APC wins 214 House of Reps’ seats

                                         National Chairman, All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun

The All Progressives Congress will firmly be in control of the 8th House of Representatives as the majority party with over 214 members.

There are a total of 360 seats in the second chamber of the National Assembly.

Figures emerging from the outcome of the March 28 National Assembly poll, show that APC members are now 214, against the Peoples Democratic Party, which has 125 lawmakers.

The statistics gives a gap of 89 between the APC and the PDP in favour of the former.

The figures, which The PUNCH obtained on Tuesday, exclude the 11 federal constituency seats in Jigawa State, where election has yet to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

When elections for the 11 seats are conducted, the APC will possibly get additional seats, meaning that its numerical strength in the House may be well above 214 at inauguration on June 6.

Buhari, Obasanjo hold secret meeting in Lagos

                                                                                 Obasanjo and Buhari

The President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday held a secret meeting in Lagos.

Our correspondent learnt that the meeting which held at the Presidential wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, lasted for almost an hour.

The meeting, it was learnt, was the first meeting the two would have since Buhari was declared winner of the presidential election on April 1.

It was learnt that Buhari and other All Progressives Congress leaders had come to Lagos for a thank you visit and to campaign for the party’s governorship candidate, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, but had a meeting with Obasanjo before setting out to campaign in the Orile area of the state.

16 parties storm INEC, demand Rivers REC’s removal

                                                                                     Protesters at INEC office

Sixteen political parties from Rivers State stormed the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja on Tuesday, asking for the immediate removal of the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ms. Gesilia Khan.

They said the REC must not be allowed to conduct the Saturday governorship and the state House of Assembly elections in the state.

They also called for the removal of the Head of Operations at INEC, Mr. Bocco Ekong, for allegedly conniving with the REC to rig the elections in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party.

The political parties accused the REC of conniving with the PDP and its governorship candidate, Mr. Nyesom Wike, to rig the April 11 elections in the state.

Chaos in Ekiti

                                                      Atikankan roundabout in Ado Ekiti.. . on Tuesday

Armed policemen and soldiers took over strategic places in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital on Tuesday as the anti-impeachment protests by the Peoples Democratic Party members entered the second day.

The mayhem which also took place in Igede,   Itawure, Efon Alaaye, Iworoko, Aisegba, Ikere, Ise, Ogotun and Igbemo,   led to the death of one person, accidents and the closure of banks.

Nineteen All Progressives Congress members of the state House of Assembly had served an impeachment notice on Governor Ayodele Fayose, citing eight impeachable offences,   including impunity, violence, stalking and other constitutional breaches, against him.

Use dollars for local transactions, go to jail – CBN

                                                                        CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele

The Central Bank of Nigeria on Tuesday raised concerns over the increasing use of foreign currencies as a medium of exchange in the country and warned that persons caught in the illegal act risked a six-month jail term upon conviction.

The central bank said in a statement that some individuals and corporate bodies had been using foreign currencies, especially the United States dollar, to price some of their products and services, and were also using same as a medium of exchange.

The development, the bank said, was against the provisions of the CBN Act, 2007, and asked members of the public to report anyone caught transaction business in the country in foreign currencies to it or the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.