Politics
Who’s The Mack?: Ice Cube Addresses Social Media Absence Following Backlash
Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz Ice Cube has been noticeably silent for the past few weeks following his social media dragging for meeting with sitting President, Donald Trump, but he’s back and explaining why. On Monday (Nov 30), the west coast legend took to Twitter to share with fans what he’s been working on during his sabbatical, noting that his reason for stepping back was to drown out the “noise” and “poison” with critics who felt that his approach was incorrect. “I know a lot of people been wondering where I’ve been,” Ice Cube said. “I was real active before the election, talking about what’s needed, specifically from the Black community. About 10 days or two weeks before the election, I pushed back all the way pretty much until now because I just felt there was a lot of no...
Former Zamfara deputy governor dumps APC for PDP
Mr Ibrahim Wakkala, immediate past Deputy Gov. of Zamfara, has announced his decision to dump the All Progressives Congress (APC) and join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Wakkala made his decision known at a news briefing on Wednesday in Gusau. “There were several speculations making the rounds for about two years now over where I politically belong; hence I feel this is the right time to put the records straight. “I want to inform you that all this while, whether as a member of G8 group or not, I have remained a full card-carrying member of the APC. “Even though since the time of our crisis in 2019, the party did not consider us relevant as demonstrated, by not inviting or informing us of any of its activities. “I want to formally inform the general public that I have finally thrown t...
2023: Kogi lawmakers endorse Yahaya Bello for the presidency
Less than one year into his constitutional four-year second tenure mandate as Governor of Kogi State, members of the Kogi State House of Assembly have called on Yahaya Bello to seek a higher office. The 25-member house made the unanimous call at plenary on Wednesday, 2 December, in Lokoja. Bello had on Tuesday presented a budget proposal of N130.5bn for 2021 to the lawmakers. The document was expected to gain attention of the lawmakers when they reconvened Wednesday. They however chose to delve into the uncertain waters of 2023 Presidential politics, asking the governor to throw his hat into the ring. The House in its plenary described Bello as fit for the office in view of his outstanding performances as Governor and in view of the fact that the North Central Zone has also not had the opp...
Cross River by-election: INEC assures transparent, violence free election using technology
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it wil deploy relevant technology to ensure transparent, violence-free and fair election in Saturday’s Cross River North Senatorial and House of Assembly by-elections. Mr Festus Okoye, INECs Commissioner for Information and Voter Education Committee said this on Wednesday in Calabar while speaking on the commission’s preparedness for the polls. He said the successes recorded in Edo and Ondo elections were testimonies to the fact that the commission was improving by every election through the use of modern technology. “We want to surpass our successes in Edo and Ondo. “We are going to conduct a transparent, violence-free and credible election in Cross River North come Saturday. “We are ready for the elections, the Card Readers have b...
APC sets agenda for reappointed INEC chairman, tasks him on fairness
File Photo Following the Senate’s clearance of reappointed Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has set an agenda for the chief electoral umpire, urging him to be unbiased and apolitical. APC in a statement by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yekini Nabena, on Tuesday in Abuja, noted that though Nigeria’s election processes are far from perfect, there are however marked improvements recorded in series of recent elections conducted. “The task before Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and the election management body he leads is to strive further in being unbiased and apolitical”, APC stated. The party noted that technological innovations recently introduced and deployed by INEC have greatly improved th...
INEC expresses readiness for saturday bye-elections in 11 states
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has expressed readiness for the conduct of bye-elections across 11 States this Saturday. INEC disclosed this in a statement issued Tuesday night in Abuja after a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners, RECs, from the affected states. National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, Barr. Festus Okoye, in the statement said the Resident Electoral Commissioners briefed the Commission on the level of preparations in their States and the Commission is satisfied that preparations are going on very well. “All the States have received all the non-sensitive materials, trained their staff, and received all the funds for the bye-elections. Most of the States have also had their sensitive materials deli...
‘Electronic voting, best option for credible polls’
An Oyo State politician, Olayinka Oladimeji Segelu, has called for the adoption of electronic voting in Nigeria’s electoral process. Segelu, who aspired for House of Representatives in 2015, said the plan by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to commence electronic voting with Anambra State governorship election next year was a good move. He said: “Honestly, the only way we can ensure transparency and reliability in the conduct of elections in Nigeria is to embrace electronic voting as it is done in some other countries of the world. “We must understand that establishing an independent body to manage and supervise elections is not enough to guarantee free and fair elections devoid of an efficient and reliable system. “To start with, the cost of adopting the electronic bal...
The 13 Best Things That Happened in Music This Week (November 27)
Take a look at all of the week’s can’t-miss music moments below. AC/DC’s new album charged in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 AC/DC’s Power Up debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart this week, giving the legendary rockers their third chart-topping set. The new LP started with 117,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Nov. 28, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. See the full Billboard 200 rundown for the week ending Nov. 28 here. The 2020 American Music Awards were a night to remember Billie Eilish, The Weeknd, BTS, Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes, Dua Lipa, and Doja Cat and Bebe Rexha all performed during the AMAs on Sunday (Nov. 22), making for a star-studded evening. Of course, some awards were handed out, too! Check out the full winners’ list here to...
INEC chief wants Senate to accelerate Electoral Act amendment
The nominee for the position of Chairperson for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, has appealed to the National Assembly to expeditiously pass the Electoral Act Amendment Bill before the end of first quarter of 2021. Yakubu made the call in Abuja on Thursday when he appeared before the Senate Committee on INEC for screening. President Muhammadu Buhari had on Wednesday sought Senate’s confirmation of Yakubu as INEC chairperson for a second term. Yakubu said the passage of the Electoral Act was critical for the success of the 2023 general elections and ultimately the nation’s electoral system. He said that INEC under his leadership had recommended some areas of amendments in the Electoral Act. He said that if confirmed, INEC under his watch would consolidat...
Kano governor orders compulsory drug test for council election contestants
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has directed all cleared contestants in the forthcoming local government elections scheduled to hold January 16 to be subjected to a compulsory drug test. The state commissioner for information, Muhammad Garba, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing journalists on the outcome of the state Executive Council Meeting held at the Government House, Kano. According to Garba, the decision was part of the government’s policies to rid Kano of illicit substance abuse. He reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to tackle drug abuse among political leaders. He said the government would not hesitate to issue necessary disciplinary measures against ”anyone found with the trace of illicit substance including a compulsory recommendation for rehabilitation”. G...
Donald Trump Retweets Bizarre Randy Quaid Posts to Bolster Election Hoax Claims
Between Rudy Giuliani’s cartoonish press conferences and vast swaths of the Republican apparatus urging Donald Trump to concede the election to Joe Biden, our president’s #StopTheSteal campaign has been, as many of us expected, a farcical failure. Yesterday, Trump so much as admitted defeat by authorizing his team to begin the formal transition to Biden’s administration, but as many of us also expected, Trump will never rhetorically concede defeat, and that delusional stubbornness has forced him to reach deep into the bench of supporters who endorse his detached worldview. Enter Randy Quaid. The 70-year-old actor is best known for his character Cousin Eddie in the National Lampoon’s Vacation franchise, but he himself has become the target of some national lampooning in ...
Governor Wike: Nigeria’ll be on fire if President Buhari fails to restructure
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has stated that the nation would be on fire if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to use the available opportunity to restructure the nation, urging the president to heed the clamour for fiscal federalism and restructuring to douse brewing tension in the country. The governor also advised the president to genuinely address the concerns and grievances expressed by stakeholders in the South-South and those of other geopolitical zones during the meeting with federal government delegation led by Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari. Wike, who spoke Thursday on a television interview tasked the President to use the opportunity to address pressing issues affecting the stability of the country. Wike said: “President Buhari, has an opportunit...
