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Power must return to South in 2023 — Afenifere

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AFENIFERE

 

Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has maintained that the presidency must return to the southern geo-political zone in 2023.

The National Publicity Secretary of the group, Jare Ajayi, while reacting to the position of northern governors, said equity and fairness demand that Presidency should come to the South in 2023.

The group’s spokesman expressed surprise at the position of the governors, saying some northern governors had said before that power should come to the South in 2023.

The Afenifere spokesman said, “This new position by the governors indicated that the issue of forging unity in the country is only on their lips and not in their hearts. It is true that zoning is not in the 1999 Constitution. So are many other things that are done politically in form of convention.

“For example, it is not in the constitution that in a state with adherents of Muslims and Christians, the governor and his or her deputy should ideally be Christian and Muslim or vice versa. It is also a matter of convention that two occupants of the said offices should not come from the same local government or senatorial zone.

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“These are conventions and not necessarily constitutional matter. Such a convention is entrenched to forge unity and a sense of belonging. Thus, while we, as Afenifere, concede that presidential material can come from any part of the country, equity, fairness and justice demand that the next occupant of the exalted office must come from the South since the North would have occupied that office for unbroken eight years by 2023. It is by so doing that unity and sense of belonging the country needs would be fostered.”

Ajayi added that had whoever happens to be President, governing fairly and justly, it would not have mattered where he or she came from.

“The issue of where the President comes from is on the front burner today because of the nepotic tendencies by those who have been ruling us. This was taken to the highest level by the incumbent President Buhari,” he stated.

The Afenifere spokesman noted that there should be a restructuring before the 2023 elections, adding that if that happened, most of what was causing “brouhaha” now would be a thing of the past.

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Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers Headlines: 2027 election: Tinubu eyes North’s 56 million voters

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1. President Bola Tinubu and leaders of the All Progressives Congress will on Saturday kick off the President’s re-election campaign in Kaduna State, as the ruling party intensifies efforts to secure support across the North, which accounts for 56.01 million of Nigeria’s 103.43 million registered voters.

With 31 state governors and other party chieftains expected at the campaign flag-off, the APC is banking on what its leaders describe as a growing consensus among northern stakeholders and voters to secure Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

2.  A Department of State Services, DSS, operative yesterday told an Imo State High Court how 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, members were abducted at gunpoint while travelling to orientation camps, as hearing began in the case against three alleged kidnappers.

3. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms, including the devaluation of the naira, worsened poverty in Nigeria. He spoke on Wednesday at the Financial Times Africa summit 2026 in London, United Kingdom, UK. According to him, the sharp decline in the naira’s value had impoverished Nigerians and contributed to the country’s position as the world’s poverty capital.

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4. The Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board, CDCFIB, has asked candidates who reached the oral interview stage of its ongoing recruitment exercise to check the portal on October 28 to know their status. It said the portal will remain open until November 13.




5. The Federal Government has directed hospitals nationwide to prepare isolation beds and strengthen infection prevention measures as part of efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak, warning that 15 states are yet to update their response plans.

6. Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has demanded the immediate publication of the preliminary voters’ register, warning that the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission to display the list online could undermine confidence in the 2027 general election. Atiku, in a statement on Thursday, said Nigerians were entitled to inspect the register, challenge questionable entries and correct omissions before the election.

7. The International Criminal Police Organisation has arrested two suspects in Nigeria in separate investigations into cybercrime, including an international investment fraud scheme linked to more than $2.4m in suspected criminal proceeds. The arrests were disclosed in a statement on Operation Serengeti III, a cybercrime enforcement operation.

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8. The Edo State Government has demolished buildings allegedly used for ritual activities and cult-related crimes following the arrest of two suspects in the state’s renewed crackdown on criminality. The government demolished a bungalow and four boys’ quarters at Uwalor-Oke in Uromi, allegedly used by a suspected ritualist, Ebhata Eromosele. Another building linked to cult-related activities in the Ewatto was also pulled down.

9. A collaborative, multi-pronged plan to ease the cost of living for Nigerians was unveiled yesterday after the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting. The Federal and state governments will work jointly to achieve the objectives of the plan, which is designed for implementation over 90 days. NEC, the highest economic policy coordination body of the government, is chaired by the Vice President and comprises members of the Federal Government’s economic team and state governors.

10. Three more states – Kaduna, Bayelsa, and Benue – have approved the proposed sixth alteration to the 1999 Constitution to provide for the establishment of State Police Services and Other Related Matters. The development brought the number of Houses of Assembly that have endorsed the State Police Bill to about 20. The Kaduna State House of Assembly unanimously endorsed proposed amendments to 15 sections of the 1999 Constitution to pave the way for the establishment of state police.

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Ebola: Keyamo directs NCAA to place 46 contacts of patient on no-fly list

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The minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo, has directed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to place 46 persons who came in contact with an Ebola patient on a no-fly list for 21 days.

The minister announced the directive in an X post on Wednesday after a virtual meeting with Muhammad Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, over the Ebola outbreak.

Nigeria confirmedits first case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) on Tuesday after a diplomat who reportedly arrived from Uganda fell ill in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Pate said the Federal Government has identified 44 close contacts for tracing to prevent further transmission.

Keyamo said Pate provided him with the list of 44 persons who came in contact with the affected person at a hospital after the patient developed symptoms, as well as two domestic staff.

The minister said efforts are ongoing to isolate the contacts pending confirmation that they had not been infected with the virus.

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He added that he had directed the NCAA to notify all local and international airlines of the development.

Keyamo also directed the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to strengthen Ebola response and surveillance protocols at all international airports.

According to him, the measures being implemented by FAAN include enhanced health screenings, temperature checks, travel history tracking, digital health declarations and coordination with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC).

He said the measures followed earlier regional outbreak alerts.

Ebola is an infectious disease caused by a virus. It spreads through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of someone who is sick with the disease or has died from it, or through contact with contaminated materials.

The World Health Organisation has noted that Ebola is a fatal infection that can begin with fever, headache, muscle pain and weakness before progressing to vomiting, diarrhoea and, in some cases, internal or external bleeding.

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Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers Headlines: Ebola fears: FG, states on alert as infected diplomat suffers organ failure

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1. A diplomat diagnosed with the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has reportedly deteriorated into multi-organ failure, as the Federal Government and state governments intensify surveillance, contact tracing and emergency preparedness to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.

The patient’s name and nationality were, however, not disclosed.

The Director of Public Health Laboratory Service at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Olajumoke Babatunde, gave the update at an emergency meeting of the agency in Abuja on Wednesday.

2. The Ogun State Government has again shut some schools in Ijebu-Ode, Ago-Iwoye and Ijebu-Igbo after more than 100 pupils were reportedly hospitalised on Wednesday following exposure to an offensive gaseous substance. The affected pupils were taken to the State Hospital, Ijebu-Ode, the General Hospital, Ijebu-Igbo, and other healthcare facilities for treatment.

3. The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday warned the defence lawyers against delay in the trial of four suspects who allegedly kidnapped and killed Ekpeyong Asuquo Owoh, an operative of the Department of State Services (DSS). Justice Joyce Abdulmalik gave the warning after Kelvin Ekwe and Geoffrey Uwadiegu, who appeared for the defendants, expressed unreadiness to commence trial and sought an application for adjournment.

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4. The Federal Government says it has settled more than N100bn in longstanding gas debts since January 2026 as part of efforts to strengthen the gas-to-power value chain. The Special Adviser to the President on Oil and Gas, Mrs Olu Verheijen, disclosed this on Wednesday in her keynote address at the Africa Interviews Sustainability Forum 2026 in Lagos. She said the settlement was carried out under the administration’s Presidential Power Sector Financial Reforms Programme.

5. Vice President Kashim Shettima on Wednesday urged state governments to end their dependence on the Federal Government for solutions to local power problems. He said states should set up functional electricity markets under the Electricity Act 2023. He spoke at the opening of the National Stakeholders’ Workshop on the Electricity Act 2023 at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

6. The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed that lives were lost after a boat reportedly capsized during a confrontation between youths and men in military uniform over an oil spill in Kula, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of the state. Police said an investigation had begun to determine the exact number of casualties and the circumstances surrounding the incident, which occurred on Tuesday evening.

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7. The Ekiti and Kebbi State Houses of Assembly have endorsed the proposed constitutional amendment to pave the way for the establishment of state police, with Ekiti passing the bill and Kebbi lawmakers adopting a resolution in support of decentralised policing to tackle insecurity. Before the latest endorsements, at least 13 states — Osun, Edo, Oyo, Rivers, Zamfara, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Delta, Taraba, Cross River, Plateau and Enugu — had passed the bill.

8. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said his political differences with former Kano State Governor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso will not diminish his personal affection for the opposition politician. Tinubu made the declaration on Wednesday in a birthday tribute to Kwankwaso, who turned 70, describing the former Minister of Defence as a longstanding friend and influential figure in Nigeria’s political development.

9. The Nigerian Education Loan Fund has said that accessing student loans is voluntary, urging tertiary institution students to apply only when they genuinely need financial assistance to pursue their education. The clarification was contained in a statement signed by the Director of Strategic Communications, NELFUND, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, in Abuja on Wednesday.

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10. The All Progressives Congress (APC) has stated that it is targeting maximum votes in the forthcoming 2027 presidential poll. This follows the commitment of Nigerians in the Diaspora to join the campaign train for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. ​Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday at a briefing held by the Presidential Campaign Council’s Directorate of Diaspora Mobilisation, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), emphasized the immense value of Nigerians abroad to the nation’s economic development


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