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LG Autonomy: Political parties demand scrap of State Electoral Commissions
By Francesca Hangeior.
The Inter Party Advisory Council IPAC, a platform for all Nigeria’s registered political parties, has called for the scrap of the States Independent National Electoral Commission SIECs in the wake of the recent decision of the Supreme Court affirming financial autonomy for local government councils.
“To further deepen democracy at the grassroots level, IPAC demands the immediate scrapping of the States Independent Electoral Commissions SIECs. The charade called elections they conduct is an aberration, dent and mockery of our emerging democracy; a waste of tax payers’ money that ought to have been channeled to developmental projects”, said IPAC chairman, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle.
The demand came as the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC described as worrisome, the recent killing of a policeman in Edo state ahead of the September 21 Governorship Election.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this on Tuesday at the 2024 third regular consultative meeting with political parties in Abuja.
He said; “Campaign by political parties and candidates is in full swing in both Edo and Ondo States. This is the time for party leaders to demonstrate compliance with the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties 2022, especially the aspect dealing with rallies, processions and campaigns already available on our website. As a reminder, however, hard copies of the document have been included in your folders for this meeting.
“The campaign period has often been characterised by acrimony and tension. Sadly, it is also a period of verbal abuse and physical confrontation among parties, candidates and their supporters. The Commission finds the recent event in Edo State resulting in the death of a security personnel worrisome. Happily, there has been no incident known to the Commission since then. Nevertheless, the Commission will meet with the security agencies under the auspices of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES). I want to assure you that security in Edo and Ondo will be a major issue for discussion at the meeting. We are as concerned about the safety of your candidates, agents and supporters as we are about the security of our own officials, observers, journalists, service providers and, above all, the voters”.
He said 53 days to the Edo State Governorship election, the commission has recovered from the torrential rainfall that resulted in the severe flooding of the INEC State Headquarters in Benin City two months ago.
According to him, the damage to the physical infrastructure has been fixed, while vehicles have been repaired.
He said other movable and immovable facilities have been serviced, refurbished or are being gradually replaced.
“We have delivered additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines to Edo State for the training of election duty personnel as well as contingency for Election Day support. We have since published the final list of candidates but we are once again sharing the list with party leaders at this meeting in view of the recent Court Order mandating the Commission to replace the running mate of the candidate of the Labour Party. The amended list is already published on our website.
“Following the conclusion of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), the display of the register for claims and objections by citizens, and further data clean-up using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), the final register for the 2024 Governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States are being finalised. Before the end of this week, the Commission will publish the final figures of new voters in the two States as well as their distribution by gender, age, occupation and disability. Thereafter, the timetable for the collection of uncollected Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) from previous registration and new registrants from the latest CVR will be published”, he added.
Yakubu disclosed that as of Sunday 28th July 2024, 14 political parties had uploaded the details of 38,354 polling agents and 819 collation agents for the Edo State Governorship election.
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PHOTOS Of Prisoners Who Escaped Borno Prison And Those Recaptured
By Mario Deepromoter
Nigerian Correctional Service on Sunday disclosed that about 281 inmates escaped from Maiduguri Medium Security Custodial Centre following severe flooding in the capital city.
NCoS spokesperson, Umar Abubakar, said the agency had alerted the Nigerian Immigration Service, and Nigeria Police Force among other security agencies to help recapture the fleeing inmates.
“Every security agency in the country has been notified and they are on alert to help track down the fleeing inmates wherever they may be. With their help, we will capture them and return them to our custodial centre,” Umar said.
In a statement on Sunday, he said of the 281 fleeing inmates, seven had already been recaptured and returned to the facility.
“The Nigerian Correctional Service has observed the flooding currently being experienced in Maiduguri, Borno State, and its environment.
The unfortunate incident has left scars, bringing down the walls of the correctional facilities, including the Medium Security Custodial Centre in Maiduguri as well as the staff quarters in the city.
“Upon the evacuation of inmates by officers of the service, with support from sister security agencies to a safe and secure facility, 281 inmates were observed to be missing.
Presently, a total of seven inmates have been recaptured and returned to custody, while efforts are on the ground to track down the rest and bring them back to safe custody,” the statement read in part.
Abubakar further stated that details of the fleeing inmates had been made available to the public while noting that efforts were underway to track them.
“However, it is important to note that the service is in the custody of their details, including their biometrics, which are being made available to the public. The service is working in synergy with other security agencies as both covert and overt deployments have been activated to locate them. While this effort is ongoing, the public is assured that the incident does not impede or affect public safety,” the statement added.
Recall that the flood affected many parts of Maiduguri, leading to the displacement of over 300,000 residents and the deaths of over 30 people, including children.
Meanwhile, Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, on Saturday said he was “seriously worried” that jailed Boko Haram terrorists might have escaped from the prison facility.
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SEE new price of petrol across all 36 states
By Mario Deepromoter
Despite the counter accusations by both Dangote Refinery and NNPCL over prices, the price list of petrol has emerged online.
According to reports, this is because NNPCL bought petrol at a higher price from Dangote Refinery on Sunday.
NNPCL also mentioned that Dangote Refinery sold the petrol in US Dollars, not naira, against the federal government’s directive.
However, Dangote Refinery will sell its petrol in naira starting in October.
According to a breakdown from NNPCL, Dangote Refinery sold petrol to NNPCL at N898.78 per litre.
NNPCL paid Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) fee of N8.99, inspection fee of N0.97, a distribution cost in Lagos of N15, margin N26.48.
NNPCL’s statement added that the estimated pump price in:
Lagos will be N950.22
Sokoto State N999.22
Kano State N999.22
Borno State N1,019.22
Kaduna N999.22
FCT N992.22
Oyo State N960.22
Lagos State N950.22
Rivers State N980.00
Imo State N980.22
An analysis of the chart showed that except from Lagos State, other states of the federation will be paying higher because of distribution costs.
The distance from Dangote Refinery and NNPCL‘s depot in Lagos State to other states of the country majorly would determine the price differences.
The report also showed that the six geo-political zones would be paying differently.
The North East states would be paying the highest per liter from N1,019.22, followed by North West states from N999.22, followed by North Central states from N992.22, followed by South East states from N980.22, South South states from N980.22 and South West states paying the least from N960.22, except Lagos State paying from N950.22.
At the time of filing this report, the presidency is yet to speak on the latest development.
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Rivers 2027: Ogoni powerful men snub Fubara, throw weight behind Wike
By Mario Deepromoter
Political heavyweights from the Ogoni and Oyigbo zones have formally withdrawn their support for Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The leaders have dumped Fubara and lace their boots with the action packed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.
The leaders gathered on Saturday in Nonwa, Tai Local Government Area, at an event tagged “Ogoni, Oyigbo People’s Assembly.”
The assembly, which focused on fostering unity between the two ethnic zones, was heavily attended by politicians loyal to Wike, who remains locked in a bitter political feud with Fubara, his estranged protégé.
Prominent personalities, including Senators Barinada Mpigi and Magnus Abe, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, and Chief Victor Giadom, attended the meeting.
The group emphasized that after years of marginalization, it was time for Ogoni and Oyigbo to produce the next governor of Rivers State.
Speaking on behalf of the assembly, Senator Mpigi declared, “The Ogoni and Oyigbo Peoples Assembly, a multi-political convergence of five Local Government Areas within the Rivers South-East Senatorial District, met today to reaffirm their support for the President Bola Tinubu-led administration and pledged total loyalty to the former Governor of Rivers State and current Minister of FCT, Chief Nyesom Wike.
“We also reiterate the obvious fact that the senatorial district’s upland is due for a governor and should produce the next governor of Rivers State come 2027.”
Tensions between Wike and Governor Fubara have been mounting, with Wike publicly withdrawing his support for his former ally.
Wike, who was instrumental in Fubara’s rise to power, has accused the governor of straying from their shared vision for the state.
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