Ayu Steps Down as PDP Chairman, Damagum Takes Over

Image

By Dipo Olowookere

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Iyorchia Ayu, has stepped down from the position and has been replaced by the Deputy National Chairman of the party for the northern region of the country, Mr Umar Iliya Damagum.

A statement issued on Tuesday by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Hon. Debo Ologunagba, confirmed this development.

It was disclosed that Mr Damagum would be the acting chairman of the country’s main opposition party, pending the determination of a case in court.

Recall that on Sunday, the executive of the PDP in Igyorov Ward of Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State suspended Mr Ayu for alleged anti-party activities.

He was accused of working against the success of the party in Igyorov Council Ward, and failed to “pay his Annual Subscription Fees as provided under Section 8 (9) of the constitution of the PDP 2017 (As Amended).”

“Further investigation also revealed that he did not vote during the Governorship and State Assembly Elections held on March 18, 2023.

“It was also discovered that most of his closest allies worked for the opposition party, the All Progressive Congress, APC, and hence, the abysmal performance of the PDP in Igyorov Ward.

“In view of the foregoing, we hereby pass a Vote of No Confidence on Dr Iyorchia Ayu and suspend him as a member of our party with immediate effect. The suspension takes effect from March 24, 2023,” the Ward Chairman of the PDP, Mr Kachi Philip, and the secretary, Mr Vangeryina Dooyum, announced while addressing journalists.

Today, the national spokesman of the party said Mr Ayu stepped aside from the position during the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP on Tuesday in Abuja, after the NWC acknowledged “the order of the Benue State High Court dated March 27, 2023 with regards to the chairmanship position of our great party.”

“After a careful consideration of the court order and in line with Section 45 (2) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017), the NWC resolved that the Deputy National Chairman (North), Umar Ililya Damagum, assumes the national chairmanship of our party in acting capacity with effect from today, Tuesday, March 28, 2023.

“The NWC charges all leaders, critical stakeholders, teeming members and supporters of our great party to remain calm and united at this critical time,” the statement said.

Share
Related Stories
Image
17-March-2024

Budget Padding: SERAP Urges Senate to Reinstate Ningi

By Adedapo Adesanya The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio, to recall Senator Abdul Ningi who was suspended for three months over his allegation of budget padding. Mr Ningi, the lawmaker representing Bauchi Central, was suspended for three months over an interview in which he alleged that the National Assembly padded the 2024 N28.7 trillion budget with about N3.7 trillion. He was quoted as saying, “For the first time in Nigerian history, today we are operating two different budgets. One budget was approved by the National Assembly and signed by President Bola

Image
15-March-2024

Makinde Confirms Passing of 42nd Olubadan Lekan Balogun at 82

By Modupe Gbadeyanka Governor Seyi Makinde has confirmed the passing of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, on Thursday. The monarch passed on last night at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Mr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, said. Mr Balogun ascended the throne about two years ago at the age of 80 after the demise of his predecessor, Oba Saliu Adetunji, in January 2022 at 93 years old. “With total submission to the will of God, I announce the passing unto glory of our father, His Imperial Majesty, Oba

Image
18-March-2024

NIMC, NCC to Pool Resources to Enhance NIN-SIM Linkage Processes

By Adedapo Adesanya The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have announced a strategic collaboration to enhance the National Identification Number(NIN)-SIM linkage processes. This was disclosed in a joint statement signed by the Technical Adviser, Media, and Communications to the DG/CEO of NIMC, Mr Ayodele Babalola, and the Director of Public Affairs, NCC, Mr Reuben Muoka. The NIN-SIM linkage exercise has received criticism due to the long process and constant need to harmonise data on the end of consumers with the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) threatening to drag the NCC to court if

Image
08-March-2024

NPA Grows Revenue 38.8% to N501bn in 2023

By Adedapo Adesanya The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) says its annual revenue grew by 38.8 per cent to N501 billion in 2023 from N361 billion in the preceding year. The Managing Director of NPA, Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, in a statement, attributed the revenue growth to the implementation of performance improvement measures. He said the growth was a continuous testament to the revenue profile of NPA which rose from N317 billion in the disruptive 2020 to N361 billion in 2022, despite its remittances to the Consolidated Revenue Account increasing from N80 billion to N91 billion in the last year. The statement

More Stories
Image
09-May-2023

Google Unveils Tool to Improve Emergency Maternal Care in Nigeria

By Modupe Gbadeyanka A new tool that shows decision-makers how quickly expectant mothers can access emergency obstetric care in Nigeria has been introduced by Google. This is expected to improve access to emergency maternal care in Nigeria seamlessly as the government and other stakeholders would have used the tool to know where to put healthcare facilities for easy access. This new tool uses Google’s internal directions Application Programming Interface (API) to estimate the travel time to the nearest, second nearest and third nearest EmOC facilities across specific regions in the country. It also builds on a dataset Google released in

Image
09-September-2016

World Bank Allots $500m For Basic Education In Nigeria

By Modupe Gbadeyanka About $500 million has been earmarked by the World Bank as grant to fund basic education in Nigeria for five years. It was disclosed that only five states in the northern part of the country would benefit from the largesse. This information was made known in a statement issued by the Information Officer of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Mrs Helen Okoro. Dr Olatunde Adekola was credited to have revealed this to UBEC and he is the Head, World Bank International Reconstruction and Development team. According to statement, the World Bank explained that the fund was

Image
11-February-2017

ExxonMobil Nigeria Appoints Paul McGrath New MD

By Dipo Olowookere Mr Paul McGrath has been announced as the new Chairman and Managing Director of ExxonMobil Nigeria. A statement issued Friday by the company’s Manager of Media and Communication, Mr Ogechukwu Udeagha, disclosed that the appointment of Mr McGrath takes effect from Wednesday, March 1, 2017. It was revealed that Mr McGrath is taking over from Mr Nolan O’Neal, who retires after 34 years of service. According to the statement, Mr McGrath was a senior executive in charge of project execution for ExxonMobil Development Company, based in Houston, Texas. He joined ExxonMobil in 1999 and had held a

Image
30-March-2022

CSCS Lifts NASD OTC Bourse by 0.07% to Positive Territory

By Adedapo Adesanya Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc championed the return of the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange into bullish territory as the exchange closed 0.07 per cent higher on Tuesday, March 29. The performance in the stock price of the security depository company expanded the market capitalisation of the bourse by N660 million to N951.46 billion from the N950.80 billion it quoted at the previous session. The bourse had recorded a significant swell at the previous session as Access Bank listed its securities on the platform following its foray into a holding company. At the close of transactions,

Image
20-November-2023

OkadaBooks to Shut Down Operations Over “Insurmountable” Challenges

By Adedapo Adesanya Nigerian e-book distribution startup, OkadaBooks, which allows users to bypass traditional publishers and publish their stories, will shut down by the end of this month. In a message seen by Business Post on Monday, the platform, which was established by Mr Okechukwu Ofili, said, “After much consideration and reflection, we have come to a difficult decision, OkadaBooks will be closing its virtual doors on November 30, 2023.” The statement added that, “This has not been an easy choice. We’ve explored various avenues to keep our virtual bookshelves alive, but, unfortunately, the challenges we face are insurmountable.” Mr

Image
30-March-2017

Abuja Airport Runway 57.5% Completed—Minister

By Dipo Olowookere Minister of State for Aviation, Mr Hadi Sirika, has disclosed that the reconstruction of the runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja was already 57.5 percent near completion. Speaking in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister said the project, mid-way into the six weeks earmarked for it, would be completed as scheduled. He told journalists during an inspection tour of the project that, “Work is going on smoothly as you can see. We have taken you round and everything is in order.” He said further that, “The contractor has mobilised fully and we have now gone about

Image
31-March-2023

Ajay Banga to Become World Bank President Unopposed

By Adedapo Adesanya The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors has announced Mr Ajay Banga, a US national, as the only nominee for the position of the bank’s next president and may clinch the post if he passes the next hurdle. This was contained in a statement issued by the World Bank on Friday. “The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors today confirmed that, as announced on February 22, the period for submitting nominations for the position of the next President of the World Bank Group closed on Wednesday at 6:00 pm ET.” “The board received one nomination

Image
26-June-2023

Universal Insurance, UBA, GTCO Lead Activity Chart

By Dipo Olowookere The trio of Universal Insurance Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, and Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) Plc topped the activity chart of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited last week, selling 865.658 million shares worth N12.138 billion in 4,786 deals. They accounted for 25.70 per cent and 28.91 per cent of the 3.369 billion shares worth N41.986 billion traded in the week in 39,764 deals. The total trading turnover for the week under consideration was lower than the 4.276 billion shares valued at N62.176 billion transacted in the preceding week in 44,344 deals. Further analysis showed that

Ad
Ad
Recent Stories
Image
19-March-2024

How Putin Won March 2024 Presidential Election

By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh After three days (March 15 to 17) of voting, Vladimir Putin is leading the Russian presidential election with 87.34% after 98% of ballots were counted, according to data from the Russian Central Elections Commission. Undoubtedly it gives Putin, who has been in power since the last days of 1999, another six-year term (2024-2030) to lead Russia, and to pursue with much vigour its foreign policy ambitions in the international system and push forward the much-trumpeted multipolar configuration with a focus on Global South. Putin’s assertive control over the political landscape has been solidified due to the

Image
19-March-2024

Moove Raises $100m in Fresh Race to Conquer New Markets

By Adedapo Adesanya Exactly a year after raising $105 million in an oversubscribed Series A2 round, African mobility company, Moove, has raised $100 million in a Series B funding round as it plots expansion into new markets. According to reports, the funding round was led by mobility giant, Uber and saw injection from others such as sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, The Latest Ventures, AfricInvest, Palm Drive Capital, Triatlum Advisors, and Future Africa. This now pushes Moove’s post-money valuation to $750 million. The company is helping to solve the continent’s acute problem of limited access to vehicle financing for millions of

Image
19-March-2024

Oil Stocks Trigger 1.77% Gain at NASD OTC Exchange

By Adedapo Adesanya Oil stocks, Aradel Holdings and Acorn Petroleum, led the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange to a 1.77 per cent appreciation on Monday, March 18. They increased the value of the alternative bourse by N24.85 billion during the trading session to N1.428 trillion from the N1.403 trillion it closed in the preceding, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) rose by 18.33 points to wrap the session at 1,053.98 points compared with 1,035.65 points recorded at the previous session. Aradel Holdings Plc, after recent profit taking, appreciated by N114.28 yesterday to settle at N1,734.28 per unit compared with last

Image
19-March-2024

Naira Trades N1,597/$1 at Official Market, N1,600/$1 at Black Market

By Adedapo Adesanya The Naira appreciated against the US Dollar at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) segment of the currency market on Monday by 0.3 per cent or N5.41 to close at N1,597.34/$1 compared with last Friday’s value of N1,602.75/$1. It also improved its value against the Pound Sterling in the official market yesterday by N50.97 to wrap the session at N2,003/£1 compared with the preceding session’s N2,054.06/£1 and gained N41.89 against the Euro to close at N1,712.69/€1 versus N1,754.58/€1. It was observed that the supply of forex, according to data from the FMDQ Securities Exchange, slightly waned

Image
19-March-2024

Brent Jumps to $86 Per Barrel on Low Crude Exports, Stronger Demand

By Adedapo Adesanya  The price of the international crude benchmark, Brent Crude, rose by 88 cents or 1.0 per cent to $86.22 per barrel on Monday, triggered by lower crude exports from Iraq and Saudi Arabia and signs of stronger demand and economic growth in China and the US. Also, the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude appreciated by $1.01 or 1.3 per cent to $82.05 per barrel, as Iraq, the second-largest producer in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), said it would reduce crude exports to 3.3 million barrels a day in the coming months to compensate

Image
18-March-2024

Cardoso Begins CBN Clean-up, Removes Directors Close to Emefiele

By Aduragbemi Omiyale There are strong indications that some directors at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) may have to lose their jobs in the in-house clean-up exercise by the Governor, Mr Yemi Cardoso. Reports suggest that Mr Cardoso wants to let go of some directors who worked closely with Mr Godwin Emefiele, who President Bola Tinubu believes worked to stop him from going to Aso Rock. Recall that during his electioneering campaign, Mr Tinubu accused the former CBN chief and some persons of introducing the botched Naira redesign policy to frustrate him. Immediately after he assumed office on May

Image
18-March-2024

Profit-Taking Depletes Nigerian Exchange by 0.40%

By Dipo Olowookere The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited succumbed to profit-taking on Monday, shedding 0.40 per cent despite a bullish investor sentiment. The local bourse ended with 27 price gainers and 18 price losers today, implying a positive market breadth index. The selling pressure was just investors booking profit after gains in the past few trading sessions, especially in MTN Nigeria, GTCO, Zenith Bank and others. The heaviest price depreciation was recorded by McNichols, 9.30 per cent, closing at N1.17, and was trailed by DAAR Communications, which shed 8.97 per cent to 71 Kobo. UPDC declined by 7.89 per cent

Image
18-March-2024

NCC Announces 90% Restoration of Voice, Data Services After Cable Cuts

By Adedapo Adesanya The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has announced that voice and data services affected by undersea cable cuts last week have been 90 per cent restored. In a series of tweets signed by Mr Reuben Muoka, the Director of Public Affairs at the commission on Monday, March 18, the NCC said, “Following the disruption on March 14, 2024, which affected data and voice services due to cuts in undersea fibre optics along the coasts of Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, we are pleased to announce that services have now been restored to approximately 90% of their peak utilization capacities.”

Image
18-March-2024

Unity Bank, SkillPaddy to Train Female Software Engineers

By Modupe Gbadeyanka At least 1,000 female software engineers will undergo a training programme organised by SkillPaddy through its Count Her In tech programme with support from Unity Bank Plc. The IT skill development and empowerment initiative is intended to bridge talent supply gaps while providing individuals with the opportunity to meet their training goals and launch careers in the tech industry. It was disclosed that about 40 young girls will receive full sponsorship from Unity Bank in the special training initiative which was conceived as part of activities to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day 2024. All beneficiaries of

Image
18-March-2024

Your Moods Soundtracked With Spotify’s New Daylist Feature

Throughout the day, your mood changes, and so does the music you listen to. Last night might have been an island vibes riddim Monday night, while this moment is more of a nostalgic 2010s Tuesday afternoon. The point is, that you’re ever-changing, and your playlists should be too. Say hello to daylist, your day in a playlist. This new, one-of-a-kind playlist on Spotify ebbs and flows with unique vibes, bringing together the niche music you typically listen to during particular moments in the day or on specific days of the week. It updates frequently between sunrise and sunset with a