Today's Headlines: Ganduje Appoints Ex-Aide, Muhammed Garba Appointed as Chief of Staff; Leave Niger Alone Or Face God's Wrath, Primate Ayodele Warns US

Ganduje Appoints Ex-aide, Muhammed Garba, As CoS

Photo Credit: Leadership

National chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, has appointed his former commissioner for Information and Home Affairs, Muhammed Garba, as his chief of staff.

Garba was a member of Ganduje’s cabinet in Kano throughout his eight-year tenure as governor of Kano.

The appointment of Garba was announced in a statement by one of Ganduje’s media aides, Abubakar Ibrahim.

A former national president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ), Garba also served as the press secretary to the office of the deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Journalists and civil organisations in Kano commended firmer governor Ganduje for the appointment, describing Garba as an experienced technocrat who has served humanity.

“His (Mr Garba) appointment is certainly the height of putting a round peg in a round hole. More like doing the right thing, at the most appropriate time,” the chairman, of the coalition of northern Nigeria civil society groups, Abdullahi Muhammad, said in a statement.

Photo Credit: Google

Leave Niger Alone Or Face God’s Wrath, Primate Ayodele Warns US

Photo Credit:Nigerian Tribune

The leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele has warned President of United States, Joe Biden, to resist invading Niger Republic over the military coup that ousted the democratically elected President, Mohamed Bazoum.

The US acting Deputy Secretary, Victoria Nuland had in a statement Tuesday called on the junta to return the ousted president to power, and if not, the US may be pushed to invade the country.

In a statement signed by his media aide, Primate Ayodele stated that an invasion of Niger Republic by the United States will be a satanic and terrorist move that will spark up the anger of God against US President, Joe Biden.

The cleric warned Joe Biden to allow the people of Niger Republic to decide their future rather than forcing the return of democracy on them.

He asked the US to face the many challenges facing the country instead of intervening in Niger Republic’s matter.

He explained that fighting Niger Republic will be tantamount to fighting God and that it will discredit the government of Joe Biden who is seeking a second term in office as the US President.

Ministerial appointments: Tinubu not fair to Igbos – Segun Showunmi

Photo credit: Daily Post

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Segun Showunmi, has slammed President Bola Tinubu over the manner in which he is constituting his cabinet, claiming he’s not being fair to the southeast zone.

Showunmi claimed that the administration has done quite a lot of things that could be considered as serious missteps.

He made the assertion on Wednesday while featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.

Showunmi said he is a little bit uncomfortable with the fact that it’s beginning to seem that his people (southwest) would get larger positions in Tinubu’s government.

He said, “You know I am a Yoruba man. Ironically, I have known Asiwaju for years. So there must be some kind of soft spot there. But I have tried very hard to say “let’s wait until hundred days”. Why? Because there’s a tradition and culture of “let them take hundred days to settle down”.

“But unfortunately for this administration, they have done quite a lot of things that could be considered as serious missteps.

“And they have done it in such a brazen and hurried manner that people are now forced to say no.

“I have seen the kind of people he is putting in his cabinet, and I laughed at him; few brilliant persons but a few excessively recycled characters. If you come in this country and you want to do a paradigm shift, and your paradigm shift includes former governors.

“There are 200 million people in this country. That particular party (APC) has been in charge for the last eight years. Whatever they are trying to clean now, their party caused it, their government caused it.

“I have looked at the people he is putting together. I am a little bit uncomfortable with the fact that, if I may be honest with you, both of us Yoruba men, it’s beginning to seem that our people will get the best of the cherries. I can tell you the things we have already gotten and the things we are likely to get.

“We are in charge of customs; we are in charge of police; we are in charge of army; we are in charge of CBN; we are in charge of FIRS; we are in charge of taxation; we are in charge of appropriation.

“Have we become such a people that we can only be fair when we are talking about other people…. We have begun to see a pattern that all of the cream is coming to us. And what we would not accept from former President Buhari, who was fairer to us than he was to his people, we must be brave enough to say that this is not even the right thing for us. We are not suddenly going to become parochial people who insist that all of the things in the country….

“Does it not prick your soul that you’re putting ten in one place; nine in one place; seven in one place and five in one place. And you are giving the southeast (Igbos) five. I can tell you for free, there’s no mental capacity, validation, education, authentication that you are looking for in the world that you would not find Ndi Igbo, either in Nigeria or in the diaspora. Why is it now you’re telling me that you can only get five from them? These are the issues”.

cademic records: Tinubu’s pushback is suspicious, says Atiku’s US lawyer

Photo credit: The Cable

Angela Liu, counsel to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, says the “vigorous opposition” by President Bola Tinubu in the bid to unravel controversy around his academic records is suspicious.

A US court had dismissed a suit seeking Tinubu’s academic records after Abubakar withdrew the case.

Phrank Shaibu, an aide to the former vice president, explained that Abubakar withdrew the suit in order to avoid abuse of court processes.

In a statement on Wednesday, Liu said Tinubu should be keen on clearing the controversy surrounding his academic records at the US institution.

“Mr Tinubu should have been keen to clear up any inconsistencies in his academic achievements and set the records straight by allowing the expedition of the legal process,” she said.

“If there is an explanation for the discrepancies we have identified, we would think that Mr Tinubu would be eager to provide it.

“If you would like to provide an explanation to us, we are happy to consider it. That might preclude the need for, or at least expedite the deposition.

“In candour, the vehemence of Mr Tinubu’s opposition to this discovery is increasing rather than mitigating our suspicions.”

The lawyer said Tinubu had been counseled to join the case earlier but he chose to remain silent.

She added that the president waited until Abubakar’s team submitted an “order directing discovery” of his academic records in court before indicating interest in joining the suit.

“Mr Tinubu turned around a week later and headed straight to the states district court for the northern district of Illinois to apply to join as previously advised without consulting with Mr Abubakar, perceived as a devious delay gimmick,” she added.

“At the outset, the applicant emphasises that he does not oppose the motion, but questions why Mr Tinubu filed it, instead of contacting and coordinating with the applicant’s counsel to submit a joint submission.”

Okosibogodswill99 (
)