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News_Naija
Woman Set Her Husband Ablaze After She Discovered He Had Another Child Outside
~0.8 mins read
Friends of a Cairo-based businessman, simply identified as Teebam, are currently seeking for justice after his wife, Ife, b#rnt him alive.

According to multiple sources, it was gathered that the unfortunate incident happened on Monday, July 18. “Teebam returned from Cairo to surprise his wife on her birthday. She discovered that he had che@ted on her and even had a child outside their union. She confronted him with the information and an argument ensued.

Ife proceeded to incinerate Teebam’s phones before setting him abl@ze in their house in Osogbo, Osun state. He was rushed to the hospital where he later d#ed on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Ife is nowhere to be found as she had left a cryptic post on her WhatsApp status that read, ‘I’ve always been a calm girl and I have never done this in my life but Teebam has pushed me to the edge. At this point, y’all will weep over myself and him before daybreak. I’m promising y’all that.’

We’ve currently launched a manhunt for Ife as she must be brought to answer for her crimes.”

Source: instablog
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News_Naija
Osun State: INEC Replies Davido Over Certificate Of Return
~0.9 mins read
The Independent National Electoral Commission has faulted a musician, David Adeleke, also known as Davido, nephew to the Osun State Governor-Elect, Senator, Ademola Adeleke, over the timeframe for the issuance of a Certificate of Return of Saturday’s governorship election in the state which Adeleke won.

Senator Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party defeated incumbent Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress.

The musician had queried why the commission had not presented the winner of the election with a Certificate of Return after 48 hours as provided by the law, on his verified Twitter handle.

Replying to Davido, the commission in a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said the commission had up to 14 days to issue the winner with the CoR.

He said, “Those that intervene and play roles in the electoral process should try to have basic knowledge of the constitutive legal instruments that guide and regulate the conduct of elections.

“The commission is a public trust and a creation of the Constitution and the law and must be seen to respond to public demands for transparency and openness.

“The commission will continue to uphold the basic tenets of transparency, openness and inclusivity in the conduct of elections and the delivery of electoral services.”
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News_Naija
El-Rufai Angry With Tinubu Over VP Snub
~2.9 mins read
The decision made by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 election, in picking former Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, as his running mate has not gone down well with Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State.
Thanks
Credible sources in the party on Monday informed Daily Independent that the APC leadership is trying to manage the issue so that it won’t blow open like that of the major opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, is currently at loggerheads with Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate, who announced Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta State governor, as his running mate.

Although the committee saddled with the task of picking the party’s vice presidential candidate, consisting of representatives of former governors, incumbent governors, the NWC and the Board of Trustees members agreed to allow Wike, who came second in the presidential primaries to run with Atiku, the former vice president ignored the recommendation and announced Okowa as his running mate.

 Sources in the party said Atiku rejected Wike based on the fact that he was a direct opponent against him in the presidential primary and the fact that he (Wike) has always been antagonistic to him.

In the case of the APC, the list of potential running mates was narrowed to el-Rufai from the North-West and Shettima from the North-East. While many had thought Tinubu will settle for el-Rufai, the former Lagos State governor announced Shettima.

 It was gathered that the northern APC governors had agreed that based on the role they played in his emergence as APC flagbearer, especially the communique they issued declaring support for power shift to South, Tinubu should pick one of them as his running mate.

Daily Independent also learnt from informed sources that Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, who is the chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, was penciled down if Tinubu decides to fly a Muslim-Christian ticket.

But when it was obvious that he wanted a fellow Muslim as his running mate, Shettima and el-Rufai were shortlisted and without consulting with the governors, Tinubu opted for the former Borno governor who is one of his staunch loyalists.

Despite the development, the governors managed to keep their grievances from public glare and turned up in Osun last week for the grand finale of the party’s governorship campaign. Its candidate, Gboyega Oyetola, lost to the PDP candidate, Ademola Adeleke.

“The same situation in PDP is currently playing out in the APC. Governor el-Rufai is very embittered about the decision made by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Emissaries have been sent to him but he rebuffed them.

He turned up for the governorship campaign in Osun last week because he has no issues with his colleague, Oyetola.

But definitely, he is angry with Tinubu. “El-Rufai also enjoyed the sympathy of some APC governors, especially those in the North as they have always insisted that for supporting Tinubu in the primary, he must pick one of them as his running mate.

Announcing Shettima, a former governor, as his choice without consulting with the governors was seen as an affront by the APC governors who are major stakeholders in the party”, our source said.

When contacted, an associate of Tinubu said there was no way he could work with el-Rufai as he had always attacked him in the past. “People have short memories in this country.

How on earth can Asiwaju and el-Rufai pair together? Have you forgotten how he attacked Asiwaju and humiliated him in the past? How many people stiller membered in May 2019 when el-Rufai came to Lagos and said Tinubu should be retired from Lagos politics? “He boasted that he ended god father ism in Kaduna and he can teach Lagosians how to do the same in Lagos. Aside that, he has made several denigrating remarks about Asiwaju in the past.

“El-Rufai is one of those who cause a wedge in the relationship of Asiwaju and Mr. President especially during the first term. How can he choose that man to be his deputy? It is practically impossible”.

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Kutanews24
Kidnapping, Killing Of Priests: Is It A Crime To Do Christ's Work In Nigeria?
~1.1 mins read
Kidnapping, Killing of priests: Is it a crime to do Christ's work in Nigeria?

“With the continued abduction and killing of Catholic priests, one would conclude that there is a grand plan to silence Christ’s followers in the country, but we will neither be cowed, nor intimidated.

‘Catholic priests are Christ’s representatives on earth. Killing them amounts to killing Christ a second time. Catholic priests should be respected. They made the greatest sacrifice here: no wife, no children, no heir, nobody to succeed them when they are gone. What other sacrifice is greater or costlier than that?

‘You are abducting and killing them because they are doing Christ’s work on earth. What wrong have they done?

“It is really abominable to maim a priest. Why go after a hapless servant of God? Someone who has left everything for the sake of God’s people. Priests deserve to be protected, encouraged and motivated.

“Their cries will reach the heavens and the heavens will fight their battles. Nigerian government should be very careful because their usual silence over these killings and abduction of Catholic priests simply shows that they are enjoying it. They should not continue to play the ostrich.
 
“I am seriously troubled and pained and can no longer keep quiet. Catholic priests should be appreciated for leading in everything good and sacrificing their all. They are not after ministerial appointments or contracts. Why go after them?”

The Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese in Anambra State, Most Reverend Paulinus Ezeokafor
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Kutanews24
Peter Obi: I Can't Wait To Call You ‘My President’ -Chimamanda
~2.5 mins read
Peter Obi: I Can't Wait To Call You ‘My President’ -Chimamanda

Happy Birthday to Peter Obi, my dearest Big Brother. 
 
I will never forget your kindness to my beloved parents. Thank you for the respect you showed them, for your many visits to Abba, where you gave to Daddy and Mummy the most precious gifts: your time and your attention. Thank you for walking this still-unbearable journey of grief with my siblings and me.
 
I remember how you regaled Daddy and Mummy with your stories until we started joking about your obsession with the “GDP of Malaysia.” But your obsession spoke of hope: your hope for Nigeria, your belief in what Nigeria could be. A belief that has always been practical, grounded in numbers and in reality.
 
I remember when you came to support me as I was being honored by the United Nations Foundation in New York, and I teased you about the inexpensive hotel you were staying in, and you shrugged and said, “it’s just a place to sleep, why do I need to be in an expensive place?” And then only days later, you once again exhibited your incredible generosity to the causes you believe in, and it reminded me of all the hospitals and schools and churches you have supported over the years, and often without fanfare. You have always been clear about what your priorities are, what matters to you, what you believe should matter, and that is deeply admirable.
 
I have always admired your humane pragmatism, how you are willing to talk to almost anyone if it will bring about a good outcome. And how you believe in certain ideals without being an ideologue. And how you see people as people, knowing that human value is not measured in material terms. And how you are able to laugh at yourself, and laugh when I tease you about your ‘one shoe and one shirt.’ And how you have always been consistent in the core of who you are. 
 
Thank you for your compassion and your circumspection. For your honesty and your humour. For your willingness to acknowledge flaws, yours and others’, knowing that nobody is perfect. For your fuss-free kindness and your humility that is never performative.
 
I am inspired by your intellectual curiosity, your eagerness to learn, your genuine love of education (which is why you sought out, and honored, Daddy all those years ago when you learned that he was Nigeria’s first professor of statistics.)
 
Sometimes it is the simplest of language that captures the most complex of things, and so I will end with simplicity: You are a good man. You are loved. You are appreciated.
 
May your eyes continue to light up when you talk about the lovely confident Margaret (Thank God she agreed for you!) and your lovely children, A and E. 
 
May joy follow you and yours always.
 
Mummy called you her ‘first son,’ my siblings and I call you our 'big bro,' and I cannot wait to call you ‘My President.’ 
 
I cannot wait for February 25, 2023, when I, with personal pride in you and with hope for what Nigeria can become, will cast my vote for you and your running mate, Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed. 
 
Chukwu dube gi. God Keep you. 
 
With love, Chimamanda.
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Kutanews24
Why Peter Obi May Become President In 2023 By Default...
~6.4 mins read
Why Peter Obi may become President in 2023 by default

FACTS I have uncovered from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) show that Labour Party’s Peter Obi may become Nigeria’s president next year by default because Bola Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar, candidates for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) respectively, have violated the Electoral Act 2022, which may cause them to be disqualified if Obi sues them.

The Electoral Act 2022 requires political parties to notify INEC of their intent to conduct primary elections at least 21 days before the date of their convention. It also requires parties to submit their membership registers to it at least 30 days before their primary election. The APC didn’t meet the first requirement and the PDP failed the second requirement. The Labour Party met both.

Documents an INEC insider shared with me (which you can find on my blog at www.farooqkperogi.com) show that the APC didn’t notify INEC of its intent to conduct its primary election 21 days before its convention. Section 82 of the Electoral Acts says the penalty for this infraction is outright disqualification of the candidates of political parties.

Section 82 (1) of the Electoral Act 2022 says, “Every political party shall give the Commission at least 21 days’ notice of any convention, congress, conference, or meeting which is convened for the purpose of ‘merger’ and electing members of its executive committees, other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any of the positions specified under this Act.”

Subsection (5) then says, “Failure of a political party to notify the Commission as stated in subsection (1) shall render the convention, congress, conference, or meeting invalid.” An invalid convention can’t produce a valid candidate.

Now, let’s look at how the APC, the PDP, and the Labour Party fared in their observance of this requirement of the Electoral Act.

Records at INEC show that the APC notified INEC of its intent to hold its convention on May 23, 2022 (before INEC granted it an unfair extension, which other parties also benefited from) and held its convention on June 8. That’s just 17 days’ notice, which falls short of the 21 days’ notice the Electoral Act 2022 requires.

Based on its May 23 letter to INEC of its schedule of primaries, the APC’s June 8 primary election is invalid in the eye of the Electoral Act 2022, and Bola Tinubu may be disqualified if he’s sued.

Unlike the APC, however, the PDP did give INEC more than 21 days’ notice prior to the conduct of its presidential primaries. It notified INEC of its intention to conduct its primary election on May 4 and conducted its primary election on May 28. That’s about 25 days’ notice, which puts it in the clear on this provision.

The Labour Party, like the PDP, complied with the requirements of Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act 2022. It notified INEC of its intent to conduct its primaries on March 9, 2022, and held its convention on May 30. That’s more than 80 days’ notice.

Then Section 77 (2) of the Electoral Act 2022 mandates political parties to submit their membership registers to INEC at least 30 days before the conduct of their primary elections.

It says, “Every political party shall maintain a register of its members in both hard and soft copy.” Subsection 3 also says, “Each political party shall make such register available to the Commission not later than 30 days before the date fixed for the party primaries, congresses or convention.”

The penalty for failure to abide by this provision of the Electoral Act is exclusion from participation in elections of the candidates of the political parties that infract the provision. Section 84 (13) Electoral Act 2022 says, “Where a political party fails to comply with the provisions of this Act in the conduct of its primaries, its candidate for that election shall not be included in that election for the particular position in issue.”

Now, let’s see how the APC, the PDP, and the Labour Party fared in this provision of the Electoral Act.

The APC submitted its membership register to INEC on 25 April and conducted its primary election on June 8. That’s clearly more than 30 days. So, it’s in the clear here.

But the PDP fell afoul of Section (3) of the Electoral Act 2022. Although an INEC document titled “Table of Submission by 18 Political Parties” shows that the PDP submitted its membership register to INEC on April 29, which would make it exactly 30 days since it conducted its convention on May 28, the PDP’s series of correspondence with INEC that an insider shared with me indicates that the party submitted its register in four installments, with the earliest being May 3. May 3 to May 28 is less than 30 days.

The last correspondence the PDP had with INEC over its membership register is dated May 18. So, technically, the PDP didn’t turn in its complete membership register to INEC until May 18. The Electoral Act makes no provision for a bit-by-bit submission of membership register.

The Labour Party abided by this provision of the Electoral Act. It submitted its membership register to INEC on April 25, which is more than 30 days before its convention, which was held on May 30.

Unfortunately, INEC erred in not notifying the APC and the PDP that their primary elections—and their candidates for election— were invalid because they flouted the Electoral Act. INEC erred even further by going ahead to publish the names of people who emerged from invalid primaries even when the Electoral Act mandates it to not include the names of candidates who run afoul of the Electoral Act.

Section 29 (1) of the Electoral Act 2022 says, “Every political party shall, not later than 180 days before the date appointed for a general election under this Act, submit to the Commission, in the prescribed Forms, the list of the candidates the party proposes to sponsor at the elections, who must have emerged from valid primaries conducted by the political party.”

Subsection 3 says, “The Commission shall, within seven days of receipt of the personal particulars of the candidates, publish same in the constituency where the candidate intends to contest the election.”

As I have shown, the candidates for both the APC and the PDP did not emerge “from valid primaries” because they contravened significant provisions of the Electoral Act that rendered their elections void. Yet INEC went ahead to publish the particulars of candidates for president and the National Assembly on June 24.

In other words, even INEC is in violation of the Electoral Act 2022, and this isn’t the first time it is. In its entanglements with the Ahmed Lawan and Godswill Akpabio senatorial nomination fraud, INEC also refused to exercise its power of rejection.

Section 84 subsection 13 of the Electoral Act 2022 empowers INEC to write to political parties and alert them to the fact that the names they sent to it were inconsistent with the reports of the primary elections monitored by its staff. Had INEC done this, it would have obviated the need for litigation by candidates who have been shortchanged by their parties.

In response to an explosive and credible July 8 Sahara Reporters story (with which I was familiar days before Sahara Reporters published it) titled “Nigerian Electoral Body, INEC Succumbs to Pressure from Ruling APC to recognize Senate President Lawan as Yobe Senatorial Candidate, Moves to Destroy Electoral Commissioner’s Report,” INEC’s Festus Okoye issued a statement where he, among other things, claimed that INEC stood by the reports of its state monitors.

That was obviously not exactly true. One, if INEC did, it would have rejected names sent to it that were at variance with the names their staff recorded and certified. Second, the INEC headquarters in Abuja would not have denied Resident Electoral Commissioners the power to issue Certified True Copies (CTC) of primary elections. CTCs are centralized to Abuja creating needless bottlenecks in the process because, an INEC insider told me, it’s a conduit for corruption.

Anyway, section 285 of the constitution (4th alteration, no. 21) empowers any “aspirant who complains that any of the provisions of the Electoral Act” has been violated to seek redress in a court of law. Subsection b specifically confers the right on aspirants to sue if INEC violates the Electoral Act, which it serially has, “in respect of the selection or nomination of candidates and participation in an election.”

Subsection C extends that right to political parties. The Electoral Act itself gives candidates and political parties the right to sue to seek redress if the law has been violated.

So, if either the APC’s Bola Tinubu or the PDP’s Atiku Abubakar wins the 2023 election, their victory would be invalidated by the courts, and Labour Party’s Peter Obi may be declared president by default since he is likely to be in the top three performers in the presidential contest.

Of course, either Peter Obi or the Labour Party has to sue first for this to happen. And, although the invalidation of Tinubu’s and Atiku’s candidature by the court is a slam dunk, neither INEC, which should supply the evidence, nor the judiciary, which will give the judgement, is reliable. But the evidence is reliably strong. I have all the documents.
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