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Members of the Nigerian Senate loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari have started gathering signatures as part of efforts to frustrate moves by the upper chamber to veto the electoral bill.

It was also learnt that some All Progressives Congress (APC) governors have intervened to ensure that the Senate’s decision to override Buhari’s veto power in the passage of the amendment to the Electoral Act 2010 was not successful.

The president had written to lawmakers on his decision to withhold assent to the controversial Electoral Act 2010 Amendment Bill which seeks to re-order the sequence of polls in such a way that the presidential election would come last during the general elections.

Punch reliably gathered that members of Buhari’s cabinet and governors on the platform of the ruling APC had been mobilising members of the National Assembly loyal to Buhari to frustrate the move to override the President’s veto on the amended Electoral Act.

An APC governor fro South-West and another from the North-West were said to have been part of a meeting with the lawmaker representing Nasarawa West Senatorial District, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, in Abuja last Thursday.

Adamu is leading the opposition to the amendment, which is considered to be anti-Buhari in the Senate.

It was reliably learnt that a minister from the South-South was also part of the meeting, where it was agreed that the pro-Buhari members of the National Assembly would be mobilised to frustrate the likely overriding of the President on the bill.

One of the senators opposed to the amendment told Punch on Wednesday night that it was the meeting that made Senator Obinna Ogba (PDP-Ebonyi-Central) to raise the alarm that there was a move to sack the leadership of the Senate led by Bukola Saraki.

The lawmaker however insisted that the meeting was to mobilise for Buhari’s defence and not to sack Saraki.

The source said: “Of course, there was a meeting but it was not held with Adamu in Lafia on Tuesday, it was held at his residence in Abuja last Thursday. But they started gathering signatures on Tuesday. The conclusion at the meeting was that senators who were opposed to the amendment should lobby others to reject the move to override Buhari’s veto on the bill.

“So far so good, we should have got the needed number that we need, which is just over 40. They need 73 or two-third of the 109 to override the veto but we need less than 50 to frustrate that.

“The Peoples Democratic Party caucus just met tonight and part of their agenda is how to achieve the imposition of the bill on the President.”

He said although the larger percentage of the PDP caucus is for the amendment, a particular member of the caucus from the South-East chose to sign the pro-Buhari senators’ list.

“He has already signed with us and there is a few others too,” he added.

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JUST IN: Monday Okpebholo Sworn In As Edo State Governor

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Monday Okpebholo, a serving senator, has been sworn in as the governor of Edo State.

Okpebholo took his oath of office at about 1pm on Tuesday during the inauguration ceremony in Benin, the state capital.

As the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Okpebholo won the September 21 off-cycle governorship election in the state.

He polled 291,667 votes to defeat Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came second with 247,274 votes.

Olumide Akpata, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), came third with 22,763 votes.

Dennis Idahosa was also sworn in as the deputy governor of Edo.

Dignitaries, including Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, chair of the governors’ forum; Philip Shaibu, reinstated deputy governor of Edo; and other governors from the party, were present as Okpebholo took the oath of office.

The new governor later rode in an open-top van around the stadium, acknowledging cheers from supporters.

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Nigerian-American Oye Owolewa Re-Elected To US Congress

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Oye Owolewa, a Nigerian-American Democrat, has been re-elected as the shadow representative for the District of Columbia (DC).

Owolewa, a PhD graduate from Northeastern University in Boston, made history in November 2020 when he became the first Nigerian-American elected to Congress.

He secured 164,026 votes, or 82.84 percent of the total votes cast in DC.

His role, while not officially recognized by the US government as a full member of Congress, is to advocate for the district’s interests, particularly its bid for statehood.

On Thursday, Owolewa expressed his gratitude to DC voters via a post on X, thanking them for their continued support.

“Thank you DC again for giving me chance to serve. I also want to thank the organizations that have supported, partnered with and endorsed me,” he wrote.

While shadow representatives like Owolewa do not have voting power in the US House of Representatives, they play a key role in pushing for recognition and state-level advocacy for DC residents, who are otherwise disenfranchised at the federal level.

Owolewa has consistently championed the cause of DC statehood, which has become a central focus of his work.

The re-election took place on November 5, the same day as the US presidential election.

In that election, former President Donald Trump defeated Vice-President Kamala Harris, securing over 270 electoral votes to win a second term.

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Joe Biden Urges Americans To Accept Trump’s Victory, Promises Peaceful Transition

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United States President Joe Biden has urged Americans to accept the victory of Republican Party candidate Donald Trump in the presidential election.

On November 6, Trump won the presidential election after surpassing the magic number of 270 electoral college votes.

Trump defeated Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party, who received 219 electoral college votes.

Harris has congratulated Trump on his electoral victory.

During a speech on Thursday at the White House Rose Garden, Biden said, “We accept the choice the country made.”

“I know for some people, it’s time for victory to state the obvious. For others, it’s a time of loss,” the US president said.

“Campaigns are contests of competing visions. The country chooses one or the other.

“I’ve said many times, you can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbour only when you agree.

“I will do my duty as president. I’ll fulfil my oath and honour the Constitution. On January 20, we will have a peaceful transfer of power here in America.

“Remember, defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle. The America of your dream is calling for you to get back up.

“The America experiment endures. We are going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged. We need to keep going. Above all, we need to keep the faith.”

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