Cristiano Ronaldo will leave Real Madrid at the end of the campaign

Cristiano Ronaldo will leave Real Madrid at the end of the campaign, according to reports in the Telegraph.

The former Manchester United star has enjoyed vast individual success since moving to the Bernabeu from United in 2009 but is ready to quit the club after seven seasons in Spain.

United and Paris-Saint Germain are reportedly the two clubs most likely to seal his signature.

Arsenal target Granit Xhaka

Arsenal target Granit Xhaka is set to leave Borussia Monchengladbach, according to reports cited by the Telegraph.

The midfielder is understood to have been on Arsene Wenger’s radar for some time and the 23-year-old’s father, who is also his agent, has refused to rule out a transfer for his son.

“At the moment I prefer not to say too much,” Ragip Xhaka said. “We’ll see what happens. I can say that several big clubs are interested. Everything is possible, we’re not ruling anything out.”

Bayern Munich, Napoli and Tottenham are also reported to be interested in Xhaka.

Drogba ready for Chelsea return

Didier Drogba is in talks to end his playing career at Montreal Impact and become Guus Hiddink’s assistant at Chelsea.

Roman Abramovich is understood to have succeeded in his bid to persuade the 37-year-old former Blues striker to return for a third spell at Stamford Bridge.

Sources close to the player have confirmed discussions are taking place after less than a year in the MLS.

Drogba is expected to be in position alongside Hiddink at Chelsea in time for their Champions League round of 16 tie against Paris St Germain next month.

He was a guest of Abramovich at the Bridge on December 19 for the club’s Premier League win over Sunderland.

Drogba and Hiddink then met and spoke with some of the Chelsea players in the dressing room afterwards.

Montreal Impact had been desperate to hold on to him after his 11 goals in11 regular-season matches and his efforts helping the club into the MLS playoffs.

But Abramovich feels his leadership will be key and there are suggestions that Drogba could even be groomed as a future boss.

Watford's Ighalo keen on United switch

Odion Ighalo appears to have sensationally opened the door on a move to Manchester United.

The 14-goal striker has been in stunning form in his debut season in the Premier League with his performances for Watford catching the eye all over.

Atletico Madrid are readying themselves to test the Hornets’ resolve in the summer but the man himself admits a switch to Old Trafford would be a dream come true.

“There has been speculation from Spain and Italy but I’ve played there and now want to play in England,” he told The Sun.

“I don’t think I will be moving but I’m not sure I’d say no if United called.

“They were my team growing up. I loved watching Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke on TV.

“They were my idols and playing at Old Trafford has always been a dream.”

Arsenal prepare to announce first January signing

Arsenal are closing in on Mohamed Elneny with the Egyptian midfielder set to sign from Basel imminently.

Arsene Wenger's men are pushing for a first title in 12 years and the Gunners boss has identified the centre of his midfield as most in need of an upgrade.

Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp has admitted he'll need to act in the January transfer window after Liverpool's latest injury setbacks.

The Reds boss has been left with NO fit centre-backs after Kolo Toure and Dejan Lovren joined the casualty list - but on Wednesday, he completed the signing of Serbian starlet Marko Grujic.

'The Curse Of Eva Carneiro' to Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho had brought his third Premier League title to Chelsea - the first since his return for a second spell at Stamford Bridge - and he was putting pen to paper on a new four-year contract.

It was 7 August 2015 and all was right in Chelsea and Mourinho's world. They were favourites to retain their crown and he spoke about building a team that would give Chelsea a 10-year dynasty.

Now 'The Special One' has been sacked by Blues owner Roman Abramovich for a second time after the most spectacular, unexpected decline suffered by any Premier League champions.

So how did it all go wrong for Mourinho in a matter of months?

Chelsea secured the 2014-15 title with victory over Crystal Palace and with three games to spare.

They were in control of the race from almost the first kick and the eventual margin of triumph was a comfortable eight points from deposed champions Manchester City with only three defeats all season.

Did this margin lead to fatal complacency, not only within Chelsea's boardroom but from Mourinho himself?

Did Chelsea make the same mistakes as Manchester City after winning the Premier League in 2012 when they failed to strengthen their squad sufficiently, bringing in low-key signings such as Brazilian veteran Maicon, Scott Sinclair, Jack Rodwell and Javi Garcia? The title was lost to Manchester United in Sir Alex Ferguson's final season.

And did Mourinho and his paymasters fail to heed the warning signs that their rivals - especially City - would be wounded and react in a manner that meant Chelsea needed to build instantly from that position of strength?

City's response to losing the title was to bring in stellar signings, such as £49m Raheem Sterling from Liverpool, £55m Kevin de Bruyne from Wolfsburg and £32m defender Nicolas Otamendi from Valencia.

Chelsea were linked with the likes of Juventus' Paul Pogba and Real Madrid's outstanding young defender Raphael Varane. They did not arrive - City's ruthless ambition left Mourinho standing.

Instead, the pursuit of Everton's England international John Stonesbecame lengthy, acrimonious and eventually doomed as the Merseysiders stood firm - even in the face of a transfer request from the 21-year-old defender.

Pedro did arrive from Barcelona for £21m and left-back Baba Rahman from Augsburg for £21.7m but otherwise - apart from £8m spent on Stoke City keeper Asmir Begovic to replace the departed Petr Cech - it was unimpressive.

Mourinho's squad was fleshed out but not strengthened.

Papy Djilobodji came from Nantes for £4m and Reading's Michael Hector for the same fee. Djilobodji was barely seen and Hector went straight back to the Championship club.

For all the criticism he has received, was Mourinho let down by Abramovich and Chelsea's hierarchy, who failed to deliver the signings, such as Stones, that the manager clearly wanted?

How much did he really want Rahman, hardly a priority at such a huge price with Cesar Azpilicueta doing such an outstanding job at left-back last season?

Rahman came to notice with Ghana under former Chelsea manager Avram Grant, someone who - rather mysteriously given his track record in football - has had the ear of Abramovich in the past.

And what of Djilobodji, who came from nowhere without serious pedigree, a player Mourinho admitted was not his choice, although he said: "It was the choice of someone I trust completely."?

Not enough, though, to actually give him a run in the first team.

The loan signing of Radamel Falcao seemed almost an attempt to prove he could succeed where Manchester United and Louis van Gaal failed. He also failed - expensively.

Mourinho's other error came from an understandable desire to renew a Chelsea team he felt was jaded at the end of last season.

For a manager who prides himself on his teams making a fast start to the season, Mourinho's decision to move in a new direction with a shorter pre-season, giving his players a month's holiday and only three matches before the Community Shield loss to Arsenal, holed Chelsea's season below the waterline even before kick-off.

Chelsea did not win any of those pre-season games, which included a 4-2 defeat by New York Red Bulls.

They looked off the pace from the first kick against Swansea City in their opening game and momentum was never gained. Fatally.

'The Curse Of Eva Carneiro'

Mourinho's hopes of a smooth transition into Chelsea's title defence were derailed from the opening game against Swansea City at Stamford Bridge and a disagreement with team doctor Eva Carneiro that has provided an acrimonious backdrop to the season.

He was furious that, with Chelsea already reduced to 10 men after keeper Thibaut Courtois was sent off, Carneiro and fellow medic Jon Fearn raced on to treat Eden Hazard even though the manager felt it was not required. It was a response that led to Mourinho, angry that his side were briefly reduced to nine men, accusing the medics of being"impulsive and naive".

Both had their positions downgraded but the row with Carneiro rumbled on, with Mourinho criticised by the medical profession, including the Football Medical Association (FMA), which represents medical staff in the sport.

Mourinho was cleared of making discriminatory comments to Carneiro but Football Association chairman Greg Dyke, in a letter to FA council members, said Chelsea's manager had "made a mistake" .

As Chelsea and Mourinho's struggles continued - along with his brushes with authority - the Carneiro affair continued.

Carneiro's lawyers are suing Chelsea for constructive dismissal whileMourinho himself is the subject of an individual legal action.

The saga has been referred to on social media as "The Curse Of Eva Carneiro", reflecting on how Chelsea and Mourinho's fortunes plummeted from the moment he crossed swords with the former club doctor.

It set the tone for Mourinho constantly being at odds with authority, particularly when he was given a one-match stadium ban and a £40,000 fine for an expletive-filled rant at referee Jon Moss which led to him being sent off at half-time in the loss at West Ham in October.

Mourinho had an appeal against a £50,000 FA fine and a suspended one-match ban dismissed following his claims after the 3-1 home defeat by Southampton in early October that referees were afraid of giving Chelsea penalties.

Mourinho was locked on course for trouble from day one of the season and it played its part in his downfall.

Sadly, and this is said as someone who has always been an admirer of Mourinho's behaviour and the flourishes he has brought to Chelsea and the Premier League, his behaviour this season has not been befitting of the club or himself.

The Deluded One

Mourinho's defiance had been one of his trademarks - but as the cracks have appeared in both his and his team's make-up this season he has crossed the border into desperation and delusion.

The first signs that all was not well on the field with the champions came in the 3-0 loss to Manchester City in the second game of the season when they were swept away at the Etihad.

Chelsea were so ill-at-ease Mourinho was forced to substitute the symbol of his methods and successes, captain John Terry, at half-time after he was cruelly exposed by City's pace - to no effect.

And in his post-match inquest, Mourinho chose to claim the result was "fake" and that his team deserved more. The remarks were met with utter bemusement as the only way in which the result was fake was that City would have won by more had it not been for Chelsea keeper Asmir Begovic.

It was perhaps a symptom of Mourinho's distraction that he repeated the trick after another comprehensive 3-1 defeat at Everton in September, claiming "the game was completely under control" even when Roberto Martinez's side were two up within 22 minutes.

If it was an act it was an unconvincing one. If he fooled anyone it was only himself.

And for someone who gloried in describing Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as a "voyeur" for his perceived interest in Chelsea and a "specialist in failure", were the tables finally turned? Was Mourinho becoming over-interested in Wenger?

Did he suddenly see Arsenal as a potential threat again?

The pair's frosty relationship was on show in public when Arsenal beat Chelsea in the Community Shield and again with the coldest of handshakes before Mourinho's side won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in September.

In one of Mourinho's darkest moments, as he was sent off at half-time in the loss at West Ham, according to the referee Jon Moss's report: "At this point Mr Mourinho became very aggressive. He shouted that you [expletive] referees are weak… Wenger is right about you… you are [expletive] weak."

Chelsea's title triumph last season was built on the reliable old cornerstones of Terry and Branislav Ivanovic in defence, protected by the midfield blanket provided by Nemanja Matic.

The key to success, however, was found in the brilliance of Belgium forward Hazard and the two summer 2014 signings that transformed Chelsea from Mourinho's first season back at Stamford Bridge, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa.

The decline in performance of that 'Big Six' played a pivotal part in the slide that led to Mourinho's departure.

Father Time appears to have finally caught up with Terry, the former Mourinho "untouchable" who has been left out at stages this season, while Ivanovic's form has fallen off a cliff, despite the manager's continued faith.

Terry, embarrassed by his early substitution at Manchester City, suffered a similar humiliating fate in what proved to be the decisive loss at Leicester on Monday night. It was almost a mercy replacement by Mourinho after the 35-year-old had been tormented by the speed and movement of Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez.

He had been at the heart of Chelsea's successes under Mourinho and to see him humbled and then taken off in such a fashion was symbolic of the wider crisis.

However, it is the failure of the other trio to produce that arguably had the biggest impact.

Belgian Hazard was world-class in the title season, scoring 14 league goals and creating nine, while Fabregas was the creator supreme with 18 assists. Costa justified every penny of his £32m fee from Atletico Madrid with 20 league goals. Even defender Ivanovic scored four and had five assists.

Eden Hazard Premier League statistics
	2014-15	2015-16
Appearances (including substitute)	38 (100%)	16 (100%)
Goals	14 (0.37 per game)	0
Assists	9 (0.24 per game)	2 (0.13)

Hazard's relationship with Mourinho has been the subject of much debate as he has struggled this season. Mourinho suggested Hazard more or less substituted himself at Leicester after the briefest attempt to run off an injury.

Costa has looked sluggish and occasionally overweight, struggling for goals and looking more in the mood for physical confrontation than tangible end product.

He even managed to embroil himself in a row with Mourinho, hurling a bib at his manager when it became clear he was only going to be an unused sub at Spurs in November.

The pair later laughed off the incident but it was the sort of open subordination that has rarely been seen during Mourinho's managerial career.

Fabregas's creative influence has been missed but the signs were there from the second half of last season when the stats started to stack up against him. He played 18 of Chelsea's first 19 league games and created 13 goals - but in playing 16 out of the last 19 he assisted only five.

When the big players go missing, even a manager of Mourinho's calibre is struggling - and ultimately it was a fight he could not win.

Put together the crucial factors of complacency, the curse of Carneiro and big players going missing, and you concoct a recipe for trouble - and the evidence is most compelling in how Chelsea and Mourinho's infallibility at Stamford Bridge has been stripped away.

In 98 home Premier League games before this season Mourinho had lost only once - to Sunderland on 19 April 2014. In the title-winning season of 2005-06, Mourinho's Chelsea won 18 games out of 19, a win percentage of 94.74%.

In the first eight home league games this season Chelsea lost four times - to Crystal Palace, Southampton, Liverpool and Premier League newcomers Bournemouth. The contrast was brutal as the Stamford Bridge fear factor evaporated.

Mourinho's successes have been built on that impregnability at home. Once that disappeared, along with poor form on Chelsea's travels, the rot had set in.

Successful Manager in 110years histroty of Chelsea sacked.Jose Mourinho

Chelsea have sacked manager Jose Mourinho seven months after he led them to the Premier League title.

The 52-year-old Portuguese had been in his second spell at the club,taking charge in June 2013.

Chelsea finished eight points clear last season and won the League Cup, but have lost nine of their 16 league games so far and are 16th in the table, one point above the relegation places.

Mourinho's final match was Monday's 2-1 defeat at leaders Leicester City.

Pep Guardiola, Guus Hiddink, Brendan Rodgers and Juande Ramos have all been touted as possible successors.

Mourinho in the Premier League
Season	Managed	Won	Drew	Lost	Win %
2004-05	38	29	8	1	76.32
2005-06	38	29	4	5	76.32
2006-07	38	24	11	3	63.16
2007-08	6	3	2	1	50
2013-14	38	25	7	6	65.79
2014-15	38	26	9	3	68.42
2015-16	16	4	3	9	25

Chelsea statement

"Chelsea Football Club and Jose Mourinho have today parted company by mutual consent.

"All at Chelsea thank Jose for his immense contribution since he returned as manager in the summer of 2013.

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Mourinho: 'The Unhappy One'

"His three league titles, FA Cup, Community Shield and three League Cup wins over two spells make him the most successful manager in our 110-year history.

"But both Jose and the board agreed results have not been good enough this season and believe it is in the best interests of both parties to go our separate ways.

"The club wishes to make clear Jose leaves us on good terms and will always remain a much-loved, respected and significant figure at Chelsea.

"His legacy at Stamford Bridge and in England has long been guaranteed and he will always be warmly welcomed back to Stamford Bridge.

"The club's focus is now on ensuring our talented squad reaches its potential.

"There will be no further comment until a new appointment is made."

Mourinho's legacy

He leaves with Chelsea just a point off the relegation zone and 20 points behind Leicester.

Champions League qualification via one of the top four spots in the Premier League looks highly unlikely.

However, the Blues are through to the last 16 of European football's biggest club competition, where they will face French champions Paris St-Germain in February and March.

Mourinho only signed a new four-year contract on 7 August and is Chelsea's most successful manager.

He won three Premier League titles, two of those in his first spell between 2004 and 2007.

The Portuguese has also won the FA Cup, in 2007, and the League Cup three times - in 2005, 2007 and 2015.

Troubles on and off the pitch

Jose Mourinho watches on as doctor Eva Carneiro runs onto the pitch at the Swansea game in August

It has not only gone wrong in the Premier League for Mourinho, he has also had his issues off the pitch.

A 2-2 draw with Swansea on 8 August was overshadowed by a fallout with his medical team, in particular club doctor Eva Carneiro.

Carneiro had her role downgraded after Mourinho said his medical staff were "naive" for running onto the pitch to treat attacking midfielder Eden Hazard.

She eventually left on 22 September and is now taking legal action against Mourinho and the Blues.

Mourinho also received a suspended stadium ban and £50,000 fine forclaiming referees were "afraid" to award his team penalties in a 3-1 home loss to Southampton in October.

He subsequently had to serve a one-match stadium ban and pay a £40,000 fine for his behaviour during a 2-1 defeat by West Ham, when he spoke to referee Jon Moss at half-time.

What now for Mourinho?

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Chelsea have 'no chance' of top four

It is unlikely he will be out of management for long, given his record of success at Chelsea and other top European clubs.

He guided Porto and Inter Milan to Champions League glory in 2004 and 2010 respectively, then led Real Madrid to the Spanish La Liga title in 2012.

At 52, he is still some way from retirement age, but he has expressed a wish to coach the English and Portuguese national sides at some stage in his career.

In fact, he claimed he turned down the chance to become England boss when Steve McClaren was sacked in 2007.

Mourinho has a proven track record of bringing success over the short-term but doubts will remain over his ability to build a dynasty.

Will that make his candidature less appealing to the kind of club he is used to managing, such as German giants Bayern Munich, rising French stars Paris St-Germain or Premier League duo Manchester United or Manchester City?

What now for Chelsea?

Mourinho celebrates another Premier League title last season

The Blues may be struggling at the wrong end of the Premier League table, but they are still in the Champions League and both domestic cups, while achieving European qualification is not impossible.

The key for any new manager is improving the morale of a talented squad that has underachieved this season.

Players such as Hazard, Diego Costa, Willian, and Oscar were key to Chelsea winning the league title but performances have fallen well below the heights they reached last year.

After the 2-1 defeat by Leicester Mourinho said he felt his "work was betrayed" by his players, and midfielder Cesc Fabregas has said it is time for everyone to step up.

"If you are a big player and paid like a big player, you must play like a big player and behave like a big player," said the Spain international.

Analysis

BBC sports editor Dan Roan:

"Jose Mourinho had a meeting with the club at around 14:30 GMT when he was told the end had come. He has been let go in his second stint and won't be paid the £40m compensation speculated. My understanding is that he has been paid until the end of this season, what was left of the £12m.

"While he has undeniably enjoyed so much success around Europe, he has failed to manage to secure a lasting legacy and enjoy success over a prolonged period of time.

"Chelsea faced a huge decision and Roman Abramovich had to make it. Reports of Juande Ramos have been a surprise and former manager Guus Hiddink has been linked too. There hasn't been an obvious choice

Remy Martin unveiled DJ Jimmy Jatt, Falz, Noble as brand influencers

The long awaited All Africa Music Awards,AFRIMA, has come and gone. The chips went down at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island on Sunday, with high hopes on Nigeria artistes to repeat the feat they achieved at the maiden edition of the award in 2014, where they carted home 12 of the 23 continental awards. But that was not to be this year.

If not for the standard they set last year some would have still argued it was a respectable outing for them, with 8 awards in their kitty. Praiz won the Best African Artiste (RnB & soul); Darey got Best African Artiste (Inspirational); Flavour snapped up Best African Artiste (African Electro); Revelation of the Year went to Adekunle Gold; Most Promising African Artiste to Kiss Daniel; Best African Artiste in Jazz to Kunle while Olamide and Yemi Alade won the Best West African Artiste, male and female categories respectively.

However, when it comes to the big ones like the Artiste of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Group in Africa they were completely out of the picture. And these four categories were all won by them last year. Davido who clinched all 4 big ones was completely missing in action. He won The Best African Hip Hop, Song of the Year; Artiste of the Year, and Best Male Artiste in West Africa. Shakiti Bobo crooner, Olamide came home with the coveted Album of the Year award while the sensational twins, P-Square got the Best African Group award.

The only person that featured on the winners list is Olamide and what he got was Best Male Artiste in West Africa which was won by Davido in2014.

Nigeria has nominations in all the 24 categories applicable to the country except in the categories: Best African Hip Hop, Best African Rock and Best African Traditional Music. It means the country is open to collect 21 awards, where in most cases they dominated the Nominees list. Of all the 174 nominations in which the country is eligible, it had 63 nominations. But all the country could mustered is 8 awards, meaning they lost in 13 categories.

Interestingly, Nigerian artistes had bigger presence in most of the big continental awards. For Album of the Year award for an instance, there were 9 nominees and Nigerians account for 5. Yemi Alade, Psquare, Bez Idakula, Wizkid and Flavour were all nominated but it was Charlotte Dipanda, from Cameroon, that carried the day. She is one of two Cameroonians nominated in this category. Ghana and Sudan got one nomination a piece. Last year it was won by Olamide.

The current Artiste of the Year is Tanzanian Diamond Platnumz, who beat 5 Nigerian artistes, namely, Wizkid, Davido, Flavour, Olamide and Yemi Alade. Again, this is a tough one for Nigeria to lose because out of the 10 nominees Nigerians make up 50% of them. Tanzania had two, Ghana one, Cameroon one and Uganda one. Davido won the award last year

Anyone would have sworn the Song of the Year is Nigeria’s to lose; there have been just too many of them. At least the nominees list showed that was a must but the reverse was the case. Wizkid, Davido, Psquare and Yemi Alade made the list of 10 nominees in this category. But it was Tanzanian Diamond Platnumz that got away with the 23.9 carat gold plaque. Davido also won the award last year.

Anyway, it was as if many of them read the handwriting on the wall because they failed to turn up for the award. The conspicuous absentees that did not win awards were Wande Coal, Nneka, Timaya, Patoranking, Davido, Wizkid, P-Square, Seyi Shay, among others. Though Flavour and Yemi Alade won awards, they were also absent.

How Nigerian artistes failed to fly at AFRIMA 2015

The long awaited All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, has come and gone. The chips went down at Eko Hotel, Victoria Island on Sunday, with high hopes on Nigeria artistes to repeat the feat they achieved at the maiden edition of the award in 2014, where they carted home 12 of the 23 continental awards. But that was not to be this year.

If not for the standard they set last year some would have still argued it was a respectable outing for them, with 8 awards in their kitty. Praiz won the Best African Artiste (RnB & soul); Darey got Best African Artiste (Inspirational); Flavour snapped up Best African Artiste (African Electro); Revelation of the Year went to Adekunle Gold; Most Promising African Artiste to Kiss Daniel; Best African Artiste in Jazz to Kunle while Olamide and Yemi Alade won the Best West African Artiste, male and female categories respectively.

However, when it comes to the big ones like the Artiste of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Group in Africa they were completely out of the picture. And these four categories were all won by them last year. Davido who clinched all 4 big ones was completely missing in action. He won The Best African Hip Hop, Song of the Year; Artiste of the Year, and Best Male Artiste in West Africa. Shakiti Bobo crooner, Olamide came home with the coveted Album of the Year award while the sensational twins, P-Square got the Best African Group award.

The only person that featured on the winners list is Olamide and what he got was Best Male Artiste in West Africa which was won by Davido in2014.

Nigeria has nominations in all the 24 categories applicable to the country except in the categories: Best African Hip Hop, Best African Rock and Best African Traditional Music. It means the country is open to collect 21 awards, where in most cases they dominated the Nominees list. Of all the 174 nominations in which the country is eligible, it had 63 nominations. But all the country could mustered is 8 awards, meaning they lost in 13 categories.

Interestingly, Nigerian artistes had bigger presence in most of the big continental awards. For Album of the Year award for an instance, there were 9 nominees and Nigerians account for 5. Yemi Alade, Psquare, Bez Idakula, Wizkid and Flavour were all nominated but it was Charlotte Dipanda, from Cameroon, that carried the day. She is one of two Cameroonians nominated in this category. Ghana and Sudan got one nomination a piece. Last year it was won by Olamide.

The current Artiste of the Year is Tanzanian Diamond Platnumz, who beat 5 Nigerian artistes, namely, Wizkid, Davido, Flavour, Olamide and Yemi Alade. Again, this is a tough one for Nigeria to lose because out of the 10 nominees Nigerians make up 50% of them. Tanzania had two, Ghana one, Cameroon one and Uganda one. Davido won the award last year

Anyone would have sworn the Song of the Year is Nigeria’s to lose; there have been just too many of them. At least the nominees list showed that was a must but the reverse was the case. Wizkid, Davido, Psquare and Yemi Alade made the list of 10 nominees in this category. But it was Tanzanian Diamond Platnumz that got away with the 23.9 carat gold plaque. Davido also won the award last year.

Anyway, it was as if many of them read the handwriting on the wall because they failed to turn up for the award. The conspicuous absentees that did not win awards were Wande Coal, Nneka, Timaya, Patoranking, Davido, Wizkid, P-Square, Seyi Shay, among others. Though Flavour and Yemi Alade won awards, they were also absent.

Kogi: Presidency, APC detailing military to rig election – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government has pulled in partisan military operatives to assist it in rigging Saturday’s Kogi state governorship election, instead of allowing the forces to concentrate on their statutory role of providing peripheral security during elections.

The party said intelligence information available to it showed that some compromised military personnel led by a senior officer of the rank of a Colonel have been detailed by the Presidency to carry out specific assignments in support of the APC candidate in the election.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement, Friday, said the development is not only a recipe to civil disorder but also a clear invitation to total disruption of free and fair polls in the state if not immediately checked.

“Available intelligence shows that the deployment to Kogi state, of the Army Colonel, who is a known APC sympathizer is part of the fallout of last week’s secret meeting coordinated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), where orders were issued to clamp-down on PDP members and supporters to pave way for some pliable INEC officials to manipulate the election in favour of the APC.

“Compromised troops have already been detailed to Dekina Local Government Area, the largest PDP stronghold in the state and home of Governor Idris Wada, where they have been instructed to create panic, strong-arm PDP supporters, frighten and scare away voters, ostensibly to deprive the our party of its expected large votes from the area.

“We are also aware of how the head of Security of APC candidate’s Campaign Organization, a retired Army General, is coordinating the movement of partisan security operatives into other key local governments, including Igalamela, Ofu, Ankpa and Idah, to harass and frighten PDP supporters and provide a leeway for the APC to manipulate the election.

“The PDP also has information of the copious involvement of a retired police officer, who is working with some men of the Directorate of Security Services (DSS) in providing illegal arms, vehicles and cover for APC thugs who have been positioned to attack PDP supporters during the election.

“We find it absolutely shocking that President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government, a huge beneficiary of free, fair and credible election conducted by the PDP, would so early in the day, seek to corrupt the electoral system and willfully attempt to subvert the will of the people.

“The PDP however notes that no amount of force and intimidation can bend the will of the Kogi people from appropriately exercising their franchise and using every means within the law to protect their mandate.

“While we charge our members and the entire people of Kogi state to remain vigilant and continue to assert their constitutional rights and liberty, we also call on the security forces to note that their duty is primarily to the nation and its citizens, and as such must ensure that they do not become tools in the hands of anti-democratic forces seeking to truncate our democracy.