THE President-elect, Bola Tinubu, has revealed that he has no preferred candidates for the leadership of both chambers who will constitute the 10th National Assembly. Tinubu, who was represented by the Vice President-Elect, Kashim Shettima, disclosed this at the meeting with new members-elect to the National Assembly. A member-elect for Bungudu/Maru Federal Constituency of Zamfara State, Abdulmalik Bungudu, revealed this to our correspondent shortly after the meeting. Bungudu, who spoke in the Hausa language, revealed that Tinubu told attendees that he had no preferred candidates for any of the principal offices of the 10th NASS. According to him, “For now,…
Author: Amina Ibrahim
THE Presidency on Monday said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has no reason not to comply with the Supreme Court order on naira redesign on the excuse of waiting for directives from President Muhammadu Buhari. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement, said the President never told the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami; and the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele to disobey any court orders involving the government and other parties. The highest court of the land had on March 3 ordered that old N200, N500 and N1000 notes…
THE Senate has postponed its earlier scheduled plenary to Tuesday, March 21, 2023. The Red chamber at its last sitting had due to the governorship elections adjourned plenary to Tuesday, March 14, 2023. The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, shifted the plenary to March 14 to enable senators vying for governorship positions to participate in the campaigns and elections. He said, “We have to adjoin for all of us to participate in the campaigns and elections of the governors and states assembly members.” However, a copy of a memo signed by the Clerk of the Senate, Chinedu Akubueze, announced a new…
THE Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele has debunked news on him launching fresh plot on the President-elect, Mr.Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He attributed such a news story which was published in today’s edition of The Nation newspaper as fake. The Governor disclosed this today in a statement signed by the Acting Director Corporate Communications, CBN, Mr. Isa Abdulmumin. Emefiele said:”The attention of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been drawn to a story published in The Nation newspaper of Monday, March 13, 2023 edition, alleging that the Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele has launched a…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday said over 170,000 polling unit results of the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections have been uploaded on its Result Viewing Portal (IReV). The Commission also said the reconfiguration of the Bimodal Voter Registration Systems (BVAS) would be completed by Tuesday in preparation for the March 18 governorship and state assembly elections. “As at the last time, over 170,000 of those results have been uploaded,” INEC National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, stated on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, monitored by News Point Nigeria. “As you are aware, we are reconfiguring the BVAS for…
AMID the lingering scarcity of new naira notes as a result of the recent currency redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and its attendant hardship on the citizens, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari for disobeying the Supreme Court judgment ordering the recirculation of the old naira notes till December 31, 2023. The Northern socio-political group described the President’s action as a damage to his credentials as a democrat and a stickler for the rule of law. In a statement issued by its Secretary General, Murtala Aliyu on Sunday, the ACF lamented that…
THE Central Bank of Nigeria says residents of rural and unbanked areas can no longer swap old notes for new ones through its cash swap programme. The CBN Acting Spokesperson, Isa Abdulmumin, disclosed this, noting that the programme had fulfilled its mandate. He said, “The programme has stopped. The cash swap was not in perpetuity and has a lifeline.” However, the Association of Mobile Money and Bank Agents in Nigeria had described the programme as ineffective, insisting that participation by stakeholders was minimal. The CBN had said the cash swap programme was aimed at enabling citizens in rural areas or those…
WITH the postponement of the governorship and state assembly elections to March 18, several universities have extended their resumption dates for academic activities. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had announced a one-week delay of the elections earlier scheduled for March 11 for reconfiguration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used during the presidential and National Assembly elections two weeks ago. In separate notices, students and staff of several universities were informed of the new resumption of academic activities. A source at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria told News Point Nigeria that the earlier resumption date of…
JUSTICE Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja on Friday held that only the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is empowered by law to determine the mode of collating and transmitting election results. In a judgement, Justice Nwite stated that only INEC has the prerogative to direct how the Polling Unit Presiding Officer should transfer election results, including the total number of accredited persons and results of the ballot. Justice Nwite further held that the collating and transferring of election results manually in the 2023 general elections cannot be said to be contrary to the relevant provisions of the…
THE commencement of the 2023 national housing and population census earlier slated for March 29 is likely to be affected by the postponement of the governorship and state assembly elections. This is according to the Chairman of the National Population Commission, Mr Nasir Kwarra, who was speaking at a meeting with the resident representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Abuja. The state elections which were earlier scheduled to hold on March 11, have now been scheduled for March 18 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Although no specific date is fixed for the commencement of the exercise,…
THE corpse of a four-year-old boy, Eleazar Ishiya, has been found inside a manhole adjacent to Mr Biggs at the Jabi area in Abuja three days after he was declared missing. Family sources said the boy was declared missing on Friday, March 3, at Filin Ball, Jabi Daki Biyu, and his corpse was discovered three days after. A witness, Joel Joseph said, “When we saw his body inside the manhole, his grandmother attempted to jump inside but I took hold of her and pushed her away. I jumped inside the pit where I found the body already rotten. His tongue,…
THE Federal High Court, Abuja on Thursday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) to allow the use of Temporary Voter Cards, (TVC) in the March 18 governorship and state houses of assembly elections. Justice Obiora Egwuatu made the order while delivering judgment in a suit filed by two aggrieved Nigerians seeking the use of TVCs in the general elections in the absence of Permanent Voter Cards, (PVCs). Justice Egwuatu said that the order was made on the grounds that the plaintiffs were duly registered and captured in INEC’s database. “An order is made compelling the defendant (INEC) to allow…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has postponed the governorship and state house of assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, March 11. In a statement on Wednesday night, INEC National Commissioner for Voter Education, Festus Okoye, said the elections will hold on Saturday, March 18. News Point Nigeria had earlier reported that,INEC has concluded arrangement to postpone the governorship and state house of assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, March 11. The polls have now been rescheduled by one week to March 18, 2023, credible sources in the commission told this newspaper. See below INEC press statement:
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has concluded arrangement to postpone the governorship and state house of assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, March 11, News Point Nigeria gathered. The polls have now been rescheduled by one week to March 18, 2023, credible sources in the commission told this newspaper. It was learnt that the postponement was due to the inability of the commission to commence the re-configuration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used for the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections, to enable their use for the state elections. Authoritative sources said that the commission management…
THE Court of Appeal in Abuja has approved the application by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) used for the February 25 presidential election. A three-member panel of justices led by Justice Joseph Ikyegh ruled on Wednesday that the reconfiguration was to enable the commission conduct the March 11 governorship and state assembly elections. The panel was delivering ruling in an application by the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, seeking access to inspect and certify sensitive materials used for the conduct of the election. The panel, however, refused the application…
THE United Kingdom Government has appointed Richard Montgomery as the new British High Commissioner to Nigeria. The UK government announced his appointment in a statement on Tuesday. Montgomery succeeds Catriona Laing who has been the UK’s representative in Nigeria since November 2018. According to the statement, Laing will be transferred to another diplomatic service appointment. The High Commissioner is the UK government’s representative in a commonwealth nation. They are in charge of the direction and work of the consulate, including political relations, trade and investment, press and cultural relations, and visa and consular services. Montgomery’s past experiences includes Counsellor (development)…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission on Wednesday issued Certificates of Return to winners of the February 25, 2023 House of Representatives election in Nigeria. The INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, presented the certificates to the members-elect at the National Collation Centre in Abuja. Yakubu had on Saturday said winners were declared for 423 legislative seats, indicating that supplementary elections would be conducted in 46 other constituencies. He said in the House of Representatives, 325 out of 360 seats have been won by eight political parties. In terms of party representation, the INEC boss said African Democratic Party, won two; APC, 162;…
THE Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has slated Wednesday to consider the merit of the application the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, filed to be allowed to reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, it used for the just concluded presidential election. A three-member panel of the appellate court adjourned to rule on the application, on a day the Labour Party, LP, and its candidate, Mr Peter Obi, filed a fresh application to be allowed to conduct a physical inspection of all the BVAS that was used for the presidential poll. Obi and LP, through their team of lawyers…
THE Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) has listed some motions for hearing this afternoon. One of such motion is the one filed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seeking to vary the orders granted to the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP), Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi to inspect materials used for last presidential election. Also listed for hearing today include the motions filed on March 6 by the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) for an order to inspect materials used for the last presidential election. Further listed…
THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday issued Certificates of Return to winners of the February 25, 2023 Senatorial elections in Nigeria The Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu made the presentation at the National Collation Centre (the International Conference Centre) in Abuja. Yakubu had on Saturday said winners were declared for 423 legislative seats, indicating that supplementary elections would be conducted in 46 other constituencies. The elected legislators include 98 out of 109 Senate, and 325 out of 360 House of Representatives seats. Seven parties won in the Senate, while eight parties won House of Representatives seats. House of…
