Author: Maryam Garba

THE Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has apologised to Nigerians for the rise in failed electronic banking transactions. Emefiele, who spoke at the end of the two-day monetary policy committee meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, assured Nigerians that the issue will be resolved quickly. According to him, the apex’s bank payments system management department made efforts to ensure that downtime on electronic banking channels are addressed following a terrible time experienced by Nigerians through their mobile apps, USSD platforms and debit cards since the implementation of the naira redesign policy and subsequent cash shortage. “We…

THE Chief Whip of the Senate, Orji Kalu, on Tuesday said it is his turn to be President of the Senate in the 10th National Assembly. Speaking to journalists at the National Assembly, the lawmaker representing Abia North Senatorial District asked his party – the All Progressives Congress (APC) –  to zone the seat to his district. “It is my turn to become the Senate President. If I’m elected Senate President, I will be team Nigeria. I’m going to work in every corner of Nigeria,” the ex-Abia governor said. “I schooled in Maiduguri, Borno State. I started my business in…

THE Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha has debunked fake Twitter account wherein the user used his name to say unpleasant things against the Governor of Zamfara State, Matawalle and the Governorship candidate of APC in Adamawa state, Aisha Binani. Mustapha made this known in a statement signed by Director, Information, Willie Bassey made avaiable to News Point Nigeria, Tuesday. He advised Nigerian citizens to always verify reports before reacting to it. His words: “The attention of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, CFR, has been drawn to a fake Twitter handle with…

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Senator Uba Sani has been declared the winner of the 2023 governorship election in Kaduna State. He was declared the winner by the Returning Officer for Kaduna State and Vice Chancellor of the Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, Professor Lawal Suleiman Bilbis. Sani polled a total of 730,002 votes to defeat his closest rival, Isa Ashiru of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 719,196 votes. The Labour Party (LP) candidate, Jonathan Asake came a distant third after polling 58,283 votes while the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate, Suleiman Hunkuyi scored 21,405 votes.…

THE candidate of the All Progressive Congress, Umar Mohammed Bago, has won the governorship election in Niger State. Announcing the result in Minna on Monday, the state collation officer, Professor Clement Allawa, said Bago won in 20 of the 25 Local Government Areas and polled a total of 469,896. “I, Professor Clement Allawa, hereby certify that I am the Returning Officer for the 2023 governorship election that was contested on March 18, 2023.” “I declare that Umar Mohammed Bago of the APC having satisfied the requirements of the law is hereby declared the winner of the 2023 governorship election in…

AS the 2023 Kaduna State governorship election results were being collated on Sunday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rt. Hon. Isa Ashiru Kudan, has won in five local government areas out of the seven LGAs announced so far. The candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Uba Sani, is trailing behind by winning in two of the local government areas announced so far. Results officially announced so far showed that the PDP won in Kaura, Kajuru, Makarfi, Sanga and Jaba local government areas, while the APC won in…

THE Independent National Electoral Commission,(INEC) has released results of eleven local government areas in Niger state with All Progressives Congress,(APC) leading in nine of the Councils. The APC Gubernatorial Candidate, Alhaji Umar Mohammed Bago won his Bida Constituency while his PDP counterpart, Alhaji Isah Liman Kantigi also won his Edati Constituency. In Bida, Alhaji Bago of APC got 27,778 votes in his home as against 22,846 votes won by his close counterpart, Alhaji Kantigi of PDP. Alhaji Kantigi of PDP won his Constituency with 16,559 votes as against 9,225 won by his APC counterpart. A breakdown of the results released…

THE governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Katsina State, Dr Dikko Umar Radda has so far won the the 17 LGA announced by INEC so far. From the 17 LGAs announced so far, Dikko (APC) polled 413,066 votes while his closest rival from the PDP, Sen. Lado Yakubu Danmarke secured 213,737. Meanwhile, as gathered from most of the collation officers, there were issues of over voting and pockets of violence in most of the LGAs announced so far. Results collation is ongoing even as other local governments results are being awaited.

THE Independent National Electoral Commission has declared the Speaker, Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, as the winner of the Ilesha-Gwanara State Constituency. The Returning Officer, Dr Adewale Rafiu, while announcing the results, said Danladi-Salihu of the All Progressives Congress polled 14, 949 votes, while his closest rival, Usman Abubakar of PDP got 2,072 votes. “Yakubu Danladi-Salihu of APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” Rafiu declared. In his acceptance speech, Danladi-Salihu lauded his constituents for their massive support which led to his victory, assuring them that he would…

THE collation of results for the governorship election in Kaduna State will commence at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) State Collation Centre on Sunday (today). An INEC officer told News Point Nigeria about the development during a visit to the collation centre to monitor the process. According to the officer, results are being collated at the local government level and by 9 am on Sunday, it is expected that all results would have been ready from the 23 local government areas of the state for collation at the state headquarters of INEC in Kaduna.

OPERATIVES of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on election monitoring duty in Kaduna State today, March 18, 2023 came under attack at School Road, Unguwan Rimi Kaduna while attempting to arrest a suspected vote buyer. News Point Nigeria reports that, the team, working on intelligence on the alleged activities of one Kabiru Musa who was seen in an amateur video allegedly inducing eligible voters by using his phone to transfer money into their accounts as they cast their votes, had mobilized to the scene to arrest the suspect. However, immediately he was accosted by the operatives, Musa became…

SOME voters in Niger State have said that they were asked by politicians to show their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and swear to vote for certain candidates before they were given buckets, spaghetti, clothes and maggi seasoning. News Point Nigeria learnt that politicians had wooed voters in their homes, distributing cloths and food items, especially in Minna, the Niger State capital and other towns. Some voters told this newspaper that they were asked to show their PVCs and swear after which each voter was given two yards of cloth and spaghetti. In Tunga area of Minna, one of the beneficiaries,…

OPERATIVES of the Economic and Financial Commission (EFCC), monitoring the ongoing Governorship and State House of Assembly elections have intercepted bales of fabric meant for voter inducement and arrested a number of persons suspected to be involved in vote buying in some States across the country on Saturday. Thirty five (35) bales of fabric allegedly belonging to a principal officer of the Sokoto State House of Assembly was intercepted by the team of operatives on election monitoring assignment in Sokoto State. The items have been moved to the Sokoto Zonal Command of the Commission pending the conclusion of the investigation.…

GOVERNOR Nasir Ahmad El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State has alleged that in Southern Kaduna,reports reaching him Indicated that voters were forced to vote for a certain political party and go home. Meanwhile, armoured personal vehicle and other paraphernalia of war manned by stern looking and combat ready security personnel were seen in strategic locations within Kaduna metropolis on election day. Although no any untoward incidence was recorded as at time of filing this report, there was quite in many quarters especially in Kaduna North Local Government Area, where many polling stations could not have the expected number of eligible voters. At…

THE Kaduna State Police Command have arrested the suspected shi’ite attackers of the convoy of the state Governor Nasir El-Rufai by suspected members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), popularly known as Shiites. A statement by the spokesman of the Command, DSP Mohammed Jalige, says the security officials attached to the Governor’s convoy cleared the Bakin Ruwa axis of Rigasa, Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway after armed hoodlums suspected to be members of the IMN attacked law-abiding citizens and prevented motorists from plying the route. He explained that the hoodlums in a large number were intercepted harassing innocent citizens on Thursday…

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has signed some constitution 16 alteration bills into law. The Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase disclosed this on Friday in a statement. One of the bills makes it mandatory for presidents and Governors to submit the names of persons nominated as Ministers or Commissioners within sixty days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or State House of Assembly. It would be recalled that President Buhari was heavily criticized for taking six months to appoint ministers in 2015. Other bills signed by President Buhari delete railway, electricity generation and prison services from the exclusive…

FOUR people are suspected to have been killed when security operatives attached to the convoy of Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State clashed with Shi’ite members in Bakin Ruwa Area of Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, on Thursday. Details of the incident are sketchy but sources told this newspaper that the clash happened around 4:15pm when the governor visited the community. It was gathered that the convoy came in contact with the Shi’ite members who were performing their weekly procession at Bakin Ruwa along Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway. According to Tasiu Muhammed, an eyewitness, some of the Shi’ite members…

LATEST report from the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) has shown that Nigeria moved to 8th position, moving down two steps from its place in 2022, an indication that the nation’s ranking has improved. The report which is published annually by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), provides a comprehensive summary of the key global trends and patterns in terrorism since 2000, and attempts to systematically rank countries according to terrorist activities. According to the index for 2023, a continuous decline in the number of deaths from terrorism has seen Nigeria move down the ladder of nations most impacted by…

THE Lagos High Court sitting in Yaba has awarded the sum of N400m jointly and severally against the Inspector General of Police, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos and two others over the extrajudicial killing of four Ladipo Market traders in July 2001. The others are a former Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Marvelous Akpoyibo (retd) formerly of the Area C command, Surulere and the Divisional Police Officer, Aguda Station, Surulere. The money is to be paid as compensation to the families of the four traders. Justice Olufunke Sule-Amzat who delivered…

BARELY three months to the expiration of the June deadline to commence discontinuation of petrol subsidy, the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba has stated that the committees are still working to harmonize discussions on palliative measures. Addressing State House Correspondents on Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council meeting, chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari, the minister reminded that a committee led by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo as well as the National economic council by Governors has been working on resolving the issue for over a year now. Over the intervening period, Agba stated that…