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The two All Progressives Congress members of the House of Representatives from the South-East geopolitical zone on Tuesday grumbled over their alleged exclusion from the House leadership positions by the party caucus. The South-East Reps rejected the argument that they were first-timers hence not qualified to hold principal office in the lower federal chamber. They argued that the Senate Minority Leader, ex-Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, was also a fresh member of the upper chamber. One of the South-East Reps, Chuka Okafor, who had been initially nominated by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, at the height of the leadership crisis in the House to serve as the Deputy Whip spoke on Thursday on behalf of the zone. Okafor said, “You may recall that the South-East APC had nominated me for the post of deputy majority whip, a nomination that was duly accepted by the presiding officers of the House. “As you already know, the final position is that the South-East is the...

The House of Representatives passed a resolution on Thursday asking the Federal Government to reopen investigations into several unresolved high-profile killings in the country. Lawmakers also called on the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, to take decisive actions against kidnapping, which they said had assumed an “embarrassing dimension” in Nigeria lately. Among those on the list of victims of unresolved killings were a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, late Chief Bola Ige; Pa Alfred Rewane; Chief Funsho Williams; Chief Harry Marshall; Dele Giwa and Chief A.K. Dikibo. The list also included Dr. Ayo Daramola, Chukwuma Ogbuefi, the ‘Apo Six’ and the deaths resulting from attacks on communities in Delta State, Zaki-Biam in Benue State as well as Odi in Bayelsa State. The House noted that those behind the criminal acts were still moving freely. The motion on the issue was sponsored by a member from Rivers State, Mr. Kingsle...

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday quizzed a former Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Patrick Akpobolokemi, for some alleged “irregularities” in the agency’s operations under his watch. Our correspondent gathered that Akpobolokemi had honoured an invitation by the EFCC on Thursday, arriving at the commission’s Lagos office in Ikoyi at about 10am. Sources at the EFCC told our correspondent that as soon as the former DG arrived, he was taken in for questioning by a team of investigators. The sources added that Akpobolokemi was not “allowed a breathing space until about 7pm” when he was granted bail on self-recognition and ordered to report back to the EFCC office on Friday (today). One of the sources said, “We were waiting for him, and as soon as he arrived, at 10am that we told him to come, our officers started questioning him. “He was not allowed a breathing space until around 7pm when we granted...

The Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, on Thursday, caused a stir in the upper chamber when he revealed how he collected signatures of other senators to impeach the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, in the 7th Senate. Ndume stated this while raising a point of order to draw the attention of the Senate to an “offensive report” published in The Nation newspaper of Thursday. The newspaper’s report had alleged that 22 Northern senators who signed the vote of confidence passed in Senator Bukola Saraki leadership of the Senate, were working against the interest of President Muhammadu Buhari, in the red chamber. Ndume said he contested the deputy senate president position with Ekweremadu on June 9, 2015 with the intention to win but had to accept his fate when the latter defeated him. He said, “I personally still want to be senate president. I also believe that any of us will not mind to be the senate president. As for the deputy senate president, I contested against the deput...