juman:
Political campaign strategy.

Ansaru terrorist group has banned political activities in many communities in the Eastern part of Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, according to Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives’ Union (BEPU).

Ishaq Kasai, BEPU Chairman, who raised an alarm on this, said the group regularly recruits young residents and marry off young girls in the area.

According to him, the Ansaru group have camps in seven political wards in the eastern part out of the Local government area.

He also said that the militants usually beat up anybody found with posters of any political parties or symbols within the communities under their control.

The Chairman said the Ansaru group continues to gain strength in the area whereby locals, particularly the youth are being recruited.

“In fact the group continue to gain acceptance from many members of the commonities particularly in Old Kuyello and Damari of Kazage Ward. Even this week, two members of the group were engaged for wedding with two girls and will be tying the nuptial knots by the coming Saturday.

“The Ansaru (grooms) laid down some rules to the in-laws for the wedding. They ruled that, after the wedding, they will take the brides to the forests and live there with them and do not want the brides to go along with any furniture except plates (coolers) and mattresses because anything other than that is not in tandem with their beliefs and and convictions.

“A disturbing scenario is where the group banned all political activities in many communities such as Damari of Kazage Ward. Politicians from these communities have to go far away secretly to the neighboring communities before they hold political meetings.

“For instance this week an Okada rider who lives in Unguwar Makera of Kazage Ward was seen with a sticker of one of the candidates vying for the Kaduna State House of Assembly and he was thoroughly beaten by the Ansaru.

“People in these communities are now disenchanted and frustrated about participating in political activities.

“We don’t know how the coming Elections will take place in those areas because even the last Local Government Election did not hold in the Area due to the escalating insecurity which made the election results to be declared inconclusive and a Sole Administrator was appointed overseeing the affairs the Local Government up till now.

“In short, the Ansaru are now in charge of many of the communities in area and the group is expanding its occupation. They now call the shot and determine what is to be done in the villages they are dominating,”‘ he said.

He said the people are disturbed that despite the worrisome development, no meaningful response from authorities in the state.

“Our communities are being attacked, people kidnapped and killed daily without a response, acknowledgement or report from Government.

“We call on Government to please organise a coordinated security operation both aerial and ground to the hideouts of these criminals in our forests in order to flush them and stop daily killings of our people by the unchallenged terrorists groups sorrounding our communities,” he said.

The State Commissioner Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, could not be reached because he was at an emergency security meeting at the time of filing this report.

But the State Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Mohammed Jalige, said he needed to study the statement before commenting.

Waterlilly:
Back entry comes to mind

doggedfighter:


Deep-rooted


Are some shallow?

The Federal Government has said issues around the ongoing industrial action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and other three university based unions are not as simple as Nigerians think.

The Minister of information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this Wednesday while briefing State House reporters on the outcome of the virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He also announced that council approved the establishment of e-learning centers for primary schools across the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The ASUU had started strike on February 14, 2022, over unresolved issues with the federal government.

Subsequently, other university-based unions, the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Union of Universities and Associated Institutions (NASU) as well as the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) also followed the path of ASUU over the alleged government insensitivity to their demands.

Mohammed, who was asked to explain the motive behind the approval given to the establishment of e-learning centers at a time the government was unable to resolve problems with unions in the public universities for the students to go back to school, said the issues with the unions were not as simple as many people thought.

He said the government was equally worried over the long closure of the public universities and was making frantic efforts to ensure that all the contentious issues were resolved.

The minister, who briefed on behalf of the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, said, “And then the other question has to do with the with ASUU strike. I think if I remember this e-learning, I think has to do more with primary schools and not universities.

“And I don’t think because we’re having challenges with the university lectures, we should stop primary school students in continuing with their education. And I wish that the ASUU issue is as simple as many of us think it is. I don’t think it’s that simple. But I want to assure you that a lot is going on behind the scenes.

“And I think probably the Minister of Education will be better positioned to give the details. But like any government, if we’re not concerned, we would not set up all the committees which have been working on. If we are not concerned, we will not be looking for means to even assuage the feelings of the Union.

“We’re worried, we’re concerned, and we’ll continue to work towards finding an early resolution of the problem.”

On the approval by FEC, Mohammed said, “The Honourable Minister of Education has sought approval from Council for the award of contracts for the provision of a satellite- based education system for 109 e-learning centers across the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

“The contract was for the sum of N964 million and is in favour of Messrs Nas Navigation. The purpose of the memo is to provide each senatorial district in the country with e-learning provision, each states has three senatorial districts and the FCT has one senatorial district

“The scope of the project is the provision of satellite based education system for about 4,360 users in the 109 senatorial districts and it was through the installation of 109 receiver satellite unit model antenna in three schools in each state.

“Installation and provision of 109 vast mile server in three schools in each state connecting up to 100 device installation of 109 server units for receiver terminals and deployment of 4,360 Android tablets.”

The World Bank on Tuesday estimated that the increase in global price of crude oil will push the fuel subsidy budget of the federal government from the current N4trn to about N5trn by the end of this year.

The World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Shubham Chaudhuri, disclosed this while releasing the bank’s latest Nigeria Development Update report, titled, “The continuing urgency of business unusual.”

Crude oil price rose to its highest level in 14 years hitting $123.7 per barrel last Thursday, following higher demand for the black liquid as a result of the energy crisis caused by the Russian-Ukraine war.

This is the highest amount which the product would be sold since 2008. The last time the price of crude oil was as high as this was in 2008 when it sold for $145.31 per barrel.

In 2009, crude oil sold for $81.03, while in 2010, 2011 and 2012, it sold for $91.48, $113.39 and $109.39 per barrel respectively.

In 2013 the highest price of crude oil per barrel was $110.62, in 2014 $107.95 while in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021, it was sold for $61.36, $54.01, $60.46, $77.41, $66.24, $63.27, and $84.65 per barrel respectively.

The rise in oil prices was underpinned by robust demand in the world’s top consumers as the war between Russia and Ukraine intensifies.

Last week, OPEC agreed to accelerate production increase to tame runaway fuel prices and slow inflation.
But experts said that the move will leave producers with very little spare capacity, and almost no room to compensate for a major supply outage.

Nigeria’s crude oil production averaged 1.42 million barrel per day in May. The figure is 70,000 bpd higher than the average crude oil production in April.

While there had been an increase in production, Nigeria is still struggling to meet up with its OPEC quota of 1.66 million barrels per day.

In the 2022 budget, the federal government pegged the crude oil benchmark at $73 per barrel with the projected oil production put at 1.88 million barrels per day.

According to the government, an oil revenue forecast of N3.362trn to fund the 2022 budget would be higher by N1.35trn or 67.18 per cent above the previous year’s target of N 2.011trn.

With higher crude oil price which is above the budget benchmark of $73 per barrel, experts are of the view that Nigeria may not be able to maximize the benefits because of rising fuel subsidy burden.

As of 2021 when crude oil price averaged $62 per barrel, the federal government spent a whopping sum of N1.2trn subsidizing petrol.

But with oil price hitting its highest level of $123.7 per barrel in 14 years, there are fears in government circles that the country may surpass its monthly fuel subsidy budget.

In January, February, March and April of this year, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd incurred N210.38bn, N219.78bn, N245.77bn and N271.58bn for payment of fuel subsidy respectively, giving a total of N947.51bn during the four-month period.

President Muhammadu Buhari had recently approved an increase in the estimated provision for Premium Motor Spirit subsidy for 2022 by N442.72bn from N3.557trn to N4trn.

Speaking on the Report, Shubham Chaudhuri, World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, warned against the huge amount spent on fuel subsidy.

He said, “When we launched our previous Nigeria Development Update in November 2021, we estimated that Nigeria could stand to lose more than N3trn in revenues in 2022 because the proceeds from crude oil sales, instead of going to the federation account, would be used to cover the rising cost of gasoline subsidies that mostly benefit the rich. Sadly, that projection turned out to be optimistic.

“With oil prices going up significantly, and with it, the price of imported gasoline, we now estimate that the foregone revenues as a result of gasoline subsidies will be closer to N5trn in 2022.

“And that N5trn is urgently needed to cushion ordinary Nigerians from the crushing effect of double-digit increases in the cost of basic commodities, to invest in Nigeria’s children and youth, and in the infrastructure needed for private businesses small and large to flourish, grow and create jobs.”

Nnamdi Kanu’s family has threatened to sue the British government over its “silence” on the alleged illegal extraordinary rendition of Mr Kanu to Nigeria, according to a report by The Guardian UK.

The family accused the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Liz Truss, of ignoring “overwhelming evidence” that Mr Kanu was extraordinarily renditioned to Nigeria by the Nigerian government.

Mr Kanu, the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), is a Nigerian- British citizen.

The IPOB leader, who was granted bail in April 2017, fled the country after an invasion of his home in Afara-Ukwu, near Umuahia, Abia State, by the Nigerian military in September of that year.

He was re-arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria in June 2021, about four years after he fled Nigeria. He is currently being detained in Abuja where he is facing trial for treason.

In a pre-action legal letter to Ms Truss, the family, through their lawyers, Bindmans LLP, accused the foreign secretary of failing to end Mr Kanu’s “unlawful” detention in Nigeria.

The family had previously threatened legal action against the British government over the lack of “consular assistance” for Mr Kanu.

In the latest letter to the foreign secretary through the lawyers, Mr Kanu’s family said the IPOB leader’s alleged extraordinary rendition to Nigeria might have breached international law.

They insisted that Ms Truss must take a view on whether there has been a breach of international law in the rendition of Mr Kanu or face legal action.

“If Mr Kanu has been subject to extraordinary rendition, this is a grave breach of international law which has a significant impact on the discretion which the secretary of state exercises in respect of the steps she should take to assist Mr Kanu under international and domestic law,” Shirin Marker, one of the family’s lawyers said in the letter.

“Forming a view as to whether a breach of international law has occurred, and if so the gravity of the breach, is, therefore, an essential prerequisite to the exercise of discretion on taking further steps at international and domestic law,” the solicitor added.

The letter said Mr Kanu was in Kenya in June last year when he was detained by the country’s security services, who took him to a house where he was chained to the floor and beaten for approximately eight days before being put on a private jet on June 27, and flown to Abuja.

Initially, the Nigerian government did not reveal in which country Mr Kanu was detained before being extradited, which raised more unanswered questions about the capture, although they later denied reports that he was illegally extradited to Nigeria.

But the lawyers said the flight believed to have been used in “unlawfully” transporting the IPOB leader from Kenya has been identified, citing testimony of the IPOB leader to his brother and lawyers.

They faulted the Nigerian government’s failure to provide details of how Mr Kanu – who did not have his British passport with him – was brought back to Nigeria.

Mr Kanu’s family laments UK govt’s silence

The IPOB leader’s family has expressed frustration with the British government on the continued detention of Mr Kanu by the Nigerian government.

“With every day that passes, I am increasingly concerned for my brother’s welfare in detention and increasingly frustrated by the UK government’s ineffectiveness in assisting him,” Kingsley, Mr Kanu’s younger brother, was quoted as saying.

“I hope the court will rule that the foreign secretary must recognise the seriousness of my brother’s situation and properly consider what other steps she can take to assist him in light of his extraordinary rendition,” Mr Kingsley added.

Background

Mr Kanu was earlier slammed with 15 count charges by the Nigerian government on terrorism and felony. But the charges have been reduced to seven.

In April, Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja, struck out eight of the 15 charges in her ruling on Mr Kanu’s preliminary objection challenging the validity of the charges.

Mrs Nyako had ruled that counts 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 14 were incompetent for not disclosing any valid offences against the defendant.

Also, on May 18, following an objection by IPOB’s lead counsel, Mike Ozekhome, the Nigerian government withdrew a six-count charge, which was earlier amended.

The judge approved the seven existing counts of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 and 15, which Mr Kanu is currently being tried on.

The IPOB leader had already pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him when he was arraigned in January.

The judge earlier dismissed Mr Kanu’s claim that the Nigerian government illegally repatriated him from Kenya to Nigeria without following a formal extradition procedure.

Mrs Nyako insisted that there was a “surviving bench warrant” for the IPOB leader’s arrest and that his repatriation was in compliance with her order in 2018, for his arrest to face trial.

IPOB, a separatist group led by Mr Kanu, is agitating for an independent state of Biafra to be carved out from the South-east and some parts of South-south Nigeria.

The National Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress have called on the leadership of the party and the Progressive Governors Forum to narrow their search for the vice-presidential candidate to a northern Christian.

Their concerns stemmed from the raging controversy of the Muslim-Muslim ticket, which has seemingly heated the polity in the last few days.

Speaking at a programme to mark the June 12 Democracy Day, Convener of the APC National Stakeholders Forum, Aliyu Audu, disclosed that the need to reject the temptation of presenting another Muslim candidate as a running mate will ensure national inclusion and promote national unity.

He said, “Why we are conscious of the fact that religion should not be a determining factor in the our leadership selection proces. The peculiar circumstance the nation finds herself calls for reflection in the decisions we take, so long as they bother on our national lives.

“Today, the country is deeply divided within our fault lines of ethnicity and religion and we cannot afford to jettison this sensibility in critical decision making.

“This is why we think that the All Progressives Congress must be guided by the sense of these sensibilities in the selection of the Vice Presidential Candidate of the party.

Audu said that to do otherwise would be to further fuel what divides the masses and give room for mischief makers to take advantage of our differences.

According to him, Nigeria is in dire need of good governance, which can come from either a Muslim leader or a Christian leader.

He also noted that while some interests wanted the north to pick the ticket so as to put the contest between two northerners, others advocated for the All Progressives Congress to pick her flag bearer from the south in the spirit of nationalism, justice and fairness.

“But in the spirit of nationalism, justice and fairness which the northern governors demonstrated a few days ago, the leaders of the north on whose shoulder the emergence of the Vice Presidential candidate rests must also demonstrate this spirit by ensuring that the candidate comes from the Christian faith.

“The northern APC has in its fold capable individuals from the Christian faith with proven track record that can deliver just like anyone from the other faith.

“Their capability to deliver on the ideals of the party aside, they also have the capacity to win elections for the party. Suffice to add that no individual wins elections for any political party, it is the collective of all and we are sure the APC can achieve this,” he urged.

Candidlady:



If you like have the best hairdo. Drive the most expensive clean rides. Be built as king LeBron James. Gather pacs like dbanj. Get a thousand houses like the kingdom of heaven.


If your character ain't clean/built/fine to me you are still irresponsible.

He looks clean (responsible) because of haircut.
Body go tell some ladies.

The Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has dismissed insinuations that he may be unable to win the 2023 presidential election because he and his party lack political structures in all states of the country.

Obi said the over 100 million Nigerians affected by poverty, pensioners as well as students and lecturers affected by the over four months ongoing ASUU strike will embody his political structure ahead of the election.

The former Anambra State governor, who was vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019, had last month defected from PDP to the Labour Party before the parties’ presidential primaries.

His exit from the PDP was hinged on his aversion for vote buying and this was believed to have endeared him to many Nigerians who have since deepened their online and physical mobilization for him.

But despite the huge support he’s getting mostly from the youths, political analysts have noted that his lack of ‘structure’ may work against him at the polls.

Obi, however, believes that millions of Nigerians who have lost hope in the two leading political parties will elect him to lead them.

“Whenever I hear of NO STRUCTURE, my answer to it is simple; the 100 million Nigerians that live in poverty will be the structure. The 35 million Nigerians who don’t know where their next meal will come from will be the structure.

“The elderly, our mothers, fathers, and the old ones dying or being owed gratuity/pension will be the structure. ASUU; the lecturers that are being owed, and the students who are not in school will be the structure.

“We’ll create the structure, and they’ll see what the structure is all about. The structure is about human beings,” the Labour Party candidate said in a series of tweets on Sunday.

Crixxx:
You and your family reach 1m?

A prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, has declared that the party will mobilise one million voters in the state to support the party’s presidential candidate, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu, in the 2023 elections.

Abe made the declaration on Sunday while addressing thousands of APC members and supporters at the Port Harcourt International Airport, upon his arrival from Abuja.

The APC chieftain played a prominent role in the campaigns leading to Tinubu’s emergence as the ruling party’s presidential candidate in the just-concluded national convention in Abuja.

He called on the people of the state to join in registering to support the ‘Project SMA 2023’, aimed at allowing the people to choose who will be their governor come 2023.

Abe said: “I am going straight to my village to register as a supporter of Senator Magnus Ngei Abe. We are going to register One Million voters that will vote for Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Senator Magnus Ngei Abe.

“I am going to the village for the Project SMA 2023. As I am going to register, I enjoin all registered voters in Rivers State, who want to have the option of putting a governor of their own in Rivers State to register with me.”

Meanwhile, Senator Abe has condoled with the state chapter of APC over the death of two of her members, Onimiteim Vincent Samuel and Barrister Prince Loveday Motats.

Abe, in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Parry Saroh Benson, described the death of the duo as ‘saddening’ at a time when the party needs committed men like the deceased.

He called on party faithful in the state to rally round support for the immediate families of the deceased as a mark of respect for the grassroot politicians.

The senator said: “The death of Onimiteim Samuel and Barrister Loveday Motats saddens us deeply and our prayers go out to the families and the party in Rivers State over this irreparable loss.

“I will like to extend my deepest condolences to their families and the party, praying that the Almighty God will grant them eternal rest and the sacrifice of their commitment to the APC shall not go in vain.”

oz4real83:
Everybody was buying the milk but this guy just came and bought the full cow. Congrats man

No fewer than 85 youths, drawn from across the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja have benefited from tricycles distributed by the former president Olusegun Obasanjo as part of the activities to mark his 85th birthday celebration.
The tricycles, valued at N1million each, were donated through the Youths Development Centre of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) and were targeted towards ensuring that unengaged youths are kept busy and self-reliant without necessarily depending on anyone for survival.

Speaking at the event tagged, ‘OBJ @85 Free Keke Programme’, Chief Obasanjo charged the Nigerian youths not to abandon the country for those messing it up, but brace up and make necessary contributions towards addressing the plethora of challenges confronting the nation.

Admonishing them to reject the famous cliché that, “youths are the leaders of tomorrow”, the former president said the youths needed to hold the firm belief that “today is their day” and as such, the younger generation must to take advantage of the opportunities galore, which abound in the country to better their lots.

He emphasised that If the youths leave things to those who are messing it up, and who are saying they (youths) are the leaders of tomorrow, they will never have that tomorrow.

“The first thing we want to prove is that there are opportunities galore in this country. Yes, things are not what they should be but you as youths, individually and collectively, must make up your mind, make contributions in order to make things the way they should be.

“If you leave things to those who are messing it up for you and who are saying you are the leaders of tomorrow, you will never have that tomorrow. Today is your day.

“Then the third point is; yes, sometime you may get people who would help you and a times you may not even get who would help you; you must remember God has given you innate ability to be what He wants you to be and if you make up your mind on what you want to be, God will help you and He will provide those people who would help you to reach the sky which should be your limit,” the former president said.

Obasanjo charged those in charge of the project to monitor the progress of the beneficiaries, citing the popular Biblical parable of stewards, who were given talents by their master.

He charged the youths that it is not the opportunities that was given to them that matter, but what use to put the opportunities into.

In her own remarks, the chairperson of the Centre, Dr. Bisi Kolapo, implored the youth to emulate Obasanjo’s passion and commitment in an effort to build “Nigeria of our dreams”.

Kolapo also warned them against corruption and greed, saying it would be difficult to fight those menaces if they are culprit.

She harped on courage, fortitude, forthrightness, respectability, knowledge, loyalty, passion and responsibility as some of the virtues expected of the youths in order to move the country forward.

Responding, two of the beneficiaries, Bashir Ali Modu and Asembe Ngumimi, from Borno and Benue States respectively, commended the centre for the donation, which they said would enhance growth and development of their trades.

They also promised to make judicious use of the tricycles given them, just as they urged other wealthy Nigerians to take a cue from the gesture in order to lift young entrepreneurs across the country.

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Thursday, disclaimed a report circulating in some sections of the media, claiming that it described the election of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu as the presidential candidate of the APC as a ‘national calamity, considering the enormity of the baggage he is burdened with’.

Ohanaeze, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, said the statement did not emanate from the group.

According to him, “We have no hands in the contents, context, comprehension and delivery of the unfounded statement.

“Ohanaeze read the message with sadness and views its contents as unfortunate, especially the attacks in that statement on the person and health status of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“The statement is very unfortunate, irresponsible, diversionary and most reprehensible. We had earlier stated that those behind such fake press releases are mischief-makers, impostors, charlatans and unscrupulous social climbers who have shamelessly leeched on the invaluable footprints of Ohanaeze Ndigbo to issue press releases for narrow, perverse and illicit pecuniary interests.

“It is such unwholesome activities by some maladjusted, impish scaremongers that have been the bane of Igbo cohesion.”

Ohanaeze clarified that the writer of the statement ‘is not the secretary general of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo’.

Dr Ogbonnia said, “The secretary general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide is H.E Amb. Okay Emuchay, and not the impostor that authored the ill-informed, ill-advised statement.

“For the avoidance of doubts, Ohanaeze has no personal issues with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to warrant the careless comments on his person, although we certainly have issues with the current political arrangement and structure that appear to be an orchestrated policy to alienate, isolate, exclude, marginalize and frustrate Ndigbo in a country that has the manifest imprints of Igbo sweat, sacrifice, ambience and transformation.”

The statement added that Ohanaeze would soon make its position on the current political situation in the country known.

Quoting the statement, “Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, led by Ambassador Professor George Obiozor, is following the political development very closely with keen interests, and will make its position public at the appropriate time.”

VandalSavage:
Okoros spending their Fraud money

It's okay

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has declared a couple, Onyinmiebi (Miebi Baraza) and Beatrice Bribena, wanted.

An alert by the anti-graft agency urged persons with information about them to contact any of its offices across Nigeria.

The agency is searching for the duo over alleged fraud to the tune N2billion.

The Bribenas are the promoters of Baraza Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited.

“We are dedicated to improving members’ lives via financial empowerment, business financing, thrift & credit, housing, scholarship, etc”, its profile reads.

Bribena, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Bayelsa State, is pastor at Christ Embassy Church.

He is accused of scamming thousands of billions of naira after promising a 25 percent Return on Investment (ROI) monthly.

In 2021, the victims repeatedly visited the company’s headquarters on Otiotio Road in Yenagoa to seek a refund. The EFCC has sealed the building.

The company also has branches in Port-Harcourt, the Rivers capital, and some other parts of the country.

Baraza had informed investors it was trading with their money on forex platforms but stopped after it could no longer pay returns.

Last July, Bribena released a video to debunk speculations that his health and business were failing.

“Ignore such news. If I did not faint since, is it now that I will faint? I don’t know whether some people are angry that Baraza could bounce back”, he said.

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

Anxiety2022:
Soyinka must be OBIdient. He is a very good Citizen

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, on Friday dismissed claims that he paid tribute to the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.

Soyinka disclosed this in a statement titled, ‘I did not pay tribute to Tinubu – Soyinka’, issued by his spokesman, Abiola Owoaje.

Reports had emerged entitled, ‘Prof Wole Soyinka’s tribute to Sen Asiwaju Tinubu’, supposedly written by Soyinka praising Tinubu on his political accomplishments, had gone viral on various WhatsApp platforms shortly after the former Lagos State governor emerged as APC’s presidential flag bearer on Wednesday.

However, Soyinka has come out to describe the trending post as the handiwork of indolent identity thieves whose preoccupation is to deceive the public in a bid to gain prominence.

The elder statesman maintained that he did not operate or own social media accounts.

The statement read in part, “The literary luminary reiterated his position on the 2023 elections and the issues surrounding it, noting that he has no business meddling in the struggle for power by political parties in the country.

“Soyinka enjoins the general public to be on alert to the antics of faceless cowards spreading falsehood, adding that they should not partake in the despicable action of the authors by spreading the cocktail of lies.”

DAILY POST reports that Tinubu scored 1,271 votes to defeat his closest contenders, Rotimi Amaechi, who pulled 316 votes and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who scored 235 votes, on Wednesday.

LEADERSHIP reports that Tinubu polled 1,271 votes at the just-concluded APC special national convention, where the presidential primary held, to defeat 22 other aspirants.

In a letter to Tinubu on Wednesday evening personally signed by Adamu and titled, ‘Letter Of Congratulations’, the APC national chairman said he was pleased that the party spoke with one voice as the delegates “voted overwhelmingly” to nominate Tinubu as presidential candidate.

“I write on behalf of the entire membership of the All Progressives Congress to congratulate Your Excellency on the sterling victory that you recorded at the just concluded Special National Convention to emerge as the Presidential Candidate of our great party.

“Your victory has vindicated our party’s nationalistic outlook and patriotic posture as the Party of choice for every Nigerian. I am pleased that the Party spoke with one voice when the delegates voted overwhelmingly to nominate you as our presidential candidate.

“It is my sincere hope and prayer that our collaborative efforts between the Party’s National Secretariat and your Presidential campaign team will proceed with the shared expectations of victory at the 2023 general elections, by the grace of God,” Adamu wrote.

Following the poor outing of South-East aspirants in the just-concluded presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress, Ohanaeze Youth Council has begun drumming support for Labour Party candidate Mr Peter Obi.

The council, in a statement made available to THE WHISTLER in Awka on Wednesday, described both APC and PDP presidential primaries as ‘dollarised’.

Its national president, Igboayaka O Igboayaka, said, “I warned Nigerian political actors in APC and PDP not to jeopardize the interest of Nigerians.

“I saw this day coming, but I did all I could do to avoid those that emotionally blackmail us without speaking out. All these stand as evidence that we warned Nigeria about the danger of slidelining South East in picking APC and PDP presidential candidates.

“Instead the two political parties to cede their presidential tickets to South East as it was done to the South West in 1999, PDP decided to change the goalpost.

“APC was formed by three political parties (CPC, ANC and ANPP) of North, South West, and South East through President Mohammadu Buhari, Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, respectively.

“In 2015, CPC led by Gen Muhammadu Buhari took president, while ACN led by Ahmed Bola Tinubu took vice president.

“This time when it should be the turn of the South East, they changed the rules of the game.”

Regretting that South East would remain in political limbo for 65 years in the next nine years or thereabouts, Igboayaka said, “They throw presidential tickets in APC and PDP open, but wouldn’t throw open recruitment of federal jobs and federal entrance exams in federal government colleges.

“Those who think that Nigeria will stand on the leg of injustice, marginalization and hatred against Ndigbo should know that the new generation of Ndigbo are not the ones in 1966.

“Nigerian political actors have pushed Ndigbo out of Nigeria, and there’s a price to pay for it. The actions of PDP and APC have legitimized the call for self-determination by IPOB and MASSOB.

“APC and PDP have proven IPOB and MASSOB right. The northern political cabals remind you of tribe and religion during election, after election they remind you that you belong to a begging class.

“This is called social fraud. After the social fraud, they divide you among religions and tribes; after dividing you, they engage in economic fraud to loot what belong to you.”

Igboayaka therefore called on Nigerian youths to support Peter Obi of Labour Party.

He said, “Mr Peter Obi is the last card Nigerians will play. There are two political parties in Nigeria today, Peter Obi representing the ‘Oppressed’, and PDP/APC representing the ‘Oppressors’.

“Nigerian youths arise and take back your country from the hand of political oppressors and political bandits.”