The Nigeria Labour Congress has called off it’s two-day warning strike declared to protest the plight of workers caused by the removal of fuel subsidy.

The congress also directed workers to resume work from Thursday.

The strike which began on September 5, to end at midnight on September 6, had various government parastatals, financial institutions, and electricity distribution companies on total shutdown in the last 48 hours.

The NLC in a communique signed by President Joe Ajearo on Tuesday, expressed satisfaction with the compliance rate of workers with the strike.

Ajaero said, “We are pleased to report that, thanks to your resolute commitment, we have made significant strides in achieving the goals set during our National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, which prompted the initiation of this warning strike.

“It is abundantly clear that our united message has resonated loudly with the government, and it would take a truly inattentive ear not to hear it.

“As we mark the end of the two-day nationwide warning strike today, at the stroke of midnight, we earnestly call upon you all to gracefully conclude the strike and return to work tomorrow, following our initial agreement.”

He also charged affiliate unions to maintain steadfast resolve if the government fails to provide the appropriate responses to the NLC demands.

“In the event that the government fails to provide the appropriate responses to our demands, we encourage you to maintain your steadfast resolve.

“The same passion and determination that fueled this warning strike will be crucial if we find ourselves compelled to embark on an indefinite nationwide strike.

“The congress is not unmindful of the actions of detractors and fifth columnists but in the face of them all, we remain undaunted and more committed to the defense of Nigerian workers and people at any given time. Our nation deserves better,” he said.

Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State has approved two trucks of 50kg bags of rice for the State’s Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) chapter as palliatives to cushion the effects of fuel subsidy removal.

Bago announced the approval during the reception to celebrate the newly constructed office of the Deputy Governor, Mr Yakubu Garba, in Minna.

He disclosed that the initial N110 million approved for NLC was for their logistics to monitor the distribution process of the palliatives across the 274 wards of the state.

“Labour, we have given you work to go round and supervise the palliatives’ distribution, but for the labour union, we have not given you palliatives.

“We only gave you logistics to go round and supervise distribution. Now, as a government, we will give you two trucks of 50kg for distribution,” he said.

Bago added that the money was for the members of the NLC to effectively monitor the distribution process to ensure that the palliatives get to everyone.

The NLC is currently on a two-day warning strike which the national body declared following the removal of the petrol subsidy and the hardship that followed it.

The governor, however, advised the union to shelve its strike and congratulated the deputy governor on his new office.

In his remarks, Garba, appreciated the governor for a cordial working relationship and pledged to discharge his responsibility for the progress and development of the state. (NAN)

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has approved an upwards price increase in the price of pre paid electricity meters in the country.

In a circular signed and dated 5 September 2023 by the commission’s Chairman and Commissioner Legal, Licencing and compliance, Sanusi Garba and Dafe Akpeneye, respectively, it stated that a single phase pre paid meter would now cost N81,975.16k from the N58,661.69k while three phase pre paid meters is increased to N143,836.10k from N109,684.36k.

The circular said the new price was to ensure a fair and reasonable pricing of meters to both MAPs and end-use customers.

“Ensure MAP’s ability to recover reasonable costs associated with meter procurement and maintenance while ensuring that their pricing structure allows for a viable return on investment. Evaluate the affordability of meter services for consumers, aiming to prevent excessive pricing that could burden end-users. Ensure that MAPs are able to provide meters to end-use customers in the prevailing economic realities.

The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) has rejected, a copy of the report on the last presidential election made by the European Union (EU) Election Observers Mission tendered by Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP).

The court held that the document was obtained by the petitioners from its registry, which was certified by its staff who is not a person with original custody of the document that was produced by the EU mission.

Recall that the actual copy of the report was earlier tendered by Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while prosecuting their petition before the court.

The court also rejected the 18088 blurred results sheets tendered by the petitioners on the grounds that they were not tied to any polling units to which the results related, which the petitioners failed to specify in their petition.

The court held that the petitioners lied that they could not identify the polling units because the result sheets were blurred. It noted that one of the same petitioners’ witnesses actually produced a report in which he analysed the same results, which he claimed to have sourced from INEC’s results viewing platform.

It further noted that having admitted that its agents signed for and collected copies of the result sheets, the petitioners cannot claim not to know the polling units affected, but merely chose not to specify the polling units in their petition.

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT) has dismissed the claim of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), that President Bola Tinubu needed 25 per cent votes from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to win the February 25 election.

Justice Haruna Tsammani said FCT residents have no special privilege, hence such claims can’t stand.

He was reacting to Obi’s petition faulting the declaration of President Bola Tinubu as the winner of the last presidential election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

There have been arguments over the legality of Tinubu’s victory in the last presidential election over his inability to accrue 25 per cent of the votes in the FCT.

Nigerians have argued that a presidential candidate must acquire 25 per cent of votes, including in the FCT, as a requirement to be declared the winner.

[DailyPost]

The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal said it rejected 10 out of 13 witnesses presented by the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.

Justice Haruna Tsammani, who took over to deliver judgment on the substantive petition filed by Obi and LP, said this on Wednesday.

Tsammani said Obi called 13 witnesses, who testified as PW1 to PW13, noting that of the 13 witnesses, only three witnesses whose statements are on oath, were filed along with the petition.

The remaining 10 witnesses, the Justice said, were subpoenaed and their witness statements on oath were only filed after the hearing started. 

Tsammani held that by virtue of section 285 of the Nigerian constitution, section 137(7) of the Electoral Act 2022, and other provisions, every witness statement on oath must be filed along with the petition.

He said that based on the Supreme Court authority, once the 21-day window for filing an election petition elapses, the content of the petition cannot be amended.

The Justice stated further that no additional statement on oath can be filed after the close of the specified window since the respondents would not have the opportunity to respond.

Tsammani said the petitioners were aware of the legal provision relating to the filing of witness statements on oath, yet went ahead to present 10 witnesses without their witness statements on oath earlier filed with the petition.

Details later…

[Punch]

The election petition tribunal sitting in Lokoja has declared Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan as the winner of the Kogi central senatorial district election.

The tribunal, led by Kemakolam Ojiako, in its ruling on Wednesday, declared Akpoti-Uduaghan as the winner of the senatorial election conducted on February 25.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Abubakar Sadiku-Ohere of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the Kogi central senatorial election.

Rotimi Ajayi, INEC returning officer for the district, had announced that Sadiku-Ohere garnered 52,132 votes to beat Natasha who had 51,763 votes.

The margin of victory was 369 votes.

Dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, Natasha approached the tribunal with a petition seeking to nullify the victory of Sadiku-Ohere and her declaration as the winner of the election.

After hearing the arguments of the parties in the petition in July, the tribunal reserved judgment in the case.

[TheCable]

The House of Representatives ad hoc committee set up to investigate crude oil theft and loss of revenue from gas has vowed to unveil the identities of those behind oil theft in the country.

Rep. Kabiru Rurum, chairman of the committee, said this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) ahead of its investigative hearing slated for Sept. 7.

He said the oil sector remained the major source of revenue for the country, adding that it was determined that the investigation would not be like the previous ones.

According to him, oil and gas are the major areas where the country gets its resources but the problem of oil theft has continued to go from bad to worse on a daily basis.

“The purpose of the committee is to reveal who and who are the architects of what is going on in the area of crude oil theft.”

He said apportioning blame to security agencies would not suffice, adding that stakeholders in the oil sectors should be held responsible including Chevron, Shell, and communities, among others.

“We need to identify the culprits, this is the purpose of the investigation. Everybody including critical stakeholders should come and tell us their side of the story,” Rurum said.

He said the modalities and ways to stop or minimise theft in the oil sector should be suggested by all stakeholders which was the main purpose of the committee.

He said the committee had invited the Nigerian Navy as the custodian of the nation’s water, Airforce, Civil Defence, and Police Intelligence Agency, among others.

According to him, the challenges confronting the oil sector and the probable solution would be discussed.

He said the Norwegian Embassy which had earlier promised Nigeria to assist in three areas to curtail oil theft had been invited to proffer a solution.

He said its recommendation would be firm because the government knew that there were serious challenges in the sector, adding that it would work in synergy with the National Security Adviser.

Rep. Philip Agbese (APC-Benue) had earlier moved a motion on the need to investigate crude oil theft and loss of revenue accrued from the oil and gas sector in Nigeria.

The House, however, constituted an ad hoc committee to investigate the issues. (NAN)

The Presidential Election Petitions Court has held that the All Progressives Congress (APC) lacks the locus standi to challenge Peter Obi’s membership of the Labour Pary (LP).

APC and Bola Tinubu had in their petitions argued that Obi’s name was not contained in the list of LP members forwarded to INEC on April 25, 2022 and breached Section 77 of the Electoral Act, 2022.

But in the lead judgment on the objections by the APC against the petitions of Obi and the LP, Justice Abba Bello Mohammed held that the matter was solely an internal affair of the political party.

“It is only the second respondent (LP) that has the sole prerogative of determining those who are its members,” he said.

Justice Mohammed also dismissed APC’s objection on the non-joinder of PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar in Obi and LP’s petition challenging the results of the election for him (Atiku) not being a necessary party in the petition.

The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal has ruled that President Bola Tinubu cannot be disqualified on the basis of his forfeiture of drug money in the United States.

The verdict was declared by Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel of the Presidential Petition Election Tribunal on the petition on Wednesday.

According to the PEPT, Tinubu was previously cleared by the Nigeria Police Force of any criminal issues in the US, which came through an inquiry the police had made to US law enforcement.

The court disclosed that Tinubu has been able to enter and exit the US, and that suggests he has no criminal case.

In his ruling, Tsammani said the judgement of the US District in Northern Illinois which ordered the forfeiture of Tinubu’s $460,000 in a drugs-related case was in civil proceedings in which Tinubu was not a party.

On the issue of non-qualification due to an alleged criminal indictment, the petitioners had contended that Tinubu had forfeited $460,000 in the US as an indictment in drug trafficking.

According to the tribunal, the evidence (Exhibit P5) tendered by the petitioners shows that it was a civil forfeiture proceedings.

Justice Tsammani held that the petitioners failed to provide credible evidence to show that Tinubu was arraigned, took a plea or was sentenced or fined in any criminal suit in the US.

“The order of forfeiture in Exhibit P5 on which the petitioners have relied does not qualify as a sentence of fine for an offence involving dishonesty or fraud within the confabulation of Section 137(d) of the 1999 constitution,” Tsammani said.

According to the tribunal, civil forfeiture is not a conviction or a criminal charge.