A former deputy national publicity secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has asked the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest and prosecute heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) under the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain stated this while reacting to the suspension and arrest of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, by the DSS.
Recall that Emefiele was suspended by President Bola Tinubu and was whisked to Abuja by operatives of the DSS after his arrest in Lagos State. According to Timi Frank, security agencies must arrest and prosecute other heads of critical government agencies known to have abused their offices and allegedly stole the common wealth of the people. He listed the heads to include the Directors General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Bashir Jamo; Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello Koko; Group CEO of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, and the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami.
Others are the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN. immediate-past Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, and ex-Minister of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq. The politician stated that failure to arrest and prosecute these suspects known to have used their offices for selfish gain would show that the Tinubu’s administration is only out to witch-hunt Emefiele now under DSS custody.
He added that without moving against the powerful cabal, the Tinubu’s administration would have lent credence to insinuations that it is only up against Christian political office holders as recently alluded to by the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-rufai. According to him, “Those who illegally benefited from illegal allocation of oil blocks and marginal oil fields championed by the NNPCL and the CBN’s Money Redesign Policy must be fished out and prosecuted.
“The execution of the National Social Investment Programme by Hajiya Farouk leaves a lot of questions to be answered. This is the time for Nigerians to know what really happened and how much was used to feed school pupils at home during COVID. “The recent deception by Sirika who chattered an Ethiopian Airline Aircraft to deceive Nigerians that Nigeria Air has materialized must also be probed. Personal Assistant to ex-President Buhari, Tunde Sabiu must not be left out.”
Source: Naija News
Presidency backs Christian Senate president, Betara, Gagdi step down
The Presidency on Sunday explained its decision to back a Christian as a Senate President. It explained that Nigeria could not afford to have a Muslim as a Senate President at this time having produced Muslims as President and the Vice-President.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima, who said these at a dinner with lawmakers across party lines in Abuja on Saturday night, noted that the party came up with the consensus ticket of Senator GodsWill Akpabio as Senate President and Jibrin Barau as Deputy in the interest of the stability of the country. Shettima said this as two aspirants for the position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aliyu Betara and Yusuf Gagdi, were reported to have stepped down.
Explaining the position of President Bola Tinubu, the Vice-President said Nigeria could not afford to have a Muslim as a Senate President since both the President and VP are Muslims, stressing that the President of the Senate should be a Christian. The PUNCH had reported the uproar over the same faith presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress which featured Tinubu and Shettima in the run-up to the February 25 presidential poll.
Having won the election, parliamentarians and other stakeholders had been clamouring for the balance of power and inclusivity, insisting that a Christian must be included in the nation’s top power hierarchy. In response to this, the APC’s National Working Committee zoned the Senate President to the South-South and nominated Akpabio, a Christian, as the preferred candidate and Senator Jibrin Barau from North-West for Deputy Senate President. Similarly, the party nominated Tajudeen Abbas (Kaduna/North-West) for Speaker; and Benjamin Kalu (Abia/South-East) for Deputy Speaker.
However, some aspirants for the Senate Presidency and the Speaker have continued to insist on contesting for the positions in open defiance of the zoning arrangement announced by the ruling party in early May. The recalcitrant contestants including Senators Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara West), Orji Kalu ( Abia North) and Osita Izunaso ( Imo West), and Sani Musa from Niger State, said they would not step down for the party’s consensus aspirants for the two senate leadership positions. But validating the zoning arrangement at the dinner, the Vice President attributed the APC’s decision to President Tinubu’s administration’s desire to foster inclusivity in the interest of the nation.
Source: Punch
10th Senate: Akpabio In Forefront With Support Of 75 Senators-Elect —Ekpenyong
As senators-elect for the 10th Assembly prepare to elect their leaders on Tuesday, the senator-elect representing Akwa Ibom North-West and the nominee of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the position of the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, clearly holds the ace and would likely emerge the Senate President.
Akpabio, who enjoys the support of 75 senators-elect, including those in the opposition political parties, has been largely described as the most experienced, most credible with his election helping to bring about stability in the leadership of the three arms of government.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News Channels’ ‘Prime Time,’ over the weekend, senator-elect from Cross River South, Asuquo Ekpenyong, pointed out that the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) settled for Akpabio for Senate President and Senator Jibrin Barau as deputy President of the Senate after rounds of consultations with many stakeholders.
According to Ekpenyong, stakeholders sat and narrowed in on what they thought would be in the best interest of Nigerians adding that the choice of Akpabio and Senator Barau is best suited, not just because of their track records and religious balancing but because of their capacities over time.
Ekpenyong appealed to his colleagues that a vote for Akpabio would among other things bring stability to the country for the renewed Hope Agenda of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“The word stability comes to mind when you vote for Akpabio. The framers of the constitution of Nigeria modelled the legislature against that of the United States bicameral legislature where you have the Senate and the House of Representatives.
“In the House of Representatives, you look at proportional representation where you have the number of seats depending on the population of the state. In the Senate, there is equality and each state has equal senators.
“There are three senators per state. It is important to balance this country because the framers of our constitution looked at Nigeria as an amalgamation of different tribes and different ethnic groups and it is important for each state to have a sense of belonging,” he stated.
Source: Independent