TheNewsGuru

Tag: Lawmakers

  • Irepo LG Chairman, Sulaimon Adeniran suspended by Oyo Assembly

    Irepo LG Chairman, Sulaimon Adeniran suspended by Oyo Assembly

    The Chairman of Irepo Local government, Hon. SulaimonS Lateef Adeniran has been suspended by members of the Oyo State House of Assembly.

    The decision to have him suspended was taken during their plenary on Tuesday afternoon.

    The lawmakers took the decision during their plenary on Tuesday.

    Speaker of the House of Assembly, Adebo Ogundoyin said that the lawmakers have mandated the Vice chairman of the council, Hon. Joel to take over the council administration activities.

    The Vice Chairman is to act pending the outcome of the committee panel set up to investigate the allegations put up against the council chairman.

  • Speakership: APC’s Reps plot to fight against party’s zoning arrangement revealed

    Speakership: APC’s Reps plot to fight against party’s zoning arrangement revealed

    The All Progressive Congress House of Representatives lawmakers have rejected the zoning arrangement proposed by President-elect Bola Tinubu and adopted by the party’s leadership.

    Recall that the National Working Committee on Monday adopted Tajudeen Abbas, a member of the House from Kaduna State, as a consensus candidate, while Ben Kalu, a lawmaker from Abia State was picked as deputy speaker.

    Later in the evening, in a surprise move, all the major aspirants— Deputy Speaker Idris Wase, Ado Doguwa, Yusuf Gagdi, Sada Soli, Ahmed Jaji and Miriam Onuoha appeared at the declaration of Muktar Betara and openly rejected Abbas as the consensus candidate.

    “We will defeat those forces that think Nigeria is in their pocket,” Deputy Speaker Wase said while addressing the crowd. He also disclosed that five of the aspirants already joined forces against the establishment.

    Some other aspirants like Soli, Doguwa and Jaji also spoke, while expressing readiness to challenge and defeat the anointed candidate.

    “APC does not have the number to tell lawmakers to go to hell. The entire majority is small, compared to the last assembly when APC had over 200,” a lawmaker in the camp of one of the aspirants said during a meeting on Sunday.

    Checks show that the opposition parties have got more members than the ruling APC at the green chamber.

    Recall that the current situation bears similarities with the 8th Assembly where Yakubu Dogara and Yusuf Lasun teamed up with the opposition in 2015, and won against the anointed candidate, Femi Gbajabiamila and Mohammed Monguno.

    This paper learnt that the majority of the lawmakers from the Northeast are backing Betara, while Abdulmummin Jibrin has been mobilizing opposition lawmakers, including members of the NNPP, Labour Party and PDP.

    The minority group seems divided between Abbas’ team and Betara. The caucus formed by some lawmakers loyal to Gbajabiamila have been campaigning for Abbas, while Betara controls the “greater majority” group.

    There are indications that some of the aspirants may drop when negotiation commences.

    The APC NWC had warned Mr Tinubu to ensure that they increase consultation.

    “The NWC called for further and better consultation with necessary stakeholders in order to assure the support of the aspirants to the National Assembly leadership positions and members of the Party nationwide,” it reads.

     

     

  • Plateau HoA Palaver: CP warns lawmakers to stay away from complex for now

    Plateau HoA Palaver: CP warns lawmakers to stay away from complex for now

    The Commissioner of Police Plateau State Command, CP Bartholomew Onyeka has cautioned lawmakers to desist from making any attempt of trying to gain entry into the State Assembly complex for now until all grey areas were addressed.

    CP Onyeka gave the warning Tuesday while speaking to newsmen at the command headquarters in Jos, on happenings over Plateau Assembly.

    Plateau Assembly has been engulfed in a leadership tussle where both factions (Abok Nuhu Ayuba and Yakubu Sanda) claim to be the authentic speaker of the state’s 9th Assembly.

    It was observed that the State Assembly complex remained under lock and key for almost a week due to the unending leadership crisis.

    CP Onyeka acknowledged that the deployment of police personnel at the state legislators’ premises was not targeted at anybody, but to maintain law and order.

    The CP also said only a few legislators attended a meeting initially billed for 11th April 2023 at the commands’ headquarters.

    In his words, “On the 3rd of April 2023, the Plateau State Police Command, through Social Media got the information that RT. Hon. Abok Ayuba, the former Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly who was impeached on Thursday, October 28, 2021, has got judgment in his favour to be reinstated as the Speaker, of the Plateau State House of Assembly, a development which the Command was not duly served or officially informed as at the time.

    Access reaching further
    “This suggests that on the 3rd of April, 2023 the honourable members had unrestricted and unfettered access to the Plateau State House of Assembly which ordinarily is a clear testimony that the House of Assembly was unsealed before that judgment was passed,” he continued.

    “Therefore on the 4th of April 2023, having gotten information that some mischievous persons who, based on intelligence mobilised sufficiently to ensure that they gain unrestricted access by whatever means necessary to the House of Assembly Complex.”

    “I took that decision to ensure that the State House of Assembly is safe and that neither life nor property is lost,” the CP stated.

    “My powers as the Commissioner of Police as enshrined in section 214 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and section 4 of the Police Acts 2020 is relevant.”

    CP Onyeka urged all law-abiding citizens of Plateau State to go about their lawful businesses and the warring parties to seek peaceful ways of settling their differences in accordance with the rule of law.

    He assured to unseal the House of Assembly when the threat diminished.

  • SHOCKING! Lawmakers propose Bill to stop talking about Jesus, jail offenders

    SHOCKING! Lawmakers propose Bill to stop talking about Jesus, jail offenders

    Two Israeli Knesset (parliament) have introduced a bill seeking to ban any and all efforts to tell people about Jesus.

    According to a report by All Israel News, if the new bill that was introduced last week is approved, people who talk about Jesus in Israel would be sent to at least one-year imprisonment.

    “The punishment for doing so would be one-year imprisonment.

    “If the conversation is with minor – someone under the age of 18 – the punishment would be two years imprisonment,” the report reads.

    The proposed legislation would outlaw all efforts by people of one faith who, in any way, want to discuss or try to persuade people of other faiths to consider changing their current religious beliefs

    This bill would apply to people having spiritual conversations with Israelis of any religion.

    However, in their official explanation of the bill, the two Israeli legislators, Moshe Gafni and Yaakov Asher, who are ultra-Orthodox Jewish members of Knesset specifically emphasised the warning to stop Christians, in particular.

    The bill’s primary objective, therefore, appears to be making it illegal for followers of Jesus (“Yeshua” in Hebrew) to explain why they believe that Jesus is both Messiah and God with the hope that Israelis might consider following Him.

    The bill does not only make a simple personal conversation about Jesus with another individual a crime.

    It would also make it illegal for “someone who solicits a person – directly, digitally, by mail or online – in order to convert his religion.”

    Thus, producing and publishing online videos explaining the Gospel to Jewish or Muslim people in Israel – and to those of any other religious faiths – would suddenly become illegal.

    Publishing books, other printed literature, online articles, podcasts, or other forms of media that explain the life and ministry of Jesus and His message found in the New Testament would also become illegal. So would discussing the Gospel message via email, text messages, written letters and/or on social media, including answering questions initiated by people who don’t follow Jesus.

    According to the report, the bill could also spark a serious clash with the Evangelical Christians in the United States and around the world who are among the biggest supporters of the State of Israel.

    The bill could also draw sharp criticism from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, in the executive branch, among U.S. governors and others who love Israel and have always stood with the Jewish state, but would fiercely oppose efforts to silence followers of Jesus in the Holy Land.

    Former U.S. Ambassador of International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback – who served during the Trump-Pence administration – is the first American leader to publicly warn that the new bill poses a massive threat to free speech, human rights and religious freedom.

    Meanwhile, there has been a backlash on Twitter.

    For instance, Shaun (@osha3264) wrote on Twitter: “Israel waging a war on Christianity? Wonder how Ben Shapiro feels about this.”

    Esquire (@j_lindoor) wrote, “Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Deny him now and He will deny you with His Father in heavan.”

    G.H (@vanillasky130) wrote, “Well the true face of Zionism is being revealed to the world . Disgusting.”

    Saleeh Rasheed (@RasheedSaleeh) wrote, “Zionism is a none religious cult ! They use the Jewish faith to advance their rotten ideology and myths …”

  • Ekiti House of Assembly reinstates 3 suspended lawmakers

    Ekiti House of Assembly reinstates 3 suspended lawmakers

    Ekiti State House of Assembly has reinstated three lawmakers suspended from activities of the House following their roles in the stalling of the passage of the 2022 revised appropriation budget.

    The lawmakers are Mrs. Yemisi Ayokunle, Mr. Ajibade Raphael, and Mr. Tope Ogunleye.

    Their reinstatement followed the adoption of a motion moved by Leader of the House, Mr. Bode Adeoye at plenary on Tuesday.

    The motion, seconded by Mr. Biodun Fawekun was unanimously adopted by members.

    The Speaker of the House, Mrs. Olubunmi Adelugba had earlier read the letters of apology written by the three lawmakers at the plenary.

    The lawmakers apologized for not following the directive of the party, the All Progressive Congress on the choice of Speaker to replace the late Funminyi Afuye who died on Oct. 19 after a brief illness.

    One of the suspended lawmaker, Mrs. Kemi Balogun (Ado Constituency II) had earlier apologized and was reinstated on Monday.

    With the lifting of the suspension, four of the suspended seven lawmakers have been reinstated.

    The house adjourned sitting thereafter to allow the various Committees of the House to scrutinise the 2023 Appropriation for eventual passage.

  • Half Salary: Cut the salaries of lawmakers by 50% to pay ASUU- Senator Ndume

    Half Salary: Cut the salaries of lawmakers by 50% to pay ASUU- Senator Ndume

    A senator representing Borno south Ali Ndume  has called on the Federal Government to slash the salaries of the National Assembly members by half in order to augment the salaries of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, so as to meet their pressing demands.

    The Borno senator made this known in Borno Maiduguri’s  capital while speaking on the half payment received by members of ASUU.

    He urged the federal government to form a high-powered standing committee of respected educationists and patriotic Nigerians to meet with the leadership of ASUU to address the issues.

    He said, “Even if it means that the National Assembly will reduce sitting allowances or be paid on casual allowances basis whenever they sit at the Lower and upper chambers, by cutting the recurrent expenditure in the budget of the federal lawmakers to settle the ASUU arrears, let it be.

    “We only assemble twice or so in a week and get paid as such.”

    According to Ndume, civil servants who worked from home during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic were paid their full monthly salaries and allowances.

    He said, “So why will the federal government cut university lecturers’ salaries because they went on legitimate strike? Constitutionally, they’re fighting for their rights and privileges.”

    Ndume added, “As a matter of priority and as a public servant in the legislative chambers, we do not work, so why don’t you just give us half salaries and then pay ASUU.”

  • Slash lawmakers’ salary by 50% to meet ASUU’s demands – Ndume

    Slash lawmakers’ salary by 50% to meet ASUU’s demands – Ndume

    Sen. Ali Ndume (APC-Borno South) has called for a reasonable slash in the salaries of the national assembly by half to allocate it to the Academic Staff Union of Universities,(ASUU) in order to meet their pressing demands.

    Ndume made the call while reacting to the alleges half pay for the academic staff in Maiduguri on Thursday.

    Ndume, a former Senate Leader, advised the federal government to constitute a high powered standing committee of respected educationist and patriotic Nigerians to meet with the ASUU leadership to address lingering burning issues.

    “Even if it means that the National Assembly will reduce sitting allowances or be paid on casual allowances basis whenever they sit at the Lower and upper chambers, by cutting the recurrent expenditure in the budget of the federal lawmakers to settle the ASUU arrears, let it be. It will be in the overall national interest of Nigerians

    “We only assemble twice or so per week and get paid as such.

    “Civil servants who worked from home during the COVID-19 pandemic and were paid their full salaries and allowances monthly.

    “So why will the federal government cut university lecturers salaries because they went on legitimate strike action in which, constitutionally, they are fighting for their rights and privileges.

    “As a matter of priority and as a public servant in the legislative chambers, we don’t work; so why don’t you just give us half salary and then pay ASUU.

    “It is high time they resolve the issue once and for all even if they have to borrow or make supplementary budgets.

    “We are budgeting 20.5 trillion for 2023, I don’t see any reason why the government will not budget one trillion to address the lingering challenges of the education sector including ASUU strikes.

    “Eight months, student were at home doing nothing and they are the public and we are the public servants. In the budget of 2023, the over head is 43 per cent.

    “If you can spend N8.3trillion on public servants why don’t you spend N1trillion in public universities.

    “Some of those involved in the negotiations do not have children in public universities.

    “How can you be talking about something that you have no stake in? I don’t have a child in public schools, all my children are schooling outside the country; most politicians are like that too and they are the once negotiating.

    “With this to me, we will not get any where. Even if we got somewhere it will be temporary because other people will be playing to the gallery.

    “Some of them will be claiming to be defending the interest of the federal government and the others will be pretending to be defending the interest of the masses and at the end they are only playing to the gallery,”he said.

  • Flood: Niger Delta lawmakers demand sack of Humanitarian minister, Sadiya Farooq

    Flood: Niger Delta lawmakers demand sack of Humanitarian minister, Sadiya Farooq

    The House of Representatives members under the aegis of Niger Delta Caucus has demanded the sack of the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Farouq following her comments over the raging flood in the area.

    The Lawmakers made this known during a press briefing on Monday, they expressed their displeasure with the comment made by Sadiya that Jigawa state  is most affected by the flood.

    Sadiya had also dismissed Bayelsa state as being in top 10 most affected states in the country.

    The group led by Fred Agbedi, and others from the region asked the president to sack the minister or they will be forced to take action.

    “We call on the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development to honourably resign her appointment as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria failing which Mr President should relieve her of her appointment immediately,” he said.

    Also speaking at the briefing, Bob Solomon, a lawmaker from Rivers State, said the minister has a history of playing politics with intervention.

    Abiante Dagomie, another lawmaker from Rivers State, said Bayelsa and other states in the Niger Delta region are currently submerged by flood and urged President Buhari to take action while he noted that no dredging has been done along the major channels of rivers that empty in the delta in the past 30 years.

    Flood hampered economic, Agricultural  and political activities in many Niger Delta and Northern states of the country.

  • BREAKING: Ogun lawmakers move to oust Ogun Speaker

    BREAKING: Ogun lawmakers move to oust Ogun Speaker

     

    …as Oluomo Faces 11-count

    The days of embattled Speaker of Ogun State House of Assembly, Hon. Olakunle Oluomo are numberded as his colleaguesin the Assembly are collating signatures to impeach him.

    TheNewsGuru com, (TNG) recalls that, the Speaker was arrested by officials of the EFCC at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Wednesday morning and secretly flown to Abuja, and was released on Friday evening on administrative bail.

    He was said to have been on the wanted list of the commission following his failure to honour the EFCC’s invitation several times.

    Oluomo and others (yet to be named) were accused of forging signatures and financial documents belonging to the state Assembly.

    However, the political career of the Speaker seems to be in jeopardy as some lawmakers have begun appending their signatures to process the impeachment move of the embattled speaker.

    Some lawmakers who spoke with our reporter on condition of anonymity for fear of attack or lobby by the executive said they are impeaching Oluomo on a 13-count charge.

    The leader of the aggrieved lawmakers who spoke with us on the telephone said Oluomo misled the House and allegedly forged members’ signatures to perpetrate fraud.

    According to the lawmaker, the 13-count charge borders on falsification/tampering with the House Standing Order.

    He claimed that the Speaker in connivance with the Clerk, allegedly falsified the current Standing Order of the House before the commencement of the 9th Assembly, to favour his election as the Speaker and disqualified others to contest, amongst other contents.

    Other allegations are; “Falsification of Financial Autonomy Bill after passage; S.7(4) of Ogun State Legislative Funds Management Bill, was falsified for personal/selfish grounds. After the passage on the floor of the House, he falsified the contents in his favor before sending a clean copy to the Government for assent. The section was about his Approval Limit as Speaker. He also deleted the section that required quarterly accountability of the Finances of the House’s funds

    “Illegal impeachment of the former Deputy Speaker for personal vendetta on unjustifiable grounds of “gross misconducts”. There was no voting to impeach because they didn’t have the number, just collated signatures under threat and used the Governor’s body language to force most members to sign.

    It was gathered that “Alteration of the Resolution of the House on Bond approved for the Executive. House approved N100Billion specifically requested in the letter of the Governor but he single-handedly alter N200 Billion in tranches of N100B

    “Misappropriation of N18.6 Million monthly, which is the leftovers from the House monthly Running Cost of N85 Million.

    “Forged Receipts & Invoices (5 Ghana Must Go Bags) to cover up for a total of N18.6Million monthly for 18 months when EFCC requested for retired receipts. Part of it was fake receipts from President Obasanjo’s Petrol Station, Former Ogun State Speaker, as well as many fictitious Hotels e.t.c

    “He forged all Members’ signatures on different vouchers, claiming they collected different monies at different times, even for International traveling during Covid-19 lockdown. Different signatures for different vouchers for the same Members.

    “Diversion of Funds meant for local/International travel, fueling of the generator, amongst others, to private accounts connected to Mr. Speaker and Mr. Clerk during Covid-19 period.

    “EFCC invited Speaker and members for simple questioning to identify their respective signatures, he quickly ran to court for an injunction to stop the invitation. He instituted a Civil case in court against EFCC on behalf of the whole house, without the Members’ Consent nor Power of Attorney.

    “Oba’s bill; he illegally changed a Section of the Bill as relating to Burial Rites, contrary to the unanimous agreement of Members of the Committee as regards the Burial Rites of Traditional Rulers

    “Speaker led 15 members ONLY to sit on a Friday (5th of August, 2022) non-legislative sitting day, to pass a SUPPLEMENTARY BUDGET against the Constitutional and Conventional requirement of 18 Members to pass a Monetary bill, after collecting a bribe of N1.5 million each from Mr. Governor to hurriedly pass it before the weekend.

    “2022 Constitutional Amendment of Bill #26. Only about 6 members voted in Favour, but Speaker told the Clerk to alter the record to reflect 18 members who voted in favor. Despite a Member raising a Point of Order on the Votes and Proceedings record, Speaker still unlawfully transmitted the record of “18 members votes” to the National Assembly, Abuja.

    “13 Members signed a Letter of Request for change of Principal Officers, but he sat on it and refused to attend to it, which is against the Standing Rules of the House.”

    Meanwhile, the anti-graft agency will today arraign the Speaker in Lagos over alleged financial crimes, an impeccable source within the anti-graft agency confirmed to journalists on Saturday night.

    The source, who pleaded anonymity, noted that the agency was leaving no stone unturned in its bid to arraign the Chief lawmaker, adding that some political actors had been making efforts to stall the arraignment.

    He said, “We’re leaving no stone unturned concerning this Oluomo’s matter. He will be arraigned in court in Lagos State on Monday or later in the week, as we’re currently preparing charges against him.

    “We’re arraigning him in Lagos because it’s a jurisdictional matter. Some highly placed personality are doing everything to frustrate his arraignment, but he’s expected to go explain or defend himself in court on Monday.”

  • Soyinka backs lawmakers to impeach president Buhari

    Soyinka backs lawmakers to impeach president Buhari

    Nigerian Nobel laureate, Professor Femi Soyinka, has stated his position on the six weeks ultimatum given to President Buhari to find a solution to incessant attacks and terrorism bedeviling the country or face impeachment.

    Soyinka made his position on the matter known when he spoke at an interactive session during the 50th anniversary of the Abeokuta club on Tuesday.

    The session, which had a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, the Registrar of the Joint Administration and Matriculation Board, and Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, among others, had as its theme: “Good governance or misgovernance: The contract called democracy.”

    Recall that some Senators and members of the House of Representatives elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had last week handed down the ultimatum over lingering insecurity in Nigeria.

    Soyinka, who was the session’s moderator, insisted that Buhari should be impeached because he had breached the contract of democracy.

    Soyinka said, “Democracy indicates a contract, that is why the candidate puts on a manifesto. Based on that manifesto, the candidate is either accepted or rejected.

    “Very often, the grounds for breach of contract, I think we all agree, is misgovernance, and one of the ways of breaking this kind of contract we know even before the duration of a contract is known as impeachment.

    “The reason we will go by some legislators to impeach the President who is the head of government. One cleric has gone even further. He believes that the impeachment should take place not in the legislative home, but the bush with the kidnappers and he appealed to the kidnappers to quicken the process by impeaching the President and taking him away and some of his aides and one or two governors.

    “Many of us in this country, including governors, including chairmen of local governments, what comprehension they have of this process called a democracy because what these governors are telling us is that after a failure has occupied a seat of government for eight years, that failure should give us another failure for another eight years.”