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| car-bomb-french-embassy-libya |
The blast was so powerful it blew the front wall off the embassy. Windows of nearby buildings in this upscale, largely residential neighborhood were also blown out.
Deputy Prime Minister Awad Barasi said a 13-year-old girl in a nearby house was injured in the attack and will be taken to Tunisia for treatment.
Barasi said he spoke with the French ambassador to Libya, who assured him he will not leave Tripoli.
A criminal investigation is under way to try to determine who was behind the attack, and why.
The French Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the attack.
"In conjunction with the Libyan authorities, our government departments will make every effort to ensure that all light be shed on the circumstances of this heinous act and its perpetrators quickly identified," the foreign ministry said.
The bombing stirred memories of another attack on a foreign office in Libya.
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| eurozone |
José Manuel Barroso said that while he still believed in the need for sweeping economic reforms and drastic cuts in budget deficits, such policies needed to have "acceptance, politically and socially", which was now at risk.
"While this policy is fundamentally right, I think it has reached its limits in many aspects," Mr Barroso said. "A policy to be successful not only has to be properly designed. It has to have the minimum of political and social support."
Mr Barroso's comments come as advocates of the eurozone's austerity-led crisis response are on the defensive following a voter revolt in Italy, a deepening recession in much of the bloc and the tarnishing of a highly-influential academic treatise arguing high government debt severely hinders economic growth.
Mr Barroso's views are particularly influential because the commission has sweeping new powers to rule on whether struggling eurozone countries are able to ease up on belt-tightening.
His remarks came the same day Eurostat released data showing debt in many struggling eurozone countries continues to rocket despite unprecedented budget cuts and tax increases.
Of the four eurozone countries receiving rescue aid from the EU last year, only Greece saw its debt levels decrease, from 170 per cent of economic output in 2011 to 157 per cent -- still the highest in the EU.
Irish, Spanish and Portuguese debt levels all hit euro-era highs last year, with Portugal close to surpassing Italy as the second most indebted nation in the eurozone. Lisbon's debt jumped to 124 per cent of gross domestic product from 108 per cent, narrowly behind Rome's, which rose from 121 per cent to 127 per cent. Overall, eurozone sovereign debt rose to 90.6 per cent of GDP last year, the highest on record.
The report also highlighted the periphery's divergence from the eurozone's core, particularly Germany, which was the only EU country to post a budget surplus in 2012 but also saw its debt level remain flat for the third straight year.
In another sign that Germany is decoupling from the rest of the eurozone, German tax revenue increased 3.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2013. In March alone, the increase was 5.7 per cent on last year, according to official figures, even though economic growth was 1.5 per cent.
"Falling unemployment and higher wages are the biggest contributors to this development," said Jens Boysen-Hogrefe, an economist and expert for public finances at the Kiel Institute, who cautioned the trend may not continue since it relied heavily on a high turnover in real estate. The sales tax on land and houses rose by 14.3 per cent in March.
Still, Mr Boysen-Hogrefe said the new data made it unlikely that Germany would post a budget deficit of 0.5 per cent of GDP this year, as finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble has estimated, noting Berlin would save €11bn alone on lower borrowing costs in the bond market.
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| Duchess of Cambridge |
The change will go into effect once it has been approved by the 15 other realms of the Commonwealth where Queen Elizabeth is head of state.
The new rules cover the baby expected by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, due later this year.
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| Dr. Okhue Iboi |
Dr. Okhue Iboi, the acclaimed spokesperson of the Association in an interview with Sunday Express asserted that witches and wizards in the region would not allow him to spearhead the affairs of the nation again.
He further stressed that Nigeria would not break-up after 2015 contrary to what Dr. Fasheun and the American government predicted.
According to him, “During the meeting we held on January 29 in Ilorin, we talked about the government of this country.
Goodluck Jonathan will re-contest and he will win the 2015 election irrespective of whatever opposition rises against him,” the coven’s spokesman affirmed.
On the menace of Boko Haram, Iboi said, “We gave the witches in the North the mandate to cool down Boko Haram; mark my words, by the end of this year, you will hardly hear of any Boko Haram mayhem again.”
The extensive interview with the witchdoctor was not all glad tidings, however, his revelations raised serious concerns about the 2015 election.
“Some people are prepared to frustrate President Jonathan by all means and these people would resort to foul means. But in doing that, they will jeopardize Nigeria. I beg Nigeria to pray. Let us all pray, Christians, Muslims and herbalists,” he said seriously.
Continuing he stated “there will be many disturbances during the primary and at the main election, a lot of bombs will be thrown around. But I can assure you,” he said, “Nigeria will not break or divide as the Americans have prophesied.” The witches’ imagemaker further foretold the future of politics in the country.
He started with the proposed merger parties, APC and its chances of challenging the dominion of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. “This mega party when we looked at them and their future, they are good, they have good intentions, but at the last minute, before election, they will be thrown into disarray; they will have a big disagreement that will shatter the party and in-fighting over superiority.
This discord will not be settled until the elections hold.” Similarly, he also divulged the council of witches’ verdicts on some political personalities. In the case of General Muhammadu Buhari, one of the key opposition politicians against the PDP-led government and a crucial actor in any serious coalitions, Iboi unveiled a damning verdict.
“If Buhari contests 100 times, he can’t rule this country again,” Iboi began, “because the “pillars of the north at night” have no likeness for him. They would not let him rule this country.” Witches’ stance towards former military president Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida was not any different. “Babangida can take his money to support another party but he can’t rule this country again.” On the contrary, former President Olusegun Obasanjo fared better as he was in the good book of the witches. “Till the day he will die, Obasanjo will still be important and relevant to the Nigerian politics.
That is his destiny,” Iboi affirmed. Iboi who claimed to be in the fourth year of his seven-year tenure as the coven’s spokesperson also spoke about the coming wrath of witches over Nigerian politicians. “Some of the politicians that are using other people’s destiny, I mean those who steal other people’s luck, between now and next year, God’s wrath is coming upon them,” he threatened. “And as for the current PDP National Chairman, he will have his hands full with many problems that will eventually swallow him.”
He expressed hope that a better Nigeria lies ahead, he said, “In the meeting we had last year in Niger State, we gazed into the future of this country and we discovered that Nigeria will still be better.” But before then, he opined that a cleansing will take place. “The bad elements disturbing this country will have to be removed and that will happen in no distant time; one by one, they shall all perish. Then, Nigeria will get better. And I tell you, the youths will enjoy this Nigeria, but that time is not in the immediate future,” he concluded.
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| President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Rotimi Amaechi |
Surprisingly, each time PDP members begin to heave a sigh of relief that the dispute between the two has been resolved and they are ready to move forward, the enmity between the President on one hand and the chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum on the other takes a more bizarre dimension. Today, rather than resolve their differences for the benefit of their political party, President Jonathan and Amaechi are still at each other’s throats.
While efforts have been made to quell the already heated polity, it is obvious that mutual suspicion and outright mistrust among party faithful have been the bane of true reconciliation between the Presidency and the governor. Only recently, there were reports that Amaechi had acquired bulletproof helicopters to prosecute a presidential ambition in 2015.
It was alleged that Amaechi was wooing governors of the eastern states to join his presidential campaign train with the sum of N2 billion each. It was also reported that the governor was planning to dump the PDP and join a yet to be identified political party to pursue his alleged presidential (or Vice Presidential) ambition in the next political dispensation. Amaechi has consistently denied these allegations while restating his loyalty to the ruling party.
The Rivers State Government has also risen in defence of the governor by denying these allegations; especially that of purchasing armoured helicopters for the 2015 elections. The State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, described the allegations as a smear campaign and an attempt by some self-serving politicians to seek relevance and enjoy cheap popularity.
Semenitari explained that the state government had at several fora mentioned its intention to purchase two security helicopters for 29 million USD to collaborate with the federal government and to support security agencies in the state. According to her, the said helicopters are to be operated by the Nigeria police in conjunction with oil companies, that have offered to bear some of the operating costs, to enable government to fight the menace of oil bunkering.
She said, “The Rivers State Government has always owned a private jet and has not purchased any new airplane nor does it intend to purchase one. As is typical of Governor Amaechi, such purchases would be openly and transparently done and so would not need to be a matter of conjecture. The helicopters, 2 bell 412 helicopters with camera payload for aerial surveillance of Rivers State, were purchased as part of the state government’s collaboration with the federal government and its support for the security agencies in the state.
“The total cost of the helicopters was 29 million USD. The Federal Government of Nigeria through the office of the National Security Adviser paid 15 million USD, while the Rivers State Government paid the balance. The Federal Government granted duty waiver. The aircrafts are being freighted into Nigeria and will be reassembled in Lagos.
“The helicopters are to be operated by the Nigeria police in conjunction with oil companies who have offered to bear some of the operating costs to enable government combat the menace of oil bunkering. The police took delivery of similar choppers in 2012 built by the same company. The 412 four axis choppers are rated the most advanced civil helicopters in the world. The acquisition, which was done with the support of the federal government, is to enhance security of lives and property in Rivers State.”
She expressed the state government’s desire to acknowledge and thank President Jonathan for his quick action and support leading to the purchase of the helicopters.
She also said, “His commitment to national security and willingness to collaborate with all tiers of government and all sectors to ensure the security of lives and property is worthy of accolade and support.”
However, at a recent forum in Ekiti State, Amaechi accused the presidency of scheming to remove him as the NGF chairman because of his stance that the corruption in the petrol subsidy payments by the Federal Government must stop. The NGF chairman said President Jonathan had decided to ostracise him from some official programmes as a result of his position on the matter.
The Rivers State Governor also used the occasion to announce that the presidency was dissatisfied with his insistence, as NGF chairman, that complete transparency and accountability be brought to the payment of petrol subsidy. He said state governors were not opposed to fuel subsidy, but were frustrated by the corruption in it. He also accused federal officials who supervised the subsidy regime of fraud, saying, “They balloon the figures.”
Reacting, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, dismissed Amaechi’s claim, even as he accused the governor of pursuing a hidden agenda. Gulak, in defending his principal, denied that President Jonathan was after the governor because of his position on the alleged fraud in the fuel subsidy regime and his opposition to the Sovereign Wealth Fund and the Excess Crude Account.
He warned the NGF Chairman to stop playing to the gallery in the pursuit of his agenda.
Gulak said the President had no reason to move against Amaechi or any other state governor since they belonged to the same political party. He said, “The President is a man who follows the provisions of the constitution. The President is a man who consults robustly before taking decisions. The governors are members of the National Economic Council and that council, though advisory to the President, takes a lot of decisions about Sovereign Wealth Fund, about Excess Crude Account and everything members agreed on.
“If they don’t agree, such decisions are not implemented. It is wrong for Amaechi to say that the President is after him because of that. People should not play to the gallery. If people have agenda, let them pursue their agenda but let them not point fingers at Mr. President. Mr. President is not pursuing anybody. Mr. President is not pursuing Amaechi or any other governor. After all, they are all members of the same Peoples Democratic Party family. But that does not derogate from the fact that things must be properly done and agencies must be allowed to do their work.”
On the cold war between Amaechi and President Jonathan, a PDP chieftain and former governorship candidate in Rivers State, Prince Tonye Princewill, says contrary to the belief in some quarters, Jonathan does not hate Amaechi and Amaechi does not hate Jonathan. “In fact, secretly, if they are honest, they both like each other, but I think they have been surrounded by events that have led to this gross misunderstanding and in the end, the same Amaechi and Jonathan will surprise us all and settle.
“Some of us have checked the cause of this misunderstanding. When Amaechi became the Chairman of the Governors Forum, he was already suspected of harbouring an anti-Ijaw sentiment in. Remember he was part of the old Rivers State where the Ijaws dominated. So, anybody who saw the arrogance we exhibited back then knows we created our own enemies.
“Combine that with the suspicion that Rivers State was leaning towards Atiku during the 2011 primaries and you will know that an Amaechi Governor’s Forum gave the Jonathan camp goose pimples. Some of us advised him that this is going to bring issues between him and the President; he refused to listen to us because he genuinely believed that there is no reason why this would bring about conflict between him and the President, his boss and the leader of his party. Now we can see who was wrong.”
Also, a political analyst, Chief Jackson Omenazu, urged President Jonathan to provide answers raised by Amaechi on transparency in managing oil subsidy funds rather than persecuting the governor. To him, “Amaechi shoud be seen as one of those who desirously want to wake Mr. President up from his slumber, he (Amaechi) should be appreciated for strengthening our democratic institutions instead of condemnation.”
Truth be told, the squabble between the duo has taken its toll on the ruling PDP as the controversies appear to be draining the popularity of the party. Having lost the states it won in the western part of the country, including Edo to other political parties, not a few are of the view that the latest crisis rocking the PDP could be the beginning of a journey into oblivion.
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| ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo |
Odusanya reportedly worked behind the scenes when Obasanjo was in power.
In a live interview, with an online news portal, Sahara Reporters, Odusanya alleged that the former President lodged the killer squad at a State Security Service headquarters, known as ‘Yellow House.’
He appeared on the programme alongside Mr. Segun Seriki, a PDP member in Ogun State and a member of the House of Representatives in the Third Republic, under the Social Democratic Party.
According to Odusanya, the squad was used for political assassinations and was responsible for the unresolved killings of politicians under Obasanjo’s administration.
He further alleged that Obasanjo knew about the murder of the former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige, and a South-South politician, Chief Harry Marshall.
Odusanya said, “I believe that a killer squad created during the Abacha regime was kept by Obasanjo and housed at SSS headquarters, known as Yellow House, and was used for political assassinations.”
Explaining Obasanjo’s alleged link with Ige’s death, Odusanya said, “The night Chief Bola Ige was assassinated, a top PDP member confided in me that Obasanjo told him Bola Ige was down.”
Concerning the murder of Marshall, he said, “I also took a gift to Marshall and he was assassinated just a few weeks later.”
Odusanya also alleged that the ex-president benefitted from an account with the defunct Trans-International Bank and that from the funds in the account, Obasanjo, asked him to deliver a Peugeot 607 and the sum of N500,000 to a woman (name withheld).
When contacted for Obasanjo’s comments, his Chief of Staff, Mr. Victor Durodola, said his boss was not available to react to the allegations.
He challenged those who made the allegations to come out with their evidence.
Durodola said, “The former president is not available. Therefore, he is not in a position to respond to the allegations. However, my personal comment is that these are people who indulge in blackmail.
“Why are they using online television? They should come to Channels, AIT, or NTA; these are television stations that are known.
“Definitely, that is not Obasanjo’s character they are describing and everybody knows that. Of all the military rulers, the issue of killer squad cannot be attributed to him. That was not his style. He is not around now but I doubt if he would even give it any attention whatsoever.
He stressed that the ex-president could not have been responsible for the unresolved killings under his administration.
He further argued that Obasanjo had no reason to be involved in Ige’s assassination.
“We would like to see it (the interview) but these are issues you know cannot be possible. The killings were unresolved, yes, but you know that nobody could have attributed that to him. He would kill his minister for what? So that he (Obasanjo) could be minister?” Durodola said.
Another Obasanjo aide, Vitalis Ortese, told one of our correspondents on the telephone that the allegation was a non-issue.
He said, “I don’t know them. Let them prove the allegation. I don’t know any Segun Seriki or Richard Odusanya.”
Also reacting to the allegations, Bola Ige’s eldest child, Mrs. Funsho Adegbola, told SUNDAY PUNCH that her father’s killers are still alive.
Adegbola, a lawyer, called for the reopening of the Bola Ige murder case.
She said, “I can’t put anything past them. I haven’t seen the interview. I don’t know the content of the report but I can’t put anything past them. I believe the people who killed my father – the foot soldiers and the people who sent them – are alive. They are not people from Mars.
“A murder case can go on for 30 years or more. If there is political will and the government wants to show that people should pay for their crimes, this can be done. The family can’t do anything about it because it is the state versus the suspects. The family can’t sue; it is the state that can take action.”
Ige, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was shot dead in his Ibadan home on December 23, 2001.
Following a mass protest over the killing, the Federal Government had deployed troops in the South-Western state to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
While security agencies had arrested some suspects allegedly involved in the murder, including the then deputy governor of Osun State – Ige’s home state – Mr. Iyiola Omisore, they were however discharged and acquitted.
Just like Ige, Marshall Harry, who was the National Coordinator, South-South geopolitical zone of the All Nigerian Peoples Party Presidential Campaign was murdered by at his No,28 Karaye Close, Garki II, Abuja residence on March 5, 2003, barely a month to the presidential election in which Obasanjo was re-elected.
The ANPP chieftain was said to have been killed in the presence of his daughter and his niece, Loliya Harry.
The only security guard in the house, Mr. Polini Aniya, said the assailants numbering about five forced their way into the ANPP chieftain’s residence around 3am.
The ANPP, and it presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, had insisted that agents of the PDP and Federal Government assassinated Harry.
At Harry’s burial ceremony, Buhari, alleged that in its desperation to rig itself into power, the PDP-controlled Federal Government bankrolled assassins to eliminate political opponents.
After the incident, the police arrested four suspects in connection with the murder.
However, after seven years in detention, the accused standing trial for the murder were discharged and acquitted by an Abuja High Court.
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| PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur |
At inception in 1998, the Peoples Democratic Party attracted a motley crowd of individuals from different backgrounds and ideological persuasions who were united in their quest for power.
Some argue that these individuals could not disguise their desire for power so much so that they reflected it in the party’s slogan which has over the years transformed from “power to the people” to simply, “power.”
The party has been in power at the centre since democracy returned in May 29, 1999. It has so far produced three Presidents: Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Alhaji Umaru Yar’ Adua and incumbent President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan
Each of them had at various times sought effective control of the party machinery to advance their positions in the power game. Obasanjo has so far remained unequalled in this area. He mastered the art of whipping party members into line even if it meant looking the other way when a sitting governor was abducted or when anti-graft agencies were unleashed on governors considered disloyal.
Strong-arm tactics such as the forced resignation of party chairmen and the imposition of a state of emergency was commonplace. In certain instances, contrived impeachments of sitting governors without prejudice to pronouncements of the courts also featured while he held sway.
Virtually all arms of government felt the weight of his might. He had running battles with the leadership of the two chambers of the National Assembly. He stands accused of engineering the removal and replacement of no fewer than three out of the five Presidents of the Senate, for standing up to him on issues of public interest.
His handpicked successor, Umaru Yar’Adua, perhaps did not stay long enough to prove his mettle in this area. He battled health challenges until he died. The succession battle which raged during his ill health and after his demise; dealt a further blow to the fragile cohesion party members could lay claim to. After the bitter party primaries which produced Goodluck Jonathan as flag bearer, the party finds itself gasping for breath each time elections are near.
From the outset of the current administration, it became clear that party discipline was going to be a major challenge. Following what political pundits describe as the collapse of the party’s zoning arrangement, party loyalists picked and chose which directive to comply with. After the 2011 election elections adjudged the most credible, free and fair in recent memory was won and lost, the sharing of the spoils of victory became the first litmus test for the party leadership.
An attempt by the party to revive the zoning arrangement with the distribution of principal offices at the National Assembly failed in the House of Representatives. Despite threats of sanctions, party loyalists ignored the party leadership’s directive to endorse Mrs. Adeola Akande as Speaker of the House; they rallied round their opposition colleagues to vote in Aminu Tambuwal who was their choice for the job. Since then, the most vocal voice of opposition to some government policies have come from PDP members of the House.
Perhaps the most potent threat to the party’s claim to being a cohesive political force is the challenge coming from the influential Nigerian Governors’ Forum.
Opposition party governors under the platform of the newly formed All Progressives Congress took a step that put the Jonathan-led PDP administration on the spot. They paid a visit to the troubled city of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, a feat which the President was unable to achieve since the Boko Haram insurgency began.
As if that was not enough, the NGF which is made up of Nigerian governors drawn from across party lines and has Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Ameachi of the PDP at the helm has been a thorn in the flesh of the executive.
Amaechi’s leadership style which inspires confidence among his colleagues is something the PDP has grown uncomfortable with.
His activism especially during the debate on the Sovereign Wealth Fund, and disbursements from the Excess Crude Account attracted more than a passing interest by hawks within the Jonathan administration.
To make matters worse, he is remoured to have an ambition to team up with the Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido to run for the Presidency in 2015.
A number of PDP governors were also having running battles with the Party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, over the control of the party machinery at the state and federal levels.
The party’s National Working Committee is still polarised along the lines of those considered fiercely loyal to the President and the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur on one hand and those who are still tied to the apron strings of their state governors, at whose pleasure they got into office on the other.
Pundits posit that strategists both within the party and the Presidency went to work to check what they feared could mark the beginning of the waning of the powers of the President and his number one supporter within the party in the affairs of “Africa’s largest party.”
Although President Jonathan is yet to declare his interest in the race, there are signs that he is most likely to run. Considering the growing influence of governors in the running of political parties, the party, some say the Presidency, decided it was time to rein in its governors.
The return of Chief Tony Anenih, a well-known PDP strategist popularly called Mr. Fix It, as Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees put to rest speculations about the President’s nay to the party’s desire to compel members’ obedience.
No sooner had he assumed office than the plan became public knowledge, a meeting of some of the President’s close associates and PDP governors was promptly convened and the formation of the PDP governors’ Forum announced. The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, a vocal member of the NGF whose closeness to Jonathan is considered legendry, was made chairman.
Proponents of the new group argue that it was long overdue since other political parties and even sections of the country have similar platforms to articulate their policies and perform peer review functions based on their party ideology.
The choice of Akpabio did not surprise many because apart from his closeness to the President, he is considered a “pound for pound” match for Amaechi in the struggle for the hearts and minds of the governors especially those from the South South.
Akpabio was one of the few governors who spoke out during the power tussle between aides of the late President Yar’Adua, and then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, at the height of the former’s health challenge.
He was also on hand to lead others to ensure the PDP Presidential ticket went to Jonathan who was serving out the term of his predecessor.
Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Ahmed Gulak, took time off to explain why the party decided to create the Akpabio-led PDPGF.
He said in an interview, “Nobody should pretend that we are happy with the leadership of the Nigerian Governors Forum. We are not happy because of their attitude, because of their refusal to really explore the mechanism within the party.
“We believe that as Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and as a PDP governor and member of the PDP, Amaechi should subject himself to the supremacy of the party and the leadership of the party.
“The PDP as a party has decided to have its own Governors Forum, why do we have the ACN governors’ forum for example? The ACN governors though very few in number, meet from time to time to discuss their party, to discuss their common challenges and aspirations. Why should people lose sleep because the PDP has decided to form its governors’ forum?”
PDP insiders equally hail the formation of the forum as a good strategy to give a sense of direction to governors on the party’s platform. However, opponents argue that it would deepen the rift between governors and the President. There are already speculations that some of them are considering other options including joining the yet to be registered APC.
In an attempt to give the public the notion that all is well, Olisa Metuh, PDP’s National Publicity Secretary said there was no rivalry between the NGF and the PDPGF. According to him, the two bodies will complement each other.
He said, “Governor Amaechi is a leader who complains about what he thinks can cause problems in the party and he helps to solve them. Governor Akpabio is a humane and passionate person. He is passionate about the party and its members and the two of them complement each other.”
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| Mr. Victor Umeh |
What is your take on the ongoing merger talks among opposition political parties?
Our position on this has always been very clear. APGA is not part of any merger discussion with any party; our party is disposed to alliance discussions with other political parties when such alliance discussions became necessary.
The court just issued a judgment in your favour. However, a convention was held before the judgment, what will now happen?
The constitution supersedes any other law we have in Nigeria. The Court of Appeal gave a judgment that people should maintain the status quo and it returned me as the national chairman of APGA. The judgment of the Court of Appeal will subsist and is binding on everybody. It doesn’t matter what you want or what you make of yourself, the decision of the court cannot be made in vain. Whoever is saying that the decision of the Court of Appeal is an enterprise in futility is exhibiting unseriousness and it cannot happen in Nigeria. Public institutions like the Independent National Electoral Commission will obey the decisions of the court especially the Court of the Appeal. Don’t forget, those claiming to have held a convention did so illegally. Even INEC can tell you that those usurpers impersonated me. A court of competent jurisdiction in Enugu has also issued an order restraining those who claim to have emerged as party leaders from that illegality from parading themselves as such.
Two of your governors are claiming to represent the authentic APGA while the governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha has declared for APC, what’s your take on this?
What I can tell you is that, as of today, Governor Peter Obi and Governor Rochas Okorocha are members of APGA. Peter Obi is the one leading a rebellion against the party. This does not mean that I have a personal problem with him. If we have a disagreement on policy issues that affect the party, I don’t want the Nigerian public to see such a disagreement as a personal disagreement. The party produced him as the governor of Anambra State, he didn’t produce himself. He must subject himself to the leadership of the party. The leadership of the party is supreme over its members, no matter how highly placed such members are. It is an aberration that in Nigeria, somebody will humbly come to a political party, seek support to get nomination, the party works for him, the person wins elections, gets access to public funds and begin to use the public funds available to him to destroy the same party. It is immoral and undemocratic and that is what we are resisting. In Nigeria, nobody can say he does not know or she does not know that it was our leadership of APGA that made Obi what he is today in politics. If we ask him to do what is right and he refuses to do it, we will not allow that. On the issue of merger, Okorocha said it publicly that he is in the merger talks in his capacity as Rochas Okorocha, the governor of Imo State and that he is not representing APGA in the discussions. He made it clear. That does not mean he is still not a member of APGA. He is entitled to pursue his political ambition but when it comes to the issue of dragging APGA to the merger, APGA will decline. For now, there is no party called merged party, so we cannot begin to talk about Okorocha not being a member of APGA, until when Okorocha declares that he has joined that party. It is only after he has done that that we can say he has left APGA. Before he does that, I am sure he will tell me, as at today, he is still a member of APGA. There is no one involved in that merger talk that is not still claiming membership of his or her individual political party. Members of the Action Congress of Nigeria, are still operating as officers of the ACN, until it changes; officers of the All Nigeria Peoples Party are still operating as officers of ANPP until it changes. Lai Mohammed issues statements regularly as spokesperson of ACN; he has not issued statements as national publicity secretary of the APC or any other party. So, this issue of their membership is not in contention.
On the issue of merger, you know that the Electoral Act and the constitution both require parties that will come together in a merger to submit the certificate of their registration to the INEC. The APGA certificate of registration is in our possession and we are not surrendering it to anybody or for any purpose other than for the purpose for which it was registered. The certificate is in the safe. We are not taking it along to any merger. In view of recent developments, the court has restored my chairmanship of APGA and those people who purportedly went somewhere and did things in the name of the party did so illegally. I am aware that a Federal High Court in Awka has issued an order restraining them from parading themselves as officers of APGA. Nigerians know now that they are not leaders of APGA.
With this crisis, do you see the party winning elections in 2015?
APGA is the most popular party in Nigeria today. There is no newspaper you open today and you will not see something about APGA. Whenever people are publishing or talking about the crisis in APGA, they are promoting the party and creating awareness among Nigerians.
We know we are building our party even in the middle of this crisis and I don’t think that the crisis in APGA is out of proportion considering what is happening in the Peoples Democratic Party and other political parties today. We are strengthening our position to contest the elections that are to come. Governor Peter Obi should allow peace to reign in APGA. He should stop disrupting the party, if he stops disrupting the party, we will win the 2014 governorship elections in Anambra State. I am making this emphatic statement.
You have been accused of being a sit-tight ruler. Is it true?
I am not a sit-tight leader because I was elected at the convention of the party in 2006 and the constitution allows for a second term in office which is another four years. At the second convention we held in 2011, I was again elected; my second term will expire in February 2015. Those who are accusing me of being a sit-tight leader have forgotten that Governor Obi became a governor before I was elected at the convention of 2006 as the substantive national chairman of APGA and Obi has not finished his second term in office which will end in 2015. So, how will my eight years end before his eight years end? This is all propaganda by people who don’t have anything to say. Some have said I have been chairman for 14 years; APGA itself has not reached 14 years since it was founded. This is 2013, by the constitution of the party I am still within my tenure.
Have you started the process of reconciliation?
Those who rebelled against the party initiated the rebellion on their own. There was no justification for the rebellion. If they come back to their senses, they will come back to the party but if they continue with their anti-party activities, the party will protect itself against destruction. We will not allow it. For those who Obi has misled in the past particularly those small people who he intimidated especially in Anambra State, we have said we don’t blame them because Obi was the emperor intimidating hapless party members ‘We don’t intend to move against anybody. But those of them who are not constitutionally allowed to remain in office will have to go. There are some who are holding government appointments and still holding party positions,’ the party constitution forbids that. It is like holding dual citizenship which our constitution does not recognise. Those who are serving in the Anambra State Government automatically lose their party offices. For us, all those people that Obi purportedly removed during the illegal convention will still have their positions; I urge them all to return to work.
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| John Mahama, Akufo-Addo |
This according to him, was the wide array of interest and pressure groups you would have to consult before you arrive on an individual for the position. He however denied that his decision to reshuffle all ten regional ministers after they were sworn in was a mark of indecision.
He explained that as someone who has served as minister before, he is aware of the various tribe and family factors that often choke you from concentrating on your core mandate as government appointee, hence the decision to move them all from their original region.
“I had to do wide consultation from the various regional caucuses then come to a decision on who is fit for the job and after they were approved by parliament then it means that they can also serve anywhere as regional ministers”.
Speaking on metro TV’s Thank God it’s Friday program, the president said though his first hundred days has been turbulent, he is grateful as the experience gathered within these challenging times have prepared him for the years ahead
When asked about his relationship with NPP flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, President Mahama said though they were not close friends while in parliament, if they are privileged to meet they may probably discuss other issues including the court case.
“I wouldn’t say Nana Addo and I have been close pals but who Knows, when we meet today we may probably stand and discuss issues including the court case"
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| Mahamudu Bawumia |
Deep Throats within the party have told this paper that the entire legal team was “very upset and disorganised” by Dr Bawumia’s revelation that the document he was using to “refresh” his memory was an “updated” Version when he had been coached never to say a thing to that effect.
“It’s absolutely sickening and annoying for him to use the word “updated” and even repeated it several times over; we could not but find means of wriggling ourselves out the legal maze Dr Bawumia had entangled us with,” a source within the NPP legal team revealed.
On day three of the substantive hearing in which three NPP leaders are challenging the verdict of the 2012 general elections, the witness-in-chief of the petitioners, Dr Bawumia admitted to making “mistakes” in some of the documents the NPP had tended in evidence.
Mr. Tony Lithur, lead counsel for President John Mahama, the first respondent, revealed that Dr Bawumia had “deliberately repeated polling stations to shore up figures” to buttress his claims and the claim by the two other petitioners that the second respondent, which is the Electoral Commissioner erred in declaring John Mahama winner of the 2012 polls.
After submitting and pointing out the inaccuracies in about 37 pink sheets, Mr Lithur pointed out, “I suggest to you that you deliberately duplicated these pink sheets to deceive the courts.”
Dr Bawumia, apparently a novice to court proceedings and traditions also retorted, “I suggest to you that I did not deceive the court,” an answer which drew prolonged and loud laughter from those in the court who were later warned by one of the judges to be civil or be thrown out of the courtroom.
Dr Bawumia confirmed that even though the exhibit numbers were different for the same polling station as pointed out by the counsel for the first respondent, figures for each polling station were only entered once in his analysis.
He said the different exhibit numbers came about as a result of manual recording and electronic recording, an admission to which Mr. Lithur retorted, “Oh, so you also make mistakes?” which again drew some laughter from the gallery and other lawyers in the courtroom.
Lithur repetitively and laboriously named 38 of the various polling stations named by the petitioners and which had the deficit of double exhibit numbers, and pointed out to the witness and to the court what he claims were a deliberate scheme of duplication.
In a post-court interview with the media, Nana Ato Dadzie, a member of the legal team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) suggested that the principal witness, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and the Petitioner's legal team were “not sure of what they are fighting for.”
He accused the New Patriotic Party's legal team of varying the number of reported irregularities on day three of the substantive hearing.
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| Tony Lithur |
According to him, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia deliberately repeated polling stations to shore up figures to back his claims and the claim by the two other petitioners that the second respondent, which is the Electoral Commissioner erred in declaring John Mahama winner of the 2012 polls.
In a cross-examination that lasted well over four hours, Lithur produced copies of pink sheets presented by the petitioners which he said had different exhibit numbers but from the same polling stations.
Lithur repetitively and laboriously named 38 of the various polling stations named by the petitioners and which had the deficit of double exhibit numbers and pointed out to the witness and to the court what he claims were a deliberate scheme of duplication.
One of the judges drew the attention of the counsel that he had exceeded his "statute of limitation" and should begin to round up on his long crusade of double exhibit numbers for the same polling stations.
After submitting seven more of those pink sheets with the same deficits, Lithur pointed out “I suggest to you that you deliberately duplicated these pink sheets to deceive the courts.”
The witness in chief of the petitioners, however retorted “I suggest to you that I did not deceive the court,” an answer which drew a loud laughter from the spectators who had earlier been warned by one of the judge to be civil or will be thrown out.
Dr Bawumia confirmed that even though the exhibit numbers were different for the same polling station as pointed out by the counsel for the first respondent, figures for each polling station were only entered once in his analysis.
He said the different exhibit numbers came about as a result of manual recording and electronic recording.
According to him, when compiling figures of irregularities of 11,138 polling stations they realized it was laborious doing it manually and with the limited time they had to submit their affidavits, they had to then adopt an electronic system of recording and that generated the different numbers for the same polling stations.
He was emphatic however that the figures for each polling station were only entered once in the analyses and not twice or thrice as the counsel is suggesting.
There were fireworks early on when the witness decided to tender in documents which sought to reduce the total number of polling station where the alleged irregularities were committed.
According to Bawumia, due to some challenges and quality controls on the pink sheets, they have had to reduce the total number of polling stations from 11,800 to 11,138.
Whilst admitting that the reduction slightly affected the figures presented to the court the day before, he was quick to add that it did not significantly alter the foundation of their case and Nana Addo would still have won anyway.
But counsel for the first respondent Tony Lithur objected to the tendering of the document and insisted that the witness and his counsel amend their document.
The objection was vehemently supported by Counsel for the EC, Quarshie Idun and that of the NDC, Tsatsu Tsikata.
Tsikata averred that ethics of the bar must be upheld and the petitioners must go back to amend their petition.
Philip Addison however strenuously disagreed, saying, they were not amending their case but rather abandoning some of the figures they had early presented.
The judges had to take a short break and when they returned they overruled the objection by lawyers for the respondent.
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| Venezuela's National Electoral Council |
Tibisay Lucena, president of Venezuela's National Electoral Council, said officials decided on the audit after a lengthy debate.
Officials had already audited 54% of ballot boxes, and now will audit the remaining 46%, she said.
READ MORE: Why Venezuela is so divided
The decision comes after opposition candidate Henrique Capriles Radonski filed complaints with election officials about thousands of alleged violations during Sunday's vote.
"The electoral power is making this decision in order to preserve a climate of harmony between Venezuelans, but also to isolate violent sectors that are irresponsibly trying to harm democracy," Lucena said.
Capriles said he accepted the council's decision Thursday because he believes that the problems his campaign spotted would be detected in the audit of the remaining 46%.
"I want to congratulate our people, because this was your fight," Capriles said late Thursday.
Earlier this week, Lucena certified the election results and declared Nicolas Maduro president-elect, despite Capriles' calls for a vote-by-vote recount.
Maduro secured 50.8% of votes in Sunday's election, while Capriles won 49%, election officials said earlier this week.
Maduro is scheduled to be sworn in at a ceremony in Caracas on Friday. It was unclear late Thursday whether the audit would impact plans for his inauguration.
The audit will take about 30 days and will involve comparing results from voting machines with printed reports and registries containing voters' signatures, Venezuelan constitutional lawyer Jose Vicente Haro told CNN en Español.
At the time of the electoral council's announcement, the president-elect was in Lima, Peru, where South American presidents were in an emergency meeting to discuss Venezuela's elections.
The narrow vote margin has sparked mounting tensions in Venezuela after the closely watched election to pick Hugo Chavez's successor to the presidency.
Venezuela's state-run AVN news agency said at least eight people have been killed in postelection violence across the country. The government news agency tied the deaths to opposition protests and said the victims were all followers of Maduro. CNN could not independently confirm the government reports of violence, and it was unknown whether there were any opposition injuries or fatalities.
On nights since the hotly contested vote, supporters of Capriles have banged pots and pans to protest the government's refusal to recount the votes, while supporters of Maduro have set off fireworks to celebrate his victory and drown out the noise.
Before he departed for Lima Thursday, Maduro sharply criticized the opposition in Venezuela and accused them of staging a coup against him.
"In Venezuela we do not have an opposition. ... We have a conspiracy," he said.
Despite protests, he said he would be inaugurated on Friday with a large ceremony and a military parade "because our only commitment is to the people and to the memory of Hugo Chavez.""
A smiling Capriles urged his supporters Thursday not to be discouraged by Friday's ceremony, and to stay home listening to salsa music.
"This fight has not finished. ... I am sure that sooner rather than later the truth will come out," he said.
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| North Korea military |
The United States and South Korea "should immediately stop all their provocative acts against the DPRK and apologize for all of them," the North's National Defense Commission said in a statement carried by state-run media, using the shortened version of North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The commission listed a number of "practical measures" it said the United States and South Korea should take if they want to avoid "sledge-hammer retaliatory blows of the army and people" of North Korea and if "they truly stand for dialogue and negotiations."
But the nature of the demands, such as the lifting of the U.N. sanctions imposed after the North's latest nuclear test, appeared to offer almost no chance of negotiations between the two sides amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea: Lifting of U.N. sanctions if a condition for talks with U.S.
"It is hard to understand North Korea's claims," Cho Tai-young, a spokesman for the South Korean foreign ministry, said at a news briefing. "They are preposterous."
A torrent of unnerving threats from Pyongyang in recent weeks has strained already fragile relations in the region. The North's rhetoric intensified when the U.N. Security Council voted last month to slap the tougher sanctions on the regime and amid the U.S.-South Korean military drills under way in South Korea at the moment.
The United States said this month that for it to enter talks, North Korea would have to show a serious commitment to moving away from its nuclear program, something the regime of Kim Jong Un insists it won't do.
On Thursday, the North suggested that the United States would have to make the first move on the nuclear issue.
"They should bear in mind that the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula can begin with the pullout of the nuclear war means introduced by the U.S. and this may lead to the global denuclearization," the defense commission said.
North Korea has repeatedly described the annual military exercises taking place in South Korea as threats of nuclear war, singling out aspects of the drills like the practice mission flown by U.S. stealth bombers as evidence. The stealth bombers can carry conventional or nuclear weapons, but they used inert munitions in their training flight.
North Korea's missile capabilities
The United States says such displays of military strength during the drills were aimed at reassuring it allies in the region, not antagonizing the regime in Pyongyang.
President Barack Obama warned Kim Jong Un this week that the North's threats against the United States and South Korea had only served to isolate the regime further.
"This is the same kind of pattern that we saw his father engage in and his grandfather before that," Obama said in an interview with NBC News broadcast Tuesday, referring to the two previous North Korean leaders Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung.
"Since I came into office, the one thing I was clear about was, we're not going to reward this kind of provocative behavior. You don't get to bang your spoon on the table and somehow you get your way," he said.
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| Uhuru Kenyatta |
Uhuru Kenyatta became the country's fourth president after a prolonged election dispute that ended up in the Kenyan Supreme Court.
Tens of thousands of people packed a Nairobi stadium Tuesday to watch the inauguration. Jackson, a former U.S. presidential candidate, attended the festivities as a private guest.
Kenyatta, the 51-year-old son of Kenya's founding leader, won the election with 50.07% of the vote.
His chief rival, Raila Odinga, won 43.31% of the vote. Odinga challenged the outcome in court, saying it was flawed and marred by technical problems.
After the court upheld Kenyatta's election, Odinga offered the president-elect his congratulations.
"The court has now spoken," Odinga said. "I wish the president-elect and his team well."
Political dynasty
Kenyatta and Odinga are the sons of the nation's first president and vice president, respectively -- stirring memories of a political dynasty that dates back to the 1960s.
Their fathers started out as allies in the quest for Kenyan independence from Britain.
But the elder politicians' relationship ended in bad blood when founding President Jomo Kenyatta forced out his vice president, Jaramogi Odinga, following a series of disputes.
A new opportunity for Kenya
Despite controversy over the recent election results, the mutual acceptance by the two sons could help restore the nation's image as a bastion of stability after disputed election results in 2007 led to bloody chaos.
In that election, more than 1,200 people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced after Odinga disputed the results, which showed incumbent President Mwai Kibaki as the winner.
At the time, supporters of both candidates battled in the streets with crude weapons, not in court.
Complicated relations
But the upholding of Kenyatta's victory raises the prospect of complicated diplomatic ties with the West.
The International Criminal Court has indicted him for allegedly funding a local militia that conducted reprisal attacks in the last election in 2007. His running mate, William Ruto, also faces ICC charges at The Hague, in the Netherlands.
Both have denied the charges and have said they will cooperate with the court to clear their names.
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| Hosni Mubarak |
Mubarak and his former interior minister, Habib al-Adly, were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison last year on charges that they were complicit in the killing of protesters during the 2011 Egyptian revolution.
They were granted a retrial after filing an appeal.
The six security aides last year were acquitted of the same charges, and Mubarak's two sons -- Gamal and Alaa -- were acquitted of corruption charges. But they, too, were ordered to be retried after President Mohamed Morsy ordered a new investigation last year.
The retrial was to begin last weekend, but a judge recused himself from the case, prompting a delay.
Also Wednesday, a public prosecutor decided to send Hosni Mubarak -- who has spent the last few months detained in a military hospital -- back to prison, prosecutor spokesman Mahmoud Hefnawi told the state-run al-Ahram newspaper.
Hefnawi said the prosecutor reviewed a report of Mubarak's health and determined that he is fit to return to prison, the newspaper reported.
Mubarak has been held since his guilty verdict last year.
Mubarak also is charged with seizing public funds and misusing political influence. He also faces a corruption charge that was not part of the original trial. Mubarak is accused of selling natural gas to neighboring Israel for prices below fair market value.
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| Syrian President Bashar al-Assad |
In an hourlong interview with Syria state TV network al-Ikhbariya, al-Assad claimed the West is supporting al Qaeda sympathizers in Syria as he says they did during the Libyan uprising.
He compared the support of rebels in Syria now to the backing of fighters in Afghanistan during their war with Soviet troops in the 1980s.
"The West has paid heavily for funding al Qaeda in its early stages. Today it is doing the same in Syria, Libya and other places, and will pay a heavy price in the heart of Europe and the United States," he said, according to a CNN translation.
Al-Assad also spoke harshly of Jordan, saying thousands of fighters were crossing the border to take part in the civil war in Syria.
It called it "illogical" for Jordanian officials to deny this was happening.
He guaranteed victory in the conflict, which began two years ago and which has led to the deaths of more than 70,000 people. according to the United Nations.
"There is no option but victory, otherwise it will be the end of Syria, and I don't think that any Syrian citizen will accept such an option," he said.
He referred to the rebels as "thieves" and "mercenaries" who are being paid by Western nations.
"There is an attempt to invade Syria, the forces are coming from outside, from different nationalities, they are using different tactics from what the colonization powers have used," he said.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel ordered up to 200 troops to Jordan.
The new deployment will include communications and intelligence specialists who will assist the Jordanians and "be ready for military action" if President Barack Obama were to order it, a Defense Department official told CNN.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was going to meet with envoy Lakhdar Brahimi on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Syria.
"The prospects may seem dim, but I remain convinced that a political solution is possible. This is the only way to end the bloodshed and bring about a new and democratic Syria. The United Nations will continue to push in that direction," Ban said.
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| Christine Lagarde, IMF managing director |
Tharman Shanmugaratnam, chairman of the International Monetary Fund's governing body, said: "We're not fully past the crisis, but by comparison to the meetings a year ago, there was a much stronger focus on growth and jobs".
After a week of informal and formal meetings, the big questions hanging over the still sickly global economy remained, with little meeting of minds on the blame for a weak recovery, optimal fiscal policies, the effectiveness of monetary stimulus and the spillovers from one country's policies to another.
Reflecting the lack of consensus, Mr Tharman added: "There is no single bullet that will get us to normal growth and some normality in jobs".
Japan came to the meetings fearful that it would be criticised for doubling the money it plans to have in circulation, a move that has sent the yen tumbling, but its action brought few brickbats.
Dropping his language that loose monetary policy was part of a "currency war" against emerging economies, Guido Mantega, Brazil's finance minister, described Tokyo's revitalised policy as "a new and bold program of economic growth, based on fiscal and monetary stimulus and structural reforms".
But the relatively warm reception given to Japan was a notable exception to more usual sniping from finance ministers that others are to blame to their woes and those of the global community.
The US blamed Europe for the fragile demand with Jack Lew, US Treasury secretary, saying that "stronger demand in Europe is critical to global growth" in his submission to the IMF's governing body.
Aiming his fire at China and Germany, he also argued that countries with large trade surpluses needed to more to aid global rebalancing in a stronger growth environment. "Much more needs to be done to promote effective global rebalancing, which requires stronger demand in surplus countries and continued progress toward greater exchange rate flexibility," Mr Lew said.
Rejecting the US criticism, Wolfgang Schäuble, German finance minister, said that the risks to growth stemmed from large fiscal deficits in advanced economies such as the US. "Delaying necessary adjustments would further aggravate risks for the prospects of a lasting and fundamentally sound global recovery," he added. China believes that its economic strategy to reorientate its growth towards domestic consumption already meets US demands.
As part of the battle over who is to blame for the weak global economic recovery, the US claimed a victory in removing hard commitments to stabilise debt from the G20 communique. A senior Treasury official, who declined to be named, said that the statement had put much less emphasis on debt targets and this reflected the change of mood. .
But this interpretation was immediately challenged from European delegations, one of whom said there had been an acrimonious stand-off between the US and Germany which could not be resolved at the G20 meeting.
Anders Borg, Sweden's finance minister, highlighted the European concern that it was the US and Japanese inability to sort out its budgets that represented the problem. "The unsustainable fiscal situation in the US and Japan is a source of concern and uncertainty. Credible medium-term fiscal plans should be promptly developed," he said.
Mr Schäuble said: "The commitment by advanced economies to a clear and credible downward path of general government debt levels could be strengthened by an agreement on an ambitious common debt reduction anchor".
Disagreements over the best strategy were not limited to fiscal policy and growth. Arguments also raged all weekend on the appropriate role of monetary policy and exchange rates.
The US insisted the appreciation of the renminbi had not gone far enough, with Mr Lew, saying "the process of exchange rate adjustment in China remains incomplete and more progress is needed".
Even though Japan met little resistance to its new policy, not everyone was happy. Hyun Oh Seok, South Korean finance minister insisted the plunging yen remained a "concern" and urged an orderly exit from extraordinarily loose monetary policy.
To reflect the concerns of South Korea among others, the IMF agreed to establish a new work stream on how advanced countries can exit from extraordinarily loose monetary policy.
Christine Lagarde, IMF managing director said: "You have this double concern: first there is more [monetary stimulus] and what will be the consequences, what will be the spillover effects, for all economies not only emerging market economies . . . And a second fear which is exactly the opposite of that one is what happens when it stops and what is the exit route and how smoothly does it happen.
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| President Pervez Musharraf |
His appearance had been ordered by Pakistan's High Court, which on Thursday ruled that his alleged actions amounted to an act of terrorism.
After a 20-minute hearing, the anti-terrorism court in Islamabad placed Musharraf on judicial remand for 14 days. His next court appearance in the case is set for May 4.
As the former president left the court, there were clashes between anti-Musharraf lawyers and a small pro-Musharraf crowd.
Authorities decided Musharraf will be held under house arrest at his farmhouse compound in Chak Shazad, outside the Pakistani capital.
He will be moved from police headquarters, where he was whisked after his court appearance, to the farmhouse, police officials said.
The farmhouse has been converted into a "sub jail," Musharraf's lawyer, Ahmed Raza Qasoori, said Friday.
Musharraf spent Friday night at police headquarters following his appearance before a magistrate earlier in the day, after which he was initially allowed to return to the farmhouse.
Musharraf will continue to seek bail in the case, his lawyer said. An attempt on Thursday to appeal the High Court's decision at the Supreme Court appeared to have so far been unsuccessful.
The former president denies the charges against him and never gave any order to detain or abduct the judges in 2007, said Mohammad Amjad, a spokesman for his political party.
The development is the latest setback for Musharraf since the former military ruler returned to Pakistan last month to fight a series of court cases against him and re-enter the country's turbulent political scene by seeking to run in upcoming elections.
His arrest highlights the increased willingness of Pakistan's judiciary, which clashed with Musharraf during his time in power, to pursue cases against high-profile figures previously considered to be untouchable. No former Pakistani army chief has previously been arrested and detained.
Amid a long-running fight with the judiciary, Musharraf resigned as president of Pakistan in 2008 after nine years in power and went into exile the following year, living in London and Dubai. He came back to Pakistan last month under heavy security.
But so far, his return does not seem to be going according to plan.
Last week, Pakistani election officials barred him from running for a seat in parliament in elections next month, a decision his lawyer has said he will challenge.
The ex-military strongman still has to face two separate other cases dating from his time in power. The first relates to claims he did not do enough to protect the life of Benazir Bhutto -- the first woman to be elected prime minister of Pakistan -- after she was assassinated in 2007, weeks before an election in which she hoped to return to office.
Musharraf is also accused of ordering his troops to kill Nawab Akbar Bugti, a popular tribal leader, in the volatile province of Balochistan, in 2006.
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| John Kerry |
Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement the United States would funnel another $123 million in aid to the Syrian Opposition Coalition, including an expansion of direct aid to armed rebels battling forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
"We want to see the coalition lead the way by ramping up its ability in order to be able to provide assistance, deliver services and respond to the needs of the Syrian people," Kerry told reporters after a meeting of 11 nations from the Friends of Syria group and Syrian opposition leaders.
Kerry did not offer specifics, but administration officials said President Obama has signed off on items such as body armor, night vision goggles, advanced communications equipment and other military equipment that is defensive in nature, but could be used to in combat to aid Syrian rebels battling regime forces. The package falls short of the heavy weapons and high-tech equipment sought by the rebels, however.
Still, the move by Washington to expand assistance to the armed rebels reflects a growing international effort to change the military balance on the battlefield in Syria and increase pressure on al-Assad to step down.
Britain and France are leading efforts to lift a European Union arms embargo on Syria, which expires in May. Both nations have suggested they could join nations such as Qatar in providing the rebels with weapons, arguing such a step would strengthen the hand of moderate members of the opposition and make them less reliant on well-armed extremist elements within their ranks.
In a statement after the talks, the 11 ministers recognized the "need to change the balance of power on the ground" and pledged to "enhance and expand their support to all coalition institutions," including increased support to the coalition's military council.
They also urged the United Nations to immediately investigate allegations chemical weapons had been used in Syria, promising "severe consequences" if the claims proved to be true.
Before the gathering, Kerry held a private meeting with coalition president Moaz al-Khatib. One diplomat said Kerry has been very vocal about pushing the opposition to become more unified and inclusive in order to present itself to Syria's minority communities as an alternative to the regime.
The benefactors also sought commitments from the opposition that recipients of international aid are fully vetted so the aid does not end up in the hands of extremist groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra, which has links to al Qaeda.
Gen. Salim Idriss, the head of the opposition's military council, provided a military briefing to the ministers. In a statement after the meeting, the Syrian National Coalition said it firmly rejected "all forms of terrorism" and vowed to guarantee that any weapons it receives will not "fall into wrong hands."
The opposition presented its own list of demands at the talks, which are likely to remain unmet. In addition to more military and civilian aid, the opposition wants a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning the regime's air attacks and possible use of chemical weapons and a no-fly zone to protect civilians from further air and missile attacks.
The United States and other nations have repeatedly said they will not intervene militarily and Russia has repeatedly blocked U.N. resolutions on Syria.
After the talks, al-Khatib said the international support, while appreciated, was not enough.
"We call on the international community to be more forthcoming and unreserved to fulfill its responsibilities in extending support that is needed by the Syrian people," he said.
Syria's allies are struggling to overcome their divisions about which rebel groups to aid, the scope of the assistance and what commitments to seek from the opposition in return. Saturday's talks ran more than five hours, as nations argued over what one diplomat called "competing agendas" among the donors.
Some European nations remain skeptical about arming the rebels. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in Istanbul on Saturday that his government was concerned the weapons would fall into the hands of radicals.
"We expect from the opposition that they clearly distance themselves in Syria from terrorist and extremist forces," he told reporters.
Moreover, Western governments and many Middle East nations believe some nations that are arming the rebels, particularly Qatar, are allowing some of the weapons to flow to extremist groups like Jabhat al-Nusra. Diplomats said Turkey and Qatar have thrown their support behind Syria's Muslim Brotherhood, a move that has concerned Saudi Arabia.
Kerry said after the meeting the donors and the Syrian opposition reached agreement that all future military aid to the rebels would be channeled through the coalition's supreme military command.
After Istanbul, Kerry will travel to Brussels, where he will discuss the Syria crisis with NATO and EU foreign ministers. He will also meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The Obama administration sees Moscow as one of Syria's most important backers, along with Iran. Kerry said earlier this week he had not abandoned hope Russia could end its support for al-Assad.
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| Iraq Voters |
Elections were held in most of Iraq's 18 governorates to replace local councils elected in 2009. Some provinces -- such as Anbar, Kirkuk and Nineveh -- did not hold elections because of insecurity.
Bombs were detonated in the days preceding and up to the election, sometimes killing and injuring candidates. On Saturday, six people were wounded at election centers, four from bombs in Latafiya south of Baghdad and two from mortars in Tikrit north of the capital.
But no major violence occurred, and the United States praised the the exercise as a brave democratic process. Security was so tight in Baghdad that some people couldn't make it to the polls because of curfew.
"In the face of security threats, millions of Iraqi citizens exercised their democratic right to cast their ballots at polls in twelve provinces across the country to choose new provincial councils," the U.S. Embassy said.
"This is a clear step forward for Iraqi democracy and a strong rejection of the violent extremists who have sought to derail democratic progress and sow discord among Iraqis. "
Martin Kobler, the U.N. special representative for Iraq, praised the "peaceful conduct" and commended election officials and security forces.
"Credible elections are critical to the country's stability," he said.
The elections are the first Iraq has held since parliamentary elections in 2010.
Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki was shown casting his ballot on state-run TV channel Iraqiya. He was among at least 15.5 million Iraqis were eligible to vote in Saturday's polls, the United Nations said, citing official estimates. Election officials estimated that around 50% percent of the voters turned out Saturday.
More than 8,000 candidates were reportedly vying for 378 seats on provincial councils.
CNN spoke to many people streaming to the polls.
They said they wanted change, stability and improvement in basic services. People of all ages voted, but in Baghdad at least, there was a clearly strong turnout of the younger generation.
"Inshallah," God willing, people said, as they expressed their hope for a better future.
Sectarianism a dark cloud over elections
The Sunni-Shiite sectarian strife in the region as well as Iraq was seen to be a major factor in the election and intimidation of voters.
Ramzy Mardini, adjunct fellow at the Beirut-based Iraq Institute for Strategic Studies, noted the detrimental attacks in the run-up to the election and said the divide is "widening, not closing."
"Today, al-Qaeda in Iraq appears to seek to influence the vote, rather than preventing the electoral process from occurring. The attacks appear targeted to keep Shiites at home and instill fear in Sunnis who are backing candidates that are cooperating with Maliki," he said, citing the Sunni militant group.
The rise of Sunni Islamists during the Arab Spring and the sectarian civil war in Syria represent "strategic drivers of instability in Iraq leading to Shiite fear and Sunni hubris. That's a dangerous combination, and it will sectarianize those fault lines even further as Iraqis undergo their first election cycle since the departure of U.S. forces," Mardini said.
As a result, there isn't "much political space for Sunnis and Shiites to cooperate. Those that do are likely to get punished at the ballot box."
The elections are a run-up to next year's general elections, shaping how politicians think about "political alignments going into next year's general election."
"It's a practice run. Everybody's got several political cards in their hands; how they perform locally can influence which card they choose to play or not play on the national stage," Mardini said.
But "national reconciliation" has been neglected.
"Iraqis will fall back on sectarian preferences when faced with fear and uncertainty, and there's plenty of fear and uncertainty for politicians to exploit to their sectarian advantage this election cycle," he said.
