BREAKING: SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE TINUBU, ATIKU, OBI'S FATE THURSDAY

Within 72 hours after it heard and reserved its judgment in two appeals filed against the election of President Bola Tinubu, the apex court has announced Thursday October 26, for judgment

The delivery of the judgment is expected to draw the curtain on the legal battles relating to the 2023 presidential election.

Recall that Justice John Okoro, who led six other justices of the seven-man panel of the Supreme Court had on Monday announced that judgment had been reserved, shortly after lawyers representing parties in the appeal, identified and adopted their various processes in the appeal.

“Judgment is reserved to a date that would be communicated to parties”, Justice Okoro had held.

However, a notice issued to parties on Wednesday indicated that judgment had been fixed for Thursday.

The notice issued by one of the Registrars of the Supreme Court, Zainab Garba read in part, “Take notice that judgment will be delivered in the above mentioned matter on Thursday October 26, 2023, before the Supreme Court of Nigeria, sitting at Law Court District Area, Abuja”.

The two appeals slated for judgment are that of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and that of Mr Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP). 

The apex court had at Monday’s proceedings dismissed the third appeal filed by the Allied People’s Movement ( APM), shortly after it was withdrawn by the party’s lead counsel, Mr Chukwuma Machukwu-Ume, SAN.

Details later….

PARLIAMENTARY STAFF SET TO SHUT DOWN NATIONAL, STATE ASSEMBLIES

Members of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) have declared their intentions to embark on a nationwide strike on Wednesday, October 25 2023, if their demands are not addressed by the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum it issued in September.

The union demanded, among other things, that state governors should commence immediate implementation of financial autonomy for State Assemblies in line with the 1999 Constitution.

A letter of notice written to the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Chairman of the Forum of Speakers and the Department of State Security Services, the workers noted that they had earlier issued a 21-day strike notice and will therefore no do same this time around.

The letter signed by PASAN National President, Mohammed Usman, “reiterate the Union’s preparedness to direct the members to embark on the proposed strike action if its demands are not yielded to”

KALU APPLAUDS COURT OF APPEAL FOR DISMISSING AA’s PETITION AGAINST HIS ELECTION

The  Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, has lauded the Court of Appeal’s decision to dismiss the petition by the Action Alliance (AA) against his election

The court upheld his election victory in the Feb. 25, election for Bende Federal constituency in Abia.

Mr Levinus Nwabughiogu, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Deputy Speaker said in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

The  National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia had previously struck out the AA’s petition in August.

The decision was based on the fact that the party’s candidate, Ifeanyi Igbokwe, acknowledged not filing any legal suit against Kalu and raised concerns of impersonation.

Igbokwe subsequently reported the impersonation to the police and the Department of the State Service (DSS), calling for the arrest and prosecution of those responsible

The court also said that the time limit specified by Section 285 of the Constitution for the appeal had expired, thus lacking the jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

In response to the victory, Kalu, through speaking through Nwabughiogu, lauded the judiciary for the exceptional legal acumen in handling the case.

He reaffirmed his unwavering dedication to his duties, emphasising that the judgment marked the conclusion of the legal disputes arising from the 2023 general election.

FG TO REVIEW DISCOS, GENCOS' S OPERATIONAL LICENCE

The Nigerian government is set to review the operational licenses issued to Generation Companies (GenCos) and Distribution Companies (DisCos) ten years after their issuance.

The licenses, granted under the privatisation exercise, were initially designed to last for a decade. As the review date approaches, there is apprehension among power sector investors uncertain about license retention.

The review will assess key performance indicators (KPIs), service level agreements (SLAs), and vesting contracts.


The licences granted to operators and players in the power sector under the privatisation exercise was designed to last for 10 years, implying it has 10-year moratorium from November 1, 2013 to October 31, 2023.


While there is palpable fear, some key stakeholders have called for caution, saying the entire privatisation initiative was not properly structured to support private sector investment.

Those who spoke to our correspondent critically examined how the Nigerian government fared in its original 60 per cent equity stakeholding in the privatised power sector ecosystem and what the privatisation of the electricity sector value chain contributed significantly to improving the general wellbeing of the nation’s electricity sector value chain/economy.

Addressing the fear, former power minister, Prof. Barth Nnaji blamed certain regulatory hiccups and inadequate policy direction to whatever imbalances the sector has witnessed.

According to Nnaji, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has cautiously failed to implement a cost-reflective tariff regime which has negatively and significantly affected DisCos’ return on investment.

Nnaji said the decision by NERC to discharge that responsibility could be political given that the metering gap on the one hand and appropriate billing on the other will choke citizens who are already grumbling over escalating costs of living after petrol subsidy removal.


He further asserted that the erosion of the currency in Nigeria, a type not yet seen in other countries, heavily deterred DisCos from investing in infrastructure and also adequately providing technical support services to decaying assets.

“We should understand that most parts used in servicing critical assets are imported and with foreign exchange fluctuating and rising as well as being in short supply, it limits the ability of DisCos to procure necessary equipment to support service delivery,” he said

COURT DISQUALIFIES BAYELSA APC GOV'SHIP CANDIDATE SYLVA

Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has disqualified the Bayelsa State All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the November 11 governorship election, Chief Timipre Sylva.

Justice Okorowo ruled that Chief Sylva having been sworn in twice and ruled for five years as governor of Bayelsa State would breach the 1999 Constitution (as amended) if allowed to contest again.

The judge also declared that Sylva was not qualified to run in the forthcoming November poll because if he wins and is sworn-in, he would spend more than eight years in office as governor of the state.

Citing the case of Marwa Vs. Nyako at the Supreme Court, Justice Okorowo noted that the drafters of the country’s constitution state that nobody should be voted for as governor more than twice and that the parties to the suit agreed that Sylva was voted into office two times.

He further stated that the Supreme Court ruled in the case of Marwa Vs. Nyako that nobody can expand the constitution or its scope, hence if Sylva is allowed to contest the next election, it means a person can contest as many times as he wishes.

LEADERSHIP reports that the suit, with number FHC/ABJ/CS/821/2023, was filed on June 13, 2023, by a member of the APC Deme Kolomo.

PENGASSAN CONFIRMS RETURN OF SUBSIDY ON PETROL

The National President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Festus Osifo, at the weekend, said the federal government had restored the subsidy on petrol, despite the official government policy of breaking with the subsidy regime since May.Osifo, who is also the president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), disclosed this while featured on a live television programme

The government has to come clean. In reality today, there is a subsidy because as of when the earlier price was determined, the price of crude in the international market was somewhere around less than $80 a barrel. But today, it has moved to about $93/94 per barrel for Brent crude. So, because it has moved, then the price (of petrol) also needed to move,” Osifo said.

President Bola Tinubu had announced the removal of fuel subsidy in his inaugural speech on 29 May.But Osifo said due to the cost of crude oil in the international market and the exchange rate, the government still pays subsidies on petrol.“The speculation has been there looking at the fundamentals because two basic things that contribute to the pricing today are the exchange rate and the price of the crude in the international market.

You know, in the last few weeks, the price of crude has been going up, and inches towards $95 per barrel. Based on this, there are speculations that there may be an increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) but behind the scenes, we have been engaging the government and trying to make them understand that there is no basis for that.“Because for us, you know when they floated the exchange rate, you would recall that the exchange rate was moving at a very fast speed before some interventions came,” Osifo said.

He also said: “Today the official exchange rate is around N770 per dollar. So, what we have told them is that all international agencies, if you look at JP Morgan, Bank of America, and all, have said that our naira today is undervalued. What that means is that our naira should be exchanged somewhere around N600 to N630 for a dollar.

“And if the government can push it down to that range, then we would be buying PMS (petrol) at a little reduced rate compared to where it is today.“So, we have told the government that there is no basis for us to be buying petrol at a price higher than what we have today. But instead, it should go down. But the controlling factor is the exchange rate so if they could work on the exchange rate. Today it is somewhere around N770 to a dollar. But if the true value comes to bear around N600 to a dollar then we would even buy PMS at a cheaper rate,” he added.

N100bn CNG BUSES: SENATE REJECTS CBN LOANS, WARNS TINUBU AGAINST ILLEGAL SPENDING

The Senate, on Tuesday, warned President Bola Tinubu against illegal spending and advised him to seek a supplementary budget for its Compressed Natural Gas initiative.

The Senate through its Committee on Gas, led by Senator Jarigbe Jarigbe, urged the executive arm of government to expeditiously present a 2023 Supplementary Budget to the National Assembly to kick start the Compressed Natural Gas project.

This request came barely 48 hours after President Bola Tinubu announced measures to cushion the pains of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.

The lawmakers insisted that the law was against extra-budgetary spending.

LABOUR PRESSES ON, TO DECIDE ON STRIKE

The leadership of the organised labour will meet with its organs today to discuss the N35,000 provisional wage award which the federal government approved yesterday for all treasury-paid federal workers for six months.

The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, stated this in an interview with State House reporters yesterday after a four-hour meeting with the government delegation led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.

Ajero said the organised labour could not unilaterally shelve the indefinite strike it scheduled for October 3 without recourse to its organs.

“I don’t have much to say than what the Chief of Staff has said. We’ve been meeting and we’ve looked at almost all the issues, all the promissory notes from the government and we’ll look at how to translate them to reality and to be workable.

Then, we’re going to take those promises to our organs. Of course, you know these people here cannot just wake up and review and call off action.

So, like he (Gbajabiamila) said, we are hopeful that our organs will have a look at them and give us a fresh mandate on what next to do. So, it’s a simple one,” Ajaero said.

The acting president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Tommy Etim Okon, who also addressed journalists, said the labour would meet its organs today to review the outcomes of the meeting with the government delegation.

He added that the team from the organised labour would return for another meeting today.

The NLC and the TUC had called for an indefinite strike commencing on October 3 in protest against the alleged failure by the government to provide palliatives and implement policies to cushion the effect of the petrol subsidy removal on the masses.

Several workers’ unions across the country had declared their readiness to join the strike.

The unions include the Senior Staff Association of Universities, Teaching Hospitals, Research Institutes and Associated Institutes (SSAUTHRIA); the College of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM), the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, and the Medical & Health Workers Union of Nigeria.

NO APOLOGY FOR BACKING NORTHERN CANDIDATE.... ABDULLAHI ADAMU

No Apology For Backing A Northern Candidate, I am a northerner and I would go for a northerner; and no apologies for that. I have never hidden this.” – Abdullahi Adamu

When asked, Was the issue of Senator Ahmed Lawan as the party’s candidate an initiative you took out of your conviction as a party chairman?

“The party chairman has a role, but with a ruling party, I could not take it on myself to float Ahmed Lawan’s name.

“I am curious because everybody put it on you.

Well, of course, I take responsibility as party chairman, but nobody with maturity in politics and governance will say that Abdullahi Adamu, as the chairman of the party, would just get up and say this is my presidential candidate. It doesn’t add up.

“Of course, there were processes. I don’t want to go back on that. What I detested about this whole setting was that people who wanted to win favours with President Ahmed Bola Tinubu continued saying there was cold war between me and him and making so much capital out of it.

“I am an established person from my root, right from birth. I come from a royal family and I am proud of it. I was born at a time when there was a northern Nigeria. I was brought into its values even though I worked mainly in the private sector. I saw myself first and foremost as a northerner in Nigeria and I have no apologies to anybody on this.

“But times are changing, if you want to take a count of people with the same feeling, attitude, commitment and loyalty to the North, you would have a problem.

“But go down South, especially the South West, and you would see that people are not ashamed of beating their chests and telling you who they are and where they come from and what they stand for. Go to the East, till today, we are losing lives in the East for what they believe in, not here.

“The reason I have no regret is that only what God wills will happen.

God has made Bola Ahmed Tinubu the president of this country. 

“The moment he won in the convention, I led the National Working Committee to his residence to congratulate him and to give him assurance that we would stand head and shoulders with him to work for the success of the party; and we did.

“No matter what anybody will say about my relationship with Tinubu, the fact remains that it was under my leadership that the APC won the election. I like Tinubu for one thing. When I last saw him after my resignation, he referred to himself as “this bouncing baby boy delivered by you.” And he made my day.”

On why he resign as APC National Chairman 

He said, “Politics is an amalgamation of actions and reactions and you have to find your bearing in them. I felt I had played that part of leadership. I was a minister in this country. I was also a governor and secretary of Board of Trustees of a ruling party. I led this party called the APC to victory and delivered a whole new government to succeed Buhari.

“President Buhari nominated me before the governors and I went to the convention and was elected. I remain ever grateful to him and the Almighty God for ensuring that I succeeded.”

When asked, Was the issue of Senator Ahmed Lawan as the party’s candidate an initiative you took out of your conviction as a party chairman?

“The party chairman has a role, but with a ruling party, I could not take it on myself to float Ahmed Lawan’s name.

“I am curious because everybody put it on you.

Well, of course, I take responsibility as party chairman, but nobody with maturity in politics and governance will say that Abdullahi Adamu, as the chairman of the party, would just get up and say this is my presidential candidate. It doesn’t add up.

“Of course, there were processes. I don’t want to go back on that. What I detested about this whole setting was that people who wanted to win favours with President Ahmed Bola Tinubu continued saying there was cold war between me and him and making so much capital out of it.

“I am an established person from my root, right from birth. I come from a royal family and I am proud of it. I was born at a time when there was a northern Nigeria. I was brought into its values even though I worked mainly in the private sector. I saw myself first and foremost as a northerner in Nigeria and I have no apologies to anybody on this.

“But times are changing, if you want to take a count of people with the same feeling, attitude, commitment and loyalty to the North, you would have a problem.

“But go down South, especially the South West, and you would see that people are not ashamed of beating their chests and telling you who they are and where they come from and what they stand for. Go to the East, till today, we are losing lives in the East for what they believe in, not here.

“The reason I have no regret is that only what God wills will happen.

God has made Bola Ahmed Tinubu the president of this country. 

“The moment he won in the convention, I led the National Working Committee to his residence to congratulate him and to give him assurance that we would stand head and shoulders with him to work for the success of the party; and we did.

“No matter what anybody will say about my relationship with Tinubu, the fact remains that it was under my leadership that the APC won the election. I like Tinubu for one thing. When I last saw him after my resignation, he referred to himself as “this bouncing baby boy delivered by you.” And he made my day.”

On why he resign as APC National Chairman 

He said, “Politics is an amalgamation of actions and reactions and you have to find your bearing in them. I felt I had played that part of leadership. I was a minister in this country. I was also a governor and secretary of Board of Trustees of a ruling party. I led this party called the APC to victory and delivered a whole new government to succeed Buhari.

“President Buhari nominated me before the governors and I went to the convention and was elected. I remain ever grateful to him and the Almighty God for ensuring that I succeeded.”

63RD INDEPENDENCE: NIGERIA ALWAYS EMERGES STRONGER FROM CHALLENGES OF NATION BUILDING: KWARA GOV

Kwara State Governor/Chairman of Nigeria Governors’  Forum AbdulRahman Abdulrasaq has congratulated Nigerians on the country’s 63rd anniversary of independence. 

He said the country’s march to greatness is on course, and on an even stronger footing, regardless of its own share of the challenges of nation building that every society goes through. 

“What is certain is that the country has always emerged stronger from any of its challenges and the current ones, whatever their magnitude or shades, will not be an exception,” the Governor said in a statement commemorating the 63rd anniversary of the country.

“I congratulate Mr. President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and the rest of the country on this occasion. We thank God for His mercies on our country, and commend all the patriots who have remained true to the dream of a greater, united Nigeria at all turns of our history. 

“I join Mr. President, leadership of the other arms of government, and all thought leaders to call on Nigerians to remain united and committed to collective good. Together, we’ll build in the successes of the past years and break new grounds in political maturity and inclusiveness, economic growth, and collective prosperity.”

Rafiu Ajakaye 

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor 

September 30, 2023

63RD INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY: IT MAY BE DIFFICULT NOW BUT NIGERIA WILL RISE AGAIN.... SARAKI

Former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has congratulated Nigerians on the 63rd anniversary of the nation’s independence and urged them to believe that despite the difficult situation confronting the country now, good days will soon return.

In a statement signed by Yusuph Olaniyonu, head of his Media Office, Saraki stated that no matter the state of the economy, politics, and social situation, the Independence Anniversary presents an opportunity for every citizen to celebrate and renew their commitment to the country.

He added that the economic situation of the country, the political challenges, poor social conditions, and security crises are strong factors that could make the people unhappy and reduce their enthusiasm to celebrate as they usually do every first day of October.

“However, I believe there is light at the end of the tunnel. It is good for our people to look at the bright side of life and strengthen their belief in the country. It has not always been like what we have today. This country's independence in 1960 was seen by the rest of the world as the one that symbolised the future and greatness of Africa. What those who believed Nigeria represented the best of Africa saw in 1960 remains here.

“This is still a country where one out of every four Africans is a Nigerian. It is a country where the natural resources are still abundant. It is a country where the best professionals from Africa emanated from. It is a country where over 60 percent of the population is youth. It is a country which presents a huge market to the world with its almost 200 million population.

“Which other country dominates the financial technology (fintech) world as we have? Also, our control of the world of sports, entertainment, medicine, and academics shows that the future belongs to us.

“All these give me hope that the future will be bright for our country. We only need to be more diligent and effective in the choice of our leadership and the followership should strive to be a positive influence on those who administer the country.

“As we celebrate the 63rd independence anniversary of our dear nation, let us all pray to God to heal our land, guide both our leaders and the followers right, and “help our youths the truth to know” as the words of our national anthem read.

“Let me again reiterate my prayers that Almighty Allah should protect our men and women in the security services who are stationed on the frontline fighting to secure the country and give them victory over the enemies of the state who have chosen to wage war against the country. May peace and prosperity return to our country so that we can all celebrate her greatness once again. Happy Independence Anniversary to all Nigerians”, Saraki stated.

Signed

Yusuph Olaniyonu

Head, Abubakar Bukola Saraki Media Office

Abuja