Ahead of Saturday’s polls, the DIG supervising the Imo governorship election Imo State, DIG Frank Mba, on Thursday, inspected the operational vehicles deployed by Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olukayode Adeolu Egbetokun to beef up security in the State. He assured Imolites that adequate security measures has been emplaced to guarantee the conduct of a free, fair, credible and acceptable general elections He vowel the police will be tough, hard and uncompromising on the lawbreakers during the election. DIG Mba disclosed that the police is good to go in this Saturday’s election. Noting that the Force will also deploy officers on air and on waterways. Videos/photos bellow:

  Thursday 09 November 2023 Bail: Ex-CBN Gov, Emefiele arrives home after 151 days in detention Exchange rate: NECA, experts disagree on FG’s target Old, new naira notes remain legal tender – CBN Senate to probe purchase of N5bn presidential yacht Bayelsa, Imo, Kogi polls: Go and vote, Atiku urges PDP members Deportation: 14,000 Nigerians lack identification cards — German Chancellor Tinubu stops electricity tariff hike, insists on subsidy Off-season polls: Electronic collation illegal, says INEC, police warn NLC Afenifere insists on state police, true federalism Spend $150m Abacha loot on N’Delta, activist tells Tinubu UK Police probe suicide of British-born Nigerian Ajaero: Aviation Unions Blacklist Imo Flights Nationwide Tinubu Signs N2.17trn 2023 Supplementary Budget Into Law FRSC Deploys 4500 Personnel, 105 Vehicles Ahead Saturday Elections FG Will Support NPC To Conduct Next Census – Tinubu Suspected Bike Thief Lynched In Benue I’m Shocked To Hear What Those Who Served In Buhari’s Govt Are Saying About Him – Kukah Inflation, FX, many tariffs compound Nigeria’s trade woes ASUU, FG showdown looms over 40% revenue deduction from varsities Senate, House agreement raises student loan to N10b Power minister threatens DisCos, GenCos with licence revocation Another batch of 161 stranded Nigerians arrive Lagos airport from Libya Saudi-Africa summit: Tinubu departs for Riyadh Thursday UNIZIK suspends officer over alleged forgery Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  Despite industry players’ call for a cost-reflective tariff, the Federal Government (FG) on Wednesday said it can not approve tariff increase due to the country’s current economic woes. The Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO) methodology gives room for the biannual review of tariffs with consideration to inflation, interest rates, and foreign exchange, while major reviews are carried out every 5 years when all of the inputs are reviewed with stakeholders. In July 2023, the Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) made attempts to increase tariffs thus filing an application for rate review with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). But the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja on Wednesday said although the government ought to have increased tariffs which is a major cause of liquidity challenge, this was shelved. According to him, if the review is approved, Nigerians will pay double of the current rate. “I never said it is not time to charge cost-reflective tariff, I said cost-reflective tariff ought to have been implemented months ago because it is the source of liquidity to the system, but for political reasons and empathy, we cannot impose additional burden on Nigerians. “It is not politically expedient to now implement a tariff that is more like doubling the existing tariff, but for political expediency, I don’t think it is something that we can do so immediately,” he said. The Minister stressed that before it approves tariff increase,”there will be lots of sensitization and communication with the general public and we must ensure that there is an assured increment in power supply.” Meanwhile, Adelabu stated that the 700megawatts Zungeru hydro power plant will commence operation by December ending. While confirming the completion of the project he said,”the only thing left is just to complete the rest of the evacuation infrastructure so that the entire 700 megawatt being generated can be evacuated into the transmission as it is today, the infrastructure we have there can only generate 300 megawatts.”

  President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of 20 persons to serve as Federal Commissioners in the National Population Commission (NPC) with nine current Federal Commissioners being appointed to a second term in office. A statement issued on Wednesday by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity) gave the names of the appointees as Hon. Emmanuel Trump Eke (Abia), Dr. Clifford Zirra (Adamawa), who is reappointed; Mr. Chidi Christopher Ezeoke (Anambra — reappointed), Barr. Isa Audu Buratai (Borno — reappointed), Bishop Alex Ukam (Cross River) and Ms. Blessyn Brume-Ataguba (Delta). Also on the list are Dr Jeremiah Ogbonna Nwankwegu (Ebonyi), Dr Tony Aiyejina (Edo – reappointed), Mr Ejike Ezeh (Enugu — reappointed), Mr. Abubakar Damburam (Gombe — reappointed), Prof. Uba Nnabue (Imo — reappointed), Ms Sa’adatu Dogon Bauchi Garba (Kaduna) and Dr. Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa (Kano). The rest are Hon. Yori Afolabi (Kogi), Hon. Olakunle Sobukola (Ogun), Hon. Temitayo Oluseye Oluwatuyi (Ondo), Sen. Mudashiru Hussain (Osun — reappointed), Ms. Mary Ishaya Afan (Plateau), Mr. Ogiri Itotenaan Henry (Rivers) and Mr. Saany Sale (Taraba — reappointed). According to the statement, President Tinubu charged the new and returning NPC Federal Commissioners to successfully implement all measures taken by his administration to produce and effectively appropriate accurate population data with which lasting solutions to Nigeria’s socio-political and economic challenges can be conclusively developed and executed.

  The naira on Wednesday weakened to N1,135 per dollar at the parallel section of the foreign exchange (FX) market. The figure represents N15 or 1.35 percent depreciation compared to the N1,120 it traded yesterday. Currency traders known as Bureau De Change operators (BDCs), who spoke to TheCable in Lagos, quoted the buying rate of the greenback at N1,120 and the selling price at N1,135 per dollar. “The rate was highly volatile today,” a street trader who identified as Aliyu said. A parallel market is characterised by noncompliant behaviour with an institutional set of rules On the official market side, the naira depreciated by 0.55 percent to close at N874.71 to a dollar on Wednesday — from N869.91 on Tuesday. According to data on FMDQ Securities Exchange, a platform that oversees official foreign-exchange trading in Nigeria, the highest price recorded within the day’s trading was N1097.50/$, before it settled at N745/$. JP Morgan, a US multinational financial services firm, had projected the naira would trade at about N850 to the dollar before the end of 2023.

  An Abuja High Court sitting at Maitama, on Wednesday, granted bail to the detained Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele. The court, in a ruling that was delivered by Justice Olukayode Adeniyi, ordered that he should be released to his lawyers. “There must be an end to detention without trial” the judge held, stressing that it was the refusal of the Economic and Financial and Crimes Commission, EFCC, to comply with the order the court made on November 2, that led to the ruling. Besides, the court held that it could not allow Emefiele to remain in custody owing to claim of the Federal Government that he would on November 15, be arraigned on a fresh charge. It held that the claim was speculative as there was nothing to establish that the planned arraignment would hold as scheduled. More so, the court noted that a purported remand order that FG’s lawyer tendered before it, which was signed by an Abuja Chief Magistrate, bore conflicting dates. “A very crucial fact that this court cannot overlook is the Applicant’s claim that he has been incarcerated for a period of upward of 151 days without trial,” Justice Adeniyi added. He held that section 298(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015, empowered the court to make necessary orders, even when there is a remand order against an Applicant. Consequently, the court directed that Emefiele should be released to a team of three Senior Advocates of Nigeria, SANs, that represented him in the matter. It held that the lawyers should produce him in court on November 15 for his planned arraignment or at any other date that he is required to appear in court. Justice Adeniyi directed Emefiele to surrender all his international documents to the most senior Registrar of the court, pending his arraignment. It subsequently adjourned further proceedings in the matter till November 17. The ruling followed a fundamental right enforcement suit that the erstwhile CBN boss, who has been in detention for about five months, filed through his team of lawyers led by Mr. Matthew Burkaa, SAN. Cited as Respondents in the suit marked: FCT/HC/CV/040/2023, are; the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, as well as the anti-graft agency itself. It will be recalled that President Bola Tinubu had on June 9, suspended Emefiele from office as the head of the apex bank. He was later arrested at his Lagos residence by the Department of State Services, DSS. Emefiele had since then, faced a two-count charge of illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition before the Federal High Court in Lagos, as well as a 20-count corruption charge that the Federal Government entered against him and two others before an Abuja High Court sitting at Maitama. However, proceedings in both cases were put on hold, following the decision of the Defendants to explore a plea bargain deal with FG. The former CBN boss was subsequently transferred to the EFCC detention facility, by the DSS. FG had in opposition to Emefiele’s request for bail, notified the court that he would on November 15, be arraigned on a fresh charge. It will be recalled that Justice Adeniyi had on November 2, ordered the anti-graft agency to either release the embattled former CBN Governor, unconditionally, or produce him in court to be granted bail. In compliance to the directive, the EFCC produced him on court for the hearing of his bail application.

  Despite growing controversy and calls that the Resident Electoral Commission (REC) in Imo State, Prof Sylvia Agu, be removed, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has insisted that there is no reason to remove the official. “The REC will conduct the election,” said Rotimi Oyekanmi on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday. Oyekanmi, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, noted that there was no reason to remove the REC, adding that complaints against Agu were based on suspicion. He said, “We don’t have any reason to remove her from there and we don’t have any evidence that implicate her or prove any allegation that is being alleged at this time.” “The Commission takes its responsibility seriously and we don’t joke with the conduct of elections, and when there are complaints against our officers, we also don’t joke with complaints but you must provide evidence that our officers are culpable,” Oyekanmi stated. The spokesperson for the INEC chair said took disciplinary actions against its RECs in Abia, Sokoto and Adamawa states during the general elections earlier in the year when they acted outside the provisions of the commission. ‘No Evidence Against Agu’ Last Sunday, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, redeployed Mohammed Barde as the Commissioner of Police in Imo State for “neutrality sake” following demands by the Organised Labour that Barde was complicit in the attack on the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero. The candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Samuel Anyanwu; and Labour Party (LP), Athan Achonu, on Tuesday, staged a walkout at a stakeholders’ meeting organised by INEC, after they demanded the redeployment of Agu just as the police redeployed Barde. However, Oyekanmi said, “As far as we are concerned, we haven’t seen anything to implicate the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Imo State.” Advertisement He assured the political parties in the election that INEC will be fair and unbiased. “The assurance we are giving to all political parties is that we are not going to allow any pandering towards any interest in this election; our interest is to conduct free, fair and credible elections,” Oyekanmi said. ’27 RECs Deployed’ He added that the electoral umpire has deployed nine additional RECs and two national commissioners to each of the three states where governorship elections will hold on November 11, 2023. The official also said 46,000 staff of the commission have been deployed to the three states while sensitive and non-sensitive materials including Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines have been delivered in the three states. Oyekanmi said there was no reason to doubt the capacity of security agencies, assuring voters in the three states that the Result Viewing Portal (IReV) would work on Saturday. Like Imo, governorship polls will hold on Saturday in Bayelsa and Kogi. Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State and Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State are seeking re-election in their respective states whilst Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State is out of the ballot, nearing the completion of his double terms of eight years. Some of the top contenders in the November 11, 2023 poll in Kogi include Murtala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP); Leke Abejide of the African Democratic Party (APC); Dino Melaye of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who is an ex-Auditor General of Local Government in Kogi under Bello. For Imo, Anyanwu and Achonu, amongst others will be challenging APC’s Uzodimma at the poll while in Bayelsa, APC’s Timipre Sylva, amongst others will slug it out at the poll with PDP’s Diri.

The owners of the vessel, Soljass Maritime Limited have dragged the Nigerian Navy, Chief of Naval Staff, and the Commander of the Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder to court for what they referred to as recklessness and bad faith shown by the maritime force. On August 22, members of Operation Delta Safe destroyed the vessel MV Cecilia conveying the Automotive Gas oil (AGO), also known as diesel. Soljass Limited, owners of the vessel MV Cecilia destroyed by the Nigerian Navy instituted legal action against the Nigerian Navy and the Chief of Naval Staff among others. In a suit marked FHC/PH/CS/157/2023 filed at the Federal High Court Port Harcourt, the plaintiffs are suing the Nigerian Navy, Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Defence Staff, Ministry of Defence, and Attorney General/Minister of Justice of the Federation. Advertisement Also petitioned are the Commander of Operation Delta Safe, Rear Admiral Olusegun Ferreira, Commander NNS Pathfinder Commodore Desmond Igbo, and the Maritime Component Commander of OPDS Commodore Adedokun Siyanbade. Leading the plaintiff’s legal team, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ifedayo Adedipe berated the defendants for not serving his team with their notice of preliminary objection despite having filed it since December. Counsel to the Chief of Naval Staff, David Okechukwu, requested that the matter be adjourned to the 29th of January, 2024 for a hearing but this was vehemently opposed by Adedipe who warned his opponents against stalling the case and wasting the time of the court. After listening to both parties, presiding Judge, Justice Sada’atu Mark adjourned the case to the 29th of November for a hearing. She, however, directed that all parties file all their motions before the adjourned date.