Author: David Great

Emmanuel Macron has won five more years as France’s president after a convincing victory over rival Marine Le Pen, who nevertheless secured the far right’s highest share of the vote yet. He won by 58.55% to 41.45%, a greater margin than expected. The centrist leader told jubilant supporters at the foot of the Eiffel Tower that now the election was over he would be a “president for all”. He is the first sitting president in 20 years to be re-elected. Despite her loss, Ms Le Pen, 53, said her significant vote share still marked a victory. The ideas her National…

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the nation’s armed forces, security and intelligence agencies to intensify the clampdown on illegal refineries following the reported deaths of tens of people Friday night after an illegal refinery exploded at Abaezi forest in the Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State. Reacting to what he described as a “catastrophe and a national disaster,” President Buhari said responsibility for the loss of lives and property must squarely lie with the sponsors of the illegal refinery, “who must all be caught and made to face justice.” In conveying “the condolences and the full depth and range…

Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has told manager Thomas Tuchel he will leave the club this summer after failing to agree a new deal. (BBC Sport) Chelsea may revisit a move for Sevilla and France centre-back Jules Kounde, 23, in the summer after it was confirmed Antonio Rudiger will leave the club. (Football London) Paris St-Germain are set to sack manager Mauricio Pochettino with Tottenham boss Antonio Conte in the frame to replace him. (Le Parisien via GFFN) Arsenal have taken steps to sign Napoli and Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, 23. (Gazzetta dello Sport via HITC) Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus,…

Chief Elias Mbam, a governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi, says imposition of governorship candidate on the party will not work. Mbam, who is the chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) stated this at a news conference on Sunday in Abakaliki. Mbam was reacting to a statement credited to Governor Dave Umahi, endorsing Mr Francis Nwifuru, Speaker of Ebonyi House of Assembly as his successor and APC candidate for the 2023 governorship election in the state. He said that Umahi’s endorsement and adoption of Nwifuru could cause an implosion…

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has urged Nigerian politicians to do away with bitterness as the battle to emerge party candidate hots up. Osinbajo made this statement when he and other presidential aspirants from different political parties were hosted to a Ramadan Iftar at the State House, Abuja. Prof. Osinbajo, represented by a former governor of Edo, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, urged all aspirants to play politics without bitterness. Osinbajo said the event offered Nigerians from different faiths and background the opportunity to reunite with one another to foster unity. “It is an opportunity for aspirants from various political parties to meet…

Six members of the Deeper life Bible Church, in Iragbo community of Badagry, Lagos state, were injured on Sunday, when the church building collapsed during heavy storm while service was in progress. The injured sustained serious degrees of injuries. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a heavy rain which was followed by a heavy storm led to the collapse of the church building around 9:30 a.m. One of the members of the Ccurch who was also a victim, Mr Topohozin Tunde, told NAN that six members of the church sustained serious injuries. “I also sustained a serious knee…

Christian Pulisic’s 90th-minute winner helped save team-mate Jorginho’s blushes as Chelsea boosted their top-four hopes with a late win over an understrength West Ham. David Moyes rested six players before their Europa League semi-final on Thursday and it looked like they might hold for a precious point when Jorginho’s woeful effort from the spot was saved by Lukasz Fabianski after 87 minutes. But after Craig Dawson was sent off after a video assistant review for fouling Romelu Lukaku in the build-up to the penalty, Pulisic turned the saviour as he tucked in Marcos Alonso’s low cross. It sent Stamford Bridge…

Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has urged political parties to always consider women as running mates to candidates contesting elections into various positions across the country. Aisha Buhari was speaking on Saturday night when she hosted Presidential Aspirants from various political parties to a Ramadan (Iftar) breakfast at the State House, Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Iftar was organised by the First Lady to provide opportunity for the aspirants to share love and happiness with one another in the spirit of Ramadan and in a quest for nation building. Aisha Buhari said, fair-play for women…

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against President Muhammadu Buhari “over the failure to unblock the phone lines of over 72 million telecommunication subscribers barred from making calls on their SIMs.” The suit followed the recent directive by the Federal Government to telecommunications companies to block outgoing calls on all unlinked lines, as the deadline for the verification expired on March 31. Following the directive, over 72 million subscribers have now been barred from making calls. In the suit number FHC/L/CS/711/2022 filed last week at the Federal High Court in Lagos, SERAP is seeking: “an order…

French voters are heading to the polls to decide whether to give centrist Emmanuel Macron five more years as president or replace him with far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. After a divisive election campaign, Ms Le Pen faces an uphill battle with her 44-year-old opponent polling ahead. In order to win they both need to attract voters who backed other candidates in the first round. But these are two polarising figures in France and abstention is a key factor. Mr Macron’s detractors call him arrogant and a president of the rich, while the far-right leader has been accused of having…