Headlines
PDP Clears Rivers LG Poll, Opposition Kicks
Despite withdrawing from the ballot, the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State was allotted votes in Saturday’s Local Government Elections conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission.
Meanwhile, the People Democratic Party won all chairmanship and councillorship seats across the local government areas of the state.
The RSIEC Chairman, Justice George Omerejji (retd.), declared the results at the commission’s office in Port Harcourt on Sunday evening.
In some of the results announced, Omerejji declared the PDP winner of the Ahoada East Chairmanship contest with 35,483 votes, even as it also won the 13 wards of the LGA for the councillorship polls.
However, the APC that did not take part in the election got 84 votes.
Also, Omereji declared Dr Chidi Lloyd of the PDP the winner of the Emohua chairmanship seat with 93,980 votes, as the commission also declared the PDP winner of the 14 councillorship seat in the LGA.
In Etche, the PDP won the Etche chairmanship seat with 27, 883 votes and cleared the 18 seats of the wards, even as the party won the Gokana LGA chairmanship seat with 54,578 votes.
In Bonny LGA, the PDP won the chairmanship seat with 18,408 votes and swept all the 12 wards councillorship seats.
The party also won Asari Toru chairmanship with 63,727 votes and won all the 13 councillorship seats.
Mr Rowland Sekibo of the PDP won Akuku-Toru with 54, 883 votes for chairmanship while APC got 1.
Meanwhile, some opposition political parties accused RSIEC of bias and called for outright the cancellation of the poll.
They specifically all for cancellation of Ward 11, Abalama in Asari-Toru local government area of the state.
Candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Derego West told newsmen that RSIEC officials arrived the 31 polling units in the ward with fake result sheets.
This is as the Agent of the African Democratic Congress, Bestman Esperience, said, “There was no election because they refuse us to vote. PDP hijacked the result sheets in Analama, Ward 11.
But an agent of the PDP, Ofori Brown faulted the claims of rigging, saying the election was peaceful.
“I am a unit head, unit 8 and former coordinator for Governor Nyesom Wike. The election was peaceful and all is over. Everything was peaceful and they took the materials to the headquatwr in Buguma,” Brown added.
The Punch
Pope Francis showed further improvement on Wednesday, the Vatican said, although it cautioned that “the prognosis remains reserved” for the 88-year-old fighting pneumonia.
“The clinical conditions of the Holy Father in the last 24 hours have shown a further, slight improvement,” said the Vatican in its nightly bulletin on the health of the pontiff, who has been in hospital since February 14.
“Although a slight improvement is being recorded, the prognosis remains reserved,” it said.
The Argentine pope was originally admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital with breathing difficulties and bronchitis, but his condition subsequently deteriorated, sparking widespread concern among Catholics.
Respiratory attacks he suffered at the weekend that required high levels of oxygen and blood transfusions have not been repeated, according to the Vatican, although he continues to receive oxygen and do breathing exercises.
On Wednesday, the Vatican said a CT scan performed Tuesday showed “normal progression of the pulmonary inflammatory condition” while blood tests on Wednesday confirmed the improvement.
It also said that a mild renal insufficiency detected at the weekend “had resolved.”
As Catholics across the globe pray for Francis, doctors have warned the path to recovery could be long, with the Jesuit pontiff likely staying in hospital beyond this week.
Despite his critical condition, the leader of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Catholics has kept up with Church matters from his hospital suite, according to the Vatican.
Now on his 13th day in the hospital, the Pope Wednesday was “sitting in a chair, and continuing with the treatment as normal”, a Vatican source said.
The Vatican said he received the Eucharist in the morning and spent his afternoon working.The current hospitalisation is Francis’s fourth and longest.
The pope, who had part of one of his lungs removed as a young man, has suffered increasing health problems in recent years.
He is prone to bronchitis and suffers from hip and knee pain, which has made him reliant on a wheelchair.
Pilgrims and faithful have been flocking to the Vatican and the Gemelli to pray for Francis, with a fresh round of prayers held in St Peter’s Square later Wednesday evening.
US President, Donald Trump, has unveiled plans to sell new “gold card” residency permits for a price of $5 million each, saying Russian oligarchs may be eligible.
Trump said sales of the new visa, a high-price version of the traditional green card, would bring in job creators and could be used to reduce the US national deficit.
“We’re going to be selling a gold card. You have a green card, this is a gold card. We’re going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
The Republican president, who has made the deportation of millions of undocumented migrants a priority of his second term, said the new card would be a route to highly prized US citizenship.
“A lot of people are going to want to be in this country, and they’ll be able to work and provide jobs and build companies,” Trump said.
“It’ll be people with money.”Sales of the cards would start in about two weeks, Trump added.
“We’ll be able to sell maybe a million of these cards. We have it all worked out from a legal standpoint,” Trump added.
The billionaire former real estate tycoon said that all applicants for the new gold cards would be carefully vetted.
But asked if wealthy Russians would also be able to apply, Trump said it is a possibility.
“Possibly. I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people. It’s possible,” Trump said.
“They’re not as wealthy as they used to be. I think they can. I think they can afford $5 million.”
A number of Russian oligarchs have been hit by western sanctions since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Trump has caused shock in European capitals by suddenly opening negotiations with Russia to end the war, amid fears that he could be willing to sell Ukraine short.
The US president told reporters that lifting sanctions on Russia was possible “at some point” but was not currently on the table.
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, standing at Trump’s side in the Oval Office, said of the gold cards that “we can use that money to reduce our deficit.”
Trump, who has branded a series of hotels and casinos in a long business career, even suggested the new cards could also be named after him.
“Somebody said, ‘Can we call it the Trump gold card?’ I said, ‘If it helps, use the name Trump,’” he said.
AFP
The management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a reduction in the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol, from N890 to N825 per litre, effective from February 27, 2025.
The slash in price by N65.00 was announced in a statement on Wednesday by the refinery.
According to the statement, buyers in Lagos would purchase fuel at N860 per litre at MRS outlets under the new arrangement.
“For MRS Holdings stations, it will sell for N860 per litre in Lagos, N870 per litre in the South-West, N880 per litre in the North, and N890 per litre in the South-South and South-East respectively,” the management said.
“The same product will also be available at the following prices in AP (Ardova Petroleum) and Heyden stations: ₦865 per litre in Lagos, ₦875 per litre in the South-West, ₦885 per litre in the North, and ₦895 per litre in the South-South and South-East.”
The company assured the public of a consistent supply of petroleum products, with sufficient reserves to meet domestic demand, as well as a surplus for export to enhance the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
It urged marketers to support this initiative, ensuring that Nigerians remain the primary beneficiaries of this effort.
To the refinery, the price adjustment is designed to provide essential relief to Nigerians in anticipation of the upcoming Ramadan season and also support the economic recovery policy of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by alleviating the financial burden on the Nigerian populace.
Africa’s richest man Dangote has severally reduced the prices of petrol and other refined petroleum products.
The latest move is the second price reduction of PMS in February 2025, following a previous decrease of N60.00 earlier in the month.
In December 2024, during the yuletide period, the refinery reduced the price of PMS by N70.50, from N970 to N899.50 per litre, as part of its commitment to easing the cost of living and providing relief to Nigerians during the holiday season.
