Pep Opara's Blog

The Lagos State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party on Sunday disowned Mr Adejumo Agbaje, who filed a suit challenging the eligibility of President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2015 polls. In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Mr Taofik Gani, the PDP said Agbaje was not a consequential member or leader of the party in the state. The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Agbaje along with some persons parading themselves as PDP members had filed a suit no. FHC/ABJ/CS/662/2014 challenging the eligibility of Jonathan in seeking re-election in 2015. “Agbaje can thus be representing his own interest. He is definitely on a frolic of his own probably to gain media attention or for pecuniary interest,” the statement said.   It warned Agbaje to desist from embarrassing the party forthwith. The party said while it appreciated the right of any Nigerian to aspire to any office in the land, it restated the party’s unequivocal decision on President Jonathan’s candidature and righ...

  P.O:  If You are in Ekiti State, do be careful and be more aware of your environment. I need you all safe and don't be caught in the on-going political tussle. There was tension in Ekiti State on Sunday as the news of a reprisal attack by suspected members of the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria spread in the state capital, Ado-Ekiti. This is coming on the heels of fresh allegation by the Peoples Democratic Party that the All Progressives Congress had concluded plans to import thugs from Lagos. But the APC said allegation was a figment of imagination of the PDP, urging the police to arrest and prosecute anyone caught fomenting trouble in the state. The residence and five vehicles belonging to a former state chairman of RTEAN, Mr. Rotimi Olabiwonu, were on Friday burnt by people yet to be identified. The arson took place during the protest that followed the Thursday’s murder of a former state chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, ...

Millions of devotees remain banned from receiving communion – but meeting of bishops raises hopes of ban being loosened Elio Cirimbelli, a 66-year-old family counsellor from Bolzano in north-eastern Italy , goes to church most Sundays. He is a devout Roman Catholic but when he attends mass he cannot receive holy communion and must stay in the pew while the rest of the congregation goes up to receive the sacramental bread and wine. “It’s very hard, let’s put it that way,” Cirimbelli says. “We have a church that can be a mother, but sometimes it is a mother which not does embrace but which punishes.”   Millions of Catholics around the world are similarly affected by the church’s ban on communion for those who have divorced – as Cirimbelli did in 1987 – and then remarried.   In a global community divided by headline-grabbing issues such as abortion, contraception and gay sex, divorce is far from the most inflammatory topic of conversation. But for a huge number o...

  He says..... 'My Killing Days Are Over' Not much interview was done on General-Benjamin-Adekunle, popularly known as Black Scorpion who died a couple of weeks ago, labelled and known as a legalised murderer. You want to know a bit about him? I believe excerpts of this interview done in August 1977, will better capture the essence of him. Enjoy!   The Black Scorpion doesn’t sting anymore. His venom was neutralised some three years ago when the Gowon regime retired him from the Army. ‘’My killing days are over”,Brigadier Adekunle affirmed last week at his Surulere residence. ‘’Hitherto I had been labelled as a legalised murderer by the society called Nigerians.   General-Benjamin Adekunle Right now, I will do any job that will lead to the saving of souls of fellow Nigerians. Not that I regret my period as a soldier, or my killing days as some people would like to refer to it. But there are certain times when you need to do some reassessments. To...

  Put differently, the many reasons advanced for quitting the All Progressives Congress, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Gen. Sani Abacha regime, Chief Tom Ikimi, obviously has an axe to grind with a former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu. Ojo M. Maduekwe writes   Since August 27, when former Minister of Foreign Affairs in Gen. Sani Abacha’s government, Chief Tom Ikimi, withdrew his membership from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and gave his reasons in an advertorial on the same day, the battle line had been drawn between Ikimi and supporters of one of the co-founders of APC, Senator Bola Tinubu.   In Ikimi’s reflection, he narrates how the ‘propaganda’ of him being a sell-out is being sold by Tinubu through the aid of his supporters and goes on to allege that Tinubu instead is the one selling out the opposition dream.   “Who then is really selling and who is indeed buying? Who sold Mallam Nuhu Ribadu’s ACN presidential candidature...

Gloria Allred gives a press conference with Floyd Mayweather's ex-fiancée Shantel Jackson to announce a law suit.    Mayweather on front p[age again and this time it isn't about him and T.I's wife or a club brawl but for alleged assault and battery on his ex-fiancée. We should expect a frenzy court room drama in some weeks come except they settle out of court.    

The imminent breakup of their marriage may be the least of the problems popular mega-church pastor, Chris Oyakhilome, and his wife, Anita, are facing  at the moment as the United Kingdom agency is investigating the UK branch of their church, Christ Embassy, over controversial payments. The United Kingdom Charity Commission has launched a probe into the transfer of at least N941 million (£3.6 million) by the church to overseas entities between 2008 and 2012.   According to a culled report from Premium Times : In a statement on Wednesday, the Charity Commission said it has opened a statutory inquiry to investigate Christ Embassy over “a number of serious concerns relating to the use of charitable funds, in particular large connected party payments and the potential misapplication of grant funding.”   According to the Charity Commission, which is the regulator of charities in England and Wales, statutory inquiries are only opened to investigate “the most se...

  Olamiju Alao Akala, son of  Former Governor of Oyo State was on the streets of Oyo State campaigning for the re-election of his dad, once the State Governor. His father, Adebayo Alao Akala, will be contesting in 2015 under the umbrella of PDP and a lot of big wings are actually supporting him this time. Olamiju is married to Hadiza Okoya and they recently had a talk of the town wedding in Lagos.

      Joan Rivers was pronounced dead at 1:17 p.m. Thursday at a NY hospital. Her daughter, Melissa Rivers, made the announcement just moments ago. Rivers, 81, stopped breathing while undergoing a routine outpatient endoscopy procedure at a NY clinic on August 28. The clinic is now under investigation by NY state health officials. Rivers reportedly experienced laryngospasm (tightening of the larynx) which cut off oxygen to her brain during the outpatient procedure. Doctors don’t know how long her brain was deprived of oxygen. From NY Daily News : She was surrounded by close family and friends, Melissa Rivers said in a statement. The “Fashion Police” host, who was staying in a private room at the Mount Sinai Hospital, was dependent on machines to stay alive eight days after going into cardiac and respiratory arrest, sources said. The 81-year-old star’s room was filled with flowers, and her hair and makeup were done as Melissa Rivers pondered her life-and-de...

A source tells gossip blog TMZ that singer Ciara and her baby daddy, Future Hendrix , are living together again and back. CiCi reportedly dumped her former fiancé after she learned he cheated on her with his full-time wardrobe stylist, Tyrina Lee . Sources close to Future tell TMZ … he and Ciara are living together again — and trying to make things work between them — so Future can help take care of their 4-month-old son, FUTURE ZAHIR. Ciara must be willing to overlook the past … since she was the one who claimed FUTURE CHEATED ON HER[2] while he was on tour — and then broke off their engagement last month. We’re told Ciara wasn’t interested in a shared parenting situation, saying she believes Future’s a good father and that it’s best for their son if his dad’s there. Pretty selfless of her, if she really believes he cheated. There is no doubt that Future will cheat on Ciara again,  but at least he is putting the needs of his child first. All children need t...

The first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan was photographed on her arrival at Sopoto, Northern Poland to commission a training ship built for the Nigerian Oceanographic Institute for Marine and Research purposes, greeting officials and aides in the new vogue of Ebola greeting. She was received on arrival today at the Gdansk Walesa International Airport by Ambassador Ibrahim Jimba, the Nigerian Envoy to Poland, some ministers and other Nigerian dignitaries and she greeted them at respectable distance with “palm-rubbing” acknowledgement.