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Osun Gov: 14 Candidates Eye Oyetola’s Job; INEC Assures Parties

By
Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

Political parties and Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) are in the last minute preparation  ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Osun state.

Coming barely a month after a similar exercise in Ekiti state, the Nigeria’s Electoral body, INEC, has again assured stakeholders of a level playing field during the election.

Political parties, are rounding up their campaigns while INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, on Tuesday, presided over stakeholders meeting where he updated them about preparations by the commission.

At the event, Yakubu told the people that  the choice of who emerges as next governor of the state now rests on the electorate.

Yakubu also disclosed that about 1,479, 595 out of 1,955,657 voters, representing 76 percent of eligible voters had collected their voters cards.

“We are  updating our records to provide a detailed breakdown of PVCs collected by polling units. This will be concluded and made available on Friday 15th July 2022.

“For us in INEC, let me reassure political parties, candidates, and the electorate that the choice of who becomes the next governor of Osun State is entirely in the hands of voters.

“As I have repeatedly said in previous engagements with stakeholders, INEC will not take any action to the advantage or disadvantage of any political party or candidate. Our focus is on the processes and procedures as provided by law

14 governorship candidates, are  in contest to wrestle power from incumbent  Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Saturday’s election.

Prominent among the candidates are Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Yusuf Lasun of the Labour Party (LP), Oyegoke Omigbodun of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Akin Ogunbiyi of the Accord Party (AP).

Some candidate had left the APC and PDP to pick the ticket of other parties after their defeat at the governorship primary election.

2023: Nollywood Star, Kenneth Okonkwo Quits APC  Over Muslim-Muslim Ticket

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

Nollywood star, Kenneth Okonkwo has joined the list of APC members that have dumped the party over the Muslim-muslim presidential ticket.

APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu had last Saturday chose a former Governor of Borno state as his running mate,  ignoring the advise of some governors of the party, religious leaders and well meaning Nigerians who warned that a Muslim-muslim ticket will not augur well for a multi-religious nation like Nigeria.

Okonkwo announced his resignation from APC  on his official Instagram page.

He stated that APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket will affect Christians in the North of Nigeria if allowed to stand.

He said he dumped the party in the interest of equity, justice, fairness and peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.

Tinubu Presidency Will Be Servitude To North – Adegboruwa

By
Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN,  Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa has observed that the south especially South west should not celebrate the emergence of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as a presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress, (APC).

Adegboruwa said he believes a Bola Tinubu presidency will be controlled by the North to the detriment of the south.

Adegboruwa, in a statement on Tuesday, also reiterated his rejection of the All Progressives Congress (APC) same religion ticket saying it is a sign that others don’t matter and shows absence of consideration for unity and plurality.

“Desperation and over ambition. We just want power at all costs and we don’t care what others think or do.

“We can win the elections without you, especially by other means other than by open ballot.”

Adegboruwa pointed out that APC’s action was a cruel affirmation of supposed superiority complex.

“It is an indication of a hidden agenda. The spirit of Hope 93 died with MKO and those who betrayed him and his mandate.

“May Boko Haram, terrorists and insurgents, their sponsors and sympathizers not win the 2023 elections, the statement added.

He said the same-religion ticket suggests only one region determines electoral victory and that Tinubu is not acceptable to Northern Muslims.

Adegboruwa accused the APC of acting like Nigeria is not a secular state, but rather being ruled to satisfy certain religious tendencies.

“That the APC has absolute control of the electoral system and thus electoral victory may not be determined through free, fair and credible elections.

“That certain political tendencies and interests do not trust others to accommodate them if they are entrusted with power whereas they have been in power and accommodated by others.”

Adegboruwa added that the North has proven that Tinubu has no mind of his own “and will be unable to defend the unity of Nigeria in crucial moments of decision making.”

The statement added the the APC is incompetent to manage a complex nation like Nigeria with diverse interests, different tongues and tribes and consisting of different faiths.

Ondo: Cocoa Farmers Urge Akeredolu To Stop  Foreign Firm Destroying Their Farms

By
Ayodele Oni
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By Ayodele Oni

An alleged sale of several hectares of farmland to a foreign firm by Ondo state government has pitched some farmers against the administration.

Some Farmers whose farmland was affected by the deal have cried out to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to intervene as their only source of livelihood is about to be destroyed.

The Farmers, numbering about 200 residing at Bisi Camp AO3A via Odigbo in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, appealed to the Governor to rescue them from the foreigners that have started destroying their Cocoa farms in the area.

Their spokesperson, Oluborode Olakunle explained that a company identified as Sweden Farm has started bulldozing their Cocoa plantation under the guise of industrialization.

Oluborode pointed out that this was despite the fact that the farmers residing at Bisi Camp have been paying their annual tax to the present administration.

He stated that one of the officials of the foreign firm identified as  Mr. Henry, who is the Bush Manager of the company, had earlier told the farmers that only Melina plantation was sold by State Government and that Cocoa farms in the area would not be destroyed.

According to Oluborode, the Bush Manager of the company also claimed that Ondo State Government has sold the Forest reserve from Bisi Camp to Asewele Community worth 100,000 hectares of land.

He lamented that it was unfortunate that government, that has been clamouring for increase in cocoa production can invite foreigners to take over farmers plantation.

Apart from regular payment of taxes by the farmers, the spokesman said they have been cooperating with the government of the day, especially in the area of security.

The affected farmers however urged Governor  Akeredolu to help prevail on the foreign firm from bulldozing their farmlands as the remain their only source of living and their last hope.

2023: CNPP Calls For Drug Integrity Test, Medical Fitness Certificates of Candidates

By
The Source
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Chief Willy Ezugwu

Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has called on all political parties to ensure that all their candidates undergo drug integrity and health fitness tests ahead of the flag-off of campaigns for the 2023 general elections in September.

The CNPP in a statement signed by its Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, demanded that “the results of both tests be made public as part of efforts towards ending increasing terrorism and medical tourism by elected public officials.”

The CNPP said that it had backed the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on its proposal in April, 2022 for drug testing to be included in screening process for aspirants seeking elective offices.

“The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had written to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), urging the party to include drug test as part of its screening of aspirants on their platforms.

“The chairman of the agency, Buba Marwa has disclosed that the NDLEA wrote to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), urging the party to include drug test as part of its screening of aspirants on their platforms.

“Probably, the NDLEA felt that as the ruling party, the APC should be bold enough to set a precedent in fight against substance abuse. But, why such an innovative idea and noble suggestion by an agency which is responsible for combating illicit drugs was turned down is what beats the imagination of responsible citizens.

“While the National Chairman, Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Yabayi Sani, rejected the proposal by the NDLEA, saying that “the awkward proposal portrays politicians as drug addicts who must be certified fit to run for various elective offices by the agency”, but that perception is what makes it expedient to carry out the test and erase the stigma once and for all.

“We therefore reiterate the CNPP’s support for drugs and medical fitness tests for all aspirants and candidates seeking to be elected by Nigerians.

“It should be legalised, even as we call on all political parties to cause their respective candidates to undergo medical examinations and drug integrity tests before the campaigns in September.

“We equally demand that the test results be made public as a commitment by political parties to the ongoing war against insecurity and to check medical tourism by elected public office holders in the country”, the CNPP demanded.

2023: Shock As Amaechi Allies, Princewill, Sementari Dump APC

By
James Orji
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For the All Progressives Congress, APC in Rivers state and immediate past Minister of Transport, Rotimi Ameachi this is not the best of times. The signs that the party in the oil-bearing state will face uncertain future first unfolded after Amaechi failed to clinch the APC presidential ticket last month.

The former minister has since accepted his fate urging his supporters to work for the party and victory of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC presidential flagbearer in the 2023 election.

But indications have now emerged that things may be turning upside down for the party in the state following the resignation of two allies of the former minister, Tonye Princewill and Ibim Sementari, a former managing director of the NDDC, from the party.

Watchers of the party insist that it will be hard to win any election in the state if the situation continue. The party already has enough problem in its plate due to its polarisation into two camps led by Amaechi and Senator Magnus Abe in their quest to control the soul of the party.

Princewill, aformer APC governorship aspirant has informed the party of his resignation citing the controversial APC muslim-Muslim joint presidential ticket, a fallout from Tinubu’s selection of Kassim Shettima as his running mate.

The former Lagos state governor unveiled Shettima, a former Borno state governor when he visited President Muhamamdu Buhari in his Daura, Katsina home last Saturday. His pick has elicited mixed reactions from his party and other well-meaning Nigerians.

Stating the reason for his resignation, Princewill said the choice of Shettima is against equity and justice. He said he could not in good conscience support the party in its quest to promote a muslim-muslim joint ticket having fought for years to ensure equity and justice in the state.

Princewill,who is an ally of immediate past Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi said his resignation was in protest against the choice of Kashim Shettima as running mate to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.

In his resignation letter addressed to the Chairman of Ward 3 (Royal Ward), Buguma City, in Asari Toru Local Government Area, Princewill said he cannot continue to “argue for equity in my state and defend inequity in my country.”

On her part, Sementari, a former Commissioner of Information during the tenure of Amaechi as governor said she was leaving the party, but did not mention the reason.

“I write to resign my membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from today. I appreciate the friendship, camaraderie and opportunities that this platform has provided me to serve my state, region and country even as I wish the party well,” the former NDDC boss said in a letter dated July 9 and addressed to the Chairman, Ward 5, Okirika.

Sementari, a journalist-turned politician was a close ally of Amaechi until recently when the duo parted ways.

The final straw that broke the camel’s back for the former political allies was the decision by the former NDDC boss to dump Ameachi during the APC shadow presidential election last month. Sementari was said to have worked for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who came third in the election.

ASUU Strike: Buhari Begs University Lecturers

By
James Orji
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President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to the ASUU to shelve their seven months old strike. The University lecturers began the strike in February over unpaid entitlements and have since stayed out of lecture rooms, despite appeal by the federal government and other well-meaning Nigerians.

Buhari spoke five days after Vice chancellors of Nigerian universities under the aegis of Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, CVCNU, urged the president to directly wade into the matter.

“We plead that drastic action is taken to stem the hemorrhage that the system is currently witnessing. For the sake of our children and society, we need the decision,” Prof. Samuel Edoumiekumo, chairman of CVCNU said last week in Abuja at the presentation of the Model Intellectual Property for Nigerian Universities.

In a statement released on Monday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said Buhari made the appeal at his Daura, Katsina home where he’s currently spending the Salah break.

Buhari said the strike has dragged on for too long, bringing academic activities to a halt across all the nation’s ivory towers, adding that the situation will have generational consequences on families, the educational system and future development of the country.

The President, who received some governors of the All Progressives Congress, APC, legislators and political leaders at his residence, also appealed to other well meaning Nigerians to wade in on the ASUU’s strike, saying ‘enough is enough’.

said the strike had already taken a toll on the psychology of parents, students and other stakeholders, throwing up many moral issues that already beg for attention.

President Buhari noted that the future of the country rests on the quality of educational institutions and education, while assuring that the government understands their position, and negotiations should continue, with students in lecture halls.

According to the president, “We hope that ASUU will sympathise with the people on the prolonged strike. Truly, enough is enough for keeping students at home. Don’t hurt the next generation for goodness sake.

“Colonial type education was geared towards producing workers in government. Those jobs are no longer there. Our young people should get education to prepare them for self-employment. Now education is for the sake of education. Through technology we are much more efficient. We should encourage our children to get education, not only to look for government jobs.”

Union Bank: Fresh Hurdles As Shareholder Drags CBN, Titan Trust To Court

By
James Orji
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0

Dr Charles Mekwunye, an aggrieved shareholder of one of Nigeria’s oldest commercial banks Union Bank has dragged the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN to court over its approval of the sale of the bank to Titan Trust Bank.

In the suit number FHC/L/CS/674/2022, the plaintiff is asking for the nullification of the deal, as well as a stay of execution until the court makes final judgment on the matter.

The CBN, the magazine learnt is a co-defendant in the case, and has already been served of the court process.

Union bank was in June this year fully acquired and taken over by the barely two-year old Titan after approval by the Godwin Emefiele-led CBN.

The deal which entails the acquisition of majority shares of Union Bank, which at the time was worth over N3 trillion in asset, according to its 2021 audited Financial Statement has not stopped amazing key stakeholders in the sector, who are still wondering how a relatively unknown entity like Titan, with just two branches, could effectively take over the behemoth Union Bank.

But in spite of the questions raised by key stakeholders, the Regulator had gone ahead to ratified the deal.

Meanwhile, feelers are now emerging that the suit filed by the plaintiff could open up some critical issues in the deal which many Nigerians believe must have been hastily consummated under very shadowy circumstances.

According to the court papers filed by Dr Mekwunye through his team of lawyers led by A.M Makinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN at the Federal High Court in Lagos, the plaintiff is seeking an order to nullify the CBN approval of the sale of Union Bank to Titan Trust Bank.

This is the second time the plaintiff had challenged the deal having first dragged Union Global Partners Ltd and Atlas Mara Limited to court over the sale of their majority shares in Union Bank.

The two firms are now being joined in the present case with the CBN. The British Virgin Islands-based Atlas Mara and Union Global Partners Limited owned a combined 93.4 per cent of Union Bank shares that were acquired by Titan Trust Bank.

In the fresh suit against the CBN, Dr. Mekwunye, contends that the deal did not follow due process, and also violates Nigeria’s extant laws guiding such transactions.

The plaintiff also insists that Titan did not have enough financial capacity to acquire Union Bank, considering that it has just been licensed barely three years ago without any record of strong financial surplus to be able for such humongous deal.

Among other things, Dr. Mekwunye, claimed that the sales of the combined shares of Union Global Partners and Atlas Mara Ltd, in Union Bank was done by private treaty instead of being traded on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange as required by law thereby making the transaction invalid and unlawful.

Recall that Titan Trust Bank had after taking over Union Bank, dissolved its board and appointed Mudassir Amray as its new managing director and chief executive officer.

The bank also appointed a new chairman and three directors; Farouk Gumel, chairman, and Andrew Ojel, Abubakar Mohammed and Lawrence Mackombo, directors.

Borno CAN Chairman Denies Supporting Shettima’s VP Candidacy

By
James Orji
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0

Bishop Naga Mohammed, Borno State Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN has debunked viral reports on the social media that he had supported the choice of a former governor of Borno State, Kashim Ibrahim Shettima by the All Progressives Congress, APC as the running mate to its presidential flag bearer in the 2023 election, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Tinubu, on Saturday unveiled the former Borno helmsman as his running mate while he paid a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari in his Daura, Katsina home.

The announcement has been greeted with mixed reactions from Nigerians, with some supporters of the APC claiming that Bishop Mohammed had backed Shitima’s candidacy. The bishop has now denied the report, saying the statement being quoted was made few years ago.

According to him, he neither granted any interview to any journalist nor issued any press statement to that effect.

Mohammed told The PUNCH,  that the story which had gone viral was taken from what he said in 2017 when Boko Haram was devastating Borno State at a time when Shettima was the governor.

According to him, “I have not granted an interview to anybody and never issued any statement. Was it not yesterday (Sunday) they said they had appointed him (Shettima)? How come I granted interview at the APC secretariat?

“Nobody called me. No journalist called me, except when this thing happened, when the papers were carrying it viral, then people were calling me.

“Right now, I’m somehow angry and not even composed to talk very well. The story they are carrying was in 2017 when Boko Haram was devastating Borno when Kashim Shettima was the governor.

“They picked that story and I, being CAN chairman, they now levelled it against me. I am just framed up and I don’t even have trust speaking with journalists, including you, because I don’t know what else you will write,” Bishop Mahammed said.

APC Governors Resolve To Back Tinubu-Shettima Ticket, As President Buhari Intervenes

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
APC Governors Visit Buhari in Daura

By Ayodele Oni

At last, and after an intervention by President Mohammadu Buhari, Governors of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) buried their anger and endorsed the choice of former Borno state Governor, Kassim Shettima as running mate to Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the party.

The Governors on Monday paid a Sallah homage to President Muhammadu Buhari at his residence in Daura.

The Governors were reported to have earlier expressed reservations on the choice of Shettima, a Muslim like Tinubu and refusal to carry them along in the course of the search.

The Governors felt one of them, especially Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai,  would emerge as Tinubu’s choice.

After a closed door meeting with the President, the Governors said they were pleased with Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s choice of Kassim Shettima as his running mate in the 2023 presidential election.

The Governors described Shettima as one of Nigeria’s finest.

In the entourage were Aminu Masari of Katsina, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano, Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, Abubakar Bello of Niger, Hope Uzodimma of Imo, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, Simon Lalong of Plateau and Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa.

Speaking after the meeting, Bagudu said a Tinubu-Shettima Presidency will complement all the achievements of the last seven years under President Muhammadu Buhari.

Bagudu further revealed that the APC Governors Forum is working hard to win the upcoming Osun Governorship election.

On his part, the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma described the choice of Shettima as a collective decision.

He noted that the 22 governors of the APC will deliver 22 States in the upcoming 2023 general elections.

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