₦airaland Forum

President Tinubu has described the proposed legislation as a critical component of his administration’s broader strategy to strengthen national security, expressing confidence that lawmakers will give the bill prompt attention.

President Bola Tinubu has formally requested that the House of Representatives begin consideration of a constitutional amendment bill that would pave the way for the establishment of state police, signalling a renewed push by the executive to decentralise Nigeria’s policing system.

The proposal, transmitted to the House in a letter dated 15 June and addressed to Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, seeks to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide a legal basis for establishing state police services alongside the existing Nigeria Police Force.

The President urged lawmakers to accord the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, expedited legislative consideration, describing it as a major pillar of his administration’s efforts to reform the country’s security architecture.

Mr Tinubu stated that the bill is designed to establish “a constitutional pathway for the establishment of State Police Services” as part of measures to improve Nigeria’s capacity to tackle its growing security challenges.

He noted that the proposal builds on significant previous legislative efforts by the House of Representatives on the issue, whilst introducing additional safeguards to ensure that a dual policing structure operates effectively.

“This bill builds on the significant work already done in this regard by the House of Representatives and incorporates additional safeguards to ensure that the creation of a dual policing structure to address our nation’s evolving national security challenges can be achieved quickly and effectively to the benefit of all Nigerians,” the President stated.

Further describing the proposed legislation as a critical component of his administration’s broader strategy to strengthen national security, the President expressed confidence that lawmakers would give the bill prompt attention.

“The proposed legislation is a critical component of our administration’s strategy to reorganise Nigeria’s security architecture to protect our citizens better, and I am confident that the House of Representatives will act quickly to consider and pass this bill,” he wrote.

If enacted, the amendment would introduce a constitutional framework that would allow both the federal and state governments to operate separate but constitutionally recognised police services, ending Nigeria’s long-standing exclusive federal policing structure. Renewed push for decentralised policing

This latest proposal represents one of the strongest executive-backed attempts to secure constitutional recognition for state police since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999.

Under the current constitutional arrangement, policing is exclusively vested in the Nigeria Police Force, which the federal government controls. However, worsening insecurity across different parts of the country has fuelled growing calls for the decentralisation of policing.

Over the years, state governors, security experts, and constitutional reform advocates have argued that the centralised police structure has become overstretched in responding to terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, communal clashes, and other violent crimes.

The campaign for state police has also gained momentum as several states have established regional security outfits—including Amotekun in the South-west, Ebube Agu in parts of the South-east, and various community-based vigilante groups—to complement federal security agencies, despite these outfits lacking constitutional policing powers.

The House of Representatives has previously considered several constitutional amendment proposals on state police through its Constitution Review Committee, but none have completed the amendment process.

For the proposal to become law, it must secure the approval of at least two-thirds of members of both chambers of the National Assembly before being ratified by no fewer than 24 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the self-styled Director-General of an alleged “non-existent” Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, PFIPC, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi.


Justice Mohammed Umar issued the arrest order following an oral application made by the police lawyer, Mr. Wisdom Madaki.
Adeyemi was billed to take his plea on an eight-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, relating to forgery, fraud, and impersonation.

However, although the matter was listed as No. 12 on the court’s cause list, the defendant failed to appear for his arraignment, even though a lawyer, Mr. Genesis Francis, announced his appearance on his behalf.

Shortly after the case was called, the prosecution counsel noted that the defendant had repeatedly failed to appear for his trial.

Any Nigerian Soldier Who Waits For Orders Before Shooting Terrorists Will Be Treated Like A Bandit –Defence Minister
MUSA

The minister stressed that the Nigerian Government has invested billions of naira in procuring the equipment to strengthen the armed forces and expected both the equipment and personnel to be effectively deployed in the fight against insecurity.

Nigeria's Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (Rtd), has warned military personnel that any soldier who hesitates to kill terrorists or bandits while waiting for superior orders would be treated as a terrorist.

General Musa gave the warning on Wednesday, while speaking during a handover of newly acquired military equipment in Sokoto State, where he declared that troops have a duty to kill bandits, terrorists, or any security threats on sight immediately they are deployed without waiting for superior orders.

The minister stressed that the Nigerian Government has invested billions of naira in procuring the equipment to strengthen the armed forces and expected both the equipment and personnel to be effectively deployed in the fight against insecurity.

He urged the troops to properly maintain the newly acquired equipment, warning that the government would assess how they had been managed after one year.

"This equipment cost billions of Naira that could have been used for other aspects, but have been dedicated to do this,” Musa said.

"I want to charge you that we must maintain this equipment very well. We will come after a year and see how this equipment are looking. Because we don’t want to hand them over and then you throw them away or you mishandle them and they become bad within a few months. They must serve the purpose they were brought in."

The minister also issued a stern directive to members of the armed forces and other security agencies, insisting that terrorists and bandits should be engaged without hesitation.

"I want to reiterate to all members of the armed forces and security forces, once you are deployed, do not wait for any order from anybody to shoot any bandit or any terrorist,” he said.

"I want to make that very loud and clear, anybody who refuses to shoot or kill any bandit or terrorist in the name of waiting for an order, we will treat you like a bandit."

According to him, the weapons and equipment were purchased with public funds and must be used to protect Nigerians from violent criminals.

"The federal government, the state government, the local government, and indeed, Nigerians’ taxpayer money is what was used to buy this equipment,” Musa noted.

"They were bought so that you can take anybody who is trying to cause mayhem wherever he is. It is your responsibility to ensure that you take him down, not to allow him take you down."

The minister further reassured residents of Sokoto State and Nigerians across the country that the Nigerian Government remained committed to tackling insecurity and protecting lives and property.

"I also wish to assure the people of Sokoto State and indeed, all Nigerians that the federal government remains unwavering in its commitment to securing every part of our country,” he said.

The minister’s remarks come as Nigeria continues to grapple with worsening insecurity across several regions of the country.

The North-East has battled a more than 15-year insurgency led by Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), while the North-West and parts of the North-Central have witnessed persistent attacks by heavily armed bandit groups responsible for mass killings, kidnappings for ransom and the destruction of rural communities.

In the North-Central, communities in states such as Benue, Kwara, Plateau and Niger have repeatedly suffered deadly attacks linked to armed groups, while separatist-related violence and attacks on security formations have also remained security concerns in parts of the South-East.

The continued violence has displaced millions of Nigerians, disrupted farming activities, worsened food insecurity and placed enormous pressure on the country's security forces.

Despite repeated assurances by successive administrations and increased defence spending, security agencies have continued to face criticism over the frequency of attacks, delayed responses to distress calls and the inability to decisively end the violence.

The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill has swung into action.

It was inaugurated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who said the operation of State Police can no more be delayed.
He said the body would prepare the legal framework for its implementation across the country.
The committee is headed by Chief of State to the President Femi Gbajabiamila. Other members include the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe (SAB), the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuru Ribadu, the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disuse, and the Chairman of the NGF Committee on State Police, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun. Africans& Diaspora

The panel would have a Secretariat that would offer some administrative assistance to the committee.
President Tinubu, who was represented by Gbajabiamila, inaugurated the panel at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The youth caucus of the All Progressives Congress in Ikosi-Ketu/Isheri has launched what it said would be a sustained grassroots mobilisation campaign for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid and Dr Obafemi Hamzat’s governorship ambition.

Speaking to The PUNCH, one of the youth leaders in the area and the event’s sponsor, Alaba Shonaike, said the initiative was organised under the aegis of the Ikosi-Isheri Active Progressive Youths and began with a three-kilometre solidarity walk that attracted a large turnout of supporters from across the community.

We have only come here to express our support and readiness to support the reelection of President Bola Tinubu in 2027 and the election of Dr Obafemi Hamzat here in Lagos State.

“The rally on Sunday is more like the first in a series of political engagement activities planned for the coming months ahead of the 2027 elections.

“And we are making a bold claim that President Tinubu has delivered significantly on his promise to Nigerians, and we should support his reelection for a second term,” Shonaike said.

The carnival-like procession, which took place on Sunday, began at Mile 12 Roundabout and moved through Ketu to CMD Road, attracting youths, political stakeholders and residents who marched in branded T-shirts and caps bearing the images of Tinubu and Hamzat.

The Senate on Wednesday rejected a motion to launch a comprehensive investigation into the budgetary allocation, operations and controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, PFIPC.

The move was initiated by the senator representing Kano South, Suleiman Kawu, who raised a point of order during plenary.

Citing Order 9 and Rule 9(c) of the Senate Standing Orders (2026), Kawu presented a motion titled, ‘Urgent Need to Investigate the Budgetary Allocation, Operations and Controversy surrounding the purported Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) to safeguard the Integrity of the Senate and the Federal Government’.

According to him, “The Senate notes with concern that, in recent weeks, the public space has been inundated with allegations, controversies, accusations and counter-accusations concerning an entity known as the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC).”

Following the presentation of the motion, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary, ruled that the matter should not be debated, noting that the Executive had already taken steps to address it.

Jibrin told lawmakers that President Bola Tinubu had directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to investigate the matter, urging the Senate to allow the Executive to conclude its probe.

Obi: Let Them Go To The Atlantic Ocean We'll Meet Them, Why Go To Onitsha, I Live In Abuja– Okonkwo.

Kenneth Okonkwo has reacted to the defamation lawsuit reportedly filed against him by Peter Obi, saying neither Obi nor his legal team has served him with any court documents.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Okonkwo insisted that his comments were based on information already in the public domain. He argued that he only spoke about issues surrounding the NDC and questioned how such remarks could amount to defamation.

To support his position, Okonkwo referred to claims allegedly made by Senator Seriake Dickson that he and Obi had offered activist Aisha Yesufu a House of Representatives ticket to persuade her to give up a Senate ticket. Okonkwo said he merely highlighted what he believed was happening within the party.

He described the lawsuit as a civil matter and suggested it was being given unnecessary publicity. While declining to reveal his legal strategy, he expressed confidence that he was ready to respond to the case wherever it was pursued.

Okonkwo also questioned why the suit was reportedly filed in Onitsha instead of Abuja. He noted that he lives in Abuja and made the statements during a television interview in Abuja, arguing that the relevant events were connected to the Federal Capital Territory.

He criticized the decision to approach a court in Onitsha, saying it reflected what he described as bad intentions in the handling of the legal process.
He added that he was prepared to meet the case wherever it was taken, even joking that they could meet in the Atlantic Ocean.

In his words, "Let them go to Atlantic Ocean we will meet them there, what's the whole idea of going to Onitsha? You're in Abuja, it was in this studio that I said what I said, I live in Abuja."

Iran Surrender To US Demand, Agree To Peace Deal, No More Nuclear Weapons, Opens the Strait Of Hormuz

2027: Reactions As Rabiu Kwankwaso Was Spotted Holding A Meeting With Some Southeast Leaders.

There have been several reactions from social media users after the former governor of Kano state, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was spotted holding a meeting with some Southeast leaders.

The video was contained in a video that Saifullahi Hassan, a media aide of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso shared on his official X handle on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.

In the video that surfaced online, some members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement were also seen at the meeting.

Here are some pictures of Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso holding a meeting with the people;

"Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is holding a special meeting with key leaders from the Southeast, the home region of NDC presidential candidate, Peter Obi".

Vixlot:
The presidential ambition of former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, is facing serious resistance from some northern political stakeholders and sections of the electorate, findings by Sunday PUNCH have revealed.

Some of the stakeholders, who spoke with our correspondents, disclosed that “majority of northerners” had yet to embrace his party, the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

It was also gathered that some northern leaders had started warning their followers against the party, while portraying Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, as anti-northern interests.

In one of the political materials being circulated across some WhatsApp platforms in the region, Obi and Kwankwaso were projected as “haram” (forbidden).

On Tuesday, there were reports that some angry youths in Ungogo Local Government Area of Kano State burnt Obi and Kwankwaso’s campaign posters.

Similarly, a member of the Kano State House of Assembly, Muhammad Tomas, who recently joined the NDC from the All Progressives Congress, returned to the APC.

‘NDC is unknown’

https://punchng.com/2027-obi-kwankwaso-bid-faces-northern-resistance/

APC sponsored write up.

Atiku’s presidency will be synonymous to Fulani taking power – Babachir Lawal

Ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, has said that the presidency of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is synonymous to Fulani presidency.

Lawal, who recently resigned from the ADC over an allegation of flawed primary election, stated this in a post on his Facebook page late Saturday.

He said his first post on Atiku, who he described as ‘Kachalla’, has made almost the whole of Nigeria’s Fulani race to descend on him with all manner of insults and threats.

“Atiku’s presidency will be synonymous to a Fulani presidency even as Bola Tinubu’s presidency is synonymous to a Yoruba presidency and the Yorubas are proud of him no doubt.

“The vile propaganda, insults and threats that the Atiku’s goons and social media bandits have been churning out on me because as they claim, I have insulted the whole Fulani race in pointing out his fallibility.

“Well, if pointing out the danger an Atiku’s presidency will pose to the country amounts to insulting the whole Fulani race, and if that is how the Fulani race chooses to see it, so be it. It is a free world,” Lawal said.

BabaO2:
They better hide this one to stop the international embarrassment. No presidential charisma and definitely not a presidential class.

Oh please don't cry !
You can not stop a man that God has blessed

leanonme82:
He was never at the EU parliament.

This fake news has been debunked on twitter. Even grok said no African has spoken at the EU parliament this year.
This event was in Abuja Nigeria. Someone needs to do a thread on that.

Seun mynd44 nlfpmod stop bringing fake news to the front page.

Read the news about Peter Obi addressing the European parliament on this newspapers below.

YouandiAllofus:
I wonder what Peter Obi is going to do differently to turn Nigeria into the promised El Dorado if he becomes president.

Continue wondering until you see it happen

Ukpaka:
Peter Obi Threatens to Dump NDC Over Widespread Primaries Corruption and Ticket-Racketeering
https://247ureports.com/2026/06/peter-obi-threatens-to-dump-ndc-over-widespread-primaries-corruption-and-ticket-racketeering/
-
ABUJA — The presidential ambition of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, Peter Obi, is currently hanging in the balance following strong indications that he has threatened to abandon the party over deep-seated corruption and structural irregularities marring its ongoing nomination processes.

Sources close to the leadership structure reveal that Obi has expressed deep disgust behind closed doors, describing the internal handling of the party’s primaries as careless, compromised, and highly embarrassing to his political brand. The development leaves the opposition leader in a severe dilemma, facing either a compromised ticket or an outright forfeiture of his presidential run.

Fake News

Bandits are demanding Sharia law in Oyo state as part of the negotiations to free victims.
- Oyo Assembly's speaker


https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1E1C7HNfSG/

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18HbAer5nM/

Peter Obi Roasted Nigerian Government Over Bandits (video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CPkYyNHAhE?si=rbSu_MLSit-VNTGi


Sharia Must Be Implemented In Southwest For Oyo Children’s Release - Kidnappers Demand

Masterstroke4:
Sharia Must Be Implemented In Southwest For Oyo Children’s Release - Kidnappers Demand



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CPkYyNHAhE?si=rbSu_MLSit-VNTGi

Southwest is in trouble

Sharia Must Be Implemented In Southwest For Oyo Children’s Release - Kidnappers Demand



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CPkYyNHAhE?si=rbSu_MLSit-VNTGi

Scale of damage equals mass violence:
When billions meant for hospitals, roads, power, and security are looted, the result is preventable deaths from collapsed healthcare, insecurity, and poverty. Proponents argue this is national sabotage on the level of treason, so the penalty must match the harm.

Current punishments don’t deter:
Plea bargains, fines, and 2–3 year sentences have not stopped repeated looting. High-profile cases end with seized assets but no lasting personal cost. The death penalty raises the stakes high enough to break the “steal, settle, return” cycle.

Impunity is entrenched:
Many convicted officials return to politics, run for senate, or become party financiers after short jail terms. Execution permanently removes actors who treat public office as a criminal enterprise.

Recovers stolen time for the country:
Nigeria loses decades of development to corruption. Every year of diverted budgets sets back entire generations. An ultimate penalty signals that wasting national time is an existential crime.

Restores public trust in law:
Citizens see armed robbers executed while officials who steal pensions walk free. Applying the death sentence to grand corruption shows the law is not reserved for the poor and rebalances public faith in justice.

Breaks godfather networks:
Corruption in Nigeria runs through patronage chains. Executing convicted kingpins dismantles the command structure and makes successors calculate that the system will no longer protect them.

Prevents use of stolen wealth to escape justice:
Wealthy convicts fund endless appeals, medical tourism, and political comebacks. Capital punishment stops the ability to buy time and influence after conviction.

Aligns with public sentiment:
After 60+ years of underdevelopment tied to looting, there is widespread demand for penalties that match the scale of betrayal. Proponents say lighter sentences have been tried and failed.

Protects national security:
Diverted defense budgets have directly led to soldiers fighting Boko Haram/ISWAP with inadequate weapons. Corruption in that sector costs lives of troops and civilians, making it a life-and-death matter.

Sends a message to foreign partners:
Nigeria’s debt and aid negotiations are undercut by corruption perception.
A death penalty law signals to lenders and investors that the country is willing to take maximal steps to protect public funds.

Netanyahu Says Iran Supreme Leader ‘No Longer Alive’ After 30-Bomb Strike

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday claimed there were indications that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, may no longer be alive following a joint United States–Israeli military operation targeting his compound.

Addressing reporters, Netanyahu said there were “signs” suggesting that Khamenei was “no longer alive,” though he did not provide evidence to substantiate the claim.

He also urged Iranian citizens to rise up, calling on them to “flood the streets and finish the job.”

Israel’s Channel 12 network reported that 30 bombs were dropped on the compound of the Iranian Supreme Leader during Saturday’s coordinated operation.

According to Channel 12 correspondent Amit Segal, who is regarded as close to the Israeli Prime Minister, the strike was extensive and specifically targeted the complex believed to house Khamenei.

“Thirty bombs were dropped on the complex. Ali Khamenei was underground, but probably not in his own bunker,” Segal said during the broadcast, without citing an official source.

There has been no independent confirmation of the report, and Iranian authorities have yet to issue a formal statement on the condition or whereabouts of the Supreme Leader.

Israel confirmed that Iran’s supreme leader was killed in strikes on Saturday, according to two Israeli sources familiar with the matter.

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One of the sources told CNN Israel had obtained a photo of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s dead body. The second source said an official announcement is being prepared.

Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Iran’s president and Supreme Leader are “safe and sound.” But Khamenei has not been seen in public or in videos since the strikes began.

BREAKING: Crisis Erupts at APC as New Faction Emerges, Declares New Chairman

A fresh crisis has rocked the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as a new faction has surfaced, deepening the party’s leadership troubles and raising fresh concerns ahead of the 2027 elections.

The development, which unfolded on Wednesday, signals a sharp division within the party’s top hierarchy and threatens its internal stability.

The crisis reportedly escalated after a reconciliation meeting convened at the instance of the President failed to produce any meaningful outcome.

What was expected to calm rising tensions instead exposed deeper cracks within the party, leading to the emergence of a rival leadership structure.

Findings indicate that the dispute has been brewing for days but took a dramatic turn when two opposing camps failed to reach a compromise.

The faction led by Nentawe Yilwatda is said to have made a financial offer of 40 billion naira to the rival group led by Hafsatu Danladi in a bid to resolve the impasse.

However, the offer was rejected outright, further widening the rift and dimming hopes of a quick resolution.

Sources familiar with the development say the disagreement is now threatening the party’s ability to present a united front in future elections.

There are growing fears that the lingering crisis could affect the APC’s chances of fielding a strong presidential candidate in 2027 if not urgently addressed.

Meanwhile, legal fireworks appear imminent. Strong indications suggest that the matter may soon be decided in court, as moves are underway to challenge the legitimacy of the current leadership.

There are also suggestions that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may be drawn into the dispute, especially if a court ruling compels it to withdraw recognition from one of the factions.

When contacted, the camp loyal to Nentawe Yilwatda acknowledged the existence of the crisis but declined to provide details. The camp also avoided commenting on allegations that some governors within the party may be backing efforts to remove the current leadership.

In a strongly worded statement, the rival faction made its position clear and signaled its next line of action:

“PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Re: Leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC)

I, Alhaja Hafsatu Danladi, hereby assert my position as the true and authentic Chairperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In light of recent developments within the party, I will be approaching the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the legitimacy of the current leadership.

This action seeks to unseat what I consider an illegitimate structure presently overseeing the affairs of our great party.

Furthermore, I will be requesting the court to direct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to discontinue recognition of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Mr. Nentawe Yilwatda.

This step is necessary to uphold the rule of law, protect the integrity of our party, and ensure that due process is followed in its leadership.

Thank you.

Alhaja Hafsatu Danladi

APC Chairperson.”

The statement has further intensified the situation, with both camps now standing firm on their claims to legitimacy.

As of the time of filing this report, efforts to broker peace between the factions have yet to yield results. The coming days are expected to be decisive as legal actions commence and pressure mounts on party leaders to find common ground.

ADC: Atiku Out, Obi In – The Underwhelming End To Atiku’s 25-Year Marabouts-Inspired Political Odyssey

Given the excessive hoopla now ŏcascading the ranks of members and supporters of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) since being joined by Mallam Mohammed Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE FNIQS, former governor of Kano state (1999 – 2003 and from 2011 – 2015), Minister of Defence and later, one – term senator representing the good people of Kano Central Senatorial District, one thing has become quite obvious, namely: that his movement is not just being seen as a case of the ‘more the merrier’ but, rather that this is one Northern catch to have on their Presidential ticket rather than the revered, but serial election

loser, the Waziri Adamawa, Atiku Abubakar who, being a consumate financier of political parties at elections, most Nigerians have assumed would head the party’s Presidential ticket.

That being the case, it would then follow, logically, that the other front runner, Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour party Presidential candidate, would now be expected to head the team with new comer, Rabiu Kwankwaso as the Vice- Presidential candidate since the ticket cannot, constitutionally consist of two Northerners.

This, I suspect, must be one reason the likes of Kenneth Okonkwo, an Igbo member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party , have been waxing lyrical of late.

That fact will also mean that former President Obasanjo has successfully escaped the wrath he feared God might inflict on him if , with all he claims to know, Atiku ever became the Nigerian President. It is, therefore, already looking like Obasanjo has got his boy, no mentee, Peter Obi, ( probably one of the reasons he failed in ’23) exactly where he wanted him since he has been canvassing an Obi/ Kwankwaso ticket which I earlier poo – poo-ed in an article on these pages.

I urge the reader to consider the above scenario as the logic behind the article you are about to read.

But then this will not be Obi’s first attempt at the Presidency and with all the ethno- religious baggage he carries, some of which this essay would touch on, we shall wait and see how far he goes.

The article is, therefore, something of a dirge on Atiku Abubakar’s long and spirited -attempts at trying to become Nigeria’s Number One Citizen.

And what a courageous effort!

When former President Olusegun Obasanjo first muttered that Atiku Abubakar’s presidential fixation traced back to “marabouts” — the itinerant Islamic diviners who trade in amulets and electoral prophecy across the Sahel — most Nigerians filed it under OBJ’s usual ‘bad belle’ politics.
But the image stuck: Atiku not merely as a restless Adamawa businessman-politician, but as a man haunted by nighttime consultations, cowrie-shell promises, and the old Northern belief that power can be foretold, bought, and ritually secured. For twenty-five years that notion shadowed his march from vice-president (1999-2007) to perennial PDP contender and now, in 2027 calculations, to the man now edged aside for Peter Obi.

The marabout thread is not literal documentation; Obasanjo never produced a receipt from a Mallam in Maroua as evidence of his claim. Rather it is a metaphor that came to describe Atiku’s method: coalition-building, as divination, delegate congresses treated like prayer sessions, with the ambition sustained by the hope that the next ballot will finally deliver; almost akin to playing ‘kalo kalo’.

He lost PDP primaries in 1993, ran under AC in 2007, returned to PDP for 2011, 2019 and 2023 bids. Each defeat was followed by a quiet recalibration — new alliances, new financing, new readings of the political tide. Like a client returning to a marabout after a failed charm, he never abandoned the craft.

Peter Obi entered that spiritual marketplace late. In 2019 he accepted the vice-presidential slot beside Atiku. The pairing lost, but Obi absorbed the clientele, mostly young urban voters who treat politics less as fate than as spreadsheet. By 2023 he had walked out of PDP, ran on Labour, leveraging almost solely on ethnicity and religion both 0f which he hugely bastardised,

and polled over six million votes, making him a direct challenge to Atiku’s claim on opposition leadership. Thus Where Atiku’s story depended on endurance, Obi’s relied on rupture.

The 2027 cycle has made things more explicit. While Atiku was still lobbying inside the African Democratic Congress, Obi’s supporters, the Obidients with Baba Obasanjo’s annoiting, now describe him as “already accepted” by the ADC’s grassroots and warn Atiku against seeking a “one-term Deputy” arrangement. Headlines speak of Atiku being “out” while Obi is “in.” Obasanjo’s marabout jab resurfaces on Twitter not because anyone believes Atiku carries a marabout about, but because it captures a deeper weariness: the sense that his ambition has become ritual, a charm repeated until the beads wear smooth and the competition becomes: Obi or nothing.

What a life!

Atiku’s odyssey mirrors Nigeria’s own post-1999 dream: that civilian politics could be routed through bargaining elites who, if they balanced zones and pockets, would eventually produce governance. The marabout metaphor fits because it was always about intermediaries — emirs, generals, businessmen — who claimed to read the unseen.

Atiku mastered that system. He survived Obasanjo’s impeachment plots, EFCC investigations, and party switches because he knew which Mallams and generals to visit. In ’23, they browbeat Tambuwal so much he ended up messing up the PDP primaries and finally ended up scattering that party.

But the voters he courted in 2023 are no longer waiting for intermediaries. Existential challenges have changed all that – fuel queues, Naira collapse, kidnappings and allied insecurities have rendered prophecy feel obscene.

Obi’s ascendancy in the opposition is the subversion of that logic, underpinned mostly by his ethnic Igbo enthusiasts in the Obidient movement and a couple of pastors and ‘Yes Daddies’ who think nothing of turning their pulpits to campaign rostrums. They did it once, they’ll do it again.

There is, of course, some irony. The North that Obasanjo once described as “led by marabouts”, now houses governors — Uba Sani of Kaduna among them — who publicly blamed Northern elders, not Abuja, for insecurity and underdevelopment. They call out the same fatalism Obasanjo mocked: the habit of outsourcing responsibility to charms or to the Federal Government. In that sense, Atiku’s underwhelming politics is also the North’s critique of its own old politics.

The odyssey ends, then, not with a coup or a scandal, but with a ballot dilution. If Obi finally secures the ADC ticket and Atiku retires, the moral will be this: political longevity is not the same thing as inevitability. Marabouts can advise, but they cannot manufacture a majority of voters.

The marabout-inspired journey that carried a Vice-President from 1999 through four failed bids finishes not in prison or exile but in polite obsolescence. Ritual replaced by résumé.

But for tribe and religion – loving Peter Obi, even this victory can only be phyrric as it won’t take him near the diadem. Therefore, Atiku die- hards like Dele Momodu in ADC need not fret unnecessarily..

Ordinarily, the new hegemons – Obi and Kwankwaso – cannot afford to summarily deal with the Atiku group in the party – those powerful men Atiku had handpicked to run the party in the wake of their hurriedly purchasing a party in an inchoate manner as it is fast turning out.

Trouble is, however, Obi has enough troubles of his own – troubles to drown his Presidential ambition.

Nigerians are no fools and the days of a candidate winning 99 per cent of votes in his/her geo-political zone as always happen in the Southeast is long gone.

Besides that, Peter Obi’s appeal rests on a counter-mythology to Atiku’s marabout endurance act, that is, the myth of the austere, incorruptible politician who will rescue Nigeria by sheer personal frugality.

Really?

Where is the truth of that as a correct reading of Obi’s tenure as the Anambra state governor? He claimed he left ₦75 billion in savings, invested in International Breweries but what did his successors as Anambra governos say of that dubiety?

What was his answer to the allegation that he invested state funds in family business?

How much unpaid debt did he leave on his way out, not minding that his supporters continue to clip those false effusions into a legend: Obi never steals, Obi flies commercial, Obi reads budgets while rivals consult seers etc.

But the downsides stick to that same legend. First, sanctimony. Obi’s “go and verify” rhetoric slides easily into a holier-than-thou posturing which alienates educated minds which, incidentally, most Igbo are.

It is like the Northern power brokers Obi is ever so ready to please – going to, and kneeling, in Mosques, hugging El Rufai and others, promising that a people, the Igbos, who are yet to have a Nigerian President in decades, would be content with him serving only a term of 4 years, when they are no fools.

All they hear is “I don’t give shishi” which they translate as “he lacks the pragmatic generosity that nourishes their system. Politics in the Third World runs on patronage, refuse it absolutely and you risk even your own victory at the polls.

His party has shaky structures, no governors, weak, even negligible NASS presence, with some court cases still ongoing.

Obi’s charisma, if I can say that, cannot deliver the Republic.

He is merely grandstanding. And Nigerians cannot, and should not expect any miracles from an Obi/ Kwankwaso Presidential ticket.

The 7th Waziri Adamawa has had his run, he has done his utmost and it is my prayer that he finds inner contentment.

Borrow2222:
Below is the tweet from Donald Trump as he reacts to the bombing in Borno State.

Nigeria insecurity situation dey make me shame as a citizen.

We have lost it as a country.

President Donald Trump on Saturday confirmed the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.

Trump stated this in a post on Truth Social, noting that Khamenei was unable to avoid US intelligence and tracking systems.

DAILY POST earlier reported that the Iranian Supreme Leader died after an Israeli strike in Tehran.

“The supreme leader was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do,” Trump announced.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump described Khamenei as “one of the most evil people in history” and said his death represented justice for Iranians, Americans, and others around the world who he claimed had suffered under his leadership.

The US President also disclosed that other Iranian leaders were also killed.

Trump further announced that members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with other military and security personnel, were seeking immunity from the United States.

According to Trump, some within the Iranian security structure no longer wished to continue fighting.

Islamic cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, has reacted to the reported death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.


Gumi described him as “a lucky soul” who “died in jihad.”

In a post shared on his Facebook page on Sunday, Gumi said Khamenei died “in jihad against killers of innocent children and women in Gaza and elsewhere.”

He added that Khamenei’s blood “will fuel the change in the ummah,” noting that the Iranian leader stood firmly for justice and didn’t hide in bunkers.

Gumi wrote: “Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: A lucky soul, he died in Jihad against killers of innocent children and women in Gaza and elsewhere.

“His blood will fuel the change in the ummah. He stood firmly for Justice and didn’t hide in bunkers. For those who killed him or assisted in killing him, let us see what they will live to do in this world.”

DAILY POST reported that Khamenei, who served as Iran’s Supreme Leader for decades, was a central figure in the country’s political and religious leadership.

The Iranian Supreme Leader died after an Israeli strike in Tehran on Saturday.

The Supreme Leader Of Iran, Ali KhameneiThe Supreme Leader Of Iran, Ali Khamenei
Iranian state media on Sunday confirmed that the country’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed in joint United States and Israeli airstrikes on Tehran.

Naija News reports that a 40-day national mourning period has been announced for the 86-year-old cleric, who has led the Islamic Republic since 1989.

The confirmation followed earlier claims by US and Israeli officials that Khamenei had been killed during the coordinated strikes which began early Saturday.

Initial reports by Iran’s Tasnim and Mehr news agencies had suggested that the Supreme Leader remained “steadfast and firm in commanding the field.” However, state media later confirmed his death at his office in Tehran.

United States President, Donald Trump, had earlier announced Khamenei’s death in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Trump wrote, “He was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do.

“This is the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their Country. Hopefully, the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] and Police will peacefully merge with the Iranian Patriots.”

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had also claimed there were “growing signs” that Khamenei had been killed.

Reuters, quoting a senior Israeli official, earlier reported that Khamenei’s body had been located.

Khamenei’s death is expected to significantly alter the trajectory of the escalating conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel.

Although Iranian authorities had reportedly prepared contingency plans in the event of his assassination during wartime, analysts say his killing injects fresh uncertainty into an already volatile situation, raising fears of further escalation.

Khamenei became Iran’s Supreme Leader in 1989, succeeding Ruhollah Khomeini, who led the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the Shah.