Headlines
Obaseki, Oshiomhole Face-off: Presidency Speaks
The Presidency has said the All Progressives Congress is capable of handling the crisis in its Edo State chapter.
The Presidency’s position came on Sunday, barely 24 hours after the raging political dispute between the National Chairman of the party, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, and the Governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki, turned violent on Saturday.
Before Saturday’s attacks, violence broke out in Ivbaro, in the Owan East Local government area of Edo State as an armed group alleged to be from the state government attacked the meeting of the Edo Peoples Movement, holding in the residence of an APC chieftain, Ibrahim Bawa.
Several persons were injured and property worth millions of naira were also destroyed.
On Saturday, some rampaging youths had attacked the convoy of Obaseki, shattering the windscreens of some vehicles.
While Oshiomhole blamed the state Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, for the attack, the later denied involvement in the attack.
The attack had taken place at Oshiomhole’s Iyambo country home when the governor was driving to the national chairman’s house in company with the Oba of Lagos, Rilwanu Akiolu; and the Pro-Chancellor of the Edo University, Prof T.O.K. Audu.
The governor and the Lagos monarch were said to have visited Oshiomhole’s house to honour an invitation to have lunch with the APC national chairman after they had attended the maiden convocation of the university.
Presidential spokesperson, Mr Garba Shehu, responding to enquiries by The PUNCH on Sunday on what was the Presidency’s reaction, simply said, “Let them go and talk to the party.”
Shehu declined further comments on whether it was necessary for President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the crisis.
However, a Presidency source told the The PUNCH that Buhari would not be personally involved in everything as there were organs responsible for performing certain duties.
The source said, “The President doesn’t have to be everywhere; he is not like some others; Buhari is different. “
Meanwhile, the attack on the monarch and Obaseki attracted further criticisms on Sunday. The Edo State Chairman of the APC, Anslem Ojezua, described the incident as disgraceful.
Ojezua, in an interview with The PUNCH, said “If they thought they wanted to bring disgrace to the governor of the state, I think they have succeeded in bringing that to the national chairman.”
On his part, a former Political Adviser to Oshiomhole, Charles Idahosa, said, “The incident was an embarrassment to Edo State, Nigeria and an embarrassment to democracy. Oshiomhole and I were in government for eight years. I was his political adviser and we were in opposition. There was nothing he did not say to the late Chief Tony Anenih and the Peoples Democratic Party.
“The fact that Oshiomhole as a national chairman, should write a petition asking the police to come and pick the APC members from Edo is an abnormality.”
But a group, Edo Youth Volunteers through its coordinator, Anthony Osagie, said the incident was provoked by the action of Shaibu, and Oshiomhole should not be blamed for the incident.
He said “I am shocked that people are talking about Oshiomhole and the incident in his house and they are not talking about the actions that led to the incident. Our investigations showed that Oshiomhole actually told his aides that he was expecting some visitors and dropped the names of the people he was expecting.”
The Punch
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
