Dons Eze
- Foreign Affairs
- January 14, 2025
- 146 views
LAWYER WHO LED PROSECUTION AGAINST TRUMP RESIGNS, FLEES US
LAWYER WHO LED PROSECUTION AGAINST TRUMP RESIGNS, FLEES US Jack Smith, the special counsel who led prosecution against United States President-elect Donald Trump, has resigned and fled the country ahead of Trump’s inauguration on January 20. According to statements of officials in the document submitted to the US District Judge Aileen Cannon, Smith had completed his work and submitted his final confidential report on January 7 this year before he finally took leave of the United States Department of Justice on January 10. The high-profile cases handled by Smith involved Trump’s alleged mishandling of confidential documents after he left office and his alleged attempt to overturn the 2020 election which he contested and lost. Smith, a former war crimes prosecutor, was appointed in November 2022 to steer the affairs of the Justice Department’s ongoing investigations into Trump’s cases. But with Trump’s victory in the November 5 election, Smith dismissed the cases, citing a Justice Department rule against prosecuting incumbent presidents. While asking courts to drop the charges, Smith’s legal team, however, acknowledged the validity of the cases but stated that they could not pursue them in view of the Trump’s impeding return to the Presidency. This development signals the collapse of charges against Donald Trump, allowing him to take office without facing legal repercussions. Trump had earlier threatened to fire Smith upon his assumption of office as second term US President.
LAGOS LAWMAKERS IMPEACH SPEAKER AMID MULTIBILLION-NAIRA FRAUD ALLEGATION
LAGOS LAWMAKERS IMPEACH SPEAKER AMID MULTIBILLION-NAIRA FRAUD ALLEGATIONS Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday impeached Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, accusing him of multiple statutory and financial infractions. Mr Obasa was subsequently replaced by his deputy Lasbat Meranda. Mrs Meranda, who represents Apapa Constituency 1, was also a former chief whip of the House. The removal came days after The Gazette reported how Mr Obasa oversaw the withdrawal of N43.5 billion for back up vehicles for lawmakers, as well as other controversial activities. Mr Obasa was in Atlanta Unuted States of America, when he was impeached. Mr Obasa, 52, was first elected Speaker on June 8, 2015, resuming office alongside former one-term governor Akinwunmi Ambode. Repeated charges of fraud and political thuggery have marked his speakership. In 2020, The Gazette published a series of investigations detailing how Mr Obasa diverted Lagos funds to his personal firms and bank accounts. Sahara Reporters at the time also uncovered Mr Obasa’s assets across Lagos. He was invited to be questioned by the EFCC after the anti-graft office became overwhelmed by media reports of Mr Obasa’s mismanagement. He denied all allegations, and no charges were filed after he met with detectives.
PROTEST AT PDP HEADQUARTERS OVER TUSSLE FOR NATIONAL SECRETARY POSITION
PROTEST AT PDP HEADQUARTERS OVER TUSSLE FOR NATIONAL SECRETARY POSITION Protest has erupted at the national headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja over the position of the National Secretary. Protesters loyal to Senator Sam Anyanwu, who was removed as the party’s scribe by the Court of Appeal have stormed the party’s secretariat. The protesters were opposing the anticipated resumption of Sunday Ude-Okoye, who was declared the authentic National Secretary by the Court of Appeal. The protesters gathered at the rear gate of the PDP’s Wadata Plaza headquarters in Wuse Zone 5, chanted slogans such as “No vacancy in the National Secretary’s office” and “Senator Sam Anyanwu remains the National Secretary.” The atmosphere is charged, with security personnel struggling to maintain order. Security has been heightened at the premises, to avoid any disruption of activities. A police lorry has been stationed outside the main gate, and personnel are working alongside the PDP’s regular security team to search workers and visitors before granting them entry into the building.
FIVE GOVERNORS MAY DUMP PARTY AHEAD 2027
FIVE GOVERNORS MAY DUMP PARTY AHEAD 2027 As the race for 2027 elections begins to shape up, strong rumours of defection are swirling around no fewer than five first term opposition governors, checks have revealed. Investigations by LEADERSHIP showed that governors of Abia (Alex Otti) Enugu (Peter Mbah), Delta (Sheriff Oborevwori), Rivers (Siminalayi Fubara) and Akwa Ibom (Umoh Eno) have had to address concerns surrounding talks about their plans to dump their parties for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). While Mbah, Fubara, Eno, Oborevwori belong to the major opposition PDP, Otti belongs to the Labour Party. Interestingly, both parties have been locked in post-2023 election crises which seems to have defied interventions so far. While some sources confided in LEADERSHIP that some of the governors are being subtly pressured to join the ruling APC, others noted that others, mindful of the instability in their party, are open to joining a platform that would enhance their chances of securing a second term. Since the return of democracy in Nigeria in 1999, over 20 sitting governors have dumped their political parties for another. The top states with the highest number of sitting governors jumping ship are Sokoto, Imo, Abia and Adamawa. In Sokoto, three governors have dumped their parties for another, while two sitting governors in Imo, Abia, Zamfara and Adamawa have done the same. While some first term governors were able to win a second term, others were not so lucky. In Abia State, concerns about Governor Otti’s loyalty to his party arose when he resorted to the Zenith Labour Party as a special purpose vehicle for the local government election in the state last year. However, talks about dumping his party heightened when after the groundbreaking ceremony for the Abia airport, the minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, declared that the Abia governor would return to the APC. Also, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, had mounted pressure on Otti to join the APC. LEADERSHIP reports that no fewer than five Labour Party House of Representatives members have joined APC so far. In Rivers State, Governor Fubara’s use of APP for the local government election, following his inability to wrest the PDP structure from the minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, has sustained talks that he may dump the PDP ahead of the 2027 election. The closeness of the Akwa Ibom State governor, Eno, to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, one of the national leaders of APC, has sustained suspicions that he might join the party at the centre. In Enugu, there are insinuations that the disruptive politics within the PDP at the national level might make the governor, who isn’t disposed to be distracted by party intrigues, seek another platform. PDP leaders in Delta, under the aegis of Concerned Leaders of PDP, blew the whistle about Oborevwori’s romance with APC leaders. The party leaders, namely Mr Theophilus Ekiyor; Mr. Ochuko Oghenekome, and Mr. Ezekiel Chukwudi, in an open letter accused the governor of secretly romancing President Bola Tinubu’s chief of staff, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila and the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in order to secure a second term as Delta governor. Recall that Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, a federal lawmaker and daughter of former Delta State governor, James Ibori, had dumped PDP for APC last year. Ibori is a Tinubu contemporary as governor in 1999 and a close ally. But the governors have pushed back on the rumours, declaring, albeit through their aides, that they will not dump their parties for the ruling APC. Also their parties have declared such claims as the handiwork of the ruling party, seeking to sow confusion within their parties and suspicion against the governors. Mbah has no plan of leaving us…
- Foreign Affairs
- January 13, 2025
- 69 views
GHANA’S NEW PRESIDENT REDUCES MINISTRIES FROM 30 TO 23 TO SAVE COST
GHANA’S NEW PRESIDENT REDUCES MINISTRIES FROM 30 TO 23 TO SAVE COST Ghana President John Mahama has reduced the country’s ministries from 30 to 23 in a bid to cut government spending. Mahama’s decision – an executive order – to trim the number of government ministries was contained in a gazette dated January 9 – two days after he took office. The West African country would no longer have the ministries of information, sanitation and water resources, national security, railway development, parliamentary affairs, public enterprises, and chieftaincy and religious affairs. The scrapped ministries were in place under Nana Akufo-Addo, immediate-past president of Ghana. The order established the ministries of finance, health, interior, defence, education, energy and green transition, roads and highways, transport, sports and recreation, justice, lands and natural resources, and local government and chieftaincy and affairs. Others are foreign affairs, communication, digital technology, environment, science and technology, youth development and empowerment, works, housing and water resources, gender, children and social protection, tourism, culture and creative arts, labour, jobs and employment, food and agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, and trade, agribusiness and industry. Mahama, who was first in Ghana’s Jubilee House between 2012 and 2017, returned to power after defeating former Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia. The president polled 6,328,397 votes, representing 56.55 percent of the vote cast, while Bawumia gathered 4,657,304 votes with 41.6 percent. Bawumia conceded defeat before the official results were announced. Mahama’s cost-cutting move is in contrast to that of President Bola Tinubu, his Nigerian counterpart, who increased ministries to 48 in 2023 from 44 under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. Tinubu’s decision has faced widespread criticism as Nigeria struggles with a deepening cost-of-living crisis.
- Foreign Affairs
- January 12, 2025
- 62 views
FRANCOPHONE AFRICA IS ABANDONING FRANCE. WHAT WENT WRONG?
FRANCOPHONE AFRICA IS ABANDONING FRANCE. WHAT WENT WRONG? The previous expulsion of French troops from the region saw countries invite and embrace alternative partners like Russia and China. To usher Ivorians into the new year, President Alassane Ouattara announced that French troops in Côte d’Ivoire will hand over the 43rd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIMA), a French army base located in Port-Bouet, Abidjan, to the Ivorian military starting in January 2025. “We can be proud of our army, whose modernisation is now effective. It is within this context that we have decided on the concerted and organised withdrawal of French forces,” Mr Ouattara said in his speech. With that speech, Côte d’Ivoire, to the surprise of some, became the sixth country in Africa to ask France to withdraw its troops from the country. It was surprising as Mr Ouattara was viewed by many as a darling of France. Côte d’Ivoire joined Senegal and Chad who recently asked French troops to exit their territories. The coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Niger heralded a wave of strong anti-French sentiments across the continent. These sentiments saw protests across borders, especially by urban youth who spoke passionately against French influence in their countries – most of these were tied to colonial pasts and the fight against terrorism. Although all the countries affected had become independent after decades of French colonisation, they maintained strong economic and military ties with France. One of these was the presence of French military bases in each of them. That military relationship has now been largely severed. Many analysts argue that the decision of Senegal, Chad, and Côte d’Ivoire to end military relations with France, although under very different circumstances, is political, especially with the growing sentiments across borders. They argue that pandering to populism could give some sense of legitimacy to governments, especially in the case of Côte d’Ivoire, whose election is in nine months. Having seen the outcome of anti-French sentiments in other countries, incumbent governments loathe losing their political powers and are doing what they can to keep them. Exit of French troops from Senegal, Chad, Côte d’IvoireAlthough President Emmanuel Macron’s administration made attempts to be different from previous French governments in terms of its relations with Africa and its former colonies, anti-French sentiments continued to rise. It peaked following the military takeovers between 2019 and 2023. It has since remained consistent and exploited by many for different purposes. These sentiments are, however, viewed as a new desire by African countries to take charge of their future and sovereignty. Having seen the rise in these sentiments after the coups, Mr Macron deployed former minister Jean-Marie Bockel to ask these countries whether they wanted French troops to stay or leave. Decisions were made, and it became clear that the troop numbers would, at the very least, be reduced. While Chad and Senegal have decided they would like all French troops to leave, Gabon and Côte d’Ivoire would have small numbers remaining for training and cooperation work. Djibouti has an entirely different arrangement where France continues to maintain a large military base. Mutual but not so mutualAlthough officials from the affected countries say the French military’s exit is with ‘no hard feelings’, comments from President Emmanuel Macron and reactions from Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire have raised questions about the mutual understanding. Speaking at an ambassadors’ conference, President Macron called the leaders of the affected countries ungrateful for failing to say thank you. “We were right [to deploy]. I think someone forgot to say thank you. It is ok, it will come with time,” BBC quoted Mr Macron as saying on Monday. “But I say this for all the African heads of state who have not had the courage in the face…
RIVERS GOVERNOR, SIM FUBARA, CHALLENGES AZUTA-MBATA OVER ELECTION AS OHANNAEZE PRESIDENT
RIVERS GOVERNOR, SIM FUBARA, CONGRATULATES AZUTA-MBATA OVER ELECTION AS OHANNAEZE PRESIDENT The governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara has congratulated the newly elected President-general of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, John Azuta-Mbata on his election on Friday, January 10. Fubara described Azuka-Mbata’s victory as the people’s show of confidence in his ability to deliver on their expectations for the Igbo socio-political group. In a statement issued by Nelson Chukwudi, the governor’s chief press secretary, Fubara was quoted as saying that the PG’s win is a wide acceptance as a devoted Nigerian whose test of character and integrity is emulating. He also stated that members of the Ohanaeze Ndigbi through the votes has shown the trust they have in Azuka-Mbata. Further calling for national cohesion through the group, Fubara urged the Azuka-Mbata to he ensure he stays alive to his responsibility as the new President-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. “On behalf of the government and the good people of Rivers State, I once again congratulate you and assure you of our readiness to work with you towards maintaining and preserving national unity and cohesion,” the governor said.
FEAR OF SOLUDO SECOND TERM, BY TONY OKAFOR
FEAR OF SOLUDO’S SECOND TERMBY: TONY OKAFOR As Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, seeks reelection, he stands at a critical juncture. Despite his notable achievements in infrastructural development, such as the construction of the new Governor’s Lodge, Solution Fun City, and massive road projects, free education, and healthcare services, concerns linger about his potential second term. At the heart of these concerns lies a multifaceted set of issues. Some worry that Soludo may become increasingly authoritarian, surrounding himself with an impenetrable wall and disconnecting from the people. Others fear that his professorial arrogance may come to the forefront, making him unresponsive to the needs and concerns of the people. High taxation is another pressing issue that has raised eyebrows. The current methods of taxation have been criticized for being draconian, with instances of manhandling and even paralysis of citizens in the name of tax collection. This has created a sense of unease among the populace. Furthermore, the growing insecurity in the state has become a major concern. Despite Soludo’s Udo Ga-Achi security plans, the general perception is that he has not done enough to address the issue. This has led to a rift between the governor and both spiritual and temporal leaders in the state, with some prominent traditional rulers reportedly in a state of cold war with him. To address these concerns and remain credible for reelection, Soludo must adopt a more inclusive and responsive approach to governance. He needs to foster a culture of transparency and accountability, ensuring that the state’s finances are managed in a way that is open to scrutiny and free from corruption. A more nuanced and equitable taxation system is also necessary, one that balances the need for revenue with the need to protect the welfare of citizens. Additionally, Soludo must develop a comprehensive security strategy that addresses the root causes of insecurity and engages all stakeholders, including traditional leaders and community groups. Establishing a mechanism for regular feedback and engagement with the people is also crucial, ensuring that their concerns and needs are heard and addressed. Incumbency is not a guarantee for reelection, as former President Goodluck Jonathan’s ousting by Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 aptly demonstrates. More recently, an incumbent president in neighbouring Ghana was defeated in a general election, highlighting the importance of addressing the concerns of the electorate. Soludo has a narrow window of opportunity to allay the fears of the people and demonstrate his commitment to their well-being. By taking concrete steps to address the concerns of the people, Soludo can reassure Ndi Anambra that his second term will be marked by greater responsiveness. If he fails to do so, he risks being ousted by a credible alternative, which is not scarce from the lineup of contestants in the November race.
ORIGIN OF BRITISH PROJECT OF DE-IGBONIZATION OF RIVERS IGBO AND ROOT CAUSES OF IDENTITY DENIAL IN IKWERRE, OGBA AND MOST TRIBES IN RIVERS STATE, BY PROFESSOR CHIDI OSUAGWU
ORIGIN OF BRITISH PROJECT OF DE-IGBONIZATION OF RIVERS IGBO ANDROOT CAUSES OF IDENTITY DENIAL IN IKWERRE, OGBA AND MOST IGBO TRIBES IN RIVERS STATE, PROFESSOR CHIDI OSUAGWU
- Foreign Affairs
- January 10, 2025
- 217 views
US COURT SENTENCED TRUMP 10 DAYS TO INAUGURATION
US COURT SENTENCED TRUMP 10 DAYS TO INAUGURATION A New York state court has sentenced U.S. President-elect, Donald Trump, to unconditional discharge in his hush-money case. This means he’ll face no jail time, penalties or probation. Judge Juan Merchan pronounced his sentence on Friday, which gave Trump an unconditional discharge, as expected. The sentencing, however, means Trump will remain a felon having become the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes, a major dent to his image. Trump, who attended the sentencing virtually, did not react as Merchan concluded the hearing. This came 10 days before the president-elect’s inauguration.