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Call Your Lieutenants to Order, NSA Warns Politicians Ahead Guber Polls
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The National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno, has called on political gladiators in the country to call their supporters to order ahead of the forthcoming governorship and state assembly elections
He also said security agencies will work round the clock to ensure the polls are conducted safely in the country.
Speaking at a meeting of the inter-agency consultative committee on election security organised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday, Mongonu commended security agencies, political parties and individuals for the peaceful conduct of the presidential and national assembly elections.
The NSA urged politicians to call their supporters to refrain from violence during the polls.
“Our preparation for the presidential and national assembly elections took place a few days ago. These elections were conducted with a considerable level of success in terms of security, in terms of collation and other matters,” Monguno said.
“I want to echo what the INEC chairman has just said by way of commending security agencies and intelligence organisations in the process that we just witnessed. Of course, the elections we are going into on Saturday are going to be much more complicated.
“Contextually, they are going to be different, but first of all, we are going to have 1,021 constituencies, meaning we are going to have more people interested, more people voting, more collation centres and obviously, the dynamics would be much more different than the elections that were just concluded.
“While commending the efforts of the various political parties and the individuals that participated in the last election, especially those that called for peace, for calm, I want to also urge the same individuals, especially at the state level to demonstrate the same level of maturity, the same level of discipline by calling their supporters to conduct themselves in a manner that is congruent with the expectations of the larger Nigerian society.
“Of course, there are channels for laying complaints and for addressing these complaints. For the security agencies, I know a lot has been done. I’ve been talking with the chief of defence staff, I’ve been talking with the Inspector-general of police, who is the head of the lead agency in the process of elections.
“So far so good, we do not envisage anything that is going to be terrible or apocalyptic in terms of the next few days. But, that does not mean that we should all do away with our readiness. We must comply with the rules, we must also allow everyone. I’ve said this so many times to exercise their fundamental right as citizens of this country.
“What we do not want to happen is for anybody to take the law into his or her own hands. I want to be very very clear on this, we are going to give the maximum support to all entities involved in this process.
“And we are also calling on the political bigwigs, the gladiators to call their lieutenants to order. Anybody who is itching to undermine this process should please think again. It is not in his own interest, not in the interest of the nation as well.
“Finally, those of us in the security agencies will continue to work round the clock. All the crisis centres are open and we will be talking with the chairman of INEC, if there’s anything that needs to be done, if there’s anything that needs to be added, my office is always open, ready and available to give that support.”
Vanguard
A former head coach of the Super Eagles, Austin Eguavoen, has been appointed to lead Nigeria’s Super Falcons on a temporary basis as the search for a permanent manager continues.
His immediate assignment is navigating the 2028 Olympic Games second-round qualifying tie against Comoros this October.
Eguavoen brings top-tier experience to the role, having previously guided the Super Eagles to a bronze medal at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Joining the interim technical crew is Nasarawa Amazons head coach Christopher Danjuma, who recently led the Falconets at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
Former Super Falcons defender Ayisat Yusuf – who earned 68 caps and featured at the 2008 Beijing Olympics – also joins as an assistant coach, alongside veteran goalkeeper trainer Olatunji Baruwa.
The 10-time African champions will kick off their campaign against Comoros, who advanced after a staggering 30-0 aggregate win over Sudan.
Both legs of the fixture will take place at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo on October 9 and 13, 2026.
To secure one of Africa’s two spots at the Los Angeles 2028 Games, Nigeria must navigate four two-legged knockout rounds.
Should they beat Comoros, the Super Falcons will move on to the third round in early 2027 to face either Morocco or the Democratic Republic of Congo. Subsequent rounds are set for late 2027, where potential clashes against sides like Cameroon, South Africa, or Zambia loom in the final stretch.
The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa, has accused a former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, of deliberately planning the killing of people in Southern Kaduna.
Musa made the allegation while fielding questions on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday.
The minister said El-Rufai’s administration created deep divisions in Kaduna State, alleging that the situation made it difficult for residents from Southern Kaduna to live freely in the northern part of the State and vice versa.
According to him, the administration of the current governor, Uba Sani, has made deliberate efforts to restore unity and rebuild trust among residents of the State.
“We know how it was when El-Rufai was there; it was toxic,” Musa said.
“El-Rufai did a lot of terrible things in Kaduna State. He divided the country, the State, into two. In that, if you are from the South, you cannot go to the North and live. Those ones from the North were moving to the South.
“Governor Sani within one year has been able to dissolve all that. You see, now everybody is free, everybody has a say. It’s not 100%. Let me tell you, it’s not 100%, but you can see that he’s making deliberate effort in uniting the state.”
Speaking on the feelings of people in Southern Kaduna towards the former governor, Musa said the people remained deeply pained over killings recorded in the area during El-Rufai’s tenure.
He alleged that El-Rufai deliberately planned the killing of people in the region.
“Well, I don’t know if unhappy is an issue. I think if there’s anything worse than unhappy, we can never be happy with somebody who has deliberately planned for the killing of our people,” Musa said.
“I mean, when you look at it, if you look at his videos, you know, his speeches, he was very proud of what he did.
“He told us he paid bandits. He told us he did this, he did that. He didn’t hide it. He was that arrogant to come out and tell people that this was what he did.”
The Defence Minister said residents of Southern Kaduna were still traumatised by the killings that occurred during the period, adding that the security situation in the area had improved under the current administration.
“The Southern Kaduna people are still very pained. Of course, definitely. I mean, if you look at the number of killings that was done there and what is going on now, you can’t compare at all,” he said.
Musa further accused El-Rufai of denying some people opportunities during his administration and alleged that the former governor’s policies affected even people from his own part of the state.
“I can tell you what he has done to people living in Kaduna from his own area. He did a lot of things that I’m sure even him is not proud of,” he added.
The minister, however, called on Nigerians to reject politicians who exploit religion, ethnicity and other differences to divide the country.
“We should get politicians that want to unite Nigeria. For me, any individual who is using either religion, tribe, creed, or anything to divide the state can never be a friend; can never be somebody we look up to,” Musa said.
“We shouldn’t have those kind of ones in government. Anybody who is using religion or tribe or whatever to divide Nigeria is an enemy of the State.”
President Bola Tinubu departed Abuja, the nation’s capital on Sunday for Europe to begin a three-week vacation as part of his annual leave.
Presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, in a release disclosed that Tinubu’s first stop will be London, United Kingdom.
The President is expected to return home after the working vacation to join the hectic campaign for the January 2027 election.
Vice President Kashim Shettima had earlier this month went on two-week leave, his first since the Tinubu government assumed office over three years ago. He has since returned.
