PDP APPOINTS CARETAKER COMMITTEES FOR STATES, LGAS, WARDS

PDP APPOINTS CARETAKER COMMITTEES FOR STATES, LGAS, WARDS The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has approved the appointment of the Executives whose tenures have expired in some State, Local Government and Ward chapters to serve as Caretaker Committees in the affected States, LGAs and Wards respectively. The appointment was pursuant to the provisions of Section 29 (2) (b) of the Constitution of the Party on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC). The PDP, in a statement by its spokesman, Hon Debo Ologunagba, said that the Caretaker Committees have been mandated to run the affairs of the Party at their appropriate levels for a period of 3 (three) months as follows: ABIA – Local Government Area (LGA): With effect from March 22, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 15, 2024 AKWA IBOM – LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024 ; Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024 BAUCHI – LGA: With effect from March 22, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 14, 2024 BAYELSA – State: With effect from March 23, 2024; LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024 BENUE- LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024 CROSS RIVER – LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024 DELTA- LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024 EKITI – Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024 ENUGU – LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 14, 2024 GOMBE- State: With effect from March 23, 2024; LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 14, 2024 IMO – LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 14, 2024 JIGAWA- Ward: With effect from March 16, 2024 KADUNA. – Ward: With effect from March 14, 2024 NIGER. – Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024 ONDO – LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024 PLATEAU – LGA: With effect from March 23, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024 RIVERS- State: With effect from March 21, 2024; LGA: With effect from March 18, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 14, 2024 SOKOTO- Ward: With effect from March 16, 2024 TARABA- Ward: With effect from March 14, 2024 Federal Capital Territory (FCT)- LGA: With effect from March 21, 2024; Ward: With effect from March 7, 2024 The NWC stated that in situations where vacancies occurred in the respective Excos due to death, defection and/or resignation, no replacement should be effected for such vacancies in the Caretakers Committees.The NWC charged all leaders, critical stakeholders and members of the Party to continue to work together to ensure the stability, growth and success of the Party in their respective States, Local Government Areas and Wards.

INTERPOL GOES AFTER FLEEING BINANCE DIRECTOR – MINISTER

INTERPOL GOES AFTER FLEEING BINANCE DIRECTOR – MINISTER Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris on Monday said there is no hiding place for Nadeem Anjarwalla, a Director of Binance who escaped from custody and fled the country after he was detained by the Nigerian Government. The minister said the International Police (Interpol) were currently on Anjarwalla’s trail. Idris was reacting to the Binance executive’s escape from Nigeria. According to Idris, since Binance is an international firm, there is no way the culprit will evade arrest. His explanation came barely few hours after the Office of the National Security Adviser confirmed that Anjarwalla, a key suspect in the ongoing criminal investigation regarding Binance’s activities in Nigeria, managed to escape lawful custody on Friday, March 22nd, 2024. In an official statement released by the Head of Strategic Communication for the Office of the National Security Adviser, Zakari Mijinyawa, it was explained that collaborative efforts between the office, relevant security agencies, various government bodies and the international community are already underway to swiftly locate and detain the fugitive. The statement stressed that security agencies are working with Interpol for an international arrest warrant on the suspect as preliminary investigation shows that Anjarwalla fled Nigeria using a smuggled passport. The personnel responsible for the custody of the suspect have been arrested, and a thorough investigation is ongoing to unravel the circumstances that led to his escape from lawful detention. It would be recalled that the Federal Government of Nigeria, like other governments around the world, has been investigating money laundering and terrorism financing transactions perpetrated on the Binance currency exchange platform. Anjarwalla, who holds British and Kenyan nationalities and serves as Binance’s Africa regional manager, was being tried by Nigerian courts before he escaped while under a 14-day remand order issued by a court.He was scheduled to appear before the court again on 4 April 2024.

LP CRISIS: PETER OBI, OBIDIENTS DUMP ABURE AS SEARCH FOR NEW CHAIRMAN BEGINS

LP CRISIS: PETER OBI, OBIDIENTS DUMP ABURE, AS SEARCH FOR NEW CHAIRMAN BEGINS The crisis rocking the Labour Party, LP, took a dangerous dimension last week, with members of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, picketing the party’s national secretariat and some of its state offices. There are also indications that the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi and his supporters known as Obidients may have abandoned the party’s National Chairman, Julius Abure to his fate. This is not unconnected to the internal crisis that has been rocking the party structure since the 2023 general elections was concluded. After a series of legal battles with the factional chairman of the party, Lamidi Apapa, Abure has been in the news over alleged financial impropriety and other disturbing issues. Peter Obi had in February 2024, called for a thorough and forensic investigation into an embezzlement allegation levelled against the party’s chairman, Abure. The call by the former Anambra Governor was in response to allegations earlier made by Oluchi Oparah, the national treasurer of the party, accusing Abure of allegedly misappropriating N3.5 billion. Oparah also alleged that the Abure-led National Working Committee, NWC, was working hand-in-hand with the Edo State Government and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ahead of the September 2024 governorship polls. Similarly, in a letter signed by Comrades TItus Amba and Chris Uyot, the chairman and the secretary of NLC Political Commission, the party expressed concerns over recurrent scandals and pending cases of fraud. Abure was recently accused by some stakeholders of the party, including the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, of running the LP as a “sole administrator.” The Deputy President of the NLC Political Commission, Dr Theophilus Ndubuaku, who spoke when the workers occupied the Labour Party headquarters in Abuja recently, said the decision to picket the party’s headquarters was taken to express workers’ grievances against Abure’s style of leadership. He said, ”Now, it is in the hands of this usurper, he is looking for N30 million, N40 million, and so on to buy forms, excluding the people who founded the party. Enough is enough, Abure must go,” said the acting General Secretary of NLC, Comrade Bello Ismail on the cost of governorship interest and nomination forms. Similarly, in a letter issued by Comrades TItus Amba and Chris Uyot, the chairman and secretary of NLC Political Commission, respectively, the union also knocked Abure for not being committed to the ideology of the Labour Party. The embattled LP Chairman was in the news recently again over his alleged plan to hold National Convention without due processes. The Abure-led National Working Committee, NWC, was accused of planning to hold the national convention of the party in Umuahia, Abia State capital on March 27. The planned convention was captured in a notice issued to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on March 13. The move was, however, rejected by critical stakeholders, such as the House of Reps Caucus and the NLC, leading to the recent picketing of the party’s secretariat last week. Recall that the Nigeria Labour Congress Political Commission – the political wing of the NLC, had in an open letter dated March 15, condemned the planned convention. While demanding for the immediate resignation of Abure, the commission described the plan as illegal, noting that it would not allow any form of illegality in the affairs of the party to stand. A source who spoke on Saturday on condition of anonymity, alleged that Abure’s intention was to impose leadership on the party. He said major stakeholders in that party were against the March convention, stressing that the party needs more time to select its leaders. “Everybody in the party including our leader, Peter Obi is tired of Abure’s leadership.…