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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned opposition parties against zoning the 2027 presidential ticket to the South, arguing that such a decision could make it easier for President Bola Tinubu to secure re-election.

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In a statement released by his camp, Atiku maintained that fielding another southern candidate against a sitting southern president would be politically ineffective and unsupported by Nigeria’s democratic history.

According to the statement, opposition leaders should concentrate on forming a strong and united coalition capable of defeating the ruling party rather than making what it described as emotional or symbolic political choices.

Atiku’s camp questioned how a southern opposition candidate could realistically defeat a southern incumbent president.

“At the core of the question is: how does a Southern opposition candidate realistically unseat a sitting Southern president?” the statement read.

It further argued that Nigeria’s political history offers no example of such an outcome, warning that insisting on that strategy could amount to entering the election already defeated.

The statement added that if opposition parties insist on zoning the presidency to the South, they might as well allow Tinubu to seek re-election unchallenged by a rival candidate from the same region.

According to Atiku’s camp, such a strategy lacks the political strength, national spread, and electoral advantage needed to unseat an incumbent president.

The former vice president’s camp also criticised supporters of southern zoning, describing their position as “intellectually dishonest” and disconnected from present political realities.

“Defeating an incumbent president requires realism, not romanticism; strategy, not sentiment; honesty, not selective memory,” the statement added.

It urged opposition politicians to decide whether their focus is on making symbolic political statements or genuinely winning power in the 2027 election.

The statement stressed that opposition politics should be driven by practical electoral calculations and broad national coalition-building rather than emotional considerations.

On the issue of fairness and power rotation, Atiku’s camp argued that by 2027, the South would have spent more years in power than the North during Nigeria’s current democratic dispensation.

According to the statement, the South would have occupied the presidency for 18 years, while the North would have held power for only 10 years within the same period.

“It becomes difficult to understand the justice in an argument that seeks to deepen an already existing imbalance under the guise of equity,” the statement noted.

The camp also accused some supporters of southern zoning of selective memory, recalling that many of them backed former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 despite calls at the time for power to return to the North.

“It is intellectually dishonest for those who supported a Southern presidency in 2011 to now posture as custodians of rotational justice,” the statement said.

While acknowledging the Southeast’s aspiration to produce Nigeria’s president, Atiku’s camp criticised what it described as “transactional political bargaining” and “symbolic tokenism.”

The statement warned against political arrangements allegedly aimed at satisfying personal ambitions without creating a genuine and sustainable pathway for the Southeast to attain power.

“Principles do not become sacred only when they align with personal ambition,” the statement concluded.

It urged opposition parties and stakeholders to focus on building a broad-based national alliance capable of defeating Tinubu in 2027 rather than becoming distracted by divisive zoning debates.

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Kaduna Government Allegedly Orders Activist’s Arrest Over Anti-APC Remarks

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By: Fabian Apechihin

The Kaduna State Government under Governor Uba Sani has allegedly ordered the arrest of political activist Zamani Musa, popularly known as Mycah Dangata, following comments in which he urged residents to vote against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

According to sources familiar with the matter, Dangata was reportedly arrested after publicly campaigning against the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Sani. He was also said to have called on Kaduna residents to reject all APC candidates in future elections.

Sources told SaharaReporters that the activist’s arrest followed the circulation of a video he recorded shortly after the APC primaries. In the video, Dangata allegedly declared support for the National Democratic Coalition (NDC) and former Senator Danjuma Laah, while advocating for a power shift to Southern Kaduna.

A source claimed that Dangata was arrested by Operation Fushin Kaduna, a security outfit established by the state government in collaboration with the Kaduna State Police Command and other security agencies to combat banditry, kidnapping, and illegal arms trafficking.

“He was arrested by Operation Fushin Kaduna, the state security outfit composed of policemen,” the source alleged.

Another source suggested that Dangata may have drawn the government’s displeasure after comparing Governor Sani unfavourably with former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai.

Activist Criticises Governor Sani

In a video obtained by SaharaReporters, Dangata, speaking in Hausa, criticised Governor Sani’s leadership style and political decisions. He praised El-Rufai, arguing that the former governor adopted a more people-centred approach to governance.

According to Dangata, El-Rufai allowed communities greater freedom in choosing their preferred candidates, whereas he accused the current administration of imposing candidates on local communities.

He further urged residents to unite politically against the APC, stating that those concerned about Kaduna State’s future should work together to defeat the ruling party at all levels of government.

“We should vote out Asiwaju (President Tinubu), vote out Uba Sani, and vote out every candidate presented by the APC,” he said.

Dangata described the alleged imposition of candidates as inconsistent with democratic principles and argued that residents should collectively oppose what he characterised as undemocratic practices.

As of the time of filing this report, the Kaduna State Government and security authorities had not publicly responded to the allegations surrounding the activist’s arrest.

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One Killed, Several Houses Burnt as Suspected Militias Attack Benue Community

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By: Fabian Apechihin

Suspected militia members have attacked a community in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, killing one person and setting several houses ablaze before fleeing the area.

According to reports, troops operating under Sector 1, in collaboration with personnel of the Benue State Civil Protection Guards, responded to a distress call at approximately 8:30 a.m. on June 4 following an attack on residents of Mbasa community in Utange Council Ward.

Security operatives swiftly deployed to the area but found that the assailants had already escaped before their arrival.

A preliminary assessment revealed that one resident lost his life during the attack, while several homes were destroyed by fire allegedly set by the attackers.

During a search of the scene, security personnel recovered two empty 7.62mm special ammunition cartridges, suggesting that firearms were used in carrying out the assault.

The victim’s body was later evacuated by family members for burial in accordance with local customs and traditions.

Military authorities stated that efforts are ongoing to apprehend those responsible for the attack. They also confirmed that security presence has been strengthened in the area to prevent further violence and reassure residents of their safety.

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EFCC Arraigns Husband, Wife for N1bn Fraud in Ado-Ekiti

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Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned a self-styled native doctor, Olorunbukunmi Taiwo, and his wife, Awolegan Omolola Omotola, for an alleged contract scam to the tune of N1,098,961,500 (One Billion, Ninety Eight Million, Six Hundred and Ninety-one Thousand, Five Hundred Naira Only).

The couple were arraigned before Justice Abubakar Usman of the Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti on a six-count charge bordering of obtaining money by false pretence and retention of proceeds of crime contrary to Section 17(a) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004.

Taiwo and Omotola ran into trouble when a widow, Anazia Colina Kenechukwu, a proprietor of a private school in Delta State, petitioned the EFCC alleging that the first defendant, Taiwo, approached her to finance a road construction contract purportedly awarded to him by the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC).

Kenechukwu further alleged that a total sum of N1,980,000,000.00 (One Billion, Nine Hundred and Eighty Million Naira Only) was paid into Taiwo’s account domiciled with Access Bank Plc.

Investigation further revealed that the couple invested the proceeds of the illicit activities in the acquisition of two properties in Ado-Ekiti, namely: Town Tavern Lounge, located at No. 1, Ikere Road, off Florence Court School, Ado-Ekiti, and a four-bedroom bungalow located on Florence Court, Irewolede Estate, Ado-Ekiti

The Commission had on Monday, May 25, 2026 secured the interim attachment of the two properties.

Count 2 of the charge reads:
“That you, Olorunbukunmi Taiwo and Awolegan Omolola Omotola, sometime between January 2024 and November 2025, in Ilorin within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of N1,098,961,500.00 (One Billion, Ninety-Eight Million, Nine Hundred and Sixty-One Thousand, Five Hundred Naira) from one Anazia Colina Kenechukwu, which was paid to you through Olorunbukunmi Taiwo’s account number 0027303340 domiciled with Access Bank Plc, by falsely representing that same would be used to execute a road construction contract awarded to you by the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADobobEC), a pretence you knew to be false, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1(1)(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”

The defendants pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them.

Following their pleas, counsel to the EFCC, Sesan Ola, prayed the court to fix a date for trial and order the remand of the defendants.

Justice Usman adjourned the matter until Thursday, June 11, 2026, for hearing of the bail application, and commencement of trial. The judge also ordered the remand of the defendants in the EFCC custody.

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