Folarin Kehinde

Contrary to rumors circulating yesterday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has denied rumours that it suspended its presidential campaign due to the strife between Atiku Abubakar and Governor Nyesom Wike.

This statement was made by Muhammad Bello, the spokesperson of the Presidential Campaign Organization (PCO) director general, Aminu Tambuwal.

He said the campaign train will continue Monday in Kaduna state.

Mr Tambuwal, the Sokoto State Governor, dismissed the reports in Lagos on Thursday as he expressed shock at the claims.

The governor was reacting to reports that claimed the party and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, decided to halt campaign activities to reconcile with the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and other aggrieved members of the party.

That is far from the truth,” he told journalists. “In fact, it is fake news. People are looking forward to our coming to states, capitals and villages because PDP is the party to beat in 2023.

“Other parties are afraid because they have not started (their campaigns). None of them have composed their campaign councils, not to even talk of starting. They are trying to throw spanners at our works,” the governor said.

He described the report as one of those shenanigans when a party is doing well and its candidate is better.

“What you begin to do is to cause mischief. It is not going to work. We’ll run our campaign, as I said before, it is going to be issue-based.

We believe there are sufficient problems bedeviling our country. I believe in the candidature of Atiku and Okowa.

I also believe that when we get there we shall do better for Nigeria; and, we hope we are able to convince Nigerians to vote for Atiku/Okowa come February 2023.”

Mr Tambuwal assured that the campaign team will replicate the kind of scenario it had in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State where thousands of party supporters turned up for the kick off of its presidential rally last week Monday.

The Federal Court of Appeal, Abuja has on Thursday ordered the discharge and acquittal of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the secessionist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group.

In a ruling heard by the court yesterday, they upheld the appeal of Nnamdi Kanu in his case against the Federal Government.

A three-member panel of the Appeal Court, struck out all seven charges against Mr Kanu.

It followed an earlier ruling of the trial judge, Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court in Abuja, in April dismissing eight of the 15 amended counts filed against him by the federal government.

In a judgement on Thursday, the Court of Appeal panel led by Jummai Sankey struck out all remaining charges against Mr Kanu, ruling that the lower court “lacks the jurisdiction to entertain the suit.”

The court held that Mr Kanu’s extradition from Kenya in June 2021 to Nigeria without following the extradition rules was a flagrant violation of Nigeria’s extradition treaty and a breach of the IPOB leader’s fundamental human rights.

It held there was no denial by the Nigerian government’s lawyer, David Kaswe, in the appeal as to the submissions of Mike Ozekhome, Mr Kanu’s counsel, that the separatist leader was “extraordinarily renditioned from Kenya.”

The appellate court held that the failure of the federal government to adequately respond to Mr Kanu’s arguments gave merit to the appeal.

The court further said also the Federal High Court failed to examine the findings of the prosecution as it would not have tried Mr Kanu on the grounds that the IPOB leader was not “illegally brought into the country.”

The charges struck out include the ones instituted against Mr Kanu before he was brought back to Nigeria last year.

A Judge in the Dutse Federal High Court, Jigawa State, has today, discharged and acquitted Senator Saminu Turaki of the N8.3bn corruption charges preferred against him by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission.

Turaki and three other companies had been standing trial since May 4, 2007, in a suit filed by the EFCC on 33 counts.

The former governor was arraigned by the EFCC before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal Capital Territory High Court on July 13, 2007.

In 2011, the case was, however, transferred to the Federal High Court, Dutse, after the former Jigawa governor challenged the jurisdiction of the FCT division of the court.

A new judge, Justice Hassan Dikko, was reassigned to take over the case which was formerly being handled by Justice S. Yahuza before his retirement early in December.

The presiding judge, Justice Hassan Dikko, who delivered the ruling, struck out all charges and discharged all the accused persons for want of diligent prosecution.

The court further ordered that the travel document of the first accused person, Saminu Turaki, be released to him with immediate effect.

Reacting on the judgment, Saidu Tudunwada, who is one of the defense counsel, said that the court found merit in their application for the discharge of the accused person against the 33 counts.

He added that, with the ruling, justice had been served and it was a victory for all.

The Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mustapha Ahmed has disclosed that over 350,000 Nigerians have been displaced with more than 500 lives lost to the 2022 flood which ravaged the nation.

Ahmed while speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the 2022 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction noted that 33 states of the federation were affected by the flood.

Ahmed explained that despite early warning signals, Nigerians still refused to heed to the warnings and the current consequences is severe.

“We released early warning signals, but people do not heed to the warnings, when the seasonal climate prediction was released we alerted the whole nation and identify vulnerable area on time but has the nation will have it unfortunately, we have the country flooded”.

Meanwhile, the NEMA director general stated that President Muhammadu Buhari have approved the distribution of 12,000 metric tonnes of grains spread across the affected 33 states to mitigate the impact of the flood and ensure the provision of other relief materials.

“The President has approved 12,000 metric tonnes of grains, 4,000 trailers spread across the country and we are working towards providing more relief materials”.

“I have alerted the security agencies to help us clear their way along Lokoja road so that these materials will be duly delivered”.

He however noted that as government agencies responsible for the generation and dissemination of early warnings, they will continue to review the progress and trends in strengthening effectiveness of early warning and early action, review contributions from different approaches as well as the application of the lessons learned through the lenses of anticipatory early actions.

Also, Director General, Federal Emergency Management Agency, (FEMA), FCT, Idris Abba on his part noted that the locals being the first responders and most vulnerable to be educated and duly supported during cases of flood.

Idris stated that the ongoing demolition witnessed in the federal capital territory is strategic owing to blocked of waterways and disruption of the FCT masterplan.

He disclosed that over 250 houses have been removed in the lokogoma axis and others in Life Camp axis of the federal capital territory, this he assured is the only way to have a saner society and mitigate impact of climate change.

A viral video making the rounds showed how some traders have had their shops closed in Jakande Market in Lagos for not attending the political rally held in honour of APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Lagos State Parks and Garages Management Committee chairman, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly called MC Oluomo, led different groups at a rally on Sunday in support of the All Progressives Congress presidential aspirant, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

It appears however that some of the people that went for the rally were coerced to participate. This was revealed in a recent video on social media.

In the video which was shared on twitter, one of the traders was heard complaining that they have been asked to pay the sum of N5,000 as a fine for not attending the rally which held on Sunday.

A man on long sleeves and jean trouser who’s allegedly the chairman of the market was seen going around a market to close shops and kiosks belonging to those who didn’t attend Bola Tinubu’s political rally on Sunday.

Though, it is not known whose order the market chairman acted on but there are all indications that it is connected to the organizers of the rally.