The Late 5: Saraki, Abdulfatah announce defection from the APC, ‘Buhari has nothing to do with Ortom’s impeachment notice’ I More stories

These are the stories that drove the conversation today:

The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has announced that he is leaving the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has announced his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The Presidency has debunked claims linking President Muhammadu Buhari with the attempt by eight members of the 30-member Benue Assembly to commence impeachment proceedings against Governor Samuel Ortom,

In a statement released on Tuesday, Presidential Media Adviser, Femi Adesina stressed that President Buhari will never be part of any unconstitutional act, describing the reactions as “paranoia at its worst, coming from people who have wittingly positioned themselves against the clean-up of the country.”

“When it suits them, they preach separation of powers and true federalism, and in another breath, they call on the President to interfere brazenly in affairs at state level,” he added.

The Kwara chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the dissolution of the party executive council at the ward, local government and state levels by the Adams Oshiomole –led National Working Committee (NWC), describing the declaration as unlawful, null and void.

In a statement issued by the Publicity Secretary of the Kwara APC, Alhaji Sulyman Buhari, he said that there was no ground for the dissolution, insisting that the NWC erred and the Alhaji Ishola Balogun Fulani–led State Executive Committee (SEC) will exercise legal means to protect the constitutional mandates of the party leadership at the ward, local government and state levels.

The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, was on Tuesday grilled by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at its head office in Abuja over alleged financial crimes.

Spokesman of the commission, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed that Ekweremadu honoured an invitation by the Commission extended to him about seven days ago.

And stories from around the world:

Zimbabwe’s opposition says its candidate, Nelson Chamisa, has won Monday’s presidential election.

The MDC Alliance says the ruling Zanu-PF party is attempting to rig the vote to allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to win, and the delay in releasing official results is unacceptable. (BBC)

An Indonesian court disbanded the country’s largest Islamic State-linked group, Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), on Tuesday for “conducting terrorism” and affiliating itself with the foreign militant organization. (Reuters)

US intelligence agencies have found that North Korea is building new missiles, based on satellite photographs taken in recent weeks and other new evidence. (AFP)

An Israeli court has sentenced Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour to five months in prison for “inciting terrorism” in a poem she posted on social media, after having already served nearly three years under house arrest. (Aljazeera)

An operation in which an Italian towboat rescued more than 100 people in the Mediterranean and returned them to Libya may have been in breach of international law, the United Nations has said. (The Guardian, UK)

Read » The Late 5: Saraki, Abdulfatah announce defection from the APC, ‘Buhari has nothing to do with Ortom’s impeachment notice’ I More stories on YNaija