Folarin Kehinde

A rowdy session marred the resumption of the Senate to plenary on Tuesday as senators fought over the seats.

The plenary had started around 11 am and immediately after the procession, the Senate President, GodsWill Akpabio, read out announcements, specifically the names of the lawmakers who had celebrated their birthdays while the Senate was on break.

It was while the announcement was ongoing that Senator Sahabi Yau (APC, Zamfara North) started to raise his voice at the Senate leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) while he in return pointed his finger at Yau as if giving him a stern warning.

Immediately, Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe Central) joined his colleague Yau in shouting at Bamidele and the chairman, of Senate Services, Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) who was in charge of the seating arrangements.

The PUNCH gathered that the fight was triggered by the seating arrangement in the newly renovated hallow chamber.

Some ranking Senators were said to have been angry at the seats allocated to them in the front row on the last right side of the aisle.

The Senate President eventually told them to approach the chair one after the other but Yau didn’t oblige him.

The rowdy session lasted for about 20 minutes as senators bickered.

After the Senate President read his welcome-back speech, the Senate leader, moved that the Senate resolved into a closed-door session.

The Senate after that, at about 12: 05 pm resolved into an executive session.

The Senate had on March 20, adjourned plenary till April 16, but postponed resumption twice to allow for the completion of the chamber which had been under renovation since 2022.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ngor, Ward 1 Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, has suspended Hon Awaji-Inombek Abiante, a member representing Andoni/Opobo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

Leading reporters recalls that Abiante, a loyalist of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, led a protest against FCT minister Nyesom Wike over his rift with the Rivers governor in 2023.

Abiante’s suspension was contained in a resolution read to journalists after a meeting of the leaders and stakeholders of the PDP in Ngor, on Monday night.

The resolution, which was signed by the PDP CTC ward chairman in Andoni LGA, Dike Bara, and CTC ward secretary, CTC, Dokubo Jackson, and 12 other executives, was unanimously adopted by the leaders and stakeholders of the party in the ward.

Bara said Abiante’s suspension was due to anti-party activities.

He also accused Abiante of involvement in unauthorized publicity of dispute within the party and creating a parallel PDP organ at the Ward level, among others.

The resolution read: “That Hon. Awaji-inombek Dagomie Abiante should be and, is hereby suspended from the Party for not only promoting factions at the Ward level, but also belonging to a group under the guise of the Party: not being a group provided for in the Party’s Constitution. Which action is in breach of S. 58(1) (0) of the Party’s Constitution.

“That the suspension of Hon. Awaji-inombek Dagomie Abiante is also predicated upon his involvement in unauthorized publicity of disputes within the Party, creating a parallel Party organ at the Ward level and, his involvement in anti-party activities.

“Thereby, causing disaffection among members of the Party and threatening peaceful, lawful and efficient conduct of the business of the Party at the ward level.

“Thus, in breach of S.58(1)(i),(e)&(h) of the Party’s Constitution. Furthermore, the suspension of Hon. Awaji-inombek Dagomie Abiante became indispensable putting into consideration, his involvement in organizing, equips and encouraging the retention, training, equipping of a group of members for the purpose of employing violence, coercion and other forms of intimidation within the party.”

,The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has unveiled the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) results, revealing a record-breaking participation of 1.94 million candidates.

Conducted across 118 towns and more than 700 centres nationwide, the UTME saw unprecedented candidates vying for admission into tertiary institutions across Nigeria.

During a press conference held at the board’s headquarters in Bwari, Abuja, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, the Registrar of JAMB, announced the release of the UTME results.

The examination, which spanned from Friday, April 19th, to Monday, April 29th, 2024, marked a significant milestone in the academic journey of the candidates.

With the release of the results, candidates can now access their scores and evaluate their performance in the highly anticipated examination.

Candidates were encouraged to check the JAMB portal for their individual results and take proactive steps towards their educational aspirations.

Three days after soldiers withdrew from the Allawa community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, residents said bandits have invaded the area and stole foodstuffs and livestock.

The military, last week, closed its camp and withdrew troops from the community, which is facing attacks by bandits and terrorists.

The withdrawal of troops forced hundreds of locals, including women, the elderly and children, to leave their homes and walk at least 50 kilometers to safer locations. Reports indicate that the military also faced attacks from bandits, resulting in casualties.

A resident, Mallam Yahuza Allawa, told Daily Trust via phone yesterday that bandits entered Allawa and adjoining communities on Sunday morning and carted away foodstuffs and other valuables including goats and other domestic animals.

He said residents of Allawa, Saminaka, Gyra-Miyan, Unguwan Sarkin-Noma and Kurmi have all fled since Thursday.

He said life at the Central Primary School, Erena, where dozens of them ran to for refuge, has been very challenging for the past three days due to hunger and lack of space to sleep.

Residents said some men who returned home from the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp to retrieve food supplies reported that bandits arrived in trucks and loaded goods in the morning on Sunday.

They expressed desperation, calling on the federal and state governments for assistance.

“Yes, it is confirmed that after we left our communities on Thursday, bandits came this morning and stole our foodstuffs and other valuables including goats. We were not able to take most of our belongings along because of lack of vehicles. We had to trek from communities to Erena.

“Bandits came with a truck with which they loaded our foodstuffs and other valuables. They parked the truck at the riverside and used motorcycles to evacuate our foodstuffs, goats, and other valuables from villages because of the nature of the road.

“We are calling on the federal and state governments to come to our rescue. Life is very difficult for us, especially our women and children. We need serious intervention,” Yahuza said.

President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima have opted for chartered flights as both of Nigeria’s presidential jets undergo repairs, leaving them without official aircraft for their recent travels.

According to The Gazette, Tinubu was in The Hague for diplomatic engagements when he learned of unspecified problems with his main luxury jet, forcing him to use a charter jet to travel to Saudi Arabia for the World Economic Forum.

Meanwhile, Vice-President Shettima was recently spotted in Iperu-Remo, also utilizing a chartered plane from a Lagos-based consortium for his official trip.

The Gulfstream G550 aircraft, typically designated for Vice-President Shettima, was temporarily assigned to President Tinubu due to his dedicated Boeing 737 undergoing maintenance since March 25 at EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg.

Despite repairs, the Gulfstream jet was sent to Saudi Arabia for Tinubu’s official trip, indicating ongoing challenges with the presidential air fleet.

“Many of us in this administration are more concerned about the clear danger that the planes are signalling than any ridicule from their frequent breakdowns.

“We are being told that the planes are old, and there should be serious consideration towards their replacement,” an official quoted in the report said.