For a man who went to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC with a background of activism and as a defender of civil rights, the sorry reputation with which Mr Festus Okoye is reckoned these days is pitiable.

After a long abstinence following the faux pas of the 2023 General Election, Mr Okoye again burst out into our space with the announcement that the INEC was about to review the processes of the 2023 General Election. The retort from the public space was almost universal, to wit: ‘you don come again?’

 Mr. Okoye had never been a close acquittance. Apart from meetings here and there in the course of my duty as a journalist, I had never really been in close proximity to him. However, his reputation as a civil rights activist and defender of the public good went before him and won much admiration from this correspondent and from many others. He was indeed a likable man whose personal interactions and gestures bespoke much humility.

Journalists in Kaduna almost always spoke in admiration of Okoye. Not only was he a good news source who was almost always willing to give interviews and perspectives on the issues of law and civil rights, but he was also hailed for his sacrificial legal pro bono services to the oppressed.

So when he was appointed the spokesman of INEC, your correspondent took it that Okoye had been served a poisoned chalice. The most one could do was to pray for him that he would survive with his reputation.

Unfortunately, as Twitter showed when he made the announcement on Thursday on the INEC review of the election, the esteem with which Mr Okoye was held by many right-thinking members of the public has eroded.

His reputation was tried by his publicized assertions that the INEC would transmit results automatically and conduct the best election in the history of Nigeria. Serving as a spokesman to a disreputable institution as INEC has turned out to be is Mr. Okoye’s quagmire.

A man who spoke truth to power is now the purveyor of the very opposite, bringing to wonder what power or is it money does to the souls of men.

It is an agony for your correspondent watching Okoye these days, wondering how a man that he so loved for his humanity has turned against the dignity of men. How he has become the voice and defender of electoral malfeasance as against his pedigree of sincerity and truth.

I wonder what was Mr. Okoye’s reaction to the video image of the Lagos lady who was brutalized at the point of voting last February and who still came with her bloodied face to vote. Mr. Okoye of yore would probably have not just issued a statement in condemnation of the action but probably taken up the duty of defending her.

Of course, Okoye may not have acted directly to impinge the integrity of the ballot, but his decision to defend the worst presidential election in Nigeria since the Maurice Iwu era is befuddling. His action is against the background of the promises he MADE and the enormous resources that were channeled to his INEC.

Of course, your correspondent is not addressing Mr Okoye’s boss, Professor Mahmood Yakubu as the INEC chairman did not seriously disappoint. I gave up on Yakubu before the 2019 election and would have been gladly pleased if I had been proved wrong.

Indeed, Yakubu almost convinced me to have a change of mind with his assertion of automatic transmission and such just before the 2023 General Election. But in the end, he went as expected in what has now been claimed as the programmed decimation of the will of the people.

The character profiles of Okoye and Prof Yakubu come against the adulation with which another democracy stakeholder, Dr Raymond Dokpesi was projected as he was laid to rest last Thursday.

Whatever one may say, Dokpesi showed a knack for the upliftment of the common good through the instrumentality of his broadcasting stations. If one is not moved by the grief of AIT staff on air, then the elocution of those who gestured on how he used his stations for the public good including the Third Term debate and other interventions will engraft his name in history for good. It was such character that made the Bendel State-born man to be appointed Chief of Staff to Governor Bamanaga Tukur in 1983.

Today as his remains lie in the ground, the good he did will continue to speak on his behalf as Nigerians remember him.

But for Okoye, I wonder how he can repair his damaged reputation. I wonder what enchantment is in that office that would make a man be profiled with the evil geniuses he once fought against.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has issued a new warning to banks and other financial institutions regarding their business relationships with Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs).

CBN said the banks and other financial institutions should apply a risk-based approach to identifying Politically Exposed Persons and apply appropriate Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) measures when dealing with them.

In a document titled, ‘GUIDANCE NOTES ON POLITICALLY EXPOSED PERSONS’, which was issued to banks on June 22, 2023, but obtained on Saturday, the CBN said the enhanced due diligence is necessary due to the PEPS exposure to corruption.

The apex bank also listed exposure to money laundering, financing of terrorism and proliferation financing (ML/FT/PF) as some of the reasons the banks must apply the EDD and the Customer Due Diligence (CDD).

According to the CBN, PEPS could pose reputational and financial crime risks to banks and other financial institutions due to their political office.

“Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) who may be vulnerable to corruption thus may portend reputational and financial crime risks to the FI. PEPs pose a high risk of money laundering, financing of terrorism and proliferation financing (ML/FT/PF) due to the possibility that individuals holding such positions may misuse their power and influence for personal gain or advantage to themselves, close family members and/or associates,” the document reads.

In its definition of a PEP, the CBN explained: “PEPs who are or have been entrusted with prominent public positions in Nigeria are known as “Domestic PEPs”.

“PEPs who are or have been entrusted with prominent public positions in any other foreign jurisdiction are known as “foreign PEPs”.

“PEPs who are or have been entrusted with the management or any prominent function within an international organization are known as “International Organizations PEPs”

“Close associates of PEPS: are individuals who are closely connected to a PEP, either socially or professionally and include a PEP’s widely- and publicly known close personal friends, business colleagues, and personal advisors. Close associates also include persons having joint or ownership right in a legal person or arrangement established in favour of a PEP.

“Family members of PEPS: include a PEP’s direct family members, their spouse, their children and their spouses, their parents, and the siblings.”

Despite the high risk, the CBN informed the banks and other financial institutions not to prevent or close their business relationships with a customer on the grounds of the person being politically exposed.

Aside from direct requests for information from the PEPs, the CBN urged banks to conduct a third-party search by tracking the PEPs on the Internet or media.

“FIs may use the internet and media as sources of information for the determination, monitoring, verification of information in relation to PEPs, although it should be noted that such information may not be comprehensive or reliable,” the CBN suggested.

“Consequently, the CBN issues this Guidance in line with CBN AML/CFT/CPF Regulations 2022, FATF Recommendations, FATF Guidance on PEPs (2013) and Wolfsberg Guidance on PEPs (2017), to assist FIs in the identification and management of risks associated with PEPs.

“This Guidance provides minimum standards for FIs in their relationships with PEPs and does not limit measures to be taken by FIs to meet their statutory obligations. The Guidance Notes will be revised from time to time, as necessary,” the apex bank noted.

[NationalDaily]

The Chief Of Army Staff (COAS), Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, has hit the ground running by approving the appointment of New General Officers Commanding (GOCs), for some of the divisions of the Nigerian army and commandant for the Nigerian Defence.

Lagbaja appointed Major General A.B Ibrahim as the Chief Of Policy and Plans.

Under the new arrangement, Major General Alabi is now the General Officers Commanding 1 Division Nigerian Army Kaduna, Major General E.A Abubakar, 3 Division Nigerian Army, Jos, Major General Mala, GOC 7 Division, Major General.

Also appointed is a new Provost Marshal, Army, Brigadier General Garba, Chief of Military Intelligence, Brigadier General Ugiagbe, Major General Ochai, Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy, Major General Maina, Commandant Army War College Nigeria.

Others include Major General Aligbe, Commander Training And Doctrine Command, Minna, Major General Oluyede, Commander Infantry Corps, Major General Kange, and Commander Artillery.

The appointment, it was gathered, became necessary following the gap created by the retirement of some officers due to the selection of new service chiefs by President Bola Tinubu on June 19.

[PoliticsNigeria]

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director General of the World Trade Organisation, WTO, on Saturday reacted to the criticisms from Nigerians over the photographs he took in Paris, France.

Okonjo-Oweala had posted a photograph of him in which President Bola Tinubu was cropped out.

The WTO DG had taken the photograph during the summit for ‘A New Global Financing Pact’ convened by the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

The summit afforded Tinubu the opportunity of projecting, on a global stage, his advocacy for widening the fiscal space, economic justice for Africa as the world accelerates the pace of energy transition, and the urgency of addressing the pressing issues of poverty and climate change.

The photograph had generated so much controversy among Nigerians.

Reacting to the controversy generated, Okonjo-Oweala urged Nigerians to relax.

Tweeting, the former Finance minister said the controversy has exposed how polarised Nigeria has become.

According to Okonjo-Iweala: Nigerians, please relax! Re Paris, Interesting attacks from both sides. This sadly shows the depth of polarization in our society.

“I post photos in the order received by accompanying staff or colleagues. Reading more into it is unwarranted. Let’s unite to build our country, not attack.”

[DailyPost]

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has approved 140 as the minimum admission cut-off mark for admission into universities in Nigeria, while that of polytechnics and Colleges of Education is pegged at 100.

Registrar of the board, Professor Is-haq Oloyede announced this on Saturday in Abuja during his presentation at the 2023 policy meeting on admission to tertiary institutions in Nigeria, following the conclusion of conduct of the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The National Tolerable Minimum UTME Score (NTMUS) of 140 for universities, 100 for polytechnics and colleges of education were agreed upon by the stakeholders at the policy meeting.

Oloyede explained that all the tertiary institutions had earlier sent their proposed cut-off mark to the Board and that no institution would be allowed to go below what they had proposed as their individual cut-off mark.

He said that all institutions must abide by this rule and must not go below the approved points.

He also said that every tertiary institution must ensure its own minimum standard especially as it related to institutional screening and grading in the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), which must not be lowered than 50 marks.

”All institutions must abide by this minimum point. This means that no institution can go below the standard.

”For the 15 private universities that demanded between 120 and 130 as minimum points, note that the 140 is sacrosanct and must not be violated.

” This is because the system put in place will not recognise 139, so ensure you comply,” he said.

Oloyede also said that institutions must not collect more than N2,000 as screening fees from candidates

Sierra Leonean voters turned out in their numbers on Saturday, 24th June to choose a new president, members of parliament, mayors and local councilors with the voting process taking off to a slow start in some Centers in Western Area and other parts of the country. 

Officially, voting starts from 7:00 AM until 5:00 PM local time.

Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Head of the ECOWAS 95-member strong Election Observation Mission supported by the Deputy Head of Mission, Amb. Ansumana Ceesay and the ECOWAS Commission’s Technical Team led by Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, arrived at the Aberdeen Municipal School Polling Center in Freetown before the official opening of balloting at 7:00 AM.

Voting started at 8.25 AM at Polling Station 08, at the Centre with 204 registered voters.

Preferential treatment was given to Persons Living with Disability and the elderly. Tholley Idrissa, 43, the first voter, took approximately eight minutes to cast his ballot.

The situation was similar in some Centers from the field reports by ECOWAS Observers deployed to the 16 electoral districts. 

Dr Chambas and his delegation had to appeal to agitated voters to exercise patience at the Logos Academy polling Centre, in Aberdeen, Freetown urban.

The Centre has seven polling stations with about 2,300 registered voters. By 9 am, voting had not started because of late arrival of sensitive electoral materials, including ballot boxes. 

When contacted, Mohamed Konneh, Chair of the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), said the situation at the Logos Academy had been brought to his notice. He blamed the situation on a mix up and pledged that the Commission was in the process of resolving it. 

He also assured the ECOWAS Mission that every voter on the queue by the closing time of 5:00 PM will be allowed to vote. 

The Head of ECOWAS Mission and his delegation later visited the same polling Centre for the second time, and the electoral process was proceeding smoothly.

Similarly, the electoral process was orderly and peaceful at the Hockey pitch polling Centre in Wilberforce Barracks, also in Freetown urban.

This Centre has 14 polling stations each with approximately 300 registered voters. The electoral process started between 7:00 AM and 8:00AM, and by 9.25 AM, polling stations 08 and 09 had each recorded about 40 voters.

Giving his preliminary assessment, Dr Chambas, who also met other Heads of Observation Missions, including former Nigerian Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, leading the Commonwealth Mission, and Mr Haile Mariem Desalegn Bosche, the African Union Head of Mission, appealed for calm and expressed optimism that voting would pick up during the day. 

He commended the discipline and orderliness of many voters who started arriving at the polling centers as early as 2:00 AM, noting that this was a demonstration of their determination and commitment to democracy.

The Head of Mission later visiting the ECOWAS Situation Room, from where the Technical Team was coordinating the observation and liaising with the Observers in the field.

Sitting President Julius Maada Bio, of the SLPP, who is seeking a second term, is facing challenges from 12 other contestants, including Samura Kamara, of the opposition APC, whom he defeated in the 2018 election.

Results of Saturday's polls are expected to be announced within 48 hours and if no candidate gets the mandatory 55% of the valid votes in the first round, the two frontrunners will go into a run-off vote, two weeks after the official announcement of the first-round result.

The ECOWAS Mission and other international and local observers are following the electoral process.

President Bola Tinubu on Friday concluded his official trip to Paris, France, during which he had an outstanding participation in the summit for ‘A New Global Financing Pact’ hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron.

Aside his participation at the event where he represented Nigeria well, President Tinubu also held high-profile sideline meetings with fellow heads of state and government, global business leaders and chief executives of leading multilateral and development finance institutions from around the world.

According to a statement by presidential spokesman, Dele Alake, the summit afforded the President the opportunity of projecting, on a global stage, his advocacy for widening the fiscal space, economic justice for Africa as the world accelerates the pace of energy transition, and the urgency of addressing the pressing issues of poverty and climate change.

President Tinubu, who was initially scheduled to be back in Abuja on Saturday, will now proceed to London, United Kingdom, for a short private visit.

The President will be back in the country in time for the upcoming Eid-el-Kabir festival.

The National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia has dismissed and struck out the petition filed by the Abia South senatorial candidate of the Labour Party, Chinedu Onyizu, against the election of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA.

Onyizu’s petition was dismissed for non-compliance with paragraph 18 of the first schedule of the Electoral Act.

The Court ruled that the petitioners did not apply for pre-trial, adding that there was no proof of service of reply to the respondents.

Earlier when the matter was called up and appearances announced, Counsel to the 1st petitioner, Anagha Kalu Anagha, informed the court that his client, Onyizu was personally in court, and had information he would want to personally deliver to the court.

When given the floor, Onyizu said that he had lost confidence in the Justice Adeniyi-led three-man panel, claiming that he heard that some people were bragging that they had access to the panel.

He further said that the Chairman of the panel was also the one who chaired the tribunal that tried petitions against Abaribe in 2019, alleging that there is an affinity between the Senator and the tribunal Chairman.

Onyizu said he no longer had confidence in the justice of the tribunal and demanded that the matter be transferred to another panel.

But in a swift response, Counsel to Senator Abaribe, Machukwu Ume, SAN, expressed shock over the comments and vituperations by the petitioner.

He said even though the Chairman of the panel presided over the 2019 tribunal that handled the petitions against Abaribe, the Senator did not in any way, influence the decision of the panel.

Similarly, Counsels to APGA, Ogbonna Enekwa; and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Dr J. An Akubo, respectively, urged the court to throw away the petitioner’s application, arguing it ought to have come by way of motion in accordance with relevant laws.

INEC’s lawyer said the allegation of bias against the tribunal was baseless and should be dismissed.

After arguments and counterarguments, the court reserved judgment for the same day and emerged after about four hours to deliver judgement.

Delivering judgement, the tribunal ruled that election petitions are special in nature, and if the application were allowed, it would open the floodgates for other litigants.

It further held that the right to transfer matters only lay with the President of the Court of Appeal.

On the motion by the respondents that the petitioners did not comply with paragraph 18 of the first schedule of the Electoral Act which stipulates that seven days after the close of pleadings, petitioners ought to apply for the issuance of pre-trial forms, the court agreed with the respondents.

Counsels to the respondents had argued that according to the law, failure to comply with that stipulated that respondents could apply for the dismissal of such suit ” because it means that the petitioner has abandoned his petition”.

The court ruled that the petitioners filed their petition but could not produce proof of service.

Speaking with Vanguard, one of the Counsels to APGA, Uche Ihemanma, hailed the ruling of the court, saying that the petitioner abandoned his petition.

” The Court found that the petitioners did not comply with paragraph 18 of the Electoral Act which has to do with the issuance of pre-trial from. And the position of the law is that it is a helpless situation.

” It means that the petitioner abandoned his petition and there is nothing the court can do because it has robbed the court of jurisdiction to do any other thing in that trial”.

Responding also, Senator Abaribe described the court ruling as upright and victory for democracy.

The Senator who spoke through his Media Adviser, Uchenna Awom, said ” we didn’t expect anything less because Senator Abaribe won that election fair and square”.

He commended the judiciary for remaining the last hope of the common man.

Abaribe urged his opponents to consider the elections over and support him in his bid to give the people quality representation.

” He should congratulate the winner after all, Senator Abaribe is his brother. He loses nothing if he cooperates with his brother who is a man widely acclaimed as being a true representative of his people.

” He is fearless and committed to issues that concern the Igbo race. He should congratulate his brother and he has nothing to lose because the future is still bright for him as a young man”.

Speaking with Vanguard, Onyizu described the action of the tribunal as ” a travesty of justice” and vowed to appeal the ruling.

He expressed shock that his protest against the Chairman of the tribunal was not considered.

He accused the court of bias and throwing his suit out on frivolous technicalities

” I got into the court with my lawyers and I observed for the first time that the Chairman of the panel was the same man that delivered judgement in favour of my opponent in 2019 in the suit filed against him by Chris Nkwonta.

” So, when I observed this, I told the panel to move my case file to another panel because I had lost confidence in the make-up of the tribunal.

“Just as if I saw what was coming, the proceeding went ahead. They said it was too late for me to ask for that.

” The reason for striking out my suit was frivolous. My lawyer filed a reply and did not serve the respondents. Meanwhile, the law expects the belief of the tribunal to serve the respondents if the petitioners paid for it, and I paid for the service.

The second reason by the court was that the lawyer who signed my application was not listed as one of my lawyers. Meanwhile, I briefed the law firm handling my case which has many lawyers working for it. If it had employed a lawyer between then and now why should it be a matter?

” They refused to look at the merit of the petition and just struck it out. I’m heading to the Appeal Court but my concern is that the way things are going, I don’t know if it will be the same outcome. There is no hope again for the common man”

Fans of popular Nollywood actress, Mercy Aigbe have taken to social media to gush over some new pictures of the actress wearing Hijab.

The actress, who recently converted to Islam after getting married to popular filmmaker and Movie distributor, Kazeem Adeoti, is currently in Mecca, Saudi Arabia for the 2023 Hajj.

Mercy Aigbe, who renamed herself ‘Hajia Meenah’ after adopting Islam, took to Instagram today to share some pictures from the holy land of Mecca and wished her fans a happy Friday.

Capturing the pictures of herself in a Hijab, she wrote, “May Allah accept our supplication on this very special day as an act of ibadah. Amin ? Jummah Mubarak, everyone.”

The pictures have, however, caught the attention of her fans who took to the comment section to gush over the actress beauty in Hijab.

“She is so beautiful in Hijab. There is no doubt that the Hijab really adds to beauty,” mareeyam_craft commented.

Another Instagram user, Posh_rainbow, wrote, “See how the Hijab fits my Hajia Meenah with the ‘H’.”

“See how beautiful, modest, and unique you are with the Hijab. Don’t stop using it, Alhaja,” Hafsoh_muhammad commented.

Rabiat711 wrote, “Islam looks good on you, so Mashallah.”