Politics

Obaseki inaugurates 20-member transition committee

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has Inaugurated a 20-member transition committee, to ensure a smooth handover from his administration to the next in the state on 12 November 2024.

The committee chaired by a former Commissioner For Finance in the state, Mr. Joseph Eboigbe, also had other members joining the inauguration ceremony online.

Obaseki said that, in line with global best practices, the team has among other, the mandate to document achievements by his administration since its inception eight years ago.

The governor tasked the team to retrieve and document all activities, policies and decisions of his administration in a digital format as an institutional memo with recommendations for the next administration.

“Today is the 11th of July and it will mark exactly four months to the day I will hand over government to the next elected governor of Edo State. As it’s global best practice am putting together a transition team that would have responsibility to document, the achievement of this administration eight years ago.

“The team will look and retrieve all documents and all other related materials, relating to policy decisions that have been taken by this administration in every area of government and governance over the last 8 years. Put the same in a structured order in a data room, I believe also that most of these materials have almost been digitalised.

“A proper digital and regular data room would be created where all documents related to every activity, contract, exco decisions, presentation, and policy paper in every area will be retrieved, documented and chronicled as it will serve as Institutional memory for the next and subsequent administration.

“You will all put together reports on each area and aspect of government we have intervened in and recommendations for the next administration.

“This document and resources should serve to smoothly transfer power and knowledge from this administration to the next. We would have both the physical and digital repository of all the information and decisions taken during the life of this administration as these documents will be relevant both for internal and external consumption and research and possibly policy development.

“This report will also give a details account of strategic vision and outlook of the administrative structure, policies impact and completed programme and initiative as well as uncompleted programme and initiative to enable the incoming administration to know where to take off from.

“This report should be completed before the 30th of October 2024, as this document will form parts of what will be handover during the transition period on November 11th, 2024”.

Chairman of the Committee, Joseph Eboigbe promised that the committee would discharge their duty with diligence, assuring them of working hard to meet the timeline of their responsibility.

The twenty-member transition committee has 30 October as the deadline.

Politics

NAF begins Edo guber election materials transportation

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has commenced the transportation of election materials for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to Benin, ahead of the Sept. 21 Governorship election in Edo.

This is contained in a statement by the Deputy Director Public Relations and Information, NAF, Group Capt. Kabiru Ali, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Ali said the move was part of a broader effort to ensure timely and secured delivery of sensitive materials necessary for the smooth conduct of the elections.

He said the transportation operation had demonstrated the collaboration between NAF and INEC, aimed at facilitating logistics and ensuring a peaceful election process in Edo.

According to him, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, had recently reiterated NAF’s commitment to provide transportation for the swift movement of electoral materials.

“This is in fulfillment of NAF’s constitutional responsibility of providing Military Aid to Civil Authority,’’ he said.

Politics

Fubara directs all 23 LGA chairmen in Rivers to contest under APP

Rivers Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has directed all 23 local government chairmen in the state to contest the forthcoming local government elections under the banner of the All People’s Party (APP).

The decision comes in the wake of Governor Fubara losing control of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) structure in Rivers State to former governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

The local government elections are scheduled for October 5, 2024.

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Wike has maintained significant control over the PDP structure in the state, causing friction between the two leaders.

The power struggle has culminated in Governor Fubara opting to back the APP, a move many see as a bid to counter Wike’s dominance in the state.

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With the local government elections fast approaching, this move is expected to reshape the political dynamics in Rivers State.

The APP, previously a lesser-known party in the region, now stands to gain considerable traction, backed by the governor and the incumbent local government chairmen.

Politics

Court sets new date for judgment in suit seeking Ganduje’s sack

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, shifted the judgment in a suit seeking the removal of Dr Abdullahi Ganduje as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to Sept. 23.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the matter, which was earlier fixed for today, was not on the case list.

NAN gathered that the parties in the suit had earlier been reached by the court registrar for a new date because the judgement was not ready.

“We have already called the parties on phone to inform them of the development. A new date is next week, September 23,” a reliable source said.

Justice Inyang Ekwo had, on July 5, fixed today (Sept. 18) for the judgment.

Justice Ekwo fixed the date after counsel to the plaintiff, Benjamin Davou; and lawyers to the defence adopted their processes and made their submission for and against the case.

The plaintiff; the North Central APC Forum, led by Saleh Zazzaga, had filed the suit to queried the propriety of Ganduje’s appointment as the Chairman of the APC when he is not from the North Central geo-political zone.

In the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/599/2024, the plaintiff listed Ganduje, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively.

The plaintiff wants the court to, among others, restrain Ganduje from further parading himself as the chairman of the APC.

It also prays the court to issue an order directing INEC not to accord recognition to all actions taken by the APC, including congresses, primaries and nominations, since Ganduje became APC Chairman on August 3, 2023.

The plaintiff is contending among others, that Ganduje is occupying the office of the APC chairman illegally, not being from a state in the North Central geo-political zone.

It argued that the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC breached the party’s constitution when it appointed Ganduje, from Kano State in the North West geo-political zone to replace Sen. Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa State in the North Central geo-political zone.

It also argued that Ganduje’s appointment to replace Abdullahi was contrary to Article 31.5(1) f of the APC constitution and ultra vires the powers of the NEC of the party, among other reliefs.