A fresh crisis is brewing in the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the choice of former Kano State governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, as the next national chairman of the party, with his zone, the South West, staging the first protest against the move.
National vice chairman (North-West) of the party, Mallam Salihu Lukman, has warned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and APC governors against the choice of Ganduje as replacement for the erstwhile national chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu.
According to him, the decision is suicidal and the height of insensitivity that may upset the zoning arrangement of the party.
With his zone championing the protest against the decision to make him the next national chairman, there are indications that the former Kano governor may be bracing for a bumpy ride, replete with stiff opposition, to the chairmanship seat of the governing party.
Lukman’s warning is coming 24 hours after reports emerged that President Tinubu and APC governors may have tipped Ganduje as the next national chairman of the party after the resignation of Adamu and the national secretary, Senator Iyiola Omisore.
In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, the APC national vice chairman said, “So far, as things are, only the President and Governors blocs are active in the negotiation to produce and engage leaders of APC. Already, part of the speculations emerging from the Governor’s bloc is that Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is being considered to succeed Sen. Abdullahi Adamu. If this is true, it only suggests insensitivity and taking members of the party for granted. This is without prejudice to the person of Dr. Ganduje.
“This is because such a choice will completely distort the zoning arrangement that informed the present configuration of the leadership of the National Assembly. With the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Deputy Senate President coming from North West and North Central shut out of consideration, to propose the party’s National Chairman move to North West from North Central will be unjust.
“We must caution our governors that since the emergence of APC, governors have served almost as the conscience of the party. Any consideration for such an insensitive and unjust consideration of Dr. Ganduje to become the National Chairman of APC must be discarded. If anything, the position of National Chairman of the APC must be retained in North Central.
“Part of the challenge of managing the current transition within the party is getting the NWC to properly take the driving seat in managing and facilitating negotiations to produce and engage leaders of the party. The NWC must sit up and guide the unfolding negotiations. No single power bloc should be allowed to appropriate the process,” he said.
In the statement titled, “APC: Way Forward,”, Lukman asked President Tinubu to douse tension by speaking on the matter in order to return the APC to its founding vision of progressive politics.
He noted: “This is where the intervention of the President, being the leader of the party, would be required to moderate the excessive conduct of any power bloc, especially when such conduct risks further damaging the prospect of returning the APC to its founding vision.
“At these early stages of President Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s leadership of the party, he needs to make that strong intervention to guide the process of restoring constitutional order and returning the APC to its founding vision of progressive politics. Progressive politics must be about inclusion and justice and not some blind and insensitive considerations.
“Following the resignation of Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and Sen. Iyiola Omisore as National Chairman and National Secretary respectively, there is all manner of speculation as to which way forward. Of course, understandably, most of the speculations, if not all, are driven by interests to control the affairs of the party.
“It is, therefore, necessary that at this very early stage of negotiating new leadership for the APC, we caution all our leaders that the only way we can justify the exit of Sen. Abdullahi Adamu and Sen. Iyiola Omisore out of the leadership of the APC is by demonstrating a commitment to restore constitutional order in APC and return the party to its founding vision of being a progressive party. These are issues that would appear to be taken for granted and if not engaged could be abused by power blocs within the party, which could lead to the emergence of leaders that are worse than Sen. Adamu and Sen. Omisore. This must be avoided.”
Adamu, Omisore Served APC Well, Resigned Voluntarily – APC Governors
Meanwhile, governors on the platform of the APC have finally broken their silence on the exit of Senator Abdullahi Adamu as national chairman and Senator Iyiola Omisore as national secretary, saying they resigned voluntarily.
They also absolved the duo of any wrong doing during their tenure in office, noting instead that they served the party meritoriously.
Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) and Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma, gave the governors’ position while addressing journalists after meeting of the APC governors in Abuja on Wednesday night.
The meeting held behind closed doors at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja, started at about 9.54 pm and ended at 11.12 pm.
Uzodinma debunked reports suggesting that there is crisis in the party, just as he said the APC governors were in support of Adamu and Omisore’s resignation.
He stated that both Adamu and Omisore served the governing party to the best of their abilities while APC enjoyed increased fortune under their administration.
He said, “I am aware some of you are anxious to know what is going on in our party and the country. We deliberated on so many issues that have to do with our party, the APC. You must have heard of the resignation of the National Chairman of our party and the National Secretary of the party. Those are voluntary actions that have been taken with due respect to our national chairman and our secretary.
“We commended the wisdom in what they have done and they served us well in the party, we are happy with the services and the party is united, there is no crisis in the party. They are happy; we also are happy. So, we are in support of their actions and they would continue to be commended, respected, and recognised for the services they have rendered to our great party.
“Their resignations have also been accepted by the leadership of the party. There is now an acting chairman and acting Secretary”.
Uzodinma further said the APC governors were conscientiously working with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address the current hardship Nigerians are going through as a result of removal of fuel subsidy.
He apologised for the recent adjustment in the pump price of petrol from the previous N550 to N617, assuring that the current hardship occasioned by the skyrocketing cost of food, petroleum products and cost of living will soon be addressed.
He also refuted reports that the governors are silent on the plight of the citizens because the increase in the cost of fuel means more money to them through the Federation Account Allocation Committee.
He continued: “I decided to deal with the controversial social media posting of our upcoming FAAC. We are aware that the result of the removal of the fuel subsidy will increase the volume of money that would be received by us during the Federation Allocation Account meeting.
“We are working with the Federal government to ensure that the proceeds of that FAAC will be utilised in a manner that the citizens of the country are happy, the Labour happy and we also the practitioners happy. The economy of the country would be protected. So what has happened is something that we should be happy about.
“The current hardship occasioned by the price increase on both food, Petroleum products, and cost of living is being addressed. The sub-national government is working with the Federal Government and tomorrow (Thursday), there would be National Executive Council to discuss further that”.
Subsidy Removal: Govs plan cash transfers to poor households, dump Buhari’s list, says It lacks credibility
AdminThe National Economic Council comprising 36 state governors and Vice President Kashim Shettima has concluded a plan for state governments to implement cash transfer programmes using state-generated social registers.
It said states-generated social registers would better reflect the number of vulnerable Nigerians to be reached with such cash transfer or palliative scheme.
This came on the heels of the plan by the government to roll out its intervention measures to cushion the effects of the hardships facing Nigerians, following the removal of the controversial fuel subsidy.
At its last meeting, the NEC had set up a sub-committee, which was tasked with coming up with plans to reduce the harsh economic conditions trailing the removal of fuel subsidy and the unification of the exchange rates.
“It is states that are better positioned to do that enumeration to ensure the integrity of the social register,” the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, told State House correspondents after the NEC meeting chaired by vice president at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja on Thursday.
Abiodun spoke alongside the governors of Anambra State, Prof. Charles Soludo; Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed; and Acting CBN Governor, Folashodun Shonubi.
He said states-generated register “is aimed at enhancing the integrity and reliability of the National Social Register and ensuring that resources go to the intended beneficiaries.”
However, the decision to adopt state-generated cash registers means the governors are dumping the existing National Social Register, which as of 2023, has captured over 61 million vulnerable Nigerians eligible for various government social programmes.
He explained, “We also proposed that each state begin to plan towards implementing a cash transfer programme based on their social register of the states.”
The NEC also proposed the implementation of a six-month cash award policy for all public servants.
The six-month cash award policy, Abiodun said would allow sub-national entities to pay their public servants a prescribed amount of cash monthly.
The implementation of the CAP would be based on the individual capacity and priority of various states, he said.
He said, “It was prescribed that it should be implemented for six months in the first instance. And you’ll be wondering why six months.
“The idea is that as much as we’re also particular about ameliorating the pains of our people immediately, a lot of sustainable measures are being put in place and it’s our hope that within now and the next six months, those sustainable measures would have begun to be visible. And then we can begin to taper down on these cash awards.
“These would be funds that will be placed in the hands of civil servants that will be tax exempt,” he explained.
Disclosing the feedback of the subcommittee from its last meeting to journalists, Abiodun said NEC explained the importance of the proposed Cash Award Policy for civil servants, payment of outstanding liabilities to civil servants, and providing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises with single-digit interest rates to support business growth, amongst others.
Meanwhile, justifying the need for states-generated social registers, the Anambra Governor said the existing version compiled by the Buhari administration lacks the integrity to form the basis of the government’s intervention.
“There’s a big question mark about the integrity of the so-called National Social Register. We have questions about how those names in the register were brought about and I’m sure one question I hear asked is whether it is for the most vulnerable group.
“Now, in thinking through that, we felt that sitting in Abuja and calling on somebody in Anambra to compile a list and send it to you and then the person, depends on who he brings, and the registers are generated and people go to those villages and ask where those people are and they don’t show up,” Soludo said.
The former CBN governor, who called for stress testing as a means to generating a credible register said, “If you are delivering any such national or federal programme from Abuja, it needs to be delivered via the governments that are there using their format and mechanisms to generate the comprehensive register.
Subsidy removal: Anambra commissioner backs Tinubu, says policy good for Nigerians
“That meets certain criteria, that you can stress test and you can call out the people in the village and everyone will confirm that these are the vulnerable people if you are targeting vulnerable people, as it were.”
“So the integrity test is what is missing with that register. Many have just described what is being counted as National Register as bogus; some describe it as a phantom, some in all manner of terms,” Soludo added.
On the amount to be doled out under the cash transfer programme, the Anambra State governor said there would be no uniform figure as it would depend on the capacity of respective states.
He said state governments with outstanding salaries and allowances to pay must prioritise clearing the backlog instead of implementing cash transfers.
Soludo explained, “There is quite some fiscal surplus that will come to the states, local governments, and federal government.
“And we’ve suggested that it will be nice that you can implement cash transfers, subject to your financial capacity. Some might be able to do one; some might be able to do 10; some might be able to do 20, as the case may be. It depends on their capacity.
“There may be states that are not even able to do that now. For example, suppose you have a state where salary arrears of workers have been owed for three years or four years. In that case, the priority now is to start paying down some of the salary arrears or where pensioners have been owed their pension and gratuity for several years.”
He added that the NEC proposed negotiating a new minimum wage as part of medium and long-term strategies.
Soludo also debunked notions that the Federation Account Allocation Committee would share N1.96tn to the three tiers of government in July 2023, saying the amount accrues to N900bn.
He said, “Contrary to the widely reported news item that FAAC was going to destroy about N1.9tn or N2tn and so on trending, I think it is one of the ways to moderate the possible impact of the shock on the system to distribute I think barely just N900bn of that. And so it’s not the N2tn that people have been saying.”
On his part, the Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, said that the Federal Government would distribute 252,000 metric tons of grains to states at a subsidised rate. This is as the Council backed the planned distribution of grains, fertiliser starting July 24.
“In terms of the quantity of grains that will be distributed, I’ve just conferred with the Acting CBN governor. They have more than 252,000 metric tons of grains and almost an equivalent number of bags of fertilisers that will be distributed within the timeframe (of six months),” he said.
Mohammed explained that the National Emergency Management Agency made its package available to Nigerians.
Also speaking, the acting CBN governor, Folashodun Shonubi, said the Federal Inland Revenue Service briefed the council and announced that it had exceeded its half-year target and plans to generate N25tn in 2024.
Shonubi said, “The Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue was making a presentation on what they have done so far, the level of collections. It was nice to know they are ahead of their target for half-year. And we expect that before or by the time the year ends, they would exceed.
“They also gave us some idea of what next year should be like from them. And from this year, we hope to make some N10tn.
“It is planning that next year, we should be able to, working with all the agencies, provide N25tn as their contribution to the national coffers.”
The council also proposed an immediate implementation of energy transition plants, converting mass transit buses to Compressed Natural Gas with a long-term vision to establish electric automobile plants
It urged all tiers of government to be responsive to the people’s sufferings and address the rising cost of governance while balancing investment and consumption.
Former Delta State Governor, James Ibori’s attempt to relaunch his political career is at risk as a London court has threatened a fresh 10-year jail term over money he’s expected to pay up.
A state prosecutor on Thursday had requested a London court to order confiscation of $129 million from the Nigerian politician, according to Reuters.
Ibori who once straddled the Nigerian political space like a colossus is facing renewed threat of prison sentence following his conviction of fraud in the UK.
He was convicted and served sentence after being extradited to the UK in 2011 from Dubai, where he had been hiding after escaping the Nigerian anti-graft agencies.
He was charged with laundering a “corruptly acquired fortune” and pleaded guilty in 2012 to 10 counts of fraud and money laundering.
He was sentenced to 13 years in jail in a British rare case of convicting foreign politicians who looted their countries’ wealth.
Ibori’s case was particularly novel being that despite many years of accusation that Nigerian politicians loot their country’s wealth and stash them abroad, none had been convicted.
His case was hailed as an outlier.
But the question of what should actually be returned by Ibori, who was twice governor of oil-rich Delta, has been a constant focus in court despite serving his sentence.
But new evidence provided by Judge David Tomlinson of Southwark Crown Court appears to be bringing the case to a close.
On Thursday, after an argument about the computation of one of the biggest loot by a politician from Nigeria, the judge is expected to issue the final order on Friday or shortly afterward.
According to the lead prosecution counsel, Jonathan Kinnear, the total amount that should be confiscated from Ibori was £101.5 million.
He implored the judge to sentence Ibori to 10 years or not less than 5 years if he did not pay up.
Ibori who has been appearing at social functions and trying to redeem his battered image returned to Nigeria in 2017.
He has failed to attend all subsequent hearings. He was also absent at Thursday’s hearing.
The politician who has visited President Bola Tinubu twice and was part of the ex-governor Nyesom Wike’s team that hosted Tinubu before his inauguration as president has been left fuming at the fresh development.
The dissatisfied Ibori said he would appeal whatever judgement is issued via his Facebook page on Thursday.
“Finally, the shenanigans in the Southwark Crown Court are drawing to a close. Judge Tomlinson is due to make a confiscation order which should be both realisable and not punitive,” Ibori said on his Facebook page.
He added that, “However, after what transpired in court today my hopes are rapidly fading for any degree of fairness.
“In the 2 years it has taken to write this judgement it seems apparent that he has forgotten many of the salient points and is prioritising expediency over justice.
“The next step will be to take my fight for justice to the highest courts in the UK.”
THE WHISTLER reports that Ibori’s wife alongside his sister was also jailed in the UK on accusation of helping him launder public funds.
In 2021, his wife returned £4.2 million as part of the loot to the British government.
Aareonakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, has condemned the continuous hike in the prices of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise called petrol, saying its effects were biting very hard on Nigerian citizens and had put the entire nation on its knee.
The Yoruba generalissimo said this on Thursday in his reaction as Nigerians have been pouring out their minds on the incessant price increase of petroleum products in the country, insisting that Nigerians can no longer bear the hardship.
Iba Adams in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Kehinde Aderemi, said the situation had added to the plights of ordinary Nigerians, saying such skyrocketing increase had never happened in nation’s history.
This was just as he noted that there was no oil-producing country like Nigeria in the entire world where the citizens were groaning in pain over insensitive increase in the prices of fuel, describing the situation as unfortunate and unexpected.
“This situation is becoming very unbearable. There is no country in the world like Nigeria (a major producer of oil) where the citizens are groaning in pain over insensitive increase in the prices of fuel.
“We know how much we buy fuel before now. Nigeria is yet to survive the subsidy removal that led to the sudden increase in the price of fuel from N187 to N500 per litre before it was jerked up now to N617 per litre within two months. It is painful. No sensitive government would be happy when the citizens are suffering.
“It is imperative for me to speak up, especially, with what we experience now in the country. It is unfortunate, this is not what we expect from a
president that is coming from the Southwest region of the country,” he said.
“As a product of this democratic struggle; a political activist and the father of the nation, President Bola Tinubu must know that the citizens are his children. Therefore, a father must work on the best way to solve the problem of the children.
“With the present situation in the country, three state governors have declared a three-day work-free day for civil servants in their respective states.
“The national leadership of the College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) had directed its members nationwide to attend their respective workplaces only two days a week.
“The new directive was premised on the recent price hike on fuel, and this has worsened the cost of transportation, food and other essential commodities increasing by over 300 percent,” he added.
Iba Adams further condemned the fuel price increase, noting that all over the world, many things, including Power, Healthcare, Food Items, among other necessities had been subsidized in the interest of the mass of the people. Power, health, food and other necessities of life are being subsidized.
According to him, an ordinary Nigerian worker travelling from Mainland to Island on a weekly basis would spend 25 litres of fuel per day, amounting to over N15,000; N75,000 per week, and over N300,000 a month.
Iba Adams described the present situation the country had found herself as too bad, calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu “to retrace his step in order to save the country from this hardship,” even as insisted that all over the world governments still subsidize critical sectors of the economy, including energy because of productivity’s sake as, according to him, n”o economy survives high cost of energy.”
“That is too bad for Nigeria and Nigerians. Energy, including petrol, diesel, or gas needs to be subsidized because of productivity’s sake. No economy survives high cost of energy.
“It is the responsibility of every government to subsidize food-that is what is called food security. When the government subsidizes energy that is energy security.
“Presently Germany has subsidized electricity, and it would cost 5 billion Euros for its industrial output in 2023. What it means is that the government of Germany has taken up about 80 percent of the cost from industrialists and major manufacturers in the country.
“This is added to the fact that in German government subsidized food, energy, health and housing and they have an enduring welfare and social security scheme that caters to the needs of vulnerable and indigent citizens of the country,” Adams said.
“As at 2022, China has subsidized energy with 130 billion dollars. And also, over 100 billion dollars is being used to subsidize energy supply in Britain.
“All over the world, governments are subsidizing energy to boost productivity. It is sad that presently people are losing their jobs, more businesses are collapsing, companies are folding up and tension is heightened in the country.
“Hyperinflation is setting in and it shows nothing but the insensitivity of the new administration.
“Nigeria runs an informal economy and PMS is the most important energy source in Nigeria, therefore, President Tinubu has to retrace his step in order to save the country from this hardship,” he concluded.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has announced a total tax revenue collection of N5.5trn for the half-year period of January to June 2023.
This is the highest tax revenue collection ever recorded by the Service in any first six months of a fiscal year.
Mr. Muhammad Nami, Executive Chairman of the FIRS stated this while presenting the 2023-2024 tax revenue outlook to the National Economic Council at its meeting held on Thursday 20th July 2023, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The presentation, which contained FIRS’ 2023 Half-Year Collection Report, showed that the FIRS achieved over one 100 percent of its target for the first-half of the year when compared with a mid-year target of N5.3 trillion.
According to the report, tax revenue collected from the oil sector from January to June 2023, stood at N2.03 trillion, as against a target of N2.3 trillion; while non-oil tax collection stood at N3.76 trillion, as against a target of N2.98 trillion.
Nami, in his presentation, further stated that the Service collected a total of N1.65 trillion tax revenues in June 2023. This sum is the highest tax revenue collected by the Service in any single month.
Speaking to what he described as “a good head start, despite stubborn headwinds,” Nami attributed the excellent performance to improved voluntary tax compliance enabled by the automation of FIRS’ tax administrative processes.
“This is a good head start as we work towards meeting our target for the year. And it was achieved despite stubborn headwinds such as the impact of the currency redesign and 2023 General Elections on the economy in the first and second quarters of 2023”, said Nami.
“This half-year performance was achieved as a result of improved voluntary tax compliance by taxpayers, the continued improvement of automation of our tax administration processes, including the updated VAT filing processes; as well as our dogged engagement with stakeholders in both the formal and informal sectors of the economy,” he concluded.
Commenting on the outlook for the remaining half of the year, the FIRS Executive Chairman gave assurances that the country should expect “better days ahead” in terms of tax revenue collection.
“We believe that the performance in the second half of the year would be better considering the continuing improvement to our tax administration processes and positive impact of current government’s policies on the economy,” said the Executive Chairman.
It would be recalled that the Service achieved a total collection of N10.1 trillion in the year 2022, being the highest tax collection ever made by the FIRS in a single year.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has disclosed its readiness to commence the automation of the passport application process to eliminate the difficulties Nigerians experience while applying for passports.
This was made known by the Acting Comptroller General of NIS, Caroline Adepoju, who appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme today.
According to her, the Service is eager to get rid of physical interactions during the passport application process.
She said, “One thing Nigerians know about the Nigeria Immigration Service is the issuance of the Nigerian passport, and we know the number of Nigerians that have applied for passports in the past two years has been very high and unprecedented.
“But be that as it may, the service is working hard to ensure that we meet the expectations of Nigerians. Number one, we are automating our passport application process; we are trying to ensure that we cut out the human interface.
“Our applications are available online, and we are trying to sensitize our applicants that they should go online for these applications to avoid patronizing lots.”
The Acting Comptroller General emphasized that due to the passport’s nature as a security document, issuance of passports will require some time as a result of various procedures, including security checks, address verification, and other necessary steps that need to be completed.
Speaking on the duration of time it takes to get a passport ready, she said, “It takes six weeks to get the passport ready, while it takes three weeks for renewal.”
She also enjoined the citizens of the country not to wait until their passports expire before commencing the renewal process, adding that those applying for the first time don’t necessarily have to wait until they need the passport before starting the application process.
“So, I try as much as possible to let people know that if you are renewing your passport, don’t wait until it is completely expired. You can start your application process when you have six months validity on it. Then for fresh applicants, they don’t have to wait until the very last moment when they need the passport.”
She, however, disclosed that all hands are on deck to ensure that those seeking passport renewal don’t need to visit the NIS offices since their data has already been captured.
TRIBUNAL: INEC Replies Peter Obi, Says No Credible Evidence To Back Claim 2.5m Votes Deducted From His Score
AdminThe Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) has told the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC) that there is no credible evidence backing the reports tendered by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, that he was shortchanged by 2.5 million votes in results of the presidential election declared by the electoral umpire.
Obi had tendered 18,088 blurred polling unit results at the tribunal, claiming that they were downloaded from the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IREV).
Obi, who had petitioned INEC, President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and the All Progressives Congress, alleged that results from those polling units show that a total of 2,565,269 votes were not reflected in his score, aside from his claim of non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022.
THE WHISTLER reports that on March 1, INEC’s Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu announced Tinubu as the winner of the polls with 8,794,726 votes while Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi of the Labour Party were said to have scored 6,984,520 votes and 6,101,533 votes, respectively.
On June 15, Obi’s legal team led by Dr. Livy Uzoukwu SAN presented a professor of Mathematics at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra, Eric Uwaduegwu Ofoedu, who testified before the tribunal that the 2023 poll was rigged in favour of President Tinubu with alleged connivance of INEC officials.
Ofoedu who said he specializes in numerical-functional analysis and data science, told the PEPC that when he compared the 18,088 blurred results with Form EC8As (polling unit results) given to Labour Party agents at the affected PUs, Obi was allegedly shortchanged by 2,565,269 votes.
“I observed that, from the IREV portal, scores on Form EC8As of 39,546 polling units were inaccessible – contain uploads not connected with the Presidential Election.
“From the IREV portal, 18,088 polling units results were blurred. This number of PUs negatively impacted the votes of 2,565,269 accredited voters and 9,165,191 voters that collected their PVCS,” he said in his witness statement on oath.
But in their final written address dated July 14, INEC’s lead counsel, A.B. Mahmoud SAN, said Obi failed to provide credible evidence to back his claim.
Mahmoud maintained that Obi’s witness, having not tendered or demonstrated before the PEPC the polling unit results he used in writing his report, the court should discountenance it.
“Curiously, if the 18, 088 Polling Unit results as uploaded on iReV are blurred, what of the duplicate copies in the possession of the Petitioners’ Polling Agents?
“We submit that the totality of the testimony and evidence of the so-called experts (PWs 4, 7 and 8) called by the Petitioners are manifestly unreliable and cannot ground the incidents of non-compliance pleaded by the Petitioners.
“We submit that there is no credible evidence to prove that votes in those 18,088 polling units were suppressed, just because blurred results were allegedly uploaded on the iReV. The petitioners have only left the same to conjecture and speculation which never form part of the determination of the Court,” Mahmoud stated.
He urged the court to declare that LP polling agents’ copies did not form part of his report tendered before the Court and cannot be relied upon.
Meanwhile, the professor had told the PEPC during cross-examination that he thought Obi’s team had already tendered the said polling unit results as evidence.
Mahmoud maintained that “No attempt was in fact made by the Petitioners to present any of their Polling Agents’ copies to show any discrepancy since the blurred results were alleged to have been uploaded with a view to: Suppressing votes.”
He there asked the court to dismiss Obi’s petition, adding that INEC conducted the polls within the confines of the law.
..Decry DISCOs inability to meet operators' 5,000MW yearly threshold
The resolution was passed sequel to the adoption of a motion sponsored by the Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Aliyu Sani Madaki.
In his lead debate, Hon. Madaki observed that recently, Distribution Companies (DISCOS) alerted customers of a planned electricity tariff hike hinged on the Multi-Year Tariff Oder (MYTO).
“The House also notes that the circular issued by DISCOS stated that effective July 1, 2023, there would be an upward review of the electricity tariff influenced by fluctuating rates.
“The House is aware that under the MYTO, 2022 guidelines, the previous exchange rate of N 441/$1 may be revised to approximately N750/$1 which would have an impact on the tariffs associated with electricity consumption.
“The House is also aware that under the planned hike, consumers within ‘B’ and ‘C’ with supply hours ranging from 12–16 hours per day will pay N100 per KWh, while Bands ‘A’ with 20 hours and above and ‘B’ with 16–20 hours, would experience comparatively higher tariffs, that is, for customers with a prepaid
metre, whereas, for those on post-rand (estimated) billing, a significant increment is expected to be higher.
During the campaign, Bayo Onanuga, a spokesperson for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urged Nigerians to be patient in the face of recent increases in fuel prices.
The condemnation has followed the recent increase in petrol prices from N540 to N617 per litre.
In a tweet late Wednesday night, Onanuga warned against making rash attacks on Tinubu’s administration in response to the fuel price increase.
He emphasised the importance of patience and understanding, as the entire country is feeling the effects of the fuel price increase.
The veteran journalist urged the public to wait for the federal government’s promised palliatives, expressing hope that these measures would alleviate the burden caused by higher fuel prices.
He emphasised the potential benefits of subsidy savings, such as more funds being channelled into states for various development initiatives.
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The Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has identified registered and unregistered Digital Money Lenders (DMLs) devising new methods to harass individuals who have borrowed money from them.
Some of the registered companies still harassing their customers include Orange Loan and Purple Credit Limited; and Sycamore Integrated Solutions Limited.
The Commission also stated that the unregistered DMLs still making use of prohibited loan recovery practices, have devised a new means of providing services to people, while also harassing them even after being taken off the Google Playstore.
This was revealed in a statement released by the Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Babatunde Irukera, on Thursday, where he revealed that the unregistered DMLs have adopted the use of Android Package Kits (APK) file formats.
The Commission had earlier removed some of these DMLs from the Playstore violating the Limited Interim Regulatory/ Registration Framework and Guidelines for Digital Lending 2022, as well as for their unsavoury methods of loan recovery.
“The Commission notes a resurgence in the occurrence of prohibited loan recovery methods and practices in the past weeks. The Commission’s investigations and continuing surveillance demonstrate that the vast majority of the resurging infringements are not by otherwise approved/listed DMLs approved to be on Playstore and other financial services providers.
“The violating DMLs have resorted to the use of Android Package Kits (APK) file formats. The illegal DMLs provide links to consumers to visit unregistered websites using their Android devices/phones. In the course of that interaction, consumers’ private information that is otherwise protected and prohibited from access or download by DMLs or their apps is accessed and downloaded. This conduct is prohibited by sundry laws, particularly relevant data privacy protection instruments, and more specifically, the Limited Interim Regulatory/Registration Framework & Guidelines for Digital Lending 2020 of the Commission.
“In the course of the Commission’s continuing investigation and tracking of these illegally operating DMLs, the Commission has discovered duplicity by at least two otherwise legally registered DMLs on the Commission’s approval list. The nature of the duplicity is that the DMLs having been approved and placed on the approved list and Playstore, as well as cleared for services by other financial services/institutions, as an alternate channel, and method of engaging in prohibited conduct, also engaged in the use of APK to attract borrowers to a process and practice that is illegal and unregulated.
“The companies or apps so far identified, and for which there is supporting evidence of this malfeasance are Sycamore Integrated Solutions Limited and Orange Loan and Purple Credit Limited. They are the owners of “Getloan” and “Camelloan” respectively, and occupy Nos. 1 and 65 on the Approved List of the Commission, which is available on the Commission’s website,” the statement read.
As such, the Commission stated that the companies have been delisted and the apps have been taken off the Playstore permanently.
”Accordingly, the Commission has now permanently delisted Sycamore Integrated Solutions Limited and Orange Loan and Purple Credit Limited, along with their respective apps – “Getloan” and “Camelloan”. In addition, the Commission has entered an Order to Google Playstore and other payment and financial service providers, permanently prohibiting the provision of any services associated with digital lending to Sycamore Integrated Solutions Limited and Orange Loan and Purple Credit Limited.
“The Commission reiterates that this revocation and action are permanent without option or opportunity of reconsideration, and the same consequence shall apply to all other violators as the Commission discovers them. In addition, all the information and evidence available with respect to these businesses will be transferred to law enforcement agencies and or any other relevant regulator(s).
“The Commission has also placed DMLs that have refused or failed to register under the Guidelines on its watchlist for strict surveillance and necessary action. The list of those DMLs will be made available on the Commission’s website.
“The Commission will continue to scrutinise listed DMLs and periodically update the list to ensure only businesses that consistently and completely comply with the spirit and intention of the regulatory framework are allowed to do business legally in Nigeria,” he said.
Irukera warned the public to exercise discretion when choosing which of these DMLs to patronise at all times.
“As such, the Commission again advises consumers to exercise restraint and discretion in selecting DMLs and specifically recommends that consumers patronise only DMLs on the Commission’s approved list to diminish, if not eliminate being victims of illegal and prohibited lending and recovery practices.
“The Commission further advises consumers to consider only DMLs whose apps can be downloaded from Google’s Playstore, as only those have been subjected to regulatory scrutiny and the technology associated with their apps precluded from accessing and downloading private information of consumers. All other DMLs are operating illegally.
“The Commission and the JRETF continue assiduous efforts to track illegal operators using APK and other means to engage, and interact with consumers, and welcome credible evidence from the public. Feedback and complaint in this regard may be forwarded to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.”, he explained.
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Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti(ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, has commended Governor Biodun Oyebanji for ushering in a paradigm shift to governance and making copious efforts to correct past mistakes of his predecessors to garner the trust of the citizens.
As a way of boosting the spiritual inclinations of Ekiti citizens, Babalola pledged a partnership with the government to sponsor Ekiti citizens to the holy lands of Israel and Mecca for attitudinal reformation and character rebranding that will uplift governance.
Babalola spoke in ABUAD, Ado Ekiti, on Thursday while playing host to the Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief Monisade Afuye, who paid a courtesy visit to the Legal Luminary in his office.
The legal Icon revealed that his university now has an industrial park, farms, and a multi-system hospital that are setting the pace on how best to run a successful government in Nigeria to halt the scourge of brain drain that is pummeling the country.
Having retrospect of the epic battle for the creation of Ekiti State, Babalola said the proponents did it with huge sacrifices and selflessness, by their refusal to control the levers of powers, and gave those who never participated the leeway to take absolute control at the advent of democracy in 1999.
The Special Assistant on Media to the deputy governor, Victor Ogunje, in a statement, quoted Babalola to have said, “But we are happy today that someone who served as the Secretary of the Committee for the Creation of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, a young man then, is now the Governor of our dear state.
“Within this short period, Governor Oyebanji has brought a new dawn in the running of the government of Ekiti. He has been correcting past mistakes making people to have trust in the government.
“Help me tell him that I thank him for how he has been directing the affairs of this state. I am ready to support him because myself and the people are happy with his government.”
On the positive impacts being made by his university, Babalola said, “My farms, multisystem hospital, university, and Industrial park are now setting the pace on how best to rule a country. We can get it right if we have the desire.
“Go and look at our Industrial park, it was an innovation conceived to show how to ignite the industrial revolution in a country. We are doing well and making our impacts felt.”
The renowned lawyer stated that he never considered sponsoring of people for pilgrimage as a colossal waste, saying it brings character rebranding, attitudinal change, and reformation that can help the system.
On how to open the vista of business opportunities in Ekiti, Babalola assured Governor Oyebanji that he would make meaningful contributions for the speedy completion of the International Cargo Airport located along Ado-Ijan road.
Speaking on how to curb the exponential increase in poverty level in the land, Babalola urged rich Nigerians to strive hard and uplift the wellbeing of the poor, saying, “The monies you are keeping in banks are not your monies.
“Some of the richest banks in the world are sitting on the monies of dead people and using them when families still fight over their wills. It is only the monies you used to empower the people that are the real and beneficial monies.”
In her submission during the interface, the Deputy Governor, Afuye, saluted the elder statesman for his unwavering and solid support for all successive governments in the state, especially for being the highest taxpayer in Ekiti for the past two decades.
Mrs Afuye also paid profound tributes to the Legal Icon for his epochal role in the creation of Ekiti State by leading the pack to rationalise the demand for Ekiti’s creation before Justice Arthur Mbanefor Panel in Akure, Ondo State.
The Ekiti’s number two citizen congratulated Babalola on the 60th anniversary of his call to the Bar, saying his giant leap in law practice is replete with good history and enigmatic achievements that would be difficult to surpass.
The Deputy Governor applauded him for his resolve to sponsor staff of ABUAD and Ekiti citizens for the holy pilgrimage since the government had withdrawn interventions in the form of sponsorship.
The Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke has come under heavy criticism for appointing the son of his late elder brother and ex-governor, Isiaka Adeleke, Tunji Adeleke as a board chairman.
Tunji, who graduated from Adeleke University in 2020 and served in 2022 was appointed chairman of the Local Government Service Commission.
This is coming barely two weeks after Adeleke appointed the wife of his late elder brother Adenike Adeleke as a state commissioner.
However, Adeleke’s appointment of his family members into key positions in the state has caused a stir on social media.
A Twitter user, @Realadeshina, wrote: “Congratulations Tunji Adeleke as Osun State Chairman board of local government. This disgrace is getting too much.”
@simplysnipe said “Most people didn’t know or heard of the guy before, now they know him. I’m just loving the news coming out of Osun, the second Edo State. Next now is for our dancing governor to be commissioning disgraceful projects as an achievement but Osun people will blame the president.”
@IkotunEmmy said, “ I told them when they were shouting “imole”. Adeleke should be ready to face a massive vote-out in the next election. Osun does not fall for mediocrity twice. The unfortunate thing is retrogression the state would have suffered.”
Similarly, @MustyOsun said, “I never knew we could still operate a constitutional monarchical system.”
Akin Akinwale wrote: “Whatever appointment Ademola Adeleke is making, whatever ineptitude he is displaying, it serves Osun State people right.
“That said, I don’t have a problem with appointing your family members into your government (silly tho’). But I am after the competence. Is Tunji Jnr competent? If he is, all the best.”
Nigeria’s upper legislative chamber, the Senate, says reports making the rounds that it has received ministerial list from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is false.
Labour Party’s Senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh, issued the disclaimer on Tuesday.
Senator Umeh said it was impossible for the Senate to be discussing the ministerial list during its closed-door meeting when the Senators had not received one.
Umeh’s statement comes after several media reports claimed that the Senate had received the ministerial list and was discussing it in a closed-door meeting.
As the deadline for submission of the ministerial list by Tinubu to the National Assembly draws near, Nigerians are anxious and waiting with batted breath to see who will make the list.
Experts say the calibre of people appointed by Tinubu into his cabinet will go a long way in determining the success or otherwise of his policies and administration as a whole
More details coming…
An Onitsha trader, his wife, two children, mother in-law and newly arrived apprentice have been reported dead after inhaling poisonous fumes from the generator powered the first night they slept in their new mansion.
Sympathisers who wailed uncontrollably yesterday at Borromeo hospital, Onitsha where the bodies were rushed to said the man, Identified as Ifeanyi from Enugu state , a trader at the Onitsha Bridge Head Market, had planned a surprise package for his wife after her discharge from the hospital having been delivered of a new baby by deciding that they would park into his new mansion at Nkwele Ezunaka to celebrate the new born and new house together .
Following a blackout from the public power source, he put on the generator stationed at the veranda close to the bedroom to provide light in the new house that night.
They were said to have chatted heartily as they made merry into the night before they slept off without putting off the generator.
The next morning, a friend of his who was supposed to join them in the celebration but could not make it went to felicitate with them only to discover that the doors were locked but the generation was still buzzing.
After knocking continuously without response, he alerted other neighbours and they forced the door open and saw the lifeless bodies.
On rushing them to the hospital, the wife and one of the daughters were still semi-conscious but later on died after all resuscitation efforts including fixing them on oxygen failed.
Only the four-day old baby survived without any crisis thereby raising more curiosity on the circumstances of their death.
Chairman of Onitsha Bridgehead drug market, Ndubuisi Chukwuneta who confirmed the sad development described the deceased Ifeanyi as a hardworking young man who desired the best for his family.
Manager of St. Charles Borromeo Hospital, Onistha, Rev. Fr. Izunna Okonkwo confirmed that only the new born baby was in stable condition when they reached the hospital as four had already died before getting to the facility.