The governorship aspirant in the 2024 Edo State gubernatorial election, Asue Ighodalo, has resigned as the chairman of the board of directors of the Nigerian Breweries Plc.

FIDELINFO reports that the Nigerian Breweries made this known in a corporate filing on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) on Friday.

The company secretary, Uaboi Agbebaku, also said there were changes in its board of directors after the board meeting on December 7, 2023.

Agbebaku said the resignation of Ighodalo, who hopes to clinch the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will take effect at the end of the year. He added that Sijbe Hiemstra will become the interim chairman.

Agbebaku said: “The chairman informed the board today of his decision to offer himself for public service. “As a result, he will be resigning from the Board and as the chairman of the board on the 31st of December 2023 to enable him devote his full attention to the new cause.

“To give the board enough time to appoint a substantive chairman, the longest serving director, Mr. Sijbe “Siep” Hiemstra, was appointed to act as the chairman in the interim effective the 1″ of January 2024.”

Nigerian Breweries said during the transition period, Hiemstra will steer the affairs of the board and oversee the process of appointing a substantive chairman.

Before his appointment, Hiemstra was a member of Nigerian Breweries’ governance committee and also served on the company’s statutory audit committee. “He joined the board on the 1 of August 2011 and is a past Heineken Regional President for Africa and Middle East,” the company said.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, Legal Team, has accused the 200 NNPP lawyers who convened a press conference in Kaduna, of unethical acts aimed at creating violence in the polity.

Recall that some lawyers who identified themselves as Counsels to the New Nigeria People’s Party NNPP had met in Kaduna last week, accusing the Court of Appeal of a miscarriage of justice in its judgement against the Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf.

However, responding to that meeting, the APC Legal Team, told Newsmen, Wednesday in Kano, that the action of the NNPP lawyers was against the rules of law and the Principle of Justice.

The Secretary of the APC Legal Team, Hadiza Nasir Ahmad alongside the Chairman Mustapha Idiris, warned that any attempt to tarnish the Court’s image or resort to blackmail is unequivocally unacceptable.

They said, “The 200 Lawyers entangled in this controversy we implore you to rise above political machinations and permit the court to execute its duties without external interference”.

Barrister Hadiza Nasir Ahmad hinted that Lawyers as guardians of Justice must preserve the integrity of the noble profession even when faced with unfavourable judgement, “we should collectively champion the rules of law and uphold the dignified essence of the legal system”.

However, the APC legal team is worried that the NNPP, its lawyers and supporters are allegedly actively campaigning for a demonstration to protest the Court decisions.

“We recognize that these actions may be aimed at creating chaos in the state, with the primary goal of intimidating the Court and the Judiciary into granting judgement in their favour”.

She added, “Nevertheless, we have full confidence in the court’s unwavering commitments to conducting the case solely on its merit, undeterred by such tactics”.

The APC Legal Team, commended the Kano people for refusing to be cajoled into unnecessary protests on the streets, saying, the people of the state are renowned for their law-abiding nature

The National Working Committee, NWC, of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,, has ordered all party members with pending intra-party litigations to immediately withdraw such cases.

The directive was issued shortly after the NWC’s 578th meeting held at the party’s Nattional Secretariat, in Abuja, yesterday.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, after the meeting, explained that the directive was sequel to a thorough review of the state of the party.

Ologunagba said after the review, the NWC “Directed that all pending Intra-Party litigations across the country should be withdrawn forthwith.

“This decision of the NWC is pursuant to the provision of Section 58 (1)(l) of the Constitution of the PDP as amended in 2017 and in line with the spirit of unity and reconciliation in the party.

“The NWC urges all party leaders, critical stakeholders and members across the country to remain united and continue to promote the values for which the PDP is known as a truly democratic party.

“Also, the NWC considered and approved the report of the Establishment Committee for the appointment of a substantive Director General of the Peoples Democratic Institute, PDI