Paper Review: Read what Jonathan has to say about reports that he’s on exile, fraud in NNPC exposed
– The police has warned aggrieved members of the PDP against threatening public peace in Abuja
– The caretaker committee led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi and that of Senator Ibrahim Mantu will soon meet on the way forward for the party
– Goodluck Jonathan has denied going on self-exile in Cote d’Ivoire
– NEITI has revealed details of fraud in NNPC, saying they failed to remit $4.4 billion in 2013
Major Nigerian dailies for Tuesday, May 24 are focused on various issues as the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party after its national convention, Goodluck Jonathan reacting to reports that he is on self exile and allegations of N4.4billion fraud in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).
Members of the PDP held parallel national convention on Saturday, May 21. One faction held its convention in Port Harcourt while the second faction held its own in Abuja.
The ill-fated convention of the party in Port Harcourt led to the sack of the national chairman of the PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and also saw leaders of the party further polarised into different camps.
Following the rancorous national convention, some aggrieved factional leaders of the party are said to have perfected plans to engage thugs to join them in threatening public peace and security in Abuja, The Punch reports.
The Punch front page
Olabisi Kolawole, the police public relations officer said intelligence report indicates that some aggrieved party members were planning to infiltrate Abuja and attack the headquarters of the PDP with the aim of forcefully occupying the complex.
The Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, has warned all actors in the crisis as well as their loyalists to desist from any act that will threaten public peace as the force will deal with such persons or group appropriately.
Daily Sun reports that Ahmed Makarfi-led caretaker committee, which was constituted by the PDP national convention in Port Harcourt had reached out to the Senator Ibrahim Mantu-led panel, set up by some PDP elders in Abuja to form an alliance on the way forward for the party.
Daily Sun front page
It was learnt that Makarfi’s committee and that Mantu will meet to ensure that they come together to neutralise whatever threat Sheriff and remnants of his supporters pose to the survival of the party.
There are three factions in PDP arising from contending interests. One faction is led by Prof. Jerry Gana, another by Senator Makarfi, who is interim national chairman; and the third one by Sheriff, who insists he remains the national chairman of the party.
In other new, former President Goodluck Jonathan has dismissed a report that he is on exile in Cote d’Ivoire, The Nation reports.
The Nation front page
It was reported on Monday that the former president was on temporary self-exile in Cote d’Ivoire over fears that he will be arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) once he sets foot in Nigeria.
Reacting to the report, Jonathan said: “I’m not on exile. I have no cause to go on exile. It is a wicked and malicious report. I was Vice President for two years and President for six years. I did everything I could and I served my country very well. This is what they keep saying anytime I’m outside the country. I was in Ecuador; they said I was on exile. This is my second time in Cote d’Ivoire and I’m rounding off my visit. It is a wicked attempt to link me with the renewed Niger Delta crisis.”
However, the federal government is looking into the rumuor as the EFCC said although Jonathan had been implicated in all transactions under its investigation, he was not yet a target.
Meanwhile, Vanguard reports that the NNPC and other oil and gas companies have been accused of shortchanging the country and failing to remit $4.4 billion and N358.3 billion to the federation account in 2013.
Vanguard front page
This was disclosed by Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the Minister of Solid Minerals and chairman of the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) board during the release of the 2013 Oil & Gas and Solid Minerals’ Audit Report.
Fayemi also disclosed that Nigeria lost $5.966 billion and N20.4 billion in 2013 to crude oil theft, offshore processing agreement, and crude oil for product swap arrangement.
The Guardian reports that presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu dismissed report that President Muhammadu Buhari’s cancelled trip to Lagos had nothing to do with an illness.
The Guardian front page
Garba said the cancelled visit was due to scheduling difficulties.
“People are free to express whatever they want to say, but the truth is constant and we stay on our story,” he added.
Complete Sports front page
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