INEC SACKS FOUR COLLATION OFFICERS OVER ALLEGED PARTISANSHIP IN RIVERS GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION

Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Rivers State, Obo Effanga, has said that four collation officers for the governorship election in Rivers State who were alleged to be partisan have been removed.

In a statement on Friday, Effanga said: “Our attention have been drawn to a petition about the list of LGA collation officers for the governorship election in Rivers State wherein four of the listed persons were alleged to have partisan inclination.

“We have since updated the list by removing the said persons whom we had no prior knowledge of their alleged partisanship.

“They said officers were selected from the lists sent to us from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), headquarters as lecturers in the University of Port Harcourt, as well as those other lecturers who attended the training we held for academic Staff of the University of Port Harcourt.“We took every reasonable step to ensure that the proposed collation officers were without any partisanship, even as we requested each person to disclose any such interest which may not be known to us.

“We have since briefed the Chairman of INEC on this, following his request for response by us.”

AKWA IBOM STATE RANKS HIGHEST IN HIV/AIDS PREVALENCE RATE IN NIGERIA

The Nigerian HIV/AIDs Indicator and Impact Survey (NAIIS) has shown that Akwa Ibom has the highest prevalence rate of HIV in the country.

The result indicates that about 5.5 per cent of the people living with HIV in Nigeria are in Akwa Ibom State, followed by Benue State, which has about 5.3 per cent prevalence rate.

It also states that while the North-West has the lowest prevalence rate at 0.6 per cent, the South-South geopolitical zone has the highest with 3.1 per cent.
Speaking during the announcement of the NAIIS result on Thursday, the Director General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDs (NACA), Sani Aliyu, said about 1.9 million Nigerians are currently living with HIV.

The event was held at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Abuja.
He said the percentage of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) in Nigeria, among the age group of 15-49 years, is 1.4 per cent (1.9 per cent among females and 0.9 per cent among males.)

In his response to the prevalence rate in the state, the minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, said this is not the time to start blaming states.
“For the south-south, (it) is Akwa-Ibom that has the highest prevalence, and, for the North Central, it is still Benue State.

“But then we should also look at the quality of interventions we have had. Benue has one of the largest interventions programme in the country, so that is also expected to yield results.

“It would have been frustrating if with those interventions, we now have 10 per cent in Benue.” he said.

He noted that he was quite happy about the downward trend in Benue State.
In his goodwill message, David Young, Charge de Affairs, Embassy of the United States of America, said “Beyond the data, the survey has proved the capacity of Nigerians working together in solidarity with one another to rise and resolve challenges regarding the health and well being of their brothers and sisters.

“The US government is proud to support Nigeria in conducting the NAIIS survey,” he said.

The Country Director, Center for Disease Control Nigeria (CDC), Mahesh Swaminathan said the results will help the government improve it efforts in the fight against the virus.

“The encouraging results presented today, along with ongoing monitoring and evaluation data will help the Government of Nigeria to intensify efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDs to achieve epidemic control.

“CDC will continue to work alongside our Nigerian brothers and sisters in this fight.” he said.

SUPREME COURT AFFIRMS INTERIM FORFEITURE OF ANOTHER N2.4BN LINKED TO DAME PATIENCE JONATHAN

The Supreme Court on Friday affirmed another order of interim forfeiture made by the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court in respect of the sum of N2.4bn allegedly traced to the wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Mrs. Patience Jonathan.

The apex court had, barely a week ago, affirmed an interim forfeiture of the sum of $8.4m belonging to the ex-First Lady and directed her to return to the Federal High Court in Lagos to show cause why the fund should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

On Friday, in a separate appeal, a five-man Bench of the apex court unanimously handed down a similar verdict on another sum of N2,421,953,522 in the bank account of Lawari Furniture & Bath Limited, a firm which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had linked to Mrs. Jonathan.

Lawari Furniture & Bath Limited had, through its lawyers, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), filed the appeal to challenge the January 12, 2018 judgment of the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, which had affirmed the interim forfeiture order of the Federal High Court in Abuja in respect of the N2.4bn.

CHELSEA TO FACE SLAVIA PRAGUE IN THE QUARTER-FINALS OF THE EUROPA LEAGUE

The Blues comprehensively defeated Dynamo Kiev over two legs in the round of 16, with the aggregate scoreline finishing 8-0 to Maurizio Sarri’s men.

Slavia Prague, meanwhile, secured their place in the final eight rather narrowly. They shocked Sevilla with a 6-5 win on aggregate after their second-leg fixture went deep into extra-time.

Chelsea will be happy with this draw, having avoided several prestigious clubs, and they will take encouragement from their previous success against Czech opposition.

Take a look back at the Blues’ only six encounters against teams from the Czech Republic in their history!

CHELSEA 4-2 VIKTORIA ZIZKOV, 15 SEPTEMBER 1994

Chelsea defeated Viktoria Zizkov 4-2 in the first leg of their Cup Winners Cup clash. Goals from Paul Furlong, Frank Sinclair, David Rocastle and Dennis Wise secured the Blues their victory.

PRESIDENT TRUMP ISSUES FIRST VETO AFTER CONGRESS REJECTS BORDER EMERGENCY

Trump

President Trump on Friday issued the first veto of his presidency, rejecting legislation that opposed his declaration of a national emergency to fund a wall along the southern border. The bill blocking Mr. Trump’s emergency declaration had attracted significant Republican support in Congress.

“Today I am vetoing this resolution,” Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “Congress has the freedom to pass this resolution and I have the duty to veto it.” The president called the resolution “dangerous” and “reckless.”

The president was flanked by Vice President Mike Pence, Attorney General William P. Barr and Kirstjen Nielsen, the homeland security secretary. Mr. Barr said that the president’s emergency order was “clearly authorized under the law” and “solidly grounded in law.”

The president’s veto, which was expected, will send the legislation back to Congress, which most likely does not have enough votes for an override, meaning that Mr. Trump’s declaration will remain in effect.

The president has long insisted that there is a security and humanitarian crisis at the border with Mexico, an assertion that was undercut by Mr. Trump himself when he acknowledged that he could have waited to issue his declaration.

Democrats seized on those words and cited government data that shows there has been no flood of criminal migrants coming into the country. Some Republicans shared that view.

But others said they opposed the president on the grounds that it was the duty of Congress to appropriate taxpayer dollars and that Mr. Trump had exceeded his authority. On Thursday, a dozen Republicans joined Senate Democrats in voting to overturn Mr. Trump’s emergency declaration, in a 59-to-41 vote.

“Never before has a president asked for funding, Congress has not provided it and the president then has used the National Emergencies Act of 1976 to spend the money anyway,” Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, said after the vote on Thursday. Senator Jerry Moran, Republican of Kansas, said he thought Mr. Trump’s declaration was unconstitutional.

Mr. Trump has held broad sway over congressional Republicans in his first two years in office. The vote by a dozen Republicans in the Senate siding with Democrats on an issue central to the president’s agenda was seen as a reclaiming of the role of Congress as a coequal branch of government.

He was undeterred by the Republican opposition and quickly signaled his next step when he tweeted “VETO” not long after the vote. The president said that there was nothing less than an “invasion” of the United States by migrants, and he added that so many of them had been apprehended that there was “nowhere left to hold all of the people that we’re capturing.”

Even if Congress fails to override the veto, the emergency declaration is already being challenged in court.

“Even members of President Trump’s own party are beginning to realize that he is a one-man constitutional crisis,” Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement.

“The president’s veto is as meaningless as his signature on the national emergency declaration,” he added. “Congress has rejected the president’s declaration, and now the courts will be the ultimate arbiter of its legality. We look forward to seeing him in court and to the shellacking that he will receive at the hands of an independent judiciary.”

HOW APC WON ZAMFARA ELECTIONS IN 24 HOURS – GOV. YARI

Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State has attributed the successes recorded by the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the February 23 and March 9 general elections in the state despite the party’s crisis to “divine intervention’’.

Mr Yari disclosed this when he fielded questions from State House correspondents in Abuja on Friday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the APC was allowed to field candidates for all the elections in the state only a week before the first day of elections (Feb. 23) when a Court of Appeal in Sokoto, Sokoto State, reversed an earlier decision of a lower court, which had banned the party from the elections.

The Zamfara State Collation Officer, Kabir Bala of the Ahmadu Bello (ABU) Zaria, had announced that the APC Presidential candidate, President Buhari, won the February 23 presidential election in the state with 438,682 votes while the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, scored 125,423 votes.

Mr Bala also disclosed that the APC had won the three senatorial seats and the seven seats in the House of Representatives from the state in the February 23 presidential and parliamentary elections.

He said the APC governorship candidate won the state governorship election with 534,541 to defeat Bello Muhammad Mutawalle of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who got 189,452 while the APC also won all the 24 seats in the Zamfara State House of Assembly.

Mr Yari, who spoke to State House correspondents in Abuja on Friday, said he was happy with the outcome of the elections, saying that it was God that gave this political victory to the APC in the state.

He said: “You know the turmoil that Zamfara elections put on Nigeria, disagreements upon disagreements, from the party to court and then to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) which disagreed.

”Then, we went back to court and finally under 24 hours, we were cleared and we were back on the ballot box.

“Only God has done this and given us the victory.

“I am very happy with the outcome of the elections. I also want to appreciate my people, despite the fact that some people felt I was carried away by the activities at the centre, insinuating I abandoned the seat, especially with the security problem, but the people are aware of what the administration has been doing and they appreciate it.

“Despite the daily attacks, the security agencies were up and doing and their presence in the state was well appreciated by the people.

“They also appreciated the efforts of Mr President which took us to where we are. Like I said only God could have done it.’’

The governor also disclosed that he had succeeded in reconciling all the aggrieved APC aspirants in the state.

He said his past experience as party chairman in the state, member, House of Representatives and governor for eight years had helped him to restore peace and tranquility within the governing APC in the state.

“In my state, there were only seven or eight people contesting for the governorship position and I have said it that if I could preside over primaries where 18 people contested and succeeded, why can’t I manage eight, nine or 10 in my state?

“I have been on ground since 1999 to date and I know the system and how it works. I have been party secretary, party chairman, House of Representative and a two-term Governor, is with this experience that I was able to manage.

“Unfortunately, there were a lot of misunderstanding between the party in the state and the national body but in the end we ended in the court and the court gave the verdict and INEC compiled.

“Though, it came late, if you are with the grassroots definitely everything must work well. The people appreciated what we have been doing and when it came to voting, they voted wisely,’’ he added.

MMr Yari, whose tenure as chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum would expire by May 29, expressed the hope that the forum would remain united and work in tandem with the federal government’s agenda.

(NAN)

RIVERS GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION 2019: GOV. WIKE CALLS FOR CALM, REAFFIRMS CONFIDENCE IN VICTORY

Wike

Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike in his first public statement since the governorship election saga in the state has called on Rivers people to remain calm, reaffirming his confidence on the victory of PDP in the polls.

Speaking on Friday when members of the National Assembly elected on the platform of the PDP presented their INEC Certificates of Return to him at a ceremony in Port Harcourt the governor said the success of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 9 Governorship Elections would be a sweet victory in the end.

He assured that the will of Rivers people will prevail at the end of the day despite the conspiracy against the people of the state saying; “I know that PDP won the elections squarely. We believe in peace, therefore Rivers people should remain calm. We believe in due process.  I believe that INEC is doing its best to follow the due process.

“In the end, it will be a sweet victory. The will of Rivers people will prevail”, he said.

The governor described the entire political standoff as a drama which will end saying that people of Rivers people voted overwhelmingly for the PDP in all elections, while the anti-democratic forces attempted to snatch results at the Collation Centres.

“Let me thank the people of Rivers State for the love they have shown for our great party.  It is not in doubt that Rivers people have shown our party love. What is happening is sad.  It is a drama.

“We have 13 House of Representatives seats and the PDP clinched all of them. We have three Senate seats,  one has been declared and PDP won. When the remaining two seats are declared,  PDP will win them. Eighty per cent of the seats declared,  PDP took all”, Wike claimed.

He went on; “You begin to wonder why any right-thinking person would say that PDP lost the governorship election. Not that they say PDP lost to a party without a known logo, or even if you have seen the candidate one day in your life or seen his posters to make people vote for the candidate. For us, it is a drama. PDP won the election squarely”.

He said that across the 4442 Polling Units of Rivers State, the people voted for the PDP in all the elections.

“Not when you hijack results at the Collation Centre.  When you hijack Form EC 8C, you forget that there is Form EC 8A. Any other party can win in any other state, but not in Rivers States.

“I dedicate this victory to God and the good people of Rivers State who stood firm and said that nobody can manipulate their mandate”, he said.

Governor Wike urged the elected National Assembly to always place the interest of Rivers State above other considerations as they represent the state.

He said all those who plotted the killings of Rivers people because of their desperation to clinch power will face the consequences of their actions.

Speaking on behalf of the elected National Assembly members, Senator-elect Barry Mpigi, the senator who will be replacing Magnus Abe as Senator representing the Rivers South-East Senatorial District said there is no need for anyone to panic as Governor Wike will be declared the winner in line with the votes cast on March 9.

He said Rivers people are with Governor Wike as shown by their votes in all the polling units adding that the people have shown that they love PDP and that the PDP has shown that it is the party on ground in Rivers State.

“We have looked around the 23 Local Government Areas and we have seen that the people of Rivers State voted for you. Don’t panic, the vindication will come at the appropriate time”, Mpigi said.

EXAM MALPRACTICE: WAEC DE-RECOGNISES 13 SCHOOLS, WARNS 56 OTHERS IN KOGI

The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) has de-recognised 13 secondary schools and warns 56 others in Kogi State for their involvement in examination malpractice during the 2018 West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).

Ademu Amos, WAEC Desk Officer, Kogi Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, disclosed this at a meeting with the principals, vice Principals and examination officers of the affected schools on Thursday in Lokoja.

Mr Amos said 13 secondary schools were de-recognised while 56 others were seriously warned by the council due to examination malpractice.

The de-recognised schools include: Jama’atu Nasril Islam Sec. Sch, Ankpa, Christ the King College, Govt. Girls Sec. Sch, Okaba, Ikah Comm. Sec. Sch, Ikah, Iyale Comm. Sec. Sch, Iyale, and Aitam Science Academy, Anyigba.

Others are: Al-Ansar Sec. Sch, Lokoja, Bright Future Int. Sec. Sch, Obangede, Okehi, Comm. Sec. Sch, Uboro, Okehi, Paramako Sec. Sch, Ogbogbo, Omabo Comm. Sec. Sch, Omabo, First Grade Success Academy, Okenya, and National Sec. Sch, Agala-Ate road, Anyigba.

Mr Amos noted that the state government was not happy about the development, describing it as a serious issue that could dampen the hope of a nation.

According to Mr Amos, the Examination Malpractices Act No. 33 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), offenders are liable to four years imprisonment and a fine of N100, 000 per student and N250, 000 per school.

Mr Amos explained that the major offences committed ranged from the use of mobile phones and sameness of work by copying one another in the examination.

Natty Bobai, WAEC Branch Controller in the state, said it had zero tolerance for examination malpractice and would do everything to curtail the menace.

He, however, commended the commissioner for tackling issues bordering on examination headlong and commended her resolve to stand with the council for what it stood for.

Mr Amos also urged the stakeholders to join hands with the council in stamping out the menace of examination malpractice in the nation’s education sector.

Rosemary Osikoya, the state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, reiterated the commitment of the state government to reduce examination malpractice to its barest minimum in the state.

Mrs Osikoya stressed the need for stiffer penalties as prescribed by law and other stringent measures to curb the menace in the state.

She noted that 47 secondary schools were de-recognised and 108 warned in 2017, while 13 schools were de-recognised and 56 warned in 2018.

She said the state government had been able to reduce the trend to 27. 6 per cent for de-recognition, 50.9 per cent warned, while 1.38 per cent were indicted.

She restated the commitment of the state government in restoring standard and quality education in schools across the state.

She, however, urged all the school operators, both private and public, to visit the ministry’s website and update their school profiles and records not later than March 31.

“All the de-recognised schools will not be used as examinations centres in 2019, and their names will be sent to the police for prosecution according to the existing law.

“We have strengthened the policy structure in education in the state and emphasised the importance of record keeping in schools,” Mrs Osikoya said.

Ajole Goswins, the State President of All Nigeria Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), who spoke on behalf of the principals, expressed disappointment over the re-appearance of some schools on examination malpractice list.

”The state government is doing its best and we must complement its efforts. We cannot allow this to continue, we must improve on ourselves,’’ he said.

He, therefore, appealed to the state government to checkmate the proliferation of substandard private schools in the state.

(NAN)

KADUNA ELECTION 2019: PDP WINS ADDITIONAL ASSEMBLY SEATS

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has gained two additional seats in the just-concluded House of Assembly election in Kaduna State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the PDP, which had only seven members in the assembly after the 2015 election, now has a total of nine members.

The elected PDP members would represent Kaura, Jema’a, Jaba, Sanga, Kajuru, Chikun, Kachia, Zangon Kataf and Zonkwa constituencies.

NAN reports that 17 of the assembly members have retained their seats while 16 are fresh members.

According to details released by INEC on the election, the All Progressives Congress (APC), however, retained its hold on the assembly with 24 members, down from the 27 it has in the 8th Assembly.

INEC will hold by-election in Kagarko constituency on March 23, 2019 for the state constituency seat.

Members of the APC for the 9th Assembly will be representing Sabon Gari, Basawa, Zaria Kewaye, Zaria City, Makarfi, Soba, Maigana, Ikara, Kakangi, Magajin Gari, Igabi East, Igabi west, Kauru, Makera, Tudun Wada, Unguwan Sunusi, Kubau, Doka/Gabasawa, Kudan, Lere West, Lere East, Giwa West and Giwa East constituencies.

NAN reports that the 16 fresh members include Yusuf Mugu (Kaura); Suleiman Dabo (Zaria City), Aminu Ahmed (Makarfi), Bala Tagagi (Kakangi), Monday Dikko (Jaba), Mrs Comfort Amwe (Sanga), Ishaku Chawaza (Chikun), Salisu Bala (Igabi East)

Also among the incoming fresh lawmakers are, Tanimu Musa (Kachia), Ali Kalat (Jema’a), Shehu Inusa (Kubau), Faisal Abbas (Kudan), Kantiok Bako (Zonkwa), Rilwanu Gadagau (Giwa West), and Yusuf Ibrahim Labo (Giwa East).

- (NAN)

NIGERIA’S INFLATION DECREASES TO 11.31% IN FEBRUARY - NBS

The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation, further decreased to 11.31 per cent (year-on-year) in February compared to 11.37 per cent in January, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Increases were recorded in all COICOP divisions that yielded the Headline index.

On a month-on-month basis, the Headline index increased by 0.73 percent in February 2019, this is 0.01 percent rate lower than the rate recorded in January 2019 (0.74) percent.

The percentage change in the average composite CPI for the twelve months period ending February 2019 over the average of the CPI for the previous twelve months period was 11.56 percent, showing 0.24 percent point from 11.80 percent recorded in January 2019.

The urban inflation rate increased by 11.59 percent (year-on-year) in February 2019 from 11.66 percent recorded in January 2019, while the rural inflation rate increased by 11.05 percent in February 2019 from 11.11 percent in January 2019.

On a month-on-month basis, the urban index rose by 0.76 percent in February 2019, down by 0.01 from 0.77 percent recorded in January 2019, while the rural index also rose by 0.71 percent in February 2019, same rate as was recorded in January 2019 (0.71) percent.

The corresponding twelve-month year-on-year average percentage change for the urban index is 11.95 percent in February 2019. This is less than 12.20 percent reported in January 2019, while the corresponding rural inflation rate in February 2019 is 11.23 percent compared to 11.46 percent recorded in January 2019.

Food Index:

The composite food index rose by 13.47 percent in February 2019 compared to 13.51 percent in January 2019.

This rise in the food index was caused by increases in prices of Fish, Bread and cereals, Potatoes, yam and other tubers, Meat, Vegetables, Oils and fats and Fruits

On a month-on-month basis, the food sub-index increased by 0.82 percent in February 2019, down by 0.01 percent points from 0.83 percent recorded in January 2019.

The average annual rate of change of the Food sub-index for the twelve-month period ending February 2019 over the previous twelve-month average was 13.62 percent, 0.31 percent points from the average annual rate of change recorded in January 2019 (13.93) percent.

All Items Less Farm Produce:

The ‘’All items less farm produce’’ or Core inflation, which excludes the prices of volatile agricultural produce stood at 9.8 percent in February 2019, down by 0.1 percent when compared with 9.9 percent recorded in January 2019.

On a month-on-month basis, the core sub-index increased by 0.65 percent in February 2019. This was down by 0.16 percent when compared with 0.81 percent recorded in January 2019.

The highest increases were recorded in prices of Tobacco, repair and hire of footwear, Major household appliances, Domestic services and household services, Dental services, Medical and hospital services, Cleaning, repair and hire of clothing.

The average 12-month annual rate of change of the index was 10.19 percent for the twelve-month period ending February 2019; this is 0.15 percent points lower than 10.34 percent recorded in January 2019. 

State Profiles:

In analysing price movements under this section, note that the CPI is weighted by consumption expenditure patterns which differ across states. Accordingly, the weight assigned to a particular food or non-food item may differ from state to state making interstate comparisons of consumption basket inadvisable and potentially misleading.

All Items Inflation:

In February 2019, all items inflation on year on year basis was highest in Kebbi (13.78%),Taraba (13.57%) and Kaduna (13.54%), while Cross River (9.81%) Delta (9.60%) and Kwara (9.36%) recorded the slowest rise in headline Year on Year inflation.

On month on month basis however, February 2019 all items inflation was highest in Taraba (1.87%), Ogun (1.83%), and Imo (1.62%), while Jigawa recorded the slowest rise (0.13%), with Delta and Kogi recording negative inflation or price deflation (general decrease in the general price level of goods and services or a negative inflation rate) in February 2019.

Food Inflation:

In February 2019, food inflation on a year on year basis was highest in Nasarawa (16.78%), Taraba (16.76%) and Abuja (16.29%), while Kogi (11.68%), Delta (11.51%) and Abia (10.81%) recorded the slowest rise in food inflation.

On month on month basis however, February 2019 food inflation was highest in Taraba (2.95%), Ogun (2.73%) and Nasarawa (2.42%), while Benue, Delta, Kogi and Ondo all recorded food price deflation or negative inflation (general decrease in the general price level of goods and services or a negative inflation rate) in February 2019.