Perspective

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has lost 13 out of the 23 local governments chairmen in Benue state to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

They defected to PDP on Friday days after the governor, Mr. Samuel Ortom, defected from the APC to the PDP.

The governor announced his defection during a meeting with elected local government chairmen and councillors on Wednesday at the Government House Makurdi.

The governor defected hours after protesting youths barred him from travelling to Abuja to attend the APC reconciliation meeting. Read more

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the reversal of tenure elongation of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and other National and State Executive Officers of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He described the elongation of their tenure by one year as unconstitutional.

He told the National Executive Committee meeting of the party in Abuja on Tuesday that he had reflected on the elongation and also sought advice and had come to the conclusion that it is unconstitutional.

The APC had in its NEC meeting on February 27 extended the tenure of members of National Working Committee (NWC) led by John Odigie-Oyegun by one year.

“This motion was duly carried by a majority of members present at the last NEC Meeting, even though some of our party members have since spoken up very vehemently against it. Others have even taken the matter to court.

“I have taken some time to review and seek advice on the resolution. And what I found is that it contravenes both our party Constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“While the APC Constitution, in Article 17(1) and 13.2(B), limits the tenure of elected officers to four years, renewable once by another election, the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), in section 223, also prescribes periodic elections for party executives at regular intervals, which must not exceed four years.

“Furthermore, Article 31 of our Party Constitution provides that any principal officer wishing to re-contest or contest for another post, must resign from his current post at least one month before the election Read more

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday met with members of the National Council of traditional rulers and decried the way the Paris Club Refund was spent by some state governors.

The Federal government had on May 4 released details of the second tranche of Paris Club refund to States totalling N243. 795 billion.

The refund is in respect of over-deductions on Paris Club, London Club Loans and Multilateral debts between 1995-2002.

The President, who met with the traditional rulers at the new Banquet hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja frowned at the inability of the affected state governments to pay the retirement benefits and outstanding salaries of workers with the payment of the refund.

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The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday ordered police reinforcement, deployment of extra military battalion and personnel of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to the troubled areas of Taraba.

Osinbajo gave the order in Abuja while commiserating with victims of the recent violent attacks in a number of communities in the state where deaths were reported.

A statement issued by Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Acting President on Media and Publicity, said that Osinbajo condemned the attacks in the communities.

He promised that the perpetrators would be brought to book. Read more

Nigeria’s Federal Government, 36 states and the 774 local councils, shared an extra N46.6 billion in May.

In all, N462.4 billion was shared as revenue among the three tiers of government.

The bonus came as the National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) completed the refund of N450 billion to the federation account.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Mr Mahmoud Isa-Dutse, made the statement on Thursday in Abuja at the monthly meeting of Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC).

Isa-Dutse, who represented the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun at the meeting, said that NNPC completed the payment in April this year. Read more

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday urged state governors must safeguard the lives and properties of all citizens residing in their states.

Osinbajo, who gave the advice at a consultative meeting with the governors at the Presidential Banquet, Abuja, said the directive had become imperative in view of the fact that “Nigeria is indissoluble’’.

He warned that leaders must not allow “the careless use of words and careless expressions” that might degenerate into crisis.

He said: “”We are a people that like to talk and we express ourselves loudly but it is expected for us to recognise that it is those same words that can cause conflagration that can unfortunately lead to calamity.

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