TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY,  SATURDAY 

TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY,  SATURDAY 

2023 Electioneering And The Need For Election Debates

Certain candidates’ aversion to public forums, debates and town-hall meetings came to a head when a standard-bearer resolve not to participate in public dialogues not attended by fellow top flag-bearers in the 2023 presidential election. This is a fallout of events at the presidential election town hall meeting organized by Arise Television and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD). While Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party and Kola Abiola of the Peoples Redemption Party were around to dialogue with Nigerians, the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was represented by his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa. However, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu was absent.

Noting that the absence of presidential candidates in debates has assumed a growing trend, Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the Labour Party (LP), Doyin Okupe, said his principals “will only be prepared to mount the podium, with their peers in this presidential race, and not with any surrogates or diversionary delegated representation”. If this threat holds sway, then those bent on not allowing Nigerians to scrutinize their acuity and credentials for the nation’s top job may be on their way to herding Nigerians to the polls blindfolded.

Amid claims of Tinubu’s penchant for avoiding public scrutiny, the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) explained that “our candidate had long before now realized the importance of speaking directly to Nigerians and shortly after unfolding his Action Plan as President embarked on Town Hall meetings beginning with his interaction with the Business Community and other stakeholders in Kano followed by the Town Hall meeting and presentation by experts last week in Lagos”. If only these were forums convened by independent bodies and where there could be the contestation and defence of ideas.

FG Files Seven ‘Fresh’ Charges Against Nnamdi Kanu

The bid to get the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, released from detention has just suffered a setback as the Federal Government filed amended charges against the agitator.

A Court of Appeal order on October 13, 2022, discharged Kanu of all the allegations against him by President Muhammadu Buhari‘s government.

However, the Department of State Service (DSS) has continued to keep the Biafra agitator in its custody based on the subject matter still pending before the Supreme Court.

Also, the trial Justice Binta Nyako had earlier slated the following Monday for both Kanu’s team of lawyers led by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, and the prosecution counsel to address the court on the way forward in the matter.

The parties are to argue on whether FG could proceed to re-arraign the IPOB leader on the amended charge, despite Appeal Court’s verdict earlier.

Amid the tussle, a document monitored by Naija News on Vanguard revealed that the amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, entered before the Federal High Court in Abuja, contained all allegations against the IPOB leader that the trial court earlier sustained.

Atiku Optimistic Of Settling Rift With Wike, Ortom, Makinde, Others’

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation has said its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, will soon settle his rift with the five aggrieved governors of the party.

The five aggrieved Governors are Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu).

Speaking to journalists, the Director of Strategic Communications of the Atiku/Okowa campaign, Chief Dele Momodu described the prospects of reconciliation as very bright.

He said the five Governors have indicated a willingness to reconcile with Atiku and the leadership of the PDP with a view to working together in harmony.

IBB To Meet Atiku, Wike, Others Over PDP Crisis

Former military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) is set to interfere in the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Five aggrieved Governors under the main opposition party identified as the G-5 had vowed not to support the presidential ambition of the party’s flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar.

The Governors had condemned northern dominance in key positions in the party.

The stand of the Governors saw them call for the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu.

The Governors are Nyesom Wike (Rivers State), Samuel Ortom (Benue State), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State), Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu State).

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Ozekhome Meets Igbo Leaders In US Over Nnamdi Kanu

Mike Ozekhome, lead counsel to the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has met with some South East leaders in the United States of America over the trial of his client.

Ozekhome held a crucial meeting with the Igbo leaders in Atlanta on the plan to secure the release of Kanu following the refusal of the Federal Government to release the IPOB leader despite court judgments granting his client freedom.

A source told Vanguard that during the meeting, Ozekhome briefed the leaders on his efforts and other members of the legal team to secure Kanu’s release from the detention of the Department of State Service (DSS) since his extraordinary rendition from Kenya last year.

The source said the lawyer recounted how he was engaged to join Kanu’s legal team at the request of the IPOB leader, and assured the leaders of his preparedness to do his best to ensure Kanu got justice.

Ozekhome was said to have praised the efforts of Ifeanyi Ejimofor who had been handling Kanu’s case before he joined the team, describing Ejimofor as ” one of Nigeria’s young and most brilliant lawyers”.

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Court Sacks 16 Rivers APC State Assembly Candidates (Full List)

Sixteen candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) contesting for the 2023 elections have been sacked by a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

The ruling was handed down on Friday by the presiding judge, Justice Turaki Muhammed.

The court order followed the suit instituted by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in which it argued that the APC primaries that produced the candidates were not duly monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The affected candidates are from the following constituencies: Andoni, Etche 1 and 2, Tai, Gokana, Eleme, Port Harcourt City 1, 2 and 3, Khana 1 and 2, Okrika, Ahoada West, and Obio-Akpor 1 and 2 constituencies.

Akeredolu, Makinde, Others Have Destroyed Awolowo’s Legacies – NNPP

The Governors of the South West have been accused of rubbishing the educational legacies of the late Premier of the Western Region, Obafemi Awolowo.

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) National Secretary, Dipo Olayokun, made the accusation on Friday during the launch of the South West support group campaign for the NNPP Presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwanso, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The South West governors include Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo State), Seyi Makinde (Oyo State), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun State), Gboyega Oyetola (Osun State), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos State), and Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti State).

Olayokun said all the achievements recorded by Awolowo have been destroyed by the governors, adding that the South West was once the pride of the country as a result of Awolowo’s free education.

Catastrophic Weather Likely To Hit Lagos, P’Harcourt, Others

The Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government has warned that an inter-governmental panel on climate change revealed that many coastal mega cities including Lagos, Port Harcourt and others, would witness weather catastrophe by 2050.

This was made known on Thursday by the Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi during a side event on “Scaling up Climate Change Adaptation in Nigeria”, organised by the Federal Ministry Environment in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, at the ongoing COP27 event in Egypt.

However, he stated that the government was already taking steps to mitigate this through the provision of information on future actions required by cities that projected to be affected by the climate change effects.

According to a statement released to newsmen, low line coastal cities in Nigeria will witness weather catastrophe affecting millions of people and properties and causing devastation

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Court: Nnamdi Kanu Issues Seven Directives To IPOB, Supporters

The Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu is not ready to let down the battle towards regaining freedom from the detention of the Department of State Services (DSS).

Kanu in an effort to regain freedom had approached the Supreme Court after the Federal Government failed to obey the court ruling ordering his release and compensation.

The IPOB leader ahead of the Supreme Court ruling has issued seven-point directives to IPOB and his supporters

The counsel to Kanu, Ifeanyi Ejiofor revealed this in a statement released after the routine visit to the IPOB leader at the headquarters of DSS in Abuja.

Kanu, in the directives, called on his supporters ahead of the court ruling to be cautious of their enemies and maintain peace in all quarters.

The IPOB leader further stated that IPOB is a peaceful self-determination movement.

The separatist leader in the second point condemn all forms of criminalities and those behind them, adding that he was not giving any order to any group to engage in any form of criminality.

Court Sacks Sen Bwacha Over Defection To APC

The lawmaker representing Taraba South senatorial district, Emmanuel Bwacha has been sacked by the Federal High Court sitting in Jalingo.

Bwacha was removed from office for defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

PDP in Taraba State had approached the court to declare the lawmaker’s seat vacant for dumping the party on which he was elected.

The presiding Judge, Justice Simon Amobeda in his ruling ordered Bwacha to immediately vacate his seat.