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Bye-election: Accreditation, voting underway in 26 states

Mustapha USMAN
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Bye-election: Accreditation, voting underway in 26 states

BYE-ELECTION and re-run are underway in Benue, Lagos, Bayelsa and 23 other states today, Saturday, February 3.

According to updates by the TVC, election officials and materials arrived early, and accreditation of voters commenced around 9 a.m. in polling unit 011 in LGA primary school, Mbabai, Uikpam, Guma, Benue state.

Accreditation and voting also commenced in some other locations in the state at 9:00 a.m., including polling unit 002, Atongu compound, Uikpam, Guma Local Government Area (LGA).

Several other reports suggested that the election process has been relatively peaceful.

Some presiding officers offered a brief sensitisation to party agents on how to conduct themselves before the commencement of voting, and priority voting was given to the elderly, persons with disabilities, and pregnant women in most polling units observed.

In the Randle Avenue Primary School, polling unit 054, Surulere LGA of Lagos state, The ICIR observed that women were more in the queue than men.

Also, in polling unit 009 in Randle Avenue Primary School, Surulerel LGA, INEC officials were seen enlightening voters.

Other polling units in Surulere have also commenced accreditation and voting, according to TVC.

The ICIR reports that 12 candidates representing various political parties are vying for the Surulere Federal Constituency I seat in the House of Representatives.

The Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, had represented the constituency before his appointment, and it was declared vacant by INEC after he accepted the offer.

Gbajabiamila was named Chief of Staff on Friday, June 2, and assumed office on Wednesday, June 14.

Since then, his federal constituency has remained without a representative for nearly seven months.

Meanwhile, as of 9 a.m., voting is yet to start in polling units in the metropolis of Jos in Plateau state for the Jos North Senatorial and Federal Constituency rerun election.

Voting and accreditation have also commenced in other states, including Kaduna.

Before the elections, the Nigerian Police had instructed its officers to ensure the safety of the electorate, INEC officers, and electoral materials, given alleged plans by some groups to disrupt the polls in some states.

First Bank reinstates Otudeko’s company as highest shareholder

Ehime ALEX
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First Bank reinstates Otudeko’s company as highest shareholder

FBN HOLDINGS Plc has reinstated Barbican Capital Limited as having the highest equity stake in its shareholding structure amid the announcement of Femi Otedola as the bank’s chairman.

Barbican Capital, a company linked to the former FBN Holdings’ board chairman Oba Otudeko, was earlier omitted from the bank’s shareholdings structure despite owning a 13.3 per cent equity stake.

In October 2023, The ICIR reported that FBN Holdings, the parent company of First Bank Nigeria Limited, failed to recognise Otudeko’s stake in its 2023 third-quarter (Q3) financial statements, which analysts said was not unconnected with Otudeko’s ‘backdoor’ purchase of 4.7 billion units of shares to get back at the bank’s board.

Although FBN Holdings, in a notification in July 2023, confirmed the acquisition and stated that “based on the foregoing, the equity stake of Barbican Capital Limited in the company is 13.3%,” controversies trailed the acquisition, and the purchase elicited reactions among stakeholders.

Some stakeholders argued that Otudeko did not commit any market infraction; others said otherwise and suggested a thorough investigation of the issue by the regulators.

Since then, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have taken no position on Otudeko’s stake until the recent disclosure in FBN Holdings’ financial report.

Repeatedly, the SEC declined to respond to The ICIR enquiries over the issue.

Some stakeholders said it appeared CBN disapproved of the acquisition because his stake was not stated in the bank’s Q3 report, which would have automatically placed him in the position to become the board’s chairman again.

Otudeko was sacked as FBN Holdings board chairman in April 2021 by CBN over noncompliance with regulatory control.

FBN Holdings structure

In its unaudited financial statements for the period ended December 31, 2023, released on Thursday, February 1, 2024, FBN Holdings reported that it had an issued share capital of 35.895 billion.

Of the total share capital, Barbican Capital owns the highest substantial shareholdings at 13.61 per cent or 4.89 billion.

Otedola, the current board chairman, owns 5.64 per cent divided into 0.11 per cent (40.03 million) direct and 5.54 per cent (1.99 billion) indirect shares of the group. Tunde Hassan-Odukale owns 4.45 per cent or 1.597 billion, split into 0.08 per cent (27.53 million) direct and 4.37 per cent (1.57 billion) indirect shares.

The bank’s directors own an aggregate of 0.09 per cent or 31.899 million shares, while the bank has free float stocks of 75.18 per cent or 26.99 billion units of shares.

According to the SEC Code of Corporate Governance for public companies, a substantial shareholder holds directly or indirectly 0.1 per cent of the company’s paid-up capital.

Intrigue behind Otedola’s stake and appointment

Otedola became a non-executive director of FBN Holdings in August 2023, months after he acquired a significant stake in FBN Holdings.

In October 2023, FBN Holdings recognised him as the single largest shareholder with a total substantial shareholding of 5.65 per cent stake.

His appointment followed a court judgement that halted FBN Holdings’ 11th annual general meeting (AGM), a controversy mainly due to the tussle over the company’s ownership behind the scenes.

The ICIR reported that some minority shareholders rallied support for FBN Holdings to hold its annual general meeting (AGM) scheduled for that month.

After its board of directors meeting on January 31, FBN Holdings appointed Otedola as its new chairman.

Stakeholders’ view

Following the controversies that have trailed Otedola’s coming into FBN Holdings board and now the chairman, stakeholders shared their thoughts with The ICIR.

In a chat, the National President of New Dimension Shareholders, Patrick Ajudua, hailed the appointment of Otedola and pointed out some misgivings surrounding Otudeko’s stake.

“We are delighted with the coming of Femi Otedola into the First Bank board and as chairman. He has a proven track record of achievements, as seen in Forte Oil.

“Since he came on board to First Bank last year, the company’s shares have had a lot of capital appreciation. We hope he will replicate all he did in other companies and add more value to First Bank,” he said.

On the issue of Otudeko shares, Ajudua notes that CBN’s guideline after the acquisition provided that there should be regulatory approval for any backdoor purchase of substantial shares.

“That causes the omission of Oba Otudeko’s share in Q3. Recall that in August last year, Femi Otedola was made a non-executive director, but Bartican Capital was not a director.

“It is very instructive that Otedola becomes the chairman because he is already a non-executive director. If Bartican Capital has come in, it can be made a chairman, except it has been made a director first. Whatever has happened is strictly in compliance with laydown rules and regulations.”

He, however, noted that with time, once there is an acknowledgement and due process and clearance from the Central Bank, everything will be streamlined, and the board may look at it and take an appropriate decision.

“But for now, we have to respect the fact that the board has appointed Otedola, and he has gotten the shareholders’ approval,” he added.

A capital market operator, David Adonri, said there might have been a compromise for Otedola to emerge as the chairman.

He said although Oba Otudeko’s company had the highest shares, it was not unlikely that Otedola may have arranged with other significant shareholders for them to support his bid to be the bank’s chairman.

“If we combine Otedola’s shareholdings with other significant shareholders, then Otedola may command a higher majority than the Honeywell Group.

“Secondly, it is not unlikely that there has been an arrangement for Otedola and Honeywell Nigeria because the Central Bank will have to endorse who will be the bank’s chairman, you know there are previous reports that indicted Oba Otudeko,” he said.

An investment and portfolio analyst, Abel Ezekiel, said what played out was nothing but “high-wired boardroom politics.”

“Before now, we all know the antics of Oba Otudeko in the First Bank. To that effect, nobody would even want him to return, even though he was scheming to return. If they had not removed his shares (in Q3), the emergence of Otedola would not have been successful.

“Secondly, the emergence of Otedola was possible because other substantial shareholders have tried to skim out Oba Otudeko.”

Ezekial stressed that it was unbelievable that after Otudeko was removed from the regulator board of CBN, he could also nurse the idea to scheme his way back to the bank’s board.

“It is uncalled for; it shouldn’t be done; it can’t be allowed to happen,” he said, noting that Otudeko held the bank down for many years.

JAMB reacts to ICIR’s report on CCB investigations

Ijeoma OPARA
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JAMB reacts to ICIR’s report on CCB investigations

THE Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) has reacted to The ICIR’s report on the investigation of its Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) based on a petition by a former member of staff, Yisa Usman.

Responding to the report via its official X handle on Friday, February 2, JAMB disclosed that Usman’s petition was not filed in good faith.

“The petitioner in question was a former staff of the Board who is currently standing trial for defamation and unauthorised disclosure of official information of the Board in his desperation to be the Director of Finance and Account Department of the Board.

“The matter as well as the facts are before a court of competent jurisdiction, and the Board would not be dragged into issues that are subjudice on the social media,” the post read.

The ICIR reported on Friday that the CCB was probing claims of corruption and abuse of office, among other infractions levelled against Oloyede.

The probe stemmed from allegations by Usman that Oloyede approved the transfer of funds from the Treasury Single Account (TSA) into private accounts, some of which belong to principal staff at the organisation.

A source from the CCB confirmed to The ICIR that investigations were ongoing based on the petition.

Usman accused Oloyede of directly crediting accounts of JAMB’s state coordinators with N2.2 million naira for the purchase of office computers, while some directors had money paid into their accounts for official vehicles, contravening Nigeria’s Public Sector Financial Regulation Act (2009).

The petition also queried the Registrar’s recruitment of over 500 staff without publicly declaring vacancies as provided by the Federal Character Principle in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Usman’s alleged wrongful dismissal from service.

Five AI tools used in generating disinformation visuals

Fatimah QUADRI
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Five AI tools used in generating disinformation visuals

IN a recent report, the World Economic Forum (WEF) listed Artificial Intelligence-generated misinformation as one of the top immediate risk to the global economy in 2024.

The FactCheckHub had earlier published an analysis on some deepfake AI-generated content to watch out for in 2024. Here are some AI tools that are used to generate disinformation.

1. Fodey

Fodey is a newspaper generating website and application that is designed initially for creating newspaper clippings to make learning activities fun for students in the classroom as they can summarize passages being read, write notes etc. It could also be used to write birthday greetings for family and friends.

But currently, it is being used to spread disinformation, this is done by users filling out a box with the name, date, and headline of the newspaper.  While direct links to the newspaper clippings are broken, anyone can download the newspaper’s blueprint and distribute it on their blogs or websites with ease.

An example of a generated newspaper can be seen here; the cited author in the manipulated content debunked it.

2. ManyCam

ManyCam can be used to edit and manipulate video calls. By utilizing an intuitive camera and live-streaming software, it can generate live videos for usage on streaming services, video chat programmes, and distance learning resources.

A pre-recorded video can be uploaded and edited by the user with the application to fit the screen. The computer camera is replaced with the virtual camera of the ManyCam, which lets the pre-recorded footage to be presented on the receiver’s screen.

By using additional software tools, the user can remove the audio from the pre-recorded video and converse with the receiver in real time.

As stated on its website, the software is used to enhance the quality of live-stream videos to deliver professional live videos on streaming platforms, video conferencing apps, and remote learning tools.

However, this is currently being manipulated by malicious actors to perpetrate phishing scams.

3. Prank me not

With Prank Me Not, users can imitate others’ Facebook, Messenger, and Twitter status updates, including images and chats. With the aid of AI technologies, users can create a social setting and dialogue that has never been before.

Users can change social networking information, likes, comments, events, and more, with its customization screen function. The edited content can then be saved by users by clicking the “save” button prior to posting.

It is clearly stated on its website that it is meant create funny or amusing chats to send to friends to make them believe it was an actual post.

But, it is now a tool employed by scammers in creating phishing websites to defraud individuals and organizations.

4. Deepfakes Web

Users are able to digitally alter videos using Deepfakes Web. For the video to be edited and keep its image qualities, it must be of a high resolution.

To prevent inconsistencies, users of AI tools must meticulously mimic the actions of the characters in the video they wish to replicate.

Deepfakes Web has features like celebrity deepfake and AI image generator. Thus, in few steps, a deepfake video can be easily created.

5. Tweetgen and Break your own news

Fake tweets are created using Tweetgen. Dark, muted, and light themes are supported on the Tweetgen application. Every element on a tweet, including the time and date, the quantity of likes, the retweets, the identities, and X (formerly Twitter) applications like the Twitter Web app, Twitter for iPhone, Android, etc., can be replicated by users.

Breaking News headline intended for humor Photo Credit: Zikoko memes
Breaking News headline intended for humor. Photo Credit: Zikoko memes

Apart from manipulating headlines and taking screenshots from the web, Break your own news is used to produce fictitious breaking news for widely watched news networks. Users can upload an image, compose a title for the story, and publish.

Just like other tools aforementioned, the software’s developers claim that amusement, humor, and parody are its intended uses. However, the application is now frequently being used to create fake news stories or content and amplified on social media platforms.

An example of a breaking news used for humorous content can be seen above.

Gunmen attack patrol team in Ebonyi, kill policeman

Ijeoma OPARA
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Gunmen attack patrol team in Ebonyi, kill policeman

THE Ebonyi State Police Command has confirmed an attack by gunmen on its patrol team, which claimed the life of one of its officials on Thursday, February 1, 2024.

On Friday, February 2, Public Relations Office (PRO) of the Command, Joshua Ukandu, said the attack occurred along the Ngbo-Effium road at about 11.00 a.m.

“On 01/02/2024 at about 11:00 am, operatives of the command on patrol along Ngbo-Effium Road were attacked by armed hoodlums using an ash-coloured Toyota Sienna with registration number unknown,” Ukandu noted.

The deceased was killed in a gun battle that ensued during the attack, while another officer sustained severe injuries and is receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

The state Commissioner of Police, Augustuina Ogbodo, has deployed a tactical team currently on the trail of the gunmen, noted the command.

The ICIR reports that many states in Nigeria are currently battling attacks, abductions and killings carried out by criminal gangs.

On December 24, 2023, gunmen invaded a catholic church in Ebonyi at about 11.30 p.m. and killed three worshippers.

The incident occurred at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi state capital.

Police warns against crowdfunding for ransom

Ijeoma OPARA
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Police warns against crowdfunding for ransom

THE Nigerian Police Force (NPF) has warned citizens against crowdfunding for ransom, especially on social media.

Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Delta State Police Command Bright Edafe, in a post via his official X handle on Friday, January 2, described it as criminal and warned Nigerians against the practice.

“Crowdfunding for ransom payment is criminal. It’s dangerous and should not be encouraged. Let’s stop making kidnapping a thriving and lucrative business in Nigeria. This tweet is deeper than you think. It’s not about dragging me or the Police. We seriously need to discourage this,” Edafe posted.

The Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) of the NPF at its headquarters in Abuja, Muyiwa Adejobi, also said the practice undermined security and contributed to the abduction spree in the country.

In an interview with Channels TV on Thursday, February 1, Adejobi pointed out that ransom payment was a crime in Nigeria.

“The problem we have is that families of victims in most cases don’t carry security operatives along. They get scared because kidnappers always work on their psyche, ‘don’t tell security agents, don’t tell the police, if you do, we are going to kill your relations.’

“It got to a stage where somebody did crowdfunding on social media; this will not help us in any way. It is criminal. It is not allowed. It is condemned. Even the Federal Government condemned it. Crowdfunding is not allowed. How can you come on social media and tell people to gather money to rescue victims? It kills our morale; it kills the system. We should not encourage that. The more we encourage ransom payment, the more it makes that dirty business lucrative,” he said.

In 2022, the Nigerian Senate passed a bill that criminalises ransom payment and punishes it with 15 years’ imprisonment.

While Adejobi said many Nigerians were not cooperating with security operatives, The ICIR reported that the police officials, especially those in Northern Nigeria, failed to investigate or trail abductors after a ransom had been paid, even after being provided with phone numbers of the abductors by affected parties.

The abduction epidemic has hit Nigeria despite billions of naira spent on linking SIM cards with National Identification Numbers (NIN) between 2021 and 2022 and assurance by Minister of Communication and Digital Economy at the time, Isa Pantami, that the cumbersome process would curb terrorism and abduction in Nigeria.

Years after introducing the NIN-SIM linkage, Pantami announced his interest in crowdfunding for the ransom payment of six sisters who were abducted within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Rivers crisis: Court endorses criminal charges against Edison Ehie

Bankole ABE
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Rivers crisis: Court endorses criminal charges against Edison Ehie

A FEDERAL High Court (FHC), Abuja, has declined to dismiss an application filed by Edison Ehie, seeking to strike out criminal charges against him and others.

The Judge, Mobolaji Olajuwon, on Friday, February 2, declined to remove the charges as requested by Ehie, a former factional speaker of the State’s House of Assembly and the current Chief of Staff (COS) to Fubara.

The charges were brought against Ehie and five loyalists of the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, by the police.

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The court determined that asking for the charges to be dropped was illegal.

Olajuwon supported the Inspector General of Police’s (IGP) counsel, Simon Lough, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), who submitted that Ehie was ineligible to file any applications until he appeared in court to enter a plea to the terrorism allegations.

Ehie had requested the criminal charges against him and the others be withdrawn on several grounds through his attorney, Oluwole Aladedoye (SAN).

He claimed that because the alleged crimes were carried out in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the FHC in Abuja lacked jurisdiction to hear the case.

He also said he had not received a police indictment for any crimes.

Olajuwon rejected the former Speaker’s appeal and upheld the IGP’s argument in his verdict.

According to the judge, the charge sheet just said that Ehie is at large and has not yet been officially charged, as the law requires.

He advised Ehie to report to the police or appear in court to enter a plea before he could be eligible..

The defendants were charged with seven counts of terrorism after they allegedly invaded, vandalised, and set fire to the Rivers State House of Assembly following the political unrest that shook Port Harcourt in October 2023.

Ehie was recently appointed as Chief of Staff (CoS) to Fubara after he resigned as a member and factional Speaker of the Rivers Assembly.

The ICIR reported that on Thursday, January 25, a court in Abuja remanded some loyalists of Fubara over the vandalisation of the State House of Assembly complex.  

 Five supporters of the governor were charged before Olajuwon of the FHC.

They were accused of being involved in the October explosion that destroyed the Assembly building.

The ICIR reported that Fubara claimed police and military officers shot at him on his way to the state House of Assembly in the early hours of Monday, October 30.

Fubara made the claim amid the suspension of the then Majority Leader of the Assembly, Ehie, over allegations that he supervised the burning of the Assembly Complex.

Fire engulfed the complex on Sunday, October 29, around 10 p.m.

It was subsequently quenched by the Fire Service and security agents, who prevented it from consuming the entire building.

The crises follow reports of the House’s impending impeachment of the governor.   

 

 

Aiyedatiwa nominates Ajulo, five others as commissioners

Mustapha USMAN
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Aiyedatiwa nominates Ajulo, five others as commissioners

ONDO State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has named Kayode Ajulo, a senior advocate, and five others as commissioner-nominees.

The Chief Press Secretary to the governor,  Ebenezer Adeniran, said in a statement on Friday, February 2, that the nominees’ names had been sent to the House of Assembly for screening and confirmation.

The ICIR reported  that  Aiyedatiwa selected a former Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, Olaide Adelami, as his deputy.

Adelami, a former Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, is from Owo Local Government Area (LGA), the same LGA as the state’s immediate past and late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.

In April 2018, Adelami stepped down from his role as Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly. 

He contested the Ondo State governorship election under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2020 but withdrew for Akeredolu..

Part of the Friday’s statement on nominees read, “The nominees are Mrs. Omowumi Isaac; Mr. Olukayode A. Ajulo, SAN; Razaq Obe, Pastor Emmanuel Igbasan; Akinwumi Sowore and Mr. Oseni Oyeniyi.”

The statement added that the governor had also appointed the three special advisers to work in different capacities.

They are: Olugbenga Omole, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy; Mrs. Olamide Falana, Special Adviser on Gender Affairs, and Mr. Alabi Johnson, Special Adviser on Energy.

Aiyedatiwa became governor in December 2023 after Akeredolu died of protracted prostate cancer.

Being Akeredolu’s deputy, Aiyedatiwa served in an acting capacity before his death and was sworn in as governor hours later.

Akeredolu’s long absence from Nigeria while attending to his health in Europe resulted in a feud between him and his deputy following the late governor’s insistence on retaining power despite being unable to function optimally.

Some Akeredolu’s aides tendered their resignation letters upon Aiyedatiwa’s assumption of office, with some citing loyalty to the late governor as the reason for their decision.

Germany pledges stronger ties with Nigeria

Ijeoma OPARA
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Germany pledges stronger ties with Nigeria

AS part of measures to strengthen bilateral relations with Nigeria, Germany’s Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze will visit Nigeria from Sunday, Febraury 4 to Wednesday February 7.

This was disclosed via a statement by the German Embassy in Abuja on Friday, February 2.

Schulze, who will arrive in her capacity as President of the Sahel Alliance, a platform aimed at providing support for development in areas within the Sahel region, will be accompanied on the visit by the Parliamentary State Secretary Bärbel Kofler.

“With diplomatic relations spanning over 60 years, Germany and Nigeria have a longstanding relationship. They are natural partners as both are the strongest economy and the most populous country on their respective continents. It is therefore crucial to address current global challenges together,” the statement read.

In addition to addressing issues around development cooperation, the minister will also conduct project visits, including those at the University of Lagos.

“The focus of the visit will lie on bilateral meetings with the Honourable Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite.

“Moreover, a meeting with the President of the Commission of the West African Economic Community ECOWAS, Dr. Alieu Omar Touray, to discuss the situation of development cooperation in West Africa will be held,” the statement read.

One of Kofler’s itineraries in Nigeria will be a visit to the Lagos State government, where she will discuss the state’s challenges with the government.

The meeting will also discuss areas of the state’s cooperation with the German government.

AFCON: Super Eagles pip Angola 1-0, soar into semi-finals 

Dotun OMISAKIN
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AFCON: Super Eagles pip Angola 1-0, soar into semi-finals 

THE Nigerian Super Eagles edged Angola 1-0 in the quarter-final match played on Friday, February 2, to zoom into the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-finals in Côte d’Ivoire.

The match was played at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.

Four minutes after the blast of the whistle by the referee, Angola called the Super Eagles’ goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali into action after Mabululu tapped the ball from a corner kick.

The Super Eagles keeper blocked the close-range effort to extend his fourth clean sheet since the beginning of the tournament.

Twenty minutes later, Nigeria explored tactical formation to dominate possession from the midfield to their opponents’ home but could not convert their chances.

But they broke the deadlock in the 41 minutes after Moses Simon speedily beat the Angola defender down the left to release a low cross to Ademola Lookman, who latched the ball into the net to give the Super Eagles the lead.

Lookman’s goal threw Nigeria’s supporters into wild jubilation. The Atlanta player has scored three goals in the tournament.

The first half ended 1-0 in favour of the Super Eagles.

The second half saw the determination of Angola to restore parity but their sublime finish hit the woodwork before an hour into the game.

In the 61 minutes, Moses Simon easily dazzled two players but had his shot blocked by onrushing defending.

Ten minutes later, Victor Osimhen nodded in the ball after connecting with Ademola Lookman’s free-kick, but his goal was disallowed by the Video Assistant Referees (VAR).

A few minutes into the end of the match, Nigeria wasted opportunities at the front of their opponents’ home.

But they maintained the lone goal till the end of regular time, making them the first team to qualify for the tournament’s semi-final.

 

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