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Register with Political Parties, Ekweremadu Tells Civil Servants
The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has called on Nigerians, including civil servants to register with the political parties of their choice to improve the quality of governance in the country.
He also advocated the use of electronic voting in the conduct of party primaries to make them more transparent and credible.
Ekweremadu made the calls at the launch of the “Responsive Political Party Programme in Nigeria” by the International Republican Institute, IRI, in Abuja, Tuesday night.
He said since the Constitution did not permit independent candidacy yet, the political parties were not only the sole platforms for leadership recruitment, but also authentic avenues for ensuring that elected leaders were responsive to the yearnings of the people in line with their campaign promises.
“The notion that civil servants cannot be members of political parties in Nigeria is unfounded. For the avoidance of doubt, the Supreme Court is clear on this in the case of INEC VS MUSA and OTHERS (2003). In a judgment delivered by His Lordship, the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mohammed Uwais (Rtd), the apex court declared that any guidelines, be it INEC electoral guideline, civil service rule or the Electoral Act that bars civil servants from belonging to political parties is inconsistent with Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution.
“This Section clearly provides that‘Every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons, and in particular he may form or belong to any political party, trade union or any other association for the protection of his interests’.
“By belonging to a political party, civil servants will also be in a position to block the nomination of leaders, who do not care about their welfare”, Ekweremadu explained.
He assured that the National Assembly was working on removing the restrictions on electronic voting from our electoral laws to enable technology play greater role in creating more credible and transparent electoral process that would in turn drastically reduce election petitions.
The lawmaker, however, stressed that the credibility of any electoral process starts with a free, fair, and credible primary election.
“Unfortunately, our political parties still operate manual membership registers that are largely unreliable and obsolete.
“Therefore, to get their primaries right, political parties should upgrade to both electronic registers and electronic voting systems. This will substantially reduce pre-election disputations”, he added.
He called on the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to seize the opportunity of the proposed fresh membership registration exercise to build an electronic membership register as recommended by its Post-election Review Committee.
Ekweremadu expressed sadness that the nation’s political parties lacked the strong financial base or investment to be self-reliant despite the windfalls they enjoy through the sale of nomination forms.
He warned that the continued reliance on donations by godfathers was dangerous for the nation’s democracy as “he who pays the piper, would want to call the tune”.
A 30-year-old teacher at Landmark School Mgbakwu in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, Faith Nwonye has been arrested for allegedly beating an 8-year-old pupil into a coma.
The state commissioner for Education, Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, who disclosed this while briefing journalists in her office on Monday, May 20, 2024, said that the school has been permanently shut down.
Chuma-Udeh said she had summoned the school’s proprietor and Nwonye to explain the incident that led to the brutal beating of the primary pupil.
“We received this unfortunate incident from an illegal school in Mgbakwu that a child was beaten to a coma over the weekend. On behalf of the State Government, we invited the proprietress of the illegal school as well as the teacher who purportedly beat the child,” she said.
“We’ve handed the matter to the police for further investigations, as we await Mr Governor’s directives. Meanwhile, the school is closed down indefinitely because it’s not supposed to exist in the first instance. Any parent who is enrolling his/her child in an illegal school is doing so at his/her own peril.
“To the proprietors of private schools, anyone running an unapproved school in Anambra is a criminal. It’s a criminal offence to run an illegal school in the state.
“Whether the school is legal or not, it’s criminal to beat a child. According to the doctor, the chances of survival of the child is 20%.”
The commissioner added that the teacher would be brought to book.
“As soon as the police are done, the teacher will face other institutions against child rights. She’s going to have the full wrath of the law brought upon her over her actions,” she said.
“Anambra state abhors violence to children, women, and any other person. It’s not part of this administration and Mr. Governor is against such.”
The Iranian President, Raisi has been confirmed dead alongside others in a helicopter crash.
The body of the President however could not be identified due to burns beyond recognition.
According to information, A foreign minister was also involved in the crash and a list of others. They are; Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Governor of Eastern Azerbaijan province Malek Rahmati, Tabriz’s Imam Mohammad Ali Alehashem, The Pilot, The Copilot, Crew Chief, Head of Security and Bodyguard.
The rescue team were at the crash site of the helicopter carrying the president and the discovery came after a long night of searching in freezing conditions.
Shortly before the discovery, Iranian Red Crescent Society head Pir-Hossein Kolivand said the situation was “not good.”
According to Reuters, the helicopter was completely burned in the crash.
Additional and Unfortunately, there is a possibility of martyrdom of all the passengers of the helicopter.
News
The Peruvian Government Has Officially Classified Transgender, Nonbinary And Intersex People As “Mentally ill”
According to the country’s ministry of health, the controversial decision was made to ensure the country’s public health services could “guarantee full coverage of medical attention for mental health” for the trans community.
It also categorises “dual-role transvestitism,” “fetishistic transvestism,” and “other gender identity disorders” under the same bracket of mental illness.
The new law will change language in the Essential Health Insurance Plan (PEAS) to reflect the view of trans and intersex people as a mental health disorder.
Trans groups across Peru have loudly condemned the decision as a step backwards for the country’s already complex relationship with LGBTQ+ rights.
Joe Levy Appointed CEO of Sophos
Teacher Arrested For Beating 8-Year-Old Pupil To Coma In Anambra
BREAKING: Iran President, Ebrahim Raisi And Others Confirmed Dead After Helicopter Crash
LASG Acquires New Outboard Engines For Optimum Boat Performance
ALERT: LASG Closes Ilupeju, Ogunmokun, Jibowu, Yaba Level Crossing For Railway Project
