Headlines
Insecurity: Resign If You Can’t Handle It, Atiku Advises Tinubu
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is worried about the spate of insecurity under President Bola Tinubu’s government, asking him to resign if he cannot address it.
Atiku, who lost to Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election, accused the President of playing fiddle while the country is drowning in insecurity.
“If the shoes are too big for Emilokan, he should step aside. Nigeria does not need another Tourist-in-Chief,” the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain said.
“The country needs 24/7 leadership to confront the pervasive insecurity and collapsing economy,” he said in a post on his X handle on Tuesday, recalling the various kidnapping episodes in several parts of Nigeria.
“Tinubu is playing fiddle while Nigeria is drowning in the ocean of insecurity,” Atiku wrote.
“To imagine that the Commander-in-Chief is on a so-called private visit while kidnappers kill a nursing mother and grandmother in Abuja for failing to pay N90m ransom and two monarchs in Ekiti, among other regular tragedies besetting Nigerians.”
President Tinubu came to office last year vowing to tackle Nigeria’s insecurity, including jihadists in the North-East, criminal militias in the North-West and a flareup of intercommunal violence in central states.
But critics say the kidnapping crisis, one of the issues affecting the country, is out of control. The president said he plans to address the root causes of the violence through education.
Impunity as well as insufficient security and wider government presence has allowed violence to fester, experts say.
The draw for the Champions League last 16 and knockout play-offs has been completed.
One of the most interesting fixtures, will see Benfica play Real Madrid.
The two teams clashed on the last day of the league phase with Jose Mourinho’s men winning 4-2 in Portugal.
That result saw Benfica sneak into the play-offs and denied Madrid an automatic spot.
Clubs have been paired together based on where they finished at the end of the league phase to form seeded and unseeded pairs.
The teams that finished ninth to 16th were in the seeded pairs, while 17th to 24th were in unseeded pairs.
PLAY-OFF DRAWS:
Borussia Dortmund vs Atalanta
Olympiacos vs Bayer Leverkusen
Galatasaray vs Juventus
Club Brugge vs Atletico Madrid
Monaco vs PSG
Qarabag vs Newcastle
Benfica vs Real Madrid
Bodo/Glimt vs Inter
Knockout play-off round: February 17-18, February 24-25
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has rejected the call by the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) seeking the removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan.
The Shari’ah Council, earlier this week, demanded the immediate removal and prosecution of Amupitan, as members of the Council questioned his integrity over a legal brief in which he reportedly acknowledged claims of persecution constituting genocide of Christians in Nigeria.
Reacting to the development in a statement on Thursday, the Chairman of Northern CAN, Reverend Joseph John Hayab, and the Secretary General of Northern CAN, Bishop Mohammed Naga, questioned the motive behind the demand, asking who was sponsoring the call and why such interests are hiding behind the platform of a religious body.
Describing the call as a dangerous attempt to politicise religion and undermine a critical national institution, Hayab stressed that Professor Amupitan has a constitutional right to freedom of religion, adding that expressing concern over challenges faced by his religion does not amount to bias or disqualification from public service.
He also pointed out that many Muslims who had served in key government positions in the past had troubling religious antecedents, yet were not subjected to similar scrutiny, urging national actors to prioritise competence and national interest over sectarian sentiment.
Hayab, who warned that the controversy further reinforces concerns about persistent religious discrimination against Christians in Nigeria, particularly in appointments to sensitive national offices, recalled that the two immediate past INEC chairmen were Muslims from Northern Nigeria, and warned against narratives suggesting that only adherents of a particular religion are qualified to lead the electoral body.
“Anyone hiding under the guise of the Shari’ah Council to demand the removal of the INEC chairman over political or sectarian interests should come out boldly. Otherwise, the ploy has died naturally, he said.
“”Are they saying that no other religion should serve as INEC chairman except Muslims? The most important question Nigerians should ask is whether Professor Amupitan is competent or not.
That should be the focus, not his faith,” the statement added.
The association commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what it described as a deliberate effort to promote national unity by appointing a Christian as INEC Chairman, despite being a Muslim.
It noted that the decision reflected statesmanship and inclusivity, similar to precedents set under the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, who kept a northern Muslim as INEC Chairman against all odds.
The Christian leaders advise the Shari’ah Council to publicly identify any individual or group behind the campaign against the INEC chairman, insisting that religious platforms must not be used as “cheap cover” to pursue political interests or intimidate public officials.They, however, called on the INEC chairman not to be distracted by the controversy, urging him to remain focused on his constitutional responsibility of conducting free, fair and credible elections.
“He should concentrate on doing the right thing for Nigerians and not behave like others who openly manipulated elections in the past and now seek to remain relevant through religious blackmail,” the statement said.
Northern CAN also raised concerns about what it described as emerging signals of a coordinated political agenda ahead of the 2027 general election, citing recent comments by the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, who warned that the All Progressives Congress (APC) risks electoral defeat if it drops a Northern Muslim-Muslim ticket from President Bola Tinubu’s re-election ticket.
According to the association, such statements, when viewed alongside the sustained attacks on a Christian INEC chairman, raise legitimate questions about whether there is a deliberate effort to undermine Christian participation and confidence in the country’s political process.
Headlines
FCT Council Polls: Mammoth Crowd Troops Out in Solidarity As Peter Obi Campaigns for ADC Candidates
Leading presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Party (ADC), Peter Obi, on Tuesday embarked, on an early morning grassroots engagement across several area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as part of activities ahead of the council polls.
Obi, in a post on X, said he set out as early as 6:30 am from his office in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) to interact directly with residents and reinforce his vision of people-centred leadership.
His first stop was Abaji Area Council, where he campaigned alongside Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) chairmanship candidate.
Peter Obi took a one-hour walk through the community, engaging the grassroots and listening to their concerns.
He later proceeded to Kwali Area Council to support Hon. Jeremiah Badoji, the ADC chairmanship candidate, where he again spent time walking through the community and interacting with locals, stressing that leadership must be accessible and rooted in the everyday realities of the people.
The former Anambra governor also visited Zuba in Gwagwalada Area Council to campaign for Pharmacist Iko Danjuma, the ADC chairmanship candidate, before moving to Deidei Market.
At the market, Obi engaged traders and residents while canvassing support for Dr Moses Paul, the ADC chairmanship candidate for AMAC.
He used the engagements to reiterate his commitment to inclusive development and grassroots-driven leadership that prioritises the welfare and aspirations of ordinary citizens.
