Author: Samuel Akpenpuun

Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday said the nation was not getting accurate vote counts during elections due to the involvement of those he described as ‘ghost voters.’ He also said it is better and more honourable for the chairman and other officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission to resign rather than yield to pressure to manipulate elections. Jonathan made the assertion at the YIAGA Africa Reflection Conference on Democratic Elections in West Africa held in Abuja. According to the ex-leader, the nation’s electoral system will continue to grapple with a credibility crisis, until there are men of integrity…

US President Donald Trump unveiled plans Tuesday to sell new “gold card” residency permits for a price of $5 million each — and said Russian oligarchs may be eligible. Trump said sales of the new visa, a high-price version of the traditional green card, would bring in job creators and could be used to reduce the US national deficit. “We’re going to be selling a gold card. You have a green card, this is a gold card. We’re going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. The Republican…

The management of Arc-View Investments Limited has petitioned the Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly and the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, accusing Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo of harassment, intimidation and fraudulent business practices. The petition, signed by the Company MD, Okegbenro Idowu, indicated that Arc-View Investment Limited had bought and developed several acres of land from Pastor Ashimolowo at the Bluestone Gardens City in Ofada town. The petition dated February 19, 25, reads, “We humbly want to use this medium to bring to the notice of your good office, the case of harassment, intimidation and fraudulent business practices…

The Senate has unanimously voted to refer Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions for disciplinary review, following her a recent seating arrangement dispute. The committee, chaired by Senator Neda Imaseun, has been given two weeks to report back on its findings. The decision was reached following a voice vote after lawmakers revisited the controversy surrounding the recent altercation between Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Senate leadership over seat allocation, with lawmakers underpinning the need to uphold parliamentary rules and decorum. In a motion raised under Order 1(b) and 10, condemning what he described as Akpoti-Uduaghan’s “extreme…

Eastern and southern African regional blocs have appointed former leaders from Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria to oversee their peace process for the Democratic Republic of Congo where fighting has intensified in the east of the country. The East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) have come together in recent weeks in an attempt to bring peace to eastern DRC, where the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has seized large swathes of territory, triggering a humanitarian crisis. The two blocs agreed in a summit on February 8 to merge two separate peace processes — based in Luanda and Nairobi…

The Magistrate Court sitting in Sabo, Yaba area of Lagos on Tuesday freed Abdulazeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, in relation to the case of the demise of Aloba Oladimeji lleriOluwa also known as Mohbad. Magistrate Ejiro Kubenje, who read and implemented the legal advise of the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) Lagos, said that he had no case to answer. The court also freed music promoter, Samson Balogun Eletu, also known as Sam Larry, Owodunni Ibrahim also known as Primeboy and Mohbad’s former Manager, Opere Babatunde. The DPP, however, said it shall be prosecuting the auxiliary nurse who…

The Federal Government, through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, has directed all electricity distribution companies to publish the refunds they have made to customers who purchased meters under the Meter Asset Providers scheme. The NERC announced this on its social media handles on Monday. On Monday, the commission held the first Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry Stakeholders meeting in 2025. The MAP framework provides for the provision and maintenance of end-use meters as a service by third-party investors based on which customers benefitting from such meters pay metering service charges. NERC regulation states that “where a customer elects to make upfront…

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has confirmed that President Bola Tinubu will chair the party’s National Caucus meeting today at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. The National Secretary of the APC, Senator Ajibola Basiru, assured that the meeting will proceed as planned, dismissing concerns about a possible postponement. “No, nobody is postponing anything. The National Caucus and the NEC meetings will still be held Tuesday and Wednesday as scheduled,” Basiru stated. Last year, the National Caucus and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings were initially scheduled for September 11 and 12 in Abuja but were later called off without explanation. Although…

Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, has demanded the withdrawal of Justice Rahman Oshodi  of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja from his ongoing trial over alleged $4.5bn and N2.8bn fraud. Emefiele’s legal team, led by Olalekan Ojo (SAN), accused the judge of bias and urged him to recuse himself from further proceedings. The request was made during Monday’s hearing at the Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos. Justice Oshodi adjourned the matter till February 26, 2025, to rule on whether he will withdraw from the case. Emefiele is facing 19 counts bordering on…

Lucky Aiyedatiwa has been inaugurated as the Governor of Ondo State, commencing his first full four-year term following the death of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in December 2023. The swearing-in ceremony took place on Monday at the Ondo State Sports Complex in Akure, the state capital, two months after Aiyedatiwa won the governorship election under the banner of the All Progressives Congress. Aiyedatiwa took his oath of office as the seventh Ondo State governor just after his running mate Olayide Adelami. The governor thereafter rode in an open van around the complex, waving to cheers from supporters. Road to Govt House…