Politics
Ahead Guber Polls: APC Boasts Of Victory In Bayelsa, Kogi, Imo
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, has vowed that his party will claim victory in the forthcoming off-season gubernatorial elections in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo states.
The APC chair made this known while commissioning newly constructed road projects in the Sokoto metropolis, while also inaugurating the distribution of relief materials to 2022 flood victims.
Ganduje expressed excitement over developmental strides recorded by Governor Ahmad Aliyu within the span of 100 days’ stewardship.
He congratulated Sokoto citizens for electing Aliyu, saying, “he has demonstrated capacity to transform the state to better.
“With the developments he recorded within 100 days in office, the next four years will surely be fruitful.”
The party leader said that with the recent victory of President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, Nigerians should expect more developments and they have an assurance that their votes had been genuinely counted.
Ganduje, who was the former Governor of Kano State urged Nigerians to be steadfast in prayers for the president to overcome all challenges to transform the nation to more greatness.
He enjoined the opposition parties to accept destiny and consider the court’s verdict as a victory for democracy in recognition that all legs of the petitions were perused and decided by the reputable Judges.
Ganduje urged State Governors, especially APC members, to emulate Aliyu on his determination and courage to execute viable projects for the benefit of the citizens.
He further commended Federal and Sokoto State Governments for the distribution of relief materials to 15,668 victims of 2022 floods and vulnerable persons in the state, which he described as succour to them.
The APC national chairman also urged the beneficiaries to ensure the judicious use of the items aimed at cushioning the hardship they faced as a result of the disaster.
Ganduje said that the party was fully prepared for victory in the forthcoming off-season governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo States and other future elections.
He urged party loyalists to remain committed as well as shun all activities that might cause disunity among its members nationwide.
Meanwhile, Ganduje has met with APC state executives at the party’s secretariat in Sokoto where he stressed the need for unity and support to Aliyu and others for maximum successes to be recorded.
In his address, Aliyu extolled the leadership of Ganduje for uniting the APC in all strata and reassured his support to Tinubu and the party”s leadership.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed, through a second reading, a bill seeking to retain immunity for the Office of the President and remove immunity from the Vice President, the Governors and the Deputy Governors.
The bill was one of the 42 considered and passed through the second reading stage during plenary presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Mr Benjamin Kalu, in Abuja.
Sponsored by Hon. Solomon Bob (Rivers PDP), the bill is seeking the amendment of Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution to guard against abuse of office and to ensure transparency in governance.
The long title of the proposed legislation read: “A Bill for an Act to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to qualify the immunity conferred on the President, remove the immunity conferred on the Vice President, the Governors and their deputies, in order to curb corruption, eradicate impunity and enhance accountability in public office and for related matters.”
Key amendments include changes to Section 308 of the Constitution, which currently grants immunity to the president, vice president, governors, and deputy governors while in office.
The proposed bill will amend subsection 3 to ensure that immunity only applies to the President and the vice president when acting as President under Section 145 of the Constitution.
Additionally, a new subsection 4 will be introduced to make the immunity clause inapplicable if the office holder is acting in an unofficial capacity, engaging in actions beyond the powers of the office, or involved in criminal conduct.
“The bill seeks to foster transparency and strengthen the fight against corruption by making public officials more accountable for their actions, both in and out of office.”
“Section 308 of the principal Act is amended by:(a) substituting a new subsection (3) as follows: “(3) This section applies to a person holding the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Vice President only when acting as President, in line with Section 145 of this Constitution.
Creating sub section (4) thereto as follows:”(4) The foregoing provisions of this section shall be inapplicable where the person to whom this section applies is acting in an unofficial capacity or where the conduct of the person is beyond the powers of his office or the conduct is criminal in nature.
“This Bill may be cited as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) Act 2024.
The bill is currently awaiting further debate and consideration by the National Assembly.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has written to notify Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi Central, about the petition by constituents seeking her recall from the national assembly.
INEC said it has also received the contact details of the petitioners.
“Pursuant to section 69 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, I write to notify you of the receipt of a petition from representatives of registered voters in your constituency seeking your recall from the senate.
“The notification is in line with the provisions of clause 2 (a) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024.
“This letter is also copied to the presiding officer of the senate and simultaneously published on the commission’s website. Thank you”, the letter read.
The letter was signed by Ruth Oriaran Anthony, secretary to the commission.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Wednesday, INEC said it has now received the updated contact details from representatives of petitioners seeking to recall the senator.
In the statement, Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education, said a letter notifying the senator of the petition has been delivered to her official address, copied to the senate presiding officer, and published on the commission’s website.
“The next step is to scrutinise the list of signatories submitted by the petitioners to ascertain that the petition is signed by more than one half (over 50%) of the registered voters in the constituency. This will be done in the coming days.
“The outcome, which will be made public, shall determine the next step to be taken by the Commission. We once again reassure Nigerians that the process will be open and transparent”, Mr Olumekun said.
Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan had recently accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexually harassing her.
The allegation came in the wake of seating arrangement related altercation between Senator. Akpabio and the Kogi Central senator at the red chamber
She was subsequently suspended from the senate for six months for “gross misconduct” over the incident.
The constituents behind the recall move also accused her of “gross misconduct, abuse of office, and deceitful behaviour”.
The senator has denied wrongdoing and called the recall effort a “coordinated suppression” of her voice.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the second reading of a bill to upgrade the Lagos State 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to full-fledged Local Government Areas (LGAs ).
The bill, was sponsored by James Faleke, Babajimi Benson, Enitan Badru, and 19 other lawmakers.
The bill is titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) to Accommodate the Thirty-Seven (37) Development Area Councils of Lagos State as Full-Fledged Local Government Areas, Increasing the Total Number of Local Government Areas in the Federation to Eight Hundred and Eleven (811), and for Related Matters (HB. 1498),”
Once fully enacted, Nigeria’s total number of LGAs will rise from 774 to 811, with Lagos overtaking Kano and Katsina, which currently have 44 and 34 LGAs, respectively.
Proponents of the bill argue that granting full LGA status to the LCDAs would bring governance closer to the people. The 37 LCDAs were created by President Bola Tinubu in 2003 when he was governor of Lagos State.
However, it’s worth noting that the Lagos State House of Assembly has been working on a bill to replace the 37 LCDAs with newly designated administrative areas.