Author: Chief Editor

Okays direct primaries for political parties The Senate on Tuesday bowed to public pressure as it adopted electronic transfer of election results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Also at plenary, the Red Chamber okayed direct conduct of primaries by registered political parties in the country. The Senate, at the Committee of the Whole chaired by Dr Ahmad Lawan, amended Clause 52(2) of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill to read: “Subject to section 63 of this Bill, voting at an election and transmission of results under this Bill shall be in accordance with the procedure determined by the Independent National…

Members of the House of Representatives will on Wednesday and Thursday debate the N16.39 trillion, 2022 Budget proposal, which was presented to the parliament last week, by President Muhammadu Buhari. Announcing the dates for the debate at the plenary on Tuesday, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who said the copies of the budget will be distributed to the lawmakers Tuesday (today) directed interested lawmakers to submit their names to the House Clerk, Ben Akubueze. Gbajabiamila also said that the timetable for the budget defence with ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the federal government will be released…

For effective administration of justice and judicial autonomy, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State has revealed that he would soon sign into law, Kano State Judiciary Funds Management (Financial Autonomy) Bill 2021. Ganduje made this known during the occasion of Magistrates Association of Nigeria (MAN) Annual Week, 2021 held in Kano yesterday. He said: “I am happy that the event is coming up at the time when the Kano State government is all set and ready to receive and sign into Law the three very important Bills forwarded by the Kano State Judiciary to the Kano State House of…

The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, has claimed that the advent of social media has increased the influx of amateurs and quacks in the media profession. He said this was in addition to the challenges of fake news, inaccurate reporting and misrepresentation of facts, with their serious negative impact on society. Elumelu stated this yesterday during the capacity-building workshop for members of the Press Corps of the House of Representatives organised by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, and the National Assembly Management.…

A military court in Ouagadougou on Monday began the long-awaited trial of 14 men, including the former president, accused in the assassination of Burkina Faso’s left-wing leader Thomas Sankara 34 years ago. The slaying of Sankara, a pan-Africanist icon, has for years cast a shadow over the poor Sahel state, fuelling its reputation for turbulence and bloodshed. Sankara and 12 others were riddled with bullets by a hit squad on October 15, 1987, during a putsch that brought his friend and comrade-in-arms Blaise Compaore to power. Compaore, the chief accused, announced through his lawyers last week that he would boycott…

The Presiding Pastor of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare has said that there will be a change of guard in government in Nigeria on 2021. Although Bakare did not say how the change of guard would take place, he however insisted that what he meant by that is “there will be fresh hands and new people to change things in Nigeria.” He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to tear down “the unglorifying portion of Nigeria constitution” as it is hindering the growth of the country, and that any amendment made to the Constitution can never improve the situation…

As Yoruba nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, also known as Sunday Igboho, yesterday clocked 49 years old in detention facility in Benin Republic, the Aare onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, sent a congratulatory message to him and also called on the Benin Republic government to release Igboho unconditionally. In a statement titled, ‘Gani Adams congratulates Igboho on 49th birthday anniversary’ signed by his Media Assistant, Kehinde Aderemi, Adams said the struggle for the liberation of their race is one struggle that cannot die. “And no matter the threats or injustice meted out to each and every one of us, we remain…

The Peoples Democratic Party says it will begin the sale of nomination and expression of interest forms on Monday. This is coming ahead of its National Elective Convention scheduled for October 30-31. The party disclosed this in its revised, ‘Timetable and Schedule of Activities for Year 2021 National Convention,’ signed by its National Organising Secretary, Col. Austin Akobundu (Rtd.), on Sunday in Abuja. Akobundu said that the timetable was approved by the National Working Committee in line with the resolution of the 94th National Executive Committee of the party that adopted the zoning formula. According to the timetable, the sale…

A former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Attahiru Jega, on Saturday criticised the National Assembly for downplaying the importance of the electronic transmission of results in general elections, saying that federal lawmakers were ignoring the innovation for self-interest. Jega said the constitutional provision that prohibits the use of technology is a hindrance to electronic voting in the country which he said was cost-effective and easy to deploy. He, therefore, urged the National Assembly to remove the legal encumbrance for electronic voting to be possible in the 2023 elections. Speaking at a lecture titled, ‘Politics, governance and leadership…

Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Timi Frank, has urged Nigerian masses to prepare for worst times ahead. Frank, who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and Middle East, said his fear was predicated on the “2022 Budget of Economic Growth and Sustainability” presented last Thursday before a joint session of the National Assembly by President Muhammdu Buhari. According to him, since the purchasing power of the average Nigerian has been inexorably eroded by rising cost of goods and services, coupled with expected increases in the…