Author: Opalim Lifted

Richard “Alex” Murdaugh, a disgraced lawyer and member of a powerful South Carolina family, was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for killing his wife and son in an attempt to conceal his drug addiction and theft of millions of dollars, according to prosecutors. Murdaugh, 54, was found guilty on two counts of killing his wife Maggie, 52, and their youngest son, Paul, 22, on June 7, 2021, on their family estate. After a five-week trial, the jury decided in three hours. At a hearing on Friday, Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman sentenced Murdaugh to life in prison, with…

Prof. Pat Utomi, a political economist, has called for a review of the results of Saturday’s presidential election in ten states of the federation. Utomi, the Convener of The BIG-TENT Coalition of Political Parties, Social Movements, and Civil Society Organizations for Obi-Datti, made the announcement at a news conference in Lagos on Friday. Lagos, Rivers, Imo, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Katsina, Adamawa, and Akwa Ibom were among the states he mentioned. “We want to urge INEC to show good faith and not wipe their server of activities of the Feb. 25 presidential election in the excuse of having it ready…

Capt. Augustine Okon, Director-General of the Obi/Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Akwa Ibom State Chapter, expressed confidence on Friday that the mandate given to Peter Obi during the recently concluded presidential elections would be recovered through legal means. While speaking at a conference on Thursday, Obi indicated his willingness to challenge the election results. Okon said, “The PCC Akwa Ibom State has collated enough evidence to prove that His Excellency Peter Obi won the election in Akwa Ibom State and will liaise with the legal team to ensure that the stolen mandate is recovered. “You are aware that prior to the…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-controlled state governments have dropped their lawsuit against the federal government over the conduct, subsequent collation, and announcement of the Feb. 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections. “Take notice that the plaintiffs doth hereby wholly discontinue this suit against the defendant herein,” said the Notice of Discontinuance signed by their lawyer, Mr Mike Ozekhome, SAN, on Friday. The states had taken the Federal Government to the Supreme Court over the conduct, collation, and announcement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections on February 25. In the originating summons, the plaintiffs specifically request that the Supreme Court…

Flooding caused by days of heavy rain has forced nearly 40,000 people to flee their homes in Malaysia’s southern Johor state, which borders Singapore, and at least four people have died in the last week, officials said on Saturday. “We used to always prepare for the rainy season in November and December,” said Mohd Noor Saad, 57, of the town of Yong Peng in Johor’s Batu Pahat district. “Every household had a boat, but with the unpredictable weather, it appears that we are unprepared, and things have become chaotic.” According to the national disaster management agency, authorities have set up…

Several economists have implored the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to follow the Supreme Court’s ruling and keep the old Naira notes legal tender until December 31. The experts made the request in separate interviews with on Friday in Lagos, while applauding the Supreme Court’s decision on the old Naira notes. According to them, the time frame set by the Supreme Court will allow the CBN to reconsider its policy. They also noted that it would allow the bank to improve its implementation without causing economic distortions. The Supreme Court also nullified the Federal Government’s Naira redesign policy, declaring it…

According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant (MEPP) project is a significant step toward achieving its gas and power mandate of adding 50MW to national grid generation. Malam Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPCL, stated this on Thursday during President Muhammadu Buhari’s commissioning of the 50-Megawatt Maiduguri Emergency Power Plant project in Borno. Due to insurgent attacks that destroyed three towers of electricity power lines in Maiduguri, President Buhari directed the NNPC Ltd. to restore power supply to Maiduguri and its environs in April 2021. Kyari said on the directive…

Six federation states have taken the Federal Government to the Supreme Court over the conduct, collation, and announcement of the Feb. 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections. In the originating summons, the plaintiffs specifically request that the Supreme Court issue an order “directing a holistic review of all results so far announced by the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Independent National Electoral Commission” (INEC). They claimed that the results were not collated and announced in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022, and the INEC Manual…

The presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, have petitioned the Presidential Election Court for permission to inspect election materials used in last Saturday’s election. Atiku and Obi refused to accept defeat in the presidential election on February 25, vowing to fight for their mandate in court. The two candidates rejected President-elect Bola Tinubu’s conciliation gesture, in which he asked them to support him in the task of building the nation in his acceptance speech after he was declared the winner of the poll on Wednesday. On Thursday, Atiku and Obi…

The Governorship and State House of Assembly elections scheduled for March 11 will go ahead as planned, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, gave the assurance in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday. Okoye stated that all processes and procedures leading up to the elections had been completed. “The commission held its regular weekly meeting and deliberated on several issues, including the presidential and National Assembly elections. “It also discussed the governorship and State Assembly elections and the pending elections in Enugu East Senatorial District and…