CAJA petitions INEC about staff colluding to rig 2023 elections in favor of APC Kano

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08/02/2023

By Aminu Kutama

The Centre for Awareness on Justice and Accountability (CAJA), has raised the alarm over an alleged plan to jeopardize the 2023 General Elections in Kano using some INEC officials.

In a letter addressed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and copied to several other Election Monitoring Missions and Industrial Bodies on February 2, 2023, CAJA alleges an active collusion between the Administrative Secretary of the Electoral Commission in Kano, Garba Lawal and some vested interests to undermine the 2023 General Elections.

According to the Centre’s petition, Mr Lawal is due to retire from service on 14th March 2023, and by the provision of the INEC Staff Condition of Service (2017), an officer of the Commission is due to be given a mandatory three months pre-retirement leave before the effective date of his/her retirements

However, according to the petition, the senior staff who was affected by a recent reshuffle to achieve transparency in the 2023 General Elections and to fulfill the pre-retirement condition had both the reshuffle and mandatory leave reversed due to pressure from some vested interests in Kano.

The petition also added that the officer was also widely alleged to have been an active party to the condemned rigging of the Kano State 2019 Gubernatorial Election.

CAJA’s Executive Director, Comrade Kabiru Dakata, therefore urged the Commission to free Mr Lawal to proceed ok his 3-month mandatory leave in order “to maintain the Commission’s credibility in conducting the forthcoming 2023 General Elections.

New Kano Commissioner for Religious Affairs takes oath of office

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08/02/2023

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By Aminu Kutama

Governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has sworn-in the State’s new Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Dr. Nazifi Bichi.

Dr. Nazifi’s inauguration took place on Wednesday before the State Executive Council meeting at the Kano State Government House and was witnessed by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna and other members of the Council.

Sahelian Times recalls that the new commissioner was nominated by the Governor after his predecessor, Dr. Muhammad Tahar Adam (Baba Impossible) was sacked from office on the 31st December 2022.

According to the Government, Baba Impossible had been exhibiting attitude unbecoming as a public servant holding sensitive office, as well as unguarded utterances and disloyalty to the State Government.

BREAKING: Man attempts suicide in Kano over missing money

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08/02/2023

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By Aminu Kutama

A young man in Kano, Saifullahi Yahaya is currently threatening to commit suicide over financial difficulties.

According to reports, Saifullahi gained access into the Abubakar Rimi Television (ARTV) premises and climbed the station’s tall mast, threatening to fall off if his money that allegedly got lost from his bank account is not recovered.

More details shortly…

Naira Redesign: CSOs kick against Supreme Court ruling

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08/02/2023

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By Aminu Kutama

The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) of Nigeria has said that the Supreme Court ruling of Wednesday stopping the February 10 deadline for the validity of three old naira notes is designed to enable corrupt politicians to share old N200, N500 and N1,000 notes during the February 25 and March 11 general elections.

“This order is only designed to help politicians in the sharing of old money during elections,” said the group’s National Coordinator, Obed Okwukwe at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.

Okwukwe spoke hours after the Supreme Court restrained the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from implementing the February 10 Deadline for the old 200, 500 and 1000 naira notes to stop being legal tenders.

The Coalition rejected the ruling and urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola to vacate the order.

“We, the CSOs are rejecting it; it is a plot to open the bank vaults to enable buyers and hoarders of illicit wealth to have cash to buy votes.

“We ask the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to hurriedly vacate the ex parte order in the overall interest of the Nigerian election. We have suffered,” his statement said.

The CSOs said the matter is not a dispute between the state and federal governments that warrant Supreme Court intervention.

“Today, the naira redesign policy is the policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria and it was done by the CBN Governor with the backing of President Muhammadu Buhari. It is a policy of the Federal Government.

“So, what is the issue for the determination before the Supreme Court of Nigeria? Is there any conflict between the state and the federal governments that the Supreme Court has the guts to issue an ex parte order?” Okwukwe asked.

He urged the apex court and the CJN to vacate the order in the interest of the Nigerian people and not allow itself to be used by desperate politicians.

After meeting with FEC, INEC Chairman dispels election postponement rumor

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08/02/2023

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By Aminu Kutama

With Sixteen days to the conduct of the general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has affirmed that the two major encumbrances faced by the commission have been resolved.

The INEC chairman stated this in a chat with State House correspondents on Wednesday after briefing the Federal Executive Council on preparations towards the elections and challenges, the INEC chief identified that petrol scarcity and the currency challenge instituted challenges that have now been resolved following assurances by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele who has proffered a resolution.

For this reason, Mahmood Yakubu, assured that the February 25 and the March 11 elections will hold as scheduled.

He explained that all its accounts both national and state are held by the apex bank, and anticipates that the elections will not be delayed.

He equally noted that the commission has met with relevant stakeholders to address the challenge of petrol scarcity after interfacing with the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.

The electoral chief also disclosed that the Commission is scheduled to brief the Council of State on Friday, February 10.

Just In: Supreme Court restrains FG from implementing deadline for old Naira notes

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08/02/2023

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By Aminu Kutama

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has restrained the Federal Government from implementing the February 10 Deadline of the old 200, 500 and 1000 naira notes to stop being legal tender.

Three State Governments, of Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara, had in a motion ex-parte filed on February 3rd, prayed the apex court to halt the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) naira redesign policy.

A seven-man panel of the Supreme Court led by Justice John Okoro, in a unanimous ruling, granted an interim injunction restraining the FG, CBN, commercial banks etc from implementing the February 10, deadline for the old 200, 500 and 1000 Naira notes to stop being a legal tender.

The court further held that the FG, CBN, commercial banks must not continue with the deadline pending the determination of a notice on notice on in respect of the issue on February 15.

By this ruling, the old Naira notes continue to be legal tenders in Nigeria.

Fuel scarcity across Nigeria to ease from next week — Kyari

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08/02/2023

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By Ismail Auwal

The Group Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited( NNPCL), Mele Kyari, has assured Nigerians that the lingering fuel scarcity will ease off next week.

Kyari who appeared on Channels Television on Tuesday evening said he could not assure that the queues at the fuel stations would disappear, but added that there would be significant improvement in the next one week

“Now within the next one week, I’m not saying that you’re going to have zero queues within the next one week, no, because a number of things are out of our control, and of course the market forces will determine some of these issues.

“But I believe that we’re going to see substantial and relative ease compared to today in the next one week.

“I apologise for the situation on behalf of all of us in the oil and gas industry,” Kyari said.

Recall that the President Muhammadu Buhari had also asked Nigerians last week Friday to give him seven days from then to resolve the naira crisis.

Tinubu, APC plan to swap N22.5 billion in Kano for vote buying uncovered by PDP

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07/02/2023

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By Aminu Kutama

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has uncovered a clandestine plot by APC leaders allegedly working for the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to swap N22.5 billion stashed old Naira notes to new ones in Kano State, in a desperate move to actualize APC vote buying plans in the 2023 general elections.

In a statement by its spokesman, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, the PDP asserted that information available to the party revealed that this criminal act by the APC which is responsible for the biting cash scarcity is being coordinated in the North West region of the country by two APC State Governors who ironically have been very vocal in lamentation over the prevailing cash crunch.

“The PDP has been made aware that the N22.5 billion in old N1000 notes was allegedly kept in a Kano State Government facility before being moved to a particular old generation and a certain new generation bank where the regional heads were contacted by the APC Presidential Campaign to swap the old notes with new ones.

“Further information revealed that the cash is being warehoused by the Tinubu Campaign for vote buying in Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, Jigawa and Sokoto States. A particular APC State governor is reported to have taken delivery of N500 million new Naira notes to actualize the vote buying plot,” the party alleges.

“Also, there are intelligence that arrangement has been concluded by APC leaders to move a substantial part of the old naira notes from Kano to Lagos State between today and tomorrow for the purposes of swapping them with new ones.

“It would be recalled that the PDP had earlier alerted Nigerians that corrupt APC leaders are compromising the system to mop up the new bank notes for their selfish vote-buying plans ahead of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election.

“The party alerts the security agencies and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) of this nefarious activity by APC leaders which is bringing untold hardship to Nigerians,” the PDP statement partly read.

The opposition party demanded an immediate action to stop APC in “this criminal act” as well as to recover the money and make the new Naira notes available to the public.

The PDP called on all Nigerians to firmly resist the APC in this heinous attempt to buy their conscience and subject them to another harrowing tenure of killings, violence, kidnapping and economic hardship that have become the hallmark of the APC administration in the last seven and half years.

The party also urged Nigerians to remain steadfast in their support for the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who has demonstrated the integrity, honesty, capacity, experience and readiness to get the system to work for the good of all immediately he assumes office, come May 29, 2023.

BREAKING: IPMAN directs members to stop operations, shut filling stations

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07/02/2023

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By Aminu Kutama

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has directed members to suspend all operations across the country.

In a statement signed on Tuesday by Mohammed Kuluwu, chairman, IPMAN, the marketers were also ordered to suspend payment of ordering products from source until further notice.

The association said the decision followed, “the critical situation as it affect our sourcing and selling of product at lost and the action of the authority to impose the selling of product at a lost price on our side”.

More details shortly…

15 Nigerian pilgrims killed in Burkina Faso

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07/02/2023

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By Aminu Kutama

At least 15 Nigerian Muslim pilgrims on their way to Senegal were killed when gunmen in Burkina Faso attacked the buses transporting them.

A Nigerian presidency spokesperson told Reuters that the death toll stood at 15 “so far” and President Muhammadu Buhari is “saddened” by the murder.

According to a Senegalese religious order, unidentified assailants attacked the convoy of buses on Wednesday and killed 18 passengers.

The pilgrims were on their way to a religious ceremony in Senegal from Niger and Nigeria, a trip that involves crossing conflict hotspots in northern Burkina Faso and central Mali.

“Eighteen passengers lost their lives during these attacks, and most of the survivors were robbed,” the Medina Baye Mosque in Kaolack, the Senegalese town where the victims were headed, said in a statement on Saturday.

Nigeria’s presidency said in the statement that it was in touch with Burkinabe authorities and awaiting the outcome of their investigation into the incident.

Burkina Faso’s foreign affairs minister Olivia Rouamba met with Nigeria’s ambassador to the country on Monday to discuss the killings.

“For the time being there is no concrete information or element picked up on the field that proves the veracity of these facts,” Rouamba said in a statement after the meeting.

She added that authorities had strongly discouraged travel through the north due to “huge risks” of attacks.

Burkina Faso is battling armed groups with links to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) that spilled over from neighbouring Mali in 2015.

Rebel fighters have spread over the tri-border area between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger and encroached on coastal West African states despite costly international efforts to stop them.

Regular attacks on towns and villages, army posts and United Nations peacekeepers have caused thousands of deaths, displaced more than two million people across the Sahel and aggravated food insecurity.