Benchmark Naija

The Conference Committee of the National Assembly on Constitution Review yesterday retained the immunity clause for the President and the Governors, which was originally in the Nigerian Constitution but was recommended for removal last week by the House of Representatives. The Conference Committee retained the immunity clause for the President and the Governors and also approved immunity for legislators in respect of words spoken or written in the exercise of their legislative duties. The report, which contains 23 amendments, confers immunity on lawmakers, “In respect of words spoken or written in the exercise of their legislative duties” through amendment of section 4. Also adopted by the Committee was the power conferred on the National Assembly and the State Assemblies in Section 58 and 100 to override the President or the Governor in an event there was an impasse where the President or the Governor of a state refused to append his assent on any passed law. The Com...

 court has restrained the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from dissolving or attempting to dissolve the Imo state executive of the party. The order of interlocatory injunction was issued by Justice K.A. Ojiako of the high court of Imo state to stay in place pending the hearing and determination of a suit filed by two executive members of the state chapter of the party. The applicants, Joseph Nwadiugwu and Josaper Ndubuaku kare sued the national executive committee of the PDP and its chairman, Adamu Muazu alleging plans to dissolve the imo state executive when its tenure has not expired. According to them, their four-year tenure expires on December 20 and not October 20. The trial judge granted accelerated hearing of the case while restraining the defendants, the PDP and its national chairman from taking any action thereof.

A resident of Effurun in Warri, Delta State, Mr. Richard Loromeke, has instituted a N100 million suit against the registered trustees of Believers Love World, also known as Christ Embassy, for trespass on his parcel of land and exhumation of remains of his mother, Madam Cecilia Loromeke, buried on the land situated in Aba, Abia Statvge. The defendants in the suit include Messrs Samson Enwereji, Registered Trustees of Believers Love Church and Remi Chijioke. Counsel to the claimant in the suit instituted at an Abia State High Court, Mr. R. O. Irikefe and Mr. Patrick Awo-Osagie, said Loromeke was also claiming N992,300 as special damages. He also prayed the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants by themselves, servants, agents, workmen, surrogates, thugs and/or privies from any further trespass on the disputed land. The claimant prayed the court to declare that he was the person entitled to the statutory right of occupancy in respect of the p...

OWERRI— The schism, which has been trailing the appointment and consecration of the new Bishop of Ahiara Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Peter Okpalaeke, by the Papacy, took a more dangerous dimension weekend, as priests allegedly got entangled in what people described as a dirty battle. Vanguard   investigations revealed that Rev. Fr. Januarius Chima Ahaneku went to St. Brigid’s Catholic Church, Nnarambia, at about 7.15p.m., following his posting to the parish by the Vicar General of the embattled Diocese, Rev. Fr. Clement Ebii. While Fr. Ahaneku was accused of storming the parish with thugs and assaulting the resident priest, Rev. Fr. Marcellinus Nweke, Ahaneku, however, said he was there on legitimate posting. Nweke confirmed that he had to alert the police and the people when his brother priest allegedly exhibited an act unbecoming of an ordained Catholic priest. He said: “They started harassing us, using hammer and some iron bars to break the doors and gained entr...

Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Waziri Tambuwal on Monday attended the All Progressive Congress (APC) stakeholders meeting in Sokoto, a move seen as a precursor to his formal defection to the party from the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). Associates of the speaker said his presence at the meeting, Monday, may herald his official defection from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. At the meeting, the APC zoned its governorship ticket to the Sokoto-South senatorial zone where Tambuwal hails from. This move is seen as paving the way for the speaker to contest for the state’s governorship seat or the presidential election under the party. The party in Sokoto said majority of its members voted in support of zoning the ticket to the zone in view of the fact that both the Sokoto-East and Central have ruled the state for eight consecutive terms each. One source at Monday’s meeting said Mr. Tambuwal told the gathering to accept him as “one of you startin...

The All Progressive Congress has written to the Inspector General of Police concerning the violent behaviour of Asari Dokubor against APC Publcity Secretary, Mr. Lai Mohahmmed. The APC has a running verbal battle with Mujahid Dokubor. Source: AIT

Fayose, in a statement by his Special Assistant Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said the new government house was an act of insensitivity to the plight of Ekiti State people, many of whom cannot afford to feed once in a day. The Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has described the newly built Government House in the state as a show of wickedness to the people of the state by the immediate past Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. Fayose, in a statement by his Special Assistant Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said the new government house was an act of insensitivity to the plight of Ekiti State people, many of whom cannot afford to feed once in a day. Speaking with newsmen in Ado-Ekiti on Monday, Olayinka said no progressive minded Ekiti State person would see the out-of-this-world luxury provided with over N3.3 billion borrowed fund for Fayemi, his wife and children and will not weep for the state and its people. Olayinka, who said Fayose was al...