NEWS : US Supreme Court urged to throw out Texas,

 

US Supreme Court urged to throw out Texas, Donald Trump bid to overturn battleground state election results

Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have urged the US Supreme Court to reject a lawsuit filed by Texas and backed by President Donald Trump seeking to undo president-elect Joe Biden's election victory.

The battleground states say the case has no factual or legal grounds and offers "bogus" claims.

"What Texas is doing in this proceeding is to ask this court to reconsider a mass of baseless claims about problems with the election that have already been considered, and rejected, by this court and other courts," Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania's Democratic Attorney-General, wrote.

Texas filed the long-shot suit against the four states earlier this week directly with the Supreme Court.

It asked that the voting results in those states be thrown out because of their changes in voting procedures that allowed expanded mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mr Trump's campaign and his allies already have been spurned in numerous lawsuits in state and federal courts challenging the election results.

Legal experts have said the Texas lawsuit has little chance of succeeding and have questioned whether Texas has the legal standing to challenge election procedures in other states.

Mr Biden, a Democrat, defeated Mr Trump in the four states, which the Republican President had won in the 2016 election.

The Texas lawsuit, Mr Shapiro wrote, was adding to a "cacophony of bogus false claims" about the election.

Chris Carr, Georgia's Republican Attorney-General, noted like the others that Texas cannot show it has been harmed by the election results in other states.

"The novel and far-reaching claims that Texas asserts, and the breathtaking remedies it seeks, are impossible to ground in legal principles and unmanageable," Mr Carr wrote.

NEWS : We fled after bandits killed 30 people in our village – Zamfara IDP laments

 

Published

 

on

 December 10, 2020

By

 Maina Maina 

Terrorists operating as bandits in Zamfara State, Northwest Nigeria has forced indigenes out of their villages as they seek refuge in other locations believed to be safer across the state and beyond.

Internally displaced Fatima, originally from Jar’kuka, told DAILY POST that she was forced to run away from her village to an IDP camp in Anka because of the activities of the bandits

“We decided to leave our village after 56 people were killed by bandits in one day,” Fatima said, “About 30 people from our village had already been killed and our belongings were constantly being looted.”

Fatima left home after her village, Jar’kuka was invaded and became too dangerous to live in.

She said life means nothing to the bandits as they take it at will.

Another IDP, who identified himself as Abbas, also living in the ‘New Emir’s Palace’ IDP camp, in Anka, left his village of Tangaram with his wife and three children after his father was abducted.

“Two years ago, my father, who was the traditional leader of our village, was abducted by bandits and taken to the bush,” he said.

“The bandits demanded a ransom, which was paid. Since then, we haven’t tried to return. Two people went back to check on the situation there, but one was killed and the other was abducted, although later he escaped.”

Fatima and Abbas are just two of the over 200,000 people estimated to have been displaced within the northwest region of Nigeria since the violent attacks on civilians by terrorists began.

The International Crisis Group estimates that about 100,000 displaced persons sought safety in Anka, Shinkafi and Zurmi towns, in Zamfara State, following an upsurge in violence in 2018.

Anka camp is the only site for IDPs in Zamfara.

In the northwest, IDPs are usually present in every town of the state and hosted in different cities, making it difficult to compile the exact figures of displaced persons.

NEWS : France advises Nigeria on how to end insecurity

 

France has urged Nigeria to engage politicians, local and religious authorities in communities to overcome its security challenges.

French Ambassador to Nigeria, Jerome Pasquier, spoke at a meeting on Security, Peace Development in Zamfara.

It was organised by Pastoral Resolve (PARE) in collaboration with the French Embassy PISCCA Project in Abuja.

Pasquier said the problems of Nigeria’s North, including banditry, insurgency, and low access to education, cannot be resolved by non-governmental organisations and the civil society alone.

The envoy, represented by Rafael Pont, Head of Corporation and Cultural Affairs, French Embassy, noted that all stakeholders must be included in the dialogue.

“One of the key things in resolving this crisis is dialogue, engaging all the actors on ground, the political side, local authorities, traditional rulers and leaders.

“It is not only one NGO or CSO that has the power to resolve everything, It is a matter of tackling the challenges together”, Pasquier stressed.

PARE Project Coordinator, Umar Maraduna, regretted that security challenges in Zamfara have caused a high level of poverty and food insecurity.

Maraduna said the state is currently North-West’s epicentre of cattle rustling, kidnapping for ransom, and killings, particularly in rural
areas.

Director, Zamfara Directorate of NGOs, Nasir Usman, lamented that the state’s food production has dropped by 30 percent.

Usman added that the worst-hit areas are enormously fertile farmlands where most foods are produced.

NEWS : Buhari’s snub of NASS questions our existence – Rep member

 

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 December 10, 2020

By

 Abdul Seye

The member representing Ahoada-East/Abua/Odual Federal Constituency, Rivers State, Solomon Bob on Thursday described the snubbing of the Joint Session of the National Assembly by President Muhamadu Buhari as of a clear case questioning the existence of the legislature.

Mr. Bob raised a point of order on privilege, demanding answers from the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila on why the President who was scheduled to appear before the joint session of the House did not honour the invitation.

It would be recalled that the President, following a motion of the House was invited to appear before the Joint session of the National Assembly.

DAILY POST reported that the President will honour the invitation.

However, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami on Wednesday in a press statement said the House had no right to summon the President.

Mr Bob, citing order 8, rule 6, said the privilege of the House has been breached, adding that President Buhari flagrantly disregarded the resolution of the House.

He said: “Last week we passed a resolution, bordering on security. I read in the newspaper that the president agreed to come. However, the events following the resolution has shown that the resolution has been flagrantly disregarded. If this House should pass a resolution, and it is disregarded, then it questions our existence here. Our very existence here is being questioned.

“The Speaker should address us. Maybe there has been a back channel, we need to know. Nigerians are watching, the world is watching, watching what we will do. This action is capable of showing that the House is of no significance.”

Ruling on the point of order, the Speaker said his motion has been noted, adding that the House is “waiting for official communication from the President.”

NEWS : CNN AND BBC DOCUMENTARY ON #ENDSARS DISGUSTS ME – BUHARI

 

President Buhari has disclosed that he is disgusted with the documentary of EndSARS protests by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and America’s Cable News Network (CNN). 

Buhari stated this at a meeting with state governors at the presidential villa in Abuja on Tuesday December 8. 

In a statement released by his spokesman Garba Shehu, Buhari accused CNN and BBC of failing to report about the killing of security personnel and attacks on police stations and prisons.

 

He said;

 

“I was disgusted by the coverage, which did not give attention to the policemen that were killed, the stations that were burnt, and prisons that were opened. (They said we are all at fault. We don’t have the sympathy of anyone. We are on our own).”

He also warned that his administration would no longer allow violent demonstrations in Nigeria as “democracy does not mean confusion or lack of accountability.”

NEWS : 2023 Olawepo-Hashim warns Nigeria over zoning of president

 

Mr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, the Presidential Candidate of the People’s Trust (PT) in the 2019 presidential election, has warned that zoning of the presidency in 2023 will be counter-productive.

Olawepo-Hashim, in a statement he issued on Tuesday in Abuja, said that Nigeria needs a good president from any region who is prepared and capable of promoting the nation’s socio-economic development.

He explained that the issue of rotation or zoning might not foster national unity and development and described the talk of zoning as a false narrative, divisive and inimical to national development.

“This phenomenon is dangerous for national unity, cohesion and national development, and more importantly, rotating president is a pedestrian diversion from the current subject of devolution and decentralisation of power from the over-centralised centre to the federating states in Nigeria.

“Nigeria would not just become a just and equitable federation simply because a southerner is exercising the over-blotted power at the centre.

“It will be more equitable and efficient when the powers are devolved more to the states, regardless of who occupies the office of the President,” Olawepo-Hashim said.

Olawepo-Hashim, a business mogul, said that the position of the president “should not be based on tribe, religion or region but on a candidate’s ability to support the social and economic development.

He recalled that with no zoning in 1993, the late Chief Moshood Abiola secured more votes from Kano State than Alhaji Bashir Tofa, who hailed from there.

Olawepo-Hashim added that former President, Olusegun Obasanjo won the 1999 elections based on the votes he secured from the six regions and not only from the South-West.

“The emergence of any particular leader or presidential candidate at any time is usually a product of intense horse-trading, negotiations and bargaining, not outright zoning to any particular region,” he said.

NEWS : BREAKING, Taraba House of Assembly member, Bashir Mohammed kidnapped

 

Unknown gunmen have kidnapped a member representing Nguroje Constituency in the Taraba House of Assembly, Barr. Bashir Mohammed.

Mohammed was abducted from his residence at about 1am, on Wednesday, a family source told DAILY POST.

The lawmaker was the Chairman of the House Committee on Information.

This happened barely 24 hours after President Muhammadu Buhari vowed to unleash the military against kidnappers.

Buhari said he would ensure the military eliminates kidnappers and bandits across the country.

He spoke during his meeting with the 36 state governors yesterday in Abuja.

”We are thinking very hard on the issue of kidnapping.

”We will make it possible for the military to get to the bandits and kidnappers and eliminate them,” Buhari had said.

The police is yet to confirm the abduction of the politician.