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APC Expels Former Speaker, Ex-MILAD

APC expels former speaker, ex-MILAD, 39 others in Enugu

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State has expelled a former speaker of the state House of Assembly, Eugene Odo; and 40 others for alleged violation of the party’s constitution.

Other expelled party members were the ex-military governor of Gombe State, Group Capt. Joe Orji (retd); a former deputy governorship candidate in the state, Prince Chikwado Chukwunta; a former member of the House of Representatives, Chukwuemeka Ujam; and Gen. J.O.J Okoloagu, among others.

The Chairman of the APC Caretaker Committee in the state, Dr. Ben Nwoye, disclosed this at a media briefing on Sunday in Enugu.

Nwoye said the members expelled themselves from APC after they filed a suit without first exhausting the internal mechanisms as provided in the party’s constitution.

Some members of APC had in a suit at the Federal High Court, Abuja, demanded the removal of Nwoye as the party’s chairman in the state.

The chairman said: “I arrived at my home and I found a copy of a lawsuit pasted on my door. In the lawsuit is an order sought by the applicants but was denied by the court.

“One Prince Gilbert Chikwado Chukwunta and 40 others filed a claim against me; they sought an ex parte order before an FCT High Court, seeking to remove me as the chairman of the party in Enugu State.

“They sued me and alleged among other things that I was suspended by certain persons, who they attached their signatures, but the learned jurist denied giving the order. He directed them to serve me, but instead of serving me as ordered by the court, they pasted it on my door.

“But what is important is that for those who said that Ben Nwoye has been removed, the removal of Ben Nwoye is now a subject of court, and the court has refused to remove me. I wasn’t there but the learned judge refused to remove me.

“The other point is that the petition which they signed, they forged numerous people’s signatures; one of the people they forged their signature is Mrs. Kate Offor, she never signed a petition seeking to remove me.

“We also had many other people claiming to be members of the state executive committee and one of such persons is Eugene Odo. Enugu State APC is no longer running on SEC; it is a caretaker committee, so being a former speaker does not make Eugene Odo a member of the APC caretaker committee. Gen. J.O.J. Okoloagu is also not a member of the caretaker committee, so also the former member of the House, Hon. Chukwuemeka Ujam, who they alleged signed the paper. He has never been and is not a member of the state executive committee.”

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Gov Bago signs Executive Order on Niger Green Economy

Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State has signed an Executive Order on the Green Economy.

The Executive order which was titled ‘the Niger State Green Economy Initiative Order (No.3), 2023’ provides that the Green Economy Initiative shall be driven by the State Blueprint that details the strategic pillars and outlines the strategic key performance indicators, targets and timelines of the transition into a green economy.

Also enshrined in the Order, Niger State Government shall produce a State-Wide Land Use and Economic Development Plan to guide investment decisions and ensure investments that would stabilise the green transition are properly coordinated and planned.

The Order further directed all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the State to adhere strictly to the initiative, adding that appropriate sanction will be carried out on any violator of the Executive Order.

Singing the Executive Order shortly before the commencement of the weekly State Executive Council (SEC) Meeting at the Council Chambers, Government House, Minna, Governor Bago explained that the Executive Order was to ensure the effective implementation of the Green Economy Policy.

Governor Bago appreciated Media Practitioners for the wide coverage given to his administration and encouraged them not to relent.

Recall that the Present administration initiated the Green Economy Policy, and hosted the first summit on initiative with the view to turn around the economy of the State and engender socio-economic development.

According to the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Bologi Ibrahim, “With the signing of Executive Order Three, the initiative has come to stay and its implementation is sacrosanct.”

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COP28: President Tinubu Meets King Charles in Dubai

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday met with King Charles III of England in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Both of them are in the country to participate in the United Nations Climate Conference known as COP28 taking place in the Emirati city.

Tinubu posted a message on his X account, on the meeting, describing the king as passionate climate advocate.

He posted: “I had a productive meeting with His Majesty, King Charles III of England who is also the Head of the Commonwealth, and a passionate climate advocate.

“The meeting was a significant step in strengthening the partnership between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, and I am optimistic about the positive impact our joint efforts will have on our planet’s future as we look forward to setting an equitable global standard for environmental stewardship at COP28.”

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Police Rescue Abducted Plateau Pastor, Three Others in Bauchi

Operatives of the Nigerian Police, Bauchi State Command have rescued four kidnapped victims including a pastor.

The victims were kidnapped by bandits who invaded Raddi village via Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State on Wednesday, November 29.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil, a Superintendent of Police, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists.

Wakil said the bandits had stormed the house of one Yakubu Makeri, of Yagi village via Rahama ward, to attack him but a team of operatives attached to Rishi Police Divisional Headquarters in conjunction with local vigilantes swiftly moved to the scene and engaged the bandits in a gun battle.

The statement read, “On November 29, 2023, at about 1am, one sabitu ‘m’ of Kadade village via Toro LGA of Bauchi State reported that on the same date at about 12.30am, an unknown number of bandits invaded their village and stormed the house of one Yakubu Ya’u Makeri, male, of Yagi village via Rahama ward.

“A team of operatives attached to Rishi Police Divisional Headquarters in conjunction with local vigilantes swiftly moved to the scene and engaged the bandit.

“The operatives overpowered the bandits in a gun duel. As a result, one of the bandits was neutralised while the remaining scampered and abandoned their mission.

“However, during the encounter, the operatives succeeded in rescuing three kidnapped victims, namely: Pastor Bala, male (50), Keziya Ayuba (50) and Sunday Ayuba, (40) all of Raddi village via Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.

“The aforementioned victims were confirmed to have been kidnapped from their village in Jos, Plateau State.”

Wakil stated that the Commissioner of Police has ordered the Divisional Police Officer to intensify wider patrol across the area in a bid to arrest the fleeing bandits so they can face the full wrath of the law.