It couldn't have been any tougher for David Moyes and his faltering Manchester United team.

Of course there are no easy draws in the quarter-finals of the Champions League - it is the blue riband event of European club football after all - but there is no greater challenge in world football at the moment than Bayern Munich.

The Bavarians are relentless in their pursuit of an unprecedented 'double Treble' and already have one trophy safely under lock and key.
Off the back of a 53-match unbeaten sequence, Bayern wrapped up the Bundesliga title last week - the earliest it has even been mathematically secured.

They are in the semi-finals of the German Cup and equally focused on retaining the Champions League crown they won at Wembley last May.

So can United defy the odds and destroy the ambitions of Pep Guardiola's men?

Ahead of Tuesday night's first leg at Old Trafford, we rate all the players in the likely line-ups.

In a season when so many Manchester United players have underperformed, the same accusation can't be levelled at David De Gea. The young Spanish goalkeeper regularly excels with point-blank and reflex saves, keeping United in contention in many games. He is maturing into a fine keeper and should be No 1 at Old Trafford for many years to come.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2594081/Manchester-United-vs-Bayern-Munich-How-players-match-Champions-League-showdown.html#ixzz2xei9A35b

It's the time when people start talking about awards, but there is no question Liverpool should win the double.

Luis Suarez has been magnificent and Brendan Rodgers is a class act.

They are the player and manager of the year. Liverpool had success under Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez, but never played with the same style as Rodgers’ side.
Last year they were 28 points off the title and now they lead by two. That is an incredible turnaround. Glen Johnson said it would be good for neutrals if Liverpool won the title, but it would be great for English football full stop.

They play such fantastic football with a British manager and Sunday had six Englishmen in their starting XI.

Suarez and Rodgers should win the individual awards, but they will want to make it a magnificent treble with the title.
You would expect Arsenal to play two defensive midfielders against Manchester City, but it was a surprise to see Jose Mourinho do it against Crystal Palace.

He was without the suspended Ramires, and playing Nemanja Matic made sense because he is cup-tied for Wednesday’s Champions League game, but Tony Pulis will have been pleased to see Oscar and Willian on the bench.
Starting Matic and David Luiz played into Palace’s hands.

They relished the midfield battle rather than having to deal with Chelsea’s smaller playmakers, and Mile Jedinak was so strong.

The result showed it’s not just big head-to-heads that can win you the title. Of the top three, only Liverpool have not lost a game to one of the bottom five

Arjen Robben cannot wait to return to Old Trafford on Tuesday night, although he has warned Bayern Munich that the push for a successful defence of their Champions League crown will face a severe test against Manchester United.

The reigning European champions were pictured in training on Monday ahead of the showdown with their old foes. The two teams' most memorable clash in this competition came in the 1999 final at the Nou Camp, when two-injury-time goals saw Sir Alex Ferguson's team break German hearts.

But Bayen have also shattered United's past dreams too. Robben scored one of his best career goals at the venue almost four years ago, securing Bayern's passage to the semi-finals with a sweet volley.
'It's always fantastic to play in England,' Robben told fcbayern.de. 'And Old Trafford has got something particularly special about it, a fantastic atmosphere. 

'As a footballer, you dream of playing Champions League quarter-finals in such atmospheres.'

According to Robben, Bayern can expect their stiffest test yet against the Red Devils, even if the Bavarians are unbeaten in 53 Bundesliga matches and have only lost once in all competitions in the past 12 months. 

That defeat came to United's city rivals Manchester City in what was nonetheless a dead rubber final group game for both sides, who had already qualified for the last 16. 

'We've got to watch out,' Robben said. 'The media and public opinion is that Manchester are not in good shape and that we're going through to the semis, but I don't like that at all. 

'It's going to be a tough duel. We've got to be at our best from the very first minute because you only need to get distracted for a second, and you lose against Man U. 

'If you lose concentration and lose the ball, then you get punished there.'

'It's a shame that he's (Van Persie) going to miss out,' Robben said. 'Everybody wants to be involved when you get towards the end of the season and it's painful when you can't be - and I know that from experience. 

'Of course Van Persie has particular quality, but Manchester still have enough options up front: (Wayne) Rooney, (Danny) Welbeck, Nani, (Antonio) Valencia. 

'Like I said, it's going to be a difficult duel, but we're all really looking forward to it.'

It will go down as one of football's craziest days ever - and the moment when Manchester City finally stepped out of United's shadow to be crowned Barclays Premier League champions.
Needing to match United's result at Sunderland, City grabbed their first title since 1968 with an astonishing 3-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers that was only sealed with two goals in injury time.
On a dramatic afternoon of matches across the country, City capped it all by bouncing back from 2-1 down against the 10-men to snatch a late, late victory.
United did their part - a 1-0 win at Sunderland thanks to Wayne Rooney's goal - and for a long time that appeared to be enough.
But no-one told Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero. With City's fans streaming out of the Etihad Stadium with the 90 minutes up and their title dreams seemingly dead, Dzeko popped up to make it 2-2.
And moments later - in the last roll of the dice - Aguero kept his cool to fire home and send the home fans wild.
Up at the Stadium of Light, United's shellshocked players and fans could not believe what they were hearing.
Amid the madness at the Etihad Stadium, QPR also secured their Premier League survival - with Bolton relegated - despite Joey Barton's foolish red card for fighting with City's players.
And Arsenal ensured they finished above rivals Spurs in third place thanks to a 3-2 win at West Brom.
But it was at the Etihad Stadium where the maddest scenes were. City's players later emerged to lift the Premier League trophy on a day their fans have dreamed of for what seems like an eternity.
They will party now before enjoying it all again with a victory parade that leaves from Albert Square at 6.30pm on Monday, finishing in Corporation Street.
City appeared on course for a comfortable title win when Pablo Zabaleta struck to put them ahead just before half-time.
Yet, they imploded after the break as Joleon Lescott's mistake let Djibril Cisse in to equalise and silence the home fans. And it got even worse when Jamie Mackie nodded home to put QPR 2-1 ahead.
As the clock ticked down, City became increasingly desperate and it seemed their dream of finishing above United was dead.
But in scenes that all fans - not just those who support City - will never forget, Dzeko and Aguero popped up to deliver the goods.
Boss Roberto Mancini admitted it has been a 'crazy season' with a 'crazy ending'.
He said: 'It was incredible - they deserved this. To win it like this is incredible. I don't think I've ever seen a finale like this. We didn't deserve to lose, we had a lot of chances and we deserved to win the game and championship.
'It's fantastic for the club and the supporters after 44 years. It's been a crazy season and a crazy last minute. Five minutes from the end, I didn't think we'd win this game. But we deserved to win this and deserved to win the title.
'We were on top for 20 games. I think for us it was really important to start winning this championship, Manchester City can have a big future now.'
City captain Vincent Kompany admitted the dramatic ending was almost too much for him. He said: 'You want to say it's the best moment of your life but, if I'm honest, please never again this way. Even though the first half was really good we just couldn't get through.
'I never stopped believing. When Edin scored that goal, it reminded me of so many other moments during the season when we've done this before. There was no reason not to believe.
'It's not sunk in yet. I don't know what happened at the end, it was just a huge mess. I'm so happy for the guys cos they've given so much this season. We've dreamed of this all our lives and now we're champions. See the fans and how happy they are - unbelievable.'

Fake doctor nabbed after working for over one year in govt hospital

February 3, 2012 by Mudiaga Affe, Calabar ⁠

The Cross River State Police Command has arrested a fake medical doctor, who worked with the name, Dr. Collins Okafor, at the General Hospital in Calabar, the state capital.

The suspect, whose real name is Mr. Simeon Kejohu (34), was said to have used the certificate of a medical practitioner to secure employment with the Cross River State Ministry of Health and worked in the hospital for one and half years before his true identity was discovered.

A source at the hospital, who is a senior health personnel, said the suspect’s identity became suspicious when all the medical doctors in the hospital were compulsorily made to register online as directed by the Medical Advisory Council.

She said, “Medical doctors were recently requested to register online and as one of the doctors in the hospital, Dr. Collins Okafor, had no choice but to register. When he did, they found out that the certificate he presented was conflicting with that of another medical doctor from Abia State.

“On further interrogation, it was discovered that he (the suspect) is a health technologist, who impersonated a medical doctor. That was how the police were invited to take over the case.”

Corroborating the position of the source, the Officer-in-Charge of the Cross River State Intelligence Bureau, Mr. Habu Sani, said, “We got the information that there was a fake medical doctor in the hospital and commenced investigation immediately. When we went to his office, there were no incriminating documents but by the time we searched his house, we discovered some documents which clearly explained how he was able to carry out the assignment through forgery.

“We found in his house the document of one Dr. Collins Okafor, we now made contacts with the Medical Advisory Council in Abuja and they told us that two people had registered bearing the same name and therefore advised us to hold the person we had picked.”

Sani, a Chief Superintendent of Police, said prior to working at the General Hospital in Calabar, Kejohu confessed that he had worked in a private hospital in Abuja where he established a contact with a doctor who assisted him in securing employment with the Cross River State Ministry of Health as an indigene of the state.

He added that a team from the Medical Advisory Council in Abuja had come to Calabar to give useful statement, adding that enough proof had been established against the suspect.

The suspect is from Obudu in Obanliku Local Government Area of the state.

Sani further explained, “The other aspect we are still trying to verify is whether the real Dr. Collins Okafor is still alive or dead. We are also going to investigate how government was able to employ someone without the knowledge of how to manage people’s lives.

“He worked as a medical doctor from October 1, 2010 to January 2012. We have called the team leader of the Residency Committee that interviewed him; we are still compiling their records to see who recommended him for employment.

“This issue is serious because it is something that affects human lives. We will go through the investigation and point out where all the lapses are to the government because we do not know how many of such people will be in government employ.”

Speaking with Metro, Kejohu, who was looking sober, said his friend (Dr. Collins Okafor) gave him the certificate in the presence of his parents (Collins’) before he died four years ago.

He said, “Before Dr. Collins Okafor died, he called me by his sick bed as his best friend and said he would give me his certificate, which he did in the presence of his family. I studied at the School of Health Technology in Benue State. I have worked for over one year at the General Hospital in Calabar but never handled any surgery.”

The source said before Kejohu was nabbed, some medical personnel in the hospital had doubted his credibility because of his inability to carry out some critical functions expected of a doctor.

The source added that the fake doctor had on a number of times given wrong prescriptions to patients, adding that his prescriptions had been faulted by other medical doctors and nurses at different times.

“The worst is that he had always evaded anything that has to do with surgery over the time. Recently, a woman with ectopic pregnancy lost her life because the suspect was not competent to handle her situation and he also did not inform his other colleagues until the woman died,” she said.

Four men of the Nigeria Customs Service, Oyo/Osun Command, were on Tuesday summoned by the Oyo State House of Assembly for allegedly beating a teacher, Gbenga Ogunleye.

Ogunleye was said to have been beaten by the Customs men on Friday for punishing a Senior Secondary 3 pupil, Allison Chukwuebuka.

The men reportedly stormed the premises of United Senior Secondary School, Ijokodo, Ibadan and allegedly beat the teacher to a pulp for daring to punish the pupil whose father is a Customs officer.


It was gathered that the men shot sporadically into the air to scare the pupils and teachers who attempted to rescue the teacher.

Chukwuebuka was said to have reported the teacher to his parents after refusing to serve the punishment given to him with other pupils.

The teacher told journalists on Tuesday, that, “Last Friday, some boys who are fond of dressing indecently to school and assembling in an uncompleted building during odd hours were rounded up by the teachers. Their uniforms and slippers were seized.

“We told them to form a queue and jump up and down but Chukwuebuka did not obey. I compelled him but he resisted.

“He called his parents. To my surprise, when they arrived, his father asked him to identify me and instructed him to beat me in his presence.

“The boy reached for a wheel spanner and aimed at my head but I used my hand to protect my head. The father then called some uniformed men who drove into the premises with high speed. They dragged me on the ground, beat me to a pulp and tore my shirt. When the teachers and pupils wanted to rescue me, the Customs men fired some shots into the air.

“I was taken to Jericho Hospital for treatment.

A spokesman for Libya's National Transitional Council has told Sky News that deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has been killed, and that his body is currently being transported from Sirte.

Mystery surrounds his fate today after conflicting reports that he had been captured or killed in the fall of his home town Sirte.

Libyan officials and Nato say they cannot confirm the reports from revolutionary fighters.

The Misrata Military Council, one of multiple command groups for revolutionary forces, says its fighters captured Gaddafi in Sirte.

Another commander, Abdel-Basit Haroun, says Gaddafi was killed when an air strike hit a convoy trying to flee.

The spokesman for Libya’s transitional government, Jalal al-Gallal, and its military spokesman Abdul-Rahman Busin say the reports have not been confirmed.

Earlier revolutionary fighters overcame the last resistance by Gaddafi loyalists holding out in Sirte.

The final push to capture the remaining pro-Gaddafi positions lasted about 90 minutes.
MOUNTING reports indicate that ousted Libyan strongman Muammar Gadaffi has died of wounds he sustained in a gun battle near his hometown of Sirte.

The former statesman was captured under uncomfirmed circumstances and wounded in both legs near his hometown of Sirte at dawn on Thursday, National Transitional Council official Abdel Majid has told Reuters.

Majid reported the capture after Libyan interim government fighters took the town on Thursday, extinguishing the last significant resistance by forces loyal to the former leader and ending a two-month siege.

"He's captured. He's wounded in both legs ... He's been taken away by ambulance," the senior NTC military official told Reuters by telephone.

Gaddafi was trying to flee in a convoy which NATO warplanes attacked, Majid said. The head of Gaddafi's armed forces Abu Bakr Younus Jabr had been killed during the capture of the Libyan ex-leader, he added.

Majid said NATO warplanes struck the convoy and hit four cars as it headed west. Ahmed Ibrahim, a cousin and adviser of Gaddafi, was also captured.

In the capital Tripoli, sounds of gun shots were heard and people cheered in the street: "God is Great, God is Great, Gaddafi has been captured."

Arsene Wenger has admitted he cannot guarantee that Robin van Persie or four of his other big stars won’t follow Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy out of the Emirates.
Uncertain future: Robin van Persie could be the next out the door at Arsenal

Uncertain future: Robin van Persie could be the next out the door at Arsenal

Arsenal manager Wenger has revealed he has begun talking to star strikers Van Persie, Andrey Arshavin and Theo Walcott as well as defender Thomas Vermaelen and midfielder Alex Song about new contracts.

He wants to start securing the future of the next batch of players who have less than two years to run on their deals, to avoid the stresses he faced with Nasri and Clichy.

But after a summer when those two and, even more crucially, Cesc Fabregas left the club, he has been cautiously realistic about how those discussions might progress.

Wenger confirmed: ‘Signing up players to new contracts is a process that begins now.’

But when asked if he thought all five would agree new deals, he admitted: ‘We will try.  But we tried before (with Nasri and Clichy). The gap on that front has become bigger for us, so I can’t say today that if we go to the maximum we are sure to sign the player.
Hit the Wal: Arsenal have had a terrible start to the season

Hit the Wal: Arsenal have had a terrible start to the season

‘We try to convince the players to stay. Our desire is there to do that and we are ready to sit down and talk.’

Arsenal were forced into selling Nasri and Clichy — both to Manchester City — in the summer after failing to agree new deals. Because the pair refused to sign contracts, Arsenal did not want to run the risk of losing the France players for nothing next summer, effectively forcing their decision to sell.

Arsenal’s stringent wage structure is also hindering Wenger’s hunt to sign the world-class talent he may need to persuade the likes of Van Persie that his long-term future is indeed with the Gunners.
Big money: Andrey Arshavin was brought in for £16.5m

Big money: Andrey Arshavin was brought in for £16.5m

Wenger’s future has been the subject of intense speculation during the opening weeks of the season due to their horrendous start — going into Saturday's Premier League game against Bolton his side sit 17th with just four points from five games.

But the Frenchman has hit back at his critics, strangely comparing himself to a bulletproof bear.

‘Since I’ve been in England there’s a lot of negative stuff said about me that is wrong, but I do not complain,’ said Wenger.

‘I’m supposed to take the bullets and absorb them like a bear and I don’t feel I’ve been knocked back too much. How many more bullets can I take? Endless bullets.
Bargain: Alex Song was signed for just £1m

Bargain: Alex Song was signed for just £1m

‘I understand the rules of the game. It’s the same when people say good things about me — it’s an emotional game.’

Sportsmail revealed this week how the idea of appointing a new coach had been floated to Wenger over the summer in a bid to freshen up the club’s backroom team.

The club have conceded 14 league goals already this season — the worst record in the top-flight — leading to suggestions that a defensive coach, in the mould of Steve Bould or Martin Keown, should be introduced to work specifically with the back four.

Wenger — who has revealed he has worked more with his defenders in training over the past week — angrily rejected the idea of adding to his coaching team after Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Shrewsbury in the Carling Cup and explained his decision.
Big miss: Arsenal have suffered from Thomas Vermaelen's constant injuries

Big miss: Arsenal have suffered from Thomas Vermaelen's injuries

‘I’m hands-on with my team because I’m not an intellectual. My job is to prove in practice what I think is right,’ said Wenger.

‘The most difficult thing to give to a team is a style of play and you can transmit that better on the training pitch.

‘At the age of 25 I was educating coaches for their licences because that is what I liked in the job and I’m ready to sit down with any coaches.’

You would have thought the choice was a no-brainer.

Hardened criminals such as thieves and conmen are to be given the chance to choose whether to serve their jail sentences in a church pew or a jail cell.

Thousands of offenders in Bay Minette, Alabama, will get off scot free as part of the new scheme to address jail overcrowding.

Only non-violent misdemeanour offenders will have the option of attending church every Sunday for a year rather than serve their sentences in jail.

Participants must check in with both the police and a clergy member each week, and if they follow the rules can have their case dismissed.

Operation Restore Our Community begins next week.

The program will allow offenders to choose their house of worship.
Sunday sentence: The non violent offenders will have to attend church every week and check in with police

Sunday sentence: The non violent offenders will have to attend church every week and check in with police

Dozens of churches of a wide range of denominations have signed on to scoop up the prospective new parishioners. So far, 56 are participating.

Hugh ‘Trey’ Dickson, Bay Minette court clerk, said it was impossible to predict how many cases the new program might affect, noting it would simply offer another alternative for addressing misdemeanour offenses.

Bay Minette Police Chief Mike Rowland says the program could change the lives of people heading down the wrong path.

But the American Civil Liberties Union has criticised the move saying it violates the constitution.

State ACLU Executive Director Olivia Turner says that when offenders must pick between prison or religious services, they do not have a true choice

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2041253/Prison-church-Hardened-criminals-escape-jail--going-church-Sundays.html#ixzz1YrNXOeYc

A father has been arrested for molesting his six-month-old son and infecting him with HIV.

Police say that Lenny Love, 29, from Silverton, Ohio, knew he had the virus when he raped his son in March.

He was arrested on Friday and charged with two counts of rape, one count of felonious assault and one count of possession of marijuana.

Police say he admitted the assault to them.

He is being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center while he awaits trial.

Police in Clarksville are currently hunting for a 28-year-old man who also knowingly infected a woman he met online with HIV.

Joseph Daundrey Thomas confessed to the woman the following day after sleeping with her in May and told her he had done it before and once spent three years in prison for the crime.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2010878/Father-raped-month-old-son-infected-HIV.html#ixzz1R7ltYH29

Presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the last April election, General Muhammadu Buhari, has demanded the immediate release of former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, who the State Security Services (SSS) arrested in Abuja yesterday. 

El-Rufai had travelled with General Muhammadu Buhari to the United Kingdom on Sunday, June 26, 2011, for a presentation the former Head of State made at Chatham House, London, and a visit to the House of Commons to give his reflections on the 2011 election.

He was, however, arrested on Saturday morning while returning from the United Kingdom at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
In a statement to Sunday Sun in Abuja, spokesman to General Buhari, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said: “El-Rufai was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, upon arrival from London without being told the reasons for his arrest, and was whisked away to the SSS Headquarters.”
Buhari said he condemned “this brazen act of intimidation, harassment and flagrant violation of citizens’ right in a democratic atmosphere”.

“It only shows there are more people in our country who know how to win by hook and crook than those who know how to make proper use of their victory,” Buhari said. He also said that hounding innocent citizens into detention in less than a month in office, having failed to rise to the security challenges facing the nation, shows a regime that does not understand what its priorities should be.

Buhari called for the immediate release of el-Rufai from unjust incarceration by the SSS whom he said could then proceed to prefer whatever charges they have against him in court if he had committed any offence known to the laws of the land.
 “But to keep him in gaol without any charges would only cast the administration in the mould of a vindictive regime launching a wave of political repression because it is jittery,” Buhari stated.

The Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Malam Nasir El-Rufai this morning  was arrested by officers  of the State Security Service (SSS).


The SSS arrested El-Rufai at about around 6.30 am at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja .

El-Rufai  published his own arrest  on Twitter, a social network before his battery went wrote the following  at about 8am.

“Got detained by the SSS on arrival at Abuja Airport. No reason given. On our way to the Headqurters. Will keep you posted if phones not seized”

‘We have arrived safely at SSS HQ. They are polite and courteous, so far…’

”Taken up three floors to see the DG. He was my director of security in FCT, 2003…decent man then, will soon know if fresh air has got him.’

‘Phone battery going down…no tweets until i charge….sorry guys, ladies..’

The house of assembly elections conducted in Lagos State on Tuesday, saw candidates from the Action Congress of Nigeria winning all the seats. Two constituency seats were contested in each of the 20 local government areas. 371 candidates contested for the seats.

The results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission showed only the figures from the winning party, ACN and its closest contender, the Peoples Democratic Party.

Apapa and Agege In Apapa I and II, ACN’s Egbenrogbe Mufutau and Olumuyiwa Jimoh got 8,755 and 22,351 votes respectively, defeating PDP’s Solomon Ogungbe and Toyin Afolabi’s 2,141 and 7,904 votes.

Obasa Ajayi and Oluyinka Ogundimu from ACN had a total of 24,223 and 28,681 votes in Agege I and II constituencies, defeating the 17 other candidates contesting those seats.

In Ajeromi I and II, Kolawole Musibau and Abdulaq Oladimeji got 43,909 and 38,751 votes each.

The big one Alimosho I and II constituencies had the highest number of voters with ACN getting the majority of those votes. Adebisi Yusuf and Omotayo Aramide pulled in 74,384 and 50,120 votes respectively, defeating 18 other candidates, including PDP’s Nejo Augustine and Oladega Olalekan who had 26,865 and 13,295 votes each. In Amuwo-Odofin I and II constituencies, 19,036 votes went to ACN’s Sultan Adele and 21,317 votes to Akinola Ramotalai.

The outposts Despite the strong presence of PDP in Badagry and Epe constituencies, the party contestants did not have up to 50percent of the votes ACN candidates got.

In Badagry I and II, ACN‘s Layode Ibrahim and Avoseh Suru won with 14,400 and 15,959 votes, while Tobun Abiodun and Olusegun Oluade won in Epe I and II with 24,983 and 14,788 votes.

PDP had high expectations in Eti-Osa with 29 year-old Ibrahim Obanikoro picking up the party’s ticket in Eti-Osa II.

However, despite the party’s close margin with ACN in this constituency, Mr Obanikoro’s 9,446 votes came second to Yishawu Olusegun’s 11,214 votes.

In Eti-Osa I, ACN’s Alimi Ademola won with 29,166, with PDP’s Afeez Faro, far behind with 9,276 votes.

In Ibeju-Lekki I and II, only 13 candidates contested for the two seats, Mojeed Adebola and Kazeem Adewale from ACN won those seats with 9,649 and 10,967 votes each.

Fafunmi Oludayo and Ahmed Omisore from ACN won in Ifako-Ijaiye I and II with 25,698 and 31,833 votes respectively. And in Ikorodu I and II, Sina Bolanle Agunbiade and Adebimpe Akinsola swept away 44,406 and 20,551 votes respectively.

The current speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji of Ikeja I constituency was re-elected with 16,348 votes, his contender, PDP’s Josephine Sawyerr, had 8,853 votes. In Ikeja II constituency, Akande Sulola was also re-elected with 26,795 votes.

Adebayo Osinowo and Ajibayo Adeyeye of ACN were voted into the seats of Kosofe I and II with 25,834 and 54,378 votes each.

The Island Masha Agboola and Alawiye King, of Lagos Island I and II were re-elected into their seats with 23,695 and 13,774 votes each. In Lagos Mainland I and II, Bashir Abisoye and Oshun Moshood won with 27,913 and 17,749 votes each.

The seats in Mushin I and II were keenly contested by 12 political parties, but ACN’s Adefunmilayo Tejuoso and Bolaji Ayinla had victory with 40,235 and 64,220 votes each. In Ojo I and II, 30,226 and 17,072 votes brought Muhibat Rufai and Lanre Ogunyemi to victory.

ACN’s Ayeni Lawrence and Omowunmi Edet won in Oshodi-Isolo I and II with 32,377 and 37,664 votes, while in Somolu I and II, Olowo Emmanuel and Abiru Lateef won with 24,968 and 36,360 votes each.

The last two seats in the Lagos State House of Assembly was won by Kabir Olajide and Abdulrasaq Balogun for Surulere I and II constituencies with 27,476 and 51,060 votes each.

Sixty-six out of the 371 candidates who contested were females, and out of these 66, the 5 women who were ACN candidates were elected and would occupy House of Assembly seats in Alimosho II, Apapa I, Ikeja II, Ojo I and Oshodi-Isolo II constituencies.

Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) presidential candidate in the just concluded general elections, General Muhammadu Buhari, spoke with Khadija Auwal, the mother who bravely returned to vote for him few minutes after giving birth. Penultimate Saturday, Khadija went into labour while in the process of accreditation for the presidential election from where she was taken home to deliver the baby, a boy.

To the consternation of many, including her husband, Khadija shortly after putting to bed determinedly went back to join the queue to finish what she had started, she had told Weekly Trust.
Khadija’s husband, Auwal Jibrin, had last week named the boy after General Buhari as a symbol of his reverence for the Daura politician. In reciprocation of the gesture, General Buhari sought for the family’s contacts and called them on phone after reading their story on the pages of Weekly Trust last week.

“He called around 9am on Monday morning and expressed his appreciation and asked after the health of the mother and his baby namesake and I told him that they are all doing fine. He also prayed for the child and the mother,” Auwalu said.

 

According to the proud father, Buhari also sought permission to speak with his wife, the mother. “I took the phone to my wife and told her that it was General Buhari that wants to speak with her, and she was amazed,” he said, smiling.

Speaking on her conversation with Buhari, Khadija said: “He first asked about my health and that of the baby and I told him that we are all doing fine then he asked us to touch the baby so that he could hear his cry and we did.” Asked how she felt when she learnt that it was Buhari that wanted to speak with her, Khadija replied: “I felt very happy and privileged to have spoken with a former head of state and somebody who millions of Nigerians regard as a symbol of justice. To me, it was something I have never dreamt would happen in my life, and I feel so happy that he took the trouble of calling us. I almost cried.”

For her husband, he felt happy when earlier some of Buhari’s personal assistants called and told him about the impending telephone call. “I was elated when he called, a day that will remain one of the happiest of my life.”

Expressing his adoration for the CPC presidential candidate, Malam Auwalu stated said he named his newborn son after him, “simply because of the love I have for him. Nobody can take him out of my mind except God. At any point in time when he would contest for any position, I and my family would vote for him.” Auwal added that the retired General’s quest for justice is what drew him to support his presidential bid. “As well as his love for the downtrodden,” Auwal added.

Smiling, Auwal said: “The day Buhari retires from politics, whoever he says we should vote for is the person I am going to support, wholeheartedly.”

Arsene Wenger has admitted for the first time that he needs to make changes at Arsenal — on the day Sir Alex Ferguson insisted the greatest title threat now comes from Chelsea.

Manchester United manager Ferguson says  Chelsea are ‘a better, stronger team’ with an easier run-in as Wenger looks to overhaul his squad in the summer. Sportsmail exclusively revealed this month that Arsenal will look to raise cash for new players by selling their dead wood.

And Wenger said: ‘The club is in a healthy financial situation and, if needed, we can make a big transfer. In our world everybody is bankrupt — but the guy who doesn’t spend is an idiot.
‘Our target was to build a new stadium without dropping from the top and we knew it would be a difficult period for four or five years. So we had to make a decision on how to stay at the top with less money available.

‘We did well. But now, of course, people become impatient. I can understand that completely because I am impatient as well. If you look at our season you cannot come to the conclusion we need a massive change. That would be completely stupid.

‘If you are the  second-best selling newspaper in the country you do not shut your office. But we live in a world where if you are the second best by a little, everybody says you are rubbish. It is not true.
‘Do I think it will be a busy summer? I feel there is always a need to improve the team.’

The pressure of what looks like a sixth straight season without a trophy seemed to be affecting Wenger on Wednesday as he watched his side lose a 3-1 lead against Spurs.

His touchline antics have been described as ‘tortured’ by observers, including Sportsmail’s Graham Poll.

But Wenger insisted: ‘I cannot sit there and be placid like I am on dope!

‘I care about the game and I’m motivated to win the game and agitated, yes. But it is one thing to be agitated and in control of your decisions and be lucid, or be completely out of control.’
Target? Everton's Leighton Baines could be on Arsenal's radar in the summer

Target? Everton's Leighton Baines could be on Arsenal's radar in the summer

Adding experienced names to his squad, such as summer targets Leighton Baines and Per Mertesacker, should help the undoubted potential at Arsenal meld into a more rounded unit that can win some silverware.

United manager Ferguson agrees Arsenal need a few more old heads among their exciting young prospects. He added: ‘I said more than a few weeks ago that Chelsea would be our main challengers. Now they are above Arsenal. I recognise that both are six points behind us, both are our challengers.

‘But I have that slight preference for Chelsea because their fixture list is a wee bit easier. Looking at the two of them, Chelsea are far more experienced than Arsenal. Arsenal have the better footballers but Chelsea are the better, stronger team.’

Denilson will be one of the first to leave after the Gunners put a £5million price on the midfielder.
Sportsmail understands the Brazilian has accepted his five-year career at The Emirates is over and has already started looking for a new club, while the likes of Emmanuel Eboue, Gael Clichy and Nicklas Bendtner could follow.

The prospect of a summer shake-up will appease a growing section of Arsenal fans who have become disillusioned with Wenger.

However, the Arsenal boss warned: ‘We decided to develop our own players because we can’t buy Cristiano Ronaldo — he cost £85million and we can’t do it.’

 There is controversy in town. It is in the church and it has been causing ripples among families, especially the women.
The issue of contention is the teaching of a pastor, Harrison Charles of the Day Spring Assembly that polygamy is holy, pure and biblical.

Expectedly, the female members of the church are up in arms as they won’t contemplate sharing their husbands with other women in marriage.

The charged nature of their reactions and the insistence of the preacher with copious bible quotatations have resulted in jolts and turbulence in homes. Some homes are in Disarray as the wives pack out in protest and the husbands with the support of their pastor press their claims that such men in the church must marry other wives.

Saturday Sun listened to the protest of the wives over this doctrine and also sounded out the preacher on his ‘unpopular’ message He insists God directed him to so preach.

…Our husband are gone, and they want the kids too
Another controversy is already brewing around the General Overseer, Pastor Harrison Charles of the Day Spring Assembly over the new doctrine he introduced to the members. While some male aggrieved members of the church, alleged that the boss of the church is living with their wives who were deceived into leaving their matrimonial homes, some of the women who are also victims are crying out that their husbands have been exposed to multiple marriages which they won’t accept.
A staunch member of the church, Mrs. Oluchi Ezeobi has pleaded with the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to see that the church is abolished or risk another Rev King incident. She is alleging that her husband who she loves so much had deserted her and their children in a bid.




Come back to me
Mrs. Ezeobi doesn’t hide the fact that she still loves her husband and is willing to make her marriage work. She told Saturday Sun that her problem started when she rejected the ‘strange’ doctrine and subsequently stayed away from the church. She joined the church sometime in 1998 because she discovered that they had the spirit of prophecy.

“I was invited by a member to the church and when I discovered the gift they had, I started attending the church. After the demise of Pastors Augustine Okezue and Samuel Ezeanochie - two pioneer ministers of the church in 2000, Pastor Charles took over the ministry when it was obvious that he was a better alternative. Few months after, he told us to remove our headgear, use cream and start watching television unlike before when we were banned from such. We started wearing good clothes and it was a welcome development.”

Mrs. Ezeobi was one of those who benefited from pastor Charles style of imposition as she alleged that she was betrothed to her husband without any form of courtship. “I was in my shop one day when the GO called me to travel down to Onitsha as he had good news for me. He told me that God wants me to marry my husband immediately. I protested but he insisted that it was the will of God and if I fail to abide by it, the repercussion will be great. Because I believed in him as my spiritual leader, I agreed and the next day he announced it in the church and called us out for prayers. He told the congregation that he had just wedded us, if we like we could go and consummate it in the village with the traditional marriage. This incident took place on December 12, 2004,. The following month, we had our traditional marriage.”

With time Mrs. Ezeobi learnt to love her husband and marriage has been blessed with two children.
New doctrines
All seemed well for the couple until Mrs. Ezeobi decided to call it quits when she became uncomfortable with the new doctrines introduced by the GO. She was shocked when the man of God mounted the pulpit and told the congregation that Jesus told him to disregard the teachings of the Bible. “He told us in the church that he went to heaven and met Jesus who told him not to follow the Bible. One of the things he claimed that Jesus specifically told him was that men should wear women dresses and vice versa.

He also informed them that polygamy is of God and that any woman who stands in the way of her husband’s bid to marry a second wife should be sent to the village until she is willing to yield to the new order. He told us that Jesus married two wives, Gentiles and Israelites.”

The new doctrine was made open and popular when he told the congregation that he would teach them how the multiple wives are consummated in Christ. “He said that he would teach us how a pastor can marry many wives and still confess Jesus. He engaged in it perfectly just few months after. I have been with them for almost 14 years. When these things started, I decided to leave the church. Because of the series of preaching, I was scared that this man would force my husband to marry another woman.

Because he was determined to marry many wives, he told the men to also marry. Sometime in December 2009, my husband told me to come back to the church or the marriage will be over. When I rejected his pleas, he packed his property and left. He began threatening me that he was going to take our children and since he does not have money, that he will send the boy to the north. I cannot leave my son for a man who I am not sure of what he will do next. I am scared that they will come and pick him up. I have assured them that when the children grow up I will ensure that they re-unite with their father. Alternatively, if he wants to take them, let him go to court.”

More crises
Mrs. Favour Ozor is also one of those who felt bitter about the multiple marriage doctrine. She kicked against the polygamy doctrine like most women of the church. When the new doctrine was introduced, she held to the love that kept her marriage despite 10 years of childlessness. When it was obvious that her husband had decided to marry another wife, Mrs. Ozor protested and by way of punishment, she was asked to go to the village until she repents. “My husband sent me packing because I protested that he should not marry another woman. This man stood by my side for 10 years of childlessness until God gave us a baby boy. The boy was barely a year when the problem started. Since my husband sent me back to the village, I left the church. He took my baby who was about two years but with the help of the welfare department, I got him back.

Another ex-member Leo told Saturday Sun that he left the church when strange doctrines were introduced. “It was a good church before the present GO came after the death of the founder. My sister was a victim, she was forced to marry a member of the church and when she agitated when the issue of a second wife came up, she was sent packing while her baby was taken. It is really a pity.”

In his defence
While some are embittered by the new doctrine, others eulogize and pray that the other churches will take a cue. Lagos area pastor, Ikechukwu Elden was contacted on phone and he described such information as false and a ploy to destroy the work of God.

“These are all tissues of lies from the pit of hell within the camp of some men that covenanted with the devil to harm the work of the Lord through a certain newspaper publication and we have made our stand very clear through our spokesman. Almost all of these fabrication are lies. You know when the work of God is going on and the devil does not fight it, it means that it is not the work of God. It is not surprising that the devil will use these men who have fallen out of the grace of God. It is very unfortunate but it is not surprising. It is blasphemy.”

On the polygamy doctrine, Pastor Ik said: “We have made it very clear that there is no where in the Bible that God condemns polygamy. In the book of I Timothy chapter 3v1 - 2, it is stated there. People are quoting Matthew chapter 19 vs. 6 and saying that Jesus said that it is one man, one wife. Jesus never said that rather He was answering the question on divorce not polygamy. This is the truth people do not know, that doctrine came from Babylonian governor not from the true church of God. “Saint Paul because of the issue at hand, made it clear to some particular set of people but that was because of the contingencies of the time.

The scripture ought to be known. Any law that God has given there is a purpose and mind of God for giving that law. The problem people have today is that they know not the mind of God as it is today. We are favoured of God at this point in time and in our generation to know the mind of God. Therefore, we stand to say that we are one living church of the true God and we speak for the truth as it is. God stands by us to confirm it.”

Does the doctrine of multiple marriage partners apply to the women? And Pastor Ik said: “that is not what God is saying, the woman was created for the man so it is no place in the mind of God that the woman will marry more than one husband.”

On how the wives would live in peace among themselves, he said: “In the church of the living God, everyone is supposed to have the holy spirit and having the spirit, it teaches all the truth to know the will and mind of God. She will not be uncomfortable doing the mind of God and abiding in the family that God has put her. Agitation is coming from ex-members that the devil is using. It cannot come from any genuine child of God that has the spirit of the living God”

For another member, Kenneth Okpala, Pastor Harrison was sent by God to deliver them from darkness and ignorance.

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