NIGERIAN NOTCH

••• Breaks 59 Year Old Jinx History was on Friday made in far away oil rich country of Angola, when the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Leader of Nigeria's delegation to the 147th Inter-Parliamentary Union General Assembly in Luanda, Angola broke a 59 year old jinx, by being elected into the Executive Committee of the global parliamentary body.  The last time a Nigerian was elected into the Executive Committee of the Parliamentary Union was in 1964. The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of national parliaments founded in 1889, and dedicated to promoting peace through parliamentary diplomacy and dialogue.  It has grown over its 135 years into a truly global organization with 179 country members out of 193 countries in the world. The IPU facilitates parliamentary diplomacy and empowers parliaments and parliamentarians to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development around the world. A statement by the Sp...

A High Court sitting in Enugu State and headed by Justice A. O. Onovo, has declared as unconstitutional the proscription and designation of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organisation by the federal government and the South East governors. The ruling followed a suit brought before the court by the IPOB legal team led by Aloy Ejimakor, challenging the 2017 proscription of IPOB as a terror organisation. Justice Onovo, who delivered judgment in the suit marked E/20/2023, declared that “the practical application of the Terrorism Prevention Act and the executive or administrative action of the respondents (Southeast Governors Forum and the federal government) which directly led to the proscription of IPOB and its listing as a terrorist group”, was unconstitutional. Reacting to the judgement,  Ejimakor said the court held that “IPOB being comprised of citizens of Nigeria of the Igbo and other Eastern Nigerian ethnic groups, professing the political opin...

The President of the Senate Senator Godswill Akpabio, CON has congratulated President Bola Tinubu on the revalidation of his February 25, 2023 election victory by the Supreme Court describing the decision as reflective of the will of the people. Senator Akpabio in a congratulatory message to President Tinubu said the decision of the apex court was a welcome relief as it finally unfastens the last bolts to the path for social-political engineering that President Tinubu promised the nation. “Mr President, I am personally elated that the jurists of the Supreme Court saw through the arguments and even without much technicalities easily confirmed your victory in the poll. “There is no doubt that victory came at a cost, but Mr President, that makes it even sweeter. I know you have in your years of public service yielded your personal and other comforts for the collective good and what it cost to confirm the victory in the courts should be seen with a similar vista. Senator Akpabi...

The Minister for Trade Industry and Investment Dr.Doris Uzoka, on Thursday, described the judgement of the Supreme Court panel that affirmed President Bola Tinubu’s victory as a “sound one” that would further deepen the country’s electoral laws and judicial jurisprudence. In a statement personally signed by the Honourable Minister, the minister said the judgement had finally settled the legal battle over the 2023 presidential election, saying lovers of democracy must commend the resilience of the judiciary in deepening the country’s democracy through its sound judgments. It read partly, “On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Trade Industry and Investment, I congratulate our president, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the vice president, Senator Kashim Shettima, on their victory at the Supreme Court. “Today’s judgement has put to an end the needless bickering, distractions and litigation that greeted the 2023 presidential election. It is my hope that the opposition will team up ...

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Imo State chapter, has received with excitement and fulfilment the Supreme Court judgement reaffirming the resounding victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in the recent presidential election. The landmark judgment by the highest court in the land validates the overwhelming mandate given to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by majority of Nigerian people, in clear demonstration of their trust in his leadership and vision for a better Nigeria. It also affirms the collective will of the citizens, who came out en masse to cast their votes for progress, development and a brighter future. President Tinubu's inspiring tenure so far has been marked by dedication to national unity, economic growth, and pursuit of a more inclusive and prosperous Nigeria. His leadership has consistently shown a commitment to the APC's core values of change, progress, and good governance. The APC, Imo State chapter, commends the judiciary for its diligent ...

The supreme court said it cannot allow the matter of double nomination to be relitigated, having issued a judgement on it. Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) had alleged that Vice-President Kashim Shettima was guilty of double nomination, and as such, was not qualified to serve as running mate to President Bola Tinubu. "This matter ought not to have come here. When the matter was pending at the trial court, this court delivered judgement on it. This appeal lacks merit and is hereby dismissed," the court ruled. There were seven issues raised by Peter Obi. Inyang Okoro said Issues 1,2,3,5,6,7 have already been dealt with in the decisions just delivered during Atiku's appeal. "It is our decision that this appeal shall abide with the decision in that of Atiku," the court held. #SupremeCourt

ABUJA-- The Supreme Court, on Thursday, affirmed President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the valid winner of the presidential election that held in the country on February 25. The ruling will give the 71-year-old Tinubu a clear mandate to govern Africa's most populous nation, which is grappling with double-digit inflation, foreign currency shortages and a weakening naira, widespread insecurity and crude oil theft. The judgment by seven Supreme Court judges, which is final, follows a pattern seen in previous presidential elections that have been challenged in court. None of the attempts to overturn results through the courts has been successful. Atiku Abubakar of the People's Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party came second and third respectively in the February vote, but rejected the result and called for Tinubu's win to be annulled. The two opposition leaders had appealed a Sept. 6 tribunal judgment that endorsed Tinubu...

The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC),  has been told to beam its fresh searchlight on the former Governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano's eight years reign. Executive Director, Human Rights, Liberty Access and Peace Defenders Foundation and Chairman, Campaign for Democracy, South East, Dede Uzor, A Uzor, in a statement in Awka said the former Governor must be made to account for the "the wasted eight years he held sway as the Anambra State Governor.  He expressed disappointment that  for eight years Obiano could not do anything in the state that would have direct impact on the people , lamenting that he left the state under abject poverty. Dede Uzor said Obiano's legacies were  glorified airport, stadium, all white elephant projects that don't have direct bearing on the people of the State. He said even Local Government Chairmen during his administration should be probed as most of them became so corrupt that they siphoned the alloca...

As the first Abuja Investment Summit and Expo 2023 gets underway, from Tuesday 14th to Wednesday 15th November, 2023 at the Velodrome, Package ‘A’, M.K.O. Abiola National Stadium – Abuja, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite is leading Federal Ministries, Departments Agencies, under her purview at the Summit to brainstorm on critical industry, trade and investment matters for the economic growth and development of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, and Nigeria as a whole. According to a statement u on Tuesday, the event with the theme Unlocking Investment Opportunities in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, the Minister, as the focal point of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the industrial, trade and business growth of the national economy, will be Guest Speaker on Key thematic topic, with panel members drawn from Agencies under her watch and experts from the private sector discuss on the various sub-themes of the...

The Pentagon has ordered additional troops and weaponry to the Middle East as the Biden administration seeks to stop Iran and Hezbollah from widening the Israel-Hamas war. John Kirby, a White House spokesman on national security matters, said Monday that the U.S. “has added additional military forces to the region and more forces will be coming in days and weeks ahead to try to deter any action from widening or deepening this conflict.” Over the weekend, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered additional Terminal High Altitude Defense and Patriot anti-aircraft systems to the Middle East while putting additional troops on prepare-to-deploy orders, according to Defense officials who briefed reporters anonymously under department rules. The Pentagon has already sent two carrier strike groups to the region. The moves come after Kirby said the U.S. has identified an “uptick” in rocket and drone attacks by Iranian-backed proxy groups against military bases housing U.S. personnel in Iraq and S...