A Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC Chief Ayirimi Emami has reacted to the allegation of sexual advances levelled against President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio by Senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, saying it’s a distraction and called for restraint.

The leader of the APC in Delta South, said, the escalating war of words amid the controversy was unnecessary given the very important and urgent needs of the nation that lawmakers would have to attend to.

CAPITAL POST recall that while speaking on Friday at Arise TV programme, Morning Show, the Kogi Central lawmaker alleged that she was being victimized by the Senate President following her rebuff of sex advances from the Senate President.

The APC chieftain in a statement made available to CAPITAL POST on Saturday, demanded immediate ceasefire from both federal lawmakers as he declared that enemies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration were determined to feast on it and create a distraction to Nigerians.

He noted that that “the avoidable media war, took the minds of majority of Nigerians off the critical issue of the N54.99 trillion 2025 budget President Tinubu signed into law Friday February 28.”

Chief Emami maintained that “rather than focusing on the nitty gritty of the 2025 budget and how it would accelerate the palpable progress being made in the country, many Nigerians are exerting their energies on the disagreement between the two distinguished Senators.”

While emphasing the need for the integrity of the Senate to be respected, he dropped the hint that APC leaders in the south south ” as family, we are making efforts to resolve the misunderstanding between the Distinguished Senate President, Goodswill Akpabio and our sister – in-law, Senator Natasha Akpoti – Uduaghan.

Emami appeal to both Senators to give peace a chance in the interest of the nation.

“By the grace of God and the wisdom of our good ancestors, the issues will be resolved soon.”

The Supreme Court of Nigeria, on Friday, delivered judgment in favour of 27 Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to the former governor of the State and now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

The Court said with the judgment in their favour, they should resume legislative activities immediately.
The apex Court further directed the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and the Accountant General of the Federation to stop further release of financial allocations to Rivers state government with immediate effect.

The Court said the order remains in force until the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, “stops all his illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional activities.”

The Supreme Court said that no money should be released to the Rivers state government until a lawful Appropriation Law is enacted under the Martin Amaewhule leadership of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

The five-member panel of Justices of the apex court, led by Justice Musa Uwani Aba-Aji, dismantled all actions carried out by governor Fubara for being unlawful.

The Court lambasted the governor for engaging in criminal activity by demolishing the House of Assembly with impunity just to prevent the 27 legislators in the Rivers State House of Assembly from sitting to carry out lawful duties.

Justice Agim ordered that the Clerk and Deputy Clerk who were unlawfully redeployed out of the House of Assembly must be allowed to resume work alongside the House of Assembly workers.

The court held that it was an aberration for governor Fubara to operate with only four out of the 32 House of Assembly members under the guise of baseless fears that he would be impeached.

According to the Justices on the panel, Fubara, by his unlawful acts among others, collapsed the House of Assembly and used his immunity under Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution to carry out barbaric acts against the rule of law.

The Supreme Court affirmed the concurrent judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court, both in Abuja, which had earlier declared the acts against the 27 Rivers State House of Assembly members as unlawful and illegal.

A sum of N10 million fine was imposed on Fubara to be paid to the House of Assembly and the 27 members who instituted the suit against him.

The Federal High Court had held in its judgment that the receipt and disbursement of monthly allocations since January last year by Governor Siminalayi Fubara was a Constitutional summersault and aberration that must not be allowed to continue.

Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, who delivered the Federal High Court judgment,t had last year issued an order that the presentation of the 2024 budget by Fubara before a four-member Rivers House of Assembly was an affront to the Constitutional provision.

Specifically, the Judge said that Fubara’s action in implementing an unlawful budget smacked of gross violations of the 1999 Constitution he swore to protect and consequently restrained the CBN, Accountant General of the Federation, Zenith Bank and Access Bank from further allowing Fubara to access money from the Consolidated Revenue and Federation Account.

Muslim Ummah have been asked to commence their Ramadan from Saturday 1st March, 2025 as the crescent has been sighted, according to the Sultan of Sokoto, Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar III.

According to him, the much expected crescent has been sighted in almost every parts of the country on Friday, hence March 1st has been declared as a holy month of Ramadan fasting, stating that the it was an equivalent to the 29th day of the Month of Shaban and thereby signifies Saturday, 1st of March as the First day of Ramadan 1446.

Sultan Abubakar, stated this in his address to journalists in his palace on Friday evening in Sokoto, noting that the report of positive sightings of the moon of Ramadan has been reported by almost every part of the country, which he said the council has verified and accepted.

He called on all Muslims to devote the month in praying to Allah and to pray for the leaders, the state and the country.

He called on Muslims across the country to extend hand of giving to the less privileged among them in order for them to participate in the fasting period.

He said the council got information of the moon sighting from many Islamic leaders cut across the length and breadth of the country which he said signifies the start of Ramadan fast on Tuesday.