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Senate Avoids Discussing Twitter Ban As PDP Reps Walk Out

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BREAKING: Senate Ignores Protests, Court Injunction, Confirms Onochie, Other NDDC Board Nominees

As the Senate resumed sitting on Tuesday, it avoided discussing the federal government’s decision to ban popular microblogging site, Twitter, from operating in the country.

This is in contrast to the decision of their counterparts at the House of Representatives to summon the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed over the #TwitterBan.

Members of the main opposition party, PDP, in the House also walked out of plenary after the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, turned down an attempt to ask the federal government to review the #TwitterBan.

The federal government had, on Saturday, announced the “indefinite suspension” of Twitter operations in Nigeria – two days after the site took down a controversial tweet by the president.

Twitter had said the tweet violated its rules and many Nigerians viewed it as a threat of violence against the Igbo ethnic group.

The announcement has generated outrage and condemnation from within and outside Nigeria.

Many have described the ban as an attempt to gag the media, an attack on press freedom, freedom of expression and an attempt to pass the controversial Social Media Bill.

Many Nigerians have been using various Virtual Private Network (VPN) applications to remain active on the microblogging site and Nigeria’s Attorney General, in reaction, ordered the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Umar Muhammed, to begin the prosecution of those bypassing the ban.

Although political parties have reacted to the #TwitterBan, many lawmakers – especially of the APC, have been quiet.

Nigerians had expected the Senate to highlight the issue during plenary on Tuesday but mum was the word. Nothing of the sort was listed for discussion on the Order Paper neither was a motion or Point of Order raised in that regard.

The lawmakers, who began plenary at 11:02 a.m., went into a closed-door meeting shortly after opening prayer. The executive session lasted for over half an hour and the Senate President thereafter announced that the discussions behind closed doors bordered on the workings of the Senate.

They proceeded with plenary and nothing was said concerning the #TwitterBan.

Although the Senate, as a body, has failed to react, some PDP senators have aligned themselves with the statement of the party – which also condemned the ban on Twitter activities.

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BREAKING: Fresh Tension In Rivers As Fubara Is Locked Out Of Assembly Complex

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Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara

Signalling worsening relations between Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the state lawmakers, the former was locked out on Wednesday as he arrived at the State House of Assembly Complex .

Security personnel at the complex locked the gates when the governor’s convoy arrived at the complex.

The action of the security personnel was hinged on the position that there was no official communication between the governor and the Assembly.

However, Fubara said he communicated his coming to Speaker Martins Amaewhule through a letter and tried to call him on the phone since Tuesday.

Fubara had said he would fully implement the February 28, 2025 judgment of the apex court and directed the Rivers State Independent Electoral Electoral Commission (RSIEC) to come up with modalities for the fresh election.

The electoral commission fixed August 9, 2025, to conduct a fresh local government poll in the state.

Also, the Secretary to the State Government, Tammy Danagogo, in a letter dated March 7, 2025, sought a meeting with the lawmakers for March 10, 2025, to discuss the re-presentation of the 2025 budget and a peace talk.

However, the Assembly had asked the governor to channel his invitation properly.

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BREAKING: PDP Wins, Clears All 30 Councils In Osun Poll

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday emerged the winner for  the election for all the chairmanship and councillorship seats in all the 30 local government areas of Osun State.

The election was held on Saturday.

The Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, Hashim Abioye, announced the results at a press conference in Osogbo, the state capital on Saturday evening.

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Bisi Akande Drags Obasanjo Into Bola Ige’s Murder

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By John Michael Ojo

Bisi Akande, a former governor of Osun State, has alleged that the administration of  former President Olusegun Obasanjo was responsible for the brutal killing of erstwhile Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige.

Akande stated this while appearing  on Edmund Obilo’s podcast, State Affairs, where he also claimed that a friend Oluwole Rotimi, had given a hint on the impending danger if the deceased resigned from President Obasanjo’s government.

When asked to speak on the incident, the former interim Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said: “One evening, he (Ige) called me and said he was going to resign from this government tomorrow. It was sudden, and I said, ‘Please sir, I will come back to you.’ I called Oluwole Rotimi, and said this is what your friend told me: that he was going to resign from Obasanjo’s government tomorrow.

READ ALSO: South-West Governors, Tinubu, Akande, Akinrinade, Others To Meet Over State Of The Nation

“He asked me to advise him not to resign because if he does, he is likely going to die—he said that to me on the phone. I called Uncle (Ige) and begged him not to resign.

“He said he had talked to Wole Soyinka and Bola Tinubu, and both of them said he should resign. But I said, ‘Don’t. You can go to Obasanjo, tell him what you are angry about, and if he doesn’t want you anymore, here is your letter.’”

Akande who also claimed that Ige,  a Second Republic Governor of  Oyo State had issues bordering on trust with the then President said “Since he was resigning from his government, I think he stopped trusting him.”

However, Akande who was the governor of a neighbouring state when Ige was assassinated in Oyo State on the 23rd of December 2001, failed to provide names of those he felt were directly involved in the murder case.

“I don’t know. He was killed in Oyo State while I was ruling in Osun State. The government killed him (Bola Ige). It was a state murder.

“Lam Adesina, who was the Chief Security Officer of Oyo State then, went to court, and Ladoja withdrew the case from court. He might know more and be able to tell you.

READ ALSO: Adebanjo Wants EFCC To Probe  Sources Of Wealth Of Tinubu, Akande

“It was the government that killed him, and the government can kill anybody.

“Obasanjo wasn’t keen about Ige’s death; he was more interested in the stability of himself,” Akande maintained.

 

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