Eyewitness account online

By Our Correspondent    Labour Party has reacted to the calls for the Judiciary not to swear in the President elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu on May 29, saying that the agitation may derail democratic process. The Party in a press conference addressed by the spokesperson of the Party, Comrade Abayomi Arabambi said those fanning the unpopular demand may be rooting for the illegal derailment in the democratic process calling on the law enforcement agencies to beam their searchlights on the proponents. Read the full statement below: Following series of agitations and call for the restraining the President elect from been sworn in on May 29, 2023, Labour Party hereby allayed the fears of Nigerians that the swearing in of the President Elect may not have any impact on the ongoing legal tussle on the Presidential Election involving our party , APC and INEC You will all recalled the television interview by a legal luminary Femi Falana, SAN, who explicitly posited the position of the law on ...

By Our Correspondent  President Buhari has sent a letter to the Senate seeking approval to take a loan of $800 million from the World Bank to cushion the effects of subsidy removal. Recall that in April, the Federal Government announced that as part of its subsidy palliative measures, it has received an $800 million World Bank grant targeting 50 million vulnerable Nigerians or 10 million households. The Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, who disclosed this, said the disbursement of the grant is in light of the planned subsidy removal in June 2023. Ahmed added that engagements are ongoing with the newly established Presidential Transition Council (PTC) and the incoming administration, to drive the palliative program, which includes the need for buses among various considerations.

By Our Correspondent  The All Progressives Congress (APC) Benue chapter has suspended Senator Barnabas Gemade and Prof. Terhemba Shija for alleged anti-party activities. The suspended party members contested in the governorship primary but were defeated by Fr. Hyacinth Alia, who later won the general elections. They dragged Fr. Alia up to the Supreme Court but lost. Announcing their suspension, Benue APC chairman Comrade Austin Agada accused them of working with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue to ensure APC did not have a candidate after their defeat at the primaries. The party also suspended other five ward executives in Konshisha and Obi for alleged anti-party activities and referred same to the facts finding of the disciplinary committee.

By Our Correspondent Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin and her husband, Markus Räikkönen, are to divorce after 19 years together, Marin announced on Instagram on Wednesday, May 10. Marin and Räikkönen, a businessman and former professional footballer, were married in 2020, according to Finland’s public broadcaster, YLE. The announcement comes after Marin lost Finland’s parliamentary election in April, with opposition right-wing National Coalition Party (NCP) claiming victory in a tightly fought contest. She is currently serving as caretaker prime minister until a new coalition government can be formed. “We have filed for divorce together. We are grateful for 19 years together and our beloved daughter,” Marin wrote in an Instagram story. “We are still best friends, cool to each other and loving parents. We will continue to spend time together as a family and with each other,” she added. Her announcement also comes months after she was criticized for partying with friends leading her to...

By Our Correspondent  Former minister of power, Sale Mamman has been arrested and detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged N22bn fraud. Sources told said that Mamman who served as power minister under the Buhari-led administration from 2019 to 2021, was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday, May 10, and is being detained at the headquarters of the anti-graft agency in Abuja. It is alleged that he conspired with staff of the ministry in charge of the accounts of the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects to divert N22 billion and share among themselves. Investigations uncovered properties in Nigeria and overseas allegedly linked to the suspects, while millions of naira and dollars have reportedly been recovered.

By Our Correspondent  The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo has said that “those calling for quick determination of election petitions are plainly ignorant or crassly mischievous”. Keyamo said it would be impossible to amend laws and rules of court to accommodate such an idea. He made the assertion on Sunday in a post via his verified Twitter handle. The statement followed calls by some Nigerians, asking the court to ensure speedy determination of election petitions before it, especially the presidential election. Some had also argued that May 29 swearing-in should be stopped pending the determination of presidential election petitions. But Keyamo said “Those who think by such a call they are doing the Petitioners any good, do not realise that they are, in fact doing a great harm to the cases of the Petitioners.” He wrote, “THOSE CALLING FOR A QUICK DETERMINATION OF ELECTION PETITIONS BEFORE MAY 29TH UNDER OUR PRESENT LAWS ACTUALLY WANT TO DESTROY THE CASES...

By Our Correspondent  The leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, on Sunday, declared that only God can stop the inauguration ceremony of the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on May 29. Primate Ayodele said nobody would be able to stop the inauguration even though the Muslim-Muslim combination doesn’t correlate with God’s plan for Nigeria, and will lead to hard times for the country. In a statement by his Media Aide, Oluwatosin Osho, the clergyman said the Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi should restrain from going to court because he won’t win. Primate Ayodele revealed that he warned Obi before the election and told him some things he needed to do if he wanted to win the presidential election, but he didn’t do any, which was responsible for his loss at the polls. He said, “Nobody can stop Tinubu from being inaugurated as the President of Nigeria on May 29, only God can stop him. I am not in support of the Muslim-Muslim ticket, God...

... Warns against undemocratic utterrances  By Our Correspondent Labour Party has condenmed the call by some individuals and groups agitating for the distortion in the on going transition programme of the present administration saying that the call may affect the democratic gains that Nigeria have achieved years back. The National Publicity of the Party, Dr Abayomi Arabambi who was reacting to the recent statement credited to the spokesperson for the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Yunusa Tanko while appearing on Channels Television programme recently. Dr Arabambi said the forceful takeover of government as being agitated for after the duration of President Muhammad Buhari administration in May 29, is a serious threat to democratic norms which must be condenmed by well meaning lovers of democracy. It could be recalled that Dr Yunusa Tanko while reacting to the recent Presidential Election said the President Elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu should not be sworn  rather the s...