Thursday, June 25, 2020

APC NEC Dissolves National Working Committee

 

  The current National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been dissolved.

    This formed part of decisions taken on Thursday at the meeting of the APC National Executive Council at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The party took the decision to dissolve its NWC based on the recommendations of President Muhammadu Buhari.

  The President also called for the immediate suspension of all pending litigations involving the party and its members, as well as the ratification of the party’s governorship primary election recently conducted in Edo State. He condemned the recent crisis within the party, stressing the need for members to enforce party discipline.

    President Buhari, therefore, appointed Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, to head the new Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee for the party. The governor was immediately sworn in at the meeting by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami.

CHANNELS

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Four murder suspects test positive for COVID-19 in Bauchi


   Four of the five suspects standing trial for the alleged murder of Sunday Joshua, a security guard at the New Trafford Hotels and Suites in Bauchi State have tested positive for COVID-19.

The arraignment of the five accused, which include the Managing Director of the hotel, Innocent Ejeh, at the Chief Magistrate Court 7, Yelwa, on Wednesday, was stalled following a letter written to the court that four accused persons, Abdul-Rasheed Shuaibu, Jacob Joshua, Joshua Ibrahim and Timothy Yunusa, were confirmed positive.

Innocent Ejeh and the four others are standing trial for criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide in accordance with sections 96 and 221 of the Penal Code laws. The trial Magistrate, Safiya Salihu, read the letter from the state Correctional Centre dated June 11th, 2020. According to him, the four accused were confirmed positive for coronavirus by the National Center for Disease Control(NCDC) in the state.

   He adjourned the case to July 14 for further mentioning and arraignment as requested by the prosecution Police Officer, Sergeant Ayuba who pleaded for adjustment. The Prosecution Officer told the court that the accused persons could not be in court due to the reasons stated in the letter from the Correctional centre in Bauchi.

THE NATION

Court remands two cousins over alleged rape and murder of Maersk MD’s wife in Lagos

   

   33-year-old Olamilekan Oke and 27-year-old Akande Adeyinka have been remanded in prison custody by a Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere, over the alleged rape and murder of 44-year-old Bernadette, the Hungarian wife of Gildas Tohouo-Tohouo, the managing director of Maersk Nig. Ltd. The cousins were arraigned before Justice Modupe Nico-Clay on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, unlawful assault, robbery, armed robbery, and rape. 

   The Lagos state prosecuting counsel Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo SAN, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, who led the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Mrs Adeyinka Adeyemi, told the court that the defendants conspired to commit the alleged offences around 7:30pm on December 8, at flat 7A, No 1, Lugard Avenue Ikoyi Lagos.

 

Onigbanjo said; 

“Olamileka (Goke ) Oke, on December 8, 2019, at about 7: 30pm, unlawfully had sexual intercourse with one Bernadetta Tohouo-Tohouo aged 44”.

   They were also accused of attempting to kill Gildas Tohouo-Tohouo by stabbing him severally on the neck, head and back with a knife and dagger. The suspects reportedly proceeded to rob the couple of several properties which included foreign currencies in different denominations, two iPhones, two bottles of wine, two wedding rings, and one engagement ring.

    The technician and printer pleaded not guilty to the offence which contravenes Sections 233, 230, 173, 299, 297 (2) (a) 411, of the criminal laws of Lagos state of Nigeria 2015. Justice Nico-Clay subsequently adjourned the case till June 30 for commencement of trial. 
 

Two dead, 220 buildings destroyed after downpour in Mokwa

 

   Two people have been confirmed dead, three injured and over 220 buildings destroyed during a heavy wind and rainfall in Mokwa local government area of Niger state. Properties worth N135.5 million were destroyed with over 780 people affected.

Among the buildings affected include a police station, the State Security Service(SSS) office, and Government Girl Secondary School where classes collapsed. Others were Government Science College where classes and staff quarters were affected amongst other buildings.

Zimbabwe increases fuel price by 150 per cent

 

  Zimbabwe on Wednesday announced a 150 per cent rise in the price of fuel following the launch of a forex auction system which eroded the value of the local currency.

The price of a litre of diesel jumped 152 per cent to ZW$62.77 ($1.12) from ZW$24.93 while petrol shot up 147 per cent to ZW$71.62, the country’s Energy Regulatory Authority said in a notice. The central bank re-introduced forex auctioning on Tuesday, the first in 16 years after a long battle to stabilise its currency and fight hyperinflation.

The auction saw the local currency losing more than half of its value from 1:25 to 1:57 to the greenback by the end of trading. Zimbabwe has been facing fuel shortages since October 2018. The scarcity prompted President Emmerson Mnangagwa to increase the price of fuel by 150 per cent in January 2019, sparking countrywide demonstrations.

At least 17 people were killed and scores injured after soldiers deployed to quell the strike opened fire on protesters. The government said at the time the prices were lower than in other countries in the region, and that some foreigners were buying fuel in bulk in Zimbabwe for resale in neighbouring countries.

Despite the price increase which was aimed at ending shortages, the scarcity persisted with motorists sometimes spending nights in queues for fuel pumps, stretching for kilometres. After years in international isolation, Zimbabwe’s economy has been on a downturn for more than a decade.

  Mnangagwa, who took over from long-time leader Robert Mugabe at the back of a military coup in 2017, pledged to mend the economy but things have only got worse with shops running short of basic commodities like bank notes, sugar and the staple cornmeal.

Ghana President Calls Buhari, Apologises Over Demolition Of Nigerian Mission

  
 

 

    President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana has called President Muhammadu Buhari Over the demolition of the Nigerian High Commission in Accra.

  In a telephone conversation on Tuesday, Akufo-Addo expressed his sincere apology over the unfortunate incident that has sparked reactions from the Nigerian government. This was confirmed in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Garba Shehu.

The Ghana leader assured President Buhari that he has directed a full investigation into the matter, assuring that justice will be served. Meanwhile, some suspects linked to the demolition have been arrested and will be arraigned in court.

CHANNELS

Court Strikes Out Suit Seeking To Bar Obaseki From Participating In Edo PDP Primary


     The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has struck out the suit filed by Mr Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama stopping Governor Godwin Obaseki from participating in Thursday’s PDP governorship primaries, in Edo State.

  A counsel to the plaintiff, D. C. Denwigwe, (SAN) had in an oral application during resumption of the hearing on Wednesday, informed the court that the parties in the suit had resolved the matter. He said their clients have settled and have directed their counsels to withdraw the case.

He also apologised to the court for the inconveniences and urged that the matter be struck-out based on the oral prayers. Emmanuel Enoidem, Counsel for the 1st defendant, Uche Secondus and 3rd to the 7th defendant, counsel for the 2nd defendant, Higher King and Counsel for the 8th and 9th defendants, Alex Ejesiema, SAN also concurred to the motion.

  However, the presiding Judge, Justice E. O. Obile, struck out the matter follow the submission of the counsels. Addressing newsmen Emmanuel Enoidem who is also the National Legal Adviser of the PDP said they agreed that the party must be united.

  Alex Ejesiema (SAN), Governor Godwin Obaseki’s lawyer on his part, said they were prepared for it. He also noted that there is no more obstruction for Governor Obaseki and therefore, he can contest. Mr Ogbeide-ihama had filed a suit in the court asking it to prevent any member of the party that has purchased forms but not screened within the time stipulated to contest the PDP primary.

  Subsequently, the court on Tuesday, granted the request for an accelerated hearing of the suit but before the hearing on the application today, Ogbeide-Ihama’s counsel requested that the court stood down the case for some time, to allow for an out-of-court settlement.

Monday, June 22, 2020

Everton boss Ancelotti faces €1m Spanish tax fraud charges

 

   Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has been charged by prosecutors in Spain over alleged tax irregularities related to his time at Real Madrid.

The Madrid community prosecutor's office alleged that tax declarations presented by the Italian excluded some of his income, and that this had been done "with the intention of unreasonably evading his obligations to the public treasury".

The indictment said Ancelotti's alleged activity had cost the treasury more than one million euros. Ancelotti was in charge at Real between 2013 and 2015, at which point he was sacked by club president Florentino Perez.

Ajimobi's health condition worsens, now on life support machine


  Family members, political associates and relatives of former Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi, are fearful as hopes of him recovering from coma fades away by the minute.

The 70-year-old slipped into coma on Thursday for the second time as a result of COVID-19 complications. The news sparked rumours of his death, sending panic across the landscape especially among his supporters and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) where he is the National Deputy Chairman (South) of the party.

On Monday, a reliable source close to the ex-governor told SaharaReporters that Ajimobi had been on life support machine since Friday after he slipped into a deep coma and may not make any recovery going by the observations of medical experts around him. The source further disclosed that the former Oyo governor has had a lung surgery since being hospitalised but made no progress while his kidneys have also failed.

Doctors treating Ajimobi, it was reliably gathered, on Friday informed his family that his situation had defied every medical intervention and that only a miracle can bring him back to life. To douse tension generated by his health condition, SaharaReporters discovered that his supporters have circulated an old video on the Internet of Ajimobi having lunch, claiming that it was captured during the recent Muslim festival to mark the end of Ramadan fast just to show that he was alive and in fact healthy.

According to the source, who spoke with SaharaReporters, the move was a deliberate attempt to deflect attention away from his precarious state of health.

"He is in very bad shape, he has been hooked to a ventilator since and on life support machine since Friday. There is only a very slim chance of him making it alive from that hospital.

"The video in circulation is an old one meant to douse tension among his supporters," the source said.

Ajimobi has been in the Intensive Care Unit at First Cardiology Hospital, Ikoyi, Lagos, since he was rushed to the place few weeks ago after it emerged he had Coronavirus. 

The former governor first slipped into coma on June 8 but was revived and stabilised by doctors until last Thursday when he again went totally unconscious.

First Cardiology is the same hospital where former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, was treated for Coronavirus until he died of the disease.

Ize-Iyamu Emerges Winner Of Edo APC Primary Election

 

   Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu has emerged the winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election in Edo State.

Chairman of the APC Primary Election Committee and Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma disclosed this on Monday in Benin City, the state capital. Ize-Iyamu won the party’s primary after polling 27, 838 votes to defeat his rivals, Pius Odubu who garnered 3,776 votes and Osaro Obaze who got 2,724 votes respectively.

Following this development, he automatically becomes the APC flagbearer for the September 19 governorship election in the state.

Reacting to the electoral process, Uzodinma said the election was a formality in accordance with the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the other aspirants had already stepped down before the polls.

Shortly before the commencement of the election, APC members had thronged their respective wards to vote in the party’s primary election. The exercise held across the 192 wards of the 18 local government areas of the state.

 CHANNELS

No State In Nigeria Is COVID-19 Free – Chikwe Ihekweazu

 

   The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says no state in the country is free from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).NCDC Director-General, Chikwe Ihekweazu disclosed this on Monday during the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
 
The comment comes even as the NCDC is yet to officially report a case in Cross River state, as of Monday afternoon. Mr. Ihekweazu was responding to a question about states who were discharging patients and declaring themselves COVID-19 free.

“No state, no single state in Nigeria is COVID-19 free, not one,” Mr. Ihekweazu said. “No country in the world is COVID-19 free. Even New Zealand, that is an island state is still having new cases after a period of not having any.”

He continued: “We can’t separate ourselves from the rest of the country. We live in a context, viruses spread, it’s the nature of them, so right now no state is COVID-19 free. That’s why we have to keep doing this work that we are doing, testing people, finding out if they have it.”

 

Yul Edochie pen note of tribute to former beauty queen, Ibidun Ajayi-Ighodalo

   

   Nigerian celebrity actor, Yul Edochie penned a note of tribute to former beauty queen, Ibidun Ajayi-Ighodalo. According to reports, Ibidun Ajayi-Ighodalo lost her life due to a cardiac arrest while she was in Port Harcourt. She passed on at the young age of 39.

The former beauty was buried on Saturday, June 20, 2020. The funeral took place at the Vaults and Gardens cemetery in Lagos state. Reacting to the news of her death, Yul Edochie questioned If Ibidun really died of cardiac arrest. The actor went on to place a curse on anybody that has a hand in her death.

He wrote: “Why do I feel there’s more to her death than the cardiac arrest story? I never met her but watching her videos brought tears to my eyes. She was so full of life, full of love for humanity.

“If your life was taken by someone, may suffering and painful death befall that person. They shall know no peace till they are gone. Rest well Ibidun.

Why APC can’t hold NEC meeting – Acting Chairman


   The Acting Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Hilliard Eta on Sunday said the party would not succumb to the nationwide clamour for it to convene an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting.

Following the crisis rocking the ruling party, intensified by the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as its National Chairman, there have been calls for the NEC meeting to resolve its myriad of challenges.

Deputy Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, had at the weekend cried out, urging President Buhari to act fast by at least calling for the party’s emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to address the leadership crisis rocking the party.

But addressing reporters in Abuja yesterday, Eta pointed out that if convened, a NEC meeting would violate the COVID-19 pandemic protocol prohibiting public gatherings, having over 120 members.

“I do not believe there is anybody afraid or scared of convening NEC meeting. For those who want to build this party, who want this party to outlast this present government, they are such in number that there is no fear of convening NEC meeting,” he said.

“What has been militating against constituting NEC meeting in the recent past is, of course, the COVID-19 pandemic that has stopped everybody from gathering more than a certain number of persons.

“As you are all aware, we have over 120 members of NEC and it would amount to breaking the COVID-19 protocol as established by the Nigerian authorities prohibiting gathering of more than 50 people at a time. It will take our breaking that protocol for us to have a NEC meeting,” he said.

He, however, added that if it turns out that the party can have a waiver to convene the NEC, it could explore that, adding that nobody is afraid of having NEC meeting. “There is no way the ruling party will voluntarily disobey or break rules it is part of making,” he insisted.

DAILYPOST