African press review 11 July 2018

President Buhari's second term bid in peril, as powerful rebels jump ship.

We begin in Nigeria where the papers are looking forward to a political earthquake as some leaders of a faction of Nigeria’s ruling party, APC, gathered in Abuja to sign a memorandum with opposition parties for the 2019 general elections.

Vanguard says the new opposition alliance comprising 30 parties including the main opposition PDP is being formed to try to prevent President Muammadu Buhari from being re-elected to a second term next year.

Sahara Reporters claims that the so-called Reformed APC members were led to the event by their leader Buba Galadima.

Premium Times says the faction whose actions have been condemned by the APC leadership is is believed to have the backing of Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.

Also in Nigeria, residents of Lagos are bracing for fresh traffic chaos as authorities announce plans to repair the Third main bridge linking the mega metropolis to Lagos Island.

The Tribune reports that the strategic gateway into the city is due to be shut down starting on Thursday for preliminary tests before the start of renovation work proper.

According to the newspaper, Federal Controller of Works has called a meeting stake holders this Wednesday to discuss ways of limiting disruptions to traffic in the gruelling city of 21 million inhabitants.

The Tribune says the authorities have not indicated when the bridge would be closed to traffic or how long the repairs would last.

In Kenya, Daily Nation leads with the arrest of eight students in connection with Tuesday's fire that gutted a dorm at Kisii High School.

The paper reports that the suspects were captured on newly installed CCTV cameras on the night of leaving the building moments before it started burning and are reportedly under detention while waiting to be arraigned in court.

The suspects are reportedly being held at Kisii Central Police Station and could be arraigned in court either on Wednesday or Thursday morning.

As Kenya struggles with the string of school fires, in Nyanza province, Nation says it is able to report that some of the arson attacks occurred in schools where students beat up their teachers.

The Ghanaian Times also carried the story, apparently outraged by Kenya's Education Minister Amina Mohammed’s statement that the arsonists are protesting against tough new measures to prevent cheating in examinations.

In Zimbabwe, the papers are all about a pay rise for civil servants that has lifted the spirits of bread winners and their families.

The Chronicle says the government announced it would start paying 17.5 percent increases in public services wages on Monday. It's the very first pay increase for civil servants in nearly a decade.

And in South Africa, Eye Witness News comes back on some good news trending on social media -- four bundles of joy delivered to first-time mom Inga Mafenuka.

The paper reports that 22-year-old from the Western Cape township of Khayelitsha gave birth to her quadruplets via C-section in a Cape Town hospital on Friday.

Inga reportedly said she didn't believe it when told she would become one of  677,000 lucky women who have had four babies in a single delivery.