8 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2015
BITS Briefs With IKENNA ASOMBA
Why Buhari will lose Ogun State — PDP chieftain
A
•Worshipers at Imeko City Altar Mercy Land, Abeokuta, Ogun State
Imeko 2014: Celestial holds Christmas convocation A
BEOKUTA, the capital of Ogun state, penultimate Tuesday, was up and alive as members of the Celestial Church of Christ, in their tens of thousands passed through to Imeko-Afon for the 2014 Christmas convocation. The Christmas convocation is an annual gathering of members of the church for a four-day revival and prayer at the Church’s Prayer City in Imeko-Afon, a suburb community in Ogun state, few kilometers away from the Republic of Benin. As Nigerians and other African nationals stormed the city, the event, which held between Monday, December 22 to Thursday, December 25, undoubtedly increased vehicular traffic in and around Abeokuta, home of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. The convocation afforded many members the opportunity to engage themselves in uninterrupted prayers, as chances to meet friends and family, are usually slim. At the 2014 convocation, the first and most vibrant Bible Teaching ministry in Celestial, Maranatha Pavilion International Ministries arrived two days earlier to hold daily revivals aimed at healing, breakthrough, forgiveness of sins and deliverance. Speaking during one of the evening sermons, Visioner of the ministry, Dr. Omololu Oladosu charged members to be Heaven conscious in their dealings with fellow human beings. Similarly, youth members of the church engaged in a doorto-door evangelism to preach the essence of Christ’s birth to everyone, Imeko villagers in particular. The youth did this C M Y K
through well-organized rallies. Meanwhile, the convocation got to its peak every night as gospel artistes who were members of the church treated audience to soul lifting gospel songs. Among the artiste present for this year’s convocation include, Abel Dosumu (aka Mega99), Esther Igbekele Iwalesin and the King of gospel himself, Femi Opalemo.
Others were Remilekun Olabamiji, Steve Pelemo (BroBro), Johnny Souru, from the Republic of Benin as well as evergreen gospel singer, Akin Adebayo popularly known as Imole Ayo and many others. Also, Choirs of more than 14 parishes participated in the yearly musical competition, to give members a thrilling and memorable experience of the three-day activities.
n Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chieftain, Otunba Olukoye Ijaduoye, has said that the dishonouring of Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s home by the Buhari-led military regime and the brutalisation of other sons of the state by the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari barely three days after he assumed power through a military coup would make him fail to get votes from the state in the 2015 Presidential election. Ijaduoye, who made this assertion pointed that Buhari had manifested his hatred for the Yoruba people and Ogun state in particular with the unlawful detention of the former Governor of the state, Late Bisi Onabanjo – the Aiyekoto himself, whom he detained and sent to Bauchi prison; Papa Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade and the highly respected Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero who were not detained, but were virtually restricted to their palaces and had their passports seized.
Don’t trade experience for experiment, Fashola tells Lagosians
T
housands of Artisans, tradesmen and farmers in Lagos State, were urged on Tuesday, not to trade experience in government business for experiment, trial and error that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP wants to bank on in the state. Governor Babatunde Fashola made this remark when he presented the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC in the state, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode and vice presidential candidate of the party, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, to them. At the interactive town hall meeting at the Agidingbi premises of LTV, Fashola said Mr Ambode is better suited for the state’s number one job because of his competence, saying he worked with him for over six years as Accountant General of the state and would start from where he hands over the baton to him. He said he can thump his chest and vouch for the governorship candidate of the APC in Lagos State as one who would be a worthy successor to him.
2015: I ‘ll develop Oke Ogun area, if … — Ladoja
A
CCORD Party governorship candidate in Oyo state, Senator Rasidi Adewolu Ladoja has stressed that Oke Ogun area of oyo state holds the key to the economic development of the state if the natural resource God has deposited there is fully harnessed. Addressing leaders of Oke Ogun led by former deputy governor of the state, Chief Hamid Gbadamosi who visited him in his Bodija resident in Ibadan, to pledge support for his aspiration to govern the state, Accord governorship candidate expressed gratitude for the support shown him by the elders pointing that Oke Ogun could play a pivotal role that will ensure the state becomes less dependent on what it gets from the federal government. Noting that monies accruing to the state are increasingly becoming insufficient with the dwindling oil prices, he said the state needs to look inward to meet her financial challenges.
•Worshipers at Imeko City Altar Mercy Land
THE TEAM Editor: Adeleke Adeseri
Correspondents: Ola Ajayi Gbenga Olarinoye Dayo Johnson Gbenga Ariyibi Dapo Akinrefon Daud Olatunji Olasunkanmi Akoni Monsur Olowoepejo Ikenna Asomba
Ibadan Osogbo Akure Ado Ekiti Abeokuta Lagos
PDP Crisis: Bode Olajumoke calls for truce in Ondo
T
he Senatorial Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the Ondo North Senatorial District of Ondo State, Dr. Bode Olajumoke, Tuesday, called for truce in the crisis bedeviling the party. He appealed to the aggrieved members of the party in the state to bury the hatchet and come fully on board for victory for the party in the 2015 elections. This is coming as jubilation greeted the acceptance and clearance by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, of the Senatorial and the House of Representatives’ candidates. Olajumoke, while addressing PDP top shots in the District at his Campaign Organization office in Akungba Akoko, asked them to join hands with Governor Olusegun Mimiko in his quest for victory for the Party.