1. The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Thursday, upheld the election of Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State.
The court dismissed the appeal filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate in the poll, Emmanuel Jime, for lacking in merit.
2. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has given reasons it refused to cancel the results of the just concluded governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi States.
INEC’s National Commissioner of Information and Voter Education, Mr Festus Okoye, explained that the Commission failed to void results of the just concluded governorship elections because no law in Nigeria empowered it to cancel an election.
3. Ahead of this Saturday’s Kogi West supplementary and the Ajaokuta Federal Constituency rerun elections, the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), on Thursday, began the distribution of election materials to the areas for the exercise.
The materials, which were stored at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Lokoja, were taken delivery in the presence of INEC officials, including the National Commissioner for Kogi, Kwara and Nasarawa states, Mohammed Haruna, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. James Apam, Representatives of the concerned political parties, personnel from security agencies and reporters.
4. The All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to legal action taken by a self-proclaimed member of the party, Charles Enya, seeking an amendment of the constitution to allow President Muhammadu Buhari run for a third term in office.
Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC National Publicity Secretary, in a statement Thursday night, said at the last National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Party, President Buhari has no third term agenda.
5. A former Governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, has vowed to kill the Hate Speech Bill being considered at the Senate.
The ace reporter, who spoke on Thursday during the ongoing 15th All Nigeria Editors’ Conference in Sokoto, noted that the Bill would have been dead on arrival if the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, was still the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
6. The Federal Government of Nigeria has assured South African returnees that it will not abandon them to their plight as all efforts are on to continue the rehabilitation and empowerment programmes.
Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who made this declaration while receiving a South African widow returnee, Mrs. Yinka Iyoha in her office in Abuja, maintained that the federal government will not abandon all Nigerians brought back to the country as a result of xenophobic attacks.
8. The House of Representatives has asked for an end to the burning of seized bunkered petroleum resources due to its impact on the environment.
The House urged the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, Chief of Naval, Vice Admiral Ibok Ete-Ibas and Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, to put an end to the current system.
9. Senior Special Adviser to the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike on Physically Challenge Matters, Tekena Zephanian-Altraide has resigned his appointment.
In a fifteen-page resignation letter to the Governor, Zephanian-Altraide noted that it appears that he has been disengaged of his appointment even before his resignation following the action of the Governor on his office.
10. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Lagos Zonal office, has commenced investigation into the allegation of N150 million fraud rocking the Lagos State Scholarship Board.
The suspects, Stephen Oshinowo, former Executive Secretary, Shobaloju Akinwunmi, Director, Accounts and Kasali Kamoru Amoo are being investigated for alleged stealing, money laundering and abuse of office to the tune of over N150m.