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‘You’re petty’ — Fani-Kayode knocks Atiku for repeatedly addressing President Tinubu as ‘Bola’

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Ambassador-Designate, Femi Fani-Kayode, has slammed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar for repeatedly referring to President Bola Tinubu as “Bola” in his October 1 Independence Day address.

Fani-Kayode, Nigeria’s to South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini, called out Atiku in a post on X while responding to Atiku’s speech, in which the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate criticised Tinubu’s administration and repeatedly addressed the President by his first name.

He described Atiku’s address as “calm and well-delivered” but faulted its content and tone, saying it was “intellectually-flawed, highly disrespectful, inherently dishonest and utterly bereft of decency and logic.”

According to him, he was particularly displeased that Atiku did not refer to Tinubu as President during the speech.

“Worse still you refused to address @officialABAT as ‘President’ but rather continuously and contemptuously referred to him by his first name ‘Bola’,” he said.

“Surely this level of pettiness is below even you. Yet despite this provocation I will not refer to you as ‘Kachalla’ and accord you the respect that I still think you deserve,” Fani-Kayode added.

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The former minister also cited a recent comment by Akin Osuntokun, former Special Adviser on Politics to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, who criticised Atiku’s use of Tinubu’s first name.

Quoting Osuntokun, Fani-Kayode said: “Abubakar is entitled to criticise the President, however sharply. What I found objectionable was his repeated decision to call him ‘Bola.’ That was not a more forceful argument; it was a needless display of disrespect.”

“This is not acceptable. It is bad manners and primarily an insult to Nigeria on whose account he occupies that office,” he quoted Osuntokun as saying.

Fani-Kayode also cited Osuntokun’s call for “decorum and decency”, arguing that a former vice president should respect the office of the President even when criticising the occupant.

“Osuntokun is right,” Fani-Kayode said, before launching into a series of criticisms of Atiku’s past political conduct.

He questioned Atiku’s relationship with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, accusing the former vice president of betraying his principal and conspiring with some governors against him.

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Fani-Kayode also recalled Atiku’s recent description of former President Goodluck Jonathan as an “inexperienced young man” who “made mistakes”, questioning the former vice president’s assessment of Jonathan’s record in office.

He further criticised Atiku over his reported response to Vice President Kashim Shettima, after Shettima challenged him to account for his tenure in office and his record of empowering Nigerians.

Fani-Kayode also accused Atiku of inconsistency over the 2022 killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, alleging that the former vice president initially condemned the killing before deleting the post.

He said Atiku’s conduct demonstrated what he described as a lack of “respect, decorum and restraint”.

“The truth is that you do not reflect the decency, restraint, patience, humility, good manners, faith in God, loyalty, fortitude, kindness, generosity, charity, compassion, honor, sense of justice and numerous other virtues that are associated with the North but rather it’s antithesis,” Fani-Kayode said.

He also referred to comments attributed to Atiku’s former running mate, Rotimi Amaechi, questioning the former vice president’s political record.

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Fani-Kayode concluded by accusing Atiku of prioritising his political ambition and warned that his decision to repeatedly refer to Tinubu as “Bola” could undermine his aspiration to occupy the presidency.

“And because you lack basic respect for the Office of the President and insist on calling him ‘Bola’, you, my dear Waziri, may NEVER attain that height,” he said.

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INEC uploads preliminary voter register to online portal

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Ahead of the 2027 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has uploaded the preliminary voter register to its online platform following calls for broader public access.

Mohammed Haruna, chairman of INEC’s information and voter education committee, in a statement issued on Monday, said the preliminary register of voters displayed between October 9 and 15 will be updated.

“In accordance with section 19 of the Electoral Act, 2026, the commission conducted the physical display of the register at registration areas nationwide from 9th to 15th October, 2026, providing registered voters the opportunity to inspect their particulars and submit claims and objections as prescribed by law,” he said.

Haruna added that the online publication followed the physical display of the preliminary register at registration areas nationwide, in line with Section 19 of the Electoral Act 2026.

The chairman of the information and voter education committee said the online publication would complement the physical exercise and provide wider access to the register.

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“Accordingly, and in furtherance of its commitment to transparency, accessibility and public confidence in the electoral process, the commission has decided to make available on its online platform https://display.inecnigeria.org the same preliminary register of voters earlier displayed at the registration areas, ” Haruna said.

“This additional measure complements the physical display already undertaken and is intended to facilitate wider public access to the register.

“Meanwhile, the commission continues to process claims and objections arising from the exercise in accordance with the Electoral Act, 2026, preparatory to the certification and publication of the final register of voters on 15th December 2026.”

He reiterated the commission’s commitment to transparency, accountability and implementation of the Electoral Act 2026.

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Good morning! Nigerian Newspapers Headlines: FG, Labour resume talks on wage, fuel price crisis

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1. Organised labour will decide its next course of action after a crucial meeting with the Federal Government on Tuesday (today), with the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress demanding concrete proposals on petrol prices, wage negotiations and other unresolved workers’ welfare issues amid the threat of nationwide industrial action.

The talks, which follow an earlier meeting that ended without an agreement, are expected to determine whether the government can address labour’s demands before the unions’ ultimatum expires.

2. Vice President Kashim Shettima yesterday urged Nigerians, especially business leaders and other influential people, to take the country’s economic future seriously. 
According to him, discerning Nigerians should be bold to support economic policies capable of bringing the nation back from the precipice. Quoting a famous  political thinker, Frantz Fanon, he said: “Every onlooker is either a coward or a traitor.”

3. A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed November 25 for former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai to open his defence in the ongoing trial over alleged unlawful interception of telephone conversations. Justice Joyce Abdulmalik fixed the date on Monday after dismissing a no-case submission filed by El-Rufai, ruling that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to require him to defend himself against the charges.

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4. Nigeria’s index case of the imported Ebola virus disease has been evacuated to Switzerland for further care, Minister of Health, Ali Pate, has said. Pate disclosed that the patient departed Abuja earlier on Monday with his approval, adding that her spouse, who has remained asymptomatic, accompanied her. In a statement, the minister said the patient’s clinical condition had improved significantly before the evacuation.


5. The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, faction backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, for saying the prevailing hardship in the country was caused by the opposition. Jungudo Haruna Mohammed, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, on Monday, said the opposition, especially the PDP, is not responsible for the hardship in the country.
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6. England captain Harry Kane has been crowned the winner of the 2026 Ballon d’Or, claiming football’s most prestigious individual award. The Bayern Munich striker emerged as the standout player at the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony, held on Monday, October 26, after an outstanding year for club and country.

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7. The Senate has assured Nigerians that legislation to establish state police will be enacted before the end of the year, following the approval of the constitutional amendment by the required 24 state Houses of Assembly.
The assurance came as the Ondo State House of Assembly, on Monday, passed the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026, to establish the State Police Services in Nigeria.

8. The Independent National Electoral Commission has decided to publish the preliminary register of voters for the 2027 general elections online following concerns from Nigerians and other stakeholders over its accessibility. The commission announced the decision on Monday, saying the register, which was displayed physically at registration areas nationwide from October 9 to 15.

9. Operatives of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested 14 Chinese nationals and one Nigerian at four illegal lithium processing plants in the Ogere area of Ogun State. The anti-graft agency stated on Monday via its X handle that the operation was carried out when its operatives busted the illegal lithium plants.



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10. Troops of the Joint Task Force, North-West, Operation Fansan Yamma, have neutralised eight suspected terrorists and rescued three kidnapped victims during coordinated operations in Katsina, Kaduna and Zamfara states. The operations, conducted between Saturday and Sunday, also led to the recovery of an AK-47 rifle, three locally fabricated guns, three motorcycles, cutlasses and assorted charms.

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Obi-Kwankwaso movement condemns NDC campaign council list, says members lack grassroots support

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A major trouble may be brewing in the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) following the condemnation of the party’s presidential campaign council list by the Obi-Kwankwaso movement.

 
John Ughulu, director-general of the OK movement, in a statement issued  on Monday, said announcing the list less than three months before the general election raises questions about the party’s readiness for the poll.

Ughulu said most of the big names on listed as members of the council lack the grassroots support needed to win a national election.

 

The NDC had unveiled a 155-member campaign council on Sunday, naming Seriake Dickson, national leader of the party, as chairman, while Peter Obi, its presidential candidate, serves as co-chairman.

The party also appointed Cleopas Zuwoghe, the NDC national chairman, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, its vice-presidential candidate, as vice-chairman and co-vice-chairman, respectively.

Ikenna Enekweizu, the party’s national secretary, is to serve as council secretary, while Ibrahim Abdulkarim, an ICT strategist, was appointed director-general.

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Ughulu questioned the timing of the announcement and the movement’s assessment of the party’s organisational preparedness. 

“With less than three months to the general elections, they are only just announcing their Presidential Campaign Council. What exactly have they been doing all this time? Where is the structure? Where is the strategy? Where is the machinery required to prosecute a serious national election?” Ughulu asked.

“Elections are not won by titles, press releases, political noise, or the number of big names on a campaign council.

“Elections are won through grassroots mobilisation, effective coordination, strategic planning, committed people, and a well-established structure that reaches every polling unit.”

The OK movement DG claimed that many members of the NDC campaign council may eventually seek the group’s support and organisational network.

He said unlike the party, the movement had prioritised grassroots organisation ahead of the election, describing a presidential ambition without a functional grassroots structure as “nothing more than a political wish”.

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“The OK Movement is not a political decoration, a temporary support group, or an organisation that exists merely to applaud political leaders,” Ughulu said.

“We are a movement built on principles, driven by purpose, and determined to demonstrate what serious political organisation should look like.

“Let those who are only just waking up to the realities of election preparation learn from the difference between having political ambition and possessing the capacity to execute it. The OK Movement is ready. The question is: are they?”

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