- Audio call featuring me and Oyedepo is fake – Peter Obi
- Obasanjo seeks clemency for Ekweremadu, urges UK court to balance justice with mercy
- Opposition parties assert majority in 10th NASS to keep APC in check
- Afenifere accuses Lai Mohammed of dishonoring Minister of Information’s office
- FG approves N15bn for ICT devices to facilitate census operations
Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss:
Audio call featuring me and Oyedepo is fake – Peter Obi
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has denied the authenticity of an audio call featuring him and David Oyedepo, the founder of Winners Chapel.
In a statement posted on his official Twitter handle on Wednesday, Obi said, “the audio call being circulated is fake, and at no time throughout the campaign and now did I ever say, think, or even imply that the 2023 election is, or was a religious war.”
Obi went on to state that he repeatedly emphasized during his campaign that no one should vote for him based on tribe or religion, but rather on the assessment of character, competence, capacity, credibility, and compassion that can be trusted to create a new Nigeria.
He also expressed his disappointment with the present attempts by the All Progressives Congress (APC) party and the APC-led government through some government officials and agencies to divert attention from the “blatantly stolen mandate” of the February 25, 2023 presidential election.
Obi stated that the attempts to manipulate Nigerians are “very sad and wicked” and that his legal team has been instructed to take appropriate legal action against Peoples Gazette and others.
Furthermore, he implored all Nigerians to remain peaceful and law-abiding, reminding those who are fixated on heating up the polity, creating divisions, tensions, and hatred within and outside Nigeria that the country is the only one they have.
“Our focus should be on how to address the litany of challenges facing us, such as flawed electoral processes, the parlous state of our economy, unsustainable debt burden, lamentable unemployment and inflation, insecurity, and multi-dimensional poverty,” he said.
Obi concluded by reaffirming his belief that a new Nigeria is possible and that God will help the country overcome its challenges.
Obasanjo seeks clemency for Ekweremadu, urges UK court to balance justice with mercy
Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has written a letter to the chief clerk of central criminal court, Old Bailey, requesting the court to show mercy to Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice.
Ekweremadu, a former deputy senate president, and his wife were arrested in June 2022 and charged in court for allegedly bringing a child to the UK for organ harvesting.
In March 2023, Ekweremadu and his wife were found guilty of organ trafficking, along with Obinna Obeta, a doctor involved in the case. The former senator was remanded in custody since his arrest, while his wife was granted bail in July 2022.
While acknowledging that the actions of Ekweremadu and his wife are “unpleasant and condemnable and can’t be tolerated in any sane or civilised society,” Obasanjo pleaded with the court to consider their daughter’s medical condition and temper justice with mercy.
In his letter, Obasanjo pointed out that Ekweremadu and his wife have rendered a lot of charitable activities through their NGO, the Ikeoha Foundation, since 1997, enhancing access to quality education and healthcare for the less privileged in their communities.
Obasanjo also cited Ekweremadu’s contributions to Nigeria as a senator and the recipient of the Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) award, stating that the former deputy senate president and his wife have learned from this “distressing experience” and will continue to be outstanding members of their community.
In the words of Obasanjo, “for the very warm relations between the United Kingdom and the Federal Republic of Nigeria; for his position as one of the distinguished Senators in the Nigerian Parliament, and also for the sake of their daughter in question whose current health condition is in danger and requires urgent medical attention, you will use your good offices to intervene and appeal to the court and the government of the United Kingdom to be magnanimous enough to temper justice with mercy and let punishment that may have to come to take their good character and parental instinct and care into consideration.”
Opposition parties assert majority in 10th NASS to keep APC in check
Members-elect of the House of Representatives from opposition political parties have pledged to join forces to protect their interests ahead of the 10th National Assembly’s inauguration in June.
The minority caucus referred to itself as the “greater majority” in the upcoming House, with its members promising to checkmate the ruling party and deepen democracy.
The opposition parties won 163 seats across the board, while the ruling All Progressives Congress won 162. Supplementary elections in about 32 federal constituencies are scheduled for April 15 to complete the polls in the 360 federal constituencies that make up the House.
During an inaugural meeting in Abuja, co-convener Agbedi Yeitiemone Frederick, from Bayelsa State, welcomed members and emphasized the need for a united front to deepen opposition politics in the 10th House.
He said, “It is with great honor that I welcome you all on behalf of the co-conveners and other leaders on this auspicious occasion of the inaugural meeting of the minority caucuses that I refer to as the “Greater Majority” of the expected 10th Assembly of the Federal House of Representatives. I also congratulate us on our election victory which was not easy to achieve but by the grace of God, this puts on our shoulder responsibility not only to represent our people but see Nigeria as one constituency where our contributions should make life meaningful to all.”
Afenifere accuses Lai Mohammed of dishonoring Minister of Information’s office
Afenifere, the apex Yoruba socio-cultural group, has criticized Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information, for claiming that the 2023 general election was credible. In a statement issued by the group’s Secretary-General, Sola Ebiseni, Afenifere stated that the minister was insincere in his claims.
The group asserted that Mohammed’s attempt to give credibility to the elections failed, particularly since those he met with in the United States of America were aware of all that happened on February 25 and March 18.
During a chat with some media organisations in Washington DC, the Minister of Information described the elections as the most transparent and authentic in the history of the country. However, Afenifere accused Mohammed of deliberately distorting facts, noting that his claims contradicted all that played out at the polls and the cases filed in court. According to the group, the minister’s actions were an abuse of office.
“Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information, falls in this unenviable class with his current visits and interviews in the United States of America to taint sacred facts about the 2023 Presidential election,” the statement read.
“In a clear case of abuse of office, Lai Mohammed, trying desperately to dance himself back to the mind of his party candidate after having taken a different course during the primaries, has mindlessly descended to the abyss of falsehood reminiscent of his modus operandi as party spokesperson, with which he has odiously smeared the office of the nation’s Minister of Information.”
FG approves N15bn for ICT devices to facilitate census operations
The Nigerian Federal Government has approved contracts worth N15.3bn for the supply and installation of information and communication technology components and digital assistance devices for the upcoming population and housing census.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, made the announcement at a press briefing after the Federal Executive Council meeting. According to Shehu, the contract for the supply and installation of information and communication technology components was awarded for about N10.9bn.
Another contract for the development and implementation of mobile device management solution was awarded for the sum of about N4.4bn. The National Population Commission would receive these contracts ahead of the population census slated for May 3 to 5.
In addition to the contracts, the Council approved N3.3bn for the development of external cost of infrastructure at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission new training academy, while the Nigerian Ports Authority would receive N1bn for the procurement of 19 vehicles. The aviation sector would receive N65m for variation in the cost of a contract for the supply of airport fire crash tenders. Also, the government has approved new regulations to protect people living with HIV/AIDS against workplace discrimination.
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, revealed that the Council approved three memoranda, including one for the digitisation of processes and workflow, approved at the sum of N916.8m with an implementation period of 12 months. The digitisation process will ensure the conversion of all paper records into digital format. The Council also approved an additional N36bn as variation for a contract for the construction of the Kaduna Eastern Bypass. The project was first awarded in 2002 under the Obasanjo administration, and it connects Kaduna with about 11 other states.
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