Nigerian musician, Timaya has been reportedly arrested after it was alleged that he damaged a lady’s car in Lekki and leaving her almost dead.
A video trending on social media captured the moment Timaya was being picked up by the police for questioning.
According to reports, Timaya hit the lady’s car with his car and when he was being confronted by the lady, he drove off while the lady was still hanging onto his car as he drove off.
The lady was said to have sustained serious injuries on her body and hospitalized afterwards.
The artiste before his arrest, maintained silence even after the sister of the victim, identified as Osinubi Omowumi, accused him of hit-and-run on Instagram.
Some members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), in Anambra State, have condemned the recruitment method for political appointees of governor-elect of the state, Professor Chukwuma Soludo.
Soludo had asked political appointees who would want to serve in his government to apply online.
But APGA leaders rejected the online method, stating that Soludo did not consult them before taking such a decision.
This is coming as 22,000 persons had reportedly applied for various appointments in the Soludo government online.
An APGA chieftain who spoke on the condition of anonymity said “Soludo’s online method of selecting those to work in his administration is not acceptable because it doesn’t justify his preparedness to be governor.
“It shows that he doesn’t know the people much; he doesn’t know the kind of people he can use to perfectly implement his manifesto and he wants people from the moon to give him ideas on what he is going to do at the Anambra state government house.
“Did Soludo fill out the online form before former President Obasanjo gave him an appointment as Economic Adviser or the Governor of Central Bank”
“Soludo shut the door against party members shortly after he was declared winner of the November poll and told us that he didn’t want to see anybody. After that, he announced his bogus transition committee. The next thing he did was to release an online application form.
“Let me ask one question: Did he secure votes that made him governor from the online device? I mobilized votes for him physically in my ward and in my local government, so why should I express my interest to work in his government online.
During the campaign, he was accessible to me but he didn’t ask people to come in online to vote.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 22,000 persons had reportedly applied online to work under Soludo’s government expected to be inaugurated on March 17, 2022.
A media assistant to Soludo, Mr Joe Anatune said applications received for jobs had clocked 22,000 as of Monday.
Anatune said the online talent hunt was a kind of data bank that would be retained by the state government to identify the sector each applicant would be employed.
He said, “This is not a one-off thing but a kind of employment bank or database from which applicants are engaged depending on the demand for such job specifications.”
But National Coordinator of APGA Media Warriors Forum, Chinedu Obigwe on Tuesday debunked the stories making the rounds that Soludo had jettisoned APGA members in his appointment plans.
In a statement in Awka, the Anambra state capital, Obigwe said the general public should disregard such insinuations.
He said, “I’m saying it authoritatively that the report did not emanate from APGA stalwarts.
“It’s important for me to now use this medium to tell the general public that Soludo is well prepared for the task of governing ndi Anambra and he is determined to do his best for them.
“He is not joking with any of his moves and nobody should take his directives for granted. One thing I discovered that the author of the report is labouring in vain to achieve is to sow a seed of discord between APGA faithful and Soludo but he has failed already.”
Naija News reports that INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu gave the breakdown during a press conference in Abuja on Saturday. According to Yakubu, political parties should prepare for the collection of forms from INEC from March 1, 2022, following the latest announcement. The INEC boss added that the breakdown of the schedule of activities for the 2023 general elections was released as a result of the 2022 amended electoral act recently signed by President Muhammadu Buhari. Below is the breakdown of the schedule of activities for the 2023 elections:
Activity
Presidential/National Assembly
Governorship/State Houses of Assembly
Conduct of party primaries/resolution of disputes
Submission of nomination forms June 10 – June 17 July 1 – July 15
Last date for withdrawal by candidates/replacement of withdrawn candidates by political parties July 15 August 12
Last day for submission of nomination forms August 8
August 18
Campaign by political parties September 28, 2022 – February 23, 2023 October 12, 2022 – March 9, 2023
Last day for submission of names of polling agents by political parties December 30, 2022 January 6, 2023
Election date February 25, 2023 Marc 11, 2023
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Armed men suspected to be members of a secret cult on Saturday invaded a burial ceremony in Ebenebe, Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, killing about 20 persons.
They also desecrated the corpse that was being prepared for burial.
Our correspondent gathered that the burial was that of a suspected leader of a cult group, named Ozo.
It was also gathered that while the corpse of Ozo was lying-in-state in his compound, some suspected cultists arrived at the scene and shot at the mourners while others scampered to safety.
A source said, “My sister was supposed to be at the burial. She and her friends had already prepared to leave Awka for Ebenebe, but the vehicle they booked to take them disappointed them.
“She and her friends were so unhappy, and they decided to go in search of another vehicle that can take them. It was in the course of going to the burial that they received a phone call that everybody at the burial had been dispersed by some gunmen.
“There is a video from the scene, which showed several persons lying in the pool of their own blood dead, while the corpse was desecrated, with its coffin lying far apart and sprawling on the ground.”
It was gathered that members of the community were wailing, while corpses littered the compound.
The Anambra State Police command confirmed the incident, stating that it was a case of cult rivalry.
The state police spokesman, DSP Toochukwu Ikenga, who responded to the message sent to his phone line, said, “Yes, this morning (Saturday), there was an incident at Ebenebe. A burial was going on when some people suspected to be cultists invaded the area and started shooting.
“I do not have details of casualties now, but I will keep you informed once the picture becomes clear.
“For now, the Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Echeng, has despatched tactical squads comprising of various units to the area to maintain calm.”
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rescheduled Presidential election in 2023 to February 25.
The commission had earlier announced February 18, 2023 for the presidential election.
But, the INEC boss while speaking with newsmen said that new dates have been fixed for the elections.
According to him, Presidential and National Assembly elections have been slated for February 25, 2023 while governorship and state assembly elections will now be held on March 11, 2023.
Here is the summary of ten key provisions of the new ELECTORAL ACT LAW as signed today by President Buhari.
1. Clause 29(1) stipulates that parties must conduct primaries and submit their list of candidates at least 180 days before the general elections.
2. Clause 65 states that INEC can review results declared under duress.
3. Clause 3(3) states that funds for general elections must be released at least one year before the election.
4. Clause 51 says that the total number of accredited voters will become a factor in determining over-voting at election tribunals.
5. Clause 54(2) makes provisions for people with disabilities and special needs.
6. Clause 47 gives legislative backing for smart card readers and any other voter accreditation technology that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deploy.
7. Clause 34 gives political parties power to conduct a primary election to replace a candidate who died during an election.
8. Clause 50 gives INEC the legal backing for electronic transmission of election results.
9. Clause 94 allows for early commencement of the campaign season. By this provision, the campaign season will now start 150 days to the election day and end 24 hours before the election.
10. Clause 84 stipulates that anyone holding a political office – ministers, commissioners, special advisers and others – must relinquish the position before they can be eligible to participate in the electoral process either as a candidate or as a delegate.
A Federal High Court in Lagos has convicted kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike popularly known as Evans for conspiracy and kidnapping.
Evans and five others; Uche Amadi, Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi and Victor Aduba have been facing charges of conspiracy and kidnapping before Justice Hakeem Oshodi.
One of the allegations against them was that they kidnapped the Managing Director of Maydon Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Mr Donatus Dunu, on February 14, 2017 and collecting 223,000 Euros as ransom from his family.
Delivering the Judgement, Justice Hakeem sentenced Evans, and two of his accomplices – Uche Amadi and Okwuchukwu Nwachukwu to life imprisonment.
However, the judge discharged and acquitted the other co-defendants, Ogechi Uchechukwu, Chilaka Ifeanyi, an ex-soldier; and Victor Aduba, also an ex-soldier.
NINA Press Statement relating to Constitution Amendment and Electoral Act Amendment – Feb 25, 2022.
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NO QUANTUM OF AMENDMENTS WILL SAVE THE 1999 CONSTITUTION FROM GOING DOWN WHOLESALE NOR CAN AMENDMENTS CONFER LEGITIMACY ON THAT FRAUD OF 1999 – NINAS Secretariat, February 25, 2022.
(1) At a time the Peoples of Constituent Component Blocs of Nigeria in the South and Middle-Belt, cooperating under the aegis of the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination (NINAS), have Repudiated and Rejected the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, and have raised a Union Dispute on the Ground of the Fraudulence and Illegitimacy of the 1999 Constitution, it smacks of arrogant ignorance for the National Assembly of Nigeria to continue its defiance of the Sovereignty of the Peoples of Nigeria by the charade of Amendments to the 1999 Constitution.
(2) When on February 23, 2022 the news space was splashed with reports on proposed Amendments to the 1999 Constitution by the Nigerian National Assembly, NINAS was eager to see the attitude of the Nigerian Public to the Amendment charade and
so it was gratifying to note that an overwhelming majority of the Peoples of Nigeria treated the news of the Proposed Constitution Amendments with the cold ignominy it deserved.
(3) This attitude of the Public reinforced the earlier resolve of NINAS not to dignify the Constitution Amendment Gambit of the National Assembly of Nigeria with any form of Official Response, as the Amendment Exercise was at best the last kicks of a dying horse.
(4) it is therefore for the purpose of records that this statement is being made and to also clarify the issues for those who may not have followed the discussion as to why the National Assembly cannot resolve for us, the Sovereignty Questions arising from the current Fraudulent Constitutional Basis of Nigeria.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Legislative Mandate and Powers of the National Assembly is limited to Lawmaking and does not extend to Constitution-Making which is the Exclusive Preserve of the Constituent Component Nations and Peoples of Nigeria, as an incident of their Sovereignty.
Put differently, Constitution-Making requires Constituent powers which the National Assembly does not have but which resides exclusively with the Peoples on account of their Sovereignty.
(5) It would be recalled that just a few days ago inside February 2022, NINAS did raise a Public Campaign about Three Key Constitutional Grievances that are clearly beyond the Mandate and Powers of the National Assembly to address. They are:
(i) The Two False Claims the Preamble to the 1999 Constitution that :
(a) “We the Peoples of Nigeria Firmly and Solemnly Resolved to Live in Unity as One Indivisible and Indissoluble Nation” (this means we willingly submitted lands and peoples into the Union of Nigeria).
And that :
(b) “We Hereby Make, Enact and Give to Ourselves this Constitution” (this means we crafted the articles of our association by way of the Constitution 1999).
(These Twin False Claims are the most Grievous of all Constitutional Grievances driving the Union Dispute).
(ii) The 36 States and 774 LG Structure that make us permanent Political Minorities in Nigeria despite our Self-Evident Majority Status, with implications for Representation and Revenue Sharing.
(iii) The 68-Item Federal Exclusive Legislative List by which the Illicit Federal Government of Nigeria which Hijacked and Confiscated Practically All Key Economic Assets belonging ordinarily to the Federating Units, (eg Oil & Gas, Solid Minerals, Vast Maritime Resources etc) along with the Powers to work those assets (eg Refineries, Power Generation and Transmission, Ports etc) as well as a long list of Governmental Powers (eg Police, Arms and Ammunitions, Company Registration, Election to Federal and State Offices etc).
(6) The Main Contention of the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities in the Union Dispute it raised by way of the December 16, 2020 Constitutional Force Majeure Proclamation, is that We have neither discussed or agreed upon any Union nor have we made any Constitution to regulate the affairs of that.
ACCORDINGLY, any Union Reconstruction Initiative for Nigeria (whether described as ‘Restructuring’ or Constitution Amendment), which does not begin with these Three Key Constitutional Grievances is a blatant usurpation of the Sovereignty of the Constituent Peoples of Nigeria and therefore Dead on Arrival, and the Legislators who partake of such Constitution Amendments Exercise are committing Treason against the People they claim to Represent.
That is where the 2022 so-called Constitution Amendment of the National Assembly fall.
(7) It is also for the records that NINAS will mention in this Public Communication that at a time the Propositions of the Constitutional Force Majeure seeks the halting of the Voyage to further National Elections under the Repudiated 1999 Constitution and for the Initiation of a TRANSITIONING Process to undertake the inevitable Constitutional Reconstruction of the Defunct Federation of Nigeria within the parameters of the Self-Determination Imperative for Nigeria’s Constituent Components, it is in defiance of the Will of the People for the same National Assembly to busy itself with the so-called Electoral Act Amendment Bill.
Let it be clearly understood that no matter the version of the Electoral Amendment Bill the President Signs, the Big Question remains: “BY WHAT CONSTITUTION WILL THE WINNERS OF 2023 NATIONAL ELECTIONS GOVERN? If the answer is: the 1999 Constitution, then NINAS Message to all of those railroading themselves to another round of National Elections in 2023 under the 1999 Constitution, particularly Political Parties and the Political Merchants of the South and Middle-Belt is that we should brace up for a Head-On Collision on the road to 2023, BETWEEN those who reject the Fraudulent 1999 Constitution (and any National Elections Mandated by that Constitution) AND those who subscribe to and cling tenaciously to that Fraudulent 1999 Constitution of Nigeria and therefore rallying themselves to another Round of National Elections in 2023 under that Obnoxious Constitution.
The frontline gubernatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Enugu State, Prince (Dr.) Jeff Nnamani has called on the National Assembly to consider an amendment to the electoral law to allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) take over conduct of elections into the 774 Local Government Area Councils in Nigeria from the State Independent Electoral Commissions.
This, according to him, is the only way to stem the ugly tide of arrested development in most states, deepen democracy and boost the confidence of the masses in democracy as truly a government of the people by the people and for the people.
Dr. Jeff Nnamani, who spoke with journalists after voting at the Nvu Amakpu Polling Unit, Agbani Ward of Nkanu West Local Government Area of the State, expressed sadness at the conduct of the election by the Enugu State Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) and the general voter apathy witnessed.
He said ENSIEC, like almost all the other State Electoral bodies, is always at the mercy of the party in power, thereby incapable of delivering on its mandate of organizing free and fair elections that reflect the wishes of the people at the grassroots.
According to him, “total apathy witnessed in grassroots elections is as a result of having states conduct local government elections”
Dr. Jeff said his confidence in INEC as a body that could conduct credible grassroots election is underlined by elections conducted by the body in the past in Rivers, Anambra (twice) and Edo States where the opposition triumphed over the ruling party.
He also praised the APGA party’s committed Polling Agents and members in Enugu State for remaining steadfast and principled, telling them that their efforts would be rewarded in the coming 2023 elections despite the false claims by the party in government that the state is a one-party state.
He said APGA has shown that it could stand for and with the people of the state by serving as a reliable and impeccable platform to promote grassroots development.
While condemning the pockets of violence that was reported from various Polling Stations in Enugu South and Nkanu West LGAs during Wednesday’s LG Elections, the APGA guber frontliner called on Enugu people to remain peaceful, resolute and committed to non-violence in future political engagements.
He further charged them to commit collectively to the transformation and reclamation of the state, adding that the days of Enugu being a one-party state are over with APGA’s triumph in the forthcoming governorship election assured…Nkea bu Nkeanyi
ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT THE SIGNING OF ELECTORAL BILL 2022 INTO LAW
STATE HOUSE, ABUJA
FRIDAY 24TH FEBRUARY, 2022
The Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2022, passed by the National Assembly forwarded for Presidential Assent, via a letter dated 31st January, 2022. In line with established tradition, I received inputs from relevant ministries, departments and agencies of government after careful and thorough reviews of the Bill and its implications to democratic processes in our country.
2. It is gratifying to note that the current Bill comes with a great deal of improvement from the previous Electoral Bill 2021. There are salient and praiseworthy provisions that could positively revolutionize elections in Nigeria through the introduction of new technological innovations. These innovations would guarantee the constitutional rights of citizens to vote and to do so effectively.
3. The Bill would also improve and engender clarity, effectiveness and transparency of the election process, as well as reduce to the barest minimum incidences of acrimony arising from dissatisfied candidates and political parties.
4. These commendable efforts are in line with our policy to bequeath posterity and landmark legal framework that paves the way for credible and sound electoral process that we would all be proud of.
5. Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members of the National Assembly, from the review it is my perspective that the substance of the Bill is both reformative and progressive. I am making this bold declaration because I foresee the great potentials of the Bill. Worthy of note include the democratic efficacy of the Bill with particular reference to sections 3, 9(2), 34, 41, 47, 84(9), (10) and (11) among others.
6. This however, cannot be said about one provision as contained in the proposed Bill, which provision constitutes fundamental defect, as it is in conflict with extant constitutional provisions.
7. Section 84 (12) constitutes a disenfranchisement of serving political office holders from voting or being voted for at Conventions or Congresses of any political party, for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election in cases where it holds earlier than 30 days to the National Election. The section provides as follows:-
“No political appointee at any level shall be voting delegate or be voted for at the Convention or Congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election”.
8. This provision has introduced qualification and disqualification criteria that ultra vires the Constitution by way of importing blanket restriction and disqualification to serving political office holders of which they are constitutionally accorded protection.
9. The practical application of section 84(12) of the Electoral Bill, 2022 will, if assented to, by operation of law, subject serving political office holders to inhibitions and restrictions referred to under section 40 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
10. It is imperative to note that the only constitutional expectation placed on serving political office holders that qualify, by extension as public officers within the context of the constitution is resignation, withdrawal or retirement at least 30 days before the date of the election.
11. Hence, it will be stretching things beyond the constitutional limit to import extraneous restriction into the constitution on account of practical application of section 84(12) of the bill where political parties’ conventions and congresses were to hold earlier than 30 days to the election.
12. Arising from the foregoing, with particular regards to the benefits of the Bill, industry, time, resources and energy committed in its passage, I hereby assent to the Bill and request the Nationally Assembly to consider immediate amendments that will bring the Bill in tune with constitutionality by way of deleting section 84(12) accordingly.
