Benji Uba Spanks Ngige, says he should be held responsible

[ Masterweb Reports: Emmanuel Obe reports ] – In reaction to the allegation of electoral impropriety in the inconclusive Anambra governorship election levelled by All Progrssives Congress against the ruling party in Anambra State, All Progressives Grand Alliance,  a chieftain of APGA, Mr. Beji Uba,  describes the election as the best ever in Nigeria. He spoke withEmmanuel Obe in this interview.
 

Q. What is your impression about the November 16 Governorship election?


A.    The November 16th election was the best election that Nigeria has witnessed. I say this not because it did not have its own problems, but because, for the first time, nobody was able to rig the election. Those who planned to rig where utterly disappointment because of tight security. I think some of them, especially Dr. Chris Ngige of the APC are making statements out of frustration for not having the opportunity to unleash their rigging machines as they planned. May be it was a Freudian slip for Dr. Chris Ngige to complain about the so many security agencies that came into the State, simply because all that they planned were thwarted. Tell me when having adequate security has become a problem?


While I say this, may I remind you that shortly before the elction, Ngige was shouting of fake police and NYSC uniforms being sewed, those that knew him rightly predicted that for him to be shouting that meant that was what he was planning to do. Now, all the people caught during the election, including 181 persons from Osun State arrested in Imo State with fake ballot boxes, police and NYSC uniforms were all members of the APC.


Going by events that transpired before the election, Dr. Chris Ngige should by now helping security people in their investigations. It appears he knows so much
Still on my impression about the election, I can say that in terms of deployment of materials for the election and the conduct of INEC officials, I think there was a marked improvement to what it used to be.


Though a few disgruntled elements led by the bad loser, Dr. Chris Ngige are crying and rolling on the ground, distinguished Anambrarians, the Chairman of   ASATU, Dr. Innocent Onwubuya; Chairman of Ohaneze, Elder Chris Elumuno; Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife; Igwe Gibson Nwosu, among others who were active participants at the election have upheld its fairness.


Has it occurred to you that only APC members are against the election? Suddenly Ngige who called Ifeanyi Uba a criminal debtor and Tony Nwoye a cultist during electioneering galvanized them into protest as their spokesperson. If the same rapidity with which he united them for a common purpose is employed to unite Igbos in the National Assembly to work for Igbos, he would not have been counted among Senators that did not propose a single bill since he went to the Senate.


All in all, the election was the freest ever conducted. Security measures taken made rigging somewhat difficult. INEC also introduced some security measures that has made it difficult for people to rig.
 

Q. INEC has declared it inconclusive. Do you think it is justified?


A.    What other justification are you looking for, when they have followed what the electoral law says? It is inconclusive but valid. Rather than disobey the law and offer enemies of democracy a reason to go to Court, it is infinitely better to have a supplementary election. We support it and will participate fully.


Those who know Ngige will tell you that he is only building a case to justify his failure. By saying he is boycotting the election, he is creating the room to claim that he would have won if he did not boycott. The man is a terrible person.
 

Q. Your party is leading in the so far received results. Do you think APGA can maintain the lead and eventually win?


A.    APGA as predicted is leading comfortably. Nothing will stop APGA as far as Anambra State is concerned. The people of the State see APGA as their own identity. What else do you want them to do? Join APC? This is not possible since our needs from the country are antipodal to their own. The other day, Igbos were celebrating the possibility of a National Dialogue, only for the leader of the APC to say that it was not necessary. How they we represent their position and what our people want?


If Igbos voted the other way, it all means they have lost their sanity and are no longer worthy to be called the illustrious sons of their progeny. Why do I say so? No sane man can vote for a party that deported their people. The other day, Hon. Tony Muonago, speaking for APC kicked against the change of the name of Anambra State University to Chukwuemeka Odumwgwu-Ojukwu University. Is this the type of party that dream of winning in Anambra State?
 

Q. INEC Chairman did say the election was messed up in Idemili North Local Government Area. Do you agree with him?


A.    Prof. Attahiru Jega is a man without cant; he is one Nigerian that has not been compromised. Those of us on the ground know that the election was heavily messed up in Idemili North, but it is just one among 21 Local Government Areas and cannot be said that the messing up of the election there was substantial to call for the cancellation of the entire exercise.


Dr. Chris Ngige is from Idemili and his rigging expertise is directly related to the perennial problem that Local Government witness each time election is contested, within the Ngige Era. In 2010, he inflated the votes he got in the area by adding 10,000 votes to himself always in collusion with INEC officials. This time around, he planned all kind of rigging and magic which has become his trademark. Thanks to the Federal Government that security was water tight. When it was clear that he could not execute his nefarious plans, he, as usual, started crying. He is very good at presenting the picture of the victim, even when he is always the aggressor.


Now, the problem encountered in Idemili North was inadequate and half hazard deployment of materials. We are sure that APC colluded with some people to take away those materials. We therefore advice INEC to call back those materials and if already thumb printed, as we suspect, we know the party that were thumb printed for.


I am happy Nigerians and the people of the State now know Ngige for what he is: a terrible human being, an unrepentant liar and an old man becalmed in bad and odd ways

Q. The opposition, mainly PDP, APC and LP have called for the cancellation of the polls citing massive irregularities like missing names on voters' register, diversion of materials and non-availability of result sheets. How do you react to that?


A.    Let me ask you one question; If tomorrow, INEC says that the result of the election was not properly counted and after recounting it was discovered that Dr. Chris Ngige of the APC won, what do you think will be Ngige’s reaction? APC and Ngige will carry Jega shoulder high as the best INEC Chairman Nigeria will never have again. What I am just trying to say is that what Ngige and his ilk are doing is the acute manifestation of bad loser syndrome.


They are however insignificant when compares to Anambra people that have continued to commend the election as the best so far. Calling for the cancellation of the election is the only option available to them, since they cannot win, even if they join forces together.


Q. The parties have accused APGA, INEC and the security agencies of collaborating to rig the election. What do you have to say to that?


A.    Would Security agencies rig in favour of APGA or the PDP?   We are not strangers to Ngige’s rascality. When election was approaching, he was alleging all manner of crimes, even those he saw in his dream, against APGA. The wise Peter Obi and Willie Obiano ignored him and continued with their campign. Off course everybody in Anambra knows that whenever Ngige plans to commit crime, he will allege that another person was planning to do so.


Q. Should your party win what kind of relationship would you have with the opposition?


A.    After victory, the only party we will recognize in Anambra is the congregation of men of integrity that are interested in the development of Anambra State. We shall work with anybody who has something to offer. We shall go the extra mile to preach to people to have the disposition to work for the State and not for selfish reasons or put up the type of character consistent with Dr., Chris Ngige, whereby he is at the National; Assembly at Abuja as Senator, without contributing anything or proposed any bill or even head any Committee only to come home at weekends to cause problem and lie against his Governor.


Q. Did APGA work with the Presidency in the last election?


A.    I call on all Nigerians to work with the Presidency for the sole aim of the uplift of our country . Even when one is the opposition, he has to do it for the greater glory of our country. We must avoid what APC and people like Ngige do. Look at the Uke Tragedy; he was the one who personally sent text messages to some journalists to report what did not happen at the Adoration Ground, simply because he wanted to indict Gov. Peter Obi. He did the same thing reently by getting his Assiatnt to write news item that those protesting against the elction were shot at and killed, when nothing of such happened.
 

Q. Any other comment.


A.    We call on Anambra people to remain vigilant at all times.

Decades-old 'blue laws' ban Thanksgiving Day shopping in 3 states

As workers across America protest against working on Thanksgiving Day, laws that may date back to the Colonial era are keeping shoppers and employees in three states at the dinner table.

In Rhode Island, Maine and Massachusetts so-called "blue laws" prohibit large supermarkets, big box stores and department stores from opening on Thanksgiving.

Business groups say the laws are unnecessary barriers during an era of 24-hour online retailers, but many shoppers, workers and even retailers say they appreciate one day free of holiday shopping.

"I shop all year. People need to be with their families on Thanksgiving," Debra Wall, of Pawtucket, R.I., told The Associated Press.

The holiday shopping frenzy has crept deeper than ever into Thanksgiving this year. Macy's, J.C. Penney and Staples will open on Thanksgiving for the first time. Toys R Us will open at 5 p.m., and Wal-Mart, already open 24 hours in many locations, will start holiday deals at 6 p.m., two hours earlier than last year. In recent years, some retail employees and their supporters have started online petitions to protest stores that open on Thanksgiving — but shoppers keep coming.

Bill Rennie, vice president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, said many shoppers are crossing into border states that allow Thanksgiving shopping, including Connecticut, Vermont, New York or New Hampshire, which is even more alluring because it doesn't have a sales tax.

"Why not give stores in Massachusetts the option?" he told the Associated Press.

The group has backed legislation, which has so far gone nowhere, to roll back the laws and allow stores to open on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

That would include grocery stores, which also must stay closed on the holidays. Woe to the Massachusetts cook who forgets a crucial ingredient or messes up the turkey and is forced to find a replacement at a convenience store. Convenience stores are allowed to open, as are movie theaters, pharmacies, restaurants and some other businesses.

The laws do not prohibit stores from opening at non-traditional hours Friday, and some will open at midnight or 1 a.m., when holiday deals will start.

Blue laws were once widespread throughout the country and are thought to date back to Colonial times, although some of the current regulations in Maine were instituted in the 1960s. The name may be derived from an 18th-century usage of blue meaning "rigidly moral," according to the Encyclopedia Brittanica.

The rules vary among the states. Retailers smaller than 5,000 square feet can operate in Maine, for example.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are the main holidays affected in all three states, but in Massachusetts, blue laws also prohibit stores from opening on the mornings of Columbus and Veterans Day without state permission. Easter and New Year's Day are also sometimes included.

Rhode Island lawmakers have in recent years rolled back blue law prohibitions on Sunday sales of alcohol and cars, but the Thanksgiving ban remains. Maine lawmakers shot down legislation this year that would have allowed stores to open on the holiday.

Law enforcement officials in all three states said there had been no recent incidents they could recall of retailers breaking the law. In 2005, Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly sent a warning letter to upscale grocery chain Whole Foods after a competitor discovered it was planning to open on Thanksgiving. In Maine, a violation is punishable by up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine.

NBC cancels Alec Baldwin's show 'Up Late' following actor's homophobic outbursts

NBC's Alec Baldwin experiment is over 46 days after it began.

“We are jointly confirming that UP LATE will not continue on MSNBC,” the network and actor's reps said in a joint statement to FOX411.

MSNBC had already suspended Alec Baldwin’s low-rated news program last week following an alleged gay slur directed toward a photographer outside his New York City apartment earlier this month. 

Despite the actor's apologies, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) had also had enough.

“Mr. Baldwin can’t fight for equality on paper, while degrading gay people in practice,” a GLAAD rep told FOX411.

Capital One, which employs Baldwin in its “What’s in your wallet?” TV campaign, has so far done nothing to distance themselves from the hot-headed thespian. The credit card giant did not respond to multiple requests for comment from FOX411 last week regarding his status with the company. 

Baldwin’s last episode of "Up Late" hit a demo low, pulling in only 101,000 viewers 25-54 against 395,000 total viewers. The demo number represented a 41 percent drop from the 172,000 adults aged 25-54 who watched the one-hour program's October 11 debut.

California judge cuts off state funding for high-speed train venture

WASHINGTON –  A California judge has slammed the brakes on funding a pricey high-speed train project, in a move that could put the entire Los Angeles-to-San Francisco line in jeopardy. 

The ruling Monday, by California Superior Court Judge Michael Kenny, was greeted as good news by critics of the ambitious but costly rail proposal. 

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the House majority whip, called the high-speed train an “unworkable boondoggle” and said Tuesday he’ll work with his colleagues in Congress to deny federal funding for it as well. 

“The ruling marks yet another self-inflicted setback for the California High-Speed Rail Authority and a small victory for California taxpayers,” McCarthy told FoxNews.com. “The CHSRA has failed at every turn to detail a realistic plan that will fund this program. With no private funds, unreliable ridership numbers and the reliance on taxpayers to eventually bail the project out – it should not move forward.” 

The ruling is the latest setback for champions of high-speed rail in California. It follows a recent decision by the federal government to suspend their review of a massive loan for a separate California-to-Vegas train.

Kenny, in his ruling Monday, rejected a request from the CHSRA to sell $9 billion of the $10 billion in bonds approved by voters in 2008.

Over the summer, Kenny ruled that the state had failed to comply with requirements of the voter-approved money that would pay for the project’s initial phase. 

However, the measure also included provisions that basically said the state couldn’t start building if it had not secured all of the capital needed to create a fully operational and self-supporting first section of the line. California is about $25 billion short of what it needs to complete the first phase. 

While Kenny’s decision doesn’t immediately halt the project, it does make going forward difficult. Kenny ruled state officials failed to comply with legal requirements but chose to proceed with plans anyway.

Dan Richard, head of the rail authority, said in a written statement he saw the ruling as a positive sign and the board is reviewing the decision “to chart our next steps” -- he said “it is important to stress that the court again declined the opposition’s request to stop the high-speed rail project from moving forward.”

Elizabeth Alexis, co-founder of a Bay Area group fighting the project, told the Los Angeles Times the rail authority has been “acting as if it is above the law.”

The CHSRA, which was already a year behind schedule, had hoped to break ground on the first 28 miles of a 130-mile stretch in the Central Valley by mid-2014.

State officials say they are weighing their options and looking for ways to keep the project going but admit Kenny’s ruling could complicate construction plans.

While the ruling limits California’s access to $9 billion, the state still could technically begin building by tapping into federal money; however, experts warn it would be a big financial risk for a state that has a history of making questionable money decisions. 

Less than five years ago, the state’s coffers were so depleted that many of the public services that helped boost California into the ninth largest economy in the world were in jeopardy of shutting down.

Rod Diridon, a former rail agency board member and supporter of the high-speed train, discounted Monday’s ruling, telling the L.A. Times, “Our state is no longer used to mega projects. There are going to be a lot of impediments. So suck it up.”

Earlier this year, another proposed high-speed train connecting California to Las Vegas was disrupted after the Transportation Department halted the review of what would have been its largest taxpayer loan in history.

The project, which was a favorite of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, came under intense Republican scrutiny, with lawmakers citing concern about “subsidizing” a costly and possibly risky project.

Hewlett-Packard Spikes as 4Q Sales Fall Less Than Feared

Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) provided fresh evidence of its turnaround on Tuesday by posting a narrow fiscal fourth-quarter earnings beat and sales that fell much less than Wall Street had feared.

The stronger-than-anticipated results along with mostly in-line guidance helped juice H-P’s shares more than 7% in after-market trading.

H-P said it earned $1.4 billion, or 73 cents a share, last quarter, compared with a loss of $6.9 billion, or $3.49 a share, a year earlier.

Excluding one-time items, it earned $1.01 a share, down 13% from the year before. Analysts had been calling for EPS of $1.00.

Revenue fell 3% to $29.1 billion, easily trumping the Street’s view of $27.91 billion. Cash flow from operations slumped 31% to $2.8 billion.

“Our Q4 results demonstrate that HP's turnaround remains on track heading into fiscal 2014. While we still have much more work to do, our business units and their core assets are delivering on HP's strategy to help customers thrive by providing solutions for the New Style of IT,” H-P CEO Meg Whitman said in a statement.

H-P said its personal systems revenue dipped 2% last quarter as commercial sales tumbled 10%, offsetting a 4% gain for commercial revenue. Desktop units dropped 5%, while notebook units increased 3%.

Printing revenue dipped 1% even as total hardware units increased 6%.

H-P’s enterprise group reported a 2% increase in revenue as growth in networking and industry standard servers offset a 17% drop in business critical systems sales.

Looking ahead, H-P projected fiscal first-quarter non-GAAP EPS of 82 cents to 86 cents, compared with the Street’s view of 85 cents.

For the full year, H-P sees non-GAAP EPS of $3.55 to $3.75, which is basically in line with forecasts from analysts for $3.65.

H-P said it returned $763 million to shareholders in the form of dividends and share buybacks during the quarter.

Shares of Palo Alto, Calif.-based H-P soared 7.89% to $27.07 in extended trading Tuesday afternoon. H-P has already soared 76% year-to-date and 99% over the past 12 months.

Microsoft’s Xbox One Sells Out After Launch

Microsoft’s (MSFT) new Xbox One video game console sold out within 24 hours of hitting store shelves, selling more than one million units to match rival Sony (SNE).

The Redmond, Wash.-based company said it’s working to replenish stock as fast as possible. The Xbox One launched on Friday to long lines outside retailers, most of which quickly ran out of the product.

Microsoft had previously disclosed that preorders of the $499 console, which launched in 13 markets worldwide, sold out.

The launch followed a successful debut a week earlier for Sony’s PlayStation 4, which also sold out and topped one million in sales.

Sony began selling the PlayStation 4 in just the U.S. and Canada. The device will be rolled out in Europe and Latin America on Nov. 29, and then in Japan on Feb. 22, 2014.

The PlayStation 4 was priced below the Xbox One at $399, although Microsoft’s console includes the company’s Kinect motion-sensing device. Using Kinect, users can control the Xbox One using voice commands and gestures.

Microsoft has also touted its console’s additional entertainment uses, such as controlling a television or streaming video programming.

Shares of Microsoft edged 24 cents higher to $37.82 early Monday morning.

Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) said Monday that longtime company executive Doug McMillon will replace CEO Mike Duke, who plans to retire early next year.

McMillon, 47, is the current president and CEO of Walmart International, a role he has filled since January 2009. He’ll officially take the helm on Feb. 1, 2014, while he was named to the retailer’s board effective immediately.

Duke will stay with Walmart as chairman of the board’s executive committee. The 63-year-old executive will also serve as an advisor to McMillon for one year.

“This leadership change comes at a time of strength and growth at Walmart,” Chairman Rob Walton said in a statement. “The company has the right strategy to serve the changing customer around the world, and Doug has been actively involved in this process. The company has a strong management team to execute that strategy.”

Duke, who joined the world’s largest retailer in 1995, has led Walmart as president and CEO since February 2009. In 2003, he stepped into the CEO role for Walmart U.S., before serving as vice chairman tasked with overseeing the international business.

McMillon was previously a top executive at Sam’s Club, eventually taking charge of the business as its CEO. He first joined Walmart in 1990 while attending college.

Shares rose 18 cents to $79.99 in pre-market trading. The stock is up about 17% so far this year.