Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has reflected on how his late political mentor, Shehu Yar’adua, instructed him to step down for Chief Moshood Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, during the primaries of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Atiku made the remarks in an exclusive interview for the television show Untold Stories with Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, scheduled to air today, but was obtained by Daily Trust ahead of the broadcast.

In the interview, Atiku elaborated on why Abiola reneged on an earlier agreement with Yar’adua to name him (Atiku) as his running mate after securing the SDP ticket.

He clarified that there had been some misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the events surrounding that period, even though he had previously addressed the circumstances.

Atiku recalled that after the first ballot, he contacted Yar’adua, who was in Kaduna at the time due to a political ban. He told Yar’adua that Babagana Kingibe was poised to win unless he intervened.

Atiku said he urged Yar’adua to come to Jos immediately, as the situation was critical. “I told him, ‘Look, if you don’t come to Jos, there is every likelihood that Babagana Kingibe is going to be elected, and I know you don’t want it. So you better come to Jos, no matter how late.’”

Yar’adua drove from Kaduna to Jos, arriving around three or four in the morning. Atiku said Yar’adua called for a meeting at Alhaji Yahaya Kwande’s house, where he and Abiola were present.

Atiku, however, was not privy to the discussion between Yar’adua and Abiola.

When the meeting began, Yar’adua told Atiku, “Turaki,” to which Atiku replied, “Yes, sir.” Yar’adua then instructed Atiku to step down for Abiola, to which Atiku immediately agreed, saying, “Okay, sir. I have stepped down.”

Atiku later learned that SDP governors had pressured Abiola to choose Kingibe as his running mate instead of honoring the prior agreement with Yar’adua.

According to Atiku, the governors threatened Abiola, saying, “If you don’t take Kingibe, we are not going to support you.”

The governors, Atiku explained, had secured their tickets when Kingibe was the chairman of the SDP, and Abiola, seeing this pressure, decided to pick Kingibe instead.

The Federal Government Taskforce on Illegal oil activities has arraigned nine suspects accused of vandalising oil pipelines in the Ogidiama community, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State. 

The suspects—Anthony Peter, Nelson Joshua, Stanley Kio, Adekunle Godspower, William Don-Pedro, Aminu Suleiman, and three others—were brought before the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt on Monday on a two-count charge of conspiracy and tampering with pipelines.

Security agencies arrested the accused on March 11, 2025, and they pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The case was adjourned to May 6 and 7 with the suspects remanded at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre pending trial.

Strict Measures Against Oil Theft

In a bid to curb the persistent issue of crude oil theft, the Federal Government has established an interagency security team comprising members from the police, EFCC, Civil Defence, the Ministry of Justice, the Army, and the Navy. This team is tasked with apprehending and prosecuting pipeline vandals to the fullest extent of the law.

Under the new measures, convicted offenders face life imprisonment, with no option for plea bargaining.

Prosecution’s Firm Stance

Speaking after the court proceedings, the prosecution counsel, Frederick O. Dibang, stated:

“We just arraigned nine defendants before the Federal High Court in Rivers State on charges of conspiracy and pipeline tampering. The court denied their oral bail application and ordered them remanded pending a formal hearing,” Dibang stated.

Dibang issued a stern warning to oil thieves saying, “This is a lesson to those tampering with pipelines—there is now a specialized force dedicated to ending illegal oil activities. The era of impunity is over.”

He also cautioned security agencies saying, “When suspects are arrested with exhibits, those exhibits must be preserved. Destroying evidence undermines prosecutions.”

The case continues in May as authorities intensify efforts to combat oil sector sabotage.

The University of Lincoln is joining other universities across the United Kingdom, UK, calling for the government to reconsider its decision to impose visa restrictions on international students, BBC reported.

The restrictions, introduced at the start of 2024, prevents some students from bringing their families with them to the UK.

The government said the new rules were part of measures to curb immigration.

As a result, Lincoln University said it had seen a 51% drop in allocations from international students since the changes were applied.

Student Raha Fazlollahei, from Iran, said it was “really heartbreaking” to be so far away from her family, but said it was also an opportunity to be independent.

The university, like most, said it relied on international student fee income to compensate for the freeze on home tuition fees.

It said international student applications fell from 2,995 in 2023-24 to 1,460 in 2024-25.

Nationally, Home Office figures showed the 393,125 visas that were granted in 2024 represented a 14% drop on the figures from 2023, but that it was still 46% higher than in 2019.

“Removal of the dependents visa has made the UK a less attractive study destination overall in a competitive global marketplace for student recruitment, particularly for international masters students,” the university said.

“We support sector calls for a more evidence-based approach to international students in national immigration policy, which recognises the need to manage true migration without jeopardising the economic and societal benefits of the UK’s standing as a global study destination.”

Cost implications for Nigerians

Godswill James, from Nigeria, is studying IT and said although the changes “had impacted”, there were other contributing factors, such as initial course fee deposits and the cost.

It is costing him between £25,000 and £30,000.

Fellow student Sibghatullah Karimi, from Afghanistan, believed those figures represented a “big challenge” to some countries.

He said: “The students from Asian and African countries, their currency difference is too high, so if we convert that currency, it would be in the millions.”

It is estimated one in seven at the university are international students.

The government has been contacted for comment, but has previously said international students “will always be welcome but the net migration levels seen in recent years have been completely unacceptable, and we have committed to reducing those numbers substantially”.

A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has given her account of the altercation with the lawmaker representing Ebonyi North, Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, during a Senate Ethics Committee hearing.

Naija News reports that the incident, which took place on Tuesday, occurred during a session regarding a petition filed by suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central.

The altercation unfolded when Ezekwesili instructed Nwaebonyi, who also serves as the Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, to “shut up” during the panel hearing.

The former minister explained in an interview with Arise TV that the tension stemmed from the handling of the case, which was complicated by the presence of related ongoing court cases.

Ezekwesili shared that the Senate panel explained that the matter was “sub judice” because there were related cases pending in court.

“The petitioner had insisted that he would not proceed with his main petition until he received assurances regarding the two objections he had raised,” Ezekwesili stated.

She further explained that the panel had interpreted the petitioner’s reluctance to proceed as a lack of readiness to engage with the matter, which led to further frustrations.

According to Ezekwesili, the Senate panel suggested halting proceedings due to the related court cases, including one filed by the wife of the Senate President.

It was during this period that Nwaebonyi, speaking on behalf of the Senate President, intervened.

“He declared that since we were unwilling to provide any testimony, he was present as a representative of the Senate President, who was the respondent,” Ezekwesili recounted.

She continued, “I said to him, can you please shut up? We had just been informed that we were not allowed to speak, yet he was doing so freely without any form of equivalent treatment.

“The justification for silencing us was that we were unwilling to proceed without first addressing our objections.

“When I told him to be quiet and that remark provoked the senator, though he was already agitated. “He was already provoked, his anger stemmed from the belief that we were not taking the matter seriously.”

Ezekwesili reflected that Nwaebonyi’s reaction was an example of “indecorous behaviour” that is sometimes displayed by public officials in the country.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has stated that he is uncertain about whether he will contest the presidency in 2027 against incumbent, Bola Ahmed Tinubu
In a forthcoming interview for the television show Untold Stories with Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, scheduled to air today, Atiku responded to questions about his potential candidacy.

Despite previously announcing the formation of a coalition of opposition leaders aimed at challenging President Bola Tinubu in 2027, Atiku emphasized that a viable platform is essential before making any decisions.

Atiku, the former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), acknowledged the growing speculation surrounding who would lead the coalition, with figures like former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi and former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai being considered key contenders.

However, when asked if he would run for president again, Atiku replied, “I don’t know because there has to be, first of all, a viable platform, more than any other time in the political history of this country, particularly since the return of democracy.”

Atiku, who has contested the presidency six times, did not completely rule out the possibility of running in 2027.

He emphasized the country’s pressing need for experienced and credible leadership, stating, “I have not seen Nigeria in dire need of, you know, an experienced and credible leadership than this time.”

Reflecting on the political landscape, Atiku recalled the merger of opposition figures in 2014, where multiple candidates ran for president, and the eventual consensus around one candidate who was supported by all and won. He suggested that such unity could be replicated in the 2027 election.

Atiku also echoed former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s concerns about the deterioration of Nigeria’s democracy, agreeing that the situation is “very dire.”

He expressed his disappointment with the country’s political leadership, noting that despite many individuals from the current generation having served as governors or senators, there has been little improvement in governance at the state level, which left him “a little bit distressed.”

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Monday, busted a ponzi scheme academy and arrested 133 suspects in Abuja.

EFCC Head,  Media & Publicity, Dele Oyewale, in a press statement in Abuja, said the suspects were arrested at the Compensation Layout in Gwagwalada Area of the FCT, following actionable intelligence on the existence of the academy.

“The Academy, named Q University (a.k.a Q-Net) is in the business of  recruiting gullible young Nigerians who are trained to recruit more gullible citizens into the scheme with the promise of getting unrealistic profit returns.

“The suspects are enrolled into a training codenamed: “Special Training for New Generation Billionaire” and brainwashed to believe that they would graduate into the league of billionaires.  “They got into the training by obtaining a form the promoters called “Independent Representative Application Form” with promotional slogans such as: “I’m a Champion”  “I’m Unstoppable”,   “I’m Infinity”, among others.”

He further stated that, “The EFCC carried out the operation in collaboration with officers and men of 176 Guards Battalion,  Nigerian  Army.”

Oyewale said items recovered from the suspects include phones, computers and other electronic gadgets; adding that they would be charged to court as soon as investigations were concluded.

THE Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, yesterday, lampooned the National Assembly for backing the state of emergency declaration in Rivers State, saying the lawmakers have desecrated the 1999 Constitution.

Afenifere noted that members of the National Assembly, through their actions, have demonstrated that they lack the courage to defend the democratic rights of the people of Nigeria.

The Yoruba body stated this in a communique at the end of its National Caucus meeting held at the residence of its former leader, the late Pa Ayo Adebanjo at Isanya Ogbo in Ogun State.

The communique signed by its Leader and National Publicity Secretary, Oba Oladipo Olaitan and Prince Justice Faloye, said the action of President Bola Tinubu in declaring a state of emergency in Rivers State and the support of the National Assembly was “an ill wind that blows the nation no good and spit on the faces of Nigerians.”

The communique reads: “Contrary to the expectation of Nigerians but in a manner consistent with its proven character, the 10th Assembly in both chambers not only joined hands with the President in further desecrating the tenuous 1999 Constitution but also demonstrated lack of courage to defend the democratic rights of the people of Nigeria.

“In clear terms, the provision of the constitution requiring the concurrence of the 2/3 majority of the members of the National Assembly on any matter, is in the absence of a national referendum, a call for legislative plebiscite in determining the issue concerned which must be demonstrated without equivocation.

“That the resort to voice votes obscuring compliance with the constitution on the required number to deal with such a matter of monumental national importance of Presidential reversal of the electoral decision of the people of Rivers State is an ill-wind that blows the nation no good and spit on the faces of Nigerians.

“Without recourse to other acts of persistent violation of their oaths of office and such others decimating the integrity, particularly of the Senate, Afenifere calls on the present leadership of the National Assembly to step aside in the interest of decency, integrity and respect for the principles of separation of powers on which fulcrum our democracy lies.

“In line with the above, Afenifere observed and holds that the recent vote of confidence on the Senate President by his colleagues is an admission of a crisis of trust on which motion the Senate President presided to the chagrins of the world.

“By these very acts, a new gambit has emerged – the crisis of Nigerian constitutionalism using which both the horizontal principle of separation of powers and the vertical principles of federalism are all undemocratically usurped by the all-powerful executive, who could do whatever he wants. This is the same way Hitler hijacked the German democracy.

“Afenifere calls on all people of goodwill to rise legitimately to restore the rule of law, ensure best democratic practice and save the Nigerian democracy. We must nip this in the pud before our hard-won democracy is destroyed.”

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has accused the leadership of the National Assembly under the Senate President Godswill Akpabio of corruption.

Atiku made the claim during an interview with a TV journalist on the platform of ‘Untold Stories With Adesua’, where he also commented on the state of emergency declaration on Rivers State by President Bola Tinubu.

When asked whether he was surprised about the National Assembly’s ratification of the proclamation by Tinubu, Atiku said: “I was not surprised because I know the leadership is corrupt, no apologies about that. They could do anything, and the Senate President is known to have that type of character even when he was a governor.”

The former vice president further, who is a leading Opposition Leader in the country, accused Akpabio of misconduct beyond financial corruption. “He was not only corrupt as a governor, but he was also in the habit of abusing women,” Atiku claimed.

On the prospect of forming a coalition to challenge the ruling party in the 2027 general election, Atiku drew parallels to the 2014 opposition merger that led to the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

“We had a similar merger in 2014, and there were about four or three of us who ran for president. When one of us emerged, we all supported the one who emerged, and he won,” he said.

While he did not confirm his intention to run for president again, Atiku emphasised the need for experienced and credible leadership for Nigeria at this time.

“I have not seen Nigeria in more dire need of an experienced and credible leader than now,” Atiku stated.

The Super Eagles coach, Eric Chelle, has blamed errors made on the field of play for the inability of his team to defeat Zimbabwe on Tuesday in their 2026 World Cup qualifying match in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

Naija News reports Chelle made the submission in his post-match press conference after the Eagles played out a 1-1 draw against their visitors from Zimbabwe.

He also added that it was difficult to speak further on the game because he has yet to review the game.

“We made some mistakes, we were the best team on the pitch. This is football. It is difficult for me to analyze the game right now; we will review it later,” Chelle said

The coach also avoided blaming any particular person for the frustrating draw, noting that the whole team is responsible for whatever outcome they get.

“I don’t want to blame the defenders,” he stated

With the results, Nigeria occupy the fourth position in Group C with just seven points—six adrift of table-toppers South Africa, which leaves the fate of qualification hanging in the balance.

Nigeria will need a dramatic turnaround in their remaining fixtures and hope other results go their way to stand a chance of making it to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has reiterated the need for urgent restructuring in Nigeria, emphasizing that the country’s current trajectory poses a threat to the democratic rights of citizens.

Speaking at a coalition meeting in Yola on Tuesday, which saw members from various political parties in attendance, Atiku made a passionate call for change, warning that without action, future generations would suffer the consequences.

“We need a new movement that we can use to correct things; if we do not act this time, our children will become slaves in their father’s land,” Atiku stated, stressing that the country was not moving in the right direction.

Naija News reports that the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate revealed that he would soon speak out on national issues and clarify his political stance.

He urged his supporters to remain patient and focused, promising that he would soon break his silence on the state of the nation.

“It is not yet time for me to speak on the politics of the country, but very soon I will break my silence on my political position and other things that are going on wrongly in the country,” Atiku added.

The former vice president also called on Nigerians to be vigilant and continue working towards the country’s best interests, describing the new movement as a potential savior for the nation.

Senator Ishaku Abbo, the convener of the coalition meeting, echoed Atiku’s sentiments and affirmed that the former vice president remained their political leader, irrespective of party affiliation.

“The former vice president, you are our party, you are our logo, anywhere you go we will follow you,” Abbo stated, emphasizing Atiku’s enduring influence and leadership qualities that have endeared him to many democrats, particularly during his eight years as vice president.

Abbo’s endorsement of Atiku’s leadership resonated with the attendees, who included representatives from all 21 local government areas of Adamawa State, as well as aides from the All Progressives Congress (APC), such as those supporting the 2023 governorship candidate, Senator Aishatu Binani.

In a surprising twist, one of Senator Binani’s aides confirmed the APC candidate’s involvement in the coalition. The aide, speaking anonymously with Punch, indicated that despite Binani’s other commitments, she was aligned with the coalition and would attend future meetings.

“For you to see me here, it is very clear that my principal is among the coalition team, you see other members of the APC who are her supporters here,” the aide said, signaling a potential shift in political allegiance.

The aide also assured that Binani would be present at the next meeting.