Politics

APC kicks as Edo accuses Shaibu of impersonating dep gov

Published

3 months ago

August 13, 2024

Admin

The Edo State government, on Monday, accused Philip Shaibu of illegally parading himself as the deputy governor of the state by allegedly sending official correspondences.

The state governor said since the judgment reinstating Shaibu as deputy governor, was still being challenged in court, his alleged actions were illegal.

But in a swift reaction, the opposition All Progressives Congress in Edo State, which is Shaibu’s current party, defended him, rubbishing the claim by the state government.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on July 17 reinstated Shaibu as the deputy governor of Edo State, three months after the Edo House of Assembly impeached him.

The judge, James Omotosho, declared that Shaibu’s impeachment by the state Assembly was illegal

Omotosho ordered the inspector general of police to restore Mr Shaibu’s security details. He directed that his salaries and allowances be paid since April, when he was removed from office.

The Edo Assembly has appealed the judgment and filed a stay of its execution pending the determination of the appeal.

However, Shaibu, in an interview after his reinstatement, said the judgment that reinstated him was declarative and had to be carried out before an appeal could be entertained in the case.

In a press statement on Monday, the state’s Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare said, “It has come to the attention of the Edo State Government that the former Deputy Governor, Comr. Philip Shaibu, has been carrying out correspondence with different institutions and organisations both within and outside the State in a clear case of impersonation.

“In the interest of the safety of these organisations, we want to restate that Shaibu is not the Deputy Governor of Edo State and every correspondence from him in that regard should be disregarded and considered a forgery.

“The issue of his purported reinstatement is still active in court and the next hearing for the two separate motions filed by the State Government and the Edo House of Assembly challenging the purported reinstatement by Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court is fixed for 24 September, 2024.

“The State through the Attorney General of Edo State and the Edo House of Assembly by their lawyers, Oluwole Iyamu, SAN, and Ken Mozia, SAN, respectively, had in the motions sought an order for a stay of the execution of the purported reinstatement and an order suspending the judgment and restraining Shaibu from parading himself or attending any official function as deputy governor pending the hearing and determination of the appeal.

“Therefore, the status quo is that His Excellency, Omobayo Marvelous Godwins, remains the deputy governor of Edo State and any correspondence carried out by any other person, including Philip Shaibu is an act of impersonation, and anyone who deals with him does so at his or her own risk.

“Security agencies are, by this notice, alerted to the potential breach of peace and are urged to hold Philip Shaibu responsible for any security breach in the state arising from his ignoble actions,” the statement added.

Efforts to get Shaibu’s reactions were unsuccessful as he did not pick up the calls placed to his mobile line by our correspondent.

Defending Shaibu, however, the Publicity Secretary of the Edo APC, Peter Uwadiae, said, “It is the court that reinstated Shaibu. Every other thing they are saying doesn’t hold water. Marvellous Omobayo is the one who is impersonating.

“The court verdict on the issue is very clear. The court reinstated the man and said there was no vacuum. It also said that all that he is entitled to from the first day the illegal impeachment took place should be paid and he should be allowed back to office.

“They can also not be talking about impersonation as the court has not overturned the judgment. It is still subsisting as of today. That you filed a notice of appeal or a stay of execution of judgment does not, in any way, stop the decision of the court from subsisting. Until that decision of the court is overturned by a higher court, Shaibu remains the deputy governor.”

Education

BREAKING! END of road for Fubara as FG halts allocation

Published

2 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Naijablitznews

The Federal government has confirmed that it has stopped the October monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC revenue payment to Rivers State amid the ongoing crisis in the oil rich state.

The Spokesperson of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Bawa Mokwa, disclosed this exclusively to an online newspaper on Friday.

This comes as the Nigerian Government on Wednesday announced the approval for the disbursement of N1.1411 trillion as the October 2024 Federation Accounts Allocation Revenue to Federal, State, and local government councils.

However, a report emerged that FAAC revenue in October was not disbursed to Rivers State following a court stopping the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian government from carrying out such action.

Reacting to the development, Mokwa said the OAGF as a government agency will respect the court order.

Meanwhile, he stated that the October monthly FAAC revenue has not been disbursed to respective states as of filing the report.

“What I got is that the October 2024 FAAC has not been distributed yet. However, the Federal Government will obey the court order on the matter of Rivers State allocation.

“We are going to follow due diligence as long as there is no contrary order. In case there is a contrary, the status will remain,” he revealed.

He added, “The process of disbursement of the October 2024 monthly allocation is going.”.

Recall that on October 30, this year, Justice Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court barred CBN and the Nigerian government from disbursing monthly allocations to the Rivers State government.

This comes after an originating summons filed by the factional Rivers State Assembly, led by Martin Amaewhule.

The Amaewhule case was based on the grounds that the Rivers State Executive, under the leadership of Simi Fubara, was yet to comply with the order of a Federal High Court directing it to re-present the 2024 appropriation bill to the Amaewhule-led faction of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

In the past month, the Amaewhule faction, backed by Wike, former Governor of Rivers State, had been in a political battle with Fubara.

Recall that upon the emergence of Fubara as governor, he fell apart with his predecessor, Wike, which had led to a month-long crisis in the oil-rich state.

Daily Post

Education

No feud between Akpabio, Bamidele

Published

7 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Naijablitznews

Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele has denied ever having any altercation with the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

This was contained in a statement issued by his media office noting that:

“Our attention has been drawn to fake news currently being circulated on the X handle of one Jackson Ude, a known serial blackmailer and cash-and-carry journalist.

“The post is about an alleged altercation and physical fight between Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele and President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio on Wednesday.

“For the record, it is a verifiable fact that Senator Bamidele has never been involved in physical assault in over two decades of his political trajectory, not even when he was a young man leading the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) as President.

“It is surprising that the purveyor of this misleading information in his selfish agenda and unprofessional conduct threw ethos of Journalism into waste bin and decided to feast on roadside gists to tarnish the image of the Senate Leader.

“We are aware that the fake news is meant to cause disaffection within the Senate and by extension; heating up the political system.

“To think that the Senate Leader, President of the Senate and other principal officers of the Senate together received the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. YU Dunhai and his delegation few minutes after leaving the plenary on Wednesday is a significant testimony against Ude’s imagination.

“Further to this, photographs of the Chinese envoys with the leadership of the Senate were widely published in today’s major national newspapers. It is equally verifiable that the Senate Leader and the Senate President both drove out of the National Assembly premises in the same vehicle yesterday.

“This time again, the Senate Leader is sounding a note of warning to all attention seekers in the ilk of Ude to be careful and not take the Leader’s gentlemanliness for granted.

“Henceforth, the Leader will be forced to use the instrumentality of the law to protect himself and his office as enshrined in the CyberCrime Act 2015.

” We, therefore, urge the public to disregard this misinformation and treat it with the disrespect it entirely deserves.

Politics

Obi Urges Nigerian Graduates to Seek Opportunities Overseas if Needed, Vows to Fix Nigeria for Their Return

Published

1 week ago

November 12, 2024

Naijablitznews

Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in Nigeria’s 2023 election, has encouraged Nigerian students to seek better opportunities abroad if local conditions don’t meet their needs.

Obi shared this advice during his visit to Anambra State, where he made donations to Peter University in Achina/Onneh and the College of Nursing Sciences in Adazi-Nnukwu. Addressing nursing students, he reaffirmed his commitment to supporting institutions that nurture skills, professionalism, and character.

Obi advised students that, if career opportunities are limited locally, they should feel free to explore options abroad.

“If things aren’t working here, go where they will work for you,” he said, expressing optimism that, with efforts to improve the country, Nigerians working abroad would eventually return.

Speaking at Peter University, Obi urged students to dedicate themselves to their studies, highlighting education as a transformative force essential for national development.

Emphasizing that investment in education is an investment in the future, he encouraged them to aim for excellence, assuring that a stronger Nigeria would await them.