Author: Benjamin Chukwudaalu, Political Reporter

An aide to the Atiku Abubarkar, Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, has alleged that the presidency twisted facts to confuse the mind of the public regarding President Bola Tinubu’s Chicago State University academic records. Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, on Sunday, alleged that some media aides to the president have come out openly to “push back on the narrative.” He alleged further that some media houses have persistently slanted their story to justify a corrupted interpretation of the facts in the disposition. He insisted that Tinubu falsified a document he…

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has filed a lawsuit against the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and nine other former governors in the 10th Senate over their collection of both salaries and pensions as senators. According to a press statement issued by the deputy director, SERAP, Kolawole Oluwadare, joined in the suit as Respondents are Senators Abdulaziz Yari, Aminu Tambuwal, Adamu Aliero, Adams Oshiomole, Ibrahim Gaidam, Seriake Dickson, Ibrahim Dankwambo, Aliyu Wammako, Gbenga Daniel, and Minister of Works, Dave Umahi. In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1360/2023 filed last Friday at the…

Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, on Friday, gave those accusing him of parading fake academic credentials 30 days to submit all their evidence to the relevant agencies for investigation. He noted that if found culpable, he would strip himself of any titles and honours he might have garnered in his career. He also said that failure by the accusers to provide evidence within the stipulated time would mean they lack honour and should, as a token of moral recompense, “undertake to jump off the bridge of the symbolic River Niger”.…

The Nigerian Senate has for an investigation into the alleged killing and imprisonment of over 250 Nigerians in Ethiopia. This followed a motion, titled, ‘Urgent need to investigate the unlawful killings and incarceration of over 250 Nigerians in Ethiopia,’ and sponsored by the Minority Leader, Senator Simon Mwadkwon, member of the Peoples Democratic Party, representing Plateau North, and Senator Victor Umeh, member of the Young Progressives Party, representing Anambra Central. Presenting the motion, Mwadkwon urged the Senate to direct the Committees on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs to work with the…

Femi Adesina, former President Muhammadu Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, said, on Wednesday, that the ex-President regretted some of the decisions he took while in office and felt he could have done some things better. According to Adesina, who was a guest at a programme tagged ‘Media Dialogue with Femi Adesina’ organised by the Association of Veteran Journalists in Osun State, such is normal for any human being. He said before Buhari left office, he had a two-hour chat with him, during which he asked all manner of…

Durojaiye Ogunsanya, a data and public affairs analyst, has said he can confirm that President Bola Tinubu attended the Chicago State University, United States of America. Tinubu’s certificate from the university has remained a hot topic among many who wondered why no one could corroborate the President’s story. In an interview with TVC News on Tuesday, Ogunsanya affirmed that the President did attend Chicago State University and that they both graduated in 1979. Ogunsanya said, “We met in the school, Chicago State University and we were in the same department,…

Barely one week after leading a two-day nationwide warning strike, the organised labour on Tuesday threatened to begin an indefinite strike should the Federal Government fail to meet its demands at the end of a 21-day ultimatum which will expire in approximately one week’s time. The workers union said the proposed strike was necessary following the failure of the Federal Government to provide palliatives to assuage the Nigerians hardships as a result of the fuel subsidy removal. The Nigeria Labour Congress said the industrial action which may commence any day…

The Tinubu Presidential Legal Team has responded to the controversy over its watermark on the widely circulated copies of the judgement of the Presidential Elections Petition Tribunal. The watermarked copy had been a subject of controversy especially on social media with critics alleging a sinister move. Responding to the criticism, TPLT coordinator, Babatunde Ogala, in a statement on Saturday berated the critics for insinuating the watermark was a result of pre-determined manipulations saying there was nothing untoward to it. He explained that they watermarked their copy of the judgement after…

The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal, on Wednesday, upheld the election of President Bola Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election. The five-man panel of the Tribunal was led by Justice Haruna Tsammani. This development followed petitions filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; the Labour Party and its candidate, Peter Obi, challenging the victory of Tinubu as the winner of the presidential election announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission on March 1. Tinubu scored a total of 8,794,726 votes to defeat…

The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal has affirmed the Independent National Electoral Commission’s discretion to determine the mode of election result transmission for the presidential election held on February 25, 2023. The five-member panel, led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, referred to Sections 52 and 65 of the Electoral Act 2022, which granted INEC the freedom to prescribe the method of transmitting election results during the poll. The Tribunal dismissed the petition filed by the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, which sought to annul the victory of President Bola…

The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal has struck out some aspects of the petitions presented by the People Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the February polls, Atiku Abubakar. ⁣ ⁣ The struck out portions include those in which the PDP claimed that Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress was unqualified to contest the last presidential election.⁣ ⁣ In the judgment on some motion by the respondents, the court held that while the petitioners claimed that Tinubu did not meet the constitutional threshold to enable him to contest the election, they…

The Major Agbo led faction of the New Nigeria Peoples Party has expelled the presidential candidate of the party, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, over alleged anti-party activities and misappropriation of party campaign funds. Kwankwaso’s expulsion was announced in a statement released in Abuja on Tuesday by the NNPP factional National Publicity Secretary, Abdulsalam Abdulrasaq. The development is coming barely three days after the factional leaders vowed to probe the former Kano governor and some of his loyalists over alleged misappropriation of over N1bn, generated from the sale of nomination forms.…

President Bola Tinubu has arrived in New Delhi, the capital of India, for a six-day official visit, during which he will attend the G-20 Leaders’ Summit amongst other engagements. The Boeing 737 conveying the President and his entourage, touched down at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, at about 6:40 pm local (2:10 pm Nigerian) time. Before participating in the summit slated for September 9 – 10, 2023, the President will attend several high-level meetings and engagements with other world leaders and business executives on the sidelines of the Summit.…

The suspended Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government Area of the state, Mr Wale Adedayo who was released on Monday after spending three days in the custody of the Department of State Security Services has said that he remained unshaken in his demand that Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, should allow the local governments in the state have access to federal allocations meant to develop the grassroots. He also stressed that he has no regrets about the actions he has so far taken despite his arrest and detention for three…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo says he picked the late President Musa Yar’Adua as his successor despite knowing he was ill. He said he took the decision because medical advice showed that Yar’Adua, who had a kidney transplant, was fit to act as President. Daily Trust reports that Obasanjo twice led Nigeria; first as military head of state (1976-1979) and later as an elected civilian president (1999-2007). Obasanjo’s deputy, Abubakar Atiku; and ex-Governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili were among those who fought for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket.…

The Presidential Elections Petition Tribunal has fixed Wednesday, September 6, 2023, for judgment in the petitions challenging the February 25 presidential election. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared President Bola Tinubu winner of the election but former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of Labour Party were among those who challenged the victory of their All Progressives Congress (APC) rival. The court had reserved judgment after the petitioners- the Peoples Democratic Party and its standard bearer, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi and…

AS the selection of Prince Afolabi Ghandi Olaoye, a Pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, as the new Soun of Ogbomoso land continues to generate controversy, the Head of the kingmakers in Ogbomoso, High Chief Sobaloju Otolorin, weekend, cleared the air, affirming that Olaoye is the next king of the ancient town. He dismissed the claim by the Laoye Ruling House that the family had not selected anybody to fill the vacant stool, asserting that due process was followed in the selection of the crown prince. Otolorin,…

The President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has recalled all ambassadors, both career and non-career. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, stated this through his media aide, Alkasim Abdulkadir, on Saturday. Former President Muhammadu Buhari had in July 2020 appointed 41 non-career ambassadors and 42 career ambassadors to man the nation’s foreign diplomatic missions. The diplomats were deployed after they were confirmed by the Senate in accordance with section 171(2)(1c) and Subsection 4 of the 1999 Constitution. The statement confirming the recall of the ambassadors states: “Sequel to the inquiries…

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has accused the Minister of Art, Culture and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa of serving as a minister while undertaking the one-year mandatory National Youth Service Corps scheme. In a statement on Thursday, HURIWA alleged that years back, Musawa abandoned her NYSC in Ebonyi state but later showed interest in completing it. The group claimed that the minister was mobilised this year and got posted to a law firm in Abuja before her appointment. The group urged the NYSC to compel Musawa to focus…

The Court of Appeal in Owerri, Imo State, on Thursday, sacked Julius Abure, and recognised Lamidi Apapa as the National Chairman of the Labour Party. The court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately recognise and publish the names of all the governorship candidates produced by the Apapa-led National Working Committee in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states. The court also dismissed the governorship candidature of Senator Athan Achonu of Imo State, and others belonging to the Abure-led LP faction. In April, Apapa said his suspension as a member…

The Lagos State House of Assembly on Wednesday rejected 17 out of the 39 cabinet nominees thereby confirming 22 out of the nominees sent recently by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for screening. Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, who presided over the day’s sitting, said the confirmation followed rigorous and detailed screening of the nominees by a ad-hoc committee led by the Chief Whip of the House, Hon. Fatai Mojeed. He commended the committee for its effectiveness and urged the confirmed nominees to always remember that they are in…

The National Secretary of Labour Party, Umar Farouk, and Tai Obasi, media aide to LP flag bearer, Peter Obi have denied knowledge of an ongoing merger arrangement with the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and his counterpart in the New Nigeria People’s Party, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso. This was even as the ruling All Progressives Congress boasted that President Bola Tinubu will have no problem beating the trio again if the motive was to stop him from winning the 2027 presidential poll. The development is coming in…

The Oyo State government, has said it is working out modalities on how to improve its Water Supply Project, especially in the area of provision of adequate potable water. The Chairman of the Corporation, Hon. Elias Adeojo made this remark during his tour of the Corporation’s facilities across the State. Adeojo said the tour is aimed at actualising the rehabilitation, upgrading and expansion of the State’s Water Supply Scheme to improve water supply infrastructure so as to meet the emerging water demand in the state. Hon. Adeojo stressed that the…

The Court of Appeal has upheld the Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal’s decision to dismiss the allegations of vote-buying and voter inducement against Governor Dapo Abiodun and the All Progressive Party. The Court in its lead judgment read by Justice MB Idris, also affirmed the validity of Abiodun’s defense. The allegation of vote-buying made by the People’s Democratic Party and its governorship candidate Ladi Adebutu was deemed belated and unsupported, leading to their dismissal. On May 22, 2023, Adebutu and the PDP responded to Abiodun’s defense with allegations of…

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday said the biting sanctions imposed by the Economic Community of West African States on the Niger junta would not be lifted despite the military leaders’ promise to negotiate with the regional bloc to resolve the crisis in the francophone country. Tinubu, who stated this when he received the Special Envoy of President Ali Ondimba and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Gabon, Hermann Immongault, at the State House in Abuja, insisted that military takeover of government was no longer acceptable in Africa.…

The Niger military junta that toppled President Mohamed Bazoum has said it will prosecute the ousted leader for high treason over his exchanges with foreign heads of state and international organisations. According to reports monitored on Reuters, junta spokesperson Colonel Amadou Abdramane said in a statement read out on state TV late on Sunday that the military authorities had “gathered the necessary evidence to prosecute the ousted president for high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger.” West African leaders on August 10 ramped up the rhetoric…

A journalist and publisher of the National Waves titles, Jimmy Enyeh has counselled Nigerian to give the Tinubu administration a chance to fix Nigeria’s dwindling economy and heal the country from the effects of the attendant division caused by the 2023 general elections. Enyeh spoke in Abuja during the 15th National Waves annual lectures and award series. According to him, this is a moment of ‘great national reawakening,’ marked by a transition of governance and economic pressures on marginalized Nigerians due to the economic downturn. He therefore expressed confidence in…

The leader of the Niger Junta, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, has agreed to explore diplomatic dialogue to resolve the political impasse in the country. Tchiani spoke on Saturday during a meeting with Nigeria’s intervention team comprising Islamic scholars led by the national chairman of Jamatul Izalatu Bida Waikamatu Sunnah, Bala Lau. According to a statement personally signed by Lau on Sunday, the cleric told Tchiani that “the visit to Niger was to engage in constructive dialogue to encourage him and other military leaders behind the coup to embrace dialogue instead of…

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has accused his deputy, Philip Shaibu, of planning to succeed him at all costs ahead of the state governorship election scheduled to hold in 2024. According to Obaseki, Shuabi is so desperate to be the next governor of Edo State. Obaseki said this while addressing stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party on the ongoing rift between him and Shuabu in a video posted by AIT on Friday. The governor stressed that Shaibu’s plan to become governor of the state in the next election is making…

A former Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje and spokesperson for the ninth Senate, Senator Ajibola Basiru, were on Thursday officially ratified to replace the immediate past National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and former National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore. The decision was taken barely an hour after President Bola Tinubu arrived at the Transcorp Hilton, venue of the NEC meeting, on Thursday. The President arrived at the Congress Hall of the hotel surrounded by stern-looking security operatives suspected to be officers of the Department of…

The Senate President, GodsWill Akpabio, on Wednesday prevented Presidential aide, Dele Alake from reciting the second stanza of the National Anthem as a drama ensued during his screening as a ministerial nominee on the floor of the Senate. Alake was asked by the Minority leader, Senator Simon Mwadkwom, to recite the second stanza of the National anthem after taking the nominee up on his old social media post. Mwadkwom said, “I read a statement where you labeled some particular party as wild dogs, selling blood online. Are you aware of…

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) today, proceeded with its planned protest against recent fuel price hike and the attendant hardship on the citizenry. The protest held in Abuja, Lagos and major cities across the Nigeria with the protest becoming violent in at the entrance of the National Assembly in Abuja where a gate was pulled down. There had been doubts over fate of the nationwide protest called out to demonstrate against what Labour described as ‘anti-poor and anti-workers policies’ of government, with some saying NLC would as usual, chicken out…

Security agencies on Wednesday morning embarked on a show of force around the Federal Ministry of Justice where officials of the Nigeria Labour Congress, representatives of the Civil Society alongside other concerned citizens are currently protesting “anti-people” policies that were rolled out by the President Bola Tinubu administration. Our correspondent observed the movement of patrol vans of men of the Nigeria Police Force, and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps around the Unity Fountain, FMOJ among other strategic points. It was gathered that the exercise was part of the measures…

Facts have emerged on why representatives of the organised labour stormed out of a meeting with the Presidential Steering Committee on Subsidy Palliatives scheduled to hold at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, Friday evening. The President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, led the delegation to the office of the Chief of Staff to the President around 5pm but was soon spotted exiting the building. The steering committee members met the government delegation on Wednesday, where the two parties agreed to reconvene on Friday to get a brief from the…

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has announced a 28-man ministerial nominees sent to the upper chamber by the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Thursday afternoon, presented Tinubu’s ministerial list before the Senate. Gbajabiamila, the immediate past Speaker of the House of the Representatives, presented the list to Senate President Godswill Akpabio at exactly 01:19pm. Former Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, made President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial list read on the floor of the Senate on Thursday afternoon. Ex-Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave…

Mr Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate, Labour Party in the 2023 elections has dismissed media reports that he is looking forward to run for office in the 2027 presidential elections. The presidential candidate also denied commenting on appointees of the Federal Government. Obi, who is also a former governor of Anambra, made this known in a statement on his official Twitter handle in Lagos on Saturday. The presidential candidate described both reports as bogus, regretting that Nigerian politics had sunken to the level where manipulation of the media space was now…

A Senator representing Edo North Adams Oshiomhole has said they did not promise miracles to Nigerians when they campaigned for the election of President Bola Tinubu. Oshiomhole, a former National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), said this on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics. The former Edo State governor said Nigerians need to be patient with the new government, noting that the president is not a magician that will immediately solve all problems in the country. “They know they were not electing a magician. And nobody promised a magical solution,”…

As the clock ticks for the President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to submit his list of ministers to the National Assembly within the next five days remaining of the 60-day constitutional window, a Presidential aid has confirmed that the Senate will receive the list of the President’s ministerial nominees this week. The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Tope Ajayi, told The PUNCH on Sunday in an interview that “Ministers’ List will be out this week. Let’s wait till the names are out.” The 1999 Constitution stipulates that…

The President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of Infrastructure Support Fund (ISF) for the 36 States of the Federation as part of measures to cushion the effects of the petrol subsidy removal on the people. The approval was disclosed at the monthly meeting of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), on Thursday July 20, 2023, in Abuja. The new Infrastructure Fund will enable the States to intervene and invest in the critical areas of Transportation, including farm to market road improvements; Agriculture, encompassing livestock and ranching solutions;…

Protesters in support of the fuel removal on Thursday cause a bit of disruption at the National Assembly’s main entrance popularly known as Mopol gate. The protesters noted that they decided to hit the street to show solidarity with the President, Bola Tinubu, over the removal of fuel subsidy. According to the protesters, the president made the right decision by removing the ‘canker worm’ that has eaten deep into the economy. The President had during his inaugural speech on May 29, declared that there would no longer be a petroleum…