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BREAKING: Aregbesola Lists Osun APC Primary Election Defects, Considers Legal Action

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Interior Minister, Rauf Aregbesola, has identified some shortcomings of the All Progressives Congress governorship primary election in Osun State.

The former Osun State governor said reports are being collected from members of his factions across the state.

After a careful study of the reports, the minister said legal action would be considered.

Aregbesola said this in a statement by his media adviser, Sola Fasure, titled, ‘Hold your heads high’.

Among the shortcomings identified by the minister included vote-buying, absence of result sheets, absence of INEC officials, and disenfranchisement.

He, however, urged the party members to remain peaceful, assuring them that the credibility of the election would be challenged.

The had been tension over the fierce battle for the sole ticket of the party between the Governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, and a former Secretary to the State Government, Moshood Adeoti.

Adeoti, a former state chairman of the party, is the anointed candidate of the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

Oyetola was the chief of staff to Aregbesola when the latter served as governor of the state for eight years.

However, the relationship between the governor and the minister has deteriorated to the extent that they now belong to different camps of the party in the state.

Aregbesola had vowed that the incumbent would not be allowed to serve another term.

Also in the race is a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Lasun Yusuf.

Unofficial results from the election showed that Oyetola is leading.

The statement:

On behalf of the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, I will like to thank you most sincerely for heeding the call earlier this morning to participate in our party’s governorship primary and conduct yourselves most peacefully. You adopted a non-violent posture, even in the face of sore provocation.

You have demonstrated your loyalty to the party and democratic ideals. You have comported yourselves as Omoluabi in the true essence.

We have received and continue to receive the reports of the shenanigans of the officials who conducted the sham of an election. We have been inundated with reports state-wide of how your names were expunged from the party’s voters register, which was not made available until this morning, contrary to the convention of making the list available to the candidates before the election.

We have heard of how party registration cards were being hawked this morning to the supporters of the state governor.

We have also received reports of how accreditation was not done at all in many wards and how people without party identification just participated and queued behind the governor in many polling units.

We have received the report from our members and independent observers, how government officials and notable supporters of the governor officiated in the election, how votes were farcically counted in favor of the governor and how the votes recorded for him were more than the number of voters accredited ab initio in many units.

We have heard of the absence of result sheets and other vital documents for recording results and vital data. We note also the absence of INEC officials in most wards, casting serious doubt on the credibility of the election.

We note with shame and much regret the consternation of local and international observers on what they regard as a travesty of an election.

I will urge you to maintain your cool and calm. Be not downcast, be not agitated. Hold your head high. We are still receiving and studying all these reports and will take a definitive position on them.

You are urged not to take laws into your hands. Please leave the rest to the Almighty God and let us explore all peaceful and legal means for addressing the matter to obtain justice.

Please remain committed to peace and the rule of law. Be unflinching in your commitment to democratic ideals. Democracy is for the long haul. As you all know, we never tire and we never give up on the cause we believe in. Be rest assured that victory is ours.

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Federal Government To Grant Mining Licenses To Only Companies That Process Locally

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Nigeria will only grant new mining licences to companies that present a plan on how minerals would be processed locally, under new guidelines being developed, a government spokesperson confirmed on Thursday.

This is a departure from Nigeria’s long-standing practice of exporting raw commodities, as governments around Africa work to increase the value derived from their substantial mineral reserves.

To spur investment, Nigeria will offer investors incentives including tax waivers for importing mining equipment, make it easier to secure electricity generation licences, allow full repatriation of profits and boost security, Segun Tomori, a spokesperson for Nigeria’s minister of solid minerals development said.

“In exchange, we have to review their plans for setting up a plant and how they would add value to the Nigerian economy,” Tomori said. He did not say when the guidelines would be finalised or come into effect.

However, last week the minister of solid minerals development, Dele Alake, said it was now government policy to make value addition a condition for obtaining licences so as to create jobs and help local communities.

Alake, who also chairs an African mining strategy group comprising mining ministers from Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia, is pushing for a continent-wide effort to get maximum local benefit from mineral exploration.

Nigeria, Africa’s top energy producer, has struggled to extract value from its vast mineral resources due to poor incentives and neglect. The underdeveloped mining sector contributes less than 1% of the country’s gross domestic product.

Last year Nigeria exported mostly tin ore and concentrates worth about 137.59 billion naira ($108.34 million), mainly to China and Malaysia, according to the country’s statistics bureau.

The government aims to drive more investment into the sector by issuing more licenses. It has set up a state-owned solid minerals corporation offering investors a 75% stake and established a special security unit tasked with fighting illegal miners.

The government is also trying to regulate artisanal miners, who dominate the sector, by grouping them into cooperatives.

Foreign mining companies operating in Nigeria include Canada-based Thor Explorations which is involved in gold exploration, Chinese-owned Xiang Hui International Mining which partnered with a local company to process gold, and Indian-owned African Natural Resources and Mines, which is building a $600m iron ore processing plant in northern Nigeria.

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Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu Felicitates President Tinubu At 72

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Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has congratulated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his 72nd birthday, describing him as a brave, bold, and passionate leader who is dedicated to the advancement, growth, and development of Nigeria.

He said that President Tinubu’s contribution to the nation’s growth is cause for celebration, citing the President’s unparalleled bravery, integrity, honesty, and patriotism in his efforts to steer Nigeria’s ship in the correct path since he into office on May 29, 2023.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, in a statement issued on Thursday by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, said President Tinubu has provided honest and transparent leadership in Nigeria by taking bold decisions to address challenges militating against the prosperity of Nigeria and Nigerians.

Sanwo-Olu further described the President as a visionary and master strategist whose democratic credentials are scholarly materials for study in political economy.

He said: “On behalf of my family, the government, the people of Lagos State,  members of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC), leaders, and members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, I congratulate our leader, President Bola Tinubu, on the occasion of his 72nd birthday.

“President Tinubu has sacrificed the greater part of his life in the service of our dear State and Nigeria. He contributed to the enthronement of democracy and good governance, serving first as a Senator in the aborted third republic and later as a pro-democracy activist, working tirelessly as a member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) to struggle for the de-annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.

“President Tinubu’s financial wizardry and economic intellect, which he put to good use as the Governor of Lagos State, have taken our dear state to a greater height. Today, Lagos is the pride of Nigeria, occupying an enviable position as the fifth largest economy in Africa.

“President Tinubu has made positive impacts in the country through the Renewed Hope agenda of his administration. His unblemished service and track record of impressive achievements in public office have made him a role model for many Nigerians.

“As President Tinubu celebrates his 72nd birthday, it is our prayer that God will grant him more prosperous years in good health and wisdom as he continues to serve our dear nation.”

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JUST IN: CBN Increases Banks Capital Base To N500bn, N200bn For National Commercial Banks

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The capital basis for commercial banks with international permission has been raised to N500 billion by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The policy change was confirmed by Mrs. Hakama Sidi Ali, CBN’s acting director of corporate communications. in a declaration.

She added that commercial banks with regional authorization are expected to reach a capital floor of N50 billion, while those with national authority must meet a ceiling of N200 billion.

Announced on Thursday, March 28, 2024, this comprehensive financial reform requires significant increases in banks’ minimum capital bases, which vary depending on the size of the bank.

The latest policy directive specifies that commercial banks with international authorization are now required to shore up their capital base to N500 billion.

In a bid to tighten the financial fabric, the CBN has not overlooked merchant banks, which are now subject to a N50 billion minimum capital requirement.

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