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Breaking: Supreme Court Affirms Akpabio As Candidate For Senate

By
Uche Mbah
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By Uche Mbah

The Supreme Court has upheld the election of the immediate past Minister for Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio,  as the rightful candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC),  Akwa Ibom North-west Senatorial District.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, had challenged the ruling of the Court of Appeal which ruled against Akpabio as the rightful Candidate for the February 35 Senatorial elections, and upheld the candidacy of retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, Udom Ekpoudom, as the rightful candidate.

A five-member Panel of Justices, led by Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, ruled on the issue.

Details, later.

Imo Govt Accuses PDP Of Plotting To Truncate Democracy; Blames Party’s Bitterness For Security Breaches

By
The Source
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Hope Uzodimma

The Imo State Government on Thursday, accused the State Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP) of plotting to truncate democracy in the State by calling for the declaration of a State of emergency.

Reacting to a press conference by the PDP that the Federal Government should declare a state of emergency in Imo should insecurity persist, the Government blamed the Party for the security breaches because it is still bitter that it lost the 2019 governorship election in the State.

In a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hon Declan Emelumba, the Government said the PDP has been a sour loser bent on rocking the boat, after it was sacked by the Supreme Court in 2020.

It noted that the suggestion by the PDP was a smokescreen to cover its real intention of destabilizing the State with a view to stopping the 2023 election.

“The Imo PDP has never hidden its unpatriotic desire to truncate the democratically elected Government of Senator Hope Uzodinma,” the statement averred.

“They sponsored and contrived insecurity in the State to make the State ungovernable, as they had vowed after they were lawfully booted out of office,” it further noted.

The Government said it has been working assiduously to contain the situation which has not spiralled out of control.

It disclosed that contrary to the claims of the PDP, the Government has not been intimidating the opposition, pointing out that both the PDP Presidential candidate and Labour Party counterpart had campaigned in the State without any untoward incident.

According to it, the PDP is afraid of contesting the upcoming elections because it knows that it can never defeat the APC.

The Government said the PDP has been suffering a self inflicted internal crisis such that the party is almost dead.

The Government asked the Federal Government to ignore the PDP as its desire is to overthrow Governor Hope Uzodinma in a violent manner instead of facing elections.

Imo: Again, Gunmen Invades  Ideato ; Shoot, Kidnap LG Chairman, Raze His Country Home

By
The Source
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By Charles Igbo

Less than one week after violence, tears, arson and death visited Akokwa,  Ideato North Local Government Area, the embattled LGA, in the uncivilized hours of Friday witnessed another such incident.

Gunmen stormed the Country home of the Interim LGA Chairman of Ideato North, Chris Ohizu with violence and arson and abduction.

Ohizu, who was shot on the leg before he was violently thrown into one of the gunmen’s vehicles, along with two others, also had his Country home razed down at Imoko Community, Arondizogu.

It is not known, yet, the relationship between the abducted Chairman and those abducted with him, but they were in the same house when they were abducted.

There are fears over the fate of the Chairman. A source revealed that he had just been discharged from a hospital due to ill-health before he was abducted.

A few days ago, gunmen invaded the home of Ikenga Ugochinyere Imo, the PDP House of Representatives candidate for Ideato North and South LGA, killed three people, including his uncle, razed down his house and, at least, 20 vehicles.

There are allegations and counter allegations over who were responsible. While the PDP points accusing fingers at Nze Chnasa Nwaneri, an Aide to Governor Hope Uzodinma, the State Government alleges it is the handiwork of Ugochinyere’s militant-colleagues, with whom he had agreed there would be no election in the South-east, only for him to do an about-turn to run for the membership of the House of Representatives.

The Police are still investigating the attack on Ugochinyere. It has not yet issued a statement on Friday’s attack and abduction of tye LGA Chairman, a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Ekweremadu Gets Back Seized Properties; Judge Chides EFCC, Accuses It Of Unfairness

By
The Source
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Ike Ekweremadu

By Gideon Njoku

“How do you help to tie down a man, and initiate a fight, and demand that the *same man you have helped to tie down defend himself? This, in my opinion, is an unconscionable act” –  Hon Justice Ekwo

Incarcerated former Deputy Senate President, Dr Ike Ekweremadu, has taken back possession of his, about, 43 properties temporarily forfeited to the Federal Government.

The Honourable Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Abuja Federal High Court, who had ordered an interim forfeiture   of the properties, lifted it on Friday.

Ekweremadu, who is in a London jail, awaiting his prosecution for an alleged human organ trafficking, is being prosecuted in Nigeria by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for alleged corruption.

Justice Ekwo, in lifting the forfeiture order, accused the EFCC of concealing facts presented before him when he granted the interim forfeiture order.

Ekwo, also, chided the EFCC,  and described its action as unconscionable, given the fact that the Commission is, allegedly, part of Ekweremadu’s ordeal in London. He wondered how the anti- graft Commission, still expected Ekweremadu to be present in Nigeria, at the same time, to defend himself.

Justice Ekwo: “I have been asking myself the question repeatedly. How can a citizen of Nigeria who is incarcerated outside the Country, to the knowledge of the respondent, EFCC, be expected to show course in an action in Nigeria, brought by the respondent, at the same time?

“How do you help to tie down a man, and initiate a fight, and demand that the same man you have helped to tie down defend himself?

“This, in my opinion, us an unconscionable act.”

Ekweremadu and his wife, Dr Beatrice Ekweremadu, were arrested at the Heathrow Airport, London, on allegation of trafficking a 21- year old man to London in order to harvest his kidney for their daughter, Sonia, who is suffering from kidney disease and needs a transplant. The young man said it was without his knowledge and/or consent.

Since that June of 2022, Ekweremadu has been in jail pending his prosecution as the trial Judge refused to grant him bail, labeling him a flight risk. His wife, however, was granted bail after about two months in jail. Their daughter, Sonia, and a London- based Nigerian Medical Doctor, Obeta, are also being prosecuted for same alleged offence. Dr Obeta, like the former Deputy Senate President, has also been refused bail.

Ekweremadu’s lawyer son, successfully, challenged the interim forfeiture order of his family’s assets.

Reactions Trail Move To Use Body Odour For Biometric Identifications In Elections

By
Uche Mbah
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0

By Uche Mbah

Reactions are beginning to trail the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) consideration of adopting of ‘body odour’ as one of its biometric identifiers for voters during elections.

During his presentation at the Chatham House, London, Tuesday, INEC Chairman, Mahmud Yakubu said that the Commission’s technologists recommended the use of body odour for biometric identifications during elections.

INEC had upgraded its identity verification system from the Automated Fingerprint Identification Software (AFIS) to the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS). Yakubu, however, said he advised them to make haste slowly.

“The clean up of the (voter) register was painstakingly conducted by the commission because the automated biometric identification system (ABIS)…before now the commission used the fingerprint identification system but this time around, we used the ABIS, meaning both fingerprint and facial, and that is what we are also using to accredit voters on Election Day”, he said.

“And all these innovations were all the work of INEC’s own in-house engineers in the commission, the machines may have been fabricated outside the country but the design of the machines were done by our own engineers in-house.

“In fact, one of them said they’re going to introduce a new biometric using body odour. I said please not yet. Let’s make haste slowly but when he explained it to me, it sounded logical. He said, don’t laugh, chairman, because I said body odour. It is also biometric. He said, how does your dog recognize you? It is from your body odour and that’s why if another person walks into the house it barks, when you move into the house, it wags its tail because it recognizes your body odour, I said but for elections let’s wait.”

Meanwhile, reactions have been trailing the INEC Chairman’s announcement.

John Okoyea twitter user, twitted:

“INEC is very serious in this coming election by including body odor. Peter Obi pls speed off your takeover scripts.”

Ihejirica Jude C, wrote on Facebook:

“Funny people, they are really looking for a way to rig this election”.

Daniel Meshak, also wrote on Facebook:

“Nothing person no go hear for this 2023 election matter. Just to select good leaders body odour don enter the matter”.

Ortom’s Convoy In Multiple Crash, Governor Safe

By
Uche Mbah
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Samuel Ortom in vehicle Accident

By Uche Mbah

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state narrowly escaped death Friday when his convoy was involved  in an accident on his way to a rally by his party, the Peoples Democratic Party.

The accident happened in Utokon community of Ado Local Government Area of the state.

Ortom and his entourage were headed  for Igumale, headquarters of Ado, where the governorship campaign was taking place when the incident occurred.

Daily Trust reports that  a  bus filled with the PDP supporters rammed into a Jeep when the driver apparently lost control of the vehicle. It also rammed into a security vehicle and another bus in the Governor’s convoy.

“At least two members of the State House of Assembly representing Guma and Kwande West respectively sustained injuries, according to the paper.

” Also, a few other vehicles were also affected in the incident which happened at exactly 10:50am on Friday.

“The motorcade in the convoy consisted of the state’s Deputy Governor, Engr Benson Abounu, Senator Abba Moro, House of Representatives and House of Assembly members from Benue south district, among other top government and party officials in the state.

” Meanwhile, the State Government’s ambulance in the convoy immediately evacuated the injured to the hospital.”

Ortom has been at the forefront of rebellion against the Presidential Candidacy of Atiku Abubakar, spearheaded by Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike. He has been campaigning in the state for all PDP candidates without mentioning the Presidency.

This is not the first time his convoy will be involved in an accident.

On July 3, 2022, his Convoy was in an accident when a Truck  Crushed Four Vehicles on Abuja-Keffi Road while returning to Makurdi after taking the governor to Abuja airport to board a flight to the United Kingdom.

2023: Sultan Says His Endorsement Of Obi Is Fake News

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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Abubakar Sa’ad, the Sultan of Sokoto has debunked reports linking him with the endorsement of Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP.


Obi, a frontrunner in the February 25 presidential election has received a slew of endorsement from prominent Nigerians to boost his bid for the nation top job.


Among those that have thrown their weight behind the former Anambra state governor include former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Afe Babalola, a senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state, who recently said he would have led the campaign for the LP candidate if he’s not for his affiliation with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.


Recently, there were reports that Sultan Abubakar, a respected traditional ruker and head of Muslims in the counrty has finally endorsed Obi.


The report claimed that the Sultan endorsed Obi when he visited his palace on Wednesday.
But in a statement by his media aide Prince Bashir on Thursday, the Sultan “challenged” the peddlers of such reports to provide evidence where he endorsed the LP presidential hopeful.


The LP candidate did not visit his palace, the traditional ruler said, describing the report as fake news.
The statement reads: “For the avoidance of doubt, the statement is fake because such an irresponsible write-up, credited to him, could not have emanated from anywhere near or around His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto and President of NSCIA.


“It would interest Nigerians to know that the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, was not one of those that paid a visit to the palace, whether on Wednesday or Thursday.


“The simple challenge is to ask them to publish a copy of the letter purportedly written by the Sultan or a video or audio clip where he endorsed Peter Obi and denied APC’s Tinubu as contained in their peddled fakeness.”

Access Targets 100m Customers In 5yrs- Wigwe

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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The Group Chief executive, Access Corps, Herbert Wigwe says the bank is targeting over 100 million retail customers by 2027. This is part of the group’s agenda for the next five years, he said.

Wigwe noted that the bank curently has one of the largest customer base in the county with over 50 million active customers by the end of 2022.

The groups chief executive reiterates it’s five year strategic plan to make Access Bank one the top five banks in Africa by the end of 2027.

He explained that the bank has shattered the ceiling in the fiancial sector to become the largest bank in terms of customer base and balance from its 69 position 20 yeas ago.

“Then (2002), there was hardly any space for us. But between 2007 and 2012, through hard work, we became one of the top 10 banks in the country and the banking sector consolidation under Prof. Charles Soludo changed everything as we went into the market to raise capital,” he said.

“Between 2012 and 2017, we told ourselves that we wanted to be one of the top three banks and we started by growing organically. Presently, we are in the last year of our 5-year corporate strategy which ends in 2022 and we shall have another five-year strategy for 2022 to 2027.”

Wigwe spoke in Lagos during the launch of the corporation’s new five-year strategic plan 2023 to 2027, saying the banking arm of the corporation will serve as the springboard for increasing its revenue, asset base and profitability, adding that Access Bank will “be truly known as global player in the market.”

“Access Holdings will be in the eye of the storm, having transformed to become a leading financial and ecosystem player, with its core business as the foundation. We want to be truly known a global player in the market.

“I have no doubt that we are truly on our way to becoming a global bank with an African heritage.

“We will also make sure that our corresponding banking is made stronger at the end of the five-year plan due to the fact that our subsidiaries, especially the one in UK are growing well.

“This is well structured strong organic growth and to ensure that we expand, we will need the right technology and skill to do so.”

Meanwhile, analysts insist that the bank has proven to be a top player in the financial sector of the Nigerian economy considering it’s trajectory when it started business 20 years ago, therefore, its on the right path to becoming one of the top five banks in the continent.

CBN, Banks Clash Over New Naira Notes, Apex Bank Threatens Sanction

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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0

Unimpressed with the circulation of the new naira notes, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, says it will impose sanction on commercial banks hoarding the new banknotes.

Ahead the deadline set by the apex bank to phase out the old notes, Sources informed the magazine that the Godwin Emefiele-led CBN is not happy with daily customers’ complaints that they don’t have access to the new banknotes of N200, N500 and N1000.

“The CBN is particularly distraught with reports that some commercial banks have not started loading their ATMs with the new notes despite directive from the CBN last week. The daily complaints by customers have reached unimaginable level. I hope some banks are not trying to frustrate our efforts to make the currency available to the public before as we try to phase out th3 old notes by January 31,” a top source in CBN said on Friday.

The magazine reported last week of complaints by commercial banks in the country that they have not received the new bank notes from the CBN. ” We will make the new notes available to customers as soon as we get allocation from CBN. We also need to configure our ATMs in readiness to dispense the new notes,” a commercial bank source said last week.

But the apex bank said some banks have refused to collect their allocation, a situation that may have led to the scarcity of their banknotes across the country.

This was disclosed on Thursday by Osita Nwanisiobi, CBN ‘s Director, Corporate Communications Department at Aba, Abia State during a sensitization for traders in the commercial states.

Contraryvto speculation, Nwasinobi said the deadline for phasing out old naira notes remained sacrosant, adding that the policy was meant to reduce the money in circulation.

He noted that close to N2.76 trillion out of N3.26 cash in circulation is outside the banking system.

Meanwhile analysts insist that the CBN will have to do more in making the new currency available to commercial banks, when this is done, the apex bank would have done it’s part, and it will be easy to bring out the hammer on erring banks.

Fidelity Bank Provides Free Medical Services For Lagos Residents

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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0

Fidelity Bank has facilitated a free medical outreach in the Lagos East Local Council Development Area, LCDA, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives as a leading financial institution in th3 county.

The commercial bank, on Thursday, facilitated the outreach which afforded members of the community an opportunity to undertake breast cancer screening, cervical cancer screening, cryotherapy, malaria test, blood pressure test, eye tests and diabetes screening as well as a deworming exercise and treatment of detected ailments at no cost.

Welcoming guests to the event, Branch Leader, Kofo Abayomi-Apapa SBU, Fidelity Bank Plc, Augustine Moemeke said, “Fidelity Bank is a bank that has the interest of the people at heart and that is why we regularly carry out initiatives like this across the country to enable us add value in the locations where we operate in.”

Moemeke also stated that the outreach was free and urged members of the community to take advantage of the programme to check their vital signs and quickly commence treatment for any ailment that may be detected.

In his appreciation for the kind gesture, the Executive Chairman, Lagos Island East LCDA, Hon. Dr. Alade Folawiyo, mentioned that though the Local Council Development Area authorities provided the venue, the outreach programme was solely executed by the bank. He therefore encouraged members of the community to take advantage of the programme to enhance their health and wellbeing.

Besides the medical outreach, participants also received provisions, ready-made meals as well as corporate gift items from the bank to commemorate the Yuletide celebrations.

With the FHHP, staff across Fidelity Bank’s business locations identify projects that impact their immediate community and raise funds to execute them. The bank’s management thereafter matches this contribution with an equal amount and disburses it for the selected project.

Fidelity Bank is a full-fledged commercial bank operating in Nigeria with over 7.2 million customers serviced across its 250 business offices and digital banking channels. The bank was recently recognized as the Best SME Bank Nigeria 2022 by the Global Banking & Finance Awards.

The bank has also won awards for the “Fastest Growing Bank” and “MSME & Entrepreneurship Financing Bank of the Year” at the 2021 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.

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