President Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Senate seeking approval for the confirmation of Professor Mahmoud Yakubu for a second term in office as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Senate President Ahmad Lawan read the letter on Tuesday at the resumption of legislative proceedings after a one month recess.

In his letter, President Buhari solicited for the lawmakers’ expeditious consideration of his request for another five-year tenure for Mahmoud as INEC Chairman.

Yakubu earlier in November handed over his duties as chairman of the electoral body to Air Vice Marshal Ahmed Muazu at an event held at INEC headquarters in Abuja.

Ahmed is currently acting in that capacity pending when the Senate confirms the reappointment of Professor Yakubu as INEC chairman by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Professor Mahmood Yakubu hands over the leadership mantle to acting INEC Chairman, Ahmed Muazu, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja on November 9, 2020. Photo: Channels TV/ Sodiq Adelakun.

Muazu has however assured that the departure of Professor Mahmood Yakubu and other National Commissioners from the commission will not affect electoral activities.

He said this during an interactive session with election stakeholders in Bayelsa State ahead of the December 5 bye-elections in the state.

Abubakar Luggerewo, representing Akko Central, has been sworn in as the 7th speaker of the Gombe State House of Assembly, replacing Ibrahim Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress.

Our correspondent gathered on Tuesday that this was done through voice votes by 16 members out of 24 members of the House of Assembly, comprising 20 APC and 4 Peoples Democratic Party members.

Luggerewo, aged 36 years, was sworn in by deputy speaker, Siddi Buba, from Kwami West constituency.

A former deputy speaker, Shuaibu Adamu, announced the names of the 16 members and the motion of the impeachment which was moved by Saddam Bello, representing Funakaye constituency.

According to Buba, a member representing Balanga North, the decision to impeach Ibrahim Abubakar is a collective one.

He said, “The former Speaker of the house was removed due to lack of confidence. We lost confidence in his leadership; and as a house, we are at liberty to change leadership. Once you lack confidence in someone then there has been a breach. We felt the best thing was to remove him and replace him with a brand new speaker.”

The majority leader, Samuel Markus, was also removed through a voice vote announced by Mustapha Usman representing Gombe south.

The speaker was replaced by Ladan Yerima, representing Kaltungo East Constituency.

The Deputy chief whip Yahaya Kaka was replaced with Saddam Bello, representing Funakaye constituency.

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday revoked the bail granted Faisal Maina, the son of Abdulrasheed Maina, and ordered his arrest for jumping bail in his trial on money laundering charges.

Justice Okon Abang also ordered that his trial on money laundering charges would proceed in absentia pending when the security agencies would be able to arrest and produce him in court.

The judge also summoned his surety, a member of the House of Representatives, Sani Umar Dangaladima, representing the Kaura-Namoda Federal Constituency of Zamfara State, to appear in court to show cause why he should not forfeit the N60m bail bond which he signed for Faisal.

The order for Faisal’s arrest came barely six days after the same court, on November 18, issued a similar order against his father, Abdulrasheed Maina, a former Chairman of the defunct Pension Reformed Task Team, who is facing separate N2.1bn money laundering charges before the court.

On Monday, Justice Okon Abang, sent Maina’s surety, Senator Ali Ndume, to jail for his inability to produce the fleeing defendant in court.

Earlier on Tuesday, following the judge’s November 18 ruling, Maina’s trial held in his absence with three prosecution witnesses testifying behind him and his legal team.

At the resumed hearing of Faisal’s trial on Tuesday, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s prosecution counsel, Mohammed Abubakar, said both the defendant and his surety had not attended court since June 24, 2020.

Neither Faisal, his surety, nor his lawyer was present at the Tuesday’s proceedings.

Abubakar, therefore, applied the revocation of his bail and his arrest citing section 184 of the Administraton of Criminal Justice Act.

The prosecution also applied for the court to order his trial in absentia as provided by 352(4) of ACJA.

“My third application is for the issuance of summons on the surety, and for him to show cause why he should not forfeit the bail bond,” Abubakar added.

The judge granted the prayers and adjourned till Wednesday.

The Senate has urged the Federal Government to compensate the states affected by the massive destruction that took place when the peaceful protests by the #EndSARS agitators were hijacked by criminals last month with one per cent of proceeds from Value Added Tax.

The decision of the red chamber followed two separate motions moved by Senators Abiodun Olujimi and Gershom Bassey.

The Upper Chamber also asked the Federal Government to set up a visitation panel to the various places destroyed across Nigeria for an on-the-spot assessment.

The Senate also directed its committees on National Security, Defence, and Police to investigate the attacks by the hoodlums and how to prevent a recurrence.

The Chamber asked its relevant committees to monitor compliance.

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, said it was important that the executive arm of government, await the outcome of the judicial panels in various states to guide it on steps to take.

He also said employment opportunities should be created for Nigerian youths to prevent future occurrences.