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PDP crisis: Only God gives power, Atiku tells supporters

Published

4 weeks ago

April 20, 2024

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Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has declared that no human can give power, except God Almighty.

Atiku’s declaration came on the heels of the ongoing controversy trailing the outcome of the 98th National Executive Committee meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party held in Abuja on Thursday.

The 2023 PDP presidential standard-bearer’s position was contained in a WhatsApp group chat with some of his supporters in the country on Friday.

According to the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the party, among its intra-party resolutions made on Thursday, had approved the reconstitution of its Disciplinary and Reconciliation Committees to further ensure its stability.

Among the key decisions made at the NEC meeting, the party also appointed former Akwa-Ibom State governor, Emmanuel Udom, as the head of its Disciplinary Committee, while former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, remains the head of its Reconciliation committee.

But Atiku told his supporters in the Whatsapp group after the NEC meeting that only God gives power.

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His reaction follows insinuations by his supporters that he has been betrayed by some elements within the party.

The former vice president, who had contested six different times to become Nigeria’s president, but failed, said, “There is God. It is God that gives power, not anybody.”

Responding, one of his supporters on the social media group, said, “This is very true, Sir and this same God will answer your heart desires and ours too.

“When the day comes, we shall all be alive to celebrate together as one big family of good faith.

“All our hand work will not go to waste, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. We shall all walk and work together to witness the night. Victory shall be ours. It is well with you, Sir.”

Meanwhile, the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the party, Taofeek Arapaja, has addressed the growing calls for the suspension of former Rivers State governor and current Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesome Wike, and other members of the defunct G5 governors within the PDP over alleged anti-party activities.

READ Tinubu deserves commendation for suspending Betta Edu – Atiku

He disclosed in an interview with Saturday PUNCH on Friday in reaction to the resolutions reached at Thursday’s NEC meeting of the party and its North Central Zone leadership meeting held on Wednesday night.

Ahead of the two meetings, some top chieftains of the party, including former PDP governorship candidate in Kogi State, Senator Dino Melaye, had boasted that every top chieftain of the party accused of anti-party activities would get serious sanctions from the party’s NEC on Thursday.

On Thursday, the PDP NEC, however, failed to comment on the alleged anti-party issues and further retained the party’s former Vice Chairman (North), Umar Damagum as the party’s acting national chairman till its next NEC meeting.

Reacting in an interview with Saturday PUNCH on Friday, the PDP National Vice Chairman (South-West) said both Wike and Ortom cannot be suspended by the party’s NEC because it is not the duty of the NEC to do so.

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He said, “I think that is not part of the activities of the NEC. We have different committees like the reconciliation committee and the disciplinary committee. So we have internal mechanisms to deal with things like that. And then, they have never been accused; they have never been charged and they haven’t presented themselves for the disciplinary committee or anything. So, I don’t think that is for NEC to do.

“Whoever is alleging them of committing anti-party should forward their complaints to the disciplinary committee. That is just it. There are lots of mechanisms and processes that need to take place and things like that are not the duty of the NEC.”

News

Police dismiss inspector for ‘N29.8m theft’, demote three officers over ‘extortion’

Published

8 hours ago

May 17, 2024

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The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) says Adabo Mohammed, an inspector, has been dismissed over alleged involvement in robbery and kidnapping in the federal capital territory (FCT).

In a statement on Friday, Muyiwa Adejobi, force spokesperson, said Mohammed and five others were members of an armed robbery gang allegedly responsible for the stealing of N29.8 million from a victim during a robbery operation in the Gwagwalada area of Abuja.

He added that the dismissed officer was also part of a gang that kidnapped one Ikechukwu Emmanuel Okafor, in the Tunga Maje area of Abuja and collected N4.4 million in ransom.

“The ex-officer has been charged to court accordingly,” Adejobi said.

Adejobi said Kayode Egbetokun, the inspector-general of police (IGP), also approved the demotion of three inspectors to the rank of sergeant over alleged extortion.

He identified the demoted officers as Osagie Efford, Semiu Agbekin, and Francis Ahuen, who were attached to the special tactical squad (STS) in the FCT.

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The police spokesperson said the officers intercepted an unregistered Mercedes Benz at the Gwarinpa area of the territory and “forced the occupants to part with the total sum of N29.4m.

“While the monies have been returned to the complainants, the officers were subjected to orderly room trial in line with extant laws, and have been demoted,” he said

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FULL LIST: NJC appoints Wike’s wife, CJN’s daughter-in-law, 84 others as new judges

Published

10 hours ago

May 17, 2024

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The National Judicial Council (NJC) has recommended the appointment of 22 judges to the appeal court.

In a statement on Friday, Soji Oye, NJC’s director of information, announced that 86 judicial officers were recommended as judges for federal and state courts.

Oye said the recommended judicial officers will be sworn in after approvals from President Bola Tinubu and their respective state governors.

Among the judges recommended for elevation to the court of appeal is Nyesom-Wike Eberechi Suzzette, a judge at Rivers high court.

Suzzette is the wife of Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).

Also, Ariwoola Oluwakemi Victoria, the daughter-in-law of Olukayode Ariwoola, chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), was among those recommended as judges of the FCT high court.

FULL LIST

JUSTICES OF COURT OF APPEAL

1. Hon. Justice Kwahar Polycarp Terna

2. Hon. Justice Ruqayat Oremei Ayoola

3. Hon. Justice Eleojo Eneche

4. Hon. Justice Asma’u Akanbi-Yusuf

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5. Hon. Justice Abdullahi Muhammad Liman

6. Hon. Justice Abdu Dogo

7. Hon. Justice Fadawu Umaru

8. Hon. Justice Ishaq Mohammed Sani

9. Hon. Justice Zainab Bage Abubakar

10. Hon. Justice Abdulazeez M. Anka

11. Hon. Justice Nnamdi Okwy Dimgba

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12. Hon. Justice Nwoye Victoria Tochukwu

13. Hon. Justice Nwabunkeonye Onwosi

14. Hon. Justice Okorowo Donatus Uwaezuoke

15. Hon. Justice Ngozika Uwazurunonye Okaisabor

16. Hon. Justice Ntong Festus Ntong

17. Hon. Justice Nehizena Idemudia Afolabi

18. Hon. Justice Nyesom-Wike Eberechi Suzzette

19. Hon. Justice Lateef Babajide Lawal-Akapo

20. Hon. Justice Akinyemi Abiodun Azeem

21. Hon. Justice Oyewumi Oyejoju Oyebiola

22. Hon. Justice Olukayode Adegbola Adeniyi

JUDGES OF HIGH COURT, FCT ABUJA

1. Ademuyiwa Olakunle Oyeyipo

2. Bamodu Odunayo Olutomi

3. Anumaenwe Godwin Iheabunike

4. Odo Celestine Obinna

5. Hauwa Lawal Gummi

6. Abdurahman Usman

7. Buetnaan Mandy Bassi

8. Sarah Benjamin Inesu Avoh

9. Maryan Iye Yusuf

10. Ariwoola Oluwakemi Victoria

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11. Lesley Nkesi Belema Wike

12. Munirat Ibrahim Tanko

JUDGES OF IMO STATE HIGH COURT

1. Akowundu Cletus Ndubuisi

2. Uchenna Mary Njoku

3. Chibuogwu Ojiugo Chukwumaeze

4. Ononogbo Chidi Linus

5. Adaego Peace Nosiri

6. Emeka Ozoma Orafu

7. Mathew Chinedu Ijezie

JUDGES OF BAUCH STATE HIGH COURT

1. Amin Umar Ilelah

2. Aliyu Bin Idris

3. Ahmed Shuaibu Ningi

4. Shafa’u Ladan Yusuf

5. Abdussalam Idris Waziri

6. Kawu A. Yerima

JUDGES OF TARABA STATE HIGH COURT

1. Hamidu Audu

2. Bibonga Jeniffer Nauma

3. Joel Daniel Ubandoma

JUDGES OF LAGOS STATE HIGH COURT

1. Sunmonu Tunde Bashiru

2. Azeez Fimisola Augusta

3. Alebiosu Olawale Lawal

4. Adewale Russel Musiliu

5. Popoola Oluwatosin Ajose

6. Anjorin-Ajose Tanimola Abdulwaheed

7. Muyideen Abdul-Raheem Tejumade

8. George Alfred Akingbola

9. Balogun Adegboyega Ganiu

10. Shonubi Adenike Kudirat

11. Badejo-Okusanya Yewande Jokotola

12. Layinka Oyeladun Amope

13. Ojuromi Nalirat Olayinka Oluwatosin

JUDGES OF KOGI STATE HIGH COURT

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1. Ajesola Joseph Sunday

2. Ojoma Rachael Haruna

3. Kadiri Badama

4. Ezema Beatrice Ada

JUDGES OF JIGAWA STATE HIGH COURT

1. Mohammad El-Usman

2. Nilfa Abdullahi Gambo

KADIS OF SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL, BAUCHI STATE

1. Ishaku Magaji

2. Abdurrahman Hassan Sabo

3. Bello Mohammed Sambowal

4. Muhyiddeen Mohammed

5. Mahmoud Idris Shehu Tiyin

KADIS OF SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL, KOGI STATE

1. Muhammad Muhammad Bello

2. Okino Isah Saidu

3. Yakubu Adavenge Abbas

4. Shaibu Ridwan Aliyu

5. Idris Alhaji Abdullahi

KADI OF SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL, JIGAWA STATE

1. Mukhtar Shuaibu Adam

JUDGES OF IMO STATE CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL

1. Everyman Ezenna Eleanya

2. Ofoha Sylvesta Uchenna

3. Ibeh Rosemond Oluchi

JUDGES OF CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL, TARABA STATE

1. Esther Tata

2. Benjamin Samuila Bawage

JUDGE OF CUSTOMARY COURT OF APPEAL, KOGI STATE

1. Maryann Oziohu Otaru

News

AfDB to support Nigeria’s power sector reforms with $1bn loan

Published

15 hours ago

May 17, 2024

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The African Development Bank (AfDB) says it plans to support Nigeria’s power sector with a $1 billion policy-based operation (PBO) fund to boost electricity.

Policy-based lending provides countries with flexible, liquid funding to support policy reforms in a particular sector.

Kevin Kariuki, AfDB vice-president, power, energy, climate change and green growth complex, revealed the plans on May 16 at the Eight Africa Energy MarketPlace (AEMP) Forum in Abuja.

The theme of the forum is titled ‘Towards Nigeria’s Sustainable Energy Future: Policy, Regulation, and Investment – A Policy Dialogue for the National Integrated Electricity Policy and Strategic Implementation Plan (NIEP-SIP)’.

“We will be shortly seeking board approval for a $1 billion policy-based operation (PBO) with a significant energy component,” he said.

“This is aimed at supporting the ongoing power sector reforms triggered by the new Electricity Act.

“The timing of the AEMP and the proposed policy-based lending focused on the energy sector is, therefore, not coincidental.”

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Kariuki said AfDB will fund the policy recommendations to actualise the expected outcomes from the NIEP-SIP.

He said effective policies attract long-term investments and that an enabling environment maximises the value of existing investments, such as the $256.2 million Nigeria transmission expansion project (NTEP).

According to Kariuki, the project will include the construction of 500 kilometres (KM) of transmission lines and four substations with a capacity of over 1000 megavolt-amperes (MVA).

“And the $200 million Nigeria electrification project, which will build 150 mini-grids,” he said.

“Moreover, we are financing a study for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) to explore the deployment of battery energy storage systems to enhance grid stability and facilitate greater uptake of renewable energy generation.

“Nigeria is part of our flagship $20 billion Desert to Power Initiative, which aims to generate 10,000 megawatts (MW) of solar power across 11 countries in the Sahel region to provide power to 250 million Africans.”

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According to Kariuki, this bodes well for increasing the proportion of renewable energy in Nigeria’s energy mix.

He said the multifaceted approach of supporting policy development, financing critical power sector infrastructure, and providing technical assistance and capacity building would be successful.

Kariuki expressed confidence that AfDB’s partnership with the federal government would create a viable and sustainable power sector that yields the desired result.