TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY THURSDAY 

TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY THURSDAY 

1. Senate Approves Buhari’s N22.7 Trillion Extra-budgetary Spending

The Senate on Wednesday approved the request by President Muhammadu Buhari for the sum of N22.7 trillion spent by the executive arm without the initial approval of the National Assembly.

The N22.7 trillion is money borrowed by the Federal Government from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through the “ways and means advances”.

President Buhari had asked the Senate to approve the sum in December 2022, but some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senators kicked against it.

The opposition lawmakers demanded that records of what the funds were spent on be provided before approval is given to his request.

Following the uproar the request caused in the senate, Senate President Ahmad Lawan appointed the Senate Leader, Ibrahim Gobir, to chair an ad hoc committee and liaise with relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) on the spending.

However, the Red Chamber finally approved the request during plenary, after the Senate Leader, Ibrahim Gobir, presented a report of the committee before the lawmakers at Wednesday’s sitting.

2. Details Of APC NWC Meeting On Zoning, Others Emerge

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, has announced that the party is not in a hurry to decide on zoning presiding officers for the 10th National Assembly.

The statement was made after a lengthy APC National Working Committee meeting on Wednesday.

Adamu emphasized that the party will not make any formal announcement regarding the zoning arrangement without input from President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He also acknowledged the need to accommodate various interests within the party, urging patience in reaching an understanding.

National Publicity Secretary Barrister, Felix Morka added that there is no specific timeline for the unveiling of the zoning arrangement, stating that extensive consultation is essential for a smooth and peaceful decision-making process.

To address the ongoing crisis at the party’s national secretariat, Morka disclosed the formation of a troubleshooting ad-hoc committee.

3. Tinubu Reveals Role Gov Wike Played In His Victory

The incoming president, Bola Tinubu has said he could not have won the 2023 presidential election without the help of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.

Tinubu shared his gratitude during the opening of a new bridge in Port Harcourt, the state’s capital, on Wednesday.

The President-elect on Wednesday commissioned the Raumuokwuta/Rumuola flyover bridge in Port Harcourt, the capital of the state.

Tinubu spoke about his tough campaign and expressed his appreciation for Wike’s support.

4. It Is Worse Than Rigging – Buba Galadima Discloses Only Regret As Buhari Leaves Office In May

A chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima has disclosed his only regret as President Muhammadu Buhari prepares to hand over power to his successor.

Galadima lamented that his regret is that Buhari has left Nigeria’s polity doubled by religious and monetization issues.

The NNPP chieftain stated this while fielding questions on Arise Television Morning Show program.

He argued that the situation in the country is worse than rigging an election.

Assessing Buhari’s administration, Galadima said: “My only regret in this country is that Buhari has left Nigeria’s polity doubled by religious and monetization issues.

“This is worse than rigging because you can not go and win an election on the basis of the quality of service, on the basis of your credibility, on the basis of your public service, on the basis of what you have done. But it is only on the basis of money.”

5. Results Uploaded On INEC Portal Shows APC Didn’t Win 2023 Election, We’ll Prove It In Court – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign council on Wednesday claimed the All Progressives Congress (APC) did not win the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria.

The PDP also countered narratives that it lost the 2023 polls because Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso left for the Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), respectively.

The PDP in a submission made by a spokesperson of its presidential campaign council, Daniel Bwala during an interview with Arise TV said it is pantophobia and an expression of ignorance to the greatest respect for the APC to suggest that the PDP lost the election because Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso left the party.

Bwala added that the results that have been uploaded by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) show that APC did not win the 2023 presidential polls.

He added that despite splinter groups emerging from the PDP, the party still won the elections and would prove it in court.

The PDP presidential campaign spokesperson also questioned the submission by President Muhammadu Buhari that opposition parties lost the 2023 election due to overconfidence.

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Bwala added that Buhari might be trying to soothe the ego of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for a post-presidency peace of mind because he reportedly didn’t support his candidature both during the APC primaries and the actual elections but the former Lagos State Governor still emerged victorious.

6. Buhari Unveils Agenda 2050 Weeks Before Vacating Office

President Muhammadu Buhari has unveiled Nigeria Agenda 2050, a plan he said is aimed at increasing real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth by seven per cent.

The agenda was launched shortly before the week’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa in Abuja today.

This is coming barely two months after the FEC approved the policy document on March 15 and nearly three months after the National Economic Council endorsed the Agenda.

Buhari, who will on May 29 vacate office as Nigeria’s president for the incoming administration to be led by President-elect, Bola Tinubu, said the agenda for 2050 would create at least 165 million new jobs and reduce the number of Nigerians living in poverty to 2.1 million by 2050, from the 83 million estimated in 2020.

At the launch, the Nigerian leader said, “This vision is a product of a dynamic knowledge-based economy to provide sustainable development by 2050.

“The goal is to increase per capita income of Nigeria to $33,328 per annum to be placed amongst the world’s top economies by 2050.

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“I hope this document will prove useful for subsequent administrations.”

7. Peter Obi Is Really Crossing The Line, He Needs To Relax – APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi of crossing lines with his assertion on reclaiming a stolen mandate from the 2023 elections.

The APC through its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka wondered how someone who came a distant third during the election can be laying claim to victory and going about saying he’s going to reclaim a stolen mandate.

Speaking during an interview with Arise TV, Morka stated that Obi thinks everyone is obsessed with him, but in reality, people have moved on, and it’s time for the LP candidate to do the same.

The APC spokesperson added that Obi needs to relax and allow his lawyers to handle his case at the tribunal, rather than accusing the APC of attacking or digging up facts about his personal life.

Morka also accused Obi of being too sanctimonious for someone who volunteered to venture into politics and run for the presidency of Nigeria, saying running for the presidency of any country is never a walk in the park.

The APC spokesperson went further to accuse Obi of making a political capital of exploiting people’s vulnerabilities.

8. Tinubu Will Be Fair To Everyone Including Peter Obi – Felix Morka

The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Felix Morka, has promised Nigerians that the administration of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu would not exclude anyone.

He noted that Tinubu’s mission to unify the country would be more obvious by the appointments he will make after assuming office.

The APC chieftain stated this on Wednesday while fielding questions during an interview with Arise Television.

Morka said that the President-elect would treat everyone fairly including the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

According to him, Tinubu was not unaware of the division in the country, adding that the former Lagos governor would be coming in with a sense of duty in that regard.

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9. Labour Party Factional Chairman, Apapa Denies Being Tinubu’s Stooge, Speaks On Peter Obi’s Suit

The Labour Party’s (LP) Acting National Chairman, Alhaji Lamidi Bashiru Apapa, rejected claims that he is a stooge for President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He made the statement during the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Bauchi on Wednesday.

Apapa, a long-time member of the LP, said he was surprised that the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, didn’t know him.

Apapa detailed his history within the party and explained that he was appointed as acting Chairman to save the LP from being destroyed by the Julius Abure-led faction.

He also dismissed rumours that his leadership planned to withdraw the lawsuit filed by the LP challenging the presidential election results.

10. Senate Joins Reps, ECOWAS Parliament To Seek Leniency For Ekweremadu

The Nigerian Senate is seeking leniency for the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife, Beatrice, ahead of their sentencing in the United Kingdom (UK).

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The decision of the upper legislative chamber followed a motion sponsored by the Senate Minority Whip, Chukwuka Utazi.

The lawmakers asked the UK court to temper justice with mercy in the sentencing of the lawmaker which is scheduled for Friday at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, London.

Recall that the senator representing Enugu West was convicted for attempting to harvest an organ from a 21-year-old for the treatment of his daughter, Sonia Ekwereamdu.

While speaking on the floor of the senate, on Wednesday, Utazi said the upper legislative chamber is not contending the verdict but asking the UK court to be lenient in its sentencing.

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He recalled that Ekweremadu was a former Deputy Senate President for 12 years and the former Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament and has made enormous contributions to the development of democracy in Nigeria, West Africa, and beyond.

He added that Ekweremadu and his wife are first-time offenders with no previous criminal records and that since the matter is in the United Kingdom, a novel approach in sentencing be adopted by tempering justice with mercy.

Utazi said though not an excuse in law, Ekweremadu might have been ignorant about the organ transplant process in the western country, adding that the publicity already given to the trial is enough warning to the lawmaker and his family in the future.

The motion was adopted after it was put to a vote by Senate President Ahmad Lawan, who said Ekweremadu has contributed a lot to parliament in Nigeria.