South-south Leaders Meet FG Delegation, Demand Restructuring, Federalism

 

South-south governors and other stakeholders from the geopolitical zone yesterday in Port Harcourt met with a presidential delegation led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, and demanded restructuring of the country to ensure “true federalism” and guarantee peace, security and stability of the country.

They also demanded the relocation of the headquarters of all subsidiaries of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to the region.

Calling for the revitalisation of the region’s Calabar, Port Harcourt and Warri ports, they also demanded the immediate privatisation of the nation’s refineries to make them functional and boost the economy of the region.

The South-south leaders stated that the country was not at peace with itself and not working as it should, particularly, for the people of the South-south region.

The Chairman of the South-south Governors Forum and Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, presented the position of the zone during its stakeholders’ meeting with the presidential delegation.

The meeting, earlier slated to hold on November 17, was cancelled at the last minute on the excuse that Gambari and some other members of the delegation had to attend an emergency meeting of the National Security Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, in Abuja on the same day.

The sudden cancellation of the meeting angered leaders of the geopolitical zone who demanded an apology from the government.

The presidency had fixed the meeting with the governors and other leaders of the region to discuss burning national issues affecting the region and the aftermath effects of the #EndSARS protest.

The federal government delegation was supposed to include all the ministers from the geopolitical zone and other persons.

In the aftermath of the cancellation, Okowa, who presided over the session, had expressed regret at the botched meeting, adding that the people of the region had been embarrassed, disgraced and disrespected.

He had said that the South-south geopolitical zone is a very important component part of the nation and the governors feel insulted because the traditional rulers who had gathered for the meeting deserved to be revered.

In a move to pacify the South-south leaders, the presidency had expressed regrets over the failure of the presidential delegation to honour the scheduled meeting with governors and leaders of the zone and promised to contact them to reschedule the parley.

It had attributed the absence of the delegation, which necessitated a last-minute cancellation of the meeting and drew the anger of the South-south leaders, to the timing conflicting with an emergency National Security Council meeting, which held in the State House on Tuesday.

However, at yesterday’s meeting, Okowa told the presidential delegation that the South-south is committed to restructuring the country to guarantee “true federalism” and devolution of powers to the states to create and manage their own police and security architecture under a federal structure.

The regional leaders also called for the relocation of the headquarters of major oil companies, NNPC subsidiaries from Lagos and Abuja to the South-south region.

They requested the immediate implementation of the consent judgment entered in the Supreme Court Suit No: SC/964/2016 to enable the South-south gets its share of $55 billion shortfall of collection on deep offshore and inland basin production sharing contracts.

“True federalism’ guided by the principle of derivation, revenue sharing and control of resources by each state of the federation as it was the case in the first republic is what we want,” Okowa told the presidential delegation.

According to him, the geopolitical zone desires a federation where its constituent units are constitutionally empowered to create their own structures like local government areas, manage their elections and control their judiciary.

He said: “We are all aware of the huge endowment of this country. As such, it is imperative to stress that with a little bit of efforts, imagination, hard work, sacrifice and leadership, every state of the federation as of today, has the ability and capability to contribute to the national purse. This should be encouraged rather than the whole country depending substantially on a region of the country.

“What is worse and even more painful in this ugly situation is the deliberate lack of understanding, empathy and the uncompromising attitudes of some Nigerians, who have refused to understand the challenges of the South-south region of the country, especially, the degradation of the environment and our waters. As a result, most of the demands of the region have remained unattended to while the resources of the region have been used continually to develop other parts of the country.”

The governors called for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the region’s major seaports in Port Harcourt, Calabar and Warri to enhance the economic development of the region.

They demanded that the two refineries in Port Harcourt and Warri should be privatised.

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, urged the leaders of the region to avail themselves of the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly since most of the issues contained in their demands are constitutional matters.

In his address, Gambari said the meeting was in response to the president’s mandate that the presidential delegation comprising all the ministers from the region to visit and consult the representatives of the people regarding the recent #EndSARS protest.

Gambari noted that reports indicated that there were instances where a breakdown of law and order was reported across various locations in the South-south states.

He lauded the governors for their quick response and actions in addressing the #EndSARS crisis.
Those who attended the meeting were Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers); Ben Ayade (Cross River); Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom); Douye Diri (Bayelsa) and Godwin Obaseki (Edo).

Others were Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio; Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva; Minister of State for Power, Mr. Goddy Jeddy- Agba; Minister of State for Niger Delta, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN); Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, and Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

The Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi was absent.

Other eminent persons present were the National Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (rtd); former President, Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Onueze Okocha (SAN); and President, Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), worldwide, Mr. Peter Igbifa, among others.

US Excludes Nigeria from N7.5m Visa Bond Policy

The United States Mission in Nigeria yesterday took to its Twitter handle to debunk claims that Nigerians are expected to pay between $5,000 and $15,000 before securing visas.

The outgoing administration of United States President Donald Trump yesterday issued a new temporary rule that could require tourists and business travellers as well as others from 24 countries, mostly in Africa, to pay a bond of as much as $15,000 to visit the country.

The US State Department said the measure targets countries whose nationals have higher rates of overstaying B-2 visas for tourists and B-1 visas for business travellers.

The Trump administration said the six-month pilot programme will test the feasibility of collecting such bonds and serves as a diplomatic deterrence to overstaying the visas.

The new visa bond pilot programme for B-1 visas (for business travellers) and B-2 visas (for tourists) is expected to run for six months — December 24 to June 24, 2021.

The visa bond pilot programme is targeted mostly at African countries with high visa overstay.
The new visa system elicited outrage from Nigerians, prompting the US Mission to explain that Nigeria is not on the list of countries whose nationals are affected by the policy.

The US statement said: “Nigeria is not included in this six months pilot programme.

“In response to the April 2019 Presidential Memorandum on Combating High Nonimmigrant Overstay Rates, the Department and our embassies and consulates overseas conducted an in-depth analysis to identify and address the root causes of overstays.

“Among other efforts to address this challenge, the State Department is considering additional steps to address overstays, including piloting a limited visa bonds programme to test, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the operational feasibility of posting, processing, and discharging visa bonds as a means to ensure the timely departure from the United States of certain travellers.

“Accordingly, the State Department will begin a limited six-month visa bond pilot program beginning on December 24, 2020.

“We are committed to combating visa overstays and making sure travellers to the United States respect our laws.

“The implementation of this pilot builds on our engagement with foreign governments in recent years and will ensure continued progress to reduce overstay rates.”

Trump, who lost a re-election bid earlier this month, made restricting immigration a central part of his four-year term in office.

President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, has pledged to reverse many of the Republican president’s immigration policies, but untangling hundreds of changes could take months or years.

NDLEA intercepts 12.05 kilograms Cocaine at Abuja airport

 

An attempt by one Okorie Cyprian Raymond to allegedly smuggle hard drugs into Nigeria has been foiled by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Command, Abuja.

Okorie was arrested during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline flight 911 from Sao Paulo, Brazil en-route Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

According to NDLEA spokesman, Jonah Achema, the drug, which weighed 12.05 kilograms was carefully packed in drink sachets of pineapple and lemon flavor and concealed in a suit case.

Okorie had already claimed his luggage upon arrival and proceeded to NDLEA screening point where it was detected that one of his bags was stuffed with prohibited drugs suspected to be Cocaine.

“He claimed that the drug consignment was given to him to deliver in Nigeria by one Uche whom he met in Church in Brazil about three months ago through a friend. Okorie said Uche overheard him talk to his friend about his impending trip to Nigeria”.

The suspect said: “I actually did not have knowledge of what is in the bag. Oga Uche brought the suit case to me at the airport just an hour before flight take-off. This short interval did not give me the opportunity to scrutinize the bag”.

Okorie, 38 and a school certificate holder has been a resident of Sao Paulo since 2015 where he worked as a technician in brass installation Center.

According to him, “I had to leave my bicycle spare-parts business in Nigeria for greener pasture in the USA but opted to travel through Brazil, Mexico to America. My journey was aborted in Mexico from where I was returned to Brazil where I was granted asylum.”

Kabir Sani Tsakuwa, NDLEA Commander, Abuja Airport noted that “the 12.05 kilograms of Cocaine is one of the highest quantity seized by the Command in recent times. We promise all travelers who involve themselves in drug trafficking that they will not escape our drag net. We will continue to sustain our vigilance,” Tsakuwa said.

NDLEA intercepts 12.05 kilograms Cocaine at Abuja airport

 

An attempt by one Okorie Cyprian Raymond to allegedly smuggle hard drugs into Nigeria has been foiled by National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Command, Abuja.

Okorie was arrested during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline flight 911 from Sao Paulo, Brazil en-route Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

According to NDLEA spokesman, Jonah Achema, the drug, which weighed 12.05 kilograms was carefully packed in drink sachets of pineapple and lemon flavor and concealed in a suit case.

Okorie had already claimed his luggage upon arrival and proceeded to NDLEA screening point where it was detected that one of his bags was stuffed with prohibited drugs suspected to be Cocaine.

“He claimed that the drug consignment was given to him to deliver in Nigeria by one Uche whom he met in Church in Brazil about three months ago through a friend. Okorie said Uche overheard him talk to his friend about his impending trip to Nigeria”.

The suspect said: “I actually did not have knowledge of what is in the bag. Oga Uche brought the suit case to me at the airport just an hour before flight take-off. This short interval did not give me the opportunity to scrutinize the bag”.

Okorie, 38 and a school certificate holder has been a resident of Sao Paulo since 2015 where he worked as a technician in brass installation Center.

According to him, “I had to leave my bicycle spare-parts business in Nigeria for greener pasture in the USA but opted to travel through Brazil, Mexico to America. My journey was aborted in Mexico from where I was returned to Brazil where I was granted asylum.”

Kabir Sani Tsakuwa, NDLEA Commander, Abuja Airport noted that “the 12.05 kilograms of Cocaine is one of the highest quantity seized by the Command in recent times. We promise all travelers who involve themselves in drug trafficking that they will not escape our drag net. We will continue to sustain our vigilance,” Tsakuwa said.

Buhari hails Goodluck Jonathan in birthday message

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with former President Goodluck Jonathan on his 63rd birthday.

Jonathan turns 63 on November 20, 2020, and Buhari congratulated him for a life of service that has brought honour and goodwill to the country.

A statement signed by Femi Adesina and made available to DAILY POST on Thursday said that Buhari noted with appreciation, the peculiar and remarkable climb of the former president on Nigeria’s political ladder, “and dedication that has kept him working most recently as ECOWAS envoy to bring peace to the Republic of Mali.

“President Buhari prayed that the Almighty God will grant Dr Jonathan longer life, good health and more wisdom to keep serving the nation and humanity.”

Govt, ASUU to Resume Talks On Friday

 Strike not about IPPIS alone, union insists

The federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will resume talks on Friday, according to the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The spokesman of the ministry, Mr. Charles Akpan, confirmed last night that the talks with the ASUU leaders would hold at the minister's conference hall.

This is coming as ASUU has said it would not call off its eight-month strike even if the federal government withdraws the Integrated Payroll and Information System (IPPIS) as a means of paying them.

The Benin Zone of the union also yesterday expressed doubt over the capability and commitment of Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, to midwife any peaceful resolution of the issues that led to the ongoing strike in the country's public universities.

The Coordinator, ASUU Owerri zone, Mr. Uzo Onyibinama stated the union's position on IPPIS in a press briefing held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State.

He said federal government was feeding the public with lies about the strike, stating that the main reason for the strike was the government's inability to keep previous agreements and not about IPPIS as being propagated by the government.

He said the union would not call off the strike until all its demands were met by the federal government.

"For the avoidance of doubt, the issues in contention remain revitalisation fund for public universities, arrears of Earned Academic Allowances (EAA), visitation to universities, proliferation of state universities and issues of governance in them, and conclusion of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement.

"The later issue of IPPIS was a new introduction and a diversion as no university in the world runs such a system.

"Instead of apologising to the Nigerians and hiding their heads in shame on the serial failures of Governments particularly the present Government which came on the mantra of 'change', the duo of Ministers Chris Ngige and Emeka Nwajiuba have been feeding Nigerians with lies and half-truth.

"Ministers Ngige and Nwajiuba have on many occasions on various media organisations said that agreement have been reached on virtually all the issues that necessitated the seven months old strike

"They should please tell Nigerians, who are their masters, those agreements that have been reached and implemented. As far as our Union is concerned, no agreement has been reached on any of the demands.

"So, instead of constantly running to the press, Ngige and Nwajiuba should sit down and painstakingly do the work that they are paid to do. It is on record that the date given by the Minister Ngige to reach our Union with Government improved position has elapsed without any communication.

"The proposed new timelines for implementation of some proposals such as the appointment of a new team for renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, gazetting of visitation panels among others have elapsed without any implementation. This shows the insincerity on the part of the Government.

"On IPPIS, our Union has been consistent in rejecting the platform as it compromises the autonomy of the University system and a threat to national security considering that the software is hosted in Washington, the USA with a sub-platform at Gombe State"

Meanwhile, the Benin Zone of the union also yesterday expressed doubt over the capability and commitment of Ngige, to midwife any peaceful resolution of the issues that led to the ongoing strike in the country's public universities.

The union hinged its doubt on Ngige's approach in the handling of the ongoing strike, which it said may probably not midwife a resolution of the crisis in the country's public universities.

The zone is made up of University of Benin(UNIBEN), Benin City; Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma; Adekunle Ajasin University(AAUA), Akungba Akoko Ondo State; Olusegu Agagu University of Science and Technology(OAUSTEC), Okitikpukpa, Ondo State; Delta State University, Abraka; and the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Efurun, Delta State.

In a statement issued in Benin City yesterday and signed by the Union's Zonal Coordinator, Prof. Fred Esumeh, ASUU observed that since the development of UTAS (University Transparency and Accountability Solution), which ASUU is recommending as against the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), which the federal government what them to adopt, the minister has been making remarks characteristic of a "spoiler, confusionist and anti-ASUU, rather than a conciliator."

Esumeh said that by the provisions of the law, Ngige, as the Minister of Labour and Employment is saddled with the conciliatory role during industrial disharmony, "to calm an already tensed situation and bring about a peaceful resolution, but he has chosen to be the mouthpiece of other unions that were not part of the 2019 MoA (Memorandum of Agreement)".

He accused the government of introducing IPPIS to divert the public attention to the lack of sincerity, and will to faithfully implement agreement reached with ASUU, insisting on the union's rejection of IPPIS, given its violation of the University Autonomy Act and its inadequacies to carter for the peculiarities in the university system.

The union accused the government through the Minister of Finance, her Labour and Employment counterpart as well as the Accountant General of the Federation of "deploying the weapon of hunger to compel and coarse ASUU members to enroll on the IPPIS platform. This move of government smacks of impunity and it is undemocratic in a democratic setting."

ASUU strike: FG will meet agreements with all unions – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured that the federal government would meet all agreements with unions in the educational sector.

Buhari gave the assurance while expressing concern over the lingering strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

He appealed to the lecturers to return to their duty posts.

The President spoke at the 2020 convocation and 72nd founding day celebration of the University of Ibadan, on Tuesday.

Buhari was represented at the ocassion by the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abubakar Rasheed.

He urged all unions in the educational sector to embrace dialogue, rather than confrontation.

“I wish to assure all stakeholders, in the education sector, that the Federal Government will continue to meet its obligations and agreements with all unions.

“It is my earnest desire that all unions should shed the toga of confrontation and embrace dialogue, for the sake of our children and the development of our educational system,” he said.

Joe Biden calls Donald Trump's refusal to admit defeat 'an embarrassment'

 

Joe Biden has laughed off comments made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the White House was preparing for "a smooth transition to a second Trump administration".

Speaking in Delaware a short time ago, Mr Biden was asked about Donald Trump's refusal to acknowledge he had lost, calling it an "embarrassment".

"The fact that they're not willing to acknowledge that we won at this point is not of much consequence in our planning and what we're able to do now between now and January 20," Mr Biden said.

US President-Elect Joe Biden called Donald Trump's refusal to admit defeat "an embarrassment". (Nine News)

"I just think it's an embarrassment, quite frankly.

"It will not help the President's legacy."

Mr Biden said his team could get by without transition funding and access to official briefings, for now.

"We don't see anything slowing this down, frankly," he said.

• "He will be president until January 20...We're just going to proceed, we're going to do exactly what we'd be doing if he had conceded and said we had won, which we have."

When asked whether he had a message to Mr Trump, Mr Biden said: "Mr President, I look forward to speaking with you".

President Donald Trump gives two thumbs up as he departs after playing golf at the Trump National Golf Club. (AP)

Mr Biden laughed when referencing comments made by Mr Pompeo earlier this morning.

"I don't see a need for legal action, quite frankly," Mr Biden said.

"You've seen it play out, the action (Mr Trump is) taking, and so far there is no evidence of any of the assertions made by the president or Secretary of State Pompeo," he laughed.

Mr Biden was asked how his team expected to move ahead with the Republicans so far refusing to acknowledge he had won the election.

"They will, they will," Mr Biden said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the White House was preparing for a "smooth transition" to a second Trump term. (AP)

Mr Biden also vowed to make healthcare affordable for all Americans when he officially comes to power in January.

"I will protect your health care like I protect my own family".

That included taking "bold steps to lower health care costs" and "lowering the price of prescription drugs".

"Families are reeling right now. Were going to get right to work, I promise you."

He also made reference to his own family's experience of losing a child to a serious illness.

"When a family is faced with the awful news of a child's diagnosis of leukaemia, or a mum forced to battle against breast cancer, it stops your heart," Mr Biden said.

President-elect Joe Biden walks to his motorcade as he leaves The Queen theatre in Wilmington, Delaware. (AP)

"It wrenches your entire world off its axis when that happens. Believe me, I know the feeling and too many American families know it as well.

"At that moment, the very last thing on your mind, the very last thing on your mind should be is whether you can afford the treatment, the affordable care act was created to put a stop to that inhumanity."

Over 180 boxes with votes and voting materials found in Puerto Rico after elections

 

At least 180 boxes, filled with voting materials and uncounted votes from across Puerto Rico, have surfaced since the Nov. 3 elections, the election commission said Tuesday, raising questions and concerns about the validity of the preliminary results.

Initially, the Puerto Rico State Elections Commission placed the number at 40, but it has continued to rise since the boxes were first reported.

Election officials blamed the new scandal on the volume of early ballots cast on the island, marking the second electoral debacle for Puerto Rico in a three-month period. In August, the U.S. territory was forced to suspend its primary elections because dozens of polling stations never received their ballots on Election Day, while thousands of voters waited in line to vote amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

General elections in Puerto Rico, held every four years alongside presidential elections in the United States, include the selection of seats for governor, legislators, mayors, and resident commissioner. The findings could affect the local elections on the island, but they would not affect the results of the U.S. elections held last week because the residents of the island do not vote in the presidential elections.

Pedro Pierluisi, the candidate for the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, won the gubernatorial race, according to preliminary results, defeating Carlos Delgado Altieri, who was running as a candidate for the Popular Democratic Party, which supports the status quo. Pierluisi received almost 33% of the votes, while Delgado Altieri received about 31.5%. After the results came out on Saturday, Delgado Altieri accepted the defeat in a statement posted on social media.

At a press conference on Tuesday, the commission’s new president Francisco Rosado Colomer, said the exact number of votes inside the boxes could not be determined, but that “there are many.” Rosado Colomer, who is a judge, urged Puerto Ricans to trust the electoral process even after the entity’s disorganization.

“Trust the transparency of the process, that all the votes here are going to be counted,” he said, citing the difference between the preliminary results and the final results. “Your vote has weight and is valid for the commission.”

Additionally, there were still at least 7,000 votes to tabulate in addition to those in the boxes. They are a hodgepodge of absentee votes, votes added by hand from hospitals and inmates, as well as ballots sent by mail that have not yet been returned, according to the digital outlet Noticel.

According to the electoral commissioner of the Puerto Rican Independence Party, Roberto Iván Aponte, the boxes were in the custody of the Absentee And Early Vote Administrative Board, an office within CEE that administers those ballots. Aponte told el Nuevo Herald that the day of the elections had gone well, but that the problem had arisen since more than 227,000 people had requested to vote absentee and early, an exponential increase from previous years.

“If it had been a smaller amount, it would have been carried out without any problem, because on election day there was no problem,” said Aponte. “The big problem is how this early voting issue was handled.”

Aponte said the briefcases contained “all kinds of things.” In addition to seeing briefcases from municipalities such as Guánica, where there are close contests, he indicated that there were early voting applications also among the materials.

“We don’t know exactly how much is in there,” Aponte said. He said it could have an impact in municipal elections where the difference in votes between the candidates is small, as in the municipality-island of Culebra, where the winning candidate for mayor appears to lead by two votes.

Aponte has also questioned the preliminary results of the general elections, “particularly because there were no internal controls or an adequate inventory to count absentee voting and early voting,” according to the San Juan newspaper El Nuevo Día. The electoral commissioner of the NPP blamed what the other four commissioners said on “politicking,” the newspaper reported.

The commission was scheduled to begin its general overview, during which preliminary results are finalized, on Tuesday, but the process was halted. It is expected to resume on Wednesday.

For several decades, elections in Puerto Rico had been recognized in Latin America and the Caribbean as one of the most formidable models to follow and replicate in the region. Puerto Rican electoral expert Héctor Luis Acevedo told el Nuevo Herald in June that the island had had “a greatly respected tradition in the last 36 years” thanks to the results that had been achieved through political consensus.

But Puerto Rico’s reputation as a voting role model was cast into doubt this year. During the primary elections in August dozens of electoral precincts never received their ballots. The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico ordered the elections to be suspended and the process completed a week later.

After several weeks of public pressure, the president of the commission at the time, Juan Ernesto Dávila, resigned.

Through social networks, citizens as well as public officials denounced the actions of the electoral commission and how the general elections were carried out. Aponte told el Nuevo Herald that “the chaos of the primaries dramatically affected” the image of the commission, particularly while the general elections were being organized.

“There were people who questioned whether elections were going to be held on Nov. 3,” Aponte said. “Then they questioned whether there would be elections in 2020. The elections were ultimately held in November through thick and thin. But there is no doubt that this issue of early voting complicated the process.”

But even with the problems of uncounted votes, the electoral commissioner of the Popular Democratic Party, Nicolás Gautier, told el Nuevo Herald that there was a commitment on the part of the election officials to resolve the situation and count all the votes as soon as possible.

“I’m not leaving here until I fix this mess that just happened so it doesn’t happen again in the future,” he said.

INEC to Resume Voter Registration in Q1 2021, Says Muazu

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has planned to resume its Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in the first quarter of 2021, the acting Chairman of the commission, Ahmed Mu’azu, has stated this in Abuja yesterday.

He made the disclosure at the electoral commission’s quarterly meeting with political parties, where he solicited their collaboration and support for a successful takeoff of the exercise.

Mu’azu stated that the meeting was also to consult with the political parties on the 15 bye-elections in 11 states earlier scheduled for October 31, but which were suspended because of the security situation in the country.

He commended the leadership and candidates of the political parties for the role they played in ensuring peace during the Edo and Ondo States governorship elections.

According to him, “All efforts, including signing and keeping to the letters and the spirit of the peace accord as well as adherence to the commission’s voters’ Code of Conduct for elections during the COVID-19 pandemic, are fully acknowledged.

“Nevertheless, the commission feels that there is room for improvement. We would therefore welcome your feedback on the conduct of elections in the country.’’ Mu’

Speaking on behalf of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), the National Chairman of African Action Congress (AAC), Mr. Leonard Nzenwa, decried the destruction of the commission’s critical assets during the #EndSARS protest, which led to the postponement of the bye-elections.

Nzenwa commended President Muhammadu Buhari for re-appointing Prof. Mahmood Yakubu as INEC chairman, noting that it was for the continuity of innovations and improvement of the country’s electoral system.

He promised that political parties would continue to work with INEC to improve the country’s electoral process.

However, THISDAY gathered that a decision has not been reached on when to conduct the bye-elections in 11 states.

BREAKING: Gov Zulum hails UAE govt for convicting Boko Haram sponsors, messages Buhari

 

Borno Governor, Babagana Zulum has expressed excitement over the conviction of alleged Boko Haram sponsors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Zulum said he was glad that for the first time in 11 years, there appeared to be a headway on tracking some financiers of the sect.

The governor lamented that Boko Haram had killed thousands of citizens, displaced millions, and damaged private and public properties worth billions of Naira.

In a statement on Tuesday by his spokesman, Isa Gusau, Zulum urged President Muhammadu Buhari to set up a multi-stakeholder committee to follow up on the UAE findings.

He noted that such intelligence if authenticated, be used to expand search on other Boko Haram sponsors within and outside Nigeria.

Zulum suggested that team members be drawn from the Ministries of Justice, and Foreign Affairs, National Intelligence Agency, Defence Intelligence Agency, the Multinational Joint Task Force, ECOWAS, among others.

Recall that in February 2020, Governor declared two days of statewide fasting and prayers against the dreaded Boko Haram terror group and their sponsors.

BREAKING: End SARS: Pastor Sam Adeyemi, Falz, Davido, Burna Boy, others, dragged to court over protests

 

The Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre, Sam Adeyemi, singer Davido and Burna Boy have been dragged to court over their involvement in the End SARS protests.

Also dragged before the Federal Capital High, FCT, High Court is Aisha Yesufu,Deji Adeyanju, Folarin Falana also known as Falz, Yemi Alade among others.

An activist, Kenechukwu Okeke, instituted a suit against the 50 people behind the End SARS protests.

The activist said between October 28 and October 30, 2020 the defendants used their twitter accounts to conspire amongst themselves to “commit misdemeanor, to wit promoting or acting in such a manner with intent to assist in the promotion of an unlawful assembly under the guise or composition of #EndSARS”.

Okeke claimed that the offence was punishable under Section 97 (2) of the Penal Code Act, C53 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

“That 1 to 50 accused persons with intent to carry out some common purpose, assemble in such a manner, or, being assembled under the composition of “#EndSARS”, as to cause persons in the Federal Capital Territory. Abuja to fear on reasonable grounds that such assembly needlessly and without any reasonable occasion may provoke other persons tumultuously to disturb the peace.

”Properties (movable) belonging to the complainant was egregiously destroyed by some riotous and tumultuous person (s) instigated and incited by the 1 to 50 accused persons.