Daily Headlines 28/4/2011

EFCC operatives storm states ahead of May 29 handover date

A month to the exit of some outgoing governors, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chair Mrs. Farida Waziri has set up 15 teams to probe fraud allegations against them, it was learnt yesterday.

Mrs. Waziri has also sent the teams to some states to gather sufficient evidence against the governors and their lieutenants ahead of the May 29 handover date.

The teams were raised about three weeks ago to "gather sufficient evidence in some states where the anti-graft agency has been investigating fraud allegations against some governors and their officials.

A source in the commission, who spoke in confidence, said: "After preliminary review of petitions and issues against some of the outgoing governors, the EFCC is now set for field work.

"The 15 teams left Abuja and some of the zonal offices of the commission for their various states of assignment on Wednesday.

"They have a deadline of completing their assignments ahead of the May 29 handover date when some of the governors would have lost their immunity.

"The operatives were dispatched to the states to wrap up investigations and compile case diaries against officials believed to have dipped their hands into state funds especially to prosecute elections."

But the list of the affected states was kept secret as at press time last night.

The source said: "The affected states are where some of their officials had already been invited, interrogated or being prosecuted now for graft charges.

"By May 29, we will release to the public the list of outgoing governors who have some issues to clarify.

The Head of Media and Publicity of EFCC, Mr. Femi Babafemi, was not forthcoming with details about the teams.

He only said: "What I am sure of now is that the Commission is set to increase the tempo of its activities now that the elections are over."

Ogboru/Uduaghan in neck-and-neck

A clear winner in Delta State governorship elections is yet to emerge following suspension of announcement of results till today.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Gabriel Adah said the suspension will enable INEC officials return fresh to complete the announcement of results in for the remaining four`````` local government areas.

The remaining local government areas where results are yet to be announced are Ndokwa West, Ndokwa East Warri South/West, and Sapele local governments.

However, Emmanuel Uduaghan (PDP) and Chief Great Ogboru (DPP) have won in 10 local government areas apiece.

The results into Warri North L.G.A is beeing hotly contested.

Dr Adah said the numerous petitions over Warri North will be investigated by the electoral body before final results are announced..

The DPP alleged that elections did not hold in many areas in Warri North yet results were declared.

So far result in 21 local government areas have been declared these include: Oshimili South (DPP) 12,471 (PDP) 10668, Oshimili North (PDP) 7,992 (DPP) 4,352, Aniocha South (PDP) 13187 (DPP) 6,275 Aniocha North (PDP) 14,824 (DPP) 4,962, Ika North East (PDP) 18,923, (DPP) 7,737, Ika South (PDP) 10,699 (DPP) 12,000, Ukwuani (PDP) 8,692, (DPP) 17,828.

Other results are Isoko North (PDP) 16,699, (DPP) 11,450, Isoko South (PDP) 17,981, (DPP) 18,389, Burutu (PDP) 34,720 (DPP) 8,586, Patani (PDP) 7135 (DPP) 8,586, Bomadi (PDP) 39,764 (DPP) 8,586, Warri North 58,634 (DPP) 1920, Udu (PDP) 6717 (DPP) 32,824.

In Uvwie (DPP) scored 34,516 (PDP) 14,383 ,Ethiope East (PDP) 5307 (DPP) 54,611 ,Ethiope West (PDP) 46,939 (DPP) 6,466 Ughelli North (PDP) 9,231 ,(DPP) 48,898, Ughelli South (PDP) 13,323 (DPP) 41,996 ,Warri South (PDP) 65,508 ,(DPP) 22,585 and Okpe (PDP) 6825, (DPP) 17,016.

With the results declared so far PDP has polled 428,151 votes with DPP polling 382662 votes.

INEC declares Akpabio winner in Akwa Ibom

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)yesterday declared Governor Godswill Akpabio winner of the Akwa Ibom State election.

For the Uyo Senatorial District election, Otuekong Ita Enang of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), polled the highest number of votes 160, 950 to win.

Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate for Uyo Senatorial District, Chief Nsima Umoh, scored 121, 965; All Nigeria People Party (ANPP) 2,295; Congress for Progressive Change (CPC); 35 and All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), 773.

The Returning Officer (RO), Mrs. Comfort Ekpo, said the governor won the election after scoring the highest number of votes– 957, 585– to defeat other candidates.

Ekpo said the ACN governorship candidate Senator James Udoedehe polled 163,449 votes; CPC ; Mr. Larry Esin 15,660 votes.

A two-time former military administrator of Ogun and Rivers states, Group Capt. Sam Ewang, who is the candidate of ANPP, polled 3,721 votes.

Akpabio swept 29 of the 31 local government.

Udoedehe won in local governments within Uyo Senatorial District– Uyo and Uruan.

In Uyo, ACN scored 44,281 votes against PDP’s 14,512. In Uruan, ACN polled 11,772 votes, and PDP 9,666 votes.

The RO said the collation officers that monitored claimed that hoodlums hijacked ballot papers among other sundry problems.

She said: "Without mentioning different local government areas that had such challenges, I want us to know that we have come along way though we had some forms of malpractices along the line."

ACN agents were not present at the commission’s office and some of the other party’s agents that were present refused to sign the result sheets when Akpabio was declared the winner.

Uniform Account Number: CBN releases codes for banks

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has released three-digit codes for banks to enable them to comply with the newly introduced Nigeria Uniform Bank Account Number (NUBAN) scheme.

The apex bank has also set June deadline for banks to comply with the new order, stressing that only instruments, papers and electronic, that carry NUBAN codes and pass the NUBAN validation test would be allowed in the automated clearing system as from this date.

The new code, the CBN said, was to facilitate smooth and successful implementation of the uniform customer bank account numbering structure among all Deposit Money Banks in the country.

Accordingly, the Cheques Payments and ACH Working Group (CAWG) of the apex bank recommended that under the NUBAN implementation modality, the approved format ABC-DEFGHIJKL-M will apply. The ABC represents the three-digit bank code; DEFGHIJKL is the NUBAN Account serial number while M is the Check Digit required for account number validation.

The digit numbers as assigned by the CBN are tabulated below:

The banking watchdog said NUBAN can resolve the observed problems with electronic payments in the country, as many of such cases are related to specification of wrong beneficiary account numbers.

It said the procedure was meant to guide banks in deciding the Check Digit Algorithm for assigning account numbers and, therefore, advised all banks to adopt this uniform algorithm to obtain the check digit component of the NUBAN codes of their customer account numbers.

It also said the mode of transition from the current situation to the NUBAN scheme has to be handled carefully to ensure the success of the scheme. The codes are to be communicated to existing customers as soon as they become available while owners of new bank accounts opened from January 1, this year, will be provided with new codes at the onset.

"Going forward, the account number field in the cheque Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) code line will feature only NUBAN numbers. Accordingly, new cheques issued to customers will carry the new codes. With this transition method, the account numbers and NUBAN codes will co-exist in the electronic payment and cheque clearing systems from January to June 2011.

"This implies that banks have to build in the required intelligence in their respective in-clearing systems to distinguish NUBAN codes from old account numbers while processing inward cheque items and electronic payment instruments, during this transition period, " the CBN said.

Nigeria, France trade hits 5.5b euro

Nigeria and France bilateral relation continues to deepen as the volume of trade hits 5.5 billion euro per annum, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).　

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Odein Ajumogobia, who met with his French counterpart Alain Juppe in Paris, described the relations between both countries as "very cordial’’ with several economic co-operation and partnerships in place.

Ajumogobia, said France was Nigeria’s second biggest trading partner after the United States, with investments mainly in the oil and gas sectors; but noted that there was a need for the trade to be diversified to include other sectors of the Nigeria’s economy.

" We are trying to explore ways in which we can increase our bilateral trade from just oil and gas. Nigeria offers more than oil and gas. We want to try to open markets for Nigerian goods and services in France and expand bilateral trade and investments,’’ he said.

Infrastructural development, he noted, is another area of priority as both countries are looking at areas of synergies to "partner on creating wealth and employment for Nigerians’’.

The Minister, who also spoke on France’s role in recent development in Cote d’Ivoire, said both　countries would continue to co-operate in the reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction processes of Cote d’Ivoire.

Both nations played an active role, in restoring peace and stability to Cote d’Ivoire, following its four months civil war, which led to the death of thousands and mass exodus of people to neighboring nations of Ghana, Burkina Faso and Liberia.

Youths protest governorship poll result in Benue

There was a protest in Makurdi, the Benue State capital yesterday by youths rejecting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) results of the governorship election.

People’s Democratic Party’s candidate, Governor Gabriel Suswam leads, according to the returns from 18 of the 23 local government areas.

But the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) rejected the result.

Senator George Akume of the ACN polled 261,726 to beat Hon. Terngu Tsegba of the PDP who garnered 143,354 votes. He retains his seat.

Senatorial returning officer, Dr. Adehola Sotimehim, announced the result.

In the House of Assembly elections, Speaker Terseer Tsumba and Majority Leader, David Mwar lost their seats.

In Plateau State, former Governor, Chief Joshua Dariye won the election in the Plateau Central Senatorial District. Former House of Representatives member, Victor Lar won the seat for Plateau South Senatorial District.

In a statement, Benue State chairman of the ACN Abba Yaro alleged that results were cooked and doctored by the PDP in Logo, Ukum, Katsina Ala, Konshisha, Guma, Gwer-Gwer West local government areas, and the entire of Zone C.

The party said there were glaring cases where elections did not hold, but results returned in favour of the PDP. It also alleged that fake corps members and soldiers were used to intimidate ACN supporters.

The party said it would challenge the result of the election at the tribunal.

Speaker Tsumba of the PDP who recorded 18,692 votes, lost his seat to ACN candidate Aduku Gbileve who polled 44,487 votes in Buruku constituency.

Majority Leader Mwar of the PDP was also defeated by ACN candidate, Mato in Kyan constituency.

The protesting youths, numbering over 200 took to major streets of Makurdi, over the outcome of the election in which Governor Suswan was coasting to victory.

Police dispersed and arrested some of them

Dariye, popularly known as head boy of politics in the zone, defeated the younger brother to former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, Mr. Dauda Gowon.

Lar polled 132, 768 votes to defeat incumbent Senator John Shagaya of the Labour Party (LP) who got 72, 534 votes and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Minister (FCT), Jeremiah Useni, who polled 97,846 votes.

CPC clinches Nasarawa

Governor Aliyu Doma of Nasarawa State has lost his re-election bid in Tuesday's gubernatorial polls held in the state.

He was defeated by the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) candidate, Alhaji Tanko Al-makura with a margin of 3885 votes.

Announcing the result  at the INEC headquarters in Lafia, the state capital on Wednesday, the Returning Officer, Murktar Mohammed, declared  Al-Makura winner having polled 324,823 out of the 691,619 votes cast in the election while Doma of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 320,938 to emerge second.

Nawani Aboki of the Labour Party (LP) got 18,815 votes and Yakubu Kwarra of ANPP polled 4,498 votes.

The result also showed that the CPC  won the only House of Representatives seat contested in the  in Keana/Kokona/Karu federal constituency of the state. In the state House of Assembly elections,  the PDP won 14 seats of the 18 seats announced while CPC had two and Labour Party one seat.

 Chime wins in Enugu

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday declared the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) standard bearer and the incumbent chief executive, Sullivan Chime, as winner of Tuesday's gubernatorial polls in Enugu State.

His  party also won all 24 seats in the state's House of Assembly.

According to the result declared by the Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Prof Bartho Okolo, Chime polled 419,790 votes to beat his closest rival and candidate of the Labour Party, Okey Ezea, who got 30,135 votes, while  the People for Democratic Change (PDC), Dr. Dan Shere came third with 29,565 votes.
Reacting, State Chairman of the Labour Party, Chief Afam Ani, who praised the process as transparent,  however, said  that the party leadership would meet to decide on the next line of action.

Director General, Sullivan Chime Campaign Organisation, Dr. Festus Uzor, attributed his party's victory to the trust the people of the state had in Governor Chime, stressing that they had justified that he (Chime) did well using the mandate they gave to him four years ago.