Politics
Group Wants Tinubu’s Running Mate Arrested Over Alleged Double Nomination

A civil society group, Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), demanding the arrest and prosecution of the Vice Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Senator Kashim Shettima over alleged double nominations for the 2023 general election.
Shettima, who is to pair with former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu in next year’s Presidential election on APC platform, was alleged to have been nominated twice by APC for two different constituencies at the same time in gross breach of the Electoral Act 2022.
According to the petition, Shettima signed both the INEC form EC9 on oath as the APC candidate for Borno Central Senatorial District of Borno State for the 2023 general elections and at the same time went ahead to sign another INEC form EC9 as Vice Presidential candidate of the APC, an action believed to have contravened the law.
The signing of two nomination forms by Shetima for two different constituencies is said to have specifically breached section 115(d) and (k) of the Electoral Act 2022 and attracts two years imprisonment upon conviction by the court.
In the petition, signed by the Legal Adviser of the group and received by the office of the IGP on July 29, the group claimed to be a non-governmental organization, pursuing the enthronement of good governance, accountability, probity and transparency in public institutions.
The grouse of the group was that Shettima, on oath, willingly engaged in double nominations contrary to the provision of the Electoral Act, 2022, and ought to be arrested and put on trial by the police as required by law.
The petition obtained by The Tide source read in part: “That the All Progressives Congress, APC, in compliance with section 29 of the Electoral Act, 2022, submitted the name of Senator Kashim Shetima to the Independent National Electoral Commission as its candidate for Borno Central Senatorial District of Borno State for the 2023 general election.
“That Senator Kashim Shetima signed INEC EC9 form on oath which is his nomination form as the candidate of the APC for Borno Central Senatorial District of Borno State for the 2023 general election.
“That INEC in compliance with section 29 of the Electoral Act 2022 on June 24, 2022, published the name of Senator Kashim Shetima as the APC candidate for Borno Central Senatorial District of Borno State for the 2023 general election.
“That after the said publication of Senator Kashim Shetima, the APC on July 15, 2022 submitted the name of Senator Kashim Shetima to INEC as its Vice Presidential Candidate for the 2023 Presidential election.
“That Senator Kashim Shetima also signed INEC EC9 form on oath which is his nomination form as Vice Presidential Candidate of the APC for the 2023 presidential election.
“That Borno Central Senatorial District of Borno State and the Vice Presidential position are two different constituencies. pp
“That section 115 (1) (d) provides: a person who signs a nomination paper or result form as a candidate in more than one constituency at the same election commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum term of imprisonment for two years.
“That section 115(1) (k) provides; a person who signs a nomination paper consenting to be a candidate at an election knowing that he or she is ineligible to be a candidate at that election commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum term of imprisonment for two years.
“That Senator Kashim Shetima having signed two nomination papers of two different constituencies violates section 115 (1) (d)(k) of the Electoral Act 2022.
“On the strength of the foregoing, having established a prima facie criminal cases against Senator Kashim Shetima, we therefore most respectfully, demand arrest and criminal prosecution of Senator Kashim Shetima for contravening section 115 (1) (d) (k) of the Electoral Act 2022.”
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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