Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State on Monday heeded to public outcry and declined assent to the bill seeking life pension for the state lawmakers as canvassed by the state House of Assembly.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 24-member legislature, dominated by 22 Peoples Democratic Party members, on April 24 hurriedly passed the proposed pension bill for current and past members.

The Bill proposed a monthly pension of N100,000 for members, while the Speaker and Deputy Speaker will be entitled to N500,000 and N200,000 respectively.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/gov-dickson-declines-assent-to-life-pension-bill-for-legislators

Fulani elders have distanced themselves from Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore president, Alhaji Bello Bodejo, for attacking All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, over 2023 presidency.

Bodejo attacked the former Lagos State governor in a newspaper interview on Saturday.

But in a statement yesterday, Concerned Fulani Leaders Forum, led by Muhammad Musa Bawa (Manman) from Sabin Garin Nabordo in Bauchi State, said Bodejo made the statement to serve some dubious interests.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/fulani-elders-berate-miyetti-allahs-chief-over-comment-on-tinubu

Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode has told speakership hopeful, Femi Gbajabiamila that he does not have to sell his soul to the Fulanis because he wants to become a speaker.

Fani-Kayode was reacting to a photo in which Gbajabiamila was pictured sitting at the feet and clinging to the thighs of a Fulani Islamic scholar by the name of Sheik Dahiru Bauchi.

The former minister, who was displeased with the what he saw said: “Has it really come to this? Do we have to sink to this level? Must we bow before them? Is it not better to die a free man than live a slave? Some have argued that Femi did this because he is a Muslim and that he was merely displaying his deep respect for a northern Muslim cleric.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/fani-kayode-to-gbajabiamila-you-dont-have-to-sell-your-soul-to-fulani-to-become-speaker

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), on Thursday cleared the air on his absence during President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Lagos State.

Buhari had on Wednesday commissioned projects in Lagos. However, Tinubu was conspicuously absent, a development, which raised eyebrows among Nigerians.

There were insinuations that Tinubu shunned the event as a payback for the President’s absence at the colloquium organised last month to mark his 67th birthday.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/why-i-was-absent-when-buhari-visited-lagos-tinubu

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa has called on Gov. Seriake Dickson to withhold his assent to the proposed Life Pension for lawmakers in the State House of Assembly because of its adverse economic consequences.

Making the appeal in a statement on Thursday in Yenagoa, the party advised the governor to yield to public opinion by withholding his assent on the bill when it is transmitted to him.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 24-member Assembly dominated by 22 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members on Wednesday hurriedly passed the pension bill for current and past members.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/bayelsa-lawmakers-want-life-pension-apc-kicks

The Alliance for Democracy governorship candidate in the last governorship election in Lagos Owolabi Salis has asked the Lagos State Governorship Electoral Tribunal to stop the inauguration of Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the Executive Governor on May 29, alleging that the governor-elect has unsound mind to govern the state.

Salis made the request in an interim application he filed before the Tribunal, saying that there were allegations that Sanwo-Olu had a criminal record in the US and also has an unsound mind.

Salis joined the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Sanwo-Olu, All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Lagos State Residential Electoral Commissioner as respondents to the application, which was filed separately from his petition.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/sanwo-olu-not-sane-to-rule-lagos-salis-asks-tribunal-to-stop-his-swearing-in

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the Presidency’s jittery reaction to the media interview granted by a top official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), confirming the existence of a central election results transmission server in the commission, further exposes its nerviness, as the guilty is always afraid.

The PDP says the interview, which has already gone viral, speaks volumes about the reported denial by INEC of the existence of such a server for the 2019 general elections as well as the frenzy by President Muhammadu Buhari’s team to distract the Presidential election petitions tribunal by externalizing its proceedings.

This is in addition to Presidency’s feverish attempt to divert public attention by engaging in judicial interpretations and hauling insults on our party and candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over our determination to retrieve our stolen mandate in the court.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/pdp-presidencys-jittery-reaction-to-inec-official-interview-vindicates-us

Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has berated the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for always circulating falsehood and striving on lies.

APC, while reacting to claims by PDP that it planted Justice J.O.K Oyewole as a panel member of the Osun State Governorship Election Appeal Tribunal, chided the PDP for circulating false, scandalous and defamatory report against Justice Oyewole of the Court of Appeal.

The PDP, through Kola Ologbondiyan, its National Publicity Secretary, said the party had already petitioned the President of the Court of Appeal, alleging that Justice Oyewole had connection with the APC.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/osun-guber-pdp-strives-on-lies-wants-to-create-confusion-apc

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, yesterday decried how an alleged quest by the National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the control of the levers of power in the country made him to misunderstand the role of the National Assembly.

Dogara reiterated that the National Assembly is not a rubber stamp parliament and reserves the right, working cooperatively with the executive, to interrogate projects unilaterally inserted into the budget by the executive arm of government.

He maintained that the legislature could not be accused of padding a budget it has unquestionable constitutional power to review.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/fresh-outrage-over-tinubus-comments-on-national-assembly

After almost a week of exchange of blames and accusations, the Legal team of Senator Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom Northwest) on Tuesday inspected election materials used in the last senatorial election in the area.

Our correspondent confirmed Akpabio’s team of lawyers led by Patrick Umoh was at the state headquarters of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Udo Udoma Avenue, Uyo, Akwa Ibom state by 10am for the inspection.

It was gathered that the ongoing inspection process was stopped last Tuesday because of the Easter holidays after Akpabio’s lead counsel Umoh had accused INEC of preventing them from accessing and inspecting the materials.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/akpabios-legal-team-finally-inspects-election-materials

Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi west, says Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi state, will end up in prison for alleged corruption.

In a tweet on Tuesday, he said he would sue Bello and members of the state house of assembly over “the illegality of the L.G caretaker chairmen.”

Melaye said he was fine-tuning his petition which would make the whole world shocked.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/senator-melaye-governor-bello-will-end-up-in-prison

The All Progressive Congress (APC), Sokoto State chapter, has appealed to the state government to curtail alleged political victimisation of civil servants in the state.

Addressing a press conference in Sokoto, the party Chairman, Alhaji Isa Achida, said that the chapter had been receiving complaints from the state and local government workers on various forms of political victimisation.

He said the victimisation ranged from refusal to be paid their salaries, punitive posting or outright removal from office without any posting.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/sokoto-govt-under-fire-for-victimising-workers

Former Vice President and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the last presidential election, Atiku Abubakar has faulted claim by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that he is not a Nigerian by birth and was not qualified to seek to occupy the office of the President.

Atiku said he is a Nigerian by birth and was born on 25th November, 1946 in Jada, Adamawa State by Nigerian parents and he is, therefore, a citizen of Nigeria by Birth.

He said this in a joint reply he filed with the PDP in reaction to the response filed by the APC against their petition before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) sitting at the Court of Appeal in Abuja.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/updated-im-a-nigerian-by-birth-atiku-replies-apc

National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has opened up on insinuation about his 2023 Presidential ambition.

He described as ‘senseless’ reports that he is propping up Femi Gbajabiamila, a Lagos lawmaker to emerge as the Speaker of House of Representatives as part of plans to actualize his plan to run for the presidency in 2023.

Tinubu, in a statement issued by his media office on Sunday, stated that his support for Ahmed Lawan and Gbajabiamila was aimed at helping President Buhari succeed in the “shared vision of a flourishing economy and a prosperous people,” in his second term.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/tinubu-opens-up-on-2023-presidency

Youths under the auspices of All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth Organisation at the weekend urged President Muhammadu Buhari to allocate 40 percent of his administration’s appointment slots to youths in the country.

The youth organisation added that by so doing the President will be fulfilling one of his reelection campaign promises.

They said “this promise, if fulfilled, will give the youths good sense of belonging and compensation for their contributions towards his victory.”

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/apc-youths-demand-40-percent-appointments

The Arewa Youth Awareness Forum (AYAF) has kicked against the adoption of Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, for the position of speakership in the 9th Assembly by the leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

In a statement yesterday in Kaduna, the group said the endorsement of Gbajabiamila was against the collective interest of the north ahead of 2023 presidency.

The statement was signed by Mohammed Sani-Kabir, Ben Alege and Salisu Abdurrahaman, Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Secretary General of the group respectively.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/arewa-youth-kicks-against-adoption-of-gbajabiamila-as-speaker

The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has shared his experience on how the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, ensured he emerged victorious at the 2019 governorship election in his state.

Governor Ortom who shared his testimony during the April edition of the church Holy Ghost congress held at the redemption camp on Friday, said he sought for the prayers of Pastor Adeboye and Mrs Folu Adeboye before contesting and emerging victorious in the 2015 governorship poll.

He said: When i wanted to contest for the 2015 election, i came to the Redemption Camp to pray and i went to Daddy and Mummy G.O. They prayed for me and despite all the challenges that accompanied the race, i became the governor and i was sworn in.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/how-pastor-adeboye-made-me-governor-of-benue-state-ortom

The Department of State Services (DSS) has denied that it arrested and detained seven members of staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Mr Peter Afunanya, Public Relations Officer of the service, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, NAN reports.

A social media report had alleged that the DSS arrested some ICT staff of INEC for disclosing the commission’s server identity number to the PDP and its presidential candidate in the just-concluded election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/atiku-vs-buhari-dss-speaks-on-arresting-inec-ict-staff-over-leaked-presidential-election-results

President Muhammadu Buhari has challenged the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to produce his academic credentials before the Presidential Election Tribunal.

Buhari said this in his response to allegations contained in the petition by Atiku and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, before the tribunal.

Buhari, in a response filed on April 16 by a team of lawyers led by Wole Olanipekun (SAN), said that the claim by Atiku and the PDP that he was not qualified to stand for election to the office of the President was a lie.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/atiku-should-produce-his-academic-credentials-im-far-more-qualified-buhari-tells-tribunal

An indication that President Muhammadu Buhari may dissolve the Federal Executive Council (FEC) earlier than the May 29 terminal date of his first term in office emerged yesterday when he asked ministers and agency heads to turn in their handover notes by Wednesday.

Newsmen had reported on Monday that the president was weighing his options on the status of the ministers and that he might ask them to go shortly even as he might not reappoint most of them.

A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, Wednesday said the president asked his appointees to come up with a comprehensive status reports on policies, programmes and projects of their respective ministries, departments and agencies.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/president-buhari-asks-ministers-to-submit-handover-notes

The Supreme Court has upheld the election of Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State.

The court, in a unanimous judgment of a five-man panel, held on Wednesday that the appeal by Segun Oni, was statute barred.

Justice Amiru Sanusi, in the lead judgment, held that the case, being a pre-election one, was not commenced at the trial court, within the required time, as stipulated under the Forth Alteration Act.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/supreme-court-upholds-governor-fayemis-election

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, is insistent that the Independent National Electoral Commission stored election results in a server and has said he will call Microsoft, IBM and Oracle experts to testify that he defeated President Muhammadu Buhari by over 1.6 million votes.

Atiku gave the server name as INEC_PRES_RSLT_SRV2019 and its unique Mac address as 94-57-A5-DC-64-B9 with Microsoft Product ID 00252-70000-0000-AA535, in his fresh response to the reply of INEC to his petition.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/inec-server-atiku-calls-microsoft-ibm-oracle-to-testify

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says Livy Uzoukwu, his lead counsel at the tribunal, is qualified to practise in Nigeria.

His legal team at the tribunal where he is challenging the reelection of President Muhammadu Buhari, comprises 31 lawyers led by Uzoukwu.

In its response as the first respondent in the case, INEC had said the petition filed by Atiku was not signed by a legal practitioner licensed to practise in Nigeria.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/tribunal-atiku-abubakar-faults-inec-over-comment-on-lawyer

The Coalition of Minority Tribes in Nigeria has called on the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the last election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to apologise to Nigerians and return to Cameroon or seek naturalization.

The group made this demand following the recent revelation by the All Progressives Congress that Atiku is a nationality of Cameroon and not a Nigerian.

The group said what Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has done by concealing his identity is tantamount to crimes against humanity and must tender an unreserved apology to Nigerians.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/apcs-claim-naturalise-or-return-to-cameroon-group-tells-atiku-abubakar

The Second Republic Presidential Adviser, to former President late Shehu Aliyu Shagari, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai has stated that the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar remains a Nigerian citizen and is qualified to contest for any elective position in the country, including the office of the President.

Yakasai,who was reacting to recent application by the All Progressive Congress (APC) at the Presidential Election Tribunal, alleging that Atiku is a Cameroonian and as such, unfit to contest for the office of the President of Nigeria in the 2019 presidential election.

The former member of Board of Trustees of the defunct All People’s Party (APP) in a statement he personally signed and made available to reporters in Kano, berated APC for holding such opinion that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is not a Nigerian.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/atiku-is-a-nigerian-says-yakasai

The Peoples Democratic Party has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to tender his West African Examination Certificate, which he claimed he has, to the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal instead of allowing his campaign spokesperson, Festus Keyamo, to insult the sensibility of Nigerians with lame attempt at diversionary tactics.

The position of the party was contained in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan.

The party also called on Nigerians to note that in claiming that an aspirant does not need WAEC certificate but the ability to speak English to contest for the office of the president, the Buhari Presidency, through Keyamo, has finally admitted that President Buhari does not have a WAEC certificate as he claimed in his Independent National Electoral Commission form.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/pdp-to-buhari-stop-insulting-nigerians-sensibilities-tender-your-waec-certificate-at-tribunal

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has approved the decision of Senator Ahmed Lawan to negotiate with senators-elect under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, with a view to becoming the next Senate President.

The endorsement was made known in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, in Abuja on Sunday.

He said while APC maintains the majority seats in the both chambers of the incoming National Assembly as well as the capacity to produce the presiding officers in the Federal Legislature alone, it is not averse to Senator Lawan’s decision to negotiate with the lawmakers-elect towards achieving the party’s objectives.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/senate-presidency-apc-backs-senator-lawans-decision-to-negotiate-with-pdp-senators-elect

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) defeated the All Progressives Congress (APC) and others to win the two pending State House of Assembly supplementary elections held yesterday in Rivers State.

The rerun polls covered four Local Governments Areas of Gokana, Abua/Odual for Gokana state constituency, and Ahoada West, Opobo/Nkoro for Ahoada West state constituency.

In Ahoada West State Constituency, Hon. Okpokiri Nwanaka Okpokiri of the PDP was declared winner of the supplementary election.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/pdp-defeats-apc-others-in-rivers-supplementary-elections

he presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had earlier denied reports that he sought the services of a US firm in his bid to unseat President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 Presidential poll.

It was revealed by the Centre for Responsive Politics (CRP) that the former vice president, Atiku had hired Bruce Fein, a former official of the US justice department, and his firm Fein & DelValle PLLC, in March to help unseat incumbent president, Buhari.

However documents released by online news platform, TheCable does show that Atiku had in fact paid the money to the firm two days after signing a 90-day contract (April 1,2019, to July 1, 2019). He signed the contract on March 24 and paid the money on March 26.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/busted-documents-reveal-atiku-paid-30000-to-us-firm-to-unseat-buhari

The All Progressives Congress has told the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja that the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the February 23 presidential poll, Atiku Abubakar, is not a Nigerian.

The party has said that based on that allegation, Atiku was not qualified to have contested the presidential election.

The Party claimed that Atiku was a Cameroonian and not a Nigerian citizen, adding that his petition against President Muhammadu Buhari, should be dismissed for lack of merit.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/atiku-not-a-nigerian-apc-tells-presidential-election-tribunal

Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed as “total fabrication” the allegation that he spent $30,000 to hire a US lobby group to persuade the US Congress to stop the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Reacting to what he calls “shameless lies”, Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, said the latest dirty propaganda against the former Vice President “didn’t come as a surprise to us because lying has so far become their only bragging rights of competence.”

In a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, Ibe explains that “lying has become a culture to the APC administration and therefore, we are not surprised by their latest diversionary allegations.”

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/atiku-abubakar-buharis-campaign-fabricating-shameless-lies-against-me

Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has mandated the Clerk to the National Assembly (CNA), Mohammed Sani-Omolori, to make details of the National Assembly 2019 budget available for passage into law.

The mandate is contained in a letter addressed to the CNA dated 26 March, 2019.

Saraki said that full details of the National Assembly budget with necessary line items should be made ready for passage as part of the National budget.

Read More at: https://www.thenewsbook.net/make-details-of-nass-budget-open-saraki-orders