25 CSOs stage protest, ask Buhari to sign Electoral Bill – Newstrends
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25 CSOs stage protest, ask Buhari to sign Electoral Bill

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…say Buhari’s signing of bill in national interest … call for NASS’ veto on Buhari

AS Nigerians anxiously wait for a new Electoral Act ahead of 2023 general elections, 25 Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, Tuesday, staged a nationwide protest to demand for immediate assent of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill.

The 25 CSOs gathered in large numbers at the Unity Fountain in Abuja to let the world know the alleged unwillingness of President Muhammadu Buhari to assent the bill.

They were seen in black and red t-shirts wielding different placards bearing inscriptions like, #signtheelctoralbillnow, #signtheelectoralbill, #Buharidon’tbedecivedbypoliticians, #preventelectionrigging, #Buharifulffilyourpromiseofcredibleelections, and chanted solidarity songs.

The CSOs include the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Yiaga Africa, Partners for Electoral Reform (PER), International Press Centre, Institute for Media and Society, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, the Albino Foundation, Centre for Citizens with Disability, Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development, Transition Monitoring Group.

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Others were, CLEEN Foundation, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) , Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) , Nigeria Network of Non, Governmental Organizations (NNNGO), Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), Enough is Enough, the Electoral Hub, Centre for Liberty, Take Back Nigeria Movement, International, Peace and Civic Responsibility Centre (IPCRC), 100 Women Lobby Group, Women in Politics Forum, Raising New Voices, Millennials Active Citizenship Advocacy Africa, and ReadyToLeadAfrica.

They said, “We call on President Buhari to sign the Electoral bill into law on or before the expiration of the 30 days’ timeline on the 1st March 2022 to enable INEC to issue Notice of Election and release the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2023 general election.

“Further amendments to the Electoral Bill 2022 can be proposed after assent has been granted. It is within the President’s prerogative to propose amendments after signing the bill like he did in the case of the Petroleum Industry Bill and 2022 Appropriation bill, an act which attracted commendation.

“The National Assembly should ensure gazetted copies of the Electoral Act 2022 are available to citizens as soon as the bill is signed into law.”

Fielding questions from journalists, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said that assenting to the electoral bill is at the interest of every Nigerian.

He said, “In preparations for the 2023 elections, we urge the President to assent to the bill. We hope that he assent to the bill soonest. This is for democracy, it is at our national interest. This bill commands the popular will of the Nigerian people and any further delay will undermine the integrity of the 2023 elections.

“If he has promised and this is part of the legacy he wants to leave behind, then we urge him to do so without any further delay so that Nigerians and prepare adequately for the 2023 elections.”

“We would like to give him the benefit of doubt that he won’t fail this time, he has failed five times, we hope this time he doesn’t.”

Also speaking, Country Director, ActionAid Nigeria, AAN, Ene Obi, tasked the National Assembly, NASS, to veto Buhari if he fails to assent to the bill.

“All we want to say is that the President should sign the boll, we are not here to speak so many english, so that we can move forward. If not, the National Assembly should veto him,” she stated.

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Defamation: Court orders arrest of prophet, two others

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Defamation: Court orders arrest of prophet, two others

Justice Olaolu Olanipekun of Oyo State Magistrates’ Court 7 sitting in Iyaganku, Ibadan, has issued a warrant for the arrest of a prophet of a Cherubim and Seraphim (C&S) church, Ojo Amos (aka Elewuogbo).

Justice Olanipekun ordered that Elewuogbo and his two sureties be arrested and detained for jumping bail.

Elewuogbo is on trial for alleged defamation of character of the Founder of One Love Family, Sat Guru Maharaj Ji.

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Elewuogbo and a Lagos-based blogger, Gbenga Asabe, had, through publications, accused Maharaj Ji of selling human body parts for money rituals.

The court also granted request for consolidation of the cases against Elewuogbo and Asabe brought by Maharaj Ji’s counsel, Dapo Akinosi.

Akinosi prayed the court that since the facts were related, they should be merged. The court granted the application and adjourned the case till April 30.

Defamation: Court orders arrest of prophet, two others

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Students drag university to court over payment of registration fees

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Students drag university to court over payment of registration fees

Three students of one of the universities in northern part of the country, Al-qalam University, Katsina, have dragged the institution to a High Court in Katsina over payment of registration fees.

The applicants, Hauwa’u Sani-Barda, Rabi’atu Sani-Barda and Hafsat Sani-Barda, all students of the respondent, got admission in 2018 and 2019, and graduated in 2022 and 2023.

They, however, claimed that the respondents had refused to mobilise them for the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), because they had not settled all fees due to the institution.

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During the proceedings on Thursday, the applicants’ counsel, Muhammad Mukhtar-Lawal, told the court that his clients had filed an exparte motion in pursuance to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

Mukhtar-Lawal said that the application sought the leave of the court to apply for judicial review.

After the counsel’s submission, the judge, Justice Abbas Bawale, said that the applicants should have filed a motion on notice.

Bawale, however, granted a leave order to the applicants to apply for judicial review by way of mandamus.
He said after that, processes would be served on the university and enable the court to hear the case.

Students drag university to court over payment of registration fees

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NAFDAC busts fake Eva water factory, arrests suspect

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NAFDAC busts fake Eva water factory, arrests suspect

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has exposed a counterfeit bottled water operation in Port Harcourt, specifically targeting the renowned brand Eva water.

Following a tipoff, NAFDAC officials conducted a raid on a derelict shop situated on Pipeline Road, Eneka.

The establishment disguised as a pool house and served as the hub for producing the fraudulent water.

During the operation, authorities discovered that used Eva plastic bottles were being refilled with contaminated water sourced from a paint bucket.

The water was then filtered through unhygienic rubber funnels covered with cloth.

Counterfeit Eva labels were affixed to the bottles, which were subsequently sealed with fake Eva corks.

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One suspect, identified as Chibunna James, was apprehended while in the process of loading the adulterated water for distribution. However, the mastermind behind the operation remains at large.

The confiscated products were promptly evacuated to the NAFDAC office for further investigation and analysis.

Cyril Monye, NAFDAC’s Public Relations Officer for Rivers State, disclosed that the scheme of the perpetrators involved repackaging contaminated water in used Eva bottles, employing makeshift filters made from unsanitary materials, and applying fake labels and corks to deceive consumers.

While efforts are underway to locate and apprehend the ringleader of the syndicate, NAFDAC urges the public to provide any relevant information that could aid in their apprehension.

Furthermore, Monye revealed that thirty packs of the counterfeit products were confiscated and transported to the NAFDAC office in Port Harcourt for thorough investigation. To prevent the circulation of the counterfeit water, the uncorked bottles were emptied and disposed of.

NAFDAC busts fake Eva water factory, arrests suspect

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