A federal high court in Abuja has invalidated the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election that produced Asue Ighodalo as the candidate for the forthcoming gubernatorial poll in Edo.

In the ruling delivered on Thursday, Inyang Ekwo, presiding judge, held that the PDP primary held on February 22 failed to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and the party’s constitution.

Ekwo held that from the exhibit tendered in court, the returning officers who prepared the result sheets only sat in one place to falsify the outcome of the poll.

He said the exclusion of the 381 delegates, including the plaintiffs, was against the provisions of the law.

The judge further held that even though the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) filed a memorandum of appearance in the suit, it was unfortunate that the commission did not file any process in the case.

Rather, the electoral umpire had said they would abide by whatever the ruling of the court is.

“I found that the case of the plaintiffs succeeds on merit,” he said.

Three aggrieved ad hoc delegates had filed the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/165/2024 on behalf of the 378 other delegates.

The plaintiffs are Kelvin Mohammed, Gabriel Okoduwa and Ederaho Osagie, on behalf of the 378 others in 12 LGAs and 127 wards.

INEC, the PDP, its national secretary and the vice chairman of the south-south, were joined as 1st to 4th defendants in the suit.

The 381 delegates are those loyal to Philip Shaibu, the impeached deputy governor of the state.

BACKGROUND

On February 4, the PDP conducted a congress to select delegates who would participate in the party’s February 22 governorship primary.

Before the congress, Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, who was appointed as the chairman of the election committee, rejected the appointment.

Makinde said the list of electoral officers for the election contained names from Delta state and those of officials of the Edo state government.

Nine of the 11 PDP governorship aspirants, including Shaibu, former deputy governor of the state, boycotted the exercise.

The aspirants rejected the composition of the committee for the delegates’ election.

Tony Aziegbemi, chairman of the PDP in Edo, asked aggrieved governorship hopefuls to approach the appeal panel.

Ighodalo, a businessman, won the governorship primary conducted on February 22.

Ighodalo was the preferred candidate of Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo.

Shaibu has since been expelled by the Edo state chapter of the PDP.

The Edo governorship election has been slated for September 21, 2024.

Former speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, said yesterday his total allowance in office was N25 million and salary N400,000 monthly.

The clarification Dogara said was necessary, following public misconception that members of the National Assembly earned huge salaries and allowances.

Recall that Yakubu Dogara was the Speaker of the 8th Assembly. Speaking during a Goodwill message at the two days ‘House Open Week 2024’ organised by the House of Representatives as part of the celebration of 25 years of unbroken democracy in the country,

Dogara said it was important Nigerians allowed their representatives to work and limit the financial demands on them .

He said further that the misconception of huge salaries and allowances by Nigerians had given the National Assembly a negative image, to the extent that lawmakers were called thieves at public fora.

The former speaker said he suffered the same fate as a member of the House of Representatives and as speaker because of the belief by Nigerians that lawmakers collect millions as salaries and allowances monthly at the expense of Nigerian workers.

Dogara noted that, his salary was N400,000 while he had the sum of N25 million monthly as the Speaker of the 8th Assembly.

He said:  “While I was speaker, my salary was N400and my total allowance was N25 million.  I told my accountant to open a separate account for the allowances and I never for once took any money out of that account.   Everything that came into that account was used to cater for the needs of constituents.

“My accountant complained of the level of demand on the account and I told him if the money there is finished, borrow, when money comes in, you return to were you had taken money from.

“I am saying this so Nigerians will give their legislators breathing space and know that the narrative is not true about members pay.”

He said as a result of the speculations about the earnings of the members of the 8th House, he ordered that the breakdown of the House budget be made public, including what he was entitled to as the speaker.

He, however, noted that the practice discontinued, which gave room for the continuation of speculations and outright lies about the earnings and entitlements of lawmakers till date.

Dogara further acknowledged the notion that Nigeria’s democracy was expensive, adding that many countries were complaining about the cost that comes with the practice and maintenance of democracy.

He, therefore, challenged the country’s political scientists to help fashion out an alternative, homegrown form that would be less expensive and meet the yearnings and needs of Nigerians.

[Vanguard]

Big Brother Naija reality show star, Seyi Awolowo has narrated the struggles he encountered growing up.

During an interview with popular media personality, Chude Jideonwo, the reality star said he was disowned by his father several times.

Speaking about his turbulent upbringing in a polygamous environment, the late Obafemi Awolowo’s grandson stated that his father kept detailed files on each child.

He said, “My father disowned me a couple of times. Not just me, a couple of us because my father married three wives.

“My father wrote letters to cut off his children, reducing our identities to mere names on a list. We all have files. ‘As of right now, your name is just Seyi, full stop’”.

 [DailyPost]

The Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, on Wednesday, said governors, under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, are not against approval of a living wage for Nigerian workers.

Oyebanji said the NGF was only clamouring for fiscal federalism that would culminate in the ability and capability of individual states to pay.

Organised labour is battling the Federal Government over delay tactics in implementing the new minimum wage for workers.

While the tripartite committee set up by the government recommended N62,000 to President Bola Tinubu, the governors insisted that most states could not pay the amount and asked that the new minimum wage be pegged at N57,000.

So This Happened (EP 254) Reviews Tinubu's Order To Civil Servants Abroad To Refund Salary, Others0:00 / 1:01
The recommendations of both the tripartite committee and the NGF were, however, not acceptable to the organised labour who came down to the N250,000 benchmark during the final meeting of the tripartite committee.

As Tinubu opted to dialogue with the NGF and the employers, the labour came hard on the governors, accusing them of being insensitive to the plight of the workers.

Oyebanji, speaking in Ado Ekiti, during the Seventh Quadrennial Delegates’ Conference of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria, however, said no state wanted to downsize its workforce, adding that each state was interested in determining what it could afford that would not end up in the eventual retrenchment.

“The NGF is not against the living wage. No governor is against the minimum wage, but what we are saying is that it must reflect fiscal federalism, ability and capacity to pay.

“No governor wants to retrench, if there is a minimum wage today without a concurrent increment in what we are earning, no state can pay.

“That is the conversation we are having – that, look, we want to give you a living wage, but we must look at what comes to the states and whatever is in the best interest of the states and the workers, we will do,” Oyebanji said.

The governor told the workers, “My appeal to civil servants is that those who would like to be part of our agriculture revolution should form themselves into cooperative societies and approach the Ministry of Agriculture for support.

“It may be difficult to support you individually, but when you form yourselves into cooperatives, many opportunities are available now. We are clearing land free of charge, we are giving inputs and we are going to buy from you. As I speak today, we have cleared more than 2,000 hectares across Ekiti State.”

Oyebanji reiterated the pivotal role civil servants played in the growth and development of the state, especially in the realisation of the six pillars of his administration, adding that whatever compliments the administration had received could only be directly attributed to the efficiency and effectiveness of the workers.

He said, “I have come here today to associate and rejoice with you as major stakeholders in our body polity.

“More importantly, I am also here to learn from you and to share in your experience. As you know, the civil service is a reservoir of talents where you can find all professionals of different callings and experiences.

“A conference like this does not benefit the senior civil servants alone, it is an avenue for all of us to learn from one another, cross-fertilise ideas, and share experiences. I am, therefore, not just here as a special guest of honour, I am here as a student of Public Administration,” the governor stated.