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APC vice chairman asks Adamu, Omisore to resign

Beloved JOHN
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APC vice chairman asks Adamu, Omisore to resign

THE National Vice Chairman (North-West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Mohammed Lukman, has demanded the resignation of the party’s national chairman, Abdullahi Adamu.

This is to pave the way for a Christian from the North-Central region to take over the position.

Lukman made this demand in a statement on Friday, March 10.

Adamu’s resignation, according to Lukman, will demonstrate that the party’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket was just an electoral strategy.

He also said the move is in the interest of fairness, justice and equity.

According to him, the party needs to have a new national chairman who is a Christian.

He said, “Now that APC and Asiwaju won the election, it is essential to demonstrate that the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the President-Elect and Shettima is simply an electoral strategy.

“There should be no difficulty in convincing Sen. Adamu to resign as national chairman to create an opportunity for a new national chairman of APC to emerge who is a Christian.”

The Kaduna politician also asked for the removal of APC National Secretary Iyiola Omisore.

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He said this will appease party supporters in Osun following the disastrous outcome of results from both governorship and presidential elections in the state.

“Apart from changing the National Chairman, there is the need also to recognise that the case of Sen. Iyiola Omisore, National Secretary of the party, has become a source of more robust dispute in Osun State. Unfortunately, rather than serving as a unifying factor for the party leadership in Osun State, Sen. Omisore is more of a divisive factor, which may have been responsible for why APC lost the 2022 governorship election to a political mediocre whose only qualification in politics may appear to be a comic dancing skill.

“To save Osun State and bring it back to its old standard of national political reckoning, Sen. Omisore would need to resign as National Secretary of APC and have a new unifying National Secretary elected. Beyond Sen. Omisore, similarly, any member of the National Working Committee of the party who is not a unifying leader in their state should be changed,” he added.

Osun PDP demands immediate removal of CP

Mustapha USMAN
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Osun PDP demands immediate removal of CP

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State has demanded the removal of the Commissioner of Police (CP) in charge of elections Abayomi Oladipo over alleged manhunt of the party leaders by the Police.

The PDP acting chairman Adekunle Akindele, while addressing newsmen on Friday, March 10, in Osogbo, alleged that armed men from the Nigeria Police Force have invaded the state to cause unrest and mayhem within the party.

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The party chairman further stressed that the PDP leaders in the state are being hunted down by the Police without a genuine cause.

“As I am addressing you today, the PDP leaders are being hunted and arrested in a Gestapo-style. Across Osun State, houses of our leaders are surrounded and raided even without a search warrant. Where our leaders are not at home, their families are arrested, and their cars are taken away on various false pretext.

“An undemocratic statewide operation is ongoing designed to pick and lock up prominent PDP leaders ahead of the next state election. Our surprise is that such mass raid is being conducted against a ruling political party in clear violation of fundamental human rights of those affected.”

He stressed that the police commissioner has not been professional in discharging his duties, adding that he is biased and partisan.

“Unfortunately, the Police Commissioner has not been professional in the discharge of his duties. All petitions from the PDP on violent attacks on our members were not attended to. We have come to the conclusion that the state Commissioner of Police election (Abayomi Oladipo) is biased and partisan. We call for his redeployment with immediate effect,” Akindele said.

The chairman also called on the Inspector General of Police Usman Baba Alkali, to investigate the APC members for perpetrating violence in the state.

Yahaya Bello threatens to arrest residents rejecting old naira notes in Kogi

Ijeoma OPARA
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Yahaya Bello threatens to arrest residents rejecting old naira notes in Kogi

GOVERNOR of Kogi State Yahaya Bello has threatened to arrest residents rejecting old naira notes.

This was contained in a statement by the Commissioner for Information Kingsley Fanwo on Friday, March 10.

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Bello described rejecting the old notes as an act of disobedience to the Supreme Court judgment, which would be resisted by his government.

“Anyone who rejects the old naira notes should be reported to the security and government authorities for immediate arrest and prosecution.

“Also, banks that refuse to accept old naira deposits shall be sealed up as the state government will not accommodate financial institutions that willfully disobey court orders, moreso, the orders of the highest court in Nigeria, ” Bello noted.

He also noted that a committee would be set up to ensure strict compliance to the court’s ruling.

The Supreme Court on Friday March 3, had nullified the Federal Government’s naira redesign policy and declared the old N1000, N500 and N200 notes are valid till December 31, 2023.

The court ruled that although Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari had the authority to act as the federation’s executive, he was still required to give the federating units adequate notice before implementing the new monetary policy through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

How I plan to make N3.5trn Abia economy an African industrial hub – Alex Otti

Harrison EDEH
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How I plan to make N3.5trn Abia economy an African industrial hub – Alex Otti

THE governorship flagbearer of the Labour Party in Abia State, Alex Otti, says he has plans to expand the state’s N3.5 trillion gross domestic product (GDP) by creating an enabling business environment that will attract investments.

Otti said on Arise TV’s Morning Show programme today that he had the influence and goodwill to attract both local and foreign capital into the state’s coffers, and would make the state a viable industrial cluster if elected as its next governor on March 18.

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The LP candidate, who is a former managing director of the defunct Diamond Bank, said he would be riding on his experience in fiscal prudence and financial management to improve the state’s “tattered” financial resources.

“The state’s debt profile is currently N190 billion, ballooned from N34.5 billion since 2015. Despite the rising debt, the state owes arrears of salaries and pensions,” he said.

He berated the current state government, which he alleged was struggling to pay salaries despite the huge economic potential of the state.

He declared, “I have said it before and I make bold to say it again: If elected, my administration would clear, by December, the outstanding salaries and pension owed.”

He stressed the importance of pulling the state out of debts, insisting that poor fiscal management of the state’s resources had spiked the states’ debt.

Otti regretted the poor ranking of the state on ease of doing business, despite its huge economic potential.

“Our state ranks 32 out of 36 on the World Bank’s ease of doing business.This shouldn’t be the case. Our state is an industrial hub and should not occupy that position. What we plan to do is to open up linkage roads to neighbouring Port Harcourt, and to Akwa-Ibom and Imo states. This will enable industrial cluster to grow,” he said.

Some notable companies previously sited in the state, including Ama Brewery and Aba Textile Mills, Otti said, had exited there because of poor business climate.

Abia State has 51 per cent unemployment rate, which is almost twice the national average of 33 per cent.

In February, The ICIR reported that the state government was owing medical doctors 26 months salaries, even as its governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, was seeking election into the Senate.

 

 

LP guber candidate vows to tackle unemployment in Lagos

Beloved JOHN
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LP guber candidate vows to tackle unemployment in Lagos

THE Labour Party (LP) gubernatorial candidate in Lagos, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, says Nigerian youths need jobs and employment skills.

He has vowed to provide youths in the state with skills to tackle the problem of unemployment if elected governor of the state.

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Rhodes-Vivour made the pledge at the Youth O’clock breakfast meeting organised by the ‘Obidient Movement’ in Ikeja GRA, Lagos.

The 40 years old said the notion that unemployed youths are lazy is wrong. Instead, according to him, the unemployed youths seek jobs to earn a decent living.

“They want jobs, so we are going to ensure that we give them employability skills and domicile these skills at the local governments,” he said.

The LP guber candidate further promised to make the city work for the good of all, noting that there is a need to end the ‘agbero’ system that has created a lot of safety hazards.

He added that healthcare, education, transportation, clean pipe-borne water, and other infrastructure would work effectively under his administration.

Boko haram attack leaves 29 people dead, 9 injured in Borno — Police

Beloved JOHN
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Boko haram attack leaves 29 people dead, 9 injured in Borno — Police

AN attack by Islamist militants on Mukdolo, a remote community in Borno State, resulted in the death of 29 fishermen, with nine others critically injured.

The attack in Mukdolo, in Gamborun Ngala Local Government Area, happened on Wednesday, March 8.

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The state police spokesperson, Sani Kamilu, who confirmed the incident, on Friday linked the attack to the Boko Haram terrorist group.

He said the militants surrounded the village and shot at the fishermen who had been busy fishing.

They killed 29 fishermen and nine others escaped with severe injuries.

Villagers have long abandoned the remote Mukdolo village as it is where the years-long extremist violence is concentrated.

But sometimes, the villagers from Dikwa, a neighbouring village, go there to fish.

“There is no human being in that place because it has been abandoned, but the villagers from Dikwa go there to fish. Unfortunately, this time, Boko Haram surrounded the place and killed them,” Kamilu said.

Kamilu noted that some of the bodies in the Wednesday attacks were recovered and buried on Thursday, March 9.

He also said a policeman was killed in a separate incident.

Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) has asked the government to investigate the murder of the villagers.

In a statement by the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, the UN described the attack as “heinous” and “horrific”.

The organisation empathised with bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

The UN also urged “all parties to the conflict to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law to protect civilians from harm”.

The Boko Haram insurgency has killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions in the North, particularly the Lake Chad region, which straddles Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.

The country is grappling with a 14 years old insurgency targeted at ending western education and establishing an Islamic state.

Supreme Court sacks Shekarau as Kano senator-elect

Theophilus ADEDOKUN
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Supreme Court sacks Shekarau as Kano senator-elect

THE Supreme Court has dismissed Ibrahim Shekarau as the senator-elect for Kano Central Senatorial District of Kano State.

The apex court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to replace Shekarau with Rufai Hanga as the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the district.

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Delivering the judgelment on Friday, March 10 in Abuja, a Supreme Court panel led by Justice Uwani Abba-Aji upheld the judgement of the Court of Appeal which directed INEC to recognise Hanga as the candidate.

INEC had earlier declared, Shekarau winner of the 2023 Kano Central Senatorial election.

According to the INEC returning officer, Tijjani Darma, Shekarau polled 456,787 votes to defeat the All Progressives Congress candidate, Alhaji Abdulkarim Zaura, who polled 168,677 votes.

The incumbent senator, Shekarau who dumped New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the Peoples Democratic Party in August 2022 was still recognised as the legitimate candidate of the NNPP despite his replacement by the party.

However, the apex court affirmed Hanga’s nomination as the authentic candidate of the NNPP.

INEC knocks LP over request to witness BVAS reconfiguration

Sinafi OMANGA
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INEC knocks LP over request to witness BVAS reconfiguration

THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has criticised Labour Party (LP) for requesting to witness the reconfiguration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

This is coming after the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, March 8, gave the electoral umpire nod to reconfigure BVAS used for the presidential election.

In a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of justices, the court held that stopping INEC from re-configuring the electoral devices would adversely affect governorship and state assemblies elections rescheduled for Saturday, March 18.

Reacting to the judgment, the Chief Spokesperson for the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko requested that LP be allowed to witness the reconfiguration of BVAS that INEC claims would require backing up data collected during February 25 presidential poll.

Tanko noted that the party had lost confidence in INEC’s capacity to conduct a free and fair election.

He said; “Are we privy or invited to see what was being backed up? If there is going to be transparency, what INEC needs to do is to invite everybody with their technological experts to see what the commission intends to back up from the original source. Was this done?

“It is clear right from the beginning that INEC deliberately went to court for reconfiguration of the BVAS machines after Obi (LP’s presidential candidate) requested to inspect election materials.

“Of course, nobody, not even you and I, know the commission can come up with anything like reconfiguration at this time. This was done after we demanded to inspect those machines”.

However, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said reconfiguration of BVAS was an internal affair of the commission and not open to inspection by political parties.

“It is really curious that the Labour Party would express any desire to witness such an activity. What exactly do they want to see? Would the party also want to witness when ballot papers and result sheets are designed and printed?

“Of course, political parties are free to witness a test-run of the BVAS, and they did during the mock accreditation exercise that we carried out before the general elections.

“It is like students demanding to be present when their teachers are determining examination questions,”   Oyekanmi said.

He added that while INEC “appreciates and maintains a very cordial relationship with the Inter-Party Advisory Council, the boundaries are well defined and known to both parties”.

Oyekanmi said it would take the electoral umpire “about three days” to complete BVAS reset and storage of data in the back-up.

 

Compassionate donation of organs not rare in Nigeria, Ekweremadu tells UK court

Oghenekevwe UCHECHUKWU
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Compassionate donation of organs not rare in Nigeria, Ekweremadu tells UK court

NIGERIAN politician Ike Ekweremadu, accused of facilitating the travel of a 21-year-old street trader to the United Kingdom (UK) in order to harvest his kidney, has told the court why he did not try to get a donor from among his family members.

Prosecutor Hugh Davies KC had accused the Senator during hearing on Monday of not first approaching family members to donate a kidney for his ailing daughter Sonia, because he wanted the “medical risk” to go to someone he did not know.

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They also claimed that the victim was offered up to £7,000 (about N3.8million) and the promise of a better life if he made the journey to London, posing as Sonia’s cousin to obtain a visa for the UK.

It is also believed that he was falsely presented as Sonia’s cousin in a failed bid to persuade medics at the Royal Free Hospital in London to carry out the £80,000 (about N44million) private procedure.

The court was told Ekweremadu allegedly transferred £1,802.87 (around N1million) to Obeta on September 24 2021 in a bid to find an organ donor, even though the Nigerian politician denied offering money for the kidney and insisted it was to be donated on compassionate grounds.

His lawyer Martin Hicks, according to Daily Mail, told the court that they believed the donor was acting “altruistically” since in the Nigerian tradition, every one is their brother’s keeper and the altruistic donation of an organ was not rare.

“Be alive please to the possible cultural differences between this country and that of Nigeria, particularly to altruistic donation.

“In Nigerian society, there is an expression ‘everyone is each other’s keeper’ and the altruistic donation of organs is not regarded there as such a rare event as it is in this country,” Hicks said.

During cross-examination, the politician said he believed getting a donor from among his relatives was not an option after being advised by his medically trained brother and his doctor Obinna Obeta, who is also in custody.

Prosecutor Davies responded: “You decided that was not possible based on a reported conversation between your non-nephrologist brother and Dr Obeta, a non-nephrologist?”

“He would have had basic knowledge. I’m not a doctor so if he says so, I believe him,” Ekweremadu replied.

Davis said pointblank: “What you are saying is you had no intention of anyone in your family – immediate or extended – stepping up to donate a kidney to Sonia.

“Far better to buy one and let the medical risk go to someone you don’t know.”

Ekweremadu’s wife Beatrice and daughter Sonia, are also on trial at the Old Bailey over allegation to exploit a young man by harvesting his kidney. The trial continues.

Death toll from Lagos train-BRT accident rises to 6, many in critical condition – State govt

Vincent Ufuoma
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Death toll from Lagos train-BRT accident rises to 6, many in critical condition – State govt

THE Lagos State government has disclosed that the death toll in Thursday’s accident involving a train and a staff bus has risen to six.

The ICIR reported how the BRT bus, which was conveying some staff members of the state government, collided with a train coming from Abeokuta in the PWD/Sogunle rail and got dragged to the PWD area of Ikeja.

Two people were immediately confirmed dead.

The Secretary of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the bus driver disobeyed the traffic signal.

According to Oke-Osanyintolu, the immediate cause of the incident was the bus driver’s reckless driving in which he tried to beat the train traffic signal before the train hit the vehicle.

Meanwhile, Lagos State governor, Babjide Sanwo-Olu, in a swift response, expressed deep shock and sorrow over the unfortunate incident.

Sanwo-Olu, later, declared a three-day mourning and directed flags to fly at half-mast and civil servants to work half day on Friday, Match 10.

Also, the State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, in an update on Twitter on Friday, said additional four people died while receiving treatment at the hospital.

Abayomi said about 120 casualties recorded from the accident all sustained varying degrees of injuries, including life-threatening conditions such as head and chest cases.

While adding that some of them have been admitted to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), he added that 25 patients with moderate injuries are receiving treatments in five General Hospitals in the state.

He promised that further updates on the incident and medical condition of the victims will be provided as much as necessary.

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