Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, has described the nation’s current Electoral Act as problematic and confusing.
Yakubu spoke during the 12th National Delegates Conference of the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions of Nigeria held in Jos, Plateau State capital, on Wednesday.
He was represented by the commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye.
Yakubu said, “When nominations are hazy and issues go to the courts, court judgments, orders and pronouncements affect procurement – the printing of ballot papers and result sheets.
“It is important to put in place a legal regime that allows for the disposal of all pre-elections matters at least 60 days before the elections.
“Removing the names and logos of political parties and changing the names of parties’ candidates up until the eve of election, on account of court orders and pronouncements, is very problematic and confusing.
“This puts the electoral management body on edge, with a profound impact on the conduct of elections.”
Yesterday, Wednesday 8th of May, there was a physical confrontation between members of NLC who had matched to the front of the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige’s house protesting the refusal by the Minister to inaugurate the Board of NISTF and security agents.
The members who matched to the Minister’s house to protest were allegedly attacked by security agents. One of the injured NLC member (pictured above), was rushed to the National hospital in Abuja. All photos taken by Gbemiga Olamikan. More below…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Benin Zonal Office, on Wednesday, May 8, 2019 secured the conviction of Eric Ogbemudia at the Federal High Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State.
Ogbemudia was arraigned on a one-count charge of obtaining the sum of Eighteen Thousand Five Hundred Pounds Sterling by false pretence.
The charge reads: "That you, Eric Ogbemudia (alias David Mark) on or about the 17th August 2015, in Benin within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did with intent to defraud obtained the sum of £18,500.00 (Eighteen Thousand Five Hundred Pounds Sterling) from Mrs. Joan Gallyot, a British national under the pretense that she is one of the lucky winners of $852,000.00 (Eight hundred and Fifty-Two Thousand Dollars) Chevron/Texaco donation under its poverty reduction programme and that the money was for delivery charges of the cheque to her in the United Kingdom which you knew is false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1) b of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related offences Act 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act."
Upon his arraignment, the defendant pleaded "guilty" to the charge.
In view of his plea, the prosecuting counsel, Immaculate Elody, prayed the court to convict and sentence the defendant, accordingly.
However, the defence counsel, I.E. Oriazuwale, pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy. He said the defendant had shown remorse and had promised never to return to the crime.
Justice M.J. Umar, thereafter, convicted and sentenced Ogbemudia to six months imprisonment without an option of fine. The judge also ordered that all assets recovered from the defendant be disposed with the proceeds transmitted to the British High Commission for onward transmission to the victim of the crime.
A 200 Level Architecture student of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ibogun campus, Ogun State, has died. He died in a stampede during the Champions League match between Liverpool and Barcelona. The stampede occurred at a viewing center after a student felt something crawling on his leg and thought it was a snake. Everyone wanted to run after he raised the false alarm and sadly Gbenga Olukoyi was got in it.
The rush to exit the place left over 40 students injured. Gbenga was rushed to the hospital but shortly gave him the ghost, when those who rushed him there couldn’t make an initial deposit.
She lives in the US tho, and studied there. Amanda recently graduated and here are photos from the occasion. She shares a daughter, Hailey with Davido.
Many of us have come across a train or bus that takes advantage of overhead power lines, pantographs stretched upwards, providing the vehicle in question with the electricity needed to continue on.
Now, the first eHighways in Germany will help electrified trucks roll down the highway without contributing to air pollution.
The German state of Hesse on Tuesday opened its first stretch of eHighway, featuring overhead power lines meant to deliver charge to electrified trucks as they travel.
It's still in the pilot phase, covering just a six-mile stretch of autobahn near Frankfurt, but it will function with normal traffic operating around the trucks that can take advantage of the tech. It'll stay there until 2022, at which point the German government will determine whether to expand the project's scope.
It works just like the overhead power lines you're used to seeing on other methods of transportation. An electrified truck extends conductor rods to the power lines, creating a connection where power can flow from the lines to the truck's batteries, giving it enough juice to operate on electricity alone.
Once the car disconnects from the system, its hybrid system will function like normal. It's worth noting that the trucks need to be moving no faster than 90 kilometers per hour (about 56 mph) to take advantage of the power. Of course, not every truck comes equipped with the hardware to make this work, so Germany partnered with VW Group to build a hybrid truck specifically for the eHighway.
Burna Boy is out there saying it loud for people that said he ‘blew’ only last year. According to Burna Boy, he has been given them back to back hit since 2012 and you better believe… Continue to see the rest of his tweets below… If you don’t beat the drums yourself, who will do it for you?
The Nigeria Medical Association in Cross River State says it will withdraw medical services on Thursday (today) following incessant kidnapping of its members.
In a communiqué jointly signed by its Chairman, Dr Agam Ayuk and, the Secretary, Dr Ezoke Epoke, after its emergency general meeting on Wednesday in Calabar, the association said it was compelled to issue the threat after one of its members, Dr Ogbonna Uchenna-Aju, was abducted on May 3.
Uchenna-Aju was on a trip from Ogoja Local Government Area to his house in Obudu Local Government Area in the state when he was kidnapped.
The communiqué said the incident had brought psychological trauma and emotional destabilisation to members of his family and the NMA in the state.
“The state government and security agencies are given 48 hours to facilitate the unconditional release of Dr Ogbonna Uchenna-Aju. Failure to secure his release at the expiration of this ultimatum, the NMA in Cross River State will proceed on a total and indefinite withdrawal of medical services in both the private, public and institutional hospitals in the state,” the communique partly read.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has declared a state of emergency on the water and sanitation sectors of the state, observing that a lot was required for the nation to provide public water and sanitation facilities for her growing population.
Okowa, while inaugurating a high-powered steering committee, which has him as Chairman to coordinate the Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Services, WASH, and proffer effective reforms as well as formulate policies to end open defecation, said the water and sanitation sectors were receiving more funding in the state.
He said: “In the next four years, we will increase the allocation to water and sanitation sectors and hold those within the sectors accountable as we intend to have good value for any money released.
“Water, as the saying goes, is life. But regrettably, we have not done enough collectively as a nation in the provision of public water and sanitation facilities for our ever-growing population.
“Nigeria currently ranks second in the world after India in terms of people defecating in the open, as about 25 per cent of our population still practice open defecation.
“The Sustainable Development Goals 6.1 and 6.2 seek to stop open defecation by 2025 and ensure access to sustainable and safely managed WASH services by 2030.”
Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi has renewed his advocacy for the introduction of state police to curb armed banditry and insecurity threatening the country.
He restated this position yesterday while hosting the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 11, Mr. Leye Oyebade, in his office, in Ibadan.
He appealed to the Federal Government to invest in cutting-edge technology that would aid reconnaissance and intelligence gathering to preempt crimes before being committed.
If established, he said state police would have the benefit of good community relations, adding that increase in the funding of the police force and adequate provision of logistics would also boost the morale of the personnel.
Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje yesterday assented to the long-awaited Emir’s Appointment and Deposition Amendment Law, 2019, at the 136th state council meeting.
The event was witnessed by the Speaker of the State Assembly and other principal officers.
The House of Assembly yesterday passed into law the Bill for the creation of four new emirates.
The proposed emirates, Rano, Gaya, Bichi and Karaye, are to be upgraded into first class status.
The bill was an amendment of the Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Law 1984, to pave the way for the decentralisation of the Kano Emirate Council.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday said it will not go back on its current probe of the tenure of Senate President Bukola Saraki when he was governor of Kwara State from 2003 to 2011.
The anti-graft agency said it has a sacred mandate to rid the country of corruption, no matter whose ox is gored.
It said Saraki has no need to fret as long as he has no skeletons in his cupboard.
This was disclosed in a statement, which reads; “The EFCC has taken note of the reactions of Senate President Bukola Saraki to the commission’s inquiries regarding his earnings as Kwara State governor as well as on the quality of his financial stewardship in the Senate.
“While it is his prerogative to ventilate his views on the matter as he deems fit, the commission takes great exception at the desperate attempt to cast a slur on its investigative activities by portraying Saraki as a victim of persecution.
“Furthermore, the agency finds the attempt by the Senate President to tie our inquest to his International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) appointment and his approaching life out of power as misleading, knowing too well that the background to our current inquiries reaches several years back.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the EFCC is obligated by law to enthrone probity and accountability in the governance space and has supremely pursued this duty without ill-will or malice against anyone.
“It is in the interest of the public, and for Saraki’s personal good, that he is not only above board, but be seen at all times to be so.”
Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, said the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) has inflicted the greatest devilish political machinations against his person ten times more than what he would have experienced were he to be in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Okorocha, who said he remains a staunch member of the APC despite efforts to frustrate him out of the party, berated its National Chairman, Adams Oshimhole and some leaders for working with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure he does not get his certificate of return as the duly elected senator for Imo West Senatorial District.
He said it was regrettable the evil that made him to leave the PDP and join forces with the progressives had become more fiery within the ruling party and large dose of that was being inflicted on him with aim of damaging his political career.
The embattled governor spoke at an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja. He said: “The evil I feared in the PDP has befallen me ten times in the APC. Last week, I wrote a letter to INEC for the first rime myself, informing INEC of their wrong doings and illegal actions taken by INEC to withhold my certificate on mere allegations of duress which was never founded, neither was there any committee set up to investigate the matter.
“So, INEC on their own believe the reports of their Returning Officer without investigating the authenticity of the investigation. So, there was no issue of fair hearing at all.
“What is important here is that INEC does not have the power to withhold the certificate of return having declared the result. I believe the INEC chairman is up to a game with the chairman of the APC who are being used as the people to frustrate my coming to the Senate and this is politically motivated. I’ve given enough time that INEC might correct itself and do the needful and issue me my certificate of return but to no avail.
“Many things have happened so far and these should be of concern to everyone. INEC that made the submission to the tribunal have gone back requesting to withdraw it because the submission was defending the declaration by INEC.
“But because the submission seems to be in my favour, they have said they want to withdraw the affidavit which is out of time. The withdrawal was made by one of their staff, who said that Festus Okoye, a Commissioner in INEC, has threatened to sack him if he does not withdraw it.
“So, there is a huge threat going on in INEC. Festus Okoye is presently being used as the hatchet man; he has gone to the tribunal in Imo asking to withdraw the affidavit that has been filed defending APC.
“I wonder what they want to do with the certificate, if they don’t give it to me, who will they give it to? Maybe they will give it to Festus Okoye because he is from my Senatorial zone but what they are doing is presenting INEC as a lying organisation and that is dangerous for our democracy because, as it stands right now, the image of INEC is bastardised.
“What it means is that tomorrow somebody can withhold the certificate of anybody because you don’t like his face because you feel that he wants to politically challenge you in future. “Asked why he has not taken advantage of his close relationship to President Muhammadu Buhari to seek for his intervention with the leadership of the party, Okorocha said he did not want to bother the President with such an issue especially as it concerns INEC.
“If you know the President well, you would know that he will never intervene as he would only keep mute. But whether President Buhari speaks or not, INEC should do the right thing by giving me my certificate of return,” he declared.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Port Harcourt’s Zonal Office, have arrested fifteen suspected internet fraudsters in a late- evening raid on Blue Chip Hotels, Rumuigbo, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The suspects, who are between the ages of 18 and 30, were nabbed while relaxing in their hotel hide – out. Their arrest followed surveillance and intelligence reports on their activities and a response to the resolve of the Acting Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu to rid the nation of internet fraudsters.
Among the suspects are five young ladies and ten young men. They are: Tamunotonye Tolofari; Isaac Michael; Kingdom Ekekwu; Daniel Uwalaka; Godswill Agwu; Innocent Daniel; Prince Amaya; Tiemo Ipite; Nduah Gentle; Stella Gbarakoro; Christiana Cletus; Anita Jane; Best Noble, Nduah Precious and Emeka Chibuike Emeka.
Items recovered from them are laptops and phones. The suspects have made useful statements to the Commission and would soon be charged to court.
Model, TV personality, activist and entrepreneur Tyra Banks returns to the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, more than two decades after being the first black woman to grace the cover of the magazine alone in 1997.
Banks came out of modeling retirement specifically for her 2019 SI Swim photo shoot, photographed in Great Exuma, Bahamas, by Laretta Houston. The star poses in a yellow Andi Bagus string bikini as she gives her signature smouldering smize to the world.
“My first one was 23 years ago, how crazy is that,” an excited Banks said on Good Morning America where she revealed her new cover. “I’m like damn — I’m 45 dog!”
Barely three weeks to the change of leadership in Lagos State, Governor-elect, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has left the country for a short course in 'leading economic growth' at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government .
According to him, he is taking the course in order to help him improve Lagos state.
Several permanent secretary hopefuls in Ebonyi on Tuesday failed to recite the national anthem, states and capitals, among other questions they were asked in an interview session.
The oral interview which came after a written test was supervised by Gov. David Umahi and his Deputy Mr Kelechi Igwe, who was the chairman of the interview committee.
The interview session was televised live by the state’s television network and watched by hundreds of people across the state.
Two of the permanent secretary hopefuls, who are top civil servants, failed to recite the national anthem while another two could not recite the states in Nigeria and their capitals.
A particular candidate said that the capital of Kwara is Kwara and that capital of Lagos is Lagos while another said that the Anambra capital is Anambra.
An amused Umahi jokingly told one of the interviewees to ask her children at home to teach her how to recite the states and their capitals.
The governor noted that two persons each from the 13 Local Government Areas of the state were selected, making them 26, including three serving permanent secretaries.
“The appointment of new permanent secretaries will be based on their performances in the exercise as my administration is poised toward reforming the state’s civil service.
He noted, however, that only intelligent and resourceful candidates would be selected to assist in repositioning the civil service.
The candidates, numbering 40 were given 42 questions to answer five each and were expected to score not less than 60 per cent.
The Ebonyi civil service had been run without permanent secretaries since the inception of the Umahi administration and the development had elicited diverse speculations, especially from opposition parties in the state.
