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INEC Chairman swears in 19 new RECs
Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), swore in 19 new Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) on Thursday, charging them to ensure strict compliance with the law.
Yakubu also urged them to ensure transparency and non-partisanship in the discharge of their duties.
He encouraged them to maintain the established practice of consultation with all stakeholders so as to avoid being compromised.
He however advised them to apply professionalism in dealing with the general public and ensure that their conduct is guided by the provisions of the commission’s Code of Conduct.
“You should not be visitors to government houses and must never hold unofficial meetings with politicians, even after official working hours.
“All matters pertaining to official responsibilities should be conducted in the office, attended by the relevant staff, and properly documented. This is your best protection against mischief.
“Do not compromise the neutrality of the Commission or create the perception of partisanship,” he advised.
Read also: 2023: Experts call for multiple testing of electoral devices, training of INEC officers
Tinubu most qualified to succeed Buhari: PCC
The Policy, Research, and Strategy Directorate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) says Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is the most qualified presidential candidate to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.
Musa Babayo, the director of the directorate, said this on Thursday during a news conference held in Abuja while unveiling the plans and programmes of the party’s presidential candidate.
“The Tinubu-Shettima manifesto, titled “Hope Renewed,” is the best campaign document and captures the hopes, aspirations, and dreams of our country. It is holistic, and it focuses on Nigeria as a whole,” he said.
“It provides a clear plan on job creation and repositioning the economy, but as we all know, in politics, even 24 hours can be a lifetime. This directorate must continue to do active research to refine the campaign’s policy positions as factors change in the run-up to the election.
“The strategy of the campaign must be attuned to the fast-changing dynamics that happen in our polity,” he added.
According to NAN, Babayo said that the directorate would ensure that the party’s campaign focused on the most contemporary challenges that Nigerians were facing around the economy, security, and other key issues.
He however commended members of the committee for prioritizing their participation in the party’s campaigns and encouraged them on the task ahead, saying that the 2023 general election was very important.
Ogun PDP kicks as faction expels Adebutu, others
The crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ogun State chapter deepened on Thursday, following news of the expulsion of its former governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, and four others by a faction of the party for alleged involvement in the manipulation of the delegates’ list.
The faction accused Adebutu and his co-conspirators of using a manipulated delegate list to conduct the May 25, 2022, governorship primary election of the party so as to gain an unfair advantage over other contestants.
The others expelled from the party are Taiwo Akinlabi, Akinloye Bankole, Sunday Solarin, and Kayode Adebayo.
A committee led by Akintunde Mufutau set up to look into the allegations of vote manipulation arrived at the decision to expel the accused members after overwhelming evidence proved that they indeed were involved in violating party rules and thus bringing the party into disrepute.
US Army promotes Nigerian-born woman, Azubuike, to Army General
The United States Army has promoted Amanda Azubuike, a Nigerian-born American military officer, from the post of Lieutenant Colonel to Brigadier General.
The event, which took place on Thursday at a military base in Fort Knox, Kentucky, USA, was witnessed by her family, friends, the media, and some senior officials of the Biden administration.
The Nigerian is the highest-ranked military officer of direct African descent to attain this position and among the elite of female military professionals to be decorated with such.
Azubuike, born in London, United Kingdom, to Nigerian parents, joined the US Army in 1994 and became an aviator after passing the Army Aviation Officer Basic Course.
General James Rainey, US Army Futures Command Commander, while commenting on her achievement, appreciated her for giving so much to the US Army. According to him, she “makes everyone around her better.”
Azubuike currently serves as a Deputy Commanding Officer at the US Army Cadet Command.
BoE raises rate to its highest in 33yrs as recession nears
In its effort to tame the recession tide, the Bank of England (BoE) raised interest rates to their highest in 33 years on Thursday, warning that Britain is at its greatest risk of its longest recession since World War II.
A warning that, according to it, means that public borrowing is likely to increase, thereby putting pressure on government spending and increasing taxes.
The BoE increased the bank rate to 3 percent from 2.25 percent, which represents a 75 basis point increase like its counterpart—the US Fed—did on Wednesday.
The Andrew Bailey-led Bank of England warned that the economy may not recover from the pressure it faces, and growth can only happen maybe in another two years.
“We can’t make promises about future interest rates, but based on where we stand today, we think the bank rate will have to go up by less than it is currently priced in the financial markets,” Governor Andrew Bailey said, in an unusually blunt message.
According to Reuters, the pound sterling extended earlier heavy losses and was down almost 2 percent on the day against the dollar, touching its lowest since mid-October when Britain was recovering from a political crisis triggered by former prime minister Liz Truss’ tax-cutting plans.
