The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has alleged that its intelligence unit, M-Branch, has uncovered a plot to assassinate Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the South East.
Spokesman of the IPOB, Emma Powerful said today, February 5, in a statement that Atiku’s assassination would be blamed on the followers of Peter Obi and the Labour Party (LP).
His statement reads: “In view of the state-sponsored insecurity ravaging Nigeria, we, the global movement and family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) under the command and leadership of the great liberator Mazi Nnamdi Okwuchukwu Kanu wish to alert the public on the intelligence report at our disposal of plans to attack Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the South East and blame it on IPOB, ESN or the presidential candidate, Peter Obi’s supporters, the Obidient group.
“IPOB intelligence unit, the M-Branch uncovered a plan by some unscrupulous politicians to cause crises in the country against IPOB and Ndigbo all over the country.
“This group is planning to assassinate Atiku Abubakar in the southeastern part of Nigeria and claim it is done by unknown gunmen, ESN/IPOB, or the Obidient group.”
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, has ordered the arrest of some Federal Housing Authority (FHA) officials and the developer of the two-storey building that collapsed in Abuja on Friday.
No fewer than 24 persons were trapped in the collapsed building at 6th Avenue in Gwarimpa Estate, with three confirmed dead and 21 rescued.
Coordinator of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), Umar Shuaibu, said that the minister gave the order to carry out the arrest when he addressed media yesterday, February 4.
He said the minister issued an arrest warrant for manslaughter against the developer, the FHA officers overseeing the development, the officer-in-charge of issuing the development permission, and the engineer supervising the project.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), has announced the distribution of the 2023 Hajj seats to the 36 State Pilgrims Welfare Boards, Agencies, Commissions, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the Armed Forces.
The commission’s Assistant Director of Information and Publications, Mousa Ubandawaki, who made this known today, February 4, in a statement in Abuja, said that the decision was reached at the end of the Executive Committee meeting which ratified the allocations.
Ubandawaki gave the list of the seat allocations to the states as follows:
Abia 53
Adamawa 2,669
Anambra 39
Bauchi 3,132
Bayelsa 35
Benue 236
Borno 2,735
Cross River 66
Delta 74
Nasarawa 1,567.
Niger 5,165
Ogun 1,139
Ondo 436
Osun 1,054
Oyo 1,441
Yobe 1,968
Ebonyi 117
Edo 274
Ekiti 197
Enugu 40
FCT 3,520
Gombe, 2,300.
Imo 30
Jigawa 1,525
Kaduna 5,982
Kano 5,902
Katsina 4,913
Kebbi 4,871
Kwara 3,219
Lagos 3,576
Plateau 1,984.
Rivers 50
Sokoto 5,504
Taraba 1,590
Zamfara 3,083
Armed Forces got 543.
According to Ubandawaki, Kogi State allocation would be released after the conclusion of the ongoing review of its activities.
He said that the allocation of Akwa Ibom was suspended due to non-renewal of its operating licence.
He said that all the states are expected to remit payments of 50 per cent of the 2022 seats allocation to NAHCON before the February 10 deadline.
“The inability of any state to comply with the deadline date will lead to the reduction in the allocation to such state.”
The leader of the pan Yoruba socio-cultural organization, Afenifere, Ayo Adebanjo has asked the Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to drop his ambition and team up with the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi because Northerners won’t vote for him in the 2023 election.
Adebanjo, who spoke today, February 4, at the Labour Party presidential campaign rally in Ogun State at the Ake Palace ground in Abeokuta, foresaw a situation where the north will disappoint Tinubu in the 2023 election.
The Afenifere leader therefore advised Tinubu, who is former Lagos State Governor to join the Obi/Datti movement before it is too late.
“All those that know Tinubu should tell him. I have always told and I will tell him again, the Northerners will not vote for him.
“He (Tinubu) should come back home now and support Obi because when they finally defeat him, he won’t have the courage to come back home again. If he comes back now, we will forgive him and take him back.”
Adebanjo described Labour Party as the new National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), adding that that the LP is set to save Nigerians from the misrule of the APC and the captivity of the ruling class.
“I have told you before and I want to say it again, Labour Party is now NADECO, those of us supporting Obi are the ones that want good governance, we want Nigeria to be better, we want to liberate ourselves from the captive of the ruling class.”
Information filtering from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) indicates that, about 21 days to the conduct of Presidential election across Nigeria, the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is uncomfortable with the management of his presidential campaign and its outcome thus far.
Internal polling and assessment of Atiku’s chances at the presidential polls conducted by a private firm hired by the PDP presidential candidate revealed that his chances has reduced and continue to reduce with each passing week. The assessment showed that the Atiku campaign has not been able to make the required headway into States and regions he needs to score victories in order to have a clear pathway to victory.
The emergence of Peter Obi and the Labor party into the presidential fray was believed to have caught them off-guard and the Atiku campaign has not been able to readjust the campaign to correct the Peter Obi factor.
Geopolitical regions of the South East, South South and North Central which have historically voted overwhelmingly for Atiku Abubakar and the PDP party appears to be leaning away from the PDP and heavily towards the Labor party.
Efforts were said have been made by the Atiku campaign to correct the Peter Obi and Labor party intrusion. The campaign handlers were given instructions to use politicians of South East extraction particularly Anambra State to “speak” on Peter Obi – to dissuade the communities of the aforementioned geopolitical regions from going along with the Labor party presidential candidates.
Major airtime buys in the media and media appearances by PDP stalwarts were booked and used to disparage Peter Obi’s chances at the polls and also discourage Peter Obi’s followers into believing that Peter Obi’s chances of victory are slim – and thus a vote for him would translate to a wasted vote.
Many of the lieutenants of the Atiku presidential campaign took to the media airwaves with a rebranding message to re-brand Peter Obi in the eyes of the voters. The likes of Chief Arthur Eze – a billionaire from Anambra State – and others spoke brazenly of the need for the south east to know that a vote for Peter Obi is a wasted vote. Amongst the lieutenants is one-time Minster of Aviation, Chief Osita Chidoka. He has made many appearances both on campaign rallies and on television channels to spread the talking point of rebranding Peter Obi.
Rather than having the expected effect within the targeted communities, the reverse appeared to have taken effect. It resulted in the entrenchment of their belief in the Labor presidential candidate – and a resentment of the purveyors of the rebrand Peter Obi message.
Recently, followers of the Anambra billionaire, Chief Arthur Eze returned all the campaign materials of Atiku Abubakar and dumped them at the front of his country home in Anambra State. They also set the items on fire.
These reactions and/or rejections have, in turn, resulted in frustration to the Atiku campaign and to the presidential candidate. This is as a source who claims to have knowledge of the inner workings of campaign claims the presidential candidate has grown increasingly discontent within the direction of the campaign.
“Atiku is not pleased with the campaign so far. He believes that Peter Obi should have not been allowed to eat into his campaign this much.”
Exacerbating matters for Atiku are the lieutenants within the PDP presidential team who have refused to join the campaign against Peter Obi. Many of the PDP stalwarts from the south east geopolitical zone who are working to materialize the PDP quest for the presidency, have been reluctance to join the train to rebrand Peter Obi. The likes of Senator Uche Ekwunife who is the senator representing the Anambra central district under the PDP banner have turned around her support from Atiku Abubakar to Peter Obi. She had initially made public pronouncements of her support for the PDP presidential candidate while denouncing the presidential candidate of the Labor party as inexperienced – and thus not ready.
Internal wrangling within the party continues to rattle the cohesiveness of the presidential campaign amidst the already tough grind. This adds another dimension to the diminishing returns.
Recent revelation by sources indicate the five governors (G-5) of the PDP led by Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who had initially stepped away from supporting the PDP presidential candidate is said to have expanded their radius of influence significantly to areas beyond what was previously thought by political experts. Other elected PDP officials including other stalwarts of the PDP have silently joined the crusade against Atiku Abubakar. The identities of the PDP turncoats are not readily available but our source confirms the number to be upwards of eight.
Meanwhile, Atiku is reported to have called upon his lieutenants to double their efforts to turn the tide, especially following the public outcry from Governor Nasiru El Rufai claiming that Atiku was working in tandem with elements in the presidential villa to undermine the chances of the APC. To Atiku, El Rufai’s outcry was similar to that of a whistle blower. It may have unraveled the plans being hatched by the elements in the villa.
Claims by politicians in the know are that indeed elements within the presidential villa have been collaborating with the PDP presidential candidate more than the public would imagine.
A source points to the Central Bank’s recent monetary policy toward cash control and naira redesign as hatched by the same elements in the villa allegedly to checkmate the APC presidential candidate from engaging in vote buying on election day.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has rescued seven distressed workers following a distress call to the Agency’s Director General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh.
The distress call, according to a statement today, February by the Agency’s spokesman, Osagie Edward, came from the Safety Officer on MT ALIMA which indicated that while cleaning the tanks of the vessel by a private cleaning company, eight cleaners developed complications due to insufficient oxygen available in the tank to sustain them.
The statement said that Dr. Jamoh immediately directed the NIMASA Head of the Deep Blue project and Head of the Maritime Safety Department to deploy one of the fast intervention boats for rescue operations and to seek immediate medical attention to the survivors.
It said that the seven survivors were taken to the military hospital at Ikoyi for medical attention, where they are presently recovering, adding that five of them are now stable, with one of them sustaining broken leg and one still in critical condition.
While reassuring the maritime community of NIMASA’s ever-ready 24-hour vigilance to respond to distress calls using any of the procured air, land and sea assets, Dr. Jamoh advised operators to be meticulous about basic safety standards at all times.
The Director General also advised that those working on board vessels should update themselves with required training in consonance with Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) and in line with the revised Manila Convention.
He thanked the rescue team for the operation and urged them to keep the maritime tradition of round-the-clock watchkeeping and timely response at all times.
The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has compared President Muhammadu Buhari with former United States President, late Abraham Lincoln.
He said Lincoln, like Buhar, led his country in a time of crisis and still recorded huge achievements in infrastructural development.
Tinubu, who was addressing party supporters today, February 4, at a rally in Keffi, capital of Nasarawa State, said: “President Buhari faced the challenges of Nigeria courageously and squarely.
“There are few leaders who have faced some challenges, crisis like you did and continue to build infrastructure. One of them is Abraham Lincoln.
“You have joined such great men who can stay focused in the midst of distractions and enemies. “You have tolerated criticisms, there is no labelling you have not endured but today in Nasarawa you are celebrated, commissioning projects after projects.
“You fought hard and worked hard. Nigeria is surviving as a nation and we believe because of constitutional democracy, we would have asked you to stay on but you said no, you are going back to Daura.
“Nobody ever thought a man in uniform will ever be a democratic, principled and honoured Leader. Today, it is a thing of joy and honour to have you at the rally.
“For us who joined hands with you 20 years ago to reshape Nigeria, to fight corruption, to fight destitution, to fight failure and hunger, we are proud of your achievements.”
On his friendship and relationship with the President, Tinubu said that those who have concluded there is a crack have had their joy cut short because their friendship is strong, enduring and about nation-building.
“Those who think there are cracks in our friendship and relationship will continue to be disappointed and have their short time joy dashed. Ours is not about individuals. It is about integrity and nation-building.
“We can see true leadership but we may not be able to read the mind of the leader. Today, I stand before you and make a pledge again that Nigeria will recover from all challenges. We are brave. We are resilient. We will focus on agriculture; we will build our mineral resources. We will turn the earth and our dust to money. We will work hard. We promise you.
“Your children and grandchildren will not have any regret about our nation and ourselves. Happiness, joy and prosperity will be part of our success,” said Asiwaju Tinubu.
National Chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, told party supporters in Hausa language about the history of friendship between President Buhari and Tinubu, even as he solicited their vote for the party’s candidates.
He presented the party’s flag to Governor Abdullahi Sule as the governorship candidate of the party for second term.
President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that he will continue to campaign for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the ‘next president of Nigeria.’
Speaking today, February 4, at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally in Lafia, Nasarawa State capital, Buhari formally endorsed Tinubu as the candidature of the Presidential candidate, and his running mate, Kashim Shettima as well as the second-term bid of Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State.
He thanked party supporters for defying the hot weather and standing in the sun for hours to express their support for the party’s flag bearers in the forthcoming presidential and gubernatorial elections.
“I congratulate and assure you that God willing, we are going to win through and through. As Tinubu said in his speech, I have known him for more than 20 years, and I will continue to campaign for Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He is a committed Nigerian and I believe he will give all his best to Nigeria.
“Also vote for Abdullahi Sule for a second and final term as governor.”
The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has compared President Muhammadu Buhari with former United States President, late Abraham Lincoln.
He said Lincoln, like Buhari, led his country in a time of crisis and still recorded huge achievements in infrastructural development.
Tinubu, who was addressing party supporters today, February 4, at a rally in Keffi, capital of Nasarawa State, said: “President Buhari faced the challenges of Nigeria courageously and squarely.
“There are few leaders who have faced some challenges and crisis like you did and continue to build infrastructure. One of them is Abraham Lincoln.
“You have joined such great men who can stay focused in the midst of distractions and enemies. You have tolerated criticisms, there is no labelling you have not endured but today in Nigeria, you are celebrated, commissioning projects after projects.
“You fought hard and worked hard. Nigeria is surviving as a nation and we believe because of constitutional democracy, we would have asked you to stay on but you said no, you are going back to Daura.
“Nobody ever thought a man in uniform will ever be a democratic, principled and honoured Leader. Today, it is a thing of joy and honour to have you at the rally.
“For us who joined hands with you 20 years ago to reshape Nigeria, to fight corruption, to fight destitution, to fight failure and hunger, we are proud of your achievements.”
On his friendship and relationship with the President, Tinubu said that those who have concluded there is a crack have had their joy cut short because their friendship is strong, enduring and about nation-building.
“Those who think there are cracks in our friendship and relationship will continue to be disappointed and have their short time joy dashed. Ours is not about individuals. It is about integrity and nation-building.
“We can see true leadership but we may not be able to read the mind of the leader. Today, I stand before you and make a pledge again that Nigeria will recover from all challenges. We are brave. We are resilient. We will focus on agriculture; we will build our mineral resources. We will turn the earth and our dust to money. We will work hard. We promise you.
“Your children and grandchildren will not have any regret about our nation and ourselves. Happiness, joy and prosperity will be part of our success,” said Asiwaju Tinubu.
National Chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, told party supporters in Hausa language about the history of friendship between President Buhari and Tinubu, even as he solicited their vote for the party’s candidates.
He presented the party’s flag to Governor Abdullahi Sule as the governorship candidate of the party for second term.
President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government of Nigeria has started a war against fake news which may greatly affect the 2023 general elections in the country, joining hand with the tech giants, Meta and Google.
The government, today, February 3, signed agreements with tech giants to fight fake news for the purpose of protecting the integrity of the forthcoming general elections and other negative effects.
The agreements were reached at a meeting between the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and representatives of Meta and Google.
At the meeting which was at the instance of the minister, the tech giants agreed to comply with four demands by the federal government, including an agreement to work with the government in flagging and bringing down posts that constituted fake news and disinformation on their platforms.
They also agreed to work with the security agencies to bring down posts capable of inciting violence before, during, and after the elections.
It was also agreed that election results not originating from official sources, should be flagged as unverified by the tech giants’ platforms.
They also agreed to make posts from official channels, like the Ministry of Information and Culture, INEC, National Orientation Agency, etc., prominent on their platforms.
The minister had earlier emphasized the importance of the elections to the country and the assurance by President Muhammadu Buhari to the nation and the international community on free, fair, credible, and peaceful polls.
He said that the use of social media is a critical factor in national elections of countries, including Nigeria with a predominantly youthful population.
Lai Mohammed expressed concern that 22 days before the elections, there has been a noticeable increase in the use of fake news and disinformation on social media platforms.
“There has been a gross abuse of social media platforms to purvey fake news and disinformation ahead of the elections. These unscrupulous people are resorting to the use of parody accounts, cloning of reputable media platforms and the use of deep fakes to carry out their nefarious activities.
“For example, candidates’ campaign speeches are doctored to portray them in a bad light, and video clips and pictures of campaign rallies are tampered with to make them look poorly attended.
“Fake or unscientific opinion polls are concocted, while threats of violence in certain parts of the country are exaggerated. All of these are then circulated via social media to a wide audience, with the aim of making their target candidates look bad, influencing public perception or even suppressing votes in certain areas.
“We have therefore invited you, platform owners, here so we can work together to reduce these negative tendencies before, during and after the forthcoming elections.”
Before Friday’s agreement with the Nigerian government, Meta had earlier announced that it has set up a cross-functional team spread across the world to monitor posts by Nigerians pre, during, and post-2023 elections in the country, especially on both Facebook and Instagram.
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The leader of the pan Yoruba socio-cultural organization, Afenifere, Ayo Adebanjo has asked the Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to drop his ambition and team up with the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi because Northerners won’t vote for him in the 2023 election.
Information filtering from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) indicates that, about 21 days to the conduct of Presidential election across Nigeria, the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is uncomfortable with the management of his presidential campaign and its outcome thus far.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has rescued seven distressed workers following a distress call to the Agency’s Director General, Dr. Bashir Jamoh.
The Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has compared President Muhammadu Buhari with former United States President, late Abraham Lincoln.
President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that he will continue to campaign for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the ‘next president of Nigeria.’
