Connect with us

News

Ayu must go, Wike insists, says he has no problem with Atiku

Published

on

 

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has maintained that he will not support the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, until Iyorchia Ayu vacates office as the National Chairman of the party.

Wike said his demand that the north should relinquish the position of the national chairman of the PDP to the south remains a panacea to the crisis rocking the PDP ahead of the 2023 election.

Wike is leading a group of five governors of PDP who had refused to support the ambition of the presidential candidate of their party over the continued stay of Ayu in office.

The governor said has no axe to grind with the Atiku, according to a statement signed by Kelvin Ebiri, his Special Assistant on Media on Tuesday.

The Rivers governor made this assertion when his political associates and Rivers elders led by the Chairman, Rivers Elders Council, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba visited his private residence in Rumueprikom to felicitate with him on his birthday.

The governor recalled that precisely a year ago, Rivers Elders urged him to contest for the office of the President resident of Nigeria. According to him, he heeded the advise and almost clinched the PDP presidential ticket if not for the manipulation of the process.

“I don’t regret I ran for presidency. In the name of God, I am happy to make Rivers State proud. I am happy as far as I am concerned. If they had allow it to be what it is supposed to be, I would have won the election. But it’s okay. It has happened.

See also  Defence headquarters confirms Nigeria-US joint air strikes on ISIS-linked targets

“People said because I lost election, it doesn’t matter. I didn’t lose election. This is my first time of trying to run for the president of Nigeria and we made impact. If it is easy let them go ahead. Are they not the ones begging.”

The Rivers State governor reiterated that he does not have any personal problem with the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. He explained that the seeming lingering crisis in the PDP has to do with demand from the southern stakeholders that the national chairman who hails from the north as the presidential candidate is from the north, should relinquish his position.

“I have no problem with presidential candidate. All I am saying is what is the interest of Rivers people? What is the interest of the South -South, and the South?”

The governor explained that the reason why some of his Ikwerre brothers like, Sir Celestine Omehia and former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Austin Opara, are begrudging him is because of his insistence that it will be morally offensive for an Ikwerre man to succeed him or even emerge as PDP candidate for Rivers East senatorial district.

“I called Austin (Opara), he sat here and I said look my brother leave it, it will not work. I don’t want to cause crisis in our system. Amaechi finished eight years as governor, I’m going to finish eight years as governor too. It will be difficult to sell another Ikwerre person as governor for another eight years. Omehia said he wants to go to the Senate, I said leave it. Ikwerre has gone, Ogu has gone, leave Etche to go.

See also  PDP's North East Zonal treasurer Galadima Abba dumps party over treatment of Wike

“You people said I should go (to Senate), I said I won’t. Allwell ( Onyesoh) could not have stopped me. Yes, today we are majority, you don’t know what tomorrow will be. I never did anything to undermine anybody. We must understand that.”

Governor Wike further described as sheer hypocrisy the allegation that he foisted the Rivers State PDP governorship candidate, Sir Siminalaye Fubara on the party. He said the emergence of Fubara was a collective decision reached after those who had indicated interest to succeed him failed to reach a consensus to produce one candidate.

“When O.C.J Okocha comes back we will publish the agreement signed by all.”

He urged the PDP leaders to remain steadfast and focused as the sterling performance and transformational leadership provided by his administration since 2015 will enable the party to win the 2023 election with ease.

“We will win. I am not running election, but I’m running an election. My name is not in the ballot, but I’m running an election. You’ll hear what is going to happen. Everybody don’t panic. It is something God has given to us in our (hand) palm.”

See also  Chris Nkwonta, Abia rep, dumps PDP for APC

The Chairman, Rivers Elders Council, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba, commended governor Wike for contesting the PDP presidential primaries and mounting an intense campaign that has left many astounded till date.

“Your Excellency, since after the primaries and all the matters arising, a lot of people have been wondering where are we going, what are we doing? But, I will like to assure you that the belief we have in you and your type of leadership, whenever you decide to say where we are going, that is where all of us will go. We are not in a hurry. We will deliver Fubara, as our governor. We will deliver all the members of House of Representatives, all the senators, all the Assembly men.

“But the other one we are waiting for whenever you decide. We will wait for you. Whatever you decide, that is where all of us will go. Your Excellency, we thank God that you have the ability and capacity to carry along a number of colleagues today known as G-5. Those are the most popular governors in this country today. And we are not pressurising you. Whatever the group comes up with, whichever decision you take, be rest assured that your fellowship will key into it and support you to the last.”

News

Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers Headlines: PCC inauguration: APC banks on Tinubu’s record for re-election

Published

on

By


1. The All Progressives Congress on Wednesday inaugurated its Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 election, expressing confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s record and reforms while rallying party leaders and politicians from other political parties to secure his re-election.

The inauguration and federation general assembly, held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, drew opposition figures who pledged to back his re-election bid.

2. The re-election campaign will not stop governance because the economy needs all hands on the plough, the President declared yesterday. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu spoke at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, during the inauguration of his Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) for the January 16, 2027 election, an event that turned into a political carnival.


3. The Federal Government has approved plans to build a new eastern-western electricity grid as part of efforts to address Nigeria’s recurring power grid collapses. The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this at the recent HBSAN energy conference in Lagos, where he outlined plans to address longstanding weaknesses in the country’s electricity transmission infrastructure.

See also  PDP's North East Zonal treasurer Galadima Abba dumps party over treatment of Wike

4. Popular gospel singer, Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji, popularly known as Toluwanisings, has passed away. His family confirmed the news in a public announcement shared on his verified Instagram page on Wednesday night.
According to the statement, the gospel minister passed away in the early hours of Wednesday, October 14, 2026



5. The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, has said algorithms will not determine the outcome of the 2027 general elections, insisting that the decision on who governs Nigeria rests solely with voters. He warned that although artificial intelligence could influence electoral administration and the information available to voters, the technology must remain subordinate to human judgment and democratic institutions.

6. Inspector-General of Police (IGP)  Olatunji  Disu  has assured Nigerians that the police will demonstrate professionalism before, during and after the 2027 general election.
Disu said the police  reviewed their performances in recent elections and would  apply  the lessons learned in order to make Nigerians proud.



See also  New convert: Fans react as Mercy Aigbe shares pictures from Mecca

7. The Federal Government has proposed a new examination timetable that will see candidates sitting the 2027 West African Examinations Council (WAEC), National Examinations Council (NECO) and other major external examinations receive their results by August, ahead of the September admission process into tertiary institutions.

8. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has urged All Progressives Congress, APC, governors to work hard in their respective states to ensure President Bola Tinubu wins next year’s election. Speaking at the inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Abuja on Wednesday, Wike said any governor who failed to deliver his state for the President should not join others in claiming victory if Tinubu is re-elected in 2027.

9. The Kwara State Police Command has arrested four men in connection with two separate incidents involving the alleged removal of human heads from exhumed graves and the possession of suspected human hands allegedly intended for money-making rituals. The Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, disclosed the arrests on Tuesday while briefing journalists at the command headquarters in Ilorin, where he provided details of the investigations into the two cases.

See also  Atiku: Northerners don't need not Yoruba, Igbo as president

10. The Police Special Fraud Unit in Lagos State has arraigned a banker and seven other defendants before the Federal High Court in Lagos over an alleged N710 million proof-of-funds fraud. The defendants — Elvis Osazee Eghile, Egharevba MaryJane Osarieyekemwen, Precious Omonigho Irbhogbe, Aghatise Kelvin Uhuenkpoewen, Nweke Nnamdi Emmanuel, Obinyan Esther, Egharevba Emmanuel Osagioduwa and Emmanuel Obinyan Osenonome — were arraigned on a 12-count charge.

Continue Reading

News

‘Delusion of grandeur’ — Shettima calls Peter Obi master of bogus statistics

Published

on

By

Vice President Kashim Shettima has knocked former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, describing him as “the master of bogus statistics and incoherent economic prescriptions”.

Shettima made the remark on Wednesday at the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Calling Obi “my very good friend”, the Vice President mocked his habit of comparing Nigeria with other countries, especially Bangladesh.

Shettima stated. “He seems convinced that a size 36 shirt tailored for Bangladesh will somehow fit Nigeria’s size 52 frame.”

He said Obi’s “fascination with foreign comparisons overlooks the peculiarities that distinguish one nation from another”.

According to Shettima, “Governance is an art that demands mastery of context, whether social, economic, political or institutional.

“What succeeds in Bangladesh cannot simply be transplanted to Nigeria without accounting for the differences in our population, economic structures, institutions and national circumstances.

See also  Atiku: Northerners don't need not Yoruba, Igbo as president

“A country of over 250 million people cannot be governed through borrowed statistics and economic prescriptions detached from its peculiarities.”

The VP said he respected Obi but accused him of making a “bogus claim” about winning the 2023 presidential election without evidence to support the assertion.

“This is called delusion of grandeur.
Our contest is with the politics of yesterday dressed as tomorrow’s deliverance,” he said.

Obi has frequently cited Bangladesh in his criticism of the Tinubu administration’s economic management, including its borrowing.

In February, he said Nigeria’s challenge was fund mismanagement, not borrowing.

Obi ran as the Labour Party candidate in 2023 and finished third behind Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar.

He challenged Tinubu’s victory in court, and the Supreme Court dismissed his appeal and affirmed Tinubu’s election in October 2023.

Obi is seeking the presidency again in the election on January 16, 2027, on the platform of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

See also  Bayelsa senator Konbowei dumps PDP for APC

The APC will flag off its campaign in Kaduna on October 24.

Continue Reading

News

El-Rufai’s associates earmarked $600,000 to compromise EFCC probe, DSS witness tells court

Published

on

By

A forensic investigator with the Department of State Services (DSS), Segun Kayode, has told a Kaduna state high court, sitting in Kawoa, that Nasir el-Rufai, former Kaduna state governor, and some of his associates earmarked $600,000 to pay officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and intermediaries.

Kayode, who is the first prosecution witness in the ongoing trial, made the allegation on Tuesday while testifying before the court presided over by Justice Darius Khobo.

According to the witness, $500,000 and $100,000 were allegedly set aside for the payments, adding that forensic audio recordings captured conversations involving el-Rufai and some of his suspected associates.

According to Kayode, the recorded conversations centred on alleged efforts to frustrate an EFCC investigation into a company identified as Singularity.

He said a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), another individual and Bashir el-Rufai, were among those allegedly mentioned in the conversations.

Kayode told the court that the SAN and the other individual were allegedly directed to meet one Ahmadu Sule to obtain a template previously used to liquidate another company, with the intention of applying a similar process to Singularity.

See also  World Bank approves $700m credit for Nigeria

The investigator further alleged that the discussions included plans to liquidate the company in Nigeria and Mauritius, where it was reportedly under investigation by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.

He also alleged that the recordings contained discussions about preventing the EFCC from investigating a company he said was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

The allegations formed part of the prosecution’s evidence against the former governor and have yet to be established by the court.

Proceedings lasted nearly eight hours, from 12:26pm to 8:18pm, with about two hours devoted to playing the recorded conversations.

After Kayode submitted a hard copy of his findings to the court clerk, the defence objected, saying the document should have been served earlier to allow the legal team to study its contents.

The judge ruled that the defence could obtain a certified true copy of the document admitted as Exhibit One for examination.

The court adjourned the case until November 30 and December 1, 2026, for the continuation of cross-examination, following agreement by the prosecution and defence.

See also  Good morning! Here Are Some Major News Headlines In The Newspapers Today: PDP knocks Kwankwaso for referring to party as dead

Recall that El-Rufai is facingtrial over alleged money laundering and conversion of public property.

The DSS is also prosecuting the former governor before the federal high court in Abuja over allegations of wiretapping.

He has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) since February 19, after being released by the EFCC.

On April 13, the ICPC arraignedthe former governor at the Kaduna high court on an amended nine-count charge bordering on alleged fraud and abuse of office.

Continue Reading

Trending News