Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian Newspapers:
1. All the passengers abducted from a Kaduna-bound train on March 28, 2022, have been released, according to the Federal Government. Prof. Usman Yusuf, Secretary, Chief of Defense Staff Action Committee (CDSAC), confirmed on Wednesday afternoon after the remaining 23 victims were released.
2. The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Wednesday challenged the Federal Government and the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, to resolve their dispute amicably out of court. The Appellate Court suggested twenty-four hours for the two parties to have a rethink, sit down and come out with a resolution that would make Nigerians happy.
3. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has released the final list of candidates that will contest the governorship and Houses of Assembly election in 28 States of the federation in the 2023 elections. In a statement yesterday, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said the list contained 18 political parties that fielded 837 candidates and their running mates for the 28 governorship elections.
4. The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has said about 18 State governors across party lines are currently working behind the scene for the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi. The group’s Secretary-General, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.
5. Security was beefed up at the headquarters of All Progressives Congress, APC, on Wednesday when the Deputy Director of the APC Presidential Campaign Council and seven governors met with the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu. Although the agenda of the meeting was not disclosed, sources said it might not be unconnected with the contentious 422-man list of the presidential campaign council.
6. The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar; his running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa and the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, were in Bauchi State on Wednesday to receive defectors from other political parties. They were greeted with a large number of supporters.
7. Justice R. A. Oshodi of the Special Offences Court, Ikeja, Lagos State, has sentenced a convict, Nwankwo Ifeanyi, to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a four-year-old girl. Ifeanyi, an apprentice of the victim’s father, committed the offence at their house in June 2017.
8. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday disclosed that it will deploy undercover security agents at polling units across the country as part of measures to curb vote buying and increase transparency in next year’s general elections.
9. Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, yesterday, tackled former Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, over allegations by the latter that governors contribute to electoral violence in the country. This came on a day the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, cautioned against election rigging and the use of thugs during the forthcoming general elections, even as it lamented that the Federal Government is too slow in curtailing terrorism in the country.
10. Chelsea picked up their first UEFA Champions League win this season as they comfortably saw off AC Milan 3-0 at the Stamford Bridge. Wesley Fofana opened the scoring for the Blues in the 26th minute before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doubled the advantage in the 56th minute, grabbing his second goal for Chelsea.
