Rep Seeks Kanu’s Released To End South East Killings, Lawmakers Suspend Motion
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A recommendation seeking the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), encountered a setback in the Nigerian House of Representatives on Thursday.
The motion, which aimed to address the ongoing violence in the south-east, was sponsored by Eze Nwachukwu from Ebonyi, with Ginger Onwusibe proposing an amendment to it.
Onwusibe argued that the killings in the region were a direct consequence of Kanu’s prolonged detention. However, Abdullahi Halims, the deputy majority leader, opposed the motion, asserting that the issue was sub judice and should not be discussed in parliament.
I’m With Tinubu’s Govt, I’ll Criticise When I Have To —Fayose
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Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose says he is with the government of President Bola Tinubu but he won’t hesitate to criticise the current administration if it fails to fulfill its campaign promises to Nigerians.
If the government in power is not doing the right thing, we’ll be courageous enough to tell the government in power,” Fayose told State House correspondents after a meeting with the President on Thursday.
“When (Muhammadu) Buhari was President in this country I didn’t shy away from telling him the truth and the government. If President Ahmed Bola Tinubu is shying away from his brief, I Ayo Fayose, Oshoko, will be courageous enough to tell him,” he noted.
Fayose said now that elections are over, it is time for governance and Nigerians will need to rally round the President, whom he said has good intentions for the country.
The ex-governor said he does not expect the President to fail, noting that if there is any delay, it will not be a deliberate act on the part of the President.
Nigeria practising plutocracy not democracy —Falana
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Falana urged the NBA to put pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to “address the problems of the late arrival of INEC officials and ballot materials at the polling stations, malfunctioning BVAS machines, and limited or non-transmission of the results from the polling units to Results Viewing Portal, IReV.”
According to him, “out of the 93 million voters that were registered; only 22 million voted in the presidential election.”
The paper reads: “INEC must also address insecurity at some polling units, including violent attacks on voters and officials, voter intimidation, snatching and destruction of voting materials, significant cases of vote-buying, and limited access facilities for persons living with disabilities.
“The Benin branch of the NBA should prevail on the national body of lawyers to convoke a national summit to review the 2023 general elections as soon as the curtain is drawn on the election petitions by the various election petition tribunals, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
“The NBA should ensure that the summit is attended by the representatives of all relevant stakeholders. At the end of the programme, the NBA should collaborate with the judiciary committees of both houses of the national assembly in drafting amendments to the Constitution and the Electoral Act to institutionalise credible elections in Nigeria.
“All mass-based organisations must mobilise the Nigerian people to take their political destiny into their hands by participating in the democratic process.”
Soyinka Blasts Ilorin Emir For Cancellation Of Isese Festival
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Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, in an open letter, has criticised the Emir of Ilorin, Sulu Gambari, for reportedly banning a Yoruba cultural event, the Isese festival, from holding in the Kwara State capital.
The playwright on Thursday said the emir’s action is an assault on civilized conduct.
Isese Day is a public holiday observed by Osun and Ogun states to give a sense of belonging to adherents of traditional religions. It is usually celebrated on 20 August.
Speaking on the controversy, Mr Soyinka said it is sad to see the ancient city of Ilorin, a confluence of faiths and ethnic varieties, reduced to this level of bigotry and intolerance, manifested in the role of a presiding monarch.
“The truncation of a people’s traditional festival is a crime against the cultural heritage of all humanity,” he said.
“Your Royal Highness, it is conduct like this that has bred Boko Haram, ISIS, ISWAP and other religious malformations that currently plague this nation, spreading grief and outrage across a once peaceful landscape, degrading my and your existence with their virulent brand of Islam,” he added.
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