Headlines
Scandal-Hit Boris Johnson Faces Major Test in Local UK Elections
By Derrick Bangura
John Jones is the sort of voter that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson cannot afford to lose – but already has.
Jones, who backed Johnson’s Conservatives at the national election three years ago when the party swept to a landslide victory, regrets his decision after the prime minister broke his own coronavirus lockdown laws to attend alcohol-fuelled gatherings in his Downing Street office.
he 75-year-old retired hospital supplies manager said he won’t vote Conservative again until Johnson has gone.
“I am absolutely disgusted at the way he has behaved,” Jones told Reuters in the market town of Newcastle-under-Lyme in central England, a key battleground in local authority elections being held next week.
“I have had enough of watching him act like a clown. You only have to look at his haircut and the way he dresses to realise that he is not taking this job seriously.”
In 2019, Johnson upended conventional British politics by winning in both the traditional Conservative southern heartlands and more industrial areas in central and northern England.
But his support has waned as the government grapples with a cost-of-living crisis and revelations about his conduct.
Now many Conservative lawmakers are wondering if he is still an electoral asset, and a poor showing in local elections next Thursday might provoke a leadership challenge.
One of the most closely watched contests will be Newcastle-under-Lyme, about 170 miles northwest of London.
The Brexit-backing town, once known for coal and steel, was traditionally a stronghold for the main opposition Labour Party, but the Conservatives won the parliamentary seat in 2019 for the first time in a century, and outright control of the council for the first time ever last year.
Labour councillor David Grocott said he had found widespread anger that senior government officials were partying while the public were obeying strict rules which meant some could not say farewell to loved ones dying in hospital.
“Everybody is allowed to make mistakes, we are all human, but I think the hard thing is he has not broken the rules one time, but multiple times,” said Grocott, who was unable to see his father in hospital before he died from COVID in 2020.
Trevor Johnson, a local Conservative councillor who is standing for re-election, admitted some voters were angry but said the backlash was not as severe as he had feared.
“I think he can bounce back,” he said. Johnson’s name and photo were conspicuous by their absence from his pamphlets.
FOCUS ON UKRAINE
According to a YouGov poll after Johnson was fined, almost 80% thought he had lied about parties, while other surveys show the public overwhelmingly think he should resign.
Johnson says he is focused on the major crises of the day – the highest inflation in three decades and the war in Ukraine.
In Crawley, a town south of London which has a Conservative member of parliament (MP) but whose council is evenly split, the issue was a key factor for some voters.
Terrina Joughin, 58, a live-in carer, who had to prevent family members from entering homes when her patients died of COVID, is disgusted. “I used to vote Conservative, I don’t even vote at all now because I can’t trust anyone,” she said.
Another Conservative voter Juliet Shenton, 61, also wants Johnson gone. “Are they lying to us about other things?” she asked?
The prime minister and his supporters will hope such discontent is not widespread, and he remains popular with some.
John Lathbury, 86, said he couldn’t care less about parties and would continue to vote Conservative, while Merry Farr, 77, said “Boris” needed to stay and stand up to Russia.
HOW LOW CAN JOHNSON GO?
The key question will be how bad results need to be for Conservative MPs, a number of whom have already voiced discontent, to turn on Johnson.
Elections are being held in local authorities across Wales and Scotland, and mainly in towns and metropolitan areas of England, including London which is already dominated by Labour.
Of almost 7,000 seats being contested, Labour are defending far more than the Conservatives in England.
An analysis by pollster Find Out Now and political consultancy Electoral Calculus suggested the Conservatives could lose some 800 council seats and Labour could gain control of about 20 councils including Newcastle-under-Lyme and Crawley.
A poor performance in local elections can presage the ousting of an unpopular prime minister. Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May lost some 1,330 seats in May 2019 and in a month announced she would step down.
Academics Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher say a loss of 350 Conservative seats would be bad for the Conservatives but losses might be limited by a lack of enthusiasm for Labour under leader Keir Starmer, whose own position could be under pressure if his party is seen to have underperformed.
“All he does is slag Boris off and jumps on any bandwagon,” said Jill Jordan, an antiques dealer in Newcastle-under-Lyme who previously voted Labour. “Starmer doesn’t appear to have any ideas of his own. That is not leadership.”
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ogun Area 1 Command, has handed over illicit drugs worth N117.59 million to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The Comptroller of the command, Mr James Ojo, disclosed this during the handing over of the drugs to Mr Olusegun Adeyeye, the Commander of NDLEA, Idiroko Special Area Command, in Abeokuta, Ogun, on Friday.
Ojo said the customs handed over the seized cannabis and tramadol tablets to the Idiroko Special Command for further investigation in line with the standard operating procedures and inter-agency collaboration.
He said the illicit drugs were seized in various strategic locations between January and November 21, 2024, in Ogun State.
He added that the illicit drugs were abandoned at various locations, including the Abeokuta axis, the Agbawo/Igankoto area of Yewa North Local Government Area, and Imeko Afton axis.
Ojo said that the seizure of the cannabis sativa and tramaling tablets, another brand of tramadol, was made possible through credible intelligence and strategic operations of the customs personnel.
“The successful interception of these dangerous substances would not have been possible without the robust collaboration and support from our intelligence units, local informants and sister agencies.
“These landmark operations are testament to the unwavering dedication of the NCS to safeguard the health and well-being of our citizens and uphold the rule of law,” he said.
He said the seizures comprised 403 sacks and 6,504 parcels, weighing 7,217.7 kg and 362 packs of tramaling tablets of 225mg each, with a total Duty Paid Value of N117,587,405,00.
He described the height of illicit drugs smuggling in the recent time as worrisome.
This, he said, underscores the severity of drug trafficking within the borders.
“Between Oct. 13 and Nov. 12 alone, operatives intercepted a total of 1,373 parcels of cannabis sativa, weighing 1,337kg and 362 packs of tramaling tablets of 225mg each,” he said.
Ojo said the seizures had disrupted the supply chain of illicit drugs, thereby mitigating the risks those substances posed to the youth, families and communities.
He lauded the synergy between its command, security agencies and other stakeholders that led to the remarkable achievements.
Ojo also commended the Comptroller General of NCS for creating an enabling environment for the command to achieve the success.
Responding, Adeyeye, applauded the customs for achieving the feat.
Adeyeye pledged to continue to collaborate with the customs to fight against illicit trade and drug trafficking in the state.
The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) on Friday said that it had intercepted 849 kegs of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), worth over N30 million in retail price from Operation Whirlwind.
The Comptroller of Customs, Hussein Ejibunu, made this known during a news conference in Ikeja.
“Today, we have another seizure of 849 kegs of PMS containing 25 litres each. This translates to 30,225 litres with duty paid value at N30.225 million only at the NNPCL retail price.
“Today marks yet another success recorded by the operatives of Operation Whirlwind, Zone “A” Lagos/Ogun Axis.
“About five weeks ago, same PMS products were displayed before you here on the parade ground of the college where several seizures were made,” Ejibunu said.
“On this note, we wish to thank the National Security Adviser and the Comptroller-General of Customs for their unwavering support,” Ejibunu said.
The coordinator of the Operation Whirlwind said that two vehicles of means of conveyance were intercepted along with the seizures.
Ejibunu said that they evacuated 80 Jerry Cans each from a vehicle.
He assured the public that Operation Whirlwind remains steadfast in its efforts to clamp down on PMS smugglers, ensuring no room for their illegal activities nationwide.
Prominent Niger Delta human rights activist and environmentalist, Ann-Kio Briggs, has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s decision to scrap the Ministry of Niger Delta, describing it as ill-advised and detrimental to the oil-rich region.
Briggs expressed her concerns during an appearance on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political programme aired on Channels Television.
“The Ministry of Niger Delta was created by the late (President Umaru) Yar’Adua. There was a reason for the creation. So, just removing it because the president was advised. I want to believe that he was advised because if he did it by himself, that would be terribly wrong,” she stated.
President Tinubu, in October, dissolved the Ministry of Niger Delta and replaced it with the Ministry of Regional Development, which is tasked with overseeing all regional development commissions, including the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), North-West Development Commission, and North-East Development Commission.
Briggs questioned the rationale behind the restructuring, expressing concerns about its feasibility and implications. “But that’s not going to be the solution because who is going to fund the commissions? Is it the regions because it is called the Regional Development Ministry? Is it the states in the regions? What are the regions because we don’t work with regions right now; we are working with geopolitical zones,” she remarked.
She added, “Are we going back to regionalism? If we are, we have to discuss it. The president can’t decide on his own to restructure Nigeria. If we are restructuring Nigeria, the president alone can’t restructure Nigeria, he has to take my opinion and your opinion into consideration.”
Briggs also decried the longstanding neglect of the Niger Delta despite its significant contributions to Nigeria’s economy since 1958. “The Niger Delta has been developing Nigeria since 1958. We want to use our resources to develop our region; let regions use their resources to develop themselves,” she asserted.
Reflecting on the various bodies established to address the region’s development, Briggs lamented their failure to deliver meaningful progress. She highlighted the Niger Delta Basin Authority, the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), and the NDDC as examples of ineffective interventions.
“NDDC was created by Olusegun Obasanjo…There was OMPADEC before NDDC. OMPADEC was an agency. Before OMPADEC, there was the Basin Authority…These authorities were created to help us. Were we helped by those authorities? No, we were not,” she said.
Briggs further described the NDDC as an “ATM for failed politicians, disgruntled politicians, and politicians that have had their electoral wins taken away from them and given to somebody else.”
Her remarks underscore the deep-seated frustrations in the Niger Delta, where residents continue to advocate for greater control over their resources and improved governance.
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