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  • APC seeks postponement of Rivers gov poll

    • Says Wike is jittery

    The deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) in Rivers State, Chief Victor Giadom, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the February 16 and March 2 elections in Rivers in view of Monday’s ruling of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt on stay of execution.

    He also accused Rivers Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike of being jittery upon confirmation the governorship candidate of APC in the state, Pastor Tonye Cole and other candidates that emerged through indirect primaries supervised by members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, would participate in the elections.

    Giadom stated these Tuesday in Port Harcourt in an exclusive interview with our reporter.

    While assuring Cole and other candidates of APC would emerge victorious in the polls, he maintained that postponing Rivers elections would ensure the candidates and the electorate were not disenfranchised.

    Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, who doubles as the Director of Information and Communications of PDP Campaign Council, however maintained that Wike and other candidates of the ruling party were neither afraid nor jittery of main opposition APC’s candidates or candidates of other political parties, having campaigned extensively and fully prepared for the polls, thereby emerging victorious.

    The appellate court presided over by Justice Ali Gumel granted the stay of execution of the judgment of Justice Kolawole Omotoso of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt on the fielding of candidates by the APC.

    Giadom, the immediate past Deputy National Secretary of APC, said: “Wike is jittery, because of the strength of APC in Rivers State. That is why he teamed up with some enemies of democracy to ensure that our party (APC) is not on the ballot, but God has put all of them to shame. Wike made all efforts, including outside the law, to stop APC from fielding candidates in Rivers State.

    “Wike and his allies must stop their propaganda and futile fights, but to prepare to meet candidates of APC in the field. APC will win 80 per cent of the votes cast in Rivers State in all the elections, because Rivers people are tired of Wike’s failed promises.

    “I expect Wike and other members of PDP in Rivers State to enjoy the healthy competition of political context, so as to know who are the choices of the people of Rivers State, as against the attempts by Wike to shut the doors against APC.

    “While thanking the judges of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt for granting the stay of execution of the judgment of Justice Omotoso, we urge INEC, as a law-abiding institution, to do the needful by postponing Rivers elections, to ensure a level-playing field and in order to allow candidates of APC to adequately campaign as their counterparts in other political parties, who have been campaigning round Rivers State’s 23 LGAs for over two months. The postponement will be in the interest of Rivers people, especially APC members.

    “I wish to urge Rivers people to believe in the APC, as the difference is very clear. We will continue to ensure quality leadership that will transform the entire Rivers State and ensure adequate protection of lives and property, thereby making the state a destination for investments.”

    Read Also: INEC to collate elections results manually

    The deputy governorship candidate also berated a governorship aspirant on APC platform, Senator Magnus Abe (Rivers Southeast) for misinterpreting the ruling of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, accusing him of mischief.

    Giadom declared that Abe, from the same Bera-Ogoni in Gokana LGA of Rivers, was being economical with the truth, stressing that the former Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG) in the administration of Rotimi Amaechi, now Transportation Minister, ought not to speak differently from what was contained in the ruling of the appellate court.

    He urged Nigerians to avail themselves with the ruling, in order not to be misled by individuals or groups, while calling on APC members and supporters in Rivers to take advantage of the ruling and return to active campaigns, so as to ensure victory in all the elections.

    The deputy governorship candidate assured that members of Rivers APC were ready to receive President Muhammadu Buhari and members of his campaign team in Port Harcourt next week.

    He said: “Rivers people should continue to support APC. We should ensure peaceful elections in Nigeria, especially in Rivers State. When Cole becomes governor and I as deputy governor, by God’s grace, Rivers State will experience massive transformation in all sectors. There will also be peace, security and commensurate development. We will bring back the lost glory of Rivers State.

    “The Federal Government is doing a lot in Rivers State, particularly the construction of Bodo-Bonny Road, Ogoni clean-up, completion of the international wing of Port Harcourt International Airport and massive construction of roads through the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), among others. Wike’s propaganda should be ignored. Wike’s abysmal performance will end on May 29, 2019.”

    Giadom also called on Nigerians to continue to support the Buhari’s administration and come out en-masse on February 16 to vote for him and other candidates of the party in all the elections.

  • Campaign: photos of Buhari’s arrival in Ekiti

    President Muhammdu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday arrived in Akure, the Ondo State capital, amidst heavy security on a campaign visit to Ondo and Ekiti states for the 2019 general elections.

    R-L: APC leaders: Governor Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); former Interim National Chairman, APC, Chief Bisi Akande; Governor Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Governor Isiaka Ajimobi (Oyo), Governor Gboyega Oyetola (Osun); former Ekiti State Governor and Deputy National Chairman APC, Otunba Niyi Adebayo; and other APC leaders awaiting the arrival of President Mohammadu Buhari for the Ekiti State Presidential campaign in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday
    R-L: President Mohammadu Buhari; Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and APC Senatorial Candidate, Hon Bamidele Opeyemi during the arrival of President Buhari in Ado-Ekiti for the Ekiti State Presidential campaign on Tuesday

    Read Also: Campaign: Buhari, Osinbajo arrive Ondo, Ekiti amidst tight security

    President Mohammadu Buhari being welcomed by Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi; during the arrival of the President in Ado-Ekiti for the Ekiti State Presidential campaign on Tuesday

  • APC, PDP step up attacks

    •Govt: opposition raises 10-man team in bid to discredit polls

    •PDP accuses ruling party, INEC of plotting to rig elections

    It was a day of allegations yesterday, with  the Federal Government accusing the opposition of planning to discredit the general elections.

    The opposition parties have targeted the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Police for attack to prejudge the polls, which will begin in 11 days, the government said.

    The government said the opposition, led by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), had raised a 10-man propaganda delegation to visit  some Western capitals, including London, Brussels and Washington, DC.

    The PDP launched its allegations, claiming that the APC government and the INEC planned to rig the elections.

    The mandate of the opposition team, said the government, is to push the “concocted” line that the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration planned to rig the polls.

    It alleged that the opposition had become desperate to seek victory by subterfuge. Besides, the government accused a presidential candidate of having suspicious meetings with some envoys.

    Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed revealed “the latest intelligence” at the disposal of the government at a briefing attended by many local and international media.

    Mohammed said the opposition was doing everything possible, including instigating widespread violence as well as relentless attacks on key institutions, to discredit the forthcoming elections.

    He said the opposition was already predicting carnage in the event of the President’s victory.

    His words: “With just 12 days to the 2019 election, we have called this press conference to alert Nigerians to the evil machinations of the opposition, which is not campaigning to win the election – because they know they can’t win a free, fair and peaceful election – but are busy planning how to scuttle or discredit it

    “Recall that on Monday, January 21, 2019, we alerted the nation, also via a press conference, to the plot by some opposition elements to scuttle the 2019 general elections by instigating widespread violence across the country. Of course, we didn’t just make this up. It was based on credible intelligence.

    “We revealed that the plan to scuttle the polls is part of moves to push the nation into a constitutional crisis, with the plotters hoping they can leverage on that to push for an interim government.  When we raised the alarm, the opposition dismissed it. Of course, they were shocked to have been found out, so we understand their panic reaction.

    “To underscore the seriousness of our alert, a week after our press conference, the National Security Adviser (NSA) met with state governors to also inform them of this same plan to scuttle the polls via widespread violence. As I said at my last press conference, the alarm we raised is based on credible intelligence.

    “Today, still based on credible intelligence, we can reveal that the opposition is moving a step further. They are working hard to discredit the forthcoming election before, during and after the polls.

    “Specifically, they are sending a delegation to some Western capitals, including London, Brussels and Washington, DC, to push the concocted line that the Buhari administration has perfected the plan to rig the polls. They are therefore pushing for a rejection of the results if the President wins re-election. They are also predicting carnage in the event of the President’s victory.”

    Responding to a question, Mohammed said: “There is nowhere there is any insinuation that the Federal Government has lost confidence in the international community. I think, less we are misunderstood, we never say the opposition is hobnobbing with the international community.

    “The opposition parties have decided to, instead of facing their campaigns, resort to international blackmail. We have seen a particular presidential candidate having some suspicious meetings with some envoys.

    “When we have credible intelligence that the opposition is going to carry out some sinister actions, the best and most effective way is to go public.”

    Asked which of the 73 political parties contesting the presidential race is behind this “plot”, the minister said: “There is PDP, CUPP and their allies.”

    Mohammed alleged that the opposition had been using a “nebulous” group, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), to push its agenda.

    He described CUPP as nothing more than a reincarnated Association for Better Nigeria (ABN), which was employed to scuttle Nigeria’s widely-acclaimed freest presidential election in 1993.

    Said Mohammed: “Already, they have started flying the rigging kite domestically. They have been engaging in incendiary rhetoric and in making outlandish claims, using several fronts, including the nebulous Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) which, by the way, is nothing more than a reincarnated Association for Better Nigeria (ABN). Of course, you all know the role that the ABN played in the failed 1993 political transition process.

    “They have targeted, for attack, the two key institutions that are most critical to the success of the election: the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Police. They have used every malleable and malicious personality to make wild allegations against INEC.

    “Their strategy is simple: discredit the election even before it is held, and continue during and after the polls with a view to convincing the West – which they believe they have won to their side, using lobbyist-propelled propaganda – that the election is not credible.”

    Mohammed attributed the “desperation” of the opposition to the emerging electoral reality that they might lose the presidential poll.

    He added: “Some may ask: why would the opposition go to this length? The answer is simple: They know, and are convinced, that they cannot win free, fair, credible and peaceful polls. The handwriting is on the wall for all discerning people to see.

    “While President Buhari has received warm and genuine reception and adulation from huge crowds everywhere he has gone to campaign, their candidate has been exposed to apathetic and thinning crowds! Their numbers just don’t add up!”

    But he restated the commitment of the President to a free and fair poll.

    “On our part, we as an Administration, we are undaunted by their antics, even though we believe it is necessary to expose their evil plans – as we have been doing – to the world. President Muhammadu Buhari has repeatedly stated his commitment to ensuring a free, fair and violence-free election.

    “He has no doubt – based on testimonies of change from Nigerians – that the achievements of his Administration, in the three cardinal areas of fighting corruption, revamping the economy and fighting insecurity, will speak for him at the polls. He did not rig his way into office and has no need to rig now that he is in office.

    The Minister urged Nigerians and the international community to beware of the antics of the opposition.

    “We are, therefore, compelled to alert Nigerians and the global community to the following:

    “The desperate opposition is doing everything possible, including instigating widespread violence as well as relentless attacks on key institutions, to discredit the forthcoming election. They know they will lose the election, but they want victory by subterfuge.

    “To further their plan, the opposition is dispatching a 10-member delegation to some Western capitals, including London, Brussels and Washington, DC, to sell the idea that the Buhari Administration has perfected the plan to rig the election. They have no empirical basis for the idea they are pushing, beyond relying on exploiting the nation’s ‘fault lines’ of religion, ethnicity and regionalism.

    Read also: Alleged N500m fraud: Badagry prince fails to account for property

    “The opposition is approaching the election with an incredible level of desperation. In this regard, they have activated their own version of the infamous Association for Better Nigeria (ABN), under the guise of CUPP, to engage in unrestrained rabble-rousing and frivolous court cases. Of course, the activities of CUPP in recent times are there for all to see, even though the coalition seems to be a very poor imitation of the original ABN.

    “The Buhari Administration is committed to free, fair, credible and peaceful polls. We are glad that local and international observers are already fully mobilized to monitor the election.

    “We call on all Nigerians to be vigilant as we begin the final countdown to the election. Eternal vigilance, as the saying goes, is the price of liberty. We must not allow desperate politicians to crash our democracy on the altar of their personal – and sometimes inordinate – ambition!”

    In a swift reaction, the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan said: “Each time the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, comes out to make allegations, he does so in a composite way that leaves no one in doubt about the plan they have already made.

    “We can demonstrate this with his recent alarm, wherein he claimed that members of the opposition were bringing in people from Niger Republic to cause mayhem in the country.

    “And behold, who brought in people from Niger Republic for election campaign in Kano? It’s President Buhari and the All Progressives Congress.

    “As far as the PDP is concerned, all we are asking for is a free, fair, credible, clean, clear and transparent election that will be acceptable to majority of Nigerians. That’s all we seek and that’s all we ask for.

    “If Alhaji Lai Mohammed and his co-travelers in the APC and the Buhari Presidency have other plans, the PDP is unaware. . . like President Buhari.”

  • PDP alleges INEC plans to rig

    THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday claimed to have uncovered plots by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rig the forthcoming general elections in favour of President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Its claim came barely hours after the Federal Government accused the opposition party of targeting INEC and the police for attack  to prejudge the polls.

    The elections are scheduled for February 16 (presidential and National Assembly) and March 2 (governorshipm and House of Assembly).

    According to the main opposition party, INEC has been taking directives from the Presidency and the APC on how to manipulate the electoral process at various levels. But the PDP did not show any proof of its claims.

    Its spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan, accused the electoral body of having collected a list of people who will serve as electoral officials, including ad-hoc staff and returning officers at the polling units, from APC governors and candidates, across the federation.

    Alleging that the directive was dished out to INEC by the Presidency, the PDP claimed to be privy to how the lists were populated with members of the ruling party and agents of its candidates.

    Ologbondiyan said: “The PDP vehemently rejects this plot, which is tailored to ensure institutional manipulation of the electoral process, including accreditation, voting and collation of results at the polling units, which is the base of the elections.

    “The PDP holds that by following the directive of the APC in such dubious rigging scheme, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, has violated Section 29 (1) of the Electoral Act (as amended) and shows that he is in clear deficit of the required political will to conduct a credible, free and fair election.”

    The PDP demanded that INEC should, within 48 hours, publish the list of all officials and ad hoc staff that will play any  role in the election at all levels for verification by stakeholders.

    According to the party, any delay or refusal by INEC to publish the list with 48 hours would be a clear acceptance that it has been compromised.

    He said: “The PDP wants Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to note that the fate of our nation lies in his hands.”

  • 2019: Lalong sues for peaceful, issues-based campaign

    As politicians intensify their campaigns ahead of the forthcoming general elections, Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau has charged his campaign team and supporters to focus on issues and avoid mudslinging.

    “We must focus on issues; we must be peaceful. We must put the common interest above every other consideration,” he said.

    Lalong, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), spoke on Monday in Shendam, while flagging off the campaign in the southern senatorial district.

    “We must avoid any form of acrimony; we must be peaceful as we solicit for votes,” he said.

    He said that the government had recorded “some modest achievements in the last three and half years that will earn us a second term”.

    Read Also: Lalong: I deserve second term

    Lalong urged Plateau people to vote for President Muhammadu Buhari in the February 16 presidential polls, to give him four more years to serve the country.

    Mr Pam Dung Gyang,  Director General, Lalong Campaign Organization, in his remarks, thanked the people for the massive show of solidarity, and expressed the hope that the APC would win the polls.

    Mr Prince Miaphen, APC Youth Leader, in his address, assured the governor that the southern senatorial district would for the APC in all elections.

  • PDP exposes INEC’s ‘rigging’ plans

    The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has alerted of alleged fresh plots by the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rig the 2019 general elections in favour of President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    According to the main opposition party, INEC has been taking directives from the Buhari Presidency and the APC on how to manipulate the electoral process at various levels.

    Addressing newsmen in Abuja Monday, spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, accused the electoral body of having collected a list of people that will serve as electoral officials, including ad-hoc staff and returning officers at the polling units, from APC state governors and candidates, across the federation.

    Stating that the directive was handed to INEC by the Presidency, the PDP claimed to be privy to how the lists were populated with APC members and agents of the APC candidates, after clearance by the APC leaders in various states.

    Ologbondiyan said, “The PDP vehemently rejects this wicked plot by the Buhari Presidency, which is tailored to ensure institutional manipulation of the electoral process, including accreditation, voting and collation of results at the polling units, which is the base of the elections.

    Read Also: We’re ready for polls, INEC reassures

    “The PDP holds that by following the directive of the APC in such dubious rigging scheme, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, has violated section 29 (1) of the Electoral Act (as amended) and shows that he is in clear deficit of the required political will to conduct a credible, free and fair election.

    “This is especially in the light of the boasting by agents of the Buhari Presidency and the APC to give the INEC chairman what they describe as the ‘Onnoghen treatment, and frame him, if he fails to comply with their rigging plans”.

    The PDP demanded of INEC to, within 48 hours, publish the list of all officials and ad hoc staff that will play any form of role in the election at all levels for verification by stakeholders.

    The party insisted that any delay or refusal by INEC to publish the list with 48 hours would be a clear acceptance that it has been compromised by the APC and this could lead to a very serious crisis with very dire consequences, as the PDP will never allow anybody to rig it out in the election.

    “The PDP wants Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to note that the fate of our nation lies in his hands. It is left to him to decide whether he would end as a national hero or as a villain.

    “Furthermore, the PDP calls on the international community to place the INEC Chairman, Directors and Commissioners in INEC responsible for this election on their watch list and proceed to impose travel ban on them as well as hold them directly responsible should there be any form of rigging in the February 16, 2019 Presidential elections.

    “Finally, the PDP directs all its members, teeming supporters and all well-meaning Nigerians across the nation to get ready to vote out President Buhari and protect their votes with all the energy available to them in the defence of our democracy and freedom as a people.

    “If President Buhari believes he is popular, he should make himself available for a free, fair, transparent and credible election. Anything short of this is completely unacceptable to Nigerians.

    “This is because Nigerians have already reached a consensus to vote out the incompetence, hunger, nepotism, pretense and manifest lies which the Buhari President truly represents”.

  • Onnoghen’s suspension: Senate APC caucus seeks to join suit

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Senate Caucus Monday applied to the Supreme Court to be joined in the suit filed by the Senate challenging the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen.

    The application of the APC Caucus to be joined in the suit is coming despite the withdrawal of the suit by the leadership of the upper chamber.

    The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, had in a statement said that they decided to discontinue the case due to the intervention of the National Judicial Council (NJC) in the matter.

    Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, in another statement, said that the APC caucus decided to join in the suit to challenge the inclusion of its members by the leadership.

    Read Also: Onnoghen’s suspensionnot signal to dictatorship – FG

    The statement reads: “The Senate caucus ‎of the All Progressives Congress (APC), consisting 56 senators, being the majority party in the Senate, today Monday, 4th February, 2019, applied to the Supreme Court, to join in the suit purportedly filed by the Senate, against the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as interested parties.

    “The APC senators rely on the Supreme Court (Additional ‎Original Jurisdiction) Act of 2002, which provides that the resolution of the respective chambers of the National Assembly is a prerequisite of filing such suit.

    “The caucus is therefore challenging the said suit and objects to the inclusion of its members.”

    It is not clear whether the Senate APC caucus application to be joined in the suit was made before the Senate withdrew the suit.

    It is also not clear if the caucus will insist on going ahead with the suit.

  • No rift over campaign funding, says PDP

    The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) has denied rift among its leaders over the handling of campaign funds, describing media reports on the alleged rift as laughable, infantile and diversionary.

    A statement Monday by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, accused unnamed agents of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) of having sponsored the said report.

    The party said for the APC and agents of the Buhari campaign to descend to the level of fabricating stories to create a non-existent scenario, showed that the APC and the Buhari Presidency have finally come to their wits end and are now suffering a pre-defeat trauma.

    The statement said, “The PDP is aware that the Buhari Presidency and the APC have become so frustrated over their dwindled electoral fortune in the face of the soaring popularity of the people’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar that they are now attempting to inject crisis into the PDP campaign in order to divert public attention from their own failures and rejection.

    “For President Buhari’s information, the Atiku Abubakar campaign is owned and driven by the Nigerian public and will never have the kind of rifts that have been ravaging the APC campaign, where their leaders, including their National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, went on the run from security agencies over allegations of siphoning funds from aspirants and candidates.

    Read Also: PDP to Buhari: You can’t rig this election

    “Unlike the Buhari Campaign Organization, which is practically a den of looters and sanctuary of persons indicted for corruption, which have been running its campaigns with looted funds, the Atiku Presidential campaign have been running a transparent and people-driven campaign, anchored on the volunteered support of overwhelming majority of Nigerians”.

    The main opposition party counseled President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC to note that their resort to smear campaign will not help their cause.

    Nigerians, the PDP said, would never be distracted from their collective resolve to vote in Atiku Abubakar as the next President.

    The party restated its confidence in Atiku’s proven capacity and will to return the country to the path of national cohesion and economic prosperity.

  • Breaking: Tonye Cole applauds Appeal Court ruling in Rivers

    The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers state, Tonye Patrick Cole has applauded the ruling of the Court of Appeal ordering a stay of execution of the judgement of the federal High Court stopping the APC from fielding candidates in all elections in the state.

    In a statement he personally signed and made available to The Nation in Abuja, Cole said they are making urgent arrangement to ensure that the Independent National Electoral Commission is served with the ruling.

    Cole described the ruling as victory for the people of Rivers state while asking his supporters to be vigilant and know that the battle is not yet over.

    Read Also:  Sylva protests killings of APC members in Bayelsa

    He said: “I just want to take a minute to thank the Almighty God for his grace upon us all. I know without Him, this would be totally impossible. We were up against it. We still are but our God who has been with us throughout this journey will see us to the end.

    “I want to spare a thought for the brave judges and the entire judiciary for simply standing firm on the side of justice. We have faith in you. To all our supporters and leaders in the APC, I want to say a big thank you for keeping the faith. The times have been tough – I know, but you have showed that with God, we are already winners.

    “To my Rivers people, fear not. Nothing good comes easy. This is but one giant step to the Promised Land.

    “We have taken immediate steps to serve INEC by tomorrow with the ruling which will see APC back on the ballot box in time for the elections.”

  • Thieves break into APC secretariat, two arrested

    Suspected thieves have broken into National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) and stolen some of the split air conditioners at the secretariat.

    Available information has it that the thieves gained access into the secretariat from the back after cutting the security wires.

    The two persons said to have been arrested in connection with the incident were said to have gained access to the secretariat around 2.30am.

    One of the police officers on duty was said to have heard a strange noise in the compound and decided to check through the back of the building and found one of the thieves kneeling down apparently to escape the prying eyes.

    Thinking it was one of his colleagues, the officer was said to have called out his name and decides to move closer when there was no answer, only to discover that it was a strange person busy removing the airconditioners.

    The police also discovered that the robbers had already removed one of the air condition and place it on top of the fence for easy transfer to their waiting vehicle while he was in the process of removing the second one.

    Another person was said to have been arrested across the fence after others had already taken to their heels.

    As this time of filing this report, available information has it that two of the robbers are currently in Wuse 2 police station explaining their involvement in the attack.

    The party was yet to react to the development.

    Details later…