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JUST IN: Bauchi Assembly Gets New Speaker, Deputy

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The Bauchi State House of Assembly has elected Babayo Akuyam as its new Speaker.

He represents Hardawa Constituency in Misau Local Government Area of the state.

The House also elected Ahmed Abdullahi, representing Dass Constituency in Dass LGA, as Deputy Speaker.

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The PUNCH reports that this comes barely five days after the Appeal Court sitting in Abuja sacked the then Speaker, Abubakar Suleiman, as member representing Ningi Central Constituency.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Appeal Court Sacks Bauchi Deputy Speaker, Orders Rerun

Suleiman, the immediate past Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria, and a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, was declared winner of the Ningi Central Constituency election held on March 18, having scored 16, 866 votes to defeat his closest rival, Khalid Abdulmalik-Ningi of the All Progressives Congress, who scored 15, 065 votes.

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Not satisfied with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration of the results of the election, Abdulmalik-Ningi, approached the Governorship and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in the state to seek redress but the tribunal dismissed his case and affirmed the victory of Suleiman for a second term in office.

Also not satisfied with the judgment, the APC candidate went to the Court of Appeal to challenge the tribunal’s ruling and in its judgment on Friday, the appellate court’s three-man panel set aside the judgment of the tribunal and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct a rerun in 10 polling units.

Barely three days after the sack of Suleiman, the court also sacked his deputy, Jamilu Barade, a member of the PDP, from his position as the member representing Bauchi Central Constituency, and also ordered a rerun in some polling units.

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READ ALSO: NYSC Deploys 1,689 Prospective Corps Members To Bauchi

Also not satisfied with the tribunal’s ruling, the APC candidate, Aliyu Ilela, went to the appellate court which granted his prayers and nullified the election because of alleged over-voting. The court also ordered a rerun in some polling units.

But the House in its plenary on Wednesday, elected Akuyam and Abdullahi as Speaker and deputy respectively, unopposed.

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The election of the new Speaker followed a nomination by the member, representing Shira Constituency Auwal Hassan and was seconded by the member representing Burra Tanko Ibrahim.

Both the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker were sworn in by the Clerk of the House, Umar Gital.

Later, the Speaker was escorted to his seat.

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READ ALSO: JUST IN: Appeal Court Affirms Mohammed As Bauchi Gov

In his acceptance speech, Akuyam thanked God for his emergence as the Speaker and assured the people of the state that his doors will always remain open for positive advice and commended his colleagues for their belief that he can deliver.

According to him, going by the present administration’s ideology the House would do everything possible for the overall development of the State.

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Meanwhile, the State Governor, Bala Mohammed, will present the 2024 state budget proposal to the Assembly on Thursday.

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Delta-billionaire Lawuru To Grace Ijaw Media Conference As Guest Of Honour

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The President of Egbema Brotherhood, Alaowei Promise Lawuru, is expected to grace the forthcoming Ijaw Media Conference 2025, as a guest of honour.

The event is scheduled to hold on December 3rd, 2025, in Warri, Delta State.

The annual media conference organised by the Ijaw Publishers Forum with the theme ‘Safeguarding Niger Delta’s Natural Resources for Future Generations,’ is second edition of the series.

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Lawuru, youthful politician and businessman’s willingness to appear as guest of honour was made known
when a delegation of the Central Working Committee led by Pastor Arex Akemotubo paid him a visit to inform him of the forthcoming event and his expected role.

READ ALSO:IPF Holds Annual Ijaw Media Conference December

In his presentation, Akemotubo explained that this year’s theme was chosen out of concern for the growing strain on the region’s land and waters.

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The Publisher of WaffiTV stressed that the forum wants to strengthen public understanding, support honest reportage, and encourage leaders to protect what the Niger Delta holds for the next generation.

He addex that Lawuru’s history of service and steady involvement in community work made him a natural choice for the role.

READ ALSO:IPF Commends Tompolo’s Commitment To Security In Delta, Nigeria

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Chief Lawuru welcomed the invitation and spoke warmly about the need for shared responsibility among stakeholders and groups such as the IPF.

He commended the forum for using the media to defend the region’s interests and promised full support for the conference.

Lawuru further urged other stakeholders across the Ijaw nation to lend their weight to efforts that safeguard the environment.

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Senate Recommends Death Penalty For Kidnappers

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The Senate has passed a resolution classifying kidnapping as an act of terrorism, stipulating that an amendment to the Terrorism Act be made to impose the maximum penalty of death.

The resolution was made during plenary on Wednesday.

Under the new law, according to the upper legislative arm, once a kidnapping conviction is established, the death penalty must be applied.

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Nigeria suffers from a persistent security crisis fuelled by attacks and violence by “bandit” gangs that raid villages, kill people, and kidnap for ransom.

READ ALSO:Senate Uncovers $300bn Unaccounted Crude Oil Sales

In response to recent kidnappings and attacks by terrorists, President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday ordered a total security cordon over the forests in Kwara State.

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Series Of Abductions

Bandits had struck the Isapa community of the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting 11 residents.

The attack came about two weeks after and 38 worshippers were abducted from a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in the Eruku community of the state.

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Terrorists also attacked St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools, Papiri, in Niger State, abducting more that 300 school children and staff in a resurgence of the mass kidnappings that have long harrowed Africa’s most populous country.

READ ALSO:Bill To Establish Federal Oil And Gas Hospital In Delta Scales Second Reading In Senate

In the same week, 24 schoolgirls were taken from the Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School, Maga, Danko Wasagu Local Government Area in Kebbi State, but regained freedom on Tuesday.

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At least 50 taken from St Mary’s Catholic school also managed to escape, but more than 265 children and teachers are still being held.

Nigeria’s high-profile mass kidnapping was that of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014, when Boko Haram forced 276 girls from their dormitories in the North-East region.

More than a decade later, man of the Chibok girls are still missing.

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FG Threatens To Seize Dana Air Assets

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The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has disclosed that the Federal Government may recover and sell the assets of Dana Air to refund passengers and travel agents whose funds remain trapped following the suspension of the airline’s operations.

The Minister disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the Ministry’s fourth quarter stakeholders’ engagement to enhance governance for effective service delivery in aviation with the theme: “leveraging public feedback to drive excellence in aviation services”.

According to him, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will be directed to probe why funds trapped by the airline are yet to be refunded.

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He revealed that the Authority suspended the operations of the airline as a matter of choice between safety and disaster.

READ ALSO:NCAA Petitions IGP Over KWAM 1’s Unruly Conduct In Abuja Airport

“For Dana, the problem is that it was a choice between safety and disaster. So we didn’t take the commercial thing as priority. The priority was safety, and we all looked at the damning reports that we had met on the table.

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“It was a decision of the NCAA to suspend them, but I pushed them to say, look, these are the reports we are seeing on the table about safety record, about lack of standards that put the lives of Nigerians at risk. If they continue flying, I don’t know whether most of us will be here. Many of us would have been victims of one of those flights. God forbid.”

According to him, “I have asked Najomo to dig deep to find out how those passengers and agents will be refunded. He has to dig deep on that.

“One solution will also be that if that same individual or those entities are trying to come back to aviation under any guise, whether to go and register a new AOC or use any business within the aviation sector, they have to go and settle their debts first.

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READ ALSO:NCAA Seeks K1 De Ultimate’s Arrest, Petitions AGF, IG

We should look at their assets. There are assets that are still available. Let them sell their assets. Let’s cannibalize their revenue and pay people. Let’s find a way to go after their assets and get money to pay Nigerians who are owed.

“NCAA should do that because they can’t get away with it.”

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