Politics

Attempts to sack dissenting Nigerian governor forces Presidency into denials

Published

5 years ago

July 31, 2018

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari is labouring hard to convince citizens that he is not remotely connected with attempts to impeach a governor in the North-central State of Benue who only recently ditched the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

On Monday, eight lawmakers of the Benue State House of Assembly, backed by a detachment of the Nigeria Police Force gained access, and sat at the Assembly premises from where they served the governor of the State, Samuel Ortom, an impeachment notice.

On Tuesday, the nation’s anti-graft body, EFCC, also linked Ortom to an alleged fraud totaling N22 billion.

The commission is also said to have revealed that 21 members of the Benue State House of Assembly were under investigation for allegedly diverting N375 million meant for the procurement of vehicles that were to be used for oversight functions.

These were said to be contained in a report of an investigation which began in 2016.

Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to President Buhari in a statement on Tuesday, acknowledged that strident attempts were being made to drag President Muhammadu Buhari into the unfolding drama between the executive and the legislature in Benue State.

However, the Presidency condemned different interest groups insinuating that the President may have a hand in the development in Benue.

Adesina said, “This is paranoia at its worst, coming from people who have wittingly positioned themselves against the clean-up of the country, and the way we do things. They prefer business as usual.

“President Buhari will never be part of any unconstitutional act, and any attempt to link him with the inglorious past, when minority number of lawmakers impeached governors, will not stick. It will simply be like water off the duck’s back. Those with open minds know this, but those who cavil would rather source everything untoward to the President. It is murky ground in which they are now marooned, as fallout of their resistance to change in the country.

“When it suits them, they preach separation of powers and true federalism, and in another breath, they call on the President to interfere brazenly in affairs at state level.

“President Buhari will always stand by all that is noble and fair, and will reject attempts to drag him into infamy. People who stoke fires by deliberate acts of omission or commission, and then summon the President to come and put it out will find that this President will be guided by the Constitution at all times, no matter the attempt to entangle him in unwarranted controversies”.

The weeks ahead remain unpredictable as different plots coalesce to determine the power structure and political future of Benue State.

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Politics

Zambian govt says no plan to remove Christian nation clause from constitution

Published

59 mins ago

December 10, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Zambian Vice President Mutale Nalumango has maintained that the ruling party, the United Party for National Development (UPND), has adopted an inclusive approach to constitutional amendments.

Nalmango made the reiteration while answering questions before the National Assembly following concerns raised by Bwacha Member of Parliament, Sydney Mushanga, who questioned the government’s alleged intentions to tamper with constitutional provisions without engaging stakeholders.

Vice President Nalumango emphasised that the government’s guiding principles were firmly rooted in Christian values, and clarified that the government had no plans to remove clauses like the Christian nation clause.

She declared, “The government espouses Christian values, and we want to make that clear,” calling for an end to discussions based on false claims. “Christianity serves as the foundation for our values”.

She also confirmed her commitment to consultative decision-making. She stated, “Government has made it clear that it will first amend non-contentious clauses of the constitution in consultation with the stakeholders.”

In response to mounting pressures within the country following years as one- and later two-party states, the Zambian constitution was changed in 1991 to allow the reintroduction of a multiparty system.

Under the terms of the constitution, the president appoints the vice president, the chief justice, and members of the High Court on the advice of the Judicial Services Commission.

Politics

Uganda begins withdrawal of troops from eastern Congo DR

Published

2 hours ago

December 10, 2023

Ifeoluwa Dada

Uganda has started the withdrawal of 1,000 troops deployed for a regional peacekeeping mission in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

According to a statement released by the military, Uganda’s decision not to extend the mandate of the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) past December 8 prompted the withdrawal.

At its meetings in Arusha, Tanzania, the CDF affirmed the DRC’s decision and advised the defence ministers of the East African Community (EAC) to formally terminate the EACRF’s operations in the country’s vast eastern region, effective December 8.

UPDF’s contingent spokesperson, Capt. Ahmad Hassan Kato, “UPDF will ensure to expedite the pull-out of its forces and equipment within the approved timelines as enshrined in the extraordinary meeting of EAC CDFS (Chief of Defense Forces) held on December 6.”

“The Uganda contingent urges all armed groups (in the Eastern DRC) to facilitate the withdrawal of the UPDF troops by observing a total ceasefire to allow the forces to exit the mission area safely,” said Kato.

Aside from EAC forces, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, also known as (MONUSCO), has around 12,400 troops in the Congo, with a cost of over $1 billion per year.

Lately, there has been an upsurge in violence in Congo, DR. High rates of civilian casualties and displacement have been caused by hostilities with neighbouring countries, political violence, extrajudicial killings by security forces, and conflicts between militant groups over territory and natural resources.

According to the United Nations, more than 100 armed groups and local militias operate in the eastern DRC.