Politics
‘APC Needs Reawakening Towards 2023 Polls’

The All Progressive Congress (APC), South Africa Chapter, said yesterday that the ruling party needs reawakening towards the 2023 general elections.
The National Chairman of APC, South Africa, Mr Bola Babarinde, disclosed this in a statement in Lagos, titled “Towards 2023, APC Needs Reawakening”.
Bolarinde said that the emergence of the APC in 2013 was necessitated by the need to counter the dominance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria.
He said that it was in order to break this dominance that saw the coming together of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the new PDP – a faction of the then ruling PDP, to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The APC became a strong force and coupled with the fact that Nigerians had become disenchanted with the PDP, the APC coasted home to victory.
“However, cracks have started to appear in the unity of the APC as over time, selfish agendas, polarisation and factions have started to appear in the party.
“It has become glaring that many of those drawn into the APC do not share the aspirations to save Nigeria or to positively rebrand the country’s image globally.
“The leadership of the party has become polarised, with people aligning back to their initial PDP, CPC and ACN caucuses,” Bolarinde said.
He said the development has caused a conflict of interest, as the APC has taken the backstage.
According to him, the APC has become an orphan begging for attention, while those who are supposed to tend to its growth are more concerned with their inner caucus agendas.
Babarinde said: “Although, the APC has been lucky to have been given a second chance at governing Nigeria, no lessons were learned from the mistake of the first four years.
“Dedicated party members who had worked diligently towards the actualisation of the second term of office were again sidelined especially those in the Diaspora.
“The government has consistently failed to allow those in Diaspora contribute their quota towards the growth of the Nation.
“Even the most basic of requests by the Diaspora community for an enabling law that would allow them vote during national elections in Nigeria has become a subject of negative politicking till date.
“What does it take to pass such a positive legislation into law? – as doing this will give Nigerians outside the country a great sense of belonging.”
He added: “The nation is currently crawling on its promises to the people. We are too slow in implementing policies that will make life meaningful in our nation.
“All over the country, the story is the same – one of neglect and highest degree of insensitivity from the leadership. Basic things like hygienic water, good healthcare system and quality education are still difficult to achieve.
“Yes, we know Nigeria has been subjected to many years of neglect, and the rot in the system may not be easy to correct but our approach to correcting the rot is very slow.
“Things need to change in Nigeria and at a fast pace too. We propose that our leaders should take a ‘salary holiday’ as a sacrifice to move our nation forward.”
Babarinde urged party representatives across all levels to reduce their salaries and allowances “so the Nigerian populace will at least know our leaders are ready to sacrifice”.
He added that the current system of government is too expensive and unreasonable, saying nothing is wrong in a minister making use of his or her predecessor’s cars and office furniture?
The diaspora chairman said that Nigerian youths should be encouraged and assured of a better future by making them believe they are loved and there is concern about their future.
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.
Politics
Tinubu’s Contribution To Buhari’s Presidency Marginal – Ex-SGF

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”.
Politics
Your Lies Chasing Investors From Nigeria, Omokri Slams Obi
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.
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