Buhari names Mahmood as INEC chairman •Appoints woman Head of Service

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday named Prof. Mahmood Yakubu as the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The appointment was consequently approved at the first meeting of the Council of State presided over by Buhari.

Five new national commissioners were also named for the commission.

The national commissioners are Mrs. Amina Zakari (North-West); Dr. Anthonia Okoosi-Simbine (North-Central); Alhaji Baba Shettima Arfo (North-East); Dr. Mohammed Mustafa Lecky (South-South); and Mr. Soyebi Adedeji Solomon (South-West).

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The South-East is said to still have a sitting national commissioner.

Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State briefed State House correspondents at the end of the meeting.

Tambuwal said by the appointments, Buhari acted in conformity with the provisions of Sections 154 (1 and 3) and 156 (3) that conferred on him the powers to appoint a chairman and national commissioners of INEC, in consultation with the council.

He said the emergency meeting was called to approve the nominations because of the peculiar situation currently in the commission.

“The situation in INEC as of today is such that requires this emergency meeting to approve the nominations by Mr. President, because the law requires that a minimum of four commissioners should form a quorum in INEC.

“This is not the case today, because the tenure of 11 national commissioners of INEC had expired,” he said.

Tambuwal added that the council had agreed to henceforth stagger the confirmation of appointment of INEC commissioners in view of the situation the nation found itself, whereby the tenure of individual commissioners expired almost at the same time.

To avert future occurrence of such a situation, the governor said the council had agreed that the names of the next six commissioners should be submitted to the council for approval.

He said the names of those already approved by the council would be transmitted to the National Assembly for confirmation according to the law.

He said the issue of whether the INEC management that fixed the dates of the governorship elections in Bayelsa and Kogi states was not properly constituted and the decision illegal did not come up during the meeting.

“That is not a matter for the council to go into; it is a matter that is strictly under the purview of the commission itself. So, it didn’t come up at the council meeting,” he said.

Tambuwal however said the new chairman would preside over the forthcoming elections.

“Obviously, the new chairman and members of the commission (will preside over the forthcoming elections.)

“I have said earlier on that we need a quorum for the commission to function and that is why Mr. President, in his wisdom, summoned this emergency meeting for us to approve these names. So, I’m sure it is the new chairman that will now supervise and conduct the elections in Kogi and Bayelsa,” he said.

The council, which is chaired by the President, has Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; all living former Presidents and Heads of State; President of the Senate; Speaker of the House of Representatives; all living former Chief Justices of Nigeria and all state governors, among others, as members.

The meeting which started at about 11.10am lasted for about an hour.

Former Nigerian leaders in attendance were Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar and Chief Ernest Shonekan.

Former Presidents Shehu Shagari, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan were absent.

Also absent at the meeting was the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki.

State governors, deputy governors and some top presidential aides also attended.

Meanwhile, the Council of State, presided over by President Buhari, on Wednesday commended a former National Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, on his exemplary performance while in office.

The commendation was given at a meeting of the council held inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, disclosed this to journalists at the end of the meeting.

Shehu said the council was full of praise for Jega for presiding over elections that were generally accepted as free and fair worldwide.

He said the President directed the council secretariat to note the commendations.

“A letter of commendation may later be sent to the former INEC boss,” he added.

Also, on Wednesday Buhari approved the appointment of Mrs. Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita, as the acting Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

A statement by the Director (Press and Public Relations) in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Bolaji Adebiyi, said the appointment took effect from Wednesday (yesterday).

Oyo-Ita was, until her appointment, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.

She hails from Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State.

The statement said the appointment “is a testimony of Mr. President’s implicit confidence and trust” in her ability to discharge the responsibilities of the office of Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

The Presidency had on Tuesday confirmed the exit of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mr. Danladi Kifasi, describing it as “retirement.”

Ministerial Appointment: Why Senate shifted Amaechi, Shittu’s screening

THE Senate has, for the second time this week, deferred the screening of former Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi. Also deffered is that of the nominee from Oyo state, Mr. Adebayo Shittu. They will be screened next Tuesday alongside seven other nominees. The remaining nine nominees will be screened next Wednesday and thereafter, the 18 of them are expected to be approved and confirmed for appointment.
On Wednesday, the Senate confirmed 18 of the 36 nominees, for which Senate President Bukola Saraki wrote President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, to officially inform him of the outcome of the exercise.
Meanwhile, the Senate received a petition against a nominee from Sokoto State, Aisha Abubakar.
Senator Ibrahim Gobir, APC, Sokoto East, who presented the petition, demanded replacement with a more competent person, saying the people of Sokoto State were yearning for a more competent person.
Saraki writes Buhari
Formally communicating President Buhari on the confirmation of 18 nominees for ministerial appointments, Senator Saraki, according to a statement by Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu, his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), sent an official letter through Senator Ita Enang, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Legislative Matters (Senate).
He informed the President that the Senate had found the 18 nominees, who have gone through its confirmation hearing, suitable to occupy the office of ministers as provided for in Section 147 (2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Cleared
The nominees, whose appointment by the President have been confirmed are Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, Lt. Gen. Bello Danbazau (retd), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Hajiya Amina Mohammed, Engr. Suleiman Adamu and Alhaji Ibrahim Usman Jibril.
Others are Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, Abubakar Malami (SAN), Dr. Chris Ngige, Senator Aishat Al-Hassan, Mr. Solomon Dalong, Mrs Kemi Adeosun and Senator Hadi Sirika.
… on Amaechi
Amaechi, who was among the first batch of 21 ministerial nominees President Buhari sent to the Red Chamber could not face the exercise on Tuesday and Wednesday due largely to non-submission of the report on petitions against him by the Senate Committee on Ethics and Petitions.
Chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Media and Publicity, Dino Melaye, told newsmen, yesterday that the former Director-General of Buhari Presidential Campaign Organization, would be screened with eight other nominees on Tuesday, when the Senate reconvenes.
He said:”Further screening and confirmation of the remaining ministerial nominees has been slated for Tuesday, next week.
“We are going to screen nine of them on Tuesday and the remaining nine would be taken on Wednesday. The confirmation of all the nominees would be taken on Wednesday.”
Speaking on Amaechi’s case, Senator Melaye said: “The committee has a one-line report that the matter is in court and that in compliance with our laid down rules and regulations, any case that is undergoing judicial remedy cannot be discussed.
“We have distanced ourselves from it and the report will be presented on Tuesday by the grace of God. I assure Nigerians that former Governor Rotimi Amaechi, by the grace of God, will be screened on Tuesday.”
The Order Paper of yesterday, which ought to have contained the names of Amaechi, Shittu and the remaining ministerial nominees, did not have them.
At the close of plenary on Wednesday, it was announced that Mr. Amaechi and Mr. Shittu would be screened yesterday but on resumption yesterday, the Senate postponed further screening of ministerial nominees to next week.
It would be recalled that the petition against Amaechi, bordering on corruption was not attended to by the Senator Samuel Anyanwu-led Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges because the case was still in court.

Falae identifies kidnappers, 5 docked

AKURE — Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae, who was kidnapped by Fulani herdsmen on his 77th birthday and released after paying N5m ransom four days after, has identified his abductors who were paraded before him by the police.  Falae on Tuesday, identified three of the suspects as those who kidnapped him and threatened to kill him if he failed to pay the ransom. Chief Falae, according to a police source, also identified one of the kidnappers who was kind to him.
This came as the Police, Wednesday evening, recovered N137m from robbers who raided a new generation bank on Trans-Amadi Road in Port Harcourt.

Suspected kidnappers of Chief Falae with their leader Abubakar Auta holding N823,900 of the ransom in Akure

Falae’s abductors
Five of Falae’s kidnappers were arraigned, yesterday, before an Akure High Court, Ondo and Chief Falae will be a star witness when the trial commences November 10.
The suspects, who were docked for kidnapping, conspiracy and armed robbery 24 days after abduction were Abubakar Auta, Bello Jannu, Umaru Ibrahim, Masahudu Muhammed and Idris Lawal.
Three of the kidnappers admitted that their share from the N5m ransom collected was N100,000 each. The accused persons could not speak English and were ordered to be remanded in prison custody by the high court judge, Justice Rotimi Olamide till November 10 when the case would be heard.
The service of an interpreter, Bassey Victor who is a security operative was sought by the court.
Another leader of the gang, Abubakar Auta was also arrested in Niger State with N823,900 cash, part  of the ransom money by Police Special Intelligence Response team put up by the Inspector-General of Police.
The cash with the wrappers of a commercial bank in Akure, the Ondo State capital paid as ransom for the release of the former Finance Minister was discovered in the booth of the vehicle being driven by the suspect before his arrest.
The accused person, who spoke with newsmen before his arraignment, confessed that they kidnapped the septuagenarian politician.
They were arraigned on a five-count charge of procuring or counseling another for the purpose of kidnapping and abducting, aiding and abetting, contrary to Section 2 of Anti-kidnapping and Anti-Abduction Law of Ondo State, 2010.

Ex-Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, arrested in London

The immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, was on Friday arrested in London, PREMIUM TIMES can exclusively and authoritatively report.
The former minister, who was one of the most powerful officials of the President Goodluck Jonathan administration, was arrested Friday morning alongside four other people by the UK National Crime Agency.
The identities of the four other people arrested along with her could not be immediately ascertained.
PREMIUM TIMES learnt she was arrested for offences related to bribery and corruption being investigated by the UK National Crime Agency.
Two top British officials in London have confirmed the development to this newspaper. They requested not to be named because they had no permission to speak on the issue.
When contacted, the British High Commission in Nigeria confirmed that some arrests were made Friday but declined to disclose the identities of those involved.
Joseph Abuku, Press and Public Affairs Officer, said, “This morning, five people between the ages of 21 and 60 were arrested on suspicion of bribery and corruption offences. The crimes are being investigated by the National Crime Agency.

BREAKING: Fashola, Amaechi, Ngige, Onu, Lai, Kachikwu make Buhari’s ministerial list

President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial list contains a number of familiar All Progressives Congress (APC) names such as Babatunde Fashola, former governor of Lagos state, and Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers state, TheCable can report. Also nominated to be minister is Lai Mohammed, national publicity secretary of the ruling party, and Kayode Fayemi, who lost his Ekiti governorship re-election bid in 2014 to Ayodele Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). From the south-east are the likes of Chris Ngige, former governor of Anambra state and former senator of the federal republic; and Ogbonnaya Onu, first executive governor of Abia state and former national chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), on whose ticket Buhari contested and lost the 2003 and 2007 presidential elections. Udoma Udo Udoma, a former senator who represented Akwa Ibom south senatorial constituency at the national assembly, made it as well. Buhari also nominated for ministerial appointment, Aisha Alhassan, who was on the brink of becoming the first elected female governor before eventually losing the Taraba state governorship election to Darius Ishiaku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). From his days at the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Buhari picked Malami Abubakar, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former legal adviser of the defunct party; Hadi Sirika, a former pilot and former CPC senator who represented Katsina north senatorial district; as well as Adebayo Shittu, former governorship candidate of the legacy party in Oyo state. Ibe Kachikwu, group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum (NNPC), is a surprise appearance on the list. But with Buhari already declaring himself minister of petroleum resources, it is likely that Kachikwu will combine his current portfolio with that of the minister of state for petroleum resources. Amina Mohammed, former special adviser to the Nigerian president on millennium development goals (MDGs) and current special adviser to United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon on post-2015 development planning, is also a nominee. Kemi Adeosun, former commissioner for finance in Ogun state, was nominated as well.

I will be petroleum minister, says Buhari

As the nation awaits President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial list, the President on Tuesday said he would head the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. Buhari dropped the hint in one of the interviews he granted one of the foreign media in his hotel shortly before departing New York. The President was in New York to participate in the 70th United Nations General Assembly. “I will serve as the Minister of Petroleum Resources myself,” Buhari told his interviewer. The nation’s petroleum sector has been said to be enmeshed in corruption with millions of dollars said to be missing in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. ADVERTISEMENT Shortly after assuming office, Buhari sacked and replaced the management of the company. The new management had started a general reorganisation of the firm. Buhari had on Monday said the trial of those who looted the NNPC would commence soon.