THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has removed the name of Alhassan Ado Doguwa, Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, from the list of election winners in the February 25 National Assembly elections.
Doguwa was initially declared winner of the House of Representatives seat for the Doguwa/Tudunwada constituency of Kano State.
He was reported to have polled 39,732 votes to defeat his closest rival, Yushau Salisu Abdullahi of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), who got 34,798 votes.
But in the Commission, in a list of House of Representatives members published on Twitter on Tuesday, March 7, ommitted Doguwa’s name.
In a now deleted statement attached to the list, INEC said Doguwa’s declaration as the winner of the election was made under duress.
Section 65 (1) of the 2022 Electoral Act empowers INEC to review the declaration made by a returning officer under duress.
The ICIR had reported that Doguwa was arrested for allegedly leading an attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in his constituency, which resulted in the death of three people.
It was alleged that the INEC official declared Doguwa the winner of the election at gunpoint.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the Kano State, Abdullahi Kiyawa said Doguwa was apprehended at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on March 1 while travelling out of the state.
Kiyawa disclosed that the Commissioner of Police in charge of the 2023 General Election, Kano State Command, Muhammad Yakubu, directed the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to carry out a thorough investigation following complaints received on the gruesome murder of three persons and the alleged viral video of some victims with suspected gunshots in the social media.
On February 27th, the department extended a formal invitation to Doguwa for his alleged complicity in the incident, but he refused to honour the invitation, leaving the command with no other option but to activate a motion that would lead to his arrest.
Detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Bompai Kano arrested him at the airport.
The House Majority Leader was subsequently arraigned and remanded in prison custody by a chief magistrates’ court in Kano on March 1.
He is standing trial over alleged criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, unlawful possession of a firearm, mischief and public disturbance.
AJIBOLA Disu is seeking to win the Eti-Osa 2 Constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly at the election scheduled for March 11. Disu, the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), shares his thoughts with The ICIR’s Marcus Fatunmole in this interview. Excerpts:
Tell us about yourself and why you’re contesting for a seat in the Lagos state house of assembly.
Disu: I am Ajibola Disu, an indigene of Lagos Island. Seeing people succeed in an otherwise impossible situation is one thing that drives me. I am passionate about community development and believe people can thrive in an enabling environment. There is no such thing as a lazy or bad Nigerian youth. Our system is not conducive to economic development and must be corrected to allow people to fulfil their potential.
Over the last ten years, I have volunteered in many charity organisations and successfully led teams where I raised funds to send 100 children to public schools and fed hundreds of people in various areas of Lagos. These experiences have fueled my passion for inspiring change in my constituency, which is why I am running for the Eti-Osa 2 Lagos State House of Assembly on the African Democratic Congress (ADC) platform.
I’m 35-years-old, and I graduated with a master’s degree from Queen Mary University of London in Investment and Finance. I am a finance professional with over 12 years experiencing working across several reputable financial institutions.
Do you think you’re the most qualified for the seat in your constituency? If yes, tell us why.
Disu: Yes, I am. To be an effective legislator, you must possess the following abilities: Competence: You must understand the constituents’ needs and the legislative process. I am currently enrolled in the (School of Politics and Governance (SPPG), and I have taken many leadership courses to understand the legislative process of government and how the House of Assembly functions.
Relationship building and collaboration?
Disu: Passing bills will mean you have to collaborate with other policymakers and involve persuasion on your point of view. I have worked in many civic organisations where I was a team member that provided public goods such as free education to local indigenes. It involved a lot of collaboration and conflict resolution to get projects done, and I played a significant role in meditation.
Developing a legislative agenda that addresses the needs of the people is key: The lawmaker must have a legislative agenda that address the various issues of the constituents in Eti-Osa 2 and will improve the people’s standard of living.
The lawmaker must respond to the constituents’ needs by being closer to them through town hall meetings etc.
Ajibola Disu
I am the best candidate for this position because I have demonstrated all the above. I understand the needs of the Eti-Osa 2 constituency, and I have developed a seven-point theme known as the EAGLETS agenda. The acronym means ‘E’ for Economic Reform, ‘A’ for Acculturation, ‘G’ for Government Reform, ‘L’ for Law and Order, ‘E’ for Economic Reform, ‘T’ for Technological Advancement, and ‘S’ for Support Community Projects. I have also taken many leadership courses to understand the legislative process and how the House of Assembly functions. Lastly, I have worked in many civic organisations and helped provide public goods such as free education to local indigenes. It involves a lot of collaboration and conflict resolution to get projects done.
What would you do differently if elected a lawmaker in Lagos state?
Disu: I plan to improve the quality of the standard of living of ETI-OSA 2 constituents by implementing the seven-point policy agenda through EAGLETS.
I plan to improve the quality of the standard of living of ETI-OSA 2 constituents by implementing the seven-point policy agenda through EAGLETS.
I will focus on empowering our youth. I will provide youth development centres that will serve as platforms to train youth in sellable skills such as IT development, creativity, communication, and skills like soap making and baking cakes. I will pioneer a jobs portal loan and grants to small business owners in Eti Osa 2. I will do this by partnering with the private sector. I will set up a creative sector and small business council to discuss challenges in the industry and how we can resolve them.
Under my education reform plan, I will partner with the private sector to get grants to overhaul the education system. This is essential as, in 2030, most jobs will require IT skills. Hence our school curriculum will need to emphasise learning technological skills heavily.
Moreover, I will work to increase teachers’ pay from an average of N58,000. My target is that such an increment will be 100 per cent. We will ensure that teachers get annual bonuses based on student performance in school. I will initiate a council to ensure that all schools in Eti Osa 2 operate with the minimum standard below:
Library with copies of Lagos State-recommended textbooks suitable for all levels.
Sick bay with two (2 ½ by six single) wooden beds
Well-stocked first aid box with a certified paramedic or a first aider and a weighing scale.
Functional ICT equipment, a quality science laboratory, the headteacher’s office, and nine classrooms (three pre-primary and six primary classrooms).
A sizeable multi-purpose hall that can be used for in-door games. (Optional)
Functional source of power.
The schools must be equipped with at least six toilets with water closets.
Portable water and wash hand basins in strategic places in the school.
Adequate provisions to be made for specially challenged pupils.
Waste bins with cover in strategic places.
Additionally, we will have a teachers’ day to celebrate teachers in Eti Osa 2 once a year. We will also fete the most outstanding student and make such a student stay with us at the House of Assembly for a day.
How do you intend to disrupt the All Progressives Congress (APC) dominance in the state and win in your constituency?
Disu: I’m currently campaigning and visiting door-to-door in many residential estates as well as markets in Eti-Osa 2. A lot of people are very tired of the dominant party and upset due to the harsh economic conditions. They are very open-minded, not just to parties anymore but to viable candidates. They want things to change for the better and seriously lament about the old order. Many are delighted to see me come out for the election. I have heard them say in many places that I am giving them hope that things will get better.
Could you tell Nigerians, especially Lagosians, the sources of your campaign funds?
Disu: The sources of my campaign funds are my personal savings and contributions from friends. The funds are not enough, but we have managed to use what we have effectively and sufficiently.
In what sector in the state will you be willing to sponsor bills?
Disu: I will sponsor bills in the following sectors in line with EAGLETS Agenda. They are education, economy, technology and government.
What contribution(s) have you made to developing your constituency or Lagos State?
Disu: I am enthusiastic about community development, and I actively volunteer with several charity organisations to empower the grassroots. I give food items to various slums in Lagos. We are also planning a nutritional program to assist nursing mothers who give birth to newborn children and additionally introduce them to food banking, where they can grow their food in their community and feed themselves., I have been integral in raising funds to send 1,000 poor children to primary school.
We also plan to ensure that they can maximise the benefit of their education by mentoring them and helping them out on subjects they find difficult to work with in school. Additionally, we’re working on improving the quality of school infrastructure, where we raise funds to facelift public schools to ensure that the schools are conducive to learning.
Many Nigerians believe state legislatures are executive’s stooge. What’s your view on this? How can this change, if true?
Disu: Yes, this is very true, we have had a dominant political party for over 20 years, and they have a monopoly on the kind of leaders they sponsor for the state House of Assembly and governorship. Hence it can’t really be called a true democracy.
NIGERIA’S President Muhammadu Buhari has canvassed for duty-free and quota-free market access for products originating from the world’s 46 least-developed countries to ensure their integration into regional and global value chains.
Speaking in Doha, the capital of Qatar at the United Nations (UN) Conference of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), the President strongly criticized the current structure of the global financial system which places an unsustainable external debt burden on the most vulnerable countries.
He warned that such debt burdens would make it extremely difficult for LDCs to meet the 2030 Agenda for 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The possibility of achieving the SDGs remains bleak for many countries, particularly, the Least Developed Countries…Hence the need for urgent and robust assistance to help unlock their potential and build socio-economic resilience.
“As a matter of urgency, there are a number of priorities we have to focus on to help achieve the SDGs in these countries and ensure their prosperity,” Buhari said.
The Nigerian leader said policy and budgetary provisions must be made to ensure equal access to medicare and vaccines, for both the poor and the rich.
He underscored the need for reforms of the unfair debt architecture that not only charges poor countries much more money to borrow on the market than advanced economies, but downgrades them when they even think of restructuring their debt or applying for debt relief.
Buhari challenged developed countries, civil society actors, the private sector and the business community to partner with the LDCs in order to provide the necessary resources and capacity to deliver development outcomes in the economic, social and environmental aspects of the 2030 Agenda.
On Nigeria’s expectation for the Conference, the President expressed optimism that the Doha Programme of Action would lead to the acceleration of exports from LDCs by 2031, through the facilitation of their access to foreign markets in line with the World Trade Organisation Facilitation Agreement.
LABOUR Party (LP) candidate Peter Obi has visited a woman, Jennifer Efidi, who was stabbed by thugs while trying to vote during the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections in Lagos.
Obi shared details of the visit via his Twitter handle on Monday, March 6, and described Efidi as an icon of democracy.
“Today, I visited Mrs Jennifer Efidi. She was attacked on 25th February in an attempt to stop her from voting, but she stood her ground. Jennifer is one of the great icons of Nigeria’s democracy.
“She is my point of contact with every Nigerian who suffered a similar fate in their bid to exercise their voting rights, and contribute to a new Nigeria. Like many Nigerians, I acknowledge her bravery and resoluteness. Jennifer is a true manifestation of Profiles in Courage for a new Nigeria,” Obi said.
Efidi was attacked by thugs at the Nuru/Oniwo Ward, Polling Unit 065, in Surulere while waiting to cast her vote on Saturday, February 25.
Her attackers stabbed her in the face with a broken bottle, after which she was taken to a nearby clinic where the wound was treated and bandaged.
She, however, returned to he polling unit to vote, despite the injury.
Afghan universities reopen but women are still barred…
AMNESTY International, a leading global rights group on Monday, March 6, urged the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council to address the ongoing, “relentless abuses” by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, especially severe restrictions on women and freedom of speech.
Universities in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan reopened on March 6 after the winter break, but only men returned to the institutions, with the Taliban’s ban on women in higher education still in place since December 2022.
“You all are informed to immediately implement the mentioned order of suspending education of females until further notice,” Minister for Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadeem said in a letter issued to all government and private universities last year.
The decision to ban women from educational institutes drew widespread condemnation from foreign governments and the United Nations, but the Minister insisted that universities would remain off limits to women because female students had ignored Islamic instructions, including what to wear or being accompanied by a male relatives when travelling.
Amnesty International noted that the Taliban have also targeted women’s rights defenders, academics, and activists in recent months and detained them unlawfully.
Veteran journalism lecturer Ismail Mashal, who tore up his degree certificates on live TV to protest the Taliban’s treatment of women in a clip that went viral, was arrested and detained last month after domestic channels showed him carting books around Kabul and offering them to passersby.
Mashal was released on Sunday, March 5, after more than a month in detention, his aide Farid Fazli has disclosed.
“I can confirm that he was released yesterday. He is fine and in good health,” Fazli told AFP.
The London-based watchdog called on the UN Human Rights Council to establish an independent investigative mechanism in Afghanistan as soon as possible and for UN members to act towards ending impunity and ensuring justice for victims of Taliban abuses.
“The human rights situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating rapidly, and the Taliban’s relentless abuses continue every single day,” said Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard.
In Afghanistan nine in 10 women will experience physical, sexual or psychological violence from their partner, according to the UN’s mission in the country.
Divorce, however, is often more taboo than the abuse itself and the culture remains unforgiving to women who part with their husbands.
Lawyers told AFP that several women have reported being dragged back into abusive marriages after Taliban commanders annulled their divorces.
“It is clear that the Taliban are not willing nor able to investigate actions by their members that grossly violate the human rights of Afghanistan’s population,” Callamard added.
NIGERIA’s main opposition political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has staged a protest in Abuja to challenge the result of the 2023 Presidential Election.
This is coming few days after its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, said the party would challenge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in court for declaring Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) winner of the poll.
Speaking with The ICIR during the protest on Monday, March 6, a chieftain of PDP and former senator, Shehu Sani, said it was the right of the aggrieved party members to embark on a peaceful protest, despite the planned lawsuit against the result declared by INEC.
Sani said “The constitution allows you to do peaceful protest as much as it allows you to go to court. It does not stop peaceful protest because you are in court”.
Shehu Sani Photo credit: Fatunmbi Olayinka/ICIR
He added that peaceful protest by the PDP shows that the party believes in Nigeria’s democracy.
Also speaking, a member of PDP Presidential Campaign Council (PDP PCC), Kemi Adesanyan, said she hopes the protest will make INEC “change their mind and change what they have done”.
Kemi Adesanyan Credit: Fatunmbi Olayinka/ICIR
Adesanyan alleged that the presidential election conducted by INEC was rigged in favour of the APC.
“Everybody knows we have been cheated and we know what happened on Saturday, February 25th”, she said.
A Special Assistant (SA) to Atiku on Digital Media Strategy, Demola Olarewaju, said the party will not “give up on the mandate given freely by Nigerians to His Excellency”.
Demola Olarewaju Fatunmbi Olayinka/ICIR
He also alleged that “the result announced by INEC was fraudulently arrived at”.
Olarewaju said the party will explore every legal means to challenge the conduct of the election.
Earlier, The ICIRreported that United States (US) Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, said the February 25 Presidential Election failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians.
In a statement issued on Sunday, March 5, Leonard observed that the election left many Nigerians angry and frustrated.
THE Delta State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) has debunked rumours that it was negotiating with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the March 11 governorship election in the state.
Chairman of the LP in Delta, Tony Ezeagwu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview on Monday, March 6, that there was no truth in the rumours.
He said the LP was determined to win the governorship election in Delta State.
According to Ezeagwu, the LP held a meeting to discuss the rumours and resolved to advise the public, especially the party’s supporters, to disregard the claims.
Ezeagwu stated that the LP had no business with Okowa, the PDP, or any other party in the state.
He said the rumours were being peddled by people who were envious of the “popularity and general acceptance” of the LP in the state.
According to him, those spreading the rumours “were terrified and afraid because they were being haunted by what the LP did to them during the presidential election”.
“Some mischievous politicians in the state are hell-bent on bringing down the LP ahead of the governorship election,” he added.
Ezeagwu noted that the LP in Delta had no dealing or agreement with either the PDP or the All Progressives Congress (APC) as far as the March 11 governorship election was concerned.
He stressed that the LP was going into the election with a mandate to win with its candidate, Ken Pela.
The development is coming on the heels of rumours that LP governorship candidate, Ken Pela, was a stooge to the state governor, Okowa.
It was also alleged that the LP state chairman, Ezeagwu, had been settled with the sum of N1 million to turn the party’s supporters to the PDP.
Urging members of the public to disregard the rumours, Ezeugwu said the LP remained resolute in its determination to win the governorship election and would never divert its support to any other party.
REAL estate organisation, Landwey Investment Limited, has denied being involved in the suspension of the website of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ).
This was contained in an email sent to The ICIR by the Head of the Organisation’s Legal unit Sijibomi Agbadaola, describing the allegations as untrue and misleading.
“We state categorically that neither Landwey, its staff, director or agents has ever ordered any website to be shut down nor would it engage in such alleged activities. We have become aware of the malicious and false claim and its variants and our legal team are taking appropriate steps accordingly to set the public straight on all such allegations,” Agbadaola noted.
According to the FIJ, Landwey’s action was in retaliation to an investigation published by the media outlet, revealing that the real estate organisation received the sum of N42 million from a client and failed to provide the property paid for, 21 months after.
Following the investigation, Landwey had sent emissaries to the FIJ founder Fisayo Soyombo with an appeal to take down the story, which was declined. However, about 10 months after the investigation, Digital Ocean accused the FIJ of copyright infringements.
FIJ said it is in possession of evidence showing the email is the handiwork of an international PR firm employed by Ayilara “to cleanse his digital footprints of negative comments”.
THE Supreme Court, on Monday, March 6, affirmed Dauda Lawal as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Zamfara State.
This is coming five days to the governorship elections scheduled for Saturday, March 11.
In a unanimous decision by a five-man panel of Justices, the apex court dismissed an appeal filed by a gubernatorial aspirant of the party in the state, Ibrahim Shehu Gusau.
Gusau had gone to court to challenge the legality of the PDP governorship primary election held in the state on May 25, 2022, which produced Lawal.
In the lead judgment handed down by Justice Adamu Jauro, the Supreme Court supported arguments made by Damian Dodo, the counsel for Lawal, that his client had been legitimately and lawfully nominated in accordance with the law.
Justice Jauro upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal Sokoto, which had endorsed the candidate’s second primary election on January 6.
A Federal High Court in Gusau, Zamfara State capital, had earlier nullified the primary election that produced Lawal.
The judge, Justice Aminu Bappa-Aliyu, ruled that the PDP had no gubernatorial candidate in the state.
However, the Sokoto Division of the Court of Appeal overturned the Federal High Court’s decision in its ruling on Friday, January 6, and directed INEC to accept Lawal as the PDP candidate for Zamfara governorship election.
THE Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has debunked speculations of a possible alliance with the Labour Party (LP) for the 2023 gubernatorial election.
LP candidate Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour had reportedly told supporters in the Lekki area of Lagos that discussing with the PDP became necessary to forge a common front against the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the governorship contest next week.
Reacting to the reports, the Lagos PDP spokesperson, Hakeem Amode, said there was no official conversation between the parties.
He stressed that Lagos PDP governorship candidate, Azeez Adediran, often addressed as Jandor, “would not be stepping down for anyone”.
In a statement on Monday, Amode described the report saying Jandor is considering stepping down for Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, Labour Party (LP) candidate, as false.
“PDP is a proper democratic party, and it is only the State executive of the party as recognised by the national body that can be described as the custodian of the PDP.
“So, whoever Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour is talking to is only representing themselves and not Lagos PDP, as there is no official conversation between the parties.
“Jandor is not planning to step down for any candidate,” Amode, also the Chairman of Media and Publicity, JandorFunke 2023 Campaign Council, said.
The spokesman said Jandor had worked hard and had made his brand a household name.
“We are using this opportunity to urge our teeming supporters and good people of Lagos that the decision of the people to ensure that Lagos breaks free will be respected and defended in the coming gubernatorial election of March 11.
“The efforts to liberate Lagos from the present oligarchy government of APC cannot be undermined by people who do not see such a great battle that must be won and cannot be subjected to social media cruise,” he added.
