Author: Gloria Lamar Johnson

THE Independent National Electoral Commission, on Monday, tendered electoral documents against the Social Democratic Party and its candidate, Murtala Ajaka, at the Kogi State Governorship Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja. The SDP and its candidate in the November 11, 2023 governorship election are challenging INEC for its declaration of incumbent governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Usman Ododo, as the winner of the poll. Ododo won the election with 446,237 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ajaka of the SDP, who scored 259,052. The petitioners had, on April 6, 2024, closed their case after calling 25 witnesses. During…

THE Benue State Police Command has confirmed an attack on Terwase Orbunde, the former Chief of Staff to the immediate-past Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, by armed men, who took away his wife and house help. The State’s Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Catherine Anene, who disclosed this to this newspaper via a telephone conversation, saying, the command got a report on Friday evening from the former Chief of Staff that he was attacked on his farm in the evening and his wife and housemaid were whisked away by the armed men to unknown destination. According to the PPRO, Orbunde was…

THE Senate has commenced probe into the financial records of 774 federal agencies based on the queries raised against them in the 2019 report of the Auditor General for the Federation. The Chairman, Senate Public Accounts Committee (SPAC), Senator Aliyu Wadada, who represents Nasarawa West on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), disclosed this in Keffi, Nasarawa State, while speaking with newsmen., on Friday He said his committee was not out to witch-hunt any one but pledged that members of the panel would discharge their responsibilities diligently in the best interest of the country. Wadada also disclosed that…

THE Secretariat of the Audu/Faleke Political Structure (Kogi East)  has blasted the self acclaimed Kogi East Critical Stakeholders (KECS) for unwarranted attack on the Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu. The Fmr. DG. Protocol Head of Secretariat Audu/Faleke Political Structure (Kogi East), Emmanuel Ekele while addressing journalists on Tuesday in Abuja said, the acclaimed KECS are pursuing their personal agenda by exploring the emotions of the people while their stories are heavily hinged on deliberate falsehood and lies to mislead the unsuspecting public. He said, it’s  pertinent to clarify certain deliberate and erroneous impressions created by this groups…

KOGI State Governor, Usman Ododo, has revealed that the sponsors and perpetrators of last week’s crisis that rocked Bagana in Omala Local Government Area of the state, which claimed about 25 lives have been arrested. The governor while answering questions from journalists at the Okene central praying ground shortly after observing the Eid-El-Fitr prayers, said the perpetrators as well as the sponsors have been arrested while they are undergoing investigation to ascertain the extent of participation. He called on those fanning the embers of discord to desist from their unpatriotic tendencies as his administration is unwavering in its resolve to…

THUGS have reportedly set ablaze the residence of a former Governor of Benúe State, late Aper Aku, in the Gboko area of the state. The incident was said to have happened on Monday after the occupants were safely evacuated from the building. A daughter of the late governor, Deborah Aku, told journalists in Makurdi that the Police rescued six of them early enough before the hoodlums burnt the house. She explained that trouble began in March after a man came to the house with a cutlass and threatened to deal with them if his goat died again, claiming that he…

ABDUCTORS of two students of the Federal University Wukari, Taraba State are demanding a ransom fee of N50 million in exchange for the freedom of the students. This was disclosed by the head of information and protocol unit of the institution, Ashu Agbu, via a telephone interview. About 90 percent of the students and staff of the institution live outside the school premises as stated by the vice chancellor during the recently conducted convocation ceremony. One of the shops attached to the hostel accommodating these students outside the school premises came under attack on the night of Wednesday, April 3,…

GOVERNOR Usman Ododo of Kogi has expressed shock and sympathy over the recent killing of 25 persons during bandits attack in Agojeju-Odo community in Omala Local Government Area of the state. Ododo, who spoke on the attack in Lokoja, regretted the ugly dimension that communal clashes between people in the area have assumed over time. He promised immediate intervention by his administration to forestall a reoccurrence of the unfortunate situation. “I am assuring the citizens that the perpetrators of the dastardly act will be brought to justice soon. “Already, security agencies are on the trail of the assailants whose acts…

– Caution EFCC Against ‘Enemies Of State’ Fighting Selfish Battles YOUTHS from Kogi State, on Tuesday, declared that they had decided not to fold their arms and allow those they described as desperate politicians continue to drag the name of an otherwise great state in the mud. The youths, from the three senatorial districts of the state, under the aegis of Kogi Independent Youths Association, particularly cautioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to be wary of politicians who they said meant no good for Kogi State but were out to use the Commission to achieve selfish objectives detrimental to…

THE Tiv Traditional Council led by the Tor Tiv, Prof James Ayatse has brokered peace between the Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia; and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume. After the closed-door discussion, the estranged political allies who had been enmeshed in a cold war over the political leadership of the North Central state, embraced themselves to the cheers of their supporters. The conflict reached its peak with the recent inauguration of a factional All Progressives Congress (APC) State Executive Council by the governor, a development that saw the police stepping in to take over the…

MILD drama continued at the Kogi Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Monday as some witnesses disowned their depositions before the panel. This newspaper reports that four witnesses from Adavi Local Government Area of the state gave their evidence for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) before the three-member panel of justices, led by Justice Ado Birnin-Kudu and then denied and disowned evidences. The witnesses, when called, gave virtually the same narration regarding what transpired where they voted even though they were in different polling units during the Nov. 11, 2023 governorship poll. The four witnesses, like the previous ones,…

IN the last two weeks, the Central Bank of Nigeria and other banking institutions have improved dollar supply to the foreign exchange market by $2.5bn, making the naira strengthen to N1,309 against the United States dollar. Official figures obtained from the FMDQ Securities Exchange revealed that the naira closed at N1309/$1 on Thursday compared to the N1300/$1 recorded a day earlier. However, it still falls within the eight week low for the Naira as it continues to gain strength against the US dollar. Trading activities were closed on Friday due to the public holiday. Similarly, forex transactions between willing sellers…

GOVERNOR of Taraba State, Agbu Kefas, has approved the sum of one billion naira for the payment of gratuity backlog. The last time any payments were made was 13 years ago, in 2011 to be precise. Governor Kefas, while signing the approval, directed the ministry of finance to ensure immediate payments of the overdue entitlements. He regretted the delays and said his government would not abandon workers who had served their fatherland diligently. Apart from the initial one billion naira, the governor also approved that a sum of 200 million naira be set aside each month to offset the backlog…

THE Federal Government has declared Friday, 29th March and Monday, 1st April 2024 as public holidays to mark the 2024 Good Friday and Easter Monday respectively. The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, who made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, urged Christians and all Nigerians in general to emulate the sacrifice and love displayed by Jesus Christ in dying for the redemption of man. A statement by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr. Aishetu Gogo Ndayako, on Wednesday, quoted the minister as saying that Easter promotes values of love, forgiveness and compassion which are essential for social…

THE star witness of the Social Democratic Party and its candidate, Alhaji Muritala Ajaka, in the November 11 governorship election in Kogi State, in a dramatic twist, on Monday, told the Election Petition Tribunal that he was not in Kogi State on the day of the election. The star witness, who is a data analyst with the Independent National Electoral Commission,  said this as he completed his Evidence-In-Chief and was cross-examined after 11 long days of his testimony before the Tribunal. The witness, Abdulmalik Njidda, had earlier testified to events that took place during the election in Kogi State, with…

AS part of efforts aimed at preparing Miss Crystal Enato Sam-Ogbuku to participate in the forthcoming International Day of the Girl Child in Denmark later this year, the International Association of World Peace Advocates have announced that Amb Miss Crystal Enato Sam-Ogbuku will be addressing participants at this year’s International Mayor of Peace Summit coming up on Monday the 25th of March in Lagos, Nigeria According to a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja the nation’s capital and signed by Amb Dr. Emmanuel Nkweke the International Spokesman of IAWPA, the association being concerned about the security challenges in the…

TWO students of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi have lost their lives during the distribution of palliatives while 23 have been hospitalised. The Head of Information of the school, Abraham Habu, disclosed this to Channels Television via a telephone conversation. He said the school had received palliatives from the state government to distribute to the students to cushion the effect of the economic hardship. According to him, the palliatives were billed for distribution today at the convocation arena of the school before some students overpowered the security on ground, causing a stampede which resulted in death and injuries of the…

KOGI State Governor, Ahmed Ododo on Thursday, paid a courtesy visit to President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja over the state of security in the state. In a statement signed by his Special Adviser, Ismaila Isah, said the governor during the visit, briefed President Tinubu on the security situation in Kogi State, including efforts by his administration to consistently improve on the security architecture, to enhance performance in securing lives and property in all parts of the state. The governor also commended President Tinubu on his efforts to ensure prompt intervention to address food security challenges in…

SOME residents of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and some areas in Kogi State are currently experiencing power outages due to technical glitches. The two areas are under the coverage of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company. On Tuesday, the AEDC informed its customers in Zamani Estate, Abacha Road Mararaba, Ruga Juli and other parts of Abuja that a technical fault on 33kv feeder k6 from AT9 Karu Transmission Station was responsible for the power outage. “The management of Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc wishes to notify its esteemed customers that there is currently a technical fault on 33kv feeder k6 from…

CIVIL Society Organisations and human rights lawyers have called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to save the image of Nigeria by not prioritising political battles that are counterproductive to the robust anti-corruption policy of the President Bola Tinubu administration. The scores of acitivists and lawyers, under the broad umbrella of the Committee for The Defence of Democracy and Rule of Law, particularly noted that the seeming fixation of the anti-graft agency on particular targets, fierce media trial and the network of opposition figures publicly displaying their affinity with the Commission on particular matters easily reflected political hatchet jobs…