The Nigerian Senate has approved the termination of three Resident Electoral Commissioners who have been suspended since 2023 for flouting the provisions of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Act

The approval followed the request from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging the Senate to terminate the appointments of the embattled State Resident Electoral Commissioner for Adamawa, Sokoto and Abia.

Sponsor of the motion and Leader of the Senate, Michael Bamidele Opeyemi sought the invocation of Section 157 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, saying that the law empowers the Chamber to approve the request.

Those whose appointments will be terminated include, Dr Nura Ali, Sokoto State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari, Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner and Professor Ikemefuna Chijioke Uzochukwu, Abia State Resident Electoral Commissioner respectively.

He said, “Aware that the aforementioned Resident Commissioners were earlier suspended in 2023, bordering on allegations of infractions of the Electoral Act; compromise of elections and abandonment of duty without cogent reasons.”

A copy of the motion sighted by Newsmen on Wednesday revealed that the Office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, and the Department of State Services, DSS, indicted Dr. Nura Ali in their reports, having confessed to corruption, incompetence and receiving bribe to the tune of $150,000 from politicians.

According, the plenary which was presided by the Senate President, Godswill Obot Akpabio activated the relevant provisions of the Constitution and approve the termination of appointment of the affected Commissioners.

President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja on Wednesday for a private visit to Paris, France, before proceeding to Addis Ababa for the 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council and the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU Heads of State.

“The president will arrive in Addis Ababa early next week for the AU summit,” Mr Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesman, said in a statement.

The AU Summit is scheduled to hold from Feb. 12th to 16th.

“In Addis Ababa, President Tinubu will join African leaders at the 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council and the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU Heads of State, scheduled for Feb. 12th to 16th.

Hea said while in France, President Tinubu would meet with his French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron.

Justices Aisha Kumaliya and Amina Ibrahim of the Borno State High Court, sitting in Maiduguri on Tuesday, convicted and sentenced two persons to three years imprisonment each for fraud.

The convicts are; Anaryu Akindaraju and Umar Alhaji Bukar who were prosecuted by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on one-count separate charges bordering on criminal misappropriation and cheating.

According to the Head of Media and Publicity, EFCC, Dele Oyewale, Akindaraju was convicted by Justice Kumaliya while Bukar was jailed by Justice Ibrahim.

The charge against Akindaraju reads: “That you, Anaryu Akindaraju, sometime in March, 2022 in Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly induced Alhaji Tijjani Muhammad to deliver to you the sum of N15,000,000.00 (Fifteen Million Naira) via your account number 0241908016 domiciled with FCMB, and vide your account number 0060784408 domiciled with Access Bank respectively, while some of the monies were transferred to you vide the account number 1010381257 bearing Abubakar Musa domiciled with UBA under the guise that the said amount represents payment for a purchase of three bed room flat situated at House of Assembly Quarters Maiduguri, Borno State, which you are yet to deliver and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 (a) and punishable under Section 322 of the Penal Code Cap. 102 Laws of Borno State”

That of Bukar reads: “That you, Umar Alhaji Bukar with National Identification Number 86732517860, sometimes in 2013 at Maiduguri Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly misappropriated the aggregate sum of N6,736,000.00 and a house estimated at N450,000.00 belonging to late Alhaji Bukar Fannami for the benefit of Aisha Bukar Fannami and Hauwa Buakr Fannami and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 308 and 309 of the Penal Code Law of Borno State Cap. 102 Vol. 3 of 1994 respectively.”

Oyewale said they all pleaded guilty to the charges when read to them and counsel for the prosecution Mukhtar Ali Ahmed, Faruk Muhammad and Abdulmalik D. Aliyu went ahead and prayed the court to convict and sentence them accordingly.

“Justice Kumaliya convicted and sentenced Akindaraju to two years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000.00 while Justice Ibrahim convicted and sentenced Bukar to one year imprisonment or an option of fine of N100,000.00.

“The convicts’ road to the Correctional Centre began when Akindaraju received payment for a purchase of a three bed room flat without delivering the property to the victim or returning the money to him.

“Bukar, on his own, dishonestly misappropriated an inheritance property and converted it to his use”.