The Economic and financial crimes commission has arrested former senate President, Bukola Saraki.
Saraki is in custody over allegations of theft and money laundering.
Mr Saraki, a former Kwara State governor, was detained on Saturday, sources familiar with the development said, a situation that may trigger another episode of troubles for the politician.
As senate president between 2015 and 2019, Mr Saraki spent a considerable time facing allegations of corruption and false declaration of assets. He was acquitted by the Supreme Court in June 2018.
Saraki is to answer questions over alleged theft and laundering of public funds using a network of cronies and proxy companies.
The suspected proxies, who executed purported contracts for Kwara State under Mr Saraki, allegedly made returns, for many years, to the former governor, forming an organised a network of dirty money flow.
2023: Atiku has nothing to offer Nigeria – Adeyanju, warns PDP
Activist, Deji Adeyanju has warned the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to avoid making Atiku Abubakar its Presidential Candidate in the upcoming 2023 General elections.
The fiery critic pointed out that APC will win because it will be presenting someone ‘fresh’. In a series of tweets on Friday, he pointed out that Atiku would not be a good choice for the party.
“Atiku has nothing to offer Nigeria. Nigeria must move forward from old tired men like Atiku, Tinubu & Buhari. They are not just old but very sick and always with their doctors. Those promoting them are only looking for power at all cost, free dollars and business as usual.”
“We need competent, young & energetic leaders who will not be a liability on the nation.”
“APC will easily win 2023 election if Atiku gets PDP ticket because APC will be presenting someone fresh, a Governor, Minister, etc. What it mean is that PDP has not learnt anything in opposition for 8yrs. Nigerians are tired of these sick old men. Feel the pulse of the nation.”
“The only thing that can bring sense permanent to Nigeria is another APC victory in 2023. For some people to still be discussing Atiku who relocated to Dubai for over 2yrs and abandoned the country, it means we have a big problem in this country.”
Ondo Governorship Election: Again, Akeredolu Wins Jegede At Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Rotimi Akeredolu in the matter involving the authentic winner of the October 10 governorship election in Ondo State.
The apex court in its judgment on Wednesday, declared Rotimi Akeredolu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected governor of Ondo State.
The court also threw out the suit filed by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede.
It would be recalled that after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Akeredolu as the winner of the election, Jegede rejected the election result and challenged it before the state governorship election tribunal.
Akeredolu, however, floored Jegede again at the tribunal, same at the appeal court and eventually at the supreme court.
The Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, has predicted that the People Democratic Party (PDP) will be hit by more confusion ahead of the 2023 election.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television, Adesina stated that more members of the opposition party will defect to the ruling party.
He also slammed PDP governors for accusing Buhari of turning the presidential villa to a secretariat of the APC.
Femi Adesina claimed that during the PDP administration at the federal level, the party conducted some of its meetings at the presidential villa.
“Between now and 2023, there would be more confusion in their ranks and there would be more depletions in their ranks, so that is why they say anything,” he said.
“However, anything illogical, and inconsequential they say. We were in this country when President Obasanjo was in power and the BOT meeting of the PDP used to hold at the presidential villa.
“We were here when President Yar’adua, when President Jonathan was there, they held meetings at the presidential villa. What are they talking about really?
“When APC dwindles from 24 governors to 19, do you hear a whimper from PDP one day rejoicing? It is all because they are losing ground that they are saying all these things. It is the way of politics.”
Lagos LG Poll: Lagos State LGA Election 2021 Results
Residents of Lagos yesterday voted for candidates that would pilot their affairs at the Local Government Level.
Society gazette reports residents cast their ballots in polling units across local councils in the state to elect their local government chairmen and councilors for a fresh four-year term
The polls was open across the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Development Areas of the state.
See results from the election:
APC wins Ikorodu LG chairmanship election
Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission(LASIEC) has declared All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of chairmanship election in Ikorodu Local Government (LG).
The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Hassan Rafiu, had a total of 1497 votes, while Wasiu Adesina of APC had 4729 votes.
Somolu local government Chairmanship
APC – 9456 – (Abdulhamed Salawu)
PDP- 806 (Rasak Fatai)
Accord – 651 (Ekundayo Abayomi)
Winner: Abdulhamed Salawu (APC)
Coker Aguda LCDA Chairmanship
Lekan Razaq declared winner of Coker Aguda LCDA
APC 13,905
PDP 1,184 Alfred Olayemi Thomas
YPP 060
Councillorship
Ward B, Sanya, Coker Aguda, Surulere
Oguntoyinbo Ismael – winner
APC 1,954
PDP 151
YPP 0
Ward G, Savage/ Orile,
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Kareem Oyebanji – Winner
LG Election: Woman caught Massively Rigging Votes in favour of APC [VIDEO)
Footage of a woman massively ‘rigging’ votes at a polling unit during the Lagos LG elections today has gone viral on Social media.
According to Cable, the yet-to-be identified woman is seen thumb-printing several ballot papers in favour of the All Progressives Congress, APC during the exercise earlier today.
2023: Nigerians Eagerly Waiting For Buhari’s Tenure To End – PDP Replies Shehu
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has stated that Nigerians are already tired of the Muhammadu Buhari presidency and can’t wait for his tenure to end in 2023.
The PDP in a statement on Tuesday signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan said anything that will keep the Buhari government in office longer than May 29, 2023, will be firmly resisted.
The PDP was responding to an earlier report in which the presidency had admonished the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to forget about returning to power when the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari expires in 2023.
The Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu made the submission while speaking on Tuesday after the Eid-el-Kabir prayer in Abuja.
According to him, President Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have done so much for Nigerians that the citizens will not vote for another party come 2023 when he leaves office.
He told the PDP and other opposition parties to forget about displacing APC as the ruling party in 2023 because Nigerians will not forget the legacies of the Buhari administration in a hurry.
Replying in a statement titled ‘Buhari Presidency’s 2023 Comments Smacks of Self-Succession Plot’ the PDP said the position of the president’s spokesperson is provocative and suggestive that Buhari wants to cling to power.
It added that Nigerians have suffered enough hardship under the Buhari government and deserve something better.
The statement reads: “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the assertion by the Buhari Presidency that Nigerians will be waiting for President Muhammadu Buhari “to show the way in 2023” has further heightened public apprehensions of self-succession plot by the cabal in the Presidency.”
“Nigerians were jolted when President Buhari’s spokesman, Shehu Garba, publicly announced in Daura, Mr. President’s hometown, that President Buhari “constitutes a political obstacle” which those who seek to succeed him, come 2023 “cannot dismantle.”
“Such statement by the Presidency, which is in its last lap of the second and final tenure in office, is not only provocative but also smacks of plots to derail our constitutional democratic order.”
“Perhaps the comment by the Buhari Presidency explains why there have been heavy onslaught against our institutions of democracy as well as the Electoral Act.”
“Our party and indeed the majority of Nigerian across board and even across party lines caution President Buhari’s handlers to note that such plots cannot stand as it will be firmly resisted by the people.”
“Shehu Garba should be bold enough to announce that President Buhari will be on the ballot for another term in 2023 and watch how Nigerians will respond.”
“The 1999 Constitution (as amended) is clear on the tenure of office of the President and such cannot be extended under any guise or conditions whatsoever.”
“It is imperative for Shehu Garba to note that Nigerians have been subjected to the worst forms of hardship under the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration and will never allow anything that will keep this administration in office a day beyond May 29, 2023.”
Electoral Act Bill: PDP heads to court, insists on electronic transmission of results
Nigeria’s main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed not allow the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) led National Assembly to “murder democracy” in Nigeria, vowing to head to court to challenge the decision of the senate to stop the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from transmitting election results directly from polling units.
On Thursday, lawmakers spent more than three hours considering over 100 clauses of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, and the majority of the senators, all APC senators, succeeded in empowering the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to determine the electronic transmission of electoral results.
The legislation is seeking to repeal and re-enact the 2010 electoral act, which has been under consideration for years.
During the clause-by-clause consideration of the bill, Sabi Abdullahi, deputy senate whip, proposed that the NCC must certify that national coverage is adequate and secure, while the national assembly must approve before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can transmit election results electronically.
But Albert Bassey, senator representing Akwa Ibom north-east, kicked against the motion and said the initial proposal made by the committee should be retained.
“The commission may transmit results of elections by electronic means where and when practicable,” section 50 (3) of the report reads.
This led to a rowdy session which lasted about 20 minutes, after which the senate eventually retained Abdullahi’s amendment after a 52-28 vote, with all APC senators voting ‘No’ and all PDP senators voting ‘Yes.’
Reacting to the decision of the senators at press conference on Friday, national chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus on Friday, the said the amendment passed by the lawmakers cannot stand, as according to him, it is a big scam.
Secondus said the party will take all necessary legal steps to ensure that the “APC scam” is not allowed to stand in any way.
“We have called you this afternoon to join our voices and anger with that of Nigerians and all lovers of democracy in condemning what happened in the National Assembly yesterday Thursday and today Friday,” Secondus said.
“How a representative of the people enjoying their mandate blatantly turned their back on them and toed the line of a political party interest that is clearly against the people.
“By the choice of the All Progressives Congress, APC to put party interest before National interest, they have vividly murdered democracy by the actions of their members in the two chambers of the National Assembly yesterday and today. For us in PDP, today is a Black Friday for democracy.
“It’s an established fact in all democracies world wide that a free, fair and credible election is the tripod of any democracy. The action of APC in swaying their members against Electronic transmission of Election Results clearly undermines and shows in unmistaken terms that APC is not ready to face the Nigerian electorates.
“It also shows that the dilly-dallying of APC all the while in amending the Electoral Act is deliberate as they never wanted from inception to do anything that will deepen democracy in our country.
“This is notwithstanding that the party is a huge beneficiary of Electoral Reform carried out by the PDP administration.
“We therefore, unequivocally condemn and reject the amendment of Electoral Act as passed by the National Assembly and urge President Muhammadu Buhari to fulfil his anti-corruption crusade and see this as corruption and the big scam.
“The PDP will take all necessary legal steps to ensure that this APC scam is not allowed to stand in any way.
“We therefore call on all lovers of democracy who see free, fair and transparent election as vital, to stand up against this fraud.
“Before I end these remarks gentlemen of the Press, may I commend members of the PDP in the two chambers for standing up for democracy when it mattered. History will be favourable to them.
“I would like to also urge the Press as vanguard in the democratic struggle to take up their arms against this anti democratic action.”
See List Of APC Senators That Voted Against Electronic Transmission Of Election Results
Members of the All Progressives Congress in the Senate on Thursday voted against electronic transmission of results.
The Committee had, in the report, recommended in Section 52(3) that, INEC “may transmit results of elections by electronic means where and when practicable.”
But an APC senator from Niger North, Sabi Abdullahi, amended the clause to read, “INEC may consider electronic collation of results, provided the national network coverage is adjudged to be adequate and secured by the Nigerian Communications Commission and approved by the National Assembly.”
Members of the Committee on Communications had earlier informed the chamber that the NCC had declared that only 43 per cent of the country was currently under effective telecommunications coverage.
Senate President, Ibrahim Lawan, ruled in favour of the amendment when he conducted a voice vote.
There was a disagreement and the Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, called for a division which would require individual voting on the floor.
Lawan sustained Abaribe’s point of order and called for a division.
At the end of the poll, 88 senators voted, while 28 were not available to vote.
The outcome of the election showed that 52 APC senators, including the chairman of the Senate INEC committee, Kabiru Gaya, voted against the panel’s report, which gives the electoral umpire the sole power to determine the practicability of electronic transmission of results.
The Peoples Democratic Party members on the floor all voted in favour of electronic transmission of results by INEC without interference from either the NCC or the National Assembly.
The APC members, while casting their votes against the amendment, attributed their decision to the claim of the NCC that only 43 per cent of the country has network coverage.
The PDP senators, on the other hand, said allowing the NCC and the National Assembly to meddle in the affairs of INEC will affect the integrity of the polls
Here’s a list of how the lawmakers voted:
A COMPILATION OF SENATORS VOTE FOR OR AGAINST ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION OF ELECTION RESULTS (A few names still missing)
Robert Ajayi Boroffice YES
Surajudeen Basiru NO
Adenugba Fadahunsi YES
Clifford Ordia YES
Matthew Urhoghide YES
Francis Alimikhena NO
Kola Balogun YES
Ezekiel Ayuba NO
Abubakar Kyari NO
Gyang Istifanus YES
Senator Gyagung Ladi NO
George Sekibo YES
Ali Ndume NO
Opeyemi Bamidele NO
Biodun Olujimi YES
Mpigi Barinada YES
Betty Apiafi YES
Gobir Abdullahi NO
Abdullahi Danbaba NO
Philip Aduda YES
Chukwuka Utazi YES
Mohammed Goje NO
Danbaba YES
Yusuf Yusuf NO
Isa Shuaibu Lau NO
Mohammed Goje NO
Bomai Ibrahim Mohammed NO
Francis Onyewuchi YES
Yau Sahabi NO
Uba Sani NO
Danjuma La’ah YES
Kabiru Gaya NO
Ishaku Elisha Abo NO
Baba Kaita NO
Adamu Aliero NO
Yahaya Abdullahi NO
Yakubu Oseni NO
Isa Jibrin NO
Smart Adeyemi NO
Ibrahim Oloriegbe NO
Oluremi Tinubu NO
Solomon Adeola NO
Tanko Al-Makura NO
Godiya Akwashiki NO
Abdullahi Adamu NO
Musa Mohammed Sani NO
Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi NO
Bima Enagi NO
Patrick Akinyelure YES
FINAL VOTE FIGURES ON ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION
AYES: 28
NAYS: 52
ABSENT: 28
ABSTAIN: 0
TOTAL VOTES: 80
TOTAL NO. OF REGISTERED SENATORS: 109
(as announced by Clerk of Senate and validated by Senate President, Ahmad Lawan)
The Treasurer of the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sumbo Ajose, has died.
It was gathered that Ajose reportedly died in the United States of America on Tuesday, 13th July, 2021.
According to information, she had been battling for her life with an undisclosed illness for a while and was on a sickbed receiving treatment when she died.
Confirming her death, the Party’s Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo, described it as “sad and unfortunate.”
Meanwhile, a member of the House of Representatives from Zamfara State, Kabiru Amadu, has formally dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Society gazette reports that the lawmaker formally announced his defection to the APC on Wednesday.
Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, read the letter of defection from Amadu at the plenary.
Amadu is the last of the six members from Zamfara who had earlier declared their defection at the state level along with Governor Bello Matawalle.
The lawmaker from Zamfara blamed the crisis in the PDP for their defection to the APC.
The legislators cited the crisis in the Zamafara State chapter of the PDP which led to the dissolution of the state chapter by the national leadership of the party as their reason for defecting to the APC.
