One of the Ministers of President Bola Tinubu has been declared as winner of the February 25 Parliamentary election.
Simon Lalong, former Plateau State governor, who was Director-General of Tinubu/Shettima Campaign, was among the seven governors declared as losers of senatorial elections.
Tinubu had subsequently appointed him as Minister of Labour.
But on Monday, the National and State Petition Election Tribunal sitting in Jos sacked the senator representing Plateau South, Napoleon Bali, and declared Lalong as winner.
Bali contested the election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) while Lalong ran under the All Progressive Congress (APC).
The tribunal also sacked Peter Gyendeng as member representing Barikin Ladi/ Riyom federal constituency of the House of Representatives and declared Fom Dalyop of the Labour Party (LP) who became second in the February 25 general elections in the state, as winner.
In their separate rulings, Justice Omaka Elekwo and Justice Muhammad Tukur nullified the election of the two PDP candidates because of the party’s refusal to respect the order of a Jos High court to conduct ward congresses before the last general elections.
The Justices therefore said the evidence presented by the APC and LP candidates were relevant and admissible.
[DailyTrust]
The Imo State National and State House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal has nullified the election of a member of the House of Representatives, Ikenga Ugochinyere of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The tribunal ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a supplementary election within 90 days.
The three-member panel of judges, in a unanimous decision on Sunday in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, held that Mr Ugochinyere was not validly nominated by the PDP to contest the Ideato North/South Federal Constituency election held on 25 February.
Justice Anthony Akpovi, who chaired the panel, read the judgment.
He said the supplementary poll should be in 55 polling units, where elections did not hold on 25 February.
PDP excluded from supplementary poll
The PDP and its candidate should be excluded from the supplementary election, the tribunal ruled.
The judgment followed a petition lodged before the tribunal by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abazu Benson.
It will be recalled that INEC had declared the PDP candidate, Mr Ugochinyere, as winner of the election with a total of 13, 026 votes.
The candidate of the Labour Party (LP) came second with 5,696 votes, and the petitioner who was sponsored by the APC, came third with a total of 2, 368 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, the APC candidate filed a petition wherein he contended that Mr Ugochinyere was not qualified to participate in the election.
The petitioner, among other things, argued that all the votes that were credited to the PDP candidate amounted to wasted votes.
He told the tribunal that contrary to the provision of the Electoral Act, the PDP conducted its primary election in a venue that was outside the constituency.
The tribunal stressed that documentary and oral evidence that was laid before it, established that the primary election of the PDP conducted on 25 May, 2022, which produced Mr Ugochinyere was outside the constituency.
It was held at Aladinma Shopping Mall, a location that was outside Ideato North/South Federal Constituency.
Relying on the provisions of Section 84 (5) (c) of the Electoral Act 2022, the tribunal held that the PDP primary election was invalid.
It held that a valid candidate could not have emerged from an invalid primary election.
“Failure of the 3rd respondent (PDP) to abide by the sacrosanct provision of the Electoral Act invalidated its sponsorship of the 2nd respondent,” Justice Akpovi held.
The tribunal maintained that for a primary election to be valid, it must be done in compliance with section 29 (1) of the Electoral Act.
It held that since Mr Ugochinyere was not validly nominated, he was therefore not qualified at the time the House of Representatives election was held.
Why LP candidate can’t be declared winner
The tribunal also ruled that owing to the principle of margin of lead, the candidate of the LP could but be declared the winner of the seat.
INEC had admitted that it could not conduct the election in 55 polling units in the constituency because of insecurity.
The tribunal directed INEC to conduct a supplementary poll in the remaining polling units with all the parties participating, except the PDP.
Other justices on the panel were Usman Kudu and Ibrahim Mohammed.
(NAN)
The National and State Houses of Assembly Election Tribunal has sacked the son of Professor Jerry Gana from Nigeria’s House of Representatives.
Joshua Audu Gana was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP for Edati/Lavun/Mokwa Federal Constituency of Niger State in the February 25 general election.
Joshua Gana, who won the election with 47,942 votes as against 40,003 votes scored by the candidate of All Progressive Congress, APC), Mr Abdullahi Usman Gbatamagi, was declared the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Dissatisfied with the declaration, the APC and its candidate, Gbatamagi, through their Counsel, Johnson Usman, SAN, challenged the return of Gana.
The petition is via a petition number:EPT/NG/HR/06/2023 on the ground that the election was invalid by reason of non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022 in that the margin of win was less than the permanent voter cards, PVCs collected in the polling units where elections did not hold or were cancelled.
Delivering the judgment on Monday, the three-member tribunal headed by Justice Sylvester Godspower agreed with Mr Usman’s arguments.
The tribunal proceeded to invalidate votes in the 26 polling units of the constituency, thereby reducing the votes of Gana to 46,494 votes while that of Gbatamagi now stood at 39,159 votes, leaving the PVCs collected in the affected polling units at 14,411.
The tribunal consequently set aside the Certificate of Return issued to Joshua Gana by INEC and ordered the commission to conduct a supplementary election in the 26 polling units within 90 days of the judgment with a view to determining the winner of the election.
[VON]
Nollywood actor Stanley Ebuka, also known as Stan Eze, and his wife Blessing Obasi celebrate their wedding anniversary with a pregnancy reveal.
In a post on his official Instagram page, the actor shared a video of himself and his pregnant wife to commemorate their anniversary.
he said, “2 years today; Still the best decision of our lives.
I don’t know what we did right to deserve this kind of love. We are grateful Jesus
Our 3rd year is a unique phase – our year of nurturing. Please say a prayer for us.
Happy 2nd Anniversary to us.
The couple got married on Saturday 11th, September 2021, and are expecting their first child
[ThisNigeria]
Nigeria’s Super Eagles ended their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign on an impressive note with Victor Osimhen scoring hat-trick in a 6-0 demolition Sao Tome and Principe at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Sunday night.
The Super Eagles applied pressure from the get go and played most of their football in advanced positions up the pitch.
Nigeria were awarded a couple of corners inside the first five minutes of the game but failed to make the most of their opportunities.
Nigeria continued to dominate play as the 10th minute rolled on and pinned Sao Tome back during the opening exchanges of the game.
With Sao Tome buckling under the pressure, Nigeria took the lead in the 13th minute as Osimhen scored his eighth goal of their qualifying campaign.
The game reached a tacky period around the 20th minute mark, with neither side progressing in the final third, but the Super Eagles managed to double their lead in the 27th minute as Ademola Lookman added his name to the scoresheet.
After a passing move on the edge of the Sao Tome area, Lookman made way inside the box before letting off a shot that beat the opposition goalkeeper at his near post.
Taiwo Awoniyi and Samuel Chukwueze completed the rout.
Sports Development Minister John Owan Enoh, who was among the spectators at the Stadium, congratulated the Nigerian team for rewarding the support of Nigerians with a good performance, while charging the team to bring home the AFCON trophy next year.
“On the behalf of all Nigerians, I congratulate the Super Eagles for making the country proud with such an incredible performance. While this wraps up our qualification gracefully, I want to charge the team to go out against all odds in Ivory Coast next year. We want the AFCON trophy to land in Nigeria and all hands will be on deck to make this happen,” he stated.
“The ministry will work round the clock to ensure the team gets the best preparation possible, in our quest to bring glory to Nigeria. Our players have displayed commitment to the national colours and I hope that the renewed sense of patriotism remains in place to catalyze the team at the AFCON.”
The Super Eagles bagged 15 points from six games to secure top spot in Group A. Lagos-born Victor Osimhen grabbed a hat trick to become Nigeria’s fourth all-time highest goalscorer with 20 goals.
[Leadership]
A hotly anticipated biography of Elon Musk describes the turbulent tycoon as a man driven by childhood demons, obsessed with bringing human life to Mars and who demands that staff be “hardcore.”
“Elon Musk” is written by star biographer Walter Isaacson, a former editor in chief of Time Magazine who is best known for his best-selling portrayal of Apple founder Steve Jobs as well as his looks into the lives of science focused men such as Albert Einstein and Leonardo da Vinci.
Some US media outlets got early access to the more-than-600-page book ahead of its official global release Tuesday, and several excerpts were also published in recent days.
Hours before its release on Amazon, advance orders had made “Elon Musk” the second best-selling book in the United States, behind a self-help title co-written by Oprah Winfrey.
Much of Musk’s early life is already publicly well known, with attention focused on his abusive father Errol Musk, who Musk despises.
Many of the account’s previously unknown nuggets come from a more recent period, when Isaacson shadowed his subject with fly-on-the-wall access into his everyday life.
A widely reported passage recounts how Musk personally scuttled a plan by the Ukrainian military to carry out a major operation in Crimea by denying Starlink internet access, drawing a furious response from Kyiv.
But Isaacson was forced to walk back his description of the episode after Musk tweeted that the Starlink access was not yet up and running in Crimea at the time of his decision.
Musk’s chaotic and impulse-driven takeover of Twitter (now renamed X) also gets a lot of attention, with the billionaire seen as struggling to recognize that technology and willpower will not be enough to reverse the platform’s fortunes.
Also a recurring theme in Isaacson’s telling is Musk’s vindictive tendencies toward doubters and critics.
After acquiring Twitter late last year, Musk and his closest lieutenants combed through email and social media and fired dozens of employees who had criticized the new owner.
In another episode, Musk defied the warnings of executives and with the help of a small team moved critical servers out of a Sacramento data center to cut costs, which led to a series of major outages.
He also refused to join forces with Bill Gates on charity endeavors because the Microsoft founder had bet against the success of Tesla on the stock market.
The book also says that Musk, who frets about depopulation, now has 10 children, including a previously unknown child with on- and off-again partner Grimes.
Reviews have been mixed, with the Washington Post praising the reporting but disappointed that Isaacson “prioritized revealing anecdotes and behind-the-scenes reportage over a sophisticated critical lens.”
Influential US tech pundit and Musk critic Kara Swisher said the book told the story of a “sad and smart son (who) slowly morphs into (the) mentally abusive father he abhors.”
“Often right, sometimes wrong, petty jerk always,” she said of Musk’s portrayal in the book.
[Guardian]
Former Arsenal attacker, Kevin Campbell has given his verdict on Declan Rice and Thomas Partey as the Gunners return to the Champions League this season.
This season’s Champions League campaign will commence next week.
Arsenal are already in Group B of this season’s Champions League, alongside Sevilla, PSV and Lens.
Mikel Arteta’s side will host PSV at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.
However, Campbell believes Arsenal fans and football lovers will see the best of both Rice and Partey in the Champions League this season if the Ghanaian international is fit to feature for the Premier League giants.
“I truly believe Declan Rice, he is only working, at the moment, to about 60-65% capacity of his talent. I really do,” Campbell said on The Highbury Squad.
“But he is learning how to play in this system. It is only four games, and he has been immense in all four games.
“I just think his ceiling is massive. I will be brutally honest with you. When Thomas Partey is fit, and you got those two as a pivot, then you see the best of these guys in the Champions League.”
[TheCable]
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has lifted its visa ban imposed on Nigerian travellers.
The decision was reached after President Bola Tinubu met with Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE president, in Abu Dhabi, on Monday.
Ajuri Ngelale, the presidential spokesperson, said in a statement that Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines are to “immediately resume flight schedules into and out of Nigeria without any further delay”.
“As negotiated between the two heads of state, this immediate restoration of flight activity, through these two airlines and between the two countries, does not involve any immediate payment by the Nigerian government,” the statement reads.
“In recognition of President Tinubu’s economic development diplomacy drive and proposals today presented by President Tinubu to his counterpart, an agreed framework has been established, which will involve several billions of U.S. dollars worth of new investments into the Nigerian economy across multiple sectors, including defense, agriculture and others, by the investment arms of the Government of the United Arab Emirates.”
Since 2021, UAE and Nigeria have been engaging in a diplomatic row over issues involving flight allocations and travel bans.
In December 2021, the UAE banned airlines from airlifting Nigerian passengers into the country.
The UAE had claimed that the ban was due to the surge in COVID-19 cases.
Before the travel ban, UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) had approved a slot of three weekly flights from Nigeria to Sharjah Airport. The single flight was approved for Air Peace.
In retaliation to the UAE’s treatment of Air Peace, the federal government dropped the Emirate’s slots from 21 to one.
The move made the Dubai-based airline suspend all its flights to Nigeria.
In October 2022, the UAE imposed a visa ban on Nigerians after a diplomatic row.
[TheCable]
The British High Commission in Nigeria has announced the opening of a new temporary submission centre for UK visas in Enugu State beginning on 13 September 2023.
The UK diplomatic office disclosed in a statement on Monday that the facility will operate out of the Omedel Luxury Hotel, 4/6 Link Road off Pascal and Jerk Bustop, Independence Layout, Enugu.
It added that it will offer twice-a-week service while applicants should note that they will pay specific money for several visa application engagements.
The statement reads further, “The appointment system allows an applicant to select Enugu as their application location when applying for a UK Visa. This is in addition to current locations in Abuja. Lagos and Port Harcourt.
“The temporary submission centre in Enugu opens as a Premium Location meaning it will cost NGN246,250.00, which includes a Premium Lounge appointment, courier return, SMS notifications, general customer support and guidance.
“Demand for visa services will be carefully monitored and service reviewed/expanded should there be sufficient volumes. TLS will trial this location for at least 3 months to assess uptake of the service and enable decisions on continuation.”
Elder Statesman and the Doyen of Accounting, Chief Akintola Williams, is dead.
Naija News earlier reported that Williams died around 9 am on Monday at his Lagos residence.
Here are things to know about the late Pa Akintola Williams:
1. Chief Akintola Williams was born on August 9, 1919 (104).
2. He was the first Nigerian to qualify as a chartered accountant.
3. He began his education at Olowogbowo Methodist Primary School, Bankole Street, Apongbon, Lagos Island, Lagos, in the early 1930s, the same primary school his late junior brother Chief Rotimi Williams attended.
4. He went on to Yaba Higher College on a UAC scholarship, obtaining a diploma in commerce.
5. In 1944, he travelled to England where he studied at the University of London. Sturdying Banking and Finance, he graduated in 1946 with a Bachelor of Commerce.
6. He continued his studies and qualified as a chartered accountant in England in 1949.
7. After returning to Nigeria in 1950, Williams served with the Inland Revenue as an assessment officer until March 1952, when he left the civil service and founded Akintola Williams & Co. in Lagos.
8. The company was the first indigenous chartered accounting firm in Africa.
9. Williams participated in founding the Nigerian Stock Exchange and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.
10. Between April 1999 and May 2004, Akintola Williams & Co. merged with two other accounting firms to create Akintola Williams Deloitte (now known as Deloitte & Touche), the largest professional services firm in Nigeria with a staff of over 600.
11. His firm, founded in 1952, later grew organically and through mergers to become the largest professional services firm in Nigeria by 2004.
12. His youngest brother Rev James Kehinde Williams was a pastor in the same church. Olowogbowo Methodist Church.
More...
The doyen of the accounting profession, Pa Akintola Williams, has passed away at the age of 104 years old.
Channels Television reports that the foremost accountant celebrated his 104th birthday on August 9.
Pa Williams is reputedly the first Sub-Saharan African to become a chartered accountant after he passed the qualifying examination of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) in 1949.
The icon played a leading role in the development of the accountancy profession in the country by facilitating the establishment of the Association of Accountants in Nigeria, which metamorphosed into the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN).
He went on to become a founding member of ICAN and was also involved in establishing the Nigerian Stock Exchange, now the Nigerian Exchange Group.
A seasoned administrator, Williams was an outstanding accountant, management consultant and serial entrepreneur in his active working days.
After his early education in Nigeria, Williams obtained a Bachelor of Commerce Degree (majoring in Banking and Finance) from the University of London in 1946 before he qualified as a Chartered Accountant in England.
He worked with the Inland Revenue as an assessment officer from 1950 to 1952, when he left the civil service and founded Akintola Williams & Co., the first indigenous firm of chartered accountants in Africa (now Deloitte & Touche Nigeria).
- The Bitcoin (BTC) price has decreased under a descending resistance line since July. Since August, it has hovered above the $25,700 horizontal support area.
- While the price action is bearish, the RSI has generated bullish divergence. Moreover, it moved outside of its oversold territory, giving a bullish signal.
- A breakdown from the $25,700 horizontal support area will invalidate the bullish divergence. If that occurs, a 8% drop could follow.
- PROMO
The Bitcoin (BTC) price has hovered slightly above the $25,700 horizontal support area for nearly a month.
While the price action is bearish, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) has given a bullish signal that previously preceded a 100% price increase.
Bitcoin Consolidates Near $26,000 Despite Bullish Divergence
The daily timeframe technical analysis gives mixed signs due to conflicting readings from the price action and the RSI.
The BTC price has fallen under a descending resistance line since its $31,800 yearly high on July 13. The line was most recently validated on August 14, leading to a sharp decrease three days later that took BTC to $25,166. The price has not yet breached this low.
However, the ensuing bounces have also been weak. This is especially evident in Bitcoin’s failure to reach the descending resistance line (red circle). Now, the BTC price hovers above the $25,700 horizontal support area.
Despite these bearish readings, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is bullish. Market traders employ the RSI as a momentum indicator to detect overbought or oversold conditions in a market and make decisions regarding asset accumulation or selling.
Readings above 50 in conjunction with an upward trend suggest that bulls maintain an advantage, while readings below 50 indicate the opposite, signaling potential bearish conditions.
While the indicator is below 50, it has increased since August 18. More importantly, the RSI has generated significant bullish divergence (green line).
This is an occurrence in which a momentum increase accompanies a price decrease. It indicates that the drop is not legitimate and is often associated with bullish trend reversals.
While the technical analysis is mixed, crypto investors still believe in Bitcoin. A recent report noted that nearly half of the world’s crypto millionaires hold wealth in Bitcoin. Additionally, the impending approval of a Bitcoin ETF could positively impact the future price.
BTC Price Prediction: What Does History Say About This Bullish Divergence?
The aforementioned bullish divergence in the daily timeframe is notable since it also marks a movement outside of the RSI oversold territory.
In the last year, the RSI fell into oversold territory and then moved outside it only three times (green dots). Furthermore, a bullish divergence in this oversold territory occurred only once, in November 2022.
This divergence catalyzed a 100% upward movement, preceding the entire increase that led to the yearly high. If another 100% increase occurs, the BTC price would reach $52,000.
In any case, a breakout from the resistance line will be required for the trend to be considered bullish.
Despite this bullish BTC price prediction, a breakdown from the $25,700 area will indicate that more downside is expected. In that case, the most likely outcome will be an 8% drop to the 0.5 Fib retracement support level at $23,600.
[beincrypto]
The federal government through the ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has given United Nigeria Airlines approval for operation of international flights into the United States of America, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Italy, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The approval, according to a letter dated September 8, 2023 conveying this approval from the ministry of Aviation and Aerospace development, signed by director, Air Transport Management, Mr. H.T. Ejiburu, on behalf of the minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to the United Nigeria Airlines Company Limited, was in line with the subsisting Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and each of the countries.
The letter made available to LEADERSHIP, read: “I am directed to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 2nd August 2023 on the above subject and convey the Honourable Minister’s approval for the designation of Messrs United Nigeria Airlines Company Limited to operate international flight operations to the under mentioned countries and cities: Netherlands (Amsterdam), Italy (Rome), United Arab Emirates (Dubai), United Kingdom (London), United States of America (USA) (Houston) and Ireland (Dublin).
“The designation of Messrs United Nigeria Airlines Company Limited is in line with the subsisting Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between the government of the federal Republic of Nigeria and the governments of the six mentioned countries.
“Consequently, the airline is hereby advised to liaise with the Civil Aviation Authorities of the aforementioned countries for documentation prior to commencement of scheduled flight operations. However, you are obliged to comply with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulation (Nig. CARs (2023) Part 18.5.1.1 A-C by taking further steps to liaise with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) in fulfilling the requirements if necessary.
“Kindly note that the approval has been communicated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its further necessary actions.”
United Nigeria Airlines started flight operations in 2021 and operates scheduled flights in major Nigerian cities. The Airline had earlier obtained approval for Regional flights based on which they are finalising arrangements to commence regional operations in a couple of weeks upon arrival of their additional aircraft from middle of October.
[Leadership]
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been advised to grant digital autonomy to Bureaux De Change (BDCs) operators in the country to enhance the achievement of the federal Government harmonized foreign exchange rate policies.
The Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) made this known in a statement yesterday.
According to the President of ABCON, Dr. Aminu Gwadabe, called on the apex bank to grant a no objection approval for the BDCs to fully go digital on all their operational correspondences.
He said the move would promote bring about rate convergence, curb volatility in the market and promote economic growth.
He said ABCON had in the past, led its members to achieve rate convergence in 2006, 2009, 2018 to 2020 before the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.
He said granting digital autonomy to the operators will lead to a true market rate discovery, enhance the achievement of the federal Government harmonised foreign exchange rate policies and promote effective monitoring of BDCs transactions for statutory and regulatory requirement.
He said aside providing employment for over 40,000 employees within the sector, digital autonomy for operators will usher in transparency, accountability and ease of supervision.
“As a proactive Organisation and an umbrella body of central bank licensed BDCs and in line with the CBN planned reforms on BDCs for tech compliance, ABCON started various digitization reforms since 2016 to date for licensed operators,” he said.
According to ABCON, now is the time for the CBN to democratize and centralize digital operational mechanism for all BDCs, by granting all operators the autonomy to go digital.
Gwadabe advised the CBN to diversify BDCs scope of operation and Business model from cash-based to digital payment.
He said the naijabdcs.com platform inaugurated by ABCON in 2018 was a step by the group to digitize operations of BDCs in the country.
“ABCON has invested several millions of naira in IT research, developments, designs, implementations of various layers of automation on business transformation from manual to digital. Our members now have transactions monitoring systems with installed IT office equipments and internet connections,” he said.
“Our members now record their transactions on Amazon Web Service (AWS) online real time and extract their daily reports for return rendition. Operators have also integrated with NIBSS, Bank Verification Number verification and validation platforms,” he said.
[NewsDirect]