A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Bwari, on Tuesday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately recognize Chief Edozie Njoku as the authentic National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance.
The trial judge, Justice Mohammed Madugu, in his judgement, held that all the actions taken by Chief Victor Oye are “illegal, null and of no effect whatsoever”.
The judgement was on a suit filed against Chief Victor Ike Oye and the Independent National Electoral Commission by Otunba Kamaru Lateef Ogidan (the National Vice Chairman, South West Geopolitical Zone of APGA) and Alhaji Rabiu Mustapha (the National Welfare Officer of APGA), two APGA National Working Committee members under the leadership of Chief Edozie Njoku.
The Court ordered that Oye and INEC must obey the judgement of the Supreme Court delivered on October 14, 2021, and was subsequently corrected on March 24, 2023, with the name of Edozie Njoku as Chairman.
By implication, all the ward congresses, party primaries, conventions etc conducted by Oye have been declared null and void.
The court held that INEC must comply with an order of the Supreme Court, adding that Oye had no locus to parade as Chairman of APGA.
The Senate has approved twenty Special Advisers for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
It was reported that President Tinubu had written the Senate seeking approval to appoint 20 Special Advisers.
The letter was read at plenary by Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
After the letter was read, Senate Leader, Senator Ibrahim Gobir (APC – Sokoto East) moved that “the Senate do consider the request of Mr. President C-in-C for the approval of the Senate to appoint 20 Special Advisers and was seconded by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Philip Aduda.
As the most deadly blow on the integrity of Nigeria as a country and on the honor of Nigerians as a people, Mr. Peter Mbah, recently sworn in as Governor of Enugu State, seeks to force Nigeria and Nigerians to accept fake certificates (NYSC Certificate and WAEC Certificate). When the issue was first raised that Mbah filed a fake NYSC Certificate with the electoral commission, the INEC, reasonable people thought it must be a confusion that could be explained easily. Nobody in his right mind would think that indeed a governorship candidate actually forged a certificate and smuggled it in as if it were valid.
The facts of Peter Mbah’s case are glaring and deeply troubling, especially as it appears that Nigeria as a country, may watch such an extreme criminal act go unstopped. As we speak, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has deposed to an affidavit clearly showing that the NYSC Certificate presented by Mr. Peter Mbah is a badly forged document and that NYSC has nothing to do with that Certificate. In the most brazen manner imaginable, Peter Mbah went to court and applied for an order of the court to stop NYSC from disclosing the truth as contained in its record. The NYSC has countered Mbah’s move with a deposition sworn to by Mrs. Rhoda Dawa, an Assistant Director of the NYSC. She works in the NYSC’s Certification Department. That is to say: She is in the best position to tell whether a certificate purportedly coming from the NYSC is authentic or false.
Mrs. Dawa has worked for the NYSC for 32 years with NYSC and 7 years in its Certificate Verification Department. Thus, she is supremely knowledgeable in the facts of Mbah’s case. In her words: “My principal duties as the Assistant Director (Verification) include verification of all Certificates of National Service, Certificates of Exemption and Letter of Exclusion issued by the NYSC to deserving Nigerians.” There is no doubt that the world should trust Mrs. Dawa when she deposes to validity or otherwise of any NYSC Certificate. And she has stated under oath in a court document that the NYSC Certificate Mbah presented is fake, false and a forgery.
The most striking facts deposed to by Mrs. Dawa appear in Paragraphs 4(w) and 4(x) of the Counter-Affidavit in opposition to Mbah’s application. She stated as follows:
“w. … However, contrary to the deposition in paragraphs 17 and 18 of the affidavit in support of [Peter Mbah’s] application that he was accepted by the Law Firm [of Udeh & Associates for his Primary Assignment], nothing was heard from him again by [NYSC]. The purported Acceptance Letter and Clearance Letter attached to the affidavit in support of [Peter Mbah’s] application …. are not known to [NYSC].
“x. That contrary to the deposition in paragraph 19 of the affidavit in support of [Peter Mbah’s] application that he was issued with Certificate of National Service No. A808297 dated 6th January, 2003 upon completion of his service, [NYSC] never issued [Peter Mbah] with any Certificate of National Service No. A808297 dated 6th January, 2003 which is attached to the affidavit in support of his application as Exhibit O”.
THE BIG QUESTION: Who issued Peter Mbah the fake NYSC Certificate he has been using? Peter Mbah issued himself that Certificate. He acted as NYSC to issue himself the certificate and then acted as the corp member to receive the certificate. That is a crime worse than forgery. He manipulated an entire certification process. Nigeria is finished if it were to let that happen. Why would anyone bother to participate in NYSC in the future if they could simply write up their own discharge certificates? And why would anybody bother to go to the university if they could just issue themselves their own Degree Certificates, and the university is stopped from telling the truth, as Mbah seeks to stop NYSC from telling the truth?
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) is a critical program established by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 1973, which has been fully endorsed by law and recognized by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Government Agency in charge of the NYSC administers the program as Nigeria’s own national service program for Nigerian youths upon completion of their basic university education. Millions of Nigerian graduates since 1973 have passed through that program and proudly bear their Certificates as incontrovertible evidence of their service to the nation. The NYSC is thus a vital mechanism through which Nigerian Government has promoted common national identity, national integration and youth development in Nigeria for the past 50 years. Millions of Nigerians who are employed as graduates, especially in the public service are required to have completed their national service under the NYSC. Indeed, the Certificate of National Service issued by the NYSC is at the core of the eligibility requirements for public service, provided one is a university graduate or claims to be a university graduate.
The NYSC program is a mandatory government program that requires citizens to serve in a private or public organizations or institutions for a fixed period of one year. Other countries that have national service programs include Israel, South Korea, Singapore, Switzerland, Germany, and many others.
The importance of national service varies depending on the country and its unique circumstances. In the case of Nigeria, after the country went through a painful and costly civil war, it was deemed necessary to pursue the course of national healing, cohesion and integration and to support a purposeful youth development for Nigerian citizens. Some of the reasons why national service is considered important include:
1. National orientation: The NYSC service helps ensure that the country’s youths develop a sense of national identify and the spirit of patriotism. The NYSC service programs were designed to foster a sense of national unity and shared purpose by bringing together young people from diverse backgrounds and exposing them to a common experience. This can help break down social, ethnic, religious and cultural barriers and promote understanding and respect among different groups.
2. Personal development: The NYSC is meant to provide young people with valuable life skills, such as discipline, teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving. It can also help them develop a sense of responsibility and civic duty, and instill in them a sense of pride in their country.
4. Economic benefits: the NYSC program is also meant to provide a source of labor for public works projects, such as infrastructure development, disaster relief, and environmental conservation. This can help stimulate economic growth and development, and provide valuable services to the community.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has suspended the planned strike to commence on Wednesday over the removal of the petrol subsidy.
The resolution was announced by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and confirmed by the President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, after a six-hour meeting between the Federal Government and the organized labour at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
At the meeting, a 7-point resolution was reached on the issues surrounding the removal of subsidy on petrol.
Other key resolutions include establishing a joint committee comprising the Federal Government, and organised labour to review proposals for wage increase upward.
Additionally, the World Bank financed cash transfer scheme will be reviewed, with a focus on proposing the inclusion of low-income earners in the program.
The parties are to reconvene on June 19, 2023, to agree on an implementation framework.
On Rufai statement that Muslim will continue to rule Nigeria , I blame Christian Leaders for the fate of Christians in Nigeria. While Muslim is using public institutions to empower their followers , Christian Leaders are collecting money from the poor without improving their standard of living,paying their workers peanuts while building cathedral in every community .
While Muslims are playing politics inside mosques, Christian Leaders are not encouraging their followers to join political parties. While Muslim Leaders establish Islamic banks that give loans at zero % interest,Christian Leaders establish banks that charge exploitative interest rate. Muslim Leaders understand that politics determines everything,Christian Leaders preaches the power of miracle.
Thank God for the coming of GGM and Obidient Movement. The political space has been altered forever in Nigeria and the wise and smart politicians should join good Governance Ministry to take the struggle to permanent site . Ndubuisi Anaenugwu is an Ambassador of Good Governance Ministry,GGM
A witness of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has testified that the February 25 presidntial election was marred by violence at collation centres.
Dr Abiye Sekibo, who was the PDP state collation officer for the PDP in Rivers State, testified on Monday that his visits to 20 pulling units in Okrika and calls from the polling units agents of the party in many of the over 6,000 polling units confirmed they were not able to upload results from their centres using the BVAS.
Sekibo stated that he also received calls about violence in Obiakpor, Ahoada East and Ahoada West and drove to Obiakpo but was prevented from reaching the party’s agents.
However, under cross examination by counsel to Tinubu, Akin Olujimi (SAN), he admitted that he did not get the name of the INEC officials in the polling units.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Plateau state, Samuel Kwamkur, on Sunday cautioned former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, not to set Nigeria on fire with his utterances
Kwankur, who is a former National Director of the Christian Association of Nigeria, stated this at a press conference in Jos on Sunday.
He was reacting to statements allegedly credited to the former Kaduna governor in which he allegedly told his audience before handing over to his successor that the Islamic dominance in Kaduna had been successfully replicated in Nigeria and that it shall continue.
El-Rufai, he alleged, equally told his audience that in the course of the electioneering campaigns, when “they”(Christians ) tried to ask questions on why the Muslim/Muslim Ticket, he deceived ‘them’ that it was not for religious dominance when in reality, the tickets both nationally and at the state level were for Islamic dominance.
He alleged that in the video containing the speech which has gone viral on social media, El-Rufai further said that the victory of Bola Tinubu had silenced the Christian Association of Nigeria, adding that he will sustain an Islamic-dominated government for 20 years and unending not only in Kaduna State but in Nigeria at large
But Kwankur, while reacting to El-Rufai’s outburst, expressed disappointment at the utterances of the former governor, noting that the classification of the citizens of his state as ‘them’ versus us’ meant that the former governor cannot be exonerated from “the wanton killings, demolition of houses and places of worship of Christians in Kaduna”.
Kwankur said he was surprised that El-Rufai who was contemplated as one of the qualified persons to be appointed as the Chief of Staff to Mr President or Secretary to the Government of the Federation had turned himself into a “confirmed religious bigot with a hidden agenda to destroy the country using religion”.
He advised El-Rufai not to use his utterances to mislead Nigerians into thinking that President Bola Tinubu’s electoral victory was purposely to islamise Nigeria and nothing else.
The former National Director of CAN said “Ordinarily, I have heard Islamic clerics preach that Tinubu’s Muslim/ Muslim ticket is in furtherance of an Islamisation agenda, and despite that, I am one of those who contributed in discouraging Christians and Nigerians from accepting such as true because I believed in the antecedents and character of His Excellency Ahmed Bola Tinubu but hearing from a political leader like El-Rufai, a close associate of Tinubu and Shettima, an active participant in the campaign who was contemplated as one of the qualified persons to be appointed as the Chief of Staff to Mr President or Secretary to the Government of the Federation confirmed that there is a hidden agenda to be mindful of.
“In the said address, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai spoke like one of the religious bigots that have been working underground to set the nation on fire. Amongst his ill-motivated statements which I can only paraphrase for now, El-Rufai confirmed that he is a leader of the Islamic terrorist group operating in the Sambisa forest albeit disguising himself as a governor in a complex nation like Nigeria”
“Firstly, El-Rufai in his speech, wondered why he should give ‘them’ a deputy governor when most of ‘them’ cannot vote for his party. That he calculated and discovered ‘we’ can win an election without ‘them’ hence why give ‘them’ a deputy? From El-Rufai’s classification of the citizens of his state as ‘them’ versus ‘us’ one needs no angel to tell you that he cannot be exonerated from the wanton killings, demolition of houses and places of worship of Christians in Kaduna. Secondly, Mallam El-Rufai went further to state that Islamic dominance of government in Nigeria will bring peace, Justice and fair play. He assured the gathering that he will sustain an Islamic-dominated government for 20 years and unending.
This outburst reiterates his extreme fanaticism and displays his ignorance of what constitutes justice, equity and fair play. Discrimination, ethnic profiling and all genocidal attempts to consume a race or religion constitute injustice and are recipes for anarchy and crisis.
“Thirdly, he told his audience that in the course of the electioneering campaigns, when “they” tried to ask questions on why the Muslim/Muslim Ticket, he deceives ‘them’ that it is not for religious dominance but in reality the tickets both nationally and at the state level were for Islamic dominance.
“He boasted that the Islamic dominance in Kaduna has been successfully replicated in Nigeria and it shall continue. He said further that the victory of Asiwaju has silent the Christian Association of Nigeria.
“The question is: is it only Muslims that voted for Asiwaju? Who voted for Atiku and Peter Obi? I guess it was only Christians! How could a sitting governor, former minister of the Federal Republic and a potential key government appointee be this callous and insensitive? I recall in one of my visits to a friend in Kaduna, he expressed his views about Mallam El-Rufai”s involvement in the killings in Kaduna and I kept arguing that he should be given the benefit of the doubt, but watching El-Rufai address the Muslim Umma, I have no doubt in my mind that Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is one of those behind the unending religious crisis and insecurity in Nigeria.”
Continuing, the former CAN official added “For the record, Christianity does not practice deception as a principle or mode of operation. The Holy Bible admonishes Christians to say the truth at all times. Christians are also taught unconditional love regardless of religion, region and background. In the Christian faith, the Holy Book frowns against religious discrimination and dominance. The definition of Justice, equity and fairness is hinged on providing platforms for the involvement of all regardless of their population, religion and tribe.
“We also believe that God is the giver of life and power; he gives to whoever He wishes and takes it at the time He so wishes. Hence boasting of any sort is an open challenge to God’s sovereignty. Being a member of the Nigeria Interreligious Council (NIREC), I have closely interfaced with respected Islamic leaders of high repute and found out that there are Muslim leaders, unlike Mallam El-Rufai who are deeply concerned about the peace, development, and growth of Nigeria without pretense.
“Truly speaking El-Rufai is a setback to the peace process that NIREC has been battling with in the midst of religious upheavals. Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has exhibited blatant misuse of the trust that God gave him and confirmed that he is an extremist who has largely contributed to the pains of the very people he took an oath to protect in the guise of working for his religion.”
He urged the former governor to use the NIREC platform tom promote unity.
“One would expect El-Rufai to take advantage of such meetings to discuss the achievements of his government in developing the state and taking his people out of poverty and insecurity but ney! He wants to be celebrated as a religious hero and a Jihadist of high repute. How can our nation grow with this kind of leader in authority? Let it be known to all Nigerians that those of us Christians who supported His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu did so out of sincere hope that both himself and his Vice will work to ensure the sustainable development of Nigeria through their policies, experience and exposure.
“It should be known that we did not vote Tinubu out of El-Rufai”s deception (Taqiya) as he claimed! It should be made known to El-Rufai that against his wild imagination of achieving an Islamisation agenda through the dominance and persecution of Christians, Christianity grows better in persecution and supposed dominance. We shall continue to preach inclusiveness, equity and fair play in the true sense of these words. We shall never practice deception to cling to power. No! It is against our faith! May I use this medium to invite Mallam El-Rufai to study the nature of our God in the Book of Esther especially Chapters 6 & 7 where Haman’s plot to end the lives of the Israelites ended up consuming his own life.
For El-Rufai to think that the Asiwaju vote is a victory for Islam is very unfortunate and speaks volumes of his kind of bigotry. His outburst has destroyed the remaining respect he enjoyed from patriotic Nigerians. We call on Asiwaju to be mindful of friends, associates and politicians like El-Rufai who seek to work with him as they will do more harm to the system and the nation and nothing good can come out of such. May I also use this medium to call on our governors in Nigeria, particularly our Northern governors to truly work towards removing our battered citizens from poverty, insecurity and the like and ensure the provision of good healthcare and other benefits of good governance, rather than to dwell on preaching hate and religious and tribal differences. I call on our leaders to show the citizens the number of people they have empowered instead of the number of lives and property they have destroyed as is happening in Kaduna. I believe that God shall continue to expose the wolves in sheep’s clothing amongst Nigerians”
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited disclosed at the weekend that it has commenced termination of crude oil swap contracts and will pay cash for petrol imports.
According to NNPC’s Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Mele Kyari, private companies would begin importing petrol in June.
Kyari who said the national oil company will now pay for its purchases in cash by terminating the crude swap contracts, added that less petrol will be imported by NNPC while private companies will import the bulk.
In the last four months, we practically terminated all Direct Sale Direct Purchase (DSDP) contracts. And we now have an arm’s-length process where we can pay cash for the imports,” Kyari told Reuters.
Information Nigeria reports that DSDP is an agreement that allows sales of crude oil to refiners, who will in turn supply NNPC with an equivalent worth of petroleum products.
Meanwhile, the House of Representatives on Thursday, asked the Federal Government to suspend all DSDP contracts sequel to the removal of the petrol subsidy by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
The GCEO however noted it is the first time NNPC has said it is terminating crude swap contracts.
Speaking on the country’s production capacity, the of 1.742 million bpd.
However, Nigeria’s oil production fell below the one million mark in April 2023, as output tumbled to 998,602 bpd.
The figure was a 21.26 percent decline compared to March, when output was 1,268,202 bpd.
It was also the lowest volume of production in the last seven months.
President Bola Tinubu has stated that he inherited liabilities and assets from his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking in Abuja during a meeting with governors elected under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, the President said no budget or penny has been removed by his government.
According to Tinubu: “The situation that we have seen is one- I inherited, and it is fundamental, I inherited assets and liabilities of my predecessor.
No budget, no penny that has been removed. This is the first time you are entering the Council Chamber, this is the first time I’m entering it too. But we have to push on. We have to make decisions that affect all of us.
You as progressive thinkers, under the umbrella of our party, have a very serious role to play in educating the people, and making sure that we manage ourselves.”
Few days ago ,GGM Team and BVI Channel 1 were at Senator Dr Ifeanyi Ubah residence to confirm the trending news on social media that Nnewi , the largest motor (cycle) spare parts market in Nigeria has ingeniously created a local security system to secure the town and it’s environment from daredevils .
Before the visit , stories of kidnapping for ransom and ruthless killing of innocent victims have constantly been part of beer parlour discussions . This insecurity situation has affected the volume of business transactions as well as human movement throughout Anambra South Senatorial zone. A reliable source from Nnewi confirmed to me that 5 of his friends inside Nnewi market have all relocated to Lagos because of fear of kidnappers .
Surprisingly ,many families within the zone have organised traditional marriages in Abuja and other major cities in Nigeria. Nnewi that used to be beehives of business activities has now become a ghost land because of activities of kidnappers . These daredevils have been running riot attacking and burning police stations and other government facilities. Security agencies seemed to be handicapped. Under Obiano Administration , criminals took over 7 local government areas in Anambra South with camps established in more than 10 locations . These local government areas were under strict occupation of these daredevils hiding under freedom fighters . Luckily, Prof Soludo has declared war against these criminal elements but his efforts have not totally handled the situation as security is known to be local .
It is an established fact of law that the primary purpose of Government is security and welfare of the people (section 14(2b). Without a secure environment, Government cannot create economic prosperity and sustainable happiness.
The intervention of Sen Dr Ifeanyi Ubah is timely,hence our Team visit to Nnewi was quite revealing . From what we observed in Nnewi ,it is obvious that the people are determined to take back their environment. Sen.Dr Ifeanyi Ubah has showcased how to organize the people to secure their communities.
Indeed ,security operations must be localized to be effective and Senator Ifeanyi Ubah has proven that there is urgent need to decentralize security system in Nigeria for a secure society .
Ndubuisi Anaenugwu is an Ambassador of Good Governance Ministry.
