AbdulRasheed Shehu, founder of the Atiku Kawai Media Group has said that former President Olusegun Obasanjo is very bitter that former vice president, Atiku Abubakar frustrated his tenure elongation agenda, otherwise known as ‘the Third Term Agenda’ in 2007
Speaking about the process that led to the emergence of his Vice, Obasanjo, who was interacting with some secondary school students at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State, said he made a mistake while picking his running mate during the civil rule.
Obasanjo said he selected the wrong vice, but it was a genuine mistake in the end. Obasanjo said he made many mistakes in life, but that God made him overcome them.
“One of the mistakes I made was picking my number two when I wanted to become the president. But because it was a genuine mistake, God saved me,” Obasanjo said.
Responding to the former president in a tweet, Shehu, who is a member of the Atiku Abubakar presidential election technical committee, said Obasanjo was “still bitter” that Atiku frustrated his tenure elongation agenda, otherwise known as the ‘Third Term Agenda’ in 2007.
“Surprisingly, OBJ is still bitter about his failed 3rd term agenda. Although the PDP family holds him in high esteem, his recent statement is unbecoming. Had @atiku not fought that selfish and unconditional drive, Yar’adua, Jonathan, and Buhari wouldn’t have sniffed the presidency,” tweeted Shehu.
The young man involved in the controversial organ harvesting scandal that led to the arrest and detention of Senator Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice in the UK, David Nwamini Ukpo, has taken to social media to tell his own side of the story.
According to David Nwamini in a Facebook post on Saturday, June 25th, he was allegedly lured from Nigeria to London for the harvesting of his kidney without his consent.
He claimed that they promised him a job and never told him about the organ donation, adding that he got to know about the organ harvesting through the physician who was going to perform the procedure on him.
Recall, Ike Ekweremadu and his wife were arrested in the United Kingdom by the police and detained on allegations of child trafficking and organ harvesting after Ekweremadu had flown David to UK for the kidney transplant.
Ekweremadu and his wife were subsequently denied bail in court, and the case adjourned to July 7.
Entiled “My journey to UK”, Ukpo’s unedited post reads thus:
“On one fateful day I met a man named okoro in a building site where I was working for my daily bread, okoro told me he like me, he want to help me achieve my dream because he saw me as a great person. He told me could you like to work in UK I just started laughing because I don’t have money for that, then I told him no am not interested and asked me why I told him I don’t have money for that.
“He just started laughing to me and told me he is going to introduce me to senator his company in UK need workers, so he could start my visa processing.
“I have no other option than to accept the offered, after two day the man came to the building site again and told me the senator wanted to see me so we could start the visa processing, then I dropped my shovel and head pan and went to bath immediately.
“Mr okoro took me to unknown area where I haven’t been before, I was afraid maybe he is a money ritualist, I encouraged my self since I knew Mr okoro for a long time there will be no problem. Mr okoro hand me over to one young man wearing a suit, he told me everything about then I told him Mr okoro has already explain everything to me and I have accepted to work in UK.
“Their later gave me a room on that mansion and snap me a passport photographs and told their will start my visa processing immediately. the kind of food I ate there my generation haven’t ate it before. I was so happy staying in that house. After a week their told me my visa and passport are ready their told we are going to leave tomorrow, I was taken to airport from there we land in UK I was taken to a hospital in UK.
“When we landed in hospital in UK I was told I must went for a medical test to check my health status, if I’m fit for the job I accepted without any question. I thank God for doctor harry who told me everything and I told him why I’m here and he later called police for my rescued.”
Following the controversy generated by the academic qualifications he filed in forms submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in 1999, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has continued to suffer the backlash.
But a parliamentary inquest had since cleared him of any case of perjury while an independent investigation by the Punch newspaper established that he indeed graduated from the Chicago State University in the United States.
Tinubu’s academic qualification has been a subject of intense scrutiny since his first filing of required papers in 1998 preparatory for governorship election of 1999.
Conflicting Filings in 1992, 1999 & 2022
While Tinubu had claimed in 1992 when he ran for Lagos West senate election that he attended Richard Daley College of Chicago and Chicago State University graduating in June 1979 with B.Sc Accounting, in his 1999 filing he said he attended University of Chicago and Chicago State University, graduating with a degree in Business and Administration, Accounting from the latter.
However, the Chicago State University letter dated August 20th 1999 addressed ‘To Whom It May Concern, was referenced by his then Chief Press Secretary, Segun Ayobolu, showing that Tinubu indeed attended Chicago State University from August 1977 through June 1979, a period of one year, 10 months (22 months) only.
Meanwhile in his 2022 filings for the 2023 presidential election as the presidential candidate of the APC, he did not state his primary and secondary schools.
He also did not state the name of the university he attended.
However, he stated his academic qualification as “B.SC Business and Administration, 1979.”
Investigation conducted by THE WHISTLER showed that following inconsistencies in his academic qualifications filed with INEC in 1998, and the fallout, which led to petitions and a legal tussle, a motion was moved by Hon Tajudeen Jaiyeola Agoro, representing Lagos Mainland Constituency, for investigation according to the account presented in January by then Tinubu’s Chief Press Secretary, Segun Ayobolu, in the
Saturday edition of the Tribune, 2022.
He explained that then Speaker, Adeleke Olorunimbe Mamora, set up a 5-man ad hoc committee on Tuesday, September 21, 1999, to investigate the allegations and report back to the House.
Other members of the committee were Hon. Babajide Omoworare (Chairman), Hon. Thomas Ayodele Fadeyi, Hon. Adeniyi Akinmade, Hon. Ibrahim Gbola Gbabijo and Hon Saliu Olaitan Mustapha.
Committee Report
Quoting the Committee’s report, Ayobolu said, “The Governor of Lagos State started his evidence by admitting ‘full responsibility’ for some of the ‘needless errors’ being pointed at in recent publications and which formed the basis of allegations against him.
“The Governor told the Committee that as a result of the acrimonious primaries of the Alliance for Democracy in Lagos State and its attendant crisis, the information contained in both the INEC form and the affidavit of loss of certificates was supplied by Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi.”
According to him, “The Governor then submitted to the Committee a copy of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) senatorial candidate form dated June 1, 1992, which he used to contest the 1992 Senatorial election as candidate of the party for Lagos West. In the form, which he personally filled, the Governor attached the certificates of Richard Daley College and Chicago State Chicago State University. For his educational qualifications he filled B.SC Accounting only.”
According to the committee report, as cited, “This according to him demonstrated that ‘needless errors’ spotted in the 1999 INEC form were not consistent and that they were ‘genuine errors’.
Quoting the Committee’s final report to read that, “However, we wish to state that the Governor’s inability to clear these issues promptly left the field to numerous aides and well wishers who circulated statements and documents, some of which the Governor claimed were neither from him nor authorized by him. Since the Governor himself accepted responsibilities for the ‘needless errors’ made, and in any event he is responsible for documents signed by him, we strongly advise him to be more careful in ensuring the accuracy of
documents that carry his signature in future”.
Supreme Court Ruling
Following the institution of the case at the Federal High Court in Lagos by late Legal luminary, Gani Fawehinmi, the Supreme Court later ruled against any further investigation of Tinubu as a sitting governor, as he was under immunity although the merit and propriety of the case was not looked at.
In the judgement delivered on Friday, the 10th day of May 2002 between Fawehinmi (Appellant) and Inspector General of Police and Two others (Respondents/Cross Appellant), the certified true copy of the ruling which was obtained by our correspondent from Lawyers Online, Justice Samson Odemwingie Uwaifo who delivered the lead judgement relied on Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution, which confers immunity on sitting governors and their deputies, president and vice president.
The apex court concurred with the Federal High Court Lagos and the Court of Appeal stating that the police was right not to issue an Order of Mandamus that would have warranted an investigation as conferred on it by Section 4 of the Police Act, Cap. 359, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 1990.
The court further ruled that the appellant’s “interest which is above that of the general public” has not “been affected,” by Tinubu’s alleged certificate forgery and age falsification.
In his supportive ruling, Justice Abubakar Bashr Wiali ruled that “investigation of a criminal complaint by the police against any of the office holders mentioned in Section 308 (3) of the 1999 Constitution is not tantamount to laying a criminal complaint before a court. Investigation of a criminal complaint by the police is in my view a preliminary course which may or may not result in a criminal prosecution.”
On his part, Justice Michael Ekundayo Ogundare, ruled that, “The Court of Appeal is clearly right in holding that Section 308 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 does not extend to grant to the officers mentioned in subsection (3) thereof immunity from police investigation into allegations of crimes made against them. That court is equally right in holding that police, however, have a discretion whether or not to conduct investigation into any complaint made to them. And the court will not intervene if on the facts of a particular case, the discretion is properly exercised.”
Chicago State University Clearance
Following various requests to find out if Bola Ahmed Tinubu attended its university, the Chicago State University wrote to The Punch in January 2022 confirming he graduated from the university.
The institution wrote that, “Mr Tinubu did attend our university, however, if further information is needed, go to studentclearinghouse.org website to make a formal request.”
The mail response was issued by Beverly Poindexter, who was in charge of official transcript requests, enrolment and degree verification at the Office of the Registrar, CSU.
Calls For Disqualification Get Louder
Even within the APC, there have been calls for Tinubu’s disqualification for alleged inconsistencies in his qualifications.
In the lead up the party’s presidential primary in June, 2022, a member of the party in Kano State, Sagir Mai Iyali, wrote a petition against him to the John Oyegun-led committee seeking Tinubu’s disqualification.
Iyali in a letter dated May 17, 2022, stated that, “From the information contained in prior submissions to INEC, particularly in 1999, Mr. Tinubu presented a false claim, on oath, of his attendance at the University of Chicago from 1972-1976.
“It is clear now that these claims are false. Not only was this filed in the INEC form with a declaration on oath on December 20 1999, it was also contained in an affidavit of loss sworn to before the High Court of Lagos, Ikeja Registry, December 29, 1998.”
But the Oyegun Committee dismissed the petition and went on to clear Tinubu.
On Friday June 25th, 2022, the Action Peoples Party, APP, threatened to drag Tinubu to court on Monday to challenge his academic qualification to stand for the 2023 election.
Chairman of the party, Uche Nnadi, who disclosed this in a statement said that the party had enough facts to nail him.
The party will rely on information he provided in his INEC forms. He said,
“Tinubu’s new forms contradict his 2007 affidavit that he has primary school and secondary. He denied attending Primary and Secondary but claims a university degree in new INEC forms published today.
“He commited perjury as he abandons his earlier claim of attending primary school, sworn in an affidavit to run for governor but now claims not to have attended primary school.
“His new declaration in new INEC forms of not attending primary and secondary school (is) false information, in view of earlier nomination forms of 2007 on oath containing alleged controversial primary and secondary schools he claimed to have,” he stated.
Veteran Nollywood actor, Taiwo Hassan, popularly known as Ogogo, has spoken up following a public fight with a fan on the streets of Ilaro, Ogun state.
Videos trending on the Internet showed the actor in a tussle with a man in the midst of a crowd, and afterwards getting into his car and driving away.
Sharing videos of the incident, Hassan took to his Instagram page on Friday to explain the reason for the altercation.
According to him, the said fan alongside others had approached him, and demanded he pay them a sum he could not afford.
Despite giving them all the money he had, the said fan then proceeded to drag his clothes and this resulted in his reaction.
“Before bloggers pick this up, let me tell my side of the story and the truth,” he wrote in the caption.
He added, “I was in Ilaro, my own home town, for an inspection of a project, after which some unknown guys walked up to me for the normal appraisals. ‘We watch your movie’, ‘give up money, ‘We watched you all through our childhood’…All these as an actor we hear everyday.
“I offered all I had on me and one of them dragged me by my Agbada and demanded for an amount I can’t pay. I asked him to leave me, he said, ‘Do your worse’. The rest is story.”
The actor further admonished fans to desist from harassing entertainers for money just because they are entertainers.
“Do you pay anyone for doing your job? No. It’s our job too. Accept all we offer when we do. Remember, once a boxer, always a boxer,” he wrote.
The former Governor of Anambra State and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has met with the spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed.
Baba-Ahmed made the announcement in a tweet via his official Twitter handle on Friday evening.
This development comes two days after Obi met with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State at his private residence in Port Harcourt.
The NEF spokesman stated that he spent valuable time with the former Anambra governor in Abuja discussing important national issues.
Baba-Ahmed urged those who see Obi as an ethnic candidate can get to know him betterm adding that the country might see a revolution.
The NEF spokesman also wished that the supporters of the LP candidate would tone down his ethnic identity and market him as a Nigerian.
The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) chieftain expressed hope that the nation will see the candidates up close, we could see a revolution.
He wrote: “I spent valuable time with Mr Peter Obi this morning. I wish those who see him as an ethnic candidate can get to know him better.I also wish those who try to sell him will tone down his ethnic identity. I hope the nation will see the candidates up close, we could see a revolution.”
The University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, has banned the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, from any of the institution’s activities.
Recall that Ekweremadu and his wife were arrested on Thursday by the UK Metropolitan Police and charged with bringing a child to the country for organ harvesting.
In a statement, the police confirmed that the pair conspired to facilitate the travel of a child to the country in order to harvest the minor’s organ.
The police added that an investigation was launched after detectives were alerted to potential offences under modern slavery legislation in May 2022.
According to the police, the child is in protective custody, while its operatives work closely with partners on continued support.
The couple, who later was arraigned before the Uxbridge Magistrates Court, was denied bail and remanded till July 17.
However, the couple faces life imprisonment if found guilty and convicted under the United Kingdom’s Modern Slavery Act 2015 (MSA 2015).
In a statement on Friday, the University’s spokesperson stated that Ekweremadu, who was recently appointed a visiting Professor of Corporate and International Linkages, has been suspended from the school pending the outcome of the police investigation.
The spokesman stated that the management of the institution are deeply concerned about the nature of these allegations and would not comment on the matter for now.
The statement reads: “Visiting professors are often, as is in this case, non-resident at the university, unpaid and advisory.
“We are deeply concerned about the nature of these allegations, but as this is an active police investigation, we cannot comment further at this stage.
“Whilst this matter is subject to investigation, this person will not be undertaking any duties as visiting professor at Lincoln.”
Recall that Ekweremadu was appointed as a visiting Professor of Corporate and International Linkages two weeks ago.
In a tweet via his Twitter handle, he wrote: “It was a pleasure and an honour to receive a letter of appointment by the University of Lincoln, UK, as Visiting Professor of Corporate and International Linkages.
“I also got a highly treasured gift – a copy of the Magna Carta. It was created in 1215, about 807 years ago.”
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kabir Masari, has disclosed that he receives over 500 text messages daily since he was picked as the running mate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) flagbearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
He made this known in an interview with the Voice of America (VOA) Hausa service on Thursday.
Revealing how he was picked, he said someone called him around 3 am on that fateful day and informed him that he will be the running mate of the APC presidential candidate.
“I was told that I will fill a form and return immediately. The form was brought to me and I filled and returned as directed,” he said.
On whether he’s the party’s placeholder, Masari maintained that I don’t know what you mean by that.
‘I am a realist and someone who believes in destiny. In the first place, this opportunity, to me, came as a surprise. I never envisaged in my wildest dream that I will be picked. But when it happened, it was God’s wonders. So nothing is impossible.”
He continued, “I feel honoured for this great opportunity. So, if at the end of the day it became otherwise. I will accept it as a will of God. More than anything, God has uplifted me.
“Do you know that since I was picked as his (Tinubu’s) running mate, I have been inundated with phone calls from every part of the country wishing me luck. To say the least, I receive nothing less than 500 text messages. Over 200 on WhatsApp and 300 on SMS. That’s a rare privilege. It is only God that uplifts His servant.”
On the Muslim /Muslim ticket, Masari noted there’s nothing wrong with that, saying Nigerians should be concerned about development instead of tying down “our day-to-day activities with religious issues.”
Citing the example of the insecurity bedevilling the country, the vice-presidential candidate remarked that it has nothing to do with religion since both Muslims and Christians were victims of the attacks.
Journalism professor Farooq Kperogi has stated that David Ukpo, an alleged 15-year-old boy, may have lied against former Senate President Ike Ekweremadu to seek asylum in the United Kingdom.
Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, are currently in jail in the UK for allegedly bringing David into the country with the intent of harvesting his organ.
However, images purportedly to be the passport of David have been making rounds on social media, indicating that the young man is not a 15-year-old.
Reacting in a post on his Twitter page on Friday, Kperogi wrote: “Ekweremadu: Ukpo is Lying About Being 15 years old.
“David Ukpo, who initially agreed to donate his kidney to give Ike Ekweremadu’s sick daughter, Sonia, a chance to live, isn’t the 15-year-old kid he told British authorities he is. He was born on Oct. 12, 2000.
“That means he’ll be 22 years old in October this year, as his passport and BVN data show. (The passport & BVN data have been doing the social media rounds, but I’ve decided to conceal the numbers to protect his privacy).
“He was also not smuggled into London, as Ekweremadu’s December 28, 2021 visa
application support letter to the British High Commission shows. I dislike Ekweremadu, the politician but empathize with Ekweremadu, the father.
“As the father of 3 girls, I’ll do anything I can to save my daughters from death. That’s all this is about. Nothing more. So far, the evidence seems to be pointing in the direction of the possibility that 21-year-old Ukpo, upon arriving in the UK after agreeing to donate his kidney to Sonia, changed his mind & decided to seek asylum by claiming to be a 15-year-old child who’s trafficked to London for organ harvesting.
“If that turns out to be true, that would be a horrible way to escape Buhari’s Nigeria. Cashing in on other people’s personal tragedy–and destroying them in the process–just to pursue your dream to leave Nigeria is singularly evil.”
The Police escorts attached to Nigerian Grammy award-winning singer Damini Ogulu popularly called Burna Boy have broken silence over firing shots at fun-seekers at the Cubana Club in victoria Island, Lagos.
This comes barely a week after the married woman involved in the shooting incident gave her own version of the details of what transpired at the club in a series of social media posts.
Speaking with Vanguard, the Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi said the arrested police escorts, during interrogation, denied firing shots at the party and insisted that the bullet fired was not from their rifles.
The policemen were said to have argued that there were other uniformed policemen within the premises of the club when the incident happened.
The Police Public Relations Officer added that they have resorted to carrying out a ballistic investigation on the escorts’ riffles to know if they fired any shots or not.
Muyiwa Adejobi said: “Policemen attached to Burna Boy are under investigation because of the shooting at the club. Detectives have not been able to get the person who pulled the trigger because the policemen denied doing so.
“We have resorted to carrying out ballistic investigation on their rifles, to know if they fired any shot or not. They said they did not fire a shot but we just can’t believe the claim. We need an expert opinion to determine that. The outcome of the result will determine either to exonerate them or to nail them.”
MY attention has been drawn to a recent publication on webpage of sahara reporters titled “EXCLUSIVE: Anti-graft Agency, ICPC Uncovers Billions In Cash Meant For Arms, Ammunition To Fight Boko Haram In Abuja Home Of Ex-Chief Of Army Staff, Buratai”which was published on23/06/2022.
I have gone through the said Publication and have interfaced with Ambassador T.Y.Buratai and can authoritatively say the content of the publication is false, concocted and malicious.
It is on record that on or about 5th April 2018 President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the purchase of equipment worth $1bn for the military through the Ministry of Defence.It is a fact that first batch of Six Super Tucano fighter jets arrived Nigeria July 22, 2021 while final batch of the 12 A-29 Super Tucano fighter jets arrived October 18, 2021. No Arms fund is ever missing contrary to some previous mischievous publications.
For the records no such amount (#850M or any similar sum) was found with Ambassador Buratai nor does he have any Aide bearing such name. Ambasador Buratai has no office or house in Wuse Abuja(address not supplied by SR) nor does he have any bulletproof cars, BMW, G-Wagon (Particulars of vehicle not also supplied by SR) worth N450m and neither is ICPC investigating any such.
We view this as an orchestrated act aimed at tarnishing the image of LT General T.Y Buratai and we shall take all legal steps to hold the publishers accountable for such grievious character assassination on the image of LT.T.Y Buratai(RTD).
