INEC may deregister 80 political parties to save time during collation of results

Less than 10 political parties may survive being deregistered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should the commission decide to run with the amended constitutional provision to deregister parties.

At least, 70 parties participated in the 2019 elections, an alteration on the 1999 constitution. However,  section 225 of the constitution as amended empowers INEC deregister political parties on grounds of:

“a. breach of any of the requirements for registration

“b. failure to win at least twenty-five percent of votes cast in-

one State of the Federation in a Presidential election; or
one Local Government of the State in a Governorship election;
“c. failure to win at least-

“i. one ward in the Chairmanship election

” ii. one seat in the National or State House of Assembly election; or

“iii. one seat in the Councillorship election.”

Checks by TheCable showed that apart from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) that have won seats since 2015, Young Progressive Party (YPP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Action Alliance (AA), Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) are the only five other parties that may scale through the new requirement.

YPP won a senatorial seat in Anambra, PRP won two seats for house of representatives in Bauchi, AA also won two seats for house of representatives in Imo, APM one house of representatives seat in Ogun and SDP also got one seat for house of representatives in Ondo state.

In a statement, Femi Falana, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said it is clear that INEC has the power to deregister political parties that fail to meet the fresh constitutional prerequisites, and going by the results of the 2019 elections, the 91 registered political parties may have been reduced to less than 10 that may have scaled the constitutional hurdle.

Falana further argued that deregistration of political parties that fail to win elections is likely to limit the political space to the “so-called mainstream parties” that are not committed to any political philosophy or ideology.

He added that with respect to registered political parties, INEC must fully comply with section 225(2) of the constitution by sanctioning them if they fail to submit a detailed annual statement and analysis of their sources of funds and assets, as this would go a long way to check the monetisation and manipulation of the democratic process by political godfathers.

TheCable

Unknown gunmen kill Army Garrison Commander in Bauchi

Military authorities in Bauchi were on Monday thrown into mourning following the killing of the Garrison Commander, 33 Artillery Brigade of Nigerian Army in Shadawanka Barracks, Bauchi, Col. Mohammed Barack by suspected gunmen.

The killing which has brought panic to the city, could however not be ascertained if it was a case of armed robbery attack or assassination, although unofficial and unconfirmed sources said it could be by armed robbers.

The incident which took place on Bauchi – Jos Road was said to have taken place on Sunday while the deceased was riding a power bike from Kaduna.

A source said, “The Garrison Commander of 33 Artillery Brigade of Nigerian Army (Shadawanka Barracks) Bauchi, Col. Mohammed Barack, has been shot dead. He was shot on Sunday along Jos Road, while on a power bike and was coming back from Kaduna. He is from Kano State.”

As of the time of this report, preparations are in top gear to convey his corpse to Kano for burial, according to Islamic tradition, after the necessary military rites.

When contacted, the spokesperson of 33 Artillery Brigade, Major Yahaya Nasir Kabara, confirmed the incident saying, “Yes, it’s true.”

When asked to give details of what happened, he said “Come to the Brigade because it is a matter that needs investigation; investigation is ongoing, I will get back to you when the finding is out. Let me communicate with my Commander, I will get back to you.”

Punch

Gunman opens fire on tram in Netherlands

Several people were injured after a shooting in the central Dutch city of Utrecht, police said.

The shooting began at 10.45am local time (9.45am GMT) when a gunman opened fire on a tram on 24 Oktoberplain.

Several helicopters were scrambled to the scene, Utrecht Police tweeted.

The force wrote: "Shooting incident report # 24oktoberplein in Utrecht was at 10.45 a.m. This is a shooting incident in a tram. Several trauma heli have been deployed to provide assistance.

Shots were fired near Oudenrijn Hospital, according to RTV Utrecht.

EveningStandard

The president doesn't need you to appoint me, Buhari's CJN tells NJC

Tanko Muhammad, acting chief justice of Nigeria (CJN), says President Muhammadu Buhari did not need the permission of the National Judicial Council to appoint him.

According to PUNCH, Muhammad made the claim in response to a query given to him by the NJC, the body constitutionally empowered to recommend the appointment of chief justices and heads of courts.

The NJC had issued queries to him and Walter Onnoghen, suspended CJN, in January.

While Onnoghen was asked to react to the allegations of corruption levelled against him, Muhammad was asked to clarify the reason he allowed himself to be sworn in by the president without recourse to the NJC.

In his response, Muhammad said the NJC ought to be consulted only when a substantive CJN is being appointed or re-appointed.

“In my respectful view, the National Judicial Council has no role to play in the appointment of an acting ChiefThe  Justice of Nigeria in the first instance, that is to say on first appointment. The council comes in where the appointment as the acting CJN is to be renewed or extended. I humbly refer to Section 231(4) of the 1999 Constitution.”

Muhammad added that Onnoghen remained the substantive CJN, saying he was only suspended.

The acting CJN said if the appeal court or the Code of Conduct Tribunal reversed Onnoghen’s suspension, he would immediately step aside and return to his former position as a justice of the Supreme Court.

“It was for the larger interest of the judiciary and the constitutionality that I accepted to be sworn in as acting CJN with the conviction that if the order of January 23, 2019 is eventually set aside, the status quo would be restored,” he reportedly said.

“But before it is set aside, there should be no vacuum in the office of the CJN and the chairman of the NJC.”

Recalling how he was sworn in by the president, Muhammad said he was summoned to the presidential villa by Buhari and shown the certified true copy of a motion ex parte granted by the CCT and signed by Danladi Umar, its chairman.

“On January 25, 2019, I was summoned to the Aso Villa at the instance of the President. Prior to the summons, I was not aware of the fact that the Code of Conduct Tribunal made any order on January 23, 2019,” he said.

“Furthermore, beyond what I read in the newspapers and watched on the television just like any other Nigerian, I was not privileged to see any of the processes filed by the parties before the tribunal. Hence, I could not really appreciate the merit or demerit of divergent positions.

“On the 25th day of January, the President swore me in as the acing CJN and not as the substantive CJN. Justice Walter Onnoghen remains the CJN until he is removed from office in accordance with the provision of the constitution. He is only suspended.”

He, however, said he had nothing to do with the speech delivered by the president wherein the suspended CJN was accused Onnoghen of frustrating his anti-corruption war.

Muhammad admitted that he was a member of the NJC panel that removed Obisike Orji of the Abia state high court for accepting to be sworn in as chief judge by the state government without a recommendation of the NJC.

He, however, said his own case was different because he was only appointed as an acting CJN.

Muhammad said the substantive head of the judiciary had been suspended by a valid court order which made it right for him to take over in acting capacity.

The acting CJN therefore appealed to the NJC to dismiss the petition written against him.

I can't wait to get married so that I can rape my husband 12 times in a day - Sexycendy

A Twitter user identified as @sexycendy has got herself trending on the platform after she revealed the nasty thing she will do when married.

According to the young lady, she is eager to get married because she plans to be raping her husband 12 times a day.

”I can’t wait to get married so I can rape my husband 12 times a day”, she tweeted.


❤️miss independent❤️
@sexycendyy
 I can't wait to get married so I can rape my husband 12 times a day 🙄🙄🙄

Falcon striker, Abasi Umotong graduates with First Class in UK

Akwa Ibom born Super Falcon Striker,  INI- ABASI UMOTONG graduates with First Class in Economics from the University Of Southampton. She had once  won the most valuable player and highest Goal Scorer Awards in Wimbledon.

She represented  Nigeria in the 2015 FIFA Women World Cup.

Lagos ramshackle school where hoodlums defecate in classrooms

For Ndidi Godwin, switching her children’s education from a private to a public school has turned out to be a huge mistake. The Methodist Primary School, Ewu-Tuntun, which her two daughters attend has gradually – but steadily – become a shadow of itself over the past years. And there seems to be no succour in sight.

“I removed them from private school and brought them here because I know what I got in a public school,” said Mrs Godwin, who runs a shop near the primary school.

“It’s public school I went to in Lagos State. For primary, I went to Ajubiliee Primary school, secondary is Bolade Grammar School, then Lagos State Polytechnic, have I not achieved?”

But the current state of Methodist Primary School, Ewu Tuntun in Oshodi, Lagos, is a far cry from what Mrs Godwin experienced in her days.

Established in 1953, the school with a pupil population of 374 consists of three buildings housing 18 classrooms. Ten of the classrooms are not in use while the remaining eight are in advanced stages of disrepair – no windows, broken ceilings, cracked walls, and tattered, leaky roofs.

A haven for hoodlums
Methodist Primary School, Ewu Tuntun, is situated in Oshodi, a bustling community in the heart of Lagos popular for hosting major motor parks as well as housing hoodlums. About 10 kilometres from the school, the state government’s ambitious multi-billion naira Oshodi Transport Interchange springs into view as the project enters its final stages of completion.

But the decrepit state of facilities in the primary school at Ewu Tuntun remains in need of urgent, total rehabilitation. In the meantime, it serves as a haven for hoodlums who not only come to smoke Indian Hemp but also defecate on the premises. The abandoned classrooms have been turned to sleeping spaces for the homeless.

During a recent visit by a PREMIUM TIMES correspondent, the stench of stale urine and overnight faeces hung thick in the air.

 A classroom turned toilet for hoodlums at Ogundele community where Methodist School, Ewu-tuntun, Oshodi is located
The smell filters into the pupils’ classrooms during school hours.

“All the classrooms are in totally bad states, if you enter the classrooms, they smell like drainage,” said Mrs Godwin.

“No fence, no security for our children, even the classrooms are not good for learning. Many big people attended this school, in fact, there are many old students of the school living in this area, but nothing has been done.

“We hope that the government will do something about the condition of the school.”

Another parent said the school premises have become a playground for hoodlums.

“There was even a time a classroom got burnt as a result of remnant of a cigarette left in the classroom. Bola Tinubu visited this place when that happened but nothing has been done about the school,” said the parent who preferred not to be named.

Premium Times