Liberia: Former Team Mates Reject Senator Weah’s Presidential Bid

Some former players of and team mates of former soccer player turned Senator Mr. George Weah say they will not support his Presidential bid.

Spokesperson of Former Lone Star Players Dionysius Sebwe

Local media in the Liberian capital on Friday report that some of the players who are also long time friends of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) Presidential candidate Senator George Weah out rightly rejected his bid saying he has done nothing to advance sports in the country since he became a senator.

15 former players also say Senator Weah is not qualified to be President of Liberia.

Former Lone Star Player Ezekiel Doe

A local daily Front page Africa quoted a spokesperson for the former players in a statement as saying, “…the group wishes to stress that as Liberia sustains its fledgling democracy, it is incumbent upon all of us as citizens to choose the right leader of this country based on qualification, competence, experience and maturity; not on friendship, mere popularity, and certainly not on tribal or ethnic affiliation.”

Senator Weah has seen a massive erosion of support among various sectors of the Liberian electorate with just a few days before elections scheduled for October 10th. Senator Weah’s latest loss of support from former team mates is a major blow to his struggling campaign. A common and daily criticism of the CDC candidate Senator Weah focuses on is his inability to convey his ideas or discuss his plans for the country.

According to our Monrovia correspondent, a survey of ordinary Liberians say , although they are stunned by the rejection of Senator Weah by his former teammates, they are not surprised because his campaign has not done its homework on winning over key sectors of the Liberian electorate other than his base which is about 22 – 25%.

Senator Weah’s base has not grown to attract new demographics across Liberia since 2005.

A senior CDC executive reached by phone in Monrovia acknowledged to West African Times that it was a big setback for the party that former teammates of their candidate were rejecting his bid. Excitement for Weah has dropped significantly in recent days since his “escape” from the last Presidential debate on Tuesday.

The party official declined further comment and said they party officials were still studying their current situation.

Reporting by Grace Roberts in Darkar Bureau and James Paye in Monrovia

 

Egypt Destroys Convoy of Suspected Traffickers

Cairo – The Egyptian air force said  on Thursday that it had destroyed a convoy of 10 all-terrain vehicles in the country’s western desert suspected of smuggling weapons from Libya.

Map of Egypt

The raid was carried out on the basis of information that “criminal elements were preparing to infiltrate” Egypt, said army spokesperson Colonel Tamer el-Refai in a statement.

The officer said that the vehicles were attacked once they entered Egyptian territory, but he did not specify the fate of those in the convoy.

Egypt, which has struck jihadist targets inside Libya, regularly warns of a spillover of instability from its lawless western neighbour, a haven of arms and people trafficking.

The country has been battling an insurgency of its own since the military’ ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

Jihadists have killed hundreds of members of Egypt’s security forces, while more than 100 Copts have died in church bombings since December.

Kenya’s Talks Collapse On How To Conduct A Fresh Election

Nairobi – Kenya’s officials say talks have collapsed between the electoral commission, ruling party and opposition on how to conduct fresh presidential elections.

Map of Kenya

Senator James Orengo, opposition candidate Raila Odinga’s representative, on Thursday said the talks failed because the ruling party has introduced changes in the electoral law and is using its majority in parliament to remove a requirement that results be transmitted electronically, a measure introduced to curb electoral fraud following the 2007 flawed poll.

Kenya’s electoral commission set October 26 to rerun the presidential elections after the Supreme Court nullified President Uhuru Kenyatta’s August re-election citing irregularities and illegalities in the vote-counting.

Odinga has said he will not participate in the fresh poll without major reforms of the electoral commission. Kenyatta has said he does not want changes.

Source: AFP

Editorial: Liberty Party Brumskine Must Answer For His Role In Taylor Govt

Darkar, Senegal – Former Liberian Senate Pro Temp in the Taylor Administration and current presidential hopeful of the Liberty Party (LP) Counselor Charles Walker Brumskine must fully answer for his role in the Taylor government and his refusal to side with the Status of Forces Agreement which would have kept the West African Peacekeeping Force ECOMOG in Liberia.

LP Charles W. Brumskine

Was he part of the problem? Could he have saved Liberia from the tyranny of a ruthless and evil leader that caused so much harm to the country?

Were his inaction and indecisiveness on the right and moral side of peace when Liberians needed him most in terms of protection from warlords and the murderous Taylor regime warranted?

Brumskine’s role can best be described as “part responsible” and a key factor in the subsequent departure of ECOMOG and the free reign of Taylor and his confidantes to systematically murder Liberians and our friendly neighbors in the Mano River Region.

The scheme Brumskine masterminded with approval from the warlord Taylor asserted the sovereignty of Liberia as the basis for negotiating the Status of Forces Agreement and which weakened the ability of ECOMOG to remain in the country. Brumskine appears as a “saint” now and claims that he had nothing to do with the evil Taylor regime. Shame on you!

As a powerful member of the Liberian senate, Brumskine held sway over major international agreements, including negotiations and passage of the Status of Forces Agreement with West African leaders which would have kept peacekeepers in Liberia for the protection of defenseless citizens and foreign friends.

Instead, he collaborated with his boss Charles Taylor, who fought and murdered peacekeepers and nationals from foreign countries who were tasked with keeping the peace. Taylor is on record as opposing the peacekeeping force and calling for their departure saying, “Liberians are capable of resolving a Liberian issue.”

Charles Taylor

Notwithstanding, Taylor had a different plan.  It was to get to the Executive Mansion, even if it meant killing and maiming anything and everything in his path and he almost succeeded with the help of his rebels and key confidante Brumskine who chose a fat “government position” over the protection and safety of Liberians. He was exactly the kind of tool that Taylor wanted and got.

Never has Brumskine offered a convincing explanation for his role in the Taylor government even when he was acutely aware of the horrific abuses and murders and the much hated international profile of Taylor. He humanized Taylor by serving as President Pro Tempore of the Senate crafting and making laws like the ones that got the peacekeepers to leave.

Anyone and all who, in anyway contributed to the murder and destruction in Liberia bears full responsibility. Brumskine should have been truthful with Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation process by acknowledging his full role and responsibility as an actor in Taylor’s  operations and using poor judgment in supporting the convicted and jailed war criminal.

Flag of Liberia

The question is why isn’t Brumskine open about this so that the Liberian people can know those who are truly “wolves in sheep’s clothing?” Taylor bore the brunt of the conviction punishment but Brumskine is also a silent and slick collaborator.

Brumskine must apologize to Liberians and the international community for his role in the decision to get rid of peacekeepers that could have saved lives and the massive destruction that occurred in the country.

Liberians must hold Brumskine accountable  and reject him on October 10th for this role and never forget his association with Charles Taylor.

 

Mugabe: Zim Crisis Triggered By ‘Judases’ Who Want My Position

Harare – President Robert Mugabe on Thursday likened some ruling party officials to Judas Iscariot, saying they wanted to betray him in order to seize power.

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe

Speaking at the funeral of the widow of former vice president Joseph Msika, Mugabe said the unnamed associates wanted to use the chaos “to effect regime change”.

‘Iscariots of our times’

“There are those who tamper with our currency to trigger inflation. Those people are among us,” Mugabe said, speaking in Shona.

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“Like Jesus said, that those we eat with are the ones who will sell us out. The Judas Iscariots of our times,” Mugabe said, in comments translated by the state-run Herald online.

This was the second time in a week that Mugabe has accused party insiders of trying to trigger an uprising against his government by creating economic hardships.

Map of Zimbabwe

On Monday he got home from New York to declare that “saboteurs”, some possibly within the party, were responsible for last weekend’s panic-buying and shortages.

‘They will not succeed’

In his funeral speech on Thursday, Mugabe said his position had been given to him by “the people” and could not be seized by force.

“To those who are scheming to effect regime change, they will not succeed,” the president warned, to cheers from thousands of supporters. Some cabinet members believed to be aligned to a faction linked to his wife Grace gave the president a standing ovation.

Mugabe’s government has threatened to get tough on illegal foreign currency dealers who trade scarce US dollars on the street. On Wednesday, the finance minister said police would be given powers to arrest the traders and seize their money. The desperate measure was announced as foreign currency shortages worsen, raising fears of a return to the 2007-2008 economic crisis.

Source: News24

Hundreds of Togolese Seek Sanctuary in Ghana

Accra – Hundreds of Togolese nationals have fled to neighbouring Ghana to escape reprisals after a wave of anti-government protests, a Ghanaian official said on Wednesday.

President Faure Gnassingbe

Paddy Tetteh, from the Ghana Refugee Board, said the first batch arrived last Wednesday and although numbers had since fallen, more were still trying to come in.

“They are close to 300,” he told AFP. Most were in the northern district of Chereponi, close to Ghana’s eastern border, he added.

Chereponi chief executive Abdul Razak Tahiru told reporters that food, mats, bedding and mosquito nets had been distributed to the refugees.

“Due to the demonstrations in Mango (northern Togo), they are beating them and they have decided to run for their lives,” he was quoted as saying by local media.

“Yesterday (Tuesday), the pressure was too much because the people learned that there was going to be another demonstration from Wednesday to Friday.”

Nationwide shut-down 

Hundreds of thousands of Togolese have taken to the streets in recent weeks to call for the resignation of President Faure Gnassingbe, who has been in power since 2005.

He took over from his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled Togo for 38 years from 1967.

Map of Togo

The security forces cracked down on the protests in Mango and at least one person was killed and more than 20 others injured, according to official figures.

“The military conducted punitive expeditions throughout the night (of Wednesday to Thursday last week),” said Togo opposition member Brigitte Adjamagbo-Johnson.

Togo’s presidency has instead blamed the protesters and said it had never given approval for demonstrations in the area.

At least four people have been killed since the start of the protests in August. Opposition parties and civil society groups say dozens were injured in the north last week.

As well as Gnassingbe’s resignation, the protesters also want changes to the country’s constitution to limit the number of presidential mandates to two.

A nationwide shut-down has been called for Friday.

Source: AFP

Opposition Governor First To Announce Nigeria Presidency Bid

Abuja – A leading Nigerian opposition politician on Thursday said he intended to run for president in 2019, becoming the first candidate to stake his claim for the country’s top job.

Nigeria Flag and Seal

Peter Ayodele Fayose, the governor of the southwestern state of Ekiti, formally launched his bid to be the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate at an Abuja hotel.

The 56-year-old has been one of the most outspoken critics of President Muhammadu Buhari and his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party.

“This is to inform you formally that I will seek to contend the 2019 presidential election,” he said in a speech.

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“I am confident that with your support as my party leaders and supporters I will defeat the incumbent president… in a free and fair election.”

But Fayose could face an uphill battle for the PDP nomination as the party has said its presidential candidate for the vote on February 16, 2019 will be from the Muslim-majority north.

Many PDP lawmakers quit the party before the 2015 election because then-president Goodluck Jonathan reneged on an apparent promise to step down for a northern candidate.

No obvious candidate from the north has yet emerged but there has been speculation northeasterner and former vice-president Atiku Abubakar could leave the APC and rejoin the PDP.

He has made several previous bids for the presidency.

Chibok ‘fake’ 

One of Fayose’s supporters, former aviation minister Femi Fani-Kayode, said which geographical “zone” the candidate came from was immaterial.

“If nobody has come out from the north… are we meant to wait?” Fani-Kayode, who was spokesperson for Jonathan’s failed re-election bid in 2015, told delegates.

“I believe he (Fayose) has done the right and appropriate thing to begin the process and he will make an excellent president.”

Map of Nigeria

Fayose has urged Buhari to resign and criticised his decision to be treated abroad for an undisclosed illness that has kept him out of the country for most of the year.

He claimed during the 2015 election campaign that Buhari had terminal prostate cancer, was too old to be president and would die in office.

In May last year, Fayose declared “war” against nomadic herdsmen – most of them northerners and Muslim – following clashes with largely Christian farmers in Ekiti.

He has also said Boko Haram’s kidnapping for more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls in April 2014 was fake and a political ploy by the north to topple southerner Jonathan.

Source: AFP

Nigeria -Biafra Agitation: IPOB Declares Leader Nnamdi Kanu Missing

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have officially declared leader of the group, Nnamdi Kanu, missing.

Biafra Seccesionist Leader Nnamdi Kanu

IPOB’s lawyer has subsequently filed a case in court seeking the government and the army to be compelled to produce the 50-year-old.

#IPOB: Separatist group declares leader Nnamdi #Kanu missing; his lawyer urges court to compel #Nigeria Army chief to produce him. pic.twitter.com/mnrvxwqEJM

— Nnamdi Obasi (@NnamdiObasi) September 28, 2017

The army two weeks ago said Kanu was on the run after a clash between troops and members of the group at his family house in the south-east Abia State.

The group has been legally labeled a terrorist and militant organization after the government gazetted a court order it secured last week. The United States, however, says it did not recognize it as such – a move the government described as unfortunate.

Kanu until April 2017 held in detention for over a year and half on charges of treason. He was only released on strict bail conditions – most of which he said to have flouted.

Map of Biafra

He holds Nigerian and British nationalities is pushing for a separate republic of Biafra. The earlier push for a separate country was championed by Chief Ojukwu nearly 50 years ago.

The declaration of independence sparked a civil war which left more than a million people dead. President Buhari has previously said the unity of Nigeria was non-negotiable.

Liberia: Support Grows for Alexander Cummings of the ANC

Cummings After Presidential Debate

Registered voters in the West African country of Liberia say they are now convinced that the leader of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) Mr. Alexander B. Cummings is the right leader for them as candidates criss cross the country in the final days of campaigning.

The West African Times correspondent in Monrovia reports that a huge number of registered voters who have become disaffected with the lackluster campaign of the ruling Unity Party (UP) and Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) are trooping to the headquarters and local offices of the ANC daily for more information on the party’s programs and leader Mr. Alexander B. Cummings Jr. Hundreds of citizens are usually seen mobbing the campaign motorcade of Cummings. Recently, in Lofa and Bong Counties, northwestern and central Liberia, Cummings was welcomed by thousands of supporters.

ANC and Cummings Supporters

CDC supporters Mamie Gaye and Tolay Bardu told our reporter that their decision to support Cummings was based on the lack of any engagement from the CDC or explanation of its programs. Ms Gaye and Ms. Bardu who displayed their voter registration cards said, as young ladies, they and others have seen no real program, especially for women who have been supporting the party.

They confirmed that there were other young CDC supporters who had become very disappointed and were ready to support Cummings. An aide at the ANC main office disclosed that they were receiving hundreds of calls daily from various parts of Liberia inviting the Mr. Cummings to visit with them.

On Thursday, the ANC through its Presidential candidate Alexander B. Cummings Jr. seized on the current moment and launched the party’s platform at their headquarters in the Sinkor area.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=316449218822108&id=100013710966862

Core programs of the ANC platform include primary and scholarship programs in Education, Infrastructure provision like electricity, clean water, countrywide telephone and internet connectivity, the Economy and Job Creation. According to Mr. Cummings, his administration will prioritize good governance and the rule of law, agriculture, health and women and youth issues.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1455596507863472&id=1142516815838111

Meantime, there is growing opposition to the CDC Presidential candidate Senator George Weah and incumbent Vice President Joseph Boaika of the ruling UP. According to a cross section of registered voters who spoke to our reporter, the refusal of Senator Weah and Mr. Boakai to attend the Presidential debate on Tuesday was key to their decision to oppose the election of the two candidates.

“Weah and Boakai cannot tell us how they plan to govern and what their manifestos are. This is alarming for us Liberians,” a registered voter named Tony Mason said.

Liberia holds Presidential and General Elections on October 10th.

Reporting by Timbo Ngozi in our Lagos Bureau and James Paye in Monrovia

South Africa: ‘Whites Only’ Job Ad Removed After 20 days

Cape Town – An advert specifying that “only white candidates” should apply for a digital design position in the Western Cape was removed from a local recruitment website on Wednesday afternoon – more than 20 days after it was posted.

Map of South Africa

People Solved, based in Cape Town, posted the advert on September 5 at the behest of one of its clients.

No deadline for applications was provided in the advertisement which called for applicants for an intermediate to senior user experience (UX) design post.

The package was estimated at R420 000 per annum.

 “Please note. Only white candidates,” the advert read.

It did not specify the name of the company seeking to fill the position. It was also not known how many applications the advert had since garnered.

People Solved director Simon Hill said the advert was removed as soon as News24 had alerted them to the “mistake”.

“We are investigating the incident and as you’ve seen, immediately removed the advert when we noticed it,” Hill said.

“I can tell you this is the first of its kind that something like this happens.”

Hill said a junior employee posted the advert without checking the content.

Companies send the information about vacancies to administrative officers who then process it and post it onto the website, Hill said.

“I can assure you that we do not accept anything like this.”

Hill did not want to disclose the name of the relevant company.

“We will be talking to the company and possibly reviewing if we still want to work with them [in future],” he said.

Source: News24