Headlines
2023 Presidency: Ngige Urges Igbo to Join APC
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has enjoined the Igbo to show mass presence in the All Progressives Congress.
He said the APC was the easiest political platform the South-East geopolitical zone could use to ascend to the presidency of the country.
This was coming a day after a close ally of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), Mallam Ismaila Funtua, said any Igbo who wanted to be President should join the ruling APC.
Funtua, who featured on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Saturday, had said, “They (Igbo) should belong. They should join the party. They want to do things on their own and because they are Igbos, we should dash them the president? That was the reason I asked: is it ‘Turn By Turn Nigeria Limited’?”
“If the Igbo want to be President, then they must belong. If you don’t belong, then you can’t be the President. That is the issue and we have seen it with MKO Abiola of blessed memory. He went out of his way, he cultivated people.”
Voicing the same opinion, Ngige, while speaking with APC members on Sunday in Alor, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, said Buhari had shown enough goodwill to the South-East that the area should support him by showing heavy presence in the APC.
The minister had on the occasion shared 3,700 bags of rice, grinding machines, generators, sewing machines to party members at various levels in the state.
Cash and food were also shared on the occasion.
Ngige vowed that the APC would take over Anambra State in the 2021 governorship poll as a pilot demonstration of overwhelming acceptance of the party in the zone.
He said, “The roads which my administration constructed in 2004 are what people are still using today. The All Progressives Grand Alliance has failed us. 2021 is my last fight.
“This is our last major fight. I will fight the way I did when I contested the senatorial election of Anambra Central in 2010.
“The Federal Government of President Buhari has done for well for the Igbo.
“The Social Investment Programme for women of President Buhari is second to none.
“The Enugu airport is receiving attention with N10bn mapped out for its renovation and refurbishment.
“Before long, International airlines will be struggling to operate there.
“The 2nd Niger Bridge is 45 percent completion and it will be toll free unlike what the Obasanjo and Jonathan administrations proposed.
“What I’m begging you is for our party to be united. Any person who doesn’t have the spirit of unity in our party should tell us now and leave us.”
The Punch
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for an independent, transparent, and comprehensive investigation into the academic and professional credentials of all members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), beginning with President Bola Tinubu himself.
Atiku’s call comes in the wake of the recent resignation of the former Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, over an alleged certificate scandal.
Following the controversy surrounding the authenticity of his academic qualifications, Nnaji tendered his resignation on Tuesday. He, however, maintains that his resignation is not an admission of guilt.
Reacting to the development in a post on his X handle on Wednesday, Atiku said the resignation of the former minister has “once again brought to light the deep moral crisis at the heart of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.”
The former Vice President also questioned Tinubu’s own credentials, alleging that they have been the subject of controversy for decades. He, therefore, called for a thorough investigation into the credentials of all FEC members, starting with the President.
“This episode is not isolated. It is a reflection of a pattern — a rot that begins from the very top. The man who occupies the office of President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has for decades been enmeshed in controversies surrounding his identity, age, and academic records.
“From the Chicago State University saga to multiple contradictory claims under oath, the world has seen ample evidence that Nigeria today is led by a man who himself has been unable to credibly defend the authenticity of his own certificates.
“When a man of questionable identity leads a country, deception becomes the standard of governance. Tinubu’s personal history of alleged forgery and perjury has effectively institutionalized falsehood in public service.
“It is, therefore, unsurprising that his ministers and aides have taken after his example — falsifying documents, inflating records, and desecrating the moral foundation of our nation.
“I, therefore, call for an independent, transparent, and comprehensive investigation into the academic and professional credentials of all members of the Federal Executive Council, beginning with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu himself. Nigerians deserve to know the truth about those who preside over their lives and resources.
“Tuesday’s resignation of Uche Nnaji, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, has once again brought to light the deep moral crisis at the heart of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
“What should ordinarily be a matter of national shame is now being disguised as a ‘voluntary resignation’ — an attempt to whitewash yet another scandal that typifies the forgery-ridden character of this government,” Atiku said.
He condemned President Tinubu’s decision to allow Nnaji an honourable resignation rather than a dismissal.
“Let the truth be told: Uche Nnaji should not have been allowed the courtesy of resignation. He should have been summarily dismissed and prosecuted for deceit and falsification.
“By permitting him to quietly exit through the back door, the Tinubu administration has once again demonstrated that it is an assembly of forgers, impostors, and morally bankrupt individuals masquerading as public servants.”
Atiku also berated the Department of State Services (DSS), questioning how Nnaji’s alleged certificate scandal escaped detection during the screening process prior to his appointment.
“What makes this even more embarrassing is that the same Department of State Services (DSS), which screened out Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for alleged ‘security concerns’, is the very agency that cleared this same character, Uche Nnaji.
“The DSS truly deserves our flowers for this national disgrace. Their failure of due diligence has made Nigeria an object of ridicule before the world and raises the question: how many more such individuals are occupying sensitive positions in this government?”
President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, accepted Professor Mahmood Yakubu’s departure as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) following the expiration of his second term in office.
Yakubu was first appointed in November 2015 as the 14th chairman of the commission for an initial term of five years.
The appointment, which was renewed in 2020, has now expired due to the passage of time.
President Tinubu thanked Professor Yakubu for his services to the nation and his efforts to sustain Nigeria’s democracy, particularly through the organisation of free and fair elections throughout his two-term tenure.
In recognition of Yakubu’s dedicated service to the nation, President Tinubu has bestowed on him the honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
President Tinubu also directed that Professor Yakubu should hand over to the most senior national commissioner, May Agbamuche-Mbu, who will direct the affairs of the Commission until the completion of the process to appoint a successor.
In the letter dated October 3, 2025, Professor Yakubu thanked the President for the opportunity to serve the nation as chairman of the commission since 2015.
The Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Geoffrey Uche Nnaji, has resigned his position following allegations of certificate forgery levelled against him.
President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, confirmed the resignation in a statement on Tuesday, saying the President has accepted the Minister’s decision to step down.
He added that “President Tinubu appointed Nnaji in August 2023. He resigned today in a letter thanking the President for allowing him to serve Nigeria.”
Onanuga further quoted the former Minister as saying he had “been a target of blackmail by political opponents.”
“President Tinubu thanked him for his service and wished him well in future endeavours,” the statement added.
