Politics
Professors Endorse Senator Laah’s Second Term Bid
Senator Danjuma Laah’s bid for a second term received a massive boost yesterday with Professors from his Kaduna South Constituency endorsing him for a fresh tenure.
The professors’ endorsement was contained in a statement signed by Prof. John Gambo, Chairman, Forum of Southern Kaduna Professors (FOSKAP), and made available to The Tide source, in Jos.
Gambo, Dean, School of Post-Graduate Studies, Kaduna State University, in the statement, regretted that the senatorial zone had never returned a senator, and urged the voters to break that jinx.
The professors, who premised their stance on Laah’s “credible performance in the senate”, expressed concern that the PDP state executive council were reportedly backing Rep. Adam Jagaba, who recently defected from the APC, to succeed him.
They alleged that facts were being distorted to achieve the “infamous feat” of not returning a senator, and wondered why Laah was being sacrificed to “please some forces”.
The statement said that Laah had shown an “uncommon courage” by standing up for his people when many communities came under attack by invaders that killed many people.
“Incidentally, people seeking to displace Laah disappeared into thin air during those dark moments. They did not have the courage to stand up for the people. Only Laah took the risk to do that,” it said.
It expressed surprise that people spearheading the struggle against Laah were being led by a member of the House of Representatives seeking a third term.
“The member wants a third tenure because he argues that he can do more as a ranking member, but does not want the area to have a ranking senator. This is puzzling,” it said.
The professors expressed shock that Laah was being accused of concentrating projects – a Police boarding school, primary school, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and the Federal University of Technology, – in two local governments.
“It is at least gratifying to note that Laah has projects; so far, no one has told us the projects initiated by Jagaba in his 12 years in the House of Representatives for which he should be rewarded with the senate seat.
“Professors and other Southern Kaduna Academics will be glad to know the achievements of Jagaba in the years he has spent there. We want to be enlightened.”
They, however, said that they were not against anyone seeking a higher elective office.
“We are only insisting that Laah has performed and is still performing creditably well to deserve a second shot at the senate.
“Aside the state government, Laah is the major employer of labour in the zone and has amply demonstrated that he has the interest of Southern Kaduna people at heart,” they argued.
The professors cautioned PDP delegates against “subverting the will of the people” during the primary elections, and urged voters to “stand firm against the agents of darkness”.
They wondered why critics would concern themselves with the location of a federal university in an area where youths travel to Lagos, Zaria, Sokoto and Maiduguri in search of university education.
“When the university is established, people from all directions will benefit in the areas of admission, employment and other multiplier effects.
“The boarding school is over 60 per cent completed. A Commandant and Deputy Commandant have been appointed and classes will soon start. Everybody will benefit from the project,” it said.
The professors revealed that Laah had built a secondary school and a hospital with staff quarters in his village which he donated to the state government, long before he became a senator.
“It is in Sen. Laah to strive for the betterment of his people. A bird does not change its feathers because the weather is hot,” the professors said.
Politics
Reps Constitution Review Committee Holds Zonal Hearing For Rivers, C’River, Akwa Ibom In Calabar
A press statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Cross River State Governor, Mr Linus Obogo, disclosed that the Calabar Centre — designated as Centre B — will host representatives and stakeholders from Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.
The public hearing is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Transcorp (Metropolitan) Hotel, Calabar.
The initiative, according to the statement, is designed to promote inclusive dialogue and capture the aspirations of Nigerians from all regions.
It aims to serve as a platform for citizens to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing national efforts to refine and strengthen the country’s legal and institutional frameworks.
“Citizens, civil society groups, professional bodies, traditional rulers, and other interest blocs are invited to participate in this landmark engagement aimed at advancing a more just, equitable, and responsive Nigerian Constitution,” the statement read.
The hearing forms part of the broader review process of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and is seen as a strategic move toward fostering national unity and addressing structural legal issues within the federation.
For the first time since 2022, when then-presidential aspirant Alhaji Bola Tinubu declared he made former President Buhari Nigeria’s President in 2015, Mr Mustapha dismissed the claims, stressing that the merger only contributed about three million votes in addition to Buhari’s existing 12 million votes in the North.
He insisted that former President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to the breakthrough, not the three million votes from the merging parties, which he described as insignificant.
Speaking on the role of the merging parties, particularly President Tinubu, the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Mustapha, who was the keynote speaker at the launch of the book ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience’ authored by Mallam Garba Shehu, described the impact of the votes from other merging parties as very insignificant.
In attendance were former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, chair of the event; immediate past Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; SGF George Akume, who represented President Tinubu; PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; former Chief of Staff to Buhari Ibrahim Gambari; elder statesman Babagana Kingibe; former governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Chris Ngige (Anambra), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Raji Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); former ministers Solomon Dalung and Sunday Dare; former Army Chief Tukur Buratai, and Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s spokesman, among others.
According to Mr Mustapha, “I do not intend to stir up any controversy. The merger in 2013 was midwifed to create a Buhari presidency. Let us look at the statistics. In the 2003 election, it was the Obasanjo-Buhari presidential contest where Buhari recorded 12.7 million votes. In 2007, it came to 6.6 million, and it went back to 12.2 million in 2011.
“When we were conceptualising the merger, what would give us a headstart? Obviously, it was at the back of our consciousness that the merger with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), though it had only one state, the ACN had six states, ANPP three states, and when you sum up the total votes that we had as the presidency in 2015, the aggregate of the total votes was 15.4 million.
“So, basically, what we brought to the table after the merger outside the Buhari 12.5 million votes was three million. Before turning to that presidency, it is important to recognise the former President’s role in reshaping Nigeria’s political trajectory.
“In early 2013, as the leader of the CPC, Buhari formally requested and supported the creation of a CPC merger committee, part of a broader coalition-building process that brought together the ACN, ANPP, APGA faction, and elements of the ruling party through the breakaway ‘new PDP’ group. His endorsement and participation, along with other party leaders such as President Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, lent credibility and direction to the merger, helping to unify disparate party factions under the banner of the APC. That coalition-building paved the way for the first democratic defeat of an incumbent ruling party in Nigeria’s history.
“President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to that breakthrough. No account of President Buhari’s tenure would be complete without acknowledging the extended periods he spent on medical leave. These moments, while politically delicate, were also telling of his leadership philosophy and personality,” he said.
In his remarks, President Tinubu promised to build on the legacies of former President Buhari, stressing that “nation-building is a relay. The efforts of one administration lay the foundation for the next.
“In this regard, I acknowledge the efforts of my predecessor, President Buhari, and assure all Nigerians that the reform-oriented path he initiated will be consolidated and strengthened under this administration. Our Renewed Hope Agenda is inspired by the desire to build a resilient, just, and inclusive Nigeria—a nation that delivers dividends of democracy to all its citizens”.
Speaking during an appearance on live television on Wednesday, Mr Omokri alleged that Mr Obi’s statements were misleading and damaging to the country’s economic prospects.
Mr Omokri said some investors currently operating in Nigeria were considering exiting the market due to Mr Obi’s remarks.
“That is not true. He doesn’t rile me up. I rile him up. The reason why I came here is because I’m a patriot. Peter Obi lied. You know, foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told.
“One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari. That is a blatant lie”, Mr Omokri said.
To buttress his claims, Mr Omokri referenced figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), maintaining that President Tinubu had actually reduced Nigeria’s external debt burden since assuming office.
“I have here with me data from the Debt Management Office, and Nigerians who are watching can go to DMO.com and search Debt Management Office, Nigeria State of Indebtedness 2015.
“As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of $63 billion. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing $113 billion. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from $113 billion to $97 billion, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over $14 billion.
“We should be appreciating this man. Yet Peter Obi came here and lied to the Nigerian people. He took the debts and translated them into naira to make it look like the debts have increased”, he said.