Today's Headlines:ECOWAS Plans Review Of Niger Junta Position;No Plot To Impeach Dep Gov—Obaseki

ECOWAS Plans Review Of Niger Junta Position

Photo Credit:The Nation papers

The Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will meet again tomorrow over the political crisis in Niger Republic.

It followed the seven-day expiration of the deadline for the junta to reinstate President Muhammed Bozoum.

A statement by the Directorate of Communication, Abuja Headquarters of the ECOWAS Commission indicated that “the summit will hold in Abuja”.

“The ECOWAS leaders will be considering and discussing the political situation and recent developments in Niger during the summit,” the terse statement added.

The ECOWAS leaders are led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The junta’s closure of airspace since Sunday disrupted the skies over landlocked Niger, which is more than twice the size of France.

No Plot To Impeach Dep Gov — Obaseki

Photo Credit:Vanguard papers

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, yesterday, said there was no plan to impeach his deputy, Mr. Philip Shaibu.

The governor noted that the move by Shaibu, seeking a court order to stop his purported impeachment, was preemptive ahead of his defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

This came as leaders of Edo North Senatorial District, the senatorial zone of the Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, distanced themselves from his governorship ambition, warning the deputy governor against fuelling crisis in the state.

The governor, while briefing journalists in Benin City, during a visit by the Edo North leaders, said the deputy governor has been actively engaging with senior actors, both at the national and state levels of the APC, negotiating his way into their party, adding that he was at the verge of finalising moves to defect to the APC.

He said: “Let me put it on record that I am not aware of any plot or any scheme to impeach Shaibu. I have also checked and there was no such plan.

“So, the court action taken, for me, is a thing of shock and disappointment. I am trying to reflect on the move made by somebody that I have given a broad latitude to do his work as deputy governor. So, for him to take this kind of action is shocking.

Photo Credit:Google

Ekpa, Others Using Sit-At-Home To make Money–Abaribe

Photo Credit:Daily Post

The senator representing Abia south, Enyinnaya Abaribe has claimed that the sit-at-home order by a self-acclaimed disciple of Nnamdi Kanu, Simon Ekpa, has become a money-making scheme.

Abaribe, in an interview with Channels TV, said that is the reason Ekpa and his cohorts are refusing to reverse the order.

The lawmaker pointed out that leaders in the South-East agreed to meet with the President Bola Tinubu government over Kanu’s continued detention.

Abaribe said: “Of course, the man who is profiting from it, who is far away in Finland, denounced it and put more conditions saying they will never stop it until we (South-East leaders) see him in Finland.

“We can now see that because they profit from this, they are not going to stop it because it has become a money-making venture.

NLC/TUC Protest Uncalled For–Adebayo

Photo Credit:The Sun papers

The candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the February 25 presidential election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has described as unnecessary last week’s protest by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) over the removal of subsidy on petrol by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This, he said, is because the fuel subsidy removal was part of Tinubu’s campaign promises if he becomes the president and Nigerians knew about it and went ahead to vote for him.

In this interview, he speaks about the protests, the president’s planned palliatives to Nigerians, his promise to bring the Port Harcourt refinery on stream by December, the Dangote Refinery and the senate’s screening of the ministerial nominees, among others.

What are your thoughts about last week’s protest by labour unions against the fuel subsidy removal?

The issues at stake are of public concern, and the labour unions, irrespective of what you might think of their leadership and their choices in recent times, still have a role in society. The role they are playing is to draw the government’s attention to the interest of their members. However, there are some occasions where the interest of their members may coincide with the concerns of the public. So, members of the public might also want to align with them and express their minds to the government. I think what happened was okay and they appeared to be happy engaging with the President about it.

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