The Late 5: Uzodinma says he was not arrested, accuses Okorocha of plotting story; I’m not bothered about my non-confirmation – Magu | Other top stories

These are the stories that drove the conversation today:

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship candidate in Imo, Senator Hope Uzodimma has refuted reports that he was arrested by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property on Sunday.

Director of Media and Special Duties to the APC flag bearer, Declan Emelumba, in a statement to Vanguard  pointed out that “there is absolutely no iota of truth in the story trending online,” adding that “the story was planted by Governor Rochas Okorocha and his co-horts out of their dare-devil desperation to damage the image of the distinguished Senator before the Imo electorate who are poised to vote for him in 2019.”

Okorocha has refused to come to grips with the reality that his son-in-law will not succeed him as governor and is going all out to damage APC and its governorship candidate in next year’s election just to see if he can substantiate his false claim that there can be no APC in Imo state without him,” the statement read in part.


President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said he is currently doing his best to utilize resources in developing the country, stressing that Nigeria is getting results on road, rail and power.

The president who said this during an interactive session with the Nigerian community in Paris, equally reiterated his commitment towards developing the educational sector, noting that allocations to the educational sector will be improved as revenue increases.

“My frustration is that some people still have plenty stolen money stashed in Europe, U.S and other countries,” he added.


Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Monday accused state governors of routinely stealing funds meant for Local Governments in the country, lamenting that many of the third tier of government could not perform their statutory functions as they have been “incapacitated financially” by the state governments.

Speaking to members of a Non-Governmental Organisation who visited him to seek his support for the Local Government Autonomy Bill, he disclosed that state governors have remained opposed to the agitation because they pilfer Local Governments’ funds through the idea of a “joint account.”

“Those state executives and the legislatures that have prevented the bill from being passed, they must be taken as the enemy of the people and they should be treated as such,” he said.


Vice Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi, has attributed the alleged intimidation of the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar by security agents who searched his private jet on return from Dubai last Sunday to his being the presidential candidate of an opposition party.

The former Anambra Governor who disclosed this at a programme he featured on Arise Television, stressed that he has been privileged to travel with a number of high-profile people in the past in a private jet where they gave him a lift, adding that he never experienced such.

“His only offence is that he is the presidential candidate of an opposition party. It is not as if you are not allowed to do a routine check,” Obi said.


Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, says he is not bothered about the issue of his confirmation as the substantive Chairman of the anti-graft agency, as what is of utmost importance to him is uprooting the monster of corruption from the country and redeeming its much battered image.

In a parley with journalists on Monday, he stressed that his only focus was to concentrate on targets and get the work done, noting that by lobbying for confirmation “you can’t be fair, you can’t be balanced.”

“If people are in a hurry to confirm you in this work that I am doing, it means you are not working, it means you are derailing, you are not doing what is required because in this job there is no fear or favour,” Magu added.


And stories from around the world:

Turkey reacted with fury on Monday after French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said President Tayyip Erdogan was playing a political game over sharing intelligence about the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Similarly, Canadian intelligence officers have listened to Turkish recordings of what happened to Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday, adding that he was discussing with allies what next steps should be taken. (Reuters)


Libya’s rival factions and key international players Monday met in the Italian city of Palermo amid United Nations-led efforts to re-ignite a stalled political process and set the stage for general elections. (Al Jazeera)


Amnesty International has withdrawn its most prestigious human rights prize from Aung San Suu Kyi, accusing the Myanmar leader of perpetuating human rights abuses by not speaking out about violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority. (Reuters)


At least 150 people have been killed in 24 hours of clashes in the Yemeni port city of Hodeida, medics said Monday, as Britain’s top diplomat visited Riyadh seeking to boost international calls for a ceasefire. (AFP)


Violence has flared between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, a day after seven militants and an Israeli soldier were killed during an undercover Israeli operation in Gaza. (BBC)

 

 

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