Tinubu Can Rule Nigeria From Russia – Onanuga
A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bayo Onanuga, has said that President-elect, Bola Tinubu, can rule Nigeria from Russia after being sworn in on May 29, 2023. Onanuga, who is a member of the Media Subcommittee of the Presidential Transition Council, disclosed this during an interview with journalists over the weekend.
When asked if Tinubu, who had just travelled out of the country over alleged pressure, would settle fully in Nigeria and face the challenges ahead when sworn in, Onanuga said he believed so. The president-elect’s spokesperson, however, gave an exception, saying since we are in a global world, Tinubu can rule Nigeria even if he is in Russia.
“I believe he would do so. But you know we now live in a global village, as they say. So, even if he is in Russia, he can hold Zoom meetings and do all kinds of things. But I can assure you that he will be here physically to do his job. He will not be an absentee kind of president,” Onanuga said.
Tinubu Left Nigeria Because Of Those Seeking Positions
Speaking further on why the president-elect jetted out of the country days ahead of his swearing-in, Onanuga reiterated that it was to avoid distraction. He refuted the speculations by some Nigerians that Tinubu may rule Nigeria from London like President Muhammadu Buhari at a certain time.
“No, that won’t happen. You cannot imagine the kind of pressure people who are looking for positions in the government are piling on ordinary committee members, not to talk of the president-elect. People have been bringing all manner of requests. So, as the press release rightly pointed out, the travel was just to avoid pressure and distraction,” the APC chieftain said.
Source: Naija News
13 killed, houses burnt as chieftaincy tussle tears Taraba communities part
Thirteen people have been reportedly killed, several houses burnt and many residents displaced as a fallout of a chieftaincy tussle that engulfed Karim-Lamido Local Council, Taraba State. Sources from the area told The Guardian that over 13 bodies have so far been identified, as at the time of filing this report.
The crisis, which started few days ago, escalated following the alleged involvement of soldiers who intimidated and harassed youths from the rival community. Reports have it that the crisis, between the Karim Jo and the Wurukun communities sparked-off following the appointment of a second-class chief. Sources from the affected community said the crisis was caused by the creation of the chiefdom.
It was learnt that the step by the state government to relocate the headquarters of the chiefdom in Karim, also contributed to the crisis, which has led to wanting destruction of human lives and valuables. Our source who claimed that the affected community has become a shadow of itself, stressed the need for the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency call the soldiers to order.
Though casualties numbering over 13 have been reportedly confirmed dead, the state police command claimed, “only two deaths have so far been recorded.” The Command Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Abdullahi Usman, who made the confirmation, said mobile policemen, as well as regular policemen from nearby local councils, have been deployed to the area.
The PPRO who said normalcy has been restored to the trouble council area, said apart from the policemen, several numbers of soldiers have also been drafted to the council.
Source: Guardian
ZONING INTO TROUBLE: Defection fears hit APC
There were concerns at the weekend within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that the party could lose control of the National Assembly following subtle threats by aggrieved aspirants for leadership positions in the 10th Assembly to ditch APC.
This came to light on a day Sunday Vanguard learnt that some northern and southwestern statesmen, including two former heads of state and traditional rulers, had waded into the rancour and spoken with some key lawmakers-elect to douse the tension the matter has created in the polity. The party had, last week, unveiled a zoning formula to elect principal officers of the 10th Assembly, a situation that has pitched most of the contenders against the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee (NWC).
In the formula, the party had named Godswill Akpabio (APC Akwa Ibom) and Jibrin Barau (APC Kano) as Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively.
It also named Tajudeen Abbas (APC Kaduna) and Benjamin Kalu (APC Abia) as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively. However, at a parley between contenders for the Senate presidency and Adamu, one of them, a senator representing Niger East, Sani Musa, noted that membership of the party was voluntary and not compulsory.
“The party has to put in mind that this is a voluntary thing. Membership of a party is voluntary but my principles and our principles are not voluntary. It is what we are built of and we can stand by that”, Musa stated. Some insiders in the APC interpreted the senator’s statement to mean that the aggrieved contenders for principal offices in the National Assembly were weighing all the options available to them to checkmate the zoning formula, including working against APC candidates on election day on the floor of parliament or outright defection.
APC has a narrow lead over all the opposition lawmakers-elect put together in both chambers of the National Assembly and the opposition lawmakers-elect have vowed to use that advantage to position two of their own as Senate-President and Speaker. APC boasts of 59 senators-elect while the opposition parties have 50.
For the House of Representatives, APC has 160 members-elect, opposition parties have 200.
Both chambers need only a simple majority to elect their principal officers. One of the insiders, a party official who did not want his name mentioned as he was not authorized to speak on the matter, said that, consequent upon the development, there was pressure being mounted on Adamu to convene a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) to review the zoning formula and come up with a final verdict.
Source: Vanguard