The Director of Research and Documentation of the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organization, Don Pedro Obaseki on Monday claimed that former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, is insisting on the release of President Bola Tinubu’s academic records at the Chicago State University (CSU), to expose alleged identity fraud.

Naija News gathered that Obaseki stated this during a Zoom conference hosted by a psychologist based in London, Prof. Gold Emmanuel.

Obaseki accused President Tinubu of fighting to prevent the release of the credentials which he admitted “would cause irreparable damage to his person,” because of the details therein.

He further stated that Nigerians will be shocked when President Tinubu’s record is made public by the University.

According to Obaseki, the real owner of the academic records Tinubu has been laying claim to will be exposed.

Obaseki said, “Nigerians will be more demoralized that the owner of the certificate that President Tinubu is parading is a woman. We already know it as a fact, but we are seeking the release of the documents officially by CSU.”

He also expressed confidence that the documents when released, may compel the Supreme Court to consider fresh evidence in support of petitions currently before it.

Obaseki further said, “Even when the court of first instance and the appellate court have convicted someone to death and minutes before the Supreme Court gives its final judgement and there arose fresh and compelling facts and evidence, the apex court is bound to listen to the fresh facts before making its final judgement.

“It is an unwritten proviso that where there is a compelling factual fact other than what is already obtained in the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), the Supreme Court will be bound to accept the new facts of law and rule on them.”

Obaseki also claimed that the interpretation of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) concerning the position of the 1999 Constitution (As Amended), on the Federal Capital Territory, was with all due respect, an attempt to manufacture evidence.

He said, “Abuja cannot be called a state. A state as stipulated in the 1999 constitution must have a state assembly of its own. A state must have a governor. Abuja as presently constituted is not a state.

“FCT or Abuja as the case may be is patterned after Washington in the United States of America. It is such made so that no one part of the country can claim it. It is home to all Nigerians.

“The FCT was carved out of Niger state, Kogi state, Benue state and Nasarawa state. It cannot be declared a state by the PEPC.

“The PEPC cannot amend the 1999 constitution through the back door. There are processes to do that. This is one important issue that the Supreme Court must address.”

He equally accused President Tinubu of arresting Nigeria’s development through his knee-jerk approach to economic issues.

Obaseki declared, “In one full swoop of three words, he removed the fuel subsidy without caring of the consequences to the already multi-dimensional poverty in Nigeria. He devalued the naira among other policies that have negatively affected the economy.”

He explained that the Supreme Court has a moral obligation to ensure that Nigerians irrespective of social status get justice.

Obaseki echoed Atiku’s position rejecting any form of military intervention because democracy, despite its imperfections, remains the best form of government.

He also demanded the prosecution of the chairman, of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, whom he accused of complicity in the current travails of Nigerians when he allegedly manipulated the electoral process to give the All Progressives Congress unmerited victory.

Obaseki added, “INEC abandoned all the policies it advocated that would ensure a free and fair election in the country.

“Is it not curious that two elections took place the same day, same time, one result was transmitted electronically and the other was not?”

An All Progressives Congress, APC, youth leader, Hyde Kalu, has urged the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, to discontinue the suit he filed against President Bola Tinubu in the United States.

Atiku had in the suit asked a US district court to order Chicago State University, Tinubu’s alma mater, to release the President’s academic records.

Kalu, in a statement on Monday, urged Atiku to allow the judiciary in Nigeria to decide disputes arising from the 2023 presidential election.

He noted that Nigeria is being ridiculed in the comity of nations as a result of the legal dispute in the US.

The APC youth leader said the call became necessary because the issue was already generating negative attention on Nigeria across the globe.

He begged Atiku to save the country the embarrassment.

The statement read, “Atiku is a statesman, and it is not in contention that he has the love of Nigeria at heart.

“I am sure that no Nigerian is happy with the way our country has been subjected to ridicule over the court ruling in the United States

“For the love of this country and to spare Nigerians the shame of how this process may end, it is important that we plead with Atiku to drop that case and not allow us wash our dirty linens in the public.

“We are all patriots, and I believe that we can have a decent way of handling this matter and save Nigerians the shame of this impending embarrassment.

“The election has come and gone, and a president has emerged. We are all humans, and that is why I am pleading with Atiku to discontinue the case in America for the sake of the country and in consideration of the friendship between him and President Tinubu.”

…Fetish Object Placed At Official Residence

The crisis between Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa has assumed a risky dimension as the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Olamide Oladiji raised the alarm that his life is being threatened by some unknown persons.

Speaking with newsmen at the Assembly on Monday, the Speaker disclosed that he has been receiving phone calls from unknown persons threatening him shortly after the Assembly began the impeachment process of the state Deputy Governor on Wednesday.

Oladiji also revealed that some of his colleagues from the Southern Senatorial District of the state have been warned not to visit their constituencies or they risk attack.

He told journalists that he saw a fetish substance placed at the entrance of his official residence at Alagbaka, Akure, the state capital early on Monday morning.

But the Speaker declared that he was unperturbed by the phone calls and fetish substance, saying the tormentors were trying to put pressure on him to disembark from the constitutional duties of the Assembly.

He, therefore, called on security agencies in the state to beef up security around him and other members of the Assembly to prevent them from being attacked the strange callers.

The Speaker called on the Police and other security agencies to track down the strange callers.

According to him, “Very early this morning(Monday), when I was about going out, I saw an object in front of my lodge.

“Since the day we started this process(impeachment process), I have been receiving strange calls. My life has also been under serious threat from unknown people.

“So, I want to call on the people of Ondo State and security operatives to track down these people.”

Meanwhile, the Speaker disclosed that the Assembly has served Deputy Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa the notice on the allegations of gross misconduct and abuse if office on Monday afternoon.

He disclosed that the Deputy Governor was served through substitution service having found it impossible to serve him physically.

Oladiji said: “One hour ago, we served the Deputy Governor. Since Wednesday 20th, we have been trying our best to see how we can get him served, but we were not able to achieve that.

“Now we have to go through the court. We got an affidavit from the court to serve him through substituted service.

“So, he has been served through his office. It was received by his Secretary. I am not under any pressure, except the threats. This is a legislative assignment.”

In his presentation before a federal judge in the United States on Monday, President Bola Tinubu through his counsel has pleaded with the judge to release only his university certificate to Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the February 25 election.

He pleaded with the court to hide his gender and other school records from his political rival, Atiku.

Tinubu argued that releasing all his academic records including his gender would be costly to him.

“There is harm in allowing discovery on issues and documents outside the diploma,” Tinubu had pleaded while seeking a review of Judge Jeffrey Gilbert’s order by Ms Maldonado, a district judge.

The judge while shifting his ruling to Monday called both parties to make their presentation before him.

Atiku had approached the court to compel the Chicago State University, CSU, to release complete information of the president to unravel who he is, following many years of controversy surrounding his state of origin, gender, age, academic records among other biodata.

One of the controversial documents showed the person Bola Tinubu as a ‘female’ while others contained conflicting information and discrepancies that the president has failed to explain.

Atiku said causing the CSU to release all documents linked to the president will put to rest the controversy as well as aiding his case in Court regarding the outcome of the presidential election.

But after stoutly opposing the release of his documents a week ago, the president has at the hearing today (Monday) pleaded that the court can cause only partial release of the documents, which is his certificate while blocking the CSU from releasing others.

Simon Bako Lalong and Nkeiruka Chidubem Onyejeocha are two dogged fighters. Over time, both of them have earned their ranks in the rough terrain of Nigerian politics, fighting and winning notable battles along the way. Today, the two who are still settling down in office as President Bola Tinubu’s ministers, are in the centre of an intriguing challenge of what to do with their National Assembly election mandates which they have just retrieved from the tribunals.

Two people of two different genders from two different political backgrounds with a similar fairy tale of a story weaved by several twists of fate.

Lalong served two terms as Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly between 1999 and 2007 before he went for the ultimate prize as governor in 2015. After serving as Plateau State governor for 8 eight long years, the contest for the Plateau South Senate seat was supposed to be pretty predictable in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate.

When the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, called the election, Lalong who doubled as Director-General of Bola Tinubu’s presidential campaign organization, ‘lost’ to Napoleon Bali of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Onyejeocha’s record is no less impressive. After serving as Abia State Commissioner for Resource Management and Manpower Development under Governor Orji Uzor Kalu, she contested and won the 2007 election to represent Isiukwuato/Umunneochi constituency in the Federal House of Representatives on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party. She remained in the Green Chamber for an unprecedented four terms. Her fifth term, this time on the platform of the APC, was also supposed to be a straightforward matter, but when INEC announced the result on February 28, 2023, Onyejeocha ‘lost’ to Amobi Ogah of the Labour Party.

Simon Lalong

Like in most electoral contests in Nigeria, final outcomes are never known until the courts speak; the euphoria of victories called by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, may sometimes be short lived. Both Lalong and Onyejeocha were obviously not satisfied with the declarations by the electoral body, hence their decision to head for the election tribunals in Jos and Umuahia, respectively. In their usual dogged manner, each of them put up a good fight and hoped that jubilation may come their way in the end.

Nobody has told us if they lobbied for it, but when President Tinubu tapped them for ministerial appointments, it resonated with party chieftains. It would be unfair to shut out the former Campaign DG, just as there was need to accommodate the woman who stepped down for Gbajabiamila during the 2019 race for Speaker of the House of Representatives.

They did what most Nigerians in their positions will do in the circumstances by taking up the offers, after all, many sitting parliamentarians abandon their mandates when offered ministerial positions. The former governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. Dave Umahi is a recent example: he had already bagged the position of Deputy Majority Whip in the Senate but was at the time already gearing to join the federal executive council.

So, rather than wait for an uncertain judicial outcome, they opted to accept. That notwithstanding, the Judicial process, like a coach already in motion, continued to run its course. Meanwhile, on 21 August 2023, they were sworn in as ministers and posted, coincidentally, into the same Ministry of Labour and Employment; one as Minister and the other as Minister of State.

They plunged into the unenviable task of resolving, through hard negotiations with the organized labour, the myriad of outstanding industrial and labour issues involving the Federal Government. The sudden announcement on May 29, that fuel subsidy had been removed, pitched the government against the Nigeria Labour Congress, Trade Union Congress and their affiliates that pencilled down a list of demands to cushion the biting effects brought about by the policy reversal.

While still battling over the thorny issues with the labour unions, however, providence struck. The news filtered that the petition filed by Onyejeocha before the Tribunal sitting in Umuahia, against the election of Labour Party’s Hon. Amobi Ogah representing Isiukwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency, had succeeded. Delivering judgement in the petition EPT/AB/HR/8/2023, the three-member panel nullified the election that returned Ogar for substantial non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

Nkeiruka Onyejeocha

Days later, a similar news also came from the Elections Petitions Tribunal in Jos headed by Omaka Elekwo. The tribunal similarly nullified the election of Senator Napoleon Bali of the PDP because of the party’s refusal to respect the order of a Jos High court to conduct ward congresses before the last general elections. With all the votes cast for the PDP candidate invalidated, the senator representing Plateau South was sacked and Simon Lalong of the APC subsequently declared the validly elected candidate for the seat.

They are not alone. Hundreds of other candidates who contested the 2023 elections and found themselves, either as petitioners or respondents, in the many Tribunals across the country, were also affected in the judicial topsy-turvy. While many are jubilating, others gnash their teeth. But everybody knows, in most cases, that the last words have not been heard. Sixty more days of appeal is a long period in the courts, especially when election matters are in issue.

While the losers in both cases, legislators in the green and the red chambers of the National Assembly, respectively, have indicated interest in appealing the judgments, attention has returned to the two ministers. Have Lalong and Onyejeocha just laboured in vain? Even if their tribunal victories are sustained on appeal, to what effect will their victories be? Will they opt out of the federal cabinet to enjoy the fruits of their labour in the National Assembly or continue in the ministry of Labour?

Sheddy Ozoene, Editor-in-Chief of People&Politics, is the Vice President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors.

It is a bit of a risk to advise your professional colleague, especially one in a big political office. No matter the nobility of your intentions, you’d always be misunderstood. If he has a large ego, like many political appointees, he may feel offended and mark you down for a revenge. I have seen it before, but I cannot resist the urge to send this note to Ajuri Ngelale, the president’s spokesman, who is bumping from one blunder to the other, embarrassing himself and his bosses along the way. In the social media, he is being derisively referred to as ‘’junior Lai Mohammed’’ with many saying that his official statements are filled with embellishments, obfuscations or outright lies. Ngelale has become the subject of jokes on morning talk shows and social media chatrooms. Ngelale is in too much of a hurry to impress the President, who in turn, is too eager to dazzle Nigerians with his fabled wizardry in governance. In his haste, the spokesman overlooks the key cardinal principles of his job: cross check all your claims; keep the message simple and honest and above all, stay humble and true to the people.

Soon after the President met with the leaders of UAE early in September, Ngelari rushed out a statement claiming that the UAE authorities have approved the immediate lift of visa ban on Nigerians and the immediate resumption of Emirates and Etihad flights to our country. ‘’President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the President of United Arab Emirates, Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Monday on Abu Dhabi, have finalized a historic agreement, which has resulted in the immediate cessation of the visa ban placed on Nigerian travelers. As negotiated between the two Heads of State, this immediate restoration of flight activity, through these two airlines and between the two countries, does not involve any immediate payment by the Nigerian government’’, the statement reads. No sooner had the press release reached newsrooms than the UAE government issued their own version, disclaiming Ngelari’s statement. It noted that the two leaders only exchanged diplomatic niceties and courtesies. There were no discussions on the visa ban and flights resumption.

This was an obvious embarrassment to the Nigerian government and a dent on Ngelari’s professional reputation. Was he not in the meeting between the two Heads of State, or did he deliberately lie to Nigerians just to present his boss as a miracle worker? Presidential spokespersons sit in almost all meetings and they are well informed of the President’s activities. How then could he have issued a statement that was not only patently false, but also filled with superfluities. Words like ‘’historic agreement’’; ‘’immediate cessation’’; ‘’immediate restoration’’ and ‘’negotiated between the two Heads of State’’ easily revealed the writer’s hidden mission. Presidents don’t negotiate agreements! Negotiations are done at ministerial levels. The statement was also defective in a more intrinsic way. It did not mention anything about a possible return of the Nigerian airline, Airpeace, which had also been flying into UAE as part of the bilateral air service agreement (BASA) which we have with the Arab country. How could our President have sat down to agree on such a one-sided agreement? Didn’t he consult with our aviation officials before the talks?

Nine days after the UAE debacle, Ngelale issued another statement from New York, announcing that President Tinubu had rung the closing bell at NASDAQ in New York, and that he was the first ‘’African Head of State to be given the honour’’. That was a lie. President Jakaya Kilwete of Tanzania had in September 2011 rung the NASDAQ closing bell. President Goodluck Jonathan had in 2013 rung the bell at New York Stock Exchange, a bigger exchange than NASDAQ. Even a Nigerian citizen, Ms Florence Otedola, popularly known by her trade name, DJ Cuppy, had also rung the NYSE closing bell. There was uproar across the country and the embarrassment was so huge that Ngelale had to issue an apology for the mistake, explaining that he was misguided by a third party. A simple Google search would have saved him this humiliation.

But why does the administration seem to have a predilection to exaggerate its claims and depict the President as the ‘’only one’’ – someone with a special set of skills who have done what his predecessors could not do? The answer is rooted in the psychology of the man and the people around him. Tinubu has always been presented as the greatest political tactician ever in the country. When he was governor, he erected billboards bearing his photograph and those of Mahatma Ghandi and Obafemi Awolowo, essentially comparing himself with the two renowned sages. He skillfully cultivated this image in the 16 years he out of public office. His prominent roles in building APC from a regional platform to a national party that has won three presidential elections has further buoyed his credentials. Throughout the last campaigns, the Tinubu camp rode on this sentiment, presenting himself as the man with extraordinary powers. He built Lagos, we were told, transformed it from a rustic town to a mega metropolis with Class A Team. He is the only one who will revive Nigeria, his campaign boasted. On May 29, Tinubu ended his inaugural speech with ‘’All these would be possible because my name is Bola Tinubu’’. Since then, every piece of communication from the Villa and other corners of the administration has been deliberately couched to reinforce the mantra that the President can do all things. By garnishing his public statements with unfounded claims, Ngelale is only trying hard to strengthen this narrative, but unfortunately, his efforts have fallen flat. It is now up to him to mend his ways.

I have had some interesting relationships with previous presidential spokesmen. In the early days of the Obasanjo administration when the President was mired in many controversies, I wrote a piece entitled ‘’Communicating the President’’ in which I offered some suggestions on how best to manage his engagements with the media. Dr. Doyin Okukpe, the then SA on Media & Publicity to the President, liked the piece and invited me to meet him in Abuja. It was my first time in the Villa. Garba Shehu and Femi Adeshina warmed up to me easily given my passionate support to President Buhari, until I wrote a piece ‘’The many frustrations of Femi Adeshina’’ in February 2020 in which I advised Adeshina on how best to handle the pressures of the job. But he did not like my intervention. Dr. Reuben Abati took my many interjections in his strides, apparently because we had come a long way from our days at The Guardian. In January 2013 or so (not very sure), President Goodluck Jonathan attended WEF at Davos, Switzerland, and I watched with horror as the President addressed a press conference in what appeared as a restaurant, with wine and liquor glasses appearing in the background. I denounced the setting and the apparent lack of attention to detail on the part of the people who arranged event. Abati called me and explained the circumstances surrounding the shoddy arrangements and how he was blindsided in the preparations. He took my comments with equanimity.

I do not know Ngelale personally, but as a young media professional, I want him to succeed. He should, however, learn three important lessons. One, President Tinubu is not a superhuman being with extraterrestrial powers. He will play his parts, and leave the stage one day.
Two, a presidential communication ought to be measured, elegant and delicate. Three, a key ingredient of public communication is to establish your own personal integrity. If the communicator does not come across as believable, authentic and truthful, he will lose his audience sooner than later.

President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof Emmanuel Osodeke, has warned that 40 to 50 per cent of students will leave school in the next two to three years if the federal government fails to stop the arbitrary increment in school fees by the universities.

Prof Osodeke gave the warning while speaking on the current situation in the education sector in Nigeria on Channels TV Sunday night.

The union leader, who accused universities of arbitrarily increasing school fees, posited that the government should rather be attracting more students to school by its education policies.

“Today, universities are arbitrarily increasing school fees. Is that correct in an environment today where the minimum wage is N30,000 per month when you have to pay rent, pay heavily for transportation and you are enforcing it on the students?

“If nothing is done about these heavy fees being introduced by schools all over the country, in the next two or three years, more than 40 to 50 per cent of these children who are in school today will drop out,” he said.

Prof Osodeke also warned that the country would be in trouble when its large youthful population are out of school.

He said: “When they drop out, they will become a big feed for recruitment for those who want this country to be ungovernable.

“This is what we are saying, create the environment we have in the 60s and 70s. When I was a student, the government was paying me for being a student. Let’s have an environment where the children of the poor can have access to education.

“School fees of N300,000, how can the children of someone who earns N50,000 a month be able to pay such a fee?”

He called on the government to increase budgetary allocation to education to at least 15 per cent of the total budget sum.

He lamented that the 3.8 per cent allocated to education in the last budget was nothing to write home about, saying with an increase in budget allocation to education, parents would be relieved of the burden of paying high fees for their children.

The union leader punctured the student loan policy of the government, saying there were no signs it would work.

Prof Osodeke said: “When you are talking about student loans, you have to be comprehensive. There is nothing to show that it would work.

“There is a need for a review. Check what happened in the past and see how we can move forward. But for us, our idea is that instead of calling it a loan, let us call it a grant.

“If you look at the conditions, 90 per cent of the students will not have access to that loan. The condition that you must have parents who earn less than N500,000 per annum [is harsh]. How many people earn less than N500,000 per annum?”

The Benue State House of Assembly has passed a resolution urging the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to ban the popular reality television show Big Brother Naija.

The decision was reached during a plenary session presided over by the Speaker, Hon. Hyacinth Dajoh.

The proposal gained momentum after Hon. Manger Manger, the representative for Tarka State Constituency, raised concerns about derogatory comments made by Venita Akpofure, a housemate on the show, towards the Tiv ethnic group.

In addition to the call for the show’s ban, the House decreed that Akpofure issue a public apology to the Tiv ethnic community through two national dailies and television stations.

Furthermore, they recommended reporting her to the Inspector General of Police and initiating legal action in a competent court to deter future instances.

In his motion, Manger cited Section 34 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, emphasizing that every individual or group deserves respect for their dignity, a principle that must be upheld and protected.

Manger expressed concern over the damaging remarks made by Venita, an Urhobo from Delta State.

She had claimed the Tiv people of Benue State offer their wives to visitors and friends for entertainment.

Manger underscored the importance of addressing the issue promptly to prevent confusion and misinformation, particularly since she was previously married to a Tiv man and had two children from the union.

The House aims to curb the potential harm caused by such statements, ensuring accuracy and understanding prevails.

FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, has approved a three-month grace period for owners of 189 undeveloped plots of land in the territory to start to develop them or get their allocation papers revoked.

Director of Information and Communication at the FCT Administration, Mr Muhammad Sule, stated on Sunday in Abuja that the affected title holders had obtained building plan approvals but were yet to develop the properties.

Sule stated that the affected property owners were expected to develop the property within the stipulated period or have their title documents revoked in line with extant laws.

He explained that the grace period applied to individuals and corporate organisations that had shown the desire to develop their property by obtaining building plan approvals.

Sule added that public institutions that had land titles within the FCT but had yet to develop the same were also advised to do so within the three-month grace period to avoid the sanction.

“The minister has extended this gesture to 189 property owners due to their desire to develop the properties by obtaining building plan approvals, a prerequisite for the development of any property in the FCT,” Sule was quoted by NAN as saying.

“Owners of the plots were exempted from revocation because they had already demonstrated firm commitment to develop their property by obtaining necessary documents from the FCT Administration.

“The minister is urging the affected property owners to take advantage of the gesture and develop their plots in line with the terms of their Offer of Right-of-Occupancy.”

Alhaji Wale Adedibu, an influential All Progressives Congress (APC) member from Oyo State, has passed away.

Saturday saw his passing after a brief illness.

A few days have passed since the death of the APC woman leader in the Oyo North Senatorial district before Adedibu’s passing.

Princess Adebowale Atoyebi, the female leader of the APC, passed away last week.

In response, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, who represents the Oyo South senatorial district, said that he was shocked to hear about Adedibu’s passing.

Alli in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Akeem Abas, described Adedibu as a committed and dedicated party member.

He added that the deceased worked tirelessly for the growth of the party in the State.

He said that Adedibu’s death was a reminder of the fragility of life and the need for all to cherish every moment.

He expressed condolences to the family, friends, political associates and the APC family on the tragic loss.