Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal Against Governor Alia

This follows the withdrawal of the appeal by counsel to Mr Titus Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sebastian Hon.

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal against the election of Governor Hycinth Alia of Benue State.

This follows the withdrawal of the appeal by counsel to Mr Titus Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sebastian Hon.

Uba had challenged the victory of Governor Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, both the Election Petitions Tribunal and the Court of Appeal Abuja, had affirmed Alia’s election as governor of Benue State, following his declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the March 18 governorship election.

The Court of Appeal had said it lacked the jurisdiction to hear the petition because it was a pre-election matter.

The court held that Uba ought to have prosecuted the forgery allegation against Sam Ode, the deputy governor at the high court.

It also held that Uba failed to prove allegations of forgery against Ode beyond reasonable doubt.

Fraud Investigation: Ex-Humanitarian Affairs Minister Arrives At EFCC Office

 

Mrs Umar-Farouq arrived at the head quarters of the EFCC to honour the invitation by the anti-graft agency to offer clarifications in respect of some issues that the Commission is investigating.

Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, has arrived at the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to offer clarifications concerning her stewardship.

Mrs Umar-Farouq arrived at the head quarters of the EFCC to honour the invitation by the anti-graft agency to offer clarifications in respect of some issues that the Commission is investigating.

The former minister had earlier indicated her readiness to honour the Commission’s invitation.

“I remain proud to have served my country as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with every sense of responsibility and will defend my actions, stewardship and programmes during my tenure whenever I am called upon to do so,” she was quoted to have said.

 

Supreme Court Hears Gov’ship Election Appeals Of Ebonyi, Benue States Today

The Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia and his deputy, Sam Ode, are in attendance.

The Supreme Court is set to hear the Governorship Election Appeals of Ebonyi and Benue States, with Justice John Okoro leading the five man panel of Justices.

The Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia and his deputy, Sam Ode, are in attendance.

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State, Titus Uba, is challenging the victory of Governor Hyacinth Alia of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Governor Alia and his deputy are present in court for the hearing.

The Court of Appeal Abuja, had affirmed Alia’s election as governor of Benue State, who was declared winner of the March 18 Governorship Election.

The court had said it lacked the jurisdiction to hear the petition because it was a pre-election matter.

The court held that Uba ought to have prosecuted the forgery allegation against Sam Ode, the deputy governor at the high court.

It also held that Uba failed to prove allegations of forgery against Ode beyond reasonable doubt.

For Ebonyi State, the Court of Appeal Lagos, had affirmed the election of Fran­cis Nwifuru as the duly elected governor of Ebonyi State.

In a unanimous decision, the three-member panel led Justice Jummai Sankey, dismissed the appeal filed by Chukwuma Odii of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The panel also resolved all the five issues raised against the appellant and dismissed the appeal for lacking in merit.

Justice Sankey, held that the PDP and its candidate lacked the legal right to meddle in the internal affairs of the All Progressives Congress as it relates to the nomination of candidates.

My Office Does Not Make Payments On Behalf Of MDAs, AGF Clarifies

The AGF explained that although her Office received the said request to make certain payment from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, it did not carry out the payment.

The Accountant General of the Federation (AGF), Dr. Oluwatoyin Madein, has clarified that the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation does not make payments on behalf of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) for projects and programmes implemented by these MDAs.

In a Saturday statement in Abuja, the AGF explained that although her office received request to make certain payment from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, it did not carry out the payment.

According to her, the Ministry was however advised on the appropriate steps to take in making such payments in line with the established payment procedure.

She stated that allocations are released to self-accounting MDAs in line with the budget and such MDAs are responsible for the implementation of their projects and payments for such projects.

The AGF noted that in such situations, payments are usually processed by the affected Ministries as self-accounting entities, and no bulk payment is supposed to be made to an individual’s account in the name of Project Accountant.

She added that such payment should be sent to the beneficiaries through their verified bank accounts.

Dr. Madein reiterated her determination to uphold the principles of accountability and transparency in the management of public finances. She advised MDAs to always ensure that the requisite steps are taken in carrying out financial transactions.

The AGF was reacting to media reports concerning a request from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation for payment of grants to vulnerable groups in some States of the Federation.

A document recently emerged showing that the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, allegedly disbursed N585,198,500.00 into a personal account.

According to the viral document signed by Edu and directed to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Minister instructed the disbursement of N585,198,500.00 to a private account.

The document also showed that the payment of the N585.198 million grant, was meant for vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun and Lagos states,

This caused generated reactions from Nigerian on social media, with many wondering why such huge amount of money would by paid into a private account.

However, the Minister in her reaction has insisted that the N585.198 million payment for the vulnerable group followed due process.

In her explanation in a statement by Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Rasheed Zubair, Edu stated that the payment of the grant to the account of an individual was because the fellow currently serves as the Project Accountant of Grants for Vulnerable Groups.

North Korea Fires 60 Rounds Of Artillery Near Yeonpyeong Island

 

North Korea Fires 60 Rounds Of Artillery Near Yeonpyeong Island

  North Korea’s military fired over 60 artillery rounds near Yeonpyeong Island on Saturday, Seoul’s military said, a day after both sides staged live-fire drills in 

North Korea’s military fired over 60 artillery rounds near Yeonpyeong Island on Saturday, Seoul’s military said, a day after both sides staged live-fire drills in the same area near their contested maritime border.

“North Korean forces conducted artillery fire with over 60 rounds from the northwest area of Yeonpyeong Island today between approximately 16:00 and 17:00 (0700 to 0800 GMT),” Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

On Friday, North Korea fired more than 200 rounds of artillery shells near Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong, two sparsely populated islands situated just south of a defacto maritime border between the two sides.

Residents of the two islands were ordered to evacuate to shelters and ferries were suspended amid one of the most serious military escalations on the peninsula since Pyongyang fired shells at one of the islands in 2010.

Both Friday and Saturday, North Korea’s shells landed in a buffer zone created under a 2018 tension-reducing deal, which fell apart in November after the North launched a spy satellite.

Seoul’s military said Saturday that “the repeated artillery fire within the prohibited hostile act zone by North Korea poses a threat to the peace on the Korean Peninsula and escalates tensions”.

They issued “a strong warning”, and urged North Korea to immediately stop such actions.

“North Korea, following its claim of the complete nullification of the ‘September 19 Military Agreement’, continues to threaten our citizens with ongoing artillery fire within the prohibited hostile act zone,” the JCS said.

“In response, our military will take appropriate measures to safeguard our nation,” it said.

 ‘No effect’

North Korea said Friday that its live-fire drills had not even had “an indirect effect” on the border islands.

Yeonpyeong, which has around 2,000 residents, is about 115 kilometres (70 miles) west of Seoul. Baengnyeong, with a population of 4,900, is about 210 kilometres west of Seoul.

In November, Seoul partially suspended the 2018 military accord to protest Pyongyang’s putting a spy satellite into orbit. Pyongyang then scrapped the deal completely.

In 2010, in response to a South Korean live-fire drill near the sea border, North Korea bombarded Yeonpyeong Island, killing four South Koreans — two soldiers and two civilians.

That was the first attack on a civilian area since the 1950-53 Korean War.

South Korea returned fire in an exchange that lasted more than an hour, as the two sides traded more than 200 shells, sparking brief fears of a full-fledged war.

Relations between the two Koreas are at one of their lowest points in decades, after the North’s leader Kim Jong Un enshrined the country’s status as a nuclear power into the constitution while test-firing several advanced inter-continental ballistic missiles.

At year-end policy meetings, Kim warned of a nuclear attack on the South and called for a build-up of the country’s military arsenal, warning that conflict could “break out any time”.

On Friday, KCNA said Kim called for the ramping-up of missile launcher production “given the prevailing grave situation that requires the country to be more firmly prepared for a military showdown with the enemy”.

His comments came after the White House accused North Korea of providing Russia with ballistic missiles and missile launchers that were used in recent attacks on Ukraine. Washington has called this an escalation of Pyongyang’s support for Moscow.

The two Koreas remain technically at war because the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice, not a treaty, and most of the border between them is heavily fortified, with their contested maritime border never officially delineated.

‘Starsky & Hutch’ Star David Soul Dies At 80

Soul, who was also known for his social activism, particular around animals, had six children from multiple marriages, and seven grandchildren.

US-born actor and singer David Soul, a 1970s icon for his role as Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson in the classic TV crime series “Starsky & Hutch”, has died aged 80, his family announced Friday.

UK-based Soul, whose decades-spanning career included work as a director, producer and singer-songwriter, died Thursday “after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family”, his wife Helen Snell said.

“He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend,” she added in a statement.

“His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.”

Heartthrob Soul starred opposite Paul Michael Glaser’s wisecracking tough guy Detective Dave Starsky in the wildly popular 1970s US series that was exported around the world.

The pair had cameos in a 2004 feature film remake of the hit show, starring Ben Stiller as Starsky and Owen Wilson as Hutch, which introduced the legendary characters to another younger generation.

Soul — who had been living in London for more than a decade after marrying Snell, a Briton — was also known for his roles in “Here Come The Brides”, “Magnum Force” and “The Yellow Rose”.

At the height of his acting fame, he also embarked on a music career, recording five albums, as well as later releasing a compilation album.

The tracks “Don’t Give Up On Us”, released in 1976, and “Silver Lady” a year later both topped the singles chart in Britain.

“Silver Lady” was used as the soundtrack to a commercial for Britain’s National Express coach operator in 2014, with Soul — in his trademark aviator sunglasses — singing along at the wheel.

In the UK, among his starring roles was the lead in “Jerry Springer: The Opera”, the controversial stage show about the US television talkshow host which led to a blasphemy case in the courts.

Soul, who was also known for his social activism, particular around animals, had six children from multiple marriages, and seven grandchildren.

The former BBC war reporter Martin Bell, who Soul helped in his successful 1997 UK parliamentary election campaign, spoke warmly of their friendship.

“I like the fact that David seems unaffected by being famous,” he told the Independent newspaper in 1999.

“It can’t have been easy when Starsky and Hutch finished, but he just got on with life and forged a career for himself as a singer and stage actor.”

Akeredolu’s Body Arrives In Nigeria

Akeredolu died on December 27, 2023 at 67 years.

The body of former Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu has arrived in Nigeria.

It arrived at the private wing of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport on Friday and was received by the widow, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu and other family members.

It was flown from Germany where the former governor had gone to get medical attention.

According to close sources, he will be embalmed at a private morgue ahead of the funeral expected to be in the second week of February.

Akeredolu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), died on Wednesday, December the 27, 2023, exactly three weeks after leaving for Germany on medical vacation.

He had transmitted power to his deputy Lucky Aiyedatiwa who has since been sworn in as governor of Ondo State.

Health Battle & Controversy

Aketi won his re-election as Ondo State governor in October 2020 and was sworn in for a second term in office in February 2021. However, his second term was marred with controversy and a health battle.

The governor had to be flown abroad for treatment for his medical condition in June. He had returned to Nigeria in September after months overseas but stayed in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

As his health worsened, Akeredolu was under intense pressure from opposition parties and activists to resign or hand over power to his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, in line with the 1999 constitution.

Also, the governor’s loyalists in the state House of Assembly were at loggerheads with Aiyedatiwa attracting President Bola Tinubu’s intervention.

Eventually, the governor transmitted power to Aiyedatiwa early December when he embarked on another medical leave to Germany, the second in 2023.

Life and Family

A devoted Christian with a warm and accommodating heart for people of other faiths, Akeredolu, in addition to a distinguished and Spartan career of legal practice, also donated his lifetime to a career of mentorship and social service.

Former Ondo First Lady, Betty Akeredolu and other family members receive the remains of former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu in Lagos on January 5, 2024.

 

He was a member, Oyo State Football association, 1992-1994, an associate Member, Nigerian Red Cross Society, Oyo State Branch. He also accepted and became the Patron, The Nigerian Law Society, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, Patron, Breast Cancer Association of Nigeria (BRECAN), Patron The law society, Faculty of Law, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko. He was also the Patron, Sports Writers association of Nigeria, Oyo State branch.

Aketi was married to Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu and blessed with four children and many grandchildren.