The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Saturday, upheld the disqualification of Sir Chuwuma Ibezim as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the Senatorial by-election that held in Imo North on December 5, 2020.
The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-man panel of Justices, affirmed the judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja which ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to remove Ibezim’s name from the list of candidates for the by-election, after it found him guilty of submitting falsified documents.
The high court judgement followed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1229/2020, which was filed against Ibezim by Asomugha Elebeke.
Trial Justice Inyang Ekwo had in the judgement he delivered on December 4, 2020, barely 24 hours to the by-election, disqualified Ibezim for allegedly making false statements/declarations in the affidavit and documents he tendered to both the APC and INEC.
The court held that evidence before it showed that Ibezim presented falsified and uncertified photocopies of his West African Examination Council, WAEC, certificate.
Cited as 2nd and 3rd Defendants in the matter were the APC and INEC.
Specifically, Justice Ekwo found that the WASC certificate that was submitted by the 1st Defendant bore two different and irreconcilable names, Ibezim Chukwuma Frank and Ibezim Francis Chukwuma.
The court held that Ibezim was “not qualified/ eligible for nomination to contest the Imo North Senatorial By-Election, having made false declarations in the affidavit and certificates he submitted to INEC for the purpose of contesting the IMO North Senatorial by-election, and the irreconcilable conflicts in his names”.
It, therefore, barred INEC from accepting him as the candidate of the APC for the senatorial by-election
Dissatisfied with the verdict, Ibezim took the case before the appellate court where he lost on Saturday.
The appellate court, in its lead judgement that was read by Justice Stephen Adah, said it found no reason to interfere with the verdict of the trial court which is described as “unassailable”.
Consequently, it dismissed Ibezim’s appeal for want of merit, though it declined to award any cost against him.
The Supreme Court had on Friday, also dismissed an appeal Senator Ifeanyi Araraume filed to challenge a Court of Appeal judgement that sacked him as the authentic candidate of the APC in the same Imo North Senatorial by-election.
The apex court, in two separate unanimous decisions by a five-man panel of Justices led by Justice Amina Augie, declined to set-aside the verdict of the Court of Appeal in Owerri, which had earlier declared Frank Ibezim as the candidate of the APC for the poll.
It held that the appellate court was right to nullify the judgement of the Federal High Court in Owerri, which had recognised Ararume as APC’s senatorial candidate.
It will be recalled that INEC had at the end of the Imo North Senatorial by-election, returned the APC as the winner.
The electoral body based its decision not to return any candidate for the party on the fact that there were many court decisions, for and against the two main contenders for the APC ticket- Ararume and Ibezim.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar: makes an appeal for cryptocurrency
Former vice-president Atiku Abubakar has urged the Buhari administration not to shut down cryptocurrency business, as announced by the Central Bank of Nigeria on Friday.
In a statement signed by him on Saturday, Atiku urged government to regulate the sector rather than embarking on an outright shutdown.
“This is definitely the wrong time to introduce policies that will restrict the inflow of capital into Nigeria, and I urge that the policy to prohibit the dealing and transaction of cryptocurrencies be revisited.
“It is possible to regulate the sub sector and prevent any abuse that may be inimical to national security. That may be a better option, than an outright shutdown”, he said.
The statement referenced the declining inflow of foreign capital into Nigeria from $23.9b in 2019 to $9.68b in 2020 and said the economy needs an expansion, rather than a contraction.
Read the full statement:
We Need To Open Up Our Economy, Not Close It
The number one challenge facing Nigeria is youth unemployment. In fact, it is not a challenge, it is an emergency. It affects our economy, and is exacerbating insecurity in the nation.
What Nigeria needs now, perhaps more than ever, are jobs and an opening up of our economy, especially after today’s report by the National Bureau of Statistics indicated that foreign capital inflow into Nigeria is at a four year low, having plummeted from $23.9 billion in 2019, to just $9.68 billion in 2020.
Already, the nation suffered severe economic losses from the border closure, and the effects of the #COVID19 pandemic.
This is definitely the wrong time to introduce policies that will restrict the inflow of capital into Nigeria, and I urge that the policy to prohibit the dealing and transaction of cryptocurrencies be revisited.
It is possible to regulate the sub sector and prevent any abuse that may be inimical to national security. That may be a better option, than an outright shutdown.
There is already immense economic pressure on our youths. It must be the job of the government, therefore, to reduce that pressure, rather than adding to it.
We must create jobs in Nigeria. We must expand the economy. We must remove every impediment towards investments. We owe the Nigerian people that much.
The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed two appeals by Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, in which he sought among others, court order to declare him the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last bye-election for the Imo North Senatorial District of Imo State.
A five-man panel of the court, headed by Justice Amina Augie, in two judgments, affirmed the judgments of the Court of Appeal, Owerri Division, which voided the proceedings and decisions in the suit filed by Lady Uchenna Onyeiwu Ubah before the Federal High Court in Owerri.
The judgments delivered on Friday were on the appeals marked: SC/971/2020 and SC/972/2020 filed by Ararume.
The court said the judgments should be applied to the cross-appeal, marked: SC/1060/2020 filed Dr Edith Chidinma Uwajimogu, in which she sought to have Ararume declared as the candidate of the APC.
Justice Tijani Abubakar, who prepared the lead judgments, said, after reviewing all the arguments by parties and the records, the court found that the appeals were without merit.
Justice Abubakar said, he, “Hold the view that the lower court (Court of Appeal) was right in coming to the conclusion that the first respondent (Ibezim) was shut out and denied of his right to be heard as a necessary party in the suit at the trial court (Federal High Court).
“Therefore, the proceedings of the trial court constitute a nullity and must be struck out. Appellant’s appeal, therefore, lacked merit and it is hereby dismissed.
“The decision of the lower court, setting aside the judgment of the trial court is hereby affirmed. Parties are to bear their respective costs,” Justice Abubakar said.
Ubah had sued shortly after the APC’s primary election, preparatory to the December 5, 2020 bye-election, praying the court to, among others, compel the APC to submit the name of Chukwuma Frank Ibezim to INEC as its candidate for the election.
The Federal High Court, in its judgment, rejected her prayers. on the grounds that Ubah lacked the locus standi to have filed the suit and proceeded to disqualify Ibezim as the party’s candidate and ordered INEC to accept Ararume as APC’s candidate for the by-election.
Both Ubah and Ibezim appealed the judgment at the Court of Appeal, Owerri.
While Ubah faulted the trial court for holding that she lacked the requisite locus standi, Ibezim argued that his right to a fair hearing was breached by the Federal High Court, which ordered his disqualification in a suit in which he was not a party.
In its judgments in both appeals, the Court of Appeal, Owerri agreed that Ubah lacked the locus standi and also held that Ibezim”s right to a fair hearing was breached.
It proceeded to set aside all the orders disqualifying Ibezim and another one directing INEC to accept Ararume as the candidate of the APC.
Dissatisfied, Ararume appealed at the Supreme Court, praying the court to among others, set aside the decisions by the Court of Appeal and restore the earlier judgment by the Federal High Court.
The Supreme Court dismissed both appeals by Ararume in the two unanimous judgments delivered yesterday.
It was also possible that the owner of the currency had forgotten the passwords.
German court authorities are unable to cash in more than $60 million in bitcoins confiscated from a convicted fraudster as he has not revealed the passwords, a court spokesman said on Thursday.
The court in the southern town of Kempten has been able to sell just 86 of the 1,800 bitcoins seized from the man, who created them illegally by hacking the computers of others.
This brought in 500,000 euros.
Speaking after details of the coins were revealed in the local press, the court spokesman said the digital coins were protected by multiple passwords, and that IT specialists had been unable to crack them.
It was also possible that the fraudster had forgotten them.
The man, who was first convicted in 2014, has now served his sentence.
The court authorities have secured his bitcoin wallet in a way that prevents him from gaining access to it.
Yobe State Governor and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, Mai Mala Buni, has described the on-going membership registration and revalidation exercise as a strategic measure to give members a sense of belonging.
A former interim national chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, had described the exercise as an indefensible aberration and a waste of resources.
But in a statement his Director-General, Press and Media Affairs, Mr. Mamman Mohammed, issued on his behalf on Thursday, Buni said the registration and revalidation exercise would assist the party to generate a valid, accurate and up-to-date data on party membership to enhance and support its planning process.
“Since the initial exercise in 2014, the party has not registered new members nor updated the personal information of our existing members as provided for by the constitution.
“The registration exercise gives our new members a sense of belonging and the existing members will update their information while those who left the party will have their names removed from the party register,” he said.
Buni also said it was diversionary to discuss 2023 general election scheming now, adding that the party was committed to reconciling aggrieved members, driving its membership and ensuring that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration succeeds.
On rumours in some quarters that the APC was wooing former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest on its platform in 2023, Buni said, “It is diversionary to start discussing 2023 elections now.”
“We have a sitting president, Muhammadu Buhari, who is less than two years in office for his second term, we are concentrating on the success of his administration,” he added.
The governor reiterated that the visit by APC top echelon to Jonathan recently was only to felicitate with him on the occasion of his birthday.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the establishment of additional 20 private universities across the country.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, revealed this while briefing the State House correspondents on the outcome of the Council meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Wednesday.
According to Adamu, the approved universities will get their provisional licences from the National Universities Commission (NUC), which they will use for the next three years while monitoring and evaluation will go on.
The approved universities are:
Topfaith University, Mkpatak, Akwa Ibom,
Thomas Adewumi University, Oko-Irese, Kwara,
Maranathan University, Mgbidi, Imo,
Ave Maria University, Piyanko, Nasarawa State
Al-Istiqama University, Sumaila, Kano State
Mudiame University, Irrua, Edo,
Havilla University, Nde-Ikom, Cross River,
Claretian University of Nigeria, Nekede, Imo ,
NOK University, Kachia, Kaduna State
Karl-Kumm University, Vom, Plateau
James Hope University, Lagos, Lagos State
Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria, Kano, Kano State
Capital City University, Kano, Kano State
Ahman Pategi University, Pategi, Kwara
University of Offa, Offa, Kwara, also got provisional approval
Mewar University, Masaka, Nasarawa State
Edusoko University, Bida, Niger
Philomath University, Kuje, Abuja
Khadija University, Majia, Jigawa
Anan University, Kwall, Plateau
Nine of the private universities are located in North Central, three in South South, two in South East, five in the North West and one in South West.
With the approval of additional 20 universities, Nigeria now has 99 private universities.
Another 425 Nigerians stranded in Saudi Arabia arrive at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja via Saudi Air Flight B773 at about 1300Hrs, Wednesday, 3, February 2021.
They will join other returnees that arrived earlier and are currently undergoing quarantine at the Federal Capital Territory Hajj camp for 14 days in line with the reversed COVID-19 protocols by the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19.
COVID-19: Osun recording more cases of deadly UK strain.
The Govt of Osun regrets to announce that the State has in the past few days recorded five cases of the violent & deadly B117 strain of COVID-19,which was first reported in the United Kingdom.
This is particularly worrisome because it is barely a week that the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 announced the discovery of the strain in Nigeria,and Osun already has five cases .
Considering the continued disregard and defiance for safety protocols in the state, the government is extremely concerned about the days ahead.
This new strain spreads faster and kills quicker. If it continues to grow, more citizens will become vulnerable and those with underlying ailments more endangered.
We cannot continue to act like Covid-19 is not real. It is not just a sad reality but one that has changed momentum with this more deadly strain.
Citizens are enjoined to scale up their personal responsibility for safety by complying with all the non-pharmaceutical protocols outlined by the government, to avoid tragic consequences.
Signed:
Funke Egbemode,
Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation
This may not be the best of times for Nigeria and its citizens around the world as the latest information reaching Tribune Online has indicated that the Dubai authorities have tactically banned airlines from carrying Nigerian passengers into the United Arab Emirates effective from Monday, 1st February, 2020.
According to a circular which emanated from the Dubai Airport Operations Control Center, titled ‘Dubai Travel Protocol Update -Travel From Nigeria’ and dated, Friday, January 29, 2021, the Dubai authorities had declared: ”Kindly be advised that effective from 01 February 2021, the following conditions must be met for travel from Nigeria.
“Departing from Nigeria to Dubai, all passengers are required to obtain a negative COVID-19 certificate. The PCR should be conducted within 72 hours of the date of departure.
“All passengers are required to conduct a rapid COVID-19 test and obtain a negative result within four hours of their departure time.
While insisting that passengers must travel directly from Nigeria to Dubai, the Dubai authorities equally declared that “No passengers may enter Dubai from any other country /station if they have visited or transited via Nigeria in the last 14 days.”
Other airlines have started notifying their Nigerian passengers that they have henceforth suspended their airlift to Dubai because of the ban.
According to a memo addressed and sent out by Egypt Air to its travel partners, the airline declared: “Sequence to the memo we received from Dubai Airport Authority asking all Nigerian Travelers coming to Dubai to fly direct effective 1st February, 2021, in view of this, we therefore request you to kindly notify our esteemed passengers that Egyptair will not lift passengers from Nigeria to Dubai from 31st January, 2021 until further notice.
“You are hereby advised to check and cancel all your bookings and inform your passengers about this new development. We are in view of the above expressly authorize full refund for those who want to make refund and seek for alternative or tickets will be opened for future flights for passengers need to keep their tickets . Tour code for refund process: FT*DXB COVID-19 . We thank you for all the trust you reposed on our carrier & promised to update you if any further development on this in the nearest future.”
The latest travel ban may not be unconnected with the recent death of a Nigerian passenger who died of COVID-19 complications few hours after flying into Canada from Nigeria.
The Nigerian who was said to have arrived in Toronto on a Delta Airlines flight from Detroit and got on a connecting Toronto-bound flight after flying from Lagos, Nigeria, to Atlanta died of the pandemic.
According to the report, the man apparently took a COVID-19 test in Nigeria, but hadn’t received the results before departing Nigeria. He was pronounced dead on arrival in the North American country and the Canadian Border Services Agency was notified, the report further said.
Many stakeholders while commenting on the circumstances surrounding the death of the Nigerian passenger had predicted the subsequent consequences the death of the Nigerian would have on Nigerian travelers around other countries.
The latest action of the Dubai authorities according to the feelers across the country’s aviation sector is that of uncertainty as many believed that other countries may take similar measures against Nigerian travelers.
As the ban on Nigerian travelers takes effect from today, key players have been asking questions about the what becomes of the fate of the only Nigerian airline operating into the Dubai/Sharjah as according to the conditions given by the Dubai authorities declared that an Airport Rapid Test has to be done by the Airline.
Amongst questions being asked by key players include if the new rules apply to the Nigerian carrier, Air Peace Flight to Sharjah and if the airline can afford to do Rapid test for all its passengers.
THE Senate is putting in place measures to push for the retirement age of Supreme Court Justices in the nation’s apex court from the age of 70 to 75 years.
According to the Senate, it is considering the proposal made to it by the Supreme Court March this year, 2021.
Speaking today in Abuja during the Senate Constitution Review Committee Retreat to Review and Analyse Submitted Memoranda, Deputy President of the Senate Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, All Progressives Congress, APC, Delta Central said that the upper Chamber will in March consider the proposal of shifting the retirement age of Supreme Court Justices from 70 to 75 years and the retirement age for judges of the states, including that of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT and the Federal High Courts to bring in about parity with the 70 year retirement age.
According to Omo- Agege, the Ad-hoc Committee on Review of 1999 has received over 250 memoranda which will converted to bill and consider on the floor of Senate by June 2021.
The proposal to extend the retirement age is coming few days after the Federal government shifted retirement age of teachers from 60 to 65 years.
Speaking further, Omo-Agege said, “To put you under further pressure we have also decided to extricate one or two issues dealing with the judiciary, most importantly, the one dealing with the retirement age for judges of the states, including the FCT and the federal high courts to bring in parity with the 70 year retirement age of the court of appeal and Supreme Court.
“There is also the issue of the clamour by the Supreme Court to also move from 70 to 75 years. I am sure you are all aware that it is up to our colleagues in both chambers and of course, the State Houses of Assembly to decide whether or not we should move ahead with both.
“But I want to put you under pressure that these two bills must be ready for consideration by March. Both houses – the Senate and the House of Representatives – would be prepared to take those two isolated issues while every other matter under consideration will come up on the floor of the Senate and the House of Representatives in June this year.
”The sole purpose of this retreat is to review and analyze the 2014 National Conference Report, the Report of the APC Ad-hoc Committee on True Federalism and the over 280 memoranda we have received from the public and translate them into bills proposals for the senate committee.
“These memoranda and positions express concern, as well as seek solutions, to the many problems that currently confront us as a country. And they come from diverse interests that make up our country. They cover a range of areas that include, inter alia, the devolution of power to the federating units by, way of moving some items from the exclusive, to the concurrent list.
”Of equal importance are issues of Local Government fiscal autonomy, the unfettered autonomy of the judiciary in line with their traditional role of the administration of justice. Others are issues of derivation, streamlining of criteria for qualification for participation in elective offices at all levels, such that more people are encouraged to participate. There is also issue of affirmative action and gender equality, plus youth inclusiveness in the governance process. We are also concerned with measures that will help fight perennial poverty and help address the ever-growing concern on national security as well as the security and safety of Nigerians wherever they reside in the country. Some of these areas need to be addressed directly in the Constitution.
”By the time we began work January last year, we were faced with a 32-header 1999 Constitutional Alteration Bills. In the course of our work the issues have become clearer, and a lot of things have been streamlined for your consideration. I implore you to give these issues the passionate attention they deserve. The overall objective is that we have a workable, most representative Constitution after the exercise, that should be as straight-forward as possible. This way, more people will take interest in politics because the Constitution would have met their desires and aspirations. The fact that it is straight-forward enough would mean that less and less of its provisions and sections would require judicial interpretation. This will reduce the challenge of Constitution-interpretation-related work pressure on the Judiciary. Such reduced pressure, you will agree with me, will be salutary to the independence of the Judiciary.
“One other area I will implore you to take keen interest in, is the rather hackneyed terminology of “marginalization”. Marginalization is arguably one of the ugliest words in the Nigerian lexicon. Practically every ethnic nationality, religious, social and other group, complains of marginalization. To take care of this, we should continue to identify, emphasize, explore and exploit those things that unite us as one nation. At the same time, we should continue to isolate and avoid those things that tend to divide us.
“You should be able to work out recommendations, such that the final document we end up with, by way of a reviewed and amended Constitution, will give practically no place to the offending word. Our goal is to have a document that Nigerians, be they from the East, West, North or South, will be proud to claim ownership of.”
Transparency International has now established that under Buhari, Nigeria has become the hq of corruption. At this point, it's illegal and morally unacceptable to refer to Buhari as Mr Integrity.He has equally failed in securing Nigerians. Therefore, Buhari’s integrity my foot.
Now under Buhari, Mr "Integrity and Corruption Fighter", the same Transparency International latest report placing Nigeria as the 2nd Most Corrupt country in West Africa is no longer credible.
When the President and his APC gang labelled the PDP govt of President Jonathan as corrupt, they relied on reports by the Transparency International (TI). Then, the organization was right and its reports were credible.
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, on Thursday, urged a Makurdi High Court to fix a date for definite hearing in his N10 billion libel suit against a former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole and the APC.
Ortom sought for definite hearing against the former party chairman over his alleged unseriousness with an out-of-court settlement.
The former APC Chairman had asked for an out-of-court settlement with Governor Ortom, a move which was communicated to the court on October 13, 2020.
Consequently, the Presiding Judge, Justice Augustine Ityonyiman, had adjourned the case to October 29, 2020, for a report on the out-of-court settlement.
But, after two adjournments, with the last one done on December 16, 2020, the case resumed Thursday for a report on the out-of-court settlement earlier canvassed by Oshiomhole.
Ladi Achibong, who held the brief of Ortom’s counsel, Samuel Irabor, told the court that the out-of-court settlement had failed, and it appeared the defendants are not serious with the out-of-court settlement.
Archibong submitted that she had the express instruction of Irabor to ask the court to fix a date for definite hearing of the N10 billion libel suit against Oshiomhole and the APC.
The defendants, Titus Akuha, who held the brief of counsel to Oshiomhole and the APC, Festus Jumbo, opposed the submission of Ortom’s lawyer.
Akuha, however, observed that all the terms of the settlement have been met, except one issue that is still remaining, so the settlement cannot be said to have failed.
Justice Ityoyiman, after listening to counsels to the parties in the suit, adjourned the case to February 26, 2021, for a report on the out-of-court settlement or definite hearing.
Ortom had earlier filed the libel suit against the former APC chairman over his comments against him in an alleged APC sponsored press conference held on July 27, 2018, wherein Oshiomhole accused Governor Ortom of having a hand in the death of two Catholic priests and other parishioners at Mbalom Community, Gwer East local government of Benue State on the grounds that one of the priests had preached a ‘very critical sermon’ against him [Governor Ortom].
The Nigerian Islamic human rights organization, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has lauded all the stakeholders in the resolution of the crisis between the Hausa/Fulani community of Igangan, in Ibarapa, Oyo State and their Yoruba hosts. The group called for the extension of the same direct dialogue to Ondo State. MURIC also urged the Yoruba race to jettison separatist tendencies and ethnic hostilities for the quest for central power in 2023.
MURIC disclosed this in a press release signed by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola on Tuesday, 26th January, 2023.
MURIC said: “Yorubaland has been soaked with tension in the past few days over quit notices issued to the Hausa/Fulani in Oyo and Ondo States. However, relative peace has returned following peaceful moves made by various patriotic citizens. We give kudos to all the stakeholders involved in the resolution of the crisis between the Hausa/Fulani community of Igangan, in Ibarapa, Oyo State and their Yoruba hosts.
“MURIC calls on the Governor of Ondo State and the state’s Commissioner of Police to take similar steps in order to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the crisis in the state. We charge all stakeholders in the state to expedite action on bringing all parties to a roundtable. We remind them that peace is sine qua non to progress and no society can achieve its developmental goals in a turbulent atmosphere.
“Equally germane to the crisis at hand is the need for the Yoruba race to jettison separatist tendencies and ethnic hostilities at this crucial time for the quest for central power in 2023. Any group that fails to get its acts together early enough should kiss Aso Rock goodbye in the next general elections.
“It is on record that the Yoruba have complained bitterly about marginalization. This has resulted in the emergence of separatist groups calling for the establishment of Oduduwa Republic. However, the reality staring the Yoruba in the face today is the complex nature of the process of separation vis a vis the proximity of a big opportunity of gaining political power in 2023 through an already well known democratic process.
“Fortunately the Yoruba do not have to search too far as a former governor of Lagos State and leader of the ruling party has shown interest. Here is a candidate that brandishes impeccable pedigree. Nobody can deny his political dexterity. He is known to have fought and won several political battles. The best the Yoruba people can do for the region is to rally behind this candidate and ensure that he clinches power in 2023.
“But they have to drop all irredentist, insurrectionist and belligerent propensities in order to be able to focus fully on their presidential ambition. The tribe seeking to rule must be seen to be accommodating, tolerant and resilient.
“Power shift to the South has become mandatory as President Muhammadu Buhari would have spent eight complete years by 2023 and all eyes are presently on the South West. Therefore the region cannot afford to lose the opportunity due to restlessness, recklessness, unnecessary protests, issuance of quit notices to other ethnicities and a general lack of stability.
“MURIC invites all the socio-cultural groups including Afenifere, Yoruba World Congress, Yoruba Welfare Group, Agbekoya Reformed Society, Reformed Oodua People’s Congress, etc, to come together and speak with one voice in a bid to realize the Yoruba presidential ambition. It is needless to reiterate that the Yoruba stand a better chance of occupying Aso Rock come 2023 with a candidate that is well known, fully prepared, full of experience and one that has already spread his political tentacles to all parts of the country.”
Professor Ishaq Akintola, Director, Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC)
Sunday Adeyemo, a youth leader better known as Sunday Igboho, has described Babafemi Ojudu, a presidential aide, as a liar.
Speaking with journalists at his residence in Ibadan, Oyo state capital, on Tuesday morning, Igboho said he never had any meeting with Ojudu over the 2009 rerun election in Ekiti state.
Ojudu had said he and Bola Tinubu, a national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), met with Igboho ahead of the rerun election.
The Presidential aide also said Igboho agreed to meet with them on the condition that Lamidi Adedibu, the strongman of Ibadan politics, who is now late, must not know about the meeting.
But Igboho wondered how Adedibu, who died in 2008, could be an issue in an election which held in 2009.
He also said aside Lam Adesina and Rasheed Ladoja, former Governors of Oyo state, he did not associate with other politicians in the state.
Yoruba activist and warlord, Chief Sunday Adeyemo popularly known as Sunday Ighoho has talked on his losses to the earlier fire incident in his house on Tuesday morning.
He as well challenged Senator Babafemi Ojudu to bring evidence of his claims in his write up where he said he was hired as political thug.
Igboho while responding to questions from Journalist in the morning on the invasion of his house by arsonist said, “I don’t know Ojudu, he is a liar, I was not trained by Baba Adedibu, Senator Ladoja is my boss and i have never betrayed him”.
Senator Ojudu who is a Special Adviser political to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in his article which went viral on moday claimed that he met with Sunday Igboho in Ibadan and later took him to Tinubu in Akure during the 2009 rerun election in Ekiti where he was engaged to neutralized the operation of the PDP hired thugs .
But Sunday while denying the claims said, Senator Ojudu should use his children to swear that such things happened,
“The lies are already in the Ojodu’s statement. He said we met in 2009, and I told him I was sent by Adedibu to destablise Ekiti election, meanwhile Adedibu died in 2008. You see that.
“it is a plot to distract me and give me a bad name, i never collect money from politicians to do this, and it is painful that politicians are conniving with fulani to distract us but I will never be distracted.
From my investigation about him I have found out he had no impact as a Commissioner in Lagos and as a Senator in Ekiti, what are his achievements, how many people did he help, how many projects did he facilitate? It was Fayose that achieved many things in Ekiti , Tell Ojudu to caution himself.
COUNSELS in the on-going challenge of the victory of Governor Godwin Obaseki in the September 19, 2020 governorship election yesterday differed on the admissibility of the 2016 suit instituted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against Obaseki theof the All Progressives Congress (APC), the discharge certificate of Obaseki by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the report of the screening committee that disqualified Obaseki from participating in the APC governorship primary election in June 2020.
The suit marked EPT/ED/GOV/01/2020, ADP and its governorship candidate, Lucky Emmanuel petitioned the tribunal withINEC, PDP, Obaseki, APC, Osagie Ize-Iyamu as respondents alleging that Obaseki’s certificate was forged and not qualified to contest the election among other reliefs.
At the resumed sitting, counsels to PDP, Obaseki and INEC who opposed the admission of the documents said they would situate their reasons when they present their written addresses as was laid down in the practice direction of the tribunal.
A defense witness, Francis Omon who is the Welfare Secretary of the APC during cross examination said he is not familiar with the signature of the Registrar and that of the Vice Chancellor on the University of Ibadan degree certificate belonging to Obaseki but that there are signatures in the document.The witness told the tribunal during cross-examination by the Independent National Electoral Commission counsel, Kelvin Ugiagbe, that, “what I am seeing is the signature and date appended by the vice chancellor.
On the issue of the number of persons that participated in the June 22 primary election of the APC, he admitted that three persons took part in the election, adding that “they are Pius Odubu, Osagie Ize-iyamu and Osaro Obazee”.
When asked by counsel to Godwin Obaseki, Ken Mozia, SAN, if he went to University of Ibadan to make enquiries as regards the authenticity of Obaseki’s certificate, he said, ” I didn’t go to UI to verify the authenticity of his result.
The tribunal headed by Justice Yunusa Musa at the resumed sitting after an adjournment to receive the 5th Respondents’ Witness fixed February 9th for the adoption of written addresses of all parties in the suit.
The $30,000 lawsuit in an American court could further expose the intimate details of the billion’s relationship with his estranged mistress.
Aliko Dangote has filed a lawsuit to claim damages for his battered reputation after one of his American mistresses posted videos on social media that included the billionaires exposed buttocks earlier this month.
Mr. Dangote filed the charges in an American court in Miami, Florida.
He sought compensation for $30,000 in the civil lawsuit, which he appeared to have filed under a pseudonym John Doe. The name also has an alias that says ‘DA’, which appeared presumably as initials for Aliko Dangote.
The charges were filed against a woman who was identified as Autumn Spikes. She was on social media to expose the lawsuit and threaten Mr. Dangote that he had taken the wrong turn by making the case public, indicating that the billionaire risked having additional embarrassing information about him published on the Internet as part of the suit.
Already, the woman claimed Mr. Dangote had offered to pay her for her silence, an arrangement she rejected before the billionaire filed the suit.
She said the pair had been in a relationship for nine years without a non-disclosure agreement to gag her from publicly commenting on the affair.
A spokesman for Mr. Dangote did not immediately return a request seeking comments about the case on Sunday evening.
Using a handle, Allarounda1 on Instagram, the woman posted a video of herself and Mr. Dangote on a couch inside what appeared to be a luxury yacht on January 1. It was unclear in which country the yacht was sailing when the mistress shot the video, but it showed Mr. Dangote drap himself in an orange blanket while fiddling with his mobile phone amidst clearly exposed buttocks.
She also posted pictures of Mr. Dangote alighting from a luxury plane in a private hanger, describing herself repeatedly as a ‘ForbesListSugarBabe’ in apparent reference to her lover’s status amongst an elite list of world’s billionaires.
The raunchy images were later deleted by the woman, claiming she had been flooded with requests from bloggers to comment further on her affairs with Mr. Dangote. She also rejected claims that she took her affairs with Mr. Dangote to social media to chase undue fame.
In follow up updates, she said she was trying to clean Mr. Dangote’s name from the mess earlier created by Bea Lewis, who described herself as a restaurant operator in the United States.
Mr. Dangote’s lifestyle has been largely kept from the public until now. Little was known about him beyond his marriage and divorce in the past. Mr. Dangote’s media aides have yet to comment on the scandalous affairs that seemed to be pointing at the billionaire’s steep appetite for glowing American women.
Federal Government must treat the issue of the South West with utmost caution. It is not a time to show bravado or strength. A wrong move may end Nigeria. This Government is not popular enough to fight NOW. SDM
Mr Jega, professor of political science, said Nigeria stands to lose more if the existing 36 states structure are to be dismantled.
A former chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Attahiru Jega, described as ‘unrealistic’ and ‘a pipe dream” the clamour to return Nigeria to the pre-civil war regional government.
His argument was, however, countered by a former information minister, John Nwodo, with ex-President Goodluck Jonathan also offering a different view on the topic.
Mr Jega, a professor of political science, said Nigeria stands to lose more if the existing 36 states structure are to be dismantled in acquiescence to the longstanding call for restructuring the country.
Mr Jega spoke at the 18th Daily Trust Dialogue held on Thursday in Abuja and themed “Restructuring: Why? How?”
His argument
Upon independence in 1960, Nigeria ran a regional government with three regions, each headed by a premier — in the western, eastern and northern regions.
The midwest region was later carved out of the western region, largely in a bid to stave off ethnic crisis.
Brewing secessionist agitations made the then federal military government of Yakubu Gowon to divide the four regions into 12 states in 1967, a move made to break the power of the regions.
Subsequent military regimes, punctuated by a devastating civil war and series of coups and counter-coups, increased the number of states till the numbers reached the current 36 in 1996.
However, some Nigerians, especially sociocultural groups, have advocated for a return to the regional model.
Mr Jega said the clamour was ill-informed as existing states would nearly never give up their autonomy, and it might plunge the country into another bout of ethnographic tensions.
“In many fundamental respects, creation of states has gone a long way to mitigate real and perceived marginalization of minorities,” Mr Jega argued.
“Although given Nigeria’s complex diversity, the more states created, the more their economic viability is threatened; and the more new ‘majorities’ and ‘minorities’ emerged, with fresh demands by the ‘new minorities’ for their own states.
“The challenges and tensions that would unfold in any attempt to regroup states into regions or into mega 12 states, given that their people have tasted relative autonomy, could only best be imagined. Relative autonomy once gained, is difficult if not near impossible to voluntarily surrender.
“If the major argument against the current 36 state structure is that many seem economically unviable, there are other better ways to address that and make them more viable.
“Improved, (or good democratic) governance, with efficient allocation and utilization of resources, with curtailed corruption, and with greater effort at internal revenue generation, would make virtually all the seemingly unviable states, viable and sustainable.”
Counter opinion
The immediate past president-general of sociocultural group Ohanaeze Nd’Igbo, John Nwodo, who was one of the panellists at the event, would have none of this.
He said the 1999 constitution needs to be overhauled because it “was drafted by 47 persons appointed by the then head of state (Abdulsalami Abubakar), 40 of whom were military officers.”
Former INEC chairman, Attahiru Jega, speaking at the 18th Daily Trust Dialogue held in Abuja
Mr Nwodo, who was Mr Abubakar’s minister of information, said he “never saw a copy (of the constitution) and never knew who was printing it,” even though his job was to distribute the document to the country.
“We should restructure because the constitutional history of Nigeria shows that the only constitutions of the Federal Republic of Nigeria made by all the ethnic groups in Nigeria, were the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions.
“The 1999 Constitution overthrew the sovereignty of the regions over their national resources and domestic security unleashing in the process an unprecedented fall of education standards, domestic security, and economic well being.
Mind restructuring is the way to go – Jonathan
Former President Goodluck Jonathan, who chaired the event, also said restructuring the country alone would not help solve its numerous challenges, rather mind restructuring was the way to go.
He noted that Nigerians need to shun mutual suspicion towards one another as some of the challenges faced at the national level are still there at the state and local government levels.
“We cannot restructure without solving issues that polarize us: nepotism, ethnic and religious differences and lack of patriotism,” he said.
A cross section of the guests at the 18th Daily Trust Dialogue held in Abuja
“Discussion on restructuring will not help except we restructure our minds. Some of the challenges faced at the national level are still there at the state and local government levels,” he added.
“Take a look at how local government elections are conducted at the state level. Why is it very difficult for an opposition party to win a chairmanship or councillorship seat in a state, despite the fact that the same party probably secured seats in the State Assembly and National Assembly elections, organised by a federal election management body?
“Like every other nation, Nigeria is a project in progress and should confidently discuss her experiences and fashion out solutions to improve on her performance and the well being of all citizens. We should all do our little best in our little corners to overcome the challenges we face, and work hard to reposition our country for a greater and more prosperous tomorrow for our children.”
My Dear Governor Akeredolu, I’m quiet aware of the security challenges facing your state. I appreciate your efforts, but it’s outrightly and completely wrong to ask ALL cattle herders to leave Ondo forests. The sins of a criminal few should not affect the law abiding and peaceful ones who have the right to live and move freely in all parts of our country.
Efforts must continue to be made to deal with those who breach the law,while and respecting and protecting the rights of the innocent. Best Wishes.. Thank you.
The Nasarawa State Police Command, on Tuesday, confirmed the abduction of Prof. Johnson Fatokun, by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers.
Fatokun, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Anchor University, was travelling from Jos to Keffi in Nasarawa state on Monday when he was abducted by armed men at about 9:00 p.m. along Akwanga-Keffi highway.
The state Police Command, Public Relations Officer, ASP Ranham Nansel, confirming the incident told newsmen on Tuesday in Lafia that the professor was attacked at Kurmi Shinkafa village, Kokona LGA and abducted at gunpoint to an unknown destination.
The Commissioner of Police, Bola Longe, upon receipt of the information, mobilised a search and rescue team comprising the Police Mobile Force, Anti-Kidnapping personnel to ensure his safe rescue.
He added that the team was also working in collaboration with the Military, vigilante group and local hunters with the view to rescue the victim
Longe appealed to members of the public to assist the Police with useful information that would lead to the rescue of the victim and arrest of the perpetrators of the crime.
Prof. Fatokun is the Pioneer Deputy Vice Chancellor Anchor University, Lagos, and Dean, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences of the university.
The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State, Udo Ekpenyong, is dead.
Mr Ekpenyong died on Monday in Uyo, an official of the Akwa Ibom government who did not want his name mentioned, told PREMIUM TIMES, Tuesday morning.
The official said the chairman died of COVID-19. PREMIUM TIMES is yet to independently verify this information.
Late Mr Ekpenyong, before his election as the state PDP chairman last year was the commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the state. He was known to be a strong ally of Governor Udom Emmanuel.
Akwa Ibom State lost two other prominent figures recently, a former Chief of Air Staff, Nsikak Edouk who died of renal failure, and a former military governor of the state, Idongesit Nkanga who died of COVID-19.
Eight new judges consisting of seven females and one male were sworn into the Edo State Judiciary on Monday by state Governor Godwin Obaseki, who urged them to be impartial in their dispensation of justice.
The governor promised the judiciary necessary support to adopt new technology in the dispensation of justice, adding that his administration would be focused on rebuilding courts and judges quarters outside the state capital as well as hand over the newly built Judges Quarters to the Chief Judge later this week.
He also promised to extend support to federal judicial institutions in the state with the planned relocation of the Court of Appeal from its present location.
‘We are making history again in Edo State with the swearing-in of eight new judges. This is part of our avowed commitment as a government to strengthen the judiciary. As I have always said that for us to have a virile democracy, we must strengthen the rule of law which means making sure that the judiciary is if not one of the strongest arms of our democracy.
‘I urge you to carry on your duties without fear or favour. This appointment is from God and not from any man.
‘We will continue as the executive to help invest in the required infrastructure. Yes, we are appointing judges we have to also provide the environment for the judges to work efficiently and smoothly. We are going to be handing over the court complex this week.
‘This year we will be fixing and rebuilding the judges quarters and courts outside of Benin City.
‘We are also going to be working with the judiciary to deploy a lot more technology, particularly in our courtroom to ease the burden of work on our judges. We are in the executive currently undergoing a major transformation by utilizing technology in all our processes and in how we work in government, with COVID-19, it is a bit difficult if not risky to have physical meetings as we used to have in the past and so we are using technology to carry on government activities this we believe is the future and we want to encourage the judiciary to adopt the use of technology as much as it is possible in carrying out your activities.
‘We are committed to relocating the Court of Appeal from its current location in Ikpoba Hill and just as we support our local judiciary we will also extend hands of support to other federal judicial officers and institutions in our state,’ Obaseki said.
Among those present at the ceremony held in strict observance of COVID-19 protocol at the new Festival Hall in the Government House was the first female Chief Judge of the state, Justice Constance Momoh.
State governors are spending billions of naira to conduct local government elections that are always cleared by the ruling parties, leaving almost no seat for the opposition, with political activists describing the development as a mockery of democracy.
While some experts called for the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs), others called for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to give powers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct elections at the Local Government level.
They said amending the constitution was the only way to give a relatively level playing field for various political parties to produce chairmen and councillors and, by extension, competitive governance at the grassroots.
Besides clearing the polls, many states hardly reveal what they spend during local government elections; heightening suspicions that they only use the elections as a cover for sleaze.
Daily Trust reports that some states could not get anything from the N123.348 billion performance-based grants released to states by the federal government last week using fiscal transparency, accountability, expenditure efficiency, revenue mobilisation and debt sustainability as the template for the distribution.
How states conducted LG polls
Reports from states showed that despite guzzling billions of naira, the local government elections were shrouded in controversies with ruling parties clearing all the chairmanship and councillor positions in most cases.
Also, except for Kano, Rivers, Borno, Kaduna and Plateau, other states that conducted LG polls refused to disclose their expenditure when approached by our reporters.
The latest local government election in the country was conducted in Kano State on Saturday, January 16.
The elections gulped a whopping N2.3 billion, recorded low turnout amid voter apathy, while the leading opposition party in the state, PDP, boycotted the exercise.
In an interview with Daily Trust, the chairman of Kano State Independent Electoral Commission (KANSIEC), Professor Garba Ibrahim Sheka, said elections with the kind of democracy adopted in Nigeria were expensive.
He said N2.3 billion was earmarked for the election because of the size and population of prospective voters.
While announcing the results on Sunday, KANSIEC said the APC won all the 44 seats for the LG chairmen and 484 councilorship seats.
In neighbouring Jigawa
In Jigawa, the State Independent Electoral Commission (JISIEC) conducted elections on June 29, 2019, and the ruling APC won all the 27 local government chairmanship and 287 councillorship positions.
On the cost of the election, the Chairman of JISIEC, Alhaji Sani Ahmed Babandi, was not around when Daily Trust visited the commission’s head office along Kiyawa road in the state capital and a text message sent to his phone was not responded to.
The Director of Administration and Finance of the commission, Muhammad T. Yunusa, declined to provide the financial implications of the elections, saying it was only the chairman that could provide such information.
“I can only confirm to you that we successfully conducted the local government elections in Jigawa State on June 29, 2019.
“We have another election coming up on June 29, 2021, all things being equal. This is all I can tell you,” he said.
Elsewhere
The last time local government elections were held in Katsina State was in 2014 under Governor Shehu Shema of the PDP, and when Governor Bello Masari took over, the elected councils were dissolved and replaced with sole administrators.
When contacted, the chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission, Alhaji Ibrahim Bako, said no date has been fixed for another election.
In Kaduna, local government elections were conducted on May 12, 2018. APC won in 15 LGAs while PDP secured victory in four LGAs, Jema’a, Kachia, Kauru and Zangon-Kataf.
Elections were not conducted in Jaba, Kaura and Kajuru LGAs due to insecurity while that of Chikun was not concluded. Elections have not been conducted in Jaba, Kajuru and Kaura where interim management committee chairmen have been installed.
Based on the 2018 approved budget for the state, the sum of N1.013b was budgeted for the conduct of the 2018 LG election.
One of our correspondents reports that Lagos State is expected to conduct local government election this year when the four-year tenure of the incumbent elected council chairmen would elapse. During the last election, the APC cleared all the council seats.
In Ekiti, local government elections were conducted on December 7, 2019.
Their term of office will end in December 2021 even as the cost expended on the election could not be ascertained.
The ruling party, APC, won all the 16 chairmanship seats and 177 wards councillorship positions.
In Ondo, local government elections were held on August 22, 2020, and APC won all the 18 local governments and 194 councillorship seats out of 198.
LG elections and insecurity
In Plateau State, local government elections were conducted on November 11, 2018, in 13 out of the 17 LGAs of the state and the ruling APC won 12 chairmanship positions while the opposition PDP won only one seat.
The state government claimed that elections were not conducted in the remaining four LGAs due to insecurity in the areas. The governor subsequently nominated all the APC candidates in the affected LGAs as caretaker committee chairmen.
Based on Plateau’s 2018 budget, the sum of N1.040b was allocated to the state electoral body to conduct the local government election.
In Rivers State, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Paulinius Nsirim, said the executive council had approved N2bn for the conduct LG polls.
The local government election in Akwa Ibom State was conducted on October 31 last year and PDP, which is the ruling party in the state, cleared the election unopposed as APC pulled out of the election.
The tenure of the current local government chairmen in Edo State will expire next month. However, the APC, which was the ruling party when the election was conducted, swept all the seats. Except for two council chairmen and few councillors, all others have followed Governor Godwin Obaseki who defected to the PDP last year and analysts believed that the pattern of the LG will also change.
The ruling PDP in Cross River State won all the positions in May last year when the election was conducted in the 18 local government areas of the state. However, the actual amount invested in the conduct of the election has not been disclosed.
When contacted, the commissioner for Information in Cross River State, Comrade Asu Okang, said, “The council election in the state was conducted months back and you are asking for such detail today?”
In Borno, the ruling APC cleared all positions in the local government election held in November last year. Contacted, the Chairman of BOSIEC, Alhaji Abdu Usman, said they expended over N600 million to conduct the election.
Daily Trust reports that expectations are high that the Yobe local government election will be conducted next month but it is not clear how much will be spent. In previous elections and like what obtains in other places, the APC cleared everything leaving nothing for the opposition parties.
The local government election in Gombe State was held on December 19, 2020, and the ruling APC was declared the winner after clearing all the 11 chairmanship and 114 councillorship positions.
When contacted to know how much was spent, the Commissioner for Public Affairs at GOSIEC, Mr Bulus Kudi, referred our correspondent to the chairman of the commission and the chairman did not pick his calls even as he did not reply a text message sent to him.
In Enugu State, the PDP swept all the seats when the election was conducted in February last year. Chairman of ENSIEC, Dr Mike Ajogwu, said that the outcome of the poll was like a repeat of the last council election as the PDP won all the elective seats at the chairmanship level.
However, the ENSIEC could not comment on the amount spent on the poll.
In Abia State, the local government election was conducted with the ruling party in the state, the PDP winning all the 17 chairmanship seats while the Labour Party won 10 councillorship seats in Ikwuano LGA.
‘SIECs cannot be neutral’
A former minister of National Planning and Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Professor Abubakar Sulaiman, said the state electoral commissions should be scrapped to strengthen the local government system.
Sulaiman told Daily Trust in a recent interview that: “Our focus most times is at the centre. We rarely go to what obtains at the local level. A situation where states have their electoral commissions, they should be abolished.
“If we have NUC that controls the university systems and regulation in terms of the policy, if we have WAEC regulating exams in colleges in Nigeria, if we have JAMB that conducts exams for all secondary school graduates, I think INEC should be able to conduct elections for all 36 states and the FCT. That is why in Nigeria, no state electoral commission (SIEC) has been very neutral,” he said.
LG elections nothing but fraud – CSOs
The Director, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Idayat Hassan, said since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, there has been a decline in the delivery of social services at the local government level due to overwhelming corruption, weak institutions and oversights.
“In Nigeria, successive governors have failed to conduct elections at the local level, thereby eroding democratic governance. Instead of elected officials, so-called caretaker committees, mainly comprised of cronies are appointed to local government offices. State governors select trusted party stalwarts to do their bidding and protect their interests.
“The worst is the elections conducted if at all; SIEC officials are appointed by the governors who do the bidding of their employers. They are blighted by partisanship and they lack capacity and adequate resources. It means almost all elections are won by the party in power. It is worrying that opposition parties are now refusing to contest in local government elections.
“To make local government work for the people, the issue of periodic elections and who conducts the elections must be settled. Importantly is also settling once and for all the challenges associated with their financial autonomy,” she said.
Also, the Executive Director, Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), Dr Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, accused the state governments of starving the local governments, rendering them dysfunctional.
“Even when elected, local governments executives have to exhibit loyalty to the state governors, instead of the people who brought them into power. As it is, for local governments to function, we need a new set of leaders at the federal and state level who are committed to ensuring local development is institutionalised,” he said.
We need constitutional amendment – Lawyers
Lawyers who spoke to Daily Trust proposed constitutional amendment to correct the anomalies afflicting LG elections and safeguard local governments’ independence.
Solomon Umoh (SAN) said it is a constitutional issue, which like other problems in Nigeria, would require a constitutional review.
“You cannot say there will not be an election, because the constitution says there must be an election,” he said.
For his part, Abdulhamid Mohammed Esq called for the conduct of local government elections by INEC to ensure independence and neutrality.
On funding, he called for independent funding from the state through first line charge to the consolidated revenue fund.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) announced Thursday she will file articles of impeachment against President-elect Joe Biden one day after he is inaugurated.
Greene said she is taking the action because of alleged business dealings Biden and his son Hunter Biden have had with the Chinese Communist Party and in the Ukraine.
“We have to make sure that our leaders are held accountable, we cannot have a president of the United States that is willing to abuse the power of the office of the presidency and be easily bought off by foreign governments … Chinese energy companies, Ukrainian energy companies,” she told Newsmax TV. “So on January 21, I will be filing articles of impeachment on Joe Biden.”
Greene’s announcement came just hours after the House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump for a second time, citing the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“On January 21st, I’m filing Articles of Impeachment on President-elect @JoeBiden,” Greene tweeted. “75 million Americans are fed up with inaction. It’s time to take a stand. I’m proud to be the voice of Republican voters who have been ignored. #ImpeachBiden #QuidProJoe #BidenCrimeFamily”
In a bid to ensure a seamless process preparatory to the transition to his second tenure, the Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) has constituted a Handover Strategy and Implementation Committee.
The committee which has the governor’s son, Babajide Akeredolu as member is to be chaired by the state Head of Service, Mr Dare Aragbaiye.
In a statement on Friday signed by the state commissioner for information and orientation, Mr Donald Ojogo, the Committee’s mandate amongst others, is to help coordinate the hand over process.
It is also “to ensure this administration’s records are appropriately archived, facilitate the off-boarding of current administration personnel as well as ease the on-boarding process of incoming personnel.
“The Committee’s membership is as follows: Mr. ‘Dare Aragbaiye (HoS) Chairman, Dr. Patrick Tolani Member, Ms Cecilia Akintomide Member, Mr. Ayo Sotinrin Member, Mr. Omololu Elegbe Member, Mr. Babajide Akeredolu Member.
The Terms of Reference of the Committee include among others: Recommend and advise the government on result-oriented structural processes and practices for existing MDAs.
The committee will commence work immediately and shall work until a proper handover structure is developed, adopted, and implemented.
Two pastors in Ilorin, Kwara State, Olumide Peter and Jasulayomi Adetola, are in trouble for allegedly brainwashing their congregation to disown their biological parents and burn their certificates.
The Pastors were arraigned at Ilorin Magistrates’ Court, on Thursday for their action where they were charged with criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, wrongful confinement and putting persons in fear of injury in order to commit extortion.
The Magistrate, Ibrahim Dasuki, ordered the defendants to be remanded in Oke-Kura Correctional Centre, Ilorin.
He, thereafter, adjourned the case till Jan. 28, for further mention.
Earlier, Counsel to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr Ajide Kehinde, said that two children and four adults, who were reportedly abducted by the pastors, were rescued by the corps.
He said that the defendants, who are pastors at Evidence of Christ Fellowship International Church, Agbo-Oba, Ilorin, kicked against Western education, claiming that it was a sin and that any certificate acquired through it was evil.
Kehinde said that the pastors had been extorting money from international organisations by sending recorded videos of the children, claiming that they were victims of natural disasters and internally-displaced persons.
Kehinde said further investigation revealed that the pastors kicked against Western education, urging its congregation to see it as ungodly.
He said that the offences were contrary to Sections 96, 100, 260 and 293 of the Penal Code Law.
The counsel prayed the court to remand the defendants on the basis that one of them was still at large.
He said that releasing the defendants on bail might jeopardise efforts to carry out proper investigation into the matter.
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them.
The Federal High Court Abuja has dismissed a suit challenging the validity of the primary election that produced Rotimi Akeredolu as the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress in the last governorship election.
Presiding judge justice Iyang Ekwo in a judgment held that the suit instituted by Olajumoke Anifowose was statued barred having been filed outside the 14 days allowed by law for a pre-election matter.
Mrs Anifowose in the suit filed on her behalf by her counsel Adesina Oke, contended that section 87 of the electoral Act and article 20 of the APC Constitution were violated in the primary election by the state executive committee and local government committee that conducted the election.
The plaintiffs had prayed the court for an order declaring the primary election as invalid and to bar INEC from recognizing governor Akeredolu as the governorship candidate.
She also prayed the court to stop the APC from submitting Mr Akeredolu name as it’s governorship candidate.
The court upheld the preliminary hearing objections by the governor and APC , who claimed the suit was grossly Incompetent.
Justice Ekwo noted that the governor was nominated by APC on July 20th and the plaintiffs filed the suit on July 29th which fell within 14 days required by law, but the suit became incompetent due to withdrawal of the initial originating summons and its substitution on August 20th.
Politics › Federal Capital Cows: Cattle, motorists finding space on Abuja road by Kwanza(op): 12:43pm On Feb 08, 2021
