Author: straightnewsng.com

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said only 1,390,519 (over 45 per cent) Nigerians who registered since 2021 when the commission began another registration are eligible to vote in the 2023 general elections. As of 2022, Nigeria’s population was estimated at 216.7 million people. The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who spoke on Wednesday in Abuja at a media conference, also said 44.6 per cent of voters who have registered since 2021 are invalid. “This is a challenging development,” Yakubu said, adding the affected persons would need to re-register. Read also: INEC fixes dates for 2023 General election campaign activities…

Senator Godswill Akpabio’s factional Chairman, Stephen Leo Ntukekpo, has been sworn in as Akwa Ibom State chairman of the All Progressives Congress, by the APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu. The event was witnessed by other members of the National Working Committee on Monday at the Party’s National Secretariat, Abuja. Recall that Ntukekpo’s swearing in came days after the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, dismissed an Appeal by the defunct CECPC and affirmed the Federal High Court ruling that was declared in favour of Obong Stephen Ntukekpo. By this swearing in, Mr. Austin Ekanem, the factional Chairman of Senator John…

Real Madrid and Villarreal amassed sufficient soccer arsenals to send defending champions Chelsea and dominant Bayern Munich into abyss, thus zooming into semi/finals of the Champions league. Karim Benzema’s extra-time header sent Real Madrid into the Champions League semi-finals despite holders Chelsea fighting back with a 3-2 second-leg win in Spain on Tuesday. Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea, trailing 3-1 after the first game at Stamford Bridge, turned the quarter-final on its head with goals from Mason Mount, Antonio Ruediger and Timo Werner. But Rodrygo’s 80th-minute volley forced an added half an hour, and Benzema headed home to grab a 5-4 aggregate triumph for 13-time…

The Federal Government has declared Friday, April 15 and Monday, April 18, as public holidays to commemorate the 2022 Easter celebration. Easter is the holiday in which Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus following his crucifixion and death on the cross of Calvary. The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, announced the holiday on behalf of the federal government on Tuesday. In a statement, Dr Shuaib Belgore, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, issued on his behalf, Aregbesola urged Christians to emulate the attributes of sacrifice, togetherness, forgiveness, kindness, love, peace and patience, which were the attributes and practices of Jesus…

Police in Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have arrested and detained Peter Nwachukwu, husband of the popular gospel singer, Osinachi, over alleged death of his wife. The family of the late Ekwueme singer had denied reports that she died of cancer, saying she had a blood clot after she was assaulted by her husband. The spokesperson for the FCT police command, Josephine Adeh, who confirmed the arrest to Daily Trust, said, “He is now in our custody. The younger brother of the deceased reported the matter and we have commenced an investigation.” Osinachi, 42, died on Friday after spending days at an…

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Sunday joined the presidential race ahead of the primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) which comes up in May. At a dinner he hosted at the Presidential Villa for the breaking of Ramadan fast (Iftar), Osinbajo informed the APC governors of his plan to succeed his boss, President Muhammadu Buhari, whose tenure as President ends on May 29, 2023. It was learnt that no fewer than 12 APC governors out of the 23 were present at the meeting. Some of the governors present included Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Babagana…

Apostle Nyeneime Andy, the Senior Pastor of The Holy Ghost Ambassadors Ministry International, Akwa Ibom State, has advised married women facing domestic violence to seek help from others to avoid them dying in the marriage.  The advice comes after the controversial death of a Nigerian popular gospel singer, Mrs Osinachi Nwachukwu of Ekwueme fame linked to domestic violence.  In his Facebook page, Andy wrote ”Don’t Die in Marriage. Wives don’t die in marriage. You’ll still make Heaven without being killed by a brutal husband.’’ ”If you need to talk to someone to help you pls do. This is a true life…

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Allied and Educational Institutions (NASU) have extended their warning strike by two weeks. The unions commenced a two-week warning strike on March 27 over the inability of the Federal Government to implement agreements signed with them in 2009. The two unions had also expressed dissatisfaction over the Federal Government’s failure to pay their members’ minimum wage arrears since December 2021. The Federal Government had also failed to pay earned allowances, despite a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2020. Read also: SSANU, NASU’s warning strike set…

The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has reversed some of the decisions taken by his predecessor and Caretaker Chairman, Governor Mai Mala Buni by withdrawing court cases, Saturday PUNCH has learnt. The move comes less than a week after Adamu announced his plans to probe the party’s secretariat by looking into the finances of the party. Before leaving office, Buni had given standing instructions to lawyers representing the APC to appeal court judgments challenging the conduct of congresses supervised by the caretaker committee. One of the appealed judgments was that of the Federal High Court recognising the Akwa…

Christians in Akwa Ibom State joined their counterparts in the world to mark Palm Sunday, signalling the beginning of the Holy Week.  The day symbolises the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem where he triumphantly rode on a donkey a week before his resurrection. The event is recounted in each of the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. In Uyo, Akwa Ibom capital, many Christian faithful made small crosses from palms to celebrate the day and some churches also held processions, reenacting Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. The palm branches, for most Christians, signify goodness and victory. Palm…