IMO BREAKING NEWS BLOG

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has extended the ongoing strike by twelve weeks, the president of the union, Prof Emmanuel Osodeke said on Monday. 

In a statement he issued after an emergency National Executive Committee meeting of the association at the University of Abuja on Sunday, the ASUU president said the decision was to give the government enough time to resolve all outstanding issues with the lecturers.

“After extensive deliberations, noting the Government’s failure to live up to its responsibilities and speedily address all the issues raised in the 2020 FGN/ASUU Memorandum of Action (MoA) within the additional eight-week roll–over strike period declared on 14th March 2022, NEC resolved that the strike be rolled over for twelve weeks to give Government more time to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues,” the ASUU president’s statement read.

“The roll-over strike action is with effect from 12.01a.m. on Monday, 9th May 2022.”

Manchester City have reached an agreement to sign Norway striker Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund. Haaland, 21, will join in July after City activated a 60m euro (£51.2m) release clause in his contract.

The deal ends the club's hunt for a successor to their all-time top scorer Sergio Aguero, who joined Barcelona on a free transfer last summer. "We can confirm that we have reached an agreement in principle for the transfer of striker Erling Haaland," City said.

"The transfer remains subject to the club finalising terms with the player." Haaland has scored 85 goals in 88 appearances for Dortmund since joining from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020.

La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona also spoke to Haaland about a potential deal, but he opted for a move to Etihad Stadium.

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Tuesday said it has no intention of extending the timeline for party primaries. INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu made the comment while speaking at a consultative meeting with leaders of political parties in Abuja.

Political parties in the country had asked INEC to extend the timelines for the 2023 general elections by two months. Specifically, the parties want slight changes to the primaries’ timeline, as stipulated by the electoral umpire. But Yakubu insisted the timeline for primaries remains fixed between April 4 and June 3.

“Twice in the last two weeks, the Commission had cause to remind political parties of the necessity for strict compliance with the timelines for party primaries,” the INEC Chairman said.

A Presidential aspirant and the Governor of Bauchi state, Bala Mohammed has said that he will obey the choice of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in choosing its Presidential flag bearer in the 2023 elections.

He stated this in an interview at the party’s secretariat in Minna after meeting with delegates ahead of the party’s primary. “As a Democrat, I will obey and accept the party supremacy in choosing its flag bearer for the 2023 general elections,” he said.

However, he said he is presenting himself before the party elders, members, and Nigerians for them to take a decision on who will lead them.

Governor Bala Mohammed explained that zoning is not a problem but a formula to ensure equity and justice, which is commendable.

An elder statesman and senior lawyer, Robert Clarke, SAN, Monday in Abuja, said the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), should serve for an extra six months to give him enough time to address the country’s security woes.

Clarke stated that with less than a year to the 2023 elections there was not enough time to address the insecurity to ensure a safe exercise.

Speaking on Arise Television programme, he noted that the Constitution provided the President to extend his tenure for six months in the first instance if conditions were not ripe for an election.

He, however, warned that the nation may not scale through 2023 if nothing was done before the elections.

“The Constitution provides that the President can stay longer than eight years. I’ve always said it. It is in the Constitution. If the situation in which we’re in now continues, and it is impossible to vote in the 2023 elections, the Constitution says if a situation persists, the President can stay. Given all insurgencies, kidnappings, and Boko Haram, I don’t think in these areas of Nigeria, we can have a good election.

“So, the fact that the Constitution says the president cannot stay for more than eight years is wrong. Because the same constitution says he can be given six months if those conditions persist.

“Now, I don’t see any green light. I don’t see how what is happening today can be stopped within six months from today or before February next year when the elections will be held.

The Senate on Tuesday amended the Electoral Act, 2022, to allow ‘statutory delegates’ – all those elected – to participate and vote in the conventions, congresses, or meetings of political parties. This followed the expeditious consideration of a bill during plenary which scaled first, second and third readings, respectively, and was passed by the lawmakers after consideration by the Committee of the Whole.

Those identified as ‘statutory delegates’ include the President, Vice President, members of the National Assembly, governors and their deputies, members of the State Houses of Assembly, chairmen of councils, councillors, and national working committee of political parties, amongst others. In his presentation, the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, who sponsored the ‘Bill to amend the 2022 Electoral Act No. 13,’ said it seeks to amend the provision of Section 84(8) of the law.

According to him, the provision of the section “does not provide for the participation of what is generally known as ‘statutory delegates’ in the conventions, congresses or meetings of political parties.” “The extant section only clearly provides for the participation of elected delegates in the conventions, congresses, or meetings of political parties held to nominate candidates of political parties. “This is an unintended error, and we can only correct it with this amendment now before us”, the Deputy Senate President said.

In his remarks after the bill was passed, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said the amendment became imperative in view of the deficiency created by the provision of section 84(8) of the extant Act.