Headlines
PDP, APC Campaign Councils Carpet Obi for Asking Aged Candidates to Resign
The spokespersons of Tinubu-Shettima and Atiku-Okowa Presidential Campaign Councils on Wednesday berated the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, for asking aged candidates to retire from the race for the 2023 elections.
Obi had said at his presidential rally in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State that weak and ageing presidential candidates should have no business running for an important office like the presidency.
According to him, he could not imagine being represented by anyone at a rally that has something to do with his mission to render service.
He further emphasised that the task of rescuing Nigeria from total collapse requires the physical energy of a vibrant candidate who can get the job done seamlessly.
Reacting to his statement, the spokesperson of the Atiku-Okowa presidential campaign, Phrank Shaibu, said age does not represent capacity.
Speaking with The PUNCH, Shaibu said at 61, Obi shouldn’t be referring to himself as a youth either.
He added, “He should use this period to apologise to his followers and Nigerians for not ‘verifying’ the character of his campaign DG or performing any form of due diligence before appointing the same person to market his credentials as well as his anti-corruption stance.”
The spokesman for Tinubu-Shettima presidential campaign council, Festus Keyamo, also carpeted the former Anambra State governor, saying he is showing a sign of desperation.
Keyamo said, “He is already pandering to sentiments. That is a statement that indicates he has completely run out of ideas. He is not the youngest. We still have presidential candidates in their 40s. I can give you the names of some. Obi should be the one stepping down for them.
“His statement is a very unfortunate one. In fact, who told him he is one of the major party candidates? This is a man who is coming on the ballot for the first time. How does he know he is a major candidate? He is probably listening to the noise around him. I cannot wait for the 2023 election to come on time. They will then understand what it means to run an election, not this noise all over the place.
“As I normally say, when jungle matures, they will understand.”
Call it the eating of a humble pie, and you may not be wring as the embattled Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, apologised to Governor Godwin Obaseki amid a face-off between them.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday in Benin City, Mr Shaibu appealed to Governor Obaseki to forgive his “mistakes” for them to continue to work together, Channels TV reported.
“I use this medium to appeal to Mr Governor, if there is anything that I don’t know that I have done, please forgive me so that we can develop our state together,” he said.
“We have just one year to go. We have been the envy of the entire country. So, Mr Governor, if there is anything you feel that I have done, please I am sorry. I need us to work together to finish well and strong,” the deputy governor added.
When asked if he had resumed at his new office, Mr Shaibu said, “We have resumed but there is still a lot of work to be done there.
“There is no problem about it. The governor has asked us to go there. Like I have always tried to prove, I am a loyal servant and nothing has changed.
“I took a personal vow to support my governor and you can see my Catholic people are here. When I took a vow with God, nothing can change it and I wish that the relationship that we had will come back in the next few days and weeks.”
Mr Shaibu also said he has been missing the governor since their rift began, and expressed hope that God will “touch the governor’s heart” to forgive him.
“I mean well. If there is any mistake I have made as a human, it is not out of wickedness because I know I’m not wicked. I have a very clean heart.”
The Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has announced the revocation of 167 plots of land in some highbrow districts of the nation’s capital, Abuja.
Areas affected are Maitama, Gudu, Wuye which had the highest revocation, 41; Katampe, Katampe Extension, Wuse 2, Jabi, Utako, Idu Industrial zone, and Asokoro which had the second highest revocation, 39.
In a notice issued Thursday night in Abuja, the administration said the plots were revoked due to the refusal or failure of their allottees to develop them.
“The Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA hereby informs the general public that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory has, in the exercise of the powers conferred on him under Section 28(5)(a) & (b) of the Land Use Act 1978, revoked the underlisted plots with names and titles as reflected in our records for continued contravention of the terms of development of the Right of Occupancy to wit non-development”, the administration said in the notice signed by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Olusade Adesola.
Some of the plots revoked in Maitama district A05 had names like Liyel Imoke, Musa Aboki Egu, Hassan Hadejia and Ishaya Baba.
In Jabi, some of the plots revoked had allottees such as Sam Nda-Isaiah, and Donubari Josephine Kogbara, while Katampe district had Peter Gregory Obi, BUA international among others.
In other areas, this revoked had names as Julius Berger Nigeria, Honeywell Construction, Uffot Joseph Ekaette, Shittu Mohammed, Udoma Udo Udoma, Kanu Agabi, Niki Niki Tobi, Ishaku Bello, and others.
Wike had on assumption of office vowed to restore the master plan of the territory and revoke plots that had not been developed or those whose ground rents have not been paid for years.
He had consequently given a two-week grace to allottees to pay their ground rents or risk revocation of their allocations.
Vanguard
President Bola Tinubu has appealed against the ruling of Judge Jeffrey T. Gilbert, sitting at the United States’ District Court of Northern Illinois which ordered the Chicago State University (CSU) to release all relevant records pertaining to him.
SaharaReporters had reported how the federal court in Chicago, while ruling on the civil case filed by Atiku Abubakar, on Tuesday granted the applicant’s request to the court, stating that former Nigeria’s vice-president had been able to sufficiently satisfy the purpose for seeking the records.
In the judgement documents seen by SaharaReporters on Wednesday, Judge Jeffrey Gilbert also ordered a deposition of designated CSU officials within two days after the records have been released, noting further that the process can be conducted during the weekend if necessary.
However, as the school prepared to surrender the papers, Tinubu filed an emergency motion in the district, requesting a higher judge to reconsider Mr Gilbert’s September 19 ruling and postpone the execution until at least September 25, according to People’s Gazette.
“Due to the timing for compliance by Chicago State University – later today – Intervenor is filing this motion separately from its challenge to the Magistrate’s ruling on the application,” Mr Tinubu’s lawyers, led by Christopher Carmichael, said. “Intervenor intends to file, by the end of the day, a substantive brief addressing the errors in the Magistrate’s decision.”
