Top newspapers headlines in Nigeria for today, Wednesday, 22nd June 2022
1. Buhari Replaces Amaechi, Akpabio, Others, Sends Ministerial Nominees List To Senate
Recall that Buhari prior to the APC primary election issued a directive to all appointees contesting the Presidential election to resign.
While some ministers withdrew from the presidential race others like Rotimi Amaechi, Godswill Akpabio, Ogbonnaya Onu, and others resigned.
In the letter sent to the Senate President Ahmed Lawan on Tuesday, Buhari said the nominees would replace the former ministers that resigned from his cabinet.
2. Reps Reject Motion Seeking To Override Buhari On Section 84(8)
A motion seeking to override President Muhammadu Buhari‘s veto on the amendment made to Section 84(8) of the Electoral Act 2022 has been rejected by the House of Representatives.
The Act did not provide for members elected into public offices and executives of the parties, known as statutory delegates, to participate and vote in the conventions, congresses or meetings of parties.
The Deputy Speaker of the House, Ahmed Idris Wase during sitting on Tuesday directed the lawmaker who moved the motion, Ben Igbakpa from Delta State to follow proper procedure.
Lawmakers after their party primaries condemned the amended Section 84(8) of the Electoral Act 2022.
The section of the electoral act hindered some lawmakers from clinching their return ticket to the house.
The loss in the party primaries made some lawmakers take steps over President Buhari.
3. Insecurity: President Buhari Reveals Those Funding IPOB
President Muhammadu Buhari has accused foreign countries and international communities of funding the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.
The Nigerian leader stated that the separatist group was being funded through international financial networks and other various means.
In a question and answer session with Bloomberg, President Buhari urged foreign countries to proscribe IPOB as a terrorist organization.
Buhari stated that the group is responsible for the oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the South East. He said the vandalism and oil theft carried out by IPOB is responsible for the shortfall of the daily production quota in the country.
The President claimed that IPOB leadership enjoys a safe haven in the West and broadcasts hate speech into Nigeria from London in the United Kingdom.
4. Supreme Court: CJN Tanko Reacts To Petition Against Him By Justices
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad has reacted to the petition brought against him by Justices of the Supreme Court over his handling of judiciary matters.
The CJN in his response said the matters pointed out are already receiving attention and members of the public should disregard any thought or feeling of hostility among the judges.
He added that the issues raised by the Supreme Court justices are not peculiar to the judiciary alone but are a reflection of happenings in the whole country.
Tanko submitted that bringing such issues to the public domain amounts to dancing naked in the market but since the memo written by his colleagues has already made its way to the public, he also decided to respond publicly.
Truetells Nigeria recalls the justices had in a leaked memo, among other things, stated that the budget allocated to the judiciary has not been increased in the past four years.
They revealed that they decided to write Justice Tanko in a bid to preserve the dignity of the Judiciary.
5. Buhari Speaks On Emefiele’s Interest In Running For President
President Muhammadu Buhari has spoken on the botched presidential ambition of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.
Recall that three support groups had bought the presidential nomination and expression of interest forms of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Emefiele.
The CBN Governor who had earlier rejected the gesture, approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, to ask for a ruling allowing him to contest the 2023 presidency and retain his job at the CBN.
Emefirle, however, withdrew from the presidential race after President Buhari ordered all heads of agencies, departments, parastatals and ambassadors with political ambitions to turn in their resignations.
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, the Nigerian leader said he was bothered about the debate on Emefiele’s interest in running for president.
Buhari expressed a vote of confidence in the CBN Governor, adding that the apex bank’s independence was not in any doubt.
The President said the CBN’s board of directors are to determine whether Emefiele’s actions have fallen foul of the laws of the apex bank.
6. APC Loses Three Senators To PDP, NNPP
At least three more lawmakers from the All Progressives Congress (APC) have ahead of the 2023 general elections, renounced their membership of the ruling party to join opposition parties.
The development has thereby reduced the number of APC senators in the current National Assembly from 70 to 67, Truetells Nigeria understands.
The defecting lawmakers are revealed as Senator Ahmad Babba Kaita (Katsina North), Lawal Yahaya Gumau (Bauchi South), and Francis Alimikhena (Edo North).
Their defection was confirmed in separate letters read during plenary at the Red chamber on Tuesday by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.
Babba Kaita and Alimikhena are said to have defected to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while Gumau on the other hand, defected to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
7. Senate Names New Minority Leader, Minority Whip
The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday named Senator Philip Tenimu Aduda representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as the new Minority Leader.
Senate President Ahmad Lawan made the announcement while reading two separate letters signed by the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
Lawan also announced Senator Chukwuka Utazi representing Enugu North Senatorial District as the Senate Minority Whip.
The seat of the Minority Leader became vacant following the defection of Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South) from the PDP to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
8. Buhari Orders Immediate Rescue Of Remaining Kaduna Train Passengers
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the immediate rescue of the remaining passengers kidnapped on the Abuja-Kaduna train.
Truetells Nigeria recalls that the Kaduna-bound train was attacked by some terrorists on March 28, 2022.
The assailants had opened fire on the moving train, killing at least nine people while they whisked away to an unknown location no fewer than sixty others.
However, some victims of the train attack were released two months ago, while eleven victims were freed two weeks ago and were reunited with their families.
In a statement via his official Twitter handle on Tuesday, Buhari ordered security and intelligence agencies to speed up efforts to secure the safe release of all the remaining abducted victims.
9. 2023: Buhari Reveals Candidate He Would Support To Emerge As Next President
President Muhammadu Buhari has taken a stand on the candidate he would endorse for the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria.
Speaking during a recent interview with Bloomberg News, President Buhari declared that he would support the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Truetells Nigeria reports the APC candidate for the 2023 election is former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
Asked during the interview if he plans to endorse any candidate for president and who the person would be, President Buhari replied in the affirmative.
“Yes. I will endorse the APC candidate for president,” the Nigerian leader declared.
10. Why There Is Fuel Scarcity – IPMAN Explains, Hints At Increasing Price
As Nigerians continue to groan over the current situation of long queues at filling stations, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has explained why there is fuel scarcity in Lagos and other parts of the country.
Speaking in an interview with Channels Television, the Lagos Zonal Chairman of IPMAN, Akin Akinrinade said the shut down of stations by its members is not because of a strike or have any plans of striking.
Akin Akinrinade noted that the business environment has been very hostile such that they can no longer do business in the current condition.