Top Nigerian Newspaper Headlines For Today, Wednesday, 19th April, 2023

Good morning Nigeria, welcome to Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today, Wednesday, 19th April 2023

1. Adamawa: INEC Officially Declares PDP’s Fintiri As Winner

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially declared the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmadu Fintiri as the winner of the Adamawa State gubernatorial election.

This is coming days after the controversial Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Hudu Yunusa Ari announced the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Aisha Binani as the winner.

INEC, however, in a statement released through Festus Okoye nullified the announcement of the REC.

The electoral body in a move to resolve the controversy around the governorship election suspended Ari and held an emergency meeting with its National Commissioners at the headquarter in Abuja.

Following the outcome of the meeting INEC decided to resume the collation of results from the supplementary election at the INEC state collation centre.

The National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, and the returning officer, Prof. Mohammed Mele, among others, were in attendance at the collation centre.

Fintiri was announced the winner of the election and returned as the governor of the state after gathering the highest votes in the election.

The candidate of the PDP defeated thirteen other governorship candidates in the state to secure his re-election.

As announced by the returning officer of the election, Fintiri scored a total of 430, 861 votes to defeat the candidate of the APC, Binani who got 396,788.

2. Labour Party NEC Suspends Acting Chairman, Apapa, Others

The Labour Party National Executive Council (NEC) has suspended the Acting National Chairman, Lamidi Apapa and five others for anti-party activities.

Those suspended include Alh. Saleh Lawal – Deputy National Secretary; Rawland Daramola- National Financial Secretary; Prince Reuben Favour – National Vice – Chairman, South-South; Secretary; Samuel Akingbade, National Legal Adviser and Mohammed Akali, National Vice – Chairman, North-East.

Naija News reports that no reason was given for their suspension of the party chieftains.

The NEC also reaffirmed and upheld the decision of the Akure convention which expelled the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Comrade Arabambi Abayomi.

The NEC, during a meeting in Asaba, the Delta state capital, announced the suspension of Apapa and his acting executive.

The party passed a vote of confidence on the Abure – led NWC at the meeting.

3. IGP Replaces Adamawa Police Commissioner

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba has ordered the immediate removal of the Commissioner of Police on election duty in Adamawa State, Mohammed Barde.

Naija News reports that this was made known by the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, while addressing newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.

While stating that the IGP is committed to a free and fair election, the IGP also ordered that the Commissioner of Police in charge of Gombe State, CP Etim Equa immediately proceed to Adamawa state for election security of the yet-to-be concluded supplementary governorship poll.

4. Court Sacks MC Oluomo’s Park Committee In Lagos, Reinstates RTEAN

The Lagos State Parks and Garages Management Committee led by Musiliu Akinsanya popularly known as MC Oluomo has been sacked by the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN).

The court in a ruling on Tuesday by Justice Maureen Esowe held that the setting up of a parks and management committee by the Lagos State government is illegal. The court in its ruling also barred the state government from further interfering in the operations of the union’s exco.

It also ordered the reinstatement of the operations of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in Lagos State.

According to Justice Esowe, the state government and the Police should have intervened by arresting and prosecuting those behind any fracas purportedly involving union members and not inquiring into the dispute.

Furthermore, the Judge ordered the police to refrain from intimidating the RTEAN officers, remove all barricades it imposed around their secretariat and grant them unfettered access to their offices.

5. Aviation Unions Give Update On Strike, Replies Minister

Representatives of aviation workers have come out to give an update on the current state of their warning strike that has crippled the sector since yesterday.

Naija News reports that Aviation unions nationwide commenced a two-day warning strike on Monday to press home their demand over the non-release of the reviewed Condition of Service, and planned demolition of Dominion and EAN hangars, amongst sundry issues.

The strike which has entered its second day has crippled activities at various airports nationwide leaving passengers stranded. Reacting to the state of the strike

The General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), which is one of the unions striking, Ocheme Aba said their meeting with the government on Sunday didn’t yield any headway.

Aba, while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday noted that another meeting is being held today between the agencies and the salary commission, but they don’t know the details of the gathering because they were not invited.

While responding to the claim by the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika that the aviation sector is an essential service and should not embark on strike, Aba said it’s a fallacy because it does not render essential services.

6. PDP Dismisses Suspension Of Senator Sekibo, Dr. Austin Opara

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed the purported suspension of Senator representing the South East Senatorial District, George Abiye Sekibo and a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Austin Opara.

Recall that the executives of the PDP in Ward 2 of Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area of Rivers have suspended Sekibo for alleged anti-party activities.

Naija News reports that the Chairman of PDP Ward 2 Ogu-Bolo LGA, Alatoru Sydney, and Secretary of the council, Joshua Tamuno, made the suspension known in a statement on Sunday.

Also the Executive Ward 10 in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State suspended Opara.

In a statement signed on Monday by the Chairman of the Ward in Port Harcourt, Chisa Amadi, the party said Opara was involved in anti-party activities in clear violation of the party’s constitution and norms during the elections.

But reacting in a statement on Tuesday, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said the PDP NWC, after a thorough consideration of the petitions by Senator Sekibo and Opara dated April 17, 2023 against the purported suspension, “hereby declares the action by the said Ward Executives which borders on issues of discipline, as null and void and of no effect, not being consistent with the provisions of the Constitution of the PDP (As amended in 2017).

7. Protest Rocks Akure As Afenifere Youths Ask Adebanjo To Step Down

Youths of the pan Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, under the aegis of the Yoruba Afenifere Youth Organisation of Nigeria (YAYON), have on Tuesday taken to the streets of Akure, the Ondo State capital to protest against the acting leader of the body, Pa Ayo Adebanjo.

The youths called on Adebanjo to step down from his position as acting leader of the group.

Naija News reports that the call for Adebanjo to step down is the latest development of the crisis rocking the Yoruba group since the 2023 general election.

The protesters were said to have stormed the Akure residence of the leader of the group, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, urging him to wade in and rescue Afenifere from the rocking it.

This platform gathered from The Nation that protesters were seen carrying placards with various inscriptions such as “Pa Fasonranti, please rescue Afenifere,” Ayo Adebanjo must go,” “Revoke the mandate you gave to Adebanjo.” “Adebanjo, time to step aside,” amongst others.

According to the Leader of the protesters, Comrade Eric Oluwole, an ultimatum would soon be issued to Adebanjo to step down.

8. Court Rejects Buhari’s Sack Of Ararume As NNPCL Board Chairman

A Federal High Court in Abuja has restored Senator Ifeanyi Godwin Ararume as non-Executive Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

Recall that the former Senator had filed a suit before the court to void his sack by President Muhammadu Buhari January 17, 2023.

In a judgement on Tuesday, Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo voided Ararume’s sack and declared that the action of the President was arbitrary, unlawful and illegal.

The presiding judge also awarded N5bn against Buhari and the NNPCL and ordered that the money to be paid to Ararume as damages for the wrongful sack and disruption of his appointment.

Justice Ekwo also ordered that Ararume be immediately restored to office as a non-Executive Chairman of the NNPCL, and declared as null and void all decisions of the Board of Directors of the NNPCL carried out in the absence of Ararume.

The judge held that Buhari acted ultra vires, wrongful, illegal, null and void in the ways and manners Ararume was sacked after using his name to register NNPCL and that such a brazen act cannot stand in the face of the law.

9. APC Expels Former Gombe State Governor, Danjuma Goje

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced the expulsion of former Gombe State Governor, Senator Danjuma Goje from the party.

Goje was expelled on Tuesday for alleged anti-party activities according to a statement by the APC chairman in Kashere ward, Akko local government area, Tanimu Abdullahi.

The ward chairman accused Goje of several offences, including failure to grace the flag off of APC’s governorship campaign and general anti-party activities. He also lamented that the former Governor could not win his ward for the APC but was defeated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded 2023 polls.

The expulsion was signed by 31 executive members including four state officials according to Abdullahi.

10. Court Rules On PDP’s Bid To Suspend Wike, Fubara, Others

The Federal High Court in Abuja has forbidden the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from suspending the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesome Wike, as a member of the opposition party over alleged anti-party activities.

At the court hearing today, Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo, restrained the National leadership of the PDP from also annulling the membership of the governor-elect of Rivers State, Simi Fubara, for the same alleged offences against the party.

Justice Ekwo upheld in his ruling on Tuesday in two separate suits instituted against the PDP said the due process of law must be followed by any organization set up by law while dealing with issues relating to law.

A few days before the 2023 general elections, Wike and four other aggrieved PDP governors that make the G5 or Integrity group vowed to work against the presidential candidate of their party, Atiku Abubakar.

Naija News understands that their resolution came after several attempts to have the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, replaced failed.

The party chieftains argued that a Southerner should take the place of Ayu since PDP failed to zone its presidential ticket to the South region of the country as suggested by many.

Also, during the presidential election, PDP lost to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State.