The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State and the State House of Assembly differed sharply on the call for the impeachment of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for allegedly violating Section 193(2) of the 1999 constitution. While the PDP through its Publicity Secretary, Mr Kennedy Peretei said it was time to impeach the governor, the Majority Leader of the Assembly, Hon. Oluwole Ogunmolasuyi slammed the opposition for displaying a lack of knowledge of governance. Peretei in a statement titled “It Is Time To Impeach Rotimi Akeredolu” said the time has come for the State House of Assembly to immediately begin the impeachment process of Akeredolu for violation of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended. His words “It is no longer news that Ondo State has been on auto-pilot for nearly six months, grounding all activities of the government due to the ill health of the Governor. “Unfortunately, rather than tell the citizens the truth, most of Akeredolu’s handlers have resorted to insulting the sensibilities of the people by making a public show of their ignorance. The handling of Akeredolu’s condition by his aides has robbed the Governor of public sympathy. “The Constitution envisaged that a State Governor can be ill or incapacitated as is the case with Akeredolu now and therefore made safeguards. Section 193(2) states expressly that “the Governor of a state shall hold regular meetings with the Deputy Governor and all Commissioners of the Government of the State, determine the general direction of policies of the state amongst other provisions. “When was the last time Akeredolu held a State Executive Council meeting? It is not a crime to be ill, but that will not be the reason an entire state must be brought to its knees. “Peoples Democratic Party calls on the State Assembly to invoke sections 189(1) to cause a Medical Panel to be instituted to ascertain Akeredolu’s medical status and do the needful in the interest of the people of the state. “Our party wishes to urge the Governor’s aides to stop ridiculing themselves by defending the indefensible and standing logic on its head.” However, the Assembly urged the people to ignore the PDP because it lacked knowledge of the duties of a Governor Ogunmolasuyi said the Governor has been performing his constitutional duties and has not breached any aspect of the Constitution. He said the Assembly has noted ongoing developmental projects across the state including prompt payment of salaries and clearing of backlog of salary arrears. He said the PDP was not in the know whether the State Executive Council meeting was held or not. His words “The Governor is doing his duties. Everything is going on well in the state. We have met with the Governor and all those that want to meet with him. If the Governor is not doing what he is supposed to do, we will question him. He has signed all bills brought before him. What we know is that the PDP is a dead party. They cannot stipulate the duties of a Governor.”

  The Organized Labour in Ebonyi state has petitioned Governor Francis Nwifuru over the gruesome murder of a principal and a teacher at Nkaleke, Ebonyi LGA by some hoodlums. The groups urged the governor to direct security agencies in the state to fish out the perpetrators. They made this known during a courtesy call on the governor by the state chapters of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC). The NLC chairman, Ogugua Egwu, while lamenting the killings called for arrests and prosecution of the killers by security agencies. He said: “The quality of life of teachers is poor, their work environments are being threatened by the flamboyance of our nationality, and communities no longer support the safety of teachers. “On Friday, 13th October, 2023, we lost two teachers, including a principal. They were gruesomely murdered in the line of duty at Nkaleke, Ebonyi L.G.A. “We use this medium to ask you, Sir, to ensure that the security agencies bring the perpetrators to book to serve as a deterrent to other haters of teachers.” It was gathered that the killers suspected to be assassins invaded Nkaleke Achara Community Secondary School in the Ebonyi Local government area of Ebonyi State, and shot dead the principal, Simon Ominyi, popularly known as “Osmosis.” The assailants after pumping bullets into the about 50-year-old principal also murdered a yet-to-be-named teacher in the school. The incident caused tension in the area, raising concerns about whether students and teachers would still return to the school. The community has been completely deserted as its leaders and stakeholders fled perhaps for fear of further attack or arrest by security agencies. Sources in the area said there was no trouble in the community before the gunmen stormed the school in a tricycle and murdered the duo. The source disclosed that the miscreants arrived at the school premises as if they were on a genuine mission, and inquired about the principal’s office from someone who led them to a distance before pointing at the office. But shortly after, they began to shoot sporadically. He said: “Immediately the assassins found their way into the principal’s office, they commanded the man and his guests from the WAEC office to lie down and Mr Ominyi having sensed the danger, complied without hesitation. “But surprisingly, in spite of the principal’s plea and non-resistance to their order, they still shot him to death on the spot.” It was further learnt that the gunmen shot another person in the leg and before making away with his motorcycle. Police spokesperson in Ebonyi state, Onome Onovwakpoyeya, confirmed the incident. She said police have launched an investigation with a view to arresting the killers.

  The Delta police command has arrested the owner of Great Leaders International School in Agbor-Obi for allegedly raping a 4-year-old girl. An X user simply identified as Rich Aunty Amina brought the allegation to the public on Wednesday. The user alleged that the school owner “used scissors to tear the girl up so he could fit inside her”. Amina claimed, “blood clots were seen coming out from the female pupil’s vagina when she was examined by her mother”. “The owner of Great leaders international school Delta state raped a 4yrs old girl and used scissors to tear her up so he can fit inside her,” she wrote. “She came back from school complaining to her mom that she was feeling pains, the mom checked her and saw blood clots coming from the child’s vagina. “The man’s lawyer is currently telling the mom that they should just settle her and her daughter.” Reacting to the tweet on Thursday, Bright Edafe, the state police command’s spokesperson, had initially said the law enforcement agency was not aware of the incident. “If you expect the police to go to the school and harass anybody, well I am afraid to say it does not work that way,” he said. However, in a follow-up post, the police spokesperson confirmed that the incident happened two weeks ago. Edafe said the suspect has been arrested. The police spokesperson said “justice will prevail” while advising parents of rape victims to “avoid collecting money from suspects”. The Area Commander just called that this incident happened two weeks ago, though the owner of the school denied it,” he wrote. “The Area Commander Agbor and not the Division is currently handling it. I will revert when I get the full update, but what I am assuring us is that justice will prevail. “However, we should avoid settlement because these days parents especially from rural areas go behind the police and collect money from suspects thereby making prosecution very difficult.”

  The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is inappropriate to solely access the credibility of the 2023 general election by the number of petitions filed. In a statement on Thursday signed by Sam Olumekun, national commissioner and chairman, information and voter education committee, INEC said its attention has been drawn to a report titled ‘INEC’s credibility sinks as 94% contested posts awaits tribunal’. The commission said the report suggests that election petitions draw from the action or inaction of INEC. The commission said many litigants in Nigeria unfortunately file election petitions over the most improbable cases, and later withdraw them, or they are dismissed by the tribunals. INEC said of the 1,196 petitions filed, 712 were dismissed and 179 withdrawn. It said this means the tribunals found no merit in 891 (74.4%) petitions and affirmed the result of the elections conducted by INEC. “The said report analysed the total number of petitions as if they were filed against the outcome of the election in 94% of all the elective positions without considering details of the cases,” the statement reads. Multiple petitions were filed by candidates and political parties as petitioners in a single constituency. “Therefore, the number of election petitions filed in respect of all elective offices will certainly outnumber the total number of constituencies/elective offices. “Many of the petitioners did not challenge the conduct of the elections by INEC but the eligibility of candidates or their nomination by political parties. “Under the law, INEC has no power to screen candidates. Similarly, only the courts can disqualify candidates. A comparative analysis would have addressed the deliberate effort in the report to portray the 2023 general election as regressive on account of litigation without empirical evidence. “Over the last three electoral cycles, the number of election petitions may be rising but not the number of upturned elections.” MAJORITY OF PETITIONS WITHDRAWN OR DISMISSED The commission said while the 2023 post-election litigations are ongoing, all five petitions filed in respect of the presidential election were dismissed while three are pending on appeal. “As of Monday 16th October 2023, out of 82 governorship election petitions, 72 (87.8%) were either dismissed or withdrawn by the petitioners,” the statement reads. “For senatorial elections, 146 petitions were filed out of which 100 (68.5%) were dismissed or withdrawn. “For the house of representatives, 413 petitions were filed out of which 309 (74.81%) were dismissed or withdrawn, while for state houses of assembly, 550 petitions were filed out of which 468 (82.4%) were dismissed or withdrawn. “The commission wishes to restate that it is inappropriate to solely assess the credibility of INEC or the conduct of the 2023 general election on the number of petitions filed by litigants who, in any case, have the right to do so under the law.”

  Senate President Godswill Akpabio says he has had his “fair share” of embarrassment from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Akpabio spoke on Wednesday when Ola Olukoyede, chair of the EFCC, appeared before the senate for screening. The senate president said EFCC treats high profile suspects as though they are swooping on Pablo Escobar. Escobar was a notorious drug lord of Colombian heritage, who was killed in the 1990s after a global manhunt spanning several years.   The senate president said in the buildup to the 2023 elections, the anti-graft agency summoned him over a “frivolous” petition. “I think the EFCC has engaged more in sensationalism than on real investigation,” Akpabio said. “For me I have had my own fair share [of embarrassment] where even a letter informing EFCC that I won’t be able to come over a frivolous petition, was released by the office of the chairman of EFCC. “You could see the chairman’s stamp on it. He released the letter just to embarrass me before the 2023 elections but by the glory of God I surmounted it. “I don’t see how the EFCC will arrest a former governor and come through the rooftop as if they are taking Pablo Escobar. It happened to Rochas Okorocha. “They broke through the POP and the whole world watched and for you that is investigation.” He said there is a need for the anti-graft agency to conduct proper investigations before effecting arrests.

  Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has rejected the Nigerian Customs Service’s request for reconsideration of its revoked land by the FCT Administration. The minister had ordered FCTA to revoke unused plots of land, leading to top politicians, organisations and government agencies losing lands. On Wednesday, customs officers led by the Acting Comptroller-General, Adewale Adeniyi, visited Wike to make a case that the affected land be returned. Adeniyi requested land to build primary and secondary schools for the children of the more than 2,000 customs officers residing in the FCT. “I read your letter on the revoked land, very bad; very bad; very bad, but what do I do? When we gave you the land, you refused to use it; FCT will now sell it to you, and when we give you Certificate of Ownership, you pay our ground rent. “I will give you the opportunity to buy the land from FCT and give you the value of the land now,” he said. He said that FCTA would support the service to achieve its aims and objectives, but lamented how government agencies were allocated land in FCT and refused to develop them. On the land for school development, the minister assured the custom boss that it would be considered but on the condition that the agency would pledge to develop the land within a specific period. Failure to comply, the minister said that the land would be revoked. “Schools, very important. It is not only the children of customs officers that will attend the schools. “My policy now is that, before we give land to any agency, it must commit that it will develop the land within a certain number of years and if not developed, the FCT should take back the land. “I will not allocate land that will lay to thy kingdom come. So, you must convince me that you are indeed really serious about building schools for the children of your staff and our children,” he said. Another condition, according to the minister, is for the service to pay ground rent as when due. “Be rest assured that I am going to approve the land for the school. You bring the application; I will sign it and give it to the director of lands to give the land that you can use,” Wike said. Earlier, the custom boss said that the visit was to congratulate Wike on his appointment as the FCT Minister and the outstanding works he has done so far…. He described the custom service as a critical stakeholder in the FCT with more than 2,000 officers residing in the FCT and contributing to the development of the city.

  Kaduna-based Islamic scholar, Ahmad Gumi, has said Christians cannot be trusted with security in the country. The controversial cleric stated this in a video sermon of over 14 minutes posted on his official Facebook page. In the sermon, Gumi said the first coup d’etat in Nigeria was carried out by top Christian army officers. He argued that it is dangerous to entrust Nigeria’s national security to the hands of Christians and Southerners. The cleric said Muslims appointed into top security positions are only figureheads and not in charge of military command and control. The sermon which was delivered in Hausa had the cleric saying, “It is a decoy. Muslims are the heads of the Ministry of Defence, of what significance is it? The real people in charge of Command and Control, those holding the guns and shooting, are we the ones? “We are not the ones; they are playing us. There is an agenda. All means of money and economic power have been hijacked by them, they are planning to deceive us for four years and get eight years. They will not InshaAllah. “I want to tell you, there is no way Northerners doing their legitimate business will get one billion naira. Our rich people cannot get anything except those they trust. They only trust them because they are doing what they want. Anyone whose loyalty they are not sure of, they will crush him in a few months. “They will only come during elections like it is done to spread grains to chickens. If they spread grains to chickens, that’s all. Giving spaghetti to people is the solution, this spaghetti issue is a big deal. We are being cheated in this country and in a real mess. “There’s one Reverend or Bishop during Buhari’s tenure who was saying to me that Muslims have hijacked power. I told him, ‘Yes and I am okay,’ because I knew the Chief of Army Staff would not attempt to attack me. Even if he will not protect me, he will not collaborate with some people to attack me. Our own people either in the military, police or the Department of State Services (DSS) will not be used to harm me, they will also not harm you who is talking as a Christian. “Why am I walking with the police? You didn’t see me with police during Buhari’s government, despite my disagreement with them. It is because of this threat that we applied for police protection and they gave us. Even if the President doesn’t like me, he has to give me police protection or else he will be held responsible for my life. “I am telling you people to be wise and don’t be fools because of God. These our Muslims politicians just want dollars to go on holidays, go for medical treatments and have forgotten the people. “They are targeting us and that was what I was telling that pastor/bishop that if we Muslims are in power with Muslims as heads of security agencies, we will not kill you but if we give you Christians power with your infidels as heads of security agencies, they will plan to kill me and I have examples.”

  A serving youth corps member in Kaduna State has been hacked to death by a group of urban gangs that specialize in phone snatching and other criminal activities. The victim – Chalya Silas who was doing her one-year mandatory National Youth Service – in the state was killed by the criminals at the Barnawa area of the Kaduna metropolis while she was doing her early morning jogging along the road on Thursday. A close friend of the late Youth corper, told Channels Television that the criminals stabbed her in the chest and later made away with her phone. The management of the National Youth Service Corps is yet to comment on the incident, but the Kaduna State Police Command through the public relations officer, Manir Hassan said the Command has since launched a manhunt of the killers of the youth corps member with a view to arresting and bringing them to justice. “The Commissioner of Police after an emergency meeting of the top hierarchy of the command, had ordered the Barnawa Divisional Police Officer and operatives to hunt for the killers of the Corps member,” he said. “It’s a very tragic incident. She was performing her early morning jogging when some miscreants on motorcycles pounced on her. The victim’s name is Grace Chalya Silas. She was a Corps member serving in Kaduna South. “When the case was reported to the police, operatives responded swiftly and moved to the scene of the crime where they saw the victim in the pool of her own blood. She was rushed to the clinic, where she was later confirmed dead. “Since the incident was reported to the police, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, CP Musa Yusuf Garba, held an emergency meeting with the top hierarchy of the Command over the matter. We are already in touch with NYSC in the state. “The CP has directed the Barnawa DPO and Area Commander, to immediately hunt for killers of the Corps member and fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act.”