This slideshow requires JavaScript.

President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio on Tuesday  formally announced the leadership of the Senate of the 10th  National Assembly.

According to the Senate President , the emergence of the new principal officers was arrived at after wide consultation and approval by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

To this end, Senator representing Ekiti Central Senatorial District, Bamidele Opeyemi  emerged Majority Leader of the 10th Senate.

lso, Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume was announced the Senate Chief Whip.

Senator representing Ebonyi South, David Umahi  emerged the Deputy Majority Leader of the Senate while  Senator Lola  Ashiru  representing Kwara North emerged the Deputy Majority Whip of the Senate.

In another development, Akpabio also announced principal officers from minority parties with Senator Mwadkwon Simon Davou , a PDP member representing Plateau North Senatorial district  emerged as  the Minority Leader

Also Senator Oyewumi Kamorudeen Olarere PDP  representing Osun West is now the new  Deputy Minority Leader

Other political parties from the opposition wing also also benefited from principal leadership with Senator Darlington Nwokeocha, a Labour Party member from  Abia Central emerged the Minority Whip while  Senator  Rufai Hanga of the New Nigeria People’s Party from Kano Central emerged the Deputy Minority Whip

The emergence of the Senate principal officers has up to an end various speculations in the media as the atmosphere in the chamber was calmed and the Senate later went into a closed session and later reconvened without any further announcement.

Credit to: Tribuneonlineng

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has closed its defence in the petition filed by the Labour Party after calling one witness at the Presidential Election Petitions Court.

At the resumed hearing of the petition filed by the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi on Tuesday, the electoral umpire called one Lawrence Bayode, a Director in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Department of the Commission.

READ ALSO: INEC To Prosecute 215 Electoral Offences Cases, Partners NBA

The witness admitted that some of the results were downloaded from INEC’s portal. He also insisted under cross-examination that the results of the February 25 presidential election released by the commission are authentic.

Lawyer to the Labour Party, Patrick Ikwueto disagreed, saying the results could not be authentic when they were largely unreadable.

INEC’s lawyer, Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN) also tendered some documents in evidence.

Under cross-examination, the witness said that even if blurred documents were downloaded from the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV), it would not affect the physical results as recorded in Forms EC8As which are not blurred.

According to Bayode, the images of Forms EC8A captured with BVAS and transmitted to IReV are not relevant for the collation of results.

He told the court that the glitch recorded during the presidential election did not affect the collation of the results.

For his part, the lawyer to President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Wole Olanipekun (SAN) said his clients would open their defence in the petition on Wednesday.

Credit to: channelNews

APA-Banjul (The Gambia) President Adama Barrow has with effect from July 1st redeployed senior government functionaries and appointed new ones.

Under the new arrangement, Mr. Hassan Jallow, Permanent Secretary at the Agriculture Ministry has been redeployed to the Office of The President (OP).

Mr. Abdoulie Jallow who was the permanent secretary at the Agriculture ministry has been sent to the Finance and Economic Affairs ministry as PS.

Ms. Roheyatou Kah, PS Ministry of Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters, is redeployed to the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources (MECCNAR).

She replaces PS Alhagie Nyangado who has been moved to the Fisheries Ministry.

In an appointment which comes into effect on 1st August, 2023, Mr. Buba Sanyang, PS for the Ministry of Lands, Regional Administration and Religious Affairs has been sent to the Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

Mr. Samba Camara Mballow, PS, Office of The Vice President will on the 14th October 2023, be the new PS Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare.

Four other DPSs are affected by the rotation including Deputy Permanent Secretaries: Mr. Alhagie Taal, DPS of the Finance and Economic Affairs Ministry who is redeployed to the Tourism Ministry replacing DPS Mamady Dampha who is moved to the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment (MOTIE).

Mr. Hassan Gaye, DPS of MOTIE is the new DPS at the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy (MOCDE) while Mr. Ebrima Drammeh, DPS, Office of The President, is now Deputy Governor of the Lower River Region.

PR/APA

Credit to: apanews.net

Tinubu made the remark on Monday when he met the new National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu and the new service chiefs for the first time, since their appointment on June 19, 2023.

The NSA told State House Correspondents afterward that the President assured the service chiefs of his unwavering support during the meeting.

Ribadu, who said the service chiefs, on their part, pledged their loyalty to the President and Nigerians, also underlined their commitment to work tirelessly to secure the country.

Ribadu said, “We are here to thank Mr President for the opportunity he gave us to serve our country and to serve his own government. We also pledged our loyalty to him, to Nigeria and Nigerians.

“We believe that the choice he made is the right one, the correct one, and we know what he wants for this country. We are going to work tirelessly to ensure that we accomplish that objective of securing our country, establishing peace, stability and let’s get our lives back.”

The NSA, who is a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said although the task ahead is a big one, it would be done.

“Where we are today, and you can see already, things are improving in our country. If you see, the record of crimes and activities of criminals are going down, it will continue to go down. We’ll secure this place,” he said.

“Nigerians have seen the quality of the people that are given the opportunity, they are probably some of the best we have and they are not going to fail you, they’ll certainly deliver.”

The Chief of Defence Staff, Maj. Gen. C.G Musa; the Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen T. A Lagbaja; the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral E. A Ogalla; and the Chief of Air Staff, AVM H.B Abubakar, were at the meeting.

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun was also present at the security meeting.

Credit to: Channels News

Smiles lit his face as he took his seat among President Bola Tinubu’s disciples, associates and other statesmen.

It was a day of reunion. For the first time in four years, former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was reunited with his leader. That was after the seeming parting of ways, following the 2014 governorship primary, which he lost to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Although the reception was organised for the President by his successor, Ambode also received special attention.

It was at the Lagos State House, Marina, which hosted him as chief executive between 2015 and 2019.

Ambode made an unexpected public appearance. The former governor shook hands warmly with many dignitaries. They included his colleagues in the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), members of the National Assembly and other presidential aides.

Ambode appeared to be in high spirits. He hugged and patted other dignitaries on the back. Many were happy that the curtains have been drawn on four years of self-alienation and political seclusion.

Mr. Consolidator Ambode joined his successor, Mr. Sellable Sanwo-Olu, and his predecessor, Mr. Actualiser Babatunde Fashola, to present a special gift to Asiwaju Tinubu, their godfather, leader and benefactor.

The trio have served the state diligently. Under Tinubu’s tutelage. Fashola was Chief of Staff and Commissioner in the Cabinet Office when Sanwo-Olu was special adviser and Ambode was Accountant-General.

Sanwo-Olu also served under Fashola as commissioner and Ambode as Permanent Secretary.

Under Ambode, Sanwo-Olu was the Managing Director of Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC).

The trio earned their positions under Tinubu by dint of hardwork and loyalty. But Ambode is significant as the bridge that connected the past with the present in Lagos State.

The implication of his aloofness is that he cut himself off from the party and the political family that made him. Today, it is evident that a number of post-2019 actors have emerged in Lagos who neither knew nor bore any allegiance to Ambode.

President Tinubu who groomed past and emerging leaders in the Centre of Excellence knows their strengths and weaknesses. Thus, in the final analysis, his judgment which either led to the approval and disapproval of their bids for further service cannot be faulted.

Like Awo, Tinubu believes that if an opportunity to serve is temporarily lost or the platform requires one of its members to jettison personal agenda so that the collective interest could be upheld, accommodation would still be found for the affected individual within the larger interest of the party.

Beaming with smiles, the president was in a reflective mood at Marina, where he once called the shots between 1999 and 2007, as Sanwo-Olu, Ambode and Fashola paid tribute to him.

He said he was happy that his three children have done him proud. He ended his speech with acknowledgment of Ambode’s presence, saying: “Thank you Akin”.

The unifying event, the dinner for the president, trailed a semblance of reconciliation and peace mission to the Ikoyi residence of Ambode by Sanwo-Olu on his 60th birthday, June 14.

The two APC chieftains were locked in sober reflection. Sanwo-Olu displayed humility and maturity by storming Ikoyi to celebrate with Ambode, who in 2019 used unprintable words freely on him before and after the governorship primary.

Ambode, who expressed gratitude to the governor, was polite. He displayed understanding, and the visitor and host agreed that politics should not be the dividing wedge.

What next after the Marina unification? Since 2019, Ambode has shunned party activities. It was a curious adjustment mechanism to the pain of second term ticket loss. Yet, he never announced that he had quit politics.

The former governor never showed up at the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) meeting, although he is a member. He also distanced himself from activities that culminated in the last general election.

Ambode was named as a member of APC contact committee after he left office. The impact of the panel was insignificant. He also seemed to have severed cord with past APC governors and other influential leaders.

Yesterday’s event, according to observers, marked Ambode’s reintegration into the ruling party, Lagos politics and public life.

Will the former governor finally put the past behind him and face the future with hope, confidence and optimism?

credit to: Nigerian Tribune

Opposition candidate and former military junta leader, Julius Madaa Bio, was sworn in as Sierra Leone’s new president late on Wednesday, just hours after the elections commission announced his victory in a tight run-off poll.

He now faces the difficult task of rebuilding the impoverished West African nation’s economy that was dragged
down by the world’s deadliest Ebola epidemic and a global slump in commodity prices.

Representing the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), Mr. Bio won 51.81 per cent of votes cast in the March 31 poll,
according to results announced by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) on Wednesday.

He defeated former foreign affairs minister and ruling All People’s Congress (APC) candidate Samura Kamara,
who had held a slight lead based on partial results earlier in the day but in the end garnered 48.19 per cent.

Dressed in traditional white robes, Mr. Bio was sworn in just before midnight at a hotel in the capital Freetown,
raising in the air the Bible upon which he swore the oath of office to the cheers of supporters.

“This is the dawn of a new era. The people of this great nation have voted to take a new direction,” he
said in a speech following the short ceremony in which he made an appeal for national unity.

“We have only one country, Sierra Leone, and we are all one people.”

Mr. Bio, who briefly ruled Sierra Leone as head of a military junta in 1996, replaces outgoing President Ernest Koroma,
who could not seek re-election due to term limits.

The largely peaceful election process has come as a relief for the country of seven million people, who in the
1990s endured a brutal civil war fueled by the diamond trade and notorious for its drug-addled child
soldiers and punitive amputations.

SLPP supporters packed into the NEC headquarters on Wednesday, and following the announcement of the election
results party officials urged Mr. Bio’s backers to remain calm.

“Celebrate responsibly. Do not disturb your neighbour. Victory for all men, not victory for some.

“Everyone in, no one out,” the party’s campaign manager, Ali Kabba, said.

Opposition supporters, confident of victory, sang and danced in the streets of Freetown on Wednesday evening hours
before Mr. Bio was officially declared the winner.

“I feel happy about the results. I am here because my president Julius Maada Bio has won the election in this
country,” said Adolfus Kargbo, among a group of SLPP supporters chanting Maada Bio’s name.

(Reuters/NAN)

Sierra Leone’s election commission has declared incumbent Julius Maada Bio the winner of the country’s tense presidential election, following a process disputed by the main opposition party.

Chief Electoral Commissioner Mohamed Kenewui Konneh said on Tuesday that Bio was re-elected with 56.17 percent of Saturday’s vote. His top challenger Samura Kamara, of the All People’s Congress (APC), came second with 41.16 percent.

“By the powers invested in me… I hereby certify that Bio Julius Maada… [is] duly elected president,” Konneh said.

The announcement comes after supporters of both parties had claimed to have won in recent days, with Kamara saying that he was on an “irreversible path to an overwhelming victory”. He also alleged that security forces had opened fire on Sunday on a celebration at his party’s headquarters, though police denied having fired live bullets.

Vote tallying had already been disputed by the APC, which condemned in a statement on Monday an alleged lack of inclusiveness, transparency and responsibility by the electoral commission.

The party pointed to the lack of information about which polling stations or districts the ballots were coming from.

It had said it “will not accept these fake and cooked up results”.

In a follow-up statement, it alleged “over-voting” in some areas and said the party “continues to reject” the “fabricated results” and “reaffirms our victory”.

European Union observers said, at a press conference on Monday, that a lack of transparency and communication by the electoral authority had led to mistrust in the electoral process.

The monitors said they witnessed violence at seven polling stations during voting hours and at three others during the closing and counting stages.

The June 24 vote was the fifth since the end of Sierra Leone’s civil war in 2002 and was held amid high unemployment and inflation, as well as growing violent rhetoric.

Bio, a former coup leader in the 1990s, has championed education and women’s rights in his first civilian term that was, however, mired by growing frustration over economic hardship.

Rising prices spurred unusually violent protests last year, and the APC had been banking on the enduring cost-of-living crisis to win votes.

According to the World Bank, the economic downturn has stalled hopes of recovery in Sierra Leone, where widespread underemployment persists and more than half of the population lives in poverty.

Bio has faced increasing criticism because of debilitating economic conditions that Kamara pledged to improve.

Nearly 60 percent of Sierra Leone’s population of more than seven million are facing poverty, with youth unemployment being one of the highest in West Africa.

Credit to Aljazeera

Election workers count ballots at a polling station after polls closed on the day of the national election, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, June 24, 2023. REUTERS/Cooper Inveen/File photo

FREETOWN, June 26 (Reuters) – Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio is leading the presidential election count, the West African country’s electoral commission said on Monday after 60% of votes have been counted.

Bio, 59, is running for a second term against 12 opponents. His biggest rival is All People’s Congress’ (APC) candidate Samura Kamara, who narrowly lost to Bio in the last election in 2018.

A provisional results sheet showed Bio had received over 1 million votes so far, compared with just under 800,000 for Kamara. Final verified results will be announced within the next 48 hours, the commission said on Monday afternoon.

The election has been tense. The APC said their election representatives were attacked and intimidated in three districts on election day. The election commission on Sunday outlined several instances where officials were beaten or intimidated.

A woman was found severely wounded and without a pulse at Sierra Leone’s opposition party headquarters on Sunday after police surrounded the building during a post-election news conference, a Reuters reporter at the scene said.

Sierra Leoneans fear more unrest could occur as results are announced, particularly if none of the 13 candidates secures 55% of the votes cast, a situation that would trigger a runoff between the top two.

The country is still emerging from a 1991-2002 civil war in which more than 50,000 were killed and hundreds maimed.

International observers have voiced concern about lack of transparency in the tallying of ballots.

Augustine Sorie-Sengbe Marrah, an election observer and lawyer said it was up to the electoral commission to address any allegations of unfairness through transparency.

“Because if you say, opposition parties allege that there hasn’t been a level playing field by the ECSL (Electoral Commission Sierra Leone), I think it behooves them to ensure that they’re transparent and accountable to all parties every step of the way,” Marrah told Reuters.

Bio addressed the nation after the publication of provisional results on Monday evening and called on citizens to keep the peace.

“We each have a stake in maintaining peace during and after the announcement of results of these elections,” he said in a televised speech.

Freetown (AFP) – Vote tallying was underway in Sierra Leone on Sunday, the electoral commission said, as the opposition claimed a lack of transparency following fiercely fought general elections a day earlier.

Vote tallying was underway in Sierra Leone on Sunday, the electoral commission said, as the opposition claimed a lack of transparency following fiercely fought general elections a day earlier.

Tallying, which consists of adding up counted ballots from each polling unit at the regional level, was taking place in the capital Freetown as well as in Bo, Kenema, Makeni and Port Loko, the commission said.

On Saturday, Sierra Leoneans voted in presidential, parliamentary and local elections, with many polling stations opening late in the capital.

Many also closed late, with voting officially ending at 11:30 pm (2330 GMT) Saturday, according to the chief electoral commissioner, Mohamed Konneh. Full results were expected within 48 hours of the close.

Konneh said at a press conference Sunday that it had been “one of the best election days” in recent history, “if not the best”.

But the presidential candidate of the opposition All People’s Congress (APC), Samura Kamara, alleged in a statement that the electoral commission was making it “impossible for us and other political parties to compare, reconcile and verify” tallying.

The party has for weeks accused the electoral commission of bias in favour of the governing party, raising speculation that it is laying the groundwork for a court challenge of the results — a tactic both parties have used in the past.

The chief commissioner said the party’s demands were “practically impossible” given the scale of the tallying.

On Saturday, the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding, an observation group, said voting had been “relatively peaceful” — as did the electoral commission in a late afternoon statement.

On Sunday, however, Konneh outlined a number of districts where he said polling staff had been attacked.

Also on Sunday, the chairman of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), Prince Alex Harding, outlined a handful of alleged cases of intimidation or violence against its agents, “despite the relatively peaceful conduct of the elections”.

Meanwhile, senior members of the opposition party told AFP that violence had taken place near several polling centres in Freetown on Saturday evening.

The head of the Office of National Security, Abdulai Caulker, said at a press conference that he was not aware of the alleged incidents.

The APC has also alleged that its supporters were attacked while campaigning in rural parts of the country.

– Key players –

Twelve men and one woman were running for president, but incumbent Bio’s main challenger is Kamara of the APC. Bio narrowly beat Kamara in a runoff in 2018.

Both main parties said they were confident of victory in statements on Sunday.

Rising food prices are a key issue for many in the import-dependent West African nation of eight million people.

Year-on-year inflation hit 43 percent in April, according to the latest official figures.

Some 3.4 million people were registered to vote, 52.4 percent of whom are under 35 years old, according to the electoral commission.

Presidential candidates must secure 55 percent of valid votes for a first-round win.

Turnout has ranged from 76 to 87 percent over the past three elections.

Voters will also elect members of parliament and local councils under proportional representation, after a last-minute switch from a first-past-the-post system.

Under a recently passed gender act, one-third of all candidates must be women.

A new 11.9 percent vote threshold will make it difficult for independents and minority parties to secure seats in parliament.

Many Sierra Leoneans vote based on regional allegiances, with jobs and benefits commonly perceived to flow to regions whose politicians are in power.

A June 14 poll by the Institute for Governance Reform, a partner of the pan-African survey group Afrobarometer, forecast that Bio would win 56 percent of the vote, with 43 percent for Kamara.

Another poll, conducted by the newspaper Sierra Eye and two local data groups, forecast 38 percent for the incumbent and 25 percent for his main challenger.

The elections are being closely followed in West Africa, a region recently dominated by coups and turmoil.