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N’Assembly leadership: APC warns Akpabio, Abbas against upset

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The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Adamu, has advised the party’s endorsed aspirants for the National Assembly leadership positions to be mindful of an upset during the inauguration of the 10th legislature.

Adamu, during a meeting with Senator Godswill Akpabio, endorsed for the Senate presidency and Deputy Senate Presidential aspirant, Jibrin Barau, urged them to arrive early for the inauguration on June 13.

The two favoured candidates led a delegation of 41 senators to the national secretariat in Abuja to brief the party on the progress of their consultation with other aggrieved aspirants, stakeholders and senators in the upper chamber.

Senator Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara in 2015  shunned the party’s directive by arriving early to contest the leadership positions and they emerged as the Senate President and the House of Representative Speaker respectively.

Recalling the incident on Tuesday, Adamu warned that such a scenario must not be allowed to repeat itself, saying ‘once bitten, twice.’

He said, “But let me warn. Don’t be late. I hope I am communicating. Don’t be late. Once bitten twice shy.”

The crucial meeting, which started at about 12:55 pm, saw the delegation of 42 senators arrive at the national headquarters in two white Coaster buses.

The meeting with the NWC is coming one week after the APC micro-zoned the position of Senate president to the immediate past Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and the deputy Senate seat to Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation.

A member from Kaduna State, Tajudeen Abbas, was tipped for the position of the House of Representatives Speaker.

The party has also met four aggrieved Senate presidency aspirants, who threatened to revolt by disobeying the party position if the zoning formula was not reviewed.

But addressing Akpabio and his delegation of 41 senators, the APC national chairman expressed satisfaction over the level of progress their two anointed candidates for the Senate leadership has made ahead of the 10th Assembly inauguration.

He said, “We did clearly mention in the announcement that we need further and better consultation. We need to deepen consultations to carry many others along. From all you (Akpabio) just said, there is ample evidence that there has been consultation and we will not relent to ensure that, if it were possible, all senators-elect agree. Whatever we do, whatsoever signature we collect, the final decision will be on the floor of the Senate and also the House.

“All these efforts are very good and important but we are in a democracy and people are bound to have opinions and we have no right to stop them. I’m happy that we are heeding the advice and directives we gave to make consultations. I’m happy that it is very fruitful. We shall wait till June 13 on the floor of the House. I want us to have a rancour-free election. Because even if everybody says it is Akpabio or Y or X, the rules of the game say there must be an election.

“Those who are in the Senate are aware of the rules. On the day of the proclamation the president and the clerk make the proclamation. So I do hope and pray that we will carry the day and be victorious. But let me warn you again, don’t be late. I hope I am communicating.”Addressing journalists, an excited Akpabio disclosed that 70 senators-elect were supporting him.

Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters,  urged the NWC to call on other dissenting voices to support the position of the party.

The Senator representing Borno South district in the 9th National Assembly, Ali Ndume, also gave an assurance that the 70 senators backing the Akpabio-Barau ticket were men of integrity who can’t be induced.

In a related development, one of the aggrieved aspirants eyeing the seat of Senate President, Abdulaziz Yari, lamented that it would be unfair for the South to occupy the three arms of government in the country at the detriment of the North.

The former Zamfara governor made the statement when he was featured as a guest on Arise Television on Tuesday.

Gadgi vows

Meanwhile,  an aspirant for Speaker of the coming 10th House of Representatives, Yusuf Gagdi, has said there is no going back on the move against Abbas.

Gagdi, a member of the G-7, the group of speakership aspirants aggrieved with the leadership zoning plan of the APC, stated this.

This is just as another member of the G-7, Sani Jaji, from Zamfara State, will on Thursday declare his bid, against the zoning plan of the APC.

Another aspirant, Olaide Akinremi, from Oyo State, is now the director-general of Jaji’s campaign.

Jaji will be the third member of the G-7 to have declared his bid after the APC declared its zoning plan which favoured Tajudeen Abbas from Kaduna State in the North-West for Speaker, and Benjamin Kalu from Abia in the South-East for Deputy Speaker.

Gagdi, who is representing Pankshin/Kanam/Kanke Federal Constituency in Plateau State at the House, in an interview with select journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, stated that the aggrieved aspirants were not against the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, but the APC.

Speaking about the G-7, Gagdi said, “We are like-minded aspirants who believe that what the party came out with is unjust and against the principle of the party; against the motto of the party.

“I think in the first instance, there was no consultation. It was highly – to some of us – disrespectful; that we campaigned for the party, that we are stakeholders of the party, that we are the ones that elected the leader of the party but there was no courtesy of even calling us to say that this is what the party was arranging. All of a sudden, a decision that had to do with some of us was seen on the pages of newspapers. We felt really – quote me anywhere – undermined and that was why we said there is a need for us to do the needful, to show our strength. And we have not started anything.“We are watching people running from one governor to another with eight, nine to 12 members(-elect), aides and journalists. When we start our own, we will shut down the country.”

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Tinubu Assures Investors Nigeria Is Open for Business, Welcomes Coca-Cola’s $1bn Plan

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By Francis Wilfred 

President Bola Tinubu has assured local and international investors that Nigeria remains open for business, saying his administration is implementing reforms aimed at creating a more predictable, competitive and investment-friendly environment.

Speaking through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, at the 75th anniversary celebration of the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) in Abuja on Monday, the President said the government is addressing key challenges facing businesses under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“Our message to investors, both Nigerian and international, is clear: Nigeria is open for business,” Tinubu said,

He noted that reliable infrastructure, efficient logistics, access to foreign exchange, stable regulations and a supportive tax system are critical to attracting investment and expanding production.

According to Yomi Odunuga, the President said ongoing economic reforms are designed to build a more productive and competitive economy, reduce dependence on imports, strengthen local manufacturing and create jobs for Nigerians.

Tinubu welcomed the Coca-Cola System’s proposed $1 billion investment in Nigeria over five years, announced in 2024, describing it as a strong vote of confidence in the country’s economy. 

He said the administration is focused not only on the volume of investment attracted but also on its impact on employment, skills development, technology transfer and local sourcing.

“We are interested not only in the amount of capital that comes into Nigeria, but in what that capital does here,” he said.

The President also praised NBC’s continued expansion of production capacity, including new production lines in Oyo and Kano states, describing such investments as vital to strengthening Nigeria’s industrial base.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving policies, infrastructure and regulations to support businesses, while urging the private sector to complement government efforts through investment, innovation and job creation.

Tinubu further highlighted the importance of human capital development, commending NBC’s Supply Chain Academy for training over 1,400 young Nigerians and supporting women’s empowerment and community development initiatives.

He urged investors to take advantage of opportunities across Nigeria, expressing confidence that the country can build a stronger economy driven by local production, exports and globally competitive industries.

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Kano  Governorship: Accord Party Governorship Candidate Gashash Getting More Endorsement From Kano Electorates.

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By Jabiru Hassan.


The movement for Democratic Protection and good governance (MDSG) declared it's full support to the Accord Party Governorship Candidate Ambassador Dr. Mukhtar Gashash in the forthcoming general elections.

In a chat with our correspondent in kano, the national president of the movement, Alhaji Dauda Mohammed Ali,  stated that it is time for the people of kano state to bring new steward who is seriously planning to transform the state with highest regard.

He expressed his confidence that Ambassador Dr Mukhtar Gashash will do his best to ensure that kano state becomes more examplary at both sector without bias which is the task previous administrators failed to achieve.

Alhaji Dauda Mohammed Ali reiterated that " this time around, our movement is working day and night to make sure that Kano people mostly youths remained Committed to actualize real change in the state's politics, leadership and transformation under the Accord Party government".

He called on the people of kano state especially the eligible voters to vote Ambassador Dr Mukhtar Gashash due to his Transformation plans for the progress of kano state and it's citizens at both Urban and rural settlements.

Responding to a question about Accord party's strength in kano state, Dauda Mohammed Ali disclosed that in today's democracy, competent candidates should be tipped for an elective positions not the popularity of the political parties stressing that Ambassador Dr Mukhtar Gashash has been found to be the best option for kano state due to his track record on competency, transparency as a real democrat.
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Caught in the middle: Ortom’s silent dance between two camps.

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There are growing questions about where Mr. Samuel Ortom, a former Governor of Benue State and a prominent figure in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), truly stands politically ahead of 2027.

Ortom was a key figure in the divisions within the PDP before the 2023 general elections and was widely associated with support for Mr. Peter Obi, who finished third in that contest. More recently, however, he has publicly expressed support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

The latest discussion began after a visit by Mr. Peter Obi to Benue State. Reports indicate that a vehicle said to belong to Ortom was used to receive Obi at the Air Force Base airport in Makurdi. It is not clear who authorized the use of the vehicle, and Ortom has not commented publicly on the matter.

During the same visit, Obi was reportedly prevented from travelling to Yelewata, where he had intended to condole with families affected by violence. Obi’s team attributed the blockage to supporters of Governor Hyacinth Alia.

The Governor’s spokesman, Sir Tersoo Kula, denied any involvement by the Governor. He suggested the incident may have been staged to damage the Governor’s reputation, or that it could have resulted from disagreements within Obi’s own support base.

Ortom has not issued a statement clarifying his position on the 2027 elections or on the vehicle in question. Attempts to reach him were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.

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