The Bayelsa Chapter of the Tinubu/Shettima  Independent Campaign Council (ICC) on Sunday allayed fears of the impending hijack of Bayelsa’s ministerial slot by politicians who do not belong to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The support group assured members of the APC in the state that former President Goodluck Jonathan would not be allowed to nominate Bayelsa’s ministerial candidate.

The ICC said it was inconceivable for Jonathan, who is one of the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to nominate the state’s representative in the cabinet of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The ICC’s reaction is the sequel to the tension generated in the party by reports suggesting that Jonathan was making attempts to hijack the Bayelsa’s ministerial slot.

The report elicited concerns amongst APC stakeholders in the state, including members of the influential APC Elders’ Forum, which vehemently condemned the move. The ICC, in a statement issued in Yenagoa by its Director, of Administration, Chief Joseph Fafi, appealed to party members who were angry at the report to calm down.

Fafi, who described Tinubu as a thorough person who rewards loyalty, insisted that there was no way such injustice and unfairness would be allowed under the current president. Fafi, a former Chairman of APC in Bayelsa, said:  “At this point, everyone needs to calm down. Tinubu is a thorough person and is known to always reward loyalty.

Fafi said that Tinubu understood that APC Bayelsa was preparing for a major election and would make appointments to strengthen the party and not empower any PDP mole.

Meanwhile, Jonathan who had met frequently with Tinubu has denied lobbying to nominate a minister for Bayelsa. In a statement by his spokesman, Mr Ikechukwu Eze, the erstwhile president said that his recent meetings with President Tinubu had nothing to do with Bayelsa politics but his role as ECOWAS envoy.

According to Eze, Jonathan’s visits to Aso Rock Villa were to brief the president on developments in the ECOWAS subregion. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Bayelsa is among the states their ministerial nominees have yet to be submitted to the senate for screening and confirmation.

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has told the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, of the Ministry of Justice, that there is no order, be it interim, interlocutory or perpetual, from either the National Industrial Court or any other court restraining Nigerian workers from participating in peaceful rallies convened by it.

It also reminded the Federal Government, through the Solicitor-General, that there is a subsisting judgement that the right to demonstrate and protest on matters of public concern was in the public interest, which individuals must possess and exercise without impediment as long as no wrongful act was done.

The Labour Centre stated these via a letter from Falana chambers to the Permanent Secretary/Solicitor-General, with the title” Re-NLC in contempt of court,” signed by Sam Ogala Esq.

The letter is coming on the heels of organised labour’s proposed protest for Wednesday, August 2, over the removal of subsidy on petrol, its attendant hardship on Nigerians and the inability of the government to roll out palliatives to cushion the harsh effect of the stoppage of subsidy payment.

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The Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, sitting in Abuja, is getting set to deliver its judgement on the three petitions seeking to nullify the election of President Bola Tinubu. As a precursor to the fixing of the judgement date, Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel has directed all the parties to appear before it tomorrow to adopt their final briefs of argument.

The court, in a notice sent to the parties, invited them to adopt their written address with respect to the petition lodged against President Tinubu by the former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as well as the one that was filed by the candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi.

It will be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had on March 1, announced that Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, won the presidential election held on February 25, ahead of 17 other candidates that participated in the contest.

It declared that Tinubu scored a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat the two major contenders, Alhaji Atiku of the PDP, who came second with a total of 6,984,520 votes, and Mr Obi of the LP, who came third with a total of 6,101,533 votes.

However, dissatisfied with the outcome of the election, both Atiku and Obi approached the court to invalidate it. The duo, in their separate petitions, claimed that they won the presidential poll, even as they challenged Tinubu’s eligibility to contest the election. The petitioners, aside from praying the court to declare that President Tinubu did not secure the majority of lawful votes that were cast at the election, are equally seeking the withdrawal of the Certificate of Return that was issued to him by INEC.

Alternatively, they are praying the court to order a fresh presidential election, with the exclusion of President Tinubu whom they argued was ab-initio not qualified to participate in the poll.

The Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), the umbrella body of all registered political parties in Nigeria, unequivocally supports the resolution of the West African leaders under the able Chairmanship of President and Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR. who on Sunday, July 30th, 2023 at Abuja gave the military junta in Niger one week to cede power or face the use of force to restore the rule of law in Niger.

IPAC also supports the immediate imposition of financial sanctions, travel bans, and other punitive actions against the junta, their families, and supporters, but calls for extra vigilance for the life of President Mohamed Bazoum who has been held hostage by the junta.

IPAC commends President Bola Tinubu for swiftly convening the emergency summit of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS and demanding the “immediate release and reinstatement” of elected President Mohamed Bazoum, who has been held by the military since Wednesday.

IPAC believes the chiefs of defense staff of ECOWAS should commence deliberations on military options to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger. While we commend France, the European Union, the USA, the UN, AU, and other international bodies who have already suspended security cooperation and financial aid to Niger, we believe the long-term solution to the prevalent coups in the West African Sub Region is for the regional body to establish a military command similar to ECOMOG, a formal arrangement for separate armies to work together for sustainable stability of polity in the region.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will make a broadcast to the nation on Monday, July 31, 2023, at 7 pm.

This was contained in a statement signed by Dele Alake, the Special Adviser to the President on Special Duties, Communications & Strategy.

Television, radio stations, and other electronic media outlets are urged to hook up to the network service of the Nigerian Television Authority and Radio Nigeria for the broadcast.