From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

The Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has commiserated with the people of Ogbe Community of Yagba West Local Government Area over the gruesome murder of two young men in the community.

Ododo in his condolence message,  vowed that the state government will do everything possible to bring the perpetrators of the dastardly act to book and guarantee security in the area.

The Governor who spoke  through the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon.

He assured the people of Ogbe while addressing them that the state has all the forces required to tame criminalities and defeat terror.

The governor told the people of the community to demonstrate confidence in the commitment of his administration to stamp out insecurity, urging them not to take the law into their hands by launching reprisal  attacks.

He assured them that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the armed forces and security agencies, is giving the State all the necessary support to launch a holistic offensive on the agents of criminality, assuring the people that Kogi would remain one of the safest states in Nigeria.

Responding on behalf of the community, the former Councilor of Ogbe Ward, Hon. Adeleke John thanked the Governor for promptly responding to the community in her darkest hour.

In his words, “We want to thank the Governor for promptly coming to our aid and for identifying with us in this dark hour. It shows we have a Governor who is responsive and responsible.

“We will not embark on any reprisal attack because we are not hopeless. We have confidence in the Government to protect us”, he said.

By Yagana Ali, Yola

 The North-East Governors’ Forum (NEGF) has called for an end to the security challenges in the area while emphasizing on the sustenance of development across the region.

The governors made the call at the weekend in a communique at the end of its 10th meeting, held in Bauchi, Bauchi State.

The forum, made up of the Governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe, expressed delight at the growing strength of subregional cooperation and appreciated the successes recorded through their leadership styles.

The communique highlighted several key resolutions, including: Acknowledging the forum’s progress and commitment to fostering a common ground for the benefit of the people; and commended the Bauchi State Government for hosting the Northeast Trade Fair.

They expressed concern over the neglect of the Northeast in federal government capital projects, particularly infrastructure development, urging the Federal Government to address the power blackout in the region and improve energy infrastructure.

They resolved to set up solar power plants to generate at least 10 Megawatts per State and called for the extension of transmission lines to improve energy supply and industrial development.

The governors also demand for maximizing hydropower generation in Kashimbilla and Dadin Kowa dam, addressing climate change and environmental degradation through sustained regional efforts.

It also harped on charging the Northeast Development Commission (NEDC) to be consultative and work with States for energy development; investing in agriculture value chains and supporting procurement of improved seedlings; partnering with OCP Africa to support agriculture in the Northeast; and strengthening partnerships with UNICEF for improved water and sanitation coverage.

The forum appreciated the Government and People of Bauchi State for hosting the meeting and resolved to hold the 11th meeting in Damaturu, Yobe State, between August 30-31, 2024.

Chairman, NEGF and Governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, signed the communique.

From Sylvia Udegbunam Enugu

International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law has strongly called for Judicial nullification of Imo Nov 11, 2023 governorship shambolic election.

The Chairman of the board Intersociety, Emeka Umeagbalasi stated this during a press conference held in Enugu on Sunday May 19 2023 at new heaven suite.

Umeagbalasi in his speech noted that the Imo election was not credibly conducted stressing that the election witnessed violence, election rigging, voters intimidation and vote buying, political corruption, composed of harvested and written results.

According to him, “the facts and finding arising from our several investigation obtained before, during and after, widely condemned and rejected 2023 Imo governorship poll, which have shown how supposedly State actor or government Democratic institutions turned themselves into rigging tools in the election, thereby making the poll worse of the worst in Nigeria’s electoral process and recent election history.

“Despite deployment of Nine INEC Resident Electoral Commissioners, scores of INEC’s national commissioners and several top security chiefs including serving police DIGs, AIGs, CPs, Military and SPY Police Commanders accompanied by Police crack Squads.

SSS, Army, Navy, Air force paramilitaries, and government controlled militias. The State actor democratic institutions ended up becoming and serving as rigging tools in the shambolic poll. In the end, supervised brutal subversion of the sacred electoral wishes of the conscientious Imo voting populations”.

He therefore called for both nullification and also an all-inclusive fresh poll that will be conducted under an atmosphere of popular participation, including access to PVC and secured voting environment and voting materials.

He further called on the Nigerian judiciary under the leadership of Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariawoola to use this rare opportunity to courageously return the Judiciary to the saintly status quo and save it from further bleeding. 

He beckoned on retiring CJN to retire on August 22, 2024 at the mandatory retirement age of 70 years with honor by “politically” reversing the Jan 14, 2020 Imo State governorship supreme Court Hara-Kiri.