Digital Leonard Blog

Senator Matthew Uroghide has alleged that he was molested and humiliated by supporters of APC at the Benin Airport, on Friday, over his motion on President Buhari’s impeachment during plenary.  The PDP senator representing Edo South Senatorial District in the National Assembly made the allegation while addressing journalists at the weekend, in Benin. “They have promised to deal with me. If not for the state Commissioner of Police, I don’t know what would have happened. I obeyed the police commissioner by staying where I was until the governor came. We were walking side by side talking when a boy hit my head and the governor walked away,” he said. He said he would seek redress in court and also furnish the Senate with information on how he was molested, humiliated and being crucified over what he said during plenary.

Some senior lawyers in the country said the National Assembly lacks powers to summon President Muhammadu Buhari over the anticipatory spending of $496 million for the purchase of fighter jets. Both chambers of the National Assembly had last week accused the President of withdrawing the sum from the Federation Accounts, without its approval as provided by the Constitution. Constitutional lawyer, Ben Nwabueze (SAN) yesterday said though President Buhari erred in not getting the approval of the lawmakers before paying for the Tucano aircraft, he is not one of those that could be summoned by the National Assembly as provided for in Section 89 (1) (c)of the Constitution. Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) said the although Section 89（1）of the Constitution empowers both the Senate and House of Representatives or any committees to summon any person to give evidence at any place or produce any document or other thing in his possession, the categories of persons contemplated by that section must be those again...

A former governor of Kano State, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, has declared his intention to contest for the presidency in the 2019 general elections under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Shekarau, who is also the immediate past Minister of Education, said in a letter made available to the Daily Trust, yesterday,  that his decision to seek for PDP’s presidential ticket was informed by clarion calls from Nigerians and after wide consultations. “As you may be aware, for quite some time now, since after the 2015 general elections, there have been various calls made by individuals and groups from many quarters, nationwide, urging my humble candidature for the contest of the presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the next general elections, due in 2019. “I strongly believe that the people are doing so out of their conviction of contentment and satisfaction based upon the modest successes recorded while I served as the Governor of Kano State (2003 to 2011), and al...

The Kogi State Youths Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO) supported by the World Bank, has launched a Single Register (SR) of 116,080 poorest of the poor and vulnerable individuals captured across the state through its Community Based Targeting (CBT) approach. Speaking at the launch of the programme in Lokoja, the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, said the Single Register has become a “card reader” for recording and attending to the needs of the ‘core poor and vulnerable’ in the state. He said the register has also assisted in eliminating the problem of the past in accessing data to deal with such kind of people. Bello, who was represented by his deputy, Elder Simon Achuba, said the state government will release N150 million to YESSO, to assist the agency in carrying out its responsibility to the poor. Speaking on the SR, the Head of Service, Mrs Deborah Ogunmola, said 22,241 households and 116, 080 individuals were captured in the register. “International best practices...

The move to recall Senator Dino Melaye representing Kogi West Senatorial District at the National Assembly has failed as the Saturday's signature verification exercise failed to meet the constitutional requirement to proceed with the exercise.  The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the results released at the INEC office, Lokoja, in the early hours of Sunday said only 5.34% signatures of the petitioners was verified as against the 50% plus 1 as required by the Electoral Act.  According to the result announced in Lokoja by INEC's Resident Electoral Commissioner in charge of Benue State,  Professor Ukertor Gabriel Moti, said total numbers of registered voters in Kogi West was 351, 140. The Commissioner added that the total number of petitioners' signatures collated for recall was 189, 870, while only 20, 868 signatory were present for accreditation. He however said only 18,743 number of the signatures were verified at the end of the exercise.  Accordi...

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced new dates for this year’s ward, local government and state congresses even as Daily Trust gathered yesterday that the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has shelved his national chairmanship ambition.  It could however not be confirmed whether the decision was connected to Oyegun’s visit to the Presidential Villa on Thursday night. But on Tuesday, he described the purported endorsement of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole by the South-South zonal leadership of the party as “absolutely childish.” Chief Odigie-Oyegun, who spoke with newsmen at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, said voting would take place at convention venue and not at any government house. On whether he would seek re-election, he said, “I’m going to know when the convention committee announces their programmes, then when I’m going to buy a form if I will re-contest I will let you know.” The new dates announced yesterday by the party’s Nation...

Aminu Yaminu: Boko Haram suspect linked with Benue killings.(PHOTO CREDIT:NAN) The Nigerian Army has arrested a suspected Boko Haram member said to have been the mastermind of “most of the recent attacks in Benue State.” He was identified as Aminu Yaminu, a.k.a Tashaku. Tashaku was arrested by combined troops of 707 Special Forces Brigade, the Police and the Department of State Security Services in Makurdi,the state capital. The army said the suspect “is believed to have masterminded most of the recent attacks in Benue State.” “Following an intelligence report, it was gathered that AMINU has concluded plans with his cohorts in Bauchi, Borno, Yobe and Nasarawa states to launch a major attack on innocent citizens in Benue State,” the army added. It pledged to ensure that “enemies of peace in the state are brought to justice,” and advised residents of the state to go about their lawful businesses without fear. “They should also oblige the Nigerian Army and other security agencies with tim...

Chairman of Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum (NGF), Gov. Abdul’aziz Yari of Zamfara, says state governors can not enforce  maximum security in their domains  because  they are not in control of security agencies. Yari told newsmen in Abuja at the end of an NGF meeting on Thursday that the governors were working energetically with the federal government to tackle the lingering security challenges across the nation. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NGF meeting, the third of its type this year, was convened to address critical issues facing the governors in their states in relation with the Federal Government. ‘We are not in control of either the soldiers or the police or any other security men but what we can do is to sit down with security men in our respective states to support security agencies. ‘’In terms of logistics, we are doing our best and we will continue to support the federal government in this regard. The NGF chairman also told newsmen that the secur...

For long, some Senators and members of the House of Representatives have been looking for the opportunity to hit at President Muhammadu Buhari. This is no thanks to the frosty relationship existing between the parliament and the executive, especially the Senate. The relationship between the two arms has slowed down the pace of implementation of programs and policies of this administration. The payment of $496m to the government of the United States by the President for the purchase of Super Tucano aircraft without the approval of the National Assembly presented an opportunity to the parliament to hit at him.  Like a pre-planned plot, the issue was raised at both Senate and House on April 17, this year by two opposition lawmakers. At the Senate, Senator Sam Anyanwu (PDP, Imo) brought the issue to the front burner while Rep Toby Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu) did same at the House of Reps while contributing to the debate on a motion on Chibok girls. It was gathered the issue was raised follo...

The signatures verification exercise for the recall process of Senator Dino Melaye representing Kogi West Senatorial District at the National Assembly has commenced on Saturday with low turnout of petitioners at some of the polling units visited.  At the Lokoja Club polling unit 016 in Ward A of Lokoja LGA, only two out of the 875 petitioners that signed for the recall in that polling unit had turned out for verification as at 10 am when Daily Trust visited.  In the same vein, at the Ukwo Okoriko Compound polling unit 003 in Kogi/Kotonkarfe LGA, only 18 petitioners out of the 440 petitioners that appended signatures for the had been verified as at 11 am when Daily Trust visited the polling unit.  At Ohagabi Polling Unit 003 in Kogi/Kotonkarfe LGA, only 43 out of 500 petitioners who appended signatures for the recall had turned out for the verification as at 11.33am. A check at Oworo Ward E Polling Unit 012 in Lokoja LGA, only 40 out of the 500 petitioners that signed the ...

The Tiv Area Traditional Council, on Friday, called on President Buhari to declare suspected killer herdsmen as terrorists and treat them accordingly. The council stated that what was happening in the state ought to be condemned by all sane minds, lamenting that Benue was becoming a theatre of bloodshed orchestrated by the Miyetti Allah Kauta Hore. The traditional rulers described the killing of Christian worshippers in Benue as barbaric, condemnable, inhuman and satanic. In a communiqué issued at the end of an emergency meeting held at the Tor Tiv Palace, Gboko, the Tiv Area Traditional Council appealed to the President to diligently investigate the circumstances that led to the massacre of priests and church worshippers as well as military invasion of Naka town with the view to identifying the culprits and bringing them to justice. It said, “The council equally condemns in strong terms the incessant genocidal killing of Tiv people in Nasarawa and Taraba states. We urged Buhari to put...

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has declared that the state is currently on fire. Ortom said he had to cut short his vacation because of the senseless killing of his people by herdsmen. Speaking shortly after arriving the country from his holiday abroad, the emotion-laden governor asserted that the climax of the whole attacks was the recent killing of two clerics and 17 others in the state. The governor, who fought back tears while addressing newsmen at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, called on his people to get prepared. He said, “There is no way my state would be on fire with the magnitude of what we are seeing today and I’ll still be on vacation. I cannot be on vacation when the entire state is on fire to this magnitude. I never expected what is happening to have taken place. I know my Deputy, the Acting Governor is doing his best. “I’ve been in touch with him on daily basis but at this particular time he needs me and other stakeholders of the state to come toget...

Ranching to take off in five states Nigeria to end ECOWAS free movement ADVOCATES of ranching have won their battle. The National Economic Council (NEC) yesterday agreed to stop herdsmen’s movement, starting with five states – Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Kaduna and Plateau. They are the states mostly affected by the bloodletting sparked by herdsmen-farmers clashes. The Council supported the immediate creation of ranches across the country, Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi told State House correspondents at the end of the NEC meeting chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. According to him, the five states are expected to provide land for ranches. He said that through ranching, the nomadic herdsmen and their families would have access to medical facilities and schools. Staying in a ranch, he said, would also improve the well-being of the cattle. Umahi said foreign herdsmen would have to show some travel documents, even though visa is not allowed for movement of West Africans. His words...