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Oshiomhole ‘Orders’ IGP To Seal Off Bauchi House Of Assembly
National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole, has asked the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to seal off the Bauchi State House of Assembly.
Recall that on Wednesday, two factional Speakers emerged on the floor of the Bauchi State House of Assembly. , with 11 Lawmakers loyal to the Bauchi State governor, Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, electing Hon Abubakar Suleiman Ningi as Speaker of the Assembly in the early hours of the day.
Later on, 20 Lawmakers in the 31-member Parliament elected Hon Kawuwa Shehu Damina as Speaker and Tukur Ahmed, the member representing Toro constituency as Deputy Speaker.
Findings revealed that 19 members were elected on the platform of APC while the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, has a member, Jamilu Umar Dahiru, the only NNPP member, representing Bauchi Central constituency.
Further checks revealed that the ruling party in the State, the PDP, has since poached two members increasing their members to 13.
Addressing the gathering of APC Lawmakers from Bauchi State led by factional Speaker, Honourable Damina who led his colleagues to the party National Secretariat to formally present their case, Comrade Oshiomhole said he has since briefed President Muhammdu Buhari on the need to forestall breakdown of law and order in Bauchi State.
Apparently faulting the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, Habu Sani Ahmadu, whose men fired teargas canisters to disperse the 20 Lawmakers, the APC Chairman said it was a shame “if the police provide security for any illegal act.”
He disclosed that he has equally met with the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Adamu Mohammad, and would formally write a letter to demand that the State Assembly be secured and open only to the majority of the members of the House.
Addressing the lawmakers, Oshiomhole said: “I have briefed the President in full having met with you earlier when you shared with me the details. I have had a conversation with the Governor so I have all the facts. We members of NWC have met with the IGP after deliberating on the issues. We will prevail on him to ensure that the Police do not provide security for an illegal act. Because the worse form of robbery is political robbery, it is worse than robbing people of their property.
“There is no way the PDP can produce the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker and other principal officers. If the Governor insists, then he is inviting trouble for himself. He should have said he is vacating the Government House, until the determination of his case. If he had submitted to the rule of law I don’t think Governor Bala Muhammed with all due respect, would have no choice than to submit himself and the PDP in Bauchi to rule of law.
“I assure you on behalf of APC that we stand by the statement we made yesterday that the purported election organised under cover with illegal use of the Nigerian Police to install a puppet against the wish of the majority of the members cannot stand and it will not stand by God’s grace.
“We will fight it to its logical conclusion and we will prevail on the Police to provide enforcement for the rule of law, we are not asking for any partisan support. The parliament must be secured because that is the business of the Police and security agencies to secure lives and property. The parliament is the property of the people of Bauchi State. They must ensure it is used for the purpose for which it was built, which is for which is law making not for the Governor to lock up the place.”
Commenting on a similar development in Edo State where nine lawmakers elected Speaker in a 24-member parliament, the former Edo State Governor disclosed that he is ashamed of development in his home State under Governor Godwin Obaseki.
“Unfortunately, the situation in Bauchi State House of Assembly. is also similar to the one that is happening in Edo State, I am ashamed to talk about it but there is nothing to hide. We have a similar situation in Edo, where in our own case we have 24/24 all of them APC but somebody wants a particular person as a Speaker, 19 out of 24 are opposed to this person. They then decided to carry six members into the house who were willing, while they invited the other ones as if for dinner only to arrive and be bundled into a vehicle, some of them in their short knickers to be inaugurated at 9.30 pm in the night.
“Yours was 6:00 am, Edo was 9.30 pm, all these are unholy hours. Those are nocturnal hours. The working hours for parliament are provided by the rules of the parliament. It is not up to anyone to change those rules only properly constituted parliament can change the rules as they are.”
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Electricity, telecom tariffs increase unconscionable, should be stopped – Shehu Sani
Former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has described the planned increase in electricity and telecom tariffs as unconscionable.
The statement comes after the telecoms regulator last week approved the increase in mobile tariffs.
The federal government also recently said that plans were ongoing to increase electricity tariffs “over the next few months.”
However, Sani, who said the government’s plan is unreasonable, insisted that it should be halted.
The ex-lawmaker also expressed his support for the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) over the scheduled protest against the government’s proposal, calling it a welcome development.
“The planned increase in electricity tariffs in the midst of poor power supply and the proposal to increase telecom tariffs is unconscionable and should be halted. The scheduled labour union protest is a welcome development,” he posted on X.
News
Trump to cut off funding to South Africa, gives reason
The United States President, Donald Trump, has revealed his decision to cut off all future funding to South Africa, citing poor treatment of “certain classes of people.”
Trump made this known on Sunday in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform.
According to Trump, South Africa was seizing land and mistreating some citizens without concern for the violations of their rights.
“South Africa is confiscating land and treating certain classes of people VERY BADLY.
“I will be cutting off all future funding to South Africa until a full investigation of this situation has been completed!” Trump wrote.
Reports suggest that the American leader may be defending White South Africans, some of whom have alleged that the South African policy is unfair to them.
News
Telecoms tariff hike: Nigerian govt in last-minute move to avert NLC shutdown
There are indications that the federal government will on Monday meet with the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, to stop the planned Tuesday nationwide protest against the 50 percent telecommunications tariff hike.
A reliable source familiar with the matter, who preferred anonymity, disclosed this on Monday morning, noting that the meeting between the NLC leadership and the federal government is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Monday.
The source said the meeting was a “dialogue on matters of national interest as it affects Nigerian workers.”
According to the source, it will be an inter-ministerial meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), purposely to resolve issues raised by the NLC concerning the federal government’s approved upward adjustment to telecommunications tariffs, which the NLC, its allies, and others are vehemently opposing.
This comes as the NLC is already mobilizing workers for a mass protest tomorrow (February 4) against the 50 percent tariff hike approval.
On Thursday last week, in a letter to affiliate unions and state councils, NLC General Secretary Emma Ugboaja urged them to mobilize other Nigerians to send a serious message to the government.
The planned protest follows the 50 percent telecom tariff approval by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on January 20, 2025.
The approval had sparked widespread rejection among telecom subscribers.
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