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We’ll Prosecute Bello for Double Registration, Says INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission says its allegation of double registration against Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State still stands.
“The allegation of double registration has not been swept under the carpet; we cannot prosecute Bello now because he enjoys immunity as a sitting governor.
“He has committed an offence and we shall prosecute him when he is out office,” INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kogi, Prof. James Apam, said in Lokoja on Thursday.
He said that the recent issuance of a temporary voter card to the governor did not mean that the issue of double registration had been swept under the carpet.
The News Agency of Nigeria, reports that INEC had, on February 26, issued a temporary voter card to the governor after applying for the transfer of his permanent card from Abuja to Okene.
INEC last year declared the second registration done by Bello, on May 23 at the Government House, Lokoja as illegal and contrary to the Electoral Act.
The electoral body, through one of its National Electoral Commissioners, Mr. Emmanuel Shoyebi, said that the registration, which was done outside the designated registration centre, also amounted to double registration which is a criminal offence.
Shoyebi said that Bello did his first registration at Wuse Zone 11 in Abuja, on January 30, 2011.
For their involvement in the double registration saga, a senior official of INEC was compulsorily retired from service while two others were summarily dismissed last month.
Apam, however, explained that a temporary voter card was issued to the governor based on legal advice, saying that the governor would surely face the consequences of his crime at the appropriate time.
He said that INEC’s legal advisers had advised the electoral body not to deny Bello his right to vote and be voted for since he could not be tried at the moment.
On the ongoing Continued Voters Registration, Apam said that INEC had registered 176,866 new voters in Kogi between April 2017 and February, 2018.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner said that the new registrants comprised of 90,553 male voters and 86,313 female voters.
During the period, he said that the organisation had transferred 7,169 permanent voter cards and replaced 9,400 lost or defaced cards.
Similarly, INEC said it distributed 57,148 permanent cards to their owners within the same period, while 202,289 voter cards were still uncollected.
Apam restated INEC’s readiness to conduct free and acceptable elections in 2019, urging all stakeholders to help in achieving that.
Meanwhile, INEC has said it has received 108 applications from associations seeking to register as political parties and participate in the 2019 general elections.
Out of these applications, only nine had successfully gone through to the final stage, the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, said on Thursday at the Social Media Week 2018 in Lagos.
“The windows will soon close for associations to register as political parties,” Yakubu said.
The INEC chairman, who addressed the theme, ‘Citizens, government and technology,’ via teleconferencing, stated that parties that registered six months to the elections would not be eligible to participate in the general elections.
To discourage vote buying, Yakubu said the commission would increase sensitisation, enforcement and improve polling unit administration by restructuring the ballot boxes in a way that would not allow voters to reveal the identities of the candidates they voted for.
The Punch
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Tinubu Presents N47.9trn 2025 Appropriation Bill to NASS
President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, presented the proposed 2025 federal budget to a joint session of the National Assembly.
The N47.9 trillion budget saw a whopping N3.5 trillion allocated to the education sector.
Other sectors that got higher allocations include defence and security – N4.91tn, infrastructure – N4.06tn and health – N2.4tn.
“It is with great pleasure that I lay before this distinguished joint session of the National Assembly, the 2025 Budget of the National Assembly of Nigeria titled, ‘The Restoration Budget’ security peace, building prosperity,” Tinubu said as he concluded his 30-minute presentation at 1:10pm.
This budget highlights the government’s focus on improving education, healthcare, and infrastructure, in line with its ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ aimed at boosting the economy and addressing key national priorities.
The live broadcast of the budget presentation today revealed the government’s plans for the next fiscal year. With a strong emphasis on human capital development, the president highlighted the budget’s commitment to improving the nation’s economic foundation.
Education sector receives major funding
A significant portion of the 2025 budget is dedicated to education, with N3.5 trillion allocated to the sector. President Tinubu stated that part of this funding would be directed toward infrastructure development, including support for Universal Basic Education (UBEC) and the establishment of nine new higher educational institutions.
“We have made provision for N826.90 billion for infrastructural development in the education sector,” Tinubu said.
This allocation aims to improve educational facilities and support ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s educational system.
Focus on human capital development
During the presentation, the president emphasized the importance of investing in Nigeria’s human capital. “Human capital development, our people are our greatest resource. That is why we are breaking record investment in education, healthcare, our social services,” he remarked.
Tinubu also pointed to the N34 billion already disbursed through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to assist over 300,000 students.
The budget includes continued investments in healthcare and social services as part of the broader goal of enhancing the quality of life for Nigerians.
Strengthening the economy and national security
Tinubu highlighted that the 2025 budget is designed to build a robust economy while addressing critical sectors necessary for growth and security.
“This budget reflects the huge commitment to strengthening the foundation of a robust economy, while addressing the critical sectors essential for the growth and development we envision; and secure our nation,” he said.
The budget aims to tackle key challenges and foster long-term economic stability by prioritizing infrastructure and development in key sectors.
Healthcare and social services allocations
In addition to education, Tinubu focused on the allocation for healthcare and social services. The government plans to increase investments in healthcare infrastructure and services to ensure broader access to essential healthcare for Nigerians.
These investments are part of the administration’s strategy to improve overall living conditions and enhance public health across the country.
President Tinubu’s proposed 2025 budget is said to reflect the administration’s commitment to achieving its development objectives, with a focus on economic growth, human capital development, and infrastructure improvement.
As the National Assembly reviews the budget, the president reiterated his administration’s resolve to address the nation’s most pressing needs.
Source: Nairametrics
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Ghana’s President-elect Mahama Visits Tinubu in Abuja
Ghana’s President-Elect, Dr. John Dramani Mahama, a courtesy visit to President Bola Tinubu at his residence, Presidential Villa, State House on Monday.
Mahama won 56 percent of the votes in this month’s presidential election, compared to the ruling party candidate and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, who secured 41 percent.
The landslide comeback for former president Mahama ended eight years in power for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) under President Nana Akufo-Addo, whose last term was marked by Ghana’s worst economic turmoil in years, an IMF bailout and a debt default.
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I Stand by What I Said, Kemi Badenoch Replies VP Shettima
The leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has lashed back at Vice President Kashim Shettima over the latter’s reaction to her comments about Nigeria.
Badenoch was born in the UK in 1980 to Nigerian Yoruba parents.
Badenoch, who attained age 16 in Nigeria before departing the country for the UK where she was elected Conservative Party’s leader, described Nigeria as a nation brimming with thieving politicians and insecurity.
However, Shettima, while speaking at the 10th Annual Migration Dialogue at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday, December 9, 2024, accused Badenoch of “denigrating her country of origin” with her remarks.
The vice-president listed influential people whose families had migrated to other countries, commending former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as a “brilliant young man who never denigrated his nation of ancestry.”
Reacting on Wednesday, Badenoch lashed back at Shettima, saying she doesn’t do “PR for Nigeria”.
Her spokesperson, as the Tory leader, according to UK Express, said: “Kemi is not interested in doing Nigeria’s PR; she is the Leader of the Opposition in the UK.
“She tells the truth; she tells it like it is; she isn’t going to couch her words. She stands by what she said.”
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