The Late 5: Buhari tenders apology to Abiola over election annulment, Court convicts former Plateau Governor, Dariye and other stories

These are the stories that drove the conversation today:

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday tendered a national apology on behalf of the Federal Government to the family of the late Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election that was annulled by the Military Government at the time.

“We cannot rewind the past but we can at least assuage our feelings, recognise that a wrong has been committed and resolve to stand firm now and ease the future for the sanctity of free elections,” he added.

The President tendered the apology during his remarks at the Special National Honours lnvestiture of Chief MKO Abiola, his running mate Ambassador Babagana Kingibe and late human rights activist, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, who were awarded with the honour of  Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) and Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) respectively at the Old Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa Abuja.

Buhari stated that Nigerians will no longer tolerate such pervasion of justice and that the decision to recognise June 12 was in the national interest even as he pleaded to Nigerians irrespective of political affiliations to accept the decision in good faith.


A Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Gudu, Abuja, on Tuesday sentenced a former Governor of Plateau State and Senator representing Plateau Central , Joshua Dariye, to 14 years’ imprisonment on charges of criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of  over N1.16bn belonging to the state.

Justice Adebukola Banjoko in  a six-and-a-half-hour judgment sentenced the ex-governor on 15 out the 23 counts preferred against him. including charges of criminal breach of trust and criminal misappropriation punishable under sections 315 and 309 of the Penal Code Act, respectively.

Dariye was in 2007 charged  by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to court on a 23-count charge for the alleged offences, eight of which were thrown out on the grounds of either duplicity or lack of sufficient evidence in the ruling.


The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved of some other Nigerians to be conferred with national honours for their contributions to democracy.

The SGF made the disclosure during an address at the Special National Honours Investiture of  Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola as Grand Commander of the Federal Republic(GCFR); his running mate, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe as Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON) and late human rights activist, Gani Fawehinmi, also as GCON, held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja

“Further announcement on this will be made shortly,” Mustapha said.


The Edo Government has raised alarm over the supply of adulterated kerosene to users of the product.

Commissioner for Youth and Special Duties, Mika Amanokha, raised the alarm in Benin City after a report of a fire incident in Evbuotubu Market, on Tuesday, which was put under control by officials of the Edo State Fire Service, urging the federal agencies supervising the distribution of kerosene to mop up the fake product from the market.

According to the commissioner, the incidence occured when a dealer in the product at the said market, lit a match stick to demonstrate that the kerosene she was selling was genuine, but was unfortunate as the experiment produced an explosion which killed her.


The government of Yobe has officially declared an end to the cholera outbreak recorded in the state as no cholera case has been reported for three weeks and all the samples from suspected cases had tested negative

Commissioner for Health, Dr Mohammed Bello Kawuwa, who addressed a press conference, on Tuesday in Damaturu, said the outbreak in the state which was was first reported on March 28, 2018 in Gashua, Bade local government council, and subsequently spread to Yusufari, Jakusko, Karasuwa and Bursari local government areas, has been officially declared as over,  after 21 days without any report of a new suspected case.

Kawuwa revealed that the state has established a cholera treatment center in General Hospital Gashua, with support from World Health Organisation (WHO) to curtail the reoccurrance of its outbreak and thanked the state governor,  Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, UN agencies, all humanitarian actors,  religious and traditional rulers for their contributions in the fight against the cholera outbreak.

And stories from around the world:

United States President, Donald Trump has reportedly ordered the suspension of US military exercises with South Korea, in a surprise concession at an extraordinary summit with North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un.

In return for the US concession, Kim signed a joint statement committing to denuclearisation, but it was a vaguely worded commitment that the regime has made several times before over the past three decades. Asked what would be different this time, Trump pointed to his instincts as a dealmaker.

We got to know each other well in a very confined period of time,” Trump told reporters. “I know when somebody wants to deal and I know when somebody doesn’t.”

As proof of Kim’s good intentions, Trump said Kim had offered to destroy a missile engine testing site. “I got that after we signed the agreement,” he recalled. “I said: do me a favour. You have this missile engine testing site … I said can you close it up. He’s going to close it up.” (The Guardian, UK)


A senior United Arab Emirates official has said an ultimatum for the United Nations to convince the Iran-aligned Houthi movement to evacuate Yemen’s main port of Hodeidah expires on Tuesday night.

“We gave U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths 48 hours to convince the Houthis to withdraw from the port and city of Hodeidah,” UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash told France’s Le Figaro newspaper.

“We are awaiting his response. These 48 hours expire during the night of Tuesday and Wednesday.” (Reuters)


French President, Emmanuel Macron has accused the Italian government of “cynicism and irresponsibility” for refusing to let a stranded rescue ship packed with migrants dock in Italy.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte hit back angrily at France, calling its stance on migrants “hypocritical.” (BBC)


Greece has reached a deal on the name of its northern neighbour, which called itself Macedonia at the break-up of the former Yugoslavia.

After 27 years of talks and many protests, following Greece objection to the name Macedonia, over fears of territorial claims on its eponymous northern region, they have settled on the name Republic of North Macedonia, or Severna Makedonija in Macedonian.

The new name will now need to be approved by the Macedonian people and Greek parliament. (BBC)


The Prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has said that President Joseph Kabila will not seek a third mandate in the country’s delayed elections because of constitutional term limits that prevent him from running again.

“The elections are going to take place without the participation of President Kabila who will abide by the spirit and the letter of the constitution,” he said in an interview on the sidelines of the International Economic Forum of the Americas conference in Montreal, Canada. (Aljazeera)

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