Northern senators, especially those elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have threatened to revolt against the party if the controversial zoning template for leadership of the 10th National Assembly was not revisited.
Specifically, former Governor of Zamfara State and Senator-elect, Abdulaziz Yari, said the entire North would revolt over the issue.
He spoke when some Senate presidency aspirants visited the National Working Committee, NWC, of the APC, yesterday, in Abuja. adopted Senators Godswil Akpabio and Jibrin Barau.
It also zoned the Speakership and Deputy Speakership to North-West and South-East and chose Tajudeen Abass and Ben Kalu for the slots. The party said those selected were also the choices of President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Meanwhile, the 18 senators-elect from the North-Central geo-political zone have kicked against the template and pointedly criticized the exclusion of the zone from the arrangement.
Also, seven speakership aspirants drawn from the North-West, North-East, North-Central and South-East kicked against the zoning formula and sought redress.
We’ll ensure justice —Adamu
Disturbed by the threats of Senators-elect and members-elect to revolt against its zoning template at the June 13 inauguration of the National Assembly, the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC of the ruling APC, yesterday, embarked on an emergency trouble-shooting parley with aggrieved Senate presidency contenders.
The contestants at the meeting with the NWC were Senators Orji Kalu and Sani Musa as well as Senator-elect, Abdulaziz Yari. The fourth aggrieved aspirant, Senator Osita Izunaso, was said to be away to his home state, Imo, where Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was visiting to flag off the hydrographic survey/dredging of the sea route from Oguta Lake to the Atlantic Ocean.
At the meeting, which was at Adamu’s behest, the national chairman, who sounded conciliatory, urged the contestants to hold their fire, saying the party is waiting for the return of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu in order to have further consultations on the matter.
The quartet of Kalu, Musa, Yari and Izunaso, who submitted a letter of protest to the NWC had threatened to disregard the party’s zoning formula and engage in intense multi-partisan campaigns to realise their ambitions.
Northern revolt
Yari, who was the first to speak among the contestants, said if the current zoning formula is not changed, the North will revolt.
He said: “We are here to present our letter of grievances to you and also tell this house as leaders that we are not satisfied with the arrangement. What we are expecting from you is to give us fair play.
“We have been in this game and we understand it very well and it is about dialogue. We are saying that yes, the party is supreme, and we are looking at the election we won in 2023 and the next election is 2027 and it depends on how we play our part.
“The president-elect got 63.4 percent of votes from the North. Where he comes from, the South, he got 36.6 percent. So, if there is anyone who can say we own APC and the president-elect, it is Northern Nigeria, without undermining any part of the country. They have given their best and we can understand their situation but justice needs to be done. We should not be blinded that the power of anyone is not absolute but only God is absolute. We should not look at these four years as 20 years. We are going back to next election. We should underline that.
Reject Tinubu’s template
“You (NWC members) have all built a reputation for yourselves and you can sit and look at the President-elect and say ‘Mr. President, Sir ‘no.’ I expect all of you to do that. I have been doing that before I became who I am. I would sit down with my governor as secretary (to the state government) and tell him ‘no’ because I know that thing will lead us into a ditch. You know the power of governors of 1999 is not like the one of these days. Governors of 1999 had more powers but I would look at his face and say, ‘no sir.’ He would ask me why and I would say ‘no sir,’ even when other people were saying ‘yes sir.’ So, please, we are expecting you as friends that work with Mr. President-elect, you can look at his face and say sir, no, do not go there, there will be a problem.
“So Mr. Chairman, we are not undermining what you are doing. We are doing this for the sake of the party, because, if we from the North take another decision, it will not be good for all of us and it will become history which we don’t want to happen. It is only justice that will prevent that from happening. We should all pick our pen today, May 11 and write it down. Anything to the contrary, Northern Nigeria will take another decision,” he noted.
Give S’East something reasonable — Kalu
On his part, Kalu, who noted that the APC with 59 Senators-elect does not have an absolute majority in the 109-member Red chamber, added that the South-East deserves “something very reasonable” other than deputy speaker.
He said: “Vote is not a measurement. We had a hurricane in our zone. We need one another and not the level of votes cast. Those who did not vote for the party today can vote for the party tomorrow if they are properly aligned. After all, we have made progress. Before, we used to be one or two senators but it is no longer so. This thing did not only happen in the South-East. Many people from areas where the presidential candidate came from voted along certain lines. I appeal to you people that you must cede something very reasonable to the South-East.
“I am happy the national chairman, deputy national chairman, and national secretary are former senators. You know we are going to do a secret ballot on the floor of the Senate, we will vote according to our conscience. You people have done it before and we will do what you have done in the past. So, it is better, we settle properly as 59 senators of the APC. The difference is not much. If you count three or four of us out, you are losing votes already and we have the capacity to get more from the other side and from our colleagues in the party.
We are going to challenge it
“What you have done (zoning formula) does not look very nice. It is undemocratic and unconstitutional to put people’s names. We are going to challenge it. We are going to say no. I am a party man and we have never disobeyed this party but this is the first time that we are going to say no on the floor of the Senate. The party should go back to the drawing board and rezone, not by name but by zones.
“It will not be right for our party, being a very big party, to be doing something that is unconstitutional. I believe the entire 109 senators-elect have what it takes to be Senate President.”
We demand a change — Musa
On his part, Senator Musa said he was at the meeting to speak in respect of his colleagues, Senators-elect from North-Central zone.
“Looking at the secularity of this country and the permutations, we took the risk (same faith ticket) and we were successful. There are certain times we should not push our luck. We have competent Senators-elect from everywhere. We have a Muslim president. We have a Muslim vice President and we thought that at least, the third person should be a Christian.
“As we are going, I had expected that the party will look at those who are very few. I think four or five of us declared interest.
And I thought in the wisdom of the party, they will invite just those five of us which they can manage. If you can manage us like this after a decision has been proposed, and decisions have been reached, it would have been easier if you sat with us before that proposed decision was issued and said there can only be one leader and we are first among equals. But the party didn’t do that.
“We have been saying that the status quo cannot continue but if we do not allow internal democracy to prosper, how do we expect to change things? We are the ones talking about certain principles we want to see but we are not acting it. This issue can be corrected.
“As the leader of the North-Central, we had a caucus meeting before the decision was taken and after it was taken. The caucus agreed that I should make my declaration known to Nigerians. We looked at the secularity of the country and our caucus now said we should go for the deputy senate president. Your statement was a blow to us and we felt, are we really part of this country? When you talk about the North, we have always been at the receiving end.
“Our geographical settings have become like institutions. You cannot give positions to individuals.
“I would have expected my brothers from the North-West to stand against this template and say let us toe the line we have been toeing since 1999. This injustice needs to be corrected. We (APC) have five of six governors and 11 of 19 senators. We will make sure that no party takes our chance inside that chamber. It is going to be an APC affair.
“I have seen a situation where one zone has the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Staff to the President, the President of the Senate and the roof didn’t come down but the little we (North Central) have, Deputy Senate President, is taken away.
“We need to correct this injustice. We have six geopolitical zones. The president is from the South-West, we have a vice president from the North-East. We have the office of Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker. It is only fair to give these to the other four geo-political zones.”
Hold your fire — Adamu
Addressing the aggrieved contestants, Adamu said he took responsibility for all the controversy that the zoning formula had generated, but said he would not go into details of how the list came up.
Noting that the party will not behave like the proverbial ostrich that would bury its head in the sand, Adamu said the NWC cannot take any decision on the matter without the input of the President-elect.
He said: “As NWC, we take responsibility. As chairman, I take responsibility. I don’t have to share with you how what your heard on the air came out, but I take absolute responsibility
“Yes, there were no sufficient or adequate consultations with you, who are contesting and it is a simple principle of democracy that you get views and opinions. But the circumstances that we found ourselves in after the elections frustrated our desire. We must as democrats open up.
“So, when the NWC met, we were very clear that, yes, we have received with respect, the outcome of the meeting with party leaders, comprising the leadership of the Senate, the House of Representatives and the party, and the NWC. We will go back to the drawing board. We owe our party that duty to take a look whether what was done cannot be changed; what was done needs some changes or reviews. We will take a look at what necessity compelled us to do by the grace of God.
“Hold the fire until the last word is heard from us. We are the custodians of the party as NWC but we are not acting alone. The voice of the president-elect is an essential voice. We must accommodate him, the best we can. I will not compromise on that. So, he is right now outside the country and by the grace of God, when he comes back, we will go back to the drawing board and put our heads together again and see what we will get. I cannot preempt that, I will wait until we hold that meeting with Mr President-elect, the same team that we had the same meeting with. If we need to enlarge the committee, we will do so.
“We will go through your memo, line by line and ensure that we are able to capture the spirit of your presentation and see what will be the best way out of the situation we have.
“On the issue of the North Central, I am a bit tongue-tied talking about it because I will be talking about myself. Your argument is extremely plausible. I assure you, we will take a look at what has been given to the public.”
N-Central insists on Speakership
While the meeting was ongoing, the APC Equity and Justice Forum in the North-Central restated its rejection of the zoning formula, warning of a possible repeat of the 2015 scenario, where lawmakers revolted against the party’s anointed candidates.
Nuhu Ayuba Shikdima and Alhaji Ahmadu Babanrabi, chairman and secretary of the forum respectively, told journalists that the prevailing circumstances in the country calls for careful distribution of positions of governance for balance and equal representation.
Faulting the zoning of the speakership and deputy senate presidency to the North-West and nothing to the North-Central, they said: “APC needs nothing but due diligence and consideration in how it goes about with the sharing formula of positions for equity and justice to prevail. The Nigeria state belongs to all of us and we all have equal stake and so, the needful should be done to avoid the Saraki and Dogara episodes from recurring.”
Party will revisit zoning formula — Umahi
Meanwhile, Governor of Ebonyi State and Senator-elect, David Umahi has said that the NWC would revisit the zoning template for the 10th National Assembly Presiding offices, saying no Nigerian can be asked to be patriotic if he or she has been intentionally excluded from the scheme of things in the country.
Answering questions from Journalists yesterday in Abuja at the ongoing Induction Programme for members-elect of the National Assembly organised by the National Assembly and National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, NILDS, Umahi said that Nigeria as a country should be seen to be one where the leadership must sit down and take a conscious decision to do things differently.
“I have said that the baseline to reset this country is patriotism. But you cannot be asked to be patriotic if you are intentionally excluded. The country must be seen to be one and the leadership must sit down and take a conscious decision to do things differently.”
APC has internal mechanisms for resolving issues — Uzodimma
Speaking in like manner Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, said the APC has internal mechanisms for resolving grievances and would resolve the issues trailing the zoning of 10th National Assembly offices.
Uzodimma who was reacting to how the South-East was zoned out of the Senate leadership slots insisted that ‘nothing unusual happened’.
Fielding questions on Channels Television, ‘Politics Today’ yesterday, he said: “APC is the largest political party in Nigeria and is a rules- driven party. What we practice in Nigeria is party driven democracy. Before you win an election, you must be sponsored by a political party and party loyalty is sacrosanct.
“In power play and politics, people must come together to sometimes disagree to agree. APC has internal mechanisms for resolving differences in advanced political position. So nothing unusual has happened. People are free to say whatever they want to say. Once the party takes a position, I am sure all members of the party will follow.
Asked his opinion on Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu’s view on the zoning, he said: “I don’t want to blame my fellow governor but we cannot be coming out to dance in the market square. What is important is that because it’s a very large family, we will have diverse opinions and views.”
The Lamidi Apapa-led faction of the Labour Party has distanced itself from the calls for an interim government and the agitations that the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, should not be sworn in on May 29, pending the determination of the petitions before the Presidential Election Tribunal sitting in Abuja.
The faction of the party, noted that the swearing-in of Tinubu “may not have any impact on the ongoing legal tussle on the presidential election involving our party, APC and INEC.”
LP in a statement made available to Vanguard in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, by the faction’s spokesman, Abayomi Arabambi, posited that the Electoral Act and the Constitution of Nigeria did not give room for a vacuum, “so whether the President-elect is sworn in or not, there is right to remove him legally if it is found out that he was not duly elected.”
Arabambi recalled how the Court removed Chris Ngige and confirmed Peter Obi as the Governor of Anambra State in 2003.
Citing sections 136 and 146 of the Nigeria Constitution, Arabambi said only death or permanent incapacity can stop a president-elect from being sworn in.
While positing that, “what Peter Obi is crying for is not supported by the law,” Arabambi noted that “a refusal to swear-in Tinubu as President on May 29, will create a vacuum in the system, saying the law does not allow this.
While stressing that the law does not provide for interim president in this circumstance, Arabambi said “even Peter Obi once benefitted from the system of being sworn into office despite pending petitions filed against him before the tribunal by Andy Uba.”
“The law has to be complied with, which is to swear in Tinubu as president, and if anybody wants to change the narrative, they will have to change the law,” he stated.
He said, “Labour Party warns all Obidiots clandestinely parading themselves as LP members and other Obidients who may be agitating that the President-elect should not be sworn in to have a rethink as Labour Party will not support any unlawful means of agitations or change of government violently.”
Arabambi stated that the LP would continue to pursue its case in court.
Wike, Rivers Governor-Elect Fubara, Fayose, Others Shun PDP Governors’ Reception Organized By Tambuwal
AdminRivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and his incoming successor, Siminialaye Fubara, have ignored a reception organised for new and returning governors of their party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
The party is organising the event which it said is to deepen governance and what chief executive officers of state are expected to undertake to justify their leadership.
The party through its Governors’ Forum had announced that the reception for its new and returning members as well as outgoing governors would also witness a send-off of past chairmen of the forum including Segun Mimiko of Ondo, Ayo Foyese of Ekiti State, Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State and Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State.
A statement by the Forum’s Director General said the event under the leadership of Aminu Tambuwal, Governor of Sokoto State, would feature a discussion on ‘Good governance at the sub-national level: Issues, Perspective, Expectations and Outcomes’.
The invitation was extended to the 7 governors-elect of the party including Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, Peter Mbah of Enugu State, Agbu Kefas of Taraba State.
Others include Fubara, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara and Caleb Mutfuwang of Plateau State.
Also invited to the event are reelected governors like Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State.
According to the programme of event, outgoing governors on the platform of the party would also be honoured.
But as at the time of filing this report, Wike was not in attendance just as his protege, Fubara.
Also conspicuously absent was Fayose.
No official reason has been given as to their absence.
However, their shunning of the event may not be unconnected to Wike’s disposition to leave the PDP as a result of the fallout in the party since the conduct of the party’s presidential primary.
Wike had contested and lost the party’s ticket to Atiku Abubakar and wanted to be selected as the presidential running of the party.
Atiku overlooked him for Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.
This resulted in the formation of the G-5 governors under the wing of Wike. The group demanded for the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu, citing equity and justice, that both the PDP presidential candidate and national chairman cannot be from the North.
The group also abstained from the party’s presidential campaign and supported different candidates during the February 25 election.
Wike, who is the arrowhead of the group admitted to the fact that he supported Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, boasting that he’s “proud of supporting the APC candidate to win the election.”
He recently invited Tinubu to a two-day event in the state where the President-elect commissioned some landmark projects.
Some APC leaders in the state have expressed their optimism about the Rivers State Governor joining the party from the PDP, saying, “He’s welcome and would be a big catch for us if he can join us.”
THE WHISTLER gathered that the governor alongside Fubara may dump the PDP as soon as he hands over to his successor on May 29.
Recently, he was named among some people pencilled down by the incoming APC administration to be appointed Minister of Interior.
Both Wike and the Tinubu camp have not officially denied the report.
Meanwhile, the event has seen the arrival of former Vice President, Namadi Sambo, former Kaduna State Governor, Ahmed Makarfi, acting PDP Board of Trustees, Adolphus Wabara among top echelon of the party.
Also not seen yet are Makinde and Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom who are also members of the G-5 movement.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged members of the public to inspect particulars of all candidates vying for governorship and deputy governorship positions in the forthcoming gubernatorial polls in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi States.
The names and particulars of candidates will be published at INEC’s state headquarters and local government offices on Friday.
Festus Okoye, the commission’s spokesperson, disclosed this on Thursday ahead of the November 11 governorship polls.
He said 18 political parties nominated candidates in Kogi and 17 parties for the Bayelsa and Imo elections.
“As required by section 29 (3) of the Electoral Act 2022, the Commission shall publish the personal particulars of the candidates in the State Headquarters and Local Government offices in the three States tomorrow Friday 12th May 2023.
“We appeal to Nigerians to scrutinise the list. In particular, any aspirant who participated in his/her party’s primaries with reasonable grounds to believe that the information provided by the candidate is false can challenge the nomination at the Federal High Court as provided in section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022,” Okoye noted.
The Federal Government is spending N22.44 billion in 2023 on the feeding of 75,507 inmates in correctional centres nationwide, an official said on Thursday in Abuja.
The inmates are spread in 244 custodial centres nationwide, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Dr Shuaib Belgore said during a High-level conference on corrections and decongestion of custodial centres.
Belgore said that 70 percent of the inmates were awaiting trial.
He attributed the high number of awaiting trial inmates to arbitrary arrests, delay in dispensing justice and inability to meet bail conditions.
The permanent secretary said that the situation had led to the congestion of 82 custodial centres across the country.
“The total number of male inmates are 73,821 and 1,686 are female inmates. Out of the 75,507 inmates, 52,436 are awaiting trial while 23,071 are convicted persons, with 3,322 as condemned inmates on death row.
“The Federal Government budgeted N22.44 billion in the 2023 appropriation to cater for the feeding of inmates. Failure to take action to decongest the custodial centres will come at a cost.
“The effects of overcrowding in the custodial centres have led to huge revenue drain for the Federal Government.
“Dilapidation of the centres, criminalisation of the society and the inability to separate awaiting trial inmates from convicted persons,” he said.
Belgore said there was need for holistic reform of the country’s correction system, including the modernisation of custodial centres for appropriate reformation and rehabilitation of inmates.
He said that stakeholders have since emphasised the need to build new facilities and redesign the bail system.
“I am of the view that the discourse at this conference should allocate more time to address speedy dispensation of justice to reduce number of inmates on awaiting trial.
“In as much as the Ministry of Interior works tirelessly to accomplish the goal of achieving greater reduction of number of inmates across our custodial centres, we are determined to ensure that the correctional facilities provide not just a decent accommodation.
“We also ensure that inmates acquire skills and knowledge to advance their integration into the society when they eventually regain freedom,” Belgore said.
He said that the conference should propose efficient, effective and sustainable solutions to tackle congestion of custodial centres and effective implementation of non-custodial measures.
The permanent secretary added that strategies should be devised to promote effective reformation, rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates.
Belgore said the role of the Federal and State Governments in correction of inmates should also be examined by the conference.
“The statistics ratio of federal and state offenders is mind boggling and worrisome.
“The federal offenders in the correctional facilities are far less than 10%, leaving the majority of over 90% to state offences,” he said.
Belgore said that improved implementation of the criminal justice system and adoption of non-custodial measures would help in the decongestion of custodial centres across the nation.
I Will Soon Start Earning Revenue That Is Higher Than Ghana’s GDP From All My Companies—Dangote
AdminAliko Dangote the Chairman of Dangote Group has said that his plans is to shore up his total revenue above the size of Ghana’s GDP by the time his factories begin to work in full capacity.
Dangote made the disclosure while narrating the difficulties he has faced in the last four years when he was building his 360,0000 barrels per day refinery in Lagos.
Dangote is launching the refinery which is the largest single train refinery on May 22 this year which Nigeria relies on to curb billions of dollars spent on the importation and swap of petroleum products.
But the richest man in the continent said at the ongoing 2023 Upstream Investment Management Services Ltd (NUIMS) Annual Value Assurance Review (AVAR) Workshop, that he grew all his gray hairs in the last four years because of the refinery project.
Dangote said, “We knew what we were targeting and our target is by the time we finish all these and we get to our own capacity, we will move our total group revenue from $5bn to $27bn which is equivalent to Ghana’s GDP.
“A lot of people just talk about our refinery but don’t know what we went through. First of all, to make the land suitable because of climate change, we had to raise the land by 1.5 metres but then when you talk about land is it just land no? Our land is 7 times that of Victoria Island (VI).
“VI is 458 hectares our land is 2,780 hectares. So it was not land and we had to bring in the three biggest dredging companies and we pumped from the sea and we have a lot of hassle getting environmental, getting approval from the Ministry of Environment… When you are faced with these challenges, in fact, I developed all my grey hair in the last four years. “
The billionaire explained that it took him 18 months to pump sand alone. According to him, 65 million cubic metres of sand was pumped to fill the land.
He said, “We had to pump in 65 million cubic metres of sand and it took us 18 months. Our CDU is the second biggest which is 2780 tonnes our biggest equipment is 3,000 metric tonnes- that is 3,000 cars in one location and the cranes to lift that is 5,000 tonnes cranes which there are only two available in the world.
“So, when we hired that one, we had the delay and despite the cost, we had to detain that one here and infinitive charges fine. In our CDU alone we had to do 13,000 pipes. We wanted to do storage to store water of 440 million litres of water and we had to do 18,260 pipes.
“We went round the world hiring people with rigs and at the end of the day, we bought our own rigs. People who were doing granite and chips quadrupled their prices waiting for Dangote to come into the market, but we had already planned ahead of them. You know Nigerians. So, what we did was to go and create a capacity of 10 million metric tonnes which is more than the entire capacity of Nigeria in Ogun State where we are mining. 800,000 metric tonnes per month.”
Dangote said he had engaged the Nigerian Ports Authority to break the gate of the port in other to have access.
He lamented that Nigerian infrastructure is not built to execute mega projects.
Dangote explained, “At first, we were in discussion with Nigerian Ports Authority to break their gate but on second thought, it will expose everybody but then we got stuck. We learned more that the infrastructure in Nigeria is almost nothing when it comes to mega projects.
“We had to build a specialised port which was for roll-in and roll-out ships. So, that is how we were able to bring in these equipment.”
The National leader of the Pan Yoruba Socio-Political Group, Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, has lamented over the present state of the country.
The elder statesman who turned 97 today shared his grievances while speaking with newsmen in Akure, the Ondo state capital.
He noted that the present state of Nigeria is not the dreams of many Nigerians both old and young.
According to him “I feel fulfilled, at 97. I have seen it all, I’ve seen the worst and I have seen the best. I lost my wife, I lost my daughter, she was shot dead but generally I have to thank God for everything.
“This is not the Nigeria of my dream, no. Things are getting worst, we only hope those we are leaving behind will try and do their best because what we are seeing now is not good for the country at all.”
Speaking further, Fasoranti urged the incoming administration to provide employment and look into the security of land.
“My expectations from the incoming government are many but I want the government to give priority to unemployment, insecurity. People are not gainfully employed and getting worst every day and I hope government will try and look into it and the security of the land.
“The government should also look into the restructuring of the country and I hope the new President will do it,” he added
Atiku’s Petition Adjourned To May 18 As INEC, Tinubu Yet To State Position On Live Coverage Of Court Sittings
AdminThe Presidential Election Petitions Court has adjourned to May 18 for continuation of the pre-hearing session of the People’s Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar’s case against the Independent National Electoral Commission, President-elect Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Atiku wants the court to nullify the election victory of Tinubu on the grounds that he did not garner majority of lawful votes cast in 2/3 of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
At the pre-hearing session, Atiku’s legal team had urged the court to urgently allow live broadcast of proceedings.
Lawyers representing the INEC, Tinubu and APC — Mahmoud A.B. SAN, Wole Olanipekun SAN and Lateef Fagbemi SAN — had said they would respond in due course.
But at the resumed sitting on Thursday, PDP counsel, Chris Uche SAN told the court that to make for a seamless progression of the pre-hearing session, counsels for the respective parties have met and put heads together to harmonise and to streamline the vital areas and components of the pre-hearing conference.
“My lord, the first item resolved by the various counsels, is documents and we agreed and all set up a team together to look at the documents and agreed on these documents in order to eliminate objections while tendering from the bar and during the hearing.
“We intend to do that between Monday and Tuesday and then prepare a schedule of documents to facilitate hearing.
“The second is, the issues for trial, for the petitioners we have filed ours on May 11 and served all the parties subject to any modifications by the honourable court,” Uche said.
He further reminded the court that with respect to motions, he was yet to get responses to his processes seeking televising of court proceedings
“Altogether, we have been served with four applications, two from INEC and two from the APC; we have reacted to the first one by INEC and we are preparing our responses to the other ones since we’re just served not too long
“Finally, we have agreed and propose Thursday (May 18), to file responses to all application,” Uche added.
On his part, INEC’s lawyer, Mahmoud SAN, said the electoral umpire and parties have already constituted a team for that purpose.
“We also confirmed that we have received issues for determination from the petitioners and APC, we will file ours today.
“We also received application seeking live coverage, I will be filing the response of INEC before the end of today.
“I also confirmed that all applications be moved on Thursday,” Mahmoud replied.
He also said his motion filed on April 19, seeking an order of the court to strike out certain paragraphs of the PDP’s pleadings should be determined as well.
Tinubu’s lawyer, Olanipekun confirmed the submission of the petitioners.
“On behalf of my client, we filed our issues for determination.
“We have also assured the petitioners that between now and Monday, we will serve them our applications,” he said.
Regarding the application for live broadcast of the proceedings, he promised to respond latest Monday, adding “we were served late Tuesday.”
The APC also confirmed the agreement saying it had also filed its issues for determination on May 10.
Responding to all parties, the five-man panel of the court chaired by Justice Haruna Tsammani adjourned to May 18 for further pre-hearing.
“We urge counsels to keep to the content of the agreement for speedy conclusion of the pre-hearing session.
“We hope that you will continue with such cooperation till the conclusion of this petition,” the judge held.
Acquires N560m Worth Of Shares
Tony Elumelu, the Chairman of Heirs Holding has invested N560m to increase his shares in United Bank For Africa.
This was revealed in a notice sent to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd on Thursday, seen by THE WHISTLER.
Checks showed that register of shareholders as of 31 December 2022, Elumelu controls the shares of UBS held by HH Capital Limited 140,843,816; Heirs Holdings Limited 1,814,003,900 and Heirs Alliance Limited 231,086,468 totaling 2,185,934,184 shares.
No shareholder held more than 5 per cent of the share capital of the Bank except Heirs Holdings Limited 1,814,003,900 5.30 per cent.
But the investor through HH Capital Ltd got extra 70,000,000 shares at N8 per share. Elumelu spent N560m in the deal.
With the deal, Elumelu’s shares through HH Capital had risen to 210,843,816. His total shareholding in UBA is now 2,255,934,184.
Elumelu controls Heirs Holdings, a conglomerate that controls big names like UBA, Transnational Corporation, Transcorp Hotel Transcorp Power, Heirs Oil and Gas and United Capital Plc among others.
The decision may be to prevent the ownership tussle between Elumelu and the Chairman of Geregu Power, Femi Otedola.
Otedola had taken over Transnational Corporation when he acquired a whooping 2.6 billion unit of shares or 6.3 per cent of Transcorp to became the highest individual shareholder.
Elumelu forced Otedola out of Transcorp when both parties entered negotiations for Otedola to exit after a landmark deal.
But in reaction, Elumelu through HH Capital Limited, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) owned by him had acquired 9,697,189,984 units of shares, bringing its total holdings in Transcorp Incorporated to 9,991,173,177 units, 9,991,173,177 units.
The shareholding represents 25.58 per cent of the Company’s total shares.
With barely 18 days left to the expiration of his second term and concluding tenure in office, President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed a retiring Assistant Inspector General of Police, Garba Baba Umar, as a senior adviser on security.
But Umar will function in that capacity until November 2024.
Buhari appointed him to the office of the Minister of Police Affairs as adviser on international police cooperation and counter-terrorism.
The president explained that Umar’s appointment will enable the country to keep the “important position” as an executive member of the International Police Organization (INTERPOL).
Announcing the appointment, Garba Shehu, Buhari’s senior media assistant said the president “took note of a precedent in which a former Executive Member, AIG Kamal Subair (Rtd) was retained in service by the Federal Government of Nigeria after retirement in 2018.”
The presidential aide added that Buhari “also took note of the fact that during his tenure as a member of the Executive Committee, AIG Umar assisted Nigeria in many ways, with the hope that in the remaining one year, he will even do more in securing equipment for crimes, border management and counter-terrorism for the country and in helping to get more Nigerians into important positions in the INTERPOL.”
Umar was elected as the Africa Vice President of INTERPOL at the 89th general assembly of the organization in charge of facilitating worldwide police cooperation and crime control.
He was head of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) prior to that appointment.
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The Ambrose Alli University (AAU) Special Intervention Team set up by Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State to advance the government’s vision to reposition the institution to meet global standards, has unravelled a N2bn tax fraud and other corrupt practices by the management and staff of the university.
The team headed by the Managing Director of Schlumberger Nigeria Ltd, Mr Andrew Olotu, while presenting its interim report to the governor at the Government House in Benin City, alleged massive certificate and transcript racketeering and other fraudulent activities in the institution, and called for the urgent intervention of the government.
Presenting the report on behalf of other members of the team, Mr Austin Osakue, noted that “over N2 billion was owed the Edo State Government from the tax that was never paid to the state government. AAU receives more salaries compared to UNIBEN staff and they never pay taxes.
“All the Internally Generated Revenues (IGRs) and school fees collected were not accounted for and all the money entered private pockets instead of the school purse. We have been able to check this excess and now are able to collect N32 million in taxes for the Edo State Government.
“One of the biggest problems in AAU is overhead spending on diesel. Following the bad electricity situation in Ekpoma, the staff of the institution are cashing in on the situation to steal money from the treasury.”
The team revealed that the issue of certificates and transcripts “is a big business in AAU and has caused the University a bad image”, adding, “Students who graduated from 2019 to 2021 have not collected their certificates as there are people who collect money from students for this cause.”
They further noted, “The SIT paid a loan of N330 million collected to pay salaries in 2021 and another N20 million which was meant for the purchase of special vehicles. Students pay heavily for projects. We have paid the April salaries of staff.
“Government has said the University should key into the Contributory Pension Scheme and the staff of the institution refused to key in and continued with the normal pension. We have invited PFA and have made presentations. We are working to see how to get the workers into the scheme.”
Also speaking, Mr Omobude Agho, a representative of civil society organisations in Edo State, commended the team for a great job, urging the governor to ensure the immediate investigation and prosecution of those involved in the fraud in the state-owned varsity.
He noted that the University *is for Edo people and not for a particular ethnic group”, hailing the governor’s commitment to repositioning the school to meet global standards.
Agho said, “I want to appreciate the SIT for the report and thank you for all the troubles you have gone through and appreciate you for the victory achieved so far.
“The last time I led Edo civil society organizations to Ekpoma, they were trying to hide some of these things you mentioned, but they didn’t know that we were on the ground two days before the meeting and went around to observe them.”
He added, “We observed that there is this ethnic right of ownership of AAU. Some people think it’s a gift presented to them by the late Ambrose Alli so that they can use it to sustain themselves.
“That is not correct. The University belongs to the Edo people and not to certain people. It’s our property and should be owned by all of us. This should be explained by His Excellency himself, letting the people know that the University is for Edo people.”
Governor Obaseki, while receiving the report, commended the team for their service to the State, noting, “The greatest legacy for late Prof. Ambrose Alli is to restore this University back to its glory days and that of his dreams. He never made the University to be an ethnic university but a state university and positioned it as such. The University belongs to the Edo people. It’s Edo State University and the investment is for taxpayers of Edo State.”
“As a government, we have the political will as we are taking a major transformation in our education sector and can do so with our University. We need to clean up the system, preparing it for our children coming in.”
Obaseki added, “Your reports show that there is a criminal aspect in your investigation submitted so far. We don’t have to wait for a full report. That is why I invited the security agencies to commence action and investigation on the criminal aspect of your findings today.”
The founding pastor of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly (COZA), Biodun Fatoyinbo, has spoken about his ill health after photos emerged online last year showing him frail and lean.
The photographs were released by the church in November last year during his visit to the United Kingdom.
The photos drew widespread reaction on social media about his health at the time.
But on Thursday, Fatoyinbo who is currently in Ota, Ogun State, attending the International Minister Conference organised by the presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, David Oyedepo, testified about his recovery.
Walking up to the stage during the service, the cleric, though silent about the nature of the sickness, confirmed that he was sick last year.
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Fatoyinbo who looked healthier than before, said amid medical attention, his mentor, Oyedepo was praying and speaking over his life.
With a smile on his face, he said, “Last year, I was a little bit ill and against everything, the medical sciences, Papa (Oyedepo) spoke, and I am here today. And I want to give God the glory!”
The cleric explained that he was a drummer boy in the early years of Winners chapel before God called him to found a church.
He testified that he had been studying Oyedepo from afar over the years but his life experienced a turnaround that was “phenomenal” when he became close to him.
He added that COZA, like Living Faith Church, is now buying properties and operating like a franchise where everywhere looks like the headquarters, after he established a mentor-protege relationship with Oyedepo.
President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged for the umpteenth time to order the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), from detention by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo made the appeal when the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, visited Oguta in Imo State on Thursday to flag off the Oguta Lake/ Orashi River dredging project.
The apex Igbo socio-cultural group said as a ‘honourary Igbo man’, President Buhari should consider complying with the court order freeing Kanu before the end of his tenure on May 29, 2023.
Speaking at the event, Ohanaeze’s new President-General, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, said he was making the fresh on behalf of “over 60 million Igbos” in the country.
“I would like the vice president, when you go, tell Buhari we are very grateful. When he took office we were not happy, we complained. But today, at the point of departure, things have changed,” he noted.
“I can see that in most states a lot has been done. Here in Imo state, a lot has been done for us. So, I would like you to tell our son, Buhari, that we are very grateful. And I want Buhari to realize that he is an Igbo son, an honorary Igbo man.
“He has been honoured by some Igbo states. I think Imo State has honoured him, and Ebonyi has honoured him. Chieftancy title in Igbo land is taken very seriously. You have to help us tell Buhari that he is an Igbo son, he is a member of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo by this honour given to him and what I am speaking here today, I am also speaking on his behalf.
“We are very grateful for what he has done, but before he goes, whatever he can do to bring this project to succeed will be highly appreciated,” he said.
Despite different court orders that ruled for his release, Kanu has remained in DSS detention in connection with the separatist movement of IPOB and its alleged armed wing, the Eastern Security Network.
But Iwuanyanwu told guests at the event that Igbos have no plan to secede from Nigeria.
“Igbos are not seceding. I don’t see why anybody will say Igbos are seceding. Igbos are everywhere. We have investments. Are we going to leave our investments?” he queried.
Airtel said it lost $110m or N50.6bn by the end of its financial year after disconnecting 10.1 million customers who do not have the mandatory National Identity Number (NIN).
The losses occurred between March 2022 to March 2023, the network provider said in its financial statement seen by THE WHISTLER.
The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami had directed the disconnection of all lines that are not linked to the NIN in 2020.
The deadline was first set for January 19, 2021, but was moved to February 9, April 6, May 6, June 30, July 26, October 31, December 31 and March 31, 2022.
But despite the loss, Airtel which operates in Nigeria, East Africa and Francophone Africa said its revenue grew 17.6 per cent to $5.2bn (N2.39trn) by March 2023 from the $4.71bn (N2.17trn) recorded in March 2022.
The growth was boosted by its Nigerian market which accounts for 40 per cent of its total revenue for the year.
Airtel said, “Nigeria’s revenue grew by 13.3 per cent to $2.128bn and 20.3 per cent in constant currency. Strong growth in both voice and data contributed to revenue growth, driven mainly by overall customer base growth of 9.0 per cent and data customer base growth of 17.3 per cent.
“Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) grew by 7.0 per cent, largely driven by higher data and other revenue. Q4’23 revenue growth at 18.7 per cent was lower compared to 23.1 per cent in Q3’23 mainly due to a shortage of cash in the country as a result of the demonetisation initiative, which impacted our cash recharges (50 per cent of total recharges are cash based).
“Voice revenue increased by 13.4 per cent in constant currency, largely driven by customer base growth of 9.0 per cent supported by voice ARPU growth of 0.9 per cent. The barring of outgoing calls for customers who had not submitted their NINs had an adverse impact on voice revenue.
“A total of 13.6 million customers were originally barred, out of which 6.4 million customers (47 per cent) have subsequently submitted their NINs and 3.5 million customers (26 per cent) have been fully verified and unbarred.
“We estimate that this resulted in the loss of approx. $110m of revenues in year ended 31 March 2023, providing a drag on revenue growth of 6 per cent in Nigeria.”
Airtels total voice revenue was $2.49bn (N1.14trn) out of which $1.053bn (N485.16bn) was raised from the Nigerian market.
Airtel data revenue rose to $1.78bn (N820.1bn) with the Nigerian market contributing $884m (N407.3m) out of the whole.
“Data revenue increased by 27.8 per cent in constant currency, driven by both data customer base growth of 17.3 per cent and data ARPU growth of 9.9 per cent. Over the last year, we have enhanced our 4G network with ample data network capacity to provide high-speed data to our customers with almost 100 per cent of our sites now on 4G and data capacity increase of 27.5 per cent.
“This has contributed to 4G data customer growth of 27.6 per cent. Data usage per customer increased by 24.8 per cent facilitating continued data ARPU growth. Data usage per customer reached 5 GB per customer per month from 4 GB per customer per month in the previous period. In Q4’23, 4G data usage per customer increased to 9.5 GB per month (up by 46.5 per cent) from 6.5 GB per customer per month in prior period. 4G data usage now contributes to 80.4 per cent of total data usage on our network,” it added.
However, Airtel’s profit from mall operations fell from $755m (N347.87bn) in March 2022 to $750m (N345.56bn) in March 2023.
“Profit after tax was $750m, down by 0.6 per cent, as growth in operating profit was offset by higher foreign exchange and derivative losses of $245m. Profit after tax excluding foreign exchange and derivative losses was up by 21.2 per cent,” it said.
The exchange rate is estimated at N460.75 per USD.