Top Stories: Give me seven days to resolve naira issues- President Buhari.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd), on Friday, urged citizens to give him seven days to resolve the cash crunch that has become a problem across the country from the Central Bank of Nigeria policy to change high-value naira notes with new ones.

Speaking to the Progressive Governors’ Forum who paid him a visit at the Presidential Villa to seek solutions to the cash crunch which they said was threatening the good records of the administration in transforming the economy, Buhari said the currency re-design would give a boost to the economy and provide long-term benefits. He expressed doubts about the commitment of banks in particular to the success of the policy. “Some banks are inefficient and only concerned about themselves”, said the President, “even if a year is added, problems associated with selfishness and greed won’t go away.”

He said he had seen television reports about cash shortages and hardship to local businesses and ordinary people and gave assurances that the balance of seven of the 10-day extension would be used to crack down on whatever stood in the way of successful Implementation.

“I will revert to the CBN and the minting company. There will be a decision one way or the other in the remaining seven days of the 10-day extension,” the President was quoted to have said in a statement released by his spokesman, Garba Shehu.

President Muhammadu Buhari Reactes After APC Governors pleaded for Old and New Naira to Co-exist.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has insisted that it has no plans to postpone the forthcoming general election which commences in barely three weeks.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu on Thursday emphasised that elections would hold as scheduled and plans haven’t changed.

The INEC boss reteirated the commission’s stand when he received the new Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brig. General Yushu’a Ahmed on Thursday.
It was gathered that Yakubu was reacting to reports that the commission might be postponing the polls.

The reports emerged on Wednesday morning claiming INEC may postpone the February 25 presidential election by a minimum of two weeks due to logistics issues.

It was gathered that the incessant burning of INEC offices across the country and the insecurity challenges in the South-East and North- East may force the electoral body to shift the election by 14 days.

Speaking to Daily Independent, a senior INEC official stated that while the electoral body is determined to stick with the scheduled date, recent developments in the country may force it to announce an extension.

He said: “The Commission is doing all it can to stick to the announced dates but given the numerous challenges being witnessed across the country, such as the burning of our offices, insecurity challenges and attack on INEC officials, lingering fuel scarcity coupled with problems arising from the Naira redesign, I won’t be surprised if the election is postponed by two weeks minimum.”

However, in his brief remarks today, Yakubu cleared the air saying the election would hold as planned as the commission has no plans to shift any of the elections.
He told Ahmed how lucky the commission was to have a large pool of youths, who are largely corp members ready for deployment in the elections.

The INEC boss noted that no electoral commission can conduct any election based on its own staff strength alone across countries of the world.
He, therefore, assured the new NYSC boss of the safety of corp members during the election.
Ahmed also gave his words that the commitment of the NYSC to the delivery of credible polls in the country was unshakable.

2023: Agenda To Stop Vote Buying Might Not Work – Kwankwaso.

The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso on Thursday claimed that some presidential candidates in the 2023 race have banks.

Kwankwaso stated this while reacting to the move by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Government to stop vote buying during elections by replacing old noted with the new ones.
He said the agenda to stop vote buying might not work, since major politicians have access to the banking system.
Kwankwaso disclosed this on Thursday while speaking on Channels TV.

He said, “I can tell you, from our investigation, what the government is saying has to do with people who would want to take too much money; lead us in politics. They don’t know that many of our colleagues, those who are contesting, especially presidential candidates, and by extension, all those in their parties, are owners of the banks.

“Not only that, people close to them are having banks everywhere. So, they would lose nothing. And they have governors -PDP has governors, APC has governors – and I am sure by now they would have collected so much money from the banks in their states.”
He further stated that the deadline for swapping the new naira note is short, adding that in some parts of the country, especially in the northern region, there are no banks.

The former Governor of Kano State said, “Up till now, there are many states, especially in northern Nigeria, where local governments have no single bank.
“And in some areas, even the local government headquarters is well over 100km away and it becomes extremely difficult for them to take their money.
“We are not talking about big businessmen. We are talking about petty traders with a capital of N5,000 and even less. Now, if you give them three months, it would be very difficult for the information to reach them.”

2023: ‘There Are Elements In The Villa Who Want Us To Lose The Election – El-Rufai.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has dared the Aso Rock “cabals” he believes are opposed to the Presidential ambition of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 presidential election.

El-Rufai had sparked a controversy on Wednesday when he said some persons in Aso Rock were working against Tinubu.

While responding to a question in a yet to be fully released interview with BBC Hausa, El-Rufai said, “Respecting people is not fear, I swear we don’t fear anyone in this country, so we are not fearful, we are respectful but if you show us you are not an elder, I swear we will fight you.”

The governor’s latest comment was shared on social media ahead of the full release.
El-Rufai spoke in apparent response to the “Villa elements” he referred to in the Channels interview
When he appeared on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Wednesday, El-Rufai said persons who backed a different aspirant in the APC presidential primaries are now hiding behind President Buhari to pursue their interests.

“I believe there are elements in the villa who want us to lose the election because they didn’t get their way; they had their candidate. Their candidate did not win the primaries.

“They are trying to get us to lose the election, and they are hiding behind the president’s desire to do what he thinks is right,” he had said.
Aisha, wife of the president backed El-Rufa’i over his claim that some elements in the presidency are plotting to sabotage Tinubu’s victory.

The first lady, who wields great influence in the Villa, voiced her support for El-Rufai when she shared a clip of the interview containing the governor’s main allegation against the saboteurs who are non-members of the party and are exploiting the president’s goodwill for their selfish ends.
But the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, responded saying officially, the government was not aware of anyone within the Presidential Villa engaging in such action.

He said the government had been fair to all candidates regardless of party affiliation and that Buhari had consistently demonstrated that he was for free, fair and credible elections.

Nasarawa Bombing: Fish Out The Perpetrators For Prosecution – JNI Tasks FG.

The Jama’atu Nasril Islam led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has lamented the killing of 47 herdsmen in an accidental airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force in Nasarawa. The Sultan called on the Federal Government to fish out the perpetrators for prosecution.

The JNI through its Secretary-General, Dr. Khalid Abubakar-Aliyu, in a terse statement in Kaduna called on the Federal Government to compensate victims’ families for losing their beloved ones during the attack.
According to the group, the government should thoroughly interrogate the events that culminated in the most unfortunate bloodletting in Doma, adding that the government should equally investigate its military, especially the Nigerian Air Force on the matter.

The JNI warned against the government sweeping the matter under the carpet, saying the incident is one too many as the attack was calculated to instill fears between farmers and herdsmen in Nasarawa state.
Parts of the statement reads, “Jama’atu Nasril Islam after careful assessments and following of events as they unfolded over the Doma heinous attack, condemns in  strongest terms the carnage.

“It also identifies with the government and people of Nasarawa State, on the gruesome massacre of over 40 innocent Fulani herders in Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. After the grotesque slayings of hundreds of cows by the so-called unidentified persons, without any intervention from the security forces in the area.

“As a matter of fact, some sources claimed helicopters bombed the victims, while others said it was a horrific sporadic coordinated attack from different angles on the victims, a very heart-rending and mind-boggling situation.

“The carnage was one incidence too many to bear. It should be stated that this singular act of heartlessness in Doma was a calculated attempt to instill fears among farmers and herders.”

The Sultan group called on the government to “Identify with victims and places of attacks by commiserating with the people.
“A national broadcast after the visit would be very necessary, to dissuade reprisals. Clearly, people are angered over many recent happenings affecting innocent defenseless people and the government needs to act fast.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria should pay compensation (Diyya) to the bereaved families, for equity, justice, and foreclosing of any possibility of vengeance or reprisal.

“Prosecute officials that are found wanting in the discharge of their assignment(s), so as to serve as a deterrent to other nonchalant officials.
“Collaborate with relevant security agencies with a timeline to bringing an end, and/or at least avert all security threats bedeviling the country and also mop-up small arms and light weapons (SALWs) in the hands of criminals, or else Nigeria will continue to witness the rise in arms proliferation for self-defense amongst citizens since the government is seemingly not so disposed to doing so.”

2023: Choice Of Lawan As Anointed Presidential Candidate Shocked Buhari, APC Govs – El-Rufai.

Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State has said President Muhammadu Buhari and governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were shocked when they learned that Senate President Ahmad Lawan was the party’s “anointed” presidential candidate.
The governor made this known while responding to questions on a programme on Television Continental (TVC) on Thursday.

Recall that hours before voting at the APC presidential primary was scheduled to start, the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu, had announced Lawan as the consensus candidate for the party.
Following the announcement, some members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) and several governors rejected Lawan as the anointed candidate.

Speaking further, Governor el-Rufai said the president was shocked about the choice of Lawan, adding that Buhari said he had no idea of the development.

The APC governor revealed that Buhari was very clear about his position on the choice of a presidential candidate for the party.
He said: “We heard that too. The members of the National Working Committee (NWC) called us and said that the National Chairman had told them that the Senate President is the anointed one.

“Again, the northern APC governors asked for a meeting with the president. We went to the president and said ‘Mr. President, this is what we are hearing; this is not what you’ve been telling us in the past two to three years. Is it true?’
“And the president expressed shock and said ‘I’m not part of this’. And right there and then, he summoned Garba Shehu to issue a statement that he has not anointed anyone. And he told us very clearly ‘I have not anointed anyone’.”

2023: Court Orders INEC To Accept LP Candidates In 24 States.

Ahead of the 2023 general elections, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept the nominations of candidates of the Labour Party (LP) in 24 states of the Federation.

The court ordered that the electoral body must accept the list of the candidates, either manually or through its electronic nomination portal.
Delivering judgement, Justice Ekwo held that INEC violated Sections 31, 33 and 36 of the Electoral Act 2022 in rejecting the LP candidates in the affected states on the ground of non-functional of its nomination portal.

The 24 states affected by the court order are Kwara, Plateau, Nasarawa, Lagos, Kaduna, Oyo, Benue, Bauchi, Ebonyi and Ekiti states.
The rest are Katsina, Bayelsa, Niger, Rivers, Sokoto, Akwa Ibom, Gombe, Borno, Osun, Adamawa and Cross River States among others.

The Labour Party had last year November conducted substitution nomination for its candidates who withdrew from the 2023 general elections in the affected states.
The withdrawals were communicated to INEC by the National Chairman and National Secretary of the party along with notification of October 27 date to conduct substitution nomination primary elections.

However, at the point of uploading the fresh candidates names, INEC claimed that its nomination portal was faulty and declined to accept the candidates list manually promoting the 24 legal actions.

Justice Ekwo added that the evidence of the Labour Party through exchanged letters with INEC in the nomination issue was credible and proceeded to attach probative value to it.
The Judge held that the consequences of non functional electronic nomination portal cannot be visited on the Labour Party.

Justice Ekwo agreed with the Labour Party that nomination and submission of candidates list cannot be rejected by INEC from any party until 90 days to the general elections.

The judge said that the time the Labour Party sought to submit list of its candidates in the 24 States was more than 90 days to the 2023 general elections, hence, it is within time allowed by law.

Justice Ekwo held that INEC was bound to accept the Labour Party’s candidates list manually once its electronic nomination portal is faulty.
The judge subsequently ordered INEC to open its website for the purpose of allowing the Labour Party to submit list of its candidates or accept same manually with immediate effect for the purpose of the 2023 general elections.

2023: We Are Determined To Stick With The Scheduled Dates Of Elections – INEC Chairman.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has insisted that it has no plans to postpone the forthcoming general election which commences in barely three weeks.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu on Thursday emphasised that elections would hold as scheduled and plans haven’t changed.

The INEC boss reteirated the commission’s stand when he received the new Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, Brig. General Yushu’a Ahmed on Thursday.
It was gathered that Yakubu was reacting to reports that the commission might be postponing the polls.

It was learnt that reports emerged on Wednesday morning claiming INEC may postpone the February 25 presidential election by a minimum of two weeks due to logistics issues.
It was gathered that the incessant burning of INEC offices across the country and the insecurity challenges in the South-East and North- East may force the electoral body to shift the election by 14 days.

Speaking to Daily Independent, a senior INEC official stated that while the electoral body is determined to stick with the scheduled date, recent developments in the country may force it to announce an extension.

He said: “The Commission is doing all it can to stick to the announced dates but given the numerous challenges being witnessed across the country, such as the burning of our offices, insecurity challenges and attack on INEC officials, lingering fuel scarcity coupled with problems arising from the Naira redesign, I won’t be surprised if the election is postponed by two weeks minimum.”

However, in his brief remarks today, Yakubu cleared the air saying the election would hold as planned as the commission has no plans to shift any of the elections.
He told Ahmed how lucky the commission was to have a large pool of youths, who are largely corp members ready for deployment in the elections.

The INEC boss noted that no electoral commission can conduct any election based on its own staff strength alone across countries of the world.
He, therefore, assured the new NYSC boss of the safety of corp members during the election.
Ahmed also gave his words that the commitment of the NYSC to the delivery of credible polls in the country was unshakable.

Tribunal Verdict: Protest Rocks Osun As Residents Petition NJC.

Residents of Osun State on Thursday took their continued protest to Abuja, against the judgment of the governorship election petition tribunal, which sacked Governor Ademola Adeleke as the winner of the July 16 gubernatorial poll.

The tribunal, headed by Justice Terste Kume, sacked Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and declared Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the poll.

After the judgment was delivered, residents of the state and members of PDP had trooped out en masse to vent their anger against the judgment, accusing the tribunal of injustice.
Armed with placards with various inscriptions such as ‘No to Buga judgement’, ‘The people of Osun demand justice’, ‘Justice Kume is biased’, and ‘Kume out to kill Electoral Act’, among others, said referencing personal life of the governor was not in tandem with the judiciary ethics.

Speaking to journalists shortly after submitting a petition to the National Judicial Council (NJC) in Abuja, their leader, Moshood Adebayo, called for an urgent investigation of Justice Kume for actions and activities in breach of judicial ethics and protocols.

He urged the council to rebuke the judge for apparent partnership with the petitioners during the petition hearing which resulted in a miscarriage of justice, adding that a disciplinary action should be taken against Justice Kume for violating his oath of office.

Adebayo said: “We write to report a judicial officer, Justice Terse Kume, for his violation of all known ethical conduct and behaviours unbecoming of the esteemed office he occupies. As the Chairman of the Osun Governorship panel, Justice Kume acted with deep bias and partiality which compels an extensive probe on his culpability.

“The Osun governorship election was a model for the nation as local and international observers affirmed it as the best election in recent Nigerian history. The outcome strengthened faith in the BVAS machine and manifested a great fruit of the new Electoral Act.

After the Osun election, there was a general relief that going forward,  people’s votes will count in the electoral process. The July 16 poll was a master stroke, a giant stride in Nigeria’s strides to sustainable democracy.

“All these realities that give hope to the nation and that reaffirm confidence of the global community in Nigeria’s democracy was muddled up within a few hours by Justice Kume. His delivering the most illogical, biased and illegal judgment threatened the present and future of our democracy. Such judicial officer who deliberately set out to derail democratic practice should be disciplined to prevent further rot in the judicial system,” he added.

2023: Fuel Scarcity Not Deliberate Attempt To Sabotage Elections – Kyari Replies Tinubu.

The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mele Kyari, has rejected claims that the petrol scarcity in the country is a deliberate attempt to sabotage the forthcoming general elections.

Recall that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, said the petrol scarcity and the naira redesign were attempts to sabotage the forthcoming elections.
Speaking during an appearance on NTA’s ‘Good Morning Nigeria‘ programme on Thursday, Kyari said the lingering fuel scarcity in the country has nothing to do with the elections.
The NNPC boss said the petrol scarcity situation began in 2022 and it is a cyclical issue, adding that arbitrage has a significant impact on the product’s scarcity.

Kyari said it was out of context and impossible to link petrol shortage to the elections, urging those making those claims should desist from such.
He, however, assured Nigerians that the corporation is working tirelessly to address the petrol shortage before the February 25 presidential election.

Kyari said: “I do not think anybody sits down to orchestrate that there should be scarcity so that it will impact elections and so on. I don’t think it happens that way if it is so. But it is not true because the reality is that these glitches actually started early in 2022.

“It has nothing to do with this election period. Once you have a challenge of this nature, it is a cyclical thing. Once you have this challenge, they continue to come up, and then once you have arbitrage issues, you have this glitch.

“Today, our redundancy in terms of petroleum products supply is just three days in this country. Once you have a glitch that extends longer than three days, you need another three weeks to stabilise it. So irrespective of who does what, whatever causes the three-day glitch, it is a nightmare waiting to happen.
“Once we see this glitch, that is why we do everything possible to avoid the glitches from happening. I do not think anyone will sit down and say let us create this so that there will be an impact on the elections and so on.

“There is no benefit in it. No one would do this and I can tell you this very clearly that there is no one issue, being the direct report to Mr. President, there is no one issue that bothers him like this. There is no briefing that I do to the president that he does not mention this.

“Yes, there are a lot of glitches. There are a lot of logistics and nightmares. Greed has come into play. There are cross-border issues that we have to deal with. There are international market situations that you have to deal with.”

Tribalism Will Not Solve Nigeria’s Problem – Terrorist.

A notorious terrorist leader, Kachalla Balleri has condemned the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over the scarcity of the new naira notes.
According to Balleri, the policies of the apex bank are working against the poor, whom he said are living from hand to mouth.

Despite the scarcity of the new naira notes, Balleri claimed that he has purchased weapons with new notes.
According to Daily Trust, the terrorist leader in a video flaunted the newly redesigned naira notes.

This video is coming weeks after the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele claimed that the policy was targeted at minimizing terrorism and kidnapping in Nigeria.
Ballari further stated that some poor Nigerians have not laid their hands on the new notes.

He said, “Tribalism will not solve Nigeria’s problem. Only justice will solve the problems. The poor don’t know what naira redesign means. Some of them don’t have N10,000. They live from hand to mouth. But for those who have millions; it’s their own cup of tea. Many of those poor have not laid their hands on the new notes. But those considered terrorists have them in bulk.

“We have bought weapons with new notes so that we can fight them. Now we are waiting to hear what they will say next. We are doing what we are doing for the sake of God and the poor we are living together, not the government. We have no problem with whosoever wishes to relate well with us.”

Your Natural Resources Should Bring You Good Things Not Crime — Obi Speaks During Campaign Visit To Zamfara.
Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign flight touched down in the North Western state of Zamfara on Thursday with the Candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, and his Vice, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmad, promising to unlock the abundant resources of the state into development for the good of the people.

The team which arrived the rally ground in Gusau, the state capital, to a warm reception of jubilant supporters told the people that if voted into office by February 25, the God-given gift of natural resources of the state will be turned around for their good.
“Your natural resources should bring you good things not crime,” Obi told the people.

He assured that the insecurity that has bedeviled the state for years now would be a thing of the past, as he and Datti have the key to unlock and pull the state out of poverty.
“Zamfara state with its huge mineral resources has no business being one of the poorest states in the country,” Obi said.

The former Anambra State Governor assured the people that security is top in their agenda because it is only in a secured environment that the huge potentials of the state can be properly and adequately harnessed.

He said that the Labour Party manifesto stresses the importance of taking the country away from consumption to production and through that engage youths who are in their productive ages and reduce crimes and criminalities in the country.

Obi also talked of proper education for the people as he and Datti see education as investment and are therefore ready and willing to invest heavily in education and health.
The LP flag bearer reminded the people what the forthcoming election means for the country, a huge opportunity to take back from those holding down with their failed leadership and transform it into a country that can compete in the comity of nations.

He urged the people to ignore those who will approach them with the sentiments of religion and tribe because unlike in the past this election is to be based on characters we can trust, competence, capacity, capabilities and antecedents.
“Enough of their lies and deceits,” Obi stressed.

The enthusiastic organic crowd had waited patiently to hear the penetrating messages of Obi and his team. The team also addressed other critical stakeholders in the state.

2023: I Was Misinterpreted, Buhari Solidly Behind Tinubu – Lai Mohammed.

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, on Thursday stated that his comment about President Muhammadu Buhari ensuring a level playing field for all candidates in the forthcoming elections has been misinterpreted.

Lai Mohammed insisted that Buhari is solidly behind the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Recall that Mohammed, while reacting to comments by Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State who stated that some individuals in the presidency are working against Tinubu, had told newsmen on Wednesday that the federal government was not officially aware of any entity in the Presidential Villa working against the victory of the ruling party’s presidential flag bearer.

The Minister of Information said President Buhari was neither favouring nor disfavouring any presidential candidate ahead of the February 25th election.

“If there’s anybody who is working against any candidate, we don’t know officially,” the Minister said.
Mohammed argued that the Buhari-led government has been fair to all candidates regardless of party affiliations.
Mohammed’s comment was interpreted to mean Buhari was not throwing his full weight behind Tinubu’s ambition.

Clarifying his comments at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, the minister said it was preposterous for people to claim otherwise when Mr. President is actively campaigning for Tinubu.

He said: “Yesterday, while reacting to a question at the post-FEC briefing at the State House, I said, inter alia, that Mr. President is committed to a free, fair and credible elections, and that he is doing everything possible to ensure a level playing field for all contestants.

“This comment has been misinterpreted in some circles, especially with regards to Mr. President’s support for the presidential candidate of our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Well, I want to say, unequivocally, that Mr. President is in total support of our party’s flagbearer, and that is attested to by his continuing campaign with the candidate across the country.

“It is preposterous to even suggest that Mr. President, who is the leader of our party, is equivocating on his support for our presidential candidate. I hope this clears any ambiguity that may have arisen from my statement yesterday.”