Read today's newspaper headlines [Friday, July 1, 2016]

Find out what is making headlines all over the country from the covers of The Punch, The Guardian, Vanguard and more.

For today, July 1, 2016

THE PUNCH NEWSPAPER

Confusion in Abia as court stops swearing-in of Ogah

Thursday’s issuance of a Certificate of Return to Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah by the Independent National Electoral Commission  in Abuja has complicated the dispute over the governorship seat of Abia State.

Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had, on Monday, ordered the removal of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and ordered INEC to issue a Certificate of Return to Ogah, who was the first runner-up in the state governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Justice Abang had ordered the removal of Ikpeazu after finding him guilty of not presenting relevant tax certificates along with his forms submitted to INEC. READ MORE

Bad habits to avoid while using computer

The following bad habits that people indulge in while operating the computer can be harmful, both to the computer and their personal security. You may lose years of work, risk the security of your online accounts, or expose sensitive personal information. READ MORE

I support Buhari’s anti-graft war, will return N400m — Metuh

A former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metuh, has said he is in support of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war.

He stated that he was in search of money to return to the Federal Government the N400m he was paid by the regime of former President Goodluck Jonathan for image laundering.

Metuh is currently being tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for allegedly collecting the sum from the office of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.). READ MORE

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THE NATION NEWSPAPER

Stalemate in Abia

There was anxiety yesterday in Abia State after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) issued Dr. Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah a certificate of return as governor-elect.

But Governor Okezie Ikpeazu told residents to stay calm and insisted that he remained the governor.

The INEC action followed Monday’s judgment by Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, that following discrepancies in Ikepazu’s tax papers, he should not  have run as a candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2015 election. READ MORE

AGF to Senate: You cannot summon me

The ongoing war of attrition between the Presidency and the Senate got messier on Thursday.

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, said the Senate lacks the power to summon him for questioning.

The AGF, who was invited by the Senate to appear before its Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, said that he is not answerable to the lawmakers.

He said that the Senate did not appoint him and therefore lacks the jurisdiction to summon him. READ MORE

Oil price drops as Nigeria’s output rises

Oil prices dropped more than three per cent yesterday due to return of Nigerian and Canadian crude output from outages and as traders booked profits at the end of the best quarter in seven years.

According to Reuters, the market soared more than 25 per cent in the second quarter, as part of an 85 per cent rebound since hitting 12-year lows early this year, as unplanned production cuts from Canada to Nigeria eased the glut that prompted the worst price rout in a generation.

However, production in Nigeria has risen to about 1.9 million barrels per day (bpd) from 1.6 million, due to repairs and a lack of new major attacks on pipelines in the Delta region, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation said. READ MORE

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THE GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER

National Assembly adopts confab report for constitution review

The House of Representatives has given a tacit endorsement to the 2014 National Conference Report as it adopts the document for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution.

But yesterday, the Senate was silent on its own plans, though it emerged that the upper chamber had adopted the report of the fourth alteration on the Constitution which former President Goodluck Jonathan did not sign into law before leaving office.

Efforts to reach the Chairman of the Adhoc Committee on review of the Constitution and Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu yesterday, were futile as he did not pick calls placed to his two lines. READ MORE

Court strikes out certificate suit against Buhari

The suit challenging the eligibility of President Muhammadu Buhari to contest the 2015 election on account of his alleged lack of an academic certificate has been struck out by an Abuja High Court following a notice of discontinuance by the plaintiff, Nnamdi Nwokocha-Ahaiwe.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola had reserved yesterday for ruling on an application asking the court to stay execution of a judgment it earlier granted against the defendants.

When the matter was called yesterday, Nwokocha–Ahaiwe’s counsel, Chikordi Okeorji informed the court that the plaintiff had on June 27, filed a notice of discontinuance pursuant to order 50, Rule 2 (1) of the Federal High Court Rules. READ MORE

Court halts Ogah’s swearing-in as Abia governor

Victory dance by Dr. Sampson Uche Ogah who an Abuja Federal High Court presided over by Justice Okon Abang on Monday ordered to be issued a Certificate of Return as Abia State governor to replace Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has stopped for now.

Despite the Certificate of Return issued to Ogah, Ikpeazu has told people of the state that he remains their governor by virtue of the notice to appeal and motion for stay of the execution of the order he has filed at the Appeal Court.

Also, a State High Court sitting at Osisioma Ngwa yesterday pronounced an order of injunction restraining INEC from issuing a Certificate of Return to Ogah while Ikpeazu remains governor of the state. READ MORE

VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

Abia: One state, 2 govs?

Constitutional chaos broke out in Abia State, yesterday, after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, issued a certificate of return to Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship claimant, Uchechukwu Sampson Ogah.

The commission said its action was on the basis of a court ruling, Monday, by an Abuja Federal High Court which removed Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu from office as governor of the state, allegedly for failing to fulfil requirements expected of a candidate for the governorship. READ MORE

Zenith, FirstBank, GTbank, 7 others make Top 1,000 World Bank’s ranking

Ten Nigerian banks have made the 2016 Top 1000 World Bank ranking by Financial Times. Seven, however, featured in the top 25 Africa Banks going by their shareholders fund position. The banks are Zenith, which tops the Nigeria bank list with $2.837 billion shareholders fund. It was ranked the seventh top bank in Africa and 325th globally.

FirstBank ranked the second top bank in Nigeria with a shareholders fund of $2.036 billion, 11th top bank in Africa and occupied the 417th position in the global ranking. READ MORE

Forgery: Senate walks out Buhari’s aide, as AGF again shuns Senate summon

The crisis rocking the Senate over alleged forgery of the 2015 Standing Order yesterday took another dimension as the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters walked out the Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Prosecution, Okoi Obono- Oblo.

The committee also noted that failure of the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, to appear was not only a slap on the Senate, but also insultive. READ MORE