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Atiku celebrates Wike @55, says ‘May lines fall in places for you’

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The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, set aside the acrimonious differences between him and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, on Tuesday, as he extended an olive branch to the governor with a birthday post.

“As you turn 55 today, I pray that all lines fall in pleasant places for you. Enjoy your special day,” Atiku posted on his verified Twitter handle affixed with a bold, smiling photo of the Rivers governor.

Recall that following the PDP presidential primary in May where he lost out, Wike has been at loggerheads with Atiku over the chairmanship of Iyorchia Ayu. Wike with four other PDP governors known as the G5 or the Integrity Group have insisted that Benue-born Ayu must step down for a southerner as a precondition to support the 2023 ambition of Atiku.

On Sunday, the Director General of Atiku’s Campaign, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State visited one of Wike’s ally and a G5 member, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State in a move to resolve the crisis.

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Later the same day, Atiku, on Channels Television’s The People’s Townhall, said has met Wike five times to resolve the issue but there is no end in sight. Ortom and Wike subsequently shunned Atiku who was in Benue on Monday for campaigns.

Wike’s 2023 presidential ambition was terminated when he lost the PDP’s primary to Atiku in May. Atiku, a former Vice President, later stung Wike when he passed over his closest rival at the primary and chose Okowa as his running mate.

Last month, Wike promised logistics support for the campaigns of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi; and his New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) counterpart, Rabiu Kwankwaso. Wike has also of late hobnobbed with APC stalwarts like Adams Oshiomhole and Governors Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), and Ben Ayade (Cross River).

While Wike and his allies have not been seen to campaign for Atiku, it is, however not clear whether they will support Obi, Kwankwaso or Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the contest for Aso Rock’s top job.

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Good morning! Here Are Some Major News Headlines In The Newspapers Today: VGC chairman found dead inside his car in Lagos

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1. A Lagos-based man, Gihan Mbelu, has reportedly died in his vehicle in the Victoria Garden City area of Lagos State on Friday. It was gathered on Sunday that 42-year-old Mbelu had reportedly parked his car, a Mercedes C300 4Matic, running for several hours while he sat motionless in the car.

 

2. In response to the devastating tanker fire incident in Rivers State, President Bola Tinubu has directed federal agencies to continue providing support to the state government in addressing the aftermath of the tragedy. President Tinubu’s message, contained in a statement issued on Sunday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, also extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of the fire incident.

 

3. As the demolition of properties along the right of way for the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway begins, the federal government has promised to conduct the process with sensitivity, aiming to minimize disruptions to the lives of those affected.

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4. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, says two notorious drug kingpins: Uwaezuoke Ikenna Christian and Agbo Chidike Prince have been sentenced to life imprisonment for dealing in cocaine. Director, Media and Advocacy NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, said this brings to an end to their years of criminal enterprise of exporting cocaine across continents.

 

5. No fewer than 40 observers have been deployed by the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, to Togo, ahead of the parliamentary and regional election. The elections have been scheduled for April 29, 2024. This was revealed in a statement by the regional body.

 

6. Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Sunday, April 28, warned petrol stations against hoarding of fuel as scarcity hit the state. Adeleke through his chief of staff, Kazeem Akinleye, who is also the chairman, Petroleum Monitoring Taskforce, warned against creating artificial scarcity.

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7. Former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has tackled Northern governors over their recent trip to the United States. In a Facebook post, he said the trip exposed the governors’ ignorance of the country’s constitution. According to him, security is solely the responsibility of the federal government because it is on the exclusive list.

 

8. The naira has demonstrated signs of strengthening against the United States dollar, appreciating by N125 to reach N1,275/$1 over the weekend. The new rate represents a 9.8 per cent increase when compared to N1,400 to a dollar it traded at the close of trading activity on Friday.

 

9. The immediate-past governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, on Sunday, asked his counterpart in Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, to come out of his hiding and answer his case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Speaking at a Redeemed Christian Church of God in Makurdi, Benue State during the thanksgiving service organised by his aides for his 63rd birthday celebration, Ortom advised Bello to come out of hiding.

READ  Wike: How Tinubu rejected offer to betray Buhari in 2019

 

10.
The campaign coordinator of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa in Supare, Akoko South West Local Government Area of Ondo State, Alaba Abbey, has been shot dead. Late Abbey was shot dead on Saturday evening at his residence in Supare.

 

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Dark Sunday: 19 people burnt to death in Okene-Lokoja highway auto crash

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Nineteen people were, on Sunday, burnt to death in an auto crash along the Okene-Lokoja highway in Kogi state.

 

In a statement by Jonas Agwu, its public education officer, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said the accident involved a Dangote truck with registration details NSH680YJ and a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number KMC455ZE.

 

According to the FRSC, both vehicles suffered a head-on collision after a route violation by the truck, resulting in an inferno.

 

The agency said out of the all-male 22 passengers involved in the accident, three were rescued.

 

“The TYT bus loaded from Kano was on its lane on the highway when the Dangote Truck driver who drove all the way from Port Harcourt wrongfully overtook a vehicle & collided head-on with the bus. The impact of the collision resulted in an inferno that burnt the victims to death,” the statement reads.

 

“Unfortunately, 19 people out of the 22 victims were killed and 1 injured. The remaining 2 victims who got rescued by FRSC operatives without injuries survived the crash because they complied with traffic regulations on compulsory use of seatbelt.

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“The corpses of the dead victims whose lives were claimed by the crash have been deposited at Okene General Hospital.”

 

Dauda Biu, the FRSC corps marshal, said the agency will continue its ongoing prosecution of drivers “who by their actions cause road traffic crashes in Nigeria”.

 

Biu further called on the judiciary and leadership of transport unions and other relevant stakeholders in the road transportation sector to join hands with the corps to ensure speedy and effective prosecution of offenders.

 

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Man trying to escape arrest drowns in Lagos Lagoon

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A man, simply identified as Azeez, has allegedly jumped into the lagoon in Lagos and drowned while trying to evade arrest for stealing some bags of cement.

The Spokesperson of the Police Command in Lagos, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this on Sunday.

 

Hundeyin said that the Director in charge of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) operations in Lagos Central, (name not mentioned), reported the case to Ikoyi Police Division on Friday at about 12.20 p.m.

Hundeyin said that the director reported that at about 10.45 a.m. on Friday, he received a call that there was an incident at Lekki/Ikoyi Link Bridge.

 

According to him, on getting to the scene, he met a large crowd gathered by the waterside, watching the lifeless body of a man who had drowned.

“The deceased was later identified as Azeez. He was later confirmed dead by paramedics of Pre Hospital Care, Lagos.

 

“It was discovered that one Elijah Amos, the seller of the cement, was pursuing the deceased before he jumped into the Lagoon because he was alleged to have stolen some bags of cement,” Hundeyin said.

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Hundeyin said that the scene was visited by the police, while the corpse had been evacuated to Mainland General Hospital Mortuary, Yaba, for autopsy and preservation.

 

He added that an investigation into the case was in progress.

 

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