TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY FRIDAY 

TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY FRIDAY 

1. ‘We Have Moved On’ – LP Denies Receiving British Govt Apology Over Peter Obi’s Detention

The Media Office of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council (LPPC), has denied receiving any apology from the British government over the embarrassing detention of its Presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Peter Obi was last week Friday detained at the Heathrow Airport by Immigration officials over a case of duplicated identity.

Reports had emerged today claiming that the British government had tendered an apology to the former Anambra State Governor for the detention.

But in a statement to journalists, the Head, Obi-Datti Media, Diran Onifade, called on the UK government to resolve the matter around the eembarrassment of Peter Obi.

He said the party has not received any apology over the incident, adding that the Labour Party has gone past the incident.

2. 2023 Presidency: You’re A Consistent Serial Loser, Tinubu Fires Atiku

Nigeria’s President-elect, Bola Tinubu has described the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, as a consistent serial loser.

Tinubu said this in his response to the petition filed by Atiku and the PDP before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), in which they are praying to be declared the winner of the presidential election or for the court to order a rerun.

In the response filed on Wednesday night by his team of lawyers led by Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Tinubu said Atiku had always lost the chance to lead the country since 1993, and crisscrossed different political parties, in search of power.

Tinubu asked Atiku not to see his loss at the last election as strange, arguing that it would have been a miracle for the PDP and its candidate to win in view of the crisis rocking the party before and during the election.

3. Yahaya Bello Endorses Gov Aspirant , Asuku, Onoja Withdraw

The Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Edward Onoja, and the Chief of Staff to the State Governor, Yahaya Bello, Mohammed Abdulkareem Asuku have withdrawn from the governorship race.

This is coming after Governor Bello endorsed a former Auditor-general of the State, Ahmed Usman Ododo ahead of the governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The ruling party in the state had fixed its governorship primary election for Friday, April 14, 2023.

Governor Bello, however, during a stakeholder meeting at the headquarters of the APC in Lokoja, the State capital on Thursday unveiled his preferred candidate.

The development prompted Onoja and Asuku to withdraw from the governorship race.

Shortly after the meeting was held, Onoja and Asuku announced their withdrawal from the governorship race on their Facebook accounts.

4. Gov Ortom Asks FG To Suspend 2023 Census

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Thursday, appealed to the Federal Government to suspend the conduct of the 2023 National Population Census.

Recall that the federal government had scheduled the exercise to hold in May 2023.

Ortom, however, while playing host to a delegation from the Middle Belt Forum led by its President, Dr Bitrus Pogu, at Government House in Makurdi today said many people of the state were in the IDP camps and would not be counted because they need to be in their localities before they can participate in the exercise.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain said before any census is conducted, the federal government must ensure adequate security for the IDPs in Benue and elsewhere in the country to go back to their homes to be counted.

Ortom alleged there was so much injustice, bias and tribalism ongoing in the country, adding that both the leaders and the people were expected to correct it before Nigeria could move forward.

While decrying the sustained attacks on Benue communities by herdsmen over the years in which he said more than six thousand people have died and property worth billions of naira destroyed, Governor Ortom regretted that the apex government had done little to help.

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5. Tinubu Named Among World’s Most Influential People

Time Magazine has named President-elect Bola Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as one of the world’s most influential people of 2023, following the outcome of the general elections in Nigeria as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The media company located in the United States Of America disclosed this on Thursday placing Tinubu in the category of influential “leaders” alongside US President, Joe Biden.

According to TIME, Tinubu spent about 20 years preparing to be Nigeria’s president.

Time added that the election that produced Tinubu is being challenged in court over alleged vote rigging but advised him to lead the nation forward.

6. Federal Gov’t Speaks On Bailing Peter Obi Out Of Detention In UK

The Federal Government of Nigeria has debunked the reports of facilitating the release of Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in the United Kingdom.

The former governor of Anambra state was last week Friday, detained at Hearthrow Airport in London in a case of mistaken identity during his trip to celebrate Easter in the UK.

A former presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Adamu Garba, shared a photoshopped image showing the executive chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, seated in an office alongside Peter Obi and a UK law enforcement officer.

Adamu claimed that the APC-led government through Abike Dabiri facilitated the release of Peter Obi from detention.

However, the spokesperson and head of the Media, Public Relations, and Protocol Unit of NiDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, has denied facilitating the release of Peter Obi, describing the viral photo as a media stunt.

He said the NiDCOM boss, Dabiri-Erewa, was not in the UK and not in a position to secure the release of any Nigerian suspected to be under UK interrogation.

7. Police Dismiss Officers Attached To Kano Singer, Rarara Over Shooting

The Nigerian Police force has dismissed police escorts attached to a famous praise-singer of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dauda Adamu Kahutu Rarara over what was described as “unauthorised celebratory gunfire.”

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Recall, the policemen, Inspr. Dahiru Shuaibu, Sgt. Abdullahi Badamasi, and Sgt. Isah Danladi attached to the singer in a viral video were seen shooting in the air indiscriminately while the singer was heading towards his parked SUV after distributing Ramadan packages in his Kahutu hometown in Katsina.

The force had arrested the men, saying they would appear before a disciplinary panel at the Force Headquarters.

In a statement shared via the police Twitter handle on Thursday, the force announced that the policemen have been discharged for the offenses of discreditable conduct and abuse of power.

8. $460,000 Drug Money: You Can’t Outrun Your Past – Atiku’s Aide Fires Tinubu, Keyamo

The Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku Abubakar, Phrank Shaibu has lambasted the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, for trying to present the $460,000 forfeiture case as one relating to tax evasion and not drug charges.

Shaibu said in a statement that after the lies told by Tinubu and his surrogates, the truth had finally been unravelled through the processes filed by the APC at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

Shaibu said Keyamo’s lack of understanding of the legal proceedings was one of the reasons he failed as a prosecutor with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

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Atiku’s aide, however, knocked Tinubu for claiming that he was not under investigation, but only the funds in his bank accounts were under probe.

He asked Tinubu to explain to Nigerians how he was able to deposit millions of dollars one year after opening bank accounts while earning a salary of $2,500 at Mobil.

9. Speakership Battle: Gbajabiamila Denies Working Against Deputy, Endorsing Another Candidate

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has denied reports of working against the political ambition of his Deputy, Idris Wase and eight others.

Earlier reports claimed that the lawmaker was supporting Tajudeen Abass for the Speaker position.

However, Gbajabiamila, in a tweet on Thursday, insisted he has not endorsed any of the candidates battling for Speakership.

He also insisted that he was not in any way against the aspiration of the current Deputy Speaker.

Gbajabiamila went on to state that only the zoning of the All Progressives Congress (APC) can affect the fate of the contestants.

10. Gangs Of Lagos: Lagos Govt Condemns Movie, Make Strong Demands

The Lagos State Government has condemned the promoters of the Gangs of Lagos film over what it described as “cultural misrepresentation” as well the movie making a mockery of the Heritage of Lagos.

The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, in a statement on Wednesday, expressed her disappointment for portraying the Eyo Masquerade as a gun-wielding villain while adorning the full traditional regalia.

She maintained that the Adamu Orisha, popularly known as the Eyo Festival, is rarely observed and only comes up as a traditional rite of passage for Obas, revered Chiefs and eminent Lagosians, adding that the Eyo Masquerade is equally used as a symbol of honor for remarkable historical events.

According to her, it signifies a sweeping renewal, a purification ritual to usher in a new beginning, a beckoning of new light, acknowledging the blessings of the ancestors of Lagosians

In an earlier reaction via statement, Lagos prince Uthman Shodipe-Dosunmu demanded immediate withdrawal of the ‘Gangs of Lagos’.

Shodipe-Dosunmu described the movie as an ugly, hate filled mockery of the Lagosian heritage, adding that it is not only a distortion of Lagosians culture, but ethnic profiling of the people as criminals and murderers.