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The spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, has said that any officer who flogs or slaps a citizen has committed an offence of assault.
He stated this while replying a Twitter user mentioned to him that police officers slap Nigerians.
Nigerians have taken to social media to react to the viral video showing terrorists flogging the abducted passengers of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.
Using the hashtag #SaveAK9TrainPassengers, Nigerians are demanding the Federal government move in to rescue the abducted passengers.
Read the tweets below
Gunmen suspected to be assassins have killed a former State House of Assembly aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Bayelsa State, Odienyefa Ogbolosingha.
It was gathered that the masked gunmen dressed in military uniform traced the deceased to his house along Imiringi Road on Friday, July 22, and shot him in the head, arm, and shoulder at close range.
An eyewitness said two other people who were in the house were shot in the legs when they rushed out on hearing the gunshots.
The 53-year-old victim, who contested the PDP ticket for the 2023 state Houses of Assembly election, was the younger brother of a former chairman of the Yenagoa Local Government Council, late Michael Ogbolosingha.
He hailed from Kalaba community in the Yenagoa LGA and was also a member of the Okordia-Zarama Cluster Development Board.
Sources fear that the killing of Ogbolosingha could be linked to the lingering crisis in Kalaba community leading to the recent murder of the paramount ruler, and the Community Development Committee (CDC) chairman over their refusal to concede to the setting up of an illegal refinery in the area.
A community source, who pleaded anonymity, told Punch that Ogbolosingha’s assailants had a couple of weeks ago sent him a message warning him and a contractor not to carry out a road project under the cluster board.
“They sent him a message some two weeks ago or so warning him and a contractor to desist from embarking on a road project by the cluster board in the community. But he sublet the job. He has been a member of the board for some time. Now they have gunned him down in his house at Imiringi Road, Yenagoa,” the source said.
“Some names were mentioned in the Kalaba crisis, and the state government has been told to intervene to stop these killings. It is enough,” the source added.
Spokesman of the Bayelsa State Police Command, Asinim Butswat, confirmed the development in a statement on Saturday.
“Police operatives responded to a distress call at about 14:00 hours on Friday 22 July 2022, that armed men shot one Odeinyefa Ogbolosingha at his residence at Imiringi road, Yenagoa. The victim was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, for treatment, but was confirmed dead. Investigation has commenced.” he stated.
Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has countered claims made by his Peoples Democratic Party counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, in relation to the Muslim-Muslim ticket and what transpired between them in the build-up to the 2007 presidential elections.
Abubakar had in an interview with Arise TV on Friday morning claimed that he rejected Tinubu as his running mate in 2007 because he is opposed to fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket in the interest of the country’s unity.
“My fundamental disagreement and political departure with Asiwaju [Tinubu] since 2007 was due to the Muslim-Muslim ticket. Remember, I opted out of PDP because of zoning, and together with Asiwaju we formed ACN,” Abubakar said in the interview.
“Tinubu wanted to be my running mate when I was given the ACN presidential ticket in 2007, but I disagreed. And because of that, he switched his support to the late Umar Yaradua. That was the parting point.”
Tinubu, however, slammed the claim in a statement by his media aide Tunde Rahman on Saturday.
He accused Abubakar of demeaning himself by pandering to base prejudice at a moment Nigeria needs true leadership.
The statement read in part, “We are saddened to see such a man become unhinged from the truth. So obsessed is he with his quest for office, Atiku is willing to render any form of untruth if he thinks it might gain him a single vote. Atiku may want to be president. However, all he has shown is that he is pathological.
“Whatever moral compass he had has been lost. During a 22 July television interview, Atiku assaulted historic truth by lying that he did not name Tinubu as his running mate in 2007 on the Action Congress ticket because Atiku did not want a Muslim as his running mate.”
Tinubu explained that contrary to Abubakar’s position, he and the then Action Congress of Nigeria had helped him out in 2007 after he was frozen out by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and forced out of the PDP.
He said, “I feel sorry for dear old Atiku. Love of his own ambition has eclipsed his relationship with the truth and an honest account of the past. We formed the AC without his knowledge. When President Obasanjo virtually exiled him from the PDP, we lent him our support by giving him the AC platform for the 2007 election.
“Let me say openly that Atiku offered me the vice presidential ticket in 2007. Let me also say that my religion has not changed. When he offered the position to me, I was a Muslim and I believe he was aware of my religious faith at the time.”
Read the full statement below:
PRESS STATEMENT
Atiku demeans himself, office he seeks by pandering to base prejudice at a moment Nigeria needs true leadership – Tinubu
All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, says all Nigerians should feel great pity and sadness for the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
In his desperate attempt to win the election by stoking religious bias, Atiku has reduced himself to uttering baseless lies on national television.
“We are saddened to see such a man become unhinged from the truth. So obsessed is he with his quest for office, Atiku is willing to render any form of untruth if he thinks it might gain him a single vote. Atiku may want to be president. However, all he has shown is that he is pathological,” the APC presidential candidate said in a statement on Sunday by his Media Office signed by Mr. Tunde Rahman.
“Whatever moral compass he had has been lost. During a 22 July television interview, Atiku assaulted historic truth by lying that he did not name Tinubu as his running mate in 2007 on the Action Congress ticket because Atiku did not want a Muslim as his running mate.”
Responding to the false account of PDP Presidential candidate, Tinubu set the record straight. He recalled that Atiku was not among those who founded the Action Congress.
“It was the actual founders of the AC who offered the party’s flag to Atiku because of the need to fight the authoritarian designs then President Obasanjo and the PDP had on Nigeria’s democracy.
“At that moment, Atiku had been unceremoniously pushed aside if not out of the PDP by Obasanjo. We needed to rally all forces to confront the one-party state Obasanjo had in mind. Atiku was simply a beneficiary of this collective duty to fight the attack on multi-party democracy the PDP had launched.
“I feel sorry for dear old Atiku. Love of his own ambition has eclipsed his relationship with the truth and an honest account of the past. We formed the AC without his knowledge. When President Obasanjo virtually exiled him from the PDP, we lent him our support by giving him the AC platform for the 2007 election.
“Let me say openly that Atiku offered me the vice presidential ticket in 2007. Let me also say that my religion has not changed. When he offered the position to me, I was a Muslim and I believe he was aware of my religious faith at the time.
“Atiku’s calculations and deceit had nothing to do with religion or his sensitivity to it. His conduct has everything to do with what we discovered about his paucity of character and love of intrigue.
“True to form, Atiku, fifteen years later, promised HE Governor Nyesom Wike the same thing this electoral season and similarly reneged. Governor Wike is a Christian.
“When it comes to intrigue, we can say that Atiku is without bias. He will attempt to lie and deceive both Christian and Muslim with equal vigour.
“Atiku has no business raising the issue of a Muslim-Muslim ticket except as a hypocrite. Perhaps he believes people have forgotten his antics during the 1993 election. After he woefully lost his bid to be the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, what did he do? He canvassed and lobbied harder than anyone to become the running mate to late Chief MKO Abiola. When it benefitted him personally, Atiku did not see anything wrong with Muslim-Muslim ticket. He saw everything right in such a ticket as long as he was on it.
“Now, Atiku criticizes my selection as running mate based on religion. He does so because he cannot criticize it on other grounds. If Atiku were to have one of his rare moments of honesty, he would admit that the person I selected as my running mate is more qualified for the position than the man who joined him. And this conclusion has nothing to do with religious faith. It has everything to do with competence, experience, ability, and vision.
“My running mate and I are here to build a more just and prosperous society for all Nigerians, be they Christian, Muslim or adherents of other faiths. It seems that Atiku is here trying to build an edifice of lies and call that the house into which Nigerians should walk and reside. He will fail in this sad attempt to trick an entire nation.
“Let me restate my position on religion and politics. When I decided that Senator Shettima was the best selection as my running mate, I listened to and weighed in serious balance the advice received from a broad and representative array of wonderful Nigerians who deeply care about this nation and the path it must go.
“Some people counselled that I should select a Christian to garner support of the Christian community. Some said I should select a Muslim for a similar reason. I clearly could not do both. Both positions had merit and right on their side. But neither position expressed what was most right and needed for the moment in which we find ourselves and the nation.
“All my life, the decisions regarding the team supporting me have always been guided by the principles of competence, innovation, compassion, integrity, fairness, and adherence to excellence. I was not going to depart from these principles at this important juncture. In fact, it was more important than ever before that I adhere to these principles.
“As Governor of Lagos State, these principles helped me assemble one of the most capable governing cabinets any state or this nation has seen. I trust in these principles to allow them to, once more, guide me to construct another exemplary team that can do Nigeria proud.
“In this crucial moment, where so much is at stake, we must prioritize leadership, competence, and the ability to work as a team over other considerations.
“This is the standard I will use to select the rest of my campaign team and if you elect me as your president when I staff my government. I will select the best people for the right jobs so that we can construct a better Nigeria now and for generations yet to come.”
Nigerian singer Yemi Alade has been denied a visa to perform in Canada over fears she might not leave the country
Le Devoir, a French-language newspaper published in Canada, reports that the singer will no longer perform at a festival’s final closing concert on Sunday, July 14 due to visa denial.
Yemi was listed as one of the headliners of the Festival international Nuits d’Afrique.
Commenting on the development, Suzanne Rousseau, the festival co-founder, said the visa denial was due to “financial reasons, and for fears that the group wouldn’t leave Canada.”
Rousseau also lamented that the process of applying for a visitor’s visa has been difficult for “at least five years.”
She added: “Finally, we got an answer saying the musicians were refused, saying they have to guarantee that they have enough financial means that will make them go back to their country.”
Rousseau said Yemi Alade will now be replaced with Sampa The Great, a Zambian-born Australian-based female rapper.
Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has said that most of his life accomplishments, including his emergence as both a military Head of State and President of Nigeria, have come by accident.
He noted that the only thing which was not an accident for him was farming.
Obasanjo’s eight-year civilian rule between 1999 and 2007 laid the foundation for the economic recession and political instability which the country is still grappling with.
His tight-fist and sit-tight leadership made him attempt a third term in office which was truncated by the National Assembly, opinion leaders and public outcry across the country.
Obasanjo was an ex-military Head of State before he was elected as a civilian President in 1999.
Apart from his stints as Nigeria’s leader, he is reputed for being passionate about farming and since the end of his second tenure in 2007, he has retired to his Obasanjo Farm in Ota, Ogun State.
While appearing on a live radio interview with Segun Odegbami in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Saturday, the former President said he was always proud to be addressed as a farmer.
The host of the show had asked Obasanjo to speak about what he termed his “romance with farming.”
He said, “I don’t like the word you used, “romance with farming.”. I am a farmer. What do you mean by romance? Everything I have done in my life is by accident. The only thing that is not accidental is farming. Every other thing that I’ve been is by accident. And you called that romance? No; What do you mean by romance?
“You know my beginning. I was born and bred in a village. I went to school by accident. My father just said, “Won’t you do something different?” So I went into farming.
“When you look at countries that have made it, they developed on agriculture. First, for the purpose of food security; second, for the purpose of processing what they get from their farms, which is the beginning of industrialisation. Third, to give it out as export, which is for the purpose of foreign exchange; and fourth, as a means of generating employment for the youth.”
Meanwhile, Obasanjo advised Nigerian youths to take over leadership positions right now.
The Police Command in Niger State says it has arrested one Alhaji Bashiru Abdulahi, an alleged serial killer and notorious kidnapper in the Kontagora Local Government Area of the state.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Saturday in Minna.
Abiodun said the police tactical team attached to Minna Area Command on July 14, at about 16:30hours, arrested the suspect, a native of Bangi town, headquarters of Mariga LGA.
He said that the suspect was arrested at Kontagoro during his planned recruitment of armed men to his gang.
According to Abiodun, during interrogation, the suspect confessed that he planned to kidnap a former Local Government Council Chairman of Mariga and the father of a former Commissioner in the state.
“The suspect claimed that the former chairman owed him about N5.8 million and that if the former chairman was kidnapped, he intended to realise N10 million as ransom from him.”
The command’s PRO said the suspect had also allegedly confessed that part of his plan was equally to kidnap the father of the former Commissioner whom he (suspect) owed about N1.3 million from a business transaction between them.
He said the suspect said he was expecting to get N15 million ransom from the plan.
“Further investigation revealed that sometimes in March, 2022, the said Alhaji Bashiru was suspected to have murdered his younger brother, one Alhaji Mamuda Abdullahi, of Bangi town, Mariga LGA.
“When the suspect was interrogated, he confessed to the act that he contributed money with his brother to the tune of N79 million for a business purpose.
“The suspect confessed that, while his late brother swindled him, he hit him with a stick on the head which resulted to his death.”
The PPRO said the suspect, however, told the family members that his brother was attacked and killed by bandits at Beri.
He said investigation was ongoing aimed at arresting other suspected members of his gang.
NAN
Kid Cudi was no substitute for Kanye West at the Rolling Loud Festival Friday night … at least according to some fans who pelted Cudi with objects, including a bottle to the head … and Ye got some lyrical licks in too. Cudi was on stage at the jam-packed event in Miami when some hecklers — clearly Kanye fans — started yelling at the “Day N Nite” rapper and throwing objects at him. Getting more and more angry, Cudi stopped his performance and screamed into the mic, “I will f**king leave … If I get hit with one more f**king thing — if I see one more f**king thing on this f**king stage, I’m leaving!” Then someone from the audience hurled a bottle, hitting Cudi on the side of the head.
Cudi dropped the mic and said nothing as he turned and walked off the stage. Fans were undeterred, chanting Kanye’s name, and they got more than they expected. Lil Durk took the stage and guess who walked out as well … none other than Kanye, who made a grand entrance to the mighty approval of the crowd. Kanye belted out his hit, “Father Strech My hands, Pt. 1” from “The Life of Pablo” album, which the rapper recorded with vocals from Cudi, which has gotta be a dig. The fans were clearly choosing sides … Kanye and Cudi are in a massive feud, after Kanye called Cudi out for being friends with Pete Davidson. Cudi responded by calling Ye a “dinosaur.”
Cudi landed the headlining gig after Kanye bowed out of the festival at the last minute without providing a reason.
A court in Turkey has heard how a British holidaymaker pushed her boyfriend to his death from their hotel balcony after a furious row.
According to Mail Online, father-of-one Reece Pegram, 21, died instantly when he fell 100 feet onto a concrete yard from the five-star hotel in Side, Antalya, where he was staying with Mary Meyers Kayley, on the night of March 12.
The court in Manavgat heard earlier this week that when police investigated the death they found bloodstains all over the couple’s room.
Hotel staff reported the pair had been drinking heavily hours before the incident.
Scottish-born Kayley, 31, was said to be so drunk she had to be taken to her room by hotel staff, while court reports stated Pegram went to the hotel lobby around 8pm for booze but was refused service as he was already inebriated.
Traces of cocaine were also reportedly found in Pegram’s body during the post-mortem examination.
Prosecutors told the trial that the couple had rowed furiously in the moments leading up to Pegram’s death. But Kayley, who is facing 24 years behind bars for murder denied killing her boyfriend when questioned by police in the wake of the incident.
Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo has explained what his government will be doing with the N100 billion he is borrowing.
Speaking after assenting to the 2022 Revised appropriation budget of N170 billion on Friday July 22, Soludo said the loan would be used for critical infrastructural development particularly in building roads, bridges and others.
Signing the budget tagged “Building Off From The Blocks” at the Government House, Awka, the Governor said Anambra people cannot wait for results that would be achieved.
Promising that there will be absolute prudence in making sure Anambra gets value for the money that will be borrowed, he added that the whole amount won’t be spent this year.
The money according to Soludo, would be judiciously used to create wealth for the benefit of the people of the state.
Calling for stronger synergy between the legislative and other arms of government for greater Anambra, the Governor commended members of the House of Assembly for being diligent, responsible and responsive to their job as lawmakers and representatives of the people of Anambra State.
He said;
“The patriotic and responsive manner the budget was passed by the State House of Assembly was not only commendable but signalled the birth of a new partnership for a greater Anambra.”
Recounting how he said that N250 billion was estimated as the amount required to build critical infrastructure towards the realisation of the livable and prosperous homeland in the state that every Anambra person yearns for during his campaign, Soludo insisted that there’s no underhand dealings in signing the budget as the process was conducted with integrity, patriotism and responsiveness.
Lamenting that the resources at the government disposal are abysmally lean, the Governor said they had no option but to draw up multiple strategies including taking a look at the trajectory of expenditure, introducing prudence in spending, among others.
As part of the measures to improve government finances, Soludo said efforts are being made to digitize the Internally Generated Revenue of the state to eliminate leakages.
He specifically thanked the Speaker and the House members for understanding the exigencies to approve the planned loan.
The Governor said;
“I promised Ndi Anambra the money will be spent on critical infrastructure, particularly on roads, bridges, flyover, among other strategic places.
“I thank Ndi Anambra for their support and sacrifices through payment of their fair share of taxes and others. For people who have violated public order such as indiscriminate building of illegal structures, we say enough is enough. These are necessary, painful steps that we must take to rescue our state.”
Nine persons were burnt to death on Friday, July 21, in an accident at Omotosho Step Down Bridge, on Ore-Lagos expressway in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The crash, which happened early this morning involved two vehicles, a white Toyota Hiace bus and a Honda Accord Saloon car.
The tyre of one of the vehicles burst and this led to a head-on collision which later resulted in a fire that burnt all occupants of the vehicles beyond recognition.
The remains of the victims had been deposited at the morgue of the General Hospital in Ore.
Nigerians have started a challenge called the #BishopChallenge to mock the APC over claims they hired fake clerics to dress in religious regalia at the unveiling of the party’s Vice Presidential candidate.
On Wednesday, July 20, Nigerians expressed outrage when photos of the “clerics” at the APC event were shared online.
Many accused the ruling party of disrespecting the Nigerian people by hiring paid actors to wear religious robes in order to show that there are Christians who are in support of the party’s Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Two days later, the conversation has not died down.
Nigerians have now taken to various platforms to mock the “clerics” who were at the unveiling by using items from their homes as costumes to transform themselves into religious clerics
Many Nigerians engaging in the challenge used bedsheets as the Bishop’s robes, bowls and pots as the Bishop’s cap, and mopsticks or brooms as the Bishop’s staff.
The House of Representatives has approved the extension of the lifespan of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination result from one year to four years.
The result’s validity extension was proposed in JAMB Act Amendment Bill which passed second reading at the House on Thursday.
Sponsored by a member of the House from Oyo State, Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, the legislation is titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Amend the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (Establishment, Etc.) Act, 2021, and Other Related Matters.’
According to Akande-Sadipe, the amendment is meant to overhaul the existing Act, most especially the validity of scores, tenure of the registrar and membership of the board, among others.
The bill specifically seeks to amend Sections 5(1)(a) and 5(2) of the principal Act.
The new sections would read, “5(1)(a)(i) The general control of the conduct of matriculation examinations and admissions to courses leading to award of first Degrees, Higher National Diploma, National Diploma and Nigeria Certificate in Education by universities (by whatever name called), monotechnic/polytechnics (by whatever name called) and Colleges of Education (by whatever name called) in Nigeria which shall be valid for four years;
“5(1)(a)( ii) The conduct of entrance examinations and admission to all award of First Degrees, Higher National Diploma, National Diploma and Nigeria Certificate in Education by universities (by whatever name called), monotechnics/polytechnics (by whatever name called) and Colleges of Education (by whatever name called) in Nigeria which shall be valid for four years;
“5(2) For the avoidance of doubt, the Board shall only be responsible for determining matriculation requirements and conducting examinations and admissions to tertiary institutions in Nigeria offering academic programmes leading to the award of First Degrees, Higher National Diploma, National Diploma, Nigeria Certificate in Education and any other diploma or certificate in education courses, but shall not be responsible for examination or any other selective processes for postgraduate courses/programme and any other programme/courses offered by the tertiary institutions.”
In a related development, the House earlier on Thursday mandated its Committee on Tertiary Education to “invite the officials of JAMB with a view to resolving the current issue and all other related matters connected with technical hitches witnessed by candidates during the examination process.”
The committee is to report back to the House within seven days for further legislative action.
Analysts at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise have said that the soaring cost of diesel is expected to accelerate inflationary pressure on the economy to the extent that the recent increase in the price of petrol may not be immediately felt.
The PUNCH had reported earlier that Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, would now be sold between N170/litre and N190/litre in filling stations across the country, following what is believed to be a subtle agreement between Federal Government officials and oil marketers.
The increase follows weeks of scarcity which have led to fare hikes across major cities in the country. During this time, fuel marketers had insisted that it was no longer sustainable to distribute the product at its N165/Litre benchmark and only a price review would fix the supply chain crisis.
Speaking on how the hike would affect organised businesses, the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Promotion of Private Enterprise, Dr Muda Yusuf, described the decision by the oil marketers and the Federal Government as a necessary compromise that would prevent a complete collapse of the supply chain.
Asked if the new pump price might trigger higher prices in the marketplace, Yusuf said, “Not necessarily, because, before now, the disruption that had been created by the inability of the marketers to distribute at N165 had already pushed the price above N200. Outside Lagos and Abuja, I can tell you that people are buying fuel for N190, N200 plus. If you compare that to the N180 that is now the benchmark, people are still better off. In terms of the impact on price, I don’t see any considerable adverse effect that this will have compared to when you allow the system to collapse completely.”
Also speaking, the Deputy-President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Gabriel Idahosa, said the inflation that was already being created by the significant increase in prices of diesel and kerosene would naturally eclipse the marginal increase in the price of PMS.
He said, “Because the diesel price has gone so high already, the fuel price increase from N165 to N180 may only reflect in some movements in the general public transportation who use petrol for their vehicles, but in terms of any significant impact on inflation, it will not be there.”
The Peoples Democratic Party, on Friday, claimed that with the outcome of last weekend’s governorship election in Osun State, the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, should withdraw from next year’s election.
This is as the party alleged that the former Lagos State governor’s effort to “frustrate” the outcome of the election won by its candidate and Governor-elect, Ademola Adeleke, was rejected by stakeholders in Abuja.
The PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, made the allegation during a press conference in Abuja on Friday.
“Asiwaju Tinubu’s humiliating rejection in Abuja, where he had reportedly rushed to in a desperate bid to frustrate the smooth conclusion of the Osun State Governorship election is a clear testimonial that the APC presidential candidate has been roundly deflated.
“Our party is privy to reports of how doors were locked against APC leaders in Abuja and how their frantic telephone calls and corrupt offers to truncate the Osun election were turned down,” Ologunagba alleged.
The PDP’s spokesperson noted that the party was also “appalled by the nauseating, blasphemous and unpardonable act by APC in hiring street artisans, fraudsters and touts and criminally dressing them in bishop’s vestments to orchestrate an endorsement for its collapsing presidential campaign”.
“The PDP, in the strongest term, condemns this profane and highly provocative act of desperation by the sinking APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the face of APC’s collapsing leadership, membership and followership structure across the country.
“Nigerians were sickened by videos and pictorial evidence of known mechanics, bus conductors and fraudsters sacrilegiously being dressed in fake bishop vestments and paid to endorse the unveiling of Asiwaju Tinubu’s widely rejected running mate, Sen. Kashim Shettima.
“Such action is unacceptable and unbecoming of any individual aspiring to a leadership position at any level let alone, the office of the President. This is an embarrassment to leadership.
“With this scandalous act, Asiwaju Tinubu, who is still battling with issues of alleged perjury, non-existent certificate and allegations of extortions has become more ethically challenged and lost all moral standing to seek election as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“More sickening is the outcry by the hirelings that they were defrauded by agents of the APC Presidential candidate, who paid them sums ranging from N30,000 to N40,000 as against the N100,000 they were earlier promised.
“It is therefore ludicrous that instead of being remorseful and asking for forgiveness, the APC Presidential Campaign is shamelessly posting lame denials and excuses in the face of hard and verified evidence of its involvement in the shameless venture.”
On Osun election, Ologunagba said, “It is now crystal clear to Nigerians why the people of Asiwaju’s ancestral State of Osun and the South West geo-political zone which ought to be his natural stronghold outrighly rejected him and his APC in the July 16, 2022 Governorship election in Osun the State.
“PDP’s sweeping victory and the spontaneous jubilation across our country are direct statements by Nigerians on their resolve to stand on the platform of the PDP to free themselves from the agonizing stranglehold of the lying, cruel and life-discounting APC and its presidential candidate.”
He added, “The APC Presidential candidate and his party should know that it is in his own interest to withdraw from the race as it will be futile to go into an election in which the Will and aspiration of the people are manifestly against him and the APC.
“Asiwaju has no political fighting chance in the face of the soaring popularity of PDP’s very competent, candid, transparent, people-oriented and much more prepared Presidential Candidate, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar at the poll.
“The PDP is poised for a winning campaign and as always, our Party is open to suggestions and further collaborations with well-meaning Nigerians as we collectively march to liberate our nation in the 2023 general elections.”
The Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has recorded a major setback, following the defection of three strong members of the party with thousands of their supporters to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
The three members of the party are: Salihu Maibuhu, Rabi,u Ilili and Abubakar Bargaja who were supporters of former Governor Abdul Aziz Yari.
They have announced their defection to the opposition PDP with thousands of their supporters, a situation that has dented the reconciliation process between Governor Bello Matawalle and Yari.
Speaking to The PUNCH on phone, one of the defectors, Salihu Maibuhu, said they were not interested in the reconciliation process between Matawalle and Yari, as such they decided to join PDP.
”We are not interested in Matawalle, Yari reconciliation and we have decided to defect to the opposition PDP in the state.
“We are not with Governor Bello Mattawalle and that was why we left the APC together with our supporters
“We will however continue with our relationship with the former Governor Abdul Aziz Yari.”
“We are not with Governor Bello Mattawalle and that was why we left the APC together with our supporters
“We will however continue with our relationship with the former Governor Abdul Aziz Yari.”
In his reaction, the spokesperson for the state chapter of Zamfara APC, Yusuf Idris, said the party was never moved by the defection to PDP even though they did not officially announce their defection.
Idris said, “The APC has never been moved by their decision to defect even as they failed to officially inform the party of their move which was without any reason but self-aggrandisement.
“Just as they left the APC, we are happy that the ruling party has continued to receive and welcome more defectors in the state and keeping it ahead of other political parties.”
The January 6 House select committee investigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021, revealed at Thursday’s primetime hearing unseen raw footage of President Donald Trump on the day of, and day after, the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump recorded and released a video message from the White House Rose Garden while the riot was underway on Capitol Hill, urging the mob to disperse and telling his supporters, “We love you. You’re very special.”
The hearing was held to find out what Trump did and didn’t do in the 187 minutes before he finally called off the attack, after hours of pleas from his inner circle.
“I know your pain, I know you’re hurt,” Trump said in the footage that was eventually released. “But you have to go home now, we have to have peace. We have to have law and order, we have to respect our great people in law and order.”
The next day he recorded another video from inside the White House. Outtakes of both videos were shown during the hearing on Thursday.
“The staff that remained at the White House on Jan. 7 knew the president needed to address the nation again and they had a speech prepared for him that morning. But he refused for hours to give it,” Rep. Elaine Luria, a Virginia Democrat and former Navy officer who sits on the Jan. 6 panel, said at Thursday’s hearing.
Luria said the committee heard testimony that Trump was finally convinced to deliver the message later in the evening of Jan. 7 by advisors who warned of “concerns he might be removed from power under the 25th Amendment or by impeachment.”
The outtakes, Luria said, were taken more than 24 hours after the video filmed in the White House Rose Garden.
After a few takes, Trump is seen saying, “This election is now over. Congress has certified the results,” before stopping himself and saying on camera, “I don’t want to say the election is over. I just want to say Congress has certified the results without saying the election is over, okay?”
His daughter and former senior advisor, Ivanka Trump, can be heard off camera coaching the president on the precise words to say in the video.
In a later moment of footage, Trump stumbles over the word “yesterday” and asks for it to be taken out of the prepared remarks.
In another video shown during the hearing, he smacks the presidential podium while repeating the line: “My only goal was to secure the integrity of the vote.”
Thursday marked the last in a series of televised hearings the committee scheduled this summer.
Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has responded to a comment Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of African Action Congress (AAC) made about him on money spent on electricity while serving as a Vice President in former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government.
Recall that shortly after Atiku tweeted about the national grid collapsing for the sixth time this year days ago, Sowore said Atiku was the vice president when his principal, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, budgeted $16 billion to revive power but with nothing to write home about.
Sowore had tweeted;
The National Electrical grid collapse started when you and Obasanjo invested $16 billion to procure darkness for Nigeria, the @MBuhari regime came to gazette grid collapse as a law. Alhaji @atiku, don’t pretend that you care about the National Grid! #WeCantContinueLikeThis
Atiku who responded to the AAC Presidential candidate’s claim in an interview on Arise TV, said Sowore lives outside Nigeria and comes only after four years to contest election.
The PDP presidential candidate also added that Sowore knows nothing about policy implementation or even the policy initiative.
Atiku said;
“He is my opponent, what do you expect him to say? He has all along lived outside this country. He doesn’t even know the policy implementation or even the policy initiative. When we came in, the total generation was about 4,000 megawatts. We initiated the building of nine additional power stations. By the time those nine were finished, the capacity has gone up from 4,000 to 13,000 megawatts.
“Unfortunately, no correspondent increase as far as the transmission lines are concerned. There is no way our transmission lines cannot evacuate the power you are producing that they cannot collapse.
“These additional nine power stations were completed by Jonathan. Umaru Yar’adua was on it. He died and Jonathan continued and he completed them. That is why any time there is an increase in the power generation and then you’ve the transmission system that cannot evacuate power, there will be a collapse.
“So, he (Sowore) doesn’t even know, because he lives outside this country. He comes after every four years and contest for the presidency and goes back. He fails and goes back again. So, what does Sowore know about this country? Nothing; absolutely nothing.”
Responding to Atiku’s claims, Sowore said the PDP Presidential candidate “failed to address how $16b was used to procure darkness”.
He tweeted;
Dear @atiku, I watched a clip of your @ARISEtv interview this morning wherein you were asked about my view on power scam under your regime, you failed to address how $16b was used to procure darkness instead you claimed “he doesn’t even know,” well these are some things I know
You ran for office for the first time in 1992 as a presidential aspirant of the SDP, I also ran for the post of the SU President of the UNILAG, you lost , I won. You left, I stayed, to deliver democracy to Nigerians.
I then left for the US in 1999 at the age of 28. You went on to become the VP of Nigeria, you left Nigerians in darkness after spending $16billion on power, I stayed with Nigerians, shining light on the mess you and your boss created in that sector. You left, I stayed!
After your failed plan to succeed your boss (Olusegun Obasanjo) who wanted a third term in office, I stayed to botch his third term bid. You, however, joined another political party and tried your luck, you left after you couldn’t win. You left, I stayed.
Since 1999, you have lived in about 5 countries outside of Nigeria. I know this because your IP keeps changing the same way you kept changing political parties. We both contested in 2019, it was my 1st time contesting, but after the elections, you left, I stayed. I’m still here!
You’ve done your rounds from SDP- UNCP- PDP- ACN-PDP- APC back to PDP, you have never done anything for the Nigerian people, you’ve only taken care of your needs and those that benefit your family, cronies, and friends. It is time to quit and let Nigeria experience electricity!
My question again, is this; what happened to the $16billion dollars released for electricity during your tenure as Vice President?
Ahmed Idris, the suspended Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) has been remanded in Kuje prison by a High Court sitting in Abuja, over his alleged involvement in the illegal diversion of public funds to the tune of about N109 billion.
Recall that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Idris on a 14-count charge bordering on conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and money laundering.
The anti-graft agency which alleged that Idris and his co-defendants were indicted on a 14-count charge of stealing and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N109.5 billion, further revealed that the former AGF allegedly received gratification from one Olusegun Akindele, worth N15.1 billion, in exchange for accelerating the payment of 13% derivation to the nine oil-producing states in the federation.
One of the charges read;
“That you, Ahmed Idris between February and December, 2021 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, being a public servant by virtue of your position as the Accountant General of the Federation accepted from Olusegun Akindele, a gratification in the aggregate sum of N15,136,221,921.46 ( Fifteen Billion, One Hundred and Thirty Six Million, Two Hundred and Twenty One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty One Naira and Forty Six Kobo) which sum was converted to the United States Dollars by the said Olusegun Akindele and which sum did not form part of your lawful remuneration but as a motive for accelerating the payment of 13% derivation to the nine (9) oil producing Sates in the Federation, through the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 155 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 and punishable under the same section.”
Justice A.O. Adeyemi Ajayi who presided over the case on Friday July 22, ruled that Idris who was arraigned alongside Godfrey Olusegun Akindele and Mohammed Kudu Usman, and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited, be remanded in Kuje prison.
This came after Rotimi Jacobs, EFCC counsel, asked the court to grant the prosecution leave to prefer a criminal charge under section 109 of ACJA against the defendants.
Idris’ counsel, Chris Uche however orally asked the court to grant bail to his client. He said the bail should be granted pending when he files a written bail application.
Uche also said his client had to take the next available flight from Kano just to be able to make it for trial.
Justice Ajayi however ordered that Idris and others be remanded in prison.
Nigerian music star, Tems has been credited as a songwriter on Beyonce’s upcoming album.
Beyoncé finally revealed the tracklist for her upcoming album, “Renaissance,” just over a week ahead of its release.
Due to drop on July 29, the singer’s seventh studio album includes 16 tracks, with the newly released club banger “Break My Soul” serving as the sixth track on the list.
Tems was credited as one of the songwriters on track 10 ‘Move’ under her full name Temilade Openiyi.
The 28-time Grammy winner teased in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar last year that new music was on the way, saying, “I feel a renaissance emerging,” which evidently was a clue to the album’s title.
