A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, said the acceptance speech of the All Progressives Congress, APC gubernatorial candidate in Adamawa State, Aisha Dahiru, popularly known as Binani, confirmed that she’s a party to the illegal declaration made by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Barrister Hudu Yunus.
Recalls that the REC, Yunusa had earlier declared Binani the winner of the State gubernatorial election.
Falana described Binani’s declaration and her acceptance speech as a ”charade”, adding that she should be investigated by the police.
He stated these in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday.
The SAN said, ”With respect to the acceptance speech, the acceptance speech already confirmed that she was party to the charade. She has to be brought in by the police and investigated.
“How did you prepare a speech if you did not know that you were going to be declared the winner because, at that stage, the coalition had not been concluded?
“The last point is the role of NTA, the NTA televised the acceptance speech. I expect the NBC to move in speedily and sanction the NTA because, at that time, collation was still ongoing.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission, however, reversed the purported declaration of Binani as the winner of the Adamawa election by the REC.
The Commission said the action of the REC as move to usurp the power of the Returning Officer. It further the declaration as null, void and of no effect.
Mike Ozekhome, SAN Bags Another Visiting Professorship From The Abia State University, Uturu,Abia State
AdminFor renowned constitutional lawyer and leading human rights activist, the citadel of learning has again come out in full force to tap from his deep scholarship, research, mentorship and knowledge of the law, as famous Abia State University, Uturu ( ABSU ), Abia State, has appointed him a VISITING PROFESSOR OF LAW in its Faculty of Law, with effect from the 2022/2023 academic session.
In the letter sighted by this media, dated April 5, 2023, and signed by the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof O.M. Ogbulu, the University wrote interalia, as follows:
"This is in recognition of your outstanding contributions to national human rights advocacies, constitutional law and enviable professional standing in the Legal profession.
"It is our hope that your association with the Faculty of Law, Abia State University, will support its academic endeavours and provide the highest source of wise counsel in that discipline, given your pedigree and contacts".
The University in the letter also undertook to provide accommodation and feeding to Professor Ozekhome while on campus; and accord him honorarium and travel expenses to and from the University. ABSU however wrote that the position does not however include entitlement to promotion, gratuity or pension. It would be recalled that the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti ( ABUAD) had earlier in the year appointed Professor Ozekhome, SAN, as a Visiting Professor of Law in the College of Law.
The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, has said that President Muhammadu Buhari did not confer any advantage on his ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) during the Feb. 25 Presidential election.
Mohammed briefed State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The minister made clarifications of his comments during a recent official trip to the U.S.
“I went to the U.S. to balance the skewed report about the just concluded elections; and everywhere I went, I said very unambiguously that the last general elections in Nigeria are the most transparent.
“It was the freest and the most authentic Nigeria had ever held, and that is despite the effort of the opposition to delegitimise the election.
“And I put forward my position there that the two reasons the election was the best were one.
“The introduction of technology especially, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System(BVAS), made it pretty difficult for anybody to do the usual things before like over-voting, stuffing of ballot boxes and the likes because once it takes your biometrics; you cannot vote twice.’’
He said, more so, that the president promised that he would provide a level playing ground which he did.
“The first instance was that the president did not confer any advantage on his ruling party; and that why as far as he was concerned, he would rather lose the election than win at all cost; and the result showed it.’’
Mohammed said that the president lost in his own state, Kastina, in the presidential election.
He said that it had never happened in Nigeria before—for a sitting president to lose the election in his own state.
The minister said he told his audience in the U.S. that the president prevented the use of security agencies to rig elections.
He said that the last election was largely the least violent in the history of Nigeria.
Mohammed affirmed that what he said about Mr Peter Obi, the Labour party presidential candidate was very clear.
“I said Obi has every right to seek redress in court like Labour party but nobody has the right to call for insurrection or to threaten to say that if the president-elect is sworn-in, that would be the end of democracy.
“And that was precisely what Obi’s running mate said on live television and I have not heard Obi rein him in or correct him; so, if your running mate says something; of course, he was saying on behalf of the party and on behalf of the candidate.
“That is why I said that was treason; for anybody to say that if a duly elected president in Nigeria is sworn in, that will be the end of democracy is treason; for anybody to say if you swear in a duly elected president, you are swearing the military, it is treason.
“ So, I don’t see anything controversial in that,’’ he said
The Federal Executive Council approved N1.535 trillion for the construction and rehabilitation of eleven roads across the country, under the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Tax Credit Scheme.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, said the money would be spent on some major roads in Nigeria, totaling over 700km.
This is coming barely 40 days to the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term.
Fashola said the roads, which would soon be completed, would link 11 states.
He listed the benefiting states to include Edo, Delta, Kano, Kaduna, Borno and Adamawa among others.
“The Council gave approval for the construction and rehabilitation of 11 roads totaling 737.242 kilometers in the sum of N1, 535, 154, 247, 234.48 under phase II of the NNPC tax credit scheme.
“Recall that in January this year, the council approved a memo for the NNPC to invest N1.9 trillion on our roads. That amount was then about 44 roads that had been awarded and the balance of those roads that had to go through procurement between then and now are the 11 that have now been approved by the council,” Fashola said.
[DailyTrust]
The Federal Executive Council yesterday approved the granting of Nigerian citizenship to 385 foreign nationals residing in the country.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said 317 of the applicants were granted citizenship by naturalization; and 68, by registration.
He said all the applicants met the requirements for such an honour.
“Federal Executive Council at its meeting today approved the granting of Nigeria’s citizenship by naturalization to 317 applicants and Nigeria’s citizenship by registration to 68 applicants.
FG: Why Buhari didn’t interfere with Adamawa poll debacle
Arase raises team to end NPF, PSC rift
“Those granted citizenship have met all the constitutional and administrative requirements for the grant of Nigerian citizenship,” Aregbesola explained.
The minister also said the council approved a special fire detection and alarm system to be installed in all firefighting stations across the country.
HE said the project would be at no cost to the government and would be fully digitized thus facilitating prompt response to any fire emergency.
Bashir Ahmad, a special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on digital communication has declared that the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Peter Obi, would never get the support of the Northern people.
According to him, the former Anambra State Governor has never missed an opportunity to show his dislike for the North.
Meanwhile, Peter Obi had in a tweet, noted that beyond regaining his mandate, his commitment was to address poverty in Nigeria, starting from the North.
Wow. Mutumin nan a kodayaushe baya bada lokaci idan ya samu damar zagin Arewa. Duk talaucin da yake Anambra da yankinsa, amma a duk lokacin da zai yi misali da bakin talauci sunan Arewa ne a bakinsa. It’s undeniable you hate us, it will never be harmful to reciprocate, Mr Bitrus. https://t.co/2eP0NNpH9Q
— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) April 19, 2023
But Bashir who tweeted in Hausa language, berated Obi, saying using the North as a representation of the poverty rate in the country shows his dislike for the region.
Yep. It’s undeniable Mr. Obi doesn’t like us. He never misses an opportunity to show that, during his time as a governor, when he was contesting and now as the former presidential candidate; so we are only reciprocating, and if he runs 1000 times, we will reject him 1000 times. https://t.co/RlDbXymc3y
— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) April 19, 2023
In his latest tweet, Bashir maintained his stance, insisting that Obi would never win the presidency because the North would reject even if he contested 1000 times.
“Yep. It’s undeniable Mr. Obi doesn’t like us. He never misses an opportunity to show that, during his time as a governor, when he was contesting and now as the former presidential candidate; so we are only reciprocating, and if he runs 1000 times, we will reject him 1000 times,” he tweeted.
[Tribune]
An Ikeja Special Offences Court has sentenced a businessman, Nasiru Ogara, to fourteen years’ imprisonment for engaging in N24.3 million waste bin and vehicle documents fraud.
Justice Mojisola Dada, while delivering the judgment in the case, held that the prosecution effectively proved the ingredients of the offences filed against the businessman and his company, New Age Motor Waste Basket Ltd.
Ogara and New Age Motor Waste Basket Ltd. were prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on a four-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretences and issuance of dud cheques
The judge found the defendants guilty on counts one, two and three, and sentenced Ogara to fourteen years in prison on counts one and two.
The convict was sentenced to two years’ jail term on count three.
The judge, however, discharged the defendants on count four.
Court orders reinstatement of RTEAN operations, nullifies Lagos govt’s Caretaker committee
She held that the sentences should run concurrently.
The judge imposed a fine of N15 million on the retiree’s company (five million Naira each on counts one to three).
She also ordered that the company should be wound up, its assets sold and the proceeds used to pay the complainant.
The judge ordered the retiree to restitute the sum of N24.3 million to the complainant.
According to EFCC counsel, Mr Nwandu Ukoha, Ogara and the company committed the offences on Dec. 17, 2017.
The commission said that Ogara induced Mr Usman Ademoye, Director of Kelly Newton Nigeria Ltd., to confer a benefit on him by delivering 8,000 units of waste bin worth N5.2 million to him in the understanding that the waste bins would be paid for.
The Commission said that Ogara knew the representation to be false.
The EFCC added that Ogara induced Ademoye, the complainant, to confer a benefit on him by delivering copies of Kogi State Vehicle Consolidated documents worth N19.1 million to him in the understanding that the documents would be paid for.
It said that Ogara knew the representation to be false.
The prosecution called two witnesses through whom several documents were tendered and admitted by the court as exhibits.
The complainant testified as the first prosecution witness.
Ogara testified as the first defence witness, denying the allegations. Two other witnesses testified in his defence.
The offences are contrary to Section 1(1)(b) and (2) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Related Fraud Offences Act of 2006, and Section 1(1)(b) and 2(b) of the Dishonoured Cheques (Offences) Act, 2004.
The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has again expressed concern over the persistent cases of examination malpractice in the country despite various measures being deployed against the menace.
The head of National Office of WAEC, Nigeria, Mr Patrick Areghan, expressed this concern in an interview with Nigerian Tribune, attributing the situation to many factors.
He said apart from the students or candidates; schools, teachers, principals, parents, examination officials, ‘miracle’ centres, rogue website operators are also aiding the menace, particularly during public examinations.
He said WAEC as an organisation is aware of this and always comes up with different strategies to prevent malpractice during its various examinations such as May\June school-based West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the ones for private candidates, but that the candidates and their collaborators are always finding a way to beat the system.
According to him “the saving grace for WAEC on the matter is that candidates who escaped being caught in the examination halls are always being detected through their answer scripts during markings.”
He frowned at the development and urged all stakeholders to join hands with the examination body to stamp out or reduce to barest minimum the menace in the country.
Areghan, however, pointed out that examination malpractice is a global and not Nigeria’s problem alone, and that is the reason all the five member countries of WAEC according to him, are concerned about tackling the challenge in respective country.
He said the issue was one of the major discussions by the council at its recent 71st Annual Meeting in Banjul, The Gambia, with each member countries charged to intensify battle against the menace.
He said exam malpractice would hinder genuine development not only in the life of perpetrators but also in the education sector and economy at large.
Areghan also noted that WAEC has a five-year thematic plans to guide each member countries to continue to conduct credible examinations, experience internal process excellence, stakeholders’ engagement, employees’ engagement, learning and growth as well as financial sustainability.
He said each WAEC member countries is expected to be guided by the thematic plans in its operations years round.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has presented the nomination forms from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to its governorship candidate in Kogi State, Dino Melaye.
Naija News reports that the PDP National Organizing Secretary, Hon. Umar Bature, presented the INEC nomination forms to Melaye at the party’s headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.
The former Kogi West Senator was accompanied to the PDP headquarters by some of his supporters and aides who were singing and dancing.
Earlier, Melaye had met with a former Deputy Governor of Kogi state, Chief Patrick Adaba, at his residence in Abuja, following his emergence as the Kogi PDP governorship candidate.
Recall that the former senator was on Sunday, April 16, 2023, declared the winner of the PDP governorship primary election in Kogi state.
Melaye secured 313 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Idoko Ilonah, who got 124 votes.
Former governor of Kaduna and Chairman of the PDP’s Electoral Committee for the Kogi governorship primary, Ahmed Makarfi, announced the result on Sunday.
Melaye will face Ahmed Ododo, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the governorship election scheduled to take place on November 11.
See photos of the presentation below.
As the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) awaits the return to the country of the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, there are strong indications that, in his immediate political enclave, his close allies are enmeshed in a cold war over conflict of interest.
The conflict, it was gathered, stems from the squabble for positions as well as preferences as scheming for prominence gains momentum ahead of the inauguration of the incoming administration.
According to an impeccable source, the issue came to the fore last week when pseudo campaigners heightened their game for the secretary of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, James Faleke, to be appointed the chief of staff to Tinubu.
Before now, there had been unrefuted speculations that the speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, had been positioned for the plum job currently occupied by Professor Ibrahim Gambari.
The struggle for the CoS position between the duo, according to the source, has also snowballed to colour the race for the speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.
Aside Gbajabiamila and Faleke, other close allies of the president-elect who have stepped up efforts are the current minister of special duties and inter-governmental affairs, George Akume, and the outgoing governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai. Both are in the race for the position of secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), according to the source.
“The issues around positions are too numerous to mention to the public because all those involved are just playing to the gallery and deceiving their followers as if all is well among those of us who are close to the president-elect.
“As we speak, there is no love lost between Gbajabiamila and Faleke because both are deeply involved in the race to be chief of staff. If you observe, both were playing the game quietly initially.
“But when Faleke saw that Gbajabiamila was already seeing himself as chief of staff in waiting, Faleke had to up his game, too. Lately, you can see that he has been sponsoring some groups to also canvass for him.
“Not only that, they have taken the fight to the issue of speakership in the forthcoming 10th House of Representatives. Even though he has denied it on the surface, everyone knows that Gbaja is supporting and canvassing for Tajudeen Abbas.
“And as a counter-force, Faleke has cleverly refrained from openly supporting any aspirant but waiting for the party to zone so that he can use his supporters to go against whoever Gbaja supports. So, it is a waiting game for the two of them and it will be very interesting unless the leader wades in,” the source said.
Meanwhile, a convener of one of the campaign pressure groups, National Consciousness Movement, Ibrahim Gidado, has vowed to mobilise House of Representatives members to vote against Abbas whom he described as “a tool for Gbajabiamila”.
Gidado said the speaker’s move is being anchored by the chairman, House Committee on Defence, Jimi Benson, and his counterpart in the NDDC Committee, Bunmi Tunji Ojo.
Gidado dismissed last week’s meeting between the speaker and all speakership aspirants as ‘a ruse and smokescreen’.
The aspirants who held the in-house meeting with Gbajabiamila were Deputy Speaker Idris Wase; chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Aliyu Betara; chairman, Committee on Navy, Yusuf Gagdi; chairman, Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu; chairman, Committee on Land Transport, Tajudeen Abbas; chairman, Committee on Disaster Preparedness, Abdulraheem Olawuyi; chairman, Committee on Water Resources, Sada Soli; and Makki Yalleman and Sani Jaji.
Gidado believes Gbajabiamila is playing a behind-the-scene scheme to control the lower chamber.
“How can the outgoing speaker insist he must install someone as speaker as his stooge? Does he want to have another term? As far as the north is concerned, the current speaker will not be allowed to install his choice on us because that will be an insult.
“What is most painful is that the speaker has been calling some freshers, telling them that they must go with Tajudeen Abbas as speaker and that they must leave whoever they are working for. This is uncalled for as a leader. There are several members who are qualified to lead the House, not only Abbas.
“We know that he has stationed his cronies to be the arrowheads of the Abbas campaign. Is that not enough? Why is he now demarketing others because he wants to have total control of the House even after his tenure as speaker?
“As we watch events, those of us from the north are of the opinion that in the next one or two weeks, we should call a meeting and explore means to stop Gbaja from imposing a speaker in us. We have many options at hand and we will unleash them once he comes out openly from his hiding place,” he said.
[Leadership]
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Former presidential aide and chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Reno Omokri has said Peter Obi took the Labour Party from zero to hero in less than one year.
Omokri, a staunch critic of the Labour Party presidential candidate revealed this Wednesday via Twitter while reacting to the internal wrangling bedevilling the party over a leadership tussle.
The PDP chieftain said the factional leaders have to appreciate Obi’s enormous sacrifice that transformed the party which got the nomenclature of the third force in less than a year.
He said the former Anambra State Governor’s sacrifice was adequate for the LP factional handlers to overlook his errors.
He wrote, “Labour Party is very unwise to have this infighting. No matter the issue the Apapa-led faction has, they ought to recognize that Peter Obi took Labour from zero to hero in less than a year. If someone can achieve that for you, you can as well forgive his lapses!”
Labour Party enjoyed nationwide support following Obi’s emergence as its standard bearer and the party amassed massive support from Nigerian youths dubbed ‘Obidients.’
Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, an elder statesman, has taken over as President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, succeeding the late Prof. George Obiozor.
On Wednesday at the Government House in Owerri, a delegation from the Imo Elders Council, led by its chairman HRM Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, gave the governor of the Imo State Iwuanyanwu.
Ilomuanya told Uzodinma that the decision to adopt Iwuanyanwu was taken by the Imo State Council of Elders at its meeting in April in Owerri.
While appealing to the governor to grant his approval to the adoption by the council, Ilomuanya described Iwuanyanwu as a versatile, dynamic and broad-minded personality.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has finally broken silence over his alleged detention by the Immigration officials in the United Kingdom.
In a series of tweets posted on his official Twitter handle on Tuesday, Obi said, “Sometimes as humans, we make mistakes but I will never knowingly break any law,”
The Labour Party presidential candidate said he will never “knowingly break the law” and that he is committed to challenging the 25 February election outcome.
Although Obi did not make reference to his arrest and subsequent detention by UK immigration officials at Heathrow Airport a fortnight ago, this is the first time he would speak out since the incident occurred.
Obi added that he is not “afraid of the lies and propaganda” against his person.
“They are part of the journey to a New Nigeria,” he said.
Recall that Obi was on 7 April (Good Friday) intercepted by immigration officials at Heathrow airport and detained.
The reason for his arrest has remained unknown till date as the UK authorities declined comment on the matter.
But, Labour Party claimed it was for alleged impersonation.
A statement issued by the Head, Obi-Datti Media, Diran Onifade, on the matter said, “He was questioned for a long time and it was very strange for a man who lived for over a decade in that country.”
The statement did not, however, contain details of Obi’s arrest and his subsequent release before returning to the country.
In his tweets on Tuesday, Obi re-emphasised his commitment to challenging the outcome of the 25 February election, urging supporters to remain calm and steadfast in the journey to reclaiming their mandate of a New Nigeria.
“I will never give up on this journey until victory is achieved,” he said.
Obi noted that he never anticipated the journey of a “New Nigeria” to be a smooth ride and that the forces, who had over the years lived off the old order, are bound to fight back, as is being experienced now.
He said: “If they come at us through land, air and sea, we will respond to them through land, air and sea but we will remain law-abiding and will never give up on the nation.
“We are on the right path and we will remain committed to the course,” he said.
The former governor of Anambra reiterated his commitment to building a Nigeria that will be beneficial to every Nigerian.
Obi said the struggle to reclaim this mandate (alleged victory at the poll) is not about him but about millions of Nigerians who placed their trust in him through their votes.
The LP presidential flag-bearer said the millions of Nigerians who voted for him did not just cast their votes but, they invested their hopes in him and they deserve justice, adding, “So, we must stay the course.”
The acting National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Lamidi Apapa, says he remains the authentic chairman of the party.
Apapa said this in reaction to his suspension by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party.
He said claims that he is being sponsored to cause confusion in the party are untrue.
He spoke on Wednesday during an interview on Channels TV, describing his suspension as invalid.
He stated that he was not in contention with Julius Abure as the constitution of the Labour Party is clear on what needs to be done when the national chairman is unable to discharge the responsibilities of the office.
He added that his rejection by officials of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) was due to the lack of knowledge of the party’s history and the roles he played.
In his words, “I was not suspended. I was not invited to the NEC meeting. They think that I was not supposed to be there. As of today, I’m the only legitimate acting national chairman of the party.
“I’m not struggling with Abure. I’m there in an acting capacity. The constitution of the party is so clear on this, that for whatever reason if the national chairman is unable to perform his role, the deputy takes over. That is exactly what has happened.
“Nobody is sponsoring me. Nobody has suspended me. I remain the acting national chairman of the party. I maintain that.”
Recall that following the order of a Federal High Court in Abuja which restrained Julius Abure from parading himself as the LP national chairman, Apapa, who was the deputy national of the LP (south), declared himself as the party’s national chairman.
However, on Tuesday, the National Working Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party suspended Apapa and five other executives for “anti-party activities, contravening the constitution of the party and running of parallel leadership and putting the party in total disrepute”.
Speaking on his suspension, Apapa said his suspension was invalid because Abure did not have the legal backing to convey the NEC meeting of the party