Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule, has taken his political party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to court following his defeat at the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, (GEPT) sitting in Lafia, the state capital.

The recent judgement by the tribunal has left the governor in a confusing position, prompting him to seek another interpretation from the Court of Appeal regarding the ruling which ousted him from office and declared David Ombugadu of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the lawfully elected governor of the state.

Sule had since instructed his legal team to appeal the judgement of the tribunal.

However, in what seems like a confusing state of affairs, his legal counsel has initiated a fresh appeal, targeting those perceived to be the governor’s allies.

In a document made available to DAILY POST, and filed to the Makurdi Court of Appeal, Sule appears to have filed a suit against Ombugadu, as well as PDP, INEC and his own party, the APC.

However, David Ombugadu and the PDP have filed a cross appeal against Sule’s appeal at the Court of Appeal sitting in Markurdi.

The available document has INEC, Abdullahi Sule and APC as 1st, 2nd and 3rd respondents, respectively.

Recall that the tribunal judgment, which removed Sule as the governor of Nasarawa State, was a majority decision in favour of PDP’s David Ombugadu.

However, a minority judgment affirmed Sule as the validly elected governor.

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last election, Peter Obi, has advised the Federal Government to invest heavily in agriculture in a bid to end the lingering food crisis in the country.

The former Anambra governor made the remark in a statement issued on Monday to commemorate 2023 World Food Day.

Obi argued that if the Federal Government agreed to utilise the fertile soil in the northern part of the country for agriculture, the food crisis ravaging the nation would be alleviated.

He said the land, if utilised, would produce enough for both domestic consumption and exportation.

Obi lamented how the activities of non-state actors causing mayhem in many Nigerian communities are sabotaging food production.

His statement reads in part: “Consequently, a vast majority of Nigerians spend the entirety of their disposable income on food, which is often hardly enough.

“The horrible spate of attacks on farmers in Nigeria by armed and terror groups has continued to hinder food production and food supplies, therefore threatening to push the country deeper into a devastating hunger crisis. Lack of adequate investment in agriculture also contributes greatly to the food crisis in Nigeria.

“I have maintained that the vast fertile lands in the North, if put into productive agricultural use, will produce enough food for domestic consumption and for exports, which can give us more revenue than we generate from oil. Government, therefore, must invest heavily in agriculture to ensure sufficient food production for Nigeria and the global world.”

The appeal court has declared Rev Amos Yohanna of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the 2023 senatorial candidate representing the Adamawa north senatorial zone.

Recall Rev. Amos Kumai Yohanna in a petition filed at the tribunal sitting in Yola, challenged the election of Senator Abbo as the winner of the election.

In his petition marked, EPT/AD/SEN/02/2023, the Kumai had alleged that the election of Abbo was invalid.

Citing grounds, he said Abbo’s winning was characterised by corrupt practices and non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, adding that Abbo was not duly elected by the majority of lawful votes cast during the election.

He alleged that there were cases of over voting at various polling units, false entries, alteration and cancellation of votes at several polling units among others.

He said some of the cancellations were not signed by the presiding officers of the polling units, and based on these he prayed the tribunal to set aside the election of Senator Abbo.

Meanwhile, on his part, Sen Abbo on 19th June, 2023 filed a final written address through his counsel, Sam. Ologunorisha (SAN) where he urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition, tagging it as lacking in merit.

However, on Monday, the Appeal Court granted the prayers of Rev Yohanna, declaring him winner of the senatorial election.

Nigeria’s annual inflation rate rose to 26.72 per cent in September from 25.80 per cent in the previous month, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Monday.

The statistics office said the September 2023 headline inflation rate showed an increase of 0.92 per cent points when compared to the August 2023 headline inflation rate.

The NBS said on a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 5.94 per cent points higher compared to the rate recorded in September 2022, which was 20.77 per cent.

“This shows that the headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in September 2023 when compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.e., September 2022),” it said.

According to the report, the food inflation rate in September quickened to 30.64 per cent on a year-on-year basis, which was 7.30 per cent points higher compared to the rate recorded in September 2022 (23.34 per cent).

Food prices have been on the rise across Nigeria in recent years. The situation deteriorated due to the impact of government policies such as the removal of subsidies on petrol, among others.

President Bola Tinubu on 29 May during his inauguration, announced the removal of subsidy on petrol. This development has caused hardship for many Nigerians with its attendant increase in the prices of goods and services.

Over the past four months, the naira has depreciated by over 50 per cent at both the authorised and unauthorised market segments, after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced in June that it had collapsed all forex windows into the Investors and exporters (I&E) window.

The move, according to the apex bank, is part of the Nigerian government’s efforts to improve liquidity and stability in the market and attract foreign investors into the Nigerian economy.

Although the policy was widely applauded as well-intentioned and necessary, it has put additional pressure on the local currency and manufacturers, with ripple effects on domestic prices.

Inflation has remained high in Africa’s largest economy, prompting the apex bank to hike interest rates to their highest levels in nearly two decades.

In July, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), raised its benchmark lending rate to 18.75 per cent.

The bank said, “hiking the interest rate has made a lot of difference in moderating the rate of inflation”.

It noted that the option to continue the hike in the policy rate, albeit moderately, also presented a strong alternative premised on the expected liquidity injections into the economy from the recent efforts to unify the nation’s foreign exchange markets.

…demands immediate appointment of a substantive Auditor General

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas has called on the Federal Government to commit one percent of its annual budget to the office of the Auditor General of the Federation to ensure adequate oversight of 900 MDAs in the country.

Speaker Abbas who was represented by the Deputy Speaker of the House Representatives, Hon Benjamin Kalu made this revelation at the Unveiling of Public Accounts Committee, PAC of members of the 10th Assembly and Leadership Training, One-Day National Colloquium’ in Abuja on Monday.

TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports the speaker also demanded for the appointment of a substantive Auditor General to the Federation immediately.

Hear him: “The National Assembly is interested and committed to the office of the Auditor general. What’s adequate for that job to be done, fully well, is at least, one percent of the total budget of the federal Republic of Nigeria. That’s what that office needs if they must do the job and do it very well.

“We are committed as people with the power of the purse to review the budget of the Auditor general office, unless we don’t want about the 900 MDAs to be well over-sighted.

“As the civil society mentioned, most of these MDAs were not touched, and the issue is due to lack of adequate resources for the auditor general’s office to get the job done.

“We should not make them magicians, we should equip them to sufficiently to pursue the money of Nigeria so that the work of the National Assembly will be easier.

“The introduction of technology will help us become more transparent to document better and make the results coming out from our exercise more credible. The oversight function is going to make use of technology. So in no distant time, expect the launching and unveiling of what we call NASS Eyes.

“To do this also, the collaboration of the executive cannot be overstated, though we are three arms of government, we are one government pursuing one national objective. Objective of the renewed hope where revenues will be increased and leakages blocked.

“Let me mention that I heard the chairman’s request that the office of the accountant general make provision for a bus that will help the committee do their job.

“We want to maintain that in the spirit of doctrine of separation of powers and in need to be thorough in the exercise of our duty, investigating the work done by the accountant general, we will not be accepting that gift. Rather Nigerians should expect the House and senate to make sufficient budget that will be enough to provision for the committees such as yours

“I’m joining my voice to that of my brother, the chairman of PAC committee, we cannot afford to have an acting director or whatever nomenclature occupying that important position of auditor general.

“We urge Mr President to look into confirming the person who’s there or anybody of his choice to take up the role of Auditor general of this country, it will send the right signal that this government is ready to act in the interest of all Nigerians.

[Newsguru]

In September 2023, the headline inflation rate increased to 26.72% relative to the August 2023 headline inflation rate, which was 25.80%, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a report released on Monday.

Looking at the movement, the September 2023 headline inflation rate showed an increase of 0.92% points when compared to the August 2023 headline inflation rate.

On a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 5.94% points higher compared to the rate recorded in September 2022, which was 20.77%.

This shows that the headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in September 2023 when compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.e. September 2022).

Furthermore, on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in September 2023 was 2.10%, which was 1.08% lower than the rate recorded in August 2023 (3.18%).

This means that in September 2023, the rate of increase in the average price level was less than the rate of increase in the average price level in August 2023.

[Leadership]

The president of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem has ordered that all pending petitions from the 36 states of the federation regarding the outcome of the 2023 elections be transferred to the Lagos and Abuja divisions of the appellate court.

Naija News understands that based on the directive, all such pending cases resulting from the verdict of the various state petition election petition tribunals would now be heard and decided by judges in Lagos and Abuja divisions only.

The order affects gubernatorial, national and state assemblies’ elections.

The directive by Dongban-Mensem for only two of the 20 divisions of the court to determine all appellate cases arising from tribunal disputes is said to have been informed by the plethora of petitions and protests by political parties and their candidates, who allege that the judges of the tribunals were heavily compromised by the governors during the trial stage in their respective states.

The Court of Appeal President was said to have carried out discreet investigations into the allegations against the governors and the judges of the trial tribunal and established the existence of some ‘unholy alliances’ which might have led to a miscarriage of justice at the tribunals.

Some judges of the tribunals were reportedly indicted and might face trial by the National Judicial Council (NJC).

Speaking on the development, a member of the House of Representatives representing Warri Federal Constituency, Hon. Thomas Ereyitomi was quoted by TVC to have welcomed the decision as long as it would guarantee fair and impartial judgements.

He however noted the financial implications that may result in the transfer of the cases.

“We have the notice transferring the cases from Delta State to Lagos and we have complied. Its financial implications are huge but no sacrifice is too much to get a fair and impartial judgement,” Ereyitomi said.

[NaijaNews]

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has nullified the election of the Senator representing Adamawa North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Ishaku Abbo.

Abbo was elected in February 2023 under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

The court, according to Channels TV, ruled in favour of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Amos Yohanna.

Details shortly…

[DailyPost]

The State of Israel does not believe in the Biblical injunction of turning the other cheek when slapped. It does not even stop at the principle of reciprocal justice - an eye for an eye - as explained in the Books of Exodus and Leviticus. When you pluck an Israeli eye, be sure they'll retaliate by plucking your two eyes, shutting your mouth and leaving your nose bloodied.

Since October 7, 2023, when the Islamic Resistance Movement popularly called HAMAS launched a surprise invasion of Israel, another chilling season of killings and destruction have returned to that familiar theatre of strife. Expectedly, the Israeli retaliation has been typical. Gaza, from where the attack was launched, has faced an unprecedented pounding, turning its physical structures to rubble and triggering a humanitarian crisis of horrendous proportions.

In what has become a guiding beam for his soldiers, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had decreed that 'every Hamas member is a dead man'.

Of the 2.3 million that inhabit the tiny Gaza Strip, an area of just 141 square miles, HAMAS which the US and its European allies regard as a terrorist group, boasts about 35,000 militants. If 'every HAMAS member is a dead man' like Netanyahu decreed, the sheer figure of potential body bags is better imagined. When you add the innocent men, women and children, even the buildings, hospitals and other public facilities that have since become targets of rocket attacks in Gaza, the picture becomes frightening.

The HAMAS attacks not only caught the Israeli intelligence off-guard, they came on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War of 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria. Thousands of rockets were launched into Israel, hundreds of civilians and soldiers were massacred and scores taken hostage on what was supposed to be a joyous Jewish holiday.

The atrocious attacks are condemnable and Israel's responce in self defence are justified. What is unacceptable is the level the Israeli Defence Force has gone to in exerting revenge. It has not only crossed all boundaries of normal military engagement, its activities now bother on serious war crimes. The rationale for subjecting millions of the preponderant civilian population in Gaza to rocket attacks and a blockade that has denied them food, medical supplies, power supply and water, is questionable.

In less than 10 days of the Gaza war, the casualty figures are mind boggling.

The dispute between Israel and the Palestinians has been recurring, defying every peace initiative since May 1948 when the Jewish State came into existence. There has been an unending battle with the Palestinians and every other Arab neighbour in the middle in which it is ensconced. The ongoing conflict has the potential to escalate beyond Gaza. And, like the six-day war of 1967 which led to the Israeli occupation of most of the West Bank, Golan Heights, Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula, the ongoing conflict promises to have wide-ranging ramifications.

It has the potential to redefine once more the geopolitical boundaries of the Middle Belt. Worse still, it is likely to escalate if proceedings are not better managed.

The sound bites from Jersalem are chilling, understandable for a nation where nearly 1,500 innocent citizens were murdered in cold blood and hundreds held hostage. And while the US government has been unequivocal in expressing “unconditional support” to Israel over the crisis, it has been joined by the major nations of Europe who insist the Jews have a legitimate right to defend themselves in the circumstances. The US President, Joe Biden, in response to the attack that claimed about 29 US citizens, has ordered American troops and heavy weaponry to high alert.

With two aircraft carriers including the USS Eisenhower and the USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest warship in the world, positioned close-by in the Mediterranean sea, the Middle East has come within striking distance of the US might. When you add the guided missile cruiser USS Normandy and four guided missile destroyers also on standby, the implication becomes obvious to those supporting the Palestinian cause. It is a direct deterrence to Iran, Syria and Lebanon from where the Hezbolla has been firing rockets into Israel.

As it stands today, the world may be out for several months, if not years, of horrific warfare in the Middle East that has been, on recurring basis, the familiar theatre of war and bloodshed.

Just what HAMAS hopes to achieve by instigating the ongoing calamity is difficult to fathom. Already, the humanitarian crisis is high with Gaza losing over 3,500 with 12,000 wounded since the Israeli strikes and it can only get worse if the expected ground assault gets underway.

Benjamin Netanyahu

The question is: in all these, where have the international responses left humanity? Why are the superpowers focussed on military support rather than peaceful resolution of the crisis?

In the past few days, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has triggered protests across the world, from the United States to the UK, from Paris to Germany. Even the usually restrained China has condemned Israel for those acts that are far beyond self defence.

The argument whether the conflict between Israel and its neighbours will end around a negotiation table or in the battlefield, is still not likely to end soon, especially with the recent escalation of hostilities. But beyond the 'aggressor' and the angry Israeli authorities bent on retaliatory attacks, the world must spare a thought for the innocent men, women and children who have become the collateral victims of the ongoing carnage in Gaza.

Anyone who counts the 'dead' HAMAS members before they're killed will find out the number is just too staggering. Netanyahu's decree of tens of thousands of body bags does not have to come to pass.

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Sheddy Ozoene, Editor-in-Chief of People&Politics, is the Vice President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors