Today's Headlines: Ganduje seeks NEC approval to replace Lukman, Kyari, others, NIGER COUP: Nigerians reject ECOWAS war plan, back NASS

Ganduje seeks NEC approval to replace Lukman, Kyari, others

Photo Credit: Punch paper

The Abdullahi Ganduje-led All Progressives Congress has begun consultation to fill vacant offices in the National Working Committee by seeking the nod of the party’s National Executive Committee to ratify the new officers.

The move became necessary after the ruling party received the list of nominations from state party chapters in line with the mandate given to the NWC at the last NEC meeting held in Transcorp Hilton in Abuja last week.

Photo Credit: Google

Aside from the slots of National Deputy Chairman (North), Senator Abubakar Kyari and National Women Leader, Dr Betta Edu, who had been cleared as ministerial nominees, the positions of former National Vice Chairman (North-West), Mallam Salihu Lukman, and National Legal Adviser, Ahmad El-Marzuq, who recently quit the NWC had also become vacant.

Other vacant positions include Deputy National Publicity Secretary, formerly occupied by Murtala Ajaka, who is running for the office of the governor of Kogi State on the platform of Social Democratic Party, and National Welfare Officer, which was previously occupied by the late Friday Nwosu.

NIGER COUP: Nigerians reject ECOWAS war plan, back NASS

Photo Credit: Vanguard

NIGERIANS, yesterday, rebuffed the plan of the Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, to deploy soldiers in Niger Republic to oust the military junta.

A coterie of military officers led by General Abdourhamane Tchiani, on July 26, toppled the elected President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, and held him and his family members, hostage at the Presidential Palace in Niamey since then.

ECOWAS at an extraordinary meeting of the Heads of States, Thursday, in Abuja, ordered its standby force to restore constitutional order in Niger Republic.

The resolution read in part: “Direct the committee of the Chief of Defence Staff to activate the ECOWAS standby force with all its elements immediately.

“Order the deployment of the ECOWAS standby force to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger; Underscore its continued commitment to the restoration of constitutional order through peaceful means.”

Nigerians in Niger beg FG for evacuation over impending attack

Photo Credit: Punch paper

Some Nigerians resident in Niger Republic have appealed to the Federal Government to facilitate their evacuation and return home before any possible offensive against the coup plotters by the Economic Community of West Africa States’ forces to restore constitutional governance.

The Nigerians, who spoke to Saturday PUNCH, said the appeal became necessary so as to avoid being caught up in the line of fire and to avoid a repeat of what happened in Sudan where many Nigerian students were trapped when fighting broke out between the government forces and rebels.

They are also apprehensive of being subjected to xenophobic attacks by Nigeriens in retaliation of Nigeria’s role in rallying other ECOWAS member states to reject the unconstitutional change of government in which the coup plotters overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum.

ECOWAS had on Thursday resolved to deploy troops in Niger following the refusal of the military leaders to restore democracy despite the sanctions imposed on them and their collaborators by the sub-regional body.

After a meeting of the ECOWAS Heads of States and Government in Abuja, the President of ECOWAS, Omar Touray, said the bloc had directed the deployment of a “standby force” to restore democracy in Niger after the coup.

But Touray gave no details about the make-up, location and proposed date for the deployment of the military intervention force.

Gunmen kill two soldiers, kidnap expatriate, others in Rivers

Photo Credit: Punch paper.

Information emerged on Friday that gunmen allegedly killed two soldiers attached to the Ekaago-Ogboloma-Adada Road project in the Abia/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The miscreants were also said to have abducted an expatriate, and three others working at the site of the project, being executed by the state government on Tuesday.

It was gathered that the two soldiers were killed by the gunmen to pave the way for the abduction of the foreman, a foreigner, handling the project.

The assailants it was further gathered went away with the rifles of the slain soldiers, whisked the foreman, three other workers at the project site, and a farmer they met while fleeing.

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