TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY MONDAY 

TOP 10 NEWS MAKING THE ROUNDS IN NIGERIA TODAY MONDAY 

1. ‘I Also Lost Three Times’ – Buhari Discloses Reason For Refusing To Anoint APC Presidential Candidate

President Muhammadu Buhari has disclosed the reason he refused to support a presidential candidate during the All Progressives Congress, (APC) presidential primaries when he was asked to do so.

The president explained that he had to contest the presidency three times and ended up at the Supreme Court without success before finally succeeding the fourth time through a democratic process.

The president, however, wondered the reason he would go against such a system by anointing a candidate.

He noted that the late Ahmadu Bello stood for fairness, equity, and justice and he also stood for the same virtues.

Buhari said this on Saturday in Lafia during the 2023 Annual Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial lecture organised by the Nasarawa State government in collaboration with Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation.

Represented by his Chief of Staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, the president advised individuals who were displeased with the outcome of the election to seek redress in court.

2. Fourth Batch Of Nigerian Evacuees Arrives In Abuja From Sudan

Fresh four hundred and twenty-two Nigerians, on Sunday, arrived in Abuja from Sudan and were received by Federal Government officials.

The figure consists of 102 Nigerians onboard the Tarco Airlines that departed Port Sudan and another 322 Nigerians onboard the Asman Air from Aswan, Egypt.

The figures make up the fourth batch of returnees to be successfully airlifted by the Federal Government from the North African country.

It was gathered that returnees left Port Sudan International Airport around 5:25 am on Sunday and landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport around 12:40 pm.

Onground to receive them at the airport are officials of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) as well as security officials

This development comes hours after the third batch of Nigerian evacuees was received in Abuja from Port Sudan by Federal Government officials on Saturday.

3. PSC Approves Salary Payment For 2021/2022 Police Constables Who Had Been Working Without Pay For 6 Months

The 2021/2022 police recruits are about to smile to the bank as the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Solomon Arase, has approved the payment of their outstanding salaries.

The recruits who have passed out of police colleges and are currently employed as police officers in various police commands and formations nationwide, had been in service for the past six months without salary.

However, the PSC Head of Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani revealed in a statement on Sunday that approval has been given for their salary payment.

According to Arase in the statement, the recruits are not to be made victims of the face-off between the commission and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF).

The commission also conveyed its approval for the enrollment of 1007 recruited police personnel in the 2021/2022 batch into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System payment platform to the Accountant General of the Federation.

4. APC Wants To Influence Presidential Election Tribunal For Tinubu – PDP Raises Alarm

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is planning to influence the outcome of the 2023 presidential election tribunal in its favour.

PDP raised the alarm on Sunday during a press conference addressed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba.

The PDP alleged that apart from plans to influence the tribunal in favour of its candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the APC is also involved in the intimidation, harassment, threats, and vicious attacks against Nigerian youths and other eminent Nigerian personalities speaking out against the party’s planned moves.

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The major opposition party, therefore, called on well-meaning Nigerians and the international community to prevail on the APC to allow the judiciary to work independently.

5. ‘It Was Not Because We Wanted Asiwaju’ – Lalong Reveals Real Reason Northern APC Governors Supported Southern Presidency

The Plateau state Governor, Simon Lalong has disclosed details of the idea that resulted in the emergence of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate and eventually the President-elect of Nigeria.

Lalong disclosed that the northern APC governors who promoted the return of power to the south did not set out, particularly with Tinubu in mind.

Speaking on leadership and good governance at the ninth annual Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Lecture in Lafia, Nasarawa state, Lalong disclosed that the Governors set out to demand the return of power to the south because they believe in power rotation for the stability of Nigeria.

He added that it was the APC delegates that chose Tinubu during the party’s presidential primaries and then Nigerians voted for him during the presidential election.

According to Lalong who was the director-general of Tinubu’s presidential campaign organization, the governors asked the northern presidential aspirants to withdraw from the race for national interest, justice, and fairness and not because of Tinubu as a person.

The Plateau Governor said they believed Sir Ahmadu Bello would have done the same thing in similar circumstances.

6. Senate Presidency: We Know Who Akpabio Is And Will Not Endorse Him – Arewa Leader

The member of the Arewa Consultative Forum, (ACF) has spoken against the choice of Senator Godswill Akpabio as the next Senate President.

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The leader of the Arewa community in Southern Nigeria, Musa Saidu stated that Akpabio’s emergence as the next Senate President would lead to the downfall of Nigeria.

Saidu, who argued that no true Northerner would endorse Akpabio for the Senate Presidency, condemned Akpabio’s endorsement by a Northern coalition.

A statement by Saidu reads partly: “We hereby dissociate ourselves from the endorsement of Akpabio for the Senate Presidency by a coalition of Northern groups.

“No true Northern group will want to endorse Akpabio for a sensitive position like that of Senate President because he is not friendly with the North.

“We are the people who know Akpabio because we are residents in the South; we know those who are friendly with the Northern people, and Akpabio is actually not one of them.”

7. Several Kidnap Victims Rescued As Troops Destroy Turji’s Hideouts In Zamfara

Troops of the Joint Task Force, Northwest Operation Hadarin Daji have rescued several kidnap victims and recovered ammunition during an invasion of the camps belonging to notorious bandits’ leader, Bello Turji.

The troops in clearance operations conducted on Saturday from Magarya to Dutsi general area of Zurmi Local Government Area in Zamfara State discovered and cleared bandits’ hideouts located in Keta, Gidan Galadima, Modawa, Mazuma, and Dutsi villages respectively.

A top military source who craved anonymity confirmed to Channels Television on Sunday that troops had encountered the deadly terrorist group at Keta and Dutsi camp belonging to Turji

The source added that the troops overpowered the terrorists who fled further into the bush and abandoned 10 kidnapped victims who were rescued by the troops.

He also revealed that the troops also recovered one rocket propel gun bomb, military radios, and some ammunition.

8. Buhari Govt Urged To Return $800 Million Fuel Subsidy Removal Loan

The Federal Government has been told to return the World Bank’s $800 million loan meant for cushioning fuel subsidy removal.

It would be recalled that the federal government took a World Bank’s $800 million loan as a palliative to cushion the effect of the proposed fuel subsidy removal by June.

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However, the government reversed its proposal on the removal saying it needs more time to prepare towards it.

In a statement on Sunday, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Musa-Rafsanjani, said the government should return the loan since the removal of fuel subsidy has been postponed.

Musa-Rafsanjani queried the Muhammadu Buhari administration over its nonchalant attitude towards the country’s crippling debt crisis.

The CISLAC boss noted that fears of the country getting another $800 million loan from the World Bank sends waves of worries in the minds of Nigerians as Nigeria’s revenue collection in 2022 stood at N10 trillion, with a debt of about N77 trillion.

Musa-Rafsanjani said that borrowing to fund post-fuel subsidy removal palliatives is strange.

9. Airplane crash-lands At Abuja Airport As Tyre Bursts Into Flame

A Max Air aircraft crash-landed at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Sunday, causing panic among passengers and airport staff.

The incident occurred after a tire reportedly busted into flames upon the plane’s arrival from Yola, Adamawa State.

The airport’s Aerodrome Rescue and Fire-fighting Service (ARFFS) quickly responded to extinguish the fire.

Dr Mike Ogirima, former President of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), described the incident, saying the tire burst took place after takeoff from Yola Airport.

Emergency officials were prepared in Abuja, putting out the fire before passengers disembarked directly onto the runway.

10. Tinubu: ‘Go And Prove Your Case In Court’ – Keyamo Fires Back At PDP

The spokesperson of the defunct All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council, Festus Keyamo has told the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to focus on defending its case in court on Monday and stop playing to the gallery.

Keyamo told the PDP to avoid cheap emotional blackmails ahead of the commencement of the sitting by the presidential election petition tribunal.

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The PDP on Sunday alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is planning to influence the outcome of the 2023 presidential election tribunal in its favour.

PDP raised the alarm during a press conference addressed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba.

The PDP alleged that apart from plans to influence the tribunal in favour of its candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the APC is also involved in the intimidation, harassment, threats, and vicious attacks against Nigerian youths and other eminent Nigerian personalities speaking out against the party’s planned moves.

The major opposition party, therefore, called on well-meaning Nigerians and the international community to prevail on the APC to allow the judiciary to work independently.

But in a quick response, Keyamo accused the PDP of trying to play reverse psychology.

While debunking the claims by the major opposition party, he said the PDP allegations are infantile, lacking in substance and devoid of proof, hence Nigerians should dismiss them with a wave of the hand.

The Minister of State for Labour submitted that the PDP and the Labour Party (LP) are the ones sponsoring those speaking out against the outcome of the 2023 presidential election which was won by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.