Category: Featured

A Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected the application for bail filed by suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Abba Kyari and Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sunday J. Ubua.

They are charged with five others in relation to offences of unlawful drug dealings.

Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling on Monday morning, held that the prosecution has placed sufficient materials before the court to warrant the refusal of bail to both senior police officers.

Instead, Justice Nwite granted an accelerated hearing of the case.

The judge is reading his ruling on the bail applications by the 4th and 5th defendants – Inspector Simon Agirgba;  Inspector, John Nuhu.

Details Shortly…

The 94th Academy awards otherwise known as OSCARS held at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday night.

The night was filled with drama amidst joy from practitioners and stakeholders.

Will Smith picked up his first-ever Oscars for his role in ‘King Richard‘ at the Best Actor category. He beat Denzel Washington and other actors in the category to clinch the award.

Here is the full list of 2022 Oscar winners:

Best Sound
“Dune,” Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett (WINNER)
“Belfast,” Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather and Niv Adiri
“No Time to Die,” Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor
“The Power of the Dog,” Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb
“West Side Story,” Tod A. Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy

Best Documentary Short Subject
“The Queen of Basketball,” Ben Proudfoot (WINNER)
“Audible,” Matt Ogens and Geoff McLean
“Lead Me Home,” Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk
“Three Songs for Benazir,” Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei
“When We Were Bullies,” Jay Rosenblatt

Best Animated Short Film
“The Windshield Wiper,” Alberto Mielgo and Leo Sanchez (WINNER)
“Affairs of the Art,” Joanna Quinn and Les Mills
“Bestia,” Hugo Covarrubias and Tevo Díaz
“Boxballet,” Anton Dyakov
“Robin Robin,” Dan Ojari and Mikey Please

Best Live Action Short Film
“The Long Goodbye,” Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed (WINNER)
“Ala Kachuu – Take and Run,” Maria Brendle and Nadine Lüchinger
“The Dress,” Tadeusz Łysiak and Maciej Ślesicki
“On My Mind,” Martin Strange-Hansen and Kim Magnusson
“Please Hold,” K.D. Dávila and Levin Menekse

Best Original Score
“Dune,” Hans Zimmer (WINNER)
“Don’t Look Up,” Nicholas Britell
“Encanto,” Germaine Franco
“Parallel Mothers,” Alberto Iglesias
“The Power of the Dog,” Jonny Greenwood

Best Film Editing
“Dune,” Joe Walker (WINNER)
“Don’t Look Up,” Hank Corwin
“King Richard”, Pamela Martin
“The Power of the Dog,” Peter Sciberras
“Tick, Tick…Boom!” Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum

Best Production Design
“Dune,” production design: Patrice Vermette; set decoration: Zsuzsanna Sipos (WINNER)
“Nightmare Alley,” production design: Tamara Deverell; set decoration: Shane Vieau
“The Power of the Dog,” production design: Grant Major; set decoration: Amber Richards
“The Tragedy of Macbeth,” production design: Stefan Dechant; set decoration: Nancy Haigh
“West Side Story,” production design: Adam Stockhausen; set decoration: Rena DeAngelo

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh (WINNER)
“Coming 2 America,” Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer
“Cruella,” Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon
“Dune,” Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr
“House of Gucci,” Göran Lundström, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras

Best Supporting Actress
Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) (WINNER)
Jessie Buckley (“The Lost Daughter”)
Judi Dench (“Belfast”)
Kirsten Dunst (“The Power of the Dog”)
Aunjanue Ellis (“King Richard”)

Best Cinematography
“Dune,” Greig Fraser (WINNER)
“Nightmare Alley,” Dan Laustsen
“The Power of the Dog,” Ari Wegner
“The Tragedy of Macbeth,” Bruno Delbonnel
“West Side Story,” Janusz Kaminski

Best Visual Effects
“Dune,” Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer (WINNER)
“Free Guy,” Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis and Dan Sudick
“No Time to Die,” Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner and Chris Corbould
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker and Dan Oliver
“Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick

Best Animated Feature Film
“Encanto,” Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino and Clark Spencer (WINNER)
“Flee,” Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie
“Luca,” Enrico Casarosa and Andrea Warren
“The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” Mike Rianda, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Kurt Albrecht
“Raya and the Last Dragon,” Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho

Best Supporting Actor
Troy Kotsur (“CODA”) (WINNER)
Ciarán Hinds (“Belfast”)
Jesse Plemons (“The Power of the Dog”)
J.K. Simmons (“Being the Ricardos”)
Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”)

Best International Feature Film
“Drive My Car” (Japan) (WINNER)
“Flee” (Denmark)
“The Hand of God” (Italy)
“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” (Bhutan)
“The Worst Person in the World” (Norway)

Best Costume Design
“Cruella,” Jenny Beavan (WINNER)
“Cyrano,” Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran
“Dune,” Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan
“Nightmare Alley,” Luis Sequeira
“West Side Story,” Paul Tazewell

Best Original Screenplay
“Belfast,” written by Kenneth Branagh (WINNER)
“Don’t Look Up,” screenplay by Adam McKay; story by Adam McKay and David Sirota
“King Richard,” written by Zach Baylin
“Licorice Pizza,” written by Paul Thomas Anderson
“The Worst Person in the World,” written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier

Best Adapted Screenplay
“CODA,” screenplay by Sian Heder (WINNER)
“Drive My Car,” screenplay by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe
“Dune,” screenplay by Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth
“The Lost Daughter,” written by Maggie Gyllenhaal
“The Power of the Dog,” written by Jane Campion

Best Documentary Feature
“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein (WINNER)
“Ascension,” Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy and Nathan Truesdell
“Attica,” Stanley Nelson and Traci A. Curry
“Flee,” Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie
“Writing With Fire,” Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh

Best Original Song
“No Time To Die” from “No Time to Die,” music and lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell (WINNER)
“Be Alive” from “King Richard,” music and lyric by Dixson and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
“Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto,” music and lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda
“Down To Joy” from “Belfast,” music and lyric by Van Morrison
“Somehow You Do” from “Four Good Days,” music and lyric by Diane Warren

Best Director
Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”) (WINNER)
Kenneth Branagh (“Belfast”)
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (“Drive My Car”)
Paul Thomas Anderson (“Licorice Pizza”)
Steven Spielberg (“West Side Story”)

Best Lead Actor
Will Smith (“King Richard”) (WINNER)
Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”)
Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”)
Andrew Garfield (“Tick, Tick … Boom!”)
Denzel Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”)

Best Lead Actress
Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”) (WINNER)
Olivia Colman (“The Lost Daughter”)
Penélope Cruz (“Parallel Mothers”)
Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”)
Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”)

Best Picture
“CODA,” Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger, producers (WINNER)
“Belfast,” Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik and Tamar Thomas, producers
“Don’t Look Up,” Adam McKay and Kevin Messick, producers
“Drive My Car,” Teruhisa Yamamoto, producer
“Dune,” Mary Parent, Denis Villeneuve and Cale Boyter, producers
“King Richard,” Tim White, Trevor White and Will Smith, producers
“Licorice Pizza,” Sara Murphy, Adam Somner and Paul Thomas Anderson, producers
“Nightmare Alley,” Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale and Bradley Cooper, producers
“The Power of the Dog,” Jane Campion, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Roger Frappier, producers
“West Side Story,” Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger, producers

Will Smith has apologised to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, producers of OSCARS for slapping Chris Rock on stage during the award ceremony.

Smith had hit Rock, the host of the 2022 OSCARS, after the comic made a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith.

For his action, Smith later apologised on stage after picking up an award for his role in King Richard.

“I want to apologise to the Academy. I want to apologise to all my fellow nominees,” he said during a tearful acceptance speech for best actor. “I hope I get invited next time.”

This is Smith’s first Oscar of his career. In ‘King Richard,’ he played the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams.

“Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things,” he continued as Serena and Venus watched him in tears.

According to reports, the Los Angeles Police Department announced that Rock had “declined to file a police report.”

However, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organises the Oscars, tweeted that it “does not condone violence of any form.”

What really happened

Chris Rock, the host of the 2022 Oscars made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith.

Read Also: Oscars: Why I slapped Chris Rock on stage, by Will Smith

“Jada, can’t wait for GI Jane 2,” he said, in an apparent reference to her shaved hairdo – which is a result of the hair loss condition alopecia.

At first, it had seemed like a joke or some kind of set-up. Will Smith even appeared to laugh at first after Rock delivered his line about his wife looking like GI Jane.

Jada looked annoyed but it was still assumed this was all part of some kind of pre-planned routine.

Doubt began to creep in when Smith rose from his seat and hit Rock on the stage.

After the incident, Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry pulled aside the tearful Smith to comfort him during an advert break.

It was not the first time Rock has made a joke about Pinkett Smith at the Academy Awards.

He hosted the 2016 event, when she was among the stars who boycotted the ceremony due to a lack of diversity in the nominations.

That year, he said: “Jada Pinkett Smith boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna’s panties – I wasn’t invited!”

While presenting the award for best documentary, Rock joked: “Jada I love you, ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it.”

The comic act was referring to Pinkett Smith, who has spoken openly about her struggle with alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that leads to hair loss.

Will Smith, who was sitting beside his wife, walked up to the podium and slapped Rock to the astonishment of everyone.

The actor returned to his seat, angrily telling the comedian: “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth!”

Almost 50 minutes after, he mounted the podium to receive the award Oscar for best actor and apologised to the Academy and his fellow nominees for the incident.

A tearful Smith said: “I want to apologize to the Academy. I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment and I’m not crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award for me. Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family.

“In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world. Making this film, I got to protect Aunjanue Ellis, who is one of the strongest, most delicate people I’ve ever met.

“I got to protect Saniyya and Demi, the two actresses that played Venus and Serena. I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people. I know to do what we do, you got to be able to take abuse. You got to be able to have people talk crazy about you.

“In this business you got to be able to have people disrespecting you. And you got to smile and you got to pretend like that’s okay.”

The unity displayed by leaders and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the convention has put the party on a firmer footing for victory in next year’s election, President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday.

He gave the affirmation in congratulatory message to the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led 79-member National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

Adamu, a one-time Nasarawa State governor, became the chairman of the party after other contenders stepped down for him on the convention ground at the Eagle Square, Abuja on Saturday.

The President who returned to the Convention Venue in the company of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Senate President Ahmed Lawan for the inauguration of the party executives, noted that the smooth conduct of the election raised the prospect of a mouth-watering APC victory next year.

The President spoke through a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Mallam Garba Shehu.

It reads: “The APC Convention hosted this weekend sets the scene for an APC victory in the presidential and general elections next year. It is a victory over naysayers who believed the party was divided but are now disappointed.

“We believe that it is equally a victory for the president who has ensured unity across all party positions; and it is a victory for the voters of Nigeria who can now be assured of a smooth succession to new leadership in 2023.

“What the Convention made clear was how the media has been peddling fake news of division, when the hard reality of unity, cohesion, and indeed personal warmth between members of the party’s leaders – incoming and outgoing – was evident for all to see.

Read Also: ADC chairmen laud NASS, Buhari over new Electoral Act

“Of course, the blame for this mindset ought rightly to go to the opposition who in all these years had done the work to only divide the country, leading to all manner of separatist agitations. But this is not the wish, nor is it in the character of the citizens, as was clear for everyone to see at the Eagle Square.

“When their fake news of disunity was undone by the facts, some in the opposition could not help themselves but take to the newspapers and the airwaves to find another way to shore up their reputations. That some of the APC officers were once in the opposition was the new line to take to the media, somehow suggesting that those who have left one party should not hold positions in another. Yet, do the scriptures not teach us of the virtue of sinners who repent and change their ways?

“What the scriptures say less is of sinners who repent, change their tune, and then choose to re-sin in full public view by returning to their former ways. Given that most important leaders of the opposition PDP first left the party before they returned to it, we might expect the media to ensure criticism of them is damning and absolute. It is incredulous that anyone would consider them trustworthy or acceptable candidates for any public office.

“The stage is now set for the APC primary elections later this year when the party’s new flag bearers will emerge. No doubt some will attempt to argue the impossible – that an APC primary election is a source of division while an opposition primary election is a source of consensus. But the good voters of Nigeria can see through such acrobatics and know the facts that, when the contests for 2023 come, APC offers a track record of success and leadership, while the opposition has only decades of failure and complicity in response.”

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southeast has aligned with the positions of the party’s stakeholders in the SouthSouth and Southwest that Nigeria’s next President should come from the South.

The stance, which is also tandem with that of the Southern Governors’ Forum, was made known just as Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike formally confirmed his presidential ambition after meeting with Benue State PDP stakeholders in Makurdi.

SouthSouth and Southwest leaders of the PDP had at their separate meetings last week also reiterated the Southern Governors Forum’s insistence that the next Nigerian leader must be from the South.

Briefing reporters after the party’s Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) meeting in Enugu yesterday, the National Vice-Chairman, Ali Odefa, said: “We stand with the resolution of the Southern Governors’ Forum that the Office of the Presidency should be zoned to the Southern part of Nigeria.”

He said that the ZEC also directed that the existing zoning patterns in states and constituencies in the Southeast must be strictly adhered to.

“We said where there are zoning patterns they must be strictly observed and adhered to in every state and constituency,” Odefa explained.

He added that the ZEC made also “interventions for our members who are holding political and elective positions in Anambra State who didn’t defect to other political parties in the time of the election but stood by the party (PDP) in times of bad weather to return to their various offices.”

Odefa said the zonal leadership of the PDP would make a presentation to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party for assistance in that regard.

The meeting was attended by Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia); and National Secretary of the PDP Sam Anyanwu.

Members of the National Assembly from the zone, Houses of Assembly members in the zone as well as members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BOT) from the zone were also in attendance.

On the issue of zoning at the state and constituency levels in the zone, the PDP National Vice Chairman stated: “We said where there are zoning patterns they must be strictly observed and adhered to in every state and constituency”.

Chief Odefa added: “We also went ahead to make interventions for our members who are holding political and elective positions in Anambra State who didn’t defect to other political parties during the election but stood by the party, that they should be given support to return to their various offices”.

Wike declares

Declaring his intention to vie for the nation’s number seat, Wike said his priority would be to tackle the festering insecurity in the country and engender rule of law.

“Let me thank the people of Benue for receiving me to come and talk to them. It is obvious that I am going to run for the presidency of this country.

Read Also: Al-Makura visits Adamu, says APC good to go

“I am declaring for the first time in Benue State because of my special relationship with them,” he said in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri

“People are suspecting, but let it be known today that I am announcing it in Benue state because I have a special relationship with this state.”

Wike said he would do things differently if elected, explaining that he would pragmatically tackle insecurity.

He said Service Chiefs and heads of other security agencies would be provided with the requisite equipment and incentives to discharge their constitutional obligations.

The governor added that the Service Chiefs would be given a timeline to tackle the lingering insecurity as his administration would not be disposed to excuses.

His words: “Today (yesterday), you can’t talk about security in this country and you must understand that without security you can’t talk about governance.

“One first thing that anybody who takes the oath of office sworn to is that you must protect life and property.

“If you can’t protect life and property then you can’t talk about governance. So, the major thing is that our people should be alive.”

The governor, who condemned the terrorist attack at the Kaduna International Airport over the weekend, said Nigerians urgently needed a leader who could address the growing insecurity.

Wike assured that if elected, his administration would engender the rule of law to attract more direct foreign investment into the country.

He said: “Disregard for the rule of law by the present federal government has been one of the banes of direct foreign investment in the country.

“Nobody can bring investment in this country because there is no respect for the rule of law. Nobody obeys court orders.

“Who will come and invest his money when a court gives its judgment and it will not be obeyed? So, I am going to run for election and victory will be ours.”

Wike accused some presidential aspirants of being responsible for PDP’s failure in 2015.

“Those who want to be president now were the problems of the party in 2015. They ran away when the party needed them most. But I have stood and worked for this party.

“I have nowhere to run to because I take it personal that the party should not die. And I challenge anyone in a debate what they did for PDP,” he said.

The governor, while soliciting the support of delegates ahead of the PDP’s presidential primary, said he had all that was required to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Governor Samuel Ortom had while receiving Wike, pledged the support of the Benue people to his aspiration.

He said Wike had over time demonstrated real friendship and support to Benue State in times of need.

Building a truly united party will be our focus, National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, said yesterday.

He said the new National Working Committee (NWC) will begin true reconciliation ahead of the 2023 general election.

In an acceptance speech after his inauguration, Adamu said all members must work for the party’s unity if it must succeed.

Also yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari said the unity displayed by party members at weekend’s convention would guarantee victory in future polls if sustained.

He congratulated the NWC members, saying their emergence was “a victory over naysayers”.

Adamu warned against divisive tendencies that can negatively affect the party.

The former Nasarawa State governor said: “We accept the onerous responsibility that you have placed on our shoulders.

“We will work hard to ensure that we meet your expectations for the greater good of our great party and of our dear country.

“I wish to also congratulate the great party men and women who also aspired to occupy these national offices of our great party.

“They did not succeed this time but in God’s time, many of them will yet realise their ambitions to serve our party and country in many other positions of responsibility.

“As politicians, we are not strangers to gains, losses and disappointments with the outcome of every political contest.

“Let us show maturity and good sportsmanship and accept the outcome of this convention with grace.

“Our party needs all hands on the steering wheel so that together, we can steer the ship of state through the inclement weather of our divisive national politics to the Promised Land.”

Adamu believes the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) must have been disappointed that the APC held a successful convention.

He warned against allowing personal differences to snowball into a major party crisis.

“I know that our opponents in PDP and other opposition parties are now sulking, wearing long faces of sadness, bewilderment and dismay.

“They had been hoping and praying to make a fortune out of our misfortunes.

“They were also hoping and praying to capitalise on the assumed failures of our party to reap political benefits.

“For almost seven years now, the APC administrations at the federal, state and local levels have been battling night and day to enhance the livelihood of Nigerians through various policies, programmes and projects.

“We need to renew our faith in our party and its leadership at all levels to herald a new dawn.

Read Also: We shall make APC bastion of internal democracy – Adamu

“We need to commit to the resolution of our crisis within the confines of our party constitution.

“We must resist the temptation to blow every minor personal disagreement into a major party crisis.

“It is time for us to do things differently. When we quarrel, we open our flanks to our rival political parties that are only too eager to exploit them for their benefit.

“I promise you here and now that we shall heal any wounds in our party; we shall effect lasting reconciliation among our members, and we shall go into the next general elections as a strong and united party.

“I offer my hands of friendship to all our members. I want to assure you that my colleagues and myself will run an open-door policy for all members of the party,” Adamu said.

The chairman was of the view that no administration in Nigeria’s history performed as much as the APC did in building key infrastructure and in uplifting living conditions.

Adamu said: “Projects that once existed only in the dreams of Nigerians such as the Second Niger Bridge, complete rehabilitation of the Lagos-Ibadan dual carriageway, the Lagos-Ibadan express rail, the Abuja-Kaduna express light rail, the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano pipeline and many others, have either been started and completed during our administration or have been inherited in abandoned conditions and have made rapid progress in the last seven years.

“No government can satisfy everybody, however hard it works.

“Some work will always be left undone and every work done will continue to need maintenance, expansion and improvement.

“We are, however, satisfied that APC has fulfilled its covenant with the Nigerian people.

“Of the three main pillars of its promises to the Nigerian people in 2015, that is, security, economy and anti-corruption, much progress has been recorded in all three areas and many more.

“APC is set to do much, much more when Nigerians continue to bestow on us their love, support and confidence in next year’s general elections.

“The eyes of the nation are on us; the eyes of Africa are on us; the eyes of the world are on us. This is a historic moment. There is no room for false steps.

“Our first step is to make our party the bastion of internal democracy. If a party is not internally democratic, it cannot offer the country true democracy.

“Together, let us rise and march towards the sunrise in our party and our country. The time has come for us to show statesmanship to arrive at the new dawn.

“The time has come for us to be patriotic in words and deeds. The time has come for us to affirm our being the party of the people, for the people and by the people.”

Jigawa State governor and Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Alhaji Badaru Abubakar, said only five of the 36 national offices were contested for; the remaining 31 were through consensus.

The inauguration, which took place at 12.21 pm, was witnessed by President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila, Secretary to the Government of the Federation Boss Mustapha, governors, ministers, among others.

President Muhammadu Buhari has noted the unity leaders and members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) demonstrated at the just-concluded national convention has put the party on a firmer footing for victory in the 2023 general elections.

Buhari gave the affirmation on Sunday evening in his message formally congratulating the Abdullahi Adamu-led 79-member National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party, which emerged at the convention.

The President, who returned to the Convention ground at the Eagle Square, Sunday morning with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Senate President Ahmad Lawan to witness the inauguration of the elected party executives, said the smooth conduct of the exercise raised the prospect of a mouth-watering APC victory next year.

According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Mallam Garba Shehu, Buhari said: “The APC Convention hosted this weekend sets the scene for an APC victory in the presidential and general elections next year. It is a victory over naysayers who believed the party was divided but are now disappointed.

“We believe that it is equally a victory for the president who has ensured unity across all party positions; and it is a victory for the voters of Nigeria who can now be assured of a smooth succession to new leadership in 2023.

“What the Convention made clear was how the media has been peddling fake news of division, when the hard reality of unity, cohesion, and indeed personal warmth between members of the party’s leaders – incoming and outgoing – was evident for all to see.

“Of course, the blame for this mindset ought rightly to go to the opposition who in all these years had done the work to only divide the country, leading to all manner of separatist agitations. But this is not the wish, nor is it in the character of the citizens, as was clear for everyone to see at the Eagle Square.

“When their fake news of disunity was undone by the facts, some in the opposition could not help themselves but take to the newspapers and the airwaves to find another way to shore up their reputations. That some of the APC’s new leadership were once in the opposition was the new line to take to the media, somehow suggesting that those who have left one party should not hold positions in another. Yet, do the Scriptures not teach us of the virtue of sinners who repent and change their ways?

“What the Scriptures say less is of sinners who repent, change their tune, and then choose to re-sin in full public view by returning to their former ways. Given that most important leaders of the opposition PDP first left the party before they returned to it, we might expect the media to ensure criticism of them is damning and absolute. It is incredulous that anyone would consider them trustworthy or acceptable candidates for any public office.

“The stage is now set for the APC primary elections later this year when the party’s new flag bearers will emerge. No doubt some will attempt to argue the impossible – that an APC primary election is a source of division while an opposition primary election is a source of consensus.

“But the good voters of Nigeria can see through such acrobatics and know the facts that, when the contests for 2023 come, APC offers a track record of success and leadership, while the opposition has only decades of failure and complicity in response.”

Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike has declared for the 2023 presidency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Wike, according to a statement by his Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, made the declaration in Makurdi, Benue State after a meeting with PDP stakeholders on Sunday.

He stressed that his priority would be to tackle the festering insecurity in the country and engender rule of law.

He said: “Let me thank the people of Benue for receiving me to come and talk to them. It is obvious that I am going to run for the presidency of this country. And I am declaring for the first time in Benue state because of my special relationship with them.

“People are suspecting, but let it be known today that I am announcing it in Benue state because I have a special relationship with this state.”

Wike said he was going to be doing things differently if elected explaining that he would pragmatically tackle the issue of insecurity.

He said service chiefs and heads of other security agencies would be provided the requisite equipment and incentives to discharge their constitutional obligations.

He said the service chiefs would be be given a timeline to tackle the lingering insecurity as his administration would not be disposed to excuses.

He said: “Today, you can’t talk about security in this country and you must understand that without security you can’t talk about governance.

“One first thing that anybody who takes oath of office sworn to is that you must protect life and property. If you can’t protect life and property then you can’t talk about governance. So the major thing is that our people should be alive.”

The Governor, who condemned the terrorists attack at the Kaduna International Airport over the weekend, said Nigerians urgently needed a leader who could address the growing insecurity in the country.

Wike assured that if elected his administration would engender the rule of law to attract more direct foreign investment into the country.

He said: “Disregard for the rule of law by the present federal government has been one of the bane of direct foreign investment in the country.

“Nobody can bring investment in this country because there is no respect for the rule of law . Nobody obeys court order. Who will come and invest his money when court gives its judgement and it will not be obeyed. So, I am going to run for election and victory will be ours.”

Wike accused some presidential aspirants, who had indicated interest for the party’s ticket as being responsible for PDP’S failure in 2015.

“Those who want to be president now were the problems of the party in 2015. They ran away when the party needed them most. But I have stood and worked for this party.

“I have nowhere to run to because I take it personal that the party should not die. And I challenge anyone in a debate what they did for PDP”, he said.

The Governor, while soliciting the support of delegates ahead of the PDP’s presidential primary, said he had all that was required to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Former Nasarawa Governor Senator Tanko Al-Makura on Sunday paid a congratulatory visit on the new national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, declaring “the party is good to go.”

Al-Makura, in a statement after the visit, said: “Today, I paid a congratulatory visit to my brother and the new National Chairman of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu.

“On behalf of my Campaign Organisation, I conveyed warm congratulations to him and the entire newly elected leadership of the APC on their emergence in the just concluded convention.

“In the same wise, I commend and congratulate the leaders of our party, starting from His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, on the successful national convention of our great party.

“In displaying our first-rate problem-solving, dispute resolution, and organisational aptitude through a rancor-free and smooth national convention, our party has, once again, disappointed the naysayers and put the enemies of the party to shame.

“With the national convention done and dusted, I have no doubt that our great party is now well repositioned and good to go into the 2023 elections with confidence, as I have no doubt that the new leadership has all it takes to navigate our party to victory in 2023 and beyond.

“It is God that gives power. Therefore, I not only throw my support behind the new party leadership but also urge every party leader and faithful to do the same.

“Indeed the onus is on every true and loyal party man to subject his or her individual interest to overall party interest, for it is in so doing that our supreme individual and national interest, which is the peace, progress, and development of Nigeria is also met.

“I thank most generously the leaders and members of our great party for the confidence they reposed in me and the tremendous support accorded him while the race lasted.”