The Late 5: Reps summon Buhari over killings, INEC commences Melaye’s recall process, and other top stories

These are the top five Nigerian stories that drove conversation today.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has commenced the recall process of the senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye.

INEC on Wednesday announced the commencement of verification exercise of voters in his constituency.

This follows the Appeal Court ruling which gave INEC the go-ahead to carry out the exercise.

The exercise, scheduled for Saturday, April 28th, is in line with the constitutional provision that 50+1 registered voter must be confirmed to have signed the recall petition register.


The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday nullified the National Assembly Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which ought to provide the order in which Independent National Electoral Commission must conduct the 2019 general elections.

Delivering judgment in a suit filed by Accord Party to challenge the bill, Justice Ahmed Mohammed held that the bill was in clear breach of the provisions of paragraph 15(a) of the Third Schedule of the Constitution which empowers INEC to organise and conduct elections.

The judge also ruled that INEC has issued its timetable for the 2019 general elections, the later passage of the bill to reverse the electoral body’s decision was in breach of sections 4, 5 an 6 of the Constitution.


The Nigerian Senate has read a letter from President Muhammadu Buhari seeking approval to purchase six Tucano helicopters worth $496,374,470 (151, 394, 421, 035 Naira) from the US.

According to the president, the helicopters are meant to support the drive to improve the security of the nation.


A federal high court Sitting in Lagos has ordered the remand of Peter Nwaoboshi, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator from Delta state, in Ikoyi prison, Lagos.

The remand order follows the arraignment of the senator by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of fraud.

Last week, the anti-graft agency arrested Nwaoboshi whose name is on the looters list recently released by the federal government.

Nwaoboshi represents Delta north senatorial district in the upper legislative chamber.

The EFCC arraigned Nwaoboshi over an alleged N805 million fraud.


The house of representatives has summoned President Muhammadu Buhari over the incessant killings in the country.

The president was summoned during plenary on Wednesday.

The lawmakers asked the president to appear before them and give a briefing on the security situation in the country.

However, they did not state when the president is expected to appear. The lawmakers also passed a vote of no confidence on service chiefs for failing to stop the killings.

They also resolved to “shut down” for three legislative days to protest the killings.


And now, stories from around the world…

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has questioned the legitimacy of efforts by the US and its European allies to change a nuclear deal with his country.

The US and French leaders announced on Tuesday that they were working on a “new deal” that would expand and extend the terms of the 2015 accord.

But Mr Rouhani said they had no “right” to renegotiate a seven-party agreement.

He also dismissed US President Donald Trump as a “tradesman” not qualified to comment on global treaties.

“You don’t have any background in politics,” he said. “You don’t have any background in law. You don’t have any background on international treaties.”


Danish inventor Peter Madsen has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of the Swedish journalist Kim Wall on his submarine.

Madsen had planned to kill Ms Wall, 30, either by suffocating her or cutting her throat, the Copenhagen court heard.

Her dismembered remains were found by Danish police at sea on 21 August last year, 11 days after she interviewed him on board his homemade vessel.

Madsen, 47, has said he will appeal against the conviction.

He was found guilty of premeditated murder and sexual assault after previously admitting to dismembering Ms Wall’s body on the submarine and throwing her remains overboard.


The White House is rallying around its nominee to lead the department of Veterans Affairs, who is facing scrutiny over a series of allegations.

A top White House aide said that Donald Trump “will be defending him”, as a top senator on the Veterans Affairs committee revealed new claims.

Senator Jon Tester said Dr Jackson was nicknamed “the candy man” because he handed out medications “like candy”.

Hours earlier Mr Trump said that he should reconsider if he wants the job.

“If I were him, I wouldn’t do it,” Mr Trump said on Tuesday during a news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.


Emmanuel Macron may be known in the US for his close relationship to President Donald Trump, but in his address to Congress on Wednesday, the French President took aim at several key points of Trump’s agenda.

Speaking before US lawmakers from both the Senate and the House, Macron pressed the United States to engage more in global affairs, contrasting with the steps the Trump White House has taken toward isolationism since he came into office. Macron also pushed the US to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, which Trump announced his country would leave last year, and made the case for supporting the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump has sharply condemned.

“The 21st century has brought a series of new threats and new challenges that our ancestors might have never imagined,” Macron said. “We can build the 21st century world order based on a new breed multilateralism, based on a more effective, accountable, and results-oriented multilateralism.”


As part of sweeping new internet regulations, the Tanzanian government has introduced a $930 fee for those wanting to have an online blog, giving the authorities unprecedented control over the internet.

The government now requires all bloggers to pay the annual fee and register before they begin publishing material.

The state-run Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) said in a statement bloggers and content providers have until May 5 to complete the application process.

It’s not just bloggers affected by the provisions, but online radio stations, online streaming platforms, online forums, social media users and internet cafes.

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