Saturday, March 11, 2023 Weekend Edition

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN) and Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI), Kaduna State chapters have appealed to preachers of both faiths to resist the temptation of using sacred altars and pulpits to carry out unhealthy politics of promoting one party or candidate above the others.

This is as CAN and JNI said they cannot allow this noble credential of their faiths to be subverted by few religious clerics.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the state Secretaries of CAN and JNI - Rev. Ma’aji Caleb Bawa, and Alhaji Ibrahim Isa Kufena, respectively, and made available to newsmen in Kaduna on Thursday, February 9.

The statement therefore called on all religious leaders in Kaduna State to mobilize and support its followers for a peaceful and credible Gubernatorial and State Assembly Elections.

The statement reads in part; “It is sad to note our revered calling and places of worship are being used for politics by some religious preachers.

“Some have commenced the Holy place meant for Holy Service, campaigning for candidates and parties

News Editor (Ag), Stanley Onyekwere

Resist temptation of using altar for politics - CAN, JNI urge preachers

and issuing out unholy messages.

“We the religious leaders of both the Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI) and Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) have consistently cautioned against the use of religion for promoting political parties and candidates.

“A few days to the Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections, the political atmosphere is overheated even much more than we experienced in the

run-off to the February 25, 2023 elections.

“While we acknowledge the importance attached to this coming election, it is not healthy for our dear State that places of worship be used for political campaigns and endorsement of candidates.

“We need to always remember that our followers even within the same Churches or Mosques may belong to different political parties. Hence, there is the need for Imams, Pastors

and other leaders of faith to remain apolitical and neutral.

“Importantly, all religious leaders in Kaduna State must ensure strict adherence to the teachings of the Holy Books by promoting peaceful coexistence. It is our duty to create understanding on the need for people to go out and cast their votes in a peaceful manner as prescribed by the law.

“Similarly, the Kaduna State chapters of CAN and JNI are urging religious

preachers outside the Kaduna State to refrain from making inflammatory remarks or sermons that can be instigative to the peace loving people. Rather, they should concentrate on addressing the issues in their States of living and service.

“As leaders of faiths, it is worthy to remind all that we are accountable to our Creator who has graciously recruited us to serve Him and thus we will be rewarded in accordance with our actions and words.”

Former PDP guber candidate dumps party for APC in Niger

The Niger State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship candidate in the 2015 and the 2019 elections, Alhaji Umar Mohammed Nasko has dumped the party for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after the loss of his presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Umar Nasko a very strong PDP stalwart made the declaration in Minna,

WEEKEND PHOTO

saying that his defection was out of conviction, conceived and accepted when he was approached by the progressives led by the APC Governorship candidate, Umar Mohammed Bago.

The two term PDP Governorship candidate explained that this is a turning point for the progressives in Niger state, assuring them to work maximally to ensure the victory of the APC in Niger state.

He called on all his supporters and admirers across

the state to join the fold by working assiduously to ensure the success and victory of the APC come 18th March, 2023 in the state.

The governorship candidate of the APC, Umar Mohammed Bago while accepting him into the party at the residence of the decamped, stated that they shared the same vision for the development of Niger state, adding that Nasko will be part of his government if elected.

Bago described him as a courageous man, determined

young man, very intelligent with wealth of experience who have the capacity to be part of the team to move Niger state forward.

Also speaking, the North Central APC Zonal Chairman, Alhaji Mu’azu Bawa Rijau and the state APC chairman, Haliru Zakari Jikantoro emphasized that the challenges faced during the presidential and National Assembly elections would be overcome, assuring of victory with ease during the next elections in the state.

From Yakubu Mustapha Minna

FRSC operatives at the scene of an accident on Kwali-Abaji Road in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

2023 Presidential election: Atiku, Obi and the search for “stolen” mandate

By Vivian Okejeme Abuja

Long before the February 25 Presidential election, there have been fears of having free, fair and credible polls among Nigerians. A free, fair and credible polls which will engender quality representation and good governance.

Presently, Nigerians are divided over the conduct of the elections. While some believe the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, did a good job with the way the election was conducted and a winner declared, others see the election as a sham and an embarrassment to the country before the international community.

Before the election, INEC had promised Nigerians that it will do its best to give Nigerians credible polls. The electoral body promised to end electoral malpractices and rigging during the election.

But just as it is in past elections, it was characterized by allegations of thuggery, rigging and all forms of electoral malpractices. Infact, a section of the foreign mission observers described the election as everything but free and fair.

Four days after the election was conducted, precisely on March 1, 2023, INEC, through its Chairman, Prof Mahmud Yakubu, who served as the chief collation officer of the federation, in the dead of the night declared Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), winner of the election with 8,794,726 votes, ahead of Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 6,984,520 votes, and Peter Obi, candidate of the Labour Party (LP), who secured 6,101,533 votes.

Shortly after the election was conducted and results announced, political parties and their candidates have been pointing accusing fingers at one another.

Candidates of the PDP and that of LP, Abubakar and Obi, respectively, indicated interest to approach the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, to challenge the declaration of Tinubu, as the president-elect.

At the moment, motions and countermotions are being filed in court by Abubakar, Obi, Tinubu and INEC in preparation for the tribunal’s sitting.

Last week, the tribunal granted request by Abubakar and Obi to inspect the materials used by INEC to conduct the elections but INEC brought a fresh motion seeking for an order to reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, a move that was opposed by Obi and Abubakar.

After arguments were canvassed by parties in the matter, the court acceded to the argument of INEC and ordered the reconfiguration of the BVAS.

In its motion, INEC had told the court that the BVAS needed to be reconfigured for the governorship elections across the country.

It told the court that if the motion is not granted, the elections may not hold because it needs five days to reconfigure the device.

The court led by Justice Joseph Ikyegh,

in its wisdom granted the request of INEC, as well as the president-elect’s request to inspect INEC’s electoral materials.

Consequent to the above, the electoral body postponed the scheduled March 11, governorship and state houses of assembly’s election by one week to enable it enough time to reconfigure the BVAS.

Subsequently, the commission reiterated it’s not against litigants inspecting election materials they require to pursue their cases in court.

Therefore, it reassured them that the data from the just concluded elections will be backed up and available in INEC cloud facilities and the INEC Results Viewing Portal.

Meanwhile, the president-elect has on his part assembled 49 Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SAN, to defend his case in court, he had a meeting with his legal team and told them that the matter before the court is not all about him but about the defence of democracy.

A legal icon and one-time President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Wole Olanipekun, will lead 49 other lawyers to defend the victory of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu at the presidential election tribunal over his arch rivals, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, who have challenged his victory.

However, supporters of the parties are divided over the credibility of the elections and the outcome as the hope of many Nigerians lies in the court to do justice in the matter.

Political watchers have averred that going by the outcome of previous presidential election petition cases, one would say Abubakar and Obi’s petitions are dead on arrival.

But Nigerians, especially, those who massively voted for Obi known as Obidients and Atiku known as Aticulates are hoping, and

are of the opinion that the search for justice for their candidates would not be in vain.

Before the election was conducted, INEC had assured Nigerians that their votes were going to count with the introduction of Bimodal Voters Accreditation System BVAS

On the commission’s promise on the use of BVAS during the election, INEC at an event said no going back on the use of the machine.

The plateau state Electoral Commissioner, Dr Oliver Agundu, said this during a meeting with party leaders and candidates in Jos on Wednesday.

Agundu stated that the commission was ready to deliver the most credible and transparent elections the state ever witnessed.

Further in his speech, he appealed to all stakeholders to always seek information from official sources in the commission rather than building stories based on assumptions and hearsay.

He said rumours and fake news were deadly weapons capable of causing chaos and upheaval, especially in a politically charged society such as Nigeria.

Concluding, he warned politicians to desist from visiting his home and unofficial venues but visit his office in the commission for business transactions.

Did INEC fail to live up to its promises on the use of BVAS for the election?

Some of the reports of the foreign mission election observers are damning.

The European Union in its report said the election lacks transparency.

The EU said in its report, “The EU observation mission said the elections were held on schedule but lack of transparency and operational failures reduced trust in the process and called for the right to vote.

“Fundamental freedom of assembly and movement were largely respected, yet the full enrolment of the latter was impeded by insufficient planning, insecurity, and the prevailing Naira and fuel shortages.

“However, lack of public information on election technologies (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and IreV) diminished expectations and left room for speculation and uncertainty.”

On its part, African Union and ECOWAS observers noted that Nigeria’s democracy is critical to the stability of the sub-region in particular and that of the continent in general.

The African Union observation mission was led by the Former President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, and the Former President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Koroma.

Kenyatta urged the INEC to improve on logistics operations and review the allocation of voters per polling unit to ensure everyone cast their ballots within the stipulated time.

Chatham House, an independent policy institute based in London, stated that from its analysis of the presidential election, it would appear that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to learn new lessons.

The organisation stressed that the electoral umpire failed to adhere to its own guidelines, which it enunciated before the poll, especially the one bordering on the uploading of results in real-time.

Stating that Nigeria’s presidential election results had put disenfranchisement in the spotlight, Chatham House noted that despite boasting the biggest electoral register in Africa of 93.4 million voters, fewer than 25 million valid votes were counted in Nigeria’s 2023 election

Hoffman wrote, “The INEC’s performance and controversies over these results mean that the electoral reforms and lessons declared to have been learned were not fully applied and, as an electoral body, it was significantly less prepared than it claimed.

As the legal fireworks begins, it is the hope of the electorates that the judiciary lives up to it’s mandate and redeem their already battered image.

Tinubu Atiku Obi

From Umar Dankano,Yola

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has been urged to cancel the National Assembly election of the Hong/Gombi federal constituency in Adamawa state.

A candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP),Ahmad Sa’ad Yarima who participated in the 25th Febuary election gave the urge through a press release lamenting that the exercise was marred with irregularities and malpractices in most of the polling units.

Yarima expressed reservations with the election alleging that BVAS machines were not used in many wards of the two local government areas while other areas experienced over voting

2023: SDP candidate charges INEC to cancel National Assembly election in Hong/Gombi Federal Constituency

during the election process.

Yarima advised the electoral commission to compute the results recorded with BVAS machines and declare the winner for fairness and justice.

“I urge the electoral Umpire to cancel the elections conducted without using BVAS machines in all the affected polling units in the interest of peace, stability and good conscience with a view to accord the electorate their unanimous choice.

“In Hong/Gombi Federal Constituency,reports at my disposal have revealed that elections were conducted manually without using BVAS machines as assured by the INEC in many towns and villages in both Hong and Gombi local government areas which gave room for massive irregularities and malpractices.

“There were reported cases of irregularities and over voting in many polling units of different wards of the constituency

including ; Mayolobe,Uba,,Bansh ika,Hoshorism,Hildi and Garaha among others.

“Also in Gombi local government area,there were cases of over voting in Gombi-South wards,Boga dingai,North and Ga’ada wards.

“With the above constraints and in the spirit of fairness and justice as provided by the Electoral Act,I humbly call on the INEC to review the exercise by strictly using the election captured with

the BVAS machines to declare the winner as recorded.

“While expressing my appreciation to the teeming and loyal supporters of our great party,the Social Democratic Party(SDP) in Hong and Gombi federal constituency,Adamawa state and Nigeria as a whole over their unflinching support in the just concluded 25th Febuary 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections”.Yarima explained.

Zamfara NSCDC assures hitch-free guber/state assembly elections

From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d, Gusau

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Zamfara State Command has deployed an adequate number of personnel to ensure smooth running of the forthcoming Gubernatorial and house of assembly elections in the state.

The Zamfara State Commandant, Muhammad Bello Mu’azu gave the assurance while addressing the Combat Ready Officers and men in the state command headquarters Gusau.

Commandant Mu’azu stressed that security of lives of the citizenry and property in the state is sacrosanct and of utmost importance to the Corps before, during and after the elections.

He further opined that the Command is combat ready and in high spirits to close ranks with other sister security agencies to ensure a hitch free elections and peaceful living after the exercise.

He however posited that strategic deployment has been made based on the three senatorial zones as well as other areas considered key either because of their population and/or insecurity vulnerability in the state,

According to him, each senatorial district will be headed by a Deputy Commandant of the Corps attached with specialists of the Counter Terrorist Unit and Rapid Response Unit of the Corps to handle any perceived threat to the electorates during the election periods.

The Commandant therefore warned that the Corps will not tolerate any act of restiveness or breakdown of law and order by any miscreants, hoodlums or political parties, affirming that the Corps is constitutionally law enforcement and will maintain a high level of professionalism and neutrality.

However, he averred that, the Corps will not hesitate to deal decisively in accordance with the extant laws of the Federation, anyone who contravenes the electoral Acts and other byelaws of the Federation before, during and after the elections.

The Commandant enjoined the good people of the state and the esteemed electorates to be

vigilant and report any act inimical to the success of these elections, strongly warning the officers and men to maintain neutrality and be apolitical in their conducts.

He however, vowed to invoke the Civil Service Rules and the Standard Operation Procedure of the Corps on any personnel found to have inclined to any political party directly or indirectly during

these elections.

The State Commandant, Commandant Muhammad Bello Muazu stressed that all special units of the Corps have been fully galvanized to beef up adequate security in conjunction with other sister agencies.

He said the Special Force Unit, Counter Terrorist Unit, Rapid Response Unit, the Corps’

Anti Bomb Squad (CBRN), Anti Vandal unit, Disaster Management Unit and the intelligence and investigation units are some of the special units deployed to man these elections.

Commandant Muazu stated that, all critical infrastructures and public utilities will be properly manned by the personnel of Department of

Critical Infrastructures and National Assets ( CNAI) in order to wade off saboteurs.

The State Commandant reiterated that in his commitment to maintain security in the state, the personnel of the Corps in special task force operations will ensure that no act of brigandage is carried out during these periods.

ADP suspends Kaduna guber candidate, Sani Sha’aban indefinitely

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The leadership of the Action Democratic Party, (ADP) Kaduna state chapter has suspended its gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Sani Sha’aban over an alleged antipathy activity.

Acting Chairman, Kaduna ADP Alhaji Umar, Isah made this known during a press conference held in Kaduna on Friday Isah said the party lost confidence in him the day he chose to campaign against its presidential candidate.

It could be recalled that Sha’aban, a gubernatorial aspirant of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and son-in-law to

president Muhammadu Buhari, resigned his APC membership in Nov. 28, 2022 after the Federal high court sitting in Kaduna, said it lacked jurisdiction to entertain his case filed against the gubernatorial candidate of APC, Senator Uba Sani.

Umar said, “It may, however, interest you to note that since the emergence of Hon. Sani Mahmud Sha’aban, the party assumed it had found a worthy candidate to fly its flag, the gubernatorial candidate constituted a campaign team and we assumed that it was the beginning of seriousness to contest for the gubernatorial seat in Kaduna.

“Since this earlier

development as stated above, Hon. Sani Sha’aban has not been forthcoming with his dealings with the Party and members of his campaign team. He has not kept to agreed arrangements that were put in place to galvanize the campaign activities in the state for the ADP and the gubernatorial candidate.

“His disregard for the Party and the campaign team he constituted has created division in the party, forcing prominent members and elders to either abandon the ADP or adopt a nonchalant attitude, which is causing the party dearly of its support gained within the short while. It is unfortunate that a few

months to the general elections, the party has remained virtually invisible at a time of heightened campaign and mobilization of voters.

“This most unfortunate situation is caused by the disinterested and nonchalant attitude of Sani Shaaban, who has shown utter disregard to the party’s Leaders and due processes. The invitation and subsequent disinvitation from the BBC Hausa debate was an eye opener and raised alarms for the Party, which led to the party further investigating and checking with INEC on the status of uploading Hon. Sani Shaaban’s name for their portal.

Executive Director, Speak Out Africa Initiative, Engr. Kenneth Ezeh (middle) flanked by Members of the Initiatives, Esther Ogbomo (left) and Oluchi Alphonsus (right), during the Initiatives Media briefing on the Gubernatorial / States Assembly Elections and the unveiling of the Nigeria Vote beat Survey, held yesterday in Àbuja. Photo; Justin Imo-owo

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Labour Party governorship campaign convoy of Hon Jonathan Asake in Kaduna state was attacked by thugs yesterday in Gidan Waya, Jema’a local government area of Kaduna State.

The media Aide to Jonathan Asake James Swam stated this in a statement made available to

4 people injured as thugs attack LP campaign convoy in Kaduna

the media in Kaduna yesterday. The statement stated that four youths were injured in the process, including two boys and two girls. No vehicle was damaged.

The incident happened when the campaign convoy was passing through Gidan Waya during Friday prayers on its way to Godogodo and other towns as the campaign team tour the local

government. After the first three vehicles in the convoy made their way through the old tyres used to demarcate the road, thugs started throwing stones, big

sticks and other harmful objects at the long convoy.

It took the timely intervention of the security personnel attached to the candidate to forestall a crisis.

AKTH seeks media partnership for enlightenment on glaucoma in Kano

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

The Department of Opthalmology of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) in Kano is seeking for collaboration with media within and outside the state in commemorating this year’s World Glaucoma Week.

According to a statement signed by the Chairperson of Public Eye Health Unit of the hospital, the Global Health Community set aside one week, between Sunday 12-18 March 2023, to create awareness on glaucoma.

In a statement by the spokesperson of the hospital, Hauwa Muhammad Abdullahi, the Department of Opthalmology of the AKTH calls on all media organizations, as part of their corporate social responsibility, to join handsin reaching out to the public on the enlightenment.

“The theme of this year World Glaucoma Week:”The World is Bright, Save your Sight’’ will be a good concept for public awareness,” the

statement said. The statement stated that a team of Opthalmic specialists have been constituted in the department for media correspondents wishing

to create awareness on the glaucoma within the week.

Kebbi: Mass defections as Aliero’s supporters join APC after presidential poll

From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

Tsunami has affected the Kebbi State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the party key chieftain and other youth supporters of Senator Adamu Aliero of PDP have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Addressing newsmen yesterday at the party office, the APC chieftain and the National Coordinator of Bola Ahmed Tinubu campaigns Train (S7_4_BAT 2023) Comrade Alhaji Kabiru Sani Giant said that many supporters of Senator Adamu Aliero and other groups were all in APC now shortly after declaring the Presidential and National Assembly elections results.

He explained that despite the campaign of calumny against the APC Governorship candidate, the PDP is going nowhere because the APC candidate, Dr. Nasir Idris Kauran Gwandu has more integrity and support than the other.

“Our candidate Dr. Nasir Idris Kauran Gwandu is the people’s choice and is a grass roots politician who rose from the Local government level to the National president of the NUT,” he said.

Gaint who expressed happiness over the high level of the opposition parties losing their supporters to the APC in the State, assured that inshallah, the APC will win the 18th March Governorship and state Assembly elections in the State.

Rescheduled Governorship Polls: Cracks in Benue YPP

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

Barely a week to the rescheduled Governorship election slated for March 18th, 2023, there is crack in the camp of the Young Progressives Party,YPP in Benue as the Governorship candidate Robert Orya and the party leadership are at daggers drawn.

Robert Orya, a former Managing Director, NEXIM Bank is insisting that he remains the Governorship candidate of the Party and vehemently disagrees on any merger with the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP.

The Party executive led by Dr. Gwaduwe had at a Press conference in Makurdi on Friday, disclosed that they have gone into alliance with the Peoples’ Democratic Party,PDP Governorship candidate Titus Uba.

Dr. Gwaduwe opined that as far as the 2023 election is concerned, the party cannot make any impact, hence the need to align with the PDP.

Hear him,” As far as 2023 election is concerned we have been in the race but truthfully in war situation, knowing

yourself and not knowing your enemy, a battle is lost. We have taken stock of ourselves vis-a- vis others that are contesting, we have counted our votes and know that we can garner over 100000 votes which may not be enough to win the election. We want to mitigate our disaster and not mortgage the development of the State

“We have decided to align with PDP in the Governorship election. The State has faced an existential war which the Governor has fought doggedly. If a general is retiring, his lieutenant should take over. As young people we believe in consistency of ideologies. We are out to contribute to building of the State and we will hold those benefiting from this gesture accountable. Alliance should not be parasitic but mutually beneficial. The party is supreme and this is established”,the party chair stressed.

Responding in a press statement signed by Akosu Emmanuel Lubem, Media Consultant to Chief Roberts Orya , YPP Governorship Candidate, described as ‘mischievous’, the endorsement of Uba, maintaining that it is an antics by

some disgruntled elements of the YPP flying a kite and pretending to throw their weight behind the PDP Candidate come 18th March 2023.

He added that as the undisputable Governorship Candidate and leader of the YPP in Benue State the actions of these disgruntled elements is lacking in credibility, substance and moral leaning urging the Benue public to discard same as he from inception has resolved to go into the elections to allow the Benue People express their legimate franchise, choices and preferences as the final arbiter of their redemption and destiny, having undergone the inglorious years of PDP in the last 8years .

“ I am assuring you all that I am fully in the race and no manipulation can change it erase that

“As such the so-called officers or officials of the YPP that perpetrated such an illicit and undemocratic act of adopting Candidate (s) of another political party in a hotel room in Makurdi have simply murdered shame . Their sponsors or Patrons ought to have known that only desperation could have

pushed them and the said officials to do such naked dance at the height of our electoral challenges”

The YPP Governorship Candidate noted that, the declaration by the so called exco of YPP is a total sham that fits into the description as a “ yahooyahoo “ act that cannot stand.

Chief Roberts Orya says his wealth of experience as champion of youth employment, women empowerment, economic expert and astute development banker of over 35 years cognate experience stands him out amongst others to champion and transform Benue State and improve the economic wellbeing of her People beyond 2023.

The Former MD NEXIM Bank called on Benue citizens to shun all desperate antics employed by rejected and desperate politicians who are hell-bent to reap from the towering manifesto of the YPP that has come to salvage and redeem the palatable story of Benue for Good through robust leadership championed by a seasoned technocrat and tested administrator, Chief Roberts Orya.

Senator Adamu Aliero

Kano Central: Supreme court affirms Hanga as senator-elect, drops Shekarau

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

The Supreme Court has finally laid to rest the issue of who is the authentic Senator-elect for the Kano Central Senatorial District in the February 25 elections.

The Apex court, Friday, affirmed Malam Rufai Hanga as

the Senator Elect for the zone under the platform of the New Nigeria People’s Party NNPP.

With the judgement, the court has kicked out a former Kano state governor and former Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau as the candidate for the party

The Apex Court upheld the judgments of a Federal High

Court and the Court of Appeal both in Abuja which had earlier upheld the candidature of Rufai Hanga as the Senatorial candidate of the party.

In a unanimous judgement, delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, supreme court held that the INEC’s appeal lacked merit and substance and thereafter

dismissed it in its entirety. The courts below, had in their previous judgments upheld Rufai Hanga as the Senatorial Candidate of the NNPP for Kano Central following the withdrawal of Ibrahim Shekarau as a member of the party and Senatorial Candidate due to irreconcilable differences he had with the party

leadership. However, rather than obeying the federal high court order, the INEC took it upon itself and appealed the judgment at the end of which it lost at the Appellate Court.

Also, not satisfied with the judgments, the electoral umpire proceeded for the supreme court.

Kaduna 2023 polls: Pastor backs Labour Party’s Asake

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Ahead of March 18 gubernatorial and state assembly elections in Kaduna state, Labour Party (LP) gubernatorial candidate, Hon. Jonathan Asake, has received a boost, as a group of pastors has endorsed his candidature for the polls.

The pastors, under the auspices of Concerned Pastors for Good Governance, said in endorsing Asake, they are supporting righteousness and holiness, as they believe that Asake has what it takes to win the election and govern Kaduna state successfully.

They said their support is borne in the fact that Asake has not stepped down for anyone and has asserted that he will not step down for any candidate or any party.

Speaking in a statement on Thursday, jointly signed by iitsChairman, Apostle Edet Eyo and Secretary, Rev. Matthias Egwuka, the concerned pastors condemned a viral letter on the social media in which Kaduna state Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) purportedly ordered Christians in the state to vote for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Guber candidate, Hon. Isah Ashiru Kudan ordered Christians in the state to vote for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Guber candidate, Hon. Isah Ashiru

The clergymen, who expressed reservation over the viral letter, which has been denied by CAN in Kaduna state, stated that they got it on good authority that the Christian body did not issue such statement, hence it was the handiwork of desperate people who were threatened by the sudden rise of the Labour Party candidate in the state.

They, however, called on mischief makers to desist and allow Christians and other residents of the state vote

according to their conscience. The Concerned Pastors reminded Christians in the state that it is the policy of the Christian body to admonish people to vote for righteousness and true holiness at all levels.

They therefore encouraged the people of Kaduna state to vote against every evil that has placed Nigeria and Kaduna state in its present precarious situation, resulting from bad governance.

“As Concerned pastors for

good governance, we want to use this opportunity to discountenance every evil propaganda, insinuation or suggestion that Hon. Jonathan Asake has stepped down, or should step down for any

other candidate. No matter the consideration, it won’t happen because Asake is capable of winning this election and we will give him and the Labour Party all our support to win,” the statement added.

Gov Sule reassures more projects to communities if re elected

From Gambo Ahmed Lafia

The Nasarawa state Governor, Engr Abdullahi Sule has reassured the people of the state of his commitment to embark on more developmental projects if reelected in the forthcoming polls.

He gave the assurance during a parley with media chiefs and reporters at the

government House lafia the state capital in preparation for the Governorship and the state Assembly elections.

“Leadership is a task given to a Person by God.I pledged to fulfil all the initial promises made to the people of the state if reelected”. Gov Sule added He emphasized that more Rural roads, water, electricity, PHC, and other projects would be provided as well as ensure

to complete all the ongoing projects across the state aimed at improving the living standard of Nasarawa people.

Gov Sule also called on the voters in the state to be focused as well as vote for credible candidates in the forthcoming polls on the 18 February 2023 which he added that APC is the party to salvage the state.

“ I urged APC supporters to have courage in the party. Never

allow yourselves to be used by politicians who engage in politics of ethnicity and Religion which is not the best for the state.” He maintained.

The governor however appealed to Journalists in the state for their immense role played in the state through their reportage gears towards the development of the state as well as promised to continue partners with the press if reelected.

Kudan.

R-L: Captain CN Buzugbe; director of Governors Rotary Club of Lagos, Rotarian Comfort Ade Babalola; Lt Cdr OA Olajide; president, Rotarian Club of Lagos, Rotarian Joseph O Akhigbe; Commander, Nigerian Navy Defence Hospital, Ojo, Surgeon Captain AS Mohammed; director, Rotary Foundation, Rotarian Uk Eke, MFR; Executive Officer Nigerian, Navy Defence Hospital Ojo, Surgeon Captain VC Igboezue when the Rotary Club of Lagos, District 9110, donated over 100 Mobility in Lagos, yesterday.

The ‘‘Two Sessions’’: China’s unique process and the imperative to be different

By Charles Onunaiju

In the month of March, a key and important event in China national political calendar, watched closely around the world would unfold in the country’s capital, Beijing. The 14th National People’s Congress, the country top legislative body and its supreme state organ would meet in full session to receive reports, deliberate and give legislative effect to landmark issues accelerating the modernization efforts of the country. Along with the National People’s Congress, China’s top advisory body, the “Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) would also convoke the first session of its 14th National Committee. It is the meeting of the full session of these two important bodies that are referred to as the “two sessions” in China’s political calendar. Apart from the convocation of the two sessions annually, the two bodies also elect permanent working organs, referred to as standing committees who engage in the routine legislative and advisory work of the two institutions that are presented and considered at the annual full sessions. The NPC and CPPCC are the institutional expression and structural representation of China’s system of socialist multi party consultation and cooperation, giving full expression to democratic inclusion and consensusbuilding. As core fabric of China’s political life, the “two sessions” is significantly impactful not only in their democratic content of representations and participation but in outline of key policy agenda and generating feedback on state administration and governance. Apart from giving effects to state institutional structure, the “two sessions” plays vital role in major policy directions, including issues very relevant to modernization and deepening reforms.

The histories and background of the two key national institutions shape their contemporary and strategic roles in the governance of modern China, especially, as the country plays pivotal role in global economic recovery and the emerging multilateral framework of the international system. The Chinese People Political Consultative

Conference (CPPCC) was the first institution of modern China. it developed from the revolutionary bases as a consultative platform of patriotic alliance of Chinese people opposed to the one party dictatorship of the western backed Kuomintang and forged through the leadership of the Communist Party of China. Following the victory of the revolution in 1949 and the founding of modern China, the CPPCC served as the legislative body until 1954 when the National People’s congress was elected and convoked. Following the establishment of NPC as the country’s supreme state organ, the CPPCC continued its role as a top rallying and advisory body. As the highest institutional platform for all Chinese people across every sector, including ethnic, religious, party, professional, Chinese in special administrative regions and overseas, the CPPCC provide quality insights and advisories on the trajectories of China’s contemporary modernisation. Its significance and impact in building and driving an all China coalition in the revolutionary struggle is no less significant in its contemporary contributions to the advancement of reform and modernization, a deepening and continuation of the revolutionary process in the modern times. The CPPCC is the amalgamated strength and wisdom of all Chinese people to define a road map to national goals and build both an institutional and popular consensus around it, a key factor in both policy sustainability and goal-getting. The uniqueness of the CPPCC in giving vital stakes to all sections of society through broad consultations and engagement remain critical in understanding the enabling institutional and popular consensus that have driven China’s outstanding achievements and phenomenal development. The institutions underwriting China’s rapid modernization are uniquely forged in their own history, designed through their own experience in practice and derived entirely from their own national reality. The institutions and processes of China’s modernization are not inoculated from the experience of others in the world but these experiences are skilfully tailored to align with the national

reality and are validated only through practice. The context of national consensus forged in consultations and cooperation is not an absence of disagreements or even rancour but that all contending views and visions are integrated into a broad roadmap to national development and are tested for viability through practice.

The National People Congress (NPC) is China’s top legislative body and a supreme state organ, whose work is integral to the reputation of the modern Chinese state as efficient. As a key processor of policy options, and a firm line holder for the institutional credibility and integrity of China’s modern state, the NPC is well known to discharge its duty with the highest level of diligence and integrity. It gives expression to vital legislative issues of national importance ranging from national security, economic reforms, social outputs, cultural and foreign affairs, and endows state administration and governance with the vital political fibre and muscle. It is the national repository of legitimacy and dispenses it with acute

awareness of the popular and collective will for which it is the supreme representative The broad representation of the National People’s Congress and its unique work style of the standing committee system, where its routine work is done by a fraction of its members elected on a permanent basis, while the rest of the members return to their base, feeling the pulse of the people in direct engagement, may be a way off, from the parliamentary orthodoxy of the west, but its viability is exemplified in the contributions of the NPC in shaping China’s modern state and its outstanding achievements in development of which one of its iconic outputs is the end of extreme poverty among the 1.4 billion Chinese people.

If China’s unique political process and its system of multiparty consultative socialist democracy has delivered tangible results, it is not to mechanically copy it by any other country that its strength and attraction lies, but that any country can interrogate its own unique history and reality to extract a unique path to

The “Two sessions” are enormous window to the world to understand the policy directions of the world second largest economy and provide instance of reflections to those caught in the dilemma of institutional atrophy, that their strength of renewal is in original insight derived from the conscious grapple with ones history and existential social reality

development and modernization and development. The China unique path to modernization and development speaks to the resovir of original insights, strength and imaginations that are endowed to every country and its people to search and leverage its own history and reality to build institutions and process not only derive from its own unique experience but aligned to its own collective inspiration of good life. Africa countries historic trajectory to a good life for its people has encountered difficulties and challenges, not because of lack of bold vision. The core challenge of compatible institutional drivers to give practical effects to bold vision has reached a historic proportion, and the imperative to rethink the structure and nature of key institutions should be seriously engaged, in other to align the institutions with the goals of achieving sustainable and inclusive development.

China “two sessions”, sitting its two major national institutions will certainly deal with issues of current concern for the Chinese people, but would engage China as a major responsible power in the world, whose role in global economic recovery is of utmost importance, China’s outstanding economic recovery in the past few months, following its declaration of decisive defeat of the covid-19 especially after the successful convocation of the 20th National Congress of the Communist party of China would in inspire recovery across the world. Economic growth put at 5.5% last year which fell to 3% because of the then rampaging covid–19, which though outperform other big economies, like the U.S, Japan and Germany is expected to grow at more than 5% this year, a sign that China would be a decisive factor in the global recovery efforts.

The “Two sessions” are enormous window to the world to understand the policy directions of the world second largest economy and provide instance of reflections to those caught in the dilemma of institutional atrophy, that their strength of renewal is in original insight derived from the conscious grapple with ones history and existential social reality.

Mr. Onunaiju is the research director of an Abuja based Think Tank

President Xi Jinping

Buhari at UN LDCs summit: What is in it for Nigeria?

By Egena Sunday Ode

Nigeria is not categorised among the least developed countries, LDCs. So the presence of President Muhammadu Buhari at the just colluded United Nations Conference held in Doha, the splendid capital city of the State of Qatar may have come as a surprise to many. Worse still, the President did not just attend the global event meant to draw the attention of the world, especially the well off countries to the plights of the 46 nations battling for survival, he featured prominently as he delivered one of the acclaimed most thought provoking speeches on Day 2 of the week long conference.

For the avoidance of doubt, the least developed countries (LDCs) are developing countries listed by the United Nations that exhibit the lowest indicators of socioeconomic development. The concept of LDCs originated in the late 1960s and the first group of LDCs was listed by the UN in its resolution 2768 (XXVI) on 18 November 1971.

Three criteria are used to decide whether or not a country is an LDC – a measure for income per capita, a human assets index and an economic and environmental vulnerability index.

Nigeria is ranked as the 31st-largest economy in the world in terms of nominal GDP, the largest in Africa and the 27th-largest in terms of purchasing power parity. -3.0% (2020 est.) 1.5% (2021 est.). The country does not, therefore, fit into the United Nations definition of LDCs as countries that have low levels of income and face severe structural impediments to sustainable development.

But even if Nigeria is not among the least developed countries, it is not yet Uhuru as the country is surrounded, left and right, by poverty stricken neighbouring nations all across the West African Subregion. At the large continental level, Africa is home to about 33 of the 46 LDCs. And coming closer home to the subregion, Niger, Chad, Senegal, Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Benin Republic and Burkina Faso among others are yet to graduate from the damning LDCs status. According to the UN, the LDCs are majorly victims of mindless corruption, political instability and economic dependence. And interestingly, these countries account for about 12 percent of the world population.

With this reality staring it in the face, Nigeria and indeed, President Buhari’s

participation in the fifth edition of the once-in-a-decade gathering dubbed as Doha Programmer of Action (LDC5) is the least that should have been expected, especially bearing in mind its gigantic socio political and economic influence in the West African Subregion and the African continent as a whole. Though Presidency Spokesman, Garba Shehu had quickly explained that Buhari’s participation in the multilateral event was at the instance of the Emir of Doha, it has been suggested that to do otherwise would be literally tantamount to watching a neighbour’s house being raised down and not showing any concern; and an abdication of its responsibility as the leading light in the continent.

Shehu had in a statement last Saturday announcing the President’s departure for the event said Buhari’s participation followed an invitation by

the Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

However, Buhari himself did not keep observers and his audience at the Doha conference guessing on the imperative of his participation.

“Nigeria is here to show solidarity and support to the LDCs in the quest to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in this decade of action, where no one should be left behind,” he explained.

The conference which took place from 5th to 9th March, 2023 under the theme: “From Potential to Prosperity,” provided an opportunity to garner the support of the international community for accelerating sustainable development in the LDCs as well as assist them make progress towards achieving prosperity. This altruistic solidarity was the gist of President Buhari’s message in his address to

the August body, reinforcing Nigeria’s commitment to support the most vulnerable countries to meet their development challenges, highlighting areas through which the Nigerian government has provided them with various forms of assistance over time.

As most of these countries struggle to find sustainable solutions to challenges of poverty, adverse effects of climate change, food and energy crisis as well as high-debt burden among others, the Nigerian President vigorously reiterated the need for sustainable solutions for countries facing these severe challenges.

Buhari’s message at the summit aimed to share developmental ideas was unambiguous: mobilize political will, solidarity, action and solutions to transform the LDCs, by finding sustainable solutions to the challenges of poverty, food insecurity, hunger, weak or non-existent infrastructure, inadequate health facilities, climate change among others as they struggle to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

For the Nigerian President, the attainment of these goals can be easily accelerated if trade issues and the international financial system as well as the issues of medicare, education, security among others are honestly and

Cont. on page 10

“

Nigeria is here to show solidarity and support to the LDCs in the quest to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, especially in this decade of action, where no one should be left behind,” he explained

President Muhammadu Buhari with Father Amir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani alongside GCEO NNPC Mele Kyari and Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika during a meeting in Doha, Qatar on 7th Mar 2023

Cont. from page 9

holistically addressed.

Accordingly, he charged both the developed and the developing nations to grant duty-free and quota-free market access for products originating from the world’s 46 least-developed countries to ensure their integration in regional and global value chains. This to the Nigerian President should be the starting point the United Nations and indeed the world desire to move away from mere rhetorics and the ritual expression of pity for the LDCs that had characterised similar summits.

The President did not also mince words in strongly criticizing the current structure of the global financial system which places an unsustainable external debt burden on the most vulnerable countries. Accordingly, he warned that such debt burdens would make it extremely difficult for LDCs to meet the 2030 Agenda for Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

His words: In 2015, the world came together to endorse the 2030 Agenda for Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals. There was no doubt that it was highly ambitious and would require leaders around the world to be fully committed for the SDGs to be achieved within the projected timeframe.

‘‘Eight years on, the possibility of achieving the SDGs remains bleak for many countries, particularly, the Least Developed Countries. The difficulties in achieving the SDGs are numerous and were further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, the continued threat of Climate Change, and recently the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

‘‘The Least Developed Countries are often faced with developmental vulnerabilities and challenges that are not always of their making. These pose huge obstacles to their development efforts, hence the need for urgent and robust assistance to help unlock their potentials and build socio-economic resilience.

‘‘This assistance can be provided within the framework of the Doha Programme of Action which is designed to help LDCs exit their current classification,’’ he said.

Further, Buhari challenged the developed countries, civil society actors, the private sector, and the business community, to partner with the LDCs in order to provide necessary resources and capacity to deliver development outcomes in the economic, social, and environmental aspects of the 2030 Agenda.

‘‘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. First, COVID-19 has taught us that we must all work together, to ensure that diseases do not thrive in the LDCs, due to their overall negative impact on productivity and economic growth and development.

‘‘Accordingly, policy and budgetary provisions must be made to ensure equal access to medicare and vaccines, for both the poor and the

Buhari at UN LDCs summit: What is in it for Nigeria?

rich alike. We must also work with manufacturers of medical equipment and pharmaceutical companies to provide adequate equipment, test-kits, vaccines and treatments for diseases.’’ he said.

Buhari also expressed worries over the issue of rising debt burden, underscoring the need for reforms of the international financial architecture that prioritizes the need of least developed countries.

He shared the position of the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres who had earlier described the global financial system as an “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’s view point on trade issues canvased at the summit was that it is important to put in place modalities to facilitate transit cooperation, transfer of technologies, and access to global e-commerce platforms, as they are

critical for the integration of LDCs into the regional and global value chains and communications technology services.

He stressed that “the adoption of a global coordination mechanism to systematically monitor illicit financial flows and engender support for a United Nations International convention on tax matters to eliminate base erosion and profit shifting, tax evasion, capital gains tax and other tax abuses is essential to achieving the SDGs and promoting security and economic prosperity.”

Buhari also spoke on the devastating effects of climate change on LDCs, saying that they continue to suffer disproportionately despite contributing least to its causes. Accordingly, he advised that countries must prioritize cutting global emissions and work with determination to hold warming to 1.5 degrees, thereby securing the children’s future.

‘‘We must also commit to helping build resilience in developing countries, while also providing the

needed technical as well as financial support for a just transition to renewable energy,’’ he said.

He also warned that climate change remains one of the biggest existential threats facing humanity today, posing challenges to lives and livelihoods, and manifesting in different negative forms, including increase in temperature, rise in sea levels, flooding, drought, and desertification.

‘‘It has also led to significant loss of biodiversity. Worst still, climate change has exacerbated conflicts and led to unplanned migration, causing untold hardship in places like the Lake Chad Basin region.

‘‘The Least Developed Countries therefore continue to suffer disproportionately from the effects of climate change, despite contributing the least to its causes. Deaths from climate related crises are higher in the most vulnerable countries, with projections that there will continue to be an upward trend.

‘‘We must continue to focus on how best to ensure the provision of security, education, health and other basic services to our people, in order to guarantee a prosperous future for all,’’ he said.

President Buhari said Nigeria hoped 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 World Trade Organization Facilitation Agreement.

“

After a degree of polarization that necessarily accompanies any election, it is now time to come together and act responsibly.

President Buhari with other participant

Kaduna: The tricky road to Sir Kashim Ibrahim House

By Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Kaduna State electorate will march out in their millions next Saturday to elect the next occupant of the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, the seat of power in the state.

As it stands, three of the contestants are leading in this race that has become the keenest electoral contest in the history of the state. The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Uba Sani; the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Hon Isa Ashiru Kudan; and that of the Labour Party (LP), Hon Jonathan Asake, are all making waves in the race that no soothsayer can comfortably predict which side the coin would fall.

However, a number of factors would determine who finally emerges as the next governor of the state otherwise known as the ‘Center of Learning’.

Analysts have listed those factors to include the influence of religion, the age-long north-soutth dichotomy and the festering insecurity that has made citizens vulnerable to constant attacks by bandits and other criminal elements especially in the past four years.

The first major factor visible from investigation across the state is that of religion. There is no gainsaying that religion will play a crucial role in determining who would be the next first citizen of Kaduna state.

The ruling party represented by distinguished Senator Uba Sani, as its gubernatorial candidate, and the sitting deputy governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, as his running mate has brought up what is now being referred to as the Muslim-Muslim ticket because both of them share the same faith.

The Muslim-Muslim ticket to some residents is a two-edged sword in this race, while it enjoys the sympathy of others. Some have, however, expressed outright dismay as they believe that such ticket does not represent the two

major religions in the state. So, after the presidential election there has been an intensive campaign for and against this ticket. This has led to most Churches especially in the Central and the Southern senatorial zone of the state to openly endorse the the candidature of the PDP’s Hon Isa Ashiru on the pulpit as their preferred candidate because of his running mate, Dr. John Ayuba, a Christian from the southern part of the state.

In a twist, however, the umbrella body of Christians in the state, Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN) has openly disassociated itself from such endorsement, saying no religious leader should force any follower to vote for any candidate.

The CAN Chairman in the state, Reverend John Hayab, during a recent engagement at the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kaduna State Council, said the election is a matter of choice for voters who should not be teleguided under the guise of religion.

Hayab who spoke alongside JNI chairman, said people should vote according to their conscience and the

pulpit should be a place of preaching the word of God and not endorsement of candidates.

Speaking in the same vein, Professor Marcus Tella, said he has tried as much as possible to be neutral in this argument of the same faith ticket because the government in Kaduna is by the constitution and not by Quran or Bible.

He however said it is natural for people to protect their faith and no matter what anybody said religion will play a key factor in the 2023 Governorship election in the state.

The second major factor that will determine the next governor of Kaduna State, according to analysts, is the north - south dichotomy because the 2023 election would be skewed along geographical and demographic, considerations.

The Southern senatorial zone and some parts of the Central senatorial zone are dominated by Christians who are also natives of the area. They’ve been showing their sympathy to the PDP since 1999 and one is not expecting anything different from them this time around. But it feared that the emergence of Hon Jonathan Asake of the Labour Party (LP) may threaten the block votes usually harvested by PDP from the zone.

Asake, a former member of the Federal House of Representatives, and immediate past President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples’ Union, (SOKAPU), and one of the key factors of the Labour Party Tsunami that played out I’m the state during the presidential/ National Assembly elections is a grassroots politician. The inroads of LP in the state has been ascribed to his towering political influence.

He is believed to be loved by survivors and victims of the insecurity that has bedevil the zone. He is said to have stood by them during their times of need and some believed this is a time to reward him. Leave it or take it, his

emergence will affect the voting pattern in the state, analysts have posited.

The order factor that will affect the southern zone is that of the deputy governor. Although a Muslim, she is a native of the Sanga Local Government Area of the state; and during the recent Presidential/NASS elections, she delivered her LGA, a feat not witness before in the state.

The voter polarization is not limited to the South and Central Senatorial zones, the Northern senatorial zone would face the greatest battle in that sphere because some of the PDP bigwigs are from that zone. Three of the contestants also come from the zone--Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, of New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP); and Isa Hayyatudeen, of the Peoples’ Redemption Party, (PRP) and Hon. Ashiru of PDP. So, all hands are crossed until the 18th March 2023 when voters will turn the crystal ball.

However, Senator Uba Sani, who’s from the Central zone and a current Senator in the 9th Senate is said to be greatly loved within his constituency where lots of impactful projects are said to have been executed by him. Accordingly, he may be the man to beat next Saturday.

Yet, another factor that will determine whether it’s Uba Sani, Isa Ashiru Kudan, or Hon Jonathan Asake, that will occupy the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House is their blueprints in tackling insecurity bedeviling the state. It’s on record that Kaduna has become the most terrorized state in Nigeria if the frequency of killings and kidnappings perpetuated by bandits is anything to go by.

During the campaign periods, all the top contestants presented their blueprints on how to tackle the increasing insecurity in the state. And There’s no doubt that the singular existential issue will naturally influence votes next Saturday especially among the informed and sophisticated voters.

The voter polarization is not limited to the South and Central Senatorial zones, the Northern senatorial zone would face the greatest battle in that sphere because some of the PDP bigwigs are from that zone

Isa Ashiru of PDP Uba Sani of APC

Jonathan Asake of NNPP

POLITICS

Fubara: IPAC sacks Rivers chapter over endorsement of PDP’s guber candidate

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The General Assembly of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has sacked the Rivers State chapter of the Council for endorsing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Sir Siminialaye Fubara.

A statement issued yesterday by the National Secretary of IPAC, Yusuf Dantalle, said the decision was taken in a meeting held on 9th March 2023, which

ratified the immediate dissolution of the Rivers State Chapter of the Council for gross misconduct in flagrant violation of the provisions of the 2021 Revised Code of Conduct.

The statement said “The InterParty Advisory Council is not a political party but a platform for all political parties saddled with the mandate of promoting and defending the interests of all registered political parties in Nigeria, hence should be neutral, fair and impartial.

“The Council condemns and dissociates itself from the irresponsible act of the Rivers State IPAC executives in endorsing the Rivers State PDP governorship candidate, Sir Siminialaye Fubara. Let it also be unequivocally stated that those behind this scripted spectacle are as irresponsible as those who have been used as political pawns.

“All political parties whose party officials in Rivers State have been found culpable are enjoined to take disciplinary actions in

accordance with their respective party constitutions.

“Conclusively, we call on the good people of Rivers State to disregard these political renegades and vote for candidates of their choice”

The letter of dissolution was also copied to the Rivers State Police Commissioner, Director of Department of States Services (DSS), INEC chairman, Mahmud Yakubu and the Rivers State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC).

Mass promotion in Abia not real – APGA deputy guber candidate, Ichita alleges

By Christiana Ekpa

The deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in next week’s elections, Obinna Ichita has faulted the recently announced mass promotion in Abia State civil service by Governor Okezie Ikpeazu.

The APGA guber running mate described the offer as a ploy to harvest electoral votes from unsuspecting Abia civil servants.

The National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, during a road walk to commemorate the International Women’s Day, yesterday in Abuja. Photo;

INEC chair, Yakubu not Buhari to blame if... - CNPP

By Musa Baba Adamu

Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has said that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, not President Muhammadu Buhari, should be held responsible if anything goes wrong in the country following its alleged inability to follow its own guidelines for the 2023 general elections.

The CNPP, in a statement signed by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, noted that President Buhari has done everything humanly possible to ensure a free, fair, and credible general elections but the failure of INEC to follow its electoral guidelines.

The CNPP spoke while reacting to the verdict of the Court of Appeal, Abuja granting approval to INEC to reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for the governorship and state house of assembly elections and the

eventual postponement of the state elections earlier scheduled for March 11, 2023.

The CNPP noted that “if INEC ends up tampering with the information in the BVAS machines or erases evidence of what actually transpired during the now contentious presidential election, it may lead to a disaster the country should not be allowed to happen to Nigeria and Nigerians.”

According to the CNPP, “INEC should have foreseen the fact that since it introduced technology in the conduct of the 2023 general elections, litigants would always apply for the inspection of materials used in the conduct of elections.

“For INEC to seek an order of the Court to reconfigure the BVAS machines without due inspection of their raw data and certified true copies (CTC) of them issued to parties wishing to obtain the information is a recipe for avoidable crisis.

“President Muhammadu Buhari is not to blame if anything goes wrong as a result of the

move by INEC. The chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu should be solely held responsible.

“It is strange that INEC, which failed to upload election results from the polling units to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) would seek to reconfigure the BVAS while litigations are being initiated by disputing political parties that felt cheated by virtue of the failure of the Commission to upload results of the elections in real-time from the polling units”.

On the postponed governorship and state legislative elections, the CNPP wondered why INEC rushed to conduct the presidential and national assembly elections “knowing that it will be unable to upload the results from the polling units.

“We call on Nigerians and the International Community to hold INEC to account for whatever crisis that may emanate from its actions and/or inactions as President Buhari did his part by signing the amended electoral

2022 and deploying all the security agencies to ensure that we held the elections in a peaceful environment.

“INEC Chairman’s CHATHAM House lecture expressly assured Nigerians and the International Community of the Commission’s readiness to ensure a free, fair and credible elections but the same INEC has continued to create doubts about its lack of adequate preparations for the 2023 general elections.

“Unfortunately, INEC failed to halt the collation of results of the 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections even when Nigerians complained that the results were not being uploaded to the INEC IREV portal in real-time. The commission went ahead to manually collate and announce the results and took a whole week to slowly upload many mutilated results, creating wide suspension that the outcomes were doctored. And to make matters worse, INEC sought to reconfigure the BVAS amid allegations of rigging”, the CNPP stated.

Ichita, who stated this in Umuahia during a press conference, said the mass promotion as approved by Governor Ikpeazu was not feasible as according to him, sincerity and background to actualise the promotions were not in place.

He wondered why a government that did not allegedly pay months-old salaries and leave allowances of workers, could implement the promotions in Abia State civil service.

He advised Abia civil servants against voting for a candidate that would further deepen their travails.

Ichita, who cried out that some unknown faces had been sighted in his Aba South constituency in the buildup to the guber and House of Assembly polls, said he had already reported the matter to the appropriate security agency.

The fiery lawmaker stated that the unknown faces were allegedly imported into his constituency for the purpose of rigging the March 18 elections but cautioned that the people will not allow the manipulation of their will.

The Aba South lawmaker who described the candidate of his party, Prof Greg Ibe as the best option for the liberation of Abia State, bemoaned the conditions of God’s own State.

He also criticised the decision of one political party in the state to pick her Governorship and Deputy Governorship candidates from the same federal constituency, insisting that it contravened equity and justice.

The Deputy governorship hopeful who recently wrote a letter to the Abia State government on the alleged N27.4b World Bank fund urged it to respond to enquiries on how the alleged fund was utilized.

He maintained that the alleged World Bank fund was meant for building roads and for erosion control projects in his constituency, which necessitated his interest in the details of the funds’ expenditure.

Mahmud Isa

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EDITORIAL

Leading by example from Downing Street

The United Kingdom Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, recently was fined by the British police for not wearing a seatbelt in the back of a moving car while on a trip to northern England. Sunak was seen turning in his seat without a seatbelt on. The PM’s office at Downing Street said the incident was a “brief error of judgment”, but Lancashire constabulary announced they were fining Sunak for the infraction.

The force said: “You will be aware that a video has been circulating on social media showing an individual failing to wear a seatbelt while a passenger in a moving car in Lancashire. After looking into this matter, we issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of fixed penalty.”

Reacting, a spokesperson for Sunak said: “The prime minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised. He will, of course, comply with the fixed penalty.” A fixed penalty means Sunak can pay a fine to avoid a court hearing. The police did not disclose how much they had fined the prime minister, but according to the government’s safety campaign, any driver or passenger not wearing a seatbelt is breaking the law and is liable to be fined up to £500 if the case goes to court, according to The Guardian UK.

Sunak’s transportation habits were already a talking point in the United Kingdom before the incident, a report by AFP says. His political rivals have taken aim at his use of a private jet to make multiple short flights in recent days. This is not the first time Sunak has been slapped with a police fine. He was fined while serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer for attending a Downing Street party in June 2020 that violated the government’s rules on social distancing, according to an AFP report.

The latest fine makes Sunak the second Conservative prime minister to receive a police fine in less than 12 months. The Metropolitan police, in 2020, issued a fixed-penalty notice to Boris Johnson for attending a party during lockdown. Sunak was fined for attending the same event as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The prime minister of a powerful country fined for not wearing a seatbelt! Points to note. Firstly, the police didn’t identify him by his position. They only said “an individual”, “a 42-year-old man from London”. They were simply reminding everyone that the law is no respecter of position and all are equal before the law. Secondly, the prime minister readily accepted he was at fault and would pay the “fixed penalty” the police had slapped on him. “The prime minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised”, his office said.

Fast track to Nigeria or another Third World nation. It is unheard of that the police have found a prime minister/ President guilty of offence and penalized them. The police, by their training, are taught certain stereotypes, including the law is not meant for the powerful but the weak. This confers on the latter a certain degree of impunity to break the law and damn the consequence. Indeed,there will be no consequence because no crime has been committed as far as the police are concerned.

This is why the British case has fascinated millions of Nigerians. Yes, Muhammadu Buhari refused to drive through the “stop” red light after he was elected president in 2015. He would not begin his presidency with a blatant breach of a traffic law. But he only was/is one in a million that would respect the law. Will the British example ever happen in Nigeria any time sooner. Your guess!

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Patrick UGAMA

OPINION

Labour Party may end up like APGA – a failed experiment

By Fredrick Nwabufo

It may just be a bubble. A phantasm. An ignis fatuus. A castle on quicksand. It may not take long before the house caves in. The Labour Party electoral rendition is a thrilling experiment of what could be; of political possibilities, of change, but it appears the party is doomed to crumple under the weight of its own afflictions and internal contradictions.

The Labour Party has won 40 national assembly seats so far -- according to records by INEC. Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the party, put up a notable performance in the presidential election, though there are disputations over votes from the states he won as there are allegations that they were ballooned in his favour.

But are these sputters of fortune enough to keep the party afloat? I think not. The party is becoming vigorously ethnicised, rigid, and antiintellectual. I believe the party may end up like APGA – a failed experiment and poor attempt at building a people’s forum.

There is no guarantee that those who were swept into parliament on the wave of juvenile anger, will remain in the party afterwards. And even if some of them do, there is no certainty that the same wind will blow again in subsequent elections.

At parliament, the beneficiaries of the ‘’Obi phenomenon’’ will fight for survival, opportunities, and trade interests. There is the likelihood that some of them will cross into other parties for whatever interest they hold.

So, that the Labour Party has 40 seats in parliament today is not a guarantee of political sustenance or survival in the long run. It is not a guarantee of anything. The party remains a rustled-up vehicle without organic and deep roots. It lacks intellectual bearings, and its supporters vacuous, angry, and menacing. It is only held together, at the moment, by youthful anger, but what happens when the rage tapers off?

The much-vaunted Obi phenomenon will fizzle out as soon as the elections are done, and the youth have other worthy distractions. I do not see Peter Obi sustaining the momentum long after the elections. He may retreat to his business and wait for another happenstance. It is the reason I said it will be historic if Obi extends a hand of fellowship to the presidentelect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu rather than chasing apparitions and chest thumping while at it.

APGA used to be that party. The third leg. It held some promise. The party came on stream as democracy returned to Nigeria in 1999. It won some elections. But over time, the party became rigidly regional. It became defiant to political evolution. While the ACN which was founded much later in the 2000s, was able to build from its base to the centre by attuning itself to the times and evolving accordingly, APGA was closed and straitjacketed.

APGA lost its oomph and quickly took on the brand of a sectional party. The dream of the revered Igbo leader, Odumegwu Ojukwu, was for the party to become a national brolly – a stamping ground for all Nigerians. To build from the base and levitate to the centre. But the party failed to realise this dream. It was racked by internecine squabbles, greed, lack of foresight by subsequent managers, insularity, and sabotage.

The Labour Party appears uninoculated against the APGA contagion. The party is becoming rigidly ethnicised. Ethnic irredentists have seized the party, branding it after themselves – recreating it in their own image. Some of these irredentists who take up residence on social media are quick to establish they ‘’own’’ the Labour Party, shutting out divergent interrogations.

Even Aisha Yesufu, a prominent voice of the Obi campaign, was not spared of the noxious epithet by these sudden appropriators of the Labour Party. She was reminded, ‘’you are not one of us’’ – despite her immense support for their candidate.

These appropriators of the Labour Party should take the pain to study the ethos of their party. It is conventionally a workers’ party. But I guess, anger and bigotry drive anti-intellectualism. There is no place for bigotry in an intellectually fecundated mind.

I am of the view that this new-fangled mob is a latent threat to our democracy. Our conversations on politics have never been this contaminated. In reality, this problem stretches beyond the Labour Party mob. But I would advise those who care to listen to desist from spreading poison and freely trading bigotry.

There is no trophy, but damnation for being a loud-mouthed bigot.

By Fredrick Nwabufo, Nwabufo aka Mr OneNigeria

Exploring the possibilities: Using technology investment for Nigeria’s economic recovery

By Ismaheel Taofeeq Adisa

The lack of reliable infrastructure in some parts of Nigeria can also be an obstacle when it comes to investing in technology. This can include a lack of access to power sources or the internet, which could inhibit the success of some technological investments as they may be useless without either one or both. The Nigerian economy is at a crossroads. On one hand, there are signs of growth, as the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has grown in recent years. On the other hand, there are lingering economic and social inequalities that remain deeply rooted in the country.

Something needs to be done to restore economic stability. But what? How can Nigeria create sustainable economic growth? One way may be by investing in technology.

In this article, I will dive into why technology investments present an opportunity for Nigeria’s economic recovery and how such investments can provide tangible benefits for people across the nation. I will explore the possibilities of technological advancements like artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), as well as potential risks associated with such investments.

Understanding Nigeria’s Economy and the Need for Recovery

Nigeria is a nation with massive potential, but the current economic situation has been stunted due to several factors. These include financial mismanagement, the lack of infrastructure for businesses, and a high unemployment rate. To help build the economy and bring it back to its fullest potential, Nigeria needs to invest in technology that can jumpstart business initiatives, create jobs, and strengthen the nation’s global competitiveness. Investing in technology is an ideal way to do this as it can offer solutions that are cost-effective while also allowing companies and individuals to be more productive. By investing in the right technologies, Nigeria can increase productivity while also creating new opportunities that will help create jobs and increase economic growth. Additionally, new technologies will provide access to up-to-date information on global trends that can influence decision-making in Nigeria’s business sector.

Through increased access to digital resources, businesses can become more competitive by exploring new technologies and developing innovative solutions for their problems. As more people gain access to technology, they can become part of a larger network that can help drive economic growth throughout Nigeria. Technology investment is truly one of the best ways for Nigeria to bring about its economic recovery, so exploring these possibilities is key.

The Benefits of Investing in Technology

Making investments in technology is a practical and sensible way to contribute to Nigeria’s economic recovery. According to recent reports, countries that have invested in technological infrastructure have seen quicker rising incomes, increased productivity and competitiveness, and access to new markets. Such investments can not only lead to more efficient use of resources and improved business operations but can also help create new jobs, stimulate economic growth, reduce poverty and inequality, and improve the country’s overall standard of living.

By investing in technology, Nigeria will be better positioned to confront the challenges of an increasingly digital economy. For example, adopting information-ready digital services such as online banking and online stores could increase the efficiency of financial transactions and make business transactions smoother for both customers and businesses. Similarly, investing in blockchain technology could help facilitate secure data exchange as well as fast transfers of digital money across borders with minimal costs or delays.

is a media executive.

Ultimately, investing in technology is a great opportunity for Nigeria’s economic recovery. It can

create new revenue streams for businesses as well as open up access to new markets. Plus it can help build an environment of digital trust that encourages innovation and collaboration amongst the country’s citizens.

Challenges

in Implementing Technology

Investment in Nigeria

You might not know it, but there are a few challenges to investing in technology for Nigeria’s economic recovery. Here are a few of the most significant ones:

Cost of Accessing and Implementing Technology

The cost of acquiring and implementing technology, particularly advanced technology, is usually quite high and could be a barrier to just starting. This cost could include the set-up cost of the hardware and software needed, as well as maintenance costs associated with that hardware and software. This can be an especially difficult challenge for smaller businesses that do not have big budgets to allocate resources for technology investments.

Limited Infrastructure

The lack of reliable infrastructure in some parts of Nigeria can also be an obstacle when it comes to investing in technology. This can include a lack of access to power sources or the internet, which could inhibit the success of some technological investments as they may be useless without either one or both.

Lack of Skilled IT Professionals

The lack of skilled IT professionals in Nigeria is another challenge when it comes to investing in technology; companies often struggle to find qualified personnel who can effectively manage their IT investments and keep them up-to-date with current technologies. This can lead to companies having difficulties getting the most out of their technology investments or having difficulty training employees on how to properly use those technologies.

Potential Solutions to Facilitate Investment in Tech

When it comes to solutions for Nigeria’s economic recovery, investing in technology is one of the top contenders. Technology is one of the most important and powerful tools in this day and age and can be applied to a wide range of solutions. It can drive innovation and create opportunities for businesses, help governments make more informed decisions, and provide individuals with access to improved services.

By investing in technological solutions, Nigeria can stimulate its economy by:

Utilizing automation to drive efficiency: Automation technologies such as robotics and artificial intelligence reduce manual labor costs, increase process accuracy and speed up production output.

Investing in startups: Local startups can create job opportunities, facilitate the growth of local businesses, and encourage foreign investments into the country.

Investing in education: A highly educated workforce is essential for any successful economy. By investing in educational initiatives such as coding boot camps, universities, or tech incubators, Nigerian leaders can ensure that the local population has adequate skillsets to enable them to take advantage of new technologies.

Promoting innovation: Nigeria should focus on promoting innovative research and development initiatives as well as encouraging entrepreneurs to come up with new ideas that can help solve existing problems and bring positive outcomes.

By investing in these technology solutions now, Nigeria will be well-prepared to capitalize on future opportunities. With an educated workforce, innovative solutions, and a thriving startup culture backed by sustainable investment strategies, Nigeria’s economic future looks bright indeed!

Ismaheel Taofeeq Adisa is a Public Policy Analyst.

Abuja residents lament rising food prices amidst fuel, naira scarcity

By Abubakar Y. Ojimaojo

Prices of food items have continued to rise in Bwari, FCT, amidst the fuel and naira scarcity, leaving residents groaning under intense hardships.

According to residents on Friday, foodstuff prices have continued to rise unabated as against the drop in prices in states and rural areas.

Talatu Danjuma, a tomato seller at the Bwari market, said that the commodity price had risen quickly, with a basket now selling for N16,000 as against N5000 and N6000.

Ms Danjuma attributed the hike to the high cost of transporting goods from the farms due to fuel scarcity.

Naira Scarcity: Fraudsters becoming more creative, NDIC warns bank customers

By Abubakar Y. Ojimaojo

Amid nationwide naira scarcity and growing efforts by Nigerians to use electronic means to pay bills and do other transactions, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has warned bank customers and the public against displaying their bank details, saying fraudsters are becoming more creative.

The NDIC, on its official website on Friday, gave out four tips for bank customers to safeguard their accounts.

The corporation said customers should ensure that their phones have a password, and they must not share their mobile bank application password with anyone.

NDIC also warned bank customers to ensure their token was secure and other parties could not access it.

The corporation urged customers to ensure that their debit card numbers and the card verification value (CVV) were not made public.

Blessing Yohanna, a yam seller, expressed worry that the naira scarcity was affecting her business. Most of the transactions were now cashless, and traders in rural areas would not accept electronic transfers.

“About N30,000 of my money is still hanging due to network issues surrounding transfers. Five tubers of yams which we used to sell for N2,500, now go for N3000 because we have to include POS (Point of

Sale) charges,” Ms Yohanna said.

Another resident, Philip Abang, condemned the exorbitant charges by the POS operators, describing it as “outrageous.”

Mr Abang said, “Queues are on the increase daily in banks and filling stations, situations that are seriously affecting businesses.

I thought the Supreme Court’s pronouncement on the return of the old notes of N500 and N1,000 was going to alleviate

our plight in this country. It is unfortunate that people are still rejecting the old notes, and the new money is not in circulation up till now.”

He appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime to take urgent steps to tackle the challenges and save the masses.

“I have to be at the bank by 4:00 a.m. to pick a number in order to get cash. It is that bad,” Mr Abang said.

A survey also revealed that

foodstuff prices have gone a little higher or remain static.

A bottle of palm oil previously selling for N100 now costs N1200. A bag of rice, however, still costs between N37,000 and N45,000 depending on the brand or if it is local or foreign.

A cup of melon (egusi) now costs N400 instead of N300, a crate of eggs is now N2,500 instead of N2,200, and a kilo of beef now goes for as much as N3,500.

Court bars Seplat Energy CEO from management

AFederal High Court in Lagos Wednesday issued an interim order restricting the Chief Executive of Seplat Energy, Roger Brown, from everyday running and management of the company.

The court also restricted Mr Brown’s proxies, agents and privies from managing the company until a decision is reached on a motion by some stakeholders on notice for interlocutory injunction.

The petitioners involved are Moses Igbrude, Ajani Abidoye, Sarat Kudaisi, Robert Ibekwe and Kenneth Nnabike who prayed the court to grant an order restraining the chair of the directors’ board, Basil Omiyi, and all independent non-executive directors of Seplat Energy from running the company’s affairs “in an illegal, unfairly, prejudicial and oppressive manner pending the hearing and determination of the petitioners’ motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.”

The plea was granted,

according to copies of court documents obtained by Nigerian online Newspaper Justice Chukwuejekwu Aneke, the presiding judge, adjourned the lawsuit to 23 March, 2023, when the hearing of the pending application is due to commence.

Meanwhile, the petitioners made a separate request for an order forbidding Seplat Energy and its chairman from retaining Mr Brown as the company’s CEO or allowing him to serve in any other role within the firm.

The petitioners presented to the court exhibits including a letter directed to the minister of interior, stating allegations of racism, discrimination, favouritism and breach of corporate governance against the Seplat CEO.

Another letter from Rauf Aregbesola, Nigeria’s minister of interior, showing the ministry’s resolution of the petition, was also part of the exhibits.

Mr Aregbesola had on 3 March written Mr Omiyi, apprising him

activities

of the revocation of Mr Brown’s work permit, visa and residence permit as well as of a petition from a lawyer to some aggrieved Seplat Energy employees, bringing some allegations against Mr Brown.

“These accusations include racism, favouring foreign workers, and discriminating against Nigerian employees. Testimony was received from several witnesses, which supported the allegations,” the letter said.

“Mr. Roger T. Brown declined to attend despite two invitations, claiming to be unavailable even though we learnt he was in Abuja for other purposes at the time,” it added.

Seplat Energy Plc in its reaction Thursday debunked reports that the work, visa and residence permit of Mr Brown was withdrawn by the Ministry of Interior.

“Seplat Energy wishes to refute the false allegations against Mr. Brown, which have

been presented to the Ministry of Interior and the public by certain petitioners, and which have not been brought to the attention of Mr. Roger Brown or Seplat Energy for a reaction,” the oil and gas company said in a Thursday notification to the Nigerian Exchange.

It stated further it plans to contact the ministry with a view to rejecting the perceptions the reports have created, noting that the claims are a malicious response to the implementation of corporate governance standards in the company by the board.

The statement issued on the authorisation of the chair of the directors’ board, Mr Omiyi, disclosed that the CEO has earned for himself over the last ten years an unsullied reputation for leadership and service in the company.

His records prompted the board to pass a vote of confidence on him on 8 March, 2023, it added.

Abia guber: Obi has no agreement with Ikpeazu –LP candidate Otti

By Christiana Ekpa

Ahead of the March 18 governorship election, Alex Otti, the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Abia State, has rubbished claims that his party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, had an agreement with Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to support the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Okey Ahiwe, in the state.

Speaking on a television programme, Otti said that there was no such agreement, adding that Obi is a man of honour.

According to Otti, Obi would be in Abia to campaign for him ahead of the governorship election.

He said “I know for a certainty that there was no such agreement, and I know Peter Obi very well, I had known him for details, and I know him as a man of honour, and he cannot enter into a fraudulent agreement.

“Let’s assume without conceding that there was such an agreement with Okezie Ikpeazu. The question to ask is how well did he implement the agreement because for you to deliver somebody, you must deliver yourselves first and in that election, he failed. He came third in his senatorial race. Abaribe came first, my candidate Chinedu came second by the result declared by INEC, and Okezie came a distant third.

“So if he could not deliver himself, how can he claim that he was the one that delivered Peter Obi? Mr Peter Obi was delivered by Labour Party and the Obidients in Abia State, which doesn’t include PDP. So I will just say it is the cry of a man that is drowning. Peter Obi, bearing all problems that have to do with his litigations, will be in Abia and he will campaign for us.

“So there was no such agreement. He would have loved that agreement to hold. Let me ask them, Okezie Ikpeazu is a member of the G5; what happened to their leader [Wike] in Rivers State, who he supported? So my understanding is that the G5 supported the APC candidate [Bola Tinubu], so to that extent, he cannot come to reap where he did not sow.”

Real reason I didn’t support Obi, Igbo presidency – Wike

By Musa Baba Adamu

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has said he did not support the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi overtly at the February 25 election because nobody discussed Igbo presidency with him.

Publicity Secretary of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, stated on Friday in Enugu that Wike made the declaration at a meeting the sociopolitical group had with him in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

Ogbonnia stated that at the meeting, Ohaneze Ndigbo confronted Wike over his alleged role against Obi during the presidential election.

He stated that Gov. Wike expressed surprise that Ohanaeze was on a fact-finding mission and would explain his role in the presidential election.

According to Ogbonnia, the Rivers governor explained that the Southern Governors Forum first met at Asaba and agreed that power must shift to the South after

President Muhammadu Buhari.

He also explained that the governors later met in Enugu in September 2021 to reaffirm their position for power to shift to the South.

He stated that throughout the meetings, “the issue of presidency to the Southeast was never on the table.’’

Wike also explained that throughout his political adventure, he tried as much as possible to maintain the position of the Southern governors.

Wike expressed disgust that during the PDP presidential primary election, several wellknown people of the Southeast betrayed him and sabotaged the Southern interest by voting for a candidate from the northern part.

He added that his unalloyed commitment to the South motivated him “to provide logistics for Obi when he was in Rivers for the presidential campaign’’.

Wike noted that conversely, he refused to provide even a campaign ground for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate

of his own Peoples Democratic Party.

The governor further stated that “what is circulating in the social media is the handiwork of Wike adversaries.’’

“I am a man with the courage of my convictions and have no

reasons to tell lies or to owe an apology to anyone.

“I am always ready to defend my actions any day and at any time, and I did not rig the presidential election against Obi,’’ Ogbonnia quoted Wike as having said.

Zamfara guber poll: PDP Deaf Supporters root for Central Zone candidate

By Musa Baba Adamu

The secretary to the Peoples Democratic Party Deaf Supporters (PDS), Yusuf Gusau has faulted Zamfara State’s political setup.

Speaking in Gusau, the Secretary lamented that Zamfara Central zone has never produced a governor in the state since 1999

when Nigeria regained democracy from the military.

According to him, in 1999, Zamfara West produced Governor Ahmed Yarima, while Zamfara North produced Governor Mahmuda Aliyu Shinkafi in 2007.

Both governors Abdul Aziz Yari and Bello Matawalle also came from Zamfara West, he noted.

Gusau enjoined the Zamfara electorate to balance the political equation by voting Dr Dauda Lawal Dare of PDP in the forthcoming governorship election in the State.

“We expect that the next governorship election will produce a governor from the Zamfara Central zone,” he added, citing Sokoto State as a model example where the governorship

position was shared fairly from 1999 to date.

“Governor Attahiru Bafarawa came from Sokoto East and governed the state from 1999 to 2007; Aliyu Wamakko came from Sokoto Central and governed between 2007 to 2015, [and now] Governor Waziri Tambuwal from Sokoto South has been in office from 2015,” he stated.

Abia guber: ADC candidate, Onuoha vows civil action on SDP candidate, Ogbuneke

By Christiana Ekpa

The gubernatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Abia State, Bishop Sunday Onuoha has reacted to the accusation of bribery and falsehoods levelled against him by the Social Democratic Party (SDP), flagbearer, Apostle Ngozika Gladys Johnson-Ogbuneke.

Recall that SDP candidate, Johnson-Ogbuneke had on Wednesday, said she would not step down for any candidate of another political party, warning Onuoha, the Abia

Labour Party(LP) gubernatorial candidate, Alex Otti; and that of the Action Peoples Party,(APP), Mascots Uzor-Kalu; to refrain from spreading lies against her and focus on their campaigns.

She said “If they love Abia State, I challenge them to do like Zaccheus (Luke19:1-13) and return to Abia State treasuries all the looted monies that they have taken out.

“Let the people of Abia State see them truly for who they are. Your ugly propaganda cannot work, be stuffed with your dirty ill-gotten wealth.

“Ngozi Abia will not step

down for no one. Abia State shall be greatly built up indeed in Yeshua’s might name. Amen”.

But the Abia ADC gubernatorial flagbearer, Bishop Onuoha, in a statement on Thursday, frowned at the libellous publication credited to Gladys Johnson-Ogbuneke, demanding a retraction within 24hrs.

Onuoha partly stated “I have worked so hard to have a very clean name. And I pray, you make a public statement either to own or disown what is trending right now.

“I have forwarded the document to you but you have

not made any response up till now.

“This is my third time raising my displeasure over a publication credited to you that has damaging content on my person.

“I have equality called and your staff picked my phone and promised that you will return my call.

“I also have called you and you promised to call back.

“At this point, I give you 24hrs to retract your publication against me or else I will take necessary measures that will address my concern in a civilized manner”.

Governor Nyesom Wike

Weekend MagazineEntertainment

International Women’s Day: Tiwa Savage attends reception at the Buckingham Palace

Nigerian international superstar Tiwa Savage joined other dignitaries for a reception in celebration of International Women’s Day 2023 at Buckingham place.

Women around the world were celebrated on 8th March 2023 which is preserved as International Women’s Day. Proverbs 18:16-17 - A man’s gift maketh room for him, And bringeth him before

great men,” the caption reads.

International Women’s Day: International women’s month serves as a global reminder of the invaluable contributions of women in society. It also encourages society to choose equity and give women equal opportunities.

The celebration kicks off on March 8 and runs throughout the rest of the month.

IWD: Mercy Johnson spends special day with nurses

Nollywood actress, Mercy Johnson Okojie, joined several nurses in a rural region to commemorate International Women’s Day.

She participated in the commemoration of the day designated as a focal point in the campaign for women’s rights, raising attention to problems like gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women, together with millions of other women all around the world.

She uploaded a video of her visit to a hospital, where she was greeted warmly by a number of nurses who surrounded her. The young women were beaming as they talked to the mother of four, laughed together, and posed for a few photos.

She emphasised the value of nurses in the community. She captioned the video, “We are women….A Woman Full circle and within us is the power to create, nurture and transform…. Happy International Women’s Day….”

The hatred for me is too much –Desmond Elliot cries out (Video)

It would be recalled that in 2020 during the #EDNSARS protest, Desmond Elliot received heavy backlash after a video of him speaking during a plenary session of the Lagos state House of Assembly saw him refer to Nigerian youths as children.

This comment did not sit well with most Nigerian youth who have been dragging him since the incident in 2020, Although Desmond Elliot apologized for the comment he made, it appears the past has come back to haunt him.

During a recent interview on Your View, “Let’s Talk”, Desmond Elliot apologized again adding that he made the comment on emotions. He further cried out that the hatred meted on him is too much. He disclosed that he goes out on the street and gets verbally attacked all the time.

BBTitans: Thabang says life is peaceful without Yemi and Nelisa

Following the shocking double eviction on Sunday night, Thabang says life in the house is now peaceful. Speaking with Tsatsii, the South African housemate revealed that he is now experiencing peace with Yemi Cregx and Nelisa gone.

He talked about how hard it was to speak with one housemate without another getting offended.

o prove his point, he gave examples of Nelisa getting jealous if he spoke with Olivia and how Yemi used to get angry when he spent time with Khosi.

Prior to her eviction, Nelisa and Thabang were in a willthey-won’t-they situation. He said that he does not mind Nelisa doing what she wants as long as she does not make an issue out of anything he does. Nellisa admitted to caring about him and that the things he does bother her.

Apart from Nelisa, Thabang has gotten a lot of attention from other female housemates including Olivia and Khosi.

Verify authenticity of information before posting –Yul Edochie urges Nigerians ahead of elections

Nollywood actor Yul Edochie has urged Nigerians to verify the authenticity of information on the elections before posting online.

According to the actor who doubles as a movie producer, a lot of people post on social media without verifying the source of the information and how authentic the information is especially during elections.

Yul Edochie mentioned that there is a lot of fake news flying around because people sit in their homes

and fabricate stuff for the internet and post. He has warned Nigerians to desist from such acts ahead of the gubernatorial elections.

“Any information you see about the election, pls confirm the authenticity before you post or repost. So much fake news flying around. Some people sit in their homes, create stuff & post it as news. Such could set our country ablaze. Pls, verify before posting or reposting.”

Nigerian born music manager stabbed to death in UK

Nigerian born music manager was stabbed to death after celebrating his birthday with a designer watch worth up to £300,000, a London court heard.

The Old Bailey heard that Emmanuel Odunlami, 32, was attacked by three robbers after leaving the Haz restaurant near St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London on May 1, 2022.

They were allegedly informed by a security operator, Kavindu Hettiarachchi that Odunlami was wearing a Patek Philippe Nautilus watch worth between £90,000 and £300,000 if genuine.

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson KC stated that Hettiarachchi was a vital member of the security team hired by the event’s organizer, Playhxuse, for the private ticketed brunch and afterparty with DJ.

“It was part of his role to protect the safety of those, like Odunlami, who were attending the event. In fact, he did the opposite,” the court was told.

The victim, known to friends as Jay, had driven to the city in his grey hatchback Mercedes on the day of his death to celebrate his birthday with friends, having purchased tickets for a £1,400 table.

As the event came to an end around 11 p.m.,

Hettiarachchi was caught on camera filming outside the venue and calling Louis Vandrose, according to Dailymail.

The court heard that Vandrose and Jordell Menzies were then driven by Quincy Ffrench in a white Mercedes with altered number plates from north west London.

The Prosecutor said: “The evidence shows that Vandrose, Menzies and Ffrench were setting off in a car with a disguised registration in order to carry out a robbery, and their target was at the Haz restaurant where Hettiarachchi was working, and to which by phone he had summoned them.’’

IWD: Cogs in the wheel of Nigerian women’s rise

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

As Nigeria joined the rest of the in celebrating women, several challenges belouding women in the country were revealed.

Interestingly, the challenges were raised by prominent international nongovernmental organizations.

Specifically, UNICEF, said the number of adolescent girls and women aged 15-49 years who are undernourished has soared from 5.6million since 2018 to 7.3 million in 2021 in Nigeria, which is among the 12 hardest hit countries by the global food and nutrition crisis, a new global report revealed.

It said, 12 countries – including Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen – represent the epicentre of a global nutrition crisis that has been increased by recent impacts of COVID-19 and exacerbated by the war in Ukraine and ongoing drought, conflict, and instability in some countries.

The report, a Global Nutrition Crisis in Adolescent Girls and Women – issued ahead of International Women’s Day – warned that the ongoing crises, aggravated by unending gender inequality, are deepening a nutrition crisis among adolescent girls and women that had already shown little improvement in the last two decades.

“This nutrition crisis is pushing millions of mothers and their children into hunger and severe malnutrition,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Without urgent action from the international community, the consequences could last for generations to come.”

According to the report – an unprecedented and comprehensive look at the state of adolescent girls’ and women’s nutrition globally – more than one billion adolescent girls and women suffer from undernutrition (including underweight and short height), deficiencies in essential micronutrients, and anaemia, with devastating consequences for their lives and wellbeing.

In Nigeria, 55 per cent of adolescent girls and women suffer from anaemia while nearly half of Nigerian women of reproductive age do not consume the recommended diet of at least 5 out of 10 food groups (grains and tubers, pulses, nuts and seeds, dairy, meat, poultry and fish, eggs, dark green leafy vegetables, other vitamin A rich fruits and vegetables, other vegetables and other fruits) according to the 2022 National Food Consumption and Micronutrient Survey.

Inadequate nutrition during girls’ and women’s lives can lead to weakened immunity, poor cognitive development, and an increased risk of life-threatening complications –including during pregnancy and childbirth –risking mother’s lives, also, with dangerous and irreversible consequences for their children’s survival, growth, learning, and future earning capacity.

For example, in Nigeria, 12 million children under 5 are stunted, meaning they are too short for their age due to malnutrition. Of those, about half become stunted during pregnancy and the first six months of life, the 500-day period when a child is fully dependent on maternal nutrition, according to a new analysis in the report.

“To prevent undernutrition in children, we must also address malnutrition in adolescent girls and women,” Russell added.

According to the report, South Asia and sub-Saharan African remain the epicentre of the nutrition crisis among adolescent girls and women, home to 2 in 3 adolescent girls and women suffering from underweight globally, and 3 in 5 adolescent girls and women with

anaemia. Meanwhile, adolescent girls and women from the poorest households are twice as likely to suffer from underweight as those from the wealthiest households.

Global crises continue to disproportionately disrupt women’s access to nutritious food. In 2021, there were 126 million more food insecure women than men, compared to 49 million more in 2019, more than doubling the gender gap of food insecurity.

In Nigeria, the 2022 Cadre Harmonise analysis published by the government shows that 17 million Nigerians are suffering from acute food insecurity, and this is likely to increase to 25 million in lean season this year (FMARD, 2022)

Since last year, UNICEF has scaled up its efforts in the countries hardest hit by the global nutrition crisis, including in Nigeria. with an acceleration plan to prevent, detect, and treat wasting in women and children.

The report calls for governments, development and humanitarian partners and donors, civil society organizations and development actors to transform food, health and social protection systems for adolescent girls and women by:

• Prioritising adolescent girls’ and women’s access to nutritious, safe and affordable diets, and protecting adolescent girls and women from ultra-processed foods through marketing restrictions, compulsory front-of-pack labelling and taxation.

• Implementing policies and mandatory legal measures to expand large-scale food fortification of routinely consumed foods such as flour, cooking oil and salt to help reduce micronutrient deficiencies and anaemia in girls and women.

• Ensuring adolescent girls and women in low- and middle-income countries have free access to essential nutrition services, both before and during pregnancy, and while breastfeeding, including ante-natal multiple micronutrient supplements.

• Expanding access to social protection programmes for the most vulnerable adolescent girls and women, including cash transfers and vouchers to improve girls’ and women’s access to nutritious and diverse diets.

Accelerating the elimination of discriminatory gender and social norms such as child marriage and the inequitable sharing of food, household resources, income and domestic work.

“To ensure a better future for our children, we must prioritize the access of adolescent girls and women to nutritious food and essential nutrition services. The nutrition crisis is deepening among them, and urgent action is needed from all partners including the government of Nigeria and the international community. We cannot afford to overlook this crisis, and we must work together to transform food, health and social protection systems for adolescent girls and women”, said Cristian Munduate, UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative.

Also, Save the Children International (SCI) Nigeria has called on all stakeholders to draw attention and interest towards the celebration of women across all spheres of life, especially the girl-child who have surmounted hurdles and societal stereotypes to reach their full potential.

The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) is, “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”.

Save the Children in a statement issued on Wednesday said the theme is peculiar to the wave of women in technology as seen in the digital space today.

According to the UN Women, 22 per cent of women are workers in the artificial intelligence world globally. “This posits a huge gap between

genders and affects gender equality in terms of access to digital technology.”

Save the Children International strongly supports the need for equity for men and women, boys and girls in schools, homes, offices, businesses, innovations and political space.

It said the opportunities available for women, particularly the girl child must be backed up with policies, strategies and structures that will ensure she excels.

Khadija Bappa Badamasi, SCI Nigeria Girl Champion from Yobe State said, “I want to live in a world where education is an instrument that is capable of correcting inequality in any society. I want to live in a world where early and forced marriage is eradicated. I want to live in a world where there is no discrimination against women and children. I want to live in a world where no child is left behind. Hence, I would like to call upon policy makers to enhance efforts to ensure that gender equality is a reality on the digital space as well.”

Etukudo, Utibe-Abasi Dominic, Girl Champion from Cross River State said, “A girl has the same rights as a boy, including for information technology, education, social treatment, and basic necessities. We will continue to advocate for our rights as human beings, not as girls! We deserve to live to our full potential and have fair and equal treatments and opportunities in life and we will make sure of this through orientation and reorientation with the safe access and proper use of information and communication technologies.”

Ramatu Umar-Bako, Senior Gender Equality, and Inclusion Adviser at Save the Children International Nigeria said, “we can only make progress in the conversation about equality when we embrace equitable concepts, take concrete steps to address diversity and ensure inclusive policies.”

Save the Children International (SCI) Nigeria called upon the government and all stakeholders to advance opportunities and ensure the needed resources to attain women’s access and safety on the digital platforms. “With this, girls will not only have equality but also enjoy equity to be outstanding. All hands must be on deck to champion innovations and excellence through digitalized education. This means advanced software for curriculums, digitalized classrooms, training and workshops, and transformative and accessible networks that compete with world standards. Women need more freedom of expression digitally without fear of trolls, cyber violence, abuse or bullying, the women should be empowered to exercise their skills in technology and digitalization with well-thought-out policies and laws that favor them, void of discrimination, biases and gender stereotype.”

Amanuel Mamo, Director of Advocacy, Campaigns, Communications and Media, Save the Children International Nigeria said “for us at Save the Children, equality means ensuring that all human beings – women, men, girls, and boys – are considered equal and are treated equally. We shall continue to pursue our dream of a world where all girls and boys are equally heard and valued. Women and girls must be able to engage, create, learn and work, safely and productively either online or offline, making the most of all the opportunities in every sphere of life and at every stage of it, in education, in the economy, in society and in politics.”

Therefore, SCI called upon governments, donors, partners, the international community, and key stakeholders to support the efforts of turning digital platforms to safe and accessible space for women, girls, and translate commitments into reality in prioritizing the empowerment of women and girls, including

on the online platforms.

On his part, President Muhammadu Buhari has recognized the invaluable role women have played in advancing the progress of the country since independence.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, stated this in a statement Tuesday to mark the 2023 edition of IDA.

The President, Adesina said, saluted the hardwork and dedication of Nigerian women working tirelessly and achieving results in different fields of endeavor, from those sacrificing daily in the markets and farms to train the next generation of leaders, to those breaking limits in education, sports, medical field, arts, entertainment and even in politics, where they are still largely under-represented.

The President is proud to have worked and associated with some of Nigeria’s brightest women in his cabinet, government and the international community, the statement noted.

“He thanks the amazons who have served meritoriously as partners in the progress witnessed on the political, economic and social fronts.

“He notes that, against all obstacles, these women in leadership positions have delivered in a society still largely dominated by men.

‘President Buhari welcomes the contributions of role models and women who have demonstrated that through hardwork, dedication and honesty, greatness can be achieved.

“He pledges the commitment of government to promoting gender equality, respect for the rights of women and working conscientiously to remove all barriers that prevent Nigerian women from realising their universal rights.

“On the theme of IWD 2023, “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”, President Buhari believes that his administration has leveraged on the creation of a ministry dedicated to digital economy to promote the importance of digital skills, innovation and entrepreneurship for the girlchild.

“As Nigeria builds on the successes of the digital economy sector, which is the most successful in the diversification of the nation’s economy, and the Start-up Act, which creates endless opportunities to Nigerians in the technology space, the President trusts that women and girls in the country will have access to equal opportunities, live their dreams and contribute immensely to the development of the country,” the said.

Pauline Tallen

NEWS ANALYSIS

Postponement of Guber/State Houses of Assembly polls: A blessing or curse?

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

Since the last Wednesday’s Court of Appeal’s approval of the request of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC’s) to reconfigure the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) ahead of the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections, it was apparent/obvious that the postponement of the two polls was inevitable.

Hours before the formal confirmation of the postponement, by one week, of the two elections came ,there had been loads of speculations over same.

The online media were awashed with the report of the shift, even when there hadn’t been official confirmation of same by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The social media too did not lag behind in the speculation. The rumour mill was agog.

The two elections were initially scheduled to hold on Saturday, March 11, this year, two weeks after the conduct of the presidential and National Assembly elections.

Speculations had been rife over the likelihood of the postponement of the two elections, long before their eventual rescheduling.

One of the things that fueled that speculation was the issue of configuration of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machines that were used for the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had on Monday, approached the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, praying it (the court) for approval to reconfigure the BVAS machines.

The moment the approval was given on Wednesday, 8th March, 2023, it was almost certain that the elections will be rescheduled.

Reason is that it will take few days for the machines to be reconfigured to be in sync with the conduct of the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.

Shortly after the INEC approached the Court of Appeal for the approval to reconfigure the BVAS machines, it will be recalled that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had raised the alarm that the move was a ploy to destroy and erase evidence of its rigging of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election.

The PDP, at a press conference addressed by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba in Abuja, specifically frowned at a motion filed by INEC at the court of Appeal requesting that it (the commission) be allowed to reconfigure the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machines with a view to wiping out relevant information that “our party and candidate require to prosecute our case at the Presidential Election Tribunal”.

The party noted with regrets that the action of INEC was intended to frustrate the desire of Nigerians to get redress through the court, describing it as “a clear recipe for crisis and a deliberate design by the Commission to derail the democracy and trigger anarchy in the country”.

The action by INEC, according to the party, was vexatious, provocative and only points to the impunity and culpability of the Commission

with regards to the reported manipulations and alteration of results “to deny our party and its candidate their victory at the Presidential election”.

The party stressed that the move by INEC further validated the fact that PDP and it’s presidential candidate won the February 25, 2023 Presidential election, based on the actual votes cast at the Polling Units.

According to Ologunagba, “Late Monday at 10: 10 pm, INEC, in a desperate move to prevent our party and candidate from obtaining necessary evidence as ordered by the court, filed a motion requesting that it be allowed to reconfigure the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and wipe out relevant information that our party and candidate require to prosecute our case at the Presidential Election Tribunal.

“This reprehensible action by INEC to frustrate the desire of Nigerians to get redress through the court is a clear recipe for crisis and a deliberate design by the Commission to derail our democracy and trigger anarchy in the country” he said.

However, on Wednesday night, the Professor Mahmood Yakubu+led INEC announced the postponement of the governorship and State Houses of Assembly by one week.

The elections, earlier scheduled to hold next Saturday, March 11 will now take place next week Saturday, March 18.

In a statement signed by one of its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Barrister Festus Okoye in Abuja, INEC explained that the decision was taken to ensure that there is adequate time to back up the data stored on the over 176,000 BVAS machines from the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on 25th February 2023 and then to reconfigure them for the Governorship and State Assembly elections.

The statement by Okoye reads, “Following today’s ruling by the Presidential Election

Petition Tribunal (EPT) on the reconfiguration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) used for the Presidential election held on 25th February 2023, the Commission met to assess its impact on the Commission’s preparations for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, 11th March 2023.

“Nigerians would recall that on 3rd March 2023, the Presidential EPT (Election Petition Tribunal) had given an ex- parte order for some political parties to inspect materials used for the Presidential election, including the forensic inspection of over 176,000 BVAS used in the election which are located in INEC LGA offices across the country.

“The Commission approached the Tribunal to reconsider the order, given that the BVAS Systems were to be deployed for the Governorship and State Assembly elections and that the lack of a clearly defined timeframe for the inspection could disrupt the Commission’s ability to conduct the outstanding elections.

“For instance, the BVAS can only be activated on the specific date and time of an election. Having been used for the Presidential and National Assembly elections on 25th February 2023, it is necessary to reconfigure the BVAS for activation on the date of the Governorship and State Assembly elections.

“While the ruling of the Tribunal makes it possible for the Commission to commence the preparation of the BVAS for the Governorship and State Assembly elections, it has come far too late for the reconfiguration to be concluded.

“Consequently, the Commission has taken the difficult but necessary decision to reschedule the Governorship and State Assembly elections which will now take place on Saturday 18th March 2023.

“By this decision, campaigns will continue until midnight of Thursday 16th March 2023 i.e. 24 hours before the new date for the election.

“This decision has not been taken lightly but

it is necessary to ensure that there is adequate time to back up the data stored on the over 176,000 BVAS machines from the Presidential and National Assembly elections held on 25th February 2023 and then to reconfigure them for the Governorship and State Assembly elections.

“This has been the practice for all elections, including the period when the Commission was using the Smart Card Readers.

“However, we wish to reiterate that the Commission is not against litigants inspecting election materials. Consequently, it will continue to grant all litigants access to the materials they require to pursue their cases in court.

“We wish to reassure all political parties and candidates that the data from the Presidential and National Assembly elections will be backed up and available in INEC cloud facilities, including the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV). Political parties can apply for Certified True Copies of the backend data of the BVAS. Also, the results on the BVAS will continue to be available on the IReV for interested parties to access.

“We thank Nigerians and friends of Nigeria for their understanding as we continue to deal with these difficult issues and navigate these challenging times”, the statement concluded.

While the rescheduling of the two elections may be a blessing in disguise for the various governorship and State Houses of Assembly candidates to continue their campaigns for an additional one week, some believe that the shift would amount to an additional expenses on their parts.

Whichever way the postponement of the two elections is looked at, the only way the move can be deemed to be justified and worthy is for INEC to give Nigerians free, fair, credible, transparent and generally acceptable elections that would be devoid of acrimony, hues and cries as currently being witnessed under the presidential election.

Mahmood Yakubu

Tambuwal

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UMAR

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CLUB 99

Biography

Sir Ahmadu Bello: A true hero!

Sir Ahmadu Bello, popularly known as the Sardauna of Sokoto is arguably one if not the most politically powerful man to have walked the northern Hemisphere of Nigeria. The Sardauna of Sokoto was a reputable statesman, a focused politician, and a well-admired and loved diplomat. He is a descendant of the famous Islamic Cleric and Jihadist, Usman Dan Fodio who founded the Sokoto Caliphate.

Early Life of The Sardauna

Ahmadu Ibrahim Bello was born in the city of Rabah, on June 12 1910 to the family of Mallam Ibrahim Bello. His father held the title of Sarkin (king of) Rabah. He was from the early age of four Islamically educated at home, where he learned the Qur’an, Islamic jurisprudence, and the Prophetic traditions which were expected as a descendant of the great Sheikh Muhammad Bello, son of Dan Fodio.

Education

After his homeschooling, at the age of eleven, he then attended Sokoto Provincial School and afterward the then Katsina Teacher’s Training College (now Barewa College, Zaria). During his school days, he was popularly known as Ahmadu Rabah. He graduated in 1931 and subsequently became (appointed by the sultan) the English teacher in Sokoto Middle School. Like the majority of other northern royals, he is an accomplished horseman.

Early political Activities

In 1934, the Sardauna was made the District Head of Rabah by the then Sultan, Hassan dan Mu’azu, who succeeded his brother. In 1938, Ahmadu Bello was promoted to the position of the Divisional Head of Gusau (present Zamfara State capital), thus making him a well-standing member of the Sultan’s council.

At a very young age of 28, in the year 1938, After the demise of Sultan Hassan dan Mu’azu, he attempted to become the Sultan of Sokoto but was not successful, losing to Sir Siddiq Abubakar III (his first cousin) who reigned till his death in 1988.

As Sir Siddiq Abubakar III, the new Sultan assumed the seat of power, he immediately made Sir Ahmadu Bello the Sardauna (Crown Prince) of Sokoto, a chieftaincy title, and promoted him to the Sokoto Native Authority Council, noticing he commanded a high morality and intellectuality. These titles by default made him the Chief Political Adviser of the Sultan.

The Sardauna of Sokoto was eventually put in charge of the Sokoto Province to oversee its 47 districts and by the year 1944, he had returned to the Sultan’s Palace to work as the Chief Secretary of the State Native Administration, which meant he held the traditional Islamic title of Sardauna as well as a British Colonial Office. This appointment was in line with the British Policy of indirect rule.

Involvement with The Northern People’s Congress

In the 1940s, sir Ahmadu Bello joined the Jam’iyya Mutanen Arewa party, which later became the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) in 1951. After

his appointment as the Chief Secretary of Native Administration, he traveled to England on a government scholarship to study Local Government Administration, which broadened his understanding and knowledge of the western form of governance.

After Sardaunan Sokoto’s returned to Nigeria in 1952, in the first-ever held elections held in Northern Nigeria he secured a seat in the House of Assembly of the Northern region of the country, and when there was a new constitution that came into being, he was appointed as an Executive minister of Survey and Works. He was also minister of Works, Local Government, and Community.

As a member of the house of assembly, he became a prominent voice for northern interests and adopted a style of consulting and consenting with the major representatives of the then northern emirates; Kano, Borno, and Sokoto. He was also selected to be a part of the committee that redrafted the Richards Constitution and he attended the general conference in Ibadan.

His participation in the assembly and the constitution drafting committee brought him much appreciation and admiration in the north and was asked

to take on leadership positions within Jamiyya Mutanen Arewa.”

Two years after his appointment as minister, the Sardauna of Sokoto became the first and sadly the only Premier of the North, being the leader of the Northern People’s Congress, the ruling party at the time.

In 1959, during the independence elections, the Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello led the NPC to win the majority of the parliamentary seats. The NPC allied with the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) led by Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, forming Nigeria’s first indigenous government which led to Nigeria gaining its independence from Britain.

During the formation of the 1960 independence government, Ahmadu Bello, the president of the NPC, was by default supposed to be the Prime minister of the newly formed government. But the Sardauna had other plans than leading the newly formed independent government, he chose to remain Premier of Northern Nigeria and redirected the position of Prime Minister of the Federation to his deputy of the NPC, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

Achievements of Sir Ahmadu Bello Sardauna

Ahmadu Bello’s many political accomplishments include; establishing the Northern Regional Development Corporation (NRDC), which subsequently became the Northern Nigeria Development Corporation (NNDC), the Bank of the North, the Broadcasting Company of Northern Nigeria (BCNN), and the Nigeria Citizen Newspapers.

The Sardauna saw the North as far less developed; structurally as well as economically than the South, and he argued that the North needed to catch up and a matchup with the South for the sake of national harmony hence his policy of Northernization.

His leadership characteristics were a mishmash of religious, traditional, and modern values and his obligation in colonial and post-independence Nigeria was performing these different roles in the northern region.

He made it a major priority of his that the North would be at par politically and economically with the Western and Eastern regions.

Sardauna’s Death and Assassination

On the 15th of January 1966, Sir Ahmadu Bello was assassinated by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu a Nigerian Army officer in a coup that toppled Nigeria’s post-independence government. Before the coup d’etat, he had received warnings from the Premier of the Western Region Samuel Akintola, and Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun.

He was still the premier of Northern Nigeria at the time.

This was the first coup in the history of Nigeria, which catapulted the rise of a series of military reigns and coups in the country’s politics. Also assassinated in the coup was his long-time friend and deputy, Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa alongside many other notable political elites in the north and western region of the country.

Ahmadu Bello’s Legacy, Honours, and Awards

During his lifetime, he had received a lot of honours and awards, including honorary doctorate of Law from UNN (University of Nigeria Nsukka) in December 1961 and an honorary degree from the University of Al-Azhar in Cairo in 1962. He was made a Knight of the British Empire (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1959 just before the colonial rule came to an end.

He established the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1962, the second largest University in Africa, which was named after him. He was the University’s first Chancellor. The 200 Nigerian naira carries his portrait.

Sir Ahmadu Bello also has several roads named after him in almost all states in northern Nigeria. The stadium in Kaduna is also named after him. His residence in Kaduna where he lived, is now a center of Research and Historical Documentations under Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.

Source: northpad.ng

Sir Ahmadu Bello

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International Hamburg shooting: Seven killed in attack on Jehovah’s Witness hall

Seven people, including an unborn baby, have been killed in a shooting at a Jehovah’s Witness meeting hall in the German city of Hamburg, police say.

They say the gunman acted alone in Thursday’s attack, and later took his own life. His motives are unknown.

The suspect, named only as Philipp F, is said to have had “ill feelings” towards the religious community, of which he had previously been a member.

Video has emerged appearing to show him firing through a window of the hall.

At a briefing on Friday, the police said four men and two women were shot dead. All the dead were German nationals.

Eight people were injured, four seriously. A Ugandan and a Ukrainian were among those hurt.

A woman who was seven months pregnant was shotkilling her unborn baby. The mother survived.

The first emergency call came at 21:04 local time (20:04 GMT) on Thursday, to report that shots had been fired in the building on Deelböge street, Gross Borstel district, the police said.

Officers were on site four minutes later, and they were almost immediately joined by special forces. The officers had to break windows to enter the building where about 50 people had gathered.

The suspect - described as 35-year-old “sports shooter” who had a gun licence - had fled to the first floor. His “lifeless body” was found shortly afterwards.

He had managed to shoot nine magazines of ammunition, and 20 more were found in his backpack.

German Senator Andy Grote said “fast and decisive actions” by police officers had saved many lives. He also described the attack as the “worst crime” in Hamburg’s recent history.

Police confirmed that they had previously received an anonymous tip-off that raised concerns about the perpetrator’s mental health. Officers had visited him after the tip-off - but did not have enough grounds to take away his gun at the time.

Gregor Miesbach, who filmed the gunman shooting through a first-floor window, told the Bild newspaper: “I didn’t realise what was happening. I was filming with my phone, and only realised through the zoom that someone was shooting at Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“I heard loud gunshots... I saw a man with a firearm shooting through a window and filmed it,” he said.

Lara Bauch, a 23-year-old student who lives nearby, told the DPA news agency that “there were about four bursts of gunfire - several shots were fired in each burst - with gaps lasting roughly 20 seconds to a minute”.

She said that from her window she could see a person frantically running from the ground floor to the first floor. “The man was wearing dark clothing and moving fast,” she added.

An alert was sent on the federal warning app, NINAwarn, on Thursday evening telling locals that “one or more unknown perpetrators shot at people in a church”.

Local residents were told not to leave their homes amid the ongoing police operation. Footage showed police escorting people out of the meeting hall, some to ambulances.

A bomb disposal unit was also deployed

The reasons behind the shooting were “still completely unclear”.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described it as a “brutal act of violence”, saying his thoughts were with the victims and their relatives.

In a statement, the Jehovah’s Witness community in Germany said it was “deeply saddened by the horrific attack on its members at the Kingdom Hall in Hamburg

after a religious service”.

Forensic experts in white suits worked through the night inside the brightly lit interior of the meeting house.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are members of a Christian-based religious movement, founded in the US at the end of the 19th Century.

In its latest report from 2022, the movement says there are about 8.7 million Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide, including about 170,000 in Germany.

In the city of Hamburg, there are believed to be nearly 4,000 members of the organisation.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are probably best known for their door-to-door evangelical work; witnessing from house to house and offering Bible literature.

Although Christian-based, the group believes that the traditional Christian Churches have deviated from the true teachings of the Bible, and do not work in full harmony with God.

Germany has some of the strictest gun laws in Europe, including a clause that anyone aged under 25 must pass a psychological evaluation before getting a gun licence.

In 2021, there were around one million private gun owners in Germany, according to the National Firearms Registry. They account for 5.7 million legal firearms and firearm parts, most of them owned by hunters.

After mass arrests were made last December in relation to a suspected plot to overthrow the government, the German authorities are planning to tighten the country’s gun laws even further.

Sunak and Macron summit: UK to give £500m to help France curb small boat crossings

The UK will give France almost £500m over three years to help stop migrants crossing the Channel in small boats.

The cash was announced at a summit in Paris between UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and President Emmanuel Macron, who said France would also contribute.

The money will go towards an extra 500 officers and a new detention centre in France, but this will not be fully operational until the end of 2026.

The UK had planned to pay France around £63m this year to tackle the problem.

This new package appears to at least double that amount, with the UK pledging £120m in 2023-24.

France will also step up its funding of enforcement but has not said by how much.

Labour’s shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry accused the Conservatives of “lurching from one crisis to another with nothing more than their typical

sticking plaster politics”.

“Before Rishi Sunak sends even more money to the French authorities to tackle this crisis, he needs to explain what was achieved by the hundreds of millions we’ve given them before, and why small boat crossings continued to go up regardless.”

Mr Macron praised the joint efforts of UK and French teams working to reduce small boat crossings.

Speaking at a press conference with Mr Sunak at the Elysee Palace, he said the team had prevented 30,000 small boat crossings and made 500 arrests in the past year.

Mr Sunak said the money would help “put an end to this disgusting trade in human life”.

He added: “Working together, the UK and France will ensure that nobody can exploit our systems with impunity.”

Mr Sunak said the new deal agreed by the two leaders will see 500 extra French law enforcement officers using “enhanced

technology” such as drones to prevent Channel crossings.

The money will also go towards a new detention centre in France, adding to the 26 already in existence.

Downing Street said the detention centre would allow more migrants “to be removed from the French coast”.

Mr Sunak has made stopping the boats one of his key pledges for his government.

However, if the centre is completed on that timetable it would not fully functioning before an election is due in the UK, which can be held no later than January 2025.

Both men said the summit in Paris marked a new beginning in Anglo-French relations.

Mr Macron said it was a “moment of reconnection” while Mr Sunak described the meeting as an “entente renewed”.

The French leader had no qualms about putting his finger on what he thought had led the relationship into difficulties in

recent years - Brexit.

Between the lines of his statement, that was a criticism of Mr Sunak’s three predecessors as UK prime minister and the tensions all have had with the EU.

During their press conference, the two leaders presented a strong sense of comradery - Mr Macron addressed “dear” Rishi, who in turned thanked “mon ami”, and the briefing concluded with an embrace.

However, it is clear this meeting was just the start of something more cooperative - a small step, no more.

A group of migrants brought to Dungeness in Kent, after being rescued by the RNLI

Last year saw a huge increase in the number of people trying to get the UK by crossing the English Channel in small, often flimsy boats.

For Mr Sunak, this is a domestic political issue.

At the start of 2023, he said tackling small boats was one of

his priorities. He needs to see a reduction in boats reaching the UK in order to fulfil his pledge.

Mr Macron also wants to see the movements reduced - but for him the issue is one that has broader implications.

He wants European countries to look at the routes people take to reach western Europe.

Earlier this week, Mr Sunak unveiled a new Illegal Migration Bill.

Under the plans, anyone found to have entered the UK illegally would not only be removed within 28 days, but also be blocked from returning or claiming British citizenship in future.

Mr Sunak argues his new plan was “designed to break the business model of the criminal gangs and remove the pull factors, bringing them to the Channel coasts”.

However, the bill has been fiercely criticised by some charities and the UN’s refugee agency. It is also likely to face legal challenges.

Source: BBC

Forensic experts worked at the scene through the night

People (Check On Me), a tender cry for help that captured her at a crushing low point, has been streamed more than 150 million times since December.

It’s been number one for eight weeks on the UK’s Afrobeats chart. This Friday, it’s poised to enter the official Top 10 - a first for an artist from Cameroon.

“My whole life changed in a matter of hours,” says the singer. “I woke up in the morning and things had just flipped over.”

If you’ve heard People, you’ll know it from the hook alone.

“I’ve been drinking more alcohol for the last five days... Did you check on me?” sings the 22-year-old, her voice melancholy and mellifluous over a simple music box accompaniment.

The lyrics discuss her experience of the rare mood disorder cyclothymia, which causes emotional ups and downs that are similar to, but less extreme than, those of bipolar disorder.

She wrote the song last November, after throwing a Thanksgiving party where she “felt invisible”.

“I’d been at a low point of my life for at least two weeks and I was just like, ‘I can’t take any more of this’,” she explains over the phone from Paris.

“There were self-harmful thoughts, over-thinking, really anxious - a bunch of things going on in my head.”

While her friends were celebrating, Libianca spent much of the night crying in the bathroom.

When she came downstairs, no-one noticed her puffy red eyes. No-one asked how she was. They simply offered her a drink.

“I felt like I was drowning in it and nobody could see me and I just needed some help.

“So I decided, you know what? Let me just go in the studio, because I feel better whenever I’ve done something productive. That helps me.

“I wasn’t expecting for People to come out. It’s just how I was feeling. I couldn’t write about anything else.”

‘This song has been my best friend’

Retreating to the studio in her Minneapolis home, her feelings flooded out unfiltered.

The hook, she says, is the “raw truth” about her drinking. For days, she’d been consuming tequila and Ouzo with wine chasers in an attempt to blot out her depression.

“Whenever I was drunk, I didn’t feel sad, so why not just drink some more?” she recalls.

“Clearly, after a few days, I was like, I can’t keep going like this. I can’t keep waking up every morning hung over.”

“Right now I have the opportunity to show the rest of the world this is what I’m capable of.”

But the key to the song is the repeated refrain of “did you check on me?” It’s a post-pandemic plea to ask your friends how they’re really coping.

“After Covid, I feel like a lot of people became isolated. And no matter what anybody is going through, if you ask them, ‘How are

From the depths of despair, Libianca created a song that changed her life

you doing?’, the first thing they’re going to say is, ‘I’m fine’. It’s an automatic response.

“And I think what People is doing is breaking that [spell] and helping people to be more vulnerable and say, ‘I’m not doing well. I really need a hug from you right now’.

The reaction has been overwhelming.

One fan commented under People’s YouTube video: “As I’m going through my fourth panic attack of the day.... This song just makes me feel like I am not the only one.”

“This song has been my best friend for the past few weeks,” wrote another, who said Libianca’s music had comforted her after losing a child.

The comments page is full of similar stories. Encouragingly, it’s also full of strangers offering support and consolation.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” says Libianca, “because it’s really helping people get the support they need.

“And it helped me as well, because my friends didn’t know that’s how I was feeling when I recorded that song.”

Near death experience

The message has resonated globally. People is at number three in India, number five in

New Zealand and number one in Nigeria.

For Libianca, it’s the culmination of more than 10 years as a musician, and a vindication after a stint on the US version of The Voice in 2021.

Libianca chose country star Blake Shelton as her mentor on The Voice US

She was born Libianca Kenzonkinboum Fonji in St Paul, Minnesota, but left the US for Cameroon when she was four. Her mother was “going through some issues with immigration”, she explains, and decided to leave

before being deported.

Settling in Bamenda, she started singing around the age of six, exercising her vocals “in church, in the boarding school, in chapel”.

“Music was a huge part of everything.”

The family moved back to Minnesota when she was a teenager and, although she harboured musical dreams, her parents encouraged her to pursue medicine and become a registered nurse.

“I can’t blame them,” she laughs. “Parents work so hard to come to this country and give us

opportunities, and music is a big risk.”

Even so, her mother paid for voice lessons and guitar tuition, while her father briefly acted as her manager.

To keep them happy, she took a number of jobs while writing in her spare time.

The worst experience was in a nursing home where, while taking residents out for a swim day, she was accidentally pushed underwater, lost her footing and almost drowned.

“Luckily, somebody saw me and jumped into the pool to pull me out,” she recalls.

Tunisia migrants: False content goes viral on social media

False and misleading social media videos about migrants from sub-Saharan Africa in Tunisia have been widely shared amid a wave of anti-migrant sentiment in that country.

President Kais Saied of Tunisia said migration was a “plot” to change the country’s demographic profile, and Ivory Coast and Guinea have begun repatriating their nationals due to fears for their safety.

We’ve looked at several videos circulating online that claim to show African migrants in Tunisia, nearly all of which are actually filmed elsewhere.

Migrant protests not in Tunisia

One of the videos, with millions of views, is labelled in Arabic: “Tunisia under occupation”. Another one says: “Tunisia has become the kingdom of Africans.”

But the event shown happened in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.

This is clear from a distinctive obelisk, which can be seen at one point as the person filming moves around. It’s in the Place de l’Obélisque in the Senegalese capital, visible on Google Maps.

In addition, the Senegalese flag can be seen, and we’ve confirmed that the language heard is Wolof, a Senegalese national language.

We traced the event back to an opposition protest held in Dakar in June 2022, video of which can be seen here.

Traffic chaos not caused by migrants

There are other TikTok videos falsely claiming that street protests involving African migrants are happening in Tunisia.

One widely shared example shows groups of people who appear to be from sub-Saharan Africa confronting drivers and bystanders on a busy road with cars at a standstill.

Some of the comments on this post point out that it’s not Tunisia, but Morocco, and we’ve confirmed that from clues in the video.

A red car seen at one point has a sign on the roof which reads “small size” in Arabic, which is a feature of red-coloured taxis in the Moroccan city of Casablanca.

Although the rear number plate can’t be seen clearly, it does have an initial five digits, which is what you would expect on Moroccan plates.

We also checked the dialogue heard at one point, and some of the Arabic spoken has an accent unique to Morocco.

These migrants not heading for Tunisia

Another recent video shared on TikTok shows groups of men walking across open desert with the caption: “A large number of sub-Saharans crossing the desert towards Tunisia.”

However, we’ve found an earlier TikTok post featuring a longer

version of the same video. It was posted in September 2022 by a man recording his journey travelling away from Algeria, after he was forced to leave.

The later video has been zoomed in slightly and has writing obscuring parts of the image, but all the same characters appear in the same groups wearing the same clothes, including a man with a striped pink and white bag balanced on his head.

Thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa were expelled from Algeria last year, according to aid agencies.

In another video posted by the same man, he says he’s arrived in Bamako, the capital of Mali, which would have involved an arduous journey south across the Sahara desert.

Migrants not arriving in armoured vehicles

It is captioned in Arabic: “The Africans are also armed.” One of the Arabic hashtags below says: “Africans in Tunisia”.

However, we’ve identified an earlier posting of this same video, saying it’s filmed in Sudan, and there are elements in the video that back this up.

There’s a shop along the roadside with the sign “Tappco”, an oil and lubricant company based in Sudan.

We can also see a white, red and green emblem on the door of one of

the passing vehicles, which are the colours of the flag of Sudan.

We have managed to match this to the insignia on uniforms worn by special forces in the Sudanese military. The red berets and white belts worn by the soldiers are also known to be worn by some units in Sudan’s armed forces.

And a final clue - one of the shop fronts in the video has the word “rakshat” in Arabic, a distinctively Sudanese description for rickshaw taxis.

Old footage of airport incident

In some cases, video has been taken out of context to garner sympathy for the plight of subSaharan Africans in Tunisia.

One example is a Twitter post of an incident at a Tunisian airport, in which a man is involved in a fracas and is being restrained by airport staff and security personnel.

This incident did happen in Tunisia, but as some of the comments on the post point out, it’s from July 2022.

It was reported on by several news outlets at the time, including in the UK. So it’s not from the current wave of anti-migrant feeling.

But the broader context is that there have been cases of harassment and assault against migrants from sub-Saharan Africa in Tunisia, leaving many fearing for their safety.

Source:: BBC

The singer grew up in Bamenda, Cameroon, before moving to the US

Feature

Donald Trump: His four biggest legal problems

Donald Trump is under investigation for everything from his handling of top secret documents to alleged payments made to a former adult film star - and he is facing numerous lawsuits as well.

It can be difficult to keep track of the investigations, so here’s four that could have the biggest impact on him both personally and politically.

What’s being investigated?

Prosecutors in New York are investigating alleged hush money payments made on Mr Trump’s behalf to Stormy Daniels, a former adult film star who went public with claims the pair had an affair.

Mr Trump denies they had sexual relations.

Meanwhile, the business practices of his family company, the Trump Organization, is being examined by prosecutors.

Letitia James, the New York attorney general, is leading a civil investigation (which cannot result in criminal charges) and has spent years looking at whether the company committed various acts of fraud over several decades.

The years-long criminal investigation, meanwhile, is being led by the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and is looking at similar issues.

What has Trump said?

A member of his legal team told the Associated Press that there was no legal basis for the Stormy Daniels case and he did not believe prosecutors had made a decision on charges.

Separately, the former president and his lawyers have insisted the allegations against the Trump Organization are politically motivated.

Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised both Ms James and Mr Bragg.

So how serious is it?

In the Stormy Daniels case, Mr Trump, has been invited to testify to a grand jury. Experts suggest this indicates he could soon face criminal charges, but it is not clear what these could be.

If prosecutors proceed it would be the first criminal case ever brought against a former US president.

The criminal Trump Organization investigation has already yielded convictions. The company was found guilty in December of fraud and falsifying business records and fined $1.6m (£1.31m).

In the civil case, Ms James has filed a lawsuit against Mr Trump and three of his children accusing them of “astounding” fraud and deception.

The lawsuit alleges that the family inflated their net worth by billions, and is seeking $250m (£226m) that was allegedly

obtained through fraudulent means. It’s also seeking bans on Mr Trump and his children from serving in a leadership role in any New York business.

The case will be decided by a Manhattan judge later this year.

What’s being investigated?

The Department of Justice is looking into the removal of government documents from the White House, which were then taken to Mr Trump’s Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, after he left office. Investigators are assessing how these documents were stored and who may have had access to them.

The former president’s sprawling beachside property was searched in August and 11,000 documents were seized including around 100 marked as classified. Some of these were labelled top secret.

Unsurprisingly, we know very little about what’s in the documents at this stage. But classified material usually contains information that officials feel could damage national security if made public.

What has Trump said?

He’s denied wrongdoing and criticised the justice department’s investigation, branding it “politically motivated” and a “witch-hunt”.

He has offered shifting defences which have mostly hinged on the argument that he declassified the material. No evidence has yet been provided that this is true.

The former president has also argued that some of the documents are protected by “privilege” - a legal concept that would prevent them from being used in future proceedings. An independent lawyer is reviewing the seized material to determine if this is the case and that process continues.

But Mr Trump has not directly addressed the key question of why the documents were at Mar-a-

Lago in the first place.

So how serious is it?

This is an active criminal investigation and could result in charges being filed.

Among other statutes, the justice department believes Mr Trump may have violated the Espionage Act by keeping national security information that “could be used to the injury of the United States”.

And as well as charges relating to the classified documents themselves, prosecutors are also looking at obstruction of justice as another potential crime.

Mr Trump’s team are now locked in a legal battle with the justice department over the investigation.

The department has appointed an independent lawyer, or special counsel, to oversee all of its criminal investigations into Mr Trump. Jack Smith will lead its various inquiries and will ultimately decide whether to bring charges.

What’s being investigated?

Mr Trump’s alleged role in the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, when a mob of his supporters stormed the building in an effort to stop the confirmation of President Joe Biden’s election victory, is under scrutiny from several federal government bodies.

The most visible has been a congressional committee that spent 18 months looking into Mr Trump’s actions. They held a

series of televised hearings laying out their case that his election fraud claims led directly to the riot.

Following these hearings, the committee accused Mr Trump of inciting insurrection and other crimes.

The justice department is running a separate criminal probe into 6 January and broader efforts to overturn the election - but this has largely been shrouded in secrecy. It’s the largest police investigation in US history, but the extent to which Mr Trump is a target is unclear.

What has Trump said?

He’s denied responsibility for the riot and criticised the congressional committee, which he described as a “kangaroo court” and “unselect pseudo-committee”.

He has continued to repeat his unsubstantiated allegations of widespread voter fraud.

So how serious is it?

The congressional committee - made up of seven Democrats and two Republicans - concluded its hearings by recommending four criminal charges against Mr Trump which it then referred to the justice department.

The move was largely symbolic as it is up to the department to decide whether to file criminal charges. There is no indication this is imminent.

Media caption,

Watch the moment Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol building

The justice department’s criminal probe, however, has already led to hundreds of people who stormed the Capitol being charged.

The former president has not been called for questioning in that inquiry, but it remains a possibility. He could also - in theory - be charged if investigators believe there is sufficient evidence of wrongdoing.

What’s being investigated?

Prosecutors spent eightmonths looking into alleged attempts to overturn Mr Trump’s narrow loss in the state in the 2020 presidential election.

The criminal investigation was opened after the disclosure of an hour-long phone call between the former president and the state’s top election official on 2 January 2021.

“I just want to find 11,780 votes,” Mr Trump said during the call to Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger - a reference to the number of ballots needed to give him victory in the swing state.

A grand jury investigating the case was dissolved earlier this year after filing a final report which remains sealed.

What has Trump said?

He’s described the investigation - as he has many others - as a “witch hunt”.

Mr Trump has also attacked the legal official leading the inquiry - the chief prosecutor of Fulton County, Fani Willis - as a “young, ambitious, Radical Left Democrat... who is presiding over one of the most Crime Ridden and Corrupt places”.

So how serious is it?

“The allegations are very serious. If indicted and convicted, people are facing prison sentences,” Ms Willis told the Washington Post last month.

The 26-member grand jury did not have indictment powers but may have recommended charges. Among the potential crimes it looked into were the solicitation of election fraud, making false statements to government officials, and racketeering.

It is not known whether the former president is being directly investigated, but some of his allies are known to be part of the inquiry.

For a criminal conviction, however, prosecutors would ultimately need to prove beyond reasonable doubt that those involved knew their actions were fraudulent.

In January, a prosecutor working on behalf of Fulton County said the district attorney’s office believes the report should only be released after prosecutors determine whether or not to bring charges.

Source: BBC

“ The Department of Justice is looking into the removal of government documents from the White House, which were then taken to Mr Trump’s Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, after he left office.

The tighter three horse race for Benue guber

Fom Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

The Governorship election in Benue State is expected to be a fierce battle. It is said that when two elephants fight, it is the grass that usually suffers.

This will be the scenerio on Saturday 18th March, 2023 as the electorate troop out to the over 3000 polling units in 276 wards in the State.

The Presidential/National Assembly election threw up some issues which will go a long way to decide the Governorship polls. It is expected that the election will witness a larger turn out compared to the Presidential/ National Assembly election where out of 2.7 million registered voters in the State, 804,189 were accredited to vote. This is so, because, every politics is said to be local. The people are concerned about what affects them directly.

The battle for the State plum seat is expected to be a three horse race, the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP and Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Engr. Titus Tyoapine Uba, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia of the All Progressives Congress, APC and Herman Iorwase Hembe of the Labour Party. LP. Incidentally, two of them, Uba and Alia hail from the same local government area(Vandeikya) while Hembe is from Konshisha. But it should be noted that all of them are from the same Jechira axis of the State where the second civilian Governor of the State, the late Rev. Fr. Moses Orshio Adasu who had a short spell also hailed from.

While Hembe and Uba may have an edge over Fr. Alia on grounds that they have garnered adeguate experience as Federal and State legislators to govern the State, the priests enjoy more popularity than the two. He has served as Church administrator in rural and urban communities where he worked closely with the people and impacted positively on their lives.

Also, while Hembe who

has served as the House of Representatives member for Vandeikya/Konshisha Federal Constituency for more than three terms, has made appreciable achievements in his constituency which inspired him to contest as well as the belief that it should be the turn of the youth to govern the State, same cannot be said of the Speaker who cannot really boast of any achievement apart from his loyalty to the Governor Ortom who has enjoyed absolute, rancor-free cooperation from the ninth Assembly in the State.

Hembe’s projects are scattered in his constituency where Alia also comes from. He is expected to make a strong showing and outing there. The Labor Party, LP revolutionary movement seeping wide like a hurricane across many states of Nigeria could be kind and smile at him. In this race, he is seen as the dark horse and pretender who may spring a very big upset.

Uba and the PDP would have to struggle really hard to make an impact in this election. His emergence as the flagbearer of the party from an array of seasoned and popular aspirants from Jechira axis was stunning to many party faithfuls. Though his loyalty to Governor Ortom who stood stoutly behind him was the main factor. And he has pledged to sustain the legacies of the Governor especially in upholding the anti-open grazing law. His blue print tagged ‘Soil as Oil focuses on security and agriculture. He has also, promised to boost the agricultural sector through mechanized, commercial farming as a way of sustaining the status of the State as ‘Food Basket of the Nation’.

However,many political observers in the State see Uba as one who has been docile especially in discharge of his duty as number three citizen of the State. The House of Assembly which he presides over has remained inactive in discharging its responsibility as check of the Executive particularly in the area of non payment of salaries,

pension and gratuities which is an albatross of the PDP government. On most occasion,the pensioners staged a protest to the Assembly to ventilate their grievances but rather than listen to them, the Uba led House chose to appropriate money and dine with the Executive.

So, based on the above, Benue people may not have confidence in Uba to lead the State to eldorado. But then, the PDP will give it last kick in this election.

Addressing newsmen recently, the State PDP chairman Isaac Mffo said the party will be vigilant during the Governorship election even as he dispelled rumors that the party candidate stepped down from the race.

“The rumour is a lie fabricated by agents of opposition political parties which are afraid of facing our candidate at the coming polls, and it should be disregarded in totality as our candidate is not just still in the race but far ahead in the lead and most favoured to win and succeed Governor Samuel Ortom at The People’s House, Makurdi come May 29th, 2023”, Mffo said confidently.

Hitherto, to the Gubernatorial election, Governor Samuel Ortom and the PDP held several meetings at Government House to appraise their npoor outing during the Presidential/ National Assembly election with a view to getting it right. For the party, it is fight to the finish as it would not want to relinquish power to the All Progressives Congress,APC.

For the All Progressives Congress, APC Governorship candidate Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, his road to this stage has been bumpy. He had to survive three (3) primaries and numerous court cases that followed it which culminated at the Apex court of the land, the Supreme Court. The clergy man support base in the State is a ‘revolutionary movement’ as the Benue people especially the ruralities see him as a face of change. They have confidence in him

to develop the State. And this Father recoqnizes and clearly encapulsated in his 7 points development plan with main thrust on security, agriculture, health, job creation,economy etc.

He is highly favored to win the Guber election particularly as his party APC is still basking in the euphoria of their overwhelming victory at the Presidential/National Assembly election where they won two (2) Senate and 10 House of Representatives séats leaving only one Senator and House of Representatives seat to the ruling PDP.

5he APC realizes that their opponent cannot go to any length to get victory and raised an alarm of plot by PDP to manipulate the election.

In Press statement signed by APC Publicity Secretary Daniel Morgan Ihomun dated entitled PDP PLOT TO VENT THEIR ANGER AND FRUSTRATION ON BENUE PEOPLE, SEEK TO RIG GOVERNORSHIP AND STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS, the party claimed it gathered credible intelligence that the PDP, iplanned to visit mayhem on the good people of Benue state, members of the APC, perceived enemies and rig the forthcoming Governorship and State Assembly Election in Benue State.

He alleged that a secret meeting was held recently, in Government house where they planned to totally boycott BVAS, influence the reposting of INEC Staff (Polling Officers, Collation Officers and returning Officers), create violence in APC strongholds, engage in vote buying and use members of the recently established Community Volunteer Guards to instigated crisis in border communities, to whip up anti-Fulani and religious sentiments amongst the people for political gain.

The opposition party urged INEC to put modalities in place to check incidences of non-use of the BVAS during the Gubernatorial and State Assembly election in Benue State.

Titus Tyoapine Uba Peoples’ Democratic Party,PDP

Herman Iorwase Hembe Labor Party, LP

Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, All Progressives Congress, APC

SPORTS

Paris 2024: Olympic Eagles now to host Guinea’s U23 team in Abuja

By Albert Akota

Nigeria’s U23 boys, Olympic Eagles will now host their Guinean counterparts at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Wednesday, 22nd March, in the final round of qualifiers for this year’s Africa U23 Cup of Nations.

The game was earlier scheduled for the

Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan the same day.

To reach this stage of the series, the 1996 champions defeated the Tanzania U23 team 3-1 on aggregate in October 2022, winning 2-0 at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan after both teams stalemated the first leg in Dar es Salaam at 1-1.

The winner over two legs between Nigeria

and Guinea will advance to the finals of the Africa U23 Cup of Nations scheduled to be hosted by Morocco later in the year. It is also at the tournament in Morocco that Africa’s flag bearers at next year’s Men’s Olympic Football Tournament in Paris will emerge.

The return leg against the Guineans will be in Morocco on Monday, 27th March.

Bauchi FA board members pass vote of no confidence on Chairma

Aleadership crisis has engulfed the Bauchi State Football Association (BFA) as four Board members passed a ‘Vote of no Confidence’ on the Chairman of the Association, Patrick Paschal, a former Nigerian international footballer.

The Four Board members led by Usman Abass Shehu while briefing Journalists at the NUJ Press Center thereby announced his removal as Chairman replacing him with the Vice Chairman, Adamu Umar Madachi as Acting Chairman.

The Four Board members indicted Patrick Paschal of “high headedness, exclusion and breaching of many

provisions of the Statute of the Association”.

They accused him of running the Association as his personal property as he has refused to call for a general Congress since they were elected in June 2019.

They also accused him of not carrying other members along in the running of the affairs of the Association citing examples with a few competitions he singlehandedly organized claiming that it was done by the FA after he had initially informed them that it was sponsored by Prof Suleiman Bogoro and later an unnamed Naval Officer.

While reacting to the development, Patrick Paschal dismissed his purported

removal as a joke and the figment of the imagination of the four board members.

According to him, “They said that they removed me, I am presently in the office working. Those four board members have been removed during a Congress we had yesterday (Wednesday). The Congress is above any person.”

He boasted that nobody can remove him as the Chairman of the Association without following the due process laid down in the Statutes of the Association.

Patrick Paschal dismissed all the allegations against him describing them as baseless and unfounded stressing that they cannot be substantiated.

Barcelona charged with corruption over payments to former referees’ official

Barcelona have been charged with corruption over payments the club made to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, a former vice-president of Spain’s referees’ committee.

Last month it emerged that Barca have paid Negreira and a company he owns a reported total of 8.4m euros (£7.4m) between 2001 and 2018.

A Barcelona court heard on Friday that Barca, former club officials and Negreira had been indicted for “corruption”, “breach of trust” and “false business records”.

These lawsuits, brought by the Barcelona public prosecutor’s office, target the club, as well as former presidents Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sandro Rosell.

“FC Barcelona obtained and maintained a strictly confidential verbal agreement with Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira so that, in his capacity as vice-president of the technical arbitral committee (CTA) and in exchange for money, the latter carries out actions tending to benefit FC Barcelona in decisions by the referees,” said the public

prosecutor’s office.

La Liga chief executive Javier Tebas said last month that current president Joan Laporta should resign if he was unable to explain the payments.

Laporta responded by saying he will not give Tebas “what he’d like by stepping down” and the charges come three days after Laporta insisted his club had “never bought referees”.

“Let it be clear Barca have never bought referees and Barca have never had the intention of buying referees, absolutely never,” he said on Tuesday.

How did we get here?

The payments, revealed last month by radio station Ser Catalunya, came to light following an investigation by tax authorities into Negreira’s company Dasnil 95.

Barcelona made payments to the company totalling a reported 1.4m euros (£1.2m) between 2016 and 2018, and paid Negreira, 77, about 7m euros (£6.2m) between 2001 and 2018, the year he left his role with the referees’ committee.

Barca acknowledged the club had paid Dasnil 95, which it described as “an external technical consultant” to compile video reports related to professional referees “with the aim of complementing the information required by the coaching staff”.

It added that contracting the reports was “a habitual practice among professional clubs”.

The affair escalated when 18 of the 20 La Liga clubs issued a statement to express “deep concern” over the situation, and Laporta said the club would launch an internal investigation into the payments.

Barcelona coach Xavi, who won eight La Liga titles with them as a player between 1998 and 2015, said he had no knowledge of the payments and never had the feeling his team had any advantage.

“Ia always wanted to win, but fairly. If I thought we were cheating I’d have gone home,” he said after Barca’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the Europa League last month.

Tyson Fury v Oleksandr Usyk: Undisputed fight unlikely to happen next, says Usyk’s promoter

The undisputed heavyweight fight between Briton Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk is “unlikely to happen next,” according to the Ukrainian’s promoter.

London’s Wembley Stadium was booked for 29 April but Alex Krassyuk says Fury has priced himself out of the bout.

Krassyuk says a 60/40 split to the winner was rejected by Fury and Usyk could instead face Daniel Dubois next.

“I don’t think Fury and Usyk will fight in April - or even next as Usyk has his mandatory obligations,” he said.

Fury, 34, is the WBC champion and the 36-year-old Usyk holds the WBO, WBA and IBF belts.

Speaking to BBC Sport, Krassyuk added: “Unless Queensberry [Fury’s promoters] somehow win a jackpot lottery and have enough money to pay Tyson’s demands, it is very unlikely to happen.”

Queensberry Promotions’ Frank Warren, who represents Fury, said a decision on the fight “will be decided by this weekend”.

On Friday, Fury posted on his social media channels offering a

70/30 split.

“From every day from today that you linger or mess around, I’ll deduct one percent from the 30 per cent,” he added on Instagram.

Usyk - a former undisputed cruiserweight champion - has won all 20 professional bouts, while Fury has 33 victories and one draw on his record.

‘Usyk won’t give up on road to greatness’

A potential Fury-Usyk contest to crown the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the four-belt era was close to being finalised.

Saudi Arabia was understood to be the frontrunner as host, but the new Jeddah Stadium could not be completed in the timeframe required by both champions.

Wembley Stadium was then provisionally booked and Krassyuk joined Warren on 15 February at Arsenal’s home Premier League game against Manchester City to continue negotiations.

“Everyone was on board,” said Krassyuk. “The only thing that was pending was Tyson Fury’s

consent, which is still pending.”

Krassyuk added a 50/50 split was initially agreed, but then Fury increased his demands and later rejected an offer which would see the winner take a larger purse.

“We haven’t heard anything from Tyson that would be the evidence of his real intention to take part in the fight in London,” he said.

“Even if Tyson says today he was stupid and has realised he’s doing bad things for the fight and says let’s fight on April 29, it will still take a certain amount of time to fix the paperwork.

“Only a small passage of time will be left for promotion. A fight this big needs to be given time to promote - it is not likely.”

Fury’s team believes even if a deal cannot be agreed for April, the undisputed fight can still happen later this year once each fighter has faced their mandatory challengers.

There has not been an undisputed heavyweight fight since 1999 - and no champion in the four-belt era.

“The fight we still want is Tyson for the undisputed,” Krassyuk added. “It’s Usyk’s

objective. His purpose is to go through all the challenges in the training camp and have four belts around his arm.

“I visited him at his training camp and spent quite good time there. He’s relaxed, it’s his normal state of mind.

“Whatever comes, he’s grateful to get it. He might be a bit disappointed, but he won’t throw in the towel and give up on his road to greatness.”

As unified champion, Usyk may now be required to defend against mandatory challengers and Dubois is first in line, said Krassyuk.

Warren, who also promotes Dubois, will push for the Londoner to fight Usyk next - should the Fury contest fall

through.

The 25-year-old has won 19 fights and lost one. Dubois beat American Trevor Bryan in June last year to win the ‘regular’ heavyweight title and then stopped Kevin Lerena in the third round in December, despite being floored three times in the first.

Undefeated Briton Joe Joyce - who beat Dubois in 2020 - is the WBO’s number one-ranked challenger, while Croatia’s Filip Hrgovic is mandatory for Usyk’s IBF title.

The WBC is yet to confirm Fury’s next mandatory. It was due to be the winner of Deontay Wilder’s fight with fellow American Andy Ruiz Jr, but there are doubts that bout will happen.

Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury went face-to-face after Fury's win over Derek Chisora in December

Joan Laporta was elected as Barcelona president for a second time in March 2021 having previously held the role from 2003-2010

Atiku’s desperate faux pas

Apublic protest has three main objectives, namely, to a) air in the public space grievances or wrongs done to groups of persons, b) seek public sympathy for the cause for which the protest becomes necessary and c) force a course of action to be taken to redress the alleged or perceived wrongs done to the protesters.

Public protests are part of the democratic freedom. They are staged as part of the fundamental exercise of the people’s right to say no to actions or decisions or the contemplation of same by governments and employers of labour. They are ready weapons in the hands of trade union leaders.

On March 6, PDP surprised the nation when it chose that path in its struggle to reverse the victory of the president-elect, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu of APC. The PDP presidential candidate, Waziri Atiku Abubakar, the national chairman of the party, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, the vice-presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa, led other leaders and members of the party to storm INEC headquarters in Abuja to protest the alleged loss of the people’s mandate by Abubakar.

This, we cannot deny. Their right to stage the protest was fully guaranteed by our laws and the constitution. The constitution presumes that the freedoms and the rights it grants citizens will be exercised responsibly. They must not degenerate into a licence. The public protest by the party was not exactly a responsible exercise of the freedoms and the rights not to accept the result of the presidential election. It was an attempt to rouse the rabble – not always a wise course of action because of its inherent potential to go wrong with the rabble always primed to vent their pent up frustrations. Such protests are strange for political parties because they have avenues for making their case or cases.

The PDP protest was a farce. It was anarchic. The decision to stage it was naïve and childish and a deviation from the democratic norms and, we cannot say it loudly enough, foolish. It must be condemned. It failed the basic test of both leadership and statesmanship. A public protest, as we have seen time and again, often degenerates into breaches of the peace. Abubakar and Ayu have no reasons to resort to it. Both of them have a responsibility far beyond winning an election. As statesmen, each in his own right, they too bear the onerous and sacred responsibility of deepening our democracy and helping to cure the nation of its affliction as an atomistic society permanently in conflict with itself.

If the commission had called out the security forces to secure its premises and protect its personnel against possible harm in the event of a fracas, there was no knowing how the protest could have ended. Picketing INEC headquarters was bad business. It should never have been contemplated. It set a bad example in a country where it is easy to follow bad examples.

We cannot have forgotten so soon that

Saturday Column

By Dan Agbese

Dino Melaye, one of the spokesmen for PDP, resorted to a miserable and jejune protest when he walked out of the collation centre in the misguided hope that in doing so, he would have sufficiently impugned the integrity of the conduct of the elections and thus set the stage for the world to reject its outcome.

It may feel good for the politicians and their supporters to batter the image of the commission but the duty of making the people’s vote count is one incumbent on all Nigerians. In every election, there must be winners and losers. It would be strange for everyone must win in an election. It would defeat the essence of competition and choice, the very pillars of democracy. Ours must not continue to be a democratic nation in want of democrats. Democrats play by the rules, not by personal rules.

A presidential election is a very expensive undertaking. Anyone who goes into it and loses has more losses than he can count on his manicured fingers. The loser is right to cry to the public and expect some sympathy but to do so in a manner that threatens peace and lays our electoral contest open to the rule of the mob is irresponsible and the height of desperation.

Under our laws and the constitution, the alleged loss by Abubakar cannot be reclaimed through a public protest with the obvious sinister objective of ridiculing the electoral umpire. The PDP and its leaders know only too well that the path to assuaging their alleged grievances passes through the courts of law. Abubakar is a practised hand in the forensic struggle.

January 25 was his fifth attempt to obtain the consent of the people to call the shots from the protected world of Aso Rock. He has tried but the people have

repeatedly turned him down. If it is any consolation, history must have cases of other men who had tried harder but still received the thumbs down. It is the strange way of life replicated as the strange ways of politics. In staging the protest, the Waziri managed quite remarkably and regrettably to lower his status as a political leader and a statesman in his own right. He has done irreparable injury to his own reputation.

I do not know what drove the former vice-president to it. He is normally a coolheaded politician not given to drama or grandstanding. Ayu is in the same mould as he. Even when their party faced the internal sabotage by state governors elected on its platform that clearly threatened Abubakar’s presidential ambition, both of them did not do anything to heat up the polity. They maintained cool heads and treated Wike and other governors with moderated contempt.

When President Obasanjo treated Abubakar so shabbily as vice-president, he maintained his cool and coolly took his case to the court of appeal to protect his legal rights against the onslaught of an imperial president. Their lordships ruled in his favour, and he managed to last the eight years as vice-president all alone without aides in his high-profile public office.

I cannot pretend not to see why Abubakar must have taken his fifth presidential loss so badly. January 25 was possibly his last crack at the presidency. If he failed for the fifth time, he cannot blame the gods or his destiny. He can only see the hands of his political enemies represented, as far as he is concerned, by the electoral

commission. The good thing is that he has not exhausted the options open to him. His next stop is the Supreme Court that has the final say on his claims of the victory denied him. He has already taken that option. It is not just the right and civilised option but actually, the only one open to him.

What is remarkable about those who dismissed the presidential and national assembly elections as flawed or rigged by INEC in favour Tinubu is that the election was flawed only in cases where they lost. It was perfect where they won. If an election is flawed it should be flawed in toto. It is disingenuous to have it both ways by accepting results that favoured them as perfect and those that did not as flawed.

There is a bit of humbug and hypocrisy in all of these, all in a desperate effort by every candidate to win an election that could only be won by one candidate. On Wednesday, Peter Obi of LP was quite pleased to join Ireti Kingibe, senator-elect of FCT to parade her certificate of return issued to her by the same INEC whose conduct of the elections Obi has stridently condemned. Mrs Kingibe’s victory means the election was perfect because Obi’s party won. The presidential election conducted the same day and on the same platform with that of the national assembly was flawed or rigged because Obi lost.

I wonder if it occurs to the politicians that in condemning INEC and demonising Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of INEC they actually lay themselves open to ridicule as political leaders. INEC issued certificates of return to senators-elect and house of representatives-elect. I have heard of no instance where PDP, the Labour Party and all the other political parties that are dismissive of the conduct of the elections rejected those certificates. If it was right for them to win, it should be right for Jagaban to win too. At the end of the day all the yeye protests and condemnations will have run their course but done some more damage to the credibility and the integrity of our elections.

SMS: 08055001912

When President Obasanjo treated Abubakar so shabbily as vice-president, he maintained his cool and coolly took his case to the court of appeal to protect his legal rights against the onslaught of an imperial president

Atiku Abubakar