The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, says the commission is working with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to prosecute electoral offenders in the general elections.
During a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja, Mr Yakubu said the NBA had provided a list of 427 lawyers offering pro bono services.
“Already, the NBA has submitted a list of 427 lawyers across the country who have volunteered to render pro bono services to the commission,” said Mr Yakubu.
He added, “They are not charging legal fees, but by mutual agreement, the commission will provide a token amount to cover filing fees/expenses. We are most grateful to NBA and its president, Yakubu Maikyau, for this historic collaboration.”
The INEC chairman announced that the commission had received 216 case files related to the 2023 general elections.
He said the files include one on the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, and 215 other electoral offenders.
Mr Yakubu emphasised that INEC thoroughly examines all evidence of infractions during the elections and is committed to prosecuting the offenders.
According to the INEC chairman, the examination also extends to the activities of high-ranking officials within the commission.
Mr Yakubu assured that appropriate action would be taken within days, and the public would be duly informed.
To address vote buying and associated violations, he said INEC is working with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to prosecute such cases.
Moreover, INEC has received reports from 54 accredited national and international observers.
The chairman urged RECs and senior officials to lead discussions on all aspects of the election, encouraging frank and constructive dialogue.
Mr Yakubu said the review would cover various areas, including the operational processes for Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and general elections, the legal framework for elections, and technology in the electoral process.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said Nigeria needs all the help that it can get at the moment.
The president said this on Tuesday while receiving visiting Bank of America officials in his office at the State House, Abuja.
He expressed confidence that his administration was on the pathway to success in spite of the challenges facing the country.
President Tinubu, in a statement by his spokesman, Dele Alake, said his government was committed to instituting reforms that would engender the sustainable growth and development of the country.
“We believe we are on the right track so far. We believe we need all the help we can get,” the President said as he asked the bank’s management for support and partnership that would advance mutual benefits for Nigeria and the financial institution.
The president said governance and development challenges facing the country could not be addressed without fiscal and institutional reforms.
“21st Century actions on climate change, finance and innovation are intertwined. Having a good platform and believing in innovation will help in undertaking reforms and tackling the issues.
“This is the largest economy and democracy in Africa and if we cannot do it, nobody will do it for us,” he said.
President Tinubu, while stating that no one could do it alone, made a case for the bank and other willing financing institutions to help the country, for instance in partnering to ensure Nigerian gas compete favourably in the global market, as a viable source of alternative revenue.
In his remarks, the leader of the delegation and President of International for Bank of America, Mr. Bernard Mensah, expressed excitement about the initial steps taken by the new administration, which, he said, is taking Nigeria back to its rightful place on the global stage.
He said the bank was willing to assist the country address its immediate and longer term challenges not only in the area of financing but also contributing with ideas.
In company with Mr. Mensah on the visit were Head of Sub-Saharan Africa of the bank, Mrs. Yvonne Ike Fasinro, and Head of Investment Banking Sub -Saharan Africa, Mr. Chuba Ezenwa.
A Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Kano, on Tuesday, ordered the remand of a former Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Idris Wada Saleh, in Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission custody over alleged N1 billion fraud.
The defendant, a former Commissioner to Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, is standing trial on a two-count charge bordering on false information and return and cheating.
The Prosecutor, Mr Salisu Tahir, Assistant Director, PCACC, told the court that the defendant was arrested on July 3, at about 2:30 p.m.
He alleged that sometime in 2023, the defendant released the sum of N1 billion to Arafat construction company, No Stone Construction Company and Multi Resources, to rehabilitate 30 roads in the metropolis, noting that the projects weren’t carried out.
Tahir filed an exparte under section 295(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) 2019 urging the court to remand the defendant at PCACC custody for 14 days to enable them to complete the investigation.
“The defendant has a case to answer of N1 billion belonging to the Kano State government.
“The exparte application is supported by seven paragraphs deposed by one Insp. Sa’id Ilu, attached with six voucher exhibits,” Tahir stated.
He urged the court to grant the application to enable the agency to file a proper charge against the defendant in the interest of Justice and public outcry.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.
According to the prosecutor, the offence contravened the provision of section 26 of PCACC 2010 as amended and section 322 of the Penal Code.
The defense counsel, Mr Mustapha Idris, urged the court to grant the defendant bail pursuant to sections 35(6) and 36(5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
He said, “The defendant is presumed innocent and the offence is bailable pursuant to sections 168 and 172 of ACJL Kano State 2019 and order 5 rules 1 and 3 of ACJL rules 2023.”
Chief Magistrate Tijjani Sale-Minjibir, ordered the remand of the defendant in PCACC custody for 12 days.
He adjourned the matter until July 14, for a ruling on the bail application.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has joined the Federal Ministry of Education in a suit filed by a Seventh-day Adventist member seeking to stop the conduct of examinations and elections on Saturdays.
The court also joined the Council of Legal Education to the suit following an application by the plaintiff that the two agencies be joined to the suit.
When the hearing commenced on Tuesday, in the suit instituted by one Ugochukwu Uchenwa, seeking an order of the court to stop the conduct of examinations and elections on Saturdays, counsel for the plaintiff, Benjamin Amaefule told the court that he had an application filed on March 29, for joinder pending in court.
The lawyer told the court that he had attached relevant exhibits to the application to show that the council was conducting examination on Saturdays.
He stated that the Ministry of Education was being joined to the suit since all education institutions were under it to stop universities and other institutions of higher learning in the country from conducting academic activities on non-academic days.
Out of the six reliefs sought by the plaintiff, from the court, Justice James Omotosho granted only four of the reliefs.
The reliefs granted include: “An order of the court joining the Council of Legal Education and the Federal Ministry of Education to the suit.
“An order of the court allowing the applicant to amend the system in support of the originating application in the suit.
“An order granting leave to the application to amend the originating motion to reflect the parties joined.
There was no opposition to the application for a joinder from the respondents.
Justice Omotosho adjourned the matter to October 23 for hearing.
The respondents in the suit are the President, the Attorney -General of the Federation, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the West African Examination Council, (WAEC) and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, (JAMB).
Others are the National Examination Council, (NECO), the National Business and Technical Examinations Board, Council of Legal Education and the Ministry of Education.
Professor Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Commission (INEC), on Tuesday, said the electoral body deliberately opted to remain silent in the face of various allegations of election manipulation levied against it following the declaration of results for the 2023 election.
The INEC Chairman shed light on the commission’s decision not to engage in public commentaries regarding the accusations of election manipulation. According to him, there were four compelling reasons behind the commission’s decision.
Drama on February 27 ensued at the International Conference Centre in Abuja where INEC was announcing the results of the 2023 presidential election when Senator Dino Melaye briefly distrusted the process, alleging fraud in the results declared from Ekiti State.
But speaking during a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) as the commission commences review of the elections, Yakubu listed four reasons behind the commission’s decision to keep mute in the face of allegations from political parties, candidates, and their supporters, among others.
“Since the conclusion of the election, diverse opinions have been expressed by political parties, candidates, observers, analysts and the general public on aspects of the elections that took place in February and March,” the INEC chairman said, noting that such diverse opinions should normally be expected.
“The Commission has consciously not joined in these commentaries in the immediate aftermath of the election for several reasons.
“First, our preference is to listen more and draw lessons rather than join in the heated and often emotive public discussion on the election.
“Second, since we plan to conduct our own review of the election, we see no need to pre-empt the process.
“Third, the Commission would not want to be seen as defensive or justificatory in joining the ongoing discussions.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, several issues around the election are sub-judice and it is not the intention of the Commission to either undermine or promote the chances of litigants in the various election petition courts beyond what is required of us by the legal process. Indeed, practically anything coming from the Commission could be cited by litigants as either justifying their claims or an indication of bias against them,” he said.
Professor Yakubu further stated that the commission would conduct a comprehensive review of the 2023 general election, encompassing all stages of the electoral process.
He emphasized the need to assess the events before, during, and after the election to gain a complete understanding of the election’s conduct and outcomes and to “learn the full lessons of the election going forward”.
“Compared to some previous elections, we believe that the 2023 General Election was one of the most meticulously prepared for in recent times, “ Yakubu added.
“Learning from previous experiences, we started preparations immediately after the 2019 General Election, carefully ticking the necessary boxes over a four-year period. It is the need to learn from both the positives and the shortcomings that makes the stocktaking that we are embarking on today essential.
“Among the positive stories is that the security challenge which threatened to derail the elections did not materialise. Concerns that the polls will be disrupted by the perennial insecurity across the country fizzled out on Election Day as the elections were largely peaceful.
“Despite currency and fuel challenges and widespread attacks on our personnel and facilities nationwide, the Commission proceeded with the election as scheduled. The first set of elections, the Presidential and National Assembly, held as planned for the first time in the last four General Elections conducted in the country.
“Accreditation of voters using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has generally been scored very high by voters. Our records show that the success rate for BVAS accreditation stands at 98% compared to the Smart Card Reader’s 29.2% during the 2019 General Election. Above all, despite the divergent opinions about the outcome of the election, the overall outlook suggests that it is a fair reflection of a complex multi-party democracy.”
Yakubu acknowledged the challenges faced by INEC, which he said were “structural, infrastructural and human in nature” but assured that the post-election review would afford the commission an opportunity to “address the challenges as we prepare for future elections”.
Armed robbers invaded the palace of the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Farouk Bahago, on Tuesday evening, shooting two guards.
Daily Trust gathered that one of the staff of the palace who was sent to the bank to get some cash was trailed by the gunmen who drove in a private car.
Our correspondent gathered that the Emir was in the palace while gunmen shot sporadically to scare people away before they made away with undisclosed amount of cash belonging to the Minna Emirate.
Two of the injured palace guards were reportedly taken to Minna General Hospital for medical attention.
An eye witness who did not want his name mentioned told Daily Trust that the criminals overpowered the vigilantes in the palace after a gun duel.
Contacted, the Niger State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, promised to get back to our reporter, but he had not done so at the time of filing this report.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has concluded its investigations into the alleged manipulation of the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result by a candidate, Mmesoma Ejikeme.
This was made known on Tuesday by the Registrar of the board, Professor Ishaq Oloyede who said findings revealed what happened as a high-level scam and a careless forgery.
According to the JAMB Registrar, other candidates apart from Ejikeme were also involved in the malpractice but they chose not to go public.
Oloyede revealed that there is a syndicate behind the manipulation of results which is trying to penetrate JAMB but the board’s system is foolproofed against such attempts.
“The truth is that JAMB has concluded the investigation on Nmesoma’s score falsification matter. She was not the only one caught, just that others have chosen not to go out”, Oloyede said.
“Presently, there is an industry faking results and unfortunately they cannot penetrate JAMB system, reasons being that (our) system is foolproofed and we will prove it any time. It is unfortunate that parents and some of the candidates that are being fooled are not aware that they are only being fooled, Oloyede told Punch.
On the specific allegations against Ejimeke, the JAMB Registrar said the Anambra State student collaborated with some people to falsify her UTME result.
He said” “There is internal evidence to show that the change in Ejikeme’s scores was done with her collaboration. There are certain features pertaining to her that only her knows unless she makes it available to somebody else. They couldn’t have increased her scores on her behalf.”
Our Facilities Have Improved
Prof. Oloyede added that he had earlier spoken with a former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, on Nmesoma’s matter, and told her that the student and her collaborators are living in the past as they have improved their facilities.
“We improved on our facilities this year, so Ejikeme and her collaborators are still living in the past. I spoke with Mrs Ezekwesili on the matter and I told her that it is a high-level scam and I told her that it was a careless forgery.
“This is because we are no longer using some of the things they used in changing those results since 2021. We used that pattern in 2021 and you saw what happened and many of such individuals were caught as well and they were treated accordingly,” he stated.
The Presidential Election Petition Court has admitted as exhibits President Bola Tinubu’s documents of attendance at the Chicago State University.
The court presided by Justice Haruna Tsammani also admitted documents the admission letter from the institution as he opened his defence against the petition filed by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Tinubu also tendered through his lead counsel, Wole Olanipekun (SAN), his USA visa and Nigerian Immigration Service documents facilitating his several visits to the country between 2011 and 2021.
Tinubu also tendered as exhibits a USA embassy letter dated April 4, 2003 which responded to an inquiry over his criminal status in the USA and informed that he had no criminal records.
The documents were admitted inspite of rigorous objections against their respective admisibility by counsel to the PDP and Atiku.
However, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not object to admission of all the documents.
Apart from the educational documents, the court further admitted an originating summons of a suit instituted at the Supreme Court by the Attorneys General of Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Sokoto States challenging the educational background of Tinubu to stand for the 2023 presidential election.
He also tendered newspaper publications on several suits filed against Tinubu by several groups.
Meanwhile, further hearing in the petition has been shifted to July 5.
The Debt Management Office (DMO) of Nigeria has announced a subscription offer for the Federal Government of Nigeria Savings Bond.
This initiative, authorized under the Debt Management Office (Establishment) Act 2003 and the Local Loans (Registered Stock and Securities) Act, aims to provide investors with an opportunity to earn competitive interest rates while supporting the country’s economic development.
The subscription offer includes two options: a 2-Year FGN Savings Bond due on July 12, 2025, with an annual interest rate of 9.070%, and a 3-Year FGN Savings Bond due on July 12, 2026, offering an annual interest rate of 10.070%.
These rates offer a negative real return as they are well below the national inflation rate of 22.4% for the month of May 2023.
Other details: The subscription period for the FGN Savings Bond opened on July 3, 2023, and will close on July 7, 2023.
- Interested investors are encouraged to apply during this timeframe to secure their participation. The settlement date for the bonds is set for July 12, 2023.
- Once subscribed, bondholders will receive coupon payments at regular intervals. The coupon payment dates are scheduled for October 12, January 12, April 12, and July 12. These consistent payments provide investors with a reliable source of income over the bond’s duration.
The Federal Government of Nigeria Savings Bond program is designed to attract domestic savings while simultaneously financing critical infrastructure projects and government initiatives.
- By investing in these bonds, individuals and organizations can contribute to the country’s development efforts and earn favorable returns on their investments.
- Interested investors are advised to contact their financial advisors or visit the Debt Management Office’s official website for further details and application procedures.
[Nairametrics]
Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State has appointed Mr Ladi Akeredolu-Ale, of Channels Television as Managing Director of Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS).
Akeredolu-Ale was before his appointment, the Controller, Current Affairs at Channels television headquarters in Lagos State.
His appointment was contained in a statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia on Tuesday in Enugu.
Onyia said the veteran journalist is expected to bring to bear his over 30 years of experience in journalism in the state broadcasting service.
This, he said, would drive a media revolution, inspire drastic reforms in media innovation, creativity and turn the state-owned media service into one of the best revenue-generating organisations in the state.
“He is a multiple award winner, being the Nigeria Media Merit Award winner of Television Presenter and Reporter of the Year in 2001, Diamond Award for Media Excellence as Reporter of the Year in 2004, as well as Nigeria Media Merit Award Programme Presenter of the Year 2019.
“He is also a veteran of almost 30 years standing in television broadcasting, he was also Director-General and Chief Executive of Ondo State Radio and Television Corporation between March, 2009 and February, 2017,” Onyia said.
He added that Akeredolu-Ale holds both bachelors and masters degrees in Sociology from the Universities of Ilorin and Lagos in 1992 and 1998 respectively.
Akeredolu-Ale was an alumnus of the Lagos Business School Chief Executive’s Programme of 2011.
(NAN)
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When Nigerian lawyer Obioma Adesewa Okonkwo was booked to speak at the RightsCon conference in Costa Rica, she submitted her visa application several months in advance.
As the date approached with no sign of her travel documents being granted, she felt she had no choice but to cancel her trip and contact organizers at the advocacy group Access Now to arrange to join online instead.
Over 300 participants could not attend the digital rights conference in person due to visa issues, Access Now said in a statement.
Kenyan Nanjala Nyabola, a board member at Access Now, said many Black and brown participants had been picked out and detained by Costa Rican border agents for periods of up to three hours. Some were later deported, she wrote on Twitter.
Anger over their treatment has reignited debate about unequal visa and border regimes that limit Global South nationals’ participation in international conferences tackling issues from climate change to economic systems and conflicts.
“If you have a summit that is global, then you have to consider that there are people coming from countries who are regularly denied visas,” said Okonkwo, a legal officer at Media Rights Agenda, which defends freedom of expression in Nigeria.
“I really wanted to learn from digital rights advocates from other continents ... I was shut out from participating in those kinds of discussions.”
She said her visa application was eventually rejected.
Access Now, a global organization headquartered in New York, said authorities in Costa Rica had agreed to offer visas on arrival in the country for conference attendees, but border authorities did not uphold the arrangement.
Costa Rica’s embassy in the U.S. referred in a statement to comments made by Foreign Minister Arnoldo Andre Tinoco about the conference.
“It has not been the government of Costa Rica that has prevented these 300 people from entering, but rather they have failed to comply with the minimum requirements to enter the country,” he said in a video statement last month.
Conference organizers apologized to all those impacted and pledged to learn and make changes as a result.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that participants are seen and that their voices matter in these spaces,” said Nikki Gladstone, RightsCon director, in emailed comments to the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“It’s our responsibility to anticipate and help mitigate the barriers participants will face.”
She said the event is held in different countries each year in an effort to be more accessible, and they chose Costa Rica because they had never had the summit in Central America before.
‘Visa justice’ fights
Critics say visa rules that are stricter for citizens of poorer nations are a significant factor limiting the participation of people from developing countries in major conferences.
Ugandan climate activist Hamira Kobusingye said she often needs letters of recommendation to apply for visas to attend summits – a step not required of most Global North travelers.
Despite her efforts, she said she was denied visas to attend the Bonn Climate Change Conference in Germany in June and the U.N. 2023 Water Conference in New York.
“My colleagues all over the continent were denied visas,” she said, adding that they were being distracted from their campaigning work by “visa justice” battles.
Kobusingye said she was told her applications did not meet the criteria for a visa.
A U.S. state department spokesperson said it “takes seriously its obligations as a host country of the U.N.”
“Whenever an individual applies for a U.S. visa, a consular officer reviews the facts of the case and determines whether the applicant is eligible for that visa based on U.S. law,” the spokesperson said in emailed comments.
Neither the German foreign office nor its embassy in Uganda responded to requests for comment.
Kobusingye said restricting access to grassroots campaigners meant major decisions could be made without much input from the people who are most affected.
Africa has been hit disproportionately hard by the fallout from climate change, while international efforts to secure funds for adaptation and recovery for heavily affected developing nations have fallen short.
“It seems like the Global North is trying to find solutions for the climate crisis without the people who are most affected,” said Kobusingye.
“They can push through what they want because they have very little resistance.”
In 2021, after Black Lives Matter protests in many countries prompted widespread discussions over inclusion, the COP26 U.N. climate summit was criticized for lack of diversity, with the hashtag #cop26sowhite trending on Twitter.
The U.N. climate change body UNFCCC, which organizes the Bonn and COP summits, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, acting director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said he struggled to enter Germany for a world health summit last year because of mistreatment by border staff who suspected he wanted to stay on illegally.
“My attendance of the @WorldHealthSmt is now in doubt. I’m happier & safer back home in Africa. They invite you, then mistreat you,” he wrote on Twitter.
Ouma was ultimately granted entry, and the German health minister later tweeted that officials were looking into what had gone wrong at the airport.
Not in the room
Campaigners and policy analysts said summit organizers should be mindful of visa policies when selecting host countries.
Okonkwo said organizers should have conferences in visa-friendly countries that are not discriminatory towards people from poorer nations.
In an open letter with charities and civil society groups, Access Now urged governments to adopt “flexible and generous” visa approval policies for human rights defenders, activists and journalists.
Enabling Global South participants to be physically present at high-level talks was critical to ensure decisions are as representative as possible, said Kathryn Nwajiaku-Dahou, director of the Politics and Governance program at ODI, a global think-tank based in Britain.
“It’s where the real political work takes place. It’s what happens in the corridors; it’s the informal mingling. That’s where powerful relationships get struck,” she said.
“So, if you’re not in the room, you’re not in the room.”
[dailysabah]
…decries poor participation of young candidates in politics
Apparently positioned to encourage younger Nigerians in vying for legislative seats across the country, a civil society group, under the auspices of Yiaga Africa has promised to dole out $20,000 to any lawmaker elected at the state and federal level who makes his or her mark in legislative duties.
Samson Itodo, Executive Director, Yiaga Africa made the pledge on Tuesday in Abuja, while speaking at a programme Convergence 5.0: Nigeria’s Largest Gathering of Young Legislators.
He said lawmakers that would qualify for the prize money must be under 35 years of age, either at the State or Federal legislature, and would be assessed based on the number of bills sponsored and level of contributions to legislative proceedings.
Itodo decried the level of participation of young candidates in the country, despite the not-too-young-to-run act in place.
He said he believes the prize money of $20,000 would spore young Nigerians to vie for elective offices to contribute their quota to nation-building.
Meanwhile, Director of Programmes, Yiaga Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu corroborated Itodo when she said that Convergence 5.0 represents the largest gathering of young legislators in Nigeria as a platform created for young legislators to learn from experts in the field on how best to effectively deliver leadership.
According to Mbamalu, the platform is for young elected representatives to learn how to build power and how to best navigate the politics in the National and State Assemblies, hence the theme, leadership, power politics.
She lamented that despite the signing of the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Act into law by the immediate past administration, prospects of having more young people in politics have not been too encouraging.
READ ALSO: Expert Canvasses Modern Technology For Surveying
“In 2019, we celebrated about 13 young people in the House of Representatives, which was a far increase from where we were in 2015.
“We also had 20 young people who are under 30 years old, who won the elections in 2019 in the State Assemblies, two women under 35 years old won that election.
“In 2023 we hoped for better but yes, it did not go the way we were expecting but we still have things to celebrate. For the first time since our transition to democracy in 1999. We can proudly say that in the House of Representatives, we have two lawmakers who are between 25 and 29 years old, the youngest ever, that is progress but not enough.
“This is because, in the House of Reps, we just have 14 under 35 years old who won the elections. At the state level, there are 92 under-35-years-old who won the elections.
“For the women, it is still a sad story as we have four lawmakers who are under 35 years old that are women,” she stated at the Convergence 5.0 event.
[DailyIndependent]
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has announced the names of the leaders of the tenth Senate majority caucus.
The Ekiti Central lawmaker, Opeyemi Bamidele, was named the Senate Majority Leader.
The Senate President also announced Senator Dave Umahi ( Ebonyi South) as the Deputy Majority Leader; Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) as Chief Whip; and Senator Lola Ashiru (Kwara South) as the Deputy Whip.
Akpabio stated, “The All Progressives Congress caucus of the Senate after consultations, has emerged with their leadership which will be the fulcrum of commencing other businesses of the chamber.
“I’m happy to announce that by consensus, the Senate Leader, Sen. Opeyemi Bamidele, will be the Majority Leader.
“Sen. Mohammed Ndume (APC-Borno) will be the Chief Whip of the 10th Senate; Sen. David Umahi (APC-Ebonyi), by your consent, will act as the Deputy Leader and Sen. Lola Ashiru (APC-Kwara) will be the Deputy Chief Whip.”
The Senate immediately dissolved into a closed session.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has said it stopped using the print-out currently being paraded by Anambra candidate, Mmesoma Ejikeme, since 2021.
This is as the examination body doubled down on its earlier position that the UTME result presented by Ejikeme is fake.
JAMB reiterated its position on the controvery in a statement on Tuesday morning, insisting that its system was not infiltrated and it had no ulterior motive.
In the statement by the Board’s spokesman, Fabian Benjamin, JAMB insisted that only Mmesoma paraded the“obsolete” notification slip out of all the candidates that sat the 2023 UTME.
The statement read: “Consequently, the Board would like to reassure Nigerians that its system was neither tampered with nor compromised as the candidate simply falsified a copy of a result slip of a candidate named “Asimiyu Mariam Omobolanle,” who sat the UTME in 2021 and scored 138.
“It is also instructive to note that the candidate, in her statement, has inadvertently revealed the rightful owner of the result she is parading when she pointed out that the QR code on the result slip showed the actual owner of the said result before she peddled a lie in an attempt to obfuscate the truth”
The board implored members of the public to do due diligence on their part in order to establish the truth and ascertain the original owner of the result slip before it was mutilated.
“To witness the unassailable position of the Board regarding this obvious falsehood, the general public is, therefore, urged to endeavour to scan the QR code on the result slip to see its actual owner before it was mutilated. It is to be noted that the QR code encapsulates the UTME result of each candidate, hence, what is on the result sheet is nothing other than the interpretation of the information on this QR code.
“Furthermore, the public is also to note that the Board stopped issuing Notification of Result slips after the 2021 UTME for the simple reason that candidates were falsifying them. Consequently, the Board has been issuing actual UTME RESULT Slips (not notification of results ) since 2022 complete with the photograph of each candidate.
“Similarly, the public is also invited to ponder on the fact that out of all the candidates that sat the 2023 UTME, only Ms. Ejikeme Mmesoma parades the obsolete ‘Notification of Result.
“In the meantime, the management of the Board, after considering the weighty infraction committed by Ms. Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma, and in line with its established procedures, has withdrawn her 2023 UTME result and also barred her from sitting the Board’s examination for the next three years.”