The Akwa Ibom government has suspended the Chairman of the Local Government Service Commission in the state, Valentine Attah.

Mr Attah’s suspension, announced Wednesday through a press statement from the Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government (SSG), Emmanuel Ekuwem, came few hours after the state governor, Udom Emmanuel, sacked the commissioner for agriculture and food sufficiency, Uduak Udo-Inyang.

The SSG, Mr Ekuwem, said the governor suspended Mr Attah for “unauthorised” recruitment of persons into the state civil service.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/akwa-ibom-governor-suspends-top-government-official

Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, on Wednesday, rated the President Muhammadu Buhari administration low in addressing the nation’s security challenges.

On Channels Television’s Politics Today, Yinka Odumakin, its spokesman, decried the state of insecurity, stressing that the citizens may lose the country to bandits.

“I will rate them (the Buhari administration) three over 10 based on the state of insecurity, the whole country is ungovernable.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/insecurity-in-nigeria-we-are-losing-the-country-afenifere-raises-alarm

The federal government Wednesday in Abuja accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, of plotting to frustrate the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and make the country ungovernable.

Addressing journalists in the State House after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, decried the PDP’s style of opposition, saying it smacks of desperation and unpatriotic politics, whose effects, he said, might be counter-productive if allowed to persist.

The minister, who added that PDP’s brand of opposition politics was alien to the culture of Nigeria’s democracy, reiterated that the opposition party had deployed the power at its disposal to sabotage the government of Buhari and overheat the polity through its utterances and press statements.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/fg-atiku-plotting-to-sabotage-buhari

The Peoples Democratic Party has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to, within 14 days, account for the alleged humongous corruption and treasury looting under his watch before the May 29 end of first term.

The opposition party put the amount involved at over N14trn.

The PDP insisted that President Buhari must show his integrity by opening up his tenure for investigation, the same way his Presidency had demanded of other elected officials in the legislature and state governments across the country.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/pdp-to-buhari-order-investigation-into-alleged-missing-n14trn-before-may-29

The Federal Government alleged on Wednesday that the Peoples Democratic Party was playing a dangerous brand of opposition politics, which it warned could derail the country’s democracy if it was not urgently addressed.

It noted that the party and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, were “desperate” for power, as exemplified in what the government called “unpatriotic” utterances made by the two and actions they took lately.

Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, gave the government’s position in Abuja.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/atiku-pdps-brand-of-opposition-politics-toxic-threatens-democracy-fg-alleges

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja has fixed May 22 to hear an application seeking an order to restrain Chief Justice of Nigeria or any other Justice from swearing-in Muhammadu Buhari as president on May 29.

Chief Ambrose Owuru, Candidate of the Hope Democratic Party, and his party, who are before the tribunal challenging their alleged exclusion from the February 23 presidential election, brought the application for consideration on Tuesday.

Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, President of the Appeal Court, leading four other justices adjourned hearing on the application on account of non-proper service on the respondents.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/tribunal-fixes-date-to-hear-application-seeking-to-stop-buharis-inauguration

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted leave to Senator Godswill Akpabio to personally challenge a suit seeking his removal from office for allegedly defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Trial judge, Justice Okon Abang, granted Akpabio’s plea on Monday after the senator’s counsel, Sunday Ameh, had moved his application for leave to allow him file a further affidavit of facts.

The plaintiff, Legal Defense and Assistant Project (LEDAP), filed the suit against Akpabio and 53 others who had defected from one party to the other.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/defection-court-grants-senator-akpabio-permission-to-defend-self

The Hope Democratic Party, HDP, has appealed to the Presidential Election Tribunal to restrain President Muhammadu Buhari from his inauguration on May 29.

HDP made the appeal in a motion filed before the tribunal which is also seeking an order restraining the Chief Justice of Nigeria from swearing-in, administering the oath of office and oath of allegiance to the president on May 29th, 2019.

In a motion on notice made available to journalists on Tuesday, the party filed the motion on 6 grounds pursuant to section 1 subsection 2 of the 1999 constitution as amended and under the jurisdiction of the tribunal.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/political-party-states-reasons-buhari-cant-be-inaugurated-may-29-asks-tribunal-to-restrain-president

Crisis has hit the African Action Congress led by Omoyele Sowore as officials suspended and expelled each other.

First to strike was the group that styled itself the National Executive Committee of the party, which announced the suspension of the presidential candidate, Sowore. It announced Leonard Ezenwa as the acting chairman.

The announcement of the suspension came on Monday during the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/things-fall-apart-in-sowores-aac

Former Governor of old Anambra State, Jim Nwobodo, has revealed why Nigeria will never have peace.

Nwobodo said peace will continue to elude Nigeria until somebody from the Igbo extraction is allowed to become president.

Speaking in Enugu yesterday at his 79th birthday event, Nwobodo said the South East must be allowed to produce Nigeria’s President 2023.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/senator-nwobodo-nigeria-will-have-no-peace-until-igbo-is-allowed-to-produce-president

Mr Timi Frank, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned that the planned creation of more emirate councils by Kano State Government would destroy traditional institution in the state.

He gave the warning in a statement on Friday in Abuja, noting that the Kano emirate has been in existence since 1805.

He noted that one of the things that make the state thick is the emirate which represents the cultural heritage of the people and should not be destroyed for selfish reasons.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/more-emirates-will-destroy-traditional-institution-in-kano-timi-frank

Dr. Felix Nte, a collation officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has narrated to the commission of inquiry in Rivers State, how he ate INEC papers out of fear.

The commission of inquiry was set up by the State Government to look into the violence and killings that characterised the February 23 and March 9, 2019 general elections in the State.

Nte said he ate INEC papers and almost chewed his sim card out of fear following unabating gunshots by security operatives.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/rivers-election-i-chewed-inec-papers-my-sim-card-in-fear-inec-collation-officer-tells-committee-of-inquiry

The Court of appeal sitting in Abuja has set aside the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal’s judgment which nullified Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s victory in the Osun governorship election.

In three separate appeals filed by Oyetola, the All Progressives Congress and the Independent National Electoral Commission, the appellate court was asked to set aside the 22 March, 2019 judgement of the tribunal which declared Senator Ademola Adeleke as winner.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/appeal-court-affirms-oyetolas-election-adeleke-loses

The PDP has condemned the renewed probe of Senate President and Director General of the Atiku Presidential Campaign, Senator Bukola Saraki, by the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The PDP in a statement on Wednesday, expressed concern that the EFCC is now being used as a tool in the hand of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), thus terming the new probe a “Witch-hunt”.

In the communique signed by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the PDP said Saraki’s probe is part of the larger plot for a renewed clamp-down on key opposition figures and perceived political opponents of the APC administration, particularly, to frustrate the determination for the party to win at the presidential election tribunal.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/pdp-condemns-efccs-fresh-probe-against-saraki

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the February 23, 2019 election and former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has said reports purportedly linking opposition politicians to the rising spate of insecurity in the country was a disingenuous attempt to hide the failure of President Muhammadu Buhari to find a workable solution to the problem of criminality unfolding on daily basis in the country.

The former Vice President said this on Tuesday in a press statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Paul Ibe.

He described as contrived a security report by an alleged Non-Government Organisation in the United States of America, Centre for Diplomacy and Democracy.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/atiku-to-buhari-youve-sunk-to-your-lowest-with-contrived-security-report-from-us

The President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to stop witch hunting him.
Saraki made the call against the backdrop of a recent letter written by the EFCC to the Kwara State Government demanding for all the details of the salaries, allowances, estacode or any other entitlement he enjoyed as Governor between 2003 and 2011.

In a statement signed by his spokesman, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki said: “We have noted a statement issued yesterday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in reaction to a news story published by a national newspaper, based on the letter written by the commission to the Kwara State Government in which it demanded for all details of salaries, allowances, estacode or any other entitlement enjoyed by Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the President of the Senate, during his tenure as Governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/saraki-to-efcc-stop-witch-hunting-me

Senator Ademola Adeleke has been arrested by men of the Nigeria Police Force.

The lawmaker was taken into custody on the evening of Monday, May 6.

Adeleke’s arrest was affirmed by the force spokesman, Mr. Frank Mba.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/police-arrest-senator-adeleke-over-alleged-certificate-forgery

A former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, has said he will emerge as the Senate President of the Ninth National Assembly.

The senator said this in an interview with journalists in Lagos on Monday.

He said he was confident because he had the support of his colleagues in the Senate and the leaders of the All Progressives Congress.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/senator-ndume-ill-be-the-next-senate-president

The Peoples Democratic Party on Sunday charged the Nigerian Army and other security agencies to track down political mercenaries and thugs said to have been smuggled into Nigeria allegedly by the All Progressives Congress.

It alleged that the ruling party used the thugs to unleash violence on the nation to facilitate its alleged rigging of the 2019 general elections.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, made the allegations in a statement.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/pdp-urges-army-to-expose-political-mercenaries

The Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, on Saturday said he defeated and retired four political godfathers in Kaduna State, saying the feat could be replicated anywhere, including Lagos State.

El-Rufai, who argued that godfathers existed only on paper or in the minds of the people, said the key to defeating them was in going directly to the people.

He, however, admitted that defeating godfathers required time and hard work.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/governor-el-rufai-how-to-end-godfatherism-in-lagos-politics

Member of the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Senator Femi Okunrounmu, has said that contrary to what has been in public domain it was actually the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu who spearheaded the plot to deny the late Chief Bola Ige his presidential ambition.

Okunrounmu, who also served as the chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee on the 2014 National Conference, in an interview with The Guardian alleged that Tinubu worked surreptitiously to ensure that Ige did not emerge winner of the primary of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) because of his (Tinubu) ambition.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/tinubu-worked-against-iges-presidential-ambition-in-1999-okunrounmu

A human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana at the weekend said President Muhammadu Buhari had turned Nigeria into a banana republic, citing prevailing cases of banditry, insurgency and violence that beclouded the country.

Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), added that Buhari’s civilian administration was apparently worse than the military rule he presided over between December 31, 1983 and August 27, 1985.

He expressed grave concern about the APC government in a paper he delivered at a roundtable discussion the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism and the British Council organised to the 2019 World Press Freedom Day in Abuja on Friday.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/falana-apc-govt-has-turned-nigeria-to-banana-republic

A few days after the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) announced the appointment of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, as its “Ambassador-at-Large”, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has initiated a fresh investigation, which seeks to probe all salaries, allowances, estacodes, and payments he received as governor from 2003 to 2011. The probe coming eight years after Saraki left office as governor of Kwara State, was contained in a letter to the state government, through the Permanent Secretary, Government House, dated April 26, and titled, “Investigation Activities: Dr. Bukola Saraki.”

EFCC claimed in the letter that it was investigating an alleged case of conspiracy, abuse of office, misappropriation of public funds, theft, and money laundering involving Saraki.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/again-efcc-moves-against-bukola-saraki

A chieftain of the APC in Rivers State and one-time spokesman of the defunct new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has revealed how the coming together of Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi, and former Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, will benefit the Niger Delta region and Nigeria in general.

He also commended Alhaji Nasiru Danu, an ally of President Muhammadu Buhari, and the Director of Strategic Communications of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, for propelling the peace talk.

He thanked the two politicians for agreeing to mend fences in the interest of their party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the development of the country.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/chukwuemeka-eze-chibuike-amaechi-godswill-akpabios-reconciliation-will-benefit-niger-delta-nigeria

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to end his “private visit” abroad and immediately return home to face the deteriorated security situation in the country.

In a statement by its spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan on Thursday, the PDP said it was completely unacceptable for President Buhari to “practically” abandon his responsibilities, as the Commander-In-Chief, at least for now, to pursue “unexplained” private matters in foreign lands.

The party argued that the President cannot be away while “bandits, marauders, and insurgents seize our nation; maim, kidnap and kill our citizens with reckless abandon”.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/pdp-asks-president-buhari-to-return-home-face-security-challenges

Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo on Wednesday, revealed that there was no rift between him and his predecessor in office, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, who is now serving as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Obaseki made the clarification at the Benin Airport upon his arrival in the state following a one-month vacation.

The governor described the reported rift with Oshiomhole over his second term ambition as fake news.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/governor-obaseki-denies-rift-with-predecessor-adams-oshiomhole

The presidency on Wednesday said it will not comment on the remarks made by Chief c, elder statesman and Afenifere leader that he will not recognise President Muhammadu Buhari as the winner of the 2019 presidential election until the courts declares him as the winner.

Adebanjo had also said he is ready for arrest if the Federal Government believes his remark is treasonable.

Speaking with newsmen, Mallam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to the President, said he has no reaction to Adebanjo’s statement, adding that the Afenifere leader is merely expressing his opinion.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/presidency-we-wont-respond-to-ayo-adebanjo

Leader of Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-cultural group, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has insisted that he would not recognise President Muhammadu Buhari as the winner of the February 2019 Presidential Election.

Reacting to a call by the National Democratic Front (NDF) that he be arrested for treason, Adebanjo said that he stands by his earlier statement and was ready to be arrested.

Adebanjo had, in an interview, described the 2019 presidential election ‘as a joke’, saying he could not recognise Buhari, who was declared winner of the election, as president-elect.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/ayo-adebanjo-i-wont-recognise-president-buharis-victory

Nsima Ekere, the governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), in the March 9 election in Akwa Ibom State says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is frustrating efforts to inspect election materials as ordered by the tribunal.

Victor Iyanam, Lead Counsel to Mr Ekere, disclosed at a news conference in Uyo on Tuesday.

He said INEC was playing the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) script by deliberately delaying the inspection of election materials with a view to killing time.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/inec-frustrating-inspection-of-election-materials-in-akwa-ibom-apc

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the former Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, has reacted to report of him planning to defect back to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Akpabio, who was a former Governor of Akwa Ibom, had last year announced his resignation as Minority Leader of the Red Chamber and defected to the ruling APC.

However, there have been speculations that the lawmaker was planning to return to the PDP.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/akpabio-speaks-on-dumping-apc-returning-to-pdp

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for travelling to the UK on a ‘private visit’ without transmitting power to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The reason for the president’s trip was not disclosed by the presidency which simply said it was a ‘private visit’ and Buhari would returrn on May 5.

Many observers, however, believe the president travelled to see his doctors in the UK where he has received treatment for about one year of his four years in office.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/pdp-attacks-president-buhari-over-private-london-visit

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of replacing servers in its headquarters and state offices across the federation.

The party, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan claimed that the replacement “is a desperate bid to obliterate the actual presidential election results transmitted from the polling centres across the nation.”

The PDP said the “reprehensible act had further exposed the culpability of INEC in the alleged manipulation and rigging of the 2019 presidential election.”

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/pdp-inec-differ-on-alleged-replacement-of-polls-servers