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In one of the most closely-watched Senate races of the year, incumbent Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan of North Carolina holds a narrow three-point advantage over her Republican challenger, according to a new CNN/ORC International survey.

But the poll indicates that Thom Tillis, the GOP nominee, may be falling behind Hagan because a Libertarian candidate could be siphoning off Republican votes.

Hagan edges Tillis, 46%-43%, while Libertarian Sean Haugh has support from 7% likely voters, according to the poll.

The three-point gap between Tillis and Hagan, however, is well within the poll's sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points among likely voters, meaning the candidates are about even.

The race is one of eight Senate contests that CNN rates as "up for grabs" this fall. As Republicans seek to retake the Senate majority, they consider North Carolina one of their best chances to pick up a Democratic seat.

Since Hagan was first elected in 2008, North Carolina has transitioned from somewhat of a purple state to solid red territory. Republicans took the governorship and seized both houses in the state Legislature, and North Carolina was one of two states that voted for Barack Obama in 2008 but Mitt Romney in 2012.

Hagan's favorable rating is 46 percent, indicating that everyone who likes her is going to vote for her. But Tillis gets a 47 percent favorable rating among likely voters, yet only 43 percent of the vote.

"That suggests that there are voters who would probably choose Tillis in a two-way race but aren't going to vote for him in a three-way contest," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.

While Haugh only has the backing of 7 percent of voters, his presence in the race could be hugely influential if Tillis ends up losing to Hagan by just a few percentage points.

The rest is here:
Poll: Libertarian could spoil N.C. race

Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi

THE All Progressives Congress has described as ridiculous President Goodluck Jonathans statement that the Peoples Democratic Party will recover Rivers and Edo States from the hands of the APC in the 2015 and 2016 governorship elections.

The Chairman of the Rivers State Chapter of the APC, Dr. Davies Ikanya, explained that the Presidents optimism was not in line with the realities on the ground in Rivers.

President Jonathan had during a rally organised by the South-South PDP in Edo State on Saturday boasted that his party would take over power after the governorship elections in the two states.

But Ikanya said in a statement on Sunday by his Senior Special Adviser on Media, Chief Chukwuemeka Eze, that the Presidents optimism was based on ignorance about the political realities in the state.

The All Progressives Congress, Rivers State chapter, has dismissed as ridiculous the boast by President Goodluck Jonathan that his Peoples Democratic Party will recover the state from the hands of the APC during the 2015 general elections.

This boast made on Saturday by President Jonathan during the PDPs South-South rally in Benin City, the Edo State capital, is ridiculous because it runs counter to the realities on ground in Rivers State.

President Jonathans boast is obviously based on ignorance about current political realities in Rivers State. He may not have known that the state PDP leader and prospective governorship candidate, Nyesome Wike, has polarised the PDP in Rivers State to the extent that it cannot even win a councillorship seat in a free and fair election.

Wike (Minister of State for Education) is either deluding himself or deliberately feeding Mr. President with lies in a bid to feather his nest, Ikanya added.

Ikanya listed one of the sins of the Jonathan administration against the state as the ceding of oil wells belonging to Rivers to Bayelsa State.

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PDP cant win Rivers, APC replies Jonathan

The All Progressives Congress in Osun State has said that the attack onthe judiciary in Ekiti State is an alleged plan of President GoodluckJonathan tocause crisis in the South West in a bid to capture the region and win the2015 presidential election.

The Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy of the APC in Osun State,Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, said this in a statement he made available to our correspondent in Osogbo on Sunday.

The APC also described the governor-elect in Ekiti State, Mr. Ayo Fayose,as the arrowhead of the Peoples Democratic Partys alleged plan to executethe plan of the President.

The party which accused Fayose of being behind the attack on the court inEkiti State said such attack portended a grave danger to the nations democracy except those behind it were brought to justice quickly.

The statement read, The fact that Federal Government security officialsstood by and watched while Fayose and his rampaging horde of thugs werebeating up judges and lawyers in the premises of the hallowed chambers is clear indication that the PDP Federal Government is complicit.

Politicians should rally and impress it on President Goodluck Jonathanthat if this judicial sacrilege in Ekiti presages his intention for seekinga second term in office, it could well be the beginning of the end ofdemocracy and the rule of law in the country.

It is therefore imperative not only that Fayose and his thugs should bemade accountable, everything should be done to persuade President Jonathan that no Federal Government has survived creating anarchy in the West.

The earlier this lesson is learnt by the Jonathan administration, thebetter for democracy in Nigeria.

Ayo Fayose should be closely watched because he appears to represent PDPsgame plan of using the rule of the jungle to capture and sustain itself inpower. Fayose is possibly the arrowhead of that strategy in the South West.

But the Osun State branch of the PDP has equally accused the APC in thestate of planning to commit arson using thugs who would disguise as membersof the PDP.

Read the rest here:
APC blames Ekiti crisis on Jonathans second term bid

Photo: This Day

The mother of one of the kidnapped Chibok girls.

press release

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Jonathan Administration of seeking to negotiate the timing of the release of the Chibok girls to create a maximum public relations boost for itself, rather than out of a genuine concern for the girls who are now in their sixth month in captivity.

In a statement issued in London on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the clearest evidence of the government's manipulation of the girls' release came during President Goodluck Jonathan's recent visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly.

"Apparently assured, somehow, that the girls were about to be released, the Administration had set up an elaborate publicity event in New York, rented the necessary crowd and booked back-to-back interviews with the international media to enable the President to luxuriate in the girls' release. This event was billed for the five-star Pierre Hotel in Manhattan, close to the UN Headquarters.

"Nigerians will remember that on 23 Sept., the military announced, on Twitter, the imminent release of the girls, only to retract the statement shortly thereafter. In the intervening period, thousands of 'supporters' of the President had gathered at the Pierre Hotel to welcome the President after the release of the girls, while media interviews had been booked for him.

"Such an occasion required prior organisation, and therefore prior knowledge by both the government and attendees of the timing of any release of the girls. This whole episode was timed to also coincide with President Jonathan's speech to the UN General Assembly on the following day - Sept. 24th - and to secure maximum advantage for the government. Somehow, the whole process collapsed like a pack of cards, to the chagrin of those seeking to exploit the innocent girls for political advantage," it said.

APC condemned the shameless politicization of the plight of the Chibok girls, saying since the incompetence of the Jonathan Administration led to the abduction of the girls in the first instance, it must not seek to make political capital out of their release.

"What should be paramount is securing the release of the girls as soon as possible, not securing their release to fit with a schedule that benefits Goodluck Jonathan politically. For the girls, their parents and indeed all good people of Nigeria, this abduction saga has been a nightmare. It is time for it to end," the party said.

Read more here:
Nigeria: APC Accuses Jonathan Administration of Playing Dirty Politics With Chibok Girls' Plight

The All Progressives Congress candidate in the last conducted Senatorial bye-election in Niger East District, David Umaru has sued Dr. Shem Zabgayi of the Peoples Democratic Party and 388 others at the National Assembly Election Tribunal sitting in Minna.

The party is praying to be declared as the winner of the bye-election having polled majority votes as against the PDP candidate that was declared winner by INEC.

Umaru and his party in a petition to the tribunal made available to our correspondent pleaded the tribunal to cancel results from no fewer than 378 polling units in the nine local government areas of the bye-election for electoral malpractices and irregularities.

Others named as respondents in the petition included the PDP, INEC, the Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC and all the presiding officers of the commission that participated in the conduct of the bye-election.

The petitioners are also seeking the order of the tribunal to cancel and deduct the votes scored by all parties in the affected polling units from the final results recorded by INEC to determine the rightful winner of the bye-election.

He said, That if the results of the polling units affected by these non-compliance and irregularities are cancelled and deducted from the total final scores of the candidates, I shall emerge with the highest number of valid Votes cast at the election.

That if the result of the above stated Polling Units that were affected by non-compliance are cancelled and deducted, I shall emerge with the highest number of valid votes cast thus; APC 87405-22491 = 64,914 PDP 92056-53837 = 38,219.

The PDP candidate according to results released by INEC got 92,056 while the APC candidate got 87,406 votes, but David Umaru is asking the tribunal to deduct 22,491 votes from APC results and 53,837 votes from that of PDP in determining the lawful winner of the senatorial bye-election.

The petitioners are also praying the tribunal to declare null and void INEC declaration of Dr. Zabgayi and his party as winner of the senatorial bye-election conducted on August 30 and September 6, 2014 because he did not secure majority of lawful votes and that he was not qualified to contest the election having not been properly sponsored by his party (PDP) in accordance with the Provisions of the Constitution.

According to the petitioners the scores ascribed to each of the candidates as were not the true reflection of the candidates actual scores, rather, the product of deliberate wrong entries and collation of figures made by the 3rd Respondents agents or officers at the polling units.

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Niger East poll: APC drags Zabgayi, 388 others to tribunal