Category: Northern Reports

ONE of the governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress in Taraba State, David Sabo-Kente, has filed a suit against the party and Senator Emmanuel Bwacha for violating the Supreme Court judgement which nullified the candidacy of Bwacha as the governorship candidate of the party in the state and de-listed the APC from fielding a candidate for the governorship election.

The Supreme Court had nullified the nomination of Bwacha as the governorship candidate of the APC in the state earlier in February.

In its judgement delivered, a five-member panel of the court led by Kudirat Kekere-Ekun upheld the finding of the Federal High Court in Jalingo, the state capital, that the APC did not conduct any valid governorship primary poll in the state.

The court gave the judgement in the case which began with a suit lodged by David Kente, one of the governorship aspirants with whom Bwacha had jostled for the APC’s governorship ticket.

In a statement on Friday in Abuja, Sabo-Kente noted that though the apex court granted all the reliefs he sought, it however, did not order the re-run of the election, and so the recent primary held in Jalingo, was a clear violation of the court’s orders.

The aspirant also dismissed insinuations that his aim was to ensure that APC did not have a gubernatorial candidate in Taraba State. He however said he could not close his eyes to people who want to have a candidate without due process.

 “You are aware of how the purported primaries were held. How can you drag seven trucks of military men and Buratai, the former Chief of Army Staff, to hold primaries which none of the candidates attended? Five of us are in the race with him, and by him, I mean former Sen. Bwacha. So how can you hold an election where five of the six candidates did not participate?”

Frank IKPEFAN, Abuja

Ahead of the general election this year, a civic technology organisation, Orodata Science has developed a platform, “MyCandidate”, where Nigerians can get information about every candidate at all levels and all states.

According to a statement by the organisation on Friday in Abuja, the platform was developed in partnership with Open Cities Lab.

Program Lead, Uche Oti said “MyCandidate”, which has been piloted by Open Cities Lab in South Africa witnessed tremendous success.

Oti said bringing the same initiative before the elections in Nigeria will have an impact on voter’s knowledge and enable them make better decisions on who deserves their votes.

He said: “MyCandidate” Nigeria is an essential resource for making your voice heard in the 2023 Nigerian general elections. We encourage all citizens to use this platform and to make an informed choice about who will lead their country for the next four years.

“With “MyCandidate” Nigerian citizens can feel confident in their voting decisions, knowing that they have the necessary information and resources to make an educated choice.

“MyCandidate also features an embed code that can be used to embed its content into another website.

“This code can be copied and pasted onto any website that supports HTML. Online news platforms, civil society institutions, and other organisations can use this embed code to add “MyCandidate” to their own websites. This allows them to share the candidates’ profiles with their own audience.”

He added: “MyCandidate Nigeria which is an open source platform which relies on the exhaustive information provided by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and verified information sourced from the media. However, asides providing vital information about each candidate, it also does provide access to the Google search engine for additional information.”

WIFE of Kebbi State Governor, Dr Zainab Shinkafi Bagudu, has advocated increased budgetary allocation for education in the country.

Dr. Bagudu spoke at an interactive session with journalists in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.

She said, ”There is really a need for more money for education. It should be accorded the topmost priority.

”Every sector needs more funding, but education needs it more. It is the mother of all sectors. Education affects all sectors.”

Dr. Bagudu further spoke specifically on the need to educate the girl-child and empower the Nigerian woman. 

”If we educate the girl-child in society, we will have a better society. Education is surely very important.”

Speaking on the cashless policy and the ensuing cash crunch, Dr. Zainab Bagudu said it is a very good policy, adding that it would allow Nigerians to leverage on technology.

She urged the Central Bank of Nigeria to release more new naira notes as well as the old N200, as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari.

On the 2023 general elections, Dr. Bagudu said the APC remained widely accepted by the people of Kebbi State.

 ”We are reaching out to the people and everything has been great. Particularly our women are very committed when it comes to elections. In sha Allahu, APC will emerge victorious during the polls at all levels,” Bagudu added.

On the legacy she would be leaving behind, Dr Bagudu said posterity and the people should be the judge.

She listed women’s inclusiveness in governance as one of the major milestones of her husband’s administration.

FOUNDER Connected Development (CODE) and Follow the Money, Hamzat Lawal, has said the naira redesign and subsequent scarcity is now promoting voter inducement.

The founder of the Civil Society Organisations (CSO) said the present scarcity has rolled back on all the good works done in terms of sensitising Nigerians against vote buying and selling.

Lawal disclosed that investigations carried out by his group and other CSOs have shown that a growing number of people are now willing to sell their votes for cash.

He said this in Abuja at the 2023 pre-election assessment report and election monitoring tools launch with other members of the civil society and media.

His words: “I think it is really a shame that as we go into elections, the Federal Government is coming with an anti-people policy. Today it’s more like the good works we have done are being rolled back in terms of sensitising against vote buying and selling.

“Now, we are seeing a growing number of people who want to sell their votes. This would now empower mischief makers to induce voters, so I believe that the FG needs to rise to the occasion and try to find a way to find the middle ground between what should and should not happen.”

He added, “I think the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has what it takes to deliver on the 2023 general elections. I recognise the fact that INEC facilities have been vandalised in recent times in different parts of the country but I also believe that INEC has put in place contingency plans to ensure they are able to rise to the occasion. But most importantly, security agencies have to continue to support INEC to protect lives and properties, all their ad-hoc staff and sensitive materials to build public trust and confidence as we go into the elections.”

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Delta State, Engr. Omatsuli Tuoyo, has challenged the people of Isoko Nation to ensure the election of their kinsman, Hon. Joel-Onowakpo Thomas, the party’s candidate for Delta South Senatorial District, in Saturday’s National Assembly election.

At the party’s campaign rally at Emede community in the Isoko South Local Government Area, Tuoyo said the Isoko people should vote overwhelmingly for Joel-Onowakpo to complement the Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo peoples in the senatorial district who had resolved to vote massively for him (Joel -Onovwakpo) at the polls.

Said he, “I want to challenge the Isoko people. I bring you good tidings from Itsekiriland where our people have resolved to ensure that Joel-Onowakpo is elected the next Senator with our total votes. We are challenging the Isoko people to double our efforts by giving their votes to Joel-Onowakpo. Believe me, our votes in all our 18 wards will be more than the votes from your 24 wards. So, this is a big challenge to the Isoko people.

“This project is your project, seize it; go and tell everybody in your 24 wards to vote for Joel-Onowakpo.” That’s the way to go; that’s the way to ensure he is elected.”

Meanwhile, Tuoyo had also urged the people to vote for APC’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; the state governorship candidate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and other candidates of the party at the polls.

On the occasion, a well-respected Ijaw political leader, Chief Michael Johnny, said the people of Ijaw ethnic group had also resolved to give their votes to Joel-Onowakpo to ensure he is ejected the senator.

The United Nations (UN) has launched an intervention package targeting six million people needing assistance around the North East following insurgency, other forms of conflict, diseases and natural disasters.

The UN has estimated US$1.3 billion to provide critical lifesaving assistance to the six million people suffering from “the devastating impact of the continuing 13-year-long armed conflict”, among other emergencies.

The millions of people in the large-scale humanitarian and protection crisis in North East need urgent support, said the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Mr. Matthias Schmale, during the launch of the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan in the Adamawa State capital, Yola.

“The ticking time bomb of child malnutrition is escalating in Nigeria’s Northeast, with the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition projected to increase to 2 million in 2023,” Schmale said.

He added that over 80 per cent of people in need of humanitarian assistance across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states are women and children who face increased risks of violence, abduction, rape and abuse and require additional attention through enhanced access to protection and quality of basic health, nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene.

Giving further instances of people in need, the UN official said unpredictable attacks on people and infrastructure by armed groups are continuing, and that there are nearly two million returnees
who lack essential services and livelihoods.

A statement released after the launch of the Humanitarian Response Plan details how the plan will work, specifying that 120 operational partners will work in support of government efforts to save lives, improve the quality of life, protect the most vulnerable and enable affected people to return to normalcy and live safely.

Former Presidential candidate Rev Chris Okotie has said his restructuring proposition, which he has christened The Okotie Option(TOKO) remains the best option for the country going forward. 

According to his media adviser, Ladi Ayodeji, Okotie decided to name his change mantra TOKO to give it a strong sound bite.

He said regardless of the outcome of the forthcoming election, he remains convinced only a properly restructured Nigeria under the auspices of an interim government would create the enabling environment for anyone seeking elective office to successfully implement their manifesto.

Read Also: Economic survival hangs on restructuring – Okotie

Okotie, who is back from vacation, said: “The present system of governance has become inimical and subversive to the Nigerian cause. Only an interim government with a philosophy of aboriginal democracy can salvage Nigeria from the cusp of an imminent catastrophic disintegration. It’s time for TOKO !!”

He dismissed insinuations in certain quarters that his call for an interim government is inappropriate in an election year, saying previous transition programmes never produced a settled polity because of the contradictions of the current constitution.

He argued that the ongoing election cycle would not produce the much anticipated change in the fortunes of Nigerians because of the inherent defects of the 1999 constitution being operated.

Okotie insisted that only an interim government charged with the responsibility of bringing about Aboriginal Democracy is capable of giving the country a legitimate framework for an all inclusive, indigenous constitution that would be acceptable to Nigerians.