VC flees as Ekiti Fed varsity workers protest NEWS
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Newspaper of the Year
News WASSCE records 29% pass P5 Sports Uche extends contract at Villareal P24 Business NCP okays NITEL’s sale for $252m P53
•Nigeria’s widest circulating newspaper
VOL. 9, NO. 3069 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014
•www.thenationonlineng.net
TR UTH IN DEFENCE OF FREEDOM TRUTH
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•INSIDE: REPS VOW TO PASS PIB P4 AMAECHI HEADS BUHARI CAMPAIGN TEAM P6
2015 election: Panic in PDP, Presidency over Osinbajo •SEE
ALSO Campaign defends Buhari against attack Parties submit lists to INEC PAGE 6 Fashola, Oshiomhole, Fayemi, Ojudu hail APC’s choice of eminent lawyer
W
ITH the choice of frontline lawyerpastor Yemi Osinbajo as All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chiefs have returned to the drawing board. The PDP and the Presidency are said to be jittery
From Yusuf Alli, Abuja
over the choice of the professor of Law and former Attorney-General and Commissioner for justice, Lagos State. The ruling party, The Nation learnt last night, was building its campaign against the APC on the following pillars: •If the APC goes for a Moslem-Moslem ticket, it (the PDP) will brand the opposition party as insensitive to Nigeria’s
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Buhari is immensely rich in character. He is affluent in integrity. He is prosperous in credibility. He is wealthy in honesty...Those are greater and more valuable assets than all the material acquisition
glaring religious divides; and •A Southwest candidate will make it difficult for the PDP to
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win the zone’s sympathy. Now the APC has picked a son in-law of the late sage, Chief
Obafemi Awolowo, who is revered even beyond the zone. Osinbajo’s “impeccable” personality has dismantled every plan to launch an attack on the person of the APC presidential running mate, it was said. The ruling PDP had plotted to latch on religious factor to win the sympathy of Nigerians during the campaign for 2015 presidency. There were strong indica-
tions yesterday that the PDP has returned to the drawing board on how to curtail the growing support base for APC. According to sources, PDP leaders were shocked that APC chose a running mate without rancour. It was learnt that PDP had expected a slip from APC in order to make a campaign Continued on page 4
Falana to appeal death sentence on 54 soldiers By Adebisi Onanuga, Snr. Correspondent
L
AGOS lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) has asked the Federal Government to stop the killing of 54 soldiers sentenced to death on Wednesday for mutiny by the general court martial sitting in Abuja. Falana promised to appeal against the decision of the court-martial, which convicted the soldiers. “We shall take all necessary legal measures to prevent the army authorities from giving effect to the genocidal verdict of the courtmartial,” he stated in a statement issued in Lagos. The general court-martial tried another batch of 59 soldiers for conspiracy to mutiny and convicted and sentenced them to death. Five were discharged and acquitted. The acquittal was designed to give the false impression that the dubious verdict was fair and just. Falana said he took the decision because he was convinced that “soldiers who made a leContinued on page 4
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WILL THE CHIBOK GIRLS KIDNAPPED ON APRIL 15 EVER RETURN?
•ON MY HONOUR: From left: Justices Obafemi Adamson; Olabisi Ogungbesan and Adeola Akintoye taking their oath of office as new high court PHOTO: NAN judges in Lagos…yesterday.
Boko Haram abducts 185 in attack on village near Chibok 35 killed Survivors relive ordeal EU condemns killings
STORY ON PAGE 4
•SPORTS P15 •POLITICS P17 •BRAND P26 •AGRIC P38 •SOCIETY P42 •FOREIGN P59