Jonathan, Buhari may hold fence-mending meeting

The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential candidate, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and his All Progressives Congress counterpart, Maj.Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) may meet before the March 28 presidential elections.

The PUNCH gathered on Sunday that the meeting which might hold outside the country   was to establish rapport between the two contenders before the election.

A source close to the Presidency said, “We are trying to broker a meeting between the two leaders.

“The way the presidential electioneering is going may create serious divisions among Nigerians. We need to stop this.

“Apart from this, I think there is serious apprehension in the camp of the President that if Buhari wins, he’s going to jail a lot of President Jonathan’s supporters for alleged corruption.

“This is one of the issues that is causing serious tension in the camp of the President and we also need to make sure that in whatever we do, there must be peace in the country.”

It was learnt that the claim by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that   Jonathan was afraid that Buhari could jail him was real after all.

A top member of the ruling PDP, who also spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said, this fact could not be denied by the party and the Presidency.

He said, “You have listened to the press conference by our campaign office and we didn’t deny that aspect. But we dealt with other issues.

“That statement by former President Obasanjo is real. It is true and we all know that. But we know that very soon, the meeting which we are hearing is being coordinated by some concerned leaders, might address that.”

Obasanjo had on Saturday said, ‘‘I believe the President’s fear is particularly motivated by whom he sees as his likely successor, that is, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. I believe people would have been telling him that Buhari is a hard man; he will fight corruption and he (Jonathan) may end up in jail if not in the grave. I think people would have told him that sort of thing and he is not the only one afraid of Buhari.’’

Meanwhile, the PDP has called on all political parties   and other stakeholders in the electoral process to   join hands with the Independent National Electoral Commission to make the 2015 general elections a success.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, said all parties must come together in the interest of the nation and ensure that measures that create the environment for credible, free and fair elections were firmly put in place.

He said, “The responsibility of building a united, strong and prosperous nation anchored on democratic principles lies on all of us collectively.

“We therefore charge all political parties, other relevant groups and all stakeholders in the electoral process to jettison all personal/group interests and put that of our nation and its people ahead of all.

“The future of our nation is determined by what we do or say at this point in time. We must therefore resolve to work together as patriotic citizens and join hands with INEC and relevant institutions of government to ensure credible, free and fair elections devoid of rancour and disagreements.

“At this point, what should be paramount is the well-being of our people and the survival of our dear nation and its democracy.

“We must therefore close ranks as brothers and sisters and resist the machinations of enemies of our country who do not wish us well.”

Metuh called on the political parties to redirect their energy to issues that promote national development, reinforce unity among Nigerians and engender mutual understanding and peaceful co-existence.

Metuh said, “Nigeria is a great nation. We must appreciate the resilience of our people and their resolve to succeed.

“Indeed, we cannot afford to fail our citizens at this time of our national life. We must work hard to continue to ensure that the environment that contributed to the successes we have recorded is adequately maintained and enhanced”.

He also called on INEC to gird it loins and appreciate the fact that it was “saddled with an enormous responsibility and that “Nigerians expect nothing less than a transparent electoral process”.

Metuh said the commission should understand that “observations by stakeholders are not intended to castigate, weaken or destroy the electoral process but to assist in deepening democracy so that at the end of the day, Nigerians will be the ultimate winners”.

Also on Sunday, the National Auditor of the PDP, Adewole Adeyanju, advised INEC to allow eligible voters to use their Temporary Voter Cards   during the   elections.

Adeyanju advised INEC to commence the use of the Permanent Voter ‘ Cards during the   bye elections that might arise from the March 28 and April 11 polls to test its card readers.

Yaya Toure returns to Man City after Afcon triumph

Yaya Toure has returned to Manchester City's training complex following Cote d'Ivoire's victory at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The midfielder has not taken part in training on Thursday morning but is at City's Etihad Campus for an initial fitness assessment.

Following their FA Cup fourth-round exit at the hands of Middlesbrough last month, City do not have a fixture this weekend and are back in action against Newcastle United on February 21 before facing Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie three days later.

City remain seven points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea after Wednesday night’s 4-1 victory over Stoke City - their only win in Toure’s six-game absence.

Wilfried Bony is also set to begin training with City for the first time since his €35 million move from Swansea City in January.

I was right to play Cech over Courtois- Mourinho

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho feels justified in his decision to replace a "tired" Thibaut Courtois with Petr Cech for Wednesday's 1-0 victory over Everton.

Courtois has been the regular number one for the Premier League leaders this season, but was left on the bench for the meeting at Stamford Bridge.

Cech was in impressive form, producing two key saves from former Chelsea man Romelu Lukaku, and Mourinho explained his decision to rotate his goalkeepers for the game.

"Courtois played consecutive matches, against Liverpool, Manchester City and Aston Villa, games where he needed to be very focused," he told the club's official website.

"Every detail is so important, even when he doesn't touch the ball, the focus must be permanent and I think a goalkeeper can also be tired. The tiredness isn't just physical, it's also from your nervous system.

"Petr has been working really well and hard. In every training session I was getting the feeling his condition was magnificent. Tonight he was the best option for the team, also in terms of leadership.

"John Terry was ill this morning and he was probably out of the game until the last minute, so I thought I needed Petr's personality and capacity to communicate at the back. The decision was good."

Ivanovic should have been sent off for headbutt- Martinez

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has hit out referee Jonathan Moss for failing to send off Branislav Ivanovic in his side's 1-0 Premier League defeat to Chelsea on Wednesday, before slamming Jose Mourinho's men for their behaviour toward the official.

The visitors looked set to secure a point after Tim Howard produced a string of saves on his return from injury to frustrate the Premier League leaders on Wednesday.

Chelsea were not to be denied, though, as Willian's deflected strike a minute from time ensured Jose Mourinho's side remain seven points clear at the top of the table.

The winner came just after Gareth Barry had been shown a second yellow card for a challenge on the Brazil international, which resulted in a mass confrontation where Ivanovic grabbed James McCarthy by his neck and seemingly headbutted his opponent.

Martinez was furious with Moss' decision not to punish the Serbian defender for his action, while he was not impressed with the Chelsea players' behaviour toward the referee, either.

"Ivanovic's behaviour is wrong. He grabs McCarthy around his neck in a very forceful manner then puts his head against him. James doesn't react a single bit," he told BBC Sport.

"If you want to be on top of the law that's a red card and we got nothing out of that moment.

"Every time a player loses a challenge it feels like the weight of the world is on the referee's shoulders and he feels he needs to react. To give Barry a second yellow card because of the reaction from Chelsea's players is disappointing.

"They surrounded the referee and their conduct was a real shame. It created a little bit of belief for Chelsea and the goal came as a consequence of that. It was a very scrappy goal - if you don't have the momentum often they don't end up in the net."

While Howard performed heroics for the visitors, Petr Cech also showed his class by twice denying former Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku and Martinez was left to rue those missed chances.

The Spaniard said: "We were in control. We had clear-cut chances, the best ones of the game - they needed world-class saves from Petr Cech.

"It's a shame we couldn't convert the chances. It's a huge disappointment. Our performance deserved a positive result."

'Guardiola must change his attitude'

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has been warned about his future conduct by head of the German Football Association's referee commission Herbert Fandel following his behaviour during the 1-1 draw with Schalke last week.

The ex-Barcelona trainer raced to confront the assistant referee during the 1-1 draw with Schalke earlier this month after Robert Lewandowski saw a goal disallowed, only to raise eyebrows again minutes later when he embraced the fourth official back in his technical area after Arjen Robben netted the opening goal for Bayern.

Although Guardiola dismissed the incidents after the game, Fandel has now hit out at the Catalan and warned him to not repeat the act.

"Pep Guardiola would do well to adjust his attitude," Fandel told Sport Bild.

"With all due respect to strong emotional reactions, we crossed a line. A coach leaving his technical area to rush towards an assistant at the corner flag needs to be sent to the stands.

"The fact that he got away with a warning against Schalke should remain an isolated case.

"You cannot touch the body of a referee. Pep Guardiola should change his behaviour immediately."

‘It’s impossible to Islamise Nigeria’

Edo State Coordinator of General Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, has urged Nigerians to disregard the insinuations that All Progressives Congress, APC, standard bearer, Gen. Muhammadu Buhati (retd) will Islamize the country if elected president in the coming general election in March this year.

He noted the peddling was ridiculous and being used by detractors to sway the minds of Christians against Buhari who is a devoted Muslim, as Islamization of the country will be a tough hurdle to achieve.

Dr. Ehanire said Buhari cares less of religion being an open minded individual who practises his religion with sincerity and does not deter others from practising their belief, noting such unfounded statement will not work anymore.

The Coordinator said the noise about whether or not Buhari possess secondary certificate has been taken to the point of absurdity, saying the retired General has passed through different points of screening, both home and abroad, in his days as a military officer.

Jega didn’t consult me on polls shift – Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan, last night, disclosed that he was not consulted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, before it shifted the dates of the general election even as he admitted that the body was not totally prepared for the polls.

President Jonathan with Ibanga Isine, Adesuwa Onyenokwe, Deji Badmus & Ibrahim Sheme..during a presidential media chat today.

President Jonathan with Ibanga Isine, Adesuwa Onyenokwe, Deji Badmus & Ibrahim Sheme..during a presidential media chat today.

However, his challenger in the polls, General Muhammadu Buhari of the APC spoke on Christiane Amanpour’s programme on CNN, saying it’s unfair to judge him today by his antecedents in 1984 when he was military head of state.

President Jonathan, who affirmed his unwavering commitment to the sustenance of smooth transfer of power on May 29 irrespective of the outcome of the presidential election, also reaffirmed readiness of the military to suppress the Boko Haram insurgency within the six-week window requested by the military.

The president, who spoke in a live television media chat, also flayed what he lamented as the politicisation of the agitation for the liberation of the kidnapped girls of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok.

The media chat anchored by former NTA presenter, Adesuwa Onyenokwe had Premium Times editor, Ibanga Isine; Blueprint editor, Ibrahim Shima and broadcast journalist, Deji Badmus on the panel.

The president also used the opportunity to address issues concerning corruption, the purchase of arms from South Africa, assertions attributed to him in the past that stealing is not corruption among others.

Egyptian court orders release on bail of Al-Jazeera journalists

Baher Mohamed, left, and Mohamed Fahmy, who have been granted bail from prison in Egypt. Their colleague Peter Greste, right, was released earlier this month. Photograph: Heba Elkholy/AP

A Cairo court has ordered the release of the al-Jazeera English journalists Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed on bail after more than 400 days in jail.

The court did not dismiss the case against them.

Judge Hassan Farid said the next hearing would be on 23 February. Canadian Fahmy was released on 250,000 Egyptian pound (£21,000) bail. Mohamed, an Egyptian, was released with no bail costs.

Fahmy and Mohamed were imprisoned in June alongside a third colleague, Australian Peter Greste, who was released last week.

An al-Jazeera spokesman said:

 

“Bail is a small step in the right direction, and allows Baher and Mohamed to spend time with their families after 411 days apart. The focus though is still on the court reaching the correct verdict at the next hearing by dismissing this absurd case and releasing both these fine journalists unconditionally.”

The three journalists were first arrested in December 2013, and sentenced to several years in jail in June 2014 on charges of terrorism and spreading false news, alongside several students they had never met before the case.

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Internationally, their fate was seen as an infringement of the right to free speech. Inside Egypt, government supporters saw them as a legitimate target, due to the support that al-Jazeera English’s Arabic sister channels gave for the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned opposition group.

In January their convictions were quashed and their case was sent to a retrial by a judge who on Tuesday issued a damning appraisal of the original trial.

The initial trial failed to provide conclusive evidence that the defendants had helped the banned Muslim Brotherhood or promoted the group in the media, wrote Judge Anwar Gabry, the deputy head of the court of cassation, Egypt’s highest court of appeal.

Gabry said that the initial trial also failed to investigate claims that the defendants had produced testimony under duress, and as a result “the court of cassation is unable to show how right or wrong the verdict is”. His judgment also questioned whether the journalists should have been accused of terrorism, since their alleged crimes were not violent.

Peter Greste, the Australian ex-BBC correspondent, was deported to Australia last week under the terms of a recently-enacted presidential decree that allows foreign detainees to continue their detention in their home countries. Fahmy had given up his Egyptian citizenship to qualify for deportation to Canada.