Good AFTERNOON! Here is today’s summary from Nigerian newspapers:
1. President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, dampened the hope of advocates of a government of national unity, favouring competence over such a political arrangement. He stated that his aim was higher than a government of national unity and would rather seek a government of national competence in selecting his cabinet members and not choosing appointees based on religion.
2. The Indigenous People of Biafra has dismissed the IEP Global Terrorism Index Report of 2022 as a conspiracy by the Federal Government and some other foreign agencies to blackmail and demonize the group. The pro-Biafran group was reacting to the report by the Institute for Economics and Peace, which had rated it number 10 “deadliest terror group”.
3. A loyalist of the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate in the February 25 election, Atiku Abubakar, Naja’atu Mohammed, has blamed President Muhammadu Buhari for what she called the rigging of the poll in favour of the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Tinubu. She also chided Buhari for alleged abuse of the rule of law, blatant corruption and other similar vices, which she said were the hallmark of governance in the past eight years.
4. Dr. Seye Dairo, Campaign Director-General, of the Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Dr. Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran, aka Jandor, has resigned. Dairo, who announced his resignation in a letter, did not give any reason for taking the action.
5. Four people are suspected to have been killed when security operatives attached to the convoy of Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State clashed with Shi’ite members in Bakin Ruwa Area of Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, on Thursday.
6. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday denied awarding a contract for the printing of sensitive election materials to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Adamawa State, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed. The commission was dismissing reports that it awarded the contract to a company belonging to the gubernatorial hopeful.
7. The Benue State Police Command said it has arrested six people for different electoral offences in the just concluded presidential and National Assembly elections. Spokesperson of the command, SP Catherine Anene, who disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists, said the suspects were arrested for illegal possession of firearms, snatching of ballot boxes and illegal possession of nine Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs).
8. As the nation goes to the polls for the governorship and state assembly elections, the National Peace Committee (NPC) and former president, Goodluck Jonathan have called for calm and cautioned politicians against do-or-die politics. NPC chairman, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, in a statement, said its call was necessitated by the open threats of intimidation and violence by certain elements within the society
9. Presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has dismissed the February 25 poll as the worst since the country’s independence in 1960 and a setback in the democratic process. He stated this when he featured on a national television programme, yesterday, saying he was adamant in challenging the process of the election and the declaration of Bola Tinubu of the APC as winner.
10. The Lagos State Police Command has arraigned a fraud syndicate comprising eight men before the Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly hacking into the server of an electronic platform, ITEX Integrated Services Limited, and stealing N435.3m.
