Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, the running mate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has berated the Labour Party flagbearer, Mr Peter Obi over his outing to churches.

Okowa, who spoke with reporters in Kano State on Wednesday, said he does not believe in dragging the church into partisan politics, stressing that politics is not the calling of the church.

He lamented that out of desperation, some presidential candidates are currently reaching out to anything even at the detriment of their faith just to win the February 2022 election.

“Now you begin to look at what is going on; the Peter Obi factor is as if he is trying to go through the church and make it look as if he is driving the Christians into politics. I do not believe that the church should actively go into politics because that is not their calling.

“But people are just hanging to anything they can reach out to even to the detriment of their fate. I don’t believe that’s the right part to go,” he said.

DAILY POST reports that Peter Obi had on several occasions appeared in different church programmes.

Recall that video of the former Anambra Governor, who was given an unusual ovation when he appeared at the Glory Dome, Abuja, had trended on all social media platforms.

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BREAKING: I Tackled ASUU Strike In One Day – Jonathan

Wed, 31 Aug 2022 18:23:54 GMT

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has stated how his administration resolved a four-month old strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in one day.

He said this on Wednesday in Abuja at the 70th birthday celebration of Matthew Hassan Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, organised by The Kukah Centre.

Daily Trust reports that the university lecturers have been on strike since February this over over irreconcilable difference with the Federal Government.

“The society we are managing is complex, now we are talking about ASUU strike, during my time too, ASUU had four months of strike, different committees were meeting and meeting and nothing was working. I said how can our children stay out of school for four months? So I had to call a meeting of all the leadership of ASUU.

“I presided over the meeting with my vice president, the Attorney General was there, I said that that night we must solve the problem. The Attorney General was there, Second to the Government of the Federation was there, the ministers of education were there, the labor ministers were there the finance ministers, everybody that has to do with it.

“And I thought that my being there would help us to do things quickly. But we spent the whole night, before we finished on like 5:30am Before we concluded and the strike was called off, so there were issues,” Jonathan said.

He noted that Bishop Kukah despite his friendship with leaders also bash them when he feel they were not doing some things right, including himself.
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The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited will have the first right of refusal to supply the Dangote refinery with about 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day for the next 20 years.

The Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPC Ltd, Mele Kyari, disclosed this to journalists when he appeared at the 49th Session of the State House Ministerial Briefing organised by the Presidential Communications Team, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

A supply of 300,000 per day in 20 years brings the total supply to 2.1 trillion by the NNPC.

According to him, the corporation had succeeded in locking down the huge supply as part of the Federal Government’s means of guaranteeing sufficient petroleum products supply for Nigeria.

“We have secured the right to sell up to 300,000 barrels of crude oil to the Dangote refinery for the next 20 years. Not only that, by right, we also have access to 20 per cent production from that plant,” he said.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, has accused religious leaders, security agencies, and even some NNPC staff of the theft of the nation’s crude oil.

The NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Kyari said this during the 49th session of the weekly ministerial brief at the State House in Abuja, stressing that oil theft is largely carried out by Nigerians.

Kyari disclosed that the stolen products, pipelines are found mostly in churches and mosques, Channels Tv reported.

“When a fire outbreak happened in one of our pipelines, we discovered that some of the pipelines were actually connected to individual’s homes. And not only that, and with all sensitivity to our religious beliefs, you know, some of the pipelines and some of the products that we found, are actually in churches and in mosques,” Kyari said.

“This means that everybody is involved. There’s no way you will take products, bring them in trucks in populated neighborhoods, load them, and leave without everybody else knowing about it. Everybody includes members of the community, members of the religious leaders and also and most likely government officials of all natures, including security agencies personnel.”

Kyari revealed that vandalism has led to the shut down of the entire network of pipelines for petroleum products distribution in Nigeria.

The NNPC Boss mentioned that a national reserve company will be established to manage the pipelines on a commercial basis to efficiently put them to use for the distribution of products across the country.

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So today he have is now a Bad sport man abi? Let me remind you ,in the year 2019, didn't he throw his weight behind Atiku? Then we can say the North was right to contest and today which happen to be the moral Turn of the South , Same ATIKU is coming out .
What kind of Nonsense is that, Is the Presidency a Sit for the North.
Even at the late minute TAMBUWA stepped down...Such Nonsense and Nobody is a fool any longer.
The Very fact that WIke did his part respectedly in the year 2019 earn me his respect.
His demands are Clear, Atiku should sign a one tenure undertaking .And immediately it is done he should hand over to the South. He Atiku is still playing some mind games thinking he is smart,someone that ones promised to spend Just once Tenure...
Atiku should continue the mind Game, that Port Harcourt Boy go mess am Up.

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it is very concerned about the security of voters, its personnel and election materials, party candidates and agents and other stakeholders in the election process as the nation moves towards 2023 elections.

The commission also acknowledged the expectation on it to perform its duties exceptionally despite the myriad geographical challenges that characterize the country, especially poor transportation systems.

INEC said its staff would require water transportation systems in some states, while it will require motorbikes and other human carriers in other communities to access all the polling units across the country.

Its national commissioner and chairman, information and voter education committee Festus Okoye made the remarks during the inauguration of the election crisis communication team under the auspices of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) yesterday in Abuja.

He said the task of conducting elections all over the world is a daunting one, adding that election preparations, deployment and implementation are the most extensive mobilization that could happen in a country even in peacetime.

In Nigeria, he said voters would elect candidates for 1,491 constituencies, comprising one presidential constituency, 28 governorship elections, 109 senatorial districts, 360 federal constituencies and 993 state assembly seats for the 2023 general elections.


In preparations, he said INEC would be involved in recruiting and training staff and managing the logistics for their deployment to 176,846 polling units, spread across 8,809 electoral wards, 774 local government areas, 37 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“This is in addition to applying strategic approaches to ensure the printing and collection of PVCs by registered voters and replacing lost cards before the 2023 general election.

“These tasks are better appreciated when one reasons that the projected voter population for the 2023 general election is about 95 million, which is over 20 million more than the combined voter population of the other 14 countries in West Africa.

“The Commission is expected to perform these duties exceptionally despite the myriad geographical challenges that characterize the country, especially poor transportation systems,” Okoye said.

He said the commission is determined and confident of conducting free, fair, transparent and inclusive elections in 2023.

“To perform these tasks effectively, the Commission has since recognized the role of effective communication. That is the reason behind the Commission’s Communication Policy, which it continues to update and apply.

“The Commission continues to provide timely and important information relating to the electoral process, especially in the area of changes in the law, the deepening of the use of technology in the electoral process, the conduct of elections and the management of different aspects of the electoral process,” he said.

The INEC commissioner however said there is still room for strengthening the communications system of the commission, as it experiences increasing incidents of misrepresentation, either out of insufficient appreciation of the constitutive legal instruments underlying the work of the commission; inadequate understanding of the work of the Commission or other sundry issues around political positioning and contest for power.

As a result of the way elections are pursued by politicians, he said elections are almost akin to war, and it is almost like a perennial crisis.

Consequently, he said the commission must be better prepared in communicating its positions.

“Our communication must be robust and focused on the long-term needs of the commission. It must be diverse, proactive, coordinated and consistent, with effective feedback mechanisms.

“Our communication strategies must recognize and amplify the demographic changes in the voting population; the increasing use of technology by a sizable number of Nigerians, the increasing engagement by Nigerians with the electoral process and the affirmation of the Nigerian people in their belief that the Commission has the capacity and courage to conduct transparent and inclusive elections.

“This is the purpose of this ECCT. We hope that the Team will provide consistent, timely, and targeted messaging to various stakeholders.

“Other areas of interest that we hope the ECCT will assist the Commission include the development of voter education materials, production of a press kit and responding to fake news and disinformation.

“In addition, we are ready to work with you to educate critical stakeholders and the general public on critical aspects of the forthcoming general election, including innovations the Commission has introduced to improve election service delivery, particularly leveraging digital technologies, collection of PVCs, accreditation and voting procedure and election day logistics.

“With the profound expertise and experience in this team, both from the media and election management angles, I have no doubt that these will be achieved,” he added.

He assured stakeholders that the Commission will continue to work in synergy with them to ensure a free, fair, credible and peaceful election in 2023 to protect the will of the Nigerian people.

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has said some politicians canvassing for votes to win the 2023 presidential election do not mean well for the country.

Wike said he was in a privileged position to know their intention and would reveal their identities at the appropriate time so that Nigerians would reject them at the 2023 polls.

Wike said this yesterday at the flag-off of internal roads that were held at Rumuesara, Eneka town in Obio/Akpor local government area of Rivers State.

The governor said, “Some other people are busy putting themselves together on how they will take over leadership in Nigeria to loot the remaining ones these other people have already kept.

“I’m privileged to know and at the appropriate time I’ll tell you who these people are. You need to know what is happening in Nigeria. Forget about all these people running around saying they want to rescue or save you (Nigeria). Just watch to see what is going to happen next.

“All of us should be calm concerning what is happening in PDP. In fact, nothing has happened yet. But by the grace of God, something will happen,” Wike said.

He stated that while his administration continues to flag-off and inaugurate projects for Rivers people, detractors keep sponsoring negative media campaigns against him.

Wike stated that despite such negative media comments, his administration has not relented in offering good governance to strengthen the relationship with the people of Rivers State.

The governor said, “Look at us concentrating on giving our people good governance. What is good governance? Good governance is making the people happy. Good governance is providing infrastructure for the people.

“Good governance is not about party. Providing good governance is about leadership. We are here everyday flagging off projects, commissioning projects even though our tenure is coming to an end.”

He noted how difficult it will be for seasonal politicians who have never done anything to better the lot of Rivers electorate to come to them and solicit their votes.

Wike said, “Now that I have come to Eneka to provide this basic infrastructure, I can come back to Eneka and ask you to follow me, let us go there or let us stay here. Do they have what it takes to come and talk to you? Can they come and talk to you?

“It is somebody that hears from you that you have also heard from. This one you’ve not provided anything for my people, you’ve not asked them what they want, then you want to tell them where to vote.

“So, it is us that will come and meet you and say see where you’ll vote.  And I know based on our relationship, since we have not deceived you, we have not told you lies, you will follow us at the appropriate time.”

Speaking further, the governor said Eneka fills a strategic place in his educational and political success story, which is why he cannot abandon its people.

In a related development, a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke, has said nobody knows the outcome of the meeting between Wike and the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Senator Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

Nwuke, who disclosed this while speaking with LEADERSHIP in Port Harcourt yesterday, said all the reports in the media about the outcome of the meeting were mere speculations.

He said: “All we know is that all these conversations that have taken place, took place behind closed doors and we have not officially heard from the two sides.

“So, I will treat what was put on the front page of the national newspaper as speculation.

“We know that the last comment on the meeting between Asiwaju and Governor Wike was made by Ibrahim Masari, the placeholder who told the BBC that genuine understanding has been reached and that the expectation was that Wike was going to be useful to them in their pursuit for power and victory in the forthcoming election.

“I can say to you that if you look at the media, it is awash with all sorts of things. Nobody is really sure of what those conversations came to,” he said.