Kaduna Insecurity: LG Elections Postponed In Four Troubled Councils

The Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission (KADSIECOM) has postponed the local government elections scheduled to take place on Saturday 4th September to 25th September in four of the 23 local government areas of the state. The elections are however to hold as scheduled on Saturday in the remaining 10 local government areas. In a statement on Friday, the Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Saratu Binta Dikko-Audu, who made the announcement of the postponement, said the decision was informed by the security report. Dr. Dikko-Audu, however, explained that the security operatives would be fully deployed to the affected local government areas on the stated date so as to prevent any breakdown of law and order as well as loss of lives and property. “We are all aware of the recent escalation of the security situation in Kaduna state. I have been reliably informed by security architecture within the state, that security reports in the state would make it impossible to peacefully conduct the local elections in a number of local government areas.

I Will Not Resign As PDP Chairman-Uche Secondus

The embattled national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus has said that he would not resign from his current position. This was disclosed on Monday in a statement by his media aide, Ike Abonyi, shortly after some members of PDP staged a protest to call for his removal at the party’s secretariat in Abuja.

INEC Postpones Date For Physical Registration Of Voters

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rescheduled the physical registration of voters to July 26, 2021. The commission had earlier announced the date for commencement of physical registration as of July 19, 2021, but added that it may be affected by the public holidays for Eid-il-Kabir. In a statement on Friday, Festus Okoye, INEC national commissioner, and chairman, Information and voter education, said with the federal government’s declaration of July 20 and July 21 as public holidays, the date had to be adjusted. “Consequently, the physical registration of voters will now commence on Monday, July 26, 2021. Online registrants that have scheduled appointments from July 19, 2021, to July 23, 2021, will have their appointments rescheduled.” The statement reads.

Kebbi State Assembly Impeaches Speaker, Deputy

The Kebbi State House of Assembly has impeached its speaker and his deputy Honourable Sama’Ilah Abdulmuminu Kamba and Buhari Alieru, respectively, by a two-thirds majority on Tuesday. The clerk of the house, Usman Ahmad Bunza, who stated this in a brief statement made available to journalists said the two house leaders were found to have committed impeachable offence hence, the reason to relieve them of their posts with immediate effect.

I Would Not Hesitate To Stand As Surety Again For Nnamdi Kanu - Abaribe

Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, on Wednesday revealed that he would not hesitate to stand as surety again for the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu given the same circumstances. Abaribe explained that he stood surety for Kanu when the IPOB leader was arraigned because it was a condition imposed by the court. According to him, the court ordered that one of the sureties must be a Senator, and as the Chairman of the Southeast Senators Caucus then, he had to make himself available as the surety. Abaribe said: “There is a difference between jumping bail and escaping for your life. I went back to court and deposed that on the basis of the principle of ‘last seen’, that the last people seen with him were soldiers of the Nigerian army who were invading his father’s residence.

National Assembly Endorses 20-year Jail term For Ballot Box Snatchers

The upper chamber of the National Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill seeking to establish the Electoral Offences Commission. This followed the consideration of a report by the Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Chaired by Senator Kabiru Gaya (APC, Kano). Gaya, in his presentation, noted that establishing the Electoral Offences Commission has become imperative in view of INEC’s inability to prosecute electoral offenders in accordance with the provisions of sections 149 and 150(2) of the Electoral Act (as amended).