• Tinubu is my candidate, vote him – Buhari tells Nigerians
• PDP has brought us shame, should not retain power – Ayu slips up at PDP Kano rally
• Take APC’s money and reject them – PDP campaign tells Kano residents
• Our contract is with drivers NOT transport unions – INEC clarifies MC Oluomo logistics rumour
• NMDPRA orders filling stations to accept bank transfer, POS transactions

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss:

Tinubu is my candidate, vote him – Buhari tells Nigerians

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday declared the All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu as his candidate in the February 25th election.

To this end, Buhari urged residents of Sokoto State to vote for Tinubu in the upcoming election.

Buhari spoke at the APC presidential campaign rally in Sokoto.

“We are all out to support him. Today, we are in Sokoto State, the Seat of the Caliphate, to campaign for our party’s candidate, Tinubu.

“He is my candidate, we should all vote for him and inform those that are not here with us.

“APC’s choice is Tinubu and we pray that he will be the one to lead our country,” he said.

PDP has brought us shame, should not retain power – Ayu slips up at PDP Kano rally

Iyorchia Ayu, the national chairperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Thursday, made an error while speaking at the party’s campaign rally in Kano state.

The rally was held at the Sani Abacha Stadium in the state.

While speaking on the reasons the people of the state should not vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ayu said: “PDP has brought us shame”, but after a few seconds, he corrected himself and said “APC”.

Ayu said if Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate, is elected, policies that will improve the country’s economy will be implemented.

“They are full of lies. They have nothing to offer the ‘talakas’ (poor) in Nigeria. We will come back. Our president, Atiku Abubakar, who you will vote to power in the next few weeks, we will rally around him. We will discuss our policies, and we will see where it is affecting you. We will make sure we implement a successful policy that will bring back Nigeria to its glory,” Ayu said.

“We are supposed to be the leaders in Africa and everywhere in the world, we should be respected. PDP has brought us shame and we will not continue to retain them in power… APC.

“Vote for PDP from top to bottom, from bottom to top; Atiku Abubakar as president.”

Ayu’s gaffe is the latest in a string of slip-ups by presidential candidates.

On December 13, 2022, the PDP presidential candidate, while speaking at the party’s campaign rally in Plateau state, begged the people of the state to “ensure that you vote for A… I mean PDP this time around”.

Weeks before, Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had said: “God bless PD…APC”.

Take APC’s money and reject them – PDP campaign tells Kano residents

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign committee has urged Kano state voters to reject the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the polls.

Thursday at the party’s rally in Kano, the governor of Sokoto and director-general of the campaign council, Aminu Tambuwal, accused the APC of “stash[ing]” funds intended to combat insecurity.

“Reject those people. Don’t be deceived by their money. It is the money they are supposed to use to provide security that they stashed. They want to use it to buy votes,” Tambuwal said. 

“You can see the level of in-fighting in APC. They have plans to hack the INEC server. They want to make Kano and indeed, north-west, the dumping ground of their illicit money. Take their money and reject them.”

Speaking at the rally, Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s presidential candidate, promised to make the state an economic hub.

Abubakar also said if elected, his government will provide road infrastructure that will link Kano to neighbouring states.

“We are pleased to meet with you today and we cannot believe that you are so many and in thousands supporting PDP. We have known that Kano is PDP. We thank you for coming out in your numbers to support us,” Abubakar said.

“Kano has always been the centre of commerce in Nigeria. When PDP returns to power, we will make sure that Kano becomes a leading commercial centre in the country.

“We shall open the borders. We shall also ensure that Kano state is secured so that you can do your businesses without fear.

“The people of Kano are also known for farming. So, if you elect me, I will support the agricultural sector and improve the business activities of the people. We will make agriculture a priority.

“We shall provide road infrastructure that will link Kano to all the neighbouring states. We will make sure that university lecturers are paid so that our children will continue to go to school. I have also pledged to set some funds aside for youths and women to receive loans to set up their small and medium business enterprises for self-employment.”

Our contract is with drivers  NOT transport unions – INEC clarifies MC Oluomo logistics rumour

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) asserts that drivers, not transport unions, have the logistical contract for the delivery of election materials.

INEC spokesperson Festus Okoye stated in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday that the commission merely signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with transport unions.

INEC’s choice to engage with the Lagos state parks management committee for the distribution of electoral materials has sparked controversy in recent days.

Musiliu Akinsanya, often known as MC Oluomo, oversees the maintenance of the Lagos state parks.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos established the parks committee after prohibiting the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria from operating.

Since MC Oluomo is a supporter of the All Progressives Congress, the move of INEC has been met with criticism, with some questioning whether the arrangement would undermine the credibility of the elections.

INEC’s spokesperson stated on Thursday that the commission will not allow itself to be blackmailed and that this is not the first time it has rented cars for the distribution of election materials.

Courage and competence reside in this commission. This commission will not succumb to the blackmail and antics of those who do not wish the electoral process well,” he said.

“For the 2023 election, this commission is going to hire at least 138,000 vehicles and we have hired vehicles in the past. We are going to hire at least 4,000 boats; we have hired boats in the past. The commission is going to hire 88,000 motorcycles.

“The commission enters individual contracts with the vehicle owners; we don’t enter any form of contract with the unions.

“What we have with NURTW, NARTO and marine unions is what we called a memorandum of understanding (MoU). We don’t enter into contracts with them.

“The issue of the name of an individual being mentioned to the effect that the individual is going to provide all the vehicles the commission needs for the purpose of this election is just mischievous

“We have contracts with individual drivers. What the unions do for us is that we enter into MoU with them. Sometimes in a situation where the individual drivers abscond, they help us locate the drivers.

“In a situation where the driver does not turn up on time, they know their members and help us find out why the individual has not turned up on time.

“It is true that in some states, the NURTW has been banned but they don’t convey materials for us. It is the individual drivers that convey materials for us.

“I want to assure the nation that we don’t have contracts with NURTW, NARTO, and marine unions. Our contract is with the individual drivers who own these vehicles and provide the vehicles on election day.”

NMDPRA orders filling stations to accept bank transfer, POS transactions

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has directed oil marketers in the country to allow the use point of sale (POS) and bank transfer services for the sale of petroleum products.

In a statement on Thursday, signed by Kimchi Apollo, the agency’s general manager, corporate communications and stakeholders management, NMDPRA said the directive was to alleviate the suffering of customers. 

The authority said it would sanction filling stations’ refusing to accept payments via POS and bank transfers.

NMDPRA explained that the action was necessary following reports that some filling stations were refusing customers’ bank transfers and POS transactions despite the ongoing cash shortage in the country.

“It has come to the attention of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) that some retail outlets are not accepting the use of point of sale (POS) machines at their filling stations due to the recent cash crunch brought about by the new naira design,” the statement reads.

“The authority frowns at this recent behaviour which is causing untold hardship for Nigerians at a time when all hands should be on deck to assist the government in the transition to the new naira.

“All retail outlets are directed to ensure the free use of POS and bank transfer for the sale of petroleum products to alleviate the suffering of customers at this critical time.

“The authority and security agencies will be at retail outlets to ensure compliance with this directive and any filling station found violating this directive will be duly sanctioned.”

NMDPRA also reassured the general public of its commitment to ensuring good quality service in the sale and distribution of petroleum products nationwide.