News & Announcements

The country’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticized the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV), asserting that Nigeria is not prepared for the usage of such technology.

The electoral supervisor argued that the usage of technology at the time could not be stopped.

The emphasis of the INEC Chairman on utilizing more technology to enhance the electoral process has led to allegations that the ruling party is sponsoring efforts to have him ousted.

Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the national chairman of the APC, stated as much when he met a group from the Commonwealth Election Observation Mission on Wednesday night.

“First, I had the honor of serving as a senator,” he said. We are taking a big step by transmitting election results in real time, so our concern is how prepared we are to deploy some of these technologies in regards to transmission.

“To transmit results, Nigeria’s entire nation” Although I’m unsure if the network will cover it, there is no network in some areas of Abuja, and we won’t have energy in such areas until at least February.

The INEC must adamantly tell us that they are ready as of the deadline for transmission results since they mentioned recharging batteries but we know from prior elections that it claims it cannot recharge.

Godwin Emefiele, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has stated that the CBN will limit the amount of money that customers can withdraw from their accounts.

“You will fill out an infinite number of forms if you need to withdraw a substantial amount of cash. We will collect your data, including your BVN and NIN, so that law enforcement organizations like the EFCC and ICPC can track you and make sure you are using the money for legitimate purposes.

“In other nations, you will discover, for example in the US, you will be questioned if you withdraw $10,000 from the counter. You must complete a lot of forms. Even the utilization of the $10,000 in cash you are withdrawing will be monitored.

“Or you want to withdraw £10,000 from the counter, they will refuse and if you insist, then you will fill forms.

“The problems we have had in the past is that we say this is a cash economy. There is no economy that is inbuilt thinking that it has to be cash economy.

“The world has moved away from predominantly cash to cashless economy. And I think Nigeria and the Central Bank of Nigeria is prepared at this time to move towards a cashless economy.”

He emphasized further that Emefiele maintained that as a nation, “we must work to make sure that we do things the correct way, which also places us as the leader in Africa and one of the leading countries in the world.” We need to act responsibly, and I believe it should begin right away.

“What you could only find will be people making photocopies of these notes,” Emeifele remarked in reference to the new notes. If you use the proper procedures to verify the legitimacy of a coin, like as running it under a UV light, you will discover that it cannot be faked.

“The best you will find is photocopies. What I am trying to say is that to reduce that incidence of counterfeiting or photocopying, that is why we are saying the CBN must now, without waiting every five to eight years, redesign and reissue these notes. So that those who think they can take advantage of the system by counterfeiting will know that the game is over for them.”

According to the CBN governor, out of the N3.23 trillion that was previously in circulation, N2.72 trillion was outside the bank vault.

He said, “And we will insist that those N2.72 trillion must return to the bank vault by January 31st, 2023.

“If you chose to hold it after January 31st, 2023 it will become useless in your hand. That’s all.”

Large-scale protests broke out at Foxconn’s vast iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, central China, images circulating on Weibo and Twitter on Wednesday showed.

Videos showed hundreds of workers marching on a road in daylight, with some being confronted by a row of people in hazmat suits and riot police.

Another clip from a live stream video showed dozens of workers at night confronting a row of police officers and a police vehicle with flashing lights, shouting, “Defend our rights! Defend our rights!”

One worker dragged a metal barricade along the ground, with the streamer saying in the background as smoke billowed from the vehicle, “They are rushing in! Smoke bombs! Tear gas!”

One photo taken during the day showed the charred remains of a gate, apparently burned down during the night.

The Weibo hashtag “Foxconn Riots” appeared to be censored by Wednesday noon, while some text posts referencing large-scale protests at the Foxconn factory remained live.

Foxconn, also known by its official name Hon Hai Precision Industry, is the world’s biggest contract electronics manufacturer assembling gadgets for many international brands.

Foxconn, Apple’s principal subcontractor, saw a surge in COVID-19 cases at its Zhengzhou site in recent months, leading the company to shutter the vast complex in a bid to keep the virus in check.

Panicking workers then fled the site en masse on foot in the wake of allegations of poor conditions at the facility, which employs hundreds of thousands of workers.

Foxconn is China’s biggest private sector employer, with over a million people working across the country in about 30 factories and research institutes.

Zhengzhou is the Taiwanese company’s crown jewel, churning out iPhones in quantities not seen elsewhere.

The company did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment on the unrest.

The Federal Government has unveiled the redesigned naira notes to the public.

It was unveiled at the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari a few minutes ago.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele warned Nigerians against hoarding of the old notes, saying there is no going back on the January 31st, 2023 deadline to completely render the old notes useless.

The redesigned notes are in denominations of N1000, N500 and N200

Barrister Alloy Ejimakor, special counsel to the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, has warned media houses in the country to desist from reporting that his client jumped bail granted to him by the Federal High Court.

Ejimajor, in a legal notice, floated via his Twitter page, stated that he will have no option but to sue any media house which continues to report that his client jumped bail after the High Court in Umuahia had condemned the military invasion of Kanu’s home, which led him to flee the country.

He maintained that any such publication henceforth would be false, libelous, defamatory, and injurious to Kanu’s legal interests.

He wrote, “ “To be sure, if in point of fact and law, our Client’s flight from the military invasion legally constituted an act of jumping bail, the High Court of Abia State would not have ruled in his favour and he would not have won his related and subsequent cases at the Federal High Court (Umuahia), the United Nations and the Court of Appeal.

“In view of the foregoing, our Client hereby respectfully demands (and states) as follows:

a) That media operators, members of the media and all and sundry must henceforth cease and desist from uttering or otherwise causing any further publications stating or purporting that our Client jumped bail.

b) Without prejudice to the right of the media to inform, our Client will not hesitate to take vigorous legal actions (civil and criminal) against any person(s) and entity uttering or otherwise causing any such defamatory publications. And he shall do so without any further legal notice.”

Although a lower court in Umuahia had fined the federal government N1 billion for the military invasion of Kanu’s home, matters associated with the IPOB leader are presently before the Supreme Court.

There is also an existing order of the Court of Appeal which had quashed all charges against Kanu citing “executive lawlessness” but another panel of the same division stayed the judgment awaiting the decision of the highest court in the land.

A bold and brilliant Saudi Arabia pulled off one of the World Cup’s biggest shocks as they came from behind to stun two-time winners Argentina in a fantastic Group C opener in Lusail.

Ranked 51st in the world, Saudi Arabia could have been done and dusted in the first half as Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Argentina had three goals ruled out for offside, reports the BBC.

But Saudi Arabia flipped the game on its head in a stunning 10-minute period after half-time, Saleh Al-Shehri leveling with a low effort and Salem Al Dawsari firing them ahead to spark pandemonium in the stands.

Having shown their ruthlessness at one end, the Green Falcons demonstrated a ruggedness at the other, holding a stellar Argentina front line at bay to secure only their fourth World Cup win in history and throw the group wide open.

Lionel Scaloni’s Argentina came into the tournament among the favourites, on the back of a 36-game unbeaten run that included winning the 2021 Copa America.

They now have it all to do to keep alive their hopes of a first global triumph since 1986 and give Messi a fitting ending to what is very likely his World Cup swansong.

hey face Mexico on Saturday, while Saudi Arabia takes on Poland.

Carl Woods and Katie Price’s sizzling romance ends in a bizarre manner as Carl Woods reveals he found out that she had slept with someone else, According to Woods 34, who took to his Instagram handle to make the claims, said their rocky relationship of two years is now done, “she admitted to it.”

“’She’s admitted cheating on me. So yeah, that’s the end of that I guess. I will have to focus on rebuilding myself and getting my life back on track and concentrating on myself. But that’s done.’ 

A spokesperson for Katie Price declined to comment to Mail Online. It is not known whom Carl is accusing Katie of cheating on him.

They recently returned from a romantic trip to Thailand, and hinting that all was well, she wrote on one of Carl’s Instagram posts of himself: ‘Fit.’

The couple has been marred by constant drama and split claims throughout their relationship.

A new report in OK! The magazine claimed this week that the couple was set to ‘call off their wedding.

According to the publication, their close friends fear their relationship is coming to an end after a series of ‘small and petty rows’.

A source said OK: ‘A lot of drama that has happened between Katie and Carl seems to have been brushed under the carpet, but their relationship doesn’t seem that strong at the moment and friends think it could be over soon.’

He was charged following a highly-publicized row with Price in August of the year before.

Colchester Magistrates Court was told he had attempted to ‘force his way into a house after a row with Katie in the street,’ The Sun reported at the time.

Carl previously pleaded not guilty to using threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behavior.

He had been charged under Section 4 of the Public Order Act following an incident at his home in Little Canfield, Essex last year.

At a hearing in March, magistrates were told the charge followed a row that spilled over into the street, disturbing neighbors.

At one stage, the court heard that Woods was allegedly seen trying to force open a door.

The male model attended court hand-in-hand with Price after the pair returned from a holiday to Thailand.

He had been due to stand trial but the case had been abandoned, due to no realistic prospect of conviction.

A source said at the time: ‘Carl is relieved to finally have his name cleared. The case really put huge amounts of pressure on him.

‘Those close to Carl continued to support him throughout the process and everyone is relieved to hear the news.’ 

There was more drama when Carl had to care for Katie when a freak accident in Turkey last year left her with broken feet.

The former model had to undergo an eight-hour operation and use a wheelchair for several months as she began to recover from the life-changing injuries.

Carl is Katie’s eighth fiancé and she has been married three times. 

Speaking to OK Magazine about her engagement to Carl at the time, Katie said: ‘It’s refreshing to be with a man that if I decided I never wanted to work again, he’d look after me, I just love him. 

‘We’d spoken about it a lot, so I knew he was going to, I just didn’t know when. It was amazing. Carl asked my mum and dad for permission – and Junior. With Carl, Mum’s already told him not to mess me around and so far he’s passed the t****r test.’

Katie added that Carl isn’t interested in her fame ‘or anything to do with her alter-ego Jordan and has his own money. 

The model was famously married to Peter Andre from 2005 to 2009 after meeting on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!La Fete Communications #1 Karl Drive By Tennis CourtHill Station, Freetown, Sierra Leone

The Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Gboyega Aribisogan, has been sacked by members of the House.

Aribisogan was sacked on Monday as Olubunmi Adelugba was elected as the new Speaker.

It was gathered that 17 out of the 25 members impeached the Speaker and elected a new one.

The Assembly Complex was earlier sealed as members were embroiled in a controversy following the death of the former Speaker, Funminiyi Afuye.

66-year-old Afuye had died at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital on October 19, after suffering cardiac arrest.

A month after his demise, the parliament held an election, and Aribisogan, who is the representative of Ikole 1 Constituency in the Assembly and a two-term lawmaker, emerged.
Aribisogan had accused former Governor Kayode Fayemi of sponsoring some lawmakers to sack him.

The embattled speaker, who spoke on a Channels TV program, ‘Sunday Politics’, alleged that the former governor was against his emergence because he was perceived as a betrayer.
He claimed that some lawmakers loyal to Fayemi had perfected plans to impeach him on Monday (today) during plenary.

The former leader of Government Business, who emerged as a speaker having polled 15 votes to defeat his rival, Bunmi Adelugba, said happenings in the Assembly since his emergence were plotting to remove him from office and impose Adelugba.

Aribisogan, in his TV interview on Sunday, said, “When Fayemi called us to his residence and said he wanted us to support Hon Adelugba, I stood up to say that could not be done by fiat or by imposition; that we had leaders that we had to consult and that we would get back to them. Ordinarily, we should be looking at the constitution and the standing order of the House.”

He said he still tried to reach Fayemi through a text message on Saturday night, saying, “Up till now, he has not done anything on it, but he has been calling our members to go and impeach me tomorrow (Monday). As I speak with you, seven of our members are locked up in a guest house in Ado Ekiti in cahoots with some of his former aides.

“They don’t want democratic processes to take place in the Assembly and these people are even with arms, saying they are going to assassinate the speaker and take over the place tomorrow (Monday) morning.

“Majority of the members of the Assembly voted for me, but a few of them, who felt that perhaps I did not follow the directive of the former governor of the state, felt that they would make the place ungovernable for my administration.”

The Speaker said, “The Special Adviser on Political Matters to Governor Biodun Oyebanji assured that the government was looking into it and that there would be an amicable resolution until about 24 hours ago when we began to see that some clandestine moves are being made to invade the House of Assembly on Monday morning.

“I want prominent people in Ekiti State like Aare Afe Babalola, Chief Wole Olanipekun, and Femi Falana and all our traditional rulers to be on the lookout and save democracy in Ekiti State.”
The Special Adviser to Governor Oyebanji on Media, Yinka Oyebode, who spoke on the program, ruled out the chaos in the Assembly.

He said, “I will assure you there won’t be a breakdown of law and order on Monday because the governor is in touch with all the warring factions to ensure that they reconcile amicably their differences. I believe that we have absolute confidence in the leadership of the House. They have been there for almost three and half years and it has been rancour-free.”

South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal has ordered former President Jacob Zuma to return to prison after his conditional release on health grounds. 

According to African News, the court, yesterday, said Zuma’s freedom was contrary to the law after he officially completed serving a 15-month jail sentence for contempt of court. 

The 80-year-old was convicted in June 2021 for stubbornly refusing to testify before a commission investigating corruption under his presidency (2009-2018). Zuma’s imprisonment was greeted with a wave of violence and looting which led to the death of 350 persons. 

Two months later, he was released for health reasons and placed under judicial supervision. The court “considers that Mr Zuma’s conditional release on medical grounds was contrary to the law.”

According to reports, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has urged Igbos to back Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate.

According to NEF, the South East’s residents shouldn’t point the finger at anyone if an Igbo man doesn’t win the presidency in 2023 because they failed to back Obi.

Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, spokesman for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), said as much yesterday, denying any claims that the region has chosen a candidate for the upcoming presidential election in February 2023.

In response, he encouraged the ruling class to take the initiative and set the agenda rather than just watching politicians run the country as they like.

“We got our fingers burnt in 2015 and that is why we are being careful this time. We are saying that the best candidate should be allowed to win the election.”

According to him, “all the elites in Nigeria are in hostages and captives of politicians but we must remove ourselves from that bondage. So, we will reach out to elite from the other regions and together we will welcome any presidential candidate who says he has solution to Nigeria’s problems. We worry about the South East. We don’t know whether they are in support of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of Labour Party or not. The nation can see what is happening now and if the South East fails to line up behind Obi, they should not blame anybody.

“If the Igbo believe it is time for them, they should support Obi, reach out to other Nigerians and tell them they are supporting Obi not because he is an Igbo man but because he is the best. We will give our support to the best man who can heal the wounds in the land because actually, everybody in Nigeria is marginalised right now,” he said.

He exhorted the residents of the South-East to make sure that all politicians are permitted to conduct open campaigns there. Additionally, he encouraged President Muhammadu Buhari to make sure that everyone may campaign in a secure environment.

“Nigeria has a future but we must work very hard to secure it. Let the best candidate win and let us accept whoever that wins so that we can begin the process of rebuilding Nigeria.