5 ways identity thieves are targeting you

By Blake Ellis 

Fraudsters have many ways of stealing your identity.

There's plenty of advice out there about how to protect yourself from identity thieves. But you don't often hear from the bad guys themselves about the tricks of their trade.

Now Jumio, a company that allows customers to make mobile payments and verify their identities online or by phone, has come out with "The Fraudsters' Playbook."

The report outlines the most common ways people steal identities. Jumio collaborated with some reformed former identity thieves, as well as professional criminologists and law enforcement agents.
1. Setting up fake Wi-Fi networks: Fraudsters steal identities anywhere that offers free public Wi-Fi access, like cafes, airports, libraries and hotels.
An identity thief simply sets up a separate Wi-Fi network with the same name as the real one, and you may mistakenly log on. Then, using malware, the perp accesses your computer and hacks into your email and bank accounts. At that point, say goodbye to your identity.
Is this your password? Change it.
2. Posing as Census workers: Some fraudsters go door-to-door pretending to be Census workers collecting information. They ask for your name, address, date of birth or email address. And if you seem especially gullible, they may go even further and ask for more information.
One con cited in Jumio's report said he would target houses with nice cars parked outside. Others call or email victims asking for personal information to "verify a purchase" or "confirm account information."

 

The scary reality of hacking infrastructure

3. Mining social media profiles: People who still don't have privacy settings on their social media profiles are prime targets.
Identity thieves will locate profiles with the most public information and send them pointed offers based on it -- like to a favorite restaurant or retailer they have listed on their profiles or have visited recently. If they're lucky, this can rope in victims and convince them to supply financial information like their credit card number.
Related: Cyberattacks are the bank robberies of the future
4. Advertising bogus discounts: You'd think that by now people would know not to give their financial information to someone over the phone who they've never met. But the trick still works.
An identity thief pretends to be calling from a local business and offers you discounts on your next purchase. Then he says that to receive the discount, you need to make a small payment and provide your personal information. Bingo! He just got everything he needs to steal your identity -- and money.
5. Buying bank account information: There's an underground market for identity theft, called carding sites, where identity thieves sell credit or debit card information to other criminals for around $100 to $200 a pop, Jumio found.
Card numbers often flood into the marketplace after big data breaches at online retailers and banks. And buyers will even use tactics to find cards with the highest credit limits or the biggest balances -- often looking for certain account numbers that signal a card was opened a long time ago, since older cardholders are more likely to have bigger lines of credit.

CNNMoneyNews

APC, NEW PDP Merger A Done Deal, MOU Signed; Defecting Lawmakers’ Seats Safe

[Press Release]
It has been brought to my notice that a statement denying the merger between the New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been credited to me and my office. I was quoted as saying that the MOU between the two parties is yet to be signed and because of this the merger is yet to be effected.

I wish to state that no such statement was at any time issued by me or my office. Instead, I wish to reiterate that the MOU between us and APC has been duly signed by both the nPDP National Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, and the National Chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande.

In this regard, the general public should disregard any statement from whatever source which tries to give the impression that the merger between us and APC is in danger. The truth in that the merger is waxing stronger by the day and that our resolve to save our fledgling democracy is unshakable.

As we stated in our press statement of yesterday, President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP leadership should come to terms with the fact that PDP is now an opposition political party and Jonathan should start writing his handover notes as APC is fully set to take over the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in 2015 so as to give Nigerians the dividends of democracy they have been yearning for.

Meanwhile, we have read reports that members of the National Assembly that follow us to APC will lose their seats. This cannot happen as it will be at variance with the relevant sections of our Constitution and Electoral Laws that guarantee members of the National Assembly safety once their parent party is in crisis as PDP is at the moment.

For the avoidance of doubt, there is no danger of their losing their seats as made clear by sections 68(1)(g) and 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) in relation to the status of members of a legislative house (state and national) who defect from the political parties from which they were elected to join another political party.
The wordings of the aforesaid sections are in agreement with those of sections 64(1)(g) of the 1979 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria given judicial interpretation by the Supreme Court in the case of FEDECO Vs Goni (1983) FNR 203. This case was argued by the best legal minds of that era (Chief FRA Williams SAN and GOK Ajayi SAN). The court held that such a member keeps his seat if his defection is as a result of a division or split in his party.

In this regard particularly now that we have the majority in the National Assembly our members in the National Assembly should express no fear as they are well protected and covered by the Constitution of the Federal Republic seeing that Alh Bamanga Tukur and his cohorts have succeeded to split the PDP into old and new PDP and are free to join any party of their choice

Long live NPDP!

Long live Nigeria!!!

Chief Eze Chukwuemeka

National Publicity Secretary, NPDP

Paradigm

My God! How Did We Elect A Drunkard As Our President? — Fejiro Oliver

• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 1830

   
  EmailShare
• 
  
• 
  

Nov. 29, 2013

I envy people who drink – at least they know what to blame everything on. – Oscar Levant

Fejiro Oliver
NewsRescue- If anyone in Nigeria still thinks we have a performing President, such a person had better visit a psychologist and if it persists, visit a psychiatrist. For the 3 years that President Goodluck Jonathan has piloted the affairs of this country, he has displayed governance orchestrated by drunkenness and if he deems it fit to go to court over this statement, he is very free. But let him be reminded that no right thinking person will appear before the courts in Nigeria; not me.

• Embarrassment As Jonathan Misses Speaking Slot At AU Gathering in Addis Ababa; Jonathan denies drinking spree on birthday in London made him miss Investors’ summit

His mantra of transformation agenda has turned to ‘traumatization’ agenda. This is a man who rode on the goodwill of Nigerians, not minding that we hated and still bitterly hate the PDP, we gave him our votes willingly like a virgin who has been brainwashed by the deceptive words of his lover and after the painful first time experience left to clean up the blood alone. President Jonathan has raped our collective intelligence and treasury, enjoying the ride and ecstasy alone while we never moaned or screamed as his lovers. Yes, he rode us like a beast while massaging us with sweeter words and promises. Finally he has dumped us!
We have turned to the masturbation of our brains to pleasure selves in order to forget the pains inflicted on us; consoling ourselves that if he doesn’t treat us well as we deserve, we will give ourselves treat, which we have continuously done. We agree that it is all deceit of our individual selves.
Walking like a frail man who knows no evil, with words so sweet to deceive even the strongest of minds, he bamboozled us with ‘I had no shoes” and we fell for it; unknown to us he had over 400 piece of shoes as a deputy governor. We forgot that he was held other positions that had empowered him, but yet we followed him blindly like a lamb led to the slaughter and he has truly slaughtered us.

• NewsRescue-$7bn NNPC-Swiss Oil Fraud: Swiss Ready To Investigate, But Nigeria Hasn’t Come Forward Yet

The realization is not too late that we voted for a drunk who presides after taking shots of whisky or any brand that gets to the table first. If he is not a drunk, how do we explain his actions so far by becoming a terrorist to Journalists, taking them to court for exposing his memo to clamp down on opposition parties? While the case is still in court, he issues more threat of suing another media for daring to publish that he took shots of ‘ogogoro’ during his birthday celebration.
No one gives credit to Obasanjo and former leaders for all the evils they committed against Nigerian, neither have we told them, ‘well done for looting our national treasury”, thus using them to judge President Jonathan’s performance is foolery on anyone’s part. This is what makes some ethnic bigots to threaten fire and hell should GEJ not win 2015 election, simply because he comes from a region that is regarded as the ‘golden geese that lays the golden egg’, as if any of them planted or stored the oil in the land. Our carelessness as a people has given guts to ethnic morons to always scream blue murder when Jonathan is accused of corruption, ranting that he be left alone, ‘after all OBJ did worse. So what! Has OBJ become a standard for retrogression or has IBB become a yardstick to measuring who takes the plaque for Nigeria most corrupt leader. Is Nigeria a country that every ethnic leader who gets to the throne must rape silly?
Only drunk presidents are intimidated by his ministers, fearful of getting them sacked despite mountains of corruption leveled against them by the press and civil society, simply because they funded the rigged election that brought him to power. Only leaders who are always drunk allow ministers like Onyebuchi Chukwu to still remain in the saddle as health minister when it is glaring that he’s not fit for such a job. One would have thought that after the sack of Ruqayat as minister of education as a result of our calls, and replacing her with his buddy who is a thug, Nyesom Wike, the lingering ASUU crisis would have been resolved, but hell no; it gets worse. Here is a leader who has never owned up to his failure; always putting the blame on people and past leaders, which is a hallmark of drunkards. If you cannot stand the heat of the kitchen, get out.
Our drunken President has now mandated his puppet Vice Chancellors to force our erudite professors and lecturers to resume academic lectures or lose their positions. What arrant decree from a civilian president who has successfully metamorphosed into an emperor with title as Emperor Goodluck Jonathan Bulldozer. Does he think we live in the time of the military that his drafting of soldiers to the campuses will cause the lecturers to be frightened and resume? The military regime did worse than this in the popular ‘Ali must go’ and Ali did go. Jonathan should stop beating the war drum that will consume him and set the nation ablaze, for when it begins; not even the safety of Aso Rock can secure him. Only drunken Presidents dare the academia in their country for that begins the downfall of their regime, hence most leaders avoid them like plagues, giving them their dues with less confrontation.

• NewsRescue- How Diezani Gave N60tr, Nigeria’s Income For 4 Years To Jide Omokore In 4 Oil Blocs

Do we attach President’s Jonathan’s behavior to his study of zoology, haven mingled with animals that are lesser beings with shallow brains? I really don’t know where to place him. For the first time in the history of any country, opposition parties are always coming third in elections, in a new rigging style that the Goodluck administration have invented. For the first time in a country, opposition party leaders take to the street to protest the charade called election in Anambra States, and the President deploys all security forces to stop them. This is a protest where a former head of state and retired army general partook in! Hasn’t the president taken enough shots of ‘ogogoro’ for him to have the boldness to stop such constitutional process, using the apparatus of the state, which are funded by the generality of Nigerians?
For the very first time in our country, a President loses grip of his political structure in broad day light, prompting them to move to the opposition party, thereby making the President a minority leader; such a record he must be happy to have broken, as the world’s first president to come from a minority party. For crying out loud, how did we degenerate to this level of shame that we have a Rehoboam as a President; a drunk who never thinks before he acts; a leader who takes all his most sensitive decisions from corrupt imperialist women? Only drunks makes certificate forgers board members of a university and foremost corrupt ex governor board chairman of Pension commission, giving him access to loot the money of pensioners, which will be used in funding the president’s 2015 election.
Sometimes one wonders the army of deceivers who surrounds this once innocent president, telling him tales of Nigerians supporting his regime. One truly cannot tell where he gets the statement that Nigerians are asking him to contest for second tenure. Mr. President, please wake up from your slumber; no Nigerian has asked you to contest and if any has asked you, they are your ethnic group from South South, few South West people and minimum of South East voters and you can hear this straight; your support base is not up to two million voters.

• Good luck, Mr. Jonathan. It’s time you were Impeached: Joel Brinkley, LA Times

Run for what? That we may continue in this hell that you and your PDP Governor’s forum Chairman, Godswill Akpabio has inflicted on us? Nigerians has not given up completely on you, for the race is still on. Most people are not good starters in a race and you are obviously one of such, hence the benefit of doubt that you may just end up well and become the most loved president in Nigeria’s history as you have always wished; that is if wishes were horses. Take less of alcohol and listen less to your corrupt henchmen, for in them lies your albatross.
We have given you a fresh start; solve all the lingering issues in the health and education sectors, do your best to alleviate the poverty level of Nigerians, read and listen to critical reports about you for that is where you will get the true pictures of happenings in Nigeria, not from your 419 aides. We hope to see you at the top.
These little things matter…
Fejiro Oliver, a Journalist can be reached on secretsreporters@gmail.com and +2348026797588 (sms only please). Follow on twitter  @fejirooliver86 and Facebook  fejirooliver86. Like our Facebook page – secretsreporters

Proverbs 25:26 A righteous man falling down before the wicked is like a muddied spring and a polluted fountain!
“The best Jihad is to speak a word of truth to a tyrant ruler.” –Prophet Mohammed (SAW)

NerwsRescue

A Pope's Pointed Message

 By Eugene Robinson,

Pope Francis during a news conference aboard his airplane en route to Italy after a visit to Brazil, July 29, 2013. (Photo: Luca Zennaro / Pool via The New York Times) Washington, DC -- "Some people
continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naive trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting."
That passage is not from some Occupy Wall Street manifesto. It was written by Pope Francis in a stunning new treatise on the Catholic Church and its role in society -- and it is a powerful reminder that however tiresome the political trench warfare in Washington may be, we have a duty to fight on.
The full implementation of Obamacare matters. Raising the minimum wage matters. Reforming a financial system "which rules rather than serves," Francis noted, matters. Hearing the anguished voices of those left hopeless by poverty matters; answering their pleas with education, health care and employment matters even more.
Francis, the first Jesuit and first non-European in the modern era to be named pope, clearly intends to make a real difference in the world -- too much of a difference, it appears, for some conservatives: Sarah Palin, a born-again Christian who attends a nondenominational church, said recently that Francis' open-arms attitude on social issues "has taken me aback." Would that a few more words might take her all the way aback to the obscurity from which she came.
Francis' remarks on economics and poverty came in a 50,000-word Apostolic Exhortation, released Tuesday, that gives the clearest vision to date of how he sees the church and how he intends to reshape it. In its boldness, the statement suggests that just as John Paul II played a political role in the fall of communism, so might Francis try to help shape events by obliging the faithful to recognize, and resist, a growing pattern of inequality throughout the world.
"To sustain a lifestyle which excludes others, or to sustain enthusiasm for that selfish ideal, a globalization of indifference has developed," Francis wrote. "Almost without being aware of it, we end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people's pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else's responsibility and not our own. The culture of prosperity deadens us; we are thrilled if the market offers us something new to purchase; and in the meantime all those lives stunted for lack of opportunity seem a mere spectacle; they fail to move us."
Francis explicitly calls for "financial reform," though he wisely does not lay out a policy agenda. But in a passage likely to make libertarians want to hide amid the dense thickets of Ayn Rand's prose, where no light can penetrate, Francis writes that "the private ownership of goods is justified by the need to protect and increase them, so that they can better serve the common good; for this reason, solidarity must be lived as the decision to restore to the poor what belongs to them."
The basic positions Francis takes on economic and social justice are not new; all recent popes have expressed a similar critique of modern capitalist society, including John Paul II, whose views on poverty and the need for community are often conveniently overlooked by those who would paint him as Ronald Reagan in robes.
But no recent pope has been so forceful in denouncing the "idolatry of money" and making the inexorable rise of inequality one of the church's central concerns. Francis intends his message to be heard. I hope leaders everywhere, and especially in Washington, are listening.
Jesus commanded his apostles to give to the poor. Yet many  elected officials who claim to follow Jesus' teachings are determined to keep the poor from receiving health care, food assistance, housing subsidies and a host of other benefits. Inequality is celebrated as a virtue. Life, we are told with a shrug, is sometimes unfair.
But for Christians, Francis reminds us, life is supposed to be as fair and compassionate as we can make it. Money is a false idol, a golden calf. Our sacred responsibility is to one another.
Amen, Your Holiness. Amen.

TruthOut

Bellview crash: After 8 years, we’re yet to be compensated –Family of late pilot tells court

SUN - The family members of the late Captain Lambert Imasuen, the pilot of Bellview aircraft Boeing 737-200 that crashed on October 22, 2005, has told National Industrial Court (NIC) sitting in Lagos that after eight years of the demise of their breadwinner, his employer is yet to fulfill its promise to the

family.
The eldest child of the late pilot, Imuwahen Lenita Imasuen revealed this to the court presided over Justice Lawal Mani, while being led in evidence by Yusuf Asamah Kadiri in the suit filed against Bellview Arilines Limited and its directors.
Apart from the company, other defendants in the suit are Kayode Odukoya, Tunde Yusuf, Gabriel Olowo, Emmanuel Ombu, Abisoye Mohammed, Kola Sobande, Chimara Imediegwu and Alex Iheuwa
In her evidence in chief, Imuwahen lamented that despite the express assurances given to her by Bellview Airlines through its company secretary, one Andrew Orji, the company refused to pay the compensation, thereby neglecting the family.
The eldest child of the late pilot narrated their ordeal in the hands of the employer of their breadwinner before they finally decided to file the suit against the company.
Imasuen also tried to tender newspaper publication and email correspondences, which the family exchanged with the airline on the payment of the compensation.
But the defendants’ counsel, Toyin Salice objected to the tendering of the documents as exhibits on the ground that the emails were computer-generated documents which was in variance to Section 84 (4) of the Evidence Act.
Responding, Kadiri urged the court to discountenance the objection and admit the documents as exhibits in the matter.
Kadiri also told the court that he had filed an application to compel the Ministry of Aviation, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and the Directorate of Air Worthiness to produce the documents at their disposal pertaining to the crash.
Meanwhile, Justice Mani has fixed February 12 and 13, 2014 for ruling and continuation of trial.
In a supporting affidavit of the suit, the claimant (Imuwahen) averred that immediately after the death of her father, she and other family members proceeded to Bellview’s office as was required of the victims of the crash, and they were informed of their entitlement to $100, 000 as compensation for the death of Captain Imasuen as a victim of the air crash.
She recalled that the defendant made an advance payment of $10,000, with the assurance that the balance of $90,000 compensation would be paid upon production of letter of administration of the Estate of the late Captain Imasuen.
However, upon presentation of the said letter of administration, Imuwahen stressed that the defendants refused to pay the outstanding balance of $90,000 despite repeated demands.
The family is, therefore, urging the court to compel the airline to pay the said $90,000 and N82 million damages, as well as the cost of the action and other benefits and entitlement accruing to the Estate of the late Captain Imasuen both as air crash victim and staff of Bellview Airlines.
But the defendants, in their statement of defence, denied admitting to pay the claimant $100,000 compensation, and that there was no time they gave any assurances whatsoever of paying $90,000 balance.
The defendants added that on December 22, 2005, Bellview Airlines benevolently offered to pay the family of the late Captain Imaseun $10,000 to alleviate any hardship occasioned to the family as a result of the crash.
They further contended that the suit was brought in obvious bad faith, and that it should be dismissed with substantial cost.
The aircraft was on its way to Abuja from Lagos when it crashed at Lisa Village area of Ogun State, killing all 117 persons on board.

TheSun

27 lawmakers back Amaechi’s defection to APC

From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
The 27 pro-Chibuike Amaechi lawmakers of the Rivers State House of Assembly have pledged their unwavering support to the governor on his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The declaration was made on Friday by Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, Leyii Kwanee, while briefing journalists in Port Harcourt.
Kwanee  justified Governor  Amaechi’s defection, saying that his continued stay with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would have been a disservice to Rivers people.
He said that the decision was in the best interest of the state, and the lawmakers would give him the desired support.
“We are with him for the decision he has taken so far. As it relates to the House, we are aware of the relevant sections of the law as relates to, and we will confine and ensure that we do not flout the law, when we also move with the governor. So, rest assured that we are with the governor.”
Kwanee, who represents Khana Constituency II in the Assembly, reminded Rivers people that the governor  was  pushed to the wall and he endured all the persecution because the president comes from his extraction.
Speaking on the dissolution of the Obio/Akpor Local Government, Kwanee stated that the lawmakers were in support of the governor.
The deputy speaker said  Governor Amaechi exercised his constitutional power, saying that aggrieved persons could seek redress in court.
He further said that Rivers people had suffered a lot under Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership.
The lawmaker pointed out the case of Soku oil field, which was ceded to Bayelsa State, the security helicopter acquired by Rivers government with approval of Federal Government, which was denied entrance into Nigerian air space and the Rivers aircraft that was grounded by the Aviation Ministry were for political reasons.
Continuing, Kwanee said that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report, which affected the state, particularly the Ogonis, was treated with disdain, and many other things acruing to the state from the federation were denied by the Federal Government.
TheSun

PDP/APC merger: Fears, uncertainty rule House of Reps

BY IHEANACHO NWOSU,ABUJA
The House of Representatives is facing a huge challenge. No time has this been profound than the last few days. The  reason is not farfetched. Tuesday’s formal declaration of some members of the G7 governors and PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has unleashed a new political air on the National Assembly. It is more pronounced in the House.
The reason for that is understandable. The lower chamber, apart from being more in number is peopled by younger politicians who are wholly dependent on their governors. For that, the lawmakers have frenetically been with their governors since the crisis in PDP erupted. To demonstrate how passionate they are in the squabble, loyalists of the Kawu Baraje-led faction and that of the National  Chairman of the party, Bamanga Tukur have at a point engaged in a free – for -all. That was when Baraje and the re-bel governors visited the chamber in September.
Although the Speaker, Hon. Aminu Tambulwal intervened and stopped the face-off from degenerating, it did not forestall future clashes between the two divides. They shifted their disagreement to the chamber. The PDP members persistently aligned with the APC lawmakers to defeat any motion or bill that were in the interest of the Presidency. It was clear that it was a matter of time before the marriage between the APC and PDP would be consummated. So, when last Tuesday,  some of the G7 governors announced their movement to APC, it was received with an unusual giggling by the PDP members.  A different air enveloped the House. Even those who were hitherto passive about the situation in the PDP in the chamber quickly put away such garb and stepped out to speak their mind on the development. Of course, those loyal to Tukur did not see any reason to celebrate the exit of the rebel governors. Instead, they upbraided them and shrugged off fears that their departure will mark down the influence of the ruling part.
Tambuwal was circumspect in his handling of the issue. He declared that it was at the discretion of the House members to know whether they will follow their governors or not. In a statement by his media aide, Mallam Imam Imam, the Speaker said they will follow due process if they want to cross-carpet to APC.
He said: “Members of Parliament (MPs)will decide collectively on when to defect. They have their internal process if they decide to cross-carpet, let’s wait and see whether they can activate the process or not.” If Tambuwal was imprecise in his comment, the Chief Whip of the House, Hon Mohammed Ishaka Bawa (PDP,Taraba) was unmistakable about where he stood on the matter. He said the G7 governors had the right to join  any party they like. He said that their departure from PDP will not affect the ruling party.
He said: “As the Nigerian constitution provides, they have the right to freedom of association; they have the right to launch any political party of their choice. Nobody is in PDP by force. You can decide to leave at any time you wish to.
“But what I want Nigerians to know is that PDP will continue to wax stronger despite all that is happening. This is not the firs time in PDP; this is not the firs time in the political development of Nigeria. I’ll like to take you back to 1983 when some progressive governors decided to leave their party; we have Nwobodo; we have Abubakar Barde, Abubakar Rimi and a host of them who left their party, but what was the result after they left? “If that is their wish, the constitution guarantees them that freedom. In PDP, we have 1001 ways of consolidating ourselves.
In 2011, there were some strong members of the PDP that left, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, but the PDP still won. “It depends on the calculation and the members that show inter-est. Is it all members that show interest? We’re not aware of any member that is to move with his governor. Until a letter is being sent to Mr Speaker and read on the floor of the House before w can decide to count to know the number of people who defected. PDP will never be minority in the House up to 2015; I can assure you that. The members will not automatically leave; they’ll remain in the party.”
Supporting Bawa’s views, Hon Nnanna Igbokwe (PDP, Imo) said the development will only make the ruling party to strategize and focus on things that will make it to meet the needs of the
populace who he said are the ultimate decider of who should be elected into office He said: “They are free to join any party they like, that is the beauty of democracy. But to say that it will affect the PDP, I don’t think so. This will make our democracy to become more robust, it will make us to go back and strategize. I would love that the issue causing the standoff was resolved amicably. PDP is a big party and I know that it will overcome the challenge posed by the exit of these people”.
But Aliyu  Madaki(Kano,PDP) differed with Bawa and Igbokwe.   He praised the move and announced that they will follow the governors to the new party. He said: “We’ll follow our governors; there’s no doubt about it. We can’t continue to stay and face injustice. This is the moment we’ve been waiting for, and this will eventually change the leader-ship in the House.” Similarly, the Deputy Minority Leader, Hon Suleiman Abdurahman Kawu Sumaila, said it was a welcome development. He said: “We received with joy the long-awaited merger of our beloved political party, the All Progressives Congress with the group of G7 governors of the PDP.“It is a welcome development that will forever shape the political history of Nigeria.
With this merger, a new chapter has now been opened in our collective struggles for the emancipation of the Nigerian people from the 14 years of internal slavery, bondage and suppression under the PDP. “However, I will like to use this opportunity to reiterate the fact that this marriage can only be sustained in an atmosphere of justice, equity, fair play and respect for the tenets of democracy.“The APC is further emboldened towards our resolve to unseat the PDP from all positions of government through the ballot box revolution in all elections.”
He continued: “However, to sustain our new marriage and nurture it into maturity, we all most not only profess our democratic credentials, but we must be ready to be fair, just and inculcate democratic norms and values and bee guided by internal democracy and obedience to rule of law. “The G7 governors were forced to leave the PDP because of injustice, they too must now be ready to do justice to all and give room to all party members and chieftains to aspire for any position without being molested.”In his own reaction, the
Minority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila said: “We receive them and all others who are committed to change and who are progressive in inclination with open arms. The change that all Nigerians desire has only just started” Similarly, Hon. Dakuku Peterside (PDP, Rivers) described the development as a “watershed in our democratic journey and hope rekindled. The beneficiary is the Nigerian people, democracy and democratic culture can never be the same again and our democratic institutions will be strengthened by implication.
Never again will the people be taken for granted.” Hon Abiodun Faleke (APC, Lagos) also said the development was “the best for Nigeria at this point of our democratic journey. The House of Representatives will witness better performance with this development, I believe.” The same stand was taken by Hon. Aliyu Madaki (PDP, Kano). He said: “This landmark event has shown us that our democracy is growing and strong too. If people can have the freedom to choose where they want to belong, I think, as a people, we should be commended. “For me, I see this as a way forward for our democracy and with this, the future is not only brought for our democracy but the entirety of Nigerian people. “I believe Nigerians will see begin to see a more vibrant federal legislature because there is a new order in place”.
The focus has now shifted on the implication of the marriage with the APC.  At present, PDP has 208 members, while the op-position APC has 138 members.  With the exception of Jigawa and Niger States whose governors said they are still part of the PDP, Kano, Kwara, Rivers, Adamawa and Sokoto states have a total of 48 lawmakers out of which about 40 are said to be with the PDP.
Should the 40 PDP members in the five G7 governors state join the APC, the party’s lawmakers will now be 178, while the PDP will be left with 168. This will ultimately make the APC to be in majority forcing  the PDP  to take the minority seat. This situation holds an uncertain future for the leadership and principal officers of the House. It mean that APC can upstage Tambuwal and his men. The principal officers who ar of the PDP stock are, naturally gripped by fears over this development. They only rely on the support of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and Labour Party lawmakers to stave off any onslaught from the APC.
APGA has five members, same for Labour . Tambuwal may survive any move by the APC as the party has always considered the speaker as a good leader and an ally.  However, it is doubtful if it will spare the House leader, Mulikat Adeola-Akande  and other principal officers one of the APC lawmakers, who does not want his name mentioned told Saturday Sun that “ no member of this House -whether PDP, APC, APGA or Labour would want Tambuwal replaced. He has shown good leadership, he has been fair to every member and every party, he has been transparent and focused.  We cannot say the same of other principal officers. APC will do the right things when it comes to these principal officers”
The situation is made worse for the PDP caucus in the House by the fact that though some members may not be disposed to moving to APC, they are unwilling to move with the PDP in anything concerning the House. Some of the lawmakers who take this type of stand are from Niger, Jigawa, Bauchi and Gombe. PDP cannot rely on them to fence off whatever tackles that would come from APC lawmakers. The next few weeks will prove how the final destination will loo like. For now, plots, alignments  and behind the door meetings remain the regular features in the chamber.

TheSun