Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Saturday 28th May 2022
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 28/05/22
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E2%80%93-peter-obi I Left PDP Party Also In 2002; My Presidential Ambition Not Do-Or-Die – Peter Obi
Peter Obi
Former Anambra State Governor and presidential aspirant, Peter Obi, on Friday tackled the governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, and others questioning why he left the Peoples Democratic Party, saying he would not want to win an election using the wrong means.
Obi stated that he had also in 2002 left the PDP when the party’s stance was against his ideals, adding that his presidential ambition was not a do-or-die affair but to see to the betterment of the country, especially the youths.
Peter Obi
The former governor stated these in an interview on Channels TV on Friday.
Obi said, “I came into a system and i was part of that system, I stayed there; throughout the years I was in PDP, nobody can question my loyalty to the party; I participated in everything and when I was going out, I didn’t go out in a cross situation, I did it so decently because I have the right to do so.
“Nobody has ever seen me in my political life sharing money anywhere. I have left, I have moved on to where I think the process might allow me; I keep saying it’s not about winning or losing, I will rather lose doing the right thing, than win doing the wrong thing.
“My politics has been consistent in character and integrity throughout the time I started, you can go and check; this is not the first time I left PDP, in 2002 when I started politics I was a member of PDP, I went to a meeting and I wanted to contribute and someone said No, you can’t contribute, I quietly left and went to APGA, because I was in a system where there’s no freedom of contribution, I went to APGA, campaigned and won the election.
“I’m not desperate to be president, neither am I desperate to be anything, I’m desperate to see Nigeria work especially for the youths of this country.”
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E2%80%98unity-list%E2%80%99-delegates-ahead-apc Kogi Governor, Yahaya Bello Under Fire For Allegedly Forcing ‘Unity List’ On Delegates Ahead Of APC Party’s Primaries
Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
A concerned group of the All Progressives Congress (APC) also known as Integrity Forum has accused Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State of using underhand tactics to jeopardise the party’s primaries of the House of Representatives in the state.
The group revealed that the same tactic was used during the last cycle of elections three years ago, when the delegates had their right to choose a candidate but they were stampeded.
Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
The House of Representatives primaries are expected to hold in some federal constituencies in the state tomorrow, Saturday.
Governor Bello had on Wednesday hosted a stakeholders’ meeting at the Ladi Kwali Hall of Sheraton Hotel in Abuja where he allegedly presented a unity list of the supposed candidates of the party.
He had said he was going to send the State Chairman, Hon. Abdullahi Bello, to all aspirants on the final decision taken by the party leadership.
The governor was quoted as telling the stakeholders that the APC could not afford to go into primary elections for the Senate, House of Representatives and House of Assembly without consideration for consensus.
The Integrity Forum in a statement by its spokesperson, Daniel Oche, alerted the national chairman and the leadership of the APC led by Senator Adamu Abdullahi to take note of the antics of Bello through the state chairman of the party.
The group urged Adamu to call the governor to order immediately.
It also urged security agencies to intervene, especially the Nigerian police, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the military, stressing that the lives and safety of all other aspirants, their supporters, party faithful, and delegates must be guaranteed and protected.
“It is important to note that actions that undermine the judicious process of elections is against the tenets of democracy as the delegates should be allowed to elect a candidate (s) of their choice so as to have worthy and generally acceptable candidates to fly the flag of the party at the state and national level,” the statement read.
“The State Chairman, Abdullahi Bello, all the political appointees as well as Executive Chairmen of the Local Governments who were to lead the delegates to the venues of the primaries should be cautioned to allow the delegates to vote for the aspirants of their choice.
“Kogi State should lead by example because the Executive Governor of the state, Alhaji Yahya Bello who is also aspiring to be a president of the nation and has insisted on party primaries either by direct or indirect. He should caution the State Chairman to do the right thing in strict compliance with the tenets of democracy where justice, equity and fairness is allowed to reign.”
Speaking exclusively to SaharaReporters, one of the aspirants said the governor should allow the delegates to take their destiny in their hands.
He urged the APC National Chairman to call Bello to order in order not to cause disharmony in the state and disrupt the peaceful atmosphere the party had been enjoying.
“Our chairman should call Governor Bello, a presidential aspirant for that matter to order over his act of impunity and gross abuse of power, and direct him to withdraw his unity list which is capable of causing serious disaffection within the party.”
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BREAKING: Ruling APC Postpones Presidential Primaries To June 6 And 7
The ruling All Progressives Congress has again fixed new dates for its presidential primary election
According to a source, the exercise will now hold on June 6 and 7, 2022.
The APC had earlier scheduled Sunday, 29th – Monday, 30th of May, 2022 for the primary.
However, less than 48 hours before the date earlier fixed, the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee (NWC) is yet to constitute convention planning committees nor organise screening for all the presidential aspirants who purchased and returned their expression of interest and nomination forms.
The latest development comes a few hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) bowed to pressure from political parties by extending the deadline for the conduct of primary elections by six days.
INEC National Electoral Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Mr Festus Okoye had said the commission took the decision after a meeting with the 18 registered political parties under the aegis of the Inter-Party Advisory Council IPAC, on Friday in Abuja.
IPAC had earlier sought a two-month extension from the June 3 deadline, a demand which was rejected by the commission.
Okoye said the extension gives parties time to compile the list and personal particulars of their nominated candidates before uploading the same to the INEC portal.
Saharareporters on Thursday reported that the APC presidential primary may not hold after President Muhammadu Buhari departed the country to participate in the African Union Extra-ordinary Session of Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
“Aspirants are saying Buhari’s departure which had been planned will cause more dysfunctionality considering that till now, no known screening is going on.
“They are confused, they don’t even know when they will be screened nor the mode of primary, the National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, held a meeting with President Buhari yesterday but we don’t know the outcome yet. We aren’t even sure maybe the primary will hold as scheduled, no screening three days to the exercise,” a source had said.
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E2%80%99 Three Feared Killed, Many Delegates Injured In Lagos As Violence Mars APC House Of Representatives’ Primary
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Three persons were feared dead on Friday after suspected thugs disrupted the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary in the Alimosho Federal Constituency of Lagos State.
The individuals who are yet to be identified were reportedly killed when the hoodlums invaded the venue of the exercise around Ikotun area of the state.
File Photo
Thugs loyal to different aspirants were said to have used dangerous weapons including guns, cutlasses, knives and bottles, to fight and chase people away.
Many delegates were also beaten with some sustaining injuries.
The thugs also took to the major road firing gunshots, while disrupting vehicular and pedestrian movements.
The party’s primary election for the House of Assembly at Alimosho constituency 1 was also disrupted on Thursday.
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BREAKING: 2023 Elections: Electoral Body, INEC Extends Deadline For Party Primaries By Six Days
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has shifted the deadline for political parties to conduct their primaries for the 2023 general elections by six days.
This was announced by INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, on Friday in Abuja few hours after stakeholders from various political parties met with the leadership of the electoral umpire led by the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, at the commission’s headquarters in the nation’s capital.
The politicians through the platform of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) had again appealed to INEC to adjust the timetable for the forthcoming polls.
The Chairman of IPAC, Sani Yabagi of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), explained that adjusting the timetable of the election became necessary because of the current timetable which he said was too tight for the political parties.
In response to the appeal, INEC explained that the demand for a 37 – 60 days extension of the timeline for primaries and the nomination of candidates could not be granted because it would affect other scheduled activities on the timetable.
The statement reads in part, “The commission has decided to allow the request of the political parties since the six-day period does not conflict with the next scheduled activity which is the submission of the list of nominated candidates or any of the subsequent timelines which remain sacrosanct.
“However, this request is granted in respect of outstanding primaries only without prejudice to those already concluded by political parties. The commission will not monitor already concluded primaries.”
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E2%80%99s-family-writes-simon-ekpa-warns-finland-based-disciple-desist-using-ipob Nnamdi Kanu’s Family Writes Simon Ekpa, Warns Finland-based Disciple To Desist From Using IPOB Leader’s Name For Material Gains, Broadcasts
The family of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has formally written Simon Ekpa, a self-proclaimed disciple, to stop using the name of the agitator for material gains.
In a letter addressed to Ekpa by Magnus Jonsson, the family said the Finland-based Nigerian should not mention Kanu’s name nor use the agitator’s image in any of his broadcasts.
The letter dated May 17 warned Ekpa to stop describing himself as a disciple of Kanu, and should stop disguising as a member of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
It also warned Ekpa to stop defamatory publications against members of the Kanu family, and ensure such does not occur in any of his broadcasts.
The Kanu family warned that Ekpa’s failure to comply with the demands will attract costly legal actions including petitions and criminal complaints against him to the Finnish authorities. The family also threatened to institute injunctive claims against Ekpa for civil injuries.
The letter reads, “The Kanu family, both in Nigeria and in the diaspora, has retained undersigned to formally demand from you as follows: that you should forthwith cease and desist from using the name and image of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, either in your broadcasts or otherwise, for any material gain whatsoever including any fundraising.
“That you should forthwith cease and desist from addressing yourself as a Disciple of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, either in the guise of you being a member of IPOB (which we are informed you are not) or in any other manner relating to the Biafran agitation.
“That you should forthwith cease and desist from any further defamatory publications against any member of the Kanu family, whether such publications are personally uttered by you or by others that you invite to your social media networks.
“That you are hereby given Fourteen (14) days from the confirmed receipt of this Legal Mail within which to comply with the demands in this letter.
“That your failure or refusal to comply with the demands herein will result in costly legal actions against you, including but not limited to the following:
(a) Direct criminal complaint against you to Finnish authorities and/or to any European country in which you are encountered.
“(b) Tortuous and injunctive claims against you for the civil injuries enumerated above.
“(c) Petitions against you to the Finnish authorities that regulate legal practice such as you are currently applying in Finland.
“Finally, you are hereby warned that this Legal Mail constitutes a pre-action Notice that no further formal warnings will be forthcoming to you before our commencement of the forgoing legal actions against you.
“Thank you for your anticipated cooperation in the regards of the contents of this Legal Mail.”
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US Seizes $3million Mansion Belonging To Ex-Gambian Dictator, Yahya Jammeh, To Share Proceeds To Victims Of Dictatorial Rule
Infamous former President of The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, has been uncovered to have laundered money from the West African country by buying a luxurious property in the United States.
A US Court has meanwhile ruled that the $3million (£2.4million) mansion in the state of Maryland, near Washington DC, should be seized from Jammeh.
According to the BBC, funds raised by the sale of the house should benefit those who were harmed by the former president’s “acts of corruption and abuse of office,” the US authorities say.
An investigation by the department of justice (DOJ) found that the money used to buy the six-bedroom house was raised through corruption.
“Maryland real estate is not a shelter for funds for corrupt rulers who have stolen from their countrymen,” said Selwyn Smith, one of the agents overseeing the case.
But it was investigations by campaigners a decade ago that first highlighted the issue.
Jammeh’s 22-year presidency, which ended in 2017, was notorious for corruption and he also faced allegations of extensive human rights abuses including killing and jailing his critics.
More details have since emerged at Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission, which this week recommended that he be prosecuted for “myriad crimes”. He has previously denied allegations of wrongdoing.
During his presidency, Gambian activists outside the country felt they had a responsibility to be the voice of the voiceless.
In 2010, a US-based Gambian newspaper reported that Mr Jammeh’s wife, Zineb, had bought a house in the upmarket Potomac neighbourhood, Ms Sallah told the BBC.
But its exact location was unknown.
We scoured the archives of house sales in the area and it stuck out to us,” the 49-year-old said, referring to members of the Democratic Union of Gambian Activists (Duga).
The name of one buyer – the MYJ Family Trust – seemed odd. “We thought: ‘Somebody’s trying to hide that they purchased this house.'”
Also, Y and J happened to be the president’s initials.
Not living far away, Ms Sallah started taking trips down the winding Bentcross Drive to see if she could spot anyone.
“We used to drive around and one time the wife was actually pulling in and we’re like: ‘Yep, this is the house,'” she said with a chuckle speaking from her home in nearby Bethesda.
After that Duga members, who suspected that the money to buy it was acquired illegally, started holding regular protests outside the property.
They hung a Gambian flag on the gates and mocked up a sign saying: “For sale, by Gambians.”
They leafleted the neighbours trying to make them aware of what Mr Jammeh was accused of doing back home.
Ironically, one of the neighbouring homes was owned by Equatorial Guinea’s decades-long leader Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the Washington Post reported in 2017. He is also accused of corruption and human rights abuses, which he denies.
It is not clear if anyone in this exclusive area, where people value privacy and security, was that bothered.
Those inside the Jammeh house were irritated and sometimes called the police, according to Ms Sallah.
But the case for seizing the house only really took off once Mr Jammeh was forced to step down and go into exile in Equatorial Guinea after losing the December 2016 presidential election.
The new administration in The Gambia set up a commission to find out about the extent of corruption.
Reporting in 2019, it revealed looting on a colossal scale.
Curiosities, such as gold-plated pistols, were found among items recovered from one of Mr Jammeh’s homes in The Gambia, but it was his property portfolio that caught the attention.
The commission discovered that the former president had 281 properties in the country, as well as the one in the US and one in Morocco, and controlled more than 100 bank accounts.
There was no way that he could have afforded this on his salary and it concluded that he had misappropriated more than $300m.
The commission also uncovered that more than $1m had been diverted to Zineb Jammeh. Much of that money had been intended for charities, including Operation Save the Children Foundation.
“Nearly all the funds of the Foundation were wasted on events which from appearance were intended to boost the profile of Zineb Jammeh rather than help Gambian children,” said a government White Paper summing up the commission’s findings.
Mr Jammeh was also found to have extorted money in the form of bribes to grant monopoly licenses for the import of certain items, such as petrol. In addition, he used the threat of withdrawing those licenses to get more money.
And this was where the funds raised to buy the Potomac mansion allegedly came from.
Building on the work of the Gambian commission, the US DOJ detailed how the scheme worked.
In July 2010, the Petroleum Company was told that its monopoly import rights would cease at the end of the year.
The owner of the company then approached Mr Jammeh to guarantee those rights until 2014.
Eleven days later, $1m left the Petroleum Company’s account with the Gambian bank Trust Bank Ltd and on the same day the president renewed the monopoly license, the DOJ’s court submission says.
The following day an account was opened at that bank under the name MYJ Family Trust. Then a total of $1m was transferred into that account in three transactions by an employee of the Petroleum Company.
Finally, the money was wired to a real estate agent’s account in the US.
Over the following days, another $2.5m was transferred to the US and on 20 September the house in Potomac was bought for $3.5m.
It had all the trappings of a grand home in an area described by the Washington Post as one of the nation’s richest little towns. As well as the six bedrooms, it included an open foyer entrance, a movie screening room, a pool, a gym, a guest house and seven bathrooms.
It is not clear how often Mr Jammeh stayed there, but his wife was a regular visitor, according to Ms Sallah.
She would sometimes see her in the district’s shopping area. But those trips are no more.
And now with the stroke of a US judge’s pen, the house is no longer hers.
“Ex-Gambian President Yahya Jammeh and his wife thought that they could hide funds stolen from the Gambian people by buying a mansion in Potomac,” US Attorney Robert K Hur said when the civil action to seize the property began in 2020.
Responding to the decision to seize the property, Ms Sallah, who first raised the issue more than a decade ago, said she was “very pleased”.
“I’m happy that some semblance of justice has been done.”
Looking to the future “it would be nice ultimately if the money is returned to the custody of The Gambia so that the proceeds of the sale can go towards the victims of Mr Jammeh’s crimes”.
The DOJ has said that the property will be sold and has recommended that the money be used for compensation.
For the time being though activists living outside The Gambia can reflect that their efforts did not go to waste.
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Electoral Body, INEC Refuses To Adjust Timetable For 2023 General Elections
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday refused several pleas from political parties to adjust the timetable for the 2023 general elections.
The INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, stated this during a meeting between the Commission and leaders of political parties under the auspices of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
The Commission argued that such requests would not be allowed considering the lineup of activities already released and published for the 2023 polls.
Recall that the electoral body had already fixed Presidential and National Assembly elections for February 25, 2023 while governorship and state assembly elections would be held on March 11, 2023.
The IPAC Chairman, Yabagi Sani, who made the request on behalf of the political parties on Friday, asked the commission to extend the June 3 deadline for primaries to any date on or before June 10.
IPAC had earlier asked INEC to extend the deadline for primaries to August 4, but the commission had rejected the request.
But on Friday, the IPAC chairman who is also the National Chairman of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) noted that extending the deadline to June 10 would give parties time to be better organised without affecting INEC’s timetable.
“We feel that if we’re given more time, we’ll be able to deliver on the promise of having a free and fair election,” he said.
In his response, the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, said the commission would review the political parties’ request.
Yakubu however noted that the commission fixed the deadline considering the forthcoming governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, insisting that all the political parties should comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act.
Represented at the Friday meeting include the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), among others.
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Family Announces Burial Rites For Sound Engineer Killed In Lagos
The family of David Imoh, a sound engineer who was killed by a mob in Lagos State, has announced the funeral arrangements.
David was lynched and burnt, allegedly by some people due to a misunderstanding with a commercial motorcyclist, popularly called Okada rider, over N100.
His death had sparked outrage in the state and across the country as Nigerians called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of his killers.
On Friday, Imoh’s family announced the burial rites of the young man.
According to the poster obtained by SaharaReporters, Imoh will be laid to rest on Friday, June 3.
Prior to that time, the ceremony of songs will be held on Thursday, June 2 at the Church of God Mission Intl, Victoria Island Zonal Headquarters, Garden City of God, T. F. Kuboye Street, Oniru, Lagos.
The obituary reads, “The family of late Reverend Abraham Sunday hereby formally announces the death of their beloved son, brother and husband, David Imoh Sunday, which painful event took place on Thursday, 12th May 2022 at Lekki, Lagos.
“He is survived by his wife, children, mother, brothers, sisters and in-laws. The funeral activities are stated below; Service of Songs/Celebration of Life Thursday, 2nd June, 2022, at 5pm at the Church of God Mission Intl, Victoria Island Zonal Headquarters, Garden City of God, T. F. Kuboye Street, Oniru, Lagos.
“Interment (strictly by invitation) Friday, 3rd June 2022 at 10am; Thanksgiving Service Sunday, 5th June 2022 at 8am at the Church of God Mission Intl, Church4Real, 3 Afisman Drive. Off Akinremi Street, Anifowoshe by Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos.”
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E2%80%99s-certificates-suit-over-alleged-pressure-state-government Judge Withdraws From Delta Speaker’s Certificates Suit Over Alleged Pressure From State Government
The presiding judge of the Federal High Court, Justice F.A. Olubanjo, sitting in Asaba, the state capital, has recused herself from a case involving the Delta State House of Assembly speaker and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Sheriff Oborevwori in the forthcoming 2023 general elections over discrepancies in his academic credentials.
The suit which is marked FHC/ASB/CS/79/2022 is between Kanaba Ovie Duke, Osigidi Amos and Oborevwori Sheriff Francis Orohwrdor with the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) challenging the authentication of the speaker’s academic certificates presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) for the 2023 general elections.
The matter which was billed for Friday, for ruling, was referred back to the Chief Judge of Federal High Court, by the presiding judge, Justice F.A. Olubanjo, saying, she had recused herself from the case over personal reasons which she did not mention.
The presiding judge, Justice F.A. Olubanjo, also on Friday, recused herself from another separate case over some discrepancies in Sheriff Oborevwori’s academic credentials submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) for the 2023 general elections.
The case which was marked FHC/ASB/CS/78/2022 between Ojei Victor Obianuju, Maize and Associates Farmers (Plaintiffs and Sheriff Oborevwori Francis, Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) and the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) (Defendants), was also referred back to the Chief Judge of Federal High Court by the presiding federal high court judge, Justice F.A. Olubanjo.
She again gave excuses of personal reasons as behind her action which she did not mention.
Speaking shortly after the case, the two counsels to plaintiffs in the separate cases, Harry Ochei and K.C Chibo, expressed their readiness to wait for the two cases to be reassigned, saying the presiding judge said she would transfer the cases back to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court for re-assignment.
Meanwhile, court officials who pleaded for anonymity confided in SaharaReporters that the Delta State Government has allegedly continued to mount series of pressure on the presiding Federal High Court, Justice F.A. Olubanjo to do their bidding and following the pressure on her, she decided to recuse herself from the case.
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