News
Governorship Primary: Tough Battles In Oyo, Sokoto, Rivers’ APC As 44,045 Delegates Elect Candidates
No fewer than 44,045 delegates will on May 26 elect candidates in 28 states where governorship elections will take place next year.
The states, where the primaries will hold include Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Delta, Cross River, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Kwara, Benue, Plateau, Niger, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states.
However, findings by our correspondents showed that there would be stiff contests in Kano, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Niger and Benue where there were struggles for the control of the party’s structures.
On Wednesday, the ruling party, which earlier scheduled its governorship primary for Friday, shifted it to May 26.
Already ahead of the primary, there was violence in some chapters of the party on Wednesday over the election of delegates for the governorship primary.
In the guidelines contained in the governorship nomination form, the party mandates aspirants and their supporters “to accept the outcome of the primary and support whoever emerges as the APC candidate.”
The Chairman of the Kebbi State screening committee, Osita Okechukwu, in Abuja disclosed that 44,045 new delegates would elect the APC governorship candidates.
According to him, five delegates will be elected per ward in all of the 8,809 wards in the country for the governorship primary while three new delegates will emerge from each of the 774 local governments for the presidency.
He added, “Those five delegates per ward will go to the state and elect the governorship candidate. We are going to elect three delegates from each of the 774 local governments who will then elect the Presidential candidate.
In Rivers State, the crisis between a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and a former federal lawmaker, Senator Magnus Abe, heightened the tension in the party ahead of the primary.
Amaechi, Abe factions disagree over congress
Abe is contesting the APC governorship ticket with the Amaechi-backed aspirants, Tonye Cole and Ojukaye Amakiri.
Speaking on the governorship primary, the spokesman for the APC faction backed by Amaechi, Dr Chris Finebone, told The PUNCH that the group was ready for the shadow election.
“Yes, we are very ready for the governorship primary. You know we have concluded the congress. So, we are ready,” he stated.
But a former Chief of Staff of Rivers State Government House and ally of Magnus Abe, Chief Tony Okocha, said no congress was held on Wednesday.
He said ordinarily the delegates that would have emerged in the ward congresses on Wednesday and Thursday were the ones that should have voted in the governorship primary.
“So, you can’t build something on nothing. As far as we are concerned today, no congress was held. And we are contesting that to the high heavens,” Okocha stated.
Amaechi, Abe supremacy battle results in gunshot, chaos
Earlier on Wednesday, heavily armed policemen dispersed the APC members loyal to Abe, who were protesting the alleged hijacking of the state House of Assembly aspirants’ screening and delegates election by Amaechi.
The Abe supporters, who gathered at the state party secretariat along Woji Road, GRA, Port Harcourt, alleged that the national committee members designated to conduct the screening were lodged in a hotel in the metropolis at the instance of Amaechi.
The situation worsened as they marched to the secretariat bearing placards with inscriptions such as, ‘APC Rivers where are our forms’, ‘2019 will repeat itself in Rivers again’ and ‘APC Rivers, no lesson learnt’, among others.
They accused the leadership of the party of hijacking materials for the ward congresses held on Wednesday.
As the protest festered, heavily armed policemen drafted to the secretariat started shooting sporadically into the air to disperse the protesters.
Several security patrol vehicles and an armoured personnel carrier arrived afterwards shooting live bullets and tear gas canisters leading to a pandemonium.
Hundreds of the pro-Abe loyalists including aspirants took to their heels alongside journalists who had arrived there to cover the event.
About 30 minutes later, members of the screening committee arrived at the venue and drove into the state party secretariat with heavy security protection.
The gate of the secretariat was shut and over 100 fierce-looking armed policemen alighted from various vans and blocked both ends leading to the party secretariat.
One of the aspirants for Khana Constituency II, Rivers State House of Assembly, Moses Salvation, alleged that he caught members of the national screening committee talking with an aspirant loyal to the former minister.
But the Publicity Secretary of the APC loyal to Amaechi, Finebone, said the mission of youths who protested at the secretariat was unknown.
He stated, “We hope to find out the purpose of the gathering at the state secretariat gate, as soon as we are able to identify the leader of the mob if any.”
An Abe loyalist, Okocha, said he was a victim of the violence by the security agents.
Okocha said,” I am equally a victim of the brute force procured by Amaechi and his likes. I feel for you all, but especially thank God that no injuries were sustained.”
In Sokoto State, a governorship aspirant, Balarabe Salame, who alleged rigging of delegates’ election was almost lynched at the venue of a meeting the screening committee held with stakeholders at the party secretariat.
There are two factions of the APC in the state: one headed by a former Governor of the state, Aliyu Wamakko and the other led by Senator Abubakar Gada.
No fewer than seven chieftains of the party including its governorship candidate in the 2019 general election, Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, have joined the race.
Others include the former Minister of Transportation, Yusuf Suleiman; a member of the House of Representatives, Salame; incumbent Senator representing Sokoto East senatorial district, Abdullahi Gobir; Ambassador Faruk Malami Yabo and Alhaji Abdullahi Abubakar Gumbi.
One of the aspirants, Salame, was ferried out of the meeting with the delegates after a mob attempted to attack him.
The aspirants had alleged that delegates for the primary had emerged before elections.
Salame alleged that three local government areas had already elected their delegates long before their (committees) inauguration.
“I was reliably told that delegates from Gada, Illela and Gwadabawa had already emerged. I came with somebody who can testify to that,” he alleged.
Salame, who belongs to a faction opposed to Wamako, made the allegation shortly after the chairman of the committee and former deputy governor of Borno State, Alhaji Abubakar Ali Jatau, spoke.
But the chairman of the panel clarified that the election materials only arrived on Wednesday “So there would not be any election without these essential materials,” he said
As Salame was about to leave the venue of the meeting, some boys attempted to mob him, but he was rescued by security agents.
Efforts to speak with the chairman of the party in the state, Isa Sadiq Acida, to react to Salame’s allegations were not successful as he couldn’t respond to his calls as of the time of sending this report. Acida is backed by Wamako.
But a member of the party, who spoke on condition of anonymity, dismissed all the allegations.
He said the executive members of the party only kept quiet at the meeting simply because of the need to maintain peace.
He, however, assured that the candidate of the party would emerge through popularity and not by selection or intimidation by anyone.
Although the Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, has already anointed his deputy, Dr Nasiru Gawuna, as his successor, other aspirants are contesting the primary.
They include the Senator representing Kano North, Barau Jibrin; Inuwa Waya, who recently resigned from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation as Group General Manager in charge of shipping and a House of Representatives member, Ibrahim Sharada
Abdullahi Mohammed, one of the supporters of Gawuna, in an interview with The PUNCH expressed optimism that with his endorsement by the governor, Gawuna would win the primary.
But a supporter of Jibrin, Tela manaja, said the senator would clinch the governorship ticket in view of his popularity.
No fewer than 12 aspirants have been cleared to contest the primary in Benue State. They include Rev Father Hyacinth Alia, a Catholic priest and don; Professor Terhemba Shija as well as a former Chief of Staff to Governor Samuel Ortom, Terwase Orbunde, who recently defected from Peoples Democratic Party to the APC.
A media aide to Alia, Donald Kumun, in a chat with The PUNCH, said, “He is someone who has made his mark in the state and has no stain, unlike those who have worked in government before and people look them with disdain.
“The advantage the APC has in having Fr Alia as a candidate is that people of the state need someone who can change the narrative and bring sanity, trust and accountability into governance.”
However, a media handler of Orbunde who did not want to be named, debunked the insinuation that Ortom’s former aide was a mole in the APC.
“Orbunde’s chances are as bright as anyone else. He is not like rocket science but someone you cannot wave aside. He has a support base in the PDP which he may use alongside what he meets in the APC to sweep the carpet from the PDP.”
Aspirants including the party’s governorship candidate in 2019, Chief Adebayo Adelabu; and the Senator representing Oyo Central, Teslim Folarin; a former Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Prof Adeolu Akande; Dr Azeez Adeduntan and Hakeem Alao are contesting the primary in Oyo State.
In Niger State, although there are about 10 candidates, the tough battle will involve a newspaper publisher, Idris Malagi and a member of the House of Representatives, Umar Bago
APC denies zoning Presidency, approves revised timetable for NASS, governorship primaries
Meanwhile, the APC has said the National Working Committee never made a decision on zoning.
This is even as the party adjusted the timetable schedule of activities for the House of Assembly, National Assembly, governorship primaries and appeals by aggrieved aspirants.
This was disclosed by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, on Wednesday at the APC Secretariat in Abuja.
The development came three days after the party officially denied speculations making the rounds that it was planning to revise the timetable of the primaries.
According to him, “There’s no such decision (zoning) made by the National Working Committee.”
Morka’s statement connotes what many political observers have earlier feared – the party’s presidential ticket may return to the North
Continuing, Morka disclosed that the APC had approved a revised timetable schedule of activities for the House of Assembly, National Assembly, governorship primaries and appeals that arise from the exercise.
“Our governorship and House of Representatives primaries will now take place on Thursday, May 26, 2022. The Senate and House of Assembly primaries will now take place on Friday, May 27, 2022.
“The election appeals for governorship and the House of Representatives will now take place on Friday, May 27, 2022,” he said.
The publicity secretary stated that while the appeals for the Senate and House of Assembly primaries would take place on Saturday, May 28, the special convention and presidential primary will take place between the May 29 and 30.
On the mode of election, Morka said that they would be contained in the guidelines that would soon be issued.
The chairman, however, declined to comment further on when Nigerians should expect the zoning arrangement from the party.
As tension continues to mount over the APC primaries, many aspirants are beginning to fancy their chances at the upcoming convention.
The party had failed to announce the results of last weekend’s screening of governorship, senatorial and House of Representatives aspirants on Monday as expected.
Despite waiting till late in the night, journalists left the APC secretariat disappointed.
However, our correspondent gathered that the APC had cleared 145 governorship aspirants for the Friday primaries.
Also, of the 351 aspirants who purchased senatorial nomination forms, 340 got a clean bill of health.
In the same vein, a senatorial aspirant from one of the South-West states, who picked the nomination form, failed to appear before any of the three screening panels at the weekend.
PUNCH
News
Naira Abuse: Cubana Chief Priest Arrives Court For Arraignment, Pleads Not Guilty
Nightlife entrepreneur, Okechukwu Paschal, also known as Cubana Chief Priest, has arrived the Federal High Court in Lagos for his trial.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had accused Cubana Chiest Priest of naira abuse.
He was driven to the court around 8:45 am on Wednesday by EFCC operatives with armed police escorts.
On Tuesday, EFCC filed a three-count charge against the social media celebrity.
A copy of the document filed on April 4th by EFFC’s prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN alongside seven other lawyers representing the chairman of the Commission read:
“That you, Okechukwu Pascal on 13th Feb. 2024, at Eko Hotel, within the jurisdiction of the court, while dancing during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same for two hours, and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.”
“That you Okechukwu Pascal sometime in 2020, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same for two hours, and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.”
“That you Okechukwu Pascal sometime in January 2024, in Lagos during a social event, tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 (Five Hundred Naira) issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria by spraying same and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act 2007.”
Meanwhile, the Cubana Chief Priest, has pleaded not guilty to tampering and abusing the naira during his trial at the Federal High Court, Lagos.
He was arraigned before Justice Kehinde Ogundare of the Federal High Court in Lagos on three counts bordering on abuse of naira by allegedly spraying and tampering with the nation’s currency at a social event, contrary to the provisions of the Central Bank Act of 2007.
He was alleged to have sprayed the naira on February 13, 2024, at Eko Hotel.
Cubana Chief Priest was said to have also committed the offences while dancing during a social event.
He was said to have tampered with funds in the denomination of N500 notes issued by the CBN by spraying the same for two hours.
Details later…
News
Black Market Dollar (USD) To Naira (NGN) Exchange Rate Today 17th April 2024
What is the Dollar to Naira Exchange rate at the black market also known as the parallel market (Aboki fx)?
See the black market Dollar to Naira exchange rate for 16th April, below. You can swap your dollar for Naira at these rates.
How much is a dollar to naira today in the black market?
Dollar to naira exchange rate today black market (Aboki dollar rate):
The exchange rate for a dollar to naira at Lagos Parallel Market (Black Market) players buy a dollar for N1050 and sell at N1100 on Tuesday 16th April 2024, according to sources at Bureau De Change (BDC).
Please note that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) does not recognize the parallel market (black market), as it has directed individuals who want to engage in Forex to approach their respective banks.
Dollar to Naira Black Market Rate Today
Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN) Black Market Exchange Rate Today
Buying Rate N1050
Selling Rate N1100
Dollar to Naira CBN Rate Today
Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN) CBN Rate Today
Buying Rate N1160
Selling Rate N1161
Please note that the rates you buy or sell forex may be different from what is captured in this article because prices vary.
News
Dangote Crashes Diesel Price To ₦1,000 Per Litre
In an unprecedented move, Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a further reduction of the price of diesel from N1200 to 1,000 Naira per litre.
While rolling out the products, the refinery supplied at a substantially reduced price of N1,200 per litre three weeks ago, representing over 30 per cent reduction from the previous market price of about N1,600 per litre.
The refinery stated that “this significant reduction in the price of diesel, at Dangote Petroleum Refinery, is expected to positively affect all the spheres of the economy and ultimately reduce the high inflation rate in the country.”
Recall that Tribune Online, in an exclusive report on Thursday, revealed that indigenous ship owners were not part of the number of vessels that have lined up at the Dangote Refinery to load diesel and aviation fuel.
Speaking exclusively with the Tribune Online, President of SOAN, Mr Sunny Eja, said, “My members are not involved in the product lifting currently taking place at the Dangote Refinery. We are still engaging with various stakeholders to see how we can participate.
However, the Executive Director of the Dangote Group, Devakumar Edwin, earlier in an interview with newsmen, was quoted to have said “We have substantial quantities. Products are being evacuated both by sea and road. Ships are lining up one after another to load diesel and aviation jet fuel. Ships load a minimum of 26 million litres, though we try to push for 37 million litres vessels, for ease of operations.”
-
News2 days ago
Ibadan Attack: Police Launch Manhunt For Dupe Onitiri-Abiola
-
Entertainment23 hours ago
Cubana Chiefpriest Breaks Silence Following EFCC Impending Arrest
-
News15 hours ago
Black Market Dollar (USD) To Naira (NGN) Exchange Rate Today 17th April 2024
-
Business2 days ago
Fidelity Bank Grows Profit By 131.5% In FY 2023
-
Politics16 hours ago
Yoruba Nation Agitators Pretenders, Against South-West Interest – Omitola
-
News14 hours ago
Naira Abuse: Cubana Chief Priest Arrives Court For Arraignment, Pleads Not Guilty
-
News16 hours ago
Dangote Crashes Diesel Price To ₦1,000 Per Litre
-
Entertainment21 hours ago
EFCC To Arraign Cubana Chief Priest For Abuse Of Naira