Today’s Headlines: APC Desperate To Go To War For Ulterior Motives — PDP, Obi Eulogises Oyegun At 84

Niger: APC desperate to go to war for ulterior motives — PDP

Photo Credit: Nigeria Tribune

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused President Bola Tinubu and his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of being desperate to plunge Nigeria into a state of war by involving the nation’s military in what it called a needless conflict with neighboring Niger Republic.

In a statement issued on Sunday by Debo Ologunagba, National Publicity Secretary, the party strongly condemned what it also described as an act of desperation by part of the president and the APC.

The PDP observed that the insistence by the APC administration to draft Nigerian soldiers into the Niger Republic in defiance of the disapproval by the National Assembly and Nigerians across the board validates apprehensions in the public domain of ulterior motives by the Tinubu-led APC to import crisis and destabilize our nation for political reasons.

Obi Eulogises Oyegun At 84

Photo Credit: Independent Nigeria

LAGOS – The Ukomu Igala Organisation (UIO), the apex socio-cultural or­ganisation for the people of Igala ethnic nationalities, has hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for nominating one of their sons, Alhaji Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, as a minister.

According to a statement issued by the Lagos branch of the group, the body thanked President Tinubu for remem­bering the late political icon of Kogi State and the Igala nation, Prince Abubakar Audu, who was coasting home to victory in the 2015 governorship election, when he suddenly died leading to the emergence of Yahaya Belo, who became the state Chief Executive.

Photo Credit: Google

The statement, jointly signed by Sir James Opaluwa and Chief Abubakar Agene, the State Chairman and Secretary, respectively, called on all Igala and Kogi State indigenes to rally round Alhaji Abubakar Audu to enable him have a successful tenure as a minister.

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the February 25, 2023 election, Pe­ter Obi, has congratulated the former governor of Edo state, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, on his 84th birthday anniversary.

Obi in a tweet Saturday also commended Edo State Gover­nor, Godwin Obaseki, for es­tablishing an institution in his honour.

“My Family and I join other Nigerians to celebrate a most distinguished Nigerian, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, on his 84th birthday.

“We equally thank the gov­ernor of Edo State, His Excel­lency Mr. Godwin Obaseki, for honouring Chief Oyegun with the establishment of the John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA) being com­missioned today.

Impeachment saga: Edo PDP flays Shaibu, passes vote of confidence on Obaseki

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As the rift between Governor Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Comrade Philip Shaibu, continues, the leadership of the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), over the weekend passed a vote of confidence on Governor Obaseki, just as it scolded the deputy governor for dragging his principal to court over a speculated impeachment process without exhausting the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanism.

The Edo PDP leaders, who met on Sunday, in Igueben Local Government Area, were drawn from Edo Central Senatorial District of the state.

Among those in attendance at the meeting were the State Chairman, Dr Tony Aziegbemi; former Chairman, PDP Board of Trustee (BOT), Chief Tom Ikimi, former senator representing Edo Central Senatorial District, Clifford Odia; former House of Representative member representing Esan South East/Esan North East Federal Constituency, Sergius Ogun and former House of Representative member representing Esan Central, Esan West and Igueben Federal Constituency, Joe Edionwele, among others.

Youths stab 37-year-old to death in Yola

Photo Credit: Punch paper

The Adamawa State police command says a criminal group in the state, ‘Shila boys’, has killed a 37-year-old man, Umar Abdulkadir.

The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Suleiman Nguroje, told the Agency of Nigeria in Yola on Saturday.

‘Shila Boys’ are light weapon-bearing youths terrorising some communities in the state and other places. They specialise in snatching mobile phones, jewellery and other valuables.

Nguroje said the incident happened in the early hours of Saturday when the youths attempted to snatch Abdulkadir’s mobile phones on Ajiya Street in Yola-North Local Government Area. He noted that the command received the information at 3am on Saturday.

Non-state actors displaying rifles must be prosecuted – Security expert, Stan-Labo

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A security expert, Col. Hassan Stan-Labo (retd.), speaks to MUHAMMED LAWAL on the implications of allowing non-state actors in the country to brandish weapons, among other issues

You recently expressed the need for the Federal Government to release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu. Why did you think it is important to release him?

The issue concerning Nnamdi Kanu is a political one that calls for a political solution. It is all about the agitation for Biafra, which is within his fundamental rights of association, speech and movement. He and a good number of other pro-Biafra agitators no longer feel comfortable within the union called Nigeria and wish to pull out. How is that a crime against the Nigerian state? The situation degenerated into the armed agitation we are faced with today under the Indigenous People of Biafra because the Federal Government turned deaf ears and ignored them for too long instead of having a conversation with them.

To worsen matters, the government embarked on a witch-hunt and incarceration of their leaders as seen in the case of Nnamdi Kanu. I believe that the continuous incarceration of Kanu further entrenches his heroic status with his people and deepens his relevance to the struggle for the realisation of the Biafran state. I will strongly advise that enough with the kinetic approach to this Kanu/IPOB issue. Can we begin to engage the carrot and stick diplomacy and see it play out? Can we in the larger national interest release Kanu, and open up talks with IPOB and Ndigbo in search of a lasting peace? In doing this, the voice of reason will prevail and superior arguments will hold sway.

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