However, when he was ushered to the stage to speak in a live telecast monitored by our correspondent, the former Lagos State Governor could only shout the party’s name several times in a slow and incoherent manner.

“APC, APC, Niger! Nigeria, Nigeria! Sai Bago, Sai Bago, APC, APC!” Tinubu said on stage.

“Sai Lolo, Sai lolo,” he continued, after which he busted into laughter.

Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar has celebrated Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state on his 55th birthday anniversary.

Atiku congratulated Wike, in a statement via his verified Twitter handle on Tuesday.

The PDP presidential candidate posted a photograph of Wike with the headline “Many Happy Returns.”

Atiku added a compelling prayer, which reads, “As you turn 55 today, I pray that all lines fall in pleasant places for you. Enjoy your special day. -AA.”

"70,000 names were infused into N-Power by officials of the Buhari regime in the last four years.

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has achieved food security and the scaling up of made-in-Nigeria products.

The minister said this on Thursday in Abuja at the 9th edition of the ”PMB administration; scorecard series (2015-2023)”.

According to Mohammed, in spite of the crises affecting the cost of living globally, the administration had done well since assuming office in the area of self-sufficiency in most basic needs.

“I am sure many of us have seen video clips of empty supermarket shelves in the Western world, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war and the economic uncertainty, which have all combined to disrupt global supply chains,” he said.

“Long before these crises, however, President Muhammadu Buhari had, in a statement that has now turned out to be prescient, admonished Nigerians to grow what they eat and eat what they grow.

“Then, many neither understood the importance of that admonition nor appreciated its relevance.

“Well, it turned out that the consequence of that statement made Nigerians look inward and relied less on imports.

“This has saved Nigerians from hunger, especially during the prolonged global lockdown, when exporting nations shut their ports and borders and nations that relied on imports were struggling to meet their needs.”

Mohammed also said the worst could have happened if the country had, during the period of the crises, relied on imports to feed itself.

The minister added that the presidential fertiliser initiative was a successful policy that made the production and distribution of fertiliser to the farmers effective.

According to him, the number of fertiliser blending plants in the country increased from 10 in 2015 to 142 and the increase in the number of rice mills also from 10 in 2015 to 80 integrated rice mills.

This, he added to have aided food sufficiency.

“Our farmers are now part of our economy. Companies and factories are coming up to manufacture, process and distribute food,” he added.

“If you visit our markets and supermarkets today, what you will see mostly are ‘made-in-Nigeria’ products. This is a huge progress in such a short time.”

Speaking further on the high prices of food items, the minister assured that as the country engaged more in local food production and moved closer to achieving food security, prices would begin to fall.

“For now, we must acknowledge the success we have achieved in the area of food production and in scaling up made-in-Nigeria products’’ he said.

I am ready to debate with you from morning till night

Lurdmax10:
The link to the allegations by REUTERS

https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/nigeria-military-abortions

The Tinubu handlers fumbled and bungled it big time. They showcased him like a packaged invalid.

The Director, Strategic Communications of the National Election Management Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Dele Momodu, Tuesday, chided the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, over what he called his less than impressive engagement with his audience at the Chatham House, United Kingdom, on Monday.

Momodu said chieftains of the APC were ‘window-dressing’ Tinubu on a global stage.

Tinubu’s performance has continued to draw mixed reactions, particularly from the opposition parties who were left unimpressed by the candidate’s decision to throw some of the questions he was asked to the APC chieftains including the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and immediate past governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi.

In a piece titled, “Weep not for Tinubu but Nigeria,’ Momodu slammed the handlers of the former Lagos state governor for causing the nation a huge embarrassment on a global stage.

“Call it what you will, what happened at Chatham House, London, yesterday (Monday), was a complete charade. The Tinubu handlers fumbled, and bungled it big time. They showcased him like a packaged invalid. It would have been better to present him as a brilliant politician and administrator, warts and all, who is capable of independent thoughts. No man is perfect. His gaffes would have been more pardonable and acceptable. He was expected to sell his own vision and mission.

“But what we saw yesterday was a theatre of the absurd. It brought back memories of our great former President Umaru Yar’ Adua and how he mysteriously disappeared from radar and some of his aides governed by proxy. I was one of those who led the ‘Enough is Enough’ protest against the Yar’ Adua cabal in Abuja in 2010. What was unacceptable then is even more unacceptable now with benefits of hindsight. Our country should be placed above friendship.

“Truth is, the problem of Nigeria is often aggravated by the voluptuous ambitions of some acolytes who wish to remain eternally relevant in the corridors of power at the expense of the long-suffering nation,” he said, adding that “all those around Tinubu yesterday (Monday) knew the bitter truth but chose to fool Nigerians.”

He continued, “One of them was heard in a viral video telling Tinubu to dance to the popular song ‘Buga’ by Kizz Daniel because “that’s what the youths want to see,” and lo and behold, Tinubu instantly transfigured into an accomplished choreographer.

“It is very sad, and unfortunate, that whenever we think Nigeria can never sink deeper into the abyss, something occurs that jolts us out of such assumptions and complacency.”

The PDP campaign spokesman recalled that seven years ago, incumbent Commander-in-Chief did a good job when he appeared at the same venue to engage with the global audience.

“I was with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), the day he visited Chatham House seven years ago. He was solid and charismatic. He needed no one to prompt him. He answered questions eloquently and intelligently to the best of his abilities.

“That is what Tinubu was expected to accomplish yesterday (Monday). What he did instead was like inviting helpers to sit the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board examination. It is horrifying to watch some respected intellectuals like El-Rufai and Fayemi as they struggled to window dress Tinubu on a much hallowed global stage,” he lamented.

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has explained why he delegated some members of the party to respond to questions posed to him.
According to the former Lagos Governor, he adopted the delegation method “to show team-ship”.

Tinubu spoke at the Chatham House lecture titled: ‘Nigeria’s 2023 elections: In conversation with Bola Ahmed Tinubu’, monitored by The Nation.

At the lecture, Tinubu after his opening remarks, assigned Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai to speak on how his (Tinubu-led) government would address insecurity and asked the Director of Strategic Communication of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Aleke, to respond to the question on oil theft.

Tinubu also delegated a former Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State, Wale Edun, to respond to a question on how he (Tinubu) would boost the economy if elected.

Others, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; former Ekiti Governor, Kayode Fayemi; APC National Women’s Leader, Dr Betta Edu; also answered questions.

Tinubu said: “Let me demonstrate here one of those philosophies and doctrines that I believe firmly in, it is team-ship, unbreakable team. To demonstrate that, I’ll assign it to my team.”

On education, Tinubu promised to provide student loans and reform the Almajiri educational system practiced in northern Nigeria.

El-Rufai who answered questions on security, stated that banditry, terrorism, separatism, and oil theft require a new approach including increasing the number of security operatives.

“The numbers must change and the Bola Tinubu administration already has a blueprint which is embedded in our action plan to address this. We will scale up the numbers of the armed forces. We’ll ramp up not only the numbers but the training and the equipment,” the Kaduna governor said.

Alake, on his part, answered the question on how Tinubu plans to lift Nigerians out of poverty if elected and also curb oil theft in six months. “The key to his policy for increasing economic growth is to enable the private sector to make the investment that will increase productivity, grow the economy, create jobs, and reduce poverty,” he said.

Also, Gbajabiamila responded to the question on the strategies of Tinubu on defence, the APC national women’s leader answered the question on healthcare delivery, and how to convert brain drain into gain gain for the country amongst others.

The Northern Leaders Consultative Forum has endorsed Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The group comprises Christian and Muslim religious and political leaders in the north — including Yakubu Dogara, former speaker of the house of representatives.

The group endorsed Abubakar on Friday at a media conference in Abuja, following the adoption of a report by its technical criteria committee.

The report was presented by Simon Achuba, former deputy governor of Kogi state.

The group said after evaluation of all the presidential candidates, Abubakar is “the best”.

“It is evident that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is heading for implosion and extinction; hence, it cannot be the party for now and in the future, because of its rejection to embrace inclusiveness in a diverse country like Nigeria. After the 2023 elections, APC may be dead and buried as a political party,” the report reads]/b].

“[b]While the duo (NNPP and LP) may emerge as strong contenders in the political arena in the future, from all indications, PDP appears to be the best option to adopt and support.

All it takes is to sustain and tackle some of the problems and challenges this country is facing.

“Certainly, with proper consultations and inclusive appointments, which is mindful of the federal character principle with a sincere consideration of diverse issues such as religious affiliation, geographical location, and ethnic identity, which many believe will enhance justice, fairness and equity, after a careful evaluation of all the issues highlighted above, we hereby recommend the adoption of the PDP to all lovers of democracy in Nigeria for the 2023 presidential election.”

The report was put to a voice vote by Dogara and was unanimously adopted by the members.