The main headlines in mainstream newspapers today, Friday, January 25, are focused on the southeast's request for the zone to be given the IGP slot and a spot on the Security Council, the threat by the US and UK to place visa restrictions on individuals who interfere in the Nigerian elections and recent developments in the ongoing trial of the chief justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen.
Kicking things off, The Nation is reporting that as President Muhammadu Buhari paid a visit to Onitsha, Anambra state on Thursday, January 24, to push his bid for re-election, Igbos tendered a list of requests to him.
They demanded that the president should appoint a south-easterner as inspector-general of police, stop Boko Haram’s insurgency and herders-farmers clashes and address marginalisation claims made by some regions.
The publication points out that the acting inspector-general of police, Mohammed Adamu, is from Lafia, Nasarawa state.
During the president's visit to Onitsha, he inaugurated the mausoleum of the First Republic president, the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe.
Front page of The Nation, Friday, January 25 (Photo credit: Legit.ng)
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On to the subject of the forthcoming general elections, The Guardian is reporting that the United States and United Kingdom have announced that those who unduly interfere with the exercise would face restriction of visas and other punitive measures.
Both countries, in two separate statements issued on Thursday, said they would be monitoring the elections ‘closely’ to ensure that they are free, fair and credible.
The US, on its part, stressed that although it had no preferred candidate, it was interested in the process because of Nigeria’s relevance to Africa and the world.
Front page of The Guardian, Friday, January 25 (Photo credit: Legit.ng)
Source: Depositphotos
Mirroring the position of the previous publication, This Day reports that the US and UK have announced sanctions, including visa restrictions and other repercussions for election interference and election-related violence in Nigeria.
Both countries demanded that the elections be fair and transparent, as they noted that that the exercise is very important to not just Nigeria but Africa.
The publication also notes that the US said though it does not support any specific candidate or party in the upcoming elections, it supports the Nigerian democratic process and a genuinely free, fair, transparent, and peaceful electoral process.
Nigeria’s presidential and National Assembly elections hold on February 16, while those for the governorship and state Houses of Assembly are slated for March 2.
Front page of This Day, Friday, January 25 (Photo credit: Legit.ng)
Source: Depositphotos
Still on the matter, Punch is reporting that the decision of the US and UK to sanction individuals who meddle in Nigeria's elections has been welcomed by opposition political parties on the platform of the Coalition of Political Parties (CUPP).
The coalition made its position public in a statement issued in Abuja by its first national spokesperson, Imo Ugochinyere.
While lauding the foreign governments for their decision, Ugochinyere described them as the true gatekeepers of democracy.
He said in part: “We, the opposition parties, are in full support of this decision by the UK and the USA, the true gatekeepers of democracy.
“On Monday, we will be releasing a list of 15 Buhari/APC associates involved in pre-election crisis.
“This statement from the UK and the US couldn’t have come at a better time. We have on many occasions reiterated the need for this visa ban on perpetrators of election violence and we are glad that finally, it is going to happen."
Front page of The Punch, Friday, January 25 (Photo credit: Legit.ng)
Source: Depositphotos
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And rounding things off with an entirely different subject, Vanguard is reporting that palpable reprieve came the way of Justice Walter Onnoghen, the embattled chief justice of Nigeria, as the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal on Thursday ordered the Code of Conduct Tribunal to stay further proceedings on the federal government's six-count charge against the former.
According to the publication, the Danladi Umar-led tribunal was ordered by the court, to temporarily hands-off the matter till January 30, a date it fixed to deliver ruling on an appeal the embattled CJN lodged before it.
The order was given by a three-man panel of justices of the appellate court, led by Justice Abdul Aboki, after listening to counsel to the CJN and that of the federal government regarding what previously transpired at the tribunal.
Front page of Vanguard, Friday, January 25 (Photo credit: Legit.ng)
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