Headlines
APC Govs Back Shettima’s Candidacy after Meeting Buhari
Nine Governors of the All Progressives Congress, on Monday, held a one-hour closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in his Daura private residence at the end of which they declared their support for Senator Kashim Shettima as the running mate to the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, in the 2023 general election.
The Governors also said they had confidence in the combination of Tinubu and Shettima to ensure victory for the party at the presidential election.
The Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, Abubakar Bagudu, told journalists at the end of the closed-door meeting: “We were pleasantly surprised when Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu announced in Daura on Sunday that Senator Kashim Ibrahim Shettima was the Vice Presidential candidate.
“We were happy that it is no less a person than Senator Shettima who was announced the Vice Presidential candidate. No doubt, Senator Shettima would complement the good qualities of Asiwaju Tinubu. We are very very happy at the choice. The two will complement each other and will surely consolidate on the achievements of the President in the past seven years .”
Bagudu added that their visit to Daura was to felicitate the President over Sallah.
Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, also chipped in that Shettima’s choice as the vice presidential candidate was a collective decision by all the Progressives Governors, adding that all the governors would work hard to ensure victory for the APC in the 2023 elections.
He said, “The choice of Senator Shettima as the vice presidential candidate is a collective decision. We shall work hard to ensure victory in all our states.”
Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, also said while the choice of the vice presidential candidate was the prerogative of the presidential candidate, all the APC governors would work to ensure the party’s victory at the 2023 general election.
He declared, “A presidential candidate has the prerogative of picking his Vice. But ours is to ensure the party’s victory in the presidential election.”
The nine governors: Aminu Masari (Katsina); Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano); Abubakar Bagudu (Kebbi); Abubakar Bello (Niger); Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa); Hope Uzodimma (Imo); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Simon Lalong (Plateau); and Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), had earlier held the closed-door meeting with the President.
They were led by the Chairman, Progressives Governors’ Forum, Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State.
All of them except El-Rufai had travelled by road from Katsina where Governor Aminu Masari led them as chief host.
They drove into Daura’s private residence of the President few minutes after one in the afternoon, shortly after which the meeting started. The Kaduna State Governor later joined them at the meeting.
The meeting lasted almost one hour after which they and the President retired for a lunch.
The President later saw them off at 3:05pm after publicly exchanging banters with them.
The Punch
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, on Monday, held a crucial meeting with service chiefs and heads of security and intelligence agencies in the country
The crucial meeting took place at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Abuja, followed reports of a directive by the President of United States, Donald Trump to prepare for possible military action in Nigeria over the alleged genocide of Christians in the country.
Security sources hinted that the emergency meeting, which began in the afternoon was aimed at assessing the implications of Trump’s statement accusing the Nigerian government of failing to protect Christians from Islamist militant groups.
Trump’s remarks, made late Saturday, stated that the U.S. military was being prepared to “act in Nigeria to tackle Islamist militancy” a statement that had triggered widespread concern across diplomatic and security circles in Abuja.
Reports said that the NSA convened the session to coordinate a unified national security response and review intelligence assessments on the potential fallout of the U.S. president’s pronouncement.
The outcome of the meeting is expected to be communicated through official channels from the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (NWC) has suspended the National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade; National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu; Deputy Legal Adviser, Okechukwu Osuoha; and National Organizing Secretary, Umaru Bature for one month.
The suspension comes on the heels of the judgement of the Federal High Court On Friday, which stopped the party’s planned national convention.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, told journalists in Abuja on Saturday, that the decision followed an emergency meeting of the national working committee, which was held in Abuja.
President Donald Trump of the United States on Friday designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), in response to allegations of widespread persecution and genocide against Christians.
Writing on his Truth Social account, Trump stated that Christianity faces a serious threat in Nigeria.
The US leader also added Nigeria to a State Department watch list.
“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter,” Trump wrote.
According to the US president, he was placing Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer and most populous nation, on a “Countries of Particular Concern” list of nations the US deems to have engaged in religious freedom violations.
According to the State Department’s website, the list includes China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, and Pakistan, among others.
Trump said he had asked US Representatives Riley Moore and Tom Cole, as well as the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, to look into the matter and report back to him.
