THERE was some tension between the Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila and his deputy, Idris Wase at close of plenary earlier on Wednesday. Both men openly disagreed over the duration of Thursday’s plenary as the speaker insisted that proceedings should be short enough to allow him and other members attend the official commissioning of the permanent site of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies. The deputy speaker on his part maintained that the work of parliament should come first and members who would like to attend the commissioning should do so without affecting Thursday’s plenary.…
Author: Amina Ibrahim
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PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday failed to dissolve his cabinet on Wednesday. Many had expected that the president would dissolve his cabinet at the Valedictory Federal Executive Council Meeting which he chaired in Abuja today. However, the president instead, directed his ministers to return to their offices and continue work. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed made this known at a briefing, shortly after the FEC Valedictory session. Even though the President had taken official pictures with the council, the Information Minister debunked news making the rounds that the Cabinet has been dissolved. According to Alhaji Mohammed,…
THE Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has raised interest rate from 18 percent to 18.5 percent. News Point Nigeria the apex bank governor, Godwin Emefiele, announced the decision on Wednesday after the committee’s meeting at the CBN headquarters in Abuja. The development is the third consecutive time the apex bank will be raising the monetary policy rate (MPR) which measures the interest rate. Recall in March that the MPC of the bank voted to increase the benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points to 18 per cent. Addressing journalists at the end of the two-day meeting in Abuja, Mr Emefiele,…
GOVERNOR Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State has emerged as the new Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF). He replaced Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State whose tenure of office would elapse on May 29. This was contained in a communiqué signed by Tambuwal at the end of the 7th emergency meeting of the state governors held on Tuesday night in Abuja. It was gathered that Governor Abdulrazaq emerged through consensus while Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde was chosen as vice chairman of the forum. “On the leadership of the Forum, the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, emerged…
AHEAD of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has denied joining the race for the Senate presidency. Lawan, a former Majority Leader was elected as the Senate President in 2019 after enjoying the backing of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the position. The APC has selected a former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, as its choice for Senate President and the senator representing Kano North District, Barau Jibrin, as the Deputy Senate President. In a statement on Tuesday, Lawan said he did not declare to contest for the next Senate…
THE Presidential Election Petition Court has given three weeks to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku; and his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, to prove their cases regarding outcome of the 2023 presidential election. This was stated during a proceeding at the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Tuesday. In order to ensure a speedy hearing of the petition, the court said there would be no oral examination of witnesses and that the adoption of witness statements will be required. For star (or expert) witnesses, 30 minutes shall be used for evidence in chief, while 20…
THE United State President, Joe Biden, has named his delegation to attend the inauguration of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu. This newspaper reports that no fewer than 65 world leaders, including Heads of State, have been invited to grace the Tinubu’s inauguration. The former Lagos State governor will be sworn in as the 16th President of Nigeria on May 29 at Eagle Square, Abuja. Also expected at the nation’s seventh transition ceremony are past presidents, diplomats, heads of international organisations and prominent Nigerians and representatives of foreign governments and agencies. The inauguration programmes will begin on Thursday with the investiture of…
THE Supreme Court has fixed May 26, 2023 to deliver judgment in a suit seeking the disqualification of Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima as presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), respectively. In the suit filed on July 28, 2022, the PDP claimed that Shettima’s nomination as Tinubu’s running mate was in breach of the provisions of sections 29(1), 33, 35, and 84(1)(2) of the Electoral Act 2022. The party argued that Shettima’s nomination to contest the position of Vice-President and Borno Central Senatorial District seat at the same time contravened the law. The PDP, which sought…
THE Chairman of the Presidential Election Petition Court, Justice Haruna Tsammani, has dismissed the application for live coverage of court proceedings. At the 2023 Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) sitting in Abuja on Monday, the justice said the application by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) lacked merit. The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, had filed an application on May 8 for an order to allow the live coverage of the daily court proceedings on the case they brought against the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, following the February 25 election. The Labour Party…
THE leadership of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has suspended its one-week warning strike which it embarked upon on Wednesday, May 17. President of the association, Dr. Emeka Orji, told News Point Nigeria via a telephone conversation that the association suspended the action for two weeks after reaching some agreement with the government on Friday. He, however, stated that the doctors will meet again on the second day of June this year to review progress made with the agreement signed after which the association will decide on their next line of action. News Point Nigeria earlier reported that…
THE United Kingdom is set to announce new restrictions that will most likely stop Nigerian students, other nationalities studying in the UK from bringing their families over. According to an exclusive report by The Sun UK, this crack down will be annocued this week. The crackdown will see all masters students and many other post grads banned from bringing family over. However, the ban will not apply to PHD students, whose courses usually last between 3 and 5 years and are very highly skilled, the UK media House reported. This follows the reports that net migration into the UK has…
WINNERS have emerged at the 2023 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award (AMVCA) held on Saturday evening at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. Ace Nigerian producer and director, Kunle Afolayan’s movie, Anikulapo won best overall movie 2023 and the ‘Best Indigenous Language’ (Yoruba) category. Tobi Bakre won the Best Actor in a Drama while Osas Ighodaro got ‘Best Actress in a Drama’. Talented Bimbo Ademoye won ‘Best Actress in a Comedy’ while Animashaun Samuel popularly known as Broda Shaggi won ‘Best Actor in a Comedy Drama, Movie, or TV Series’. Full List Of Winners: BEST…
FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan says insecurity was his worst nightmare during his time in office between 2010 and 2015. Jonathan made the disclosure on Friday during the commissioning of a 22-kilometre road project in Taraba State. The dualised Yola-Wukari road encompasses six pedestrian bridges and a flyover bridge, among others. Commending Governor Darius Ishaku on what he described as a job well done, the former president revealed that his worst nightmare as president of the country was insecurity. He said he had sleepless nights in a bid to resolve the issues and encouraged residents to live in peace for more…
THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has indicated plans to call “no more than 100 witnesses” in the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT). Both parties are challenging the declaration of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the February 25 election. Counsel for Atiku and the PDP, Chris Uche, addressing the court in Abuja on Saturday, said all the parties had met, and considered and agreed on the numbers of witnesses, duration and examination of witnesses. Uche added that though the new time given them to call the witnesses is seven…
THE Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party PDP in the last election, Abubakar Atiku on told the Presidential Election Petition Court that the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC is a meddlesome interloper in its defence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the qualifications for the election. Atiku’s Counsel accused the electoral body of being a proxy in its petition against Tinubu. INEC through its counsel had moved a motion on notice praying the Court to strike out some of the allegations made against Tinubu by Atiku in his petition. The electoral body pleaded with the Court to strike out 32…
THERE was a mild drama at the Court of Appeal in Abuja on Friday as the resumed Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal stopped a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Oba Maduabuchi, from representing the Labour Party. At the pre-hearing session, Maduabuchi tried to make a legal representation for the party, which is contesting the outcome of the February 25 election with its candidate, Peter Obi. Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on March 1, was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Maduabuchi told the court that he was briefed by the party to represent them.…
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari will on Thursday, May 25th, officially handover Transition Documents to the incoming Administration led by President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This is according to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha. At a briefing in Abuja on Thursday, Mr Mustapha who doubles as Chairman of the Presidential Transition Council said the investiture program which is part of the schedule of activities marking the 2023 Presidential Inauguration, will take place at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja. He further noted that on the same day, President Buhari will confer National Honours on president-elect…
THE federal government on Thursday released the schedule of events that will culminate in the inauguration of President-elect, Bola Tinubu on 29, May 2023. In the schedule of activities for the 2023 Presidential Inauguration released by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, the President-Elect will be conferred with the highest national honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR) on 25 May ahead of his 29 May inauguration. “I am delighted to inform you that May 29, 2023, will mark the 7th consecutive democratic transition of power in Nigeria and on that…
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari will on Thursday, May 25th, confer National Honours on president-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima. News Point Nigeria reports that, they both will be conferred with the National Honours of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) and Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON). This is according to a brief statement shared via Twitter by the President’s Special Assistant on Digital and New Media, Tolu Ogunlesi. According to Ogunlesi, on the same day, there will be an official handover of Transition Documents to the incoming Administration. In his view, this process…
THE Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal on Thursday resumed for continuation of hearing in the suit by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar. News Point Nigeria reports that, the court is presently hearing the application for live coverage of proceedings. Counsel for Atiku and PDP, Chris Uche, said the motion dated May 5 and filed on the May 7 praying for an order of the court to allow the televising of the proceedings is important given the ‘monumental national significance’. This goes along with prayers for an order of the court directing the modalities of its implementation.…