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Akpabio faces more opposition as more lawmakers-elect withdraw support

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June 6, 2023

Akpabio faces more opposition as more lawmakers-elect withdraw support

Godswill Akpabio, the consensus candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the seat of Senate President, has continued to face opposition from within the party as the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly draws closer. This opposition comes as the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly draws closer.

Since the APC National Working Committee (NWC) announced him and Barau Jibrin as the party’s consensus candidates for the seat of Senate President and Deputy respectively a month ago, the two of them have been met with a variety of opposition from various members of the party. Barau Jibrin is the candidate for the seat of Senate President.

Read also: Lagos govt gives actress Iyabo Ojo seven days to pay N18m tax or face jail term

According to what Naia News has been told, Akpabio’s camp has suffered yet another defeat just days before the 10th National Assembly is scheduled to take office. This is due to the fact that even senators-elect who had been backing him up until this point have continued to distance themselves from him.
A senator-elect who confirmed the withdrawal of support for Akpabio questioned how the former governor of Akwa Ibom State can lead the National Assembly, which he despised when he was the Minister of the Niger Delta. Akpabio’s support had been withdrawn earlier this week.

The newly elected senator disclosed to the Daily Sun, “I have decided to withdraw my support for Senator Akpabio.” It’s not just me, either. The fact that many of us have withdrawn our support will be reflected in the standings.

I used to hold Senator Akpabio in very high regard as a person; however, I cannot support him in his bid to become the President of the Senate.

The Senator-elect posed the question, “How can he (Akpabio) come and preside over an institution which he once described as a cesspit of corruption after benefitting from the same institution?” Akpabio has previously described the institution in question as a cesspit of corruption.

In a similar vein, Sumaila Kawu, who will be the next Senator for Kano State, has cautioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to meddle in the process of electing the presiding officers of the two chambers of the 10th National Assembly.

According to him, “The constitution is very clear about how the President of the Senate and the Deputy President of the Senate are to be elected.” For example, the criteria and procedures for selecting Presiding Officers of the Senate are outlined in Chapter 2 of the 9th Standing Orders of the Senate 2022 (as amended).

“Similarly, Section 50(1)a of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended) states that, “there shall be a President and Deputy President of the Senate, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves.

In addition, subsection (b) of section 50 states: “There shall be a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves.

Read also: Okonkwo: INEC has broken guinness world record, now an international mmbarrassment

“It is therefore clear that the election of these Presiding Officers is a purely internal affair that concerns only members of the National Assembly. As a result, they should be allowed to decide who among them would occupy the positions in order to avoid repetition of the past mistakes – we may all recall the occurrences of the 7th and 8th National Assembly,” he said. “It is therefore clear that the election of these Presiding Officers is a pure internal affair that concerns only members of the National Assembly.”

Okonkwo: INEC has broken guinness world record, now an international mmbarrassment

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June 6, 2023

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Okonkwo: INEC has broken guinness world record, now an international mmbarrassment

Kenneth Okonkwo, who is serving as the spokesperson for the 2023 Labour Party Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, has claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) does not maintain its neutrality.

Okonkwo stated that INEC is making every effort to satisfy a specific group while speaking in regard to the ongoing presidential election petition tribunal.

Read Also: Fuel Price Increase: Kwara Govt reduces civil servants’ workdays

He went on to say that with such actions, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which is currently headed by Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, has broken the Guinness World Record for being the worst electoral commission on earth.

While arguing before the tribunal, the chieftain of the Labour Party expressed shock at the fact that INEC is contesting its own documents in an effort to appease some of the parties there.

The actor and politician claimed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has brought international shame to Nigeria as a result of its actions.

On Tuesday, he posted the following message to his Twitter account: “We are back today again at the Presidential Election Petition Court (COA) for the continuation of our Petition. I can say with absolute certainty that Professor Yakubu Mahmood has led the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to become the most inept electoral commission in the history of the universe. How is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) going to be able to say in court, “Mi Lord, I object to the tendering of INEC’S certified true copies of the election results”?

This institution is quickly becoming a source of embarrassment for Nigeria on the international stage. I have never encountered a situation in which an organisation that is required by law to remain impartial raises frivolous objections to its own documents simply in order to appease certain constituencies. However, since God is in charge, we can safely put our faith in Him.

Read Also: EPL: Romano confirms two clubs ready to sign N’Golo Kante from Chelsea

According to recent reports, the Labour Party and Peter Obi, the party’s candidate for president, are challenging the results of the 2023 presidential election, in which Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was announced as the victor.

Abuja High Court stops EFCC, ICPC from detaining ex-Zamfara governor Yari

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June 6, 2023

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Abuja High Court stops EFCC, ICPC from detaining ex-Zamfara governor Yari

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practises and other related offences Commission (ICPC) have been stopped by an Abuja Federal High Court from detaining Abdul’aziz Yari, the former governor of Zamfara State, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

Additionally, the court ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to cease its attempts to detain the senator-elect.

On Monday, Justice Donatus Okorowo issued the order in a ruling that he delivered on a motion that was considered ex parte.

Read Also: Ogun court orders customs CG to comply with seized trucks judgement

The judge ordered the respondents (the EFCC, ICPC, and DSS) to show cause on the next adjourned date as to why the prayers sought on the motion ex-parte should not be granted. These prayers were sought on the motion that was filed in secret.

“The respondents were, however, restrained from detaining the applicant until the return date for the order to show cause,” the judge ruled. “The applicant may not be detained until the return date for the order to show cause.”

The respondents will have until June 8 to show cause, so the hearing has been postponed until then.

In an expert motion, the former governor of Zamfara had asked the court for an order restraining the EFCC, ICPC, and DSS from arresting him. If the court grants the request, the former governor will not be able to take part in the proclamation of the 10th Senate, which will take place on June 13 and be presided over by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Read Also: EPL: Romano confirms two clubs ready to sign N’Golo Kante from Chelsea

Yari, who stated that he is interested in running for the position of President of the Senate, made the allegation that some members of his political party, the All Progressives Congress, are using the respondents and their agents to harass him and threaten to arrest him on trumped-up charges in the time leading up to the first sitting of the Senate, which is when nominations and elections of presiding officers shall be constituted. Yari said he has the desire to run for the position of President of the Senate.

EPL: Romano confirms two clubs ready to sign N’Golo Kante from Chelsea

News
Sport

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June 6, 2023

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EPL: Romano confirms two clubs ready to sign N’Golo Kante from Chelsea

Fabrizio Romano, a transfer expert, has confirmed the two clubs interested in signing Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante this summer.

Kante’s current contract with Chelsea expires this summer, and talks about a possible extension for the Frenchman are ongoing.

The World Cup winner in 2018 is widely regarded as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the game.

Read Also: Lagos govt gives actress Iyabo Ojo seven days to pay N18m tax or face jail term

According to Romano, two Saudi Arabian clubs, Al Ittihad and Al Nassr, are interested in signing the former Leicester City player.

“N’Golo Kanté’s situation remains open as he would like to stay at Chelsea, but talks have not progressed to the final stages after being close to full agreement in March,” Romano tweeted on Monday night.

“Understand that Al Ittihad and Al Nassr are two Saudi clubs eager to tempt Kanté with new experiences.”

Nasarawa postpones 7th Assembly’s inauguration indefinitely.

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June 6, 2023

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Nasarawa postpones 7th Assembly’s inauguration indefinitely.

The inauguration of the seventh Assembly of the State House of Assembly, which was originally scheduled to take place on Tuesday, has been indefinitely postponed by the government of Nasarawa.

The statement was released in Lafia by Mr. Ibrahim Musa, who is acting as Clerk of the House. He explained that the postponement was made due to the fact that Governor Abdullahi Sule was given security advice.

Read Also: Ogun court orders customs CG to comply with seized trucks judgement

Musa appealed to the public and the members-elect to bear with the decision for the time being because a new date would be communicated to them in due course.

Lagos govt gives actress Iyabo Ojo seven days to pay N18m tax or face jail term

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June 6, 2023

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Lagos govt gives actress Iyabo Ojo seven days to pay N18m tax or face jail term

Iyabo Ojo, a well-known actress in Nollywood, has been given seven days by the government of Lagos State to pay the amount of N18,640,092.00 that she owes in personal income tax or face the possibility of going to jail.

In a letter that was sent to the actress, the Lagos government accused her of owing N7,376,000.00 in taxes for the year 2022 and N11,264,092 in back taxes for the tax year 2021.

Iyabo Ojo, in her reply to the letter that was sent to her on Monday, voiced her disapproval of the procedure that was utilized in the calculation of the obscenely high tax bill that she had been given.

She then uploaded a picture of the bill to her Instagram account and captioned it with the following message: “@jidesanwoolu @lagosstategovt, please, how do you people come up with these outrageous personal income taxes you send on a daily basis?

“After paying for various types of taxes for one’s businesses, house, and everything else, you still come up with all this enormous amount, and you give me seven days to pay up, lol.

Read Also: Ogun court orders customs CG to comply with seized trucks judgement

“The last time, you people asked me to come to your office, and I did. You asked me to explain and declare what I earn, which I did with my tax consultant, but no, you did not respond to my letter, because you want me to pay you an outrageous amount that I do not have, which makes me go thief, ni? I inquire once more, “How are you people able to come up with such exorbitant bills?”

“As a member of this nation’s government, what have you ever done for me? NOTHING. Since you guys are so insistent, I will gladly let you come and shut down my business, arrest me, throw me in jail, or kill me for all that it matters because we are all going to die eventually.

Fuel Price Increase: Kwara Govt reduces civil servants’ workdays

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June 6, 2023

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Fuel Price Increase: Kwara Govt reduces civil servants’ workdays

The Kwara State Government has mandated that all civil servants only put in three full days of work each week.

Mrs. Susan Oluwole, the state’s Head of Service, said in a statement that the decision was a temporary measure, taken to ease the burden of public workers in the State, following a hike in transport fares occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy. The statement was signed by Murtala Atoyebi, her press secretary.

The following is an excerpt from the statement that was released: “The Kwara State Government has taken temporary measures to ease the burden of public workers in the State following the astronomical hike in transport fare.”

“The State Head of Service, Mrs. Susan Modupe Oluwole, announced today that the State Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has directed that the work days be reduced from five days per week to three days per week for every worker. “The State Head of Service”

Read Also: Security personnel deploy drones in tracking missing Chinese in Abia

“She explained that the measure was taken in order to relieve the hardship that was being experienced by the workers of the state as a result of the Federal Government’s announcement that it would remove the fuel subsidy,”

Mrs. Oluwole issued a directive to all of the heads of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) in the state, instructing them to immediately devise a format indicating the alternating work days for each worker under their supervision.

“However, the Head of Service warned the workers not to abuse the magnanimity of the Governor, stressing that the regular monitoring of MDAs by her office would be intensified to ensure strict compliance,” The phrase “The Head of Service, however, warned the workers not to abuse the magnanimity of the Governor”

Security personnel deploy drones in tracking missing Chinese in Abia

Metro
News

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June 6, 2023

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Security personnel deploy drones in tracking missing Chinese in Abia

The Abia State Police Command has confirmed that its officers are collaborating with other security agents to find Mr Li Peiyin, a Chinese national who went missing from a quarry site in Lokpanta, Umunneochi Local Government Area.

Chinaka Chioma Maureen, the new Police Public Relations Officer, made this known during a phone conversation about the matter.

According to the PPRO, men from the Command were doing everything they could to save the Chinese site manager at Lokpanta Quarry.

Read Also: Ogun court orders customs CG to comply with seized trucks judgement

She stated that the combined security team, which included the police and other security agencies, had expanded the search for the missing Manager to Ebonyi and Enugu States, and that scientific equipment such as drones had already been deployed to achieve the desired results.

The PPRO stated that previous reports indicated that the expatriate did not go with his security details on the day he was declared missing, but that investigations into his disappearance were still ongoing.

It has not been determined whether the Chinese citizen was kidnapped, but reports indicate that the Caterpillar that the Chinese expatriate drove before his disappearance was discovered somewhere else, with the keys still in the ignition.

Ogun court orders customs CG to comply with seized trucks judgement

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June 6, 2023

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Ogun court orders customs CG to comply with seized trucks judgement

A Federal High Court in Abeokuta, Ogun State, has ordered the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to immediately comply with a court order compelling it to release 9 trucks impounded from petroleum product marketers by June 19.

The trucks were among the 24 illegally impounded tankers by the service since 2019. According to the NCS, 15 of the trucks were auctioned, while others were at the Nigeria Customs Service’s Idiroko Border Post.

The plaintiffs, Olamitide International Limited, TONIFANS Nigeria Limited, Olafems Oil and Gas Limited, Joffy A.A Petroleum Limited, Wahabisco Oil Petroleum Limited, Vicket Petroleum Limited, Mikenid Petroleum Nigeria Limited, and Registered Trustees of Ipokia/Idiroko Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, took the NCS to court over the illegal seizure and confiscation of 24 petroleum tankers in 2019.

The court, presided over by Justice A.A Demi-Ajayi, had on May 15, 2023, ordered the NCS to release the impounded tankers as pronounced by the court on August 9, 2022, in the case with suit number FHC/AB/CS/8/2020 on or before the next adjournment date of June 5, or risk the conclusion of proceeding of committal of the Contempt of Court against the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) as instituted by counsel to the plaintiffs.

When the case resumed on Monday, Justice Ajayi bemoaned the NCS’s failure to comply with the court’s decision, noting that she expected the trucks to be returned to their owners.

The justice declared that the court’s order must be followed without regard for bureaucratic approval.

She stated that she would not hesitate to grant the plaintiffs’ counsel’s application for a committal of contempt of court proceeding against the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service.

However, Justice Ajayi postponed the case until June 19, 2023, in order to comply with the court order.

Earlier in his submission, Smart Akande, the NCS’s Legal Adviser, pleaded with the court to allow the service to secure approval for compliance with the court judgment.

He informed the court that the NCS headquarters met with the plaintiffs’ counsel to discuss the procedure for releasing the trucks and agreeing on the terms of the settlement.

However, Akande assured the court that the 9 trucks would be returned to the owners by the next adjournment date.

In an interview following the hearing, the plaintiffs’ counsel, George Oyeniyi, expressed satisfaction with the NCS’s agreement to release the 9 trucks.

Oyeniyi, who explained that the application for the committal of Violation of Court Order was still pending in case the Nigeria Customs Service failed to deliver on its promise to release the trucks, stated that an agreement on terms of the settlement, including compensation for the 15 auctioned trucks and the value of the contents of all 24 trucks, will be reached between the judgment debtors and creditors. Governments must collaborate with industry to resolve this situation so that airlines can continue to provide critical connectivity for driving economic activity and job creation.”

In light of this, IATA has urged governments to ensure compliance with international treaties and agreements that allow airlines to repatriate funds earned from the sale of tickets, cargo space, and other activities. Failure to do so may jeopardize the aviation industry’s stability, profitability, and continuity.

Read Also: CBN: FG records N930bn in two-month fiscal deficits

“Airlines cannot continue to provide services in markets where they are unable to repatriate revenues generated by their commercial activities.” “Governments must collaborate with industry to resolve this situation so that airlines can continue to provide the connectivity that is critical to driving economic activity and job creation,” said Willie Walsh, director general of IATA.

“IATA urged governments to follow international agreements and treaty obligations in order for airlines to repatriate funds earned from ticket sales, cargo space, and other activities.”

Kano Senator Sumaila, lawmakers-elect will select 10th NASS presiding officers, not APC

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June 6, 2023

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Kano Senator Sumaila, lawmakers-elect will select 10th NASS presiding officers, not APC

Suleiman Kawu Sumaila, a senator-elect for the Kano South Senatorial District, has pledged that only elected federal lawmakers will determine who will serve as the Senate and House Presiding Officers during the 10th National Assembly’s inaugural session on June 13.

Sumaila, who was elected on the New Nigeria People’s Party, or NNPP, platform, made the announcement on Monday in Abuja during a press conference.

He protested the previous zoning plan put in place by the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee, which he deemed to be undemocratic.

The representative-elect emphasized that the majority of the federal lawmakers-elect in both chambers will use the appropriate provisions of the 1999 constitution to counteract any outside interference in the election of the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.

Read Also: Workers in shipping companies go on strike indefinitely

The constitution is clear about how the Senate’s President and Deputy President shall be chosen, he continued. For instance, the selection process for the Senate’s presiding officers is outlined in Chapter 2 of the 9th Standing Orders of the Senate 2022 (as amended).

Similar to this, Section 50(1) of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended) states that the Senate’s president and vice president will be chosen by the chamber’s members.

A Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives must be chosen by the members of that House from among themselves, according to section 50(1)b.

We can all remember the events of the 7th and 8th National Assembly, so it is obvious that the election of these Presiding Officers is purely an internal matter that only concerns members of the National Assembly. As a result, they should be allowed to choose who among them would fill the positions.

“In my opinion, outside interference in the selection of the National Assembly’s next presiding officers would not only be a violation of the Nigerian Constitution and the Senate and House of Representatives’ respective standing rules, but it would also lead to serious misunderstandings between the Legislative and Executive Arms of government,” the author said.

Read Also: Subsidy: FG, Labour to meet on June 19 to discuss implementation framework

Sumaila claimed that desperate politicians intended to impose their will on both chambers through the use of undemocratic methods, which is against democracy and undemocratic.

Information that is currently available indicates that a few desperate politicians intend to use illegitimate means to force lawmakers-elect of their choosing to serve as presiding officers against the wishes of the majority.

“This move is undemocratic, unacceptable, and dangerous to our democracy as well as the nation as a whole,” he said.