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Tag: woo

  • Dankwambo, Turaki woo Edo PDP delegates

    Gombe State Governor  Hassan Dankwambo and a former Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Government Affairs, Tanimu Turaki, have urged Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to brace up for next year’s elections.

    Both of them are presidential aspirants of the PDP.

    They spoke in Benin City, Edo State capital, during an interaction with delegates of the PDP.

    Dankwanbo, who lauded various reform policies initiated by Chief Uche Secondus led executive of the party urged Edo PDP members to ensure that the right presidential candidate emerged.

    The Gombe governor stated that the PDP has groomed a crop of leaders with vision, mission and charisma to lead Nigeria out of the woods.

    He promised to enthrone the values of the party and provide viable templates in line with its constitution for a better country and hope for all citizens.

    Turaki said legacies of the PDP abound across the country.

    He promised to work hard hard to take the country on the rigth path.

    Edo PDP chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, assured that the party would not disappoint the country on its choice of a credible flag bearer.

    He said: “We don’t want people who feel it is them and only them alone. With God on our side we are not going to disappoint the good people of this country in our choice.

    “There is no doubt that in our party, we have the very best that can rescue this country today.

    “While the APC are sitting and waiting for the election, they are washing on daily basis the quality of aspirants we have in our party, none of them has issue of certificate or qualification.

  • JANUARY 2016 FIFA-FREE WINDOW: Swazis woo Eagles for friendly

    JANUARY 2016 FIFA-FREE WINDOW: Swazis woo Eagles for friendly

    Against the backdrop of report credited to Super Eagles’ head coach, Sunday Oliseh who disclosed that Sihlangu Semnikati of Swaziland gave his team a tough fight and would love to engage the side in a friendly match in the future, Harris Bulunga who led the Southern African nation to Nigeria has welcomed another challenge game.

    Bulunga in an exclusive chat with SportingLife yesterday from Swaziland stated that they would jump at the offer to face any of the top nations on the continent and that they won’t have a second thought if Nigeria’s senior national team makes concrete offer to tackle them.

    Oliseh had during the post-match interview with journalists in Port Harcourt’s Adokie Amiesimaka Stadium praised the Sihlangu Semnikati for their resilience and determination while adding that they are a side he would like to face in the future in a friendly match.

    Bulunga while reacting to Oliseh’s complimentary remarks accepted the Eagles’ challenge and also added that the King’s Shield were treated to wonderful reception on their return to Lobamba and that some institutions donated cash to the team to appreciate their impressive display against mighty Eagles even though they eventually lost.

    Swazi coach still insisted that the result would have been different had they played with four of their players who missed the tie due to injuries and that they have started building on their outing with the Nigeria’s national team.

    “Eagles’ coach said they would like to face us in the future and I want to say that we will be willing to play all top teams in Africa and Nigeria is part of those list. We will be happy to play Nigeria anywhere if the friendly match is made concrete. We were happy with our display against the Eagles and even though we lost, we went out with our heads high.

    “We have started to build on the way we played against the Eagles and we are hoping that our performance can be more consistent in the AFCON qualifiers so that we will be able to play in 2017 AFCON. We are not taken our two matches with the Brave Warriors of Zimbabwe lightly at all. We know those matches will define if we will play at AFCON or not,” Bulunga told SportingLife.

    He disc;osed that the Swazi Football Federation has promised to give the senior national team the necessary support to ensure that the team qualifies for the 2017 AFCON as they presently top Group L with four points from two matches.

    Bulunga said that their double header with Zimbabwe next March would define their place in the Group and that they won’t like to joke with those two matches.

    SportingLife recalls that Swaziland senior national team lost 2-0 on aggregate to the Eagles in the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier played last week.

  • Russian, Gulf clubs woo Imoh Ezekiel

    Russian, Gulf clubs woo Imoh Ezekiel

    36 Lion CEO, Liameed Olawale Gafar, has lifted the lid on the transfer situation of Standard Liege’s Imoh Ezekiel, unarguably the standout player that his academy nurtured.

    In recognition of the 20-year-old’s performance for Standard Liege, a number of clubs in Europe and the Middle East have expressed interest in his signature.

    And Imoh Ezekiel, who was signed by the Belgian team in 2012, could depart the Stade Maurice Dufrasne in the coming weeks provided his asking price is met.

    In a telephone conversation with SL10.ng, Gafar said: ”There are so many clubs interested in Imoh Ezekiel. We are now waiting for the agreement to be finalised.

    ”About six to seven clubs are interested. They have been calling Standard Liege. The club is negotiating with the interested clubs to know which is best for him.

    ”The teams are mostly from Western Europe but he is also wanted in Russia and the Gulf.”

    Imoh Ezekiel made his debut for the Super Eagles four months ago, coming on as a 71st minute substitute in a pre-World Cup friendly against Mexico, held in Atlanta, Georgia.

    The Standard Liege number 39 has found the back of the net 29 times in 79 Jupiler League appearances.

  • 2015: APC to woo Igbo leaders

    The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is set to begin a consultative visit to notable Igbo leaders in the five states in the Southeast, to boost its membership drive ahead of next year’s elections.

    Speaking at the weekend in Owerri, the Imo State capital, the National Vice Chairman of the party in the Southeast, Mr. Anyim Nyerere and the National Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, said a list of Igbo leaders in the five states to be visited has been compiled.

    Izunaso said the motive is to take the massage of change, which the APC represents, to the Igbo leaders and to draft them into the effort to salvage the political future of Southeast and the country.

    He added: “Those to be visited by the delegation, which will be led by the Acting National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, include former Vice President Alex Ekwueme, Second Republic Governor of old Enugu State, Chief Jim Nwobodo, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and Senator Arthur Nzeribe.”

    Governor Rochas Okorocha and Senator Chris Ngige decried the disunity among Igbo leaders, saying it was the cause of political backwardness in the zone. They noted that this would be corrected by embracing and supporting the ideals of APC.

  • APC governors to woo aggrieved PDP colleagues

    APC governors to woo aggrieved PDP colleagues

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has mandated its governors to woo their aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) colleagues.

    Its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, spoke yesterday at the party’s Interim National Executive Council meeting in Abuja.

    Mohammed said: “It is not a matter we discussed at the executive committee. But I know that what the party decided is that since our governors are also members of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and they are also meeting regularly with these other governors, we have left that assignment in the hands of our governors so that when the about seven or eight aggrieved governors of PDP are desirous of making contact with the party, they should do so with our governors.”

    He said the party would begin membership registration in October.

    Mohammed said the party would conduct a biometric membership registration.

    The APC, he said, also considered the options open to it in terms of funding the registration, noting: “A committee has been put in place to give us the final report”.

    He said other highlights of the meeting were the mobilisation of members for the party, local government elections in various states, by-elections in Jigawa and Delta states.

    Mohammed said besides the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change ( CPC) and the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) involved in the convention, a faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Democratic People Party (DPP) also participated in the merger.

    He said: “We resolved the issue that wherever that we are looking for representation in the process of harmonisation, where such parties exist in their states, they are also to be considered.”

    On the crisis in Cross River State, the APC warned the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) not to frustrate the court’s decision by holding the local government election when the case was still in court.

    He denied speculations that the party was enmeshed in crisis in some states.

    He said: “We should not rule out the incidence of people disagreeing or not agreeing. But the question to ask at this point is what would people disagree about? We have not commenced registration; we have not commenced congresses; we have not elected any officers. What will be the basis of any serious disagreement? Really it never came up.”

    Mohammed described Wednesday’s cabinet reshuffle by President Goodluck Jonathan as part of the contradictions and explosion in the PDP.

    He said the question was not whether the shake-up impressed or worried any one, but Nigerians should be bothered by the lack of vision and capacity of the administration.

    Mohammed urged Nigerians to find out whether the rate of poverty, unemployment, social and economic inequalities in the country have declined .

    He said if these economic indicators had not changed for good, “then the government is not performing”.

  • ACN aspirants woo party members

    Some Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) aspirants seeking to contest in the April 20 local government elections in Edo State have started wooing party members.

    This is because the party’s constitution stipulates that all members of the party are to vote at the party’s primaries to elect candidates of their choice.

    The State Independent Electoral Commission, (EDSIEC) last week released the guidelines for the conduct of elections expected to hold on April 20.

    At Egor Local Government, Victor Enobakhare met with officials of the party where he canvassed for votes.

    Enobakhare promised to shore up the Internally Generated Revenue of the council as well as provide empowerment, infrastructural development and security.

    He said he would work with the state government to transform the local council.

    Two aspirants at Ikpoba Okha, Mrs. Itohan Osahon and Mr. Soni Ehiosu Idahagbon kicked started their campaigns.

    Mrs. Itohan urged ACN members to give her another opportunity to serve the local government as executive chairman.

    Idahagbon promised to revamp the agricultural sector of the locality.

    In Ovia North East, Charles Igbinedion said he was seeking a return ticket to enable him complete projects he earlier initiated.

    He said he was the generally acceptable candidate because of his performances while in office.

  • 2013 AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS: Moroccans woo Eagles

    2013 AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS: Moroccans woo Eagles

    Twelve years after the Atlas Lions lost to Super Eagles in an AFCON 2000 meeting in Lagos, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) is wooing the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for a friendly as both countries prepare for the 29th edition of Africa’s biggest football fiesta in South Africa.

    SportingLife gathered at the weekend after Morocco’s coach Rachid Taoussi informed that his employers are in talks with the NFF.

    “My bosses are negotiating for friendly against Nigeria, and if the parties come to terms, the match is expected in the weeks leading up to the finals,” he said.

    “If we can get a friendly with Nigeria, then we may like host Botswana, Ethiopia or reigning African champions, Zambia.”

    Recall that goals from Finidi Gorge and Julius Aghahowa saw the coach Jo Bonfere led Eagles overcome the Atlas Lions in a Group D final game.

    Meanwhile, Taoussi also announced two brief training camps for home-based players and a friendly against Niger in El Jadida’s Stade El Abdi on December 12.

  • Pillars woo Heartland star Umar

    Pillars woo Heartland star Umar

    Champions Pillars have opened transfer negotiations with Heartland striker Kabiru Umar, officials have told MTNFootball.com.

    After missing out on the NPL Goal King Sibi Gwar as well as Gombe United striker Sanusi Sani, Pillars are still on the hunt for a proven goal scorer especially as top striker Gambo Mohammed could still quit the club to Turkey in January.

    “Discussions have begun with Kabiru Umar of Heartland and we are expecting the player in Kano any time from now. Hopefully, we should be able to sign him up for the new season,” a top official disclosed.

    Umar has played for several clubs including Enugu Rangers.

    Also on the shopping list of the league champions is Augustine Amutu from Warri Wolves.

    The young striker made a big impression in his debut season in the top flight after coming in from lower league side Mighty Jets of Jos.

    Pillars have signed seven new players thus far including leading scorer in the Nigeria National League Ibrahim Shuaibu from Giwa FC.