TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY FRIDAY 

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TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY FRIDAY 

1. UK Court Declares Ekweremadu, Wife, Daughter Guilty Of Organ Harvesting

Nigeria’s former Deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, has been found guilty of organ trafficking by a United Kingdom court.

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According to UK Guardian, the Nigerian politician and his wife, Beatrice, daughter Sonia and Obinna Obeta, a doctor involved in the case, conspired to bring the victim to London to exploit him for his kidney.

According to the publication, the jury found that Ekwerenmadu and others mentioned were guilty and would face the punishment for their offence, a case said to be the first verdict of its kind under the Modern Slavery Act.

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The court, however, exonerate Sonia of the charges involving her parents. Recall that Ekweremadu and his family were arrested by the London Metropolitan Police in June 2022.

They were alleged to have attempted to convince doctors at the Royal Free Hospital in London to perform an £80,000 transplant on the donor who was presented as Sonia’s cousin.

During the trial, Ekweremadu and his wife apologised for claiming that the donor was a relative. Hugh Davies, the prosecutor, told the court the Ekweremadus and Obeta had treated the man and other potential donors as “disposable assets – spare parts for reward”.

He added that they entered an “emotionally cold commercial transaction” with the 21-year-old.

2. APC Campaign Petitions DSS Against Peter Obi, Datti-Ahmed, Demands Immediate Arrest

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC PCC) has petitioned the Director General of the Department of State Security (DSS), Yusuf Magaji Bichi, against the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed.

In the petition letter dated 23rd March, 2023, the APC campaign alleged that Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed’s post election utterances and conduct bothered on incitement and treasonable felony.

The Minister for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo via his Twitter handle on Thursday asserted that the council of the APC call for peace & national healing does not amount to weakness.

The petition comes hours after, Yusuf Datti Baba Ahmed, declared that Nigeria has no president-elect.

According to him, while featuring on Channels, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu can’t be seen as the President-elect because the certificate of return he holds is a dud certificate with no value.

3. PDP Suspends Fayose, Ayim, Refers Ortom To Disciplinary Committee

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suspended former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, and a former Senate President/Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim.

The party also suspended Prof. Dennis Ityavyar and Dr. Aslam Aliyu.

Similarly, the PDP has referred Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom to its Disciplinary Committee for alleged anti-party activities.

This development was contained in a statement on Thursday signed by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba.

4. Osun: Appeal Court To Decide Adeleke’s Fate On Friday

The fate of the Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke would be decided by the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Friday.

Governor Adeleke and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had filed an appeal before the appellate court asking it to set aside the verdict of the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which sacked him from office.

Recall that Justice Tertsea Kume-led three-member panel tribunal, on January 27, in a split decision of two-to-one, voided the declaration of Adeleke as the winner of the 16th July governorship election in the state.

The petition which was filed by a former governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was upheld by the majority.

According to the majority judgment, Adeleke did not score the majority of lawful votes, adding that the conduct of the election was not in substantial compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.

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5. 2023 Census Commencement Day Confirmed

The 2023 National Population and Housing Census will commence on 2nd May and run through May 7th.

The Federal Government of Nigeria had earlier announced that the exercise will commence towards the end of March and end in the first week of April. However, the date was postponed following changes in the just concluded 2023 general elections.

Amid uncertainty on when the exercise will be held in May as proposed after the postponement, the Chairman of the State Steering Committee for the 2023 census in Ekiti State and Special Adviser to the Governor on Budget, Economic Planning and Performance Management, Niyi Adebayo, confirmed to journalists yesterday that the enumeration exercise would now hold from 2nd through to the 7th of May 2023.

The Committee Chairman, who said that the postponement of the headcount would allow for proper planning and in-depth preparation, called on members of the committee, particularly the sub-committees, to swing into action to make the exercise a huge success in the state.

He said the committee would provide the necessary information to the public regarding the exercise.

6. 2023 Might Not Be The Best But Tinubu Won A Credible Election – Fayose

A former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose on Thursday spoke on the outcome of the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria.

He also called out the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar saying going to court to challenge the outcome of the election does not mean the judiciary must automatically grant his request.

According to Fayose, the president-elect and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu won the election fair and free.

The former Ekiti State Governor added that the election that saw Tinubu emerge as the winner might not be the best, but it is credible.

He further stated that the votes that made Tinubu win in Ekiti during the presidential election, he was the leader of those that voted for the APC candidate.

Fayose made this claim while speaking on Arise TV on Thursday.

7. Nigeria Air To Fly Before End Of May 2023

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika has disclosed that the proposed national carrier, Nigeria Air will fly before May 29th, 2023.

Sirika made the disclosure in Abuja on Thursday during the 10th Aviation stakeholders forum.

The Minister submitted that the project was 98% completed, noting that “The airline will fly before May 29th this year.”

The minister, while giving an update on the likely date Nigeria Air would commence operation, said: “All of the roadmap items except perhaps the airline which in my opinion is in 98 per cent completion, and we will fly within these remaining two months by the grace of God.

“We will also finish the concessions. So, all those things we said we will do when we came in, we did them.

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“Before the end of this administration, before May 29th, we will fly.”

The minister said even though he thought airlines like Emirate, Lufthansa, and Qatar airlines would emerge as the preferred bidder for the Nigeria Air project, eventually, he was glad the Ethiopian airlines’ group consortium emerged.

8. Alleged Treason: IGP Takes Over Ihedioha, Irona’s Case

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba has reportedly taken over the alleged treason charge slammed against former Imo State Governor Emeka Ihedioha and two others.

Recall that Ihedioha, alongside his former deputy, Gerald Irona, as well as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives member-elect, Ikenga Imo, were summoned last Monday by the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) of Imo State Police Command for alleged kidnap, murder and arson.

But the former governor wrote the police command, demanding that his summons by the SIB be shifted till Tuesday, after the House of Assembly election.

According to The Nation, political bigwigs used the extension window to appeal to the police boss to intervene in the matter.

Sources disclosed that the case had been transferred to the Force Headquarters in Abuja on the instruction of the IGP.

“The case has been transferred to the Force Headquarters on the order of the IGP. So, the case is now with Abuja,” the source said.

Imo police command’s spokesman Henry Okoye, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), confirmed the development.

9. Peter Obi: ‘Minister Who Has Achieved Nothing Except Posting Fake News’ – Labour Party Blasts Keyamo

The spokesperson of the Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council, Yunusa Tanko, has slammed the spokesman for the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, Festus Keyamo, over the petition he filed against the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.

The petition letter dated 23rd March 2023, the APC campaign alleged that Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed’s post-election utterances and conduct bothered on incitement and treasonable felony.

The Minister for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo via his Twitter handle on Thursday asserted that the council of the APC call for peace & national healing does not amount to weakness.

However, Yunusa Tanko, in a statement in Abuja, on Thursday, said Obi and Datti are free citizens of Nigeria who are entered to the fundamental right of freedom of expression.

He further questioned Keyamo on why the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Lagos State, MC Oluomo has not been arrested or petitioned to DSS despite his threat before the last Saturday’s election.

Tanko stated that Keyamo is making baseless accusations describing him as a minister who has achieved nothing except posting fake news online.

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10. PDP Petitions FHC Chief Judge, Seeks Transfer Of All Its Cases

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused Justice I.E Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja division of bias.

PDP in a petition to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court asked that their cases under him be transferred.

The opposition party in a petition dated 14th of March, 2023 and signed by its National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu asked that all PDP-related current cases before Justice Ekwo be reassigned on account of manifest bias.

The party which noted that it has lost confidence in the Judge also asked that no other case related to the party is assigned to Justice Ekwo.

The Petition which was sighted at the Federal High Court accused Justice Ekwo of being in the habit of “issuing injurious ex parte Orders against the Party”, noting that “in the build-up to the 2022 primary elections, Hon Justice I.E Ekwo issued series of harmful ex parte Orders against the PDP which eventually caused the Party huge electoral misfortune at the 2023 general elections.”

According to the petition, such includes issuing an ex parte Order restraining the lawful ad hoc delegates who emerged from the Ward Congresses conducted by the National Leadership of the Party from participating in the Party’s primary elections in Edo State.

This Singular Order it said, caused deep division and disaffection in the Party which eventually affected the fortune of the Party in Edo State

Others instances it said include: issuing unwarranted ex parte Order or judgments on issues of internal affairs of our Party in Cross River, Rivers among other States over which the Court has no jurisdiction.

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