Glitz, glamour as Nollywood stars dazzle @ the 2015 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards

The Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, otherwise known as AMVCA 2015 might have come and gone. 

But one important thing is that the dust it raised especially in terms of fashion displayed by the movie stars is yet to settle. On the red carpet of the AMVCA, the Nollywood stars did not disappoint their fans as they dressed to kill.  The Mega StarNews exclusively brings you happenings at the event.

Enjoy the sizzling way your favorite stars illuminated the night with glitz, glamour, and razzmatazz fashion statement.

2015 budget: Reps kick against $65 benchmark

The House of Representatives has rejected the $65 benchmark proposed in the 2015 budget by the executive.

It said the 2015 proposed budget was based on certain policy thrusts, instruments and assumptions that were flawed and must be “critically” addressed.

2015 AFCON: Black Stars players, technical team pocket $25,000 each

Ghana's President John Mahama has announced a 25,000-dollar reward for each member of the Black Stars who won silver at the just- ended 2015 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament.

The money was made available by the state-owned Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), the headline sponsor of the team.

``We have a reward for you. GNPC is your headline sponsor and GNPC has made a promise to reward you when you come back.

2015: Court strikes out suit challenging Jonathan's eligibility for re-election

The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday struck out a suit challenging President Goodluck Jonathan’s eligibility to seek re-election in the 2015 presidential election and awarded N50,000 cost to the president.

The plaintiffs, Prof. Tunde Samuel, Dr Junaidu Mohammed, Mr Rasak Adeogun and Yahaya Ndu, had challenged Jonathan’s eligibility to seek re-election on the ground that he had reached the constitutional maximum of being sworn into office twice.

China expects 1 million more births in 2015 as 1 million couples apply to have second child

China Population Association (CPA) said that the country was expecting at least one million more births in 2015, as one million couples have applied to have second child.

The Head of the CPA, Zhai Zhenwu, said on Monday in Beijing that this was coming up as a result of change in policy and as China eased its one-child policy in 2014, allowing couples to have a second child if either parent was an only child.

1.4 million candidates to write 2015 JAMB

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has disclosed that no fewer than 1.4 million candidates nationwide would write the 2015 All Computer Base Test (CBT) on March 4.

Mr Fabian Benjamin, JAMB Public Relations Officer, said that the board would be migrating all to computer-based mode of examination for the first time.

The Registrar, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, had in the last few years, sensitised secondary schools students on the computer-based mode of test effective from 2015.

2015: Ambode pledges to take Lagos to next level

Ambode

The APC governorship candidate in Lagos state, Mr Akinwumi Ambode, has disclosed that he would raise the performance bar of Gov. Babatunde Fashola, if elected into office.

Ambode made the pledge while speaking at a meeting with artisans and tradesmen at Ikeja.

The meeting was facilitated by the state government.

He said his long-standing experience in the state’s civil service had equipped him with the wherewithal to take the state to the next level.

2015: LP denies endorsing President Jonathan

The National Chairman, Labour Party, Mr Abdulkadri Abdulsalam, has said that the party had not endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate for the 2015 general elections.

Abdulsalam, who gave the clarification in Abuja, said the rumour had gone viral on social media.

He said the rumours had no base or truth.

Shettima presents N175bn budget for 2015

Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno on Tuesday presented a budget proposal of about N175 billion for the 2015 fiscal year to the state House of Assembly in Maiduguri for approval.

Shettima said that the proposal, tagged `Budget of Fulfilment', comprised N62 billion recurrent and N113 billion capital expenditures.

He explained that the budget would be financed through N98 billion Statutory Allocation, N39 billion Internally Generated Revenue and N38 billion Capital Receipts.

Benue Govt. plans to spend N98.6 billion in 2015

Gov. Gabriel Suswam of Benue has presented the 2015 appropriation bill of over N98.6 billion to the Benue House of Assembly for consideration.

The bill shows a drop of 11 per cent in the 2014 appropriation estimates of N130 billion.

Suswam made the presentation on Tuesday in Makurdi during the assembly's plenary session.

2015 Lagos Gov Prophecy: PDP rebukes APC over attack on Primate Olabayo, describes Osinbajo’s strategy deceptive

The Lagos State Chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has berated the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for disparaging a Christian cleric and man of God, Primate Olabayo, who recently prophesied amongst others that the PDP would win Lagos State Governorship election in 2015.

 

The PDP described the sacrilege attack on the Man of God as an attack on all Men of God of the Christian Faith and which must be condemned by all adherents of the Faith.

It was of the opinion that the outburst was a sample of the peak of hostility the Lagos APC could go especially against any individual, group or interest they perceive as pro PDP.

We will defeat Buhari at the polls in 2015, says PDP scribe

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said President Goodluck Jonathan would defeat Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) presidential candidate at the polls in 2015.

The National Secretary of PDP, Prof. Wale Oladipo, stated this in Abuja on Monday when chairmen of foreign chapters of the party visited him.

``They have passed through a motion and endorsed their perennial candidate, we have beaten him three times, we are going to beat him once again’’, Oladipo stressed.

Christians must participate actively in 2015 elections, says cleric

Baba Aladura Abidoye

The Spiritual Leader of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, Worldwide, Prophet Samuel Abidoye, has called on Christians to actively participate in the forthcoming general elections.

Abidoye gave the advice on Sunday in his sermon at the ordination of some members of the church’s Ilorin District Headquarters.

He said the active participation of Christians remained the only way they could contribute immensely to the development of the country and decide who would rule them.

2015 budget: FG maintains 65 dollars oil price, introduces charges on luxury goods

Okonjo Iweala presenting the budget

Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, said Federal Government would continue with the proposed 65 dollars oil benchmark for the 2015 budget in spite of volatility in the global oil price.

Okonjo-Iweala disclosed this at the public presentation of the 2015 budget on Wednesday in Abuja.

``We have put the following benchmarks, which are operated in the 2015 budget; oil production remains at 2.27 million barrel per day, as I said, benchmark oil price at 65 dollars per barrel.

``We are using an exchange rate of N165 to the dollar and we are projecting a fiscal deficit N755 billion or 0.79 per cent of Gross Domestic product (GDP).

``And we are keeping domestic borrowing at a downward trend, the same as last year at about N570 billion which is comparable to the N572 billion for 2014,’’ she said.

According to her, GDP growth is projected at 5.5 per cent as also projected by the National Bureau of Statistics.

2015: South West will vote en masse for Jonathan/Sambo, says Mimiko

Mimiko and Jonathan

Gov. Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo said on Tuesday that the South West zone would cast their votes massively for the Jonathan/Sambo ticket in the 2015 Presidential election.

Mimiko, who was fielding questions from newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, assured that the electorate in the South West would vote for the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) even if the All Progressive Congress (APC) picked its vice-president from the South West zone.

2015: Amosun picks Onanuga as running mate

Yetunde Onanuga

 Ahead of the governorship election in 2015, the APC in Ogun on Tuesday chose Mrs Yetunde Onanuga as the running mate of Gov. Ibikunle Amosun.

Onanuga, 54, hails from Aparaki in Ijebu North Local Government Area of the state.

Until her selection, she was a Director of Finance and Administration in the Ministry of Environment in Lagos State.

2015 elections: Court to rule on Jonathan’s eligibility Jan- 12

An Abuja Federal High Court on Monday reserved ruling until Jan. 12 in a suit filed by Olatoye Wahab and Adejumo Ajegbe, seeking to disqualify President Goodluck Jonathan from seeking re-election.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed reserved the ruling after listening to the submissions of both counsel to the plaintiffs and Mr Mohammed Adoke (SAN), the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

The plaintiffs had urged the court to determine whether the President was constitutionally eligible to seek re-election, having participated as candidate and emerged winner in two previous presidential elections.

Kwankwaso pledges to support Buhari’s 2015 presidential ambition

Gov. Rabi’u Kwankwaso of Kano has expressed his readiness to support, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to actualise his presidential ambition in 2015.

Kwankwaso made this known when he spoke with newsmen in Kano on Friday.

He said the election of Buhari as the presidential candidate of the APC was his success as he would continue to support him to ensure his victory in 2015.

``Just few days to the primary election, Buhari was asked if not him who else, he (Buhari) said it is kwankwaso. So, to me, it is as good as I won the election.

Okorocha promises to end insurgency if elected president in 2015

Presidential aspirant on platform of All Progressives Congress, Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo, has promised to stop insurgency in north east if elected president of Nigeria in 2015.

Okorocha made the promise when he paid courtesy visit to the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in Kaduna on Wednesday.

He added that he would tackle other problems in the area of education and youth unemployment. ``These are responsible for the country’s insecurity

``I have the burning desire to change Nigeria for good; my intention to become the president of the country is for the benefit of the masses and not for personal gain.

2015: Ondo aspirants threaten to work against PDP

The crisis in the Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party assumed a new dimension on Sunday with the party aspirants in the state threatening to work against the success of the party in 2015.

The aggrieved Ondo aspirants are those vying for tickets to contest elections into the state House of Assembly, Federal House of Representatives and the Senate.

The Chairman, Ondo PDP Aspirants Forum, Femi Adekanmbi, who is also a contestant for the House of Representatives, told journalists in Abuja that the party should be allowed to conduct its primaries without interference if it must be successful in the forthcoming elections.

Adekanmbi, who spoke for all the aspirants, said some senior party officials had been acting against the dictates of the party’s constitution, warning that the PDP would lose in 2015 if its national body fails to intervene promptly.

He said, “We want the public to be informed of the impending loss of the PDP in Ondo State. When the result will be out on February 15, 2015 showing the loss of the PDP in Ondo, nobody should be surprised.

“The people of Ondo State are ready to take their destiny in their hands; you cannot handpick and impose on us. This is to sensitise Nigerians because there is going to be protest vote against the PDP in the 2015 elections.”

Adekanmbi also alleged that the membership of the party by the Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, was not genuine because he did not register in the party according to the PDP’s constitution.

He said, “Governor Olusegun Mimiko joined the party on October 2, 2014 and that was when the PDP congress was about 29 days away. Under the party’s constitution, Chapter 2, Section 8, subsection 1 to 11, a person that joins PDP within 30 days before congress cannot partake in the congress.

“This is because the party’s register would have been closed a month before congress. The implication is that the people who came to the party with Mimiko are not members of the PDP, including the governor, because they have not been registered according to our constitution.”

He explained that a panel set up by the party’s national body disqualified original members of the Ondo PDP from contesting political positions after the politicians had spent huge sums of money on their campaigns.

The Ondo aspirants’ forum chairman said, “House of Assembly aspirants bought forms for N1.25m; House of Representatives, N2.5m and Senate for N4m. After buying these forms, a screening panel was constituted by the national PDP and was sent to Ondo State. When the panel got to Ondo, it disqualified all the original PDP members and approved people who are just joining the party. Now, that is the problem.

“The panel was hijacked and they took it to Government House instead of the PDP secretariat and wrote disqualification certificates for our members and held a meeting and signed our mandates away.

“We want to totally disagree with the meeting that was chaired by the Senate President, David Mark, with Dr. Mimiko and some of our so-called leaders on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa.”

He argued that nobody had the right to dissolve the party’s executive council in the state, local governments and wards.

“We are pursuing our case in court to get to a logical conclusion. We have notified INEC through the court why they must not recognise the Labour Party aspirants who claim to be PDP members in Ondo,” Adekanmbi said.