Top newspapers headlines in Nigeria for today, Wednesday, 15th June 2022
1. Buhari Not Controlled By Cabal, Takes Decisions On His Own – Presidency
It also dispelled claims that the President does not take decisions alone on national issues or carries them out without the backup of the cabal.
Presidential Spokesman, Garba Shehu, stated this in a statement issued on Tuesday titled “President’s Laudatory Role in the APC Primary.”
Shehu stated that the President played a key role in the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential primary, stating that the Nigerian leader gave the party leadership free hand to conduct a credible election.
He said President refused to be an elected autocrat and ensured that the APC primary was a transparent, free and fair process that would bring back people’s faith in democracy by taking good governance up to the grassroots level.
2. 2023: Ayu Reveals When PDP Would Announce Atiku’s Running Mate
The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Iyiochia Ayu, on Tuesday, revealed when the main opposition party would announce its Vice Presidential candidate.
According to Ayu, PDP would reveal the running mate of the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar within the next 48 hours,
Ayu stated this while addressing members of the consultative committee set up to assist Atiku to choose a running mate.
Truetells Nigeria had earlier reported that Ayu was in a closed-door meeting with some party leaders at the party’s national secretariat.
3. Senate President, Lawan Consoles ‘Self’, Other Senators Defeated In Primaries
The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan on Tuesday consoled lawmakers in the upper chamber who lost their chance of returning to the Senate in their party’s primary.
Recall that the Senate President was defeated during the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress on the 6th of June, 2022.
Lawan has been in the news in the past few days after the youth leader in Yobe State, Bashir Machina refused to step down and hand over the senatorial ticket to the Senate President.
There are possibilities that Lawan might not be returning to the Senate in 2023.
Lawan while speaking at the resumption of Senate plenary on Tuesday called on Senators who lost their party tickets not to lose hope but to remain committed to the political system.
4. Uzodinma States Position On Muslim-Muslim Ticket
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has reacted to the controversy trailing the Muslim/Muslim presidential ticket being muted in the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This is coming amidst the speculation that the Presidential candidate of APC, Bola Tinubu, would be setting for a Muslim Northerner as running mate.
The speculation has generated a barrage of reactions on and off social media as citizens express worries that it would be an unfair move considering the religious status of the country.
In a chat with State House Correspondents on Tuesday, Uzodinma said Tinubu in choosing his running mate would do what’s best for the country.
The Governor said Tinubu would choose a running mate that would help him unite the country and promote peace among the citizens.
Uzodinma added that the former Lagos Governor would choose a competent candidate that will be accepted nationwide and can help win elections.
The Governor urged Nigerians not focus on the religious and geopolitical zone of Tinubu’s running mate, but rather be interested in who can deliver.
5. Abaribe, Abdullahi Officially Resign As Senate Minority, Majority Leaders Respectively
The two Senate Leaders, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe and Senator Yahaya Abdullahi on Tuesday, officially resigned from their positions in the upper chamber of the National Assembly.
Truetells Nigeria reports Abaribe resigned as the Senate Minority Leader while Abdullahi resigned as the Senate Majority Leader.
Their letters of resignation were read during plenary by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan.
Both lawmakers resigned from their positions as principal officers following their defection from their political parties based on the outcome of the respective primaries in which they contested and lost.
While Abaribe dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Abdullahi defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the PDP.
6. Running Mate: Buhari Meets APC Governors In Aso Rock
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met with Progressive Governors’ Forum at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The closed-door meeting with the governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress was targeted at picking a running mate for the presidential candidate of the party, Bola Tinubu.
The Chairman of the forum and Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu led his colleagues to the meeting with the President.
The meeting was attended by the Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, Governors Babagana Zulum, Borno, Nasir El-Rufai, Kaduna, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, Jigawa, Abdullahi Sule, Nasarawa, Simon Lalong, Plateau, Yahaya Bello, Kogi, and Hope Uzodinma of Imo State.
7. 2023: As INEC Deadline Approaches, Tinubu Urged To Pick Dogara As Running Mate
The 2023 presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu has been urged to pick former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara as his running mate.
According to the National Chairman of the Youth Progressives Forum of APC, Mr. Ukkasha Rahama who made the call on Tuesday during a press conference in Bauchi, Dogara is imminently qualified and would put to rest the agitations bordering on a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
The APC Chieftain added that his argument is not purely about religion, stating that Dogara is competent and has a wealth of political experience that can be easily brought to the table as the Vice President.
Rahama pointed out also that the former Speaker will easily satisfy the demand for fairness and justice in a multi-religious setting like Nigeria.
8. Court Sentences Abba Kyari Co-defendants To Prison
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced two co-defendants of the suspended DCP Abba Kyari to prison.
The convicts, Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne are mentioned in the suit filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) against the embattled DCP, Naija News recalls.
They were the two alleged drug traffickers arrested at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu by the Nigerian police force and handed over to the NDLEA for further investigation.
After a series of investigations, the duo are said to have admitted to committing the offence preferred against them in counts 5, 6 and 7 by the NDLEA.
9. National Assembly Workers, PASAN Suspend Strike
National Assembly workers under the auspices of the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria, PASAN, have announced the suspension of their strike action.
Truetells Nigeria recalls that the parliamentary staff had embarked on the industrial action to press further their demands and protest the delay in fully implementing their revised service condition.
However, the PASAN Chairman, Sunday Sabiyi who spoke with journalists today at the entrance of the National Assembly said they agreed to suspend the strike following some agreements reached with the leadership of the Senate.
PASAN, however, threatened to resume protest and another indefinite strike should the senate again fail to implement their demands by the end of July as agreed in their meeting.
Naija News understands that the strike suspension was coming days after Senate President, Ahmed Lawan held a closed-door meeting with executives of the PASAN.
10. 2023: Ohanaeze Reveals What Will Happen To Peter Obi If He Accepts To Be Kwankwaso’s Running Mate
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-political organization, has revealed that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, would lose his popularity if he accepts to be the running mate of Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party.
This is coming after several reports alleged that the NNPP and LP are in talks over the possibility of merging ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
Reacting to the development, Ohanaeze Ndigbo in a statement on Tuesday by the Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, warned Obi against accepting to become a running mate of Kwankwaso.
He however said the merger arrangements between NNPP and LP would strengthen the chances of Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso dislodging the ruling APC in the 2023 presidential election.