Author: Vincent Osuwo

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has won a landslide election victory, according to official results released Saturday, after important competitors were detained or prohibited from participating in a vote that sparked days of violent demonstrations. The electoral commission stated on official television that Hassan had won 97.66 percent of the vote, dominating every constituency. State TV said that a fast swearing-in ceremony would be held on Saturday. The biggest opposition party, Chadema, claims that hundreds of people have been slain by security forces since protests began on election day, Wednesday. When her predecessor, John Magufuli, died unexpectedly in 2021, Hassan…

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called an emergency meeting of its National Working Committee in response to Friday’s Federal High Court decision, which halted the party’s planned national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State. A member of the NWC, who spoke with Saturday PUNCH on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the meeting would take place on Saturday at the party’s national secretariat in Wadata Plaza, Abuja. “That’s the judgment. However, I know that the NWC has summoned an emergency meeting tomorrow. The leaders will review what transpired throughout the process and determine…

Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has applauded the Federal High Court judgment stopping the Peoples Democratic Party from conducting its national convention. Wike and the concerned stakeholders of the PDP lauded the court’s ruling, which, according to the group, upheld constitutional order in the management of the party’s affairs, describing it as a landmark decision that restores discipline and internal democracy within the PDP. The group, which met on Friday at the Life Camp residence of Nyesom Wike, issued a communique read by former Abia State Governor Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu. In the statement, the stakeholders praised…

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has expressed shock over yesterday’s court order prohibiting the party from going ahead with its national convention set to meet in Ibadan, Oyo State, on November 15 and 16. The party called the court judgment an assault on Nigeria’s democratic process and vowed to challenge it. The party, in a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, charged its members to go ahead with the preparations towards holding the convention. The statement, titled “PDP Planned National Convention Not Vitiated by Court,” read, “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is appalled by the…

Chief Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has sharply criticized the court order that stopped the party’s upcoming national convention. On Friday, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja barred the PDP from having its national convention in Ibadan on November 15 and 16. The verdict came after a lawsuit saying that the party failed to respect the 1999 Constitution, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) standards, and its own constitution while preparing for the event. Justice Omotosho ruled that the PDP did not have proper state congresses before electing…

The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, barred the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from recognizing the outcome of the forthcoming Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention. In a decision, Justice James Omotosho ruled that the PDP did not follow the required requirements and rules for conducting the convention. Justice Omotosho challenged the convention’s legality, citing evidence from the electoral umpire and respondents that congresses were not held in some states. Additionally, the judge ruled that the PDP’s national chairman signing notices and correspondence without the national secretary violated the law, rendering them null and void. Justice Omotosho ruled…

Newly appointed Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti stated on Friday that his seventh-placed club is capable of fighting for the Serie A title. “Of course, I hope this team can still get involved in the title race,” he said Friday, on the eve of Juve’s game at Cremonese. Spalletti, who takes over from the sacked Igor Tudor, added, “As we discussed with the players on Thursday, we must aim for the highest. “And the highest is the Scudetto. “Only nine matches have been played; there are still 29 left to play. That’s a lot of matches, and I’ve seen many things…

Juventus has hired former Italy head coach Luciano Spalletti as manager till the end of the season. The 66-year-old succeeds Igor Tudor, who was fired following the Serie A club’s defeat to Lazio on Sunday. Tudor joined the club in March as Thiago Motta’s replacement but resigned after seven months at the end of an eight-match winless streak. Spalletti guided Napoli to the Serie A title in 2022-23 before taking over Italy, which had failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup under previous coach Roberto Mancini. He helped them qualify for Euro 2024, where they were eliminated in the…

Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, Minister of Interior, has asked the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) to complete the ongoing upload of applicant information in the recruitment exercise for the country’s paramilitary services. The decision comes in response to rising complaints from applicants who claim they have been unable to trace the status of their submissions weeks after completing various stages of the recruitment process. In a statement on his official Facebook page on Friday, the minister acknowledged the difficulties, attributing them to the continuous data upload. He stated, “Following recent complaints from applicants into the paramilitary agencies…

The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has approved the redeployment of numerous senior officers to important command and staff roles as part of measures to boost operational efficiency and align its structure with the leadership vision of the incoming Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Aneke. Nineteen officers obtained new appointments, while six others were assigned to various defense and inter-service enterprises. Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, Director of Public Relations and Information, stated on Friday that the reform sought to improve decision-making, better coordination between units and commands, and reinforce readiness in response to contemporary security threats. Air Vice…