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JUST IN: Political Thugs Attack, Beat Up Tonye Cole, Rivers APC Chairman In Port Harcourt

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The Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Tonye Cole, and the Chairman of the party, Chief Emeka Beke, have been attacked and beaten up by suspected political thugs in Port Harcourt.

This was as hundreds of supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, blocked all access through the Port Harcourt-Aba expressway to the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

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It would be recalled that Friday, INEC had told Cole and his team to come to the office to pick the Certified True Copies of documents used in the conduct and declaration of the just concluded governorship and state house of assembly elections in the state to enable the APC file process at the tribunal.

READ ALSO: Why Arrested APC Lawyers Were Released – Rivers Police

But, Monday, hundreds of supporters of the PDP stormed the INEC office demanding that the electoral umpire release CTC of the documents of the election to them.

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The PDP protesters blocked off all access points to the INEC office, insisting that they won the election and should be given copies of the documents.

However, while the PDP supporters were still in their push, the Guber candidate of the APC, Cole, Chairman of the party, Beke and a few other candidates of the party arrived.

The APC chieftains, who had arrived in the area on an alleged invitation of the INEC were stopped from accessing the commission’s office by the protesters.

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Some of the youths, however, took the moment to rain heavily of the APC chiefs, chasing them away from the INEC facility.

READ ALSO: Why We Arrested Rivers APC Lawyers – Police

The development snowballed into heavy shooting, grounding all activities as armed youths took the area hostage with gunfire.

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The bandits who were shooting sporadically in the air moved freely from the former of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, opposite INEC and through the Polo Club then into the Government Reserved Area.

Although, no casualty has been recorded some cars reportedly owned by the APC chiefs were damaged.

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AMCON Sells Ibadan DisCo For N100bn

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The Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) has announced the sale of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) for N100 billion.

AMCON’s Managing Director/CEO, Gbenga Alake, disclosed this at a media parley on Thursday.

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Apart from IBEDC, AMCON also manages other distribution companies, including the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, and Kano Electricity Distribution Company.

READ ALSO:IBEDC Throws Ogun Industrial Estate, Others Into Darkness Over Debts

Alake said, “Today, I announce to you that Ibadan DisCo has been sold. When we came in, it had already been sold, but we renegotiated the price and got almost double of what it was initially going to be sold for.”

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Regarding ongoing legal issues, Alake stated, “We have sold it, and whatever is still happening in court, we will face it.”

However, officials of IBEDC did not respond to inquiries about the sale.

 

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Alleged Extortion: Abuja Court Strikes Bash Ali’s N500bn Suit

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Justice Peter Kekemeke of an Abuja High Court on Thursday struck out former boxer Bash Ali’s suit for being “statute barred”.

Ali had instituted the suit against former Sports Minister and the National Sports Commission, Sunday Dare and Attorney General

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Delivering a ruling on the preliminary objection by the defendant in the suit, Kekemeke held that the case was no longer valid because the time limit for bringing it to court had passed, as defined by a statute of limitations.

READ ALSO: I Went From Millionaire To Zeronaire, Bash Ali Laments At 68

From the piece of evidence before the court, there is none pointing that the first defendant signed a contract.

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“The suit was filed on Oct. 10, 2021, three months before the claimant’s counter affidavit; his case did not fall into the expectation known in law, and the cause of the act accrued on May 20, 2020, is statute barred.

“The notice of preliminary objection succeeds; the case is consequently struck out.”

Ali had in his suit prayed the court for an order declaring that withdrawal of support given to him was illegal.

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READ ALSO: ‘Don’t Take Bash Ali’s Threats For Granted’, Sports Minister Begs Police For Protection

He prayed for an order of the court directing the first defendant to retract the defamatory matter published against him.

All further asked the court for an order of the court directing the first defendant to resume their support.

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He also asked for N500 billion for loss of income, among other demands.

The defendants in the case are Sunday Dare, then minister of youth and sports development; the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development; and the Attorney General of the Federation.
(NAN)

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NMA Gives FG 21 Days To Avert Doctors’ Strike

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The Nigerian Medical Association has issued a 21-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet its demands to avert industrial action in the health sector.

The association, in a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, expressed disappointment and condemned the circular on the consequential adjustment of allowances under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure for medical and dental practitioners in Nigeria.

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A copy of the speech of the NMA President, Prof Bala Audu, made available to our correspondent, noted that the association rejected the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission’s circular (SWC/5/04/5.218/III/646), dated June 27, 2025, on the review of allowances for medical and dental officers in the Federal Public Service.

Prof Audu said the circular from the NSIWC violated previous Collective Bargaining Agreements with the government, adding that the recent development had worsened already existing tension among doctors who had remained committed to serving in Nigeria despite ongoing challenges.

READ ALSO:Parole Board Sensitizes Inmates In Benin, Urges Them To Key In

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“The Nigerian Medical Association expresses grave disappointment and unequivocally condemns the circular purportedly issued to address the consequential adjustment of allowances under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure for medical and dental practitioners in Nigeria.

“The circular is grossly inadequate, misleading and constitutes a flagrant violation of the spirit and letter of the agreements painstakingly reached during the collective bargaining process between the NMA and the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“We want to bring this to the attention of Mr President, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR), the National Assembly and the general public whom we are under oath to always protect and promote their well-being.

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“We reject this new circular in its entirety and demand a new circular that reflects previous agreements reached,” Audu said.

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He stressed that the principles of fairness and justice must guide the adjustment of allowances as previously agreed.

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He further noted that while the association had submitted the correct salary structure table as requested by the relevant government bodies, it was disappointed to find it was disregarded.

Our demands include but are not limited to the immediate withdrawal of the circular on review of allowances for medical/dental officers in the federal public service dated 27th June 2025; immediate correction of consequential adjustments in line with the agreements of 2001, 2009, and 2014 CBAs; immediate correction of the relativity agreed between CONMESS and Consolidated Health Salary Structure and compliance with relativity in all professional allowances in accordance with the 2001 CBA, particularly regarding call duty allowances, and the payment of all accrued backlogs.

“The immediate settlement of all outstanding arrears of 25/35 per cent CONMESS, clinical duty and accoutrement allowances owed to medical and dental practitioners; the immediate payment of Medical Residency Training Fund for 2025, and review of the MRTF to reflect prevailing economic realities; the immediate convocation of the long-overdue Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations on CONMESS; the immediate release of the circular on clinical duty and other allowances for honorary consultants as agreed in January 2024.”

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The association also demanded the implementation of scarce skills allowances for medical consultants; approval of specialist allowances for all doctors; approval of excess workload allowances for all doctors; and adoption of relativity in all professional allowances in accordance with the 2001 CBA, particularly regarding call duty allowances; compliance with CBA of 2021 on hazard allowances; implementation of subsisting CONMESS circular of 2024 for house officers; and universal application of the CONMESS across all federal and state Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to combat internal brain drain.

The doctors also demanded the immediate reversal of the appointment of other healthcare professionals as consultants in hospitals, citing patient safety and the need to maintain medical care standards.

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The NMA President stressed that the association had consistently engaged in dialogue with relevant government agencies and the Federal Ministry of Health in good faith, and remained committed to continued dialogue as long as their rightful entitlements were appropriately addressed.

READ ALSO:FG Places N5m Bounty On Fleeing Inmates Of Ilesa Prison

As a responsible and responsive association that understands and respects values, we have painstakingly and repeatedly engaged in dialogue with the relevant agencies of government and the Federal Ministry of Health.

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“We have exhibited so much goodwill and intend to continue the same as long as we get our appropriate and timely dues.

“We hereby expect that attention will be given to our demands within the next 21 days to avert disruption in the health services rendered to the Nigerian people,” he concluded.

 

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