A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, Mike Msuaan, said on Thursday that the ruling party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s age shouldn’t be a thing to debate on.

Msuaan compared the former Governor of Lagos State to United States President Joe Biden , saying the duo are of the same age range; hence age should not be a barrier for the Nigerian politician.

The Director of National Youth Mobilisation (North Central) of the APC Presidential Campaign Council urged Nigerians to borrow a leaf from President Biden.

He said, “The US president is as old as Tinubu. It’s not about age. It’s about what you have upstairs. Tinubu has the experience better than all of them.

“The right thing the president would do is to assemble the best hands for the country. He has been tested and trusted. He did it in Lagos and he is going to do it for Nigeria.”

Speaking about Tinubu’s competitive edge in the February 2023 presidential election, Msuaan said he couldn’t see the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, competing with the APC flag-bearer.

The APC chieftain said candidates of the opposition parties are people with questionable character, hence they are miles away from Tinubu in the 2023 presidential race.
The Benue-born politician stressed that Tinubu would outshine Obi and Atiku, adding that the duo pose no threat to the presidential ambition of the former Governor of Lagos State at the poll.

Msuaan said, “We didn’t see Asiwaju contesting with Atiku and Peter Obi. These are people with questionable character. We know what Atiku did to this country. He threw the youths of the North-Central and this country to the street.

“The privatisation exercise that he mishandled that drove the youths of this country to be jobless. Under Atiku as vice president, over $16 billion was invested (in electricity) and up to date, we are still in darkness. Is that the person that should rule us? Or are we talking of Peter Obi who has zero records in Anambra State?”

The image of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar is conspicuously missing on the campaign vehicles of the Benue State chapter of the party.
The images of the vehicles which have been making rounds on social media have the pictures of Governor Samuel Ortom who is a senatorial candidate and those of some other party candidates in Benue.

However, the picture of Atiku was not included which might be further testimony to the resolve by Ortom and other aggrieved PDP governors (G5) who have vowed not to support Atiku’s presidential ambition except Iyorchia Ayu steps down as the PDP National Chairman and is replaced by a southerner.

Up to thirty vehicles were spotted but none has the image of Atiku printed on it.

But you guys should be careful! How can you liken Obi to our Lord and Saviour? Control yourselves. There are some countries where you can’t try this and go Scot free. Respect the sensibilities of people who believe in the Messiah! Please, I appeal to you guys, show restraint!

The G5 governors are demanding the resignation of the PDP National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu.


Four members of the G5 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have held a closed-door meeting with the Governor of Bauchi State Bala Mohammed.

The four G5 governors in the meeting in Bauchi State include Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State.


Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State who was with his G5 colleagues to inaugurate some projects completed by Ortom in Benue State on Monday, was, however, absent.

Wike said they are on a solidarity visit to Governor Mohammed and to also discuss ways they can intervene regarding some challenges surrounding his (Bauchi governor’s) re-election bid.

The governors in a meeting with their Bauchi State counterpart.

On his part, Governor Mohammed appreciated the show of concern and listed some of the issues as anti-party challenges and treachery in the state. He added that he is also willing to confide with the integrity group (G5) about his fears and worries.

The meeting is coming hours after the Bauchi State governor met with the PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar in Abuja following reports that he (Bauchi governor) threatened to leave the party’s presidential campaign if the former vice president’s loyalists work against his re-election.

The most recent development is a further crack in the PDP which has been battling an internal crisis since the party’s presidential primary in May.

Governor Wike, who lost to Atiku in the exercise, claimed that the process was not fair. He is also demanding the resignation of the party’s National Chairman Iyorchia Ayu, insisting that he (Ayu) and the PDP flagbearer are from the same region.

Efforts so far to reconcile them have failed with Wike and his allies maintaining that they won’t participate in the party’s presidential campaigns.

I celebrate the extraordinary prowess of His Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in bringing peace to Ethiopia. I am not surprised. I know my boss. He did the same thing in Liberia and São Tomé and Príncipe during our time in office.

If for nothing else, he is most deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize, and I will nominate him when entries are open for nominations.

Africa is blessed to have a statesman of such impeccable democratic credentials as Chief Obasanjo. A man whose image ought to be in the redesigned Naira note to inspire future generations of Nigerians to sacrifice for their nation and continent.

On behalf of my family, I congratulate you, President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR, for successfully ending the Ethiopia-Tigray conflict. And I thank God for the gift of wisdom and foresight He gave you, which you have used creditably to steer Nigeria and Africa on the right path. -AA

Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his wife Senator Oluremi Tinubu have condoled with Davido and Chioma over the death of their son Ifeanyi.

Tinubu, in a condolence message on his verified Twitter handle on Tuesday, asked that God grants Davido and Chioma the fortitude and strength to deal with this painful tragedy.

The Nation reports that Ifeanyi drowned in the family’s swimming pool on Monday night while his parents were on a trip to Ibadan for a family function.

Read Also: Celebrities mourn Davido’s son Ifeanyi
The Lagos Police Command, while confirming the death of Ifeanyi, revealed that all members of Davido’s domestic staff are in their custody.

Tinubu’s tweet reads: “Oluremi and I send our heartfelt and deepest condolences to David, Chioma, and the entire Adeleke family over the tragic loss of their son, Ifeanyi. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family. May the Lord grant them the fortitude and strength to deal with this painful tragedy.”

The National Youth Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dayo Israel has called on the party’s supporters in Adamawa state to come out en masse and support their presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.

He said with their support, the APC can defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar in his home state.

Naija News reports Israel made the rallying call when he received some defectors from the PDP to APC in Adamawa.

The APC chieftain said the defection is a sign that the party is gaining grounds ahead of the 2023 election and would cruise to victory in the February election.

He said, “Adamawa State will be a major chapter in the story of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s emergence as the next President of Nigeria in 2023.

“It will be said of him that his popularity was so great, and his victory so total, that even the home state of his major contender deemed him better deserving of the nation’s highest office, and rightly so. Because of you, your efforts, and Asiwaju’s many great plans for the people of Adamawa, I know that we will flip this state next year.”

I laugh when they say the youth are with ….. the lie is punctured today! The Youths are with BOLA Ahmed Tinubu. We have showed it in Lagos today and we will show it Nationwide. From Southwest to Northeast, the Youth are with ASIWAJU

Wow. Four bags of rice, 14 cartons of indomie noodles, around 50 set of blankets, 24 loaves of bread, a generator among other unverified stuff donated to thousands of families affected by floods in Anambra by a former governor of the state and a current presidential candidate.

A former governor and presidential candidate donating a grinding machine and 24 loaves of bread to thousands of flood victims, Comrade, we are in 2022 for God’s sake. We urge you to respect your family and correct it.

In this week's column, I argue that while I'd vote for Obi if I had PVC (because Tinubu and Atiku are no options) we need to pay attention to the parallels between Obi and pre-2015 Buhari and between "Obidients" and BMC trolls:

By Farooq A. Kperogi

Twitter: @farooqkperogi

As Peter Obi’s acceptance surges across the country and the prospect of his becoming president of Nigeria is now a real, graspable possibility, we shouldn’t ignore the uncanny parallels between him and Muhammadu Buhari and between his zombielike, unremittingly indecorous, and compulsively vituperative online supporters (called Obi-dients) and Buhari’s supporters, most of whom later transmuted into Buhari Media Center (MBC) trolls on social media.


Like Buhari, Obi is being constructed—or, more correctly, reconstructed—as a blank slate on whom admirers are inscribing all kinds of positive, superhuman attributes. The inscriptions on the empty slates brook no dissent. Contrary evidence, however incontrovertibly factual, is met with the most brutal rhetorical violence.

Like Buhari, Obi has been propelled to the public imagination by riding on the high waves of populism even when they both lack the personal charm and the rhetorical ingenuity to engineer it by themselves. They have never articulated any profound policy positions, but their railings against an ill-defined “elite” of which they’re ironically a part, resonate with people who are angry with a dysfunctional political class.


Their supporters project their desires onto them and attribute to them a willingness and capacity to do what it takes to move the country in a different direction even when nothing in their history and predispositions suggests that.

In one of Buhari’s run for president, he was asked during a presidential debate how he’d address the decline in education standards in the country when his children were in UK universities. He had no coherent answer.

When Obi ran for governor of Anambra State, he pledged that he would so improve the education in the state that his children would return from the UK to attend Anambra schools. Well, his children not only still live abroad and never went to school in Nigeria, they’re citizens of a foreign country.

As I pointed out when Obi released his presidential campaign list that was riddled with avoidable duplications and omissions, a man who couldn't be bothered to even look at the list of his campaign council members—or, if he did, didn't know enough to know people who should be in it—won't be any different from the people we have had in the past.

The attributes people venerate in him were also projected onto Buhari in 2014/2015. One of my Obi-supporting friends said Obi "Not being greedy or avaricious on issues of money, not being flamboyant by living like a king while millions wallow in poverty, being able to save, being accessible to the people, listening to the people, etc.” are the proofs we need to know that he will be different as a president.

But people said exactly the same of Buhari. But see what he has become. Being in power is different from seeking power. Attributes such as access, empathy, etc. often disappear as sure as tomorrow's date when people get to power. I am friends with a man who used to be close to Buhari because he used to tell Buhari uncomfortable but helpful truths, which Buhari had said he admired. The man’s relationship with Buhari endured only a few months after Buhari became president.

Like Buhari, Obi is popular with a core demographic that is animated by religious and ethnic politics. On ethnic and religious tolerance, Obi’s record isn't different from Buhari's, according to media reports I've read. He called Ngige a Yoruba man in 2013, implying that it's undesirable to be Yoruba. In 2013, when Idemili women protested after being disenfranchised, Obi said the women were from Osun State in order to delegitimize them.

The Presidential candidate of the Labour party and former Governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi, today paid a courtesy call to the governor of Benue state, Gov Ortom, to sympathize with him on the disaster which the floods had brought to his state.

Peter Obi while speaking with media men asked his rivals to stop campaigning and redirect their resources to help mitigate the damage the flood had brought to those displaced by it.

He has since directed his party to stop all campaigning and devote their time and resources to helping victims displaced by the floods

There had been speculations in the last few weeks that the elder statesman might support the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.

The former president on different occasions has met with the former Governor of Anambra State.

This is coming days after Obasanjo denied endorsing Tinubu ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Ogunlewe, however, in an interview with Daily Independent said Yoruba elders will beg Obasanjo to support Tinubu’s presidential ambition.

He said the first step that needs to be taken is to canvass their position and let Obasanjo know that Tinubu is better than other presidential candidates.

The former minister described Obasanjo as a reasonable person, adding that if he is persuaded and shown what Tinubu can do, he will follow him.

Ogunlewe said, “It is when your stuff is low that is when he cannot support you. You must match him with intelligence because the Obasanjo I know will never follow you blindly.

“There is no sentiment in choosing our leaders again. We have experimented enough. Countries that are at par with us 20 years ago are now far ahead of us.”

Ogunlewe said someone must restore the glory of Nigeria, warning that if the wrong person is elected in 2023, the country will be in trouble.

He added, “I am so optimistic that with a president like Bola Tinubu choosing the best team, Nigeria’s lost glory will be restored.”

Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State Of Biafra (MASSOB) has slammed the duo of the former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu and ex- Governor of old Anambra state and Senator Jim Nwobodo for saying that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party and erstwhile governor of Anambra state ,Peter Obi will never become the president of Nigeria .

Recall that senator Ekweremadu and Nwobodo had reportedly said that Ndigbo will never vote for Peter Obi in the forthcoming 2023 presidential election.

The Biafra Separatist movement which condemned the statement described both Ekweremadu and Nwobodo as political slaves of Hausa / Fulani of northern oilgarchy .

In statement issued on Saturday by National Secretary of MASSOB, Comrade Ugwuoke Ibem Ugwuoke said that it is unfortunate that learned men like Senators Ekweremadu and Nwobodo would be used against their own people to say that the South east will not vote Peter Obi .

The statement reads , ” It’s very unfortunate that learned men Ike Ekweremadu and Jim Nwobodo will be used against their own people to say that South East will not vote for Mr Peter Obi.

Who even made them the spokespersons for Ndigbo? They are political slaves of Hausa/Fulani Northern Oligarchy.

“Ike Ekweremadu and Jim Nwobodo should be ashamed of themselves for been slaves who couldn’t even aspire to be the president even when it is the turn of Ndigbo to produce the president of Nigeria, they ran away and want to decide where Ndigbo will vote.

MASSOB observed that Ike Ekweremadu has forgotten so soon what happened to him few years ago in far away Germany, how angry Biafrans dealt with him.
MASSOB is not surprised over Ike Ekweremadu’s action because we know that he can sale his brothers because of his greed for power, his aim is to return back to senate and the only way to get the ticket is to attack his Igbo brother.

Continuing , “MASSOB wish to warn all Igbo politicians that our non violence nature should not be taken for granted, it is time all political Betrayals in Igbo land will be paid back in their own coins.

Ike Ekweremadu has been in government power for over twenty years , still not satisfied . MASSOB will not allow greedy politicians in Igbo land to destroy the future of our next generation because of their selfish desires.

MASSOB will mobilize Igbo youths, market women/men, Town Unions and students etc to vote against bad leadership in entire Igbo land”. They submitted.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Bola Tinubu has named Kabiru Masari as his running mate for the 2023 elections.

A chieftain of the party Kabiru Faskari said this during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday.

More to follow…

Donshegxy10:
He will be changed on a later date, when consultations are over.

Bola on your mandate I stand.

For those who believe that I should not support Jagaban today simply because of what I said about him in the past I say grow up & hear the following.
No matter what transpired before, BAT is now the democratically-elected & legitimate candidate of the party to which I belong

Do you really expect me to turn my back on my party simply because he is our flag bearer? Do u expect me to fold my hands, remain silent & say nothing whilst u try to take him & our party to the cleaners & stop us from winning power at the center? Is that how politics works?

If that is ur expectation & wish you will wait forever. Hell will freeze over before I do that. Party loyalty is everything & unless & until I change parties I will remain faithful, loyal & true to all our flagbearers & candidates in the APC & write, speak & fight for them.

Leave me alone to make my choices just as u have made urs. Follow whoever you believe in all the way to the toilet & let me follow Jagaban to victory. If Jagaban or APC does something wrong tomorrow or fields a Muslim/Muslim ticket with a Muslim VP that I regard as being a danger to Christians I will leave them & fight against them. This much I assure you because I do not shy away from such things especially when it comes to matters touching and concerning my faith.

However if they field a Muslim/Christian ticket or a Muslim/Muslim ticket with a Muslim VP that is reasonable, moderate & trustworthy & that I am sure will protect the Christian and national interest I will support them with every fiber of my being. It is as simple as that. I make my choices & you can make yours after which we meet in the field.

don't care what choices you make so why should you care about mine? In any case if I am so inconsequential why should it bother you who I support & why do you keep coming to my wall & commenting on my opinions? Why should I continue to be an integral part of your strange..

& complicated little universe? Am I the only fmr Minister or former public office holder in politics? I left public office in 2007, which is 15 years ago, yet you still wait on every word I utter and watch everything I do and say.
You want to know what I wear, what I eat..

what I think, who I spend my time with, what I drink, who I support, how many times I go to the bathroom in one day and so on and so forth. For this I say "thanks be to God" but I really do wonder why you are so obsessed with FFK? Is it that secretly you want to be like me?

.I do not know who you are or even of your existence yet you seek to know everything about me and what I think or believe on any and every issue. Is this not strange? Is there not more to it than meets the eye? Whichever way, whether you like it or not Jagaban WILL win.

After that you will cry, sulk and then come and beg us for support and help.

You will lobby us for this, that and the other.

I have seen it all before. You insult on the wall and beg for help in the inbox.

There is nothing new in this world or under the sun.

Keep on hating and insulting as much as you like but please allow me to make my choices. This is my lawful and constitutional right. It is also my duty and obligation before God and man. And when you come for help, despite your hateful, venomous and vicious rantings &.

ravings and in spite of your malevolent disposition, be rest assured that we will still do our best to help you and give you a better quality of life. That is why we are in politics and that is what civilised people, serious politicians and real men always do.

We pity and forgive the underdog and the most undeserving and we open our arms and show mercy even to the cruel when they see the light.

End of story.

Have a great day!

(FFK)

The Kogi State Governor and presidential aspirant in the just concluded presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress, Yahaya Bello, Wednesday, said he would run for the top office in a subsequent election.

This was as he noted that his shot at the 2023 presidency was only “testing the microphone.”

Bello, who garnered 47 votes in last week’s elections disclosed this to the State House Correspondents shortly after meeting the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

According to him, he came to see the president on a thank-you visit for letting him participate in the highly contested exercise.

He noted that his recent attempt for the ticket was to “test the mic,” adding that his next attempt would be “supersonic.”

On the hunt for a running mate for Tinubu, he noted that competence should take precedence above other factors.

He said the Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian ticket, the major consideration for selection should be deliverability.

To his supporters, Bello appealed for continued assurance in his presidential bid saying “sometimes you win some and sometimes you lose.”

He urged them to support the current flag bearer in next year’s elections.

Presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress, Kingsley Moghalu, has resigned his membership from the party.

In a letter obtained by our correspondent which was addressed to the party chairman, Okey Nwosu, Moghalu stated infractions from the primary election as reason for leaving the party.

The former presidential candidate of Young Progressive Party in the 2019 election, was defeated at the just concluded primary election of ADC in Abeokuta.

While the winner, Dumebi Kachikwu, scored 977, Moghalu polled 589 votes to come distant second.

Moghalu’s resignation partly read, “I am writing to hand in my resignation from my membership of the African Democratic Congress, effective immediately.

“I have resigned because the process and conduct of the party’s presidential primary on June 8, 2022 at Abeokuta revealed a fundamental clash of values between me and your leadership of the party.

“Despite the circular you issued a few days prior to the primary committing the party to providing transportation and accommodation for delegates to and in Abeokuta, and which as we agreed would provide a level playing field for all the presidential aspirants, the party under your leadership failed to do so.

“Some aspirants, including myself, made donations to the ADC party account as requested by the party for this purpose.

“This failure, which appeared intentional, created room for massive abuses of the electoral process including delegate capture and financial inducement of delegates.”

Moghalu, who didn’t disclose his next political move, blamed his loss to “cash-and-carry politics”, revealing that his former party which he joined in 2021 is not a credible alternative.

He said, “This is only one of numerous inconsistencies and the absence of transparency and predictability in
the management of the party that I had progressively complained about.

“As you are well aware, I have consistently resisted pressures to join the APC or the PDP precisely to avoid ‘cash-and-carry’ politics.

“For me to remain a member of the ADC therefore, after what thousands of party members participated in at Abeokuta, would be to endorse political corruption of a most obscene order.

“I joined the ADC in October 2021 with the best of intentions. Since then, I have put my entire team to work on growing and improving the party, including raising the party’s visibility on all media platforms, recruiting more than 10,000 new members to the party, and providing new offices for various state chapters of the party at my expense.

“It is deeply regrettable that other inducements appear to have played more important roles in determining the outcome of the primary than loyalty to the party.”

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State on Saturday passed vote of no confidence on Professor George Obiozor, declaring that he would no longer recognize him as the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

Umahi who ran for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress in the just concluded primary election of the APC, accused Obiozor of particanship, instead of making himself a rallying point during the struggle for the presidency of Igbo extraction.

He lamented that Obiozor failed to stand for the South East region when it mattered most, saying, “it is a very big shame, I have no confidence in him and he is no longer my President.”

Umahi chided delegates from other South East States who he said sold their votes to willing buyers instead of standing in defense of the calls for the Igbo Presidency.

He also expressed dissatisfaction with the political actors from the South East zone for not justifying the agitations against the marginalization of Ndigbo during the just concluded Presidential Primary.

Governor Umahi spoke on Saturday while addressing the mammoth crowd of supporters who staged a heroic welcome for him on arrival to Ebonyi State after the Presidential Primary in Abuja.

He, however, commended delegates, Stakeholders, and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Ebonyi State for their massive support of his candidature during the just concluded All Progressives Party, APC, Presidential Primary.

Umahi said: “First, let me say to Ebonyi people, you are wonderful people, the Presidential election was a great eyeopener to every son and daughter of Ebonyi State and with your support, we fought very gallantly.

“I had series of meetings with the party’s chairmen in the five states of the zone, in the company of its national vice chairman. I implored on the delegates that the issue was not about me but the mood of the Igbos in the nation.

“I implored that they should vote for any South East aspirant so that when the votes are counted, we would not be missing.

“We would have made a strong statement in the process, that the Igbos are eminently qualified with due capacity to lead the country,

“There was no sort of lobbying I did not receive, but I maintained that it was about bringing the marginalisation of the Igbos to the fore.

“The setting of the Nation is well skewed against any contest for Igbo man, while every Zones has about eight States or more and South East has only five, how do you expect an Igbo man to win a contest under this kind of arrangement?

“Prof. Obiozor could not stand for Igbos when it mattered so much; it is a very big shame, I have no confidence in him and he is no longer my President.

“In the comity of South East, Ebonyi people are not regarded, I continue to say that Ebonyi will never be Biafra.

“I weep for our Leaders; we are now regarded as people that will sell anything for the sake of money, it is about equity, justice, and fairness upon which I continue to shout for the unity of this country.”

Umahi said he was no longer interested in South East agenda, but Ebonyi agenda only, assuring that he would fight publicly, anyone that fights against the interest of Ebonyi people.

“I am the Governor of Ebonyi State, the only agenda I have for South East now is Ebonyi Agenda, I continue to say that he who sells his brother, even the buyer will not trust him.

“Anyone that fights against the interest of Ebonyi people in the South East, I will fight the person Publicly, Ndigbo, get your PVC and bond together, you have seen that nobody wants you anymore, we have the fighting spirit and the spirit of our founding Fathers have been rekindled to fight for us.

“When Honourable people are needed in South East, they will come to Ebonyi State, everything is not money,” he concluded.

President Muhammadu Buhari has asked delegates at the presidential primary election of the All Progressives Congress APC to choose a know, fair-minded nationalist who believes in the unity of the country as their presidential candidate for 2023 general elections.

Delivering his speech at the convention in Abuja on Tuesday, the President said that the person must also possess the strength of character to move the country forward.

He added that the delegates and the by extension the party members must not allow the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to drag the country backwards.

“We must choose a knowledgeable, fair-minded nationalist with a very strong belief in the unity of our nation, Nigeria with a strength of character to steer the country forward.

“We should not allow the PDP to drag our country backwards.

“Let’s work collectively in the interest of our great party”, Buhari said.

A top-ranking source within the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has confirmed that the anti-graft agency is currently carrying out a covert investigation to observe delegates’ inducement and vote-buying at the ongoing presidential primary elections of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The reliable source, who spoke with our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, said, “We’re currently at the APC convention ground on a covert operation. We’re monitoring activities, and watching keenly for incidents of delegates inducement, vote-buying, and other electoral or financial fraud activities that might take place”.

The source also confirmed to PUNCH Metro that the anti-graft agency is carrying out the covert operation in order to catch potential perpetrators unaware.

This is coming as reports of delegates’ inducement to the tune of about $40,000 by major contenders in the ongoing presidential primary elections is making the rounds.

Exactly 10 days ago, PUNCH Metro had reported that some officers of the EFCC stormed the Moshood Kashimawo Abiola International Stadium, Abuja, during the presidential primary elections of the major opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party.

The officers arrived at the venue around 4:40 pm.

The PUNCH had also reported that the operatives stormed the venue of the PDP’s presidential primary elections in Abuja following reports of alleged vote-buying and bribing of delegates at

The EFCC, corroborating PUNCH’s report, later released an official statement explaining that its operatives stormed the convention to monitor delegates’ inducement and financial malpractices.

“Our operatives were at the PDP presidential primary elections at the MKO Abiola Stadium to monitor the exercise, and most especially, to check delegates’ inducement and other financial malpractices”. The statement read in part.

When our correspondent reached out to the EFCC Public Relations Officer, Wilson Uwujaren, he refused to comment on the issue.

Frontline presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is projected to be ahead in the party’s presidential primaries slated for today and tomorrow in Abuja.

A number of factors make Tinubu the candidate to beat. The factors are: nationwide recognition, reach, structure, support, endorsements, mass appeal, track record as governor of Lagos State, rich experience in both the private and public sectors.

Tinubu, along with President Buhari, is a co-founder of the APC.

He has mentored politicians across the country, many of who became governors, senators, House of Representatives members, or were elected or appointed through his support.

Tinubu, as APC National Leader, has profound influence on the key structures of the party in many states.

He also has the backing of more governors than his rivals.

With governors having tremendous influence on the delegates – three per local government – Tinubu can feel confident about emerging his party’s torch-bearer and a potential face-off with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President candidate Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election.

The APC northern governors, in a communiqué at the end of their Abuja meeting on Saturday, advised President Muhammadu Buhari to restrict his search within the party for a successor to the southern states.

They said power shift to the South would be in the interest of building a stronger, more united and more progressive country.

In the South, the Southwest is the bastion of the APC.

Tinubu is the clear favourite in the geo-political zone. He is also being backed strongly by most of the states in the North.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo may get his votes from Ogun which is his home state and Nasarawa where he is believed to be backed by the state governor

Former Minister of Transportation Mr. Chibuike Rotmi Amaechi may get his votes from his home state, Rivers, and Plateau where he is being backed by the state governor.

Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi may get his votes from Ekiti, Jigawa where the governor is his friend. He may also get some votes from Kebbi because of his closeness to the state governor.

Senate President Ahmad Lawan is being backed by his state, Yobe and states in the Southeast.

Of all the contenders, Tinubu best fits President Muhammadu Buhari’s description of the candidate of his choice.

The President recommended a party man who must be formidable, who appeals to the electorate across the board.

Projection as at today.

Tinubu is projected to win Kano, Lagos, Oyo, Borno, Sokoto, Bauchi, Osun, Benue, Ondo, Edo, Katsina, Gombe, Niger, Kaduna, Zamfara and Adamawa states.

Osinbajo: Ogun and Nasarawa.

Yahaya Bello: Kogi

Amaechi: Rivers and Plateau

Lawan: Yobe, Kebbi (strong), Abia, Imo, Ebonyi, Anambra and Enugu.

Fayemi: Ekiti, Jigawa and Kebbi (partially)

Akpabio: Akwa Ibom

Ayade: Cross River

Undecided states: Delta and Bayelsa.


Controversial columnist, Farooq Kperogi has reacted to the purported emergence of Senate President Ahmed Lawan as the consensus presidential candidate of the APC.

Naija News earlier reported that the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, had announced Lawan as the consensus presidential candidate of the ruling party.

The APC Chairman at the meeting said that he arrived at the choice of Lawan after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja.

He, however, said other presidential aspirants will be allowed to contest the party’s presidential primary election at the Eagle Square, Abuja slated for June 6th to 8th.

It was gathered that the NWC members rejected the announcement of Lawan as the consensus candidate and insisted other aspirants must be given the chance to compete.

The announcement of Lawan as the consensus candidate of the party then led to a division among the NWC members.

Reacting to the development, Kperogi said the emergence of Lawan as the consensus candidate shows that the ruling APC would soon collapse.

He stated that the APC cannot win the 2023 presidential election following the emergence of Lawan as the party’s flagbearer.

Kperogi disclosed that the 2023 election would be between the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar and the Labor Party’s Peter Obi.

He said: “Several newspapers, including Tinubu’s paper, have reported APC chairman Adamu as saying that Ahmed Lawan is APC’s consensus candidate! If this decision holds, APC would officially be a dead party. The 2023 election would be between PDP’s Atiku Abubakar & Labor Party’s Peter Obi.”