Atiku Abubakar

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has confirmed that the request to inspect electoral materials has been withdrawn by the party.

In a statement, Abubakar said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had already granted him access to inspect the material hence his withdrawal of the motion.

He said the clarification was important following insinuations and mischievous reporting of the withdrawal of the application for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to grant access to his legal team and the PDP on the inspection of the documents related to the Feb. 25 Presidential Election.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the appellate court had granted the request of PDP and Abubakar to be granted unfettered access to the INEC documents used for the presidential election.

“On March 10, 2023, we filed a motion (number 12M) ex parte and affidavit of urgency to ensure the implementation of the court order.

“The court, however, asked that we put the president-elect, Sen. Bola Tinubu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the INEC on notice.

“Consequently, we filed a motion on notice (number 13M) and motion ex parte (number 13MA) for substituted service on Tinubu,” he said.

''On Tuesday at a conference meeting between lawyers of the PDP,  LP,  APC, and INEC, access was eventually granted to the legal team of PDP by INEC,” he said.

Abubakar said when the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday, the legal team withdrew the two motions.

He said the motions were withdrawn because access had already been granted on Tuesday to Abubakar and PDP.

Members of a vigilante group in Anambra State have arrested six suspects at different locations over the vandalization of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) facilities in the state.

EEDC's Head of Corporate Communications, Mr Emeka Ezeh, who confirmed the arrests, said the activities of the vandals were crippling services to customers.

One Amadi Okey was arrested while vandalising steel and copper wire. Another suspect, Onyekachukwu Ifennadolu, 26, was arrested for vandalising aluminum bare conductor at Umueri Ezumeri village, Oraifite, along the Onitsha/Owerri road.

Chidiebere Agbalusi, 27, was arrested at Oraifite in possession of vandalised aluminum cable and a cutter, while the duo of Usulu Solomon and Nwafo Emeka were arrested for vandalizing about 16 spans of bare conductor wire.

The suspects mentioned one Ejike Nwoba, who was also arrested, as the receiver of the vandalised items.

Bobby Caldwell

Iconic singer, Bobby Caldwell well known for his song, 'What You Won’t do For Love' has passed on at the age of 71.

The singer and songwriter had not been able to walk on about 5 years, as he had a torn tendon in his ankle. His wife also revealed that he had been “Floxed”, a condition that took over his health for over 6 years.

The news of Bobby’s death was announced through his official Twitter page by his wife on Wednesday, March 15.

The Tweet Reads:

”Bobby passed away here at home. I held him tight in my arms as he left us. I am forever heartbroken. Thanks to all of you for your many prayers over the years. He had been “FLOXED,” it took his health over the last 6 years and 2 months. Rest with God, my Love. -Mary Caldwell”

See Post Below;

The men of the Ogun State Police Command have arrested five suspected human parts sellers.

The suspects; Oshole Fayemi, 60, Osemi Adesanya 39, Ismaila Seidu 30, Oseni Oluwasegun 69 and Lawal Olaiya 50 were arrested at their hideouts while planning to carry out their operation

The Police Public Relations Officer in the State, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Oyeyemi said the suspects are ritualists who had been exhuming corpses from their graves and removing parts of their bodies for ritual purposes.

He said that the gang members were arrested on Saturday following information received by the Police at Odogbolu divisional headquarters, that the gang was planning to carry out another round o human parts harvest.

He said the suspects were responsible for a series of corpse exhumations within the Ososa community in the Odogbolu Local Government Area of the state.

He added, “upon the information, the DPO Odogbolu division, CSP Godwin Idehai, mobilised his men and stormed the suspects’ hideout where five of them were apprehended.

“On interrogation, the suspects made confessional statements that they were actually into the business of exhuming corpses from their graves and that they used to sell parts of such corpses to their standby buyers who need it for money-making rituals.”

Oyeyemi, however, added that the Commissioner of Police,  Frank Mba, has directed that the suspects be transferred to State Criminal Investigation Departments for discreet investigation and possible prosecution.

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has issued a new warning.

The ACF warned that the continuous disobedience to the supreme court judgment regarding the use of the old naira notes could lead to the breakdown of law and order.

In a statement, ACF’s Secretary General, Murtala Aliyu, agreed with the state governors, who sued the Federal Government over the policy.

He said the current approach of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) raises concerns about the respect for the civil liberties and rights of Nigerians as it relates to their freedom to use legitimately earned income as they so wish.

He argued that, “Whatever the CBN or anyone else says about the benefits of the policy, which evidently are many, is of little comfort as soon as the highest court in the country has deemed that it is, or, at least the manner of its implementation, breaches the law.

“Ten days is long enough time for the government to find its way towards complying with a court order which is central to the achievement of peace, order and good governance in the country. President Buhari is under oath to defend the constitution of Nigeria. As his long term supporters, it will be remiss of us if we fail to warn that the much touted benefits of the Naira redesign can never justify the damage to his credentials as a democrat and a stickler for the rule of law.

“This is quite a part from the real possibility of the crisis morphing into a serious social disorder leading to the possible breakdown of law and order throughout Nigeria. We do not believe nor can we advise him to pay such a heavy price on account of a policy whose immediate goals are not entirely clear to a majority of Nigerians,”

He, however, lamented the huge crowds and long queues formed around bank offices and ATM points across the country “as people struggle to get the new cash which has remained extremely scarce, which has triggered riots and other forms of civil unrest.”

Pascal Okechukwu, the popular businessman, also known as Cubana Chief Priest, has denied recent allegations against him.

He debunked the rumour of fathering a child with a kenyan woman outside marriage.

A Nigerian blogger, Gistlover, has earlier reported that the businessman had a child from an extra-marital affair.

Cubana Chief Priest debunked the rumours on Sunday on his Instagram story.

He wrote, “I'm so rich that if I have a child outside my marital bliss, no one will ever know about it. Gistlover feels I can pay him/her for blackmail that’s so funny, me of all people. Oba without palace. If e sure for you, pay for the logistics for the DNA with your money, I go run am.

"If the baby is mine, I will double your expenses. If you can’t afford to pay, show yourself and I will spend my money to do it."

He added, "It’s a huge disrespect to me to say my child was born in Kenya of all places. God forbid. I assemble my babies in Nigeria and make them in America. I'm too detailed to do such low key."

Speaking on his marriage, the socialite noted, “My marriage is bulletproof. My relationship with my wife is built on so much love, loyalty, respect, and wealth. It's indestructible."

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, the governorship candidate of the Labour Party for the March 18 election, has made new allegations.

He alleged that there are death threats and assassination attempts on his life.

Rhodes-Vivour, better known as GRV, stated this on Sunday when he appeared on Arise Television.

The LP candidate revealed that some gunmen suspected to be political thugs attacked some of his allies in the Epe Local Government Area of the state on Saturday.

He said, “There have been lots of threats. We have gotten a lot of intel about potential assassination attempts on my life. Yes, it happened in Epe.

“We had Honourable Wale Oluwo with us and we also had Honourable Najid of the PDP working with us and they were also shot at in Epe yesterday.”

Rhodes-Vivour, who clocked 40 years on Monday, became popular after the LP won the just concluded presidential election in Lagos State.

Ademola Adeleke, the Osun State Governor, has called out to the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The governor, on Sunday decried the maltreatment of residents of the state by banks which refused to collect old N500 and N1,000 notes.

The Osun State government had been informed that commercial banks in the state were declining deposits of the old currency even after paying customers with the same old notes.

A statement signed by the governor’s spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, lamented the pains and suffering of the people of Osun State over the action of the banks.

The governor revealed that he was aware of the many complaints of the citizens over banks’ refusal of old naira deposits and the attendant negative consequences of such action in society.

“I have received several calls from bank customers across the state. The deliberate refusal of banks to collect old notes is creating serious economic complications for residents of the state. For the banks to issue old notes and refuse to accept old notes as deposits is highly unacceptable.

“I have consequently called on the Central Bank of Nigeria to direct the banks operating in the state to correct the anomalies. The State Director of the CBN is specifically requested to direct the banks to halt this unhealthy practice,” Adeleke stated.

While calling for a stop to the pain inflicted on the people of the state, Gov Adeleke maintained that if banks will not accept old notes as deposits, they should stop issuing the same old notes for withdrawal.

DAILY POST reported in February that Adeleke had warned commercial banks operating in the state against hoarding the new naira notes and rejecting the old currency.

On March 3, 2023, the Supreme Court in a judgment directed the Federal Government to extend the deadline for the spending of the old N200, N500 and N1,000 till December 31, 2023.

However, one week after, the imbroglio of the naira persists.

The Nation reports that Okwuwaseun Osinbajo, the Lagos staff bus driver who reportedly caused Thursday’s train accident at PWD railway crossing has been hospitalized.

Osinbajo was said to have been rushed to the hospital on Saturday after he allegedly passed out in custody.

It was learnt that he suffered internal bleeding on the day of the accident, which was not discovered until he was rushed to the hospital.

The Nation had reported how Osinbajo’s alleged impatience, recklessness caused the accident that killed at least six persons, injured over 80 and brought traffic to a standstill on Thursday morning.

A source who hinted on the latest development said the driver was on admission at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Yaba.

“He suffered internal bleeding from the accident but did not know. He was rushed to the hospital on Saturday and underwent a surgery same day.

“He was at the Post Surgery Ward between Saturday and Sunday morning but has now been moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU),” the source said.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has been given the go-ahead by the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, sitting at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Wednesday, to reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, which it used for the February 25th presidential polls.

The court, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel of Justices, held that stopping the electoral body from reconfiguring the BVAS would adversely affect the impending Governorship and State Assembly elections.

It dismissed objections that the Labour Party, LP, and its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, raised against INEC’s move to reconfigure all the BVAS.

According to the court, allowing the objections by Obi and his party, would amount to “tying the hands of the Respondent, INEC”.

Besides, it noted that INEC had in an affidavit it filed before the court, assured that the accreditation data contained in the BVAS could not be tampered with or lost, as they would be stored and easily retrieved from its accredited back-end server.

It further observed that neither Obi nor LP controverted the depositions in INEC’s affidavit, stressing that since such averments were not challenged, it amounted to admission by the Applicants.

Nevertheless, the court ordered INEC to allow the Applicants to inspect and carry out digital forensic examination of all the electoral materials used in the conduct of the elections, as well as to avail them the Certified True Copy, of result of the physical inspection of the BVAS.

The Justice Joseph Ikyegh-led panel faulted Obi and LP for repeating their request to be allowed to scan and make copies of the electoral materials in INEC’s possession.

Noting that the request was earlier granted, the panel held that repeating the prayer amounted to an abuse of court process.

It will be recalled that INEC had insisted that the reconfiguration of the BVAS was necessary since they would be deployed for the next round of elections.

It maintained that without a prompt variation of the order the court earlier granted to Obi and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, especially the aspect restraining it from tampering with formation contained in the BVAS, it would be difficult for it to proceed with the scheduled elections.

Obi and his party had in their application marked: CA/PEC/09m/23, sought permission to be allowed to conduct physical inspection of all the BVAS that were used for the presidential poll.

The Applicants, through their team of lawyers led by Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, said the essence of the application was to enable them to extract data embedded in the BVAS, “which represent the actual results from Polling Units”.

They specifically applied for; “leave to carryout digital forensic and physical inspection of BVAS, etc”, as well as to obtain the Certified True Copy, CTC, of all the data in the BVAS.

“My lords, this is to ensure that the evidence is preserved before the BVAS are reconfigured by INEC. This is because if they are wiped out, it will affect the substance of our case”, Ikpeazu, SAN, added.

While opposing the application, INEC insisted that granting the request would affect its preparations for the impending Governorship and National Assembly elections.

It told the court that there were a total of 176, 000 BVAS that were deployed to polling units during the presidential election.

“Each polling unit has its own particular BVAS machine which we need to configure for the forthcoming elections.

“It will be very difficult for us, within the period, to reconfigure the 176, 000 BVAS.

“We have already stated in our affidavit that no information in the BVAS will be lost as we will transfer all the data in the BVAS to our back-end server.

“We need the BVAS configured. So, granting this application will be a clog in the process and may delay the conduct of the elections”, INEC’s lead lawyer, Tanimu Inuwa, SAN, pleaded.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has made a new declaration.

INEC declared that there was no winner in the February 25 National Assembly Election in Doguwa and Tudunwada Federal Constituencies.

Alhassan Doguwa, Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, who contested on the All Progressives Congress (APC), was initially declared winner of the exercise.

However, the electoral umpire delisted his name from the reps-elect and failed to issue him a certificate of return.

The commission had said he was declared winner of the election under duress.

This followed the arrest of Doguwa in connection with the violence which broke out in the constituency during the collation of the election.

At least two people were killed when a secretariat of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) was set ablaze while in the area.

The police had arraigned the ranking lawmaker at a magistrate’s court which remanded him in prison.

But Doguwa was granted a N500 million bail and barred from Saturday’s election.

On Wednesday, Professor Ibrahim Adamu Yakasai, the Returning Officer for the election, announced the new development in Doguwa’s constituency.

Details later…

The removal of the name of Idu Onyiloyi, Labour Party (LP) Deputy governorship candidate for Benue State from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s list, has been ordered by a Federal High Court, Abuja.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a judgment on Wednesday, also stopped Onyiloyi from further parading himself as the deputy governorship candidate of LP for Saturday’s election, having voluntarily withdrawn his candidature.

Recall that Dr Ochechi Adejor had sued the LP, INEC and Onyiloyi as first to third defendants, respectively.

Adejor sought an order compelling INEC to publish his name as the deputy governorship candidate of LP for the Benue election.

However, delivering the judgment today, Justice Ekwo said he had found that the evidence of the Plaintiff (Adejor) in the case was credible.

He said, “I find that the plaintiff has proved its case by credible evidence and is entitled to judgement in his favour and I so hold.”

The judge, however, declared that Adejor was the valid candidate for the LP’s deputy governorship position for the Benue State election, having been validly nominated as candidate for the position following the voluntary withdrawal of Onyiloyi.

He also gave an order of perpetual injunction restraining INEC from further publishing or accepting Onyiloyi’s name or any other person other than Adejor as the candidate representing LP for the office of the deputy governorship of Benue at this year’s general election.

The Court of Appeal, Abuja has fixed Wednesday to consider the merit of the application the Independent National Electoral Commission filed to be allowed to reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, used for the just concluded presidential election.

After the three-man panel of the court had listened to the parties, Justice Joseph High adjourned ruling on the matter till Wednesday.

Obi and LP, through their team of lawyers led by Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, said the essence of the application was to enable them to extract data embedded in the BVAS, “which represent the actual results from Polling Units.”

They equally applied to obtain the Certified True Copy of all the data in the BVAS.

“My lords, this is to ensure that the evidence is preserved before the BVAS are reconfigured by INEC. This is because if they are wiped out, it will affect the substance of the case,” Ikpeazu, SAN, added.

However, INEC, through its team of lawyers comprising four Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SAN led by Mr Tanimu Inuwa, urged the court to refuse the application.

INEC insisted that granting the request by Obi and LP would affect its preparations for the impending governorship and state assembly elections.

It told the court that there are about 176, 000 BVAS that were deployed to polling units during the presidential election.

“Each polling unit has its own particular BVAS machine which we need to configure for the forthcoming elections.

“It will be very difficult for us, within the period, to reconfigure the 176, 000 BVAS.

“We have already stated in our affidavit that no information in the BVAS will be lost as we will transfer all the data in the BVAS to our backend server

“We need the BVAS configured. So, granting this application will be a clog in the process and may delay the conduct of the elections,” INEC’s lawyer, Inuwa, SAN, pleaded.

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has sent a message to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The group asked Buhari to turn in his resignation letter to prevent the collapse of the economy because of the challenges arising from the naira redesign policy.

In a statement signed by the group’s Executive Director, Emmanuel Onwubiko, on Tuesday, HURIWA slammed Buhari and the Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, for deserting Nigerians in the middle of a cash crunch crisis, adding that both the president and the CBN governor had impoverished Nigerians, and put the country on “autopilot.”

“The CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele and President Muhammadu Buhari have sadly impoverished Nigerians with a needless naira redesign policy that they used as a political tool against their opponents.

“Alas! Nigeria is in on autopilot mood. The Supreme Court makes a judgment, President Buhari took off for a globetrotting gambit in Qatar, while the CBN governor maintained sealed lips as millions of Nigerians wallow in an excruciating cash crunch. If President Muhammadu Buhari is God fearing and is a statesman as he claims, then he had better turn in his resignation letter immediately to stave off the imminent economic collapse of Nigeria under his watch.”

Recall that Buhari, in a national broadcast, had directed the apex bank to release old N200 notes into circulation, to co-exist with new N200, N500, and N1,000 banknotes for 60 days to end on April 10, 2023, while stating that old N500 and N1,000 banknotes ceased to be legal tender in Nigeria.

However, the apex court on Friday, after hearing a case filed by sixteen state governors, led by the governors of Kaduna, Kogi, and Zamfara states, praying the apex court to void and set aside the policy, on the ground that it was inflicting hardships on innocent Nigerians, voided the president’s declaration as well as the naira redesign deadline issued by the CBN.

The group said the president and the CBN governor had left Nigerians confused, and commercial banks directionless, as to whether to follow the Supreme Court order, or the declaration of the president that old N500 and N1,000 notes are no longer valid and that old N200 will stop being a legal tender on April 10, 2023.

“The President and the CBN governor have left Nigerians confused with their posture, and now the country is on an autopilot mood as commercial banks are directionless as to whether to follow the Supreme Court order, or the declaration of the President that old N500 and N1,000 notes are no longer valid, and that old N200 will stop being a legal tender on April 10, 2023.”

HURIWA also alleged that the president, who is also the Minister of Petroleum, had left motorists in long queues across the country, to be extorted by criminally minded petroleum products distributors, noting that the masses suffered the brunt of the needless political wars between Emefiele and his political detractors in the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The group demanded an end to the economic and monetary policy under Buhari, “as it has already caused imaginary inflation.”

In spite of the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, some grain traders in suburban markets in the Federal Capital Territory are rejecting electronic transactions from customers.

The traders in Nyanya, Karu, Mararaba and Masaka Markets were not accepting electronic transactions, as observed by the News Agency of Nigeria, on Tuesday.

According to the traders, they are buying the commodities directly from the rural farmers who are not involved in any form of electronic banking transactions.

Mrs Kadijat Ibrahim, a trader at Nyanya Market, said although the number of her customers was reducing, she would continue to demand cash for her goods.

She said, “I have a bank account but because I cannot also transfer money to the people I buy from, I won’t accept such a mode of transaction. Though I am losing a lot of customers.

“I don’t accept transfer or Point of Sale transactions because we buy our grains from local farmers and we pay them cash, because they don’t do any form of electronic banking.

“The local farmers at the bush markets where we buy our products can only sell their grains to you if you have cash.”

Also, another grain trader at the Mararaba Market, Mr Ismaila Abu said he does not accept any form of electronic transactions for his goods.

“I use a little capital for my business and I wouldn’t want it to be held in any bank.

“I need my cash at hand, so that I can purchase the products that will keep my business going.

“I do not have a bank account, but I cannot go and open one now. I will wait until all this stress in banks is over,” he said.

However, a grain trader at the Garki Market, Mr Ayo Ade appealed to the CBN to make cash available for citizens engaged in small businesses, for sales to improve.

A 22-year-old tailor in Adamawa State, Muhammed Bala, has been nabbed.

He was arrested by the Police for allegedly stabbing a rival to death.

Muhammed who hails from Mararaba in Madagali LGA allegedly killed his rival in the neighbourhood, identified simply as Bakura, during a quarrel over a girlfriend that they were allegedly sharing.

Muhammed was reported to have caused the death of Bakura in the brawl which occurred on February 15, at the compound of the 17-year-old girl who is identified as Maryam Mohammed.

Muhammed admitted stabbing Bakura by the neck over the teenager who he said he had proposed to marry after dating her for three years.

According to the Police, Bakura himself had insisted that the teenage girl was his and had warned Muhammed to keep away from her.

The stage was thus set when they both met at the girl’s place on the fateful February 15 and began the fight when Muhammed allegedly used a knife in his possession to stab Bakura who slumped and died instantly.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Adamawa State, SP Suleiman Nguroje, who confirmed the incident on Tuesday, assured that the suspect will be charged to court for prosecution.