The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Katsina State has sacked its deputy gubernatorial candidate, Muttaqa Rabe-Darma, the state party chairman, Sani Liti, and other top executives.

The party’s spokesman Nasiru Usman-Kankia, disclosed this while briefing reporters on the decision of the party on Friday in Katsina.

He said they were sacked for anti-party activities, including Thursday’s endorsement of the All Progressive Congress (APC) candidate, Dr Dikko Radda.

“As you are already aware, a section of the state executive leadership of the party convened an unauthorised meeting on Thursday, March 9, the decision of which almost rocked the party.

“An emergency exco meeting comprising 19 out of 29 members was conveyed to discuss the immediate and remote causes of the illegal meeting.

“Facts have emerged that the illegal meeting was unconstitutionally convened without the consent of the state executive committee.

“It was also discovered that even when invitations were sent for the illegal meeting to state and local government exco members and ward chairmen, they were informed that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss and disburse funds for the settlement of polling unit agents and ward coordinators.

“However, at the illegal meeting, the APC gubernatorial candidate was ushered in and the NNPP state chairman, Liti, the party’s gubernatorial running mate, Rabe-Darma, and other top executives introduced other members present as decampees to the APC.

“Almost immediately, the entire arena turned chaotic with shouts of NNPP slogans and chants of no, no, no, by the party’s loyalists,” Mr Usman-Kankia narrated.

According to him, the APC candidate, Mr Radda, then immediately stated that what he discussed with the NNPP members was on alliance not defection.

The NNPP spokesman recalled that the party had on March 5, warned its members, officials, and candidates against forming an alliance with any political party.

“Accordingly, party officers, members and candidates at all levels are not authorised to discuss, negotiate or form any alliance with any political party for the purpose of winning the upcoming gubernatorial and legislative polls.

“Anyone who endorses a candidate of another political party will be sanctioned in line with the NNPP Constitution, ranging from suspension to expulsion.

“Our emergency meeting considered and decided to expel the officials and members involved in the illegal meeting, subject to approval of the national executive committee of the party.

“They are Alhaji Sani Liti, state Chairman, Umar Jibril, state Secretary, Mustapha Basheer, youth leader, Dauda Kurfi, Katsina zonal Chairman, Abdulhadi Mai-Dawa, Funtua Zonal Chairman, Dr Sale Mashi, Daura zonal Chairman, Rabe-Darma deputy gubernatorial candidate and Sen. Audu Yandoma,” Mr Usman-Kankia listed.

The Lagos State Labour Party governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, says Nigerian youths are 90 per cent close to taking over governance and having their dream country materialise.

The 40-year-old LP candidate disclosed this at a meeting tagged, “Youth O’ Clock” in Ikeja on Thursday, where he said new Lagos would birth new Nigeria.

He said;

“We know that the goal and what we are going through is far bigger than I and any of us.

“It is a project that will lift the lives of millions of Lagosians up and in turn lift the lives of many Nigerians up. It is a project to free Lagos from the shackle hold of tyranny.

“A Lagos State where the inner roads will work, where our people will have quality healthcare, water, quality public education, not one where parents keep struggling trying to find how to pay school fees for their children to go to private school.”Rhodes-Vivour assured of a very bright future.

“We are already 90 per cent there. We need to bring this thing home. I want you to understand that the moment we take Lagos, this fire of a new type of politics will engulf Nigeria.

“You start to find politicians that mean well for the people, that can articulate their vision and positive about change.

“No more status quo, we are changing the narrative to have a new Lagos and a new Nigeria. We will set a new standard,” Rhodes-Vivour said.

Hailing Nigerian youths for voting the LP’s presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi and his running mate, Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed in the February 25 presidential election, he said Obi and the LP were all about empathy and compassion on the suffering of the people.

Director General of the LP Presidential Campaign Council, Akin Osuntokun has claimed that the Bimordal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was “perverted” during the presidential and National Assembly elections.  

Appearing for an interview on Channels Television, Osuntokun said Labour Party is compiling its results of the exercise. 

He also claimed that the party won some states by wider margins. 

He said “BVAS has been perverted. Something that is to serve a good course has now been perverted. Because once the BVAS does its role – takes a picture of the results – the polling agents will have it.

“So, the polling agents have all the results and we have our own that is presently being compiled.

“It has been said before – about nine opinion polls – prior to the election said Obi was going to win.

“INEC has another opportunity on Saturday [governorship and state house of assembly elections] to redeem itself.”

Osuntokun also said that the presidential and National Assembly elections should be a source of worry for President Muhammadu Buhari who promised to leave a credible exercise. 

He added;  

“He wants Nigerians to remember him for the best election ever conducted. But look at the absurdity of what has happened! Is this the legacy he wants to bequeath?”

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos says youth in the state are his “children” and his administration in the past four years has provided them jobs on construction sites.

Mr Sanwo-Olu made this statement when asked about his plans for youths who are critical of his administration in an interview with Arise TV on Wednesday.

“They are my children. They are my bosses in some space. Because I identify with all of them at various levels. You know, it is a large number and there is no way I can satisfy every single person,” Mr Sanwo-Olu said.

“If I do a road construction, it is not for me. It is about the number of youths that are working as supervisors, as labourers, as engineers, on that site. So it has a ripple effect.”

Speaking further, Mr Sanwo-Olu said his government is providing enabling environment for youths to thrive and focused on how to get people out of unemployment and poverty.

“Another area which they (youth) want is technology for example, we are the only state in the country providing enabling environment for them.

“In less than two years, we have seen international organisations coming into Lagos to make foreign direct investments – runs into billions. In fact, Lagos has become the tech start-up hub in Africa and it is because of the economy we have provided for them,” said Mr Sanwo-Olu.

The Lagos governor is fighting for re-election in the governorship election scheduled for Saturday.

Mr Sanwo-Olu’s major challenger, Gbadebo Rhodes Viviour of the Labour Party, has garnered more support going by February 25 presidential election in which Peter Obi polled 582,454, defeating the All Progressive Congress presidential candidate Bola Tinubu, who polled 572, 606 votes in Lagos.

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, has put together a legal team of 19 Senior Advocates of Nigeria to challenge the outcome of the February 25 election.

Atiku briefed them on Wednesday at his campaign Headquarters in Abuja, asking them to “establish the claim of illegality in the election and reclaim the mandate of the Nigerian people.”

The team is headed by a seasoned litigation and commercial lawyer, JK Gadzama.

He further declared that it is crucial for them to go through this process not just for himself and PDP, but also to reinforce constitutional democracy and safeguard it for future generations.

The list of SANs includes Chief Chris Uche, Paul Usoro, Tayo Jegede, Ken Mozia, Chief Mike Ozekhome, Mahmood Magaji, Joe Abraham, Chukwuma Umeh, Garba Tetengi and Chief Emeka Etiaba – as well as Chief Goddy Uche, Professor Maxwell Gidado; PDP’s National Legal Adviser A.K. Ajibade; O.M. Atoyebi; Nella Rabana; Paul Ogbole; Nuremi Jimoh and Abdul Ibrahim.

It was reported that Atiku Abubakar and his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, have refused to concede defeat in the February 25 presidential election, vowing to recover their mandate in court.

The two candidates rebuffed the gesture of conciliation made by the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, who in his acceptance speech after he was declared the winner of the poll on Wednesday, asked them to support him in the task of building the nation.

The Independent National Electoral Commission declared Tinubu as the President-elect after the 70-year-old polled 8,794,726 votes to defeat his closest rivals, Atiku and Obi who scored 6,984,520 and 6,101, votes, respectively.

It was also reported that both Atiku and Obi respectively approached to Presidential Election Court to seek permission for the inspection of election materials used during the presidential’s poll.

With the move, the Court of Appeal in Abuja last Friday granted leave to Atiku and Obi to have access to all the sensitive materials used for the conduct of the election.

A panel of the appellate court led by Justice Joseph Ikyegh made the order after it heard two separate ex parte applications the two aggrieved presidential candidates filed alongside their political parties.

Listed as respondents in the matter were INEC, All Progressives Congress, and its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, who was declared the winner of the election and is now the President-elect.

Both applications were predicated on Section 146 (1) of the Electoral Act 2022, Paragraph 47 (1, 2 &3) of the First Schedule of the Electoral Act of 2022, as well as under the inherent jurisdiction of the court as referenced by Section 6 (6) A & B of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

Senator-elect Adams Oshiomhole says his focus in the Senate will not be on collecting allowances and rubber-stamping but on providing legislation that benefits Nigerians.

“We are not there for the allowance. There are a couple of things that can be done differently so that the renewed hope of our party can be translated into reality,” he stressed.

Mr Oshiomhole, representing the Edo North senatorial district, stated this while speaking with journalists at the presentation of the certificate of return to senators-elect in Abuja on Tuesday.

The former Edo governor and APC national chair said he had been the people’s voice as a textile union activist and NLC president.

“I will be part of the Senate that legislates for the good people of our countrymen, not for the powerful, by making sure that what we do in appropriation will be such that Nigerians get value for money,” Mr Oshimhole explained.

“It is expected that the executive is powerful but does not have absolute power, so it will not be subject to legislative check.”

Mr Oshiomhole mentioned that President-elect Bola Tinubu would not “look forward to a rubber-stamp assembly but the one that can help to contribute to knowledge.”

The Edo ex-governor also said the 10th Senate would work for economic growth and robust GDP relying on power reforms, pointing out that the current problem “we face in the power sector was because it was meant to favour friends and relatives, who know nothing about power.”

He explained that “now we have to find the courage to deal with a system that makes citizens pay bills for power they did not consume, which for me is fraud.”

“Government must protect its citizens, and customers must be protected. Otherwise, all the energy spent to vote for a few guys to enjoy does not worth my while,” stated the senator-elect.

“There are a couple of things we have to do differently.”Mr Oshiomole said the 10th Senate would also look into the issue of petroleum products.

“We still see long queues, and each time I see the queues, I feel agitated because I fought against these obnoxious policies when I was the president of NLC. We must take radical action to ensure that the petrol we consume is refined in Nigeria,” he explained.

“I will not go to the Senate to lament but make laws that would be enforced.”

Gombe State Commissioner of Police, CP Oqua Etim, has warned all aides and escorts of top personalities to refrain from accompanying their principals and other politicians to their polling booth.

Etim who gave out the warning ahead of the forthcoming governorship and state House of Assembly elections in the state, said violation of the directive will attract stringent disciplinary measures from the command.

He said;

“The idea is to ensure all citizens freely participate in the electoral process devoid of intimidation, harassment or fear. So, all VIP security aides must refrain from accompanying their principals on Election Day.

“The command wishes to once again enjoin all eligible electorates to be law-abiding and turn out to exercise their franchise.”

Etim added that vigilante and hunter groups are not exempted from the order.

He said;

“Those affected in the warning are quasi security outfits such as vigilante groups, hunters, security outfits, and any other voluntary organisation, without legal backing should not form part of the exercise, as such anyone found in uniform flouting this directive will be arrested and arraigned before the court during the forthcoming elections.”