CODIFIER

  The President-elect of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Saturday, gave the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Kogi State, Usman Ododo, his blessings, ahead of the November 2023 elections in the state.  Ododo, who emerged the Kogi APC governorship candidate through a direct primary election on April 14 and was ratified through a special Congress of the party on April 15, was presented to Tinubu by Governor Yahaya Bello in Abuja.  The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Chairman, Kogi APC, Abdullahi Bello; were among the party stakeholders who interracted with Ododo, the party's flagbearer in Kogi State, during his visit to the President-elect.  Tinubu, while congratulating the candidate, lifted his hand up as a show of acceptance and affirmation of his candidacy and expressed absolute confidence in the capacity of APC to win the November governorship election, landslide, in Kogi State. Recall that Ododo had, on Friday, also received

  The Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Kogi State, Usman Ododo, on Friday, received President Muhammadu Buhari's blessings as the party's flagbearer in the November election.  Ododo, while briefing State House Correspondents after he was presented to the President by Governor Yahaya Bello, said he was committed to building on the unparalleled developmental strides of the Governor, which were achieved through inclusive governance, if elected in the forthcoming polls.  He said, with his wealth of experience in the private and public financial sectors, as well as the opportunity of learning from Bello, who he described as a great leader to Kogites, he was well equipped to steer the ship of the confluence state in the desired direction.  The APC candidate said specifically that he was confident of APC's victory in the November governorship election.  Ododo emerged the Kogi APC governorship candidate through a direct primary election on April 14 and was

A Federal High Court in Lagos, on Wednesday, struck out an interim order of forfeiture obtained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, seeking to seize 14 properties allegedly linked to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.  Justice Nicholas Oweibo struck out the suit on the ground that Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution prevents the institution of any criminal or civil case against a sitting governor or the President.  The judge had, on February 22, granted the temporary forfeiture order, following an exparte motion filed by the anti-graft agency seeking to seize 14 properties located in Lagos, Abuja and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).  The Court also directed EFCC to make publication in two national dailies for any interested parties to show cause why the order should not be made absolute.  However, consequent upon the publication of the preservative order, Governor Bello had filed Notice of Intention to oppose, and an application seeking the vacation of the interim

  Former Presidential candidate and Restructuring exponent,Rev Chris Okotie, has broken his silence after a brief hiatus following the general election. Speaking through his media adviser, Ladi Ayodeji in Lagos yesterday, Okotie said the fierce contests and contentions between politicians before, during and after the polls, justify his call for a new constitution. He is canvassing what he calls TOKO (The Okotie Option) as a template that could bring about the Nigerian Reformation.  The Reformation is anchored on four major components: Reconciliation, Reconstruction, Solidarity and a new foundation for development.  He explained this proposition in greater detail in a tweet:'It is time for Reconciliation;it is time for Reconstruction,it is time to join hands in solidarity,it is time to lay the foundation for posterity,it is time for TOKO. The Reformation of Nigeria is now!' Okotie insists that adhoc amendments of the constitution as being proposed by some would not lead to any s

The candidature of Ahmed Usman Ododo as the flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress in the Kogi State governorship election, scheduled for November 11, has been ratified by a special Congress of the party, as stipulated in the guidelines for the primary election, which held on Friday.  The special congress, presided over by the Chairman of the Kogi APC Primary Election Committee, Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State, was held on Saturday at the Muhammadu Buhari Civic Centre, in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital.  The crowd at the centre was unprecedented as APC members vowed to mobilise for Ododo during the November election and ensure he succeeds Governor Yahaya Bello. The  congress follows the emergence of Ododo, a former Auditor-General for Local Governments, as the APC candidate at the party's governorship direct primaries held across all the 239 wards of the state.  Announcing the results for ratification, the Secretary to the committee, who represented the Zamfara Gove

  The All Progressives Congress has adopted the direct mode of primaries for the conduct of the Governorship Primary Election in Kogi State.  The party informed the Independent National Electoral Commission as well as aspirants of its decision to adopt the direct mode, in a letter dated 6th April, 2023, and signed by the Acting National Chairman, Senator Abubakar Kyari.  The letter reads in part: "We refer to our earlier letter dated 25th January, 2023, with reference no: APC/NHDQ/INEC/19/023/191 wherein we notified the Commission of the mode of primary election for the conduct of the Gubernatorial Primary Election in Kogi State.  "However, our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has reviewed the modalities for the conduct of the Gubernatorial Primary Election in Kogi State and has therefore resorted to adopt the DIRECT mode of primary election instead of the Indirect Mode as earlier communicated.  "The date for the conduct of the primary election still rema

  A former Vice President (VP)  of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Zone D, Comrade Tims Ejigah, has described the lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Smart Adeyemi, as a politician with a character baggage who lacks capacity to win election for any political party.  Ejigah, one of Adeyemi's closest allies during his days as NUJ President and all through the time he began his journey into national politics, disclosed that the Senator had the habit of using and dumping those who assist him. The veteran journalist, who spoke to Kogi journalists at the NUJ secretariat in Lokoja, expressed surprise that Adeyemi had joined the Kogi Governorship race, stressing that if elections were to be conducted today, and only journalists were to vote, over 80 per cent would vote against the senator.  According to him, he will only be wasting the ticket of any political party that makes the mistake of making him their candidate.  "Whichev