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President Jacob Zuma Fate Sealed by ANC

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The executive committee of the African National Congress party of South Africa has decided to “recall,” or remove, President Jacob Zuma as head of state, a senior ANC source told Reuters on Tuesday, after a 13-hour meeting of the party’s top leadership.

Since Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa was elected party leader in December, Zuma has faced mounting calls from his party to end his scandal-plagued second term scheduled to run out in mid-2019.

The 75-year-old Zuma has been South Africa’s most controversial president since the end of white-minority rule in 1994, overseeing a tumultuous nine years marked by economic decline and numerous allegations of corruption.

The party’s executive committee has the authority to order Zuma to step down as head of state, although there is domestic media speculation that he might refuse.

Ramaphosa, 65, went to meet Zuma late on Monday before returning to the meeting that sealed the president’s fate.

“We decided to recall Zuma. He hasn’t been told yet,” the senior ANC source said.

“Cyril went to speak with him,” the source said, adding that when Ramaphosa returned to the meeting, “the discussions were tense and difficult on whether to recall Zuma.”

The decision to remove Zuma was widely reported by local media.

ANC officials and Zuma’s spokesman could not be reached for comment.

The SABC state broadcaster, citing sources, reported that Ramaphosa met Zuma to pass the message that the ANC’s executive group had given him 48 hours to resign as head of state.

Local news service Eye Witness News reported, citing sources, that when Ramaphosa went to see Zuma, the president said: “Do what you want to do” when asked whether he would agree to resign or face a recall.

Zuma’s tenure as president officially runs until mid-2019 and he has not said in public whether he will step down voluntarily. Zuma no longer holds a top position in the party.

The rand, which has tended to strengthen on signs that Zuma could step down early, was volatile on Monday as the political drama unfolded.

ENGINEERED MBEKI’S REMOVAL

Zuma himself engineered the ouster of former President Thabo Mbeki in 2008 shortly after taking the helm of the ANC.

Mbeki was also “recalled” by the ANC, ending a nine-year rule marked by economic prosperity but marred by allegations of abuse of power.

Since becoming president in 2009, Zuma has been dogged by scandal.

Some within the ANC and the opposition say the Gupta family, friends of Zuma, have used their links with the president to win state contracts and influence Cabinet appointments. The Guptas and Zuma have denied any wrongdoing.

India’s Bank of Baroda, which counts the Guptas as clients, has announced plans to exit South Africa, the central bank said on Monday.

Ramaphosa has put the focus on rooting out corruption and revitalising economic growth since defeating Zuma’s preferred successor, Zuma’s ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, in the ANC leadership race.

The former union leader has said he does not want to humiliate Zuma, but has been lobbying behind the scenes for him to step down early. (Reuters)

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Fuel Price Skyrockets To ₦1000 Per Litre In Some States As Scarcity Sets In

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News reaching us is that fuel Prices have gone up ranging up to ₦800 to ₦1000 and above per litre in different states.

The price increase is also as a result of fuel scarcity which has set in. It is believed that some fuel stations are currently hoarding fuel.

Motorists are queuing up in large numbers at filling stations across Kano State struggling to buy petrol that is now selling at over N1,000 per litre.

One Mr Ibrahim said filling stations in the metropolis were charging as high as N1,000 as of Monday morning, adding that he bought the product over the weekend at prices ranging between N950 and N920 before the price skyrocketed on Monday.

The fuel scarcity has also touched Abuja and even Lagos.

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King Charles Reportedly “Really Unwell” And Funeral Plans Are Currently Being Reviewed

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King Charles III’s health is causing concern for friends and the palace as he continues to battle cancer.

“Speaking to friends of the king in recent weeks about his health, the most common response is … ‘It’s not good,’” Tom Sykes of the Daily Beast reported Thursday, April 25.

A friend of the monarch claimed Charles “is determined to beat it and they are throwing everything at it,” adding, “Everyone is staying optimistic, but he is really very unwell. More than they are letting on.”

Royal writer Tina Brown also hinted at the monarch’s health struggles, writing recently that Charles’ cancer has put Prince William and Kate Middleton “in frightening proximity to ascending the throne just when they had hoped for a span of years to parent their children out of the public eye.”

“The prospect of it, I am told, is causing them intense anxiety.”

Sykes also reported that the king’s funeral plans, codenamed “Operation Menai Bridge”, are currently being reviewed.

A separate document that states what went well at Queen Elizabeth’s September 2022 funeral and what could be done better the next time a monarch dies is also circulating, according to the Daily Beast.

All the sources emphasized that royal funeral plans are constantly in review. However, one former staffer in particular conceded that Charles’ health woes have given his plans a different urgency.

“The plans have been dusted off and are actively being kept up to date,” the former staffer explained.

“It’s no more than what you would expect given the king has been diagnosed with cancer. But the circulation of them has certainly focused minds.”

Buckingham Palace announced in February that after undergoing surgery for a benign prostate enlargement, it was discovered that the king has cancer.

We hope the king gets well soon.

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EFCC: New Documents Extracted Shows Yahaya Bello Allegedly Paid School Fees To The Tune Of $845,852,84 For His Family Members

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Still on the EFCC trailing on Ex Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, Documents serving as exhibits have shown how he allegedly paid school fees in advance for his family members already in the school and even those to be enrolled in future with hundreds of thousands of dollars withdrawn from the state coffers.

A letter from the American International School of Abuja to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has shown the school admitting that Bello, the former governor of Kogi State, paid $845,852,84 into their bank account since September 2021 as advance school fees for 4 family members from the present class until they graduate.

Payment was also made for any future student to be enrolled by the family.

The document alleges that the payment was made by Mr. Ali Bello, alleged to be the eldest son of Yahaya Bello.

In the document, the school stated that they have deducted the fees for the educational service already rendered to the Bello children in the institution and what is left is $760, 910, which would be refunded to an account provided by the EFCC as the commission continues investigation into alleged money laundering levelled against Yahaya Bello.

the school fees documented payment

The school also added that from the Bello family kids, “no further additional fees are expected in respect of tuition until they graduate from ASIA.”

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