Entertainment, Politics

Actors Cynthia Okereke and Clemson Cornel Agbogidi released by kidnappers

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Actors Cynthia Okereke and Clemson Cornel Agbogidi released by kidnappers Actors Guild of Nigeria have announced that kidnapped actors, Cynthia Okereke and Clemson Agbogidi have been released by their abductors.

According to a statement released by the Actors Guild of Nigeria on its official Instagram page on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, the movie stars were released unhurt and in healthy conditions.

It read;”

This is to gladly inform the public that the kidnapped actors Cynthia Okereke and Clemson Cornel Agbogidi have been released unhurt. The elated National President of the Actors Guild of Nigeria, Ejezie Emeka Rollas announced their release by the abductors who were touched by the spirit of God to set them free and unharmed.

The Guild has arranged for medical checks and psychological support for the victims. On behalf of their families, the National President expressed our heartfelt appreciation to Nollywood industry and Nigerians at large for the support and prayers during the trying period.”

“He urged members to be security conscious on and off film sets and always take precautionary measures on their personal security at all times. Okereke and Agbogidi were kidnapped on Friday, July 29, while they were returning from a movie set at Ozalla town in Enugu state.

On Saturday, their abductors contacted their families, demanding $100,000 as ransom. However AGN President, Emeka Rollas said the guild was only able to raise N1.2 million.

In a video clip on social media, he said “While talking to the abductors, we were trying to explain to them that we were putting some funds together, we were contributing. We said that we have about N1.2 million. And they started laughing at us.

They started mocking us and saying, ‘all those your celebrities posting on Instagram, why haven’t they contributed?’

The actors have however, been released but the statement didn’t say if a ransom was paid for their release.

Politics, World News

Buhari Swears-in New Permanent Secretaries

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The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Wednesday, administered the Oath of Allegiance and the Oath of Office to three new Permanent Secretaries of the Federal Civil Service.

Buhari swore them in at the Council Chamber of the presidential villa, Abuja.The newly Permanent Secretaries are Engr. Faruk Yusuf Yabo, Mr Udo Okokon Ekanem and Lydia Shehu Jafiya.

Business, Politics

Sanwo-Olu restates commitment to affordable housing

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The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has restated his commitment to providing affordable housing for different strata of citizens in the state.Sanwo-Olu said this on Tuesday during the inauguration of the Channel Point Apartments project executed by the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation and Brook Assets and Resources Limited on Victoria Island.

He said,

“In the housing industry, this is the 16th housing project that we have handed over to our citizens and I want to assure you that there are still a whole lot more. For instance, before the end of the year, I am sure the Ministry of Housing has about four major projects to hand over hundreds of flats to citizens.

We are not just building; we are ensuring that we build affordable housing for different strata of our citizens – from the low budget to the middle budget to beautiful apartments like this in the heart of Victoria Island and we are also building in Ikorodu, Badagry, Epe, Ilupeju, Surulere, and Ikota.

As we pursue this housing agenda, we are also rigorously pursuing a comprehensive urban renewal.”The Managing Director of LSDPC, Ayodeji Joseph, disclosed that its partnership with the private sector will lead to more projects in the next 18 months.

“We are glad that through this joint venture with Brooks Assets and resources Limited, we have been able to deliver 38 family residential units of commensurable value and quality, and the flats have modern facilities,” he stated.

Business, Politics

Attempts to secure lawyer, Inihebe Effiong’s release through sustained engagement has been unsuccessful – NBA President, Olumide Akpata

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The President of the Nigerian Bar Association NBA, Olumide Akpata, has said that various attempts employed by the association towards the release of a popular lawyer, Inihebe Effiong, have been unsuccessful.

On July 27, Effiong raised an alarm on social media after an Akwa Ibom Chief Judge, Justice Ekaette Obot, sent him to jail for one month following his alleged contemptuous conduct while in court. He alleged that he was sentenced to one month in prison after he asked the Chief Judge to remove the armed policemen in the courtroom. He shared photos of himself in the prison van after he was escorted out of the court premises. Read here.

In an update given this morning on social media, Akpata said efforts to get the matter resolved and get Effiong released from prison have been unsuccessful. According to him, the Chief Judge indicates that she is ”unwilling or unable to further entertain the matter.’ Akpata says findings by the NBA show the court did not follow due process in the committal proceedings.

He said Effiong was not given a ‘fair hearing in court and an opportunity to recant or purge himself.’ He added that the NBA will now explore the option of appealing the decision of the judge.

Read his statement below…

”Last week, I provided an update on the efforts being made by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) towards securing the release of our colleague, Mr. Inibehe Effiong, who was remanded in custody on the order of the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State on account of alleged contemptuous conduct in Her Lordship’s court.

Unfortunately, attempts to secure Mr. Effiong’s release through sustained engagements at different levels have been unsuccessful with the Chief Judge indicating that she was unwilling or unable to further entertain the matter.In the circumstance, the NBA is left with no choice but to work on an appeal against the decision of Her Lordship, and I have instructed the NBA team to work with Mr. Effiong on an immediate appeal.

This is not the outcome that we had expected because there is a high chance that Mr. Effiong would serve out his one-month custodial term before the end of the appeal.

Regardless of the conduct of Mr. Effiong in the courtroom on the date of the proceedings that led to his committal, one thing that has come out from the various accounts that the NBA has so far received is that Hon. Justice Ekaette Obot did not follow due process in the committal proceedings.

Mr. Effiong was not put in the dock, told what his wrong or contempt was, given fair hearing or even an opportunity to recant or purge himself (a courtesy that the Bench should, at the minimum, extend to counsel where counsel’s conduct is said to be contemptuous).

This on its face not only runs afoul of known practice and procedure in such cases but is also unconstitutional. In view of the foregoing and depending on the outcome of our ongoing investigations, the NBA may be forced to take this matter up with the National Judicial Council.”

Entertainment, Politics

Governor Tambuwal receives investigation report, considers reopening college where Deborah Samuel was murdered

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Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has received the report from a committee set up by the state government to investigate 12 May students unrest at the Shehu Shagari College of Education (SSCOE). Recall that a student of SSCOE, Deborah Samuel, was stoned to death by a mob in the college premises over alleged blasphemy.

In the same breath, the governor said having received the recommendation of the committee and heard from the several stakeholders and leaders in the state on the need for the college to reopen, his administration will look into the possibility of doing so. He directed the Governing Council of the SSCOE to convene a meeting with a view to reopening the college soonest.

The Governor also assured the people of the state that the government will implement the recommendations of the committee, reiterating his belief that doing so will prevent future reoccurrence not only in affected college but in all tertiary institutions in the state. Meanwhile, the governor appealed to the federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to find a common ground towards ending the prolonged strike embarked upon by the union.

No issues are beyond resolution. We must, in the interest of our children and our country, find a common ground,” he advised.

He observed that there is give and take in negotiations, stating that ASUU and the federal government should shift positions and accommodate each other so that students could return to school.

The governor appealed to the local chapter of the ASUU of Sokoto state University who are in solidarity with the national body to reconsider their position as the state is making efforts to meet all the demands of the union as reasonably as possible, just as the state government has been paying the varsity staff salary regularly.

“You should not be in solidarity with the national body of ASUU since you are not affected by their demands. By expressing solidarity with them you are harming your own students and that solidarity is a very negative one. Please call it off and go back to work,” Tambuwal added.

In his address, the chairman of the 12-man investigation committee of SSCOE crisis, Engineer Abdullah I Bakale said the committee has done thorough investigation of the matter which led them to write a comprehensive report on it.

Politics

Impeachment threat against Buhari bipartisan – Senator Bassey

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Impeachment threat against Buhari bipartisan ?

Senator BasseyLawmaker representing the Cross River South Senatorial District, Senator Gershom Bassey has said that the impeachment threat against President Muhammadu Buhari is bipartisan. Speaking on why lawmakers asked President Buhari to resolve the insecurity issue in the country within six weeks or face impeachment, Bassey told Punch; The point of our actions is to ensure safety and security in our country. That is the whole point of our actions. The point of our action is not impeachment.

It is to ensure safety and security in Nigeria. And that is why we have given a six-week threshold within which we want the executive, particularly Mr. President, to do something about security in our country.Now, our hope, our best hope, is that the President will respond to what we are saying and to what we’re doing. And at the end of six weeks, everything would have been sorted out, the security situation, to a large extent, resolved. And that is the point of our action. So it is part one that should be the focus, not so much part two.

Part two happens when we fail to achieve part one. In other words, if there is insecurity, continued insecurity, without the type of response that we expect within six weeks, then we move to part two. So it appears that the focus has been on parts one and two, the impeachment notice. Yes, that one is real. We are serious about that. But we will only get there if part one, which is the action against the situation in our country

For instance, why are there people still in captivity from the Kaduna train attack?Why has nobody been arrested, or has nobody been held accountable for what happened in Kuje prison?

These are actions that can immediately be taken by the executive by Mr. President to show that he’s in tandem with us. There are a number of actions that need to be taken to show that yes, we are doing something about this situation. And we are going to resolve this situation. And that is what we are talking about. Also revealing that the impeachment threat was bipartisan, he added; It’s not just the opposition, and I think a number of our leaders have made that point. That point was made again today (last Thursday). It’s about the Senate. Not just because we are the ones speaking. We (the opposition) are the ones at the forefront. But it’s not just about us. It is about the entire National Assembly.

Our hope is that we won’t get to that. That is our hope; our hope is that the executive will act and will take steps just as I have said. People are dying every day. People are insecure; I don’t know how you feel. But a lot of people feel insecure wherever they are in Nigeria. That is the essence of the action. It is to reduce and, to a large extent, if possible, even go towards eliminating insecurity. That is the whole point of the actual. So yes, I know that it’s nice to talk about the impeachment. And so yes, we are serious about that. But our hope is that we do not get to that, that the President and this government finally respond to all notices, and to all the cooperation and all the support that we at the National Assembly have given to this government, and that they finally do the needful and restore security to our nation. That is the essence of the action. On if he feels the President will resolve the insecurity issue in six weeks, the lawyer added;

Do you feel secure in Nigeria? So how can it be political?

We’re not talking politics here. We’re talking security. Security is not politics. And security should not be politicised. Like I’ve said to you, this is a bipartisan effort to ensure that the executive is up and doing. Six weeks is the last stroll.

We’ve been giving these recommendations, we’ve been giving motions, and we’ve been giving budgetary support since 2018. We began talking about the insecurity issues in Nigeria in 2017.And so it’s not as if it’s just happened in the last six weeks. It’s been happening. We’ve been talking about it; we’ve been passing resolutions; we’ve been moving motions; we’ve been urging the executive; we have given all that they’ve asked; they’ve said, “Oh, we don’t have money; we’ve given the money.” They brought a supplementary budget, we’ve passed the supplementary budget, and we’ve given cooperation that we can every single piece of advice, you name it, and we’ve done it. So six weeks is just the last stroll.

Politics

Show me anyone who has more experience’ – Labour party VP Candidate, Datti-Ahmed tackles Okowa for saying Peter Obi doesn’t have enough experience to lead Nigeria

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Vice Presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Datti Baba-Ahmed, has tackled Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, running mate to the presidential candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, following his claims that Peter Obi lacked enough experience to rule Nigeria. Okowa had in an interview with BBC pidgin on Monday, August 1, said that Obi’s experience not enough for the problems bedeviling the country. He advised the youths to be wise while electing their leaders come 2023 elections.He argued that Atiku was more experienced than Obi in Federal Government administration.

I did not say he won’t have any votes, he will have. But what I’m saying is that he’s not a new candidate. It has not been long since he left PDP. You know he was in APGA before, from APGA he came to PDP. It has not been long since he left (PDP), so he cannot say anything about PDP because that’s where he was before.” “Some of us are still here. At every party, there are good people and bad people. But today’s Nigeria is very troubled and we need the right person. That is why I am appealing to our youths to be wise and vote well, they should not be blinded by the concept of a false change because that is how they raved on Jonathan in 2015.

His (Obi) previous experience is not enough for this one (presidency), it will be hard. His experience is not deep enough. Even as a current governor ruling in a time of crisis, I know how hard it is.

Reacting in an interview on ChannelsTV Monday night, Datti Baba-Ahmed challenged Okowa to present anyone that has more experience than the former Anambra State Governor. “It’s untrue that Obi does not have enough experience. He is more experienced than any of the contestants. Show me anyone who has more experience than peter Obi. None of them have as much as peter obi has.” He further stated that he and his principal were looking forward to having a “government in money and not money in government.”

Politics, World News

They were to study Engineering and Medicine – Father narrates how tipper crushed his two teenage sons to death same day in Delta

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A Nigerian man identified as Wesley Anthony Ogheneruona Ojih, from Ebor- Orogun, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, has narrated how his two sons died in a motor accident same day. The teenagers, Favour Ogheneruona, 16, and Precious Ogheneruona,14, were laid to rest in their hometown after a funeral service at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Agbor on Thursday, July 21, 2022.

The brothers were said to be on the same motorcycle when they had a fatal collision with a tipper lorry on the Owa-Okei Road, Owa which led to their death on May 24, 2022.

In an interview published by Ika Weekly Newspaper on Tuesday, August 2, Ogheneruona Ojih revealed that his first son was looking forward to studying Engineering, while the second hoped to become a medical doctor before the age of 22. “I had a total of five sons until I lost my first two sons, Precious and Favour Ogheneruona, to death; who had concluded their May/June WAEC examination and just started the NECO examination,” he said.

They have only written Marketing and Physics Practical before the ugly incident that occurred on the 24th, of May 2022.

On that fateful day, they had no examination to write, so they decided to join their mother, my wife, and me on the farm at Otolokpo and by 1 pm, to go back to Agbor for their NECO thumbprinting. It was on their way back, between Owa Ekei and Owa Alero, that a big truck (tipper) crushed them to death. “Their death was a huge loss to us, as my first son was already anticipating studying Engineering, while the second one to become a medical doctor, before the age of twenty-two.

We loved our children so much; they were very obedient and are committed to our well-being of the family, even at their young age. They were working for us because they were envisaging that as they are working for us, we the parents will in turn would use those resources to send them to the University He further added, “The Bible said we should give God thanks in every situation of life, actually, it is better they died that way than becoming a nuisance to society and source of burden to us because the impact of the accident on them was tremendous.”

To the glory of God, despite the fact my late sons died at a young age, they were able to write their names in the sands of time.” The late brothers were students of Igumbor Otiku Secondary School, and according to their father would be greatly missed by the school community as well as St John the Baptist Catholic Church, Agbor, their former parish; Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Abavo and St Dominic Catholic Church, Otolokpo will really miss them. Speaking further, he advised everyone to live in a way that pleases God and humanity, adding that there is no need for people to live their lives as if they are the owner, saying that one day, all will give account to God. “At least when we die people should be able to say one or two good things about us. And parents should know that the devil is after the youths, as such they should raise up their children in the fear of God and not go into fetish activities so that the destiny of the children would not be damaged,” he concluded.

Business, Entertainment, Politics

“The numbers used to communicate with them can easily be traced” – Actress, Monalisa Chinda says after two Nollywood colleagues were kidnapped

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Nollywood actress, Monalisa Chinda has revealed that the numbers used to communicate with her kidnapped colleagues can easily be traced. Monalisa, who is the Director of Communications of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN), took to Instagram to question the kidnap of actress Cynthia Okereke and actor Clemson Cornel after they didn’t return home from a movie location. The kidnappers have demanded ransom of $100k. Expressing shock over the amount demanded by the kidnappers, Monalisa said she doesn’t understand why anyone would think Nollywood actors have such money. She added that the numbers used to communicate with the actors in captivity can easily be traced.

Recall that Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy in Nigeria, had directed that all SIM cards should be linked to their owners’ National Identification Numbers (NIN) to tackle insecurity in the country. Phone lines not linked to owners’ NIN were barred from making calls earlier this year.

Politics, World News

Police arrest two robbers who raped pregnant woman in Rivers

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The Rivers State Police Command has arrested two armed robbery suspects who allegedly raped a pregnant woman during one of their operations. Spokesperson of the command, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, August 1, 2022. The PPRO said the two suspects, Saviour Gbarale, 24, and Onyedikachi Uhala, 18, of Etche Street in Borikiri, Port Harcourt, were arrested by operatives of the C4i Intelligence Unit of the command. “The suspects specialise in house breaking and have been linked to series of recent armed robberies in the Port Harcourt metropolis and its environs. Investigations also revealed that the suspects raped and sexually abused a pregnant woman in the cause of their nefarious operations.” she stated.

Politics, World News

Teenage kidnapper kills boy for forgetting father’s contact.

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The Niger State Police Command has arrested a teenager and one other over the kidnap and murder of a 13-year-old boy, Yasir Salisu.The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Wasiu, in a statement in Minna, said the victim went missing on July 29.Wasiu said the suspects, Nafiu Umar, 18, and Usman Sabiu, 22, confessed to kidnapping the victim to collect ransom from his father.“Usman Sabiu confessed to have conspired with Nafiu Umar and abducted the missing person to the house of Nafiu with the intention of collecting N100,000 from the victim’s father.

Unfortunately, he claimed that the victim could not produce the father’s contact to demand ransom and both suspects were identified by the victim, who are neighbours, hence the victim was strangled and killed by the suspects,” the statement read.The PPRO added that the suspects buried the body in a shallow grave by the riverside.“However, the corpse was exhumed and deposited at the Umar Yar’adua Hospital morgue for an autopsy,” the police spokesman said.

Politics

May God Grant You Success In Kidnapping President Buhari, El-Rufai, Garba Shehu; Flog Them Well In The Bush –Islamic Preacher Prays For Terrorists.

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Apopular Islamic preacher based in Sokoto State, Bello Yabo, has prayed that terrorists who threatened to kidnap President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and the Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, should be successful in their mission. Yabo, who said the prayer while reacting to Shehu’s comment on the terrorists’ threat, however, appealed to the kidnappers to release the innocent victims in their custody. He insisted the terrorists are free to kidnap Nigerian top leaders. SaharaReporters earlier reported how terrorists who abducted passengers of a Kaduna-bound train on March 28, 2022, in a viral video, threatened to kidnap President Buhari, El-Rufai and some lawmakers if they did not comply with their demands. But Shehu while reacting to the threat had said that the “terrorist activity using propaganda and the use of violence to force governments to accept or submit to political demands is not new all over world.”

In response to Shehu’s statement, the Islamic cleric berated him (Shehu) for simply describing the threat as prograpanda. The cleric accused Shehu of being insensitive to the unfortunate plight of kidnapped victims. According to a report by Daily Nigerian, Yabo prayed for Shehu to fall into the hands of the kidnappers, “I pray they kidnap you, Garba Shehu, and demonstrate as propaganda.” “We are praying for you kidnappers. May God grant you success in carrying out your threats to kidnap those people. But please release the innocent people in captivity. “If these were the kind of people you have been abducting all this while, we wouldn’t have bothered ourselves. We would instead pray and bless you because they have become a disaster [to us]. “These are people who promised heaven and earth, and now they have the opportunity but became incompetent. Take them to the bush and flog them, instead of humiliating innocent citizens who are striving to make ends meet.

“And please make good your threats, and we will support you with prayers.”

Lifestyle, Politics

Soludo’s Wife Visits Hospital, Orphanage To Mark Birthday.

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The First Lady of Anambra State, Mrs Nonye Soludo, has visited the hospital and orphanage home in Awka to donate foodstuff and relief materials as part of activities to mark her birthday.

She was accompanied by her husband, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Mr Paschal Agbodike, Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Mrs Ify Obinabo and others.

They paid a visit to the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital, Amaku-Awka and Model Community Children’s Home, Ifite-Awka.

Business, Politics, World News

CBN won’t devalue naira.

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Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is unlikely to devalue the naira, despite rising demand for the dollar at both official and parallel markets, The Nation has learnt.

A report by Augusto & Co. titled: “2022: The Story So Far & What Lies Ahead”, said the naira, which started this year at N567/$ at the parallel market, now exchanges at N707/$. It is N416.37/$ at the official market.”The report added that the declining value of the local currency “has pushed up the exchange rate premium between the official and parallel markets to N290.63/$.

”The last devaluation of the naira was in May 2021, when the CBN adopted the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Rate (NAFEX), also known as the Investor and Exporter (I&E) forex window rate, as its official exchange rate to the dollar.The report read in part: “We do not expect the CBN to officially devalue the exchange rate despite sustained pressure. At the official market, we expect the naira to hover between N419/$ and N425/$ through the end of 2022.The persistent swings and volatility of the naira exchange rate have worsened in recent time. It began a wild race on July 19, depreciating by 16 per cent to N717/$ on July 28 before appreciating to N707 on July 29.

”The report explained that election-related uncertainty will severely limit capital inflows in the remaining months of 2022, even if domestic interest rates rise further.The Agusto & Co. report noted that long-term inflation is one of the exchange rate stoking factors, adding that the differential between two countries’ long-term inflation rates would be mirrored in the exchange rate depreciation between both nations.In other words, the long-term rate of inflation of the naira compared to that of the US Dollar plays a significant role in what the value of the Naira would be relative to the dollar.This, it predicted, will also impair CBN’s ability to intervene in the foreign exchange market, hence, the reserves level will stabilise at about $41 billion by the end of 2022.Since the Naira has a higher long-term rate of inflation (12 per cent) compared to the US Dollar (two per cent), it is a weaker currency and will depreciate by approximately 10 per cent,” it said.The report enumerated three major mechanisms for exchange rate determination, namely, pegged exchange rate system, floating currency, and a crawling peg.It explained that although each of the options has its own shortcomings, a crawling peg option is more suitable for Nigeria.

As a result, external reserves accretion, which has been ostensibly triggered by the CBN’s interest rate hike, is expected to be constrained.An Economist and Managing Director, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismarck Rewane, said the naira surprised speculators and market watchers by appreciating by 1.5 per cent from N718/$ to N707/$ on Friday.“Most analysts were fearing that an N1000/$ was within shouting distance. As unpalatable as N707/$ may sound, some Nigerians are breathing a sigh of relief. The reason for this respite is mainly because of a naira crunch,” he explained.

He said there is temporary resistance at N718/$ and a market correction which means the naira may appreciate N695/$ before falling again.These are technical movements which do not address the fundamental weaknesses in the Nigerian forex market and the short supply of dollars from the CBN and exporters. That means, there is a limit to how much naira is available in the system,” Rewane said.

Politics, World News

Umahi emerges Ebonyi south senatorial candidate.

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Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, on Sunday, defeated his immediate younger brother, Chief Austin Umahi, and three others to emerge the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the rescheduled senatorial primary election for Ebonyi South.Umahi scored 250 votes to defeat his closest rival, Austin, who scored 10 votes to come second.Other contestants who stood for the primary, according to the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Prof. Emmanuel Adebayo, included Ann Ago-Eze, who he said got no vote; Nwakaego Chukwu, who scored five votes; and Mrs Ibiam Margaret, who got three votes.However, our correspondent observed that Agom-Eze did not participate in the primary.

Announcing the result of the election, which took place at the Afikpo North Local Council headquarters on Sunday, Adebayo declared Umahi the winner of the election.He said, “I, Prof. Adebayo, by the powers bestowed on me by the National Working Committee of the party, declare as follows: total number of voters, 285, accredited votes, 270 votes; votes cast, 275; number of valid votes, 268; while invalid votes is seven votes.

“I do hereby declare that Mr David Umahi, having scored the highest votes, is hereby the winner of the primary election for Ebonyi South Senatorial zone.”

In his acceptance speech, Umahi commended the electoral committee for the peaceful and transparent conduct of the primary.He also commended the delegates for the confidence reposed in him, assuring them that the APC would emerge victorious at the forthcoming general elections in the state come 2023.

Politics, World News

APC Senator backs call to impeach President Buhari over insecurity.

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A serving senator of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Elisha Abbo, has allegedly backed the move by the PDP Senators to impeach President Buhari over the alarming rate of insecurity across the country.

According to Channels, Senator Abbo in an interview with its TV station, said he is in full support of the impeachment move against the President. He stated that the Nigerian leader has failed in his fundamental responsibility to secure the lives and property of the people.

Recently, there are reports of renewed attacks by terrorists and other armed non-state actors at various locations in the country, with security operatives being killed in some cases.

On Wednesday, July 27, PDP Senators staged a walkout following a call to impeach President Buhari.

The Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Philip Aduda, had raised a point of order asking the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to discuss the country’s security situation and President Buhari’s impeachment. But the Senate President who presided over the plenary declined the request of the minority leader, saying the point of order raised fell flat on its face.

Angered by the action of the Senate President, all the lawmakers elected on the platforms of all political parties other than the All Progressives Congress (APC) walked out of the legislative chamber while the plenary was ongoing.

They later handed a six-week ultimatum to President Buhari to tackle the security challenges bedevilling the country, saying they would commence impeachment proceedings against him should he fail to address the issue within the period.

Politics, World News

Don’t vote Muslim-Muslim ticket – Northern APC Christians.

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Northern Christian leaders in the All Progressives Congress on Friday called on Nigerians not to vote for any ticket that was not mixed between Christians and Muslims during the 2023 elections.

According to them, since the Muslim-Muslim ticket for the presidency was divisive, it must be rejected by all patriotic Nigerians.

They bared their minds during the APC Northern Christian Leaders Summit, with a declaration that the insinuation that Northern Muslims would not support a Christian running made was untrue and divisive.

Among the leaders who spoke during the event were a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal; former Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; former Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung; Senator Ishaku Abbo (Adamawa North) and several other Christian leaders in Northern Nigeria.

Lawal, who was also the chairman of the occasion, said colleagues within and outside the APC expressed shock over their reaction to the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 2023 general election, saying it was a grand conspiracy against the Northern Christians.

The former SGF said, “Our opposition has some historical basis. There were times in the past when Christians produced the Deputy Governors in Kebbi, Niger and Kaduna states. Now, it is wholly Muslim-Muslim tickets.

“It is worth noting that all these are happening in the APC-controlled states. They are threatening to do likewise in Gombe, Kogi and Adamawa states.

“It is also now a recurring practice in the North whereby any Christian traditional ruler that dies is replaced with a Muslim Prince, albeit from the ruling family even if the most qualified and preferred prince is a Christian. The recent case of Billiri Chiefdom in Gombe State is still fresh in our minds.

“Proof of its anti-Christian agenda is that our party itself has completely eliminated Northern Christians from its NWC (National Working Committee) and NEC (National Executive Committee). All our protestations as party members have been completely ignored by the party leadership.

“But as members of the APC, we have the right to continue to express our indignation at these happenings and will not give up until we secure the justice that is due us.

“The main purpose of this historical narrative is to let you know that for the APC, a Muslim-Muslim ticket has been a long-term political strategy and not a one-off decision. Thus, all this talk of competence as the reason for the choice of the Muslim VP are balderdash and diversionary. This is a calculated anti-Christian exclusion agenda that is being implemented.

“We see this ticket as an assent to the current and continuing educational, economic and political marginalisation of the Northern Nigerian Christians.

“Christians all over the country see this MM ticket as a deliberate and premeditated attempt to introduce and firmly entrench religion into the politics of this country. This, of course, will lead to further disharmony in the hitherto fragile coexistence of the Nigerian society, disrupt peace and hamper both social and economic development of the country.

“Christians, and indeed most enlightened Nigerians are at a loss as to why people that intend to govern a country with our kind of diversity would choose this path to power. This is very divisive and must be rejected by all patriotic Nigerians.

“Implied in this ticket is the insinuation that Northern Muslims are not willing to vote for a ticket that has a Christian on it and on which they are not represented. It is our belief that northern Muslims would have seen the justice in a Muslim-Christian ticket and would have given it their overwhelming support had the party been inclined to do so.

“A corollary to this mindset is that Christians should also not vote for a ticket in which they are not accommodated. Unfortunately, this is the message we get loud and clear from this MM ticket. This is truly a wake-up call for all Nigerian Christians. We didn’t start this religious politics, the APC and its candidates did; so, all of us should take note and act as appropriate.”

While advising his APC colleagues to spare them the sanctimonious lectures on “competence” and the cliché “religion of the candidates does not matter”, Lawal added that, “The truth is that the 2023 presidential election will be all about religion, and sadly, you started it; religion does matter in this context; so be ready for the consequences”.

Lawal said, “It is important to reiterate that we Nigerian Christians want to live in peace and harmony with all practitioners of other religions. We want to enjoy social and economic developments like other parts of the world but without peace, justice and religious harmony, this is not possible.

“On our part, we neither seek to oppress nor dominate anyone or any religion. But we will also resist anyone trying to discriminate against us and our religion. We were not the ones that started this fight. The APC started it and must be ready to carry the cross it has created. Blaming Christians and heaping insults on CAN will take them nowhere.

“For, how do they expect Christians to keep silent when a northern state governor publicly states that they pressured (Bola) Tinubu to get a northern Muslim VP because they did not believe him to be a good Muslim? Is the VP going to be the National Deputy Imam? How do they expect us to keep silent when another northern state governor goes to Osun State and urges them to vote for someone just because he is a Muslim? Was he there for the election campaign or “dawah”? What can be a better example of religion in politics than demonstrated by these governors?

“Clearly, there is an agenda to politically, religiously, and economically suppress and oppress the Northern Christian. But we are up to the task. We will protect ourselves. The PVC and our prayers will be our weapons of choice and we will massively deploy them in 2023.

“But while we are ready to battle this politics of exclusion and oppression, we are open to discussions with any one who wants to engage with us in good faith.”

Dogara, on his part, said with the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC, Nigeria was going the way of the Nazi Germany.

The former Speaker of the House of Representatives, who said the APC wanted to disintegrate Nigeria like USSR and Yugoslavia, added that the party looked like a “janjaweed” party.

According to him, Nigeria of 2022 is not the Nigeria of 1993 adding that the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has made a fatal error of judgment.

Dogara also supported the position of other Christian leaders on the Muslim-Muslim ticket, with a call on Christians to seek for an alternative platform in the 2023 elections.

“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Truth must be told that anyone who is not bringing us together is consciously tearing us apart”, Dogara added.

Senator Abbo said no Northerner would fight his brother because he is a Muslim, adding that they were fighting injustice.

He called on Nigerians to reject every divisive tendency of individuals to divide the people.

Politics, World News

Peter Obi group seeks voter registration deadline extension.

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The Peter Obi Support Network on Friday called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to extend the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise until at least, November 2022.

The POSN said that it might “be left with no other option than to seek redress in court since all entreaties to INEC to continue the CVR have fallen on deaf ears.”

The POSN Director (Legal/Election Monitoring), Modupe Olufemi-Akodu, issued the threat in a statement in Abuja.

She said, “We have made several appeals to INEC to stick to the Electoral Law which stipulates that voter registration should stop 90 days before the general elections. But all our entreaties seem to have fallen on deaf ears as INEC is going ahead with its plans to suspend the exercise on July 31.

“This is suspected to be a trick to disenfranchise millions of young potential voters who have not been able to register or transfer their cards within this period.”

Olufemi-Akodu raised the alarm that INEC’s action amounts to voter suppression, which it hopes will favour a particular political party against the other.

Politics, World News

Atiku lied during interview, says Wike.

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The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Friday, claimed that the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, allegedly made false statements during his recent interview on Arise TV.

This is as he also confirmed that contrary to reports, the former Vice president was yet to begin a reconciliation move despite claims on pages of newspapers that a committee had been set up to meet with him.

Wike stated this while briefing journalists at the Port Harcourt International Airport.

“He (Atiku) appeared on Arise Television, see the statement he made. So many lies were told and you said I should not react to some of those issues. That would not be fair,” Wike claimed.

Politics, World News

Katsina REC blames low voters registration on insecurity and network suspension.

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Alhaji Jibril Zarewa, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in President Muhammadu Buhari’s home state, Katsina, has blamed the low number of registered voters in Katsina State on the suspension of telecommunications services in 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs) due to insecurity.

Addressing journalists at the state’s INEC office, Zarewa disclosed that the decision to shutdown telecommunication services was part of moves by security operatives to clampdown on bandits in the state following the incessant attacks recorded in the area.

He said; 

“Like some other sister states, Niger, Kaduna, Zamfara, and sokoto, we (Katsina) had our own share of security challenges, particularly, in the frontline LGAs and some more.

“The state government at a time found it necessary to suspend telecommunication network. Therefore we had to suspend voters registration for the duration of that suspension.

“That’s why we suspended the registration of voters in those 17 LGAs out of 34, which means at a time, we were not doing registration for half of the state, made up of the Local Governments of Jibia, Batsari, Kurfi, Dutsinma, Danmusa, Safana, Matazu, Musawa Kafur Malumfashi, Danja, Bakori, Sabuwa, Funtua, Dandume, Faskari and Kankara. These mentioned areas are in the outskirts of Rugu forest where most of the bandits are alleged to be hiding.

“That was why at a time, we were moving with states that has lesser population or lesser number of registered voters. Because if you check, Katsina State is number 4 by population in Nigeria; after Kano, Lagos, Kaduna, then is Katsina. It was also number 4 for voters registration after Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Katsina.

“Then later another reason, people were rarely coming out after the suspension was lifted.”

Zarewa however noted that the state has been witnessing a surge in PVC registration lately. 

He added; 

“I want to say and put on record that the Katsina Emirate Council last week did something very robustly, by engaging the relevant stakeholders and putting more impetus with district and village ward heads to go round and mobilize people to come out for registration.

“As a result, from Friday last week and even this week, we have seen the jump over what we use to experience in the past. We have seen a lot of people turning out for the registration.

“If you look at the review of the records of registration done within the week, you can see that Katsina is now number 23 in registration. So we believe that we will do better these few days that remains before closing.”

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