These are the stories that drove conversation this week.
Former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Kingsley Moghalu won the presidential ticket of the Young Progressive Party (YPP).
In another development, dismissing speculations of his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode purchased nomination forms. With this, Ambode may be up for a fierce competition in retaining his seat, following speculations that oil mogul, Femi Otedola, has ‘accepted’ the offer of a governorship ticket by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Breaking news: Lagos 2019 promises to be interesting. PDP offers Femi Otedola governorship ticket. He's accepted and personally confirmed to The Boss newspaper…
— Dele Momodu Ovation (@DeleMomodu) September 11, 2018
Jide Sanwo-Olu, a former Commissioner for Establishment & Training and Obafemi Hamzat, a former Commissioner for Works & Infrastructure have also joined Ambode for the Lagos 2019 governorship election.
Meanwhile, Ambode has downplayed reports of a rift between him and the APC national leader, Bola Tinubu over the former’s second-term bid.
A statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Habib Aruna, in Lagos, faulted the reports saying, “I want you to know that there is no fight anywhere. The National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and my good self we are not in any fight, we are not in any controversy.”
The Presidency, in a statement, reacted to a publication by Punch Newspaper which alleged that the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari collected bribe amounting to N29 million for the award of a contract, describing it as improbable and outlandish.
The statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Garba Shehu, said the allegation was wrong and that the Chief of Staff had no private meeting with the person who made the allegations.
The Nigerian Army said its troops repelled an attack by Boko Haram terrorists on Gudumbali, Guzamala Local Government Area, Borno.
Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. General Texas Chukwu, in a statement, explained that the insurgents invaded the town to extort and terrorise the residents, as well as attack the military base but were resisted by the troops who also inflicted overwhelming casualties on them, forcing several to flee to the fringes of Lake Chad.
Read Also: #YNaijaEssays: Will Nigerian entertainment ever grow up?
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) said it has identified more than 6,772 billionaires who are tax defaulters and whose bank accounts have been screened.
Chairman of the service, Tunde Fowler stressed that the tax agency would soon go after the bank accounts of defaulting taxpayers, further noting that most of such taxpayers, who have between N1 billion and N5 billion in their accounts have no Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), or have TIN and have not filed any tax returns.
The Ekiti House of Assembly passed at plenary by a unanimous decision of 14 of its members the N10 billion supplementary budget sent to it by Governor Ayo Fayose, despite concerns by the Governor-elect Kayode Fayemi.
The opposition APC lawmakers in the house, however described the action as a “ploy’’ by the governor and his cronies to cover up massive fraud in some Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs), alleging that the bill was backdated to August 30 to give an impression that the Appropriation Committee had since been deliberating on the bill.
Still on Ekiti, Fayose wrote to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) offering to make himself available for questioning as regards issues on his tenure in office as soon as he hands over to Governor-Elect, Kayode Fayemi, on October 16.
President Muhammadu Buhari formally accepted the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms purchased by a group known as Nigeria Consolidation Ambassadors Network (NCAN) to enable him contest the 2019 presidential primary of the APC.
Briefing State House correspondents after the presentation, Minister of Transportation and Director-General of the Buhari Campaign Organisation, Rotimi Amaechi, said that the forms presented to the President were purchased by a large number of people who made contributions.
While submitting his form at the NEC Hall of the APC National Secretariat, Abuja, the President urged Nigerians not to allow those who looted the country’s commonwealth between 1999 and 2015 return to power.
He said, “Let me today appeal to party members not to be complacent but to prepare, strategise and win 2019 elections. We must not allow those who brought the country to its knees from 1999 to 2015 to come and take us back.”
While Buhari was expressing his interest and submitting his form, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, dumped the APC and may be headed to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Actress, Beverly Osu posed for the latest edition of Taylor Live Magazine dressed as a nun while smoking and surely drew the attention of Nigerians.
In a piece written by a writer for YNaija, Beverly only used so many people’s hypocrisy to ‘gather’ publicity for herself and of course, the magazine.
She also replied critics.
President Buhari approved the appointment of Yusuf Magaji Bichi as the new Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS).
According to a statement by the Media Assistant to the President, Garba Shehu, Bichi replaces Matthew Seiyeifa who has been in acting capacity after the dismissal of Lawal Daura.
Former president, Goodluck Jonathan, queried the psychological state of the national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole.
Jonathan was reacting to an allegation by Oshiomhole that vote-buying was started by the former president.
In a statement by his media aide, Ikechukwu Eze, Jonathan said, “It appears that Mr Oshiomhole’s psychological strain may have reached boiling point.
“His recent flip-flops where he praised Governor Samuel Ortom and Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso one day only to denounce them the very next day, is enough evidence of his fragile psychological state.”
Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, resigned her appointment.
Her resignation is not unconnected to allegations that she forged her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) exemption certificate.
In a letter to the President, Adeosun explains reasons for her resignation:
@MBuhari accepts Kemi Adeosun's resignation, appoints Zainab Ahmed as replacement.
See her resignation letter ?#AdeosunResigns pic.twitter.com/9QQPb7XQMu
— Y! Online (@YNaija) September 14, 2018
Omoleye Omoruyi… an apprentice web/game developer, novelist, sensitive to happenings in the world. Meet him @Lord_rickie on Twitter/Instagram
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