The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the 2023 elections, Atiku Abubakar, arrived in Abuja in the earlier hours of Thursday.

It was gathered that Atiku set aside pre-scheduled meetings and appointments in Morocco and the United Kingdom, to be in Nigeria to participate in his party’s governorship grand rally in Osogbo, Osun State on Thursday.

Atiku had left for the US after choosing the governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate and amid the controversy generated by the choice.

Some party chieftains, including Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State and former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, have criticised the way Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State was treated in the run-up to the emergence of Okowa as Atiku’s running mate.

Atiku failed to attend the rally of the party in Ekiti State ahead of the governorship election that was held on June 18, 2022. The PDP lost the election, coming third in the contest.

Many stakeholders in the PDP, including former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; party chairman, Iyorchia Ayu; Atiku’s running mate and governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, have arrived in Osun for the campaign.

SaharaReporters earlier reported that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu knocked the opposition parties challenging his party in the July 16 governorship election in Osun, including the PDP and the Labour Party (LP), saying they will labour in vain till they die.

 

 

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The Senator representing Adamawa North Senatorial District In the National Assembly, Elisha Abbo has said the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress is a distraction from the failures of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

In an interview with Arise TV on Tuesday night, monitored by SaharaReporters, Abbo said the APC produced the stunt of the Muslim-Muslim ticket to prevent Nigerians from asking questions from the present administration about its failures.

“Nigerians should be bothering themselves about good governance and in all honesty, my party could not provide that good governance in the last seven years, I think that’s why they produced this studio stunt to distract Nigerians from asking questions as we head to 2023 general elections,” he said.

The senator also noted that members of the National Assembly cannot defend the N4 trillion budgeted for fuel subsidy in 2022.

He said, “In all sincerity as a member of the National Assembly, I cannot defend N4 trillion for fuel subsidy, fuel that I don’t even see in the filling station yet the government budgeted N4 trillion in the 2022 budget, who are importing this fuel? Where are they selling it? Who are consuming it? I believe it’s a distraction.”

Speaking on why he recently left the Tinubu Support Organisation, Abbo said he cannot be loyal to a government that broke its own constitution.

“You cannot be loyal to a government that broke its own constitution,” he said.

“We have been in the movement; we pushed to the point where he won the primary election, his first act as the candidate of the party is to go against the constitution of the party, how do you command loyalty from people that you threw away?”

Abbo noted that Tinubu did not consult with any member of the APC before picking Kashim Shettima, a former Borno governor as his running mate.

“The truth is that he didn’t consult, there was no consultation. What he did was he bought time, they made up their mind from the beginning that they would produce Shettima as the vice-presidential candidate of the APC, they made up their mind,” he said.

He added Buhari is unbothered about the choice of Tinubu’s running mate because he is tired and eager to leave office and return home.

“Buhari contested for presidency three times, he picked Christians in the south the three times he ran. Buhari never with his massive followers picked a Muslim-Muslim ticket. When this was happening, he said okay that’s what he wants, I leave it to you because Buhari said he’s tired, he wants to go home” He said.

Abbo added that he was still a member of the APC.

 

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Effort to expand political choices of electorates during elections beyond two major political parties is one that has experienced difficulty and sabotage in both countries with developing democracy like Nigeria, and even countries with fully matured democratized electoral process like the United States. We have seen cases where smaller parties attempt to merge to birth a third force that can match the strength and popularity of the ruling party and the major opposition for obvious reasons. Running alongside major political parties with access to multiple streams of funding, with some political power is tremendously exhaustive but not impossible. It is even more tasking for young political hopefuls, who are not ready to conform and worship godfathers for anointing. 

The gubernatorial candidate of the Young Progressives Party, in the Osun2022 election, Dr. Ademola Bayonle is the youngest candidate in the race, as an indigene of Osun State who has payed a close attention to Osun politics over the last 16years, I am far convinced that he deserves every support he needs as a man who probably left his job in the United States, put his all on the line to challenge what seems like a tradition of inheriting retrogressive leadership, year-in, year-out. Therefore, the good people of the state of the virtuous need to walk the path of transformation by trying something completely unusual. This wave of transformation signaling the beginning of an epoch in Osun state must not be rendered inefficacious by the youths of the state who should stand to defend their future.

We do not only need to participate in politics, resourceful youths who have made great impacts in their chosen careers early enough, who have mustered the temerity to go into politics deserve to be encouraged, supported and lifted so that he could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with old politicians who have no retirement plan. Youths supporting youth is the only path we can walk to having more youths with quality leadership experience in politics, and to make the old politicians know that the youths of today have known their place in nation-building. The 35-year-old governorship candidate, Dr. Ademola Bayonle is not only young, he has the right skills set to fix the state.  Aside the fact that he works at the Havard Medical School in Massachusetts, United States, he has spent most part of his life working with the black community in Boston, in the United States, to give back to their home countries in Africa. I first heard about his foundation, the Dr. Ademola Bayonle Youth Foundation, which gave my community a borehole water long before I saw that he is a young man, vibrant, and has an interest in politics. 
We can't go to the polls with two wrong options in our heads, again. I think they are 15 candidates in the race, we should try to expand our choices, make a critical examinations of their individual capacities and agenda for the state, think about the consequences of having to do the same thing over and over again; we have Dr. Ademola Bayonle who has records that distinguish him from other candidates. His exclusion from series of the pre-election debates further confirms that he is that golden fish the regular politicians characterized by so much corruption, incompetence and prebendalism are working really hard to keep hidden. Things to look out for in this forthcoming Osun election should ordinarily centre on capacity and the will to transform the state. Ademola Bayonle has demonstrated the capacity to transform the state, he has a good intention for the people of Osun judging by his manifesto and philanthropic gesture exhibited over the years. 
Nikki Reed's assertion about voting and the choice of voting is as accurate as it could, the position was that, "Young people need to vote. They need to get out there. Every vote counts. Educate yourself too. Don’t just vote. Know what you’re voting for, and stand by that.” This is the time for the good people of Osun who have been denied quality life for decades to not just vote but know what they are voting for, who would steer the wheel of the state for four years. Our votes will reflect how woke we are and how prepared we are to engineer the change we have anticipated for. However, I plead with the angry youths and frustrated Osun indigenes to give peace a chance, ensure the election is peaceful, non-violent and dignifying. This is a chance to vote in the pattern we have been ruled in the last four years, any violence during and after the election is a distraction, and must be resisted. 
Written by: Oluwaseyi Oyetunbi

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Former Lagos State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jimi Agbaje has said whoever will succeed President Muhammadu Buhari must be ready for post-war governance.

 

According to Agbaje during an interview on Channels TV on Wednesday, monitored by SaharaReporters, Nigeria is in a state of war as every system in the country has collapsed.

He said, “In the spirit of equity, justice, and fair play, that rotation will go round, but it is obvious that the two major parties one has decided to murder religion, the other has decided to murder ethnicity, so we’re stuck with them.

 

“We are in a country today; we are like a country that is at war and whoever is going to come to take over in 2023 must be ready for post-war governance. It’s like a country where everything has collapsed, security, every system.

“I laugh when people ask, why is the judiciary like this? Why are police like this? Why is INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) like this? And I say people are looking for an island of purity in a system that has more or less collapsed, there’s no such thing.”

 

He advised Nigerians to look beyond the All Progressives Congress and PDP to a competent candidate that is trustworthy and ready to reset Nigeria.

“Ordinarily it shouldn’t matter but what Nigeria is going to need based on the contraction that we have now in all the parties, I suppose there are two to three major parties, is to look for people who accept that we are at war and what Nigeria needs is a reset.

 

“We are going to have a leader people trust because we are going to need to make sacrifices. We are in big trouble everywhere and the only way we can move forward is to have a leader that people trust that the leader is there for them, not for themselves, himself or herself, that’s where we are at this point in time, it’s a serious situation we found ourselves,” he added.

 

According to him, it is time for Nigerians to ask questions from political parties about what they have for them and the country.

“It’s not about stories, propaganda, it’s not a game about religion or ethnicity, we have gone past that and they are carrying that badge one way or the other. At least, the two major parties are carrying that badge and they are ruling and they have to rule with it but then they have got to earn the trust of the people,” he said.

 

He, therefore, urged political leaders who want to govern the country to accept that there is a problem with the Muslim-Muslim ticket being pushed by the ruling APC and rotational presidency, and not try to defend it but find a solution to the problem.

 

 

 

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A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has rebuffed attempts by Umeh Kalu (SAN), counsel for the All Progressives Congress and a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, to stop a motion compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission to release the Certified True Copies of reports of the party’s primary for Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial district.

 

The senatorial candidate of the party, Udom Ekpoudom had sued INEC for failing to release the Certified True Copies of reports of the party’s primary despite several letters from his lawyers.

Udom had won the primary for Akwa Ibom North-West which was monitored by officials of the electoral body.

 

However, Godswill Akpabio was declared the winner of another primary shortly after stepping down for former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu at the APC presidential primary held in Abuja, on June 8.

 

Mike Igini, resident electoral commissioner (REC) of Akwa Ibom, had said the exercise which produced the former minister as a candidate wasn’t monitored by the commission.

 

Section 31 of the Electoral Act only allows for substitution when a candidate dies or when he or she withdraws from the race and informs INEC in writing.

 

Section 29 (4) of the Electoral Act also provides that any person may apply to the Commission for a copy of the nomination form, affidavit, and any other document submitted by a candidate at an election and the Commission shall, upon payment of a prescribed fee, issue such person with a certified copy of the document within 14 days.

 

Udom had asked the court to compel INEC to avail him of all the documents.

“An order directing the 2nd Defendant to produce certified true copies of the following documents and avail the plaintiff/applicant with the same at or before the hearing of the substantive suit viz

 

“The official report of the Commission (INEC) of the primary election of the All Progressives Congress for the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District for the 2023 General Election,” part of the court document had read.

 

Presiding over the case on Wednesday, Justice Okorowo ordered INEC to produce the Certified True Copies of its official report for the 27th of May APC senatorial primary election.

 

Reacting to the ruling, a source said, “This order by the Federal High Court and many others to be given by various courts is a further confirmation of SaharaReporters detailed reports of how the heavily compromised and corrupt legal and EPM departments of INEC with the full knowledge of the commission's leadership are working with corrupt politicians who didn't emerge from primaries but have their names submitted to INEC.

 

“As part of the compromise, Mahmoud Yakubu leadership not only refused to exercise the power conferred on it to reject such names under section 84(13), it has also used deliberate delays to frustrate those aggrieved from going to court by setting up a committee to review reports of primaries monitored and written at its state offices, a development that its own legal officers say is new and curious because nothing could be added or removed by the headquarters except compromise of the reports and that will be damaging to the image of commission and will undermine public trust.

 

“Meanwhile, APC through its counsel as a party to the delay strategy only filed and served its processes on the plaintiff in court today in response to Rtd. DIG Udom Ekpoudom’s suit challenging APC’s failure to summit his name to INEC as the party’s candidate for the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District for the 2023 general elections.”

The matter has been adjourned to July 19, 2022, for hearing.

 

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The Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called on authorities to bring back masking, ventilation and social distancing as cases of Covid-19 resurge globally.

 

Tedros, who spoke on Tuesday during a weekly briefing, stated that “the virus is running freely, and countries are not effectively managing the disease.”

RT reports that WHO had last week concluded that the virus remained a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’, adding that the pandemic was “nowhere near over.”

 

During the week of July 4-10, 2022, over 5.7 million new cases of Covid-19 were reported, a 6 percent increase compared to the previous week. Deaths, however, have remained relatively flat throughout this summer, with just over 9,800 reported in the week leading up to July 4, five times fewer than the same week last year.

 

Tedros called on national authorities to step up their efforts in “communicating risk” to the public, and called for a return of “public health social measures like masking, distancing and ventilation.”

 

Mask mandates and social distancing requirements were largely abandoned earlier this year, although some countries – among them China and South Korea – still require face masks in most public settings.

 

Nigeria on Tuesday announced that the country had recorded 357 new cases of COVID-19.

 

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which announced the new cases, on Tuesday, explained that the fresh infections were confirmed between July 9 and 11.

 

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A U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang has sentenced a 35-year-old Nigerian national Oluwaseyi Akinyemi, aka “Paddy Linkin”, aka “Joseph Kadin” of Hyattsville, Maryland, yesterday to eight years in federal prison.

 

This will be followed by three years of supervised release for two counts of mail fraud relating to a social media advanced fee fraud scheme that targeted elderly victims. 

Judge Chuang on Wednesday also ordered Akinyemi to pay $486,119.07 in restitution to his victims, US Justice Department says.

 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge Selwyn Smith of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; Acting Special Agent in Charge Troy Springer, of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General; and Chief Malik Aziz of the Prince George’s County Police Department.

 

“Akinyemi committed elder fraud and CARES Act COVID-19 fraud, which are both priorities for this Office,” said United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron. “Akinyemi not only took advantage of a nursing care patient, a national health crisis, and an employment crisis, but he also caused financial harm to at least 13 elderly victims.”

 

According to his guilty plea, from July 10, 2018 to April 29, 2019, Akinyemi and at least one co-conspirator engaged in a social media-based elder fraud scheme. 

 

Members of the conspiracy targeted elderly victims on social media platforms, representing themselves as agents of both real and fictitious government agencies and offered victims non-existent financial rewards if the victims first sent cash, money orders, or gift cards to cover associated “taxes and fees.” 

Conspirators even impersonated social media accounts of the victim’s friends to vouch for their fraudulent financial scheme. 

Believing that they would receive a financial reward, the victims sent cash, money orders, gift cards, and other valuable items through the mail to Akinyemi as well as other members of the conspiracy in order to obtain a financial reward. 

Akinyemi, who lived in Landover, Maryland at the time, received packages under the aliases of Paddy Linkin,” “Flex,” “Joseph Kadin,” “Anna Marcos,” and other aliases. 

After receiving the fraudulently obtained funds, Akinyemi kept a portion of the funds and provided the rest of the fraudulently obtained cash to co-conspirators in Nigeria. 

Akinyemi admitted that this advance fee fraud scheme defrauded 13 victims from around the United States, ranging in age from 47 to 78 years old, of a total of $478,145.07.

 

For example, Victim 1, who was 78 years old and lived in Texas, received an application via social media to apply to a purported federal government grant program.  The application was accompanied by a message from a person whom Victim 1 believed was a friend, vouching for the program. 

Victim 1 was told by members of the conspiracy that he had been approved for $100,000 in grant funds but would need to pay taxes before he could receive the grant funds.  As instructed by members of the conspiracy, Victim 1 sent multiple packages of money, including to Akinyemi. 

To induce Victim 1 to continue to send money, members of the conspiracy sent Victim 1 electronic “certificates,” including a “Certificate of Completion” bearing the Internal Revenue Service seal, stating that it was from the “Federal and State Tax Institutes.” 

Victim 1 also received a certificate with a U.S. flag on it with the words “Federal Grants” next to it which included Victim 1’s full name and the text: “Federal Government Grants for the sum of $5,000,000.”  After receiving these certificates, Victim 1 continued to send money to Akinyemi and other members of the conspiracy.  In total, Victim 1 sent between approximately $70,000 to $80,000 to Akinyemi.

 

In total, Akinyemi and his co-conspirators used the identities of 19 real individuals to file fraudulent CARES Act unemployment insurance and PUA claims, causing an actual loss of more than $7,000, and an intended loss of $250,000 in state and federal benefits.

 

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Uber is being sued in the US by 550 women who were allegedly assaulted by drivers on the ride-hailing platform.

It was learnt that 150 more cases were being investigated.

The filing includes allegations women passengers "were kidnapped, sexually assaulted, sexually battered, raped, falsely imprisoned, stalked, harassed, or otherwise attacked by Uber drivers".

 

The case was filed at the San Francisco County Superior Court on Wednesday, BBC News reports.

 

"Sexual assault is a horrific crime and we take every single report seriously," an Uber spokesperson told the BBC.

 

"There is nothing more important than safety, which is why Uber has built new safety features, established survivor-centric policies, and been more transparent about serious incidents. While we can't comment on pending litigation, we will continue to keep safety at the heart of our work," they added.

 

The complaint, filed by attorneys at law firm Slater Slater Schulman, alleged that the sexual assaults took place in "multiple states".

 

It also said that at least another 150 potential cases are being "actively investigated."

 

The lawsuit alleges that as early as 2014 Uber became aware that its drivers were sexually assaulting and raping female passengers. But the filing claims that the company prioritised "growth over customer safety".

 

"Uber's whole business model is predicated on giving people a safe ride home, but rider safety was never their concern - growth was, at the expense of their passengers' safety," Adam Slater, founding partner of Slater Slater Schulman, said.

 

Last month, Uber released its second US Safety Report, which showed there were 998 sexual assault incidents, including 141 rape reports, in 2020.

 

In the report, the company said it had received a total of 3,824 reports of the five most severe categories of sexual assault between 2019 and 2020.

 

The firm's first safety report, which details incidents from 2017 to 2018, found 5,981 reports of sexual assault.

 

Uber's most serious categories of sexual assault range from "non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part" to "non-consensual sexual penetration," or rape.

 

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President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday charged the youth to seek education and arm themselves with skills and the ability to fight poverty to meet the needs of the 21st Century.

Buhari said the youth should not seek government jobs which are unavailable, stressing that more time should be given to the coaching of future leaders, with basic knowledge of moral values, as the fast-changing world, driven by new technology, would be more competitive and demanding.

President Buhari who made this known in Daura, Katsina State, implored parents to inculcate the right values in children, including deep fear of God, respect for constituted authorities and living a purposeful life through continuous education.

According to Garba Shehu, a presidential spokesman who posted the statement on his verified Twitter handle, the President, who was at the Emir of Daura's Palace for the Sallah homage, said more time should be given to the coaching of the future leaders, with basic knowledge of moral values, as the fast-changing world, driven by new technology, would be more competitive and demanding.

The President was quoted as saying, “I was locked up for more than three years, after leading the country. At that point, I realised and I told my children that your net worth is what is in your head, not what you have acquired in life.

“My focus has always been on training the children to be relevant wherever they find themselves. I told my children, particularly the girls, that they can only get married after getting a first degree.

“They already know that I am not leaving anything for anyone to inherit. My greatest legacy to the children is to ensure they are properly educated,” he said.

"The younger children should be guided and taught history, as they would find it hard to be patriotic, responsible and respectful, without a thorough understanding of their backgrounds. Whoever does not have a good sense of history will easily make mistakes.

“We should ensure the children get proper education. The knowledge they acquire should not be towards getting government jobs.  We don’t have jobs in government anymore. With technology, governments are becoming more smaller, nimble and efficient.”

“Emphasis should now be on skills acquisition and competence in creation and deployment of technology. During the Covid-19, we asked all level 12 downward to stay at home, and surprisingly the systems worked effectively,” the President noted.

The President told the Emir of Daura, Dr Faruk Umar Faruk, that he would be more regular in visits, preparatory to his handing over in May 2023, adding that the prolonged absence was due to the demands of his office.

“This is the longest I have been away from home. In fact, the Emir took to the court of public opinion at the prayer ground, when he openly told everyone that I had not visited Daura for close to a year,” he added.

President Buhari said all Nigerians must make sacrifices to move the country forward, especially the public servants, calling for more selflessness and inclusion.

“At the end, it is only God that can reward your efforts, not man,” he said.

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The Presidential Candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore and the political party have dismissed a report claiming the party is yet to submit names of candidates for the 2023 general elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission.  

It was reported that AAC was yet to upload its governorship and state assembly candidates for the polls.

As provided for in the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2023 General Election which INEC released in February 2022, all political parties that conducted valid primaries are required to nominate their candidates for Governorship, Deputy Governorship and State Assembly elections via the INEC Candidate Nomination Portal (ICNP) from 1st – 15th July 2022.

Reacting, Sowore described the report as fake, saying it should be dispelled in its entirety.

He said the AAC has submitted the names of over 60 candidates across Nigeria who are going to run for elections under the banner of the party.

“To be very clear, this has nothing to do with the presidential candidate and his vice,” the activist said.

“That has been submitted and resolved and their names have been published in all INEC offices across the country.

“So, we just trying to let you know that this is not correct, we have submitted over 60 candidates across Nigeria who are going to run election under the banner of the AAC.

“So, there is nothing to panic about and we hope INEC will take care of this and ensure they contact us in advance or check their records before going to the public to say AAC didn’t submit names of candidates.

“I was at INEC office today with the Secretary of the party to meet with the Director in charge of political parties. The EPM as he is well known, so please do not panic over this, the list of our candidates has been submitted to INEC portal.”

WATCH: A response to INEC Nigeria on the allegation that @aacparty hasn’t submitted candidates on its portal! It is untrue and mischievous! #WeCantContinueLikeThis #SoworeForPresident #takeitback pic.twitter.com/StthKsJUOj

— Omoyele Sowore (@YeleSowore) July 13, 2022

Femi Adeyeye, National Publicity Secretary of the party in a statement also said the names of Sowore and his vice-presidential candidate, Mr Haruna Magashi have been uploaded and approved on the INEC portal

The statement read, “We write to inform members of the public that the news making rounds that the particulars of our Presidential candidate, @YeleSowore have not been filled on the INEC portal, is FAKE & should be dispelled in its entirety.

“As of the time of writing this press release, a total of 84 names of candidates including Mr Omoyele Sowore

@YeleSowore and his vice-presidential candidate, Mr Haruna Magashi @haruna_magashi have been uploaded and approved on the INEC portal also pasted these names and particular in their offices nationwide.

“Another batch of over 200 candidates are undergoing the approval process in the party and definitely would meet up with the timeline set by INEC on July 15, 2022. Our party takes due diligence very seriously and Nigerians can be sure that the African Action Congress (AAC) won’t just upload and approve candidates like others; candidates who don’t have certificates, who lack character, competence and integrity.

PRESS STATEMENT

RE: SOWORE’S NAME MISSING ON INEC PORTAL.

We write to inform members of the public that the news making rounds that the particulars of our Presidential candidate, @YeleSowore have not been filled on the INEC portal, is FAKE & should be dispelled in its entirety. pic.twitter.com/Tp8MH5QD09

— African Action Congress #AAC (@aacparty) July 13, 2022

“We enjoin members of our great party @aacparty, candidates and members of the public to disregard the rumour. 6. We expect that INEC will lead the public correctly on issues concerning the party and on this particular issue, release a statement to put the body in correct light before Nigerians.”

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Ondo State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mrs Yetunde Adeyanju, on Wednesday, resigned her appointment shortly after she was moved to the ministry from one she considered to be juicy.

Until Wednesday, Adeyanju was the Commissioner for Water Resources and Sanitation.

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu had done a minor reshuffling of his cabinet and it required Adeyanju to be redeployed from the Ministry of Water and Sanitation to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development.

Sources told SaharaReporters on Wednesday that the commissioner was displeased with the transfer from a ministry she had considered “juicy” and had been accustomed to, to a “dry land”.

“She (Adeyanju) resigned shortly after she was moved to another ministry she considered as dry land unlike she was coming from. She does not want the ministry where she was taken to and it didn’t take her time at all to tender her resignation. Obviously, her former ministry was like a gold mine for her,” a source said.

Adeyanju subsequently forwarded her resignation letter to the state governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN).

However, according to her, in the letter obtained by SaharaReporters, she resigned from her position as a commissioner to explore other sectors outside politics.

Her letter reads: "I hereby resign my appointment as a Commissioner in Ondo State with immediate effect. My decision is predicated on a personal conviction to explore other endeavours outside politics for now.”

"However, I’m grateful to you for the golden opportunity given to me to contribute to the growth of our dear state, especially with the Kamomi Aketi Rural Water Supply. You gave me the platform and I’m proud that I used it well for the good of humanity. Kamomi AKETI water scheme remains the joy of thousands of rural dwellers today," she added.

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A former British Nigerian Minister in the UK, Kemi Badenoch, has lambasted Nigerian politicians, saying they use public funds as their private piggy banks and pollute the political system with failure to serve the people.

Badenoch, who is among the eight nominees in the race to succeed Boris Johnson as the British Prime Minister made the statement on Tuesday during her campaign speech.

The Nigerian-born woman who has served as Minister of State for Local Government, Faith and Communities and Minister of State for Equalities between 2021 and 2022 in the UK said she grew up in Nigeria and witnessed first-hand how Nigerian politicians misuse and mismanage public funds, promise heaven on earth only to pollute not only the air but the political system without rendering due service to the people.

Badenoch, who has also served as a member of Parliament for Saffron Walden since 2017 in the UK said she chose to hone her political career in the UK because the country’s system allows her to be free and become what she wants to be.

She said, “I’m running to be Prime Minister because when you are 42 years old, it is by definition, ambitious. But I am ambitious for our country and for our party.

“I chose to become a conservative MP to serve and I chose this country because here I could be free and I could become what I wanted to be.

“I grew up in Nigeria and I saw first-hand what happens when politicians are in for themselves. When they use public money as their private Piggy banks. When they promise the air but they pollute not only the air but the whole political system with a failure to serve others.

“I saw what socialism means for millions. It is poverty and broken dreams. I came to Britain determined to make my way in a country where hard work and honest endeavour can take you anywhere.”

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Gunmen suspected to be Islamic terrorists have reportedly killed 25-year-old Mu’azu Danladi, a relation of ex-Governor Adamu Mu’azu at Boto village in the Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

Danladi was reportedly killed by the terrorists in the early hours of Wednesday when they invaded the residence of Mu’azu’s family members.

The terrorists who were said to have targeted the former governor's children also abducted three relations during the attack which took the villagers by surprise.

Among the abductees, according to Daily Trust are - Hajiya Asma’u Alhaji Adamu, the younger sister of the ex-governor, Malama Halima Abdullahi and one Nura.

An eyewitness, Hashimu Abubakar Boto, who narrated the incident said, “The gunmen came around 1 am and went straight to the house where my brother used to sleep. They broke the gate and started asking him where the ex-governor’s children or grandchildren were? They searched the house but couldn’t find anyone, that was how they shot him in the head and abducted three family members.”

The mother of the deceased person, Hajiya Sa’adatu Adamu Mua’zu, described her son as kind, obedient and religious.

The grieving mother said, “My son was kind, obedient and religious. He focused on his daily activities; he didn’t involve himself in any fights with his brothers and neighbours.

“My last encounter with him was last night when he showed me the picture of his sister who is studying in Uganda and asked me about his Sallah meat, that was my last moment with him.”

Auwalu Abdullahi Adamu, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Youth leader at Kardam B Ward, whose mother is one of the abductees, said he was sleeping in his house when he heard gunshots.

Umar Adamu Mua’zu, younger brother of the ex-governor, said the kidnappers first went to the house of his elder brother, Abdurrashid Adamu Mua’zu, thinking he was there for Sallah.

He said the kidnappers had not contacted family members for ransom, disclosing that all the phone numbers of the victims were switched off.

The Bauchi State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, who confirmed the incident to SaharaReporters on the telephone, said the command was working to rescue the victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.

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Fire has razed down a section of Eke Market, a major market in Afikpo town, Afikpo North local government of Ebonyi State.

The inferno which reportedly occurred on Tuesday evening destroyed several shops and goods worth millions of naira. The cause of the fire according to Vanguard was not yet known. Meanwhile, traders have been counting their losses.

SaharaReporters gathered that the Ebonyi State Fire Service Unit in Afikpo could not mobilise to put out the raging fire because its equipment was reportedly not functional.

The Executive Chairman of Afikpo North Local Government Area, Oby Oko Enyim arrived at the scene of the incident at about 6:35 am on Wednesday.

Enyim sympathised with the victims and expressed confidence that there was hope for them despite the tragedy.

Enyim who was taken around the scene of the fire disaster by the Chairman of Afikpo Market Traders Association, AMATA, Omezue Johnson Inya Oka described the incident as pathetic.

Meanwhile, Lilian Ngozi Eziuloh, member representing Afikpo North East Constituency, Ebonyi State House of Assembly also sympathised with the victims of the fire outbreak.

“I sympathise with victims of Afikpo fire outbreak that took place at Eke Market Motor Park at about 10 pm on 12th July 2022. With a sincere heart filled with sympathy and empathy knowing full well the consequences of this disaster on those directly affected, I pray you shall recover all you have lost in Jesus’ name Amen.

“To Afikpo youths who volunteered to quench the fire amidst the intensity and absence of Fire service at the time they were most needed, God will reward you here on Earth and in Heaven for your contribution in communal and selfless service to save humanity," she said. 

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Ighorhiohwunu Aghogho

Lawyers supported by Legal Aid, Citizens Gravel Foundation for Social Justice have filed a bail application for the release of Delta State Take-It-Back Coordinator, Ighorhiohwunu Aghogho from prison.

The bail application dated 27th June 2022 was filed on 1st July 2022 at the Registry of the Federal High Court, Warri.

Ighorhiohwunu Aghogho

In the suit numbered FHC/WR/CS/51/2022, the lawyers demanded the release of Aghogho from Ogwashi-Uku Correctional Centre (Prison).

The court document read, “Grounds for the Relief(s) sought are (1) On or about the 8th day of June 2022, the Applicant was remanded at Ogwashi-Uku Correctional Centre (Prison) by the Order of P. U. Nsolo (Mrs) of the Magistrate Court 1 sitting at Asaba on the guise of holding charge pursuant to sections 293 and 294 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) of Delta State. (2) By the said sections of the ACJL, the order made on or about 8/6/2022 has a lifespan of 14 days and was unprofessionally extended to 8/6/2022 by P.U Nsolo (Mrs) on 24/6/2022 without the court sitting.

“(3) The Order has expired since on 24/6/2022 and there is no valid order of court extending the remand order since the Court did not sit. (4) That to date, the Delta State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mrs Efe Odogwu Jesin Odogwu has failed to and /or file any charge against the Applicant (Aghogho) if she wishes to prosecute the Applicant.

“(5) This Court has the power to release the Applicant on the circumstance on bail pending the DPP advice or prosecution (if any). (6) The applicant is an asthmatic patient and needs to be released so he can properly treat himself. (7) The applicant is innocent of the offence with which he is being accused of and ought to be granted bail unconditionally. The applicant is ready to stand trial at any time if called upon to do so.”

The case is yet to be fixed for hearing

The activist had been at loggerheads with the police in the state after he protested the lack of police vehicles for an investigation involving child trafficking.

He specifically accused the Assistant Inspector General, Zone 5 Benin, Lawan Tanko Jimeta of compromising an ongoing child trafficking investigation involving Delta State Government officials, police officers, and a retired chief judge among others.

In a petition to the Inspector General of Police, Baba Usman, the activist alleged that Jimeta tried everything possible to frustrate investigations into the case, urging the IGP to caution the AIG “if he the IGP is not part of the deal as officers in the zone boast about".

He was on June 6, 2022, arrested in commando style not befitting the Nigeria Police Force.

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Suleiman Yahaya-Kwande, who served as a two-term member of the House of Representatives, representing Bassa/Jos North Federal constituency of Plateau State, has dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Kwande was among the founding members of the party in 2013 and was an active member of the 'Change Movement' during the 2015 election.

He made this announcement in a letter dated July 4, 2022 and addressed to his ward chairman, saying the ruling party has considered him an outcast because he is not within the realm of power.
He also wished the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu, well in the 2023 election.
His resignation letter read, “It is with a heavy heart that I write to formally notify you of my decision to resign my membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the recent events has (sic) left me feeling like an outcast and it seems that the party has no regard or use for those outside the corridor of power. 
“However, I wish to sincerely state here that I hold no ill feelings, resentment or grudges against anyone or group of individuals. I sincerely appreciate the party Executives at the Ward, Local, State and National level for their support and the opportunity to serve.
“I wish all the APC flag bearers, especially H.E Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda who I both hold in high esteem best of luck ahead of the 2023 general elections.”

Yahaya-Kwande was a member, House of Representatives 7th and 8th Assemblies, Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency, Plateau State.
In February, Yahaya-Kwande and Aku who resigned as Plateau Commissioner for Commerce and Industry to contest for the seat, claimed victory in the APC primaries for Jos North/Bassa Federal Constituency.
The primaries to determine who would fly the party’s flag in the February 26 by-election organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ended without a winner.
 
“From the results as collated, Suleiman Kwande scored 344 votes while Mr Abe Aku also scored 344 votes. We will relay the outcome to the national secretariat of APC to take the next decision," the Chairman of APC Electoral Committee for the primaries, Mr Habu Ajiya, had said.
Hence, Yahaya-Kwande expressed disappointment with the outcome of the election, saying that in the first instance, the election started far behind schedule for inexplicable reasons.
“I don’t know how it will be a tie. As far as I am concerned, I won fair and square.


“I know what I was up against, I know the forces that were against me and I was ready for them.
“I entered the election as a free citizen, nobody can coerce me to do what I want to do or do what I don’t want to do.
This made some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Bassa//Jos North federal constituency appeal to the national secretariat of the party, asking it to declare Yahaya-Kwande as the winner of its 1st/2nd February 2022 primary election.
But eventually, the party gave the ticket to Mr Abe Aku. 
Meanwhile, the candidate of the PDP, Musa Avia Agah won the bye-election held on Saturday 26, February 2022, having scored 40, 343 to beat the PRP candidate, Muhammad Alkali who scored 37, 757 votes and Abe Aku of the ruling APC scored 26, 111 votes.

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In an ideal situation, a Muslim-Muslim ticket or a Christian-Christian ticket should not be a problem if the two candidates on the ticket are good. But having said that, Nigeria is far from ideal, and the current Nigeria is) very different from the Nigeria of 1993 where Abiola and Kingibe were clearly heads and shoulders above Toga and Ugoh. That Nigeria was also a more forgiving place when you consider that said Sylvester Ugoh was, just over a quarter of a century before, the Governor of the Bank of Biafra, but that is a digression.
 
The Nigeria of today is a hateful place that is coming out of two terms of 97% and 5% division, where it has been made clear that if you are Igbo, or you are a Northern Christian, you do not belong. How else do we explain sermons such as this: https://bit.ly/3REhelI?
 
Hausa is a widely spoken language, so translations shouldn't be in short supply.
 
How else do you explain that people like Danladi Umar, Remi Tinubu, Abu Malami tarred an entire ethnic group with what is not short of hate speech, but to date have not been censured much less punished? Do you remember the Danladi Umar story? He assaulted someone, got attacked by a mob (made up of Northerners) and in order to deflect from what he did, labelled the mob as "Biafra boys".
 
This is what both the APC and PDP have done in this election cycle, they have further strained the already torn fabric of unity that the country has. Let's start with the PDP: the PDP's legitimacy rested on the principle of power rotation. Back in 1999, they gave this power to the South-West despite Alex Ekwueme being an early front-runner. There was an implicit agreement that power would rotate to the North after Obasanjo, then to the South-South, then back North, and then to the South-East. Then Yar'Adua died, and we were faced with a quandary. The South-South got pushed in before their expected 2015 time, and then in 2011, GEJ ran rather than "returning power to the North". It was this very action that made people like Atiku leave the PDP. Given that Atiku was crying for fairness, how then is it fair that after two terms of power in the North, when it, presumably, is the turn of the South-East, are we suddenly hearing arguments about "competence" and "that the rotation has ended" et al? Why didn't they say so in 2019? With the PDP's stance and the real prospect of a Nigerian of Fulani extraction following a Nigerian of Fulani extraction into the Villa, we would set a precedent where power rotation amongst ethnicities, which is a very important aspect of national unity in a diverse country - a sense of inclusiveness, dies. An Atiku victory next year means that there is absolutely nothing stopping an Abu Malami or a Nasir El-Rufai from trying their luck in 2027 or 2031 (if Atiku somehow serves two terms) and bringing up the same arguments that Atiku has used now. After all, a precedent has been set.
 
For the APC, the party has, in a time of religious frayed nerves around the country and pandered to an extreme section of the argument. That section, as the video I linked to earlier shows, has made it abundantly clear that Northern Christians do not matter in the scheme of things. There is already a precedent, it was set by Kaduna. Prior to the exit of Yusuf Bantex in 2019, Kaduna had an uneasy arrangement where a Muslim is the governor and a Christian is the deputy. El-Rufai shattered that when he picked Hadiza Balarabe to succeed Bantex, and now, Sani Uba, El-Rufai's anointed successor, has gone ahead to pick a Muslim as his running mate. Essentially, Christians in Kaduna have been relegated from de facto second-class citizens to de jure second-class citizens. This is what will happen if the Tinubu-Shettima alliance wins next year. In 2027 or 2031, a Northern Muslim candidate will pick a Southern Muslim as his running mate and couch his choice in the idea of "competence" and it would be set in stone going forward. That is what precedent achieves. Now ask yourself this question - will anyone in Muslim Northern Nigeria accept a Christian-Christian candidacy for the presidency?
 
As for the Peter Obi candidacy, my earlier argument about Mr Obi's ethnic nationality still stands: https://bit.ly/3kGS0Uh. You can see it in the attempts by supporters of both major parties to tie him to IPOB and link him with Biafra and separatism despite the fact that no record exists anywhere of him being tied to that agitation.
 
It is ironic when you consider that multiple streams of innuendo have linked Kashim Shettima with Boko Haram, yet it didn't matter. I still maintain that an Igbo man succeeding the disaster that Buhari has been would bring problems for the Igbo people. Perhaps it's my paranoia as an Igbo person that was born in the decade after the War ended and grew up surrounded by people who survived the most brutal massacre of that war, and so heard all their stories http://bit.ly/2VBRloJ. Paradoxically though, in the Nigeria of today, the anti-Igbo sentiments that would certainly arise if Peter Obi wins would bring immediate problems for everyone as the country's so-called unity has been so frayed that even the regular glue of anti-Igbo sentimentality would not nearly be enough to bring the other groups together.
 
An Atiku or Tinubu victory would bring problems in four years. Problems that would probably be of a greater magnitude as they would be existential (does Nigeria belong to one ethnic group? or does it belong to one religion?) and given that both men just want to be President to fulfil lifelong ambitions and not much more, would have been built on top of four more years of rot.
 
Whichever option we choose next year, we are ****ed. The locust years of Buhari have guaranteed that. It's just for us to choose our poison. A bullet to the head? Or death by a thousand cuts.
 
Nwanze is a partner at SBM Intelligence

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The Akwa Ibom North-West senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Udom Ekpoudom has sued the Independent National Electoral Commission for failing to release the Certified True Copies of reports of the party’s primary despite several letters from his lawyers.
 
Udom won the primary election for Akwa Ibom North-West which was monitored by INEC officials.

However, Godswill Akpabio was declared the winner of another primary shortly after stepping down for former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu at the APC presidential primary election held in Abuja, on June 8.

Akpabio had resigned from President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to contest the presidential primaries.

Mike Igini, resident electoral commissioner (REC) of Akwa Ibom, had said the exercise which produced the former minister as a candidate wasn’t monitored by the commission.
 
Section 31 of the Electoral Act only allows for substitution when a candidate dies or when they withdraw from the race and inform INEC in writing.
 
The section reads: “A candidate may withdraw his or her candidature by notice in writing signed by him and delivered personally by the candidate to the political party that nominated him for the election and the political party shall convey such withdrawal to the commission not later than 90 days to the election.”
 
Section 29 (4) of the Electoral Act also provides that any person may apply to the Commission for a copy of the nomination form, affidavit, and any other document submitted by a candidate at an election and the Commission shall, upon payment of a prescribed fee, issue such person with a certified copy of the document within 14 days.
 
In a suit filed by his lawyers at the Federal High Court, Udom asked the court to compel INEC to avail him of all the documents. Joined in the suit is the ruling party, APC.
 
The court papers read that Udom is seeking: “AN ORDER directing the 2nd Defendant to produce certified true copies of the following documents and avail the plaintiff/applicant with the same at or before the hearing of the substantive suit. viz
 
“The official report of the Commission (INEC) of the primary election of the All Progressives Congress for the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District for the 2023 General Election.
 
“The letter/form of the All Progressives Congress submitting the name of the party’s candidate for the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District for the 2023 General Election.
 
“INEC Timetable and Schedule of activities for 2023 General Elections. AND FOR SUCH FURTHER ORDER (S) this Honorable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.”
 
SaharaReporters on Thursday, June 23, 2022, reported that aggrieved members of APC had accused INEC of failing to release the Certified True Copies of reports of the party’s primaries despite several letters from their lawyers.
According to them, the Electoral Party Monitoring (EPM) and legal departments of INEC refused to issue the CTC of the primary elections monitored by the electoral body to enable them to proceed to court to challenge the removal of their names from the list submitted by the APC leadership.
 
 
“The Independent National Electoral Commission Electoral Party Monitoring and legal departments are as usual frustrating aggrieved party members of the APC in particular and other individuals whose lawyers have applied for CTC of the election monitored by INEC to enable them to proceed to court to challenge the removal of their names from the list submitted to INEC,” a lawyer representing one of the aggrieved members had said.


“The report of the primary election of Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Godswill Akpabio and other people of interest to some leaders of APC are not being released by the EPM and legal even when the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu has directed. However, he does not check if his directive has been carried out typical of a civil servant because of vested interest.
“The commission is now engaging in a hide-and-seek game despite the public declaration of abdication of its power to reject candidates that didn't participate in primaries.


“An umpire in total disregard of the sanctity of its role as an independent umpire has embarked on a policy of deliberate delay in issuing certified true copies of reports of the commission necessary for litigants to approach the courts.
“Our sources in INEC and investigations show that this is in connivance with powerful individuals in the APC who already bought their ways in the commission in order to frustrate the course of justice. Shamefully all of this is happening under the direct watch of the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu. There is no gain saying that if this ugly development is not urgently arrested, it portends a great threat to our already faltering democracy.”
 
There have been controversies surrounding the names of some candidates who contested the presidential elections like the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, the Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, and Akpabio, whose names resurfaced on the senatorial list even though they were not the winners of their senatorial primaries.
 
Bashir Machina had won the party’s ticket for Yobe North Senatorial District, while Udom Ekpoudom won the primary for Akwa Ibom North-West which was monitored by INEC officials.

For Lawan, Machina had insisted he would not step down for the senate president.

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John Bolton, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former National Security Adviser to the immediate past United States of America Donald Trump, said on Tuesday that he had helped plan attempted coups in foreign countries.
Bolton disclosed this to CNN after the day's congressional hearing on January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The panel's lawmakers on Tuesday accused former President Donald Trump of inciting the violence in a last-ditch bid to remain in power after losing the 2020 election.

Speaking to CNN anchor Jake Tapper, however, Bolton suggested Trump was not competent enough to pull off a “carefully planned coup d’etat”, later adding: “As somebody who has helped plan coups d’etat – not here but, you know, [in] other places – it takes a lot of work. And that’s not what he [Trump] did.”
Tapper asked Bolton which attempts he was referring to, Al Jazeera reports.
“I’m not going to get into the specifics,” Bolton said, before mentioning Venezuela. “It turned out not to be successful. Not that we had all that much to do with it but I saw what it took for an opposition to try and overturn an illegally elected president and they failed,” he said.
Bolton supported Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido’s call for the military to back his effort to remove socialist President Nicolas Maduro in 2019 when he was serving as National Security Agency (NSA).
He argued that Maduro’s re-election was illegitimate. Ultimately Maduro remained in power.
“I feel like there’s other stuff you’re not telling me [beyond Venezuela],” the CNN anchor said, prompting a reply from Bolton: “I’m sure there is.”

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Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled the country ahead of his expected resignation as President.
The President fled on a military jet, amid mass protests over the island's economic crisis, BBC News reports.
 
The country's air force confirmed the 73-year-old flew to the Maldives with his wife and two security officials.

In his absence, he has appointed Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as acting president.
 
Mr Wickremesinghe has declared a state of emergency and regional curfew in the western province.
 
Mr Rajapaksa's departure ends a family dynasty that has dominated Sri Lanka's politics for the past two decades.
 
The president had been in hiding after crowds stormed his residence on Saturday, and had pledged to resign on Wednesday 13 July.
 
 
A source told the BBC that Mr Rajapaksa will not remain in the Maldives and intends to travel on to a third country.
 
His brother, former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, has also left Sri Lanka and is said to be heading to the US.
As Sri Lankans awoke to the news, thousands of people took to the streets of the capital, Colombo. Many gathered at Galle Face Green, the city's main protest site. Some listened to fiery speeches at a makeshift stage set up for ordinary people to take the mic.
 
Punctuated by cries of "Victory to the struggle", the rallying cry of the protest movement, speakers railed against a government and the leaders they feel have failed them.
 
Police fired tear gas to disperse a group of protesters near the prime minister's office, but they managed to storm the office and other state buildings.
 
In an earlier televised address, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said he had ordered the military to do "whatever is necessary to restore order".
 
"We can't tear up our constitution. We can't allow fascists to take over. We must end this fascist threat to democracy," he said.
 
But many protesters say they will continue their demonstrations until both leaders have resigned from government.
 
Some demonstrators were furious about Mr Rajapaksa's departure, seeing a lack of accountability.
 
"We don't like it. We want to keep him. We want our money back! And we want to put all the Rajapaksas in an open prison where they can do farm work," said protester GP Nimal.
 
But 23-year-old university student Reshani Samarakoon told the BBC that the former president's exile offered "hope that in the future we can eventually become a developed country, economically and socially".
 
Sri Lankans blame President Rajapaksa's administration for their worst economic crisis in decades.
 
For months they have been struggling with daily power cuts and shortages of basics like fuel, food and medicines.
The leader, who enjoys immunity from prosecution while he is president, is believed to have wanted to flee abroad before stepping down to avoid the possibility of arrest by the new administration.
The Rajapaksa family has dominated Sri Lankan politics for two decades, and with strong backing from the Sinhala Buddhist majority, Gotabaya became president in 2019.
His departure is a remarkable victory for the protesters who came to the streets to express their anger against the mismanagement of the economy and the escalating cost of living.
The president's departure threatens a potential power vacuum in Sri Lanka, which needs a functioning government to help start digging it out of financial ruin.
Politicians from other parties have been talking about forming a new unity government but there is no sign they are near agreement yet. It's also not clear if the public would accept what they come up with.
Under the constitution, it's Prime Minister Wickremesinghe who should act in the president's stead if the latter resigns. The prime minister is considered the president's deputy in parliament.
However, Mr Wickremesinghe is also deeply unpopular. Protesters set fire to his private residence on Saturday - he and his family were not inside - and he said he would resign to make way for a unity government, but gave no date.

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