These are the stories you should be monitoring today:

President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly shortlisted an Assistant Inspector General of Police from Nasarawa, Adamu Mohammed as a replacement for the outgoing Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim Idris, who bows out of service as he clocks 60 years on Tuesday.

As reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), IGP Ibrahim Idris met with the President behind closed doors on Monday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Though the outcome of the meeting is yet to be disclosed, sources close to the presidency, who preferred not to be named, have hinted that a replacement to the retiring IGP would be named on Tuesday.

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The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu on Monday described the charges against the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen as extremely dangerous for the nation’s democracy and has urged the Federal Government to withdraw the charges and apologise to the nation’s judiciary.

The federal lawmaker who reacted to the development in a series of tweets early Monday, said the charges were ill-advised especially after similar attempts at the leadership of the National Assembly failed, while emphasising the need to eschew every form of intimidation against other arms of government, to enable them to play their constitutional roles in the overall interest of the nation.

“This is extremely dangerous for democracy and can only divide the country further as well as alienate us as a country very low in upholding the rule of law and independence of the judiciary. I advice the Attorney General of the Federation to immediately withdraw the charges and apologise to the judiciary. We certainly can’t travel this road,” he said.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Monday  in Abuja  released the regulations and guidelines for the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

As contained in the 33 page document, Smart Card Readers (SCRs) and Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) would be used for the forthcoming elections, while voting shall be in accordance with the Continuous Accreditation and Voting System (CAVS) procedures as specified in these Regulations and Guidelines, the Election Manual and any other Guide issued by the Commission.

The document in Section 10 (b) also states clearly that  “accreditation and voting shall commence at 8.00am and close at 2:00pm, provided that all voters already on the queue by 2:00pm shall be allowed for accreditation and voting.

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Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun has said that those who were scheming to turn President Muhammadu Buhari against him would fail.

The governor who was speaking on Monday at Kajola ward in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of the state during his campaign for the Ogun Central Senatorial seat in the February 16 National Assembly election, described the said persons as “foreigners” with intent to enslave Ogun people and their votes as likely suspects in the plot to sway the President against him.

“All what they are doing is to turn President Buhari against me. Nobody can turn President Buhari against me. It is impossible,” Amosun said.

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The Nigeria Labour Congress says it is was watching with interest and monitoring the activities of the National Assembly and Federal Government on the new minimum wage.

General Secretary of the union, Peter Ozo-Eson, said this in an exclusive interview with Punch in Abuja, amid fears of  fresh crisis in the negotiation between the organised labour and the Federal Government on the new minimum wage, following a disclosure by a source at the NASS that lawmakers would go on another recess on or before the presentation of the bill on January 23, 2019 to enable them prepare for the  legislative elections scheduled for February 16.

“The matter of election timetable is up to them (FG and NASS). All we are concerned with is the Memorandum of Understanding that we had with the FG which has dates that things should be done. However they get that done within the election timetable is their own business.

“We do not want to keep going back and forth on this matter. We are holding the FG responsible for honouring the MoU which says the executive bill will be at the NASS by January 23, 2019. Once that is done, we will know how to engage the NASS,” he added.

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