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Despite criticism, Wike to sign Neighborhood Watch Bill next week.

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Not giving in to series if criticism following the passage of the Neighborhood Watch Bill by the Rivers State House of Assembly, the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has declared that he will sign the neighborhood watch bill next week to give effect to the legal existence of the bill.

Governor Wike Stated that the State Neighbourhood Watch will support security agencies with intelligence and information to prevent criminality in the state.

Wike said this at the official flagging off the construction of Isiodu Road in Emohua Local Government Area on Saturday.

Rivers State chapter of the All Progressive Congress had criticized the bill, saying that it is an attempt by the Governor to arm a private army.

But the Governor, however, denied that the bill is aimed at arming the youth to cause mayhem. He said that contrary to the falsehood being spread by the leadership of the APC, the government is only being proactive with the bill as it will entrench preventive mechanisms that will protect lives and property across the state.

He said: “Neighbourhood Watch has nothing to do with carrying arms. Their duty is to complement security agencies across the state.

“Security of lives revolves around information and intelligence. Members of the Neighbourhood Watch will gather intelligence and information and pass same to security agencies for the protection of lives and property ”

He maintained that propaganda will in no way, intimidate the government from doing whatever is necessary to protect lives in the state.

He said: “I will sign the Neighbourhood Watch Bill by next week. All these lies being spread will not stop us. The Neighbourhood Watch is for the good of our people. We have sworn to protect our people”.

The governor said that the youths of the state will be employed as the Neighbourhood Watch takes effect.

How to mine Bitcoin

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It’s not all free money. What to know before you try to mine Bitcoin

When Bitcoin was first introduced in 2009, mining the world’s first and premier cryptocurrency needed little more than a home PC — and not even a fast one at that. Today the barrier for entry is far higher if you want to make any kind of profit doing it. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, but it’s not the homebrew industry it once was.

Still, if you want to know how to mine Bitcoin, there are a few steps you can take. One involves much more risk and monetary investment than the other, but the potential rewards are greater. So just as when it comes to buying Bitcoin or altcoins, you need to be aware that nothing in the world of cryptocurrencies is guaranteed. Any investment could be lost, so make sure you do your readingbefore pulling out your credit card.

Mining vs. investment

Before we discuss how to mine Bitcoins yourself, it’s important to note that although there is uncertainty in everything cryptocurrency related, mining is arguably the most volatile. Hardware price fluctuations, changes in Bitcoin difficulty and even the lack of a guarantee of a payout at the end of all your hard work, make it a riskier investment than even buying Bitcoins directly.

Nobody can say whether Bitcoins will be worth more tomorrow than they are today, nor can they give you any concrete answer as to whether you’ll receive a return on your investment, but buying Bitcoin directly at least gives you something for your money immediately. It’s certainly worth considering before you go down the mining route.

Method 1: Cloud mining

Cloud mining is the practice of renting mining hardware (or a portion of their hashing power) and having someone else do the mining for you. You are typically ‘paid’ for your investment with Bitcoin. Sometimes even if the hardware isn’t used for mining Bitcoin.

Although there are many detractors of cloud mining, it requires a much smaller investment than personal mining. As with general investing, it’s important to do your research, because there are a lot of companies out there which purport to be the best and even the largest have their detractors.

Step 1: Pick your mining company

Genesis Mining is arguably the largest and most reputable of the bunch. HashFlare recently told Digital Trends in an interview that every one of its customers has turned a profit using its service. It did say though, that if many of them had invested in Bitcoin at the right time they may have made more money.

If neither of those companies strikes your fancy, CryptoCompare maintains a list of mining companies with user reviews and ratings, though be aware there are a lot of reviewers looking to shill their referral codes in the comment section.

Step 2: Choose a mining package

Once you have picked a cloud mining provider, you need to pick a mining package. That will typically involve choosing a certain amount of hashing power and cross-referencing that with how much you can afford to pay. Typically paying more will give you a better return, or you’ll turn a profit quicker, but that’s not always the case.

Most cloud mining companies will help you decide by giving you a calculation based on the current market value of Bitcoin, the difficulty of Bitcoin mining and cross-referencing that with the hashing power you’re renting. However, it’s important to note that those numbers can and do change, so it is important to look at market trends and estimate where Bitcoin may be going before choosing your contract. What may be profitable now, may not be if Bitcoin’s value crashes.

Step 3: Pick a mining pool

After choosing your contract, most cloud mining companies will ask you to pick a mining pool. That’s where you choose a global mining team to join. It’s a method of increasing the chance of earning Bitcoin through mining and it’s a standard practice in cloud and personal mining. There are pros and cons of different pools that go beyond the scope of this article, but joining an established and proven pool is likely to be your best bet.

Once you’ve completed that step your cloud mining can begin and within a few days or weeks you should start to see your cloud mining account begin to fill with Bitcoin. Withdrawing it and putting it into a secure wallet of your own is a good plan as soon as you have a small holding, though some cloud miners will allow you to reinvest your earnings for greater hashing power.

Beware of “pre-sale”

Some cloud mining companies will sell you a contract on a “pre-sale” basis. That is effectively asking you to pay upfront for a contract that won’t begin for weeks or months when new hardware becomes available. In most circumstances, it is not advisable because there is no way to guarantee those contracts will be profitable when they start and not even a concrete indication of when that will happen.

Method 2: Personal mining

Personal mining for Bitcoin is rare today because of the high cost involved. Although you can mine alternative cryptocurrencies with consumer hardware, mining Bitcoins in 2018 requires specialized hardware built using application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chips designed specifically for mining. They are not cheap to buy or run.

Because of the high costs involved, mining Bitcoin yourself is only recommendable if you have ready access to plentiful and more importantly, cheap, electricity and a powerful network connection. Before investing in any hardware or mining set ups, it is imperative you use a Bitcoin mining calculator to see if you can actually turn a profit with all costs considered.

Step 1: Choose your hardware

If you are dead set on mining, you need to buy yourself a powerful ASIC miner. Most of the modern options are built using the same chips, but they all use different power supplies and some are more efficient than others. The most praised at the time of writing is Bitmain’s AntMiner S9, which is currently priced at $2,320, but new orders aren’t slated to ship out for a few weeks. Other, more immediate sellers charge a huge markup and are unlikely to be cost-efficient.

Second-hand hardware is also an option, but bear in mind that mining hardware can burn out very quickly, so there is no guarantee that your newly acquired bargain will last long enough to turn a profit for you. You can also opt for older hardware or the GPU you have on your gaming rig, but again, there’s no guarantee how long it will last and as Bitcoin mining difficulty increases, they may no longer be able to work fast enough to earn Bitcoin for you.

Step 2: Choose a mining pool

Once you have your hardware and it’s setup, ready to go, you need to decide whether you want to mine Bitcoin alone or as part of a pool of collective miners. Doing it by yourself could mean greater rewards (mining rewards are 12.5 Bitcoin at the current difficulty level) but if you get unlucky or don’t have much hashing power, you could mine for months or even years without earning a single Bitcoin. Being part of a pool means more regular, smaller rewards based on how much you contribute. You’ll also have to pay a fee of your earnings to be a part of the collective.

Choosing a mining pool goes beyond the scope of this article, but suffice to say there are guides to the best ones out there. In a nutshell, joining an established, low-fee pool is likely to be your best bet, but you may have specific needs which only some will cater to.

Step 3: Download the right software

The final steps to starting to mine Bitcoins involve downloading the right software and linking up your hardware with a secure wallet. There are bunch of different options, but they all essentially the same thing. The actual setup process of your chosen hardware and software will be dependent on your choices thus far, but if you’ve done everything correctly, you should be ready to mine. Connect your miner up to your PC, login to your pool, start the software and you’re mining.

Step 4: Check the numbers

From here, the most important thing you can do is stay abreast of the numbers involved. As Bitcoin difficulty goes up, you need to make sure your set up is staying profitable. Are you earning enough Bitcoins to cover your electricity costs? Are your Bitcoin miner’s temperatures staying low enough that they aren’t going to burn out? Is your system staying quiet enough to not annoy your neighbors?

If you answered yes to all of those, then sit back and watch your Bitcoins pile up. Or sell them. Or convert them into something else. It’s totally up to you.

Dr. Bars drops new song

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Port Harcourt based rap artist at the weekend, dropped a new joint.

The song, titled Devil Dance Shoki, has been making airwaves around the city with more than 10, 000 downloads recorded.

It was well received by fans and critics alike.

This is another feather to Dr. Barz’s cap as the talented artist seeks to cement his hold on the industry.

Entertainers in Portharcourt meet, plan for conference

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Entertainers in Portharcourt met on Saturday at the popular Ediz wine bar to strategize ahead of slated events for the year.

The meeting which was chaired by ace comedian, K. O Baba had artist from both the music, comedy and fashion industry in attendance.

The theme of the meeting was hinged on strategy to move the industry forward.

K. O Baba, who spoke to TPCN after the meeting expressed gladness for the massive turn up.

He said that the meeting was necessitated by the need for Entertainers across the city to unite and make strategic plans on how to move the industry forward.

He maintained that the industry in Portharcourt is rich in talents but noted, however, that these talents are not being nurtured properly as it is supposed to.

He reiterated that the upcoming conference will expose young artists to opportunities bound in the state saying that Portharcourt has everything.

In his remark, Jason, who is a sound engineer said that the industry in Portharcourt is an untapped goldmine and wondered why it has not been found worthy of the type of investment that it needs to grow.

Also at the meeting were Laxbury, Godzboi and many others.

Nwakali netted brace in Maastricht win

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Former Flying Eagles skipper Kelechi Nwakali is gradually recapturing his old form with his scintillating display for Dutch Eerste Divisie side MVV Maastricht.

The skilful midfielder netted brace for Maastricht as they returns to winning ways on Friday.

Maastricht defeated Jong fc Utrecht 3-1 with Kelechi Nwakali scoring in the 23rd and 48th minutes.

Attila Yildirim got Maastricht’s third goal on 89
minutes while Nick Venema was on the score
sheet for Jong FC Utrecht on 69 minutes.

Maastricht are 12th on 38 points in the 20-
team league table.

Iheanacho on target in Leicester city win

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Super Eagles striker Kelechi Iheanacho is enjoying his games once again as he returned to the scorer sheet in the Saturday EPL game.

Salomon Rondon opened the scoring for the host in the 8th minutes before English international Jamie Vardy leveled the scores in the 21th minutes.

Riyad Mahrez put the Foxes up in the 62nd through an assist from Kelechi Iheanacho.

Former Nigeria junior international made it 3-1 in the 76th minutes, just as his compatriot Wilfred Ndidi was yellow carded at the same period.

Vincent Ibora scored the fourth goal in the 90th minutes to finished the game at 4-1.

The form of Iheanacho will gladden the heart of Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr as the 2018 World cup approaches

FASHION CHECK CORNER

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Udodirim Nwakpa

Welcome to the first edition of fashion check.

Today let’s talk about fashion. Often times, we mention fashion, fashionista. Is fashion a word, a field of study, a way of life, a mode of appearance, what would fashion be?

Well? Well? Well? Fashion is an all in compressing style of practice, popularly in clothing, footwear’s, accessories, makeup, hairdo, life style, and body. It is a different and constant trend of persons dress sense or style. It is the recent trend in behavior and most current in textile designing.

Fashion includes all that has been listed here.
Fashion is for both masculine and feminine genders. Prior to the 19th century, there we no fashion industries. What operates then was based around individual designers who made clothing’s on order. Charles Frederick has been recorded to be the first designer who had his label sewn on the garments he created (source Wikipedia).

Couture began with Rose Bertin, the French dress marker, who made clothes for the queen of France, Marie Antoinette, who was often referred to as ‘Minister of Fashion’. French fashion holds a high esteem as the most superior.
As we have seen, Fashion has been on even before 1900s and still trending.

The Four major current fashion capitals are; Paris, Milan, New York and London. And these capitals are all headquarters to the greatest fashion companies and they enjoy a strong influence in the fashion community.

In Nigeria, Fashion has been greatly influenced by our diverse ethnic groups.
Here are names of notable fashion designers in Nigeria; Duro Olowu (Duro Olowu is a Nigerian-born, London-based fashion designer. He is best known for his innovative combinations of patterns and textiles that draw inspiration from his international background)

Deola Sagao (Deola Sagoe is a haute couture fashion designer from Ondo State, Nigeria. She is a fashion visionary with a unique approach to her craft that has endeared her to followers and critics all over the world for the past 25 years.

Lisa Folawiyo (Lisa Folawiyo is a Nigerian fashion designer who is best known for incorporating traditional West African textiles with modern tailoring techniques with an emphasis on beading and sequin trim.

Zizi Cardow (Zizi who was born into the family of Chief and Mrs Paul Cunningham Nduneme Iro of umuobiala in Isiukwuato L.G.A of Abia state has gained as clients and fans, a lot of Trendsetters and first ladies, while her works have been featured in all local and some international media including CNN, FTV, SABC and Channel O.).

Amaka Osakwe (Amaka Osakwe is a Nigerian fashion designer and creator of the African-based fashion label named Maki Oh. She has led her woman’s wear label since 2010 from Lagos, and it is one of the few Nigerian-based brands to be globally acknowledged).

Remi Folawiyo and Tokini Peterside.

Rose Bertin’s design

Duro Olowu’s design

Deola Sagao’ designs

Lisa Folawiyo’s design

Nigerian fashion has now gone beyond copying and sewing foreign styles and designs to making crazy styles out of our Ankara.

I am not ready for Nollywood relationships – Rosabelle Iyafokhai

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Fast-rising actress and former Miss Big World, Abuja, Rosabelle Iyafokhai Jeanne who left the modeling industry to explore the make-believe world is rapidly becoming a force to reckon with in Nollywood. In this interview, the Auchi-born, Ambrose Ali University English and Literary Studies graduate talks on her journey in Nollywood, relationships and reason for dumping her modeling career.

You started off as a beauty queen, what prompted you to go into acting?

I have always loved to be in the spotlight and being a beauty queen made me realize I wanted something bigger, so, I opted for Nollywood.

Would you be going back into modeling?

No, I won’t be going back to modeling. When we were growing up, we had so many ambitions and things we were passionate about but with time we tend to prioritized what we really want, it’s the same for me and acting is what I love and I’m passionate about, so, I will stick with it.

Can you sum up your experience in the Nollywood industry?

I will say it has not been rosy, Nollywood is just like life, it is full of ups and downs, filled with pains and joy. Generally, it’s an adventure, the farther you go the more you unravel different things.

The industry seems saturated as it is, how do you plan to keep afloat?

I believe that when you have a goal and know what you are doing, and have a purpose you will go about fulfilling your purpose and leave the rest to God and the people. The sky is wide enough for so many stars to shine and we are all unique in ours own ways. The good thing is that there is space for everyone and I just have to keep doing my thing and hope that God does the rest.

What do you think are the pressing challenges facing the Nollywood industry?

First, I think Nollywood will do well with more investors in the industry, I think that is the basic thing. We also need lots of support from our people because if you look at it we are supported more outside the country than within the country.

How do you think these challenges can be surmounted?

We need people to pay more attention to us as an industry, not just the Nollywood industry now but the entertainment industry as a whole. We are doing so much by putting our country on the map and people are relating more with us. I think with this other things can follow.

As an actress, what are the challenges you face?

Time is my greatest challenge as an actress; I don’t have enough time for myself. It is not very easy because as an actress you have to travel from time to time and your personal life tends to be on a halt, when I say personal life I mean business, family and many other things. Balancing all these could be very challenging, so, time is a challenge for every actor.

What is the most challenging role you have played?

That would be playing the role of a blind girl, it wasn’t very easy because I was seeing everyone and yet acting like I couldn’t, I think that is quite challenging. Pretending I couldn’t see was really funny, it meant blocking my mind, although I could see physically but my mind was blocked so it was like I couldn’t see.

What did you do to get into this character?

When I read the script it was beautiful and interesting, while preparing for the role I had to put on the character of Chisom (the blind girl), and said to myself, what will a blind girl do? At first I thought it was going to be easy but when I started filming I realized it wasn’t easy at all. I had to go the extra mile, even in my hotel room I would stand before the mirror and block my image in my mind and imagine that I’m not there, this helped me a lot. Also on set, whenever my co stars stood in front of me I gradually dull out their images from my mind and imagine a black space.

What would you attribute your success in the industry to?

I would attribute my success to God because he gave me this talent that I’m harnessing. I would also say my family, they have been very supportive of me, they understand what I want and they encourage me in every way that they can. Third, I would say a director of mine, Obinna Okeije, he has been very good to me and he supports me a lot, he is more like a father to me in the industry.

Where is the most interesting location you have visited?

The location at the top of my list right now is Zanzibar. It is a beautiful and exciting place to visit. While I was there it felt like I was in paradise, it was a fulfilling experience for me.

Who is your ideal man?

I know most women will say tall, dark and all of that but I will say my ideal man is someone who really loves God and the things of God, every other thing can follow.

Have you met him yet?

Well, I’m still waiting on God to send him my way.

Can you date someone in the entertainment industry?

That is a very tough question, if God says I should date someone within the entertainment industry then so be it. Although dating someone in the industry could be difficult because both of you are in the spotlight and everybody gets to know about your relationship. I’m a low-key kind of person, I really do not like my relationship to be out in the public eye. I think that is why I’ve stayed away from entertainment industry romance, it is scary but then if I find someone interesting that wants something with me, I could give it a trial.

Are you ready for marriage?

As a woman, I think we are always ready to get married. There is a certain age we get to and we want to get married. I’m ready to get married if I find someone that shares the same views and goals with me.

Some people think it is wrong to flaunt one’s relationship on social media, what is your take on this?

They say different strokes for different folks, it works for some people. I feel everyone should do whatever works for them and makes them happy, if you think flaunting your relationship on social media is cool then so be it and if you don’t want to then that is fine too

Is PDP divided against itself?

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The absence of the National Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, and the Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, at the PDP Governors meeting with members of the National Working Committee (NWC) in Gombe State last week Sunday gave credence to the insinuation that the party might be divided against itself.

Though details of their absence at the meeting were not officially addressed, it is believed that it may not be unconnected with simmering political scheming and power tussle over who controls the soul of the party, and by extension, who emerges as its presidential candidate in 2019.

These are certainly not the best of times for the opposition party, rocked by unending crises as some of its founding leaders and elders recently dumped it for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Former ministers and former PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) members, Professors Jerry Gana and Tunde Adeniran, left the party, citing among other claims that the party had become the preserve of one or a few individuals.

To this end, it is being projected that some serving governors, former governors, serving senators, former senators and other key elected leaders are also planning to leave the former ruling party.

The main actors in the subtle tussle are Wike’s camp against some key stakeholders championing the presidential ambition of Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State.

This group of stakeholders are unhappy that despite their contributions to the formation and development of the party, Wike seems to have hijacked it, and is perceived to be dictating affairs within.

The Rivers State governor on the other hand believes that he is currently the biggest investor in the party and as such should have a major say in who becomes what, including the party’s presidential candidate. It is alleged that he has settled for a former governor of Jigawa state, Alhaji Sule Lamido, as the party’s presidential candidate. It was also alleged that he is considering the immediate past chairman of the national caretaker committee of the party, Senator Ahmed Makarfi.

Besides Lamido and Makarfi, other PDP presidential aspirants include former governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau; former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa; and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar. Despite the party’s zoning of its presidential ticket to the North, the Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, (from the South-West) who is also the chairman of party’s governors forum, is in the race.

However, Wike’s perceived hesitancy not to align with a fellow governor is said to have sparked a dissension within the rank and file of the party, especially among some of the serving governors who feel that one of them should be given the full backing to contest for the nation’s most exalted political office.

Their argument is that since the presidential slot has been zoned to the North, Dankwambo, who is serving his last term should be entitled to the privilege of becoming the party’s flag bearer at the expiration of his tenure, considering his sacrifices and contributions in ensuring the survival of the party in the North against all odds.

But Wike’s huge influence in the party preceded the emergence of Secondus as national chairman. Wike had rallied his colleagues to back the Secondus’ victory during the convention much to the chagrin of aspirants from the South-West and its leaders who felt they deserved to produce the national chairman of the party.

But his influence in the party became noticeable shortly after he emerged governor of Rivers State. With a robust political background having served as local government chairman (in one of the most politically charged councils in Nigeria during the 1999 to 2007 era) and later minister of state for education, Wike teamed up with Fayose (another domineering influence in the party) to impose Senator Ali Modu Sheriff on the party, despite the agitations that trailed their action. When their short-lived political romance fell apart, Wike, at a convention he hosted in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, was also instrumental to setting up the Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee (NCC), after Sheriff was rejected by the party.

Throughout the 14-month political and legal tussle that eventually ensued, Wike and his staunch ally, Fayose, stood with the NCC and other organs of the party. As such, in the build up to the December 2017 national convention of the party, Wike had already established himself as a major factor in the party.

But watchers of the party, aver that what could be interpreted as Rivers State governor’s overbearing influence in the party might be because he seems to have more active engagement with the party than most other governors. Party sources confided in LEADERSHIP Weekend that Wike, has been very much more involved in the well being of the party compared to other governors.

A BoT member of PDP who pleaded anonymity said “I don’t want to take anything away from other governors, but I must say that the Rivers State governor has been very supportive to the party. He has proven that he is a party man. Yes, sometimes he can be overbearing and forceful in demanding what he wants but his passion for the party is not in doubt.”

The nature of his emergence as governor could perhaps have played a role in how influential he has become in the party. While most of the other governors emerged through the support of their immediate past predecessors or some very powerful godfather, Wike, despite enjoying the support of the wife of the former President, Dame Patience Jonathan, he had to battle his predecessor and estranged political ally, Chibuike Amaechi, in such a way that he practically emerged without a direct godfather like some other governors had.

However, watchers of the party believe that the political latitude that Wike enjoys in the party is reflective of not just his huge financial war chest but the seeming lax posture of other governors when it cames to critical decision making within the party.

It was in the light of this that serving governors of the party and members of NWC held a closed-door meeting at the Gombe State Government House to deliberate on the matter.

But the national chairman of the party, Secondus and Wike were absent at the meeting which lasted till about 3:00 am on Monday.

Another PDP governor absent at the meeting was that of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, while Bayelsa State Governor, Henry Seriake Dickson and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State were represented by their deputies.

Hosted by Dakwambo, other governors present at the meeting were Ayodele Fayose (Ekiti) Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ben Ayade (Cross River), and Darius Ishaku (Taraba).

Interestingly, while the Gombe meeting was on going, a statement by Governor Seriake Dickson further gave fillip to the simmering tussle for the party’s soul.

Although he was absent at the meeting, Dickson had, in a statement, through his press secretary, Francis Ottah, insisted that former ministers and former Board of Trustees (BoT) members of the PDP, Prof Jerry Gana and Tunde Adeniran, must be made to return to the party. He added that the PDP is a national asset owned by all Nigerians, and not by any individual.

Dickson, who is also the Chairman of PDP Reconciliation Committee noted that while the leaders of the party were important stakeholders in the scheme of things, the real stakeholders of PDP were the ordinary Nigerians in whom sovereignty lies.

He noted that the most rational thing for all PDP stakeholders to do now is to start a process of building consensus and reaching out to players across party lines with the PDP leading the coalition to wrest power from the APC in 2019.

The statement reads: “No one governor, no one lawmaker or leader of PDP can own PDP or singlehandedly produce a presidential candidate. Therefore, what is required of PDP leaders now is to work with all parties including those who have left the PDP to produce a credible candidate that is acceptable to the generality of Nigerians on the platform of PDP to defeat the APC in 2019.”

The governor said his reconciliation committee would continuously engage aggrieved party members including those who have left the PDP to return to the party, stressing that “we must be together to save our party and country from collapse”. He said with less than one year to the 2019 general elections, time was of essence and the right thing to do now was for all men of goodwill to come together to challenge the APC.

He also called on PDP members not to lose faith in the party. He said the next election was critical to the survival of democracy and the nation, stressing that history would be unkind to PDP leaders if they failed to lead a coalition to unseat the APC-led Federal Government.

Although the governors refused to speak with reporters who waited patiently for several hours for the communiqué of the meeting on the reason why the national chairman and Wike were absent, sources said the governors and other leaders of the party might have deliberated on the arrogant posture of the Rivers governor and the leadership style of Secondus which they feared that if not properly managed would affect the fortune of the party in the 2019 general elections.

It was also gathered from sources at the meeting that, their absence was in connection with the existing cold war within the party as regards the party’s choice for the 2019 presidential election. Whatever the case may be, the point is that Secondus and Wike’s absence at the Gombe meeting revealed that all is not well within the party.

More facts emerge on the gang up against Buhari by Saraki and other principal officers of the National Assembly.

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More facts have emerged on the alleged gang-up against the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki; Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu; and other principal officers of the legislative chamber.

It was reliably gathered that there is indeed a group of senators in the All Progressives Congress caucus who are loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari and are bent on defending him on the controversial amendment to the Electoral Act 2010.

It had been exclusively reported that both the Senate and the House of Representatives were set to override Buhari should he fail or refuse to assent to the bill, but the intention did not go down well with lawmakers loyal to the President, who felt it would be an “insult” to him if overridden by the National Assembly.

Adoption of the report by the Senate and House of Representatives’ Conference Committee on the Amendment to the Electoral Act had caused a sharp division in the ranks of the All Progressives Congress caucus in the Senate.

The conference committee had approved a new Section 25 in the Electoral Act which states that the sequence of the elections will commence with the National Assembly poll, to be followed by the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections, while the presidential poll will come last.

The Senate had adopted the report by the committee, which generated controversy.

Saraki had also blocked protests by three senators against the passage, leading to 10 APC members storming out of the chamber.

The senators were Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa-West), Abu Ibrahim (Katsina-North), Abdullahi Gumel (Jigawa-North), Ali Wakili (Bauchi-South), Binta Masi Garba (Adamawa-North), Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta-Central), Umar Kurfi (Katsina-Central), Andrew Uchendu (Rivers-East), Benjamin Uwajumogu (Imo-North), and Abdullahi Yahaya (Kebbi-North).

The crisis became dramatic when the Senate resolved to query Omo-Agege, based on a petition by Senator Dino Melaye, for saying the amendment was targeted at President Muhammadu Buhari, while the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions was mandated to carry out a probe into the claim.

Omo-Agege had, however, raised a point of order at the plenary to apologise to the chamber and withdrew his comment.

The same day, the Northern Senators’ Forum had sacked Adamu as a leader and replaced him with Senator Aliyu Wamakko.

A member of the pro-Buhari group, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity on Thursday night, dismissed the alarm raised by Senator Obinna Ogba (PDP, Ebonyi-Central) at the plenary on Thursday that there was a plot led by Adamu to remove Saraki and other leaders of the Senate.

While the Senate panel probing Omo-Agege was asked to probe Adamu over the alleged anti-Saraki plot, the ex-governor had denied the allegation but insisted that he would remain resolute on his position on certain issues in the chamber.

The pro-Adamu senator disclosed to our correspondent that the group was mobilising for a counter-move against those loyal to Saraki who seemed to be working against Buhari’s re-election in 2019.

According to the APC senator from the South-West, it will be a major “insult” to Buhari if the President vetoes the Electoral Act Amendment Bill and the Senate overrides him.

He said, “Politics is full of cheats and lies. All that they were saying concerning the removal of Saraki is a lie. They only want attention because they are afraid. What the group wants to achieve is to never allow those people to rubbish Buhari. We won’t let them veto Buhari; it is an insult to him and to us.

“The group was formed because of this issue of elections re-order. They want to rubbish Buhari and we won’t support it. Buhari has his shortcomings but how can they just decide to veto the President? If they can get two-thirds of the members to do that, it means they can also impeach the President. And that is what the group wants to prevent. Nobody cares about Saraki’s seat.”

Although Adamu, who has been accused of spearheading the plot for Saraki’s removal, has denied making such move, the source told our correspondent that if the ongoing probe by the Senate led to Adamu’s suspension, there would be a crisis in the chamber.

“They won’t suspend them but if they do, they will create problems for Saraki which he would not want because he is also supporting the President indirectly. The cases they are handling now can create problems in the Senate. They must not suspend them. If they suspend them, it means they have looked for trouble.”

According to the lawmaker, former governors in the chamber will defend Adamu, who was once a governor of Nasarawa State. He also said Wamakko, an ex-governor of Sokoto State, might reject his appointment to replace Adamu as Chairman of the Northern Senators’ Forum.

He said, “Initially, most of the ex-governors were new in the Senate and had not gained their ground. But now, they can fight. At least 19 governors will fight Saraki if Adamu is suspended. Buhari won’t have less than 12 APC governors that will support him. Eventually, Wamakko might say no (to the appointment). He might reject it.”

Another member of the APC caucus from the North-West, however, stated that Adamu and Omo-Agege risked suspension, warning that the ex-governor’s case might be like that of the suspended member of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin.

He also cited the example of Senator Ali Ndume, who was removed as leader of the APC caucus and Majority Leader of the Senate for opposing the Senate’s rejection of the appointment of Ibrahim Magu as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Ndume was later suspended for asking the Senate to investigate scandals involving Saraki and Melaye.

The senator said, “I think the best thing for him (Adamu) is to keep quiet. If he drags this issue further, they will send him out of that Senate. Yes. There is no doubt about it. The people there are angry and ready to crush anybody. The best thing for him is to keep quiet and do his thing, and simply ignore everything. But if he now wants to engage them, he will end up doing like Omo-Agege.”

The lawmaker noted that the Presidency was not always protecting those who suffer in defence of Buhari and his administration. He warned that Adamu and other senators fighting in defence of Buhari might regret their actions.

“The Presidential Villa has this kind of attitude. If they block him here (at the Senate), they will block him there (at the Presidency) too. You see what happened to Jibrin? You see what happened to Ndume?”

When asked if Omo-Agege might get a soft landing after apologising to the Senate, the source said it remained uncertain. The senator was also asked if pro-Saraki senators were after the rest of the 10 senator who openly opposed the Senate on the amendment, he said, “It is only him. This is to send a message. And they know that it is not the kind of a normal government where if anything happens to you, the other side (Presidency) will help you. They will not help you. Even, they will block your finances, block your office and everything.”

Also speaking to our correspondent, Senator Ali Wakili (APC, Bauchi-South), who had challenged Adamu’s removal as northern senators’ leader, noted that the lawmakers would speak when the panel’s report would be considered in the Senate.

“When we debate it, we will speak. It is preemptive. They will definitely bring it to the floor of the Senate. It has gone to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions; let them come out with their findings. We will be alive and we will talk.”

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