Author: straightnewsng.com

The All Progressives Congress generated N12.635 billion from the sale of its Presidential, Senate and House of Representatives expression of interest and nomination forms for the recently concluded APC primaries held in the country. SUNDAY PUNCH arrived at the figures after computing the cost of the forms and multiplying it by the number of aspirants who paid for and collected same to participate in the primaries. Only President Muhammadu Buhari was supported to collect the forms to contest the presidential primary. The president’s supporters were said to have paid N45 million to obtain the forms on his behalf. Governorship aspirants…

The Department of State Services, Monday, described as fake news, the claim that five operatives of the agency aided and abetted the embattled leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, to escape the country when the military swooped on his home in Abia State. A statement by Mr. Peter Afunanya, the Public Relations Officer of the DSS, said the service had never and would never assist any individual or illegal group trying to dismember Nigeria to get away with justice. Afunanya said: “The attention of the Department of State Services (DSS) has been drawn to the malicious report…

Three prominent Nigerian leaders have called for adequate funding of the National Assembly. President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and former speaker and Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, who spoke at the convocation ceremony of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, NILDS/University of Benin Post Graduate Programmes for the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 academic sessions held at the National Assembly Monday, said lawmakers in the eight assembly, had committed themselves to improving the lives of Nigerians. They also harped on adequate funding of both arms of legislature because of the…

President of the Nigerian Association for Energy Economics, Professor Wumi Iledare, Monday, stated that cheap petroleum products prices is negatively affecting the country and is also making the country’s economic inefficient. Addressing newsmen in Abuja, as part of activities to mark the Fourth NAEE World Energy Day Celebration, Iledare warned that the energy sector cannot be governed with patronage and sentiment, adding that doing so might have dire consequences for the country. He explained that the Federal Government can intervene in the petroleum products market instead of regulating the industry and fixing prices. Some of the intervention measures, according to…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Monday, alleged attempt to scuttle the ongoing trial of former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh. The agency made the allegation on a day it persuaded the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court to reject an application that sought the postponement of further hearing on the criminal proceeding it initiated against Metuh, till November 29. The request was contained in an affidavit of fact that was filed before the trial court by counsel to the 2nd defendant in the case, Chief Tochukwu Onwugbufor, SAN, who is…

A former governor of defunct Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Monday, urged Nigerians not to gamble with the idea of returning power to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in 2019. Musa said that the country would be worse off if the main opposition party was allowed to come back, saying the PDP had ruled the country for 16 years before 2015 and all they brought to Nigerians was misery and underdevelopment. He said that the opposition party almost completely ruined the economy with massive corruption and plunder while in power. The governor said though all was not well with the…

A popular Nigerian preacher, Sunday, openly declared that Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate would defeat President Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress candidate in the 2019 general elections. The Spiritual Director, Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, who on January 1, this year, had predicted defeat of President Buhari at the polls re-echoed that APC is doomed for defeat, but said that there was still opportunity for change. Fr. Mbaka, however, expressed doubt that Atiku in the 2019 election may not be able to solve the problems of Nigeria if he emerges victorious. Abubakar who…

The Supreme Court has nullified the May 19 to 21 congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State. In a ruling on Monday, the apex court described the conduct of the congress as a “serious violation of court order” and berated the Court of Appeal which nullified a high court order against the controversial congress. Following an ex-parte application by aggrieved members of the APC, led by Abdulahi Umar, a high court in the state instructed the party members to suspend plans for the conduct of its local government congress on May 12, pending the determination of the…

An All Progressives Congress chieftain in Katsina State has rejected the just-concluded party’s primaries that saw Governor Aminu Bello Masari clinching the return ticket of the party in the state. Malam Abubakar Isma’ila, President Muhammadu Buhari’s son-in-law, who rejected the primaries outcome as Masari’s name had been forwarded by the party to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as its governorship candidate in the race has headed to court to challenge its outcome. Isa was reportedly said to have in a petition filed to the Secretary of the Electoral Committee to register his grievance, faulted the adoption of indirect primaries,…

The Judiciary, Sunday, declared a seven-day mourning to honour Justice Idris Legbo Kutigi, the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, who died at 78. Justice Walter Onnoghen, the incumbent CJN, has directed that the Nigerian National Flag in the premises of the Supreme Court, the CJN’s official residence in the three Arms Zone of Abuja, all Judiciary institutions, including the National Judicial Council, NJC, the National Judicial Institute, NJI, the Federal Judicial Service Commission, FJSC, as well as all Courts of Records in the country, should be flown at half-mast for a duration of seven days. Similarly, the CJN instructed…