News
Court Verdict: Rivers APC Suspends Campaign
The Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress on Wednesday said it would neither be intimidated nor discouraged by the Federal High Court judgment that sacked all its candidates for the 2023 general elections.
A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt and presided over by Justice Emmanuel Obile had on Tuesday annulled all the primary elections that produced candidates of the APC for all elective positions in the state.
Speaking to reporters in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, state APC Chairman, Chief Emeka Beke, urged party members not to be discouraged by what he called a distraction, claiming that the party was poised to take over the state in 2023.
He, however, said the party has suspended its campaign earlier fixed for Friday.
Beke said the party was working hard to ensure that it is on the ballot for the election.
He said, “We are working to ensure that what happened the last time (2019) will not repeat itself.
“They are only trying to distract our people and then begin to buy them over to their party with the claim that APC does not have candidates.
“As a party, we are supposed to flag off our campaign team on Friday and roll out our master plan for the Rivers people. We have to put it off till next week. We need to start a process to boost the morale of our followers and we will come out very strong.”
The Punch
The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on Friday, said that intelligence at the disposal of the Force has revealed that foreign mercenaries are involved in the proposed nationwide protest.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Egbetokun urged all Nigerians to exercise caution and think twice before joining any protest group.
Egbetokun said, “We have been monitoring development surrounding protest threats. While some groups call for violent protests, emulating Kenya’s recent events, others advocate for peaceful demonstrations.
“However, some individuals promote peaceful protests with violent undertones, raising concerns about their sincerity. We have our history of violent protests in Nigeria, and I don’t believe we have to look to other countries to note the dangers of unchecked demonstrations. We commend patriots who have withdrawn from the protest due to the apparent sinister motives and ignorance of those calling for violence.
“We note those who have spoken out against any form of protest at this critical juncture, fearing enemies of our country may be manipulating the process. We confirm their fears are genuine, as we have credible intelligence on foreign mercenaries’ involvement in this planned protest. The Nigerian police urge all Nigerians to exercise caution and think twice before joining any protest group.”
News
Bayo Onanuga Has In-built Disdain for People, Talks Like Spokesman for Motor Park Touts – Babachir Lawal
Babachir David Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), has advised the Federal Government to not to try to arrest Peter Obi.
Bayo Onanuga had alleged that some resentful Nigerians were sponsored by Obi, the former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, in order to instigate statewide protests.
Babachir, a former Secretary to the Federal Government, who stood with Obi during the 2023 presidential campaign as one of his most ardent supporters, issued a warning that the Federal Government would not be able to handle the fallout if Obi is arrested.
Speaking with reporters about the matter, Babachir Lawal refuted the claims made by Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s media adviser, that Obi and the Obidient Movement were funding the statewide protest known as #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria.
Additionally, he issued a warning to the administration, stating that using force against the demonstrators might serve as a catalyst for anarchy.
Quoting him, “Bola Tinubu should not use a forceful approach with the protesters. They mean well for the country. If they go out to protest and there is an attempt to forcefully stop them, that will be the catalyst for chaos.”
“Tinubu should remove Bayo Onanuga from his position because he doesn’t mean well for his government. His outbursts are inflaming Nigerians rather than pacifying them. When you are in government, you don’t insult the people.”
“I don’t know if Onanuga was the spokesman of the Motor Park Touts Association before he got his current appointment.”
“They said he is educated, but it doesn’t show in his behavior. He has an in-built disdain for people, and it shows in the way he talks.”
“I don’t expect a presidential spokesman to come out and say the planned protest is being organized by Peter Obi. If Obi had the character that Onanuga is ascribing to him, this government would have been down a long time ago.”
“How can you say Obi has anything to do with the protest? Even to complain, Obi will not let you accompany him.”
“It is one of the reasons why some of us just kept away from him. When you insult him, he will not reply. He will just go about doing his own business.”
“Let them arrest him if that is their plan and see the consequences. I know that is what Onanuga is working towards. Anyone asking Tinubu to arrest Peter Obi doesn’t mean well for him. It is like they took cyanide with their own hands and swallowed it.”
Telecommunication services provider, Globacom, has celebrated the eighth year of uninterrupted connectivity for Glo 1, the international submarine cable which is solely owned by the company.
Glo 1 has, since 2016, not experienced any disruption in its operations, thereby ensuring uninterrupted connectivity for individual and corporate customers who derive their internet requirements from the network.
The company said in a press statement that Glo1 submarine fiber cable infrastructure recently upgraded to ensure maximum utilization and enhanced service delivery.
Globacom exclusively financed the entire end-to-end architecture of Glo 1, including access systems, the national fiber-optic backbone, the international cable systems, International gateways and data centre services. Globacom’s presence in several countries and its fibre optic networks entail that it can offer last mile and domestic long haul services to Glo 1 customers. Earlier this year, when most submarine cables in Nigeria and West Africa experienced fibre cuts which caused widespread internet downturn, Glo 1 was unaffected and was about the only source of succour for internet users in the country.
Glo 1 successfully powered financial institutions, internet service providers, and data consumers throughout the period. Industry watchers posited that Glo 1 international submarine Cable’s resilient architecture and durability made the cable impregnable to disruption.
Glo 1 connects directly to London with lowest latency, thus guaranteeing ultra fast and reliable internet connectivity. Latency refers to the length of time it takes for data to travel from one point to another across a network
The Glo 1 capacity boost effectively compliments the ongoing technical expansions and upgrades of Glo network infrastructure to ensure unique calling and browsing experience on the Glo network.
Globacom disclosed that the Glo 1 facility offers customers the most guaranteed solutions to their business needs and has customized services to address the requirements of a wide segment of clients including Oil and Gas companies, Manufacturers, government, education and medical institutions.
“The cable facilitates teleconferencing, distance learning, disaster recovery and telemedicine, among several other benefits for the African people” the company said.
