Singer to release debut album "God Over Everything", August 1

l

Patoranking has announced the release date of his debut album “God Over Everything” (GOE).

The singer who broke through in 2013 with the hit single ‘Alubarika’, and has gone on to become one of Africa’s most revered dancehall artistes with his unique fusion of Reggae, Dancehall and Afrobeat, is set to release his debut album.

The new album will be released on August 1, and will contain new single ‘No Kissing Baby’ featuring Ghanaian Sarkodie, with very few details revealed about the inclusion of his earlier singles.

“Expect the unexpected.” Patoranking said about the “GOE” album. “It has a song for everyone, for people of all ages, class and from all parts of Africa. I wanted to pay homage to my roots and also embrace the new school African music scene that is taking over the world. I can’t wait for the world to hear it, to hear us.”

Patoranking this week released the video to his new single "No Kissng Baby" the visuals was directed by DAPS. He has had a great year so far, starring as a judge on acclaimed TV show, The Voice.

For exclusive information about Patoranking’s debut album and the journey thus far, follow @FireRepublik on Instagram and Twitter. Also, follow the conversation via the hashtag #GOEtheAlbum.

Manchester City forward meets new coach, Guardiola

Nigerian and Manchester City forward, Kelechi Iheanacho on Sunday, July 3 met his new club coach, Pep Guardiola during the club’s kit launch.

Guardiola will next season manage City having signed for the Premier League club after three years at Bayern Munich.

Although Iheanacho would have probably met Guardiola in private, the duo was publicly seen together for the first time on Sunday.

Iheanacho and Guardiola were seen together on stage at 'Cityzens weekend' as the club unveiled their new kit ahead of next season.

Manchester City stick with their traditional blue colour with a darker feel to it.

According to City, the new strip incorporates cutting-edge Nike AeroSwift technology and is befitting of Guardiola’s ‘renowned attention to detail’.

The new shirt, the club says is designed to enhance mobility, reduce weight and remove the distractions that hamper performance.

Alongside Iheanacho, players from the youth sides and women's team were also at the unveiling.

Drama in store as Zlatan writes final chapter

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is to write the final chapter in a glittering career with Manchester United in England's Premier League and although drama is guaranteed, a happy ending is not.

A reunion with Jose Mourinho at one of the game's most iconic clubs who have fallen on hard times is a perfect recipe for a season of twists and turns, on and off the field.

The prospect of one of the biggest egos in the game at one of the largest clubs in the world, and in a country which has often questioned Ibra's self-confessed greatness, will make for compelling viewing when the new season kicks off in August.

 

But given his advancing years, the recent turmoil at Old Trafford and the lack of Champions League football next season, there are clouds on the horizon.

After leaving Paris St Germain following four trophy-laden seasons in the French capital, the 34-year-old arrives at a club reeling from three turbulent seasons in which they have struggled to recreate the glory days of Alex Ferguson.

Ibra's arrival should be a major boost to United as they seek to re-establish themselves as a force in the Premier League, but he is not without recent baggage of his own.

 

He may have banged in goals for fun in France, but his underwhelming performances in the Champions League as PSG were knocked out by Manchester City at the quarter-final stage attracted much criticism.

It is not the first time he has failed to shine against an English side, leaving many fans to wonder if in fact he was worthy of the slew of league titles he won in Netherlands, Spain, Italy and France, or if he simply played for teams that were much better and richer than their domestic rivals.

He departed PSG only to return to France a few weeks later with Sweden for Euro 2016, but once again he went missing when his side needed him most against Ireland, Italy and Belgium.

Indeed, the ease with which the Irish journeyman backline comprised of Sunderland's John O'Shea and Ciaran Clark, who was relegated from the Premier League last season with Aston Villa, was able to handle him will be cause for concern for his new employers.

As his brief spell at Barcelona showed, he is not known for calming troubled waters in the dressing room and he could clash with United's other big names such as Wayne Rooney as a new hierarchy is established.

In his favour is his excellent relationship with new United boss Mourinho.

They won the Italian league title together at Inter Milan and the Portuguese coach is one of the few people in football whose opinion Ibrahimovic respects.

It is clear that a career spent as one of the most feared frontmen in the game has taken its toll on Ibrahimovic, and despite his enormous physical strength, he has battled a number of niggling injuries in recent years.

With retirement looming, he has also devoted more time to his commercial interests and there is little doubt that playing for global brand like Manchester United played a big part in his decision to move to England.

What is undimmed, however, is his burning desire to win and while it may not be guaranteed that he will do so at Old Trafford, it will be fascinating for English football fans to see if he can live up to his own considerable hype.

Edo PDP asks INEC to ignore embattled chairman’s candidate

The Edo state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ignore Ali Modu Sheriff’s candidate for the upcoming governorship elections.

The PDP also added that Osagie Ize-Iyamu remains the only recognised candidate who will stand in the elections.

The National Publicity Secretary of the Ahmed Makarfi faction, Prince Dayo Adeyeye said "In Edo, the Sheriff faction is saying INEC must recognise the candidate submitted by it (Sheriff faction). How would INEC take something from a man that is only a busybody to the party?

“If a court had ruled that Sheriff is not the chairman of the PDP, how then would a court say that INEC should recognise a candidate recognised by Sheriff.”

Adding that “Sheriff is saying that he is the national chairman of the PDP by a court order even when the governors and other members of the party have rejected him. Some people are trying to use the judiciary to destroy Nigeria’s democracy.

“An example is what is playing out in Abia State. But we are not going to allow our nation’s democracy to be destroyed. Nigeria has become a laughing stock and we must sensitise people to this because it (indiscriminate court injunctions) is a new development.

APC slams Deputy Senate President over letter to UN

The Enugu state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu for the united nation about his forgery case.

The party also called on Ekweremadu not to politicise the allegations of forgery levelled against him and the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

The Deputy Senate President had alleged that there was an attempt to silence him as the leader and highest ranking member of the opposition in the country, all in the name of prosecuting an alleged forgery case.

According to the  Enugu APC Chairman, Ben Nwoye, “After all, how many indicted citizens of foreign nations have ever written to Nigerian government to intervene in their matter.

“Calling on UN to intervene on the forgery amounts to seeding our sovereignty to foreign nations. The CIA director and many US senators and government officials were over the years indicted and convicted, did they write to Nigeria?

“Some of the officials pleaded guilty and resigned and never wrote to any foreign country, including Nigeria. Those involved should face trial and stop invoking tribal, religious and ethnic sentiments.”

“We want to advise them to stop heating up the polity. After all, there are millions of Nigerians who are facing different trials like rape, corruption, among others, have they written the international community for interventions? We don’t want a situation where the law of the land would be for a selected few," he added.

Nwoye also said Ekweremadu’s action was aimed at embarrassing the APC government.

APC confirms existence of cabal in President’s government

The Kwara State branch of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that there is truly a cabal in President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.

The claim was earlier made by Senate President, Bukola Saraki who said that some powerful people were controlling Buhari.

The Kwara APC’s comments are contained in a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Sulyman Buhari on Tuesday, June 28, 2016.

It reads:

The statement by Mr. Femi Adesina on behalf of Mr. President is not only unpresidential, it also failed to convincingly dismiss the widely held view of Nigerians that, indeed, there is a government within the government of Mr. President.

It is instructive to note that the Senate President is not the first Nigerian to express such observations.

The Senate President, through the press statement he personally signed, only called the attention of Mr. President to the danger ahead if the ugly situation is permitted to fester.

In fact, the statement by Mr. Adesina is the clearest indication that a government exists within the government of Mr. President. The President that we know, the President that we have worked with, the President that we have worked for, the President that we voted for, would not have directed his media adviser to issue such an un-presidential statement. That statement is a confirmation of the Senate President’s observation.

The intention of people like Adesina in the Villa is to create a discord between Mr. President and the Senate President, but that will never happen. It is the same cabal that embarrassed Mr. President himself by padding the 2016 national budget, including the budget of Aso Rock, to the extent of inflating some figures in the Villa expenditures.

It is the same cabal that has made it nearly impossible for many ministers and Special Advisers to have access to Mr. President. The Presidency should be reminded that a cabal hijacked and destroyed the government of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

My life is in danger – Uche Ogah says

The governorship tussle in Abia state has assumed a new dimension, as rumours of death threats have started making the rounds.

Premium Times reports that Uche Ogah’s aide, Peter Kalu revealed that his boss has gone into hiding for his safety.

Kalu also added that Ogah has been receiving death threats from different quarters.

 The electoral body’s action was based on an Abuja High court ruling ordering the Abia Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu to vacate office.

Ikpeazu has since asked residents of Abia to be calm, adding that he has gotten an injunction to stop any judicial officer in Nigeria from swearing in Ogah.

Reports say the Abia Chief Judge, Theresa Uzoukwu is also hiding somewhere in the state.

"We're ready to die," PDP forbids Ogah's inauguration as governor

The Abia chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that it will resist any attempt to inaugurate, Sampson Ogah, as the new governor of the state.

“We are ready for them, we are ready to die,” the party said, adding, “If they do it, then they are inviting anarchy and confusion in the state."

The party made the resolution and declaration at the end of its emergency meeting in Umuahia on Thursday, June 30.

The state Chairman of the party, Johnson Onuigbo, accompanied by members of the executive committee, said the party got wind of a plan to flood the state with military personnel.

Mr. Onuigbo said such an invasion would trigger off anarchy, adding that the party was poised for showdown over the planned inauguration.

He described the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which ordered that Mr. Ogah be sworn in as “a rape of democracy.”

The court, presided over by Justice Okon Abang, on Tuesday ordered Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to vacate office as governor over the case of tax evasion.

Justice Abang also ordered that Mr. Ogah, who came second in the PDP primaries, should be sworn in as the governor.

Mr. Ogah was also issued the Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja on Thursday.

The PDP chairman, however, said the judgment and issuance of Certificate of Return to Mr. Ogah had undermined the peace and tranquillity enjoyed in the state.

“Abia is not safe. I didn’t want to believe the rumour that the state will soon be invaded by the army because this is not a war zone.

“We want to inform the world that there is tension in Abia because democracy is about to be raped.

“As a party, we will resist any move by anybody to undermine the peace in the state,” Mr. Onuigbo said.

He said that as a law-abiding state, the government had obtained an exparte injunction “restraining the state Chief Judge or any other judges from swearing in Mr. Ogah as governor”.

“We are ready for them, we are ready to die,” he said, adding, “If they do it, then they are inviting anarchy and confusion in the state.

“We are in a democracy so we want the world to hear and know that we are being shortchanged in Abia,” he said.

Mr. Onuigbo said the party had sent emissaries to Mr. Ogah to persuade him “to sheath his sword and allow peace to reign in Abia” to no avail.

He said that at the end of the current crisis, the party would met out sanction to Mr. Ogah for disregarding entreaties from the chieftains of the party.