The governor of Imo state, Hope Uzodinma, former ministers, A.B.C Nwosu, Kema Chikwe, former military governor of the State, General Ike Nwachukwu (rtrd), Paschal Dozie, and ABC Orjiakor, Chairman Seplat oil and others on Friday converged on Owerri, the state capital to mourn late presidential general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide, Prof George Obiozor. Obiozor’s body arrived Assumpta the arch cathedral in Owerri, where a church service was conducted by the auxiliary bishop of the Owerri catholic archdiocese, Moses Chikwe before he was buried at his country home at Awo Omamma in the Oru East Local Government Area of the state. The prelate in his sermon urged the living to live uprightly bearing in that every living must die. In his speech, Uzodinma, mourned that Ndi Igbo and Nigerians had lost one of its patriotic citizens. The governor said “we should bury our hatchets to give our foremost Igbo leader a befitting burial..I acknowledged the support of the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and others who stood by him. He would always be remembered as a great diplomat.”

  The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has wielded the big stick and expelled former governor of Enugu State, Chimaroke Nnamani. Nnamani who’s also the candidate of the PDP for Enugu East Senatorial Zone in the 2023 election, was expelled for anti-party activities. This was conveyed in a statement by the party’s national publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba The statement reads: The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at its 566th meeting today, Friday, February 10, 2023, approved the expulsion of the following individuals from the Party for anti-Party activities and other grave offences in violation of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017) Those expelled from the Party are: 1. Senator Chimaroke Nnamani – (Enugu State) 2. Hon. Chris Ogbu – (Imo State) Others are: 1. Ajijola Lateef Oladimeji -(Ekiti Central) 2. Olayinka James Olalere -(Ekiti Central II) 3. Fayose Oluwajomiloju John -(Ekiti Central I) 4. Akerele Oluyinka -(Ekiti North I) 5. Emiola Adenike Jennifer -(Ekiti South II) The expulsion takes effect from today, Friday, February 10, 2023. The decision of the NWC is sequel to the recommendation of the National Disciplinary Committee and pursuant to Sections 58 and 59 (1)(g) of the PDP Constitution (as amended in 2017). The PDP charges all members of our Party across the country to remain united and focused on the mission of our Party to Rescue, Rebuild and Redirect our nation from misrule.

  Members of the council of state have expressed support for the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The council however asked Godwin Emefiele, the CBN governor, to make new naira notes available or recirculate old naira notes to ease the suffering of Nigerians. The meeting, held on Friday at the presidential villa, was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari. More to follow…

  A pre-presidential election opinion poll has projected Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) as the leading candidate ahead of the February 25 elections. In the poll conducted by Premise Data Corp for Bloomberg News, Obi was the preferred choice of the respondents ahead of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The poll result released on Friday showed that the LP candidate garnered 66 percent of the 93 percent of respondents votes. Tinubu and Abubakar got 18 and 10 percent respectively. The poll was conducted between January 26 and February 4.   “San Francisco-based Premise polled 2,384 Nigerians from Jan. 26 to Feb. 4 via a smartphone app. Submissions were selected from quotas developed by age, gender, and location across the country’s six geopolitical zones, the company said. Results were then weighted against the original quotas to ensure national representation,” Bloomberg News said. There have been a number of polls conducted for the leading presidential candidates. The LP candidate has won the majority of the polls but the opposition parties are quick to dismiss their outcome.   In September 2022, an NOI poll placed Obi as the leading candidate with 21 percent of the votes. Tinubu and Atiku tied in second place with 13 percent of votes each, while Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) came fourth with three percent. The result of the poll was dismissed by APC, NNPP, and PDP.

  The Edo State Government has distanced itself from the comments and moves by the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, and some other governors against the currency swap policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). In a statement by Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie, the state government said the Kaduna State Governor does not speak for Edo State and urged for “guided utterances and inferences in such critical matters, especially in the heat of the political season”. “The Edo State Government distances itself from the comments and moves by the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and some other governors against the currency swap policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),” he said. “We are not a party to the suit instituted by the Governments of Kaduna, Kogi, and Zamfara States against the CBN’s policy and take exemption to the claim by the Kaduna State Governor that the move by the three governments is backed by Nigeria’s 36 State Governments. “The currency swap policy, which is intricately linked to the cashless policy of the CBN, is aimed at promoting financial inclusion; preventing inducement of voters in elections; tackling corruption and money-laundering and checking ransom payments among other cash-based financial infractions.” He noted that the state government acknowledges the difficulties that have arisen from the cash swap policy and empathises with all Nigerians over the challenges faced with accessing the new notes. “While this situation is being managed by the concerned authorities and relief being sought by the authorised agencies, it is disingenuous for a suit to be filed by three governments and then inferences are made to the effect that it is the entire state governments in Nigeria that sued the Federal Government and that they all stand against the CBN’s policy,” the statement added. “The Kaduna State Governor does not speak for us in Edo State and we urge for guided utterances and inferences in such critical matters, especially in the heat of the political season. “The Edo State Government reiterates its commitment to the good people of the State and assures that it will continue to work assiduously to protect lives and properties and provide the conducive environment for all to thrive and live life to its fullness.”

  The Independent Petroleum Marketers at the tank farm in the Ijegun Egba Satelite area of Lagos have started selling petrol at N172 per litre. This was part Federal Government’s directive at tackling the nation’s petrol shortage with independent marketers now expected to deliver the product at the government-regulated price to motorists and other users. The Ijegun Egba tank farm directly contributes to 33 to 35% of the national consumption volume making it critical to the distribution channel of petrol. Speaking to the press in Lagos on Thursday, the Chairman, Ijegun Egba Tank Farm Operators, Debo Olujimi, said they have now been supplied petrol which will be sold at the government’s regulated price. “As of date, NNPC for the month of February has given Ijegun over 150 million litres. So you can see the vessels are discharging at the jetty and we are telling Nigerians and we are confirming it to everybody that this product is coming out from there and at the government-regulated price,” Olujimi said. On those who refuse to sell at the government-regulated price going forward, IPMAN’s National Operations Controller, Mike Osatuyi, said, “Right now we have seen the light at the end of the tunnel that things are getting better now; we have sufficient fuel in the system. We go out, we monitor and when we find out that either you are under dispensing or selling out of range we shut you down.” The new development is expected to end the beleaguering long queues in filling stations across the country.

  The Kano State Government on Thursday evening filed a suit against the Federal Government at the Supreme Court in respect of the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria. In suit number: SC/CS/200/2023, sighted by The PUNCH, the Kano State Attorney General, through his Counsel, Sunusi Musa, SAN, is asking the apex court to declare that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), cannot unilaterally direct the CBN to recall the now-old N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes without recourse to the Federal Executive Council and National Economic Council, respectively. The Kano government is praying a mandatory order seeking a reversal of the Federal Government policy to recall the N200, N500 and N1,000 notes from circulation due to the policy affecting the economic well-being of over 20 million Kano citizens. The applicant is also seeking for mandatory order, compelling the Federal Government to reverse the naira redesign policy for alleged failure to comply with 1999 Constitution (as amended). The applicant is similarly praying for mandatory seeking the apex court to compel the Federal Government to reverse the cash swap policy for allegedly not complying with the 1999 constitution and other extant legislation. “A Declaration that the combined reading of the provisions of the section 148(2) of 1999 constitution and Part 1, and Paragraph 19 of the Third Schedule thereof, the President cannot unilaterally without recourse to the Federal Executive Council and National Economic Council respectively give approval to the Central Bank of Nigeria for the implementation of cash withdrawal limit pursuant to the demonetization economic policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria,” the suit read. In the originating summon, the Kano State Government, further prayed for a declaration, that the president’s directive to the CBN for the implementation of cash withdrawal limits policy pursuant to the demonetisation of Federal Republic of Nigeria without recourse to FEC and NEC respectively is unconstitutional, illegal null and void. The applicant is also praying for a mandatory order reversing the policy of the Federal Government on the recall of the old currency notes for allegedly failure to comply with the provisions of Constituiton and other extant legislation. Recall that on Wednesday, the Supreme Court gave an interim order to the CBN not to end the use of old naira notes on February 10, 2023 in an ex-parte application by the three applicant states including Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara.