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Edo Deputy Gov Shuaibu On His Way Out As He Faces Perjury Charge, Assembly Begins Impeachment Procedure

By
Ayodele Oni
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Philip Shuaibu - Edo Deputy Governor

By Ayodele Oni

The Edo House of Assembly has confirmed receipt of a petition against the Deputy Governor of the State, Philip Shuaibu, signalling commencement of impeachment proceedings against him.

The Majority Leader, Charity Aiguobarueghian, who announced the impeachment notice during Plenary on Wednesday, explained that the petition was dated March 5, and signed by 21 out of the 24 members against the Deputy Governor.

Aiguobarueghian stated that the members who signed the petition were more than the two- third requirement  stipulated in the constitution.

He also announced that the petition was based on two grounds of alleged perjury and revealing of government secrets.

The speaker of the House, Blessing Agbebaku, who acknowledged receipt of the petition, directed the Clerk of the House, Yahaya Omogbai, to serve the impeachment notice on the Deputy Governor.

Agbebaku also gave the Deputy Governor seven days to respond to the notice of impeachment.

Shaibu’s resolve to participate in the governorship primary election of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) contrary to the stand of Governor Godwin Obaseki, may be responsible for his latest predicament.

Coalition of Registered Political Parties in the state, at a meeting in Benin, had resolved that the plan by the State Governor, Godwin Obaseki  and the State House of Assembly under the leadership of Blessing Agbebaku, to impeach the Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu “can ignite a chain reaction which can lead to anarchy.”

The CRPP Chairman, Samson Isibor and Secretary, Barrister John Isidhaome in a statement they signed said: “We implore the governor to jettison the idea of impeachment and work towards the peaceful transition of power to the next governor of Edo State.

“As far as we are concerned, the Deputy Governor has not committed any impeachable offence or breached his oath of office.

“The Edo people have the exclusive right to call for his impeachment if he commits any grievous offence like corruption, misappropriation of public funds etc.”

How Ekiti APC Chairman, Paul Omotoso Died

By
Ayodele Oni
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Paul Omotoso

By Ayodele Oni

The All Progressives Congress  (APC) in Ekiti state has confirmed the death of its Chairman, Paul Omotoso.

The Party, through its Spokesman, Segun Dipe, in a statement explained that the deceased was still actively in office on Tuesday attending to visitors and official matters.

The statement reads “We are sad to announce the passing of State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ekiti, Barrister Paul Ayodele Omotosho.

“The sad news broke yesterday, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at about 9.00pm.

“Barrister Omotosho was still actively present in the office same yesterday till the close of work. His death could not be immediately traced to any known sickness.

“He, however, complained of fatigue and slight fever at about 4.00pm and opted to go home to rest. He was to be rushed to the hospital later at about 7.00pm when the pain increased but gave up the ghost after.

“Barrister Omotosho will be remembered for the positive contributions he made to the party, especially during his tenure as the Chairman from 2018 to his last breath. He ran the affairs of the party commendably.. with victories at the poll.”

It was, however, gathered that the late chairman’s health deteriorated last year, shortly after he was released by kidnappers, who abducted and kept him for five days before his release.

Uzodimma Names Onuegbu Head Political Bureau

By
The Source
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Enyinnaya Onuegbu

Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma has appointed his pioneer Commissioner for Lands and Survey, and subsequently Commissioner for Power, Barr. Enyinnaya Onuegbu, as the Head Political Bureau of his administration.

Onuegbu’s appointment takes immediate effect.

Until recently when Governor Uzodimma dissolved his cabinet,  Onuegbu was the Chief Political Adviser and Head Political Bureau.

Onuegbu, an ex-officio member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is not only a committed member of the Party but has demonstrated capacity on its course using his many years of active experience in legal practice.

He hails from Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State where he serves as the Traditional Prime Minister of his community and goes with title of Ebekuodike.

In congratulating Onuegbu, Governor Uzodimma urged him to continue to show commitment to the mission and vision of the 3-R Government Imo State, deploying his wealth of experience in the traditional, political and legal institutions in the office entrusted in his care.

Disinformation & Propaganda Elevated To An Act In Abia State

By
The Source
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Alex Otti

By Dodoh Okafor

The attention of the Abia State Government has been drawn to a well-coordinated campaign of disinformation sponsored by mischievous political interests in pursuit of an unwholesome, self-serving agenda.

A few examples would suffice.

About a fortnight ago, information began to circulate across social media platforms announcing that the Abia State Governor Dr Alex C. Otti, OFR, had dragged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for allegedly refusing to grant the request of the Abia State Government to establish a seaport and an international airport in the State.

While this, on the surface, would have served as good comic relief to informed audiences knowing there was nothing to support such claims, something more sinister was buried in the next paragraph.

The author(s) claimed that Governor Otti had in addition to his alleged legal actions against the President also “banned” traders from a section of the country from doing business in the State.

The aim was to instigate hatred against Governor Otti from a section of the country and then incite a misinformed mob against hardworking Nigerians in a supposed retaliation.

Thankfully, many critical readers who saw through the shenanigan readily dismissed it for what it is: a hideous attempt at disinformation.

Days after the initial fake news was planted and circulated by dangerous elements hiding behind pseudonyms, the untiring detractors moved a notch higher.

They attempted to set Governor Otti against his brother governors by attributing to him, a completely made-up statement.

The purported quote claimed that the State Governor said that when he is done executing just 5% of his grand plans for the State, other Nigerians would stone their respective state governors.

Had Nigerians not known Dr Alex Otti to be a very measured fellow, ever conscious of his remarks in public and private spaces, the reaction would have been entirely different.

It is a well-known fact that Governor Otti, despite his numerous accomplishments in the private sector and now in the political space, remains an assuming man.

He has maintained a modest approach to life, treating everyone who comes across him with a genuine sense of compassion, love and respect.

He would therefore, never in a million years, suggest to anyone that he is superior to his other brother governors.

In another run of fake news, the mischief makers made a fresh attempt to set Dr Otti against ordinary Nigerians by attributing an out-of-character quote to the Governor, claiming he boasted that his “sons” are billionaires.

To begin with, the governor does not have “billionaire sons” and there is nothing to suggest that any of his children, male or female, lives a “billionaire” lifestyle.

Not one shred of evidence can support this.  Governor Otti has always restricted himself to issues of genuine importance in all his public engagements and could not have told anyone he is serving the public with great enthusiasm only because his “sons are billionaires.”

What then was the intention of those who authored and spread this apparent misinformation?

Simple: they want to join the Governor to the league of those who abuse public trust by making government offices a family affair, a system Governor Otti boldly fought against.

Beyond these specifics, we have noticed the desperation of various opposition politicians and their minions within the State to deceive the public with wild tales and concocted speculations.

One claimed that “Otti borrowed “100 billion” from one commercial bank and took another “N50 billion” facility from another bank.

They are also going about telling unsuspecting individuals about dollar denominated loans that had been accessed by the present Abia State Government.

The authors of these campaigns of falsehoods have been identified to be politically-displaced individuals in the State attempting to stage a comeback on the back of disinformation, half-truths and outright lies.

To be clear, while the State Government would at the right time approach local and international financial institutions for loans at reasonable rates to drive its development agenda following clearly laid down rules and principles, it is worth stating that at the moment, the Government has demonstrated an uncommon kind of prudence in public resources management that would make a quick dash to the financial institutions for loans totally unnecessary.

As the Governor promised in December 2023 during an address to members of the State House of Assembly just before laying the draft of the 2024 budget estimates before the House, Abia will be prudent in matters of loans, borrowing only when it is absolutely necessary and never to meet a recurrent obligation as all borrowings must be tied to verifiable physical development projects within the State.

In the light of the fact that these desperate attempts at using the media to malign and attack the personality of the Governor and ridicule the modest attempts the State government is making to reverse what had been decades of man-made setbacks and declines in our collective fortunes leading to total collapse of public infrastructure and the elevation of recklessness to the status of a statecraft would continue, and perhaps get more intense,  members of the public are encouraged to be very circumspect with information coming from suspicious sources and channels, especially in the unregulated social media space which has been established to be a double-edged sword; a force for great good and a forceful leverage for the perpetuation of mischief.

Information regarding the activities and programmes of the State Government and the governor are readily accessible through the website of the State Government, www.abiastate.gov.ng, the governor’s personal website www.alexotti.com, and through his official and verified social media handles or those of his aides.

Any information not sourced from any of these channels or through reputable media platforms must be meticulously evaluated for consistency with the Governor’s character and philosophy.

The Governor wishes to restate his commitment to genuine, selfless and accountable service to the people.

He would remain focused and can never be distracted by the shenanigans of cynics and naysayers. Governor Otti was elected in March 2023 to serve the great people of Abia State as governor for 4 years.

No other agenda is as important to him right now as faithfully executing the functions of the office he sought in faith and on the conviction that he has a superior value to offer the Abia electorate.

He is therefore never going to lose sight of his covenant with God’s people who worked and prayed relentlessly for the liberation of the State from the hold of sinister forces and their minions, the very same persons attempting to get back to public reckoning through dubious means.

Okafor is Senior Special Assistant to Governor Alex Otti on Public Communications

Attack On Abure Is Part Of Plots  To Stop Peter Obi In 2027

By
The Source
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Peter Obi and Julius Abure

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The National leadership of Labour Party, LP, has assured that its national leader and Presidential candidate during the last general elections Peter Obi does not have any plans to dump the party.

This is even as they have said that the well rehearsed and sustained media attack on the National Chairman, Julius Abure, is targeted at Obi who is being perceived as a threat by some political forces in the count down to the 2027 political contest.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifo on Tuesday March 5 2024, LP noted that the recent attack being unleashed on the National Chairman over alleged misappropriation of party funds is part of a wider plan to create disharmony between the party and its leadership ,with a view to frustrating Obi out of the party.

“We are aware that Abure is not the target of these ferocious and malicious missiles .We are also aware that huge sums of money has been mapped out to wage a propaganda war on our national leader ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“The feat of the Labour in the last general elections rattled not a few persons and the fear of the future has driven them to begin so early to prepare ahead .

“Part of the strategy is to make any political platform unviable for Obi to sail with.

“The party is also aware that any political party Peter Obi finds himself in as a vehicle for the 2027 presidential election including LP will not be spared by the political hirelings who are already recruited to dismember such a party .

” Peter Obi has severally pledged loyalty to LP due to its social democratic ideology which suits his political vision .Peter Obi will no longer fellowship with any bourgeoisie party . He is a liberator and not a ruler as seen in the other parties.” LP stated.

The National Publicity Secretary described as spurious and misleading corruption enrichment allegations against  Abure the National Chairman ,as a well calculated attempt to tar his person with a dark brush .

“The audit report gave the party a clean bill of health since 20221 when Abure assumed office .As a matter of fact, an earlier forensic audit report carried out in 2017 indicted the suspended National Treasurer for fraudulently diverting huge sums of money to personal accounts .

“Abure’s only offence is that he has refused to allow the continuation of looting while insisting that accountability must be enthroned.

“We are aware that Abure is still living in a rented apartment in Abuja and that he only recently refurbished a bungalow left for him by his late father as the first son .

“It will also interest you to know that no kobo has left the LP accounts without a co signatory, either by the National Secretary and or the National Treasurer.

“So the narrative that Abure siphoned or diverted the party funds is clearly misleading and orchestrated to muscle him out of office” LP Spokesperson noted.

Why Ghana Hammered Nigerian Banks

By
James Orji
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Ghana Central Bank  has suspended  the trading foreign exchange licenses of two Nigerian banks.
The two banks, GTB Ghana and First Bank Ghana were issued a one month suspension for alleged Forex malpractices, the GCB authority said on Tuesday in a statement.
The statement however said the licences will be restored after one month if the banks are able put in place effective control measures.
The statement read: “Bank of Ghana has suspended the Foreign Exchange Trading Licences of Guaranty Trust Bank Ghana Limited (GTB) and FBNBank Ghana Limited (FBN), effective 18th March 2024, for a period of one (1) month, in accordance with section 11 (2) of the Foreign Exchange Act 2006, (Act 723).
“This is as a result of various breaches of the foreign exchange market regulations, including fraudulent documentation in their foreign exchange operations which have come to the attention of Bank of Ghana.
“The licence will be restored at the end of the one-month suspension period once the Bank of Ghana is satisfied that they have put in place effective controls to ensure strict adherence to the foreign exchange market regulations.”
The GCB further warned foreign exchange market players from infracting on the country’s extant financial  guidelines and regulations.
By this statement, we caution foreign exchange market players to adhere strictly to the applicable forex market regulations and guidelines.”

Banks React

Reacting to the suspension, the GTB Ghana said in a statement that it it’s already engaging the Ghanaian authority on the issue, the bank urged the customers not to panic.

The statement said, “we refer to the Bank of Ghana’s announcement of the 30-day suspension of our Foreign Exchange Trading Licence effective March 18, 2024, and would like to inform our valued customers and esteemed stakeholders that we are collaborating with the Bank of Ghana to rectify the identified trade-related concerns.

“This includes branch operations, agent banking partners, and channels for seamless banking. We reaffirm our commitment to our customers and stakeholders and will continue to maintain the high ethical standards we are renowned for.”

“We would like to assure all our esteemed customers and stakeholders that we are currently working with the relevant Government Agencies and customers with a view to resolving these trade-related issues timely.

Our customers and stakeholders are our primary responsibility and, Guaranty Trust Bank Ghana would like to clarify that this development does not a­ect customers’ own deposits and other business segments of our operations. All other products and services ;- Main branches, Agency Banking outlets are available for your convenient use at our regular opening hours and our Mobile Apps and Internet banking are available for your use at any time of the day.

We further assure our customers that the issue was not a function of willful non-compliance by the Bank, as the Bank has a culture that endeavours to comply with regulations at all times and stringent Anti-Money Laundering CFT policies which are applied across all our operations.

We are also in ongoing consultations and discussions with the Central Bank of Ghana to fully resolve all matters raised in the shortest possible time. Guaranty Trust Bank Ghana remains committed to being a constructive participant in Ghana’s nancial markets and to contributing to its further developments in the interest of all its customers and stakeholders.

On its part, FBN Ghana urged customers to be patience as efforts are ongoing to engage with the regulatory authority in Ghana with the aim of lifting the suspension.

According to the statement said, “we refer to the Bank of Ghana’s announcement of the 30-day suspension of our Foreign Exchange Trading Licence effective March 18, 2024, and would like to inform our valued customers and esteemed stakeholders that we are collaborating with the Bank of Ghana to rectify the identified trade-related concerns.

“This includes branch operations, agent banking partners, and channels for seamless banking. We reaffirm our commitment to our customers and stakeholders and will continue to maintain the high ethical standards we are renowned for.”

Army Will Defend Democracy Against Coup Plotters- COAS

By
James Orji
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0

General Taoheed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, says the Army will defend the country from coup plotters.

The Army boss said the military has accepted democratic government, and would not do anything to truncate the current self government.

Lagbaja spoke while declaring open the seminar of the Army Headquarters Department of Military Secretary in Abuja on Tuesday.

The COAS who said the military remains agent of democracy stated that the armed forces “have no desire to truncate it. The Nigerian Army will continue to defend our constitution and not suspend it for whatever reason.”

His assurance comes on the heels of recent coup scare in the country, following reports that the military is not happy with the current economic  and security situation in the country.

Allegedly, there were reports of suspicious movement of troops in Abuja, the nation’s capital few weeks ago, further racing the fear of military takeover.

But the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa had since dismissed the report as a figment if the imagination of it’s peddler. 

The Defence Chief further reiterate the military commitment to defend democracy at all times.

Recall that the fear of coup has further been heightened following military takeover in some West African neighbouring countries.

Commissioner of Police To DPOs: You Cannot Detain Suspects Beyond 48 Hours

By
The Source
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Alhaji Mohammad Husseini Gumel - Kano CP

The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Muhammad Husseini Gumel, has issued a stern warning to all Divisional Police Officers, DPOs, in the State to refrain from detaining suspects beyond 48 hours without charging them to court.

The CP handed down the marching order on Tuesday March 5 2024, during an unscheduled visit to some Police formations within Kano Metropolis.

This is even as he has reminded the DPOs that bail application remains free.

CP Gumel emphasized the need for the DPOs and others to ensure that the fundamental human rights of citizens are respected in the course of discharging their duties,adding that all actions capable of jeopardizing the peoples rights should be avoided by police personnel.

The CP who was accompanied on the visit by officials of Nigerian Correctional Centres ,National Human Rights Commission , Judicial officers, Officials from the office of Kano State Attorney General and some Civil Society Groups, noted that the unscheduled visit is in line with Police Duty Solicitors Scheme PDSS which was flagged off in December 2023 .

“All sectors of the society would want to see what the Police is doing in terms of access to Justice . There is a marching order from the Inspector General of Police IGP for all Commissioners of police to launch the PDSS to ensure the protection of  fundamental Human  Rights of citizens ,and  guarantee access to justice and free legal services

“So we are determined to meet the practical aspect of the PDSS . We have moved round some police formations within the metropolis and interacted with detainees” CP Gumel stated.

Alleged Bribery: “You Cannot Investigate Ganduje”, Court Tells Kano Graft Agency

By
The Source
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Governor Abdullahi Ganduje

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

Reprieve came the way of the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress and immediate past Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in an alleged case of bribery and corruption, leveled against him  by the Kano State Anti Corruption Commission.

This followed the ruling by a Federal High Court sitting in Kano. The Court ruled that the Kano State Anti-graft Agency lacks the power to investigate and prosecute the former Governor over the alleged 2018 Dollar bribery video.

Justice Abdullahi Liman, in his verdict noted that the alleged offence falls within Federal jurisdiction and as such can only be investigated and prosecuted by the Attorney General of the Federation ,as well as the Economic And Financial Crime Commission EFCC.

The Presiding Judge is of the view that since the alleged case falls within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, the Kano State Anti Corruption  Commission is limited in its power to  investigate same .

However, the Graft agency, has signalled its intentions to appeal the ruling of the trial court.

In an interaction with the media, immediately after the Court’s judgement ,Counsel to the Commission , Usman Umar Fari, said the Agency will challenge the ruling at the Appeal Court.

The Source reports that the  judgement has ignited joyous mood within the camp of the APC in the State, with many party faithful openly celebrating .

Uzodimma Commiserates  With Their Royal Highnesses, Madumere, Nwaneche, Amadi on Death Of Wives

By
The Source
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Hope Uzodimma

The Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma has bemoaned the passing of wives of three traditional rulers in Imo State – HRH Eze Henry Madumere, HRH Eze Sabinus Nwaneche and HRH, Eze Reginald Amadi. He described their wives’ death as a big loss to the State and the traditional institution.

The deceased wives of the monarchs –  Ugoeze Marlinda Chikanele Ulunma Madumere, Ugoeze Patience Nkechinyere Nwaneche and Ugoeze Ogechi Amadi – passed recently after brief illnesses.

Eze Henry Madumere is the traditional ruler of Achi Mbieri in Mbaitoli, Eze Sabinus Nwaneche is of the Ogwuama Ancient kingdom in Ahiara, Ahiazu Mbaise while Eze Reginald Amadi is of the Obetiti-Nguru in Aboh Mbaise.

A statement by Oguwike Nwachuku, the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to Governor Uzodimma said that the Governor was seriously pained on hearing about the death of the three Ugoezes whom he held in very high esteem based on their outstanding personalities motherly roles in their domains.

The statement said that Governor Uzodimma regretted that the Ugoezes will no longer be available to continue to assist their husbands in the good works they are doing in their different communities in the interest of our society.

Governor Uzodimma, according to the statement, maintained that the deceased would be sorely missed by all but that those mourning them should be consoled by the fact that they left behind legacies of service to God and humanity which are there for everyone to see.

He also commiserated with the Imo State traditional institution and urged all and sundry in the institution to join him in committing the families of the deceased in the hands of God during this trying moment as well as to pray for the souls of the deceased.

The statement added that Governor Uzodimma prayed God, on behalf of his family, the government and people of Imo State, to grant the souls of the Ugoezes a peaceful repose, and to their husbands and all that they have left behind to mourn their unfortunate death, the fortitude to bear the loss.

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