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Arthur Nzeribe Who Set The Pace For Annulment Of June 12 Dies At 83

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Late Arthur Nzeribe

 

 

Na’Allah Muhammad Zagga

Controversial Nigerian politician Chief Arthur Nzeribe has died at the age of 83. He thrived on controversy and this record will haunt his memory. Speaking of a man’s record doesn’t mean speaking ill of the dead. It’s impossible to reflect on a man’s memory without talking about his record, even if it’s unflattering.

Nzeribe will be remembered as the politician who set the stage for the annulment of the June 12 presidential election of 1993, which was widely believed to have been won by Chief Moshood Abiola.

He went to court to seek the annulment of the election on frivolous grounds and Justice Bassey Ikpeme(now late) granted the request, setting the stage for scuttling the will of the people. The then chief Judge of Abuja Dahiru Saleh was also retired by the Obasanjo administration for his role in the June 12 annulment scandal.

June 12 had almost resulted in the disintegration of Nigeria. Haunted by the fear of imminent war, the country witnessed an exodus of its own citizens returning to their states of origin.

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Democracy Day: Initial plan for hand over was June 12 ,1999 not May 29- EL RUFAI.

In fact, the June 12 unleashed a Pandora’s box that forced former self-styled military President General Ibrahim Babangida to unceremoniously quit office and hastily putting together an Interim National Government, headed by the late UAC chairman chief Ernest Shonekan.

Shonekan’s government collapsed within 82 days because of its weak legal foundation. It was declared illegal by a court judge. Confusion and uncertainty set in. General Sani Abacha, the then Defence Secretary under the Interim Government, advised Shonekan to resign. It was a coup d’etat in disguise.

Abacha initially pretended that he took over to restore order and stability to the country, and restore democratic order. But it ultimately became obvious that he didn’t take over to restore Abiola’s mandate.

He declared war on the press and political opposition groups such as NADECO. He took advantage of regional sentiments to divide public opinion on June 12 annulment. June was supposed to be a national cause, but they turned it into a Yoruba problem. That was the damage our opportunistic politicians had done to our democracy.

The biggest blow to the June 12 struggle for the restoration of Abiola’s mandate was the opportunism of the country’s politicians. Members of Abiola’s own party SDP took up appointments as ministers under Abacha’s military regime. In fact, Abacha recruited these political snollygosters for the realisation of his own self-succession agenda.

Abacha’s self-succession agenda created a Political crisis and uncertainty of its own. Divine intervention on June 8, 1998, following the sudden death of General Sani Abacha, appeared to have reversed Nigeria’s journey into madness and uncertainty. General Abdulsalami Abubakar who succeeded Abacha released political prisoners and created a 9-month transition programme and faithfully kept to it, resulting in the election of General Olusegun Obasanjo as President in 1999.

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Court Restrains Anti-Corruption Commission, Others from interfering in MAAUN’s Affairs

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Court Sign

 

A Kano High Court has granted an interim injunction restraining the Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) and four other parties from interfering in the internal and external affairs of Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria (AAUN), Kano.

Justice Sanusi Ado Ma’aji of the High court of Kano Judicial Division issued the order, while ruling on a motion of ex parte filed by the management of the university.

The respondents in the suit are the Kano State Government, PCACC, Kano State House of Assembly and the state’s Attorney-General and concerned parents of the institution.

Justice Ma’aji in the court order dated December 11, 2025, restrained the respondents or any other person acting on their behalf from inviting officials of the institution or interfering in the administrative and academic activities of the intuition, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

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The court also directed all the parties to maintain status quo in relation to the matter between the applicant and the first respondent, pending the determination of the originating summons.

Speaking after the ruling, MAAUN’s counsel Zahraddeen M. Bello, said that the court’s decision reaffirmed the rule of law and the need for due process, saying the university will continue to operate within the confines of law, while the case is pending.

However, the court granted leave to the applicant to serve court processes on the fifth respondent at its office located at No. 224 Sabo Bakin Zuwo, Kano.

The matter was adjourned to December 29, 2025 and the order was given under the hand and seal of the presiding judge and was duly endorsed by the Principal Registrar of the court.

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Jigawa Trains Local Government Chairmen on 2025 Tax Reform Act

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The Jigawa Joint Task Committee has commenced a two-day capacity-building training for local government chairmen and policymakers. The two-day capacity program focused on the new Nigeria Tax Reform Act (NTA) 2025, which is scheduled to take effect nationwide on January 1, 2026.

The training gathered a contingent of state and local revenue stakeholders, including all 27 local government chairmen of Jigawa State, led by the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), revenue officers, and key policy and tax experts.

The core objective of the session was multifaceted: to enhance understanding of the NTA 2025 and its specific implications for local government administration, strengthen collaboration between state and local tiers for revenue harmonization and joint administration, and improve the technical capacity of local government leaders in deploying modern revenue processes and digital systems.

During the event, the Executive Chairman of the Jigawa Internal Revenue Service (JIRS), Dr. Nasir Sabo Idris, commended the state government’s leadership for its commitment to fiscal autonomy.

“I wish to acknowledge the immense support of His Excellency, Governor Malam Umar Namadi, FCA,” Dr. Idris said.

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According to Dr. Idris, Jigawa Governor’s commitment to revenue generation has been unwavering, ensuring a consistent improvement in the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

Dr. Idris pointed out that the upcoming launch of JigiTax, a wholly digital platform designed to streamline and modernize revenue collection across Jigawa State, is underway.

He said the move is seen as a direct response to strengthening transparency and blocking revenue leakages.

On his part, the Jigawa State Commissioner for Local Government, Ibrahim Graba Hannun-Giwa, whose address was delivered by the Director of Research, Malam Samaila Yusuf, said:

“The Ministry of Local Government is doing all it takes to continue supporting the visionary policies of Governor Namadi and driving policies that will shore up the revenue base of our local governments,” Malam Yusuf stated, emphasizing a unified approach to fiscal strength.

The dividends of the collaborative efforts were highlighted by the ALGON Chairman, who also serves as the Chairman of Dutse Local Government.

Speaking to newsmen, he asserted that the state’s disciplined approach had fundamentally altered the financial landscape at the grassroots level.

“With the commitment shown by Governor Namadi and the diligent efforts of the Jigawa Joint Revenue Committee, no local government in Jigawa now seeks intervention,” the ALGON Chairman declared.

He said, “Revenue loopholes are being systematically blocked, and improved compliance by different stakeholders, including markets and motor parks remitting their taxes, has significantly boosted our revenue drive.”

He further confirmed that the local governments had already undertaken a series of awareness trainings for all relevant stakeholders to ensure a seamless transition to the NTA 2025.

Barrister Aliyu Abdullahi said the in a paper presentation titled “State and Local Government in the Law,” by a legal practitioner. The paper specifically called for the legislative institutionalization of the Jigawa Joint Revenue Committee by the State House of Assembly. This institutional backing, the practitioner argued, would solidify the collaborative framework for revenue harmonization and ensure its longevity beyond the current administration.

 

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Former President Obasanjo Endorses Turaki’s Faction of PDP

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo hosted the national working committee (NWC) of a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun state.

The PDP faction visited the former president on Saturday, and Kabiru Turaki led the delegation.

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Those among the delegation are: Muazu Aliyu, former Niger governor; Jonah Jang, former governor of Plateau; Adolphus Wabara, former senate president, and many more.

Interacting with the delegation, Obasanjo commended the faction’s effort, adding that its members should “soldier on”.

The former president also urged the faction to remain steadfast in instilling discipline in the party, adding that:

“anybody who wants to belong to a political party must adhere strictly to its rules and regulations”.

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