Headlines
Wike Mocks Secondus, Says Vote of Confidence Won’t Save Ayu
The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Saturday mocked the former National Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, Uche Secondus for celebrating the vote of confidence passed on his successor, Senator Iyorcha Ayu, by the party’s National Executive Committee.
The governor said no amount of confidence vote would save Ayu from being ousted from the position.
Wike stated this at a reception for over 90 defectors from various political parties into the PDP in Port Harcourt on Saturday.
The governor said Secondus seemed to have forgotten in a hurry that it was not the first time a sitting national chairman was removed after a vote of confidence was passed in him.
Wike said a new strategy will be adopted for the coming political season in which political ‘bigmen’ will be replaced with people who are domicile among their people in various communities.
He said, “I was watching, listening. They say there is one man called Secondus. They say he was dancing and celebrating that NEC gave their person a vote of confidence. He forgets history.
“Ask him, the same NEC through Aliyu Babaginda, who moved a motion for vote of confidence supported by the same person, Ndude Elumelu. They gave him a vote of confidence. What happened? He left the office.
“We don’t fight and go back. If you like, you can have as many as 20 votes of confidence, it is not my business. My business and my team is to make sure the right thing is done.
“And the right thing must be done, whether today or tomorrow. So, let nobody worry him or herself. If you are dancing, come home and dance. Come and mobilise for the person you think will win the election.”
He challenged Secondus to return home and mobilise support for the candidate he was supporting for the 2023 elections.
“We are here; I am here waiting for him. No more 419 in this game, no more 419 in this state. We have stopped all these 419 people. Enough is enough.
“You people should go home and rest. We know we are already waiting for the day set by INEC for them to blow the whistle. When they blow the whistle, we will know those who are in charge of Rivers State and those who are mere visitors to the state.
“You know we have those in Rivers State and those who come from Abuja. We stay here as those of us from Rivers State Monday to Sunday. Visitors come Friday and go back on Sunday,” he added.
While welcoming the defectors, he described them as the pillars that did the underground work in their former parties, urging them to bring in similar level of energy for the PDP to win all elective positions in the state.
Earlier, the state Chairman of the PDP, Desmond Akawor, said, “Your Excellency, what you are seeing here is just symbolic through the three senatorial districts, because this stage cannot contain all of them. From the various parties, they are still coming.
“We will continue to receive the decampees as they come through our local government chairman.”
Among the over 90 defectors were a member Board of Trustees of the APC, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, who hails from Opobo/Nkoro LGA, former commissioner for Sports, Fred Igwe from Eleme LGA and former commissioner for Transport, George Tolofari.
The Punch
US President Donald Trump has signed a federal spending bill, officially ending the longest government shutdown in American history.
The legislation, passed by the House of Representatives in a 222–209 vote, followed narrow approval in the Senate just two days earlier. The bill restores funding to federal agencies after 43 days of closure, bringing relief to millions of government employees and citizens affected by halted services.
Speaking after signing the measure on Wednesday night, Trump described the deal as a political victory, asserting that Democrats unnecessarily prolonged the shutdown.
“They didn’t want to do it the easy way. They had to do it the hard way, and they look very bad,” he said.
The temporary funding bill maintains government operations only through 30 January, creating a new deadline for lawmakers to negotiate a long-term budget solution.
As part of the agreement, Senate leaders committed to an early December vote on Obamacare subsidies, a key priority for Democrats during the shutdown standoff.
In addition to reopening federal offices, the bill provides full-year funding for the Department of Agriculture, military construction projects, and several legislative branch offices.
It also ensures retroactive pay for federal workers affected by the shutdown and allocates funding to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, which helps about one in eight Americans access food.
The shutdown, which began in October, forced the suspension of many government services, leaving an estimated 1.4 million federal employees either furloughed or working without pay. It also disrupted food assistance programmes and caused widespread delays in domestic air travel.
With federal operations now resumed, attention in Washington has turned to whether Congress and the White House can reach a longer-term funding agreement before the new deadline at the end of January.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), on Thursday, announced discontinuation of the planned 15 per cent duty on imported petroleum products.
NMDPRA’s Director, Public Affairs Department, George Ene-Ita, conveyed the development in a statement while warning the public to shun panic buying.
President Bola Tinubu, on October 29, approved an import tariff on petrol and diesel, a policy expected to raise the landing cost of imported fuel.
The President’s approval was conveyed in a letter signed by his Private Secretary, Damilotun Aderemi, following a proposal submitted by the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji.
The proposal sought the application of a 15 per cent duty on the cost, insurance, and freight value of imported petrol and diesel to align import costs with domestic market realities.
Implementation was slated to take effect on November 21, 2025.
The policy aimed to protect and promote local refineries like the Dangote Refinery and modular plants by making imported fuel more expensive.
While intended to boost local production, it is also expected to increase fuel costs, which could lead to higher inflation and transportation prices for consumers.
Experts have argued that the move could translate into higher pump prices for consumers, with some estimating an increase of up to N150 per litre or more.
In an update, however, NMDPRA said the government was no longer considering going ahead with implementing the petrol import duty.
“It should also be noted that the implementation of the 15% ad-valorem import duty on imported Premium Motor Spirit and Diesel is no longer in View,” the statement read in part.
Meanwhile, the NMDPRA also assured all that there is an adequate supply of petroleum products in the country, within the acceptable national sufficiency threshold, during this peak demand period.
“There is a robust domestic supply of petroleum products (AGO, PMS, LPG, etc) sourced from both local refineries and importation to ensure timely replenishment of stocks at storage depots and retail stations during this period.
“The Authority wishes to use this opportunity to advise against any hoarding, panic buying or non-market reflective escalation of prices of petroleum products.
“The Authority will continue to closely monitor the supply situation and take appropriate regulatory measures to prevent disruption of supply and distribution of petroleum products across the country, especially during this peak demand period.
“While appreciating the continued efforts of all stakeholders in the midstream and downstream value chain in ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted supply and distribution, the public is hereby assured of NMDPRA’s commitment to guarantee energy security,” the statement added.
The Senate has approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to raise N1.15 trillion from the domestic debt market to cover the unfunded portion of the 2025 budget deficit.
The approval followed the adoption of a report by the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debt during plenary on Wednesday.
The committee noted that the 2025 Appropriation Act provides for a total expenditure of N59.99 trillion, representing an increase of N5.25 trillion over the N54.74 trillion initially proposed by the Executive.
This expansion created a total budget deficit of N14.10 trillion. Of this, N12.95 trillion had already been approved for borrowing, leaving an unfunded deficit of approximately N1.15 trillion (N1,147,462,863,321).
In a related development, a motion by Senator Abdul Ningi was adopted, directing the Senate Committee on Appropriations to intensify its oversight to ensure that the borrowed funds are properly implemented in the 2025 fiscal year and used strictly for their intended purposes.
President Tinubu had on November 4th requested the approval of the National Assembly for a fresh ₦1.15 trillion borrowing from the domestic debt market to help finance the deficit in the 2025 budget.
The President’s request was conveyed in a letter. According to the letter, the proposed borrowing is intended to bridge the funding gap and ensure full implementation of government programs and projects under the 2025 fiscal plan.
