A sergeant of the Nigerian Army, Sirajo Suleiman, has been arrested alongside 13 other suspects in connection with the vandalisation of railways in different parts of the country.

Suleiman works with the Nigerian Army Central Ammunition Department.

Upon their arrest by the Railway Police Command, three trucks loaded with railway slippers, steel and clips were recovered from the suspects.

The suspects were arrested on April 27, 2022, by the Kafanchan divisional headquarters of the command, alongside six other suspects.

They were alleged to have been loading multiple rail plates of steel into two trucks in a bush near Camuru Station, Katchia Local Government Area of the state when the policemen swooped on them.

Identities of other suspected vandals are Idris Bawa, Idris Musa, Shamsu Abdulahi, Anthony Moses and Yunana Gaius.

Three weeks earlier, the Kafanchan Railway Police Division of the command, reportedly intercepted a cement truck fully loaded with railway slippers along Bankin-Kaninkon-Kogi road.

On sighting the police, the suspected vandals fled the scene abandoning the truck.

During the investigation, one Ahmed Tanko, who resides in Dangoma Village Jam’a Local Government Area of Kaduna State was arrested and reportedly confessed to the crime.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Railway Police Command headquarters, Yetunde Longe, said efforts were being intensified to apprehend his fleeing accomplices.

She added that other suspects were arrested by the Kano division of the Railway command, the Dugbe Railway Police Division, Ibadan and the Offa division of the Railway Command, Kwara State.

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Illustration

One of the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State has been razed by fire.

According to local sources, the fire started at about 9pm on Monday and razed almost the entire building.

Illustration

“We quickly called the fire service but unfortunately they have only one truck for the whole Kaura Namoda which could not quench the fire – a situation that led to the destruction of all the valuables in the office,” he lamented.

It was learnt that firefighters arrived at the scene to put out the fire, but their efforts were unsuccessful as a result of the lack of water in their tank.
 

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Senate President Ahmad Lawan

A crisis is brewing in the Senate caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over plots to endorse the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, as the consensus presidential candidate of the parliament.

According to Daily Trust, Lawan, who has been at the National Assembly since 1999, is set to formally declare for the presidency this week.

Senate President Ahmad Lawan

It is understood that ahead of the Yobe-born-lawmaker’s declaration, there were plans to declare him as the consensus candidate of the Senate.

The move, it was gathered, was being promoted by some of his allies in the parliament including Senator Yusuf Yusuf (APC, Taraba), Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (APC, Niger) and a former lawmaker, Senator Abdullahi Gumel.

The development has, however, polarised the parliament, which is made of 71 APC, 37 PDP and one YPP member.

Many of the lawmakers are said to have pitched tents with other aspirants.

For instance, Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno), is leading the campaign for Amaechi,  Senator Kashim Shettima (APC, Borno) is playing a leading role in Tinubu’s campaign, while Senator Kabiru Gaya (APC, Kano) is in charge of the campaigns of the vice president.

Aside from these three, there are other lawmakers who are involved in the campaigns of other aspirants, thus the moves to present Lawan as the consensus candidate has been hanging in the balance.

In a phone interview, Senator Ali Ndume said he has not been contacted by those promoting Lawan’s candidature, saying “They have not come because they know my position.

“I have nothing against Ahmad Lawan; he is my colleague but I have everything against injustice. I won’t support even my biological brother. Fielding a northerner is tantamount to injustice and tantamount to a third term. The so-called northern elders that are pushing it are doing so to perpetuate injustice.

“It’s the turn of the South and we have to support them to actualise this. I’m disappointed with those that are pushing this.  I had since taken position even before my alignment with Amaechi,” he said.

Another lawmaker, while puncturing the claims that Lawan is under intense pressure to join the race for the presidency, said the project was “The brainchild of Lawan and his few allies.

“It is untrue that he is being pushed by northern elders. He is pushing himself; otherwise, tell them to mention the northern elders. Who are they?

“It is purely his aspiration and nobody is pushing him, rather he is pushing people to key into the project. They are planning to present him as the Senate consensus candidate and we are going to outrightly and publicly resist being railroaded into this failed project,” the lawmaker said.

But a lawmaker in Lawan’s camp insisted that the Senate president was being pressured to join the race by northern elders.

Asked to mention some of the northern elders pushing the Senate President, he said, “It is not for public consumption. I’m one of them. Am I not an elder at over 70 and I have been in politics for over four decades?”

Another lawmaker in the Senate president’s camp said “Lawan is one of us and we will do all possible within our reach to support him. He is one of us.”

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A draft Supreme Court opinion suggesting the conservatives’ majority’s plan to outlaw the constitutional right to an abortion has hit Americans like a political lightning bolt.

According to CNN, the draft opinion, obtained and authenticated by Politico, heralds what would be a massive victory for the conservative movement decades in the making.

It set off immediate condemnation and calls for action from leading liberal and medical groups and Democratic leaders, as well as protests outside the Supreme Court building.

The bombshell concerns a draft majority opinion, written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, which slammed the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision enshrining the right to an abortion as wrongly decided.

It was circulated in early February 2022, but the final opinion isn't expected to be published until late June. Votes and language can change before opinions are formally released.

The document's authenticity has not yet been independently verified and a Supreme Court spokesperson declined to comment to CNN.

But if the high court follows through on such a decision in the coming weeks, it would engineer a massive shift in American life and law -- and provide a startling sign of just how fundamentally the conservative majority, solidified by former President Donald Trump, will change society in the decades to come. It would potentially cast into doubt all kinds of precedents and past court rulings that have been regarded as settled law for years.

If the final decision is issued along the lines of Alito's draft, millions of American women could have a fundamental right, which many have known all of their lives, taken away. But millions of people who believe that life begins at conception would celebrate such a ruling.

There will be weeks of debate about the legal reasoning and implications behind Alito's draft opinion.

But in practice, such a ruling would seem likely to send the issue back to the states. That might mean abortion would be quickly banned by state legislatures in Republican-run states but remain legal in

Democratic-run states. Such a scenario would further drive a schism between two halves of the country, which has been exacerbated by increasingly polarized politics in recent years.

The emergence of the draft is also stunning in itself. It represents a major and likely unprecedented breach in court confidentiality that is almost certain to worsen the politicization of the court, which has been dragged deeper into partisanship since it decided the 2000 election in favor of George W. Bush over then-Vice President Al Gore and has only accelerated ever since.

The draft also opened an unexpected new dimension to the midterm election campaign. The drama could stoke turnout in November for both parties.

For now, it validates the decision of social conservatives to stick with Trump after he vowed to nominate justices that would overturn the constitutional right to abortion despite reservations about his moral conduct.

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Buhari and Jonathan

President Muhammadu Buhari is not part of the plot to draft in former President Goodluck Jonathan into the ruling All Progressives Congress and lure him into the presidential race for the 2023 general elections, according to presidency sources quoted by Daily Independent.

There were reports in some sections of the media last week that some political hawks in the APC including President Buhari, are planning to woo Goodluck Jonathan to the party and get him fielded as the party’s 2023 presidential standard-bearer.

Buhari and Jonathan

However, a senior presidential aide told Daily Independent that President Buhari only has a great respect for Jonathan, particularly with the way he handled the outcome of the 2015 presidential election by graciously accepting defeat and congratulating him (Buhari) despite pressures from some of his loyalists to do otherwise, Buhari does not want him to succeed him in 2023.

“It is pure mischief for anyone to say President Buhari is the one behind the move by some politicians to draft the former president into the party and make him contest the 2023 presidential election.

“Far from it. The Buhari I know will never make a move to allow Jonathan, a man he heavily criticised for mismanaging the affairs of the country while he held sway as president to take over from him. Doing so will reverse all the gains the administration has recorded since 2015.

“For us in the presidency, one thing is very clear. President Buhari holds his predecessor in very high esteem as a true statesman due to the manner he handled the outcome of the presidential election in 2015.

“Nobody believed that a ruling party with a sitting president which controls the security agencies and even INEC can lose the presidential election.

“When that happened, some enemies of Nigeria who had earlier predicted doomsday that the country will cease to exist in 2015 asked him not to accept the outcome. He rejected their entreaties and called President Buhari to congratulate him.”

“Even though President Buhari was not happy with the way Jonathan managed the affairs of the country, his being gracious in defeat really touched Buhari especially when you compare what Jonathan did with what some African leaders such as Laurent Gbagbo and Yahya Jammeh did in Cote d’Ivoire and the Gambia, respectively.

“Also, this government has had its shortcomings and made some mistakes but you will not see Jonathan writing letters or publicly criticising the government just to score cheap political points. Rather, he knows he has free access to Aso Villa to see President Buhari and share his thoughts privately with him.

“These are the two reasons President Buhari greatly admires the former president”. “But saying President Buhari is working behind the scenes to lure him into the APC and impose him on party members as a presidential candidate is pure mischief,” he added.

Still speaking, the aide said, “Buhari believed that Jonathan’s performance as president was below par and that was why he joined hands with other like minds to oust him from office in 2015.

“Having laid a solid foundation for growth and continuity, he will not allow the progress made so far to be reversed by bringing the same Jonathan back to succeed him in 2023. That can never happen.”

The former President, according to the report, has severed his ties with his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since 2019.

He never supported the PDP governorship candidate in the Bayelsa governorship election while his mother and his kinsmen also celebrated the victory of the APC in the election.

“The court however overturned the victory of APC’s candidate, David Lyon, and Douye Diri of PDP was sworn in as the governor. Since then the leadership of the APC led by the former national caretaker committee chairman, Governor Mai Maa Buni and several groups, especially in the Northern part of the country, have been mounting pressures on Jonathan to join the APC.”

The report further noted that those behind the move were some brokers in the APC who believe that since the clamour for a power shift to the Southern part of the country in 2023 is so intense, Jonathan should be considered as he can only serve one term, having served out his first term from 2011 to 2015.

They envisaged that while other presidential aspirants in the South such as Bola Tinubu, the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Rotimi Amaechi will want to serve two terms if elected president, Jonathan upon serving out a term will hand over to another northerner in 2027.

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A journalist and businessman, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, on Tuesday, declared his interest to contest the 2023 presidency under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, saying “this is not another empty promise of another politician, I’m who I am.”

According to him, despite the fact that the country is presently “gripped in the claws of insecurity, worsening energy crises due to absence of local refining of petroleum products and inadequate electricity generation, transmission and distribution, a new and better Nigeria is still possible.”

Olawepo-Hashim, who was a presidential candidate of the Trust Party in the 2019 elections, and Chief Executive Officer of Global Oil, said he would pick his nomination form on Thursday at the secretariat of the APC in Abuja.

He explained that the “current political trajectory of the country is dim and dark, as deep ethnic cleavages and bigotry have dominated the landscape accentuating the crises, undermining any initiative for a cohesive national redemption.”

The former students’ leader added, “I have stepped out to ignite that fire, in my decision to seek the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria during the 2023 elections.

“Mine is not an ambition but a historic burden. It is a burden imposed on me right from my late teens when as an undergraduate youth activist, my generation committed ourselves to the struggle for social and economic development of Nigeria, as well as to the struggle for democratic rule.

“By reason of accident, my father came from Northern Nigeria and my mother from the South. Half of my family are Christians while the other half are Muslims.

“I have lived and schooled in both North and South as well as in Europe and America. I know that all human beings are born equal and deserving of equal rights, opportunities and justice.

“I will do justice to all without discrimination on account of ethnicity, religion and gender. This is not another empty promise of another politician. It is who I am.”

The name Olawepo-Hashim first made the headlines when as an anti-apartheid activist, he and three other students' leaders of the University of Lagos were clamped into the over-crowded Nigeria Police cell in April 1989 after an anti-apartheid protest.

The military regime that was growing increasingly repressive and intolerant of freedom of expression in Nigeria then ordered the detention of the students’ activist.

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Some policemen working at the Nigerian Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State, have asked President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, to call the commandant of the institution, Abdurrahman Ahmad, to order.

The officers, while speaking with SaharaReporters, accused Ahmad, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police of marginalisation and a subtle islamisation agenda.

According to them, postings of police officers in the Academy to offices are biased and sectional in nature.

“For any organisation or public office to attain its aims and objectives, its leaders and those at the helm of affairs ought to be unbiased, without sentiments, and victimisation of subjects based on religious faith,” one of them said. 

“The above-mentioned features are completely absent in the present management of the Academy under the leadership of AIG Abdurrahman Ahmad as the Commandant whose agenda of Islamisation of the institution is glaring.

“Postings of police officers in the Academy to offices are biased and sectional in nature. In a place where senior police officers like Chief Superintendents of Police are without posting, an unconfirmed and incompetent Assistant Superintendent of Police is in charge of the investigation because he is a Muslim.

“The post of PPRO is manned and left in the hands of an Inspector of police because he is a Muslim and so many other postings within the Academy. On Thursday 28the April 2022, he summoned the Chaplain and the Rev. Father and accused them of spreading the news that he is islamising the academy.”

Another officer said the academy despite being a federal institution has been left in the hands of principal officers in acting capacity without official letters for more than three years.

He said, “It is also sad to note that the Academy as a federal institution is left in the hands of people (principal officers) in acting capacity without official letters for more than 3 years just to be using them to siphon public funds.

“Worrisome to note is that the principal officers without confirmation of their appointments have been collecting and enjoying the emolument/salaries of the substantive ranks or offices they are occupying which is against financial regulations.

“The appointments of Deans, Head of Departments, and other sections in the academy are issued to the loyalists of the acting coordinator who will not challenge their corrupt proclivities. Since its inception, the Academic Staff of the Academy has never benefitted from Earned Allowances as it is applicable in other public universities because of the incompetency of the management of the Academy.

“This is conspicuous in the 4 weeks down tools embarked on by the Academy Staff after issuing a communique. Instead, the commandant issued sack threats. At the cadet's dining, cadets are separated because of the fasting of the Muslims with special meals and treatments for the Muslims and regular for that of Christian cadets.

“It's not hyperbole to state that most Christian cadets no longer go to the dining because of fear that they might be poisoned having seen his Islamisation agenda, pending when the dining and meals will be merged.

“The separation of the dining wouldn't have been a bad ideal but the perceived negative effects it might have on the Christian faithful are worrisome. Christians celebrated Easter without special meals or presents from the school but for the celebration of Eid-Fitri, two big cows for the Muslims which clearly showed that he is biased thus rendering him unfit to hold a public office.

“With the introduction of the optional head scarfs for Muslim female serving police officers, the female cadets on training in the Academy now use scarfs. In the North where insurgency, kidnapping, and banditry attacks are prone to occur at any time, it could be a plan for the attackers to identify the Muslims and spare them.”

Calls put across by SaharaReporters to the Nigerian police spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, were not picked nor returned.

 

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Some senior officials of the Federal Ministry of Justice have been quizzed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over suspicion of corruption in the compilation of presidential pardon list, TheCable reports.

President Muhammadu Buhari controversially pardoned Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, two former governors currently serving jail terms for corruption, after getting the nod of the Council of State on April 15.

The council is made up of the president, vice-president, former heads of state, former chief justices, senate president, speaker, governors and the attorney-general of the federation (AGF).

Based on the recommendation of the presidential prerogative of mercy committee, Buhari submitted names of 162 persons to the council for advice.

All — except Francis Atuche, former managing director of Bank PHB, and two others — were approved.

There has been widespread criticism of the pardon and the full list of those pardoned is still being kept under wraps, it was learnt that many convicted coup plotters made it.

Dariye and Nyame are yet to be released from prison weeks after the pardon, reportedly because of bureaucratic bottlenecks.

Sources at the Ministry of Justice informed the newspaper that several aides of Abubakar Malami, the AGF, who were responsible for the processing of the list are currently being investigated by the anti-graft agency.

“Of particular surprise is the inclusion of Atuche on the list that was submitted to the Council of State,” TheCable quoted an official of the ministry as saying.

“There are several names that raised suspicion and the EFCC had to be called in to investigate what went down.”

Atuche was, in June 2021, convicted of N25.7billion fraud and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment to run concurrently for six years.

When the name was presented to the council, it was rejected, supposedly because he had just been convicted and was yet to serve one full year.

Dariye and Nyame were both jailed in 2018.

“Mrs Leticia Ayoola-Daniels, director of the administration of criminal justice and reforms department under the justice ministry, is also being quizzed by the EFCC,” the source said.

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Masked gunmen, on Monday, killed four persons in Ekwusigo and Nnewi South Local Government Areas of Anambra State, SaharaReporters has gathered.

The gunmen were said to be enforcing the suspended Monday sit-at-home order of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Two of the victims were killed in Umuhu village, Ukpor, in Nnewi South while the two others were murdered along the Udorji Road, beside St. Mary's Church, Ozubulu, in Ekwusigo LGA.

The assailants, armed with automatic rifles, cutlasses, and other dangerous weapons also snatched away some vehicles during the separate attacks.

Attacks by armed men have increased in the South-East in recent times. The attacks often target security agencies and government facilities.

The latest development comes a few days after A.M Linus, a sergeant first class in the army and his lance corporal wife were shot and beheaded in Imo.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has been linked to the deadly attacks in the region. But the group has repeatedly denied its involvement in the attacks.

The leader of the group, Nnamdi Kanu, is currently detained in Abuja where he is facing trial for treason.

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The Nigerian government may consider the demands of the terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train and abducted no fewer than 68 passengers at Katari, Kaduna State, on March 28.

The gang had demanded the release of some of its detained commanders and financiers in exchange for the abductees.

About eight people were killed and 26 others injured when the gunmen bombed the rail track and fired gunshots at the train which was heading for Kaduna.

It was learnt that negotiations with the armed gang were progressing but the government had the option to yield to the gunmen’s demands or launch an all-out attack which is considered high risk.

Security sources said the terrorists were insisting on the release of their members as well as huge cash in exchange for the kidnap victims who include children, women, and some men, some of whom were injured during the train attack.

According to PUNCH, one of the sources said, “The negotiation with the terrorists is going on but the government is seriously considering how to safely navigate the situation without compromising the safety of the abductees or national security.

“The gunmen are insisting on the release of their commanders and financiers; they also want cash. Deliberation is going on at the highest level to resolve the impasse in a way that would not compromise national security or the safety of the abductees.”

According to the report, it could not confirm whether a deal has been reached with the gang members but it was learnt that they may release selected victims as a show of good faith after sealing a deal with government representatives.

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In the first part of this piece, there was an x-ray of potential candidates for the different political parties ahead of the 2023 presidential election, focusing on His Excellency Mr. Peter Obi, Comrade Omoyele Sowore, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and His Excellency, Professor Yemi Osinbajo. In the eye of the 1999 Constitution, the concept of loyalty to an individual is non-existent; thus, the issue of loyalty from Osinbajo to Tinubu is totally misplaced and indeed a misnormer. The loyalty demanded of the office of the Vice-President is to the Constitution and by necessary extension to the people of Nigeria. In the scheme of things, once a member of the Tinubu political school has openly declared his interest as the Vice-President has done, the role of Tinubu himself should be that of open endorsement and not opposition. It will do so much damage to that school and to Tinubu himself should he enter into an open contest in a primary election with the Vice-President. From the day he was elected, Osinbajo became the leader of the APC in the South-West and the onus of loyalty should fall upon Tinubu himself, not the other way round. Unless Osinbajo has committed some grievous errors against the party during his tenure as Vice-President, it would be a total disservice to deny him the presidential slot on account of the life ambition of Tinubu to be president. That ambition became subject to the office of the Vice-President, from the day of his election in 2015 and re-election in 2019, in the absence of any written undertaking against it. The challenge here is for Tinubu to develop his political school beyond and above his own personality, since he cannot live forever. Otherwise, the school will not outlive him, as it will die a natural death, since it has always been about the personal ambition of just one person.

 

In my own humble opinion, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has shown exceptional loyalty to the President even in the most trying times and in the face of the greatest challenges. If the APC puts its house in order in choosing its presidential candidate, I see a good contest between Mr. Peter Obi of the PDP and Professor Yemi Osinbajo of the APC. It is true that Osinbajo is a Pastor and a committed Christian, which should count in his favour. Contrary to some write ups which tend to tag him in negative religious garb, Osinbajo was the sitting Vice-President when a female pastor of his church was hacked down and gruesomely murdered in Abuja while she was on her daily evangelism. The heavens did not fall and I remember vividly that Osinbajo and his wife visited the family and used the occasion to preach love and tolerance. There was no reprisal attack from either Osinbajo’s church or the body of Christ nationwide. Admirably, the church was able to manage the issue with commendable maturity. That cannot happen were the Vice-President to be a religious fanatic. I have also looked through the profile of his appointments to see that he has religious balance, gender equality and national spread in the list of his official and personal staff. Whatever may be the plan, posterity awaits the open endorsement of Osinbajo by Tinubu. He should actually buy his nomination form and hand it over to him openly as a sign of that endorsement. There should be no debate about this at all.

 

His Excellency Mr Rotimi Amaechi started his political journey with His Excellency Chief Peter Odili, he rose to the position of Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly and later Governor of Rivers State for eight years. He has served as the Honourable Minister of Transport since 2015 when the Buhari administration came on board. I personally believe that he has done well but the South-South having recently produced the President through His Excellency Mr. Goodluck Jonathan, that zone should have the grace to accommodate another zone for that office. The power base of the APC has been the North and the South-West and since the North has had its shot, it is proper to allow the South-West take the benefit of its commitment and support for the party in the coming election. This is in relation to the APC, as it was clearly stated last week that the PDP should automatically zone its ticket to the South-East.

 

Let me share with you some other perspectives expressed by other patriots in reaction to the first piece published last week.

 

“Patrick Oyetakin

 

Thank you sir for this wonderful piece. For me South-East shouldn't be denied the opportunity to rule Nigeria. Peter Obi that I know has all it takes to rescue Nigeria from the present calamitous situation the nation finds itself as a result of bad governance.

 

Adetola Odumuyiwa

 

Big Sam, I disagree with the way you painted Tinubu as the person that raised your senior colleague in the legal profession and a Professor of law who I know cuts his political administration skills while working with Prince Bola Ajibola, SAN, as Special Assistant to the Minister of Justice as he was then. Professor Osinbajo, SAN, worked with Bola Tinubu as Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General in Lagos State bringing his wealth of experience to the job. He already knew what he wanted to do with that office on his appointment and never took the administration of justice skills in Lagos State from Tinubu who is not a legal mind, anyway. I hate the notion that if I work under your leadership, you have become my boss, as we work together as a team and not as an apprentice. I also want to debunk the insinuation that he made Osinbajo to become Vice-President to Buhari, from all the accounts that I have read, this was far from the truth.

 

On the issue of zoning, I don't see it the way you saw it. I strongly believe that zoning will never help the course of one Nigeria as we are defining it. Zoning will do more harm than the good we all long for. If we don't stop this issue of zoning now, it will become a bigger problem in the near future for us to handle. We claim to be practicing democracy but we are doing just the opposite. If PDP fields a South-East candidate for the coming election and Nigerian electorates reject him and vote for an APC candidate who is not from South-East, what happens thereafter. If a South-East candidate wins, either as a member of APC or PDP, what happens after his eight year tenure, where will the next President come from? It will get to a point in our country when Ilaje people in Ondo State will demand that it is their turn to produce Nigeria’s president. Our concern today should be to have a pan Nigerian president from anywhere in Nigeria that will see Nigeria as his constituency and not necessarily where or which region he belongs since we are not ready to decentralize our governance in such a way that the center will no longer be attractive for anyone to be nursing his life ambition to be there.

 

Adewale Akintewe

 

I read this piece with rapt attention, and I felt the writer had done political justice to some political voids in this country's history, given his position on the South-South divide. In addition, he corrected some incorrect assumptions about Comrade Omoyele Sowore's ability to rule this nation, in contrast to some who ask what position Sowore has held in the Nigerian government. Howbeit, I beg to differ with some of the conclusions, which appear to be a point of discouraging a leader who has been building ambition and also human at the same time, and when the time comes to make his ambition realistic, a follower whom he has built tries to impediment him by showing interest in the same ambition. Humanly speaking sir, would you be pleased if any of your trained lawyers showed interest in a position you want to run for at the same time, say, NBA president, in your chamber?

 

Olamiposi Justus Omoriba

 

Who is the best to take the mantle of leadership after Buhari? I may be wrong to be categorical but out of many options, I will consider Omoyele Sowore, at this point in Nigeria, there is a need for total paradigm shift of governance, especially the one that considers the universal law of human rights and the rule of law. Sowore seems to be in tune with this than the rest. Only an environment with good justice system breeds adequate security and economic prosperity.

 

Confidence Emmanuel Owosanni

 

Learned Silk Sir, I love the fact that you invoked what I call "The Swiss intuition" coupled with a high rate of unpredictability in demystifying/canvassing the issue of choice candidacy! You're critical with engaging euphemistic words so as to avoid any form of surfaced derogatory remark got my most attention to re-read this piece. I'm wowed! God sparing your soul, I'll make you a special adviser to the...on... when I become the head honcho of this great country.

 

Bestman O Besty

 

If we are to apply the PDP zoning arrangement, automatically it is the turn of the North to rule under PDP, sentiment and emotion aside, in 16 years of PDP in power the North only ruled for 2 years why the south 14 years, it's naturally fair for PDP to adhere to their zoning arrangement by zoning it to the North for equity and fairness. Buhari is not a product of PDP.

 

Olajumoke Awosika

 

Profound insight. But my money is on Wike as a radical game changer. If he gets there, I believe he has the courage to demand and get true federalism, overhaul and change the evil 1999 Constitution and give back the resources of each State back to them. We need someone bold and audacious at this time in our history.

 

Ayorinde Obanewa

 

Good morning my mentor and very senior. I have said it in different platforms and places that if we desire a working Nigeria that all her citizens will be proud of then H.E. Peter Obi still remains the best candidate and we are all aware of this fact. I just think we should take our destinies in our hands by doing everything humanly possible to retire these sets of economic and political vampires. God help Nigeria.”

 

 

I am well aware of the brewing controversy concerning the eligibility or otherwise of the former President, His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and the case of Dr. Kingsely Moghalu but since neither of them has indicated their interests openly, it is best for now, to confine the discourse to those who have made open declarations. Now, presidential elections should not be about individuals but rather programmes, policies and the manifesto of the platform upon which the candidates seek to run for election. The case with Nigeria is so unique that none of the political parties can be identified with any specific ideology beyond capturing power for the sake of it. The legacy that Mr. Peter Obi, Comrade Omoyele Sowore and Professor Yemi Osinbajo will leave for our nation is to conduct their campaigns on the basis of sound ideologies, documented programmes and enduring policies that will translate to rapid development for our nation and for all our people. This is my perspective for 2023. Happy Eid El-Fitr.

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“My brother, when are you declaring for President?” 

“Which President? I am already a President in my own right. I am the President of my house.”

“That is not the kind of President I am talking about. I mean a President with the big P, not the small one that gives you a delusion of importance.” 

“My friend, don’t insult me. I took an oath of office at the registry and at the church. I paid a bride price. I got a certificate, making me a constituted authority. I have three Dudukes to show for it. What else am I looking for? Come oh, are you doubting my full authority as a President of my own house? Are my in-laws looking for my trouble? In fact, I am not just a President. I am a Chairman. The Odogwu of my Lodge… The Otunba of my own space.”    

“Bros, I beg, you joke too much. I am talking about the President of Nigeria, something serious; you are talking about a three-bedroom apartment where you behave as if you are a real man just because you married a wife. This is what I tell you all the time. You need to be ambitious. Think big. Dream big. Otherwise that home you claim you have, a more capable man will come in there and disrupt everything. Even your children will turn against you. I am telling you to think big, you are saying you are the constituted authority of your house. Somebody is advising you to start seeing yourself as someone who can eat pounded yam with crocodile meat, everyday, if you want, you are telling me you would rather eat ponmo and brorkotor. Is everything okay with you?” 

“Nothing is wrong with me.” 

“So who says you too can’t be President of Nigeria?” 

“Me? President of Nigeria?”

“Yes. President of Nigeria. That is the latest Baba Ijebu game in town! Better lottery. The thing don become pool fixtures. Perm one, perm two, you fit win.” 

“Please, please, please. If you don’t have anything serious to talk about, please leave me alone.”

“I am telling you. This thing called Nigerian Presidency for 2023 has become a try-your-luck game. Everybody is now declaring interest in the Presidency. That is what the thing has become. When somebody told me that it is even the latest Bitcoin, I just decided that may be you and I should go and try our luck. We should think out of the box.” 

“President of Nigeria?”

“The people who have declared, do they have two heads? Let me tell you, the way this thing is going, anybody can be President. After all, an actor Ronald Reagan became President of the United States. Actor oh! In Ukraine, a comedian, ordinary comedian, Zelensky is President. He is fighting a war now, and every important country and leader in the Western world is going there to express solidarity with him. He has even addressed the United Nations. You don’t know your destiny. The way this our Nigeria is going, I won’t be surprised if a clown emerges as President of Nigeria in 2023.”

“God forbid.” 

“Are you a clown? After all, you claim to be well-educated. I am saying you too can be President”

“How about you? Why don’t you too try your luck?”

“I don’t know people. You are better connected. See, the way this thing works these days, you must know people, have strong connections, and just go about saying you too want to be President, make noise and before you know it, some people will form themselves into a group, look for one fancy label and they will say you are the best man since the invention of tooth paste, and the best man for the job. I am ready to lead your campaign team” 

“But I don’t know anything about politics. I have no idea.” 

“You don’t need to know anything about politics. Just have the right connections. The people will buy the nomination and expression of interest forms on your behalf. We will create a Campaign Forum in your name. We will call ourselves the Patriots Forum, and we will say you are the man! That is how they do it. I want you to move fast because as we speak now, you don’t know who is going to declare this very week. Declaring interest in the Presidency of Nigeria is right now, the biggest business in town.” 

“I will have to talk to my wife first.” 

“Your wife! Your wife! You think your wife will object to the possibility of becoming the First Lady of Nigeria? You will be surprised that she herself may have been nursing the idea. Let me tell you something: your wife will tell you that there is nothing the people who are First Ladies have, that she too does not have. She will tell you she is even better. In fact, if you are not careful, she will say she too can be President of Nigeria.”

“Without my authority?” 

“Which authority? My friend, go and sit down. We are in the 21st Century! Is it because I am trying to encourage you? If you are not interested, I can decide to push your wife to run for the position of President of Nigeria. She is actually highly qualified. And we can groom her” 

“You will groom my wife? Are you mad? Abi you wan die? That is the day she will leave my house!”

“She is a Nigerian citizen. And if you say you don’t want good luck in your household, you don’t want to be president, you don’t want your wife, we will look for another person. In fact, the way my mind is working, our group will go and recruit Obi Cubana, or E-Money or White Money. They too can be President.” 

“Excuse me.”

“Yes. That is where we are right now as we move towards 2023 in this country”

“White Money? Has Nigeria become a Big Brother Naija Show?” 

“I don’t see the difference. They have turned the whole thing into a gamble. What do you have against White Money? At least the money is white, not black. Every other aspirant is bringing black money.” 

“That is defamatory. I won’t be party to that.”

“My friend, white money is better than black money. Anybody that brings N100 million to buy ordinary form or N50 million, or even N40 million in this economy should be investigated for black money. All of a sudden, all kinds of groups and persons are buying forms on behalf of Presidential aspirants. People should stop telling us a dog is a monkey. We have eyes. We can see.” 

“Count me out” 

“It means you don’t understand politics. Don’t you know that some of these aspirants don’t really want to be President? They just want to show that they are relevant. Some of them just want to protect themselves. Some have lost political relevance and they want to jump-start themselves politically. Then you have the category of hungry people who are using Presidential declaration, or Governorship declaration as a fund-raising opportunity. The whole thing is a game.” 

“But I hear that everyone that is declaring must get the President’s blessing. The President does not know me. ”

“You don’t need his endorsement. Every citizen has the right to contest once you meet the requirements under Section 40 of the Constitution and Section 131. Your right to occupy any political position in this country is properly defined in the Constitution. Everybody that goes to the President to say he or she wants to be President, the man says Yes. That is why they are all saying they have the President’s blessing. What do they expect him to say? Of course, he will tell them they are good to go. See, if we organize properly, and we take you to President Buhari tomorrow and tell him sir, this your son wants to be President too, he will say Yes, go ahead.”

“You think he will endorse someone like me, without knowing me?” 

“Why not? He will. What do you want him to do?”

“But he once said he has his favorite and he would not name the person in order to protect him or her from being assassinated.”

“It is typical power politics, my friend. Can’t you see it? Without saying anything categorical, President Buhari has turned himself into the puppeteer, playing divide and rule politics. This is what I always say about this county. The people of Southern Nigeria don’t know how to play politics. We talk too much. We allow other stakeholders to manipulate us. We are too greedy and those who know better manipulate us. Can anybody hold the President down to anything as regards 2023 Presidency? The obvious answer is No. But anyone that comes forward, they say he has blessed them.” 

“Under normal circumstances, really, his blessing or non-blessing or opinion should be irrelevant. It is the people of Nigeria that should decide. One man, one vote. And it is his duty to ensure that Nigeria holds credible elections in 2023.” 

“Good point, very good. But can’t you see what is going on in the two major political parties? The PDP has abandoned its rule about zoning, specifically Section 7(3c) of its Constitution, which had in fact been adopted by the rival All Progressives Congress. PDP now says that section no longer applies and anybody can be President on its platform.”

“That has not yet been finalized though. The party’s National Working Committee (NWC) is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, this week, to take a decision on the party’s zoning format. We have to wait for that.”

“You know I always tell you that you tend to be naïve sometimes. You think PDP NWC would now zone the choice of its Presidential aspirants, after selling forms to every aspirant from wherever, after collecting too much money, and after screening everyone who expressed interest? My brother, leave matter!”

“What I know is that all the aspirants from the South are saying that in the interest of fairness, equity and justice, the Presidency must be zoned to the South and specifically to the South East.” 

“Have you also heard the same Southern Nigerian aspirants saying they will abide by whatever the party decides? But I have not heard any Northern aspirant saying so. What they are saying is that the North has every right to continue in office.”

“But it is different in the APC”  

“How is the APC different? Where were you when the APC Party Chairman reportedly said a few days ago, that no final decision has been taken on the zoning of the Presidency by the party?”  

“He was probably quoted out of context, because if you look at the APC, all the Presidential aspirants are from the South with the exception of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State who is from the North Central. It is safe to assume then that the Presidential flagbearer from the APC will be either a Southerner or someone from the North Central.”

“So why do you I think I am urging you to run”

“Sarcasm. You were being sarcastic. I know you well enough to know that were trying to ridicule the entire process.. You know as well as I do that the Northerners do not want a Southerner in the Presidential Villa in 2023. They have played a good game of divide and rule. In the South East and South South, there is currently no consensus. Nobody is going to step down for anyone. In the South West, the divide and rule politics is even worse. You have the most prominent APC politician from the region, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu being challenged by the same people he groomed and turned into big men. Politics in the South West this time around, has become a do-or-die affair. I am sure of that. The same people who are supposed to help Asiwaju mobilize delegates have already made sure that he would not have full support from his political base. This road to 2023 is both interesting and bumpy.”  

“It looks like anybody’s game, then. And that is why I think we can get involved too, particularly now that your people in the South West are fighting over ratings in the polls. We can organize our own polls and announce that you are the citizens’ choice” 

“No, thanks.” 

“Really?”   

“Because I really don’t understand what is going on. It is about seven months to the elections. Under normal circumstances, by now, there should be some kind of certainty or clarity about the future of the country and the general elections next year. Right now, the country is in the grips of fear and uncertainty about the future. Nobody has any idea what will happen tomorrow. The aspirants too have no clue.” 

“After the primaries, don’t worry. The candidates that would emerge would start talking. They will take care of people, including naysayers like you who think they know it all about Nigeria.”  

“I certainly do not know it all. But I don’t like gambling”.

“Let whoever wants to gamble do so. Nigeria itself is a big gamble. Life is also a gamble.”

“Nobody is talking about issues. I only get to hear about individual ambitions, zoning, ethnicity, and religion. In the recent Presidential election in France, President Emmanuel Macron and the opposition candidate, Marine Le Pen discussed issues of interest to the people. Who will speak for us, hapless Nigerians? I want to hear what anybody wants to do about the bad state of the Nigerian economy, inflation, unemployment, terrorism, the cost of living crisis, the loss of hope, all I hear is vote for me, vote for me, I am the best…it is my turn, individual ego, noise, selfishness!” 

“Speak for yourself, my friend. That is why you have a voter’s card. “ 

“That does not guarantee that my vote or your vote or anyone else’s vote would count.”

“It is up to you what you do with your PVC.” 

“I just hope we’d still have a country when this is all over. The future has never been this uncertain in this country.”   

 

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European football’s governing body, UEFA, has announced the ban on Russian clubs from participating in the Champions League and all other European competitions next season.
UEFA, who announced this on Monday, said “Russia will have no affiliated clubs participating in UEFA club competitions in the 2022/23 season,” according to a statement.

Russian clubs and national teams were suspended “until further notice” by UEFA in February 2022 in the wake of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian team’s exclusion from the Women’s European Championship to take place in England in July was also confirmed Monday with Portugal taking its place.

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A former Governor of Oyo State, Rashidi Ladoja, on Monday stated that the exorbitant fees charged for nomination forms by the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party will increase corruption in the country.

He affirmed that the high cost of nomination forms charged by both parties would have a negative effect on the nation’s economy.

Ladoja made this while speaking with journalists at his Ibadan residence, stressing that the arrogance of the two political parties would force politicians to embezzle public funds.

Osi-Olubadan of Ibadan who noted that candidates should be picked based on their manifesto and not money, faulted claims by the parties that the exorbitant fees would separate contenders from pretenders, saying they were only encouraging their candidates to go and steal public funds when elected.

“It is very ridiculous to ask a presidential aspirant to pick nomination form for N100million and governorship nomination form for N50million. This is pure arrogance from the parties.

“You are asking a presidential aspirant to seek a job of N56million with a form of N100million. Same thing with the governorship; you are asking an aspirant to pay N50 million to seek a job of N28 million in four years,” he said.

The former governor said that the arrogance of the two parties would drop if other parties win election in some states.

“Other political parties charge less than APC and PDP. If other parties can also win elections in some states, the arrogance of the two major political parties will drop.

“These parties should understand that they are not the masters, but the people. They are just stampeding people thinking that they would vote for them either they like or not,” he said.

Ladoja urged the political parties to imbibe the lessons of Ramadan in their activities as political activities commenced in the country ahead of 2023.

He said that Ramadan taught the people to imbibe tolerance, love, giving and sacrifice, saying such if imbibed would promote healthy competition as well as peaceful coexistence.

He enjoined the people to live in harmony, while adhering to their righteous deeds during the Ramadan period.

 

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No fewer than 50 passengers were rescued when fire gutted the tyres of an aircraft operated by Dana Airlines Limited in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The incident occurred on Monday evening at the Port Harcourt airport.

It was also gathered that no life was lost and no passenger was injured as first responders including operatives of the fire service at the airport moved in to control the situation.

In a statement on Tuesday morning, Dana Air spokesman, Kingsley Ezenwa, confirmed the incident.

In the statement titled, “Press statement on Port Harcourt Incident of 2/5/22” Ezenwa said the aircraft had been grounded pending the conclusion of their investigations.

It partly read, “Our aircraft with registration number 5N JOY operating flight 9J 344 from Port Harcourt to Lagos on 2nd of May 2022, was set to take off when the pilot in command noticed an anomaly which he queried with the Air Traffic Control before embarking on a ramp return in line with our strict safety operating procedures

“However, the impact on the brakes as a result of the aborted take-off affected the aircraft tyres which sparked off while the aircraft was taxiing to re-park. 

“All 50 passengers onboard the aircraft disembarked safely and our maintenance team have immediately grounded the aircraft pending the conclusion of their investigations.

“Once again, we sincerely apologise to all the passengers on the flight for the inconveniences caused due to the eventual cancellation of the flight.”

The Nigerian civil airspace has maintained a relatively safe record in about a decade now which has increased passengers’ confidence in air travel.

The last air crash in the country involving a commercial airplane was in June 2012 when a Dana Air MD-83 aircraft from Abuja crashed near the Lagos airport, while attempting an emergency landing, killing all 153 souls on board and six on the ground.

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President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said it was difficult to crush bandits because of the use of captives as human shields.
The President said this while receiving some residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Sallah homage at State House, Abuja.

He also spoke on the train attack in Kaduna State, directing security agencies to ensure rescue of the victims.
Terrorists had on March 28 attacked the AK9 Abuja–Kaduna train, killing at least nine people, wounding several others, and abducting an unknown number of passengers.
President Buhari, who assured families that efforts were ongoing to ensure safe return of all those being held by terrorists, said the government would explore every opportunity to secure the captives, alive and unhurt.
He said, “As we celebrate this occasion with joy amidst friends and family members, we are fully conscious of the fact that many families in our country are in a state of fear and anxiety on account of the many captives held by terrorists against their will, including those taken away after the tragic bombing of the Abuja – Kaduna train.
“I have directed security agencies to ensure quick and safe recovery of all victims of kidnapping. I urge the railway management to immediately set up a situation room for the coordination of the rescue mission and for a minute by minute engagement with the families of the captives.
“This should ease their pain and anxiety as we push the military to finding a safe return to their families. My aim is to see all those in captivity safely rescued.
“Let me assure Nigerians that the bandits are just pushing their luck, but this is only for a while before they are finally crushed. They are using civilians as human shields, thereby making it difficult to confront them directly,” he said.
According to the President, bandits and terrorists, unlike professional soldiers, don’t respect the rules of engagement and could resort to harming hostages when attacked.
“They don’t care about killing their hostages if they come under attack. It’s a delicate situation that requires wisdom, caution and also patience. Any rescue operation that results in the death of any hostage cannot be deemed a success.
“The government doesn’t want this kind of tragic outcome. It’s a complex situation that demands proper handling. The primary objective of any rescue operation is to free the hostages safely, unharmed and alive.
“Let me make it clear, however, that defeating the terrorists and bandits requires more than weapons; we also need human intelligence which is necessary to frustrate terrorist plans. The people and community leaders should help our security officials with information about the activities or movements of criminal groups,” he added.
President Buhari urged Nigerians to create a hostile environment for criminals hiding in communities.
The President said a stronger synergy between security agencies and communities will make a huge difference in defeating banditry and terrorism in the country.
President Buhari allayed fears that bandits would grow to yet another big challenge as faced by the Boko Haram threat, assuring that the administration would not allow such to happen.

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As the 2023 general elections draw near, President Muhammadu Buhari has yet again spoken about his successor. 
On Monday after joining other Muslims to observe Eid-el-Fitr prayers at the parade ground, Mambilla Barrack in Abuja, Buhari restated the commitment of his administration to free, fair and transparent process.

Asked to speak on who he would like to hand over to, the president said, “The person that Nigerians elect.” 
Buhari also challenged the heads of military and other security formations in the country to go after terrorists and eliminate them.
He expressed the commitment of his administration to continue to work towards making the country safe for Nigerians.
He said farmers must be assured of their safety as they returned to the farms, thereby securing the country’s food production.
“We’ll continue to make the environment secure, especially when the rainy season is coming, so that farmers can go back to their farms and we wouldn’t have problem of food security.”
“Heads of the services; Army, Navy, Air Force, the Inspector-General of Police and so on, are very much aware of the situation. It’s their duties to know where the terrorists are and eliminate them”, he said.
Other prominent personalities who observed prayers at the same venue with the President included National Security Adviser, retired Major General Babagana Munguno, Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar; Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba; a former minister of interior, Abdulrahman Dambazzau; and a former Governor of Adamawa, Murtala Nyako among others

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Ango Abdullahi

The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) says it will amount to “deceit” if political parties refuse to zone their presidential tickets to the southern region.

The group was reacting to the position of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) on zoning.

Ango Abdullahi

On Thursday, Ango Abdullahi, the chairman of NEF, had said the next president should emerge through merit and not zoning.

He had also said the concept of zoning or power shift is “dead on arrival”.

On Friday, Abdullahi Adamu, chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had said the party is yet to decide on if it would zone its presidential ticket.

Speaking on the development in a statement on Monday, the SMBLF said the concept of zoning and power shift cannot be “buried”, adding that it is the turn of the south to produce the next president.

“SMBLF particularly took exception to a recent statement credited to the Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum, Alhaji Ango Abdullahi, that zoning is ‘dead and buried’,” the statement reads.

“SMBLF says it is rather unfortunate and absurd that Ango Abdullahi and his Northern Elders Forum would make such twaddle. Are they now ready to dissolve the country? What has happened that zoning, which has been a sine qua non in the nation’s political progression, has now become a ‘dead and buried’ issue, in the irrational contemplations of Ango Abdullahi and his co-travellers? Could it be due to the incapacity, insipidity and disastrous performance of the Buhari administration or the narcissistic desire to perpetuate Hausa/Fulani hegemony?

“It has become necessary to underscore that Ango Abdullahi, with his established disposition of inconsistency and duplicity, is one of the people disturbing the polity and peace of Nigeria.

“A few days ago, this same Ango fumbled with the idea of a so-called consensus arrangement for northern presidential aspirants. He has not come out of it, now he has sprung up with this reckless statement that zoning is dead and buried. Ango and his northern elders do not have the power to kill and bury zoning; if they want to kill and bury Nigeria, then we are ready for them.”

On the comment by Adamu, the SMBLF said it would be “outright dishonesty and chicanery” if the party refuses to zone its presidential ticket to the south.

 

“Who are they trying to deceive and who will allow them? It becomes even more upsetting given the fact that the statement came from someone who himself emerged as national chairman of the APC through the policy of rotation and zoning,” the forum said.

“More importantly, the APC Constitution, under article 7, relating to its aims and objectives, commits the party to firstly, ‘promote and foster the unity, political stability and national consciousness of the people of Nigeria’. The question then is would the dumping of the zoning policy foster unity, political stability and national consciousness in Nigeria?”

The group also urged the southern governors and other stakeholders in the region to remain resolute in their call for a president from the zone.

“We, therefore, strongly caution all our governors, former governors and top politicians not to accept the Vice Presidency nomination from any northern presidential candidate,” the statement reads.

“We urge the 17 Southern Governors, who unanimously declared that the presidency must come to the south in May last year, at Asaba, Delta State, to remain resolute. They have our absolute support for the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum and we stand firmly by them. This country belongs to all of us.

“Let everybody take this as a serious warning that the issue of zoning cannot be swept under the carpet; it cannot be dead and buried. If zoning is buried, Nigeria is then buried.

“And if they are thinking that this is a joke, let it be known that it is not. If we cannot abide by the established principle of rotation and zoning between the north and south, then we should not continue with one Nigeria; we should go back to what we were as a people before the amalgamation of 1914.

“We also earnestly call on the people of the Middle Belt Region and all minorities in Nigeria to wake up and work conscientiously with the southerners. If we do, the prospects will be pellucid. This was demonstrated at the National Conference of 2014 to the mortification of those who think this country belongs to them alone.”

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Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has claimed that he was nearly assassinated while working as the Chief of Staff to ex-Governor Chibuike Amaechi, in 2007.

Wike was the former Chief of Staff to former Governor Rotimi Amaechi during his first tenure.

The governor, who is aspiring for the office of the President under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, also slammed President Muhammadu Buhari and those that brought him (Buhari) to power in 2015, describing the current system as a failure.

Wike suggested that President Buhari’s alleged failure was because people came together and gave him power even when he was not ready to serve the country, insisting that it was wrong for people to get power, especially when it comes to presidential power, on a platter of gold.

“If you remember, when I was the Chief of Staff, on the 3rd of December, 2007, I was nearly assassinated. I was nearly assassinated on December 3rd, 2007 if I can remember vividly,” Wike said during an interview with Channels Television.

“Even at that point, I was a threat unknown to me. I’ve never one day said I want it on a platter of gold, never! In fact, when you give people things on a platter of gold, it doesn’t work well.

“Power is not given. Nobody is going to give you presidential power on a platter of gold.

“Take for example, President Buhari, people were saying, “give it to him, give it to him, he’s the messiah,” now look at what happens.

“That period they came to deceive Nigerians that ‘this is the only man who can solve the problems, this is the only man who has the key to Nigeria becoming one of the greatest countries’ and Nigerians were deceived and we all bought it. Now look at where we are today. They told Nigerians “if you don’t elect General Buhari, there’ll be no Nigeria again.” “

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Kola Balogun, the senator representing Oyo South Senatorial District, has resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State.

This is contained in a statement signed by his media aide Dapo Falade.

Balogun, a younger brother of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Lekan Balogun, is the vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports and Youth Development.

Balogun’s resignation came few days after he was denied a return ticket, further deepening the crisis in the Oyo PDP in which the state governor, Seyi Makinde, has been fingered.

The ticket had been handed to Joseph Tegbe, who defected to the PDP from All Progressives Congress (APC).

Balogun’s resignation from the PDP was contained in a letter dated April 28 and addressed to the chairman of the party in Ward 12, Ibadan North-East local government area.

He said the letter was received and acknowledged by the PDP ward chairman, Tijani Wasiu, on April 29.

He thanked the party for giving him the opportunity in the ninth Senate, saying his resignation took effect from April 28.

Balogun said he enjoyed the cooperation of the PDP leadership and its members till April and wished the party best of luck.

“I, Sen. Kola Balogun, representing Oyo South Senatorial District in the ninth Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria, hereby tender my membership resignation from PDP with effect from April 28,” he stated in the letter. “I thank the party for giving me the opportunity to serve my people in the capacity of a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and your cooperation which I enjoyed till the month of April 2022. I wish the party the best of luck. I thank you.”

Balogun was the only PDP senator from Oyo in the ninth senate until his resignation.

Balogun’s resignation from the PDP came less than 48 hours after scores of PDP and ADC leaders defected to the APC in the state.

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