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Friday, April 3, 2015

Jonathan stops PDP’s bid to contest Buhari’s victory


President Goodluck Jonathan may have prevailed on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to challenge President-elect Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s victory  in last Saturday’s election.

Instead of planning a case for the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, the Presidency will raise a Transition Committee on Tuesday, a source told The Nation yesterday.

Vice President-elect Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is likely to head the All Progressives Congress (APC) team which will join the committee ahead of the May 29 transition.

Ministers have started preparing their handover notes, it was also learnt.

It was gathered that although some PDP stalwarts wanted Buhari’s victory challenged at the tribunal, the President thought otherwise.

The party stalwarts, it was said, believe that some irregularities in some states are strong enough to upturn the final results of the election, which was hailed at home and abroad as substantially credible.

Jonathan, it was learnt, said it made no sense —contesting Buhari’s victory— after he had conceded defeat.

It was learnt that the PDP leaders referred  to the electoral scenario in  Ekiti where  the All Progressives Congress(APC) went to tribunal  despite the acceptance of defeat by ex-Governor Kayode Fayemi.

The President, however, stood his ground that he would rather stand by his statesmanship attitude than going to tribunal.

A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The President has prevailed on PDP to drop plans to go to tribunal against Buhari. He said he wants his word to be his bond, having been applauded by the international community.

“At a point, Jonathan said ‘I don’t believe in post-election petition at tribunal because it distracts the incoming administration’.

“He also said Nigeria must emulate other nations where once the presidential poll is lost and won, the new government must not be distracted with election petitions.

“He told party leaders that he was not interested in going to the tribunal. It is now left for PDP leaders to heed his advice.

“So as at Thursday, the government’s position is that the PDP should not go to tribunal.”

Stating the PDP’s position on the elections in a statement yesterday, Chairman Adamu Mu’azu, said:   “We have received reports of serious irregularities that characterized the conduct of the election and we shall channel our protests to the appropriate quarters in line with our profound respect for the rule of law and democratic ethos.”

He did not say whether the party would go to the tribunal but added:  “What is paramount to us is the survival of our democracy, the unity, peace and progress of our dear nation and the happiness of all our people. Nigeria is bigger than any political party, individual or group and her overall interest must be our priority at all times.”

The President in 2010 at the 15th summit of the African Union (AU) in Kampala, Uganda described post-election litigation as a major distraction to governance.

Jonathan said: “It is inconvenient to already be in office and be thinking about election litigation.
“The essence of the immunity clause in the constitution is that if a president or a governor takes an oath of office, he should sit down and concentrate on the job and when he leaves office, he could be prosecuted for any offence.

“But because of the way we conduct our elections, the president who sits in office is still battling and being distracted with election issues, and it affects us.”

The transition committee is likely to be constituted next week.

Another source added: “The Presidency is working on a seamless transition from Jonathan’s administration to Buhari’s. The details are being worked out.”

“I think by next week, the picture of the transition committee will emerge. The government is working early on the transition because it involves a lot of work.

“The APC team will have to collaborate with the committee and ask questions if there are grey areas.”

Meanwhile, Ministers have started compiling their handover notes, which will be part of the integral aspect of the report of the transition committee.

U.S. Secretary of State Kerry thumbs up Jonathan, Buhari


United States Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday congratulated President-elect Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.
He also lauded President Goodluck Jonathan.
He said: “The United States congratulates the people of Nigeria and the Nigerian Government on historic and largely peaceful elections the weekend of March 28.  We especially applaud all voters who showed patience and demonstrated their commitment to participate in the democratic process.
“The United States commends Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its Chairman, Attahiru Jega, on the generally orderly vote, on the use of technology such as card readers to increase the credibility and transparency of the electoral process, and on prompt communication of the results.  While we note reports of logistical problems, such incidents did not undermine the overall outcome of the election.
“In January, I traveled personally to Nigeria and met with both President Jonathan and now President-Elect Buhari.  At that time, I emphasized that for the United States, Nigeria is an increasingly important strategic partner and that Nigeria has a critical role to play in the security and prosperity of this continent and beyond.
“I also said that it was imperative that these elections are an improvement over past elections and that they need to set a new standard for this democracy.  That means that Nigerians needed to not only reject violence but actually promote peace.
“We laud both President Jonathan and General Buhari for their public commitments to the Abuja Accord signed in January and reaffirmed March 26, respecting the official results, and encouraging their supporters to do the same.  We commend President Jonathan for his years of service and for having acted in the best interest of his country.  We welcome President Jonathan’s calls for unity and calm during this transition period.
“Finally, we extend our congratulations to President-elect Buhari.  The United States reiterates its commitment to working with the newly elected government that emerges from this democratic process.”

17 year old rejects Duke's rejection letter

 Never say die.

This is a story that it is so amazing it cannot be passed without taking notice of  its reality in happening.

This seventeen year old truly rejected a school's rejection of his admission into freshman.

The applicant known by name as Siobhan O'Dell refused to take no for an answer. See for yourself.



O'Dell posted the letter on her Tumblr page three days ago and it has been trending on social media websites ever since. It's a move that seemed to resonate with college applicants around the country as they await acceptance or rejection letters.

"This year I have been fortunate enough to receive rejection letters from the best and brightest universities in the country," O'Dell says in the letter. "With a pool of letters so diverse and accomplished I was unable to accept reject letters I would have been able to only several years ago."
In the formal language of a typical rejection letter, O'Dell goes on to inform Duke that she will be attending the esteemed university in the fall, like it or not.

"Despite Duke's outstanding success in rejecting previous applicants, you simply did not meet my qualifications. Therefore, I will be attending Duke University's 2015 freshmen class."

O'Dell also posted a response she received from Duke's admissions department to her reaction the school's rejection.

The department notes that O'Dell could appeal the decision, but says reversals are rare.
"If you choose to appeal, we welcome your request, but I do not wish to raise unreasonable expectations on your part," the university writes.

How to get back in shape after having a baby

How to get back in shape after having a baby: Jenna's doable 'comeback' workout.


Getting back in shape just got better for the just gave birth mothers out there who still wants to keep that wonderfully sexy body of theirs.

Though this might look hard, its true but also fun and keeping in mind that you really want to win back your precious lovely body back again. 

Here's how it works though: This workout starts with five rounds of apple pickers and upper cuts, then moves down to four rounds of squats and wall push offs, three rounds of toy soldiers and mountain climbers, and ends with two rounds of pikes and crab dips. 

These below are the steps to follow:

Step One:

5 rounds of: 15 apple pickers/20 upper cuts

The Apple pickers


The Upper Cuts




Step Two:

4 rounds of: 15 squats/30 wall push offs


Squats


Wall Push Offs



Step Three:

3 rounds of: 15 toy soldiers/15 slow mountain climbers


Toy Soldiers



Slow Mountain Climbers



Step Four:

2 rounds of: 20 pikes/20 crab dips

Pikes



Crab dips: With your hands and feet both facing forward on your mat, with your torso facing the ceiling, lower your upper body with your arms, so your shoulders move closer to the floor.


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