenya's National Police Service said armed militants shot at campus guards to gain entry, triggering a "fierce shootout". The attackers still managed to get inside one of the student dormitories and some remain trapped inside.
A spokesman for al-Shabaab said the group is inside the campus and has released Muslim students.
"We've killed many people; Kenyans will be shocked when the go inside," he was quoted by the BBC as saying.
One student said he could hear militants opening doors and asking those hiding inside if they were Muslim or Christian. "If you were a Christian you were shot on the spot," he said. "With each blast of the gun I thought I was going to die."
The number of hostages being held by the group is not known. Police and military forces say they are now trying to “flush out” gunmen from the campus. The Kenyan Natural Disaster Operation Centre said 65 had been injured.
It said one suspected terrorist was arrested as he tried to flee the scene.
A policeman at the scene said he has counted 14 bodies being carried out of the campus by a Red Cross Ambulance.
"They include two of our officers who were also killed," he told Reuters. "We are finding it difficult to access the compound because some of the attackers are on top of a building and are firing at us whenever we try to gain entry."
One student who fled described chaotic scenes as gunmen burst into the building. "They are just shooting randomly," he said.
"My life was in danger, in fact everybody's. They were shooting at us with live bullets, everywhere, all over the school compound.
"I am trying to call [students still trapped inside] but I can't reach anyone."
Two of the fatalities were guards at the university gates.
The US Embassy in Nairobi condemned the shooting as a "terrorist attack" on its official Twitter feed.
One Red Cross official told the BBC the attack began at 5am local time when a grenade was launched at the university’s gates.
“The attackers went into the girl’s hostel which is when they took the hostel over," she said. "Forces responded and took over the operation and they have locked down the campus.
“According to local county government officials on the ground, we have 30 casualties, who have been taken to hospital. Four of them are very serious and most of the casualties have gunshot injuries.”
A policewoman at the scene said up to 49 people had been wounded in the attack, all with bullet and shrapnel wounds.
Al-Shabaab has been responsible for a string of violent attacks in Kenya over recent years, which it claims are retribution for Kenya sending troops into Somalia.

Atiku: Journey To Rebuild Has Begun

Former Vice President and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Atiku Abubakar has said the journey of rebuilding Nigeria has begun with the election of the APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.

In a congratulatory message, Atiku said the party will stand behind Buhari in actualising his electoral promises.

He said: “Dear GMB, the journey has just begun. Millions of Nigerians have put their trust in you, because they were not satisfied with the status quo.

“You represent the hope of a new generation of Nigerians, and you cannot afford to fail them.

“Our party has made a promise of change to our young people, to secure and rebuild our country, create jobs and opportunity, and improve citizens’ welfare. We will stand behind you to ensure we keep those promises, just like we did during these elections.

“My hearty congratulations to His Excellency, General Muhammadu Buhari, for being elected the next president of our beloved county, Nigeria. .

“To President Jonathan, I want to specially thank you for conducting a historic election. Your party may have lost the elections, but you have won the admiration of the world by not interfering with the wishes of Nigerians. History will be kind to you.”

Nigeria: Buhari beats Jonathan with 2.571m Votes

 The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, Wednesday morning declared the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as the winner of the 2015 Presidential Election. Buhari polled 15, 424, 921 to emerge top ahead of his main rival President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (12, 853, 162).
The number of accredited voters for the March 28, Presidential Election was 31, 746,490.
Although the total votes cast were 29,432, 083, the difference between Buhari’s votes and Jonathan’s was 2, 571,759.
While the valid votes amounted to 28,587,564, the number of rejected votes was 844, 519.
The victory of Buhari re-wrote the electoral history of the nation in five ways:
•       the first time in the history of Nigeria that an incumbent President will be defeated;
•       the first time a party in power for 16 years will be voted out of government by Nigerians in preference for the opposition party;
•       the first time a merged party will win election at the centre since 1962 when the opposition had been forming coalition to rule the country;
•        the first time a candidate who had contested and failed three times will win at the fourth attempt;
•       the first time a Septuagenarian will be elected Nigeria’s President like the case in Senegal; the US and others.
Jega, who made the declaration after the collation of results at the National Collation Centre at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, said Buhari has met the requirements in Section 134(2) of the 1999 Constitution to be elected as the President of Nigeria.
The constitutional requirements are winning a simple majority of the total votes cast and 25 per cent of the votes in at least 24 states of the Federation during the presidential election.
Section 134 of the 1999 Constitution says: “A candidate for an election to the Office of the President shall be deemed to have been duly elected where there being more than two candidates for the election (a) he has the highest number of votes cast at the election; and (b) he has not less than one-quarter of the votes cast at the election in each of at least two-thirds of all the states in the Federation and the Federal capital Territory.”
He gave the breakdown of the performance of the 14 parties that participated in the presidential poll as follows:
•       AA—-Tunde Kelani—–22,125
•       ACPN—-Ganiyu Galadima—-40,311
•       AD— Rafiu Salahu—-30,673
•       ADC— Dr. Mani Ibrahim Ahmed——-29, 666
•       APA—-Ayeni Musa Adebayo—–53, 537
•       APC——Muhammadu Buhari——15, 424, 921
•       CPP—Sam Eke——-36, 300
•       Hope——Ambrose N.A . Owuru—7, 435
•       KOWA——Comfort Oluremi Sonaiya—-13, 076
•       NCP—–Martin Onovo——24, 455
•       PDP—–President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan——12, 853, 162
•       PPN—–Allagoa Kelvin Chinedu—–24, 475
•       UDP—- Godson B. Okoye——-9, 208
•       UPP—–Chekwas  Okorie——–18, 220
Bedecked in white Babanriga and flanked by National Commissioners, Jega, who began the announcement of results at exactly 2.47am, said: “Before I announced the results, I will like to express our gratitude to all Nigerians for the opportunity to serve this country.
“We also commend all Nigerians for coming out in large number during the election. I also express our appreciation to our staff, both permanent and ad hoc, who worked tirelessly for the success of the poll, especially the young members of the National Youth Service Corps who added value.”
After the signing of the results by all parties except the PDP, Jega declared Buhari as the winner of the election.
The agent of the PDP, Dr. Bello Fadile, who merely shook Jega’s hand, said he had “no instruction to sign the result sheet.”
He said: “By the powers conferred on me by the Constitution and the Electoral Act, I hereby certified that I was a Returning Officer for the election held on the 28th of March 2015.
“That the election was conducted and that the candidates received the following votes.
“That Gen. Muhammadu Buhari of APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes cast, is hereby declared the winner and is returned  elected.”
Responding to a question, Jega said “while Buhari has spread in 27 states, the candidate of the PDP has the spread in 26 states.
“The canddates are expected to score 25 per cent of the total votes cast in two-thirds of the Federation.”

Nigeria President: Goodluck Jonathan Last Night Concession Statement

President Goodluck Jonathan last night thanked Nigerians for their participation in the democratic process.

In a concession statement, he said:

“Fellow Nigerians, I thank you all for turning out en-masse for the March 28 General Elections.

 ”I promised the country free and fair elections. I have kept my word. I have also expanded the space for Nigerians to participate in the democratic process. That is one legacy I will like to see endure.

 ”Although some people have expressed mixed feelings about the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), I urge those who may feel aggrieved to follow due process based on our constitution and our electoral laws, in seeking redress.

 ”As I have always affirmed, nobody’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian. The unity, stability and progress of our dear country is more important than anything else.

 ”I congratulate all Nigerians for successfully going through the process of the March 28th General Elections with the commendable enthusiasm and commitment that was demonstrated nationwide.

 ”I also commend the Security Services for their role in ensuring that the elections were mostly peaceful and violence-free.

 ”To my colleagues in the PDP, I thank you for your support.  Today, the PDP should be celebrating rather than mourning.  We have established a legacy of democratic freedom, transparency, economic growth and free and fair elections.

”For the past 16 years, we have steered the country away from ethnic and regional politics. We created a Pan-Nigerian political party and brought home to our people the realities of economic development and social transformation.

 ”Through patriotism and diligence, we have built the biggest and most patriotic party in Nigerian history. We must stand together as a party and look to the future with renewed optimism.

 ”I thank all Nigerians once again for the great opportunity I was given to lead this country and assure you that I will continue to do my best at the helm of national affairs until the end of my tenure.

 ”I have conveyed my personal best wishes to General Muhammadu Buhari.

 ”May God Almighty continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

 ”I thank you all.”

Under Islamic Law Voting is A Sin

Fringe preacher Anjem Choudary is trying to discourage Muslims from voting in elections by claiming the act is a ‘sin’ under Islamic law.

Mr Choudary’s group is promoting a campaign on social media with the hashtag #StayMuslimDontVote and has released a series of videos aimed at discouraging young Muslims from taking part in the democratic process.
Despite having become adept at marshalling repeated media coverage, Mr Choudary is a fringe figure in British Islam.
“Almost all major Muslim organisations say it is a civic obligation for us to participate in the electoral process because we have an opportunity to make our societies better, not just for Muslims but for everyone,” Talha Ahmad from the Muslim Council of Britain said last month.
A number of grassroots campaigns have been set up by mainstream groups to encourage British Muslims to go to the polls, however.
One group, YouElect, aims to promote voter registration and political engagement among followers of the religion.
“This year more than ever it is vital you participate by voting at election time,” the group says on its website.
“With continuing economic uncertainty, unemployment concerns, possible cuts in social services, civil liberty issues, rising inequality, inconsistent foreign policy and rising Islamophobia it is important to ensure you support the right candidate.”
Choudary’s call ironically comes as voters go to the polls in Nigeria; a country where half the population is made up of Muslims.
Just 47% of Muslims were estimated to have voted in 2010 – a figure partly accounted for by the religion’s younger than average demographic. General turnout at that election was around 65%.
With the election race looking closer than ever, the UK’s nearly three million followers of Islam could play a key role in the final result; YouElect estimates that the Muslim vote could be crucial in 32 constituencies.
There are only 26 ethnic minority MPs, or 4% of the total number, according to the House of Commons library. There are now eight Muslim MPs, three of whom are, for the first time, women.