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Govt functionaries responsible for looming protest- Hon Ikeweche

Published

8 months ago

on

George Mgbeleke, Abuja
 Ahead of the looming nationwide protest, a radical member of the House of Representatives, representing Aba North and South, Hon Alex Mascot Ikeweche has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to channel the money mapped out for forcefully quelling the protest to providing meaningful employment and succour that would ameliorate the hardship experience by Nigerians.
According to the vibrant lawmaker, the planned protest is necessitated by the  excessive display of wealth by the  government functionaries in the All Progressive Congress(APC) President Tinubu and high rate of hunger in the land.
“The truth is this,there’s so much hunger in the land. I don’t think Nigeria’s had it this bad except for maybe just a couple of years the citizens were pushed  into  a civil war period.
“During the period, people could barely buy food to eat. It may be slightly difficult for the political class, especially people that have been successful for a long time, to truly understand the plight of the people as of today.
“There are certain things that go on and when the poor, the poorest of the poor get to hear them, it breaks their hearts and that is why people are very proud interested about this protest.
” You can be telling people to tighten their belt when
governors, presidents, ministers are still busy driving bulletproof vehicles, Lexus 600 SUVs. You see one governor riding on 30 cars. You see one minister riding on 15 cars. You see the President riding on 50 cars and then you expect them to tighten their belt. Just like I said earlier, that if government is truly interested in having people’s belts tightened, government should live by example, he said.
 Continuing Hon Ikeweche said,”They should set that example. And the President can say, okay, I’m moving aaround with four cars, five cars. Bule puver, cause he’s the president. I mean, it’s something that he deserves to do. But moving around with 50 cars?
“I mean this is just a few of course. And then we cut down on a lot of different things. Do we actually need the number of people that are being paid in government? Let me explain this. From a technocratic or entrepreneurial standpoint, when an entity, a business entity begins to fail, what it does is it cuts on costs. What is the federal government doing to cut costs?of governance.
“There is a perverseness of prodigality, total avoidance of frugality in the day-to-day running of government. What is the government doing to cut governance, cost of governance? That has to be done. While preparing the budget, do you bring consultants to take time to scrutinise the content of what is inserted in the budget.
“When it gets to us here, you give us one month to scrutinize this budget. How do we scrutinize the budget within one month? And then everybody is rushing. By right, in September, as soon as we are resuming the session, the budget should be on our table.
“Okay, the president should present the 2025 budget so that we can take between September and December to scrutinize the budget and then approve it. If there are things that we feel that shouldn’t be there in the budget, then we quickly do it. The legislative arm of government should remain independent.
 “The judicial arm of government should remain independent. The executive arm of government should remain independent.”
“These are little, little things that we ought to do for the country to move forward. A popular senator once said, if you tell the truth, you die. If you tell a lie, you die. It’s better I tell the truth and die so that I know that I spoke the truth. Now…”
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Politics

IPU cannot consider Natasha’s petition – Jimoh Ibrahim

Published

21 hours ago

on

March 14, 2025

By

Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, Chairman of the Senate Inter-parliamentary Committee, remarked that the purported petition from the suspended Senator Natasha is “dead on arrival.”

He emphasised that Nigeria, rather than Senator Natasha, is the member of the IPU.

A petition can only be lodged against another member state by a member state.

This implies that the IPU cannot consider petitions from individuals who are not members.

The suspended Senator Natasha is not a member of the IPU, but Nigeria is!
Additionally, the suspended Senator cannot represent the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“I served as the interim president of the IPU in Geneva in 2023, and I am familiar with how the IPU operates after presiding over its proceedings.

Furthermore, as Chairman of the Inter- parliamentary Committee in the Nigerian Senate, I did not approve or authorise the suspended Senator Natasha to attend the IPU on behalf of Nigeria to the Senate President.”

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Politics

Senate moves to establish Early Voting for Nigerians on essential duties during elections …..As Bill scales 2nd reading 

Published

22 hours ago

on

March 14, 2025

By

By George Mgbeleke
The Senate on Thursday passed to second reading a Bill to amend the Electoral Act to provide opportunity for Nigerians on essential duties to perform their civic duties.
The Bill sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz zMusa Yar’adua seeks to amend the Electoral Act tagged “Electoral Act(Amendment -Early Voting Bill) 2024.

Senate in session in the chamber

In his lead debate Senator Yar’adua noted that the Bill seeks to enfranchise a significant group of Nigerians who, due to the nature of their duties on election days, are denied the opportunity to exercise their most fundamental democratic right; the right to vote.
He said,”This very important bill seeking to introduce early voting in the Electoral Act 2022 to enhance the inclusion, participation and integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process, and for related matters, was read for the first time on Wednesday, the 15th day of May  2024.
“Mr. President, Distinguished Colleagues, due to the far-reaching nature of this Bill, let me crave your indulgence to extensively highlight the background, which I believe will not only provide a proper context for this legislative initiative but also motivate this hallowed chamber to accelerate the legislative process in enacting the Bill.
“Background and Rationale
In any democratic process, equal opportunity must be given to all citizens to participate in elections regardless of their gender, ethnicity, religion, occupation or socioeconomic status. This ensures the true reflection of the will of the people thereby enhancing the stability of the democratic process. Unfortunately, a huge number of Nigerians who are involved in making Nigeria’s elections a success are excluded from the crucial decision-making of choosing their leaders through the ballot.”
The lawmaker further observed that,”Over one million citizens who play critical roles in ensuring the smooth conduct of the elections are disenfranchised.
” These include INEC officials, including ad-hoc staff, the security personnel, journalists, observers and others who work on election day to uphold the integrity of the process are effectively denied their right to vote because they are deployed to polling units far from where they registered. This is an irony that should not be lost on us, and this bill seeks to correct that by making provision for early voting for such citizens.
“Mr President, Distinguished Colleagues, this exclusion has characterised all elections in the Fourth Republic and became more alarming in the 2023 General Elections with over 1 million ad-hoc staff, 310,973 police personnel, 93,495 military and Department of State Service (DSS) personnel, 51,000 personnel from the National Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), 21,000 from the Federal Road Safety Corps, 11,336 from the Nigeria Correctional Service, 9,447 from the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency and 350 personnel from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission who were actively engaged in election activities were disenfranchised. Similarly, the Independent National Electoral Commission reported that 144,800 observers were deployed by 196 national and domestic organisations, with the implication that those citizens were also unable to vote. This is in addition to journalists and others involved in elections in various capacities. The number of those excluded from voting could change the outcomes of election results.”
Continuing he said,”Mr. President, Distinguished Colleagues, the figures highlighted above makes this bill a necessity to address the ‘disenfranchisement’ of eligible voters. As lawmakers, it is our duty to ensure that every Nigerian citizen, regardless of their profession or duty on election day, has the opportunity to participate fully in the electoral process. Incorporating early voting in our electoral legal framework shall strengthen universal adult suffrage as our Constitution guarantees every eligible Nigerian the right to vote.
” Furthermore, this Bill strengthens democratic values as democracy thrives when participation is broad, inclusive, and representative. By preventing those on election duty from voting, we are limiting the breadth of participation and undermining the very principles of democracy.
“Distinguished Colleagues, here are the highlights of the bill:
Provision for eligibility and registration of early voters:  Political parties will receive a list of registered early voters to ensure transparency.
Eligible individuals include security personnel, electoral officials and those deemed eligible by the commission who must apply 30 days before the early voting date (Clause 44A (2)-(6)).
“Implementation and Voting Procedure.
A designated early voting date will be set, not more than 7 days before the general election (Section 44A (1)).
Voting centers will be established in every ward, with early votes counted on the official election day (Section 44A (10)-(17))Cross-Country Survey.”
The Lawmaker noted  that early voting has been part of the electoral legal frameworks in other jurisdictions with its attendant huge success stories in promoting voter participation, reducing election day pressure, and increasing accessibility.
” In the United States, early voting varies by State, with some states allowing a few days to several weeks (up to 45 days) in advance of election day. In Australia, early voting starts about 2-3 weeks before the election, with the 2019 federal election recording 40% of voters that cast their ballots early. In Canada, early voting takes place 12 days before election day allowing voters greater flexibility. In Germany, Postal voting is initiated four to six weeks before the election, enabling voters to participate ahead of time.
“Distinguished Colleagues, it is interesting to note that early voting has also gained traction in several African countries as a tool to improve electoral efficiency, increase voter turnout, and enhance inclusivity, especially for marginalized groups. In South Africa, the Independent Electoral Commission allows early voting 2 days before the general election for individuals such as the elderly, disabled, pregnant women, security forces, and those working on Election Day.
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Politics

No Individual Bigger Than PDP, Says Diri

Published

2 days ago

on

March 13, 2025

By

PDP zonal caretaker C'ttee members with Gov Douye Diri (2nd from the Rt)

By David Owei ,Bayelsa

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was bigger than any individual and that its internal challenges would be fixed once the members resolve to tackle them.

Speaking to journalists at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja on Thursday after the inauguration of the party’s South-South zonal caretaker committee led by Elder Emma Ogidi, the Bayelsa Governor said the political will to confront those fomenting trouble in the party resided with the members and not solely on the leadership.

Diri, who is also Chairman of the South-South Governors Forum, stated that for the party to be competitive as the oldest in the country, it must look inwards and fix its internal issues.

He said: “For me, we have to look inwards before accusing those outside our party. We have to first fix our internal issues.

“It is very easy to point accusing fingers. But the PDP has to sit back and tackle its internal challenges. That is only when we can stand to compete with others.

“I want the PDP to be competitive with other political parties. We are the oldest political party in Nigeria. So we have no reason to be accusing outsiders.”

On whether the party’s leadership had the political will to discipline those fomenting trouble, Governor Diri averred that such will resided with the members.

“We are all members of the party. The moment we all resolve that we need to fix our party, there cannot be any one person that is bigger than the party.”

He stressed that the newly inaugurated zonal caretaker committee had the mandate of the National Working Committee to look into every issue affecting the party in the South-South.

The Bayelsa helmsman expressed the hope that the event was a step forward for the party.

“In our zone, which is the only area in the country you have four governors of the party, we have all resolved and are together on this. You can see the deputy governor of Delta State, who represented the governor. I have also received messages from the governors of Akwa Ibom and Rivers. It shows that we are together and what we need to do is to show leadership and work with the zonal committee so that our zone will again become safe and strong for the PDP.”

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