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Longest serving US Senate leader Mitch McConnell to step down

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will step down as GOP leader in November, the Kentucky Republican announced on the Senate floor Wednesday, marking the end of an era on Capitol Hill and setting up a high-stakes race for his successor.

 

He will continue to serve in the US Senate but will allow “the next generation of leadership” to take the helm of the Senate Republican Conference.

McConnell, who turned 82 last week, has been in the US Senate since 1985.

He said on Wednesday February 28 that “the end of my contributions are closer than I prefer.”

 

McConnell has made history over the course of his political tenure and in 2023, McConnell became the longest-serving Senate party leader in history.

Recently, McConnell has found in himself at odds with members of his conference particularly over the issue of additional US funding for the war in Ukraine.

He also has a strained relationship with the Republican Party’s front-runner for the presidential nomination: Donald Trump with reports that the pair hadn’t spoken in more than three years.

 

“As I have been thinking about when I would deliver some news to the Senate, I always imagined a moment when I had total clarity and peace about the sunset of my work,” McConnell said in his floor remarks. “A moment when I am certain I have helped preserve the ideals I so strongly believe. That day arrived today.”

He received a standing ovation at the end of his remarks, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, approached him afterwards to shake his hand.

 

While serving as Senate majority leader during former President Donald Trump’s time in office, McConnell helped guide three Trump-nominated Supreme Court justices to confirmation — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — as well as the confirmations of a vast number of conservative judges to the federal bench, transforming the federal judiciary in the process.

After a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, seeking to overturn Joe Biden’s presidential win, McConnell blamed Trump for provoking the attack, but still voted to acquit him of inciting an insurrection after the House moved to impeach.

He also led the Senate’s certification of the presidential election that the rioters pledged to overturn, and strongly condemned the violence at the Capitol.

McConnell has suffered a string of high-profile health incidents over the past year.

In March, he was treated for a concussion after a fall at a hotel in Washington, DC.

Months later, McConnell experienced episodes where he briefly appeared to freeze up on two separate occasions while speaking with reporters, incidents that sparked questions and concern over the Kentucky Republican’s health and fitness to lead the Senate Republican conference.

McConnell on Wednesday said his decision to step down came following the death of his wife Elaine Chao’s youngest sister, Angela, in a traffic accident earlier this month.


“As some of you may know, this has been a particularly difficult time for my family. We tragically lost Elaine’s younger sister, Angela, just a few weeks ago. When you lose a loved one, particularly at a young age, there’s a certain introspection that accompanies the grieving process. Perhaps it is God’s way of reminding you of your own life’s journey to reprioritize the impact of the world that we will all inevitably leave behind,” he said.

He thanked his wife of 31 years, calling her the “love of my life” and that “I’m eternally grateful to have her by my side.”

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Councillors impeach two Edo LG Chairmen

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Councillors impeach two Edo LG Chairmen
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Councillors impeach two Edo LG Chairmen

Two chairmen in Uhunmwonde and Orhionmwon local government areas of Edo State have been impeached by their councillors.

The events were marked by accusations of violence, illegal actions, and political interference.

A similar situation also unfolded in Owan East, where the chairman and his deputy faced what they described as an unconstitutional impeachment process.

In Uhunmwonde, the impeachment process turned violent as armed men attacked bystanders, leaving several people injured.

The council chairman, Kenneth Adodo, accused the attackers of being policemen sent from the government house.

In Orhionmwon, the councillors impeached the Leader of the House, Daniel Osariemen, on Wednesday.

They claimed Osariemen was working to remove the council chairman, Newman Ugiagbe, and his vice, Midwest Ogbebor.

Following his impeachment, Osariemen allegedly led unknown persons to take over the council secretariat in Abudu.

He reportedly resumed work there as the acting chairman, but Ugiagbe dismissed his actions as illegal.

In Owan East, the chairman, Prince Aminu Okodo-Kadiri, and his vice, Clement Ojebuovbo, were also impeached.

Okodo rejected the impeachment, calling it unlawful and saying it did not follow proper procedures.

He argued that the law requires a seven-member investigative panel to handle such cases, but no panel was formed. He also claimed he was not given a chance to defend himself.

Okodo further pointed out that the mace used during the impeachment was not the official one for the Owan East Council, which he said made the process invalid.

He accused two suspended councillors of being part of the impeachment, even though they had not been reinstated officially.

The chairman also responded to allegations from the state governor that council chairmen misused ₦50 million meant for salaries.

Okodo said these claims were false, explaining that monthly salary expenses in most councils are higher than ₦50 million.

He added that all salaries had been paid up to November and that bank records showed no mismanagement of funds.

Okodo described the impeachment as politically motivated and vowed to take legal action.

He expressed confidence that the court would overturn the decision and restore his position.

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Breaking News: I am An Igbo Man, Anioma is Igbo, Nothing like Delta Igbo. We are all Igbos – Ifeanyi Okowa

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Breaking News: I am An Igbo Man, Anioma is Igbo, Nothing like Delta Igbo. We are all Igbos – Ifeanyi Okowa

Governor Okowa said there is nothing like delta igbo or Anioma igbo. He stated that we are all igbo people.
Igbo language to be included in school curiculum in all schools in all the igbo areas in delta state.
Me:
Okowa Dalu…Bini Land grabbers…Cry more…how can you even be claiming someone who does not understand your language, practice ur culture and bear your naive names… Anioma Igbo.
Follow us Sylvester Joseph

Almighty Unify IGBOS Now Deputy Jesus

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JUST IN: Governor Sim Fubara Signs N1.1 trillion Rivers state 2025 Budget Into Law.

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JUST IN: Governor Sim Fubara Signs N1.1 trillion Rivers state 2025 Budget Into Law.

 

His Excellency, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, has signed into law the 2025 Rivers State Appropriation Bill, totaling 1.1 trillion naira.

Below are the statements of His Excellency as he signed into law the Appropriation Bill, tagged “Budget of Inclusive Growth & Development.”

“Let me first thank the Rivers State House of Assembly for doing a very diligent job and also realizing that what we have ahead of us is to continue to work for Rivers people. So, I want to thank you for working very, very hard and ensuring that we hit the ground running in this new year.”

“I want to say this, maybe for some persons somewhere who are still mixing up issues: we have only one Assembly, and that Assembly is headed by Rt. Hon. Victor Oko Jumbo. A group of friends about nine or ten months ago embarked on what they call a “Sinbad Journey.” Halfway through the journey, while they were coasting, they realized they were entering into the den of devils and sharks. They now retrieved, but it is too late. The truth is, we are not going back. We have given enough room for peace. As it stands now, our majority target is the interest of Rivers State and to continue to defend the integrity of governance. As far as I’m concerned, we have moved on.”

“Let me thank everyone who made this possible. We made a promise to you that we would continue to keep the interests of Rivers State first. So now that this bill has been signed, I can assure you that every projection in it will be kickstarted so that the record of performance accorded to this administration in the year 2024 will be surpassed in this year.”

“Let me thank my management team, that is, my exco, for all the support, most especially my deputy and everyone—the Commissioner for Finance, Budget, and the acting Internal Revenue Chairman—for the wonderful job they did last year. We expect you to do more because we have a bigger task ahead of us.”

“We have made some promises to our people in education, health, and agriculture. We must ensure we make a good impact, just like we have done in the areas of road infrastructure and other aspects of the economy.”

“Let me, on this note, thank everyone and wish you a happy and prosperous New Year ahead as we continue the journey of making Rivers State great again.”

“Thank you.”

– John Martins®️

Thursday, 02 January, 2025

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