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Rivers govt declares Thursday, Friday public holidays for LG poll
Rivers govt declares Thursday, Friday public holidays for LG poll
Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has declared Thursday and Friday as public holidays to enable residents of the state to travel to their various communities ahead of the Saturday local government elections.
The governor also announced restriction of vehicular movement from midnight on Friday, October 4 to 5pm on the election day.
Governor Fubara made the declaration in a statewide broadcast from Government House, Port Harcourt, on Wednesday.
He said following the expiration of the three-year tenure of the chairmen and councilors of the 23 local government councils on June 17, 2023, he lawfully instituted caretaker committees to temporarily administer the councils pending when the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) would conduct the LG election in the state.
The governor said as a move to entrench sustainable democracy and good governance in the country’s local government system, “the Supreme Court by its judgement in SC/CV/343/2024: A-G Federation v A-G Abia State and 35 Ors delivered on 11th July 2024 effectively outlawed the administration of our local government councils with unelected officers and made several orders including the immediate stoppage of statutory allocations to Local Government Councils without democratically elected local government councils.”
He said following Mr President’s intervention, the period for compliance with the Supreme Court’s judgment was graciously extended by three months, which will expire on October 31, 2024.
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He said, “On the strength of these positive developments, I directed the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to take definite steps to conduct local government elections for the 23 local government councils of Rivers State.
“Acting per this directive the RSIEC has since fixed and concluded all arrangements to conduct the local government council elections on Saturday, 5th October 2024.
“The legal impetus of RSIEC to conduct the local government elections was further strengthened by the judgment of the Rivers State High Court in Suit No: PHC/2696/CS/2024 delivered on the 4th of September 2024, which positively directed the Governor of Rivers State, the Government of Rivers State and the RSIEC to conduct the scheduled local government elections on the 5th of October, 2025 using the 2023 Independent National Electoral Commission’s Voters Register already in the custody of RSIEC.
“As of today, RVSIEC has expressed and demonstrated concrete and verifiable capacity and readiness to conduct the 2024 Rivers State Local Government Elections on the 5th of October 2024.
“As of today, 17 out of 18 registered political parties, including the All Progressives Congress, have expressly and actively demonstrated their willingness to participate by filling candidates with RSIEC for the election.
“….To this end, I hereby declare Thursday and Friday, the 3rd and 4th of October 2024 as public holidays for citizens to travel to their communities and participate in the election.
“Furthermore, I hereby place a total restriction on vehicular and human movements into, within, and out of the State, and the Local Government Areas, from midnight of Friday 4th October 2024 to 5.00 p.m. on Saturday 5th October 2024, except for persons and vehicles valid identifications who are on election and other essential duties.
“The police and other security agencies have clear directives from the State’s Security Council to arrest and prosecute any person or group who attempts to violate the restriction on human and vehicular movements on election day.”
Rivers govt declares Thursday, Friday public holidays for LG poll
News
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has directed the immediate freezing of all state-owned bank accounts.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, the governor stated that the accounts would remain frozen until further notice.
He instructed commercial banks, ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to comply with the order immediately or face severe consequences.
The statement reads: “All state bank accounts with commercial banks have been frozen. Commercial banks must comply with this order and ensure that not a single naira is withdrawn from government coffers until further notice.
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“Heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies must ensure full compliance without delay.
“Following necessary investigations and reconciliations, the governor will take appropriate action and decide on the way forward. For now, this order remains in effect.”
Okpebholo also directed relevant agencies to revert the name of the Ministry of Roads and Bridges to its previous title, the Ministry of Works, a change made during the Godwin Obaseki administration.
“It is odd to name a government institution the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, especially when not a single bridge was built by the previous administration — not even a pedestrian bridge.
“In the coming days, we will examine further actions taken by the previous administration and make decisions that serve the best interests of the state,” the statement added.
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
News
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
Prominent Islamic scholar Dr. Ahmad Mahmud Gumi has criticized the widely discussed two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict, calling it a “deception.”
His remarks followed a recent summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh, where President Bola Tinubu and other leaders condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and urged an end to hostilities.
In an interview with Daily Trust at his Kaduna residence, Gumi argued, “This Two-State Solution is a deception. No Israeli will allow a Palestinian to survive, and Palestinians will never allow Israel to survive.
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The only solution is to dissolve the two states and create a democratically electable region.”
Gumi commended the OIC’s support for Palestine, noting that Muslims and Arabs worldwide increasingly see the treatment of Palestinians as “genocide” and accuse Israel of human rights abuses.
He also called for a return to the pre-1948 structure, where Palestinians, Jews, and Christians lived together, suggesting a single, inclusive state that allows peaceful coexistence.
“When I hear people talking about Two-State Solutions, I know they are just deceiving themselves,” Gumi added, advocating for a unified region where people of all faiths can live together, similar to the multi-faith coexistence seen in countries like the United States.
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
News
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
The Labour Party candidature of Olusola Ebiseni for the upcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State has been nullified.
The nullification follows the sacking of Ebiseni by the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday.
The governorship election of the southwest State will hold on Saturday, 16 November 2024.
The judgement disqualifying Ebiseni was unanimously delivered by the three members of the panel and read out by the chairman of the panel, Justice Adebukola Banjoko.
The judgment granted the prayer of the Labour Party who preferred the case against Ebiseni.
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Justice Banjoko held that, “the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024 brought by the Labour Party against Chief Olusola Ebiseni and two others is allowed.”
Justice Banjoko further stated that the Certified True Copy of the judgment would be provided to the parties involved in the appeal as soon as possible for their review.
Recall that Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to accept and recognize Olusola Ebiseni and Ezekiel Awude as the Labour Party’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the November 16 Ondo State governorship elections.
Justice Nwite confirmed that the second primary election conducted by the Labour Party, which resulted in Ebiseni and Awude being selected as candidates, was valid and should be upheld by INEC.
However, the appellate court has now overturned the judgment of the trial court’s judgment.
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
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