BREAKING: US' Interior Secretary, Zinke Steps Down Amidst Ethics Violations

Mr. Ryan Zinke would be leaving President Donald Trump’s White House administration amid pressure to step down from the Interior Department over allegations of ethics violations.

It was originally believed the United States' (US') Secretary of Interior would announce the decision on Wednesday, 19th December 2018 but in the morning of Saturday, 15th December 2018, the president tweeted: “Secretary of the Interior @RyanZinke will be leaving the Administration at the end of the year after having served for a period of almost two years.

“Ryan has accomplished much during his tenure and I want to thank him for his service to our Nation.”



The move arrived amidst vows from Democrats to launch numerous ethics probes, which would have resulted in costly legal fees for Mr. Zinke – a factor in his decision to resign from the department, Bloomberg reported.

President Trump also tweeted that a decision about his replacement would be announced next week.

Mr. Zinke, a former Republican congressman from Montana, is leaving his post weeks before Democrats take control of the House, a shift in power that promised to intensify probes into his conduct.

It would be recalled that He played a leading part in the president’s efforts to roll back environmental regulations and promote domestic energy development.

It's noteworthy that his departure comes amid a staff shake-up as Mr. Trump heads into his third year in office. The president on Friday, December 14, 2018 named Budget Director, Mr. Mick Mulvaney as new Chief of Staff, replacing Mr. John Kelly who would be leaving his post by the new year come 2019.

The interior secretary previously declared this year he was “100 per cent confident”, hence no wrongdoing would be found in the pending investigations against him.

Mr. Zinke faces a number of probes by federal investigators, including one involving dealings between a foundation he created and the chairman of an energy company.

“I’m 100 percent confident that every investigation will always end up in the same conclusion, which is that I follow all rules, procedures and, most importantly, the law,” Mr Zinke said in a November interview. “I have no desire to leave. I know I’m effective and doing the right thing.

JUST IN: Buhari Sets Up Committee On States' Legislature, Judiciary Autonomy

President Muhammadu Buhari has constituted an implementation committee on Autonomy of state legislature and state judiciary.

Femi Adesina, spokesman to the president disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, 9th December 2018.

He said the committee would drive the actualization of the autonomy granted to the legislature and judiciary at the state level.

According to the report, the committee would be chaired by Abubakar Malami, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and has representatives of state judiciary, such as N Ajanah, chief judge of Kogi state, and K Abiri, chief judge of Bayelsa state.

Other members are Khadi Abdullahi Maikano Usman, Grand Khadi, Gombe state sharia court of appeal, and Abbazih Musa Sadeeq, acting president of the FCT customary court of appeal.

Also represented on the committee are speakers of state houses of Assembly, and the Nigerian Bar Association, among others.

Adesina said the committee will monitor and ensure the implementation of financial autonomy across the judiciary and legislature of the 36 states.

The presidential aide said the committee would be inaugurated in due course.

BREAKING: Again, Buhari Declines Assent to Amended Electoral Act Bill

President Muhammadu Buhari has once again formally declined assent to the Electoral Act Bill as was newly amended by the National Assembly (NASS).

In a letter to both chambers of the NASS, President Buhari said passing a new bill with elections close by could ‘create some uncertainty about the legislation to govern the process.’

He also highlighted some parts of the bill that he said need legislative action.

Many politicians, including leaders of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had called on the president to assent to the bill.

A hint to President Buhari’s decision to withhold assent to the bill was first given by his aide on NASS Matters (Senate), Sen. Ita Enang, who said earlier on Friday, 7th December 2018 that the president had sent the bill back to parliament.

The president had declined assent to the bill in previous times, citing “drafting issues.”

Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan last week said Mr Buhari should take time to study the bill and take a decision he is comfortable with.

It would be recalled that President Buhari had first in March this year withheld assent to the bill with reasons that the proposed law would usurp the constitutional powers of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to decide on election matters, including fixing dates and election order.

However, after a second communication from the NASS, the president again in September, 2018 declined to assent to the bill.

The letter stated among other reasons the legislative encumbrance such new act may pose for the 2019 elections which are a little over two months away.

Such encumbrance Buhari said may create room for ‘disruption’ and ‘confusion’ during the 2019 elections.

“Pursuant to section 58 (4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, I hereby convey to the House of Representatives my decision on 6th December 2018 to decline presidential assent to the Electoral (Amendment) Bill, 2018 recently passed by the National Assembly.

“I am declining assent to the Bill principally because I am concerned that passing a new electoral bill this far into the electoral process for the 2018 general elections which commenced under the 2015 Electoral Act, could create some uncertainty about the applicable legislation to govern the process. Any real or apparent change to the rules this close to the elections may provide an opportunity for disruption and confusion in respect of which law governs the electoral process.”

President Buhari was referring to 2019 General Elections just about 72 days away.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed presidential and National Assembly elections for February 16, 2019, while governorship and state assembly elections will hold two weeks after on March 2.

Noting that his decision was taken ‘in the best interest of the country and our democracy,’ President Buhari wants the National Assembly to ‘specifically state in the Bill that the Electoral Act will come into effect commencing after the 2019 General Elections.’

Asides election concerns, President Buhari also noted some legislative amendments the bill requires.

“It is also important for the following drafting amendments to be made to the Bill:

a. Section 5 of the Bill, amending section 18 of the Principal Act should indicate the subsection to which the substitution of figure “30” for figure “60” is to be effected.

b. Section 11 of the Bill, amending Section 36 should indicate the subsection in which proviso (provision) is to be introduced.

c. Section 24 of the Bill which amends Section 85 (1) should be drafted in full as the introduction of “electing” to the sentence may be interpreted to mean that political parties may give 21 days’ notice of the intention to merge as opposed to the 90 days provided in Section 84 (2) of the Electoral Act which provides the provision for merger of political parties.

d. The definition of the term “Ward Collection Officer” should be revised to reflect a more descriptive definition than the capitalized and undefined term “Registration Area Collation Officer”

The latest decline makes it the third time Mr Buhari withheld his assent to the electoral bill.

Prior to the decline, opposition and critics of the government have accused him of withholding his assent due to his fear of legalising the use of card readers for elections

INEC has been using the card reader for recent elections but the machine is yet to be incorporated into the country’s electoral law.

It's noteworthy that the NASS is yet to react to this latest development.